After 10 years as a high school principal, MKR gatecrasher Caz James is used to dealing with conflict.
“I’ve had a lot of angry people call me all sorts of names that I won’t mention,” says Caz, 51, who is competing on My Kitchen Rules Australia with her 25-year-old son Fergus.
But the conflict between contestants Lawrence, Janey and Maddie took both Caz and Fergus by surprise.
“It was ugly at times and a bit disappointing – people just weren’t their best selves,” sighs Caz.
Fergus adds, “Everyone was arguing and screaming over each other, and while I love drama and a bit of gossip, having two adults yelling meaningless words at each other didn’t really sit well for me and Mum. It all felt a bit childish and unnecessary. We wanted to remind people this is a competition about food – it’s not about fighting.”
Caz and Fergus haven’t spent a lot of time together over the past decade, with Fergus focused on his music career. When he was 17, Justin Timberlake visited his high school, heard his original song and said he’d “put that on the radio now”.
Fergus remembers, “From that moment on, I had record labels and managers reaching out to me.” After the encounter, he went on to play support for Ed Sheeran on the Aussie leg of the star’s Divide Tour.
But the mother and son duo will be spending more time together in the future, with Caz’s experience on MKR having convinced her to pursue her food dream by moving to Tasmania. There, she’s setting up a “relaxed lunch and Sunday session venue”.
Fergus will be there “as much as possible”, he says. “I’ll whip out the guitar, but I’m definitely going to help with the entrée, main and dessert as well were I can.”
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