The 2026 season of My Kitchen Rules opened in the Gold Coast hinterland, where the Queensland mother and daughter welcomed Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge and the other five original teams to Puggles. The Instant Restaurant was named after the baby platypuses living on their property, although Jane was not convinced the name had much to do with food.

Krysten and Lucy had entered the competition feeling confident, but there was one small complication: they had never actually cooked together before MKR. That confidence faded rather quickly once the cameras, countdown and judges were all in the room.

Colin's Connection To Jane Raises Eyebrows

The first surprise came before anyone had tasted a thing. Colin revealed he already knew NSW food stylist Jane from previous work, prompting immediate questions around the table about whether she might have an advantage.

Colin shut that down firmly. Every score would stand on its own, regardless of who he knew, and every team was fighting for its position in the competition.

Jane and husband Shane had already arrived with high standards and plenty of fine-dining knowledge. Their polished approach looked very different beside Alisha and Deanne's self-described "boganic besties" energy, and the divide did not take long to surface.

A Risky Tartare Earns A Middling Start

Krysten and Lucy opened with beef tartare, quail egg and truffle flatbread. Serving raw beef and raw egg on the first night was bold, but the judges could see the idea behind it.

Manu liked the presentation and flavour, while both judges felt the dish needed more moisture, seasoning and sauce. The result was six out of 10 from Manu and another six from Colin.

At the table, Jane made it clear that plating mattered because diners eat with their eyes. Deanne was less impressed with the running commentary and openly wondered whether food snobs had already arrived.

Colin's Paella Warning Prevents A Seafood Disaster

The main course brought a pan of paella and an even bigger serving of panic. Colin entered the kitchen mid-cook and questioned how long the oversized prawns had been sitting in the pan.

Lucy immediately felt defensive of her mum, but the warning proved useful. Krysten pulled the seafood before it overcooked and later admitted the move might have saved the dish from outright disaster.

Manu called the giant prawn perfect, and Colin also enjoyed the prawns and mussels. The rice itself let the team down, with the judges finding it too wet and missing the crisp socarrat that should form at the bottom. It was sixes again from both Manu and Colin.

Jane, meanwhile, declared herself more of a taster than an eater and left much of the food on her plate. When she added that she did not enjoy sweet food and would rather have cheese than dessert, Alisha and Deanne could barely hide their disbelief.

Lucy's Dessert Finally Gives The Judges An Eight

After two uneven courses, the pressure landed squarely on Lucy and her baking skills. Her mango and coconut sweet rice croissant puff needed crisp pastry, defined layers and enough flavour to turn the night around.

This time, the gamble worked. Manu praised the layers and called it the best dish of the night. Colin loved the sweet, crunchy topping and agreed it was the team's strongest course, although he wanted more mango and a looser coconut sweet rice.

Both judges awarded eight out of 10, lifting Krysten and Lucy to 40 out of 60 from the judging panel.

Krysten And Lucy Finish With 72 Points

The guest teams added another 32 points. Angus and Simon scored seven, Tiffany and Giancarlo also gave seven, while Alisha and Deanne and Mary and Golden each awarded six.

That put Krysten and Lucy on 72 out of 110, the first score on the 2026 leaderboard. It was not the smooth opening they had imagined, but Lucy's dessert gave them something worth celebrating after a demanding first service.

The cooking may have ended, but the night's real long-term storyline was only getting started. Jane's exacting critiques, limited tasting and focus on presentation frustrated Alisha and Deanne, who were also voted by their rivals as the team most likely to be eliminated first. The original six MKR teams had barely settled around the table and the first rivalry was already simmering.

Krysten and Lucy later described leaving so much of a cook's food untouched as disrespectful, while warning the teams still waiting to host that confidence can look very different once the clock starts. After their own night in the kitchen, they had certainly earned the right to say it.

Next up, Adelaide best mates Angus and Simon open their Instant Restaurant, Last Orders, with elevated pub classics on the menu.

My Kitchen Rules continues tonight at 7.30pm on Seven and 7plus.