Who made it to the My Kitchen Rules 2025 grand finale?

In an outcome that surprised many, Maria and Bailey won the second round og semi-finals, leading them straight into the grand finale of MKR 2025.

For main, they served up truffle and porcini tagliatelle with wild mushroom sauce. It was simple, yet looked beautiful on the plate. The teams felt the pasta was grainy and overcooked, yet the flavours were well-balanced, with the truffle not overpowering the dish. “We did ask for simple, but it’s also shown amazing technique. The addition of the truffle in the pasta was great, and the sauce was brilliant,” Manu said. Colin added, “It was executed very well, they showcased truffle, and the pasta is full of flavour.”

For dessert, they created a duck egg crème caramel with vanilla tuile. It was something the teams had never seen before, and according to Justin and Will, they pulled it off, and it was a dish that made them nervous. However, Lol and Lil felt it tasted too eggy, and they didn’t enjoy it. Creme caramel was a childhood memory for Manu, and he said: “The flavour was delicious!” Colin added, “That duck egg really shone for me, the tuile added that little bit of texture, and every element was on that plate for a reason. The technique and the flavour were there, it was simple and it was elegant.”

After an intense cook, Lol and Lil were eliminated from the competition, but it wasn’t without some great successes.

They cooked up a sous vide lobster with lobster hollandaise and pickled fennel salad. The teams critiqued the flavours, saying they weren’t bold enough, and the lobster was undercooked. The judges agreed the cook of the lobster was inconsistent. “It doesn’t look great, but I think there’s a lot of flavour there, yes, the lobster stain is a little inconsistent, but with the hollandaise, it goes well together,” Manu said. Colin added it was a “very tasty plate of food.”

For dessert, they cooked a berry panna cotta and vanilla crème tart. The teams felt it was delicious and looked beautiful, something which was very unexpected and named an “absolute banger” by Justin and Will. Manu said, “I’ve never seen it and I will probably never see it again, but it kind of worked. The pastry was a 10/10 alone.” Colin added, “We all sat at the table, and all I could hear was crack crack crack of the pastry.” The panna cotta had a perfect jiggle and was sweet enough with the berry. Overall, the judges felt it was a great dessert.

For the main, Justin and Will served a Sri Lankan tripe curry with carrot sambol and paratha. They’re known for their great curries, so this one had to have the perfect balance of flavours to set them up for success. The teams enjoyed the dish, but it wasn’t something they would order again. They wanted something different, perhaps not a curry, but the boys remained confident in their dish. The teams were divided on the winning dish. So it came down to the judges.

“A very ballsy dish,” Manu said. “The tripe, which is just cooked – there’s still a little bit of bounce, but delicious. The only thing I would have added more of to this dish is a little bit more sourness – tamarind and lime juice.”

“At this stage of the competition, I love that they’ve taken a risk on tripe,” Colin said. “It’s got a lot of work in that sauce, it’s very moreish.”

While it was good, tnfortuntely the judges said it wasn’t the best curry they’ve tried from them during the competition.

For dessert, they presented a chocolate soufflé with chocolate ice cream and caramel whiskey sauce. The teams enjoyed the dessert, but felt the whiskey was too strong and overpowered the flavours.

“The soufflé itself was light, rich, slightly gooey in the middle,” Manu said. Colin added, “The whiskey sauce was a little bit strong, but when added with the bitterness of chocolate and ice cream, it was perfect.”

After receiving a balanced score, they were announced as the first team through to the MKR grand finale.

Danielle and Marko’s main dish was miso-glazed salmon with soba noodles and smashed cucumber salad. They knew the most important thing was flavour, and this dish needed to be perfect to set them up for a win. The teams absolutely loved the flavour and textures; the only suggestion being to add a little more spice.

“My salmon was cooked perfectly,” Colin said. Manu added, “Me too, but I don’t know why they worried about crispy skin because that’s not what you do when you do a miso-glazed fish. What you want is the flesh side to be caramelised by the miso. It is a good dish, but it could have technically done things better.”

For dessert, they cooked a pandan meringue with lemon curd and raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was a little icy, but the flavour was delicious and the meringue had the perfect texture.

“Good flavours but a few errors along the way,” Colin said. The meringue was really sweet and the sorbet really sour, but when put together, it was the perfect combination. However, the sorbet crystallised slightly, which was a bit of a downfall.

Danielle and Marko were sadly eliminated from the competition.

Mark and Tan were aiming for a score in the 90s, but ended up receiving much, much lower. The pressure of the kitchen got to them, and while some elements were cooked well, much of their flavours just didn’t make sense. They ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard and were the 5th team to be eliminated from My Kitchen Rules 2025.

Get a breakdown of their scores here.

Michael and Rielli gave it everything in the kitchen. They went into judging believing they had knocked it out of the park – which they did. They came heartbreakingly close, missing out on the win by just one point.

For their main, they served a full-blown pork feast: pulled pork, baby back ribs, apple slaw and soft rolls. Colin called the dish “a little bit like Rielli, sweet.” He liked the ribs but wanted a bit more salt to cut through the sweetness. Manu agreed the ribs were beautifully tender and falling off the bone, though the pulled pork needed more seasoning.

Dessert was crème brûlée donuts. Manu said, “I think I’m going to steal that recipe.” MAJOR compliment. Then he joked, “and I’ll make it slightly better.” He would have taken the caramel darker to stop the chewiness of the caramel. The donut was light and fluffy, filled with a rich, silky cream – the highlight of the dish. “When you open your patisserie shop, I will be buying those donuts… when you’ve perfected the recipe,” Colin said.

Team score: 7/10

Colin’s score: 7/10

Manu’s score: 7/10

Total: 21/30

Anne and Maree poured their hearts into the first elimination challenge of the Kitchen HQ round, serving food that truly came from the heart. Their main course was a generous Greek feast of lamb shoulder, lemon potatoes, dolmades, Greek salad, and tzatziki. It was impressive with authentic flavour and heartwarming homestyle charm. But one small misstep proved to be costly. The lamb was cut unevenly which resulted in an inconsistent cook, leaving some pieces tender and others a little tough. It was the slip-up that pulled their score down. Still, the duo ended on a high note with a classic Greek dessert, Ekmek kataifi. The flavours were spot-on, though the base was a touch too firm, leaving their final score neck and neck with the girls.

Team score: 7/10

Colin’s score: 6/10

Manu’s score: 6/10

Total: 19/30

Amy and Lara set their sights high, hoping for a perfect 110/110. But under the heat of the kitchen, things didn’t go to plan, landing them at the bottom of the leaderboard and sending them home after their very first cook. They were the second team to be eliminated from My Kitchen Rules 2025.

Get a breakdown of their scores here.

Mel and Jacinta were the first team to hang up their aprons on My Kitchen Rules 2025. After talking a big game at the dinner table, the pair were served a slice of humble pie when it came time to deliver their three-course feast for the teams and judges. Their instant restaurant, Beverly Social, promised to bring a taste of LA glam with “delicious and nutritious” dishes, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the competition.

Get a breakdown of their scores here.