My Kitchen Rules was back for the 2026 season on Monday night.
A whole cast of wannabe culinary kings and queens met to battle it out at the first Instant Restaurant, dishing up their best home-cooked meals.
But viewers tuning in at home couldn’t help but notice that the show has been stacked with people who aren’t quite so inexperienced in the kitchen.
Normally My Kitchen Rules relies on regular Aussie folks whipping up their best family dinners, but that’s not the case this year.
Among the contestants are mother and daughter team Krysten and Lucy, who aren’t strangers to an oven.
Lucy describes herself as a ‘self-taught baker’ but runs her own micro-bakery, meaning she knows more about making a recipe work than the average Joe.
My Kitchen Rules fans have expressed anger that contestant Jane (left) has previously worked with the show’s judge, chef Colin Fassnidge
One person posted to X to rage that Fassnidge (pictured) claiming he knows Jane from ‘a long time ago’, makes the competition unfair
Another person who has some special know-how is food stylist Jane, who has teamed up with her partner, builder Shane.
Jane has previously worked with the show’s judge, chef Colin Fassnidge, with the pair even following each other on Instagram.
Meanwhile, best friends Mary and Golden are nurses, but have their sights set on opening a Filipino street food truck.
With credentials like those, some viewers felt that the cast would be better suited to battle it out on MasterChef.
One person posted to X to rage that Fassnidge claiming he knows Jane from ‘a long time ago’, makes the competition unfair.
‘How come the guy who worked in his family’s restaurant was hassled last year but Jane who has worked with Colin on Delicious magazine is allowed on?’ they asked.
My Kitchen Rules is stacked with experienced cooks this year. Lucy describes herself as a ‘self-taught baker’ but runs her own micro-bakery. Pictured with her teammate Krysten
Best friends Mary and Golden are nurses, but have their sights set on opening a Filipino street food truck. Both pictured
‘So why was she allowed on the show?’ asked someone else, also referencing Jane.
‘Surely the Jane and Colin thing is a conflict of interest,’ said one more person.
Yet another viewer suggested that Jane would become ‘the most hated person on Australian television’.
Someone else said there were too many ‘professionals’ in the mix while another complained, ‘They’re supposed to be home cooks.’
The contestants also raised concerns, with Deanne and Alisha telling TV Week they were worried about Jane being granted ‘favouritism’ due to her connections.
‘We thought that might give her a leg up on the competition,’ Alisha told the publication this week.
