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My Kitchen Rules 2026 has delivered one of Kitchen HQ’s most unexpected results so far. The first elimination round saw two of the strongest teams battling it out, leaving the contestants and judges lost for words at how quickly the competition can change.
Mother-daughter duo Krysten and Lucy and best friends Harrison and Oliver competed in a two-course banquet challenge for their elimination round.
This result caused quite a stir among fans, with viewers pointing out that these competitors are most people’s “favourite teams” and that they “can think of one or two other teams that should go before these two”.
“Absolutely rigged,” one fan commented online. “This was done for ratings and ratings only.”
The competition was so tight that, in the end, their average team scores ended up the same. However, after Manu and Colin gave their critiques, Krysten and Lucy just fell short, sending the beloved pair home.
Speaking to WHO after their elimination, the mother-daughter duo admitted that they agreed with the fan sentiment, revealing a behind-the-scenes secret that explains why they were eliminated so soon.
Krysten and Lucy reveal secret strategy: ‘It just didn’t make sense’
When Lucy and Krysten were initially selected to compete in the elimination round, they were lost for words (as were many fans).
“That was such a shock,” they told WHO. “Because we’re the sort of people who, if we stuff it up, we will own that 100%. But we honestly didn’t feel like we stuffed anything up.”
During the elimination round, they had a similar reaction as they received mostly positive feedback and only a couple of negative critiques that they didn’t think were enough to tip them over the edge.
“Okay, the cardamom buns could have had a bit more cream in them,” Lucy told WHO. “But it’s like, that’s it? Everything else kind of works.”
While the pair were told that their “pistachio stuffed dates [were] so delicious”, they were also told that this element and the biscuits “shouldn’t have been there”.
“But it’s like, ‘Okay, but they were done really well.’ So maybe they should have been there?” Krysten added. “I don’t know. It just didn’t make sense.”
The only explanation they could think of was that they were seen as a threat that needed to be eliminated.
“I don’t know if there was any strategy involved,” Krysten said. “But if you were using strategy, it would be a good idea to get rid of a strong team.”
Lucy and Krysten were brought to tears after their elimination. Credit: Channel Seven.
Lucy and Krysten were held at a ‘higher standard’
Lucy also joked to WHO about how often she was asked by production to talk about the fact that she was a “self-taught baker”, and how this meant she and her mum were held to a higher standard.
“I felt like as well, because they make me say every two seconds that I was a self-taught baker, they held us to a bit of a higher standard, especially with the dessert,” Lucy said. “For example, love Angus and Simon, but if Angus and Simon had made that dessert, everyone would have been like, ‘Oh, my God, these guys can cook!’
“Like, ‘We’re going to keep them in the competition!’”
Lucy and Krysten revealed that they were held to a higher standard than the other contestants. Credit: Channel Seven.
The BTS reason why Krysten and Lucy were ‘booted’ from MKR
However, on top of this double standard and secret scoring strategy, Krysten and Lucy confessed that there was most likely another factor working behind the scenes that led to their “downfall”: their lack of drama.
“I think in some ways that might have been a bit of a downfall for us because we’re not very dramatic in the kitchen,” Krysten confessed. “Like, we don’t have disasters. We don’t yell at each other, or if there is a disaster, we’re like, ‘Okay, so this has happened, let’s try and fix it.’ We’re not crying on the floor.
“And I feel like because that’s not great TV, I think it was just more incentive to potentially boot us out.”
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