My Kitchen Rules star Manu Feildel opens up on his feud with co-star Colin Fassnidge: ‘He loves to poke the bear’

They have shared the screen as co-hosts of Channel Seven’s My Kitchen Rules since 2020.

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for Manu Feildel, 50, and Colin Fassnidge, 51, with the celebrity chefs once indulging in a social media war of words.

Manu has opened up on his feud with his co-star, admitting that it’s now all water under the bridge.

Appearing on Jess Rowe’s Big Talk Show podcast, the French chef said the war of words began when Colin was less-than-impressed with a meal he received while dining at his Bilson’s Restaurant in Sydney.

After relocating from France to Australia in 1999, and cutting his teeth in several Aussie restaurants, Manu opened the kitchen as head chef at the now defunct Sydney restaurant.

Manu told host Jess Rowe that Colin was quick to voice his displeasure about his dining experience on X, formerly known as Twitter.

‘He came to Bilson’s restaurant and he wasn’t happy with his meal and we were awarded two hats at the time.,’ Manu said.

‘I think he said something like I was a clown and i should go back to France and hang my jacket and learn how to cook.’

Manu added that it was Colin who continued to throw fuel on the social media fire as he loves to ‘poke the bear’.

‘We never met each other, we just knew [of] each other,’ Manu said.

‘He loved the social media war. He’s addicted to it. That’s his life, he just loves to poke the bear.’

Manu admitted when he was informed Colin would be joining the cast of My Kitchen Rules, he was dumbfounded.

But it appears that producers knew exactly what they were doing, betting that the tension created between the pair off-screen would translate into ratings gold.

‘That was the beginning of a fight. I think it was a one way fight where he kept on going at me,’ Manu said.

‘We never met each other we just knew [of] each other,’ Manu said. ‘He loved the social media war. He’s addicted to it. That’s his life he just loves to poke the bear.’

But it appears that producers knew exactly what they were doing, betting that the tension created between the pair off-screen would translate into ratings gold

‘One day the production of MKR decided to bring a third judge in and it was announced that it was going to be Colin Fassnidge.’

‘I said to the producers, “are you kidding me? The guy hates my guts,” and they said “we know”.’

Wanting to make the best of things, Manu said when Colin arrived for his first day of shooting, he welcomed the Irish-born chef with open arms.

‘I was always so comfortable in my shoes already I’d been there for about eight years,’ he said.

‘When he walked in I welcomed him at the door. I said, “welcome to MKR.” I said I found this very difficult at the beginning and that “if you need anything from me do not hesitate to call”.’

Manu’s words proved to be just the thing to broker a peace deal between the pair,  with Colin eventually apologising for his past behaviour.

‘After the end of that year of production, he knocked on my door after the grand final and he went, “I would like to apologise for being an a**ehole” and we became good mates since,’ the celebrity chef said.

Colin joined the MKR team in 2013 as a judge in the Kitchen HQ cook off and final rounds.

‘After the end of that year of production, he knocked on my door after the grand final and he went I” would like to apologise for being an a**ehole” and we became good mates since,’ the celebrity chef said

In 2020, he became a main series judge alongside Manu and Pete Evans before returning in 2022 in his former MKR role alongside Curtis Stone and Gary Mehigan.

Following controversial Pete Evans’ departure, Colin again became a main judge and co-host for the 2023 season of the popular reality show.

In a new episode of Charlie Albone’s podcast That’s How We Grow, the pair reflected on how they managed to build a friendship from the ashes.

‘Let’s cut to the chase, we didn’t on. I may have called him… something on Twitter, I called him a… beep…’ Colin said.

‘Then Ricky, who made MKR, rang and I said, “I don’t want to be a TV chef, I want to be a real chef”.’

Manu added that Colin saw TV chefs as ‘w**kers’ and that the pair ‘weren’t friends’ when they first worked together.

The pair revealed they got off on the ‘wrong foot’ after Colin took aim at Manu before the show.

‘The salty secret is Colin and I started on the wrong foot. Because when I started TV, most chefs in the industry thought I’d sold my soul,’ Manu said.

Colin added: ‘I said he’s sold out.’

Explaining the criticism, Manu said: ‘They said I was no longer a chef, I was a TV celebrity.’