The Dunedin pair reality-show viewers love to hate are eagerly awaiting the outcome of My Kitchen Rules New Zealand this weekend.
Jess Mackay, a real estate agent in Brighton, and Cindy Holmes, a mortgage broker who lives on a Taieri dairy farm, are one of two pairs left in the cooking show. The final plays on Sunday night.
Although they filmed the series in March, they will learn the results with everyone else.
Mrs Holmes said filming separate takes with both outcomes was surreal.
"It was exhausting, actually. It was such a long day."
They came into the show as the pair who "tells it like it is", Mrs Holmes said.
"We're pretty straight up, which probably rubs a few people up the wrong way ... so we're really sorry."
Really, they were just "mums who love cooking".
Although she was comfortable in front of a camera, vocalising what she felt was a more difficult.
"I don't like talking about feelings."
The two used fresh, local ingredients as much as possible and tried to showcase Dunedin and southern cooking on the show.
Mrs Mackay said the two signed up because they were passionate about food.
"We're pretty good at it. We love our food and trying new recipes."
She was not too worried about being the villains of the show, as they knew who they were when they went into it.
"There's no worry about us talking behind your back, because we'll say it to your face."
The social media trolls had a "field day", but it had not fazed them.
"The hard thing is not being able to comment back and correct their spelling."
The pair would watch the final with many others at an event in Outram.
Mrs Mackay said they would try not to get their hopes up, although they had put their hearts and souls into the competition.
"We know that we did amazing."
The winners will split $100,000, which the two would put towards their dream of a joint food business.
