My Kitchen Rules 2026 has kicked off Round Two with even more drama than before. With Gatecrashers now introduced to the mix, rivalries and alliances have already begun, tipping both contestants and fans over the edge.
In the first Instant Restaurant of Round Two, Gatecrashers Tom and Sheridan welcomed the original contestants (or “OGs”, as they have referred to themselves) and new intruders into their home in Western Australia. The mother-and-son duo served up Chicken Liver Parfait for entrée, Beef Cheeks for main and Black Sesame Mochi for dessert.
While there were some seasoning issues that resulted in some pretty low scores, the main drama of the night was centred on Gatecrasher Zoe and her pescatarian diet (meaning she eats fish and seafood but no other meat).
Zoe isn’t the first My Kitchen Rules contestant not to eat meat, the most recent contestant being vegetarian Jacinta from the 2025 season.
However, like Jacinta, Zoe’s dietary requirements have caused quite the stir both on set and for audiences watching at home.
Speaking to WHO, Alisha and Deanne unpacked their honest reactions to Zoe’s pescatarian announcement, and why it was such a big deal at this stage in the competition.
Alisha and Deanne unpack why it was such a shock: ‘What are you doing here?’
After Zoe revealed that she was a pescatarian and wouldn’t be eating any meat (or food that touches meat) on Tuesday night, the original contestants were left speechless.
After dealing with Jane’s ‘tasting, not eating’ antics all season, to be met with a contestant who wouldn’t even touch the food took things to the next level.
“I was taken aback a little bit more than Dee,” Alisha told WHO. “I’ve obviously watched MKR for years and years and years. I think it was just wondering how she was going to be able to be in a competition like this when she can’t even taste a lot of the food.
“And there are literally two parts to the competition. It’s cooking food and tasting food. And if you can’t do one whole part of it, what are you doing here? That was kind of my thought.”
Deanne added that it was a shock after just getting used to Jane’s tasting style.
“I do think Jane missed that memo too, by tasting,” Deanne said, adding that it was a surprise to see another contestant “judging by the look”.
“The show’s just getting to the point now that we’re still just viewing the food and don’t even have to taste it at all,” Alisha joked.
“I think they need to bring a blindfold in!” Deanne added, laughing about the whole situation.
Fans divided over producers’ decision to cast Zoe on My Kitchen Rules
While Alisha and Deanne were able to have a laugh about the situation, fans are not taking Zoe’s casting on My Kitchen Rules lightly.
“Why do the producers allow a pescatarian on the show and not inform the other teams so they can accommodate their needs???” one fan questioned online.
“Those with special dietary needs should NEVER be allowed to be part of the group,” another agreed. “It’s unfair to expect the cooks to cater for everyone’s needs. If they’re not prepared to eat the food, they can’t judge fairly.”
“Yep. Not watching anymore. Put a contestant on that eats nothing on the plate,” a third chimed in. “She can’t vote if she doesn’t taste. Show is ridiculous now. Won’t be watching from tonight.”
However, while there has been quite a bit of uproar online over Zoe’s pescatarian diet, many fans have pointed out that people are “responding exactly as the producers hoped”.
“Producers clearly have done this for the BS drama,” one user commented.
“Getting weirder every year like every reality show, trying to make it more controversial instead of keeping to the original format that people started watching it for in the first place,” another pointed out.
“I know that it’s just for the ratings but it’s just so very unfair to the people cooking,” a third voiced online. “The producers would have known about this before they were accepted for the show and thought, ‘This will p*ss everyone off!'”
Despite viewers pointing out that there have been previous seasons with vegan or vegetarian contestants, and that teams have worked around diets before, fans are not happy about this new “manufactured drama” on the show.
At least most of the blame is being shifted away from the contestant, Zoe, and instead onto the producers who cast her in the first place.
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