Shadowing Practice: MasterChef Audition Season 3 Christine Ha Blind Chef - Learn English Speaking with Video

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131 sentences
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Can tonight's final home cook end the day on a high?
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I'm Christine from Houston, Texas, and I'm a graduate student.
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My husband's here supporting me.
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He's my biggest fan.
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I love food.
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I love eating it.
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I love creating it.
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I feel like regardless of what your background is, your gender, your religion, food is something everybody has in common in this world,
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and so I think food is what connects people together.
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I'm definitely a competitive person.
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I really want to get this apron.
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I am here for a reason.
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I'm supposed to be graduating school, but I've set aside my thesis to get an apron and become the next MasterChef.
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Thank you.
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Wow.
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Wow.
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Wow, wow, wow.
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Um, welcome.
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Thank you.
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Um, first name is?
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My name is Christine.
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Christine, in the history of MasterChef, we've never had a blind contestant.
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Welcome.
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Thank you.
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The gentleman with you?
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That's my husband.
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His name is John.
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Right.
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What are you cooking?
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I'm cooking Vietnamese comfort food.
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It's a catfish braised in a clay pot, and I pickled vegetables to go with it and some rice.
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OK.
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Christine, you've got five minutes to complete that dish.
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Thank you.
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Just in front.
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Just in front?
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No, you were there.
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Just a little bit higher, darling.
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OK, thank you.
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Thank you.
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Christine?
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Yes, chef?
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Were you born blind?
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No, no, chef.
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When I was maybe about 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that affected my nerves,
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my spinal cord and my optic nerves.
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And so I lost my vision gradually over the past 10 years.
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In your mind, you're visualizing what you put on a plate.
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Yes, that's correct.
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You know, I felt the plate and things like that before.
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And a lot of it is obvious by memory.
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Do you ever think that your disability somehow could be an advantage in a competition like this
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or just in cooking in general?
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Yes, chef, please excuse my chewing.
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Yes, it is.
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Because I can't see, I won't be worrying about what other people are doing.
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I love the fact that you're tasting everything.
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I have to.
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I can't see.
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One of my teaching methods with young chefs today is that we put a blindfold on them, and they understand the texture,
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the taste, which is accelerated quicker when your eyes are closed and you're concentrating purely on the senses.
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Yes, correct, chef.
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My rice did not turn out to par, so I'm not serving it to you.
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Okay, I guess I'm done.
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Thank you.
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The catfish, how did you cook it?
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With some caramel that I made by just caramelizing sugar on the stove
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and using coconut soda as well and with shallots and garlic.
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And the base of the broth is made up of what?
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Fish sauce.
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I love the fact that you kept the fish on the bone.
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Why?
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Catfish is just, it's really tender, and I didn't want to pick it apart and make it look unappetizing, so I left it as a steak.
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I think it looks more appealing, and that's just the way Vietnamese people eat.
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You know, you're gonna be judged like everybody else in this competition.
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Yes, chef.
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the dish does need the sort of stability.
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It's a staple done beautifully, but missing the rice.
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Yes, chef, I understand.
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I'm sorry.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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So what's the idea behind cooking it in the clay pot?
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It's supposed to aid with the quicker caramelization and braising of the product you put inside, chef.
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Okay.
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It's got a beautiful aroma.
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Thank you, chef.
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Well, thank you so much.
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Thank you, chef.
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Hi.
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Hi, sir.
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I'm Joe, obviously.
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I've heard you give mean looks, but luckily I can't see it.
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You have a great advantage.
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As you talk about your food, not only are you able to express it in words, but your face speaks volumes.
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Yes.
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Your eyes beam with happiness and pride and passion.
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And you have a lot to be proud of.
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Thank you, sir.
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It's an amazing, amazing accomplishment.
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Thank you, sir.
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Okay.
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Joe, yes or no?
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100% yes.
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Thank you, sir.
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Graham, yes or no?
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Um, everybody has a story and has things that they have to overcome.
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Judge solely on that dish.
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Yes, chef.
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I'm a yes.
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Oh, my God.
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Thank you, chef.
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Your personal challenge aside, for me, that's one of the most delicious dishes I've tasted in this competition so far.
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I've tasted this competition so far.
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Do you know what I'm gonna give you?
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A white apron.
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A white apron.
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Congratulations.
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Thank you.
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I'll come and get it.
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Congratulations.
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Thank you so much.
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I mean, really, good job.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Well done.
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Thank you.
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Wow.
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I'm so touched that they all complimented me on my food and they believed in me so I feel ecstatic.
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For everyone in America, you can overcome anything you want to overcome and get what you want to get.
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And I'm going to be the next MasterChef.

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What You'll Learn from This Clip

This video is a goldmine for building real-world speaking skills! First, you’ll practice introducing yourself clearly—Christine shares her background, goals, and passion with confidence, a key skill for IELTS speaking practice or job interviews. Second, you’ll learn to answer follow-up questions naturally, like how she explains losing her vision with calm, conversational flow. Finally, you’ll master expressing purpose (“I’ve set aside my thesis to get an apron”)—perfect for describing your own motivations in daily life or exams.

Listen For These Sounds

Native speakers often link words or reduce sounds—let’s break them down! Notice how “I’m Christine from Houston” becomes “I’m Christine frum Houston” (linking “from” and “Houston” with a soft “m” sound). Also, “I’ve set aside my thesis” shortens to “I’ve set aside my thee-sis” (reducing “thesis” to two quick syllables). And “It’s a catfish braised in a clay pot” flows as “It’s a catfish braised in a clay pot” (linking “in” and “a” to sound like “in-a”). These small tweaks make your speech sound more natural—great for shadow speech practice!

Say It Like a Native

To mirror Christine’s rhythm, focus on stress and pauses. She emphasizes key words like “love food,” “competitive person,” and “supposed to be graduating” to highlight her passion and determination. Pause slightly before important points, like she does before “I am here for a reason,” to build anticipation. Try shadowing her lines: play a short clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, matching her tone and speed. This “shadowspeak” technique trains your mouth and brain to work like a native. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to record yourself and compare—you’ll be amazed at how quickly your fluency improves!

Remember, every conversation is a chance to grow. Whether you’re using shadow speak for fun or prepping for IELTS speaking practice, this clip is your ticket to more confident, natural English. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll sound just as polished as Christine!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowI've set · we've never had · I've heard
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itwas diagnosed · is accelerated · is made
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a groupmy biggest · the most delicious
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing formlove eating · love creating

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →