The best friends say they went through the same casting process as every other team on My Kitchen Rules. Arriving as gatecrashers was challenging enough, but Zoe says the response to her pescatarian diet was far more hostile than she expected.

“I knew it was going to be challenging, but I didn’t expect it to be so hostile,” she told TV WEEK.

The argument over what Zoe will taste has become an awkward welcome for the pair. Zoe eats fish but not meat, leaving some contestants questioning how she can assess every dish placed in front of her.

Zac Questions The Welcome

In the interview, Zac described feeling that their place in the competition was resented from the outset. He challenged the idea that other contestants could decide they did not deserve to be there when production had selected them through the same process.

The TV WEEK article identifies Angus and Simon as continuing critics. Angus calls Zoe fussy, while Simon compares her inability to taste meat with trying to play golf without the equipment.

Zoe said the pressure to eat meat was difficult. She was particularly disappointed in Simon, arguing that his work as a teacher should make him receptive to accommodating different dietary needs.

Meat-free contestants are not unprecedented on MKR. Last season, Jacinta’s plant-based diet also became a point of friction around the table.

A More Mixed View Of Alisha And Deanne

Zac’s comments were not limited to the food argument. He said Alisha and Deanne’s tendency to dominate conversations could make the South Australian friends difficult to deal with.

But he also respected their openness. Even amid the noise, he felt the pair showed people where they stood.

Zoe and Zac still have to impress with their cooking. They would just prefer the conversation to move past whether they should have been invited to cook at all.