A major change has sparked some rivalries.

My Kitchen Rules has become embroiled in a fix scandal over a “strategic scoring” argument.

The Channel Seven show has undergone some major judging changes this year, with the rival teams judging in Kitchen HQ for the first time.

And on Tuesday, after the Ultimate Instant Restaurants kicked off, it was revealed that the teams would have to give verbal feedback to their rivals’ faces for the first time. Danielle and Marko exclusively told New Idea how the bombshell change shook things up and revealed some unfortunate truths.

During the first round of Instant Restaurants, the teams privately made their evaluations, with only the overall group’s total score being revealed to the cooks.

And the major change has already shaken things up, as Maria and Bailey were accused of “strategically scoring” the other teams to ensure their own success.
My Kitchen Rules stars Maria and Bailey have been accused of strategically scoring. (Credit: Channel Seven)
Not referencing any of the teams by name, Danielle and Marko told New Idea how they had noticed some teams had been “low-balling” in their scoring.

“We hadn’t seen a lot of strategic scoring, and at the Instant Restaurants, we didn’t know what people were scoring, because that’s all done separately, and then we only find out the team scores,” Danielle dished.

“But I guess maybe there were some people low-balling because when we would average out the scores, we would always be above the average scores. So, maybe not strategic, but just consistent low-balling from some teams, we are assuming.”

When asked how the face-to-face feedback changed things, Marko admitted it stirred up some tension because they began to notice that teams that weren’t scoring highly themselves often ranked their rivals lower.

“Everyone has an idea, based on comments made at the table and that sort of stuff, who tends to be a higher and lower scorer,” he explained.

“It seems to be the people who were sort of frontrunners from the start or got high scores at the start are more willing to give high scores because they can trust that their own cook is going to get them over the line.

“Whereas the people who are constantly just scraping through or near the bottom, they tend to be the ones who score a bit lower.”

But Danielle insisted they always scored their rivals fairly, adding, “We weren’t stressed at all about giving feedback. Everything we said, it’s never malicious, we were always honest, but we’re also very fair critics.
Justin and Will were left baffled by their feedback and scoring. (Credit: Channel Seven)
“We probably gave the nicest critiques out of everyone there, but I do definitely think there are some people that are a lot harsher, and sometimes that can be a bit confronting to hear.”

The drama kicked off at Justin and Will’s restaurant on Tuesday. The teams were left baffled when Manu Feildel’s feedback was strikingly different to Maria and Bailey’s, leading to speculation that they were purposefully ranking the teams lower.

With two dishes on offer during each course, not everyone ate the same dishes, but Maria and Bailey ate the same three dishes as Manu, who was much more favourable in his scoring.

“I think Maria and Bailey have been strategically scoring this whole competition, and this is my moment to find out if I’m correct,” Mark fumed.

Giving their feedback face-to-face for the first time, Maria first congratulated Justin and Will for doing “such a good job” before revealing her verdict.

She first evaluated their starter, a kingfish crudo, telling the group: “To be honest, we didn’t love it, we felt like it was lacking a bit of flavour.”
Judge Manu Feildel was much more generous when scoring the same dishes, which raised eyebrows. (Credit: Channel Seven)
After coughing through the main course, a seafood hotspot, Bailey then revealed that they found it too spicy, and appeared less than impressed.

“There were a lot of interesting flavours in there, some that we weren’t expecting. It was very spicy for our liking, so it wasn’t something huge on our list. We probably picked the wrong things for us,” he admitted.

However, Manu had some very different words for the main dish, scoring it a whopping 10 overall and arguing it was so good that it should be featured in a recipe book.

“I just thought it was an amazing recipe that just doesn’t exist in any books, just should be in some books, because it was just delicious,” he gushed.

Maria did give the dessert, a pistachio doughnut, some kind words, but Marko pointed out that they had been less favourable in Justin and Will’s absence.

“That was a little bit different to what they said before, they definitely sugarcoated that one,” Marko quipped.

While Maria and Bailey scored Justin and Will a six overall, Manu was much more generous in his three scores, a six and two 10s.
Danielle and Marko addressed the “low-ball” scoring during an exclusive interview. (Credit: Channel Seven)
Justin appeared baffled by their feedback, saying to camera: “The math ain’t mathing with Maria and Bailey, so I’m just writing that down.”

While Will added, “We’re keeping receipts.”

Around the table, Mark simply said, “Low scoring, huh!”

But he further accused them of under-scoring to camera, adding, “That’s a big difference in what Maria and Bailey VS Manu said, so I think we know who’s not being honest.”