Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au, Colin promised clashing personalities and contestants who make their feelings known early.
“It’s everything you want wrapped up around the table,” he said. “I love the characters who don’t all necessarily get on, and they let each other know pretty early on … just like an explosion.”
MKR Episodes Can Take Up To 12 Hours To Film
The polished dinner party viewers see on screen can take much longer to create. In a separate interview detailed by Chattr, Manu said filming a single episode can stretch to 12 hours as teams prepare each course and contestants wait around the table.
He said the early Instant Restaurants can be particularly difficult because new contestants second-guess themselves. The pace changes once the competition reaches the studio and the clock stops giving anyone room to hesitate.
That pressure is already arriving with a cast Manu had tipped to bring drama before the first dinner party. He singled out Alisha and Deanne, Jane and Shane, and Angus and Simon as teams to watch in a pre-season cast preview.
Manu And Colin Are ‘Brothers’ Until They Share A Kitchen
Manu and Colin now describe each other as brothers, but that closeness apparently disappears the moment they have to cook side by side.
“We work well when we sit there next to each other at the table, but in the kitchen not so much,” Manu said.
Colin blamed a certain unnamed grumpy chef, while Manu said the problem was simple: “You can’t put two bosses in the kitchen.”
They have still learned how to read and support one another after years of working and travelling together. Colin said the pair know when the other needs to be picked up, even if sharing a stove remains a step too far.
As for contestants hoping to survive the long days, Manu’s advice was wonderfully self-serving. He suggested buying both judges’ cookbooks, studying them and learning exactly what they like. Colin’s strategy was shorter: “I would just cook good and win.”
