He and Manu Feildel have “worked out the duo” and now juggle TV chaos with what Fassnidge calls “pudgy athlete” discipline.

Colin Fassnidge reckons life on My Kitchen Rules isn’t as wild as it once was. “Well, me and Manu (Feildel) are old. We used to be young. Now we’re grey,” he told Mediaweek.

These days the judging pair take a more measured approach, especially after Feildel’s knee reconstruction.

“He used to do a lot of training and now he’s looking after his health. So when we’re travelling together, I drink a lot less now when I’m with him out of respect,” he said.

Settling into the formula

For Fassnidge, the partnership with Feildel really clicked once they started fronting the Australian and New Zealand versions of the show together.

“I think between us we worked out a good sort of duo. We know what works and what doesn’t,” he said.

For Fassnidge their recipe for success is simple: “We just be ourselves”.

He continued: “We don’t really play the game too much that we maybe used to years ago, we just call each other’s bullshit out and we just want to see a good show.”

The shift came as both judges matured on screen and off. “In the early days, we 100 per cent played to the camera because when you’re young to TV, you think that’s what they [the audience] want. And then life comes along and you have kids and you’re like, that’s not who I want to be,” Fassnidge revealed.

My Kitchen Rules judges judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge

Sponsors, seafood and car crash moments

This year’s season will be backed by big-name sponsors including Woolworths, Spotlight, SharkNinja, Schweppes and Toscano, with brands embedded across episodes.

Fassnidge says the food mix is already shaping up. “Usually I like all the spicy dishes and there’s lot of that. There’s also lots of seafood, I think, this year. And then obviously you’ve got your old mate who calls himself the Meat Master [couple Michael & Rielli], who cooks something that I don’t have a problem with, but 90% of the people watching the show will.”

The cast is just as eclectic with six teams stepping up and bringing a mix of real food, family stories and, inevitably, disasters. As Fassnidge put it: “It’s like when you go to a big family Christmas, an hour in, everyone’s very happy. And then two hours in, it’s starting, people are starting to niggle each other.

“Three hours in, your auntie’s falling over in the driveway, your uncle’s gone home. He’s got the s**ts. And, you know, it’s all coming. Like, there is a little bit of a car crash and a little bit of cooking. And everyone can relate to someone in that group,” he said.

Fame versus family

Despite his long tenure on television, Fassnidge’s daughters are unimpressed.

“My kids have asked me to give up TV because apparently I’m cringe. So I have a very good barometer in my house of like keeping my ego in check because I don’t even exist in my house,” he laughed.

But the honesty doesn’t bother him. “It’s kind of a nice way to get you through life,” he said. “I like being at home now and just cooking. In the old days, I was at everything. Now I’m like nah.”

The contestants from this year’s season of My Kitchen Rules

Training for TV

Filming the series takes a physical toll, with long nights and early flights becoming the norm.

Fassnidge explains: “You have to be mentally fit for this, because it all starts in March or April. So, you’re sort of getting fit, like eating good and exercising and getting lots of sleep, because once you go on the road your sleep patterns are totally out of whack. You get to bed at three in the morning, then you’re on the flight back home at nine a.m. Then you come home and you’re the grumpiest person in the world, apparently. Then you do it all over again.”

He added, jokingly: “We’re athletes now. We’re slightly pudgy athletes.”