Gordon Ramsay turned up with a new do and people didn't know how to react. Photo / Supplied
All eyes should have been on the burgers on the latest episode of Australia's MasterChef, as the wannabe winners competed to see who could reinvent, or in some cases just cook through, the pub classic.
But no one cared about the patties because no one could take their eyes off something far more magnificent and extraordinary — the reinvention of British chef Gordon Ramsay's hair.
The sharp intakes of breath from the contestants as the enfant terrible of the kitchen strode on to the set were not because of his fame or notoriety. Oh no, it was surely genuine shock at what the hell had happened to that mop.
"For a minute I thought I was watching Something About Mary," said one on Twitter. Another suggested you could hide a seven course degustation beneath the coiffured luxury of his luscious locks.
Gone was Ramsay's familiar tousled bed hair, replaced by a ski slope of a quiff that would put Thredbo to shame. Like the antenna of worker ants, it seemed to search the air several meters ahead to forewarn its owner of impending danger, such as the horror of a collapsed souffle or a grainy crumb.
As you can imagine, social media lost it over the new do.
"I feel like he started styling it and got annoyed because it was taking so long and went 'oh p**s off' and this was the result." Another suggested it was Ramsay's homage to high tide at Bondi.
— Daniel Brewer 🎛🎙📻 (@danbrewerradio) May 27, 2018
It may be the first time Australia has been graced with Ramsay's striking new cut, but in every territory where it has been introduced, from the United States to its home in England, his locks have caused a stir.
It made its debut in January, the cherry on the cake of a new look Ramsay.
Britain's The Sun newspaper said the once stocky chef had completely transformed his appearance over the years and now regularly takes part in Ironman championships.
Speaking previously about his weight loss and shaping up, he said: "(My wife) Tana advised me I was putting on weight and she wanted me to get out of bed every morning and stand up and be able to look at my meat and two veg.
"I've now got my six-pack back. It's gone from two to four to six. She put me on a strict diet. Every day she made me stand on those scales," he said.
Slick new look or monstrous mop? You decide. But there's no doubt that once seen, Ramsay's new doo cannot be unseen.
The MasterChef contestants will have to tear their eyeballs away from his dome and back to their dinner if they're going to survive the week.