The food stylist arrived on My Kitchen Rules with exacting standards, a sharp eye for presentation and very little interest in pretending every plate impressed her. Unsurprisingly, that combination made her one of the season’s earliest lightning rods.
Jane told TV WEEK that she and Shane had been excited to share the part of their relationship built around cooking together.
Jane Says A ‘Tricky Edit’ Changed The Picture
Looking back, Jane said, “Maybe reality TV wasn’t the best place to showcase something so personal.” She added that a “tricky edit” could make all the love disappear, before joking she might be better suited to becoming a third judge who considers style and etiquette.
That presentation-first approach is about to collide with Alisha and Deanne’s Instant Restaurant, Hot Mess. The South Australian friends serve their food on colourful melamine plates, and Jane makes it clear she considers the crockery part of the experience.
For Jane, the position comes directly from her work. She said her creative direction often begins with the plate and compared ignoring it to carefully choosing only the top half of an outfit.
She also pushed back on the idea that her high-end food styling work makes her elitist, describing herself and Shane as down-to-earth people who simply put a great deal of effort into aesthetics.
The comments arrive after a season-opening dinner table already split over class, travel, food knowledge and who was taking the competition too seriously. Reality Recap’s coverage of Alisha and Deanne’s unaired-comments claim showed how differently the same long night of filming can be experienced by the people at the table.
Jane is not backing away from her standards. She just sounds more aware that on MKR, judging the plate can put you on one just as quickly as the food.
