Culinary icons Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge return as co-hosts and judges of My Kitchen Rules.

The former rivals, who now call each other “brothers”, spoke to 7NEWS.com.au ahead of the new season’s premiere on Monday.

The hugely popular chefs and TV hosts revealed what we can expect from the new season and what it’s really like working together — in and out of the kitchen.

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“Carnage, absolute carnage,” Fassnidge said, describing the new season in true Fassnidge-style.

“It’s everything you want wrapped up around the table.

“I love the characters who don’t all necessarily get on, and they let each other know pretty early on … just like an explosion.”

Culinary icons Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge return as co-hosts and judges of My Kitchen Rules. Credit: Seven, Instagram

The Irish chef warned there are some big personalities in the teams this year.

“Everyone sort of does well at the start and then there’s a few hiccups but they all come good and learn from their mistakes,” Fassnidge said.

“So, it’s not the team you think is going to do well.”

Despite the pair once being caught up in a rumoured feud, Fassnidge made his first appearance as a guest judge on MKR in 2013 — bringing the two chefs together on set.

Over a decade later, the pair have grown a strong friendship and have hosted MKR together since 2023.

However, despite now calling him his “brother”, French chef Feildel still can’t stand to cook in the same kitchen as Fassnidge.

“We work well when we sit there next to each other at the table, but in the kitchen not so much,” Feildel said.

Fassnidge quickly interjected with his two cents: “Someone’s a bit grumpy in the kitchen, that’s not me.”

“You can’t put two bosses in the kitchen, you know what I mean?” Feildel explained.

Over a decade later, the pair have grown a strong friendship and travel around NZ together for their cooking and travel show, Off The Grid. Credit: Instagram

Outside of cooking together, the pair enjoy a “little whiskey tasting” and travelling around New Zealand to film their cooking and travel show Off The Grid.

After spending six months at a time together on the road filming, the pair have learnt to read each other’s moods.

“I would say, well, we sort of flood into each other’s moods now,” Fassnidge said.

“If someone’s a bit down, you can pepper them up. We know how to pick each other up and put in the support.”

Fassindge then doubled down on the harmless joshing.

“But when we travel, I can’t necessarily work in the same kitchen or be on the same beach as him because he takes over, he’s very grumpy,” Fassindge said, very seriously.

But Feildel is not offended at all, as he says Fassindge likes to “play the tough guy, but he’s very soft inside”.

Manu and Colin revealed their strategies if they were contestants. Credit: Seven

So, what would be their strategy if the chefs were actually contestants on the show?

“I would just cook good and win,” Fassindge said, very confidently, before admitting: “I would be very annoying. I can talk underwater and would have a story for everything.”

Feildel said the one mistake he sees teams make every year is they come on the show underprepared.

“They think they’re coming out for a nice TV show, going on holidays, touring the country, and then suddenly they realise that it’s actually a real competition,” Feildel said.

“So if I was a contestant, I would buy Colin and Manu’s cookbooks. I would study them inside out and then I would make sure they love my food.”

My Kitchen Rules 2026 premieres on Seven and 7plus on Monday, September 28.