As another hugely successful season of My Kitchen Rules draws to a close, New Idea can reveal that, behind the scenes, there’s been “major drama on set “in the lead-up to the grand finale.
“Midway through this season, fans – and contestants – began to notice that ‘boss friends’ Maria and Bailey suddenly began to get ‘the villain edit,’” a TV insider says.
Even those on Gogglebox commented on the pivot during a recent episode, with one household asking if the pair “are the new baddies now?”
“There was a very obvious shift away from Maria and Bailey merely being sassy, sophisticated and forthright.
And it seemed to really kick into gear once the ‘Meat Master’ was eliminated,” our source explains.
The insider adds that, thanks to their pot-stirring ways, Meat Master – aka Michael – and his now-fiancée, Rielli, would have been the ideal team to make it through to the finals so they could keep serving up the drama.
But then they got eliminated, leaving producers scrambling to fill their shoes.
“Maria and Bailey had a pathway to the finals if they continued to score highly – and ramped up their own villainy,” our insider adds.
“Maria especially wasn’t afraid to give robust critiques of the other contestants’ food, so she leaned in to that side of her personality.
But suddenly she was accused of, and admitted to, scoring strategically and being unfair to other teams, which resulted in her team getting a lot of airtime and negative feedback.”
Judges Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel also weighed in on the drama in the lead-up to the finals, calling out Maria and Bailey for their strategic scoring.
With three easy-going, fan-favourite teams also in the semi-finals – Lol and Lil, Justin and Will, and Danielle and Marko – producers knew they needed someone to become the new antagonists.
“Any of those teams going up against Maria and Bailey in a semi-final – or even the finale, with its $100k prize – would create a tantalising ‘heroes versus villains’ showdown.
And that is always ratings gold,” our source says.
The mood behind the camera is triumphant.
Channel Seven is reportedly thrilled with the ratings resurgence, crediting the cast above all else.
“Casting is everything for MKR, and this year they nailed it,” a production insider says.
“Every single team, especially the finalists, brought flavour to the table and everyone at Seven is delighted.”
