Accused of playing dirty, the ‘boss besties’ dish it up to their critics

Adelaide cooks Maria Zisi and Bailey Edmondson Williams have been at the centre of a strategic-scoring storm on MKR Australia. Now, as they battle it out to make it to the grand final, Bailey insists that other teams have also been quite cunning.

The business owner, 28, says Brisbane contestants Lauren “Lol” Argyle, 26, and Lilly “Lil” McKay, 25, have been “absolutely strategic” in their food critiques.

“Especially Lol – it’s very evident so far that she will say whatever she wants to try to influence the outcome of anything,” he explains.

“You just take it on the chin when those girls are trying to give any sort of criticism because they’re just trying to influence the best way they can – and as they should. “Everyone in the competition is strategic in their own way, whether they want to admit it or not.”
Bailey and Maria have come under some heat but have came out of MKR “really, really strong”.

Weathering the storm

Bailey met his teammate Maria, 30, through his mum, who’s been best friends with the baker’s partner “for a really long time”. He says accusations of playing dirty have been “testing” for their friendship, but they’ve ultimately come out of it “really, really strong”.

A former ballet dancer, Bailey works with disadvantaged youth and says he entered MKR with the hope of using the $100,000 prize money to help them out.

He shares, “I really want to create an app that’s a free service for disadvantaged kids, where it teaches them how to cook. I want to make it really easy and fun.”

With filming having finished months ago, the contestants have returned to their normal lives, although Bailey says he’s had “so many people” come up to ask him for photos.

“I’ve had to put on a couple of disguises when I go to the supermarket,” he laughs.

Friendships beyond the show

Maria and Bailey have stayed in touch with many of their former rivals from the show, with Sydney mates Justin Rolleston, 30, and Will Mataka, 37, recently working a shift at Maria’s pop-up biscuit store, Blondies Bakehouse, in Adelaide.

“We’re really close with them,” says Bailey, adding that Gold Coast couple Michael Edelberg and Reilli Portegys have also “pre-invited” them to their wedding.

Bailey and Maria even went for a meal at their arch-nemesis Tan’s new Adelaide restaurant Rue de Siam, where the food was “absolutely phenomenal”.

He laughs, “And we can confirm that Tan was not in the kitchen, but his father was!”