An obnoxious comment on Monday night’s episode of My Kitchen Rules has prompted a response from the mayor of the Queensland city of Logan, which two MKR chefs described as “the slums”.

During the episode, Cairns couple Michael Edelberg and Rielli Portegys didn’t hold back, cutting down Lauren Argyle and Lilli Mckay with a cold dismissal – purely because of their hometown.

“This is going to be the easiest competition ever,” Michael said to the other contestants.

“Logan has a bit of a reputation… for being the slums. I’d generalise the whole of it as the Logan bogans.”

The moment in question. (Credit: MKR)

The drama escalated when Lauren confessed she’d steered clear of exotic eats like raw fish – opening the door for Michael to fire off a cheeky one-liner that turned up the tension.

“She’s from Logan, all I know from Logan is you have a meat pie and a pack of durries and maybe a chockie milk,” Michael said. Rude!

The explosive comments didn’t just stir the pot on the spicy cooking show, they ignited outrage across Logan.

Even Mayor Jon Raven jumped into the drama, sharing a TiKTok about the whole thing:

He also appeared on 4BC Brisbane and shared that he’s “disgusted” by the remarks that aired on MKR, blasting them as a total misrepresentation of his vibrant city of 350,000 residents.

“This bloke has clearly never been to Logan. He should focus on cooking instead of trying to play the villain by attacking our city,” Raven said.

“To label our city as a slum is completely inappropriate and offensive. Logan is an amazing place to live and raise a family.

“Instead of trying to tear us down, he could learn a thing or two about good manners and good cooking by spending some time here.”

Still, Mayor Raven managed to find a silverlining in the chaos that’s ensued from the drama-heavy My Kitchen Rules, admitting the drama actually opened the door to shut down tired, negative stereotypes about Logan once and for all.

“I’m surprised these comments even made the edit, but I’m glad they did because now I get to challenge these outdated stereotypes that just aren’t true,” he said.

“Logan is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse cities in Australia with over 230 cultures. It thrives on the strength of our people and community spirit,” he continued.

“People who live in Logan love it, but everyone else talks us down. We know the truth and we’re proud of our home. We’re ready to stand up for our city and community.”

In light of the backlash, I jumped on the MKR star’s Insta expecting to see a PR-driven apology post, but instead, found this:
Way to stoke the flames! (Credit: MKR)
It’s giving #sorrynotsorry.