It was once the biggest hit on Aussie TV. Dominating ratings and dishing up water-cooler conversation across the country.
This week MKR proved there is still plenty of life in Seven’s reality TV cooking contest, staging an epic ratings comeback to top viewers’ watch lists.
Monday night’s episode, which featured contentious contestants Jane and Shane crashing and burning with a pigeon dish (complete with intact claw), topped its time slot, reaching 2.02 million viewers.
Viewing figures have surged 34 per cent year-on-year and the show has scored its biggest overnight audience since 2019, beating its long-running rival The Block in a spectacular reversal of fortunes.
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Monday’s episode of MKR scored its highest ever overnight streaming audience since VOZ ratings records began, with the show winning its time slot and edging The Block again the following night.
Not bad for a show many had counted out of contention in recent years.
This year, according to figures supplied by Seven, MKR has seen lifts across all key audience demographics.
Most interestingly, it has also proven a hit with kids, with viewers aged under 18 up 57 per cent.
Fans have been flocking to social media to dissect episodes, with #plategate trending after an episode aired which saw contestants Alisha and Deanne, pictured, serving their food on brightly coloured melamine plates — the horror!
Tuesday’s episode also gained traction as viewers discussed whether it was appropriate to have Gatecrasher pescatarian contestant Zoe competing in the contest given she is unable to taste all the items.
Zoe refused to touch the chicken liver parfait entre or the beef cheeks plated up for main course, leaving viewers in a stew.
A return to form
But it’s not by chance: producers have focused on returning to the kinds of storylines that had viewers hooked at the peak of the show’s popularity — it has paid dividends.
In 2013 MKR was averaging 2.76 million viewers — between 2010 and 2018 it was the highest-rated entertainment show on TV.
This year the show has tickled the tastebuds of viewers once more.
“For much of the 2010s, MKR underpinned Seven’s entire prime time schedule,” David Knox, editor at industry website TV Tonight, told The West Australian.
“Nine was so desperate to topple it, they went and reworked a short-run dating show called Married at First Sight into a stripped, volatile format, which has since been replicated around the world.”
It was a huge hit, and it had a knock-on effect, leading Knox to suggest MKR “lost its mojo” after trying to replicate that show’s success.
It pumped up contrived controversy, casting for drama rather than skill — somehow it also became about the contestants’ love lives as well.
“(It was) getting way too bitchy and by 2020 even had contestants living in shared houses and flirting with one another,” Knox said.
It didn’t help that one of its long-running judges, Pete Evans, fell from favour with the audience — it was time for a rethink.
Cooking up a change
MKR was rested from the schedule in 2020, but made a comeback in 2022 with new producers.
It went back to basics, trying new things, including the addition of new judges Matt Preston and Nigella Lawson while Evans was axed.
The past two years have seen Manu Feildel — the only familiar face from the first season in 2010 — and Colin Fassnidge take over the kitchen.
“We have a good bunch of people this year,” Feildel told The West Australian last month.
“Some are a little bit full-on, which you’re going to find out very soon.
“It entertains people round the table, so it’s going to be a crazy one.”
It turns out the show has been just the right amount of crazy.
“They went back to (the show’s) core values of simple food and friendly rivalry,” Knox said.
“In 2026 it has been fine-tuned even further, particularly by dialling back the viewer commitment — there aren’t quite so many teams or episodes per week.
“The casting team this year also deserves praise for ‘stylish foodies’ Jane and Shane, who served up pigeon, no less, but fell flat with the judges — honestly, you can’t script this stuff!
“It was classic hiss-the-villain dinner pantomime, but without descending into reality bullying.”
Casting for success
He’s right: casting for this year’s show has been on-point: along with “classy bogans” Alisha and Deanne, we have had Angus and Simon, who named their instant restaurant Last Orders in honour of Angus’ job as a funeral director.
These contestants echo back to the glory days, when home cooks such as 2011’s Sammy and Bella and 2013’s father-and-son team Mick and Matt aka The Tassie Boys — who proved so popular with audiences they scored their own radio show — charmed audiences.
Then there were the contestants we loved to hate, such as Peter and Gary in 2012 — Peter was dubbed Dr Evil, famously saying “mashed potato is a basic” before being eliminated for his basic mashed potato.
“MKR’s run of luck also comes at a time when The Block has over-egged the commitment with a cast some have argued are dull, in between the product placement and some unwelcome AI intrusion,” Knox said.
Brook Hall, Chief Content Officer at Seven, said this year’s ratings are approaching highs not seen since 2018.
“Everything is coming together at the right moment,” she said.
“You’ve got great characters, people you love and people you love to hate.
“Then of course there’s Manu and Colin, two of Australia’s most loved personalities, whose genuine friendship and banter comes through on screen.
“There’s a real energy around MKR again, and it’s fantastic to see audiences embracing it in such a big way after all these years.”
Most-loved contestants
These home cooked their way into viewers’ hearts.
Sammy and Bella (2011): The sisters won hearts — and the show — after showcasing their Polish-inspired cuisine.
Dan and Steph (2013): This husband and wife duo won the fourth season, using their winnings to help fund their IVF journey — they also went on to open their own cafe.
Jac and Shaz (2015): They might not have been victorious, but these country cousins captured the hearts of the country.
Tasia and Gracia (2016): These winning sisters wowed the judges with their bold culinary innovation, and won over viewers with their positive energy.
Simon and Viviana (2024): These besties made MKR history, gaining the highest score in the show’s history: a whopping 104/110!
Contestants we’ve loved to hate
They ruffled feathers and got audiences talking — and not always in a good way!
Thomas and Carla (2012): Their tactical gameplay saw them clash with their fellow contestants, causing an intense viewer backlash.
Ashlee and Sophia (2013): This outspoken duo entered as Gatecrashers, instantly causing friction with other contestants.
Chloe and Kelly (2014): They got slugged with the “Mean Girls” moniker, with viewers turning against their behaviour and “shortcut” methods in the kitchen.
Sonya and Hadil (2018): These guys made history as the first duo to ever be kicked off the show after a dinner-table dispute escalated into personal insults and threats.
Josh and Austin (2019): Were these homeschooled brothers honest, or just plain rude? That was what viewers were left wondering after they shocked with their unfiltered commentary.