When it comes to Australian cooking shows, MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules immediately spring to mind. And while they may be rival programs airing on different networks, the show's celebrity judges, guests and cast members have often worked together in the past because the food industry really is a deliciously small world.
MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites finalist Billie McKay has opened up about filming with new My Kitchen Rules judge, Nigella Lawson. The pair crossed paths when McKay was a guest mentor on MasterChef's 2019 season.
"She came into set a challenge for the contestants," McKay tells Refinery29 Australia. "I happened to be there as a mentor on that day and I thought, 'How's my luck? This is amazing!'"
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McKay has a snap of her and the British celebrity cook on her Instagram account, and says "I cherish that photo of me and Nigella.
"I tell everyone we're friends, but really she probably doesn't know who I am," she then laughs, jokingly adding, "I'll have to catch up with her" as she's in Australia for My Kitchen Rules.
After previously appearing as a celeb guest on various seasons of MasterChef Australia, Lawson is jumping ship to Channel 7's MKR where she will be a judge alongside French favourite, Manu Feildel.
"Going to restaurants can be a treat, but for me, the true story of food is told through the cooking we do at home," Lawson says in an official Channel 7 statement supplied to Refinery29 Australia.
"So, to have the chance to champion home cooks and be given the intimate privilege of being invited into people’s homes to eat their food fills me with gratitude and excitement in equal measure!"
Meanwhile, McKay is one of the three semi-finalists remaining on MasterChef this year, after returning to the show as a 'favourite' after winning Season 7 in 2015.
If she progresses to the 2022 grand finale, she'll be cooking for another British celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal. It'll be a true blast from the past after she worked at Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant for six months after she won the show seven years ago.
McKay will be going up against Sarah Todd (Season 6) and Daniel Lamble in the semi-final in a bid to impress judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.
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The previously eliminated contestants are Julie Goodwin (Season 1), Alvin Quah (Season 2) Sashi Cheliah (Season 10), Michael Weldon (Season 3), Christina Batista (Season 5), John Carasig (Season 7), Aldo Ortado (Season 10), Mindy Woods (Season 4), Minoli De Silva (Season 13), Tommy Pham (Season 13), Ali Stoner, Jenn Lee, Chris Tran, Keyma Vasquez Montero, Dulan Hapuarachchi, Harry Tomlinson, Matt Landmark, Max Krapivsky, Melanie Persson, Montana Hughes and Steph Woon.
The MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites semi-final will air on Monday, July 11 and the finale will air on Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
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