Recap - My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7 and 7plus (1 October)

My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7 – Just desserts. Bitter ends pave the way for a sweet semi-final on MKR.

Tonight’s first MKR cook-off at Kitchen HQ came down to the wire. Three teams were shown the door, while two teams progressed to the semi-final after impressing judges Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge and new arrival Nigella Lawson.

Already fast-tracked to the semi-final, Radha, Prabha, Sonia and Marcus sat out of this round, while the next highest scoring team – Tommy and Rach – had a surprise in store. “We told you in the Instant Restaurants that every point would matter. Guess what? For this round, you are off the hook,” Colin said.

During the first round, the four remaining teams – Nick and Christian, Aaron and Chris, Claudean and Anthony, and Amber and Mel – faced-off in a mystery fridge challenge, with each team assigned a different hero ingredient.

The battle was intense between food maestros Nick and Christian and BBQ champions Aaron and Chris, when the former scored fruit and veg and the latter got their favourite meat: pork. “They cook pork more than any other protein. It’s a huge advantage,” Christian said.

Tasked with cooking beef, Amber and Mel opted for a Lebanese recipe from Mel’s mother-in-law; while Claudean struggled with the pressure of Kitchen HQ and over-compensated by loading up mountain-sized plates of food.

After tasting all four dishes, Manu, Colin and Nigella agreed that Aaron and Chris, Nick and Christian, and Claudean and Anthony were safe. Unfortunately after serving a split yogurt sauce with their kibbeh, childhood friends Amber and Mel were eliminated.

Mel expressed “so much gratitude that we’ve been able to get this far” as the team said their goodbyes.

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In the second round, Tommy and Rach were back, as four teams were challenged to make competition-worthy desserts. When Nigella said she was expecting decadence on a plate, a nervous Claudean said: “There is a literal bad desserts club on MKR, we are all in it except for Sonia and Marcus.”

“We were proud cardholders of the bad dessert club. I believe we were the CEOs for a while,” Christian added.

With the last two spots in semi-final on the line, the pressure started to get the better of the teams. With just a few minutes to go, Claudean and Anthony discovered their zeppole was raw in the middle, Nick and Christian’s cheese cigars were failing in the fryer, and Aaron and Chris’ chocolate fondants were still in the oven.

At the end of the second round, Nick and Christian’s Blue Cheese Cigars with Red Wine Figs took the cake, landing the boys a spot in the semi-final. Manu loved that they went outside the box.

Tears of happiness started rolling down their faces when Nigella said: “As far as we three are concerned, yours was the best dessert of the night.”

Tommy and Rach were the second team into the semi-final. Sadly, it was the end of the road for Aaron, Chris, Claudean and Anthony.

Tomorrow night on MKR: Semi-finalists Radha and Prabha, Sonia and Marcus, Tommy and Rach, and Nick and Christian go head-to-head at Kitchen HQ to secure a place in MKR Grand Final.

My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7 and 7plus – Semi Final at 7.30pm Monday 2 October

About the Show

MKR on Channel 7 – Real people, real food. Meet the MKR 2023 teams.

Meet Australia’s most passionate home cooks, the MKR 2023 teams, and share their food dreams before an exciting new season of My Kitchen Rules premieres at 7.30pm Monday, 4 September on Channel 7 and 7plus.

In the attached media kit, discover each team’s delicious signature dish, their must-have pantry staples and their top tip for stress-free entertaining. Uncover how each team learned to cook and who they think is their competition in MKR.

MKR co-host and judge, Manu Feildel, talks about the recipe for success on MKR and the biggest mistake a team can make in the kitchen.

Colin Fassnidge, co-host and judge, reveals what makes him feel embarrassed about being a judge on this season. He also divulges one thing he learnt from his home cook hero (and crush) Nigella Lawson.

International superstar Nigella Lawson, joining as a judge in MKR Kitchen HQ, shares the markers of a good home cook and her most recent food discoveries in Australia.