The Victorian nurses told New Idea they knew My Kitchen Rules would bring drama. They simply preferred watching it to joining it.
Mary And Golden Were Happy To Watch The Drama
Mary said staying out of the arguments came naturally to them and was not a plan to avoid attention. Their priority was to be judged on the food they served.
"We didn't want to be part of it," she said, admitting the clashes were still entertaining from the other side of the table.
By the time their turn to cook approached, Mary joked that she felt like a viewer at home and wanted popcorn for the latest round of tension.
Golden Says The Pair Are Definitely Not Quiet
Golden laughed at the idea that she and Mary do not have much to say. She explained that louder personalities around the table sometimes made it easier to sit back and take everything in.
"We literally just had to listen," she said.
That approach kept them away from the biggest confrontations, but it did not make them passive. During Alisha and Deanne's Instant Restaurant, Mary challenged Jane's suggestion that the colourful plates should affect the food score, becoming one of the clearest voices in the dinner-table plate debate.
Representing Filipino Food Added Extra Pressure
Mary and Golden said their bigger concern was doing justice to Filipino food and their community. As the first Filipino team on the show, they saw the competition as a chance to put their culture and cooking in front of a national audience.
The opportunity meant even more to Golden, who said appearing on MKR had been a goal since she first arrived in Australia and watched the program.
Mary originally planned to apply with her husband, but his refusal opened the spot for Golden. Golden's response was immediate, and the pair say they would happily do the experience again regardless of the result.
Quiet team or not, Mary and Golden seem comfortable letting everyone else provide the noise while they concentrate on what reaches the table.
