Channel Seven had a problem.My Kitchen Rules,once an unassailable powerhouse that could be relied upon to kick off the ratings year strongly for the network,was fading. For nearly a decade,MKR had defied the dire predictions about the death of free-to-air television,drawing viewer numbers well over the"magic million"mark,night after night,week after week,for months.
But the cooking contest's domination had crumbled. Last year's 10th season average slumped below a million viewers,as did the finale. And for the past couple of years,it's been out-rated by Nine'sMarried at First Sight.
MKR:The Rivals - Manu Feildel,Pete Evans,Colin Fassnidge.Jeremy Greive
Perhaps it's predictable that an ageing reality TV show declines and that something new comes along and steals its crown. But some reality shows,likeThe Block andMasterChef,suffer a slump,reboot and revive to thrive. MaybeMKRwas stale and needed freshening up.
So Seven set about shaking it up and it's becomeMy Kitchen Rules:The Rivals."It's chef versus chef!"screams the ubiquitous ad campaign. The producers have thrown a range of ingredients into the mix to jazz up the original recipe. However they've also preservedMKR's essential ingredients:amateurs cooking in pairs to win a competition,with original judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel now alongside Colin Fassnidge who's been promoted to a regular role.
Unfortunately,it looks as if The Rivals'producers grabbed a bunch of reality-TV tropes,chucked them in a blender and poured the results into the existingMKR mix,hoping to add zest. Manu and Colin head opposing houses competing for supremacy. Five pairs of contestants occupy each house,the same live-in approach as is adopted onThe Bachelor andThe Bachelorette. The teams are divided into fans and favourites,avidMKR devotees pitted against people who have previously appeared on the show,a set-up that recallsSurvivor andThe Block.
MKR contestants Jenni and Louise in the kitchen with Colin Fassnidge.Channel Seven
In a nod toThe Voice,Colin and Manu act as mentors,although Manu also swaps hats to judge the meals with Pete. On the basis of the opener,where"mummy bloggers"Jenni and Louise,representing the House of Colin,have to present the first instant restaurant,not much mentoring is required. Colin suggests the inclusion of more prawns for the entree bisque and looks surprised when the"mum hack"of store-bought marshmallows in the strawberry mousse actually tastes OK.
All of this plays out accompanied by standard reality-TV elements:the shameless sponsor promotions;the annoying recaps;the pounding drums on the soundtrack designed to accentuate the suspense when,say,the duck hasn't been rested long enough before being served.
What's lost in the new construction are the earlyMKR rounds where the teams presented instant restaurants in their homes,one of the more entertaining aspects of the competition.
Yet some things remain the same. The main ingredient ofMKR has always been conflict and,in the opener,the knives are out and the insults are flying before the main course. Because,as part of the favourites brigade,a couple of voluble,attention-seeking stirrers have been reintroduced:Sophia,from season four,and Romel,from season 10. Now united as a team,their presence suggests that the show is after fireworks.
Whether or not these tactics can revive interest inMKR remains to be seen,but the producers are clearly itching to ignite some nasty explosions in order to bring heat to the kitchen.
My Kitchen Rules:The Rivalsseason premiere is on Seven,Monday,7pm.
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