Entertainment: The Living Room cast on their special bond

By nowtolove.au
november 28, 2021

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Just over 10 years ago, The Living Room team got together for the first time. They were from very different backgrounds, but Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry Du Bois felt an instant connection.

© Provided by Are Media Pty Ltd Just over 10 years ago, The Living Room team got together for the first time. They were from very different backgrounds, but Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry Du Bois felt an instant connection.

Just over 10 years ago, The Living Room team got together for the first time. It was a sink-or-swim moment for the four strangers as they gathered at Network 10 in the hopes of making a lifestyle program together.

They were from very different backgrounds, but Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry Du Bois felt an instant connection. Years on, Chris still remembers what he and Amanda thought of Spanish chef Miguel.

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"We spent a large part of the next hour just looking at each other, going, 'Who is this force of nature with the Spanish accent?'" the vet tells TV WEEK.

Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry Du Bois felt an instant connection.

Amanda says she'd never met anyone like him before.

"It took me a while to get a handle on Miguel, considering he's now one of my closest friends," the 59-year-old recalls.

"Nothing is bunged on. That Energizer bunny Spaniard, that's exactly how he is. And in TV, you don't normally meet people like that."

Despite his outgoing nature, Miguel admits he was "very nervous" and wasn't sure his credentials matched the others'.

"I remember my wife Sascha saying, 'Just try not to stuff it up,'" Miguel recalls with a laugh. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to stand up in that situation. I couldn't find parking on the day, I thought I'd be late… But in the screen test, we just clicked."

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As for Barry, he'd met Amanda before on his show The Renovators and knew they would be in each other's lives forever.

TLR's final episode for the year will see Miguel dropping around to Amanda's house to cook.

"I fell in love with Amanda the day I met her and she's remained one of my closest friends," he says. "Chris and Miguel are like younger brothers to me and sometimes I feel like I'm a mentor figure to them. We're so different in so many regards, but it just works."

Amanda had a "great feeling" about the potential of The Living Room as soon as she knew he would be on it.

"I just thought, 'You know what? This feels good. This feels right.'"

Chris, however, wasn't as convinced the show would take off.

"The first year, I wasn't sure," the 43-year-old admits. "I felt we were doing a good show, but I wasn't sure if we'd make it – it's tough out there. And then, in the second year, it just clicked. I think people got us and what we're up to, and the show went from strength to strength."

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Since then, The Living Room has gone on to win the hearts of many, along with several TV WEEK Logie Awards. But it's their enduring friendship the foursome is most proud of.

Gallery: Who has left Celebrity MasterChef 2021? (TV WEEK)

1/7 SLIDES © Instagram

Rebecca Gibney

Rebecca Gibney
She was given 90 minutes to cook whatever she wanted, but one of our favourite contestants was sent home last night in a double elimination. However, the Packed To The Rafters star didn't seem phased by the outcome as she celebrated her time on MasterChef on her Instagram.
"Honestly I had the most extraordinary time on @masterchefau . From the moment I walked through those iconic doors to the day I skipped out arm and arm with the wonderful @dilrukj I laughed, I cried, I hugged - A LOT and I made friends for life," she penned.
2/7 SLIDES © Instagram

Dilruk Jayasinha

Dilruk Jayasinha
The double-elimination episode also saw Dilruk sent home. Luckily, the stand-up comedian was in good spirits as he took to his Instagram to reflect on how far he went in the competition despite his lack of experience.

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"And that's a wrap on my cooking adventures on Celebrity #Masterchefau. Of course, I'm gutted I just missed out on the grand finale after coming so close, but when I think of the context of how I far came with so little experience, you can understand why I'm still a beaming smiling goofball. It was an honour to walk out of there arm in arm with queen @rebeccagibney_ too who made that exit all the more joyful," he wrote.
3/7 SLIDES © Instagram

Archie Thompson

Archie Thompson
The intense service challenge at Hugh Allen's Vue de Monde proved a show ending challenge from Archie Thompson, who had to plate up a fine dining dish that featured a native ingredient.
The soccer player had to work with wattleseed, but he didn't fulfil the brief, which resulted in an emotional send-off.
"A small part of it was that disappointment, knowing that maybe I'd be going home, but a big chunk of what I was feeling was just being proud. Proud of how I was able to have this journey and be more than what I expected it to be, growing on so many levels and also, just beautiful people," Archie told 10Play.
"Every time you walked into the kitchen, it was just such a beautiful experience."
4/7 SLIDES © Channel Ten

Ian Thorpe

Ian Thorpe
The swimming legend was sent home after he failed to impress the judges with his meringue.

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The athlete had been a competitive force throughout the show, but unfortunately, he was unimpressed with how he went out.
"The only thing I was disappointed in myself was that I hadn't cooked my best food for the judges," he told 10Play. "It's kind of frustrating leaving on that note."
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Matt Le Nevez

Matt Le Nevez
A blindfolded taste test took out actor Matt Le Nevez, making him the third celebrity to leave the show.
When talking to Ten Play about the test, the Offspring star shared, "It was nerve-wracking because normally, you know how certain things taste, but once you put on the clock and you're blindfolded, and everyone's staring at you, it's hard.
"I'm still cranky about it to be to be honest, jokingly obviously. I didn't grow up eating truffle and I didn't grow up knowing what a truffle feels like or any of that stuff… then when the next person got pineapple, and someone after got cucumber, I was filthy – I was so upset that the judge's thought truffle was easier to distinguish than a pineapple."
5/7 SLIDES © Channel Ten

Dami Im

Dami Im
She was such a joy to watch on reality television, but Australia had to say goodbye to the singer after her hot cheesecake failed to win over the judges.
The artist told Ten Play that the pressure was a lot for her, and she found it a lot harder than cooking in her own kitchen.
"I was not used to having that much pressure on me, because when I'm cooking normally, that's when I really relax and have fun and get away from all the stress from everything else, whereas on the show cooking became the stress," she said.

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"And especially when you have the judges walking around and looking at you. Like they give you this look, and you're like 'Oh no, I've done something wrong'. It's very intimidating, but it is what it is."
6/7 SLIDES © Channel Ten

Chrissie Swan

Chrissie Swan
Chrissie had to say goodbye after becoming the the first celeb to leave the show.
The presenter was bested by Gordon Ramsay's elimination challenge, which saw the celebrities cook with egg and bacon.
However, Chrissie left with her head held high, and she revealed to Ten Play that her nerves got the best of her.
"That was the most unexpected part - how much pressure there was," she said. "Stuff got very real, very quickly… It was incredibly nerve-racking."
7/7 SLIDES © Channel Ten

"We're so entrenched in each other's lives," Miguel, 42, says. "At the core, we're still the same people we were 10 years ago. Things have changed in our lives – some of our children weren't even born. Gringo [Chris] and I have travelled together, Amanda and Barry have done inspiring things. The show has grown so much too, but our core and values are the same."

A lot of their friendship is on show every week on the box as they banter on the couch or travel the globe meeting folk. Chris jokes that travelling with Miguel is "like travelling with a child". He once paid another passenger $200 to borrow his iPad so Miguel wouldn't get too bored during the flight.

"He can't sit still," he says. "He starts singing to himself… he gets really restless and starts kicking his seat, so he needs to be occupied. I don't have kids yet, but I feel like I've had a hell of a rehearsal!" he says with a laugh.

However, Miguel points out that Chris also keeps him on his toes.

"Earlier this year, we arrived at a sauna after a gorgeous bike ride in Tasmania. Gringo tells me we're going in naked! I had no idea," Miguel says. "I said, "I can't do that. Gringo, I have children!' But it was hilarious and all real."

The co-hosts have also had their share of heartache over the years, none more so than when Barry revealed his cancer had returned as incurable multiple myeloma in 2018. He was first diagnosed with plasmacytoma, a cancer of the immune system, in 2010. Yet the design expert refuses to look at the negatives They are "hurdles" course, but Barry, 61, refuses to define himself as a man who's living with cancer.

"There's only one Barry and that's Barry who's living – and doing his best to live every day like there's no tomorrow," he explains.

"I give this advice to my children: whatever you want to see in the mirror, that's what you should project. I look for joy, support and love – and I try to project that onto others. I don't see adversity in my life. In my opinion, a bad day is just a day before a great day."

Chris wasn't convinced the show would take off.

Amanda thinks Barry is simply "amazing" for his positive outlook on life.

"We always made jokes about his hair and ego, but to be honest, he really wants to see things better for everybody else," she says. "His family is everything to him, but he wants to leave a legacy beyond just that."

As much as Amanda has supported Barry, he has supported her too. During lockdown, when they couldn't catch up for their usual cuppa, they would text or call.

"When we found out I was sick the second time around, Amanda said to me, 'If it was anyone else, I'd be worried. But because it's you, I'm not,'" Barry recalls.

As Christmas approaches, family is on the minds of the TLR team. For Amanda, she's been feeling bad about her sons, Liam and Jack, having to spend so much time in lockdown due to COVID-19. She hopes they can travel to Queensland to see her dad and brother.

The Living Room cast on their special bond

"I can do without a social life – I don't need to be doing any of those things – but a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old really do need those things. I felt for Jack. All the 18th birthdays came and went," she says. "I haven't seen my dad, who's in his late 80s, for a year, so we're really looking forward to all being together."

Chris, meanwhile, is heading home to Newcastle, NSW.

"Mum, health-wise, isn't the best, so it will be nice to spend some time with her and Dad," he says.

For Barry and Miguel, it's all about the kids as their younger ones enjoy the festivities of the season. The chef is excited to bring together his entire family – including his parents who live in Spain and have been separated during the global pandemic.

"After three years, we've managed to bring them here," he says. "I'm so excited to be around the table with my mum and dad, eating amazing food."

Barry will be relishing every moment with his wife Leonie and nine-year-old twins Bennet and Arabella, who continue to make him smile every day.

TLR's final episode for the year will see Miguel dropping around to Amanda's house to cook. It's not dissimilar to what actually happens when the show finishes filming for the year.

"We all feel a bit adrift from each other, so it's a great excuse for us to hang out," Amanda explains.

After all, 10 years of friendship is something worth celebrating. And for this awesome foursome, life with each other doesn't get much better than this.

"The space we provide on a Friday night is a beautiful space to be in," Barry says. "I'm so proud of who we are. Since that very first day, we've built an incredibly close connection that only gets stronger. We are family."

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