“Those two teams shouldn’t be allowed to compete.”

My Kitchen Rules MKR 2025 Michael Rielli Amy Lara Mark Tan

Two My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 teams have been at the centre of debate recently, with both Amy and Tan’s professional cooking experience coming under fire. Amy works as a private cook, while Tan manages multiple restaurants, but claims he doesn’t work in the kitchen.

Judge Manu Feildel confirmed that as long as nobody is a qualified chef, they’re allowed to compete on MKR. However, Michael and Rielli are convinced it’s “cheating” and want to see both Mark and Tan and Amy and Lara eliminated.

“I don’t think either of them deserve[s] to be in the competition. I think it’s cheating. I think both of them, both teams, have got professional cooking experience, which is not supposed to be allowed in the competition,” Michael tells Chattr. “Those two teams shouldn’t be allowed to compete.”

Rielli echoes Michael’s opinion, saying it’s “unfair” that these two teams are currently in the running for the $100,000 prize. “If you’re being paid to cook, that’s your job, that you work in a profession… regardless if you have a piece of paper or not,” she exclaims. “People say we are threatened. Of course I’m threatened! I haven’t cooked for, you know, famous people, I haven’t cooked for a restaurant of 80 people.

“I’m coming into a competition expecting even playing fields, and that’s just not what we got.”

Michael also claims that somebody in Adelaide visited a restaurant that Tan manages. “They had an amazing meal, and they asked to speak with the chef, and Tan came out. Big surprise, big surprise,” he alleges.

There’s no proof the source is telling the truth, and there’s also the possibility that Tan started cooking after competing on MKR, but Michael believes that’s “highly unlikely”.

Rielli also tells us that she doesn’t think Mark and Tan and Amy and Lara add anything to the competition. “In general, they don’t really give anything to the table. They’re just annoying and boring,” she fires out.
Amy, Lara, Mark and Tan on My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025Amy, Lara, Mark and Tan on MKR. Image: Seven

Amy and Tan respond to ‘professional chef’ allegations

Tan previously told Chattr he has no time to cook in his restaurants as he’s too busy working as the manager.

“I am not a professional chef,” he said. “I have helped my parents in the kitchen, but [that wasn’t a] commercial setting, and that was a very long time ago when I was younger.

“I’ve got five businesses to manage, so I don’t have time [to go] in the kitchen.”

Amy also confirmed that she’s never had any formal training, so she deserves to be competing on MKR, a competition for home cooks.

“I am not a chef. Never have been, never been trained, nothing. We wouldn’t be here in the competition if we were; everyone sitting at the table is a home cook, everyone.

“Michael just doesn’t know when to stop. And I think that’s where he goes wrong.”

Amy and Lara are up next to cook in the Instant Round, and it will be either them or Maria and Bailey who will go home. Will Amy’s private cook experience pay off?