It’s official: the drama has well and truly hit boiling point on My Kitchen Rules for 2019.
At Josh and Austin’s ultimate Instant Restaurant on Monday night, it was revealed to the table in a “mic drop moment” that Piper and Victor are friends with benefits by Piper’s partner and fellow beauty queen Veronica.
“When I’m there nothing is said. But look, when she f—–g leaves at nighttime and goes into his bed, I don’t know what the f–k is said,” she told the shocked table.
Now Veronica speaks exclusively to Now To Love about the reality of their behind-the-scenes relationship and what motivated her to drop the mic.
Veronica revealed to us that by that stage of the Instant Restaurants, everyone was exhausted and fed up.
“We were doing I don’t know how many hours but we were getting up at like five in the morning and then filming until 3.30 the next day and then doing interviews, it was full on,” the mum-of-three reveals.
And while everyone looked shocked on camera, it was hardly a surprise when Victor and Piper’s relationship was announced at the table.
“Obviously they’ve shown it like nobody knows what’s going on but behind the scenes everyone knew what was going on so it was no surprise,” she says about the ‘bombshell’ before adding that her real frustration came from the fact that Victor upped and left the table while Piper was left to “fend for herself.”
Victor left the Instant Restaurant while Piper was left to “fend for herself.” (Images: Channel Seven)
“They didn’t show the whole conversation, it’s just showing me saying ‘I don’t know what happened when they go off,’ but the conversation is more so that Piper is getting hammered hammered hammered. Victor’s good enough to be with her behind the scenes but when it comes to the table, he just walks off the table and washes his hands so that’s where my frustration is coming from.”
“I was getting so over it, at that point I just lost it. Through the show I just hold my ground, I’m pretty good but it got to a point where you’re tired, you’ve had enough and Romel, Josh and Austin just wouldn’t let it go, they just kept going on and on and on. It was just so frustrating.”
Veronica adds that Piper, who was also dealing with her own personal issues having separated from her husband just before MKR started shooting, had confided in some of the people on the table as well.
“Everybody knew what was going on and that’s where I became a little bit frustrated with Piper as well. I did say to her, ‘You’ve got to keep your business to yourself because you don’t know who to trust at the end of the day,’ and it worked against her in the end.”
Veronica admits she was frustrated and tired at Josh and Austin’s Instant Restaurant when the drama unfolded. (Images: Channel Seven)
On top of all that dinner table drama, it was during the filming of the Ultimate Instant Restaurants received some stressful news from back home when her daughter cut her finger open and was rushed to the emergency room.
“It was quite intense, she ended up in hospital and on the day we were filming and I couldn’t even see her. So some things happened behind the scenes that were quite full on so that’s why in terms of why we have breakdowns too. It’s so much more than what they show.”
But the good news is Veronica’s little one is doing fine and remains one of her biggest cheerleaders.
Veronica says Australia doesn’t always understand that contestants are under a lot of pressure being away from their families and loved-ones. (Image: Instagram @veronica_cristovao)
Earlier on in the competition, some teams were very vocal about Piper throwing Veronica under the bus during certain challenges and judges’ critiques but Veronica insists that she and Piper are still friends and understand how things can be blown out of proportion on TV.
“Obviously I was a little bit upset but we did discuss this off-camera as well. Behind the scenes I called out Piper on some of the things I didn’t like so we talked through it, I just chose not to bring it to TV for everybody to see and that was my choice.”
“I just didn’t want to bring it to TV because first of all I’ve had worse things done to me in life and I think that I’m a little bit more mature when it comes to things like that but everything’s fine.”
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It’s easy for us to forget as viewers that the contestants have left their jobs and loved-ones to appear on the show so naturally everyone is under pressure and Veronica says everyone handled it differently.
“Obviously Piper chose to handle it like this and I chose to handle it differently so we’re all different at the end of the day. That’s why I cracked toward the end, I’d pretty much had enough.
“They show it like Piper throwing me under the bus and showing it now like I’ve revealed it to everyone and gone behind her back but it was nothing like that at all.”
Veronica and Piper are still friends. (Image: Channel Seven)
