The first six teams cover only four states, with Victoria and South Australia each represented twice. For fans who remember a broader national spread, the imbalance has become one of the season’s strangest details.

The Starting Cast Covers Four States

Seven’s official cast listing confirms the initial six teams are Tiffany and Giancarlo from Victoria, Krysten and Lucy from Queensland, Angus and Simon from South Australia, Jane and Shane from New South Wales, Alisha and Deanne from South Australia, and Mary and Golden from Victoria.

That gives the starting group two Victorian teams, two South Australian teams, one Queensland team and one New South Wales team.

Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT are not represented in that first group.

Viewers Miss The State-Against-State Feeling

A fan discussion highlighted by Chattr asked what had happened to the familiar one-team-per-state format.

Some viewers pointed out that duplicate states are not entirely new. The previous season also began with more than one team from Queensland and New South Wales, while a Western Australian pairing arrived later as gatecrashers.

Even so, others said they missed the feeling of each team carrying a distinct state identity. Tasmania and the Northern Territory were repeatedly mentioned as places fans would like to see back around the table.

According to Chattr, Tasmania has not had an MKR team since 2018. That long absence helps explain why the current mix feels less national to viewers who followed the show in its earlier years.

The Cast Can Still Expand

The six launch teams are not the whole 2026 cast. As our complete guide to the MKR teams and gatecrashers explains, more cooks enter as the competition unfolds.

That means the starting line-up does not tell the entire season story. It does, however, shape the early episodes and the first impression viewers have of the competition.

There may be practical casting reasons for the overlap, from availability to finding personalities and cooking partnerships that work on television. Seven has not publicly framed the doubled-up states as a problem.

For longtime fans, though, state pride was part of the show’s original appeal. Two Victorian teams and two South Australian teams can still deliver a strong competition, but it is not quite the same as watching a table that feels like a culinary map of Australia.