MasterChef fans crying with laughter as Joey Essex asks for ‘Michigan Star’

Celebrity MasterChef viewers said they were crying with laughter as Joey Essex mixed up his ingredients, struggled to work kitchen appliances and declared his cooking was worthy of a “Michigan Star”.

The reality TV regular was one of the first five celebrities showing off their culinary skills in the new series of the BBC programme, along with runner Andy Grant, designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, Strictly professional Oti Mabuse and retired footballer Neil “Razor” Ruddock.

He had fans in stitches from the first challenge – making sausages – when he confessed: “I didn’t even know you could do that. You’d think only a sausage factory could make a sausage.”

Essex then served up sausages made from “pork and chives”, only to be told by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that the chives were actually thyme.

“Thyme?” he asked. “What do you mean thyme?”

Wallace explained what it was and Essex asked: “Is that good?”

When it came to making his own dish, Essex chose to prepare a bread pudding, despite admitting he didn’t know how and was just “winging it”.

He was thrilled when the judges gave it the thumbs up, saying: “If I was a judge I’d give it a Michigan Star!

“Is it a Michigan Star?”

Fans of the show thought Essex’s antics were hilarious, with some posting messages on social media saying they were crying with laughter.

“Joey Essex on #CelebrityMasterChef is the TV highlight of the year,” said one person on Twitter.

“Joey Essex makes me howl,” posted another.

“Can @JoeyEssex_ please be on #CelebrityMasterchef every year because I’m absolutely crying, this is fantastic,” said another.

Another viewer tweeted: “Tbf Joey Essex is hilarious on masterchef. Totally clueless.”

Andy Grant was the first contestant to be eliminated from the programme.