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Returning: My Kitchen Rules (with a secret plan?)

Does Seven have a secret plan to launch MKR at 7pm, to get a head start on The Block?

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mkr_2014_contestantsChannel Seven has confirmed the return date for My Kitchen Rules as Monday, January 27 -but has strategically not confirmed the start time.

Given it’s the same night as The Block’s return (7:30pm January 27), is Seven planning a 7pm launch for MKR? It would be a clever chess move on their part, to swoop upon the the timeslot that Nine has abandoned.

If Seven holds off Home and Away‘s return by 1 week, it could get a 30 minute jump-start on The Block.

Get the feeling the ratings season is returning?

2013’s most watched TV event of the year (Grand Final: Winner announced – 3.270 million metro audience) returns with a new batch of home cooks stepping up to the stove in what promises to be one of the most hotly contested series in My Kitchen Rules history.

Manu Feildel and Pete Evans return to host and judge this ultimate home cooking battle. And this year, they’re bringing some big surprises to the table.

The MKR Food Truck, a massive red transformer style semi-trailer decked out with a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, is just one of the twists the contestants won’t see coming.

It’s going to be one of the toughest challenges MKR contestants have ever faced. It’s going to push even the best cooks to breaking point.

And in a competition first, there will be more instant restaurants than ever before.

The judges table will see the return of familiar faces, guest judges Colin Fassnidge, Guy Grossi, Karen Martini and Liz Egan.

The top two teams will again battle it out in the grand final where they will present their dining menu to a full restaurant. With $250,000 in prize money on offer, it’s a fierce battle to decide whose kitchen rules.

This year’s contenders are:

GROUP 1
New South Wales – Annie and Jason (Married cheesemakers)
Western Australia – Chloe and Kelly (Well-travelled friends)
South Australia – Deb and Rick (Married 38 years)
Australian Capital Territory – Andrew and Emelia (newly dating)
Queensland – Paul and Blair (Surfer dads)
Victoria – Helena and Vikki (Twins)

GROUP 2
New South Wales – Uel and Shannelle (Newlyweds)
Western Australia – Jess and Felix (Designer and miner)
South Australia – Bree and Jessica (Proud mums)
Tasmania – Thalia and Bianca (Besties)
Queensland – David and Corinne (Couple two years)
Victoria – Harry and Christo (Best mates)

19 Responses

  1. On the when should they tell the viewers argument. I prefer at least a week before to know what is on. I like the heads up promos before that however. The reason I prefer a week is I don’t watch each network every day. So might miss out on the information. Also the internet isn’t reliable so any last minute changes might be missed.

    That said I expect to be destroyed this year by the commercial channels due to the constantly changing watermarks. My brain can’t always switch to ‘ignore mode’. I just wish they would have one constant (single or integrated that seems like one ) watermark if they have to have them. One for sport (top screen ) and one for other shows (bottom screen ) . I now understand I’m what the military term: collateral damage.

  2. Good plan for Channel Seven. Push Home and Away over to 7TWO while the MKR is in the 7PM time slot. Do it the same with reality shows like House Rules, and The X factor in case if the reality shows overruns for 30mins.

  3. I’ve never watched this show before but am looking forward to watching my first ever season. Do they have intruders / more contestants that they bring into the show? I know someone who is a contestant but their name hasn’t been listed.

  4. @raif1700
    Modern DVRs will record 4 shows on two channels, and there are catch-ups. But it is the live viewers that advertisers want. People tend not to record contest shows (see the +7 figures), so they watch only one or flick between them.

    But you can’t compete for live viewers against something like MKR with a drama or comedy because too many people will DVR or catch-up it.

    It doesn’t matter to me that there are only contest shows on. The dramas and comedies I watch are M or MA so can’t be shown then anyway. I enjoy my dinner at a table then then watch something on the DVR until something interesting at a suitable time comes on.

  5. Seven haven’t committed to a time or length for MKR yet so they could be planning something, or they could just be wanting Nine & Ten to think they are trying something.

    Both H&A and MKR have been advertised for “Monday. After the tennis” while other their shows are just “After the tennis” implying they are starting later.

    I think Seven would like H&A with its bomb cliff-hanger resolution up against ACA, The Project and ABC news (they have 72 news to compete directly).

    A head-to-head battle between MKR, BL and The Block is unlikely to frighten Seven either and they want the staggered lead in to their 8:43pm dramas. (Though if they have 90+ minute MKRs to start then skipping H&A for a week would make more sense).

    The Block built its audience by people watching the first 30 minutes before MKR started.

  6. The domination of focus on ‘the Ashlee and Sophie show’ over the actual cooking left me with a very sour taste towards MKR last year, so my choice is made – I’m going to stick with The Block.

  7. @ Pertinax,
    Agree with what you say but also agree with the other poster, in that aussie execs/programmers treat viewers with disdain a lot of the time and quite a lot of their decisions are absurd, as if you like MKR, The Block or a 3rd option, you are only going to watch one of them, have they not heard of PVR’S which these days can record 2 shows at the same time and I do not know of many people these days who watch any show at the time it is broadcast apart from news and sport, when you can record it and just fast forward through all the ads.

  8. @ Pertinax- if your product is strong enough, you shouldn’t have to worry about the competition. It demonstrates a complete lack of confidence in their own brands. They should be focused on their customers, not their competition. Ultimately, it just adds to the lack of trust that Australians already have with FTA. They should be doing everything they can to gain this trust, what with pay TV, streaming, downloading and such, people aren’t going to stick around for the FTA networks to keep playing games with them.

  9. To be 100% honest, this year i don’t like any of the couples. Last year i had 3 or 4 i liked and tuned in, the same the year before but this year i am not as excited for MKR as i have been. I have a feeling this won’t do as well this year as it did last. As for the 7pm idea it might happen but i don’t know. Why change something that worked in the past?

  10. Watching the tennis today and have seen multiple ads for home and away to start Monday after the tennis. Start time not mentioned. Hopefully there will be less Braxton this year.

  11. The FTA market is one where only one of MKR, The Block or Sochi can be a hit, the runner up will do OK but the other one will be fighting 17 other channels for the scraps. It is a winner takes all battle and any small edge is vital.

    US network programming is between 8pm and 11pm so everybody knows what everyone else is going to do. And with so many channels and no EPG it was crucial to get your shows listed in the TV Guide over a month in advance.

    The UK is based around the BBC setting the agenda as the dominant broadcaster with taxpayer funding.

    Australia is different. There is a lot to gained from programming games and disinformation so unless the government regulates the industry it will continue.

  12. @Qubec
    What does it matter if the audience knows when a show is going to be on in advance?
    All you need to do is promote your show before hand so that viewers know it exists and are interested in it. They don’t decide their viewing habits months in advance.

    If you show a show in the slot you intended then it changes nothing. But if you have to change your schedule to cater for what the opposition is doing then you confuse the audience, piss them off and demonstrate a lack of faith in your show.

    Meanwhile you allow your opposition to counter-programme and advertise to convince people to not to watch your show which could cost you millions. If the opposition has to guess what your are doing they may make mistakes.

  13. No. They should not do that. Do not start at 7pm. Do not make me wait another week for H&A to start. It is already taking long enough as it is. Just go head to head with The Block…. there are fans of both shows, people with IQ etc that can record and watch the other (like I’ll be doing). People will watch both shows regardless so just leave be.

  14. In previous years, Nine had Excess Baggage and The Block: All Stars with the half hour head start at 7pm, and MKR smashed them both. I don’t think the half hour lead in makes a huge difference.

  15. Childish antics yet again from an Australian network. Anywhere else in the world dates and times for a show’s premier is locked in months in advance and given plenty of promotion. In Australia, it seems that the audience have to wait until the last minute to find out. What purpose does this serve? And doesn’t it show a complete lack of faith in their shows and network? They should be promoting the time and date as a a matter of pride. “here’s our show, we’re airing at this time because we know you’ll watch us and not the competition.” All these secret tactics do is show how scared the networks are of one another and how unconfident they are in their own shows.
    Yawn! I’m so over this pathetic games they play.

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