Pete Evans sidelined in My Kitchen Rules revamp

Pete Evans has been left in his My Kitchen Rules co-stars’ wake as both Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge have been announced as ‘team mentors’ in a revamped version of the cooking program set to air in 2020.

Instead of joining the pair in the newly-created roles, Pete has been relegated to hosting duties for next year’s season which will see past contestants return and face off once again, under the guidance of either Manu or Colin.

My Kitchen Rules: The Rivals, is set to see five former favourite teams go head-to-head with five pairs of newcomers while they live together in either House Manu or House Colin.

Pete’s new role

And while the extent of Pete’s role is not yet known, he is set to act as as the impartial judge and will largely remain on the sidelines as both mentors’ teams progress throughout the competition.

However, despite taking a step back from the contestants, the famously-Paleo chef took to Instagram on Wednesday night to express his excitement about the project.

“Coming next year to @channel7. Manu vs Colin on MKR and I enjoy judging both of them and their teams,” he wrote above a photo of the trio.

Manu and Pete have shared the role of joint series judges since the cooking show’s inception in 2010, with Colin making his first appearance as a guest judge in season 4.

Not the only shock

And while Channel 7’s decision to revamp their longtime cooking show staple was a surprising one, MKR’s makeover wasn’t the only twist announced at the network’s Upfronts on Wednesday night.

Ex-Masterchef stars Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan have now jumped ship to Channel 7 and are teaming up with Manu for another reimagined cooking show.

The new trio will join forces for Plate of Origin, which will see different cuisines face off—but longtime collaborator George Calombaris is notably absent from the fresh format.

However, the move is not a surprising one, after the restaurateur was fined $200,000 earlier this year for underpaying staff across his food empire more than $7.8 million in wages.

Also holding back the celebrity chef’s potential move is a “hold back” clause of George’s Network 10 contract, which is longer than his co-stars in terms of when he can sign onto new contracts, according to The Herald Sun.

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