My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2026 may still be serving up kitchen chaos, but judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fasnidge have admitted they’re already looking ahead to life after television.
Speaking on The Dom Harvey Podcast, the beloved chefs revealed their hopes to be retired, or at least semi-retired, within the next 10 years after spending almost four decades working.
Which begs the question: can MKR survive without Manu and Colin?
Manu says he’s ready to retire
“I want to be semi-retired, if not retired completely to be honest with you,” Manu said.
“I’ve been working since I was 15; it’s nearly 40 years of my life working. I’ve loved every minute of it, but I’m exhausted, and I would like to slow down.
“I’d like to discover the world, I’d like to travel with my wife and go eat food from everywhere, and that’s my plan.”
The 52-year-old explained he’d already been putting plans in place for the day his TV career comes to an end.
“I’ve personally been working behind [the scenes]… making sure I’ve got things going on after the TV stuff because we know it’s going to stop one day,” he said.
“It isn’t going to be forever, so I’ve got other businesses that will keep my family alive for a little bit longer, I suppose.”
Colin Fassnidge says reality TV might not ‘last forever’
Manu’s MKR co-star Colin Fassnidge shared a similar outlook, revealing on The Dom Harvey Podcast that the pair have often discussed life beyond reality TV.
“That’s the problem. If you drink the Kool-Aid and buy into this little world too much, and then it stops, you’ve got nothing left,” Colin said.
“You’ve got to have a head or family that’s telling you it’s not going to last forever.”
The chef also opened up about his own hopes for the future, saying he’d love to split his time between Australia and his native Ireland.
“I don’t know. It’s a bit of a pipe dream that. I miss home now. Australia’s my home, I love Sydney, but sometimes I go back and I’m like, ‘You know, it’s your roots’,” he confessed.
Colin added that the idea has become even more important as his parents get older, sharing that his mum is turning 80 in November while his father is living with dementia.
While neither chef appears ready to leave My Kitchen Rules just yet, both say they’re already making plans for the day the cameras stop rolling.
My Kitchen Rules airs on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
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