Manu puts Michael in his place as tensions boil over at Mark and Tan’s Charmed Instant Restaurant, where Thai flavours shine and a leaderboard shake-up follows

My Kitchen Rules served up more than Thai flavours on Wednesday night, with Gatecrashers Mark and Tan staging their Instant Restaurant, Charmed, and drawing one of Manu Feildel’s firmest interventions of the season.

The spotlight swung from Thai-inspired plates to fiery table drama when Michael accused rivals of breaking the rules, prompting Manu to draw a hard line. (image – Channel 7)

Tan, who manages two restaurants but is not a chef, led the entrée and main with Grilled Octopus with Thai-style Chimichurri and Chicken Khao Soi, while Mark closed with Passionfruit Crème Brûlée. The pair aimed to chase down the highest score in series history. They didn’t topple the record, but they still banked 80 out of 110 to sit second on the leaderboard.

The food landed, but the friction at the table stole oxygen. Michael accused rivals Amy and Lara of misrepresenting their background, wielding printed research and referencing Amy’s social media as he tried to paint her as a professional chef. Amy held the line — “a cook, not a chef” — calling the attack a “cheap shot.” That’s when Manu stepped in to clarify the rules.

“You all have skills from different places at different times.

The rule is you shouldn’t have any professional qualifications.”

My Kitchen Rules turned into a clash of flavours and egos as Manu Feildel stepped in to silence Michael during Mark and Tan’s Charmed Instant Restaurant. (image – Channel 7)

Tensions flared again when Michael interrupted Manu’s critique of Tan’s main, pressing whether the dish appeared at Tan’s family restaurant and implying hidden professional experience. Manu cut through the noise.

“Listen, you either accept the rules and you play with everyone, or you don’t accept the rules and goodbye.

I’m not going back to this again.

You are either a professional and you don’t belong here, or you are an amateur and you belong here.

That’s it. Done. Move on.”

Tan responded by stressing the dish’s family roots, explaining it was made with love and tradition, drawing applause around the table.

On the plates, the Grilled Octopus entrée impressed both judges, scoring 9s across the board. Manu said the sauce was “absolutely delicious” and worthy of bottling, while Colin Fassnidge praised the char and balance, saying he’d order it again. The Chicken Khao Soi was the night’s highlight — a perfect 10 from both judges, with Colin noting it “put a smile on my face,” and Manu calling it “just perfect. Warm, comforting, and packed with flavour.” Dessert was the stumble: Colin gave 6, Manu 5, and Mark admitted he’d let the team down, vowing to lift next time.

From the judges, Mark and Tan collected 49/60; from fellow teams, they earned 31/50 via Danielle and Marko (8/10), Michael and Rielli (6/10), Maria and Bailey (5/10), Amy and Lara (6/10), and Lol and Lil (6/10). The leaderboard now shows Danielle and Marko on 84, Mark and Tan on 80, and Maria and Bailey on 62.

Looking ahead, the competition returns to Logan on Monday, where Lol and Lil aim to sharpen technique and flavour, and Mark and Tan look set to settle the score with Meat-master Michael.

Audience reaction: six talking points from viewers

Viewers were locked on the dinner-table flashpoint — especially Manu reaching across and cutting the octopus — with multiple fans calling it the standout moment of the night and reading the move as a sign the judge was over the table drama. Several comments framed the intervention as overdue, suggesting Manu was simply enforcing the rulebook and restoring order to the critique.

Strategic scoring copped heat. Fans labelled Maria and Bailey’s 5 as “wild” given the judges’ 9s and 10s, arguing that guest teams consistently land below the official scores and that it rarely pays to go tactical because the numbers eventually wash out on the leaderboard. Some pushed for blind scoring revealed at round’s end to curb gamesmanship.

The “professional vs amateur” debate split the room. A camp argued Michael had a point about fairness if contestants have professional kitchen experience or use dishes connected to their restaurants, while others pointed out Manu’s clarification — that the line is professional qualifications — and said the show has always allowed capable home cooks to use any recipe they can execute. Several noted there’s a difference between commercial-kitchen time pressure and cooking at home, which can confer an advantage, but delivery matters — and Michael’s approach drew criticism.

Production choices were also under the microscope. Fans said they missed seeing more prep and ingredient explanation, wanting inspiration to try new techniques (octopus prep was a popular request). There was also chatter about practice — some viewers expected teams to rehearse cooking at scale, while others noted contestants submit multiple menus and only learn which one they’ll cook on the day.

The episode’s edit drew soap-opera comparisons, with some calling the drama script-worthy and likening certain dinner-party antics — including printed social posts — to other reality formats. Meanwhile, Dannielle’s outfit won quiet praise, proving wardrobe doesn’t go unnoticed even on a food-first franchise.

Finally, Michael himself remained divisive. Many condemned the interruption of a judge mid-critique and the confrontational tone, suggesting it overshadowed his cooking and played into producer-friendly content. Others, while critical of his delivery, maintained the underlying fairness question deserves a cleaner airing — just not at the judges’ table.

Judges’ Scores

Entrée
Manu Feildel: 9/10 — “absolutely delicious”
Colin Fassnidge: 9/10

Main
Manu Feildel: 10/10
Colin Fassnidge: 10/10 — “put a smile on my face”

Dessert
Manu Feildel: 5/10
Colin Fassnidge: 6/10

Total Score: 49/60

MKR Team Scores

Danielle and Marko: 8/10
Michael and Rielli: 6/10
Maria and Bailey: 5/10
Amy and Lara: 6/10
Lol and Lil: 6/10

Total Score: 31/50

Leaderboard

Danielle and Marko: 84
Mark and Tan: 80
Maria and Bailey: 62

What’s next

MKR returns to Logan on Monday, where Lol and Lil look to elevate their menu with technique and flavour, and Mark and Tan aim to settle the score with Meat-master Michael.