Pascal Tibbits and Vikki Gorton-Tibbits are now $100,000 richer after winning MKR New Zealand last week, but the Bay of Plenty lovebirds say the best prize is that the show strengthened their marriage.
“We’re so pleased with each other,” Pascal, 50, tells Woman’s Day. “We didn’t realise what an incredible team we are. The more pressure you put on us, the closer we get. Watching things back, we saw we were a well-oiled machine, while others struggled to pull together. We’d do it all again if we had the opportunity. We’re almost sad it’s over.”
Two endings for the finale were filmed in February and the Te Puna pair had to wait nine months to learn they’d won.
Pascal says, “We had an inkling, but the scores were so close and there were always doubts in the back of our minds.”
Having finally watched the last episode of MKR with their family and fellow contestants, Vikki, 40, tells, “When we found out, we just hugged. The kids were like, ‘Can we help decide where we go on holiday?’ and they all want special Christmas presents this year!”
As for how they’ll spend their winnings, Pascal reveals, “We’ve got a long list of foodie dreams and ideas, but I don’t think the prize money will cover it. We certainly don’t want to be full-time chefs as it’s really hard work, but we’re passionate about being creative and designing flavours.”
