SECRETS OF SEASON 10 My Kitchen Rules stars Manu, Pete and Colin spill
The judges reveal everything you need to know about this year’s anniversary ‘My Kitchen Rules’
Over the past nine years, Australia has laughed, celebrated and salivated over delicious meals, then cringed when inevitable disasters rocked countless Instant Restaurants during My Kitchen Rules’ colourful history. Now, the hit cooking show is back with a milestone 10th Anniversary Season and, prepare yourself, it’s going to be epic.
The history-making season will see new faces, new challenges and more perfect scores than ever before, but for the first time ever, two strangers will be teamed up. Can they win the competition?
Well, MKR judges, Pete Evans, 45, Manu Feildel, 45, and Colin Fassnidge, 45, sit down with WHO to give you the inside look at everything that’s going down this season. From their favourite meals to the teams to keep an eye on, nothing is off the table…
When you first started the show, did you ever think you would make it to Season 10? Manu Feildel: I suppose not when we first started 10 years ago. There’s no way I ever thought about a second year, but a second became a third and fourth and fifth, and it keeps on going – and we hope that it can go further than that.
This show certainly doesn’t hold back on drama. Can we expect a lot in this season?
Pete Evans: Yeah, I think every year we get drama – we get it in the form of tears of joy and celebration, and we get it in tears of not achieving their goals if they leave the competition early. There’s drama every time teams cook because of the time they need to cook the dishes and what it means to them. They are cooking family recipes and dishes that mean a lot to them. So there’s always going to be drama in a situation like that.
How is the show mixing things up this year?
Colin Fassnidge: We got a new studio, a new kitchen, a new warehouse that we are working in and we’ve got lots of people coming in this year to help us judge. There’s a lot of stuff we have never done before, which is quite good for us, and I think when we get to the pointy end of the competition we haven’t seen anything like it. It gets so good that it’s a problem at the end for the judges.
What are the teams’ cooking skills like this year?
Evans: The calibre is amazing, actually. I can’t give too much away but we have been served up a lot of 10-out-of-10 dishes, which always makes the judges happy. The other teams are intimidated and that creates drama and emotion. Fassnidge: I reckon this is one of our best. Some of the people I didn’t expect to get anywhere go really well, which is good to see, because a few of them have proved me wrong. I don’t want to be right all the time! [ Laughs]
Are there any teams we should keep an eye on?
Fassnidge: Josh and Austin. They are
“We have been served a lot of 10-outof-10 dishes” — Pete Evans
very polarising, but what they pull out of the bag, well, you’ll have to wait and see. Amanda and Blake, they’re really good. Andy and Ruby, the Peruvians, they are really passionate about their food, which is good. Ibby and Romel are like the Versaces of the group and I think they will pull out some pretty cool stuff.
I think most of the teams are surprising. There haven’t really been any shockers, and if they are [shocking] they don’t last long. I think it means a lot for a lot of people this year.
This year you are introducing the Perfect Strangers, a team that have never met before. What can we expect from them?
Evans: Well, I think it’s fascinating how that’s going to unfold, because both of them are passionate home cooks and both of them wanted to enter the competition. Milly, for instance, tried for so long and she was going to do it with one family member, but she was too old, then she was going to do it with her fiancé, but he got a job. Same with Karolina – she always wanted to be in it but she couldn’t find anyone. I think it’s a great opportunity for both of them and a great opportunity for the series, as well, to see if two strangers can come together and win. Feildel: I think it’s good to bring two strangers together. Sometimes you cook with your best friend and sometimes you realise that your best mate isn’t as nice as you thought they were. [ Laughs] They have to be together 24/7 so it can be quite hard … if they’re not your mate I suppose you can tell them to eff off. [ Laughs] What’s the best thing you have ever eaten on the show? Feildel: Oh, bloody hell, I think every year we get some amazing food. I mean the girls that got kicked out last year, Sonya [Mefaddi] and Hadil [Faiza], were amazing cooks and everything they cooked for us was a 10 out of 10. I love that we’ve got all different types of cuisine for us on the show. I don’t think that there’s one I can put on top of the other.
Would you like to do another season?
Evans: We are up to Season 10 so hopefully there will be another 10 seasons for the show, at least. If they ask me, I would love to come back. So far, we have had a ball and hopefully we can continue that. Fassnidge: They’ve been asking me for years. If I like it and I have a laugh, why wouldn’t I do it? This has been one of the most fulfilling years and we are very proud of this year.