MKR's Dai and Dal: 'We didn't expect to come this far'

Tonight's finalists for My Kitchen Rules New Zealand have been revealed, after Dai and Dal were eliminated after a tough semi-final.

The Laos-born best friends lost to Neena and Belinda in last night's episode of the TVNZ reality show.

They'll compete against Aaron and Heather in tonight's finale.

We chatted to Dai and Dal after their exit ...

Herald: What is it that you think you could have done better to stay on the show?
Dai and Dal: We did the best we could and we're disappointed that we didn't make it to the end because there are a lot of people who would've loved to see us in the finals. In hindsight we did hold back a little with our menu for the semi-finals. It's not an easy task to come up with a knockout three course menu in so little time! In all honesty, we didn't expect to come this far. As each week passed and with each elimination we thought, "Wow ... we could actually win this!" But it wasn't meant to be.

What are you most proud of during your time on the show?
There are so many proud moments for us, it's hard to pinpoint just one but if we had to choose, one of them would have to be at our Instant Restaurant, Mint. We are really proud of how our restaurant looked and we were the only team to get two 10s. We also got the top scores out of all the Instant Restaurants - we did not expect that all, it was an amazing feeling hearing the judges give us both 10s for our main dish.

Also, securing a spot to the semis was a proud moment too. We were up against two very strong teams and we knew we had to cook for our lives in order to stay in the competition. But overall, we're proud of each other. We both have come a long way from just cooking for family and friends to being a part of the first My Kitchen Rules New Zealand, and it was an absolute privilege to be given the opportunity to be a part of that journey.

Any embarrassing moments we should be made aware of?
When Dai broke the mortar during the instant restaurant round - that was random and totally unexpected! She still hasn't bought Dal a replacement yet! And there were some crazy and funny things that came out of Dal's mouth too. But fortunately for us, most of the embarrassing things happened off camera!

What was the best thing you ate while on the show?
The best thing we ate was Steve and Maura's Carpaccio. It was the perfect entree - we actually wanted more. They are amazing cooks.

And the worst?
Dai: If I had to choose one it would have to be Neil and Tracey's green curry, it just lacked a bit of oomph and flavour.
Dal: You will have to wait and see.

Which judge was the toughest?
Both judges were tough! They had really good poker faces and didn't give anything away when they ate our food - it was nerve- wracking standing there waiting for their verdict! However, they gave constructive feedback and we listened and learned from our mistakes. But if we were talking favourites, Gareth was Dal's favourite judge - he wore the nice pants and Ben was Dai's. Love you guys!

What's the best piece of behind-the-scenes gossip you can give us?
We love Aaron and Heather but they were our biggest rivals in the competition. Aaron G sure loves his beer and Josh defies the myth that men can't multitask. Ian really knows how to party and have a good time and Sandie is chilled as a cucumber. Sam is the biggest sweetheart and Dan is always getting himself into trouble! Ricki and Jessie were lots of fun to be around, Dan and Christie are as sweet together in real life as they are appear on TV and Neil and Tracey were definitely the life of the party.

Nenna and Belinda were our biggest supporters when we were the only Gatecrashers left in the competition and Belinda is one of the funniest ladies you will ever meet - she should actually become a comedian. As for our fellow Gatecrashers, they are our MKR family. Steve and Maura are two of the loveliest people you will ever meet. Theresa is also very funny, she rivals Steve - Classic Theresa and Joelle is our favourite person to drink with!

Read more: The heat is on: TV's big cook-off

- nzherald.co.nz