Tonight, MKR dropped a shock bombshell at the end of round one, with the elimination of the bottom two teams and introduction of three new gatecrasher teams to the competition.
Ahead the most anticipated dinner party so far – hosted by fussy friends Mike and Pete – Colin Fassnidge declared: “We have said all along on MKR to expect the unexpected. There’s a twist coming. Every place on the leaderboard matters at the end of the night you will find out why.”
The teams couldn’t wait to taste Mike and Pete’s food after their harsh critiques of other contestants’ fare. Mike requested: “Please score and critique on our food not on the insults I’ve been giving you.”
The kitsch ‘Twisted Lemons’ Instant Restaurant theme was a little lost around the table, with horrified fellow Italians Simone and Viviana describing it as “a little bit cliché.”
A lacklustre entrée of Crayfish Ravioli in Marinara sauce “fell short in technique and flavour” according to Manu Feildel. While Colin commended the amount of ravioli they made, he acknowledged “my biggest problem with this dish is I’m eating it and I don’t know its crayfish.”
The Osso Buco Bianco main with soft Polenta and Broccolini was undercooked and tough, but in a strategic ploy, Mike and Pete gave pieces of meat they knew were well cooked to the judges and Simone and Viviana.
Manu acknowledged the “delicious flavour profile, but it was missing a little bit of cooking.”
Mike and Pete were saved by their dessert of Sicilian Cannoli with Ricotta, as self-confessed ‘cannoli king’ Pete retained his crown. The dish was a “phoenix rising from the flames,” according to Colin, scoring a 10 from both judges. Manu recognized: “You may have had a hard night, but you finished with a bang.”
After Mike and Pete’s score of 72 out of 110 was revealed, both teams at the bottom of the leaderboard – Townsville brother and sister Danny and Sonia (combined score of 56) and young mums from South Australia Ash and Cassie (combined score of 60) – were eliminated from the competition.
The top scoring team from round one, competitive brothers Rob and Liam (combined score of 84), were advanced straight to Kitchen HQ while remaining teams Simone and Viviana, Hannah and Lawrence, and Mike and Pete were told they would travel the country again in a brand-new round of Instant Restaurants.
