My Kitchen Rules is officially back, and if judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge are anything to go by, viewers are in for a seriously chaotic season.
The Channel Seven cooking competition returns with a fresh crop of teams ready to transform their homes into restaurants, but the judges have warned that the drama won’t be confined to the kitchen.
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au ahead of the premiere, Fassnidge gave a typically blunt assessment of what’s coming.
“Carnage, absolute carnage,” Fassnidge said.
According to the chef, this season has everything from clashing personalities to contestants who aren’t afraid to make their feelings known.
“It’s everything you want wrapped up around the table,” he shared.
“I love the characters who don’t all necessarily get on, and they let each other know pretty early on … just like an explosion.”
Fassnidge also suggested that some of the teams viewers might expect to succeed could struggle as the competition progresses.
“Everyone sort of does well at the start and then there’s a few hiccups but they all come good and learn from their mistakes,” he explained.
“So, it’s not the team you think is going to do well.”
MKR’s gruelling filming schedule revealed
While viewers see each instant restaurant unfold over an episode, there’s a lot more work happening behind the scenes.
According to a separate interview with TV Tonight, Feildel revealed that filming a single episode can stretch for up to 12 hours, with significant breaks sometimes occurring between courses while contestants work to get their food on the table.
The veteran judge explained that contestants can initially struggle with the pressure because they’re still finding their feet.
“Because it’s the beginning of the competition, they’re really unsure, and they second-guess themselves,” Feildel told TV Tonight.
But once the contestants reach the studio portion of the competition, the pressure ramps up.
“But when we get to the studio, the clock is on, and when the clock is on, it doesn’t stop, which means you’ve got to push yourself harder,” he said.
“That’s what we try to teach the contestants every year.”
The pair have previously teased an “explosive” and “fiery” season, with 7NEWS.com.au reporting that viewers can also expect a walkout at some point during the competition.
Manu and Colin still clash in the kitchen
Despite their close friendship today, Feildel and Fassnidge admitted they’re not necessarily the dream cooking duo.
The pair, who now describe each other as “brothers”, have been working together on MKR since 2023 after Fassnidge first appeared as a guest judge on the show in 2013.
But put them in the same kitchen and things can apparently get tense.
“We work well when we sit there next to each other at the table, but in the kitchen not so much,” Feildel told 7NEWS.com.au.
Fassnidge was quick to defend himself.
“Someone’s a bit grumpy in the kitchen, that’s not me.”
Feildel explained that there was a simple reason for their clashes.
“You can’t put two bosses in the kitchen, you know what I mean?”
Away from MKR, however, the pair have become close friends, even travelling together for their cooking and travel series Off The Grid.
Fassnidge said their years of working together have meant they’ve become good at recognising when the other needs a bit of support.
“If someone’s a bit down, you can pepper them up. We know how to pick each other up and put in the support.”
Manu has some advice for future MKR contestants
Manu has some advice for future MKR contestants
If Feildel himself were competing on My Kitchen Rules, he knows exactly how he’d prepare.
His advice? Know your judges.
“They think they’re coming out for a nice TV show, going on holidays, touring the country, and then suddenly they realise that it’s actually a real competition,” Feildel told 7NEWS.com.au.
“So if I was a contestant, I would buy Colin and Manu’s cookbooks.
“I would study them inside out, and then I would make sure they love my food.”
Fassnidge, meanwhile, had a slightly different strategy.
“I would just cook good and win,” he said.
He also admitted he’d probably be “very annoying” along the way.
With the judges promising fiery personalities, long filming days and plenty of tension around the table, it seems MKR is wasting no time turning up the heat.
My Kitchen Rules begins tonight 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.
