My Kitchen Rules will introduce three new "gatecrasher" teams after cousins Mel and Jacinta were eliminated, a preview released this week shows.
The teams — Queensland divorcees Lara and Amy, Western Australian couple Danielle and Marko, and South Australian friends Mark and Tan — are set to enter the Channel Seven cooking competition from Tuesday, with the trailer promising they will "crash the party" and inject drama into the kitchen.
In scenes shown in the preview, the newcomers march onto the MKR set to meet the remaining contestants and receive a chilly reception from the "OGs." Bailey warns the gatecrashers, "Look out, guys, it's tougher than you think," while Michael tells the newcomers, "You've walked into the snake pit." Lara says, "We're here to crash the party," and Danielle adds, "We love a little bit of competition." Personal trainer Mark also says the existing contestants "should definitely be intimidated."
The arrival of the three teams follows the surprise exit of Mel and Jacinta earlier this week. Channel Seven has framed the gatecrashers as a twist designed to shake up dynamics among the remaining teams.
The show has also drawn viewer criticism this week after fans flagged apparent lapses in hygiene during a recent episode. Viewers on a My Kitchen Rules Facebook thread questioned why contestants Anne and Maree prepared a dish with their hair down and appeared to handle food without gloves while plating a "Greek Classic" of chicken and lamb souvlakia with pita and tzatziki. Comments included, "Both ladies should tie their hair up, too risky," and "Basic hygiene when you're cooking for guests," with other users noting the absence of gloves and serving tongs.
Other contestants attracted scrutiny in the same episode when viewers observed Justin and Will wearing rings while kneading dough and cooking. The social media backlash came amid broader conversation online about on-screen food-safety practices.
Daily Mail reported the developments and said it had contacted Channel Seven for comment. Seven has not publicly detailed any change to its on-set food-safety procedures in response to the comments.
My Kitchen Rules remains one of Seven's flagship reality formats and frequently deploys format twists to refresh the series as it progresses. Producers have used gatecrasher entrants in past seasons to introduce new competitive tensions and test alliances among contestants as the show approaches its later stages.