My Kitchen Rules

Television Seven Network
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Where is the sauce?

BBQ champions get roasted on MKR

BBQ champions Aaron and Chris hoped to set the bar high with a menu to impress the carnivores in tonight’s MKR, but they missed the mark right from the moment the second round of Instant Restaurants kicked off.

Glancing over the team’s menu, OGs Nick and Christian were intimidated: “They’ve offered a big menu full of meat and knowing how hard it is to get right, if they can pull off all of these – I mean – it’s a huge task,” Christian said.

The team’s entrée of Crispy Pork Belly Tacos received mixed critiques: the beautifully balanced dish was full of flavours but the pork was not crispy.

While Christian thought the incredibly well-balanced dish showed what Aaron and Chris were capable of, Claudean said the dish was a miss for her: “The menu reads Crispy Pork Belly. The pork belly was not crispy.”

Both Manu and Colin were wowed by the flavours in the dish, but agreed it could’ve been a 10 if the meat was crispy. The team, who prided themselves on their pork belly, were devastated to learn their entrée was disappointing.

The perfectionists in Aaron and Chris were determined to deliver a faultless BBQ plate for their main: a huge undertaking featuring an impressive array of meats including chicken wings, lamb neck and pork ribs with coleslaw, pickles and corn bread.

The team’s main was deemed the best main of the competition by some guests, but the judges disagreed, finding the lamb way too dry.

Manu threw his favourite phrase at the boys: “Where’s the sauce?”

Deflated, Chris said: “I absolutely died when he said that because that is my biggest fear. I can’t believe that happened. We need to try and just make sure dessert is singing above the rest.”

“It was almost a bit embarrassing, we’ve tested ourselves on the biggest stages in barbecue. We need to prove to these guys that we can cook,” Aaron added.

Capping off the night, the boys delivered a stunning lemon pie. The judges loved the pastry and the curd, but the generous amount of meringue made the pie overly sweet. Again, almost perfect.

All round, it was an impressive night for Aaron and Chris with a guest score of 30 out of 50 and an overall score of 72/110.

Judges’ Scores Entrée Main Dessert
Manu Feildel 7/10 7/10 7/10 21/30
Colin Fassnidge 7/10 7/10 7/10 21/30
Total Score 42/60

MKR Team Scores
Claudean and Anthony 4/10
Amber and Mel 7/10
Nick and Christian 6/10
Sonia and Marcus 6/10
Patricija and Brigita 7/10
Guest Score 30/50
Total Score 72/110

Tomorrow night on MKR: Claudean and Anthony head back into the kitchen to redeem themselves and to show the gatecrashers they are the team to watch out for.

MKR Continues 7.30pm Tuesday and Wednesday on Channel 7 and 7plus

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Redemption pressure

Claudean and Anthony pull a rabbit out of a hat for their second cook

Tonight on MKR, Claudean and Anthony presented an old-school Italian menu to pay homage to Claudean’s childhood and give them hope for redemption, but the pressure of the second round caused Claudean to crumble.

Claudean started the cook by placing photos of her ancestors in the kitchen to watch over and help them through the night: “I think this cook is different so far because we’ve gone into it with a better attitude.”

As the guests settled in, gatecrashers Chris and Aaron questioned whether redemption was on the menu, given history had shown the OGs couldn’t handle the pressure in the kitchen: “I’m expecting one or two disasters tonight,” Chris said.

Proving his theory, Claudean and Anthony hit some trouble with their entrée of Stuffed Zucchini Flowers on Basil Pesto, as the overfilled zucchini flowers started to burst while deep frying. After some quick amendment to the batter, the team were back on track and saved the dish.

Their entrée received glowing critiques as Manu wiped his plate clean, while Colin said: “This is what I want to eat when I come to your house.”

Aaron thought the team came out strong with this dish. When Manu asked if this entrée was better than theirs, he replied: “That’s a tough question.”

Overwhelmed by the success of their entrée, the team tried to remain focussed on their star dish: Rabbit Stew with Thyme, Black Olives and Citrus. Claudean thanked her ancestors when the stew came out of the oven cooked to perfection.

“The rabbit means a lot to me, it’s my family recipe. If I don’t get a good critique, I’m gonna be running up the main street screaming my head off, ” Claudean said before the guests dug into the main.

Everyone at the table enjoyed the dish, except Aaron and Chris, whose hyper criticism was suspicious to the other guests: “I think Aaron and Chris are very, very critical of what was a very, very good dish. Is this a tactic?” Christian asked.

“That rabbit was amazing. I haven’t had it cooked that well, even out at restaurants, in a very long time,” Sonia said.

Both Manu and Colin thought the rabbit couldn’t have been cooked better. “You just pulled a rabbit out of the hat,” Manu added.

The team’s joy after serving two successful dishes was short-lived as their dessert, Tiramisu, became an issue once again: the homemade savoiardi biscuits didn’t come out fluffy and a strong soak of coffee couldn’t fix the problem.

Claudean and Anthony raced around the kitchen finding a way to MacGyver some moisture into the tiramisu with a reusable straw. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, making their second dessert a failure as well.

Even though the night ended on a low, Claudean and Anthony improved on their last score with a total of 68 out of 110, placing them second on the leaderboard after Aaron and Chris.

Judges’ Scores Entrée Main Dessert
Manu Feildel 9/10 9/10 2/10 20/30
Colin Fassnidge 9/10 8/10 2/10 19/30
Total Score 39/60

MKR Team Scores
Aaron and Chris 4/10
Amber and Mel 6/10
Nick and Christian 6/10
Sonia and Marcus 6/10
Patricija and Brigita 7/10
Guest Score 29/50
Total Score 68/110

Tomorrow night on MKR: Childhood friends Amber and Mel cook up a storm hoping their Lebanese cooking earns them a spot at the top of the leaderboard.

MKR Continues 7.30pm Wednesday on Channel 7 and 7plus

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According to online guides, Sonia and Marcus’ second instant restaurant will be shown next Tuesday night (September 26), meaning the final instant restaurant with Patricija and Brigita will air the following night (September 27).

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NSW / QLD are out of sync as Victoria has an extra episode on Thursday that NSW doesn’t unless they were already an episode behind and the Thursday episode is there to catch the Southern states up with NSW.

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Victoria has the AFL Brownlow Medal next Monday, that’s why it will get Monday’s episode on Thursday. Seven will have a split schedule next Monday so NSW and QLD still has a new episode of MKR against The Block and The Masked Singer.

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Sweet and sour.

Amber and Mel fail to impress with family favourites.

Tonight on MKR, childhood friends Amber and Mel delivered sweet success in dessert, but their lacklustre entrée and main caused them to crash to the bottom of the leaderboard with 61 points.

Amber and Mel’s Instant Restaurant, Salty Secrets, started living up to its name as soon as the guests settled in as head-to-head confrontations emerged around the table.

For their entrée, the team chose Mel’s mother-in-law’s recipe of Spiced Lamb with Hummus, Pomegranate and Pita Bread. While cooking, Mel mentioned: “The lamb isn’t really the hero of this dish, but it is there to add that flavour and texture to it.”

The guest teams, who were expecting lamb kofta or kebabs, were in for a shock when a plateful of hummus arrived with minced lamb sprinkled on top. “When you are promised lamb, you’re hoping for lamb. I just got sort of like a speckle of dust of lamb,” Marcus said.

Colin agreed with the table and said: “To me the lamb, which is the bride who’s getting married, was sort of the bridesmaid to the hummus.”

Manu was further disappointed after finding out the team didn’t use traditional spices: “I don’t want to be rude, but [this is] an Australian version of Lebanese food here. From what you promised, it was a little underwhelming.”

Not happy with the feedback, Amber and Mel returned to the kitchen to start on their main. “Although we are disappointed with the critique, we just need to pick ourselves up,” Amber said.

The team’s main of Baked Fish with Tahini Sauce, Roasted Almonds and Caramelised Onion – another recipe by Mel’s mother-in-law – failed to impress the judges and the guest teams. “This is a competition and this is not a competition dish,” Claudean said.

Before hearing the critiques, Mel told the judges that plating 12 dishes was a bit challenging as they usually make share platters, which made a lot of sense when Manu said: “All of the elements, individually are okay. But together it’s a bit of a mess.”

After serving two failed dishes, Mel was gutted as she felt she was letting her family down, especially her mother-in-law.

At the end of the evening, Amber’s dessert of Upside-down Orange Cake with Orange and Ginger Ice-cream saved the day and ended the night on some good feedback.

The judges and the guest teams scored Amber and Mel 61 out of 110.

Manu Feildel: Entrée 5/10, Main 5/10, Dessert 9/10 (Total 19/30)
Colin Fassnidge: Entrée 6/10, Main 5/10, Dessert 8/10 (Total 19/30)
Total Score: 38/60

MKR Team Scores
Aaron and Chris 5/10
Claudean and Anthony 5/10
Nick and Christian 6/10
Sonia and Marcus 6/10
Patricija and Brigita 5/10
Guest Score 23/50
Total Score 61/110

Next on MKR: Melbourne’s culinary connoisseurs and OGs, Nick and Christian, return to the kitchen where there’s more than redemption on the menu. Can they beat the BBQ champions at their own game, as their rivalry reaches smoking point?

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Seven has scheduled an episode up against the NRL Grand Final that will see the Season 13 Final of the show on Tuesday 3 October 2023.

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Sunday 1 October
07:00 PM My Kitchen Rules
Tonight, Manu, Colin, and domestic goddess Nigella Lawson welcome the teams into Kitchen HQ to compete for their place in the semi-finals, where three teams will face elimination.

Monday 2 October
07:30 PM My Kitchen Rules
The heat is on as the teams cook like they’ve never cooked before. Which of their dishes will do enough to secure their place in the final?

Tuesday 3 October
07:30 PM My Kitchen Rules Season 13 Final
It’s down to the final two teams. Who will triumph and walk away as winners of My Kitchen Rules 2023?

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That’s just crazy programming. Why does Seven sacrifice a new episode of MKR against the NRL Grand Final?

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They’ve really butchered the end of this series now. Just three episodes of Cook Offs after the Instant Restaurant rounds. I miss the rounds where they did pop up restaurants on location and the public came to try their food.

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2857

Seems like a strage scheduling decision to run the show on a Sunday when it hasn’t been there before while having a Voice special on Wednesday. Seems like The Voice should have been on the Sunday in its usual spot and My Kitchen Rules Monday to Wednesday.

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I actually thought this season’s semi final would be shown across two nights.

I would have quarter final on Monday, semi final 1 on Tuesday, semi final 2 on Wednesday, then the grand final on Monday, October 9.

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But the star of the format is the Instant Restaurant Rounds.

During the old seasons, the viewership would drop off after the IR rounds, so I see their logic of streamlining the contest structure.

Perhaps the format used this year is too streamlined … but it is better than running a show that goes on for 30, 40, or even 50 episodes, of which only a dozen or so is what audiences would think of as the best part.

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That’s what I’m saying. It’s too short now. They eliminate three groups in each episode to end up in the grand final in just three episodes. Too quick. I think they need three more eps in between.

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This season is similar to last season. Last season they had 2 episodes of last chance cook offs before the semi final. This season it’s 1 episode before semi final & that’s probably because less teams.

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Going after the AFL markets, might work (to an extent there), but given it’s not really a ‘juggernaut’ anymore can only see it saving Seven’s shares a little, with no real impact to Nine’s - maybe it’ll further hurt 10, ABC and SBS? But does seem wastful for MKR, which had been doing pretty decent.

In regards to that, they do have form over the years airing hit reality shows on SOO and NRL GF night (maybe more so in the past FTA decline decade) in AFL markets, as have 10, sometimes with good results there vs the RL.

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Sweet Revenge.

Hospo housemates beat BBQ champions to the top.

Tonight on MKR, Melbourne’s culinary connoisseurs Nick and Christian wowed the judges to land the top spot on the leaderboard, despite tough scores from the other teams.

After failing to chargrill effectively during their first cook, Nick and Christian had a point to prove with their entrée of Chargrilled Octopus with Eggplant Puree and Pickled Cucumber.

“We had an issue with the chargrilled fish last time, they better deliver on this one tonight,” Manu said after reading the menu.

The team’s entrée – plated in pure fine-dining fashion – divided the table. Sonia loved the flavour and thought the dish was “sophisticated, elegant and beautiful altogether”, while Claudean missed the taste of chargrill: “Somebody needs to tell the boys how to char something.”

The judges were impressed, as Manu said the only negative was that the dish needed “a pinch of salt” while Colin mentioned he’d go to Nick and Christian’s restaurant if they served this dish.

Over the moon with the feedback, the boys were determined to make sure their main of Short Rib Souvlaki lived up to their entrée. “This main is combining my Greek heritage and Christian’s barbecuing techniques. It’s the two of us rolled into a pita,” Nick said, hoping the guests weren’t expecting a more traditional Souvlaki.

The team went from a fine-dining experience to a 3.00 am kebab for their main as they served an open plan dish allowing everyone to wrap their own souvlaki. When Manu and Colin rolled up their sleeves before digging into the tasty-looking but messy-to-eat dish, Christian said: “Thank you for understanding the assignment.”

While Marcus loved the big portion, Sonia was worried how she was “going to eat it without wearing it”, but mentioned she was going to ask the boys for the bread’s recipe. Aaron and Chris, who gave this dish a thumbs down, were confident they’d retain their top position on the leaderboard.

The judges liked all the elements of the dish, but admitted the portion size made it difficult to eat. “You’ve got a toilet roll of meat and bread kind of thing,” Manu said.

Nick and Christian returned to the kitchen confident to plate their dessert: Choc Malt Semifreddo with Hazelnut Praline. “Last cook, we had a miserable time with the dessert. This time, rather than working harder, we’re working smarter, “ Nick said.

After harshly critiquing the first two dishes, BBQ champions Aaron and Chris finally came around, with Chris calling the dessert his “favourite of the three courses”.

Manu enjoyed the dessert and Colin said: “You definitely had redemption on dessert tonight.”

At the end of the evening, a mixed bag of critique and scoring from the guest teams had Nick and Christian sitting on a score of 27, only four points higher than Amber and Mel. But a generous scoring from the judges placed the boys on top of the leaderboard with a total score of 75/110, pushing Aaron and Chris to the second spot.

Manu Feildel: Entrée 9/10, Main 8/10, Dessert 7/10 (Total 24/30)
Colin Fassnidge: Entrée 9/10, Main 8/10, Dessert 7/10 (Total 24/30)
Total Score: 48/60

MKR Team Scores
Aaron and Chris 5/10
Claudean and Anthony 5/10
Amber and Mel 6/10
Sonia and Marcus 6/10
Patricija and Brigita 5/10
Guest Score 27/50
Total Score 75/110

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The proof is in the pudding.

Mother and son redeem themselves in a big way.

Tonight on MKR, South Australia’s Sonia and Marcus roared up the road to redemption, scoring a commanding 85 points to take them to the top of the leaderboard.

The mother and son team learned from their mistakes, after arguments in the kitchen resulted in problems on the plate. “Last time we served stress on a plate. Tonight, we want to serve fun and love on a plate,” Marcus said.

The team were determined to beat Claudean and Anthony’s ravioli after Claudean harshly critiqued their previous pasta dish: “If there’s any dish that we have to redeem ourselves on, it has to be this dish,” Sonia said while serving the entrée.

When Sonia and Marcus served their entrée of Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with Butter and Sage Sauce, they received a standing ovation from the judges and managed to impress the toughest pasta critic: Claudean.

Manu was impressed with the team’s ability to serve eight perfect raviolis per plate, which Colin called: “a lesson in simplicity.”

Returning to the kitchen on a high, Sonia and Marcus began work on their main: Rib-eye with Salsa Verde and Mash. However, cooking 12 pieces of steak proved difficult, as friction within the team threatened to derail their progress.

“I’m starting to really feel that pressure in my head. I remember last time we both went silent when things weren’t going well and that was a big problem. We can’t mess up again tonight, we’re a team,” Sonia said while following Marcus’ lead in the kitchen.

The team’s main course received mixed reviews from the guest teams, with BBQ champions Aaron and Chris calling it “average”.

Marcus heaved a sigh of relief when Manu commended the team on cooking 12 almost perfect steaks in a small kitchen: “I’ve gotta take my hat off because I really thought that was gonna be a nightmare.”

Colin wasn’t wowed with the team’s main, but liked it and said: “You’ve definitely hit redemption.”

After previously delivering the best dessert of the competition so far, Sonia felt the pressure to retain her crown as dessert queen with their last course: Passionfruit Cheesecake with Almond Crust.

Once again, Sonia and Marcus delivered a winning dessert. Looking at his plate, Nick said: “Our number one spot is in jeopardy.”

Sonia and Marcus achieved redemption with high scores all around, including a guest score of 38/50. With an impressive total score of 85 out of 110, the mother and son team took the top spot on the leaderboard.

Judges’ Scores Entrée Main Dessert Total
Manu Feildel 9/10 7/10 8/10 24/30
Colin Fassnidge 9/10 7/10 7/10 23/30

MKR Team Scores
Aaron and Chris 8/10
Claudean and Anthony 7/10
Amber and Mel 8/10
Nick and Christian 8/10
Patricija and Brigita 7/10
Guest Score: 38/50
Total Score 85/110

In the final Instant Restaurant of the round, can Lithuanian sisters Patricija and Brigita put their cuisine on the map, or will it all get lost in translation?

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Mystery menu blows hot and cold

Patricija and Brigita’s traditional Lithuanian food fails to impress

Tonight, in MKR’s final Instant Restaurant**,** Lithuanian sisters Patricija and Brigita put their cuisine on the map. But their traditional menu proved polarising around the table, making them the second team to get eliminated from the competition.

Patricija and Brigita’s no-nonsense approach throughout the competition had the judges and the guest teams intrigued as to what the night had in store, with Chris exclaiming: “They are my dark horses of the competition.”

When the sisters presented their traditional Lithuanian menu, nobody at the table – including the judges and culinary connoisseurs Nick and Christian – knew what to expect, as none of them had tasted Lithuanian food before.

“I’m a bit at odds of where we’re gonna go tonight. There’s an air of mystery about you two, you’ve held your cards very close to your chest. So, I’m very intrigued to see what we get tonight,” Colin said.

The team’s entrée, Lithuanian Šaltibarščiai (Cold Beet Soup) with Potatoes and Dill, was received well by most of the guest teams. But the warm feedback soon turned frostier than the soup itself, when Manu revealed the sisters used packet beetroot. “The beetroot is the main component of this dish. And they’ve not cooked it in a cooking competition,” Christian exclaimed.

Colin liked the entrée and said there were two personalities on the plate: the warmness of Brigita and the coldness of Patricija. Manu thought the dish was “a nice surprise”, but he wasn’t happy that the team didn’t use fresh beetroot.

Patricija and Brigita’s main of Vedarai (Potato Sausage) with Bacon Sour Cream Sauce was the most polarising dish of the night. “This is not a pretty dish by any means, but it’s one of our most heartiest, tastiest dishes that we are serving tonight,” Brigita said while plating the dish.

While Claudean and Chris loved the dish, it was a miss from the judges.

Manu found the potato filling too dense, but thought the sauce “was addictive and really yummy”. Contradicting him, Colin called the sauce “a disaster”.

Hearing the feedback, the sisters returned to the kitchen with mixed feelings to plate their dessert: a recipe by their mum. Nervous, Patricija said: “If I get the cake wrong, mum will not be happy.”

Their dessert of Medaus Tortas (Honey Cake) turned out to be a crowd pleaser. Both Manu and Colin enjoyed the dish but thought the portion size was huge.

Patricija and Brigita’s two polarising dishes, followed by an impressive dessert, made Amber and Mel nervous at the bottom of the leaderboard: “I think it’s gonna be very close, I’m not ready to go home,” Mel said.

At the end of the night, Patricija and Brigita ended up with the same score from the guest teams as Amber and Mel: 23 out of 50. Unfortunately, after the judges’ scoring, the sisters were two points short of Amber and Mel’s score of 61/110, and were eliminated from the competition.

Judges’ Scores Entrée Main Dessert
Manu Feildel 7/10 5/10 7/10 19/30
Colin Fassnidge 6/10 4/10 7/10 17/30
Total Score 36/60

MKR Team Scores
Aaron and Chris 4/10
Claudean and Anthony 6/10
Amber and Mel 3/10
Nick and Christian 5/10
Sonia and Marcus 5/10
Guest Score 23/50
Total Score 59/110

MKR: Five teams head to Kitchen HQ to battle it out in the Quarter Final where international food superstar Nigella Lawson joins Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge as judge.

Quarter Final at 7.00pm on Sunday, 1 October on Channel 7 and 7plus

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For tonight’s quarter final, one team will be eliminated in round one. Nick and Christian will cook first with the maximum 90 minutes, as they had the highest instant restaurant score out of four teams. The four teams will start cooking five minutes after one another, based on their instant restaurant scores.

The three remaining teams will face Tommy and Rach in round two, in which two more teams will go home.