Channel 7
Think you know Manu Feildel? Think again! There’s a whole lot more to the sauce-loving Frenchman than meets the eye. Read on to find out more:
He was almost a judge on Masterchef!
Manu was first considered as a judge on MKR’s rival cooking series, but reportedly lost out on the gig because of his thick, French accent. The same almost happened with MRK. “I did the (MKR) pilot and everything went well and then my agent called and said, ‘You’re off the list … one of the executives had a problem with your accent,’” he recently told The Adelaide Advertiser. The stars eventually aligned…and the rest is history!
He’s a dynamo on the dancefloor!
Manu, 45, knows more than most what it’s like to compete on a reality TV series – he starring in, and won, Dancing With The Stars way back in 2011. I know – we’d forgotten too! Turns out he’s a dab hand at shimmying as well as sauteeing!
He ran off and joined the circus
Yep – really! Before Manu discovered his love for cooking, he was actually a circus performer! He enrolled in circus school at age 13 and learnt juggling, unicycling, clowning and acrobatics. He did this for three years before leaving his native France for London, where he worked his apprenticeship at Cafe Royal restaurant, before going on to cook at acclaimed restaurants, Les Associates and the Cafe des Amis du Vin.
MKR is the THIRD cooking show he’s starred on
Before finding fame as a judge on My Kitchen Rules, Manu appeared on the Network Ten series Ready Steady Cook and popped up on episodes of Masterchef.
He used to be in business with George Calombaris
The two acclaimed chefs opened a joint venture, Le Grand Cirque, a high-end French restaurant, in Melbourne in 2014. It closed after just four months.
Manu is a fourth generation chef
His great grandfather was a pastry chef, and both his dad and granddad were chefs. Oh, and his Mum can cook too, apparently – so you could say it runs in the family.
He’s a best-selling cookbook writer
Pete and Manu were friends before the show
Pete and Manu go way back, through their links to the Sydney culinary scene. Pete was initially paired with a female judge on MKR, but requested producers take a look at his mate Manu after admitting there wasn’t enough spark between him and his previous co-host. They’d already screen-tested Man, and agreed to take another look..and TV’s most enduring Bromance was born!
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