Simon and Lauren, mates from Palmerston North were sad to leave, but take away a great experience.
Simon and Lauren, mates from Palmerston North were sad to leave, but take away a great experience.
A mechanic canned from My Kitchen Rules New Zealand hopes his appearance on national TV will break down stereotypes.
Simon from Palmerston North, who entered the competition with his soon to be sister-in-law Lauren, was sent home during last night's MKR double elimination.
They were the latest to go along with Otago Mates Travis and Jeremy, after their three-course meals failed to impress judges Ben Bayly, Gareth Stewart and the tasting panel.
Simon said many didn't believe he could cook because of his profession, but felt it was good for people to see a different side of him.
"When I told people I was going on a cooking show I was told, 'you're a mechanic, you can't cook'," he told The Herald.
"I hope I was able to break that stereotype and show people you can cook, whatever you do - I have been cooking for years."
His partner on the show, Lauren, a food blogger for flatties on a budget, said her experience adapting recipes was a valuable skill but admits competition was only getting tougher.
As more teams were sent home everyone stepped up. In hindsight she felt "playing it safe" was their downfall.
Despite being "sad" to go, they left with more confidence in their abilities and an even stronger friendship.
Simon and Lauren, mates from Palmerston North were sad to leave, but take away a great experience.
Southern jokesters Travis and Jeremy have been on screen favourites but their final meal didn't sit well with the judges.
The pair, who previously flatted together, earned a reputation for making people laugh and hoped to one day relate to people through food - though they weren't sure what form that would take yet.
"We have got nothing in the pipeline, but we are open to all offers," Jeremy said.
"We just saw it as a way to interact with people, if we are going to do something it will be along the lines of tongue-in-cheek humour."
The duo walked away with friendships they hope to keep and a new experience under their belts, though as always the elimination was "bittersweet".
"We were labelled the one trick ponies, we tried to push the boundaries at the end, if we pulled it off, we would have got a lot of credit."
For now Jeremy heads back to university and Travis will return to his mining job in Western Australia.
Judge Ben Bayley admitted the pair would leave a gaping hole on set.
"You boys have bought a lot of fun factor to this competition," he said. "We're sad to see you go."
Next week on MKR NZ, it's back to school for the last People's Choice Challenge where the top five teams cook a five-course degustation for a place in the semi-finals.
• My Kitchen Rules New Zealand airs on Monday and Tuesday nights, 7.30pm on TV2.
