The eleventh season of the Australian competitive cooking competition show My Kitchen Rules, titled The Rivals, premiered on the Seven Network on 2 February 2020.

Applications for contestants opened during the airing of the tenth season. Pete Evans returned as series judge, with Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel acting as a judge/mentor in the challenge/elimination rounds.

The start date for the season was confirmed as 2 February 2020.

This was Evans' final season as he quit in May 2020.

Format changes

Contestants - This season was "Fans vs Favourites" - with 5 pairs of Fans competing against 5 pairs of Favourites - 4 pairs from past-seasons and a 5th Hybrid team, consisting of two former-pairs forming a new pair. Teams - The contestants were split into two teams, the Fans represented the House of Colin (Harbourside Mansion) and the Faves represented the House of Manu (Inner City Warehouse). Judges - Pete Evans quit judging this season. For every round as Manu Feildel will be a mentor along with Colin Fassnidge who will only judge their opposing teams. Prize Money - This prize money has been reduced from $250,000 to $100,000. Instant Restaurant Rules - Each team was mentored by Manu or Colin during their cooks. This year, the teams did not score individually and they scored in their house instead. After the round, the lowest scoring team from each house went head to head into an Elimination Cook-off where one was eliminated. The team cooking sets out instructions for the teammates to set up the instant restaurants during the cooking team's shopping period. Restaurant Takeover - Each house had to choose representations to cook two courses in restaurants in Australia. The judges, public and the other house scored each team's two-course meal and after the round, the house with the lower point (the total point of the representations) chose one team in the house while the other house chose one team to cook in the Elimination Cook-off. Semi-Final - Ultimate Instant Restaurant - Instead of the format of the previous seasons that two teams cooked-off every night, the Top 4 cooked in the UIR Round to have a slot in the Grand Final. However, everyone including teams which are eliminated came back to judge the food as jury. Moreover, teams only had to cook 1 dish per course instead of 2. After this round, the two highest scoring teams went into the Grand Final. Grand Final - This year, teams cooked in a restaurant in Sydney instead of the MKR Headquarters. Each grand-finalist had to cook a four-course meal including Canape, Entrée, Main and Dessert. Judges Pete, Manu and Colin voted, making the total possible score 30 instead of 60.

Teams State Group Members Relationship Status colspan="2" 4 2nd Jake & Elle Harrison Brother & Sister Winners 24 March (Grand Finale) colspan="2" 4 1stFaves Dan & Steph Mulheron Married Runners-up 24 March (Grand Finale) colspan="2" colspan="2" FansMark & Lauren Matthews colspan="2" Fans Kerry Hall & Kaylene McNee Ex-Army Sisterscolspan=2 4/10 6th/2nd Faves Sophia Pou & Romel Kouyan Tough Critics colspan="2" 6 2nd Faves Jac Bakhash & Shaz Sellings colspan="2" colspan="2" Fans colspan="2" 9 13thFaves colspan="2" colspan="2" FansBenjamin Key & Vasil Bankov BartendersEliminated 24 February (Top 9) colspan="2" colspan="2" Fans Mummy Bloggers Note Jake and Elle were originally part of the House of Manu but in the Top 6 competed for the House of Colin due to the lack of teams in the challenge but then they chose to go back to House Manu.

Elimination history + Teams' Competition ProgressRound: Top 9 Top 8 Top 7 Top 6 Grand FinaleRTECRTECRTECRTEC UIR Teams Progress Jake & Elle 9th (4th) (47)→Safe (65)→ Lose (82)→Safe(72)→→→Safe (35)1st (98) Winners(29) Dan & Steph 2nd (1st) (65)→Safe (65)→ Lose (82)→Safe(72)→ Lose (59)→ Win 2nd(79) (27) Mark & Lauren7th (4th)(49)→ Lose (50) EC (73)Safe (83)→ Lose (62) EC (80)Safe(76)→ →Safe (24) 3rd(70) 1st (1st) (68)→ Lose (50)→Safe (83)→ Lose (62)→Safe(76)→→ Safe (25)4th(46) 3rd (2nd) (64)→Safe (65)→ Lose (82) EC (92)Safe(72)→ Lose (59) EC (94)→ Lose(23)colspan=4 Jac & Shaz4th (3rd) (59)→Safe (65)→ Lose (82)→Safe(72)→ Lose (59) EC(91)colspan=6 5th (2nd) (57)→ Lose (50)→Safe (83)→ Lose (62) EC(74)colspan=8 10th (5th) (32) EC (77)Safe (65)→ Lose (82) EC(70)colspan=10 Ben & Vasil6th (3rd)(53)→ Lose (50) EC(72) colspan="15" 8th (5th)(48) EC (72) colspan="17"

Cell Descriptions Faves Team competed in the house of Manu. Fans Team competed in the house of Colin.→ Team that is safe from elimination because they aren't chosen to cook in the Elimination Cook-off Team won a challenge, People's Choice, cooked the best dish or received the highest score for the round. Safe Team was safe from elimination after passing a challenge/round. → Team continued to next the challenge/round. EC Team competed in an Elimination Cook-Off and became safe from elimination. EC Team was eliminated after losing in an Elimination Cook-Off or round. Results do not apply as the team was not allocated to this challenge or round. Note The ranking on this list is from both houses as well as the individual houses. Individual house ranks are in brackets. Jake and Elle were originally part of the House of Manu but in the Top 6 competed for the House of Colin due to the lack of teams in the challenge but then they chose to go back to House Manu.

Competition Details

Instant Restaurants During the Instant Restaurant rounds, each team hosted a three-course dinner for judges and fellow teams in both house. They were scored and ranked among the guests, each house deciding the score together. After the round, the lowest scoring team from each house took part in an elimination cook-off. Episode 1 to 10 Airdate – 2 February to 17 February Description – All teams joined for the instant restaurants. The Fans cooked in the House of Colin (Harbourside Mansion) and the Faves cooked in the House of Manu (Inner City Warehouse), and each team was helped by Manu or Colin. After the round, the lowest scoring team from each house took part in an elimination cook-off. + Instant Restaurant Summary Team and Episode Details Guest Scores Pete's Scores Manu's Scores Colin's Scores Total Rank Result Main Dessert Main Dessert Main Dessert Fans Jenni & Louise 7 5 9 2 8 7 3 7 — — —48 8th (5th) Through to Elimination Cook-off Ep 1 2 February Vivacious Dishes Entrée King Prawns with Seafood Bisque Main Duck with Fennel, Figs and Date Jus Dessert Strawberry Mousse with Pistachio and Lime FavesDan & Steph 8 9 8 10 8 — — — 7 8 7 65 SafeEp 2 3 February Decadence Dishes Entrée Beetroot and Raspberry Main Chicken and Corn Dessert Poached Pear and Labneh Fans Ben & Vasil 65 6 8 8 5 6 9 — — —53 6th (3rd)SafeEp 3 4 February Disco Mexico Dishes Entrée Octopus Tostada Main Rye Lamb Shoulder with Sangrita Roja Dessert Margarita Tart Faves Jake & Elle 56 9 3 6 — — — 7 4 747 9th (4th)Safe Ep 4 5 February Costa Del Sol Dishes Entrée Fig Crudo with Gorgonzola Main Squid Ink Cannelloni Dessert Drunken PB & J Baba Fans 8 7 10 10 1 9 10 2 — — — 57 5th (2nd) Safe Ep 5 9 February Alor Star Dishes Entrée Pork & Chicken Satay Skewers Main Har Mee Dessert Coconut Cake with Strawberry Faves Jac & Shaz 8 6 7 8 7 — — — 8 7 8 59 4th (3rd) Safe Ep 6 10 February Stack Dishes Entrée Black Pudding Croquettes MainRib Eye with Smoked Butter and Confit Garlic Dessert Mandarin Tart with Yoghurt Sorbet Fans Kerry & Kaylene 89 10 8 98 7 9 — — — 68 1st (1st) Safe Ep 7 11 February Two Sisters Dishes EntréePea Crumbed Barramundi with Beetroot Salad Main Kangaroo with Sweet Potato Dessert Pavlova Faves Roula & Rachael 56 4 1 5 — — —51 5 32 Through to Elimination Cook-off Ep 8 12 February House of Flava Dishes Entrée Lebanese Stuffed Vine Leaves Main Middle Eastern Beef & Okra Stew DessertWalnut Katayef Fans Mark & Lauren 65 6 9 36 7 7 — — — 49 7th (4th) Safe Ep 9 13 February High Roller Dishes EntréePolenta Crushed Sardines with Chilli Mayo Main Crispy Skinned Snapper with Lemon Risotto Dessert Chévre Mousse with Honeycomb and Balsamic Grapes Faves 6 8 8 10 9 — — — 7 7 9 64 3rd (2nd) Safe Ep 10 17 February D-Luxe Dishes EntréePrawn Fritters with Savath's Sauce Main Beef & Eggplant Dessert Middle Eastern Cheesecake Notes During Jac & Shaz's Instant Restaurant, Sophia & Romel walked out, therefore the scores are from the other 3 Faves team The ranking on this list is from both houses as well as the individual houses. Individual house ranks are in brackets.

Elimination Cook-off Episode 11 Airdate – 18 February Description – Being the two bottom scoring teams from each house Roula & Rachael and Jenni & Louise faced off in an Elimination Cook-Off. The lower scoring team was eliminated. + Elimination Cook-Off Results Elimination Cook-Off 1 Team Guest Score Pete's Scores Manu's Scores Colin's Scores Total Result Main Dessert Main Dessert Main Dessert Faves Roula & Rachael 7910 8 3 10 7 4 9 7 3 77 Safe Dishes EntréeStuffed Mushroom MainGnocchi with Burnt Butter Sauce DessertWhipped Panna Cotta Fans Jenni & Louise 854 7 9 5 7 8 4 7 8 72 Eliminated Dishes EntréeMushroom Medley MainBeef Cheeks with Sweet Potato Mash DessertChocolate Torte with Raspberry Ice Cream

Top 9

Faves Restaurant Takeover: Mexican Street Food Challenge Episode 12 Airdate – 19 February Description – The Faves selected three teams to represent their house at El Camini Cantina The Rocks for the challenge. Each representing team cooked two courses for the judges, the other teams and the public. After both houses cooked, the lowest scoring house had each team from that house participate in an elimination challenge. Team Guest ScorePete's ScoreColin's ScorePublic Average TotalHouse TotalResultFaves Jake & Elle 6 9 8 8 3165 SafeDishes MainChipotle Chicken with Elotes DessertBuñuelos with Dulce De LecheFavesDan & Steph 5 5 5 7 22Dishes MainSalmon and Corn DessertSweet Potato and PecansFaves Sophia & Romel 1 2 2 7 12Dishes MainPork Pozole DessertChocolate Delice

Fans Restaurant Takeover: Asian Street Food Challenge Episode 13 Airdate – 20 February Description – The Fans selected three teams to represent their house at District 8 for the challenge. Each representing team cooked two courses for the judges, the other teams and the public. After both houses cooked, the lowest scoring house had each team from that house participate in an elimination challenge. Team Guest ScorePete's ScoreManu's ScorePublic Average TotalHouse TotalResult Fans Mark & Lauren 3 6 5 6 20 50 Through to Elimination Cook-offDishes Main Beef & Pork Ma Po Dessert Jackfruit & Pineapple Crumble Fans Kerry & Kaylene 4 5 5 620Dishes Main Spicy Chicken with Rice Dessert Coconut Rice Pudding Fans Sue Ann & Sylvia 1 2 2 5 10Dishes Main Pork Belly Bun Dessert Banana Fritters

Elimination Cook-off Episode 14 Airdate – 24 February Description – Two teams from House of Colin faced each other in an elimination cook-off. The first team to compete was selected by House of Manu, while the second team to compete was chosen by House of Colin among themselves. The lower scoring team was eliminated. Elimination Cook-Off 2 Team Guest ScorePete's ScoresManu's Scores Colin's Scores Total Result Main Dessert Main Dessert Main Dessert Fans Mark & Lauren 767 10 3 6 10 3 7 10 4 73 Safe Dishes EntréeOctopus with Harissa MainGoat Curry with Roti DessertLemon Syrup Cake FansBen & Vasil 8710 8 2 8 8 2 8 8 3 72 Eliminated Dishes EntréeAchiote Prawns MainSirloin with Chimichurri DessertChocolate Crème Caramel

Top 8

Faves Restaurant Takeover: Pub Grub Challenge Episode 15 Airdate – 25 February Description – The Faves selected three teams to represent their house at The Imperial Hotel - Drag N' Dine for the challenge. Each representing team cooked two courses for the judges, the other teams, the guested drag queens and the public. After both houses cooked, the lowest scoring house had each team from that house participate in an elimination challenge.