US MasterChef winner to judge Vietnamese show

(VNF)- Christine Ha, the visually impaired winner of U.S. reality show MasterChef 2012, is slated to serve as an official judge of the show’s Vietnamese version.

Ha, the first-ever visually-impaired contestant during the US MasterChef's history, became known to Vietnamese audiences since her participation as a guest judge during the first two seasons of Vietnam MasterChef.

In this year's Vietnam MasterChef edition, Ha will team up with two other judges, whose names will be unveiled soon.

Christine Ha, the visually impaired winner of U.S. reality show MasterChef 2012. Photo: masterchef.wikia.com

This year, the competition also welcomes Vietnamese celebrities with a particular interest in cooking.

Fifteen episodes of MasterChef Vietnam are slated to air at 8:00 pm starting early September on VTV3 – an entertainment channel of national broadcaster Vietnam Television.

Ha suffers neuromyelitis optica (NMO) – an autoimmune disorder that affects the optic nerves and spinal chord, which robbed the now 36-year-old woman of her sight more than 10 years ago.

At US MasterChef 2012, Ha wowed the judges in the first audition with a hallmark Vietnamese dish, catfish braised in a clay pot.

The menu she prepared in the finale also featured Asian-style delicacies.

The chef melted viewers’ hearts with her inspirational story and immense passion for cooking.

Besides a $250,000 grand prize as the champion, Ha won a cookbook deal that allowed her to publish her first work, “Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food,” which later grow into a New York Times bestseller.

MasterChef Vietnam, whose copyright was purchased by VTV3 and BHD Multimedia Company, was first aired in 2013.

Since being originally broadcast in the UK, the show has expanded to other countries with their own versions, with

MasterChef Australia and MasterChef U.S. being the most famous shows./.

by VNF