“Everyone’s just really out to win, willing to do anything.”

Two My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 contestants have been at the heart of all the drama this year: Mel and Jacinta. The opinionated cousins aren’t afraid to back down from a challenge, and the healthy eaters have clashed heavily with the self-proclaimed meat-master, Michael, and his partner, Rielli.

But is the show authentic, or is some of the drama created by producers? Mel tells Chattr it’s “not scripted”, but reveals why the cooking show is getting so heated.

“People are definitely passionate when it comes to the show, and you know, emotions can be heightened, and there’s $100,000 at the end of it,” she spills.

Her teammate Jacinta confirms it isn’t scripted, and adds: “We have hours and hours of footage, so how much the audience actually sees compared to what’s actually said at the time as well. So you know, something could be said, but it could be in a different situation [or context].

“Everyone knows reality TV at the end of the day, so there’s a lot of footage for everyone to go through.”
Mel and Jacinta on MKR 2025. Image: Seven

Who are the villains on MKR 2025?

Jacinta and Mel haven’t had the best fan reaction online, with some viewers hoping they bomb when it comes time for their Instant Restaurant. However, they’re still on good terms with the other contestants, and they don’t believe there are any ‘villains’ on the show this year.

“I think there’s really strong teams this year, I think the casting has been great. There are some really different characters,” Mel says.

“I actually probably couldn’t pick who the villains are on the show, actually, because everyone’s coming at it from different angles and bringing their own spice.”

Jacinta agrees, saying that everybody is just extremely motivated to win — although, this could come across as villainous behaviour.

“There’s no villains. Everyone’s just really out to win, willing to do anything to do it, to get it right,” Jacinta explains. “At the end of the day, we’re having these conversations and then they’re taken fully out of context.”

Jacinta and Mel will present their Instant Restaurant on Monday night’s episode, where one team will be eliminated. With Lil and Lol sitting at the bottom of the MKR leaderboard, it’s up to the cousins to bring their A-game if they want to stick around.