Tonight | My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7: Krysten and Lucy open Puggles – My Kitchen Rules returns tonight as Queensland mother and daughter Krysten and Lucy host the season’s first Instant Restaurant. The premiere airs at 7.30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
The pair welcome their rivals to Puggles in the Gold Coast hinterland. Their three-course menu combines beef tartare, paella and a croissant puff dessert, but Lucy’s pastry skills face an early test.
Opening the round means Krysten and Lucy have the first chance to set the standard. Their dinner also introduces the personalities who will judge one another’s food, with different ideas about presentation already creating tension at the table.
Krysten and Lucy put Puggles on the map
The hosts leave their close-knit family and rural routine behind to pursue the My Kitchen Rules title. Their outdoor dining area has an Australian movie-set feel, while the restaurant’s name refers to the baby platypuses living on their property.
However, the guests can relax about one ingredient: platypus is not on the menu. Instead, Krysten and Lucy aim to impress with a beef tartare entree, a paella main and a croissant puff dessert.
Lucy has paused her market-stall patisserie business for the competition. As a self-taught baker and microbakery owner, she has a reputation to protect. Getting the dessert pastry right becomes an immediate challenge.
The mother-and-daughter team hope their home cooking can impress both their competitors and the judges. Whether that menu sets a benchmark is the question hanging over the first dinner.
Meet the opening My Kitchen Rules teams
South Australia’s Alisha and Deanne arrive as the self-styled “Classy Bogans”. They join fellow South Australians Angus and Simon, whose friendship brings another dynamic to the group.
From New South Wales come food stylist Jane and her husband Shane. Victoria contributes long-term partners Tiffany and Giancarlo, alongside Filipino nursing friends Mary and Golden.
Jane’s profession immediately gets the other teams’ attention. Her focus on presentation and detailed critiques sharpen the differences at the table, particularly with Alisha and Deanne.
Meanwhile, the evening opens with a literal bang when Angus carelessly pops a cork in Deanne’s face. As the teams size one another up, there is also the possibility of romance around the dinner table.
Manu and Colin return for the new season
Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge return as co-hosts and judges. The competition celebrates family recipes, heritage and new approaches to home cooking, with only the best teams progressing to Kitchen HQ.
Manu says this year’s contestants bring fresh ingredients, new recipes and inventive techniques. Colin promises strong personalities and controversial dishes, including one that he believes will divide the table and the nation.
Ultimately, one team will claim $100,000 and the My Kitchen Rules title. ITV Studios Australia produces the series for the Seven Network.
Explore the full line-up in TV Central’s My Kitchen Rules 2026 team guide.
My Kitchen Rules premieres tonight, Monday 28 September, at 7.30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
For more TV Central MKR news, head here. Watch through the official My Kitchen Rules page on 7plus.