I’ve loved you, My Kitchen Rules. Loved you hard. Recapped episodes, furiously previewed and enjoyed every bit of cooking drama and relationship conflict you’ve proffered up. And I just can’t swallow it any more.
The straw that broke this camel’s back was the hand-wringingly overblown drama over Kerrie & Craig’s purchased curry paste in the $10 meal drama. Sure, it’s a cooking competition and the contestants should be cooking food (based on this, how the hell are Josh & Andi still there?) but the wailing promos over what turned out to be a nothing issue has taken it too far.
Ashlee and Sophia have moved beyond a parody of reality contestants to become spiteful, bile-spewing individuals who recite producer’s notes as if their own. They’ve also proven they can cook asian-inspired dishes and not much else. Their best-before date has passed as villains and they now simply need to go out with the rest of the trash. New rivalry? Don’t care.
The created drama of the show is what is really hurting. We enjoy the relationship stuff, and who doesn’t love a sausage moment, but it’s no longer about cooking. If you were held to account by ACMA in any way it’d either have to be renamed “My Tie-in Advertising Rules” or “My Bitchiest Contestant Rules”. It’s gotten so it’s just not any fun any more. Drama, drama, drama.
And don’t for a second think we can’t all see through the vanity that is this coming Sunday’s episode designed to try to challenge The Voice Australia season two premiere. Sure, be competitive, but a conveniently cobbled together “bringing back the previously eliminated contestants (but not all of them)” show where eliminated contestants are put to the test in a restaurant’s kitchen? For a show about home cooks?
I don’t want you to think it’s me in any way – I still love TV, and I’ll probably even still tune in to see MKR here and there. It’s just no longer the appointment television this season that it has been in seasons past. It’s definitely you. You’ve overdone it. Pete didn’t help with his activated almonds thing earlier this year. Not that we care about the guest judges but you never introduce them – AT ALL. That can’t be in their contract.
Actually, if I never see Guy Grossi pontificate over food again it’ll be too soon. So this break up isn’t all bad.
Of course I’ll watch the finale. Of course I’ll tune in next year when you relaunch. Just for now… we’re done.
Much love,
Molk.
P.S. If you do clean up your act this season, do let me know. Just don’t promote the hell out of it.
Thank you for putting into words exactly how I feel. I’m done with the show as are many others I have spoken to. I can’t even be bothered with the final. I have far more interesting things to do that night (like sorting my sock draw).
Hi Ky – I hope your socks are now well sorted. 😉
Wholeheartedly agree. Watching from NZ, and we’ve only just finished the instant restaurant rounds. Ashlee and Sophia are exactly as you say, just nasty and horrible people. But we’ve also found ourselves discussing what we like in people, and what we like in friends. MKR has, oddly, forced us to look at how we present ourselves as people, and how we choose our friends. That’s probably not what the producers had in mind at all! We find ourselves saying “I love those sort of people, they are the sort of people I want as friends”, or “I hope I never encounter people like that in anything beyond passing on the street, they are vile!”
Ps, did you notice that Ashlee and Sophia never went to Coles for their instant restaurant round? Or was that a NZ edit? Not sure how that goes down with the major sponsor?
Heya Meg – thanks for commenting! That Ashlee & Sophia didn’t go to Coles was also noticed here, but I put it down to the fact that the visit was moot as there was too much other drama going on. There’s no question Coles are getting their $2 worth out of the series… every tie advertising and sponsorship dollar well spent.
As for the recognition of who you’d like as friends, I agree. So many different kinds of people presented that it offers so many qualities to choose from, and seeing them under pressure also reveals their true behaviours. It’s a sociological marvel but absolutely not what the producers would have intended!
Remove [MKR] and replace with [TBL] and that’s exactly the same week I’ve had. At least 5 days of HEAVY promotion of Michelle Bridges ‘seeing red’ over someone not turning up to a training session and then knocking on his bedroom door.
To….. contestant opening the door, dressed, and going to training. It was all over in the first two minutes of the show!
Will go back to just checking out the finale to see the before and after comparisons and leave the rest for others.
I really enjoyed this post, it’s how I am feeling to. As some one who adores cooking, fresh produce and sharing food with family and friends I loved the concept of this show and wished dearly that it would focus on cooking, technique, friendship, presentation and skill building. There’s a reason I don’t tune in to Home and Away … my love affair is very much over too. I think though, for me I’ll continue to watch so I can hopefully see people like Kerrie and Craig, Luke and Scott or (my faves) Dan and Steph triumph. Good people, great cooking, unique recipes and most importantly no drama – they are what this show should be about.
– Fee
Thank you for your hilarious recaps of MKR this year. Every morning I rush to read your recaps, they are better than the show itself, and that’s the problem. The show us getting boring, I have not been inspired (or should that be inspirated) to cook anything from the show. It has turned into the worst bits of MKR and MCA combined. I’ll watch until the bitter end, but only because I typically finish things I begin. The rest of the programme will be lacking because your recaps won’t be there, we will miss you!
Steve
I’m sorry you won’t be doing your usual recaps – I really enjoy them. But I admire the stand you’re taking. The manipulation by the producers has fundamentally changed MKR from a cooking show into somebody’s idea of interpersonal tension.
Ashlee and Sophia can only be following a script written for them, especially Sophia. And what’s with her speech impediment?
The fun is truly over when the entire show has you either bored to tears or grinding your teeth in frustration at the antics of the contestants.
Thanks for the great job you’ve done and continue to do for other TV shows!
The unfortunate thing is Masterchef Professionals was obliterated in the ratings by MKR even though it was a superior product and shock, horror actually involved people who could cook. The over dramatised rubbish that the Australian public seem to be infatuated with is an embarrassment.
Here’s hoping The Voice slaughters it in the ratings and MKR comes to an abrupt end asap.
I will miss your recaps too. But, you did put into words many of my thoughts too. And tonight, no, there was no pre made curry paste, but lots of pre made stock. That is obviously ok!!
I hope A and S get booted off tomorrow night. Their spite and hatred is truly awful
Yep, definitely saying what the rest of us think, eg. “bile spewing…” We are DONE.
Oh Steve, what a sad day. The only tolerable thing about this whole series was your re-caps. The guys in the office just dont cut it….and I have asked them to read your posts so they know what I like….but alas.
Still I get your point and fully support your decision. (Why not, its one our house made a week or so ago…its only fair, I guess)
Thank the Pontificate for the launch of SBS 2 and a chance for some fresh TV. Cant wait to see what you have to say about “Him & Her” or (whatever that show is with the Koala brandishing the shotgun).
Respect.
The show has gone down hill this year. There is no likeable people left in the show. I really don’t care who wins. The awful Asians on this show have done nothing for 7s whiter than white general policy. I preferred the block this year apart from Josh and Jenna.
Phil,
You’ve been reading my mind… I agree with Steve’s overview of where MKR is at, and I agree with you too, especially in regard to Channel 7’s atrocious exploitation of their Asian contestants… does nothing what-so-ever to endear them to this particular viewer. I’m not Asian myself, but am disgusted with the MKR “portrayal” of both Ashlee & Sophia as well as Bishwah & oops, I can’t remember, was it Jessie?
Your other point about The Block, I too found myself watching that, then switching over (on occasion) to watch the end of MKR… but honestly, Josh and Jenna in particular, OMG, they were nicer when they were fighting all the time. If Jenna hopes to succeed in her Interior Design business, she is pushing the proverbial up hill, since she did nothing to endear herself to her prospective clients; her conniving, snide, superior, bitchy, and just plain nasty attitude and comments should have the hoped-for clients turning away in droves… what a wasted opportunity! She could’ve had them queuing at the door, waiting for business to open, but what she put on display to a national audience, no PR wizard will ever be able to undo! There were just no redeeming features… on another of my favourite shows, in the words of Mr, Bouras, I’d be telling Jenna (with great delight), “YOU’RE FIRED”!!!
My wife and I got caught up in MKR when we were visiting Australia for two wonderful months, January & February. Part of the joy of the show was reading your recap. You have a real gift and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.
When we returned to México in March, we had to follow the show online. As the month wore on, we found ourselves increasing frustrated by the blatant manipulation by the producers of the show. They are rapidly killing a winner. I can wish I could express myself as well as you did.
Thankfully we get Survivor here so there is still an excellent reason to follow your recaps. You’re spot on with that as well.
Steve,
Spot on, as is usually the case… MKR – does the “K” stand for kitchen? What the hell are they doing in a restaurant on Sunday night, cooking for 50+ guests under the watchful eye of the un-named, never introduced, spud-loving judge? What’s with the “out-back” episode? I enjoy cooking a nice meal for a few friends, though absolutely not in the class of these people, but I’ve never held a dinner party in the middle of the desert… it’s gone off the rails, too gimmicky, too scripted, too far away from the original concept of its origins, so give me The Voice every time now!
I was a tad lost when The Block ended (as I used to switch over to MKR after watching it), but have been in limbo for a few weeks, but now I’m back to being a contented viewer again, at least in the 7:00 – 8:30ish timeslot!
Apropos of The Block, as I commented previously, well done to Jenna, who has master-minded the complete failure of any future Interior Design business she aspired to, her outrageous conniving, bitchy, snide and superior attitude & comments on display to a national audience should have prospective clients turning away in droves… she wasted a golden opportunity, in my opinion, and that kind of self-sabotage will not be easily undone… I will be watching her future endeavours with bated breath, and just a tiny bit if the mean spiritedness that Jenna herself put on show!
Aside from all that, though you’ll no longer be reviewing MKR, I’m sure that only means more time for attention to other program’s, and that’s good news, I say!
Love our work!
KMW