For weeks, Alisha and Deanne have been impossible to ignore on My Kitchen Rules. Their outspoken personalities, emotional reactions and fiery exchanges made them two of the season’s most talked-about contestants. But now, their time in the competition has come to an end — and the final moments have revealed a very different side to the story.
The South Australian best friends were eliminated following a tense showdown against Zoe and Zac, with just four points separating the two teams. Yet it was not simply the result that made their departure memorable.
A judge who had once found himself at the centre of one of their biggest confrontations had a surprisingly warm message for them. And behind the dramatic television moments, Alisha and Deanne have now opened up about the emotional toll of being constantly judged, the friendships they formed and what may come next.
One final dinner — and everything was on the line
The pressure was already mounting before Zoe and Zac even began cooking.
Alisha and Deanne were sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard with 54 points. That meant their fate depended entirely on whether the Newcastle friends could produce a stronger result in their final Instant Restaurant.
Zoe and Zac’s coastal-inspired menu, named Shuck Yeah, began promisingly with zucchini flowers and caramelised onions. The judges appreciated the light, crispy batter, although they felt the accompanying cashew cream needed more depth.
Then came the main course — and the evening took a difficult turn.
Their crumbed swordfish, served with fennel salad and lemon rosemary potatoes, failed to impress. Manu Feildel questioned the decision to crumb the fish, while Colin Fassnidge was even more direct in his assessment.
“That was a mistake from start to finish,” Colin said.
The judges awarded the main course just nine points combined, leaving Zoe and Zac dangerously close to elimination themselves.
For a moment, it appeared that Alisha and Deanne might survive after all.
A dessert changes the result
With their place in the competition hanging in the balance, Zoe and Zac needed something special from their final course.
Their basil panna cotta, accompanied by lemon curd and strawberries, provided exactly the recovery they needed. Although the basil flavour divided opinions, the judges were impressed by the texture and overall execution.
Both Manu and Colin awarded the dessert seven points.
The guest teams contributed 24 points out of 50, while the judges added another 34 out of 60. Zoe and Zac finished with 58 points — just enough to move ahead of their South Australian rivals.
Alisha and Deanne, on 54, were officially eliminated.
After everything they had experienced throughout the competition, their journey had ended in a result that came down to a painfully narrow margin.
The farewell was not quite what viewers might have expected
Despite the disappointment, the departing friends received a warm send-off from the judges.
Manu presented them with medals in recognition of their status as the loudest team the show had ever welcomed.
Colin, meanwhile, appeared visibly emotional, even joking about the unexpected feeling in his throat.
It was a very different atmosphere from some of the more uncomfortable exchanges that had defined their time together.
The Irish chef praised the women for being completely genuine throughout the experience, telling them:
“You wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re honest, you don’t hide behind anything.”
He also reminded them that they should be proud of what they had achieved.
For a pair who had spent much of the competition defending themselves, those final words carried particular significance.
The confrontation with Colin that viewers still remember
One of the most talked-about moments involving Alisha and Deanne happened long before their elimination.
During Angus and Simon’s first Instant Restaurant, a discussion about the green apple slaw sparked an unexpected disagreement.
Tiffany suggested that the dish needed more acidity. Alisha questioned the use of the culinary term, but when Colin later used the same word during his feedback, she felt embarrassed and believed the judge had taken someone else’s side.
The situation escalated quickly.
Feeling she had been made to look foolish, Alisha left the table. Deanne followed her outside, and the pair initially refused to return.
Colin eventually confronted them, explaining that his intention had been to make a point about listening to people with knowledge of the food being discussed.
His assessment of Alisha’s behaviour was blunt. He suggested that speaking less and listening more could help her learn something — and later revealed that, in his view, she eventually did exactly that.
But there was another detail that made his comments particularly interesting.
Colin’s criticism was not necessarily the final word on their relationship.
From one of the season’s biggest clashes to an unexpected friendship
In earlier interviews, Alisha and Deanne had already offered a different perspective on their relationship with Colin.
Alisha admitted that she found him more relatable, while Deanne suggested that, if they had to choose a favourite between the two judges, Colin would be their pick.
Alisha even joked that she would happily meet him for a drink.
And the relationship appears to have continued well beyond filming.
Speaking after their elimination, the pair revealed that they were still exchanging messages with Colin months after the competition had been recorded. He regularly comments on their social media posts, often teasing them about their dancing and cooking.
Their playful exchanges suggest that the earlier confrontation did not leave the lasting divide some viewers might have expected.
What began as a heated disagreement eventually developed into something much friendlier — a change that gives Colin’s final praise an entirely different meaning.
The emotional cost of being constantly judged
However, Alisha and Deanne’s departure was not only about losing a cooking competition.
In interviews following their exit, the friends admitted that the constant attention surrounding their personalities had become emotionally exhausting.
They told WHO that there were times when they felt they were being judged not just on their food, but on whether people liked them as individuals.
Deanne acknowledged that maintaining a smile while facing repeated criticism had become increasingly difficult.
The pair also described feeling caught in an uncomfortable position when it came to scoring other contestants. They believed their decisions were sometimes interpreted as strategic, even when they genuinely liked another team’s dishes.
“You’re doomed if you do, you’re doomed if you don’t,” Deanne explained.
Their experience also brought a change in how they viewed the audience reaction. Deanne said viewers initially seemed to embrace their outspoken, self-described “classy bogan” image, but that response shifted after Alisha’s dramatic walkout.
Despite the criticism, both women insist they never wanted to become different people simply to please everyone watching.
What comes next for the two best friends?
For Alisha and Deanne, leaving the competition does not necessarily mean leaving television behind.
The pair said their greatest achievement was showing Australia who they really were, sharing the experience with a close friend and making their children proud.
Alisha also suggested that viewers had not necessarily seen the last of them, joking that the two deserved their own spin-off series.
They have even expressed interest in other television opportunities, with possibilities ranging from Travel Guides and The Block to Big Brother and Gogglebox.
Their departure may have closed one chapter, but their enthusiasm for another opportunity has certainly not disappeared.
A different ending to a very public rivalry
Alisha and Deanne did not make it through to Kitchen HQ, and their final score was not the result they had hoped for.
But their last appearance offered something more than an elimination announcement.
There was the medal, Colin’s unexpectedly emotional farewell and the reminder that the judge who once challenged them most fiercely had also come to appreciate their honesty and character.
Perhaps the most interesting part of their MKR story is not the walkout that made headlines, or even the four-point margin that sent them home.
It is how differently that relationship looks now — and how two contestants who refused to tone down their personalities may have left a much stronger impression than they ever realised.
Their time in the competition is over. But judging by their final comments, Alisha and Deanne are not quite ready to say goodbye to the cameras.