With MKR debuting on Seven for another season on Monday night, there has been a major change in sponsorship of the cooking show. Seven has confirmed to Mediaweek that Woolworths is now the go-to place for MKR cooks to shop, replacing the previous sponsor, Coles.
On the supermarket’s side, a Woolworths spokesperson said in a statement that: “We’re thrilled to be involved in this season of My Kitchen Rules to celebrate the best of Australian home cooks. As the Fresh Food People, we aim to give our customers all the best value, quality ingredients and fresh produce, and we’re excited to see what the contestants cook up this year.”
The change didn’t go unnoticed on social media, with viewers writing on X (formerly Twitter) “Ooo MKR has gone to Woolies now no longer coles?! Scandal!” and “Wait, they’re walking into Woolworths? I thought Coles sponsored this?”
The season premiere had 470,000 five city metro viewers tuning in. Friends Tommy and Rach were first up, with everything going well until a rogue garlic flower ruined dessert.
Ahead of the show’s launch, Mediaweek spoke to Colin Fassnidge, who said that he was ready to bring the fun back to MKR.
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“When it first started, when I started on MKR, it was so much fun,” he said. “And then a little bit in the middle, it sort of lost its way because it got a bit drama and people, even my kids, didn’t want to watch that and Australia didn’t obviously want to watch that either because they said it. And now they’ve sort of come back the last few years, [and now] it’s about heart.”
This year, Fassnidge joins Manu Feildel as a “top dog” (as he likes to refer to it), with the pair deciding to rejuvenate the show to bring back the joy.
“I think me and Manu directed it that way, that’s what we want. If you’re here for your 15 minutes of fame, or if you’re here to be grumpy, we don’t want to talk to you… so we’re back to basics on this one.”