My Kitchen Rules Winner Revealed in Closest Grand Final Ever

Justin and Will are the 2025 winners of My Kitchen Rules.

The dining dads took out the top gong and were crowned kings of the kitchen on Sunday night, taking home $100,000 in what is being dubbed the closest grand final in the show’s history. 

The chefs scored 73 out of 80 in the final cook-off, with just a one point difference between them and the runners-up Maria and Bailey. 

‘I can’t believe we’ve won the title,’ Will said, overcome with emotion after winning the much-loved cooking show. 

Justin confessed in a raw moment: ‘I can’t stop shaking.’

In a sweet message to his loved ones, Will said while tearing up: ‘I’m lost for words. To have our families with us, we hope we did them proud.’

Justin added: ‘We’ve accomplished what we’ve set out to do. We made our kids proud; we made ourselves proud. That’s amazing.’ 

It was an emotional episode before the teams even entered the kitchen, with Justin getting teary-eyed over the time spent away from his wife and children to be on the show. 

‘It’s a long time we’ve been away from our kids, so having them here is going to give me that extra drive to get through. We’ve sacrificed our family life to be here in this competition,’ he said. 

Both teams left everything on the kitchen bench, cooking up four different courses – a canapé, seafood, meat and dessert dish – making 100 plates of grub as they raced against time in the final stretch.

Judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge gushed over both teams as Colin noted that it was ‘one of the most exciting cooks I’ve seen in a grand final in a long time’.

Just before revealing who had emerged victorious, Manu shared: ‘This is the closest grand final I can remember.’

Justin and Will’s menu featured striking flavours and techniques, mixing heritage, fine dining and flaunting trendy ingredients in their final sweet dish.

While Maria and Bailey’s array of courses were both elegant and sophisticated, ‘with a little splash of Maria and Bailey’.

After coming in second, Bailey could only gush about his partner Maria, saying: ‘We knew we were coming up against tough competition, so to be able to do what we did today is truly incredible.’ 

Justin and Will’s canapé of Smoked Ham Hock and Gruyère Croquette with Sauce Gribiche was praised for its ‘perfect flavour’ even though the sauce slightly split.

‘It puts a smile on your face,’ Colin praised the chefs, as both judges awarded the dish a nine. 

Their seafood course – a South African Pickled Kingfish with Brioche and Green Papaya Chutney – was a homage to Justin’s father, who was in attendance at the grand final. 

‘As a dad, you want your kids to always look up to you, as I look up to my dad. If I can be half the man that that man is up there, my job’s done,’ Justin emotionally shared. 

Manu gushed over the ‘explosion of flavour’, adding: ‘I’ve never had anything like that before.’ 

Unfortunately, the brioche bun did not rise, a major factor that saw both judges award the dish an eight. 

Both teams were pushed to the edge in the meat course, but their hard work paid off with almost perfect scores all around.

Justin and Will cooked up a Red Wine and Rosemary Braised Beef Short Rib with Parsnip Purée and Beets. 

‘What a dish,’ exclaimed Manu, with both judges praising the meat falling straight off the bone.

Colin was pleased with the ‘earthy and beautiful’ plate, scoring it a ten, while Manu scored it a nine.

Justin and Will’s ‘incredible’ Dubai Chocolate Éclair dessert was an outstanding highlight of the evening, with Colin saying: ‘It looked like something I would get in a degustation menu in a restaurant.’

Manu chimed in: ‘You guys really push yourselves to the limits and thought about all the little details to finish your four-course meal.’