Channel 7
If you thought that this year’s My Kitchen Rules wouldn’t bring the drama of pervious seasons, you were dead wrong.
WATCH: Romel and his original MKR partner talk romance.
Just one episode in and we already have rivalries, fights at the dinner table… and even name calling!
(We guess it’s not called MKR:The Rivals for nothing!)
You might remember Sophia and Romel from previous seasons, where their take-no-prisoners attitudes and lack of filter caused a serious stir in their respective kitchens.
Well, they’ve ditched their old partners and teamed up – and within an hour of sitting down at the dinner table in the first episode, they found themselves at the centre of drama.
Picking up on Mark discussing his being a professional poker player, Romel asked him about that his strategy is going into the competition – and made the claim that ‘everyone’ at the table had a strategy.
But when he shared his own plan of attack for the upcoming season, some of the teams were horrified…
“If somebody [on the opposing team] cooks well, then you’re gonna score them to save [your own] house… to make sure I’m OK,” he said with total transparency.
Murmurs of shock and outrage spread quickly around the table, and the confession didn’t sit well with newcomers Kerry and Kaylene, who accused Romel and Sophia of cheating.
“I’m here to make sure I win…” added Romel, prompting Kerry to cry out,
“By cheating!”
Sophia had her partner’s back, reminding the girls that they’re in a competition for a prize that could change their lives… prompting Kaylene to say she would play the game and aim to win without being “a nasty b-tch”
“Are you calling me a b-tch?” Sophia asked, outraged, as Kaylene threw her hands in the air as if to say, ‘if the shoe fits’.
In a piece to camera, Romel called the move “ballsy” and Sophia admitted it’s an “accurate description” – but both felt it was way too soon in the competition for name calling.
“I’m not being nasty!” said Sophia justifying her plan of action.
“I am just making a statement.”
Not surprisingly, the other teams were shocked at how quickly the fight escalated.
“That got dark so quick!” quipped one of the boys.
This season there’s a change to the hit cooking competition, with five returning MKR teams mentored by Manu Feildel taking on five new teams mentored by Colin Fassnidge.
With tensions already reaching boiling point, it’s not just the teams fighting it out: Colin admits he will do anything for bragging rights over Manu.
