‘My Kitchen Rules’ 2016: Competition heats up as Nev and Kell have to come up with something really interesting

The competition on “My Kitchen Rules” 2016 is becoming more and more confusing, now that instant restaurants are finally over. All the remaining teams have made it to the next round. Monday night’s episode saw the teams being grouped into two teams, Black and White, and they were charged with the task of cooking a family buffet at an RSL club for 100 diners.

While the White Group chose an Asian menu, the Black Group decided on a Mediterranean menu for the patrons. Each couple was responsible for their own dish. It was up to the diners to choose their preferred buffet and pay for what they felt was worth. The group with the largest earnings would be declared the winner. The group that would lose would cook off against each other and one team would have to leave “My Kitchen Rules” 2016.

The Black Group’s Alex and Gareth from Queensland were criticised for their Mediterranean filo cups with tomato salsa and grilled peach due to absence of ricotta and presence of more filo. VIC’s Tasia and Gracia won hearts and tongues with their Moroccan lamb stew with saffron rice. Confident WA couple Nev and Kell’s crumbed prawns with Mediterranean salsa and crispy chorizo was not a crowd puller as the “breadcrumbs have soaked up the juice from the tomato,” rendering it non-crispy.

SA couple Carmine and Lauren’s spinach and ricotta rotolos impressed tastebuds. Queensland couple JP and Nelly’s chicken shish kebab with harissa pumpkin and za'atar was also appreciated.

The White Group’s Rosie and Paige from SA prepared five spice duck with watermelon salad and it failed to impress. Judge Pete Evans said the meat had no distinct flavour. VIC couple Eve and Jason was jar-shamed by judge Colin Fassnidge as their Vietnamese prawn salad was a disaster. WA couple Anna and Jordan’s satay beef with homemade egg noodles was a crowd favourite.

Father-son duo from north Queensland, Mike and Tarq, cooked their dish of roasted pork belly in just 90 minutes, but Colin felt it was mediocre and he expected much more out of them. VIC couple Mitch and Laura’s red chicken curry with red rice and cucumber pickle was loved by the judges and was awarded “dish of the day.” The couple is safe for the next two eliminations.

After counting dollars, the White Group came on top. The teams in Black Group will fight it out Tuesday night.

“My Kitchen Rules” continues Tuesday night at 7.30 pm on Seven.