My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2026 contestants Alisha and Deanne have lifted the lid on an unaired moment involving controversial contestant Jane that adds a new layer to her criticism of their Instant Restaurant.
The best friends copped plenty of criticism during their time on the Channel Seven cooking show, with Jane and Shane among the teams to deliver some of the lowest scores for their Instant Restaurant.
However, Alisha and Deanne have revealed there was more context behind one of Jane’s biggest complaints: their mismatched plates.
Alisha and Deanne reveal an unaired MKR moment about their mismatched plates
In the episode, food stylist Jane took aim at the crockery of Alisha and Deanne’s restaurant, ridiculing the ladies for serving their food on mismatched plates.
Speaking exclusively to Chattr, Alisha and Deanne commented on what’s been dubbed ‘PlateGate’, revealing the mismatched plates weren’t a styling mistake — they were deliberately chosen as part of the restaurant’s chaotic theme.
“Our theme was mismatched. Nothing went together. Everything was crazy,” Deanne explained.
“It was like Mad Hatter meets chaotic. We really wanted that mismatched tea party.”
Alisha added that they weren’t trying to create a traditional, polished restaurant aesthetic.
“We didn’t really think, ‘Oh, let’s get some white plates’. We thought, ‘Let’s go crazy’, because that’s what we want to do,” she said.
The pair wanted the table setting to reflect their personalities, with Alisha describing the mismatched crockery as “our personality showing on a plate”.
Deanne acknowledged that once the food was served, the combination of the colourful crockery and their dishes could look like there was a lot going on.
“But at the end of the day, the food itself was speaking for itself,” she said.
The criticism from Jane came as a surprise to the pair, given that the mismatched aesthetic was an intentional part of the restaurant’s concept.
Alisha shares what we didn’t see from her walk-out
The plates weren’t the only part of their MKR experience that Alisha believes was missing context.
Throughout the interview, Alisha and Deanne repeatedly pointed to conversations and interactions that didn’t make it into the episodes, arguing that some moments consequently appeared more sudden or one-sided on screen.
Discussing her clash with Tiffany, Alisha said viewers didn’t see the build-up that preceded her decision to walk away.
“I think that’s the worst part, that there was no lead-up to that,” Alisha said.
“It just looked like there was that comment made, and we lost it.”
Deanne also pointed to other conversations with contestants that weren’t included in the final edit.
“We were asking them questions, like they’re saying they talk Italian and stuff like that. We asked them, ‘Well, can you speak Italian? Can you do this?’ None of that aired,” Deanne said.
For Alisha, the missing footage has contributed to viewers forming an impression of her and Deanne that she believes doesn’t reflect the full experience.
“It looks like I’m just a bratty, silly, drama queen,” Alisha said.
“There is so much viewers do not see. So many comments that were thrown at me and Dee that were just enough.”
For Alisha and Deanne, their MKR journey may have been loud, chaotic and divisive, but when it comes to their instant restaurant, they’re standing by the choices they made — mismatched plates and all.
My Kitchen Rules airs on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
Love to chat about Reality TV? Join us in our new Facebook group and come chat! Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.
