Acclaimed MKR judge Manu Feildel has dropped some very strong hints implying that the cooking reality show could be axed after this season finishes airing.

During a chat with Confidential, Feildel was asked about the show’s lowered ratings and addressed whether he believes cooking reality shows still work for Australian audiences.

“I’m not sure if there’s an appetite for more,” he candidly said.

“Things chop and change all the time, depending on what people are hungry for. Cooking (shows) have been so big for the last 15 years, maybe it’s time for a change,” he added.

MKR returned to Aussie TVs this year, after taking a year off in 2021, which was attributed to reduced ratings for the show. The French chef told the publication that he wasn’t expecting to come back to television after MKR went on hiatus.

“I thought two years ago it was the end of my TV career, and I was happy either way. Frankly, I’ve had a ball. If it continues on, I’d be happy to keep going. But you know, there’s an end to everything at the end of the day.”

My Kitchen Rules returned to Channel Seven last month with a slightly altered formula. The season was shorter, and the production team aimed to focus less on the drama, and more on the cooking.

“I felt I was a lot more relaxed in the job because I didn’t have to deal with the drama,” he said of the new format.
“You can’t put 12 strangers around a table in a competition and not have any drama whatsoever, obviously. It’s impossible. But this season was much more friendly, nothing like it was before.”
But, while MKR wasn’t a rating powerhouse, it did attract a considerable amount of viewers throughout the current season. It averaged 892,000 viewers throughout its four-week season, beating out The Masked Singer, MasterChef, and Australian Survivor. However, The Block dominated audiences every week and racked up 1.23 million viewers on its season 18 premiere night alone.
Mediaweek editor Trent Thomas has stated that he believes any Australian show that attracts more than 500,000 viewers is in “renewal territory”, which sounds promising for the future of MKR!

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