Category — My Kitchen Rules

My Kitchen Rules continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for Channel Seven with news that Kinetic Content has picked up the U.S. rights to the hit reality TV show.

Deadline reports the deal was stitched up at MIP-TV.

They article states:

Chris Coelen’s Kinetic Content has picked up the U.S. rights to the hit Australian reality formatMy Kitchen Rules. The deal was made at MIP-TV, which is wrapping in Cannes. MKR is now in its third season on Australia’s Seven network, consistently averaging over 40% audience share, with MKR episodes ranking as 11 of the country’s top 20 highest-rated TV broadcasts in 2012, outperforming local versions of The X Factorand Dancing With The Stars.

I love the way they say it ranked 11 of the 20 highest-rated TV broadcast when less then three months of the ratings year has gone.

A big congratulations to Channel Seven, it is a great format and deserves to be sold overseas.  I wonder if Curtis Stone will turn up as a judge on the US version of the show.

Thanks to @popcornjunkies for alerting me to this.

Carly Cheung, one half of 7’s ‘My Kitchen Rules’ Victorian sister team has been snapped up as the face of a new Melbourne Citymission fundraising campaign. The campaign will focus on driving donations to fund ‘Mates for Inmates’, a unique program which pairs female offenders with abandoned dogs. Promising to ‘Change a life, save a dog’, the Mates for Inmates campaign will be launched on 30th April. 

Carly, who is a practicing vet when she isn’t cooking up a storm with sister Emily on the top rating show, is a natural choice as the campaign champion and was thrilled to be involved in such a wonderful cause. “Mates for Inmates is such a great concept, looking out for our fellow humans as well as our canine friends. I am so happy to be a part of this wonderful cause”.

My Kitchen Rules winners Jennifer and Leigh said on radio yesterday that they did not know the final result as two endings were filmed. Props should be given to both teams for fabulous acting skills. The reason was to stop the winning team from leaking out.

TV Tonight has a good article on this specific issue and writes about how other reality shows try and keep the ending under wraps.

David Knox talked to Channel Seven and they told him:

“Until the final moments of the grand final edition of MKR only a handful  of  people knew the actual, final result.

“It was important to let the magic of television and storytelling carry the day. Two endings were recorded in order to preserve the actual result, which is not unusual in the business of television production.”

Hopeful some of those people were the actual six judges on the show, otherwise THAT would be a reality TV scandal.

I know My Kitchen Rules should be all about the food, however we need to talk about Rocco’s mother. Carly really needs to take note of this possible future mother in-law. She was overbearing and very bossy yelling out instructions, even giving orders about dishes she had not cooked before. She told Rocco to take the macarons out of the oven. He responded by saying they dry out better in the oven. But then he takes them out, and says  ”she needs to shut her mouth”. Even Nic’s mother was getting a little annoyed with her.

It was Double Trouble  versus Burlesque, which for those with short memories was the name of Nic and Rocco’s and Jennifer and Leigh’s instant restaurants.

Tonight they had to cook a five course meal, but also there had to be twenty plates served up each course. This was no small task. In fact if the judges were telling the truth about what they thought of the dishes then the standard produced was very high.

Jennifer and Leigh’s made Crab Congee, Scallops and XO Sauce, Quail with Barberry and Quinoa, Wagyu Beef Ribs with Bone Marrow and Cauliflower Puree, and for dessert Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake.

Nic and Rocco made Seared Moroccan Tuna and Cured Salmon,  Bug Tails with Fennel Puree and Chorizo Essence, Spatchcock Two Ways with Heirloom Carrots and Thyme Crumbs, Poached Pork Belly, and Chocolate Raspberry Pop Delight.

The family, friends and the other MKR contestants were watching them cook and it was interesting to see who was cheering for whom. Obviously Carly and Emily were cheering for Nic and Rocco but so were a lot of the other teams. David and Scott did appear to be on team Jen and Leigh however not sure there were any others. Also Leigh’s husband hair needs a special mention it is something out of an 80′s video clip.

It was great that Jen’s mother was flown in from Thailand. She gave some great advice which was “just trust yourself Jen Jen”.

She should also have told her to calm down.

Jennifer was running around frantically in the first two hour prep time was freaking out about the stock for her congee not cooking. She seems to run around in a flap but she gets a lot done.

They also burnt the XO sauce –  twice. Leigh wondered why has this was happening. Probably because  they were trying to do five things at once.

The girls menu philosophy was to have a flow/progression to their menu and they started with a light Crab Congee. Pete said it was an extremely delicate way to start a menu. Manu thought there should be a little bit more to push the boundaries. He would have liked to have had a bit more rice. Karen queried whether it was too delicate?

Nic and Rocco started off with a Seared Morrocan Tuna and Salmon with two different salads and  Pete thought it packed a punch. Karen loved the intensity of flavours.  Even Gary said it was delicious.

For the second course the girls were cooking Scallops in XO sauce. They first deep fried the scallops and then they put them in the XO sauce. It was panic stations when they realised they did not have enough scallops. There were squeals saying they thought they had 70, however who would have counted them. Luckily they found some more and quickly cooked them.

The boys were having issues with their fennel puree they were serving with their bug tails. It was way too thin however Rocco put it on the heat to thicken up and this appeared to do the trick.

Guy Grossi thought the flavour conversation of the bugs was perfect. The girls scallop dish got the thumbs up as well. Tobie said he could not fault it and all the judges agreed there was no burnt flavour.

Gary thought the scallop tasted fishy so this meant they were overcooked. Considering he does not like seafood I was surprised he would even know what a scallop tasted like.

The boys had a disaster in the third course  and ran out of time with the plating. They got all the elements on the dish but it could only be described as rustic. The judges were still positive about the dish, after all it was the finale, but they only said the dish was great or nice.

The girl’s Quail was said to be delicious by the judges. However, Carly and Emily were hypercritical of the dish saying they would have liked the skin crispier.

However the boy’s brought it back with the pork. Guy thought the stock had such complexity. Liz said they have done a fabulous job with it as it was delicious.

Jennifer and Leigh’s Wagyu ribs looked rich. Guy said the braising made the meat melt, and Karen said the flavours sing on the dish.

Then it was down to dessert, the boys were well prepped but I do think points needed to be deducted for making chocolate mousse for about the fourth time in the competition, as well as doing another macaron. However their dessert looked beautifully presented.

However it was all stress in the girls kitchen where they were having issues tempering the white chocolate and after adding titanium dioxide and it went all lumpy. Even though they attempted to do it again it did not set in time.

At this stage Jen’s husband looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

Karen said the boys dessert was beautiful, and it was fun because of the pop rocks in it. Also Tobie said it was a fabulous way to finish a great meal.

The girls chocolate hazelnut cake had a salty caramel ganache in it and the judges liked it. A criticism from Liz was that the extra ganache on top looked sloppy. However the judges liked the salty caramel taste.

Now it was just finding out who was going to win the $250,000 prize.

Points for Nic and Rocco – Tobie gave a 9, Guy gave a 9, Liz gave an 8, and Karen scored an 8. Manu gave them a nine as did Pete. This was a total 52 out of 60.

Points for Jennifer and Leigh –  Karen gave a 9, Liz gave a 9, Tobie scored a ten, Guy gave a ten, Manu gave a ten, and Pete gave a ten. This was a 58 out of 60. It was a deserved win they have been pretty solid the whole way through the competition. Also it is good new for Leigh as she will be able to pay off her debts and Princess Jennifer will be able to buy another Louis Vutton and a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.

There have been rumours the winning team are no longer friends however it is unclear whether this is in fact true.

Also I was surprised Nic and Rocco did not win, as they have been the nice guys the whole way through whereas Princess Jen and Leigh have been polarising of the public.

It has been a great series of My Kitchen Rules, in fact it was the best of the three. However only one complaint and that is get rid of Tobie Puttock his face does not change expression and he is monotone. He adds nothing to the table.

Who do you think should have won tonight?

The final of My Kitchen Rules tonight on Channel 7 at 7.30pm, and tonight both teams will have to cook five courses of twenty plates each. Now that is pretty full on test.

After not knowing  who I wanted to win I have settled on Jennifer and Leigh.

My rationale? I think they are the better cooks and have shown a wider range of skills and use of cuisines. Jennifer moved out of her Asian comfort zone more then Nic and Rocco did from their Italian roots.

Also Jen and Leigh were much better entertainment value then the boys, and this should be rewarded. As you know it is not just the cooking that draws us in but also the personalities of the contestants. Jen’s forthrightness, and Leigh’s quiet bitchiness  gave me many more laughs then the boys. In fact I found them one of the blander teams, maybe their humour was so dry I missed it.

However who do I think will win? Nic and Rocco. In previous series the nice teams has taken out the title, last year Bella and Sammi, and the first season winners were Veronica and Shadi Abraham.

Nic and Rocco have put out some great dishes, but also they are very popular with the viewers, and I think Channel 7 will want to to leave their fans who have followed the show for the last two months satisfied.

Here are some links to interviews and articles that may be of interest to you:

• A great article on PopSugar with Carly and Emily which talks about THE romance and how they have no idea why Peter and Gary hate them so much.
• Jennifer and Leigh live chatted on Yahoo, I must say I did not find anything particularly riveting on it, however Leigh managed to get a nice plug for Coles in.
• Also the grand finalists are live blogging at the Daily Telegraph now, but you will be able to read the transcript. The article also talks about the opportunities they may have after the show. Jen would like to do a cookbook, Leigh is thinking of opening a cafe in her florist, and the boys are open to any media or cooking opportunities.

Below is the Sunrise interview with Carly and Emily, and Pete and Manu. Manu said he would hire Rocco but did not mention anyone else.  Thanks for the link NanaLiz.

Who do you want to win tonight? Or do you just want the best cook of the night to win the $250,000 prize money.

Theoretically if Andy and Megan had been cooking tonight they would have made it into the My Kitchen Rules finale. They scored 46 points out of 60, which was more than either of the two teams received tonight.

Carly and Emily, and Nic and Rocco were up against each other in tonight’s semi-final. In the introductions there were lots of in jokes about how close the teams are, and how Rocco and Carly were just friends. No one was buying the “just friends” line.

Rocco and Nic made Birds Nest Pasta for entree, King George Whiting with Shellfish Mousseline for main, and Dolci Misti which was a chocolate mousse, Vanilla Panna Cotta with raspberry coulis and Zuppa Inglese.

Carly and Emily made Dukkah Encrusted Scallops with a Beetroot Salad, for main Duck confit with Duck Neck Sausage and White Bean Puree, and Persian Love Cakes with Panna Cotta for dessert.

Rocco and Nic’s bird nests was an upmarket cannalloni.Fresh pasta which wrapped up bechamel sauce with ham and mozzarella, with tomato sauce poured over it. However the judges did like it but Guy Grossi thought there should have been more bechemal sauce in it.

The girls were having issues with the dukkah scallops they had cut them in half as they thought they were too big but then they were taking the risk of over cooking them.  However that wasn’t the issue, it was the dukkah. Karen Martini thought it overpowered the sweetness of the scallop. Manu concurred and said they should have used the full scallop.

Rocco and Nic’s main looked amazing until they put the edible flower on the dish. Manu did not understand the flower in the plate either. Though they were praised for how good the whiting was cooked.

There were concerns about whether it was possible to cook duck confit in the time allotted, and Carly and Emily did a good job just not a great one.

Tobie said flavour good but not falling off the bone. Also Guy said their duck neck sausage was not cooked.

However on the positive side Karen thought the girls dessert was the best one they had in this series. Even though the Panna Cotta was melted on the outside because of the difficult time they had getting them out of their pots.

The feedback on the dessert was not so great for the South Australian boys. They were told by the judges they should have just picked one of the elements they made and make it spectacular. Tobie thought the chocolate mousse was great. However even with Rocco trying to drown out the flour taste in the  Zuppa Anglaise with alcohol it just did not work.

Rocco and Nic’s scores were mainly sevens and a couple of eights for a score of 45 out of 60. It looked like they were goners but the sisters scored one point less which meant the South Australian boys were through to the finale.

So it is the South Australian girls versus the South Australian boys duking it out in the finale tomorrow night. My money is on the girls to win as they have barely put a foot wrong in the competition. Leigh is apparently wanting to clear debts if she wins the prize, as she is in debt because of a bad divorce.

If you want to chat with the grand finalists you can tomorrow as they are blogging on The Daily Telegraph website.

Was there any My Kitchen Rules contestant not getting any loving on the show?  In fact it is a wonder any cooking got done at all. There were three couples engaged to married these were Emma and Andrew, Meg and Simon, and Megan and Andy.

Also Carly and Rocco hooked up and are in love with news she is going to move to Adelaide for a month to see how it goes. Also Carla met a mexican chef when she was in New Zealand filming the show and now she is engaged to him.

Jennifer and her husband also managed to get pregnant while the show was filming. Considering the long hours of filming on this show this was quite a feat.

Also the two judges Manu Feildel and Pete Evans are also glowing with being in the throes of a new romances. In fact Manu and his girlfriend Clarissa have moved in together.  Also Pete Evans and new girlfriend Nicky Watson are spending a lot of time hanging out, I am not sure if they are living together yet.

However the first to get down the aisle were Megan and Andy  and you can see a bit of the wedding in the clip from Sunrise below. They may also have also been trying for a baby, unfortunately not yet successful, including two rounds of IVF. Good luck to them I hope it works out for them.

What is interesting to see was at the wedding from My Kitchen Rules. Carly and Rocco, and Nic were there. As was Jillian, Emma and Andrew. The gown that Megan in is a stunning Mariana Hardwick. Very stylish indeed.

Source of MKR gossip: New Idea

First of all the previous episode blog post was done, but clearly I did not press the publish button properly so apologies.

In summary it just said that the way they picked who was cooking off against whom in the semi-finals was entirely fair giving the teams two challenges to gain points to decide positions.

Tonight we had the top of the table Jennifer and Leigh, facing off against the bottom team, Megan and Andy.

Jennifer and Leigh were cooking Confit of Murry Cod with Spring Onions, Ginger and Fennel, main Twice Cooked Pigeon with Farro and Beetroot Puree, and for dessert they cooked Chocolate & Earl Gray Tea Tart with Chocolate Chantilly.

Megan and Andy cooked Sesame Seed Pork Rice Paper Rolls, Rich Seafood Chowder served in a Cobbler, and dessert was Chocolate Marquise with Creme Anglaise and Almond Tuiles.

It would have been good to see the under dogs Megan and Andy get in the finale but it was always going to be struggle.

There was the usual tension in the kitchen with the Tassie team. Andy was freaking out that Megan was not measuring the ingredients to the sauce for the pork rolls. He said to her “Don’t be a knob”. She told him she thought it was perfect. I note she did not offer him a taste. Lucky for her she was not criticised by the judges for it.

However she was also criticising his under cooking of the pork, and he thought medium rare was fine for pork.

Manu was trying to whip up some fear and loathing about the South Australian girls Confit of Fish saying the oil was too hot and they were deep frying it. Which was bollocks as there was barely a ripple in the oil.

Guy Grossi said the fish was perfectly cooked all the way through.

Also Andy dodged a bullet with the pork. Manu thought the meat was going to be undercooked but he said the pork was melt in your mouth.

Andy was concerned about leaving shell in the stock for the Seafood Chowder but it was fine. However Megan tasted the seafood chowder and she thought it was too creamy and needed more stock in it. Andy was displeased and told her basically to shut up as she had never cooked it before.

However Jen and Leigh were also having issues with the pigeon, as when they first tested the pigeon it was raw. Jennifer quickly cut off the breasts and stuck them under the grill. Their plating up of the dish looked fantastic and vibrant.

The judges thought the seafood chowder had a great flavour, and Pete said it was a superb seafood dish.

Guy Grossi thought the pigeon breast could be a little underdone and Karen thought the skin was not crispy enough. Guy liked the farro, however Liz got a piece of gravel in the farro, and Karen Martini confessed that she may have also eaten a piece.

The judges thought the girls Earl Gray Tart was great and again their presentation was impeccable. Pete loved that you could taste the tea. Tobie said he would not like it to be any stronger, and Guy said he could not pick a fault in the dessert.

Karen thought the Tassie team’s Marquise was light as it should be and Guy thought it was a classic combination.

Andy and Megan’s scores were a seven from Karen, Guy gave an eight, Tobie gave an eight, and Liz gave a seven. Pete and Manu both gave eights. For a combined total score of 46 out of 60. This was never going to  be good enough to get them in the finale.

Leigh and Jennifer scored an eight from Liz, an eight from Karen, Tobie gave a nine, and Guy gave a nine as did Pete and Manu and they scored 52 out of 60. They are the first team into the finale on Tuesday night.

Cleo’s list of Top 50 eligible bachelors was announced last week, with some of the hottest contestants on reality TV in the running, including Nic and Rosso from My Kitchen Rules.

The list of 50 bachelors is a good mix of actors, athletes, comedians, musicians and everyday Aussie men making the cut. Among them this year, is a good number of reality hopefuls who now have a real chance of winning something more than a TV competition!

Some bigger names in the running are comedian Matt Okine, Packed to the Rafters actor Ryan Corr, Home and Away and Underbelly actor Richard Brancatisano, politician Wyatt Roy, Rugby Union player James O’Connor, AFL player Israel Folau, Neighbours actor Chris Milligan and Channel Ten news presenter Matt Doran.

I also want to mention NRL player David Williams from Manly, because on his bachelor profile on the Cleo website, he was asked what pisses him off and he said reality television!

Who will you be rooting for? Check out the hunks of reality TV below!

Nic Mazzone and Rocco La Bella – My Kitchen Rules

The two friends are teamed up on Seven’s cooking show, but Nic and Rocco are going head to head in this beauty contest!

While the Cleo competition is for unmarried bachelors, project manager Nic says he’s ready to settle down and get married! His big life goals are to get hitched, start a family and earn enough money to retire!

When asked about what he thought of making it into the Top 50 list, the 26 year-old’s first thought was: “They’re scraping the bottom of the barrel this year!”

Meanwhile, Rocco is already offering to bake cakes in exchange for votes!

The 29 year-old finance manager admits that his first celebrity crush is actress Alyssa Milano, but claims his idea of a perfect date doesn’t exist because it can be anywhere or anything, as long as it’s with the right girl.

Johnny Ruffo – The X Factor Australia and Dancing with the Stars

The Dancing with the Stars hopeful is definitely in for a chance to win, with participation in two high-profile shows. And he certainly had enough votes from the teenage girls when he was competing on The X Factor.

The singer and dancer says he deserves to win the Cleo Bachelor title because he’s “cheeky, down to earth and lots of fun.” But maybe those qualities weren’t enough to get him into the Top 50, as Johnny jokes about sleeping with the editor to get a spot!

Nathan Jolliffe – The Amazing Race Australia and The Celebrity Apprentice Australia

Having won the first season of Australia’s version of The Amazing Race, 26 year-old model Nathan is now eyeing both titles of Celebrity Apprentice and Cleo Bachelor of the Year!

The former beau of Miss Australia Erin McNaught sure is confident about his chances. When asked about why he deserves to win the Cleo Bachelor crown, he says because “I really like winning?”

Tim ‘Timomatic’ Omaji – Australia’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance Australia

The 24 year-old singer and dancer is currently single after a split from girlfriend and SYTYCDA winner Talia Fowler last year. The couple attributed the break-up as due to work commitments and time apart.

He is currently focused on furthering his music career, and says that his drive and ambition should appeal to the ladies. When it comes to qualities in women, Timomatic likes girls who know how to ‘get down’, and is turned off my cockiness.

Hayden Quinn – MasterChef Australia

The aspiring foodie didn’t win the title of MasterChef in 2011, but he now has commentating gigs on Network Ten across a number of sporting events. The 25 year-old surf lifeguard seems quite comfortable with his masculinity in his interview answers on the Cleo website. He talks about his secret knitting talents and crying during the romance film, Dear John.

For Hayden, the biggest turn-off when looking for a potential partner, is too much make-up. And when asked about how he is in the bedroom, he says he’s “usually asleep”.

Lachlan Cosgrove – Beauty and the Geek Australia

While Lachlan’s reality TV relationship with beauty, Jordan Finlayson is going steady, the 23 year-old geek is still eligible as a ‘bachelor’ as long as he has no plans to wed in the near future!

Lachlan hasn’t always had luck with the ladies, as it wasn’t until Beauty and the Geek Australia that he found confidence is speaking to the opposite sex.

David Cardamone – The Family

Last on the list is the eldest Cardamone brother, David from SBS’s The Family. The 21 year-old university student is in a long-term relationship with girlfriend Jess, who also appeared on the reality show.

What David likes in a girl is the confidence in being comfortable in one’s skin and not having to hide behind too much make-up.

You can check out the rest of the Bachelor hopefuls on the Cleo website, where you can also vote for your favourites!

(Source: Cleo)

Of course the best cook on the day should win this year’s series of My Kitchen Rules, however I would not mind seeing Andy and Megan take out the prize on the show. There is something I really like about Andy, and it is always fun watching Megan’s roller coaster of emotions. However chances of them winning  must be pretty low.

If they producers go with the jury system next year they need to fix up the flaws. They  should not be allowed to see the teams cook as I think this can colour how they judge the food. Also as some commentators have suggest a blind tasting system could make things interesting.

As Andy said “Let’s hope they like it and that they don’t just do that strategic vote carry on.”

The challenge for the five remaining teams was to cook with citrus.

Rocco and Nic were making Limoncello Chicken. Pete said they had turned something good into something amazing. However Manu said it was nice but not amazing.

Emily and Carly made Lemon Tart and Manu said every element was perfect.

Helen and Steve were making Pork Fricasee with egg and lemon sauce. The pork was overcooked.

Megan and Andy made Citrus Cake and Orange Syrup. Andy was really ratty the whole way through at Megan. Yes she is a little slap dash. He was not happy about a few things she was or in fact was not doing. That is not keeping an eye on the sugar syrup, not pouring the toffee out properly, and also no quinnels of cream on the judges plate.

However to be fair to Megan, Andy does seem to cruise along thinking the time is never going to end. He said “I can’t believe there are no quinnels on the judges plate.” And that was what they were criticised for.

Jen and Leigh making Chocolate Orange Surprise with Filo Cigars. The judges tried to freak them out about the amount the chocolate in it, however the judges loved the dish.

Andy and Megan were sent to the sudden-death cook off by the jury. Peter said that he disagreed with them being there. From the scores they gave (see here) it would appear Peter and Gary thought Nic and Rocco made the worst dish.

Helen and Steve were also in the bottom two. Both teams had to cook their signature dish.

Megan and Andy  cooked Seafood Jambayala, and Helen and Steve were making Chicken Roulade with a Spinach Salad. Helen and Steve have cooked Greek every time  except they did do an asian dish once in the banquet for friends and family.

Megan accidentally poured the crab water out before she had cooked all the crabs. However this time Andy and Megan were not getting as uptight as each other as they did in the previous challenge.

Even though the judges were very positive about Helen and Steve’s dish but really their scores were not great all the judges gave a six. For a total of 36 out of 60.

Megan and Andy whipped it in with eight and nines from the judges for a very solid 50 out of 60.

The final four are Jen and Leigh, Carly and Emily, Nic and Rocco and Andy and Megan. Tonight it will be decided who will face off against whom in the semi-finals.