Walking through the doors of Hell’s Kitchen Australia, Marco Pierre White had no idea who any of the 10 celebrities standing before him were.
And that’s just the way he likes it.
“As far as I was concerned, I was the most famous person in the room,” he tells TV WEEK.
“No, remember Hell’s Kitchen is not about me, it’s about the 10 celebrities. Whoever cast these people did a really good job. They’re the stars and I’m just the cook. I’m there to do a job and that’s to push them to extremes to get the best out of them.”
Those extremes will lead to plenty of tears, tantrums and plenty of burnt fingers if the promos are to be believed.
But Marco, 55, says there’s no exaggeration about the heat the Hell’s Kitchen stars will feel in the kitchen.
“It’s reality TV in the true sense of being real,” he promises.
“Because when those restaurant doors open and the customers walk in, for two hours the executive producers have no say in what happens. And that’s what’s wonderful about the way Australia makes Hell’s Kitchen. They allow it to be real.”
Some of the celebrities appearing on the show this season include former Bachelorette Sam Frost, actor Lincoln Lewis and reality star Pettifleur Berenger.
Meet the full cast in the gallery below.
While he’s careful not to give too much away about who will take home the ultimate prize, the Michelon-starred chef does say the winner could easily swap a life on the red carpet for one in chef’s whites.
“If they said tomorrow I’m changing my career direction they could survive and excel in the kitchen – and that’s the truth.”
