19.10.2026 11:11
The joke "Ten talents on ten fingers," made during the "Cold War" program in reference to MasterChef judge Mehmet Yalçınkaya's hand disability, caused a huge backlash.
In the "Cold War" program broadcast on YouTube, a question asked about Mehmet Yalçınkaya, one of the judges of TV8's popular competition MasterChef Türkiye, caused a huge wave of reaction on social media.
In the program, which made a reference to Chef Mehmet—who recently made headlines for reprimanding Orkun Işıtmak in a piece published in recent days—the following dialogue drew viewers' reaction:
- Question: "What did Orkun Işıtmak, who wanted to take revenge on Chef Mehmet, say to Chef Mehmet after going to Chef Mehmet's restaurant and eating a meal?"
- Answer: "My chef has ten skills on ten fingers."
CHEF MEHMET'S TRAUMA WAS MADE INTO ENGAGEMENT MATERIAL
Social media users reacted harshly to the joke on the program, recalling that Mehmet Yalçınkaya lost 3 fingers as a result of an accident he had while playing with his friends at the age of 5. The joke, which targeted and alluded to Chef Mehmet's physical disability, was met with a flood of criticism on digital platforms, especially X (Twitter).
REACTION POURED IN FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
After the images quickly became a trending topic, social media users expressed their reactions with the following statements:
- "This is outright disrespect"
- "Those who laugh at this calling it a joke have no sense either"
- "The man has trauma—look at the joke he made"
- "This is not dark humor or anything; what the hell is this savagely laughing at turning a person's trauma into engagement material?"
- "Mocking someone's disability is not humor; it is outright disrespect."
"THE ACCIDENTS WE EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIVES..."
After the discussions in question, the emotional statement Mehmet Yalçınkaya had previously made about the accident he had and the process he went through came to the agenda again. Regarding the accident in which he lost his fingers, Chef Mehmet had used the following expressions: "It was an accident I had while playing with two friends in front of the door. Most people say about this, 'It happened in a meat grinder.' The accidents we experience in our lives drive us to hold on more. Some people have no hands, no arms, some are missing half of their body. In my story, which began with an apprenticeship at the age of 11, no one believed I would become a cook. This always gave me ambition and a reason to hold on. I worked harder than everyone."