Shorty Street Scandal Episode 15: Pork Chops in the Pool

This week’s episode of Shorty Street Scandal is jam-packed with equally sexy and hilarious moments from Ferndale. Harry outdoes himself on the insult front by tell a small defenceless child that he has a lead role in Night of the Living Dorks. Garret and Kylie handcuff themselves to the bed in some sort of 50 Shades … Read more

MKR Episode 14: The Expedition of Bombolini and Bolognaise

It’s time for everyone’s favourite foodies Steve and Maura to try and convince us that they aren’t a pair of city slicker yuppies. Any chance of them achieving this was immediately lost at the first sight of one of their fedora-wearing friends at the dinner table. They should have called their instant restaurant Yuppie-Kai-Yay and just embraced it. … Read more

The Block NZ Week Four: Doom in the Family Room

Our resident The Block NZ analyst Tara sums up the week that was. This week her findings reveal a strange mesh of family rooms, Jay Jay Feeney in a harness and some crushed pineapple dreams.// Episode 13: Tuesday 16 September It’s Day 17 on The Block NZ…or is it? The contestants head off to meet … Read more

MKR Episode 13: Two Fat Flintstones and a Squashed Ken Doll

The Corporate Dads are back, this time armed with Led Zeppelin t-shirts and an assured promise to “smash it out of the park” in their second instant restaurant. They begrudgingly rocked up to the supermarket in their Audi. Aaron maintained they didn’t deserve to be there, still blaming it all on stupid old Nana and … Read more

MKR Episode 12: A Beauty, a Beast and a Bipolar Bear

This episode we cruised back into foggy Orewa in the back seat of a beige VW Beetle for our second date with Beauty and the Beast. Tracey and Neill ensured us that they have been preparing since their last disastrous instant restaurant. Their rigorous preparation seemed to consist mostly of synchronised swinging at the park. … Read more

The Spinoff Presents: Shorty Street Scandal Episode 14

Drop what you’re doing, stop stabbing that rugby ball – Shorty Street Scandal is back for another episode. This week James takes us not only through the past week in Ferndale, but revisits a classic spooky Shortland Street Storyline. Ladies and gentlemen, rising from the grave for one night only, we proudly present – The … Read more

MKR Episode 11: Hoover Up Those Burnt Sausages

The nuclear fallout from last episode’s bombshell still hadn’t cleared as the lowest ranking teams were pushed straight into an elimination round with The Gatecrashers. There are three whole new teams to get acquainted with: “Sporty Mums” Theresa and Joelle, “Wellington Foodies” Steve and Maura, and “Sugar and Spice” Dai and Dal. The first instant … Read more

MKR Episode 10: The Cray Twins and a Bombshell

This episode took us to Hawkes Bay, “fruit bowl of New Zealand” and home of sisters Kelly and Meghan. Much like The Newlyweds, it doesn’t speak volumes to their personalities that their team name is “Hawkes Bay Sisters”. The pair have played their cards close to their chests, mostly focussing on co-ordinating very fancy outfits … Read more

Musical Monday: Buffy The Vampire Singer

Slaying vampires and tunes is all in a days work for Buffy. // Although it may not feel like it, there was a time before Glee and High School Musical. This was back when audiences were still unaccustomed to a sentence turning into a five minute melody, or a character casually whipping out a guitar as the gymnasium … Read more

The Block Episode 12: Pendants, Nooks and Proddy Things

At last, the first room reveal on The Block NZ. If the past three weeks have been a marathon, tonight’s episode is the sprint to the finish. I’m ready: I’ve done my warm-up stretches, donned my favourite terry towel headband, and double knotted my Bata Bullets. Let us now together enter the virtual stadium that is The … Read more

The Spinoff Presents: Shorty Street Scandal Episode 13

We are stoked to bring you the latest sublime episode of Shorty Street Scandal. If you haven’t heard of this before, you are in for a treat. James Mustapic dissects Ferndale shenanigans weekly from his couch in Dunedin, assembling all of the absurd moments into a glorious highlights package. If you watch Shortland Street – you’ll … Read more

The Block Episode 11: Crunch Time at the Pointy End

Judgement day is looming. Looming, I tell you! It’s crunch time! The Wolf is let loose! It’s fun and games! With serious consequences! And a smashing challenge! Blimey, we’re only 43 seconds into tonight’s episode of The Block and already I’m equal parts astonished and terrified. It’s Day 14 on The Block. I know it, … Read more

MKR Episode Nine: The Dads of Wall Street

Finally we got to explore the inner boardrooms of Corporate Dads Aaron and Josh. Unsurprisingly, their instant restaurant was inside a giant yellow mansion with a massive swimming pool. Just goes to show, there’s a hell of a lot of dosh in sexy fertility vitamins. Their background video shows them crunching numbers in a café, wearing Red … Read more

What You Missed: Decision ’14 Leaders Debate

Last night John Campbell moderated John Key and David Cunliffe in an hour-long debate. They arrived in separate cars to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse building. Faced with the desolate dystopian setting, it seemed the only suitable podium for Campbell was a zig-zag of metal that had clearly travelled here from the future. Many of the important issues … Read more

MKR Episode Eight: Cuties Without a Cause

Young couple Jessie and Ricki (“The Christchurch Cuties”) were the hosts in this stormer of an episode. This pair always seemed mysterious, like there was more to them than just cuteness and Christchurch-ness. We all remember their well-timed decision to come out as a couple at the dinner table (causing the Corporate Dads to go into cardiac arrest). They have … Read more

Ain’t No Party Like a Minor Party: The Debate in Vines

The multi-party leaders debate aired on Saturday night on TV1. Hosking took to the podium with his standard halo back-lighting. Although the angelic effect paired with his twinkling wet eyes was breathtaking, it was not enough to distract from the fact that he had seriously downgraded his wardrobe. Swapping out the three-piece suit of the first debate … Read more

Shorty St Scandal is the only logical response to Ferndale

With all due respect to everything New Zealanders have achieved in art and commerce, no serious person disputes Shortland Street’s position as this country’s best ‘thing’. It’s older than Lorde, weirder than the Wizard of Christchurch and more ripped than Ma’a Nonu. It exists in this strange microclimate where there is only one bar and two cafés, where … Read more

MKR Episode Seven: Capers For Africa

In this episode we were dispatched to Lower Hutt, home of Ian and Sandy (aka “The Firefighter and his Flame”). There was much speculation about what Ian would be dishing up after his meat-aging-cauliflower-shaming opinions at the previous instant restaurant. It seemed pretty clear after seeing the pair at home cooking for their large family, as well … Read more

MKR Episode Six: Daddy’s Cooking The Jus

With the Bogans eliminated from Group One, this episode moved on to a whole new group of very loosely characterised teams. As anticipated, The “Corporate Dads” are the premiere dream comedy team, followed by “The Fireman and His Flame” (doesn’t seem like a real thing), rounding off with “The Christchurch Cuties” (who met at McDonalds). … Read more

MKR Episode Five: Fire and Icing Sugar

Finally, we get to see the inner sanctum of zany couple Tracey and Neil, aka Beauty and The Beast. It is perfect that they hail from Orewa, a beach town jam-packed with their exact brand of dated and cheesey charm (for example, an excellent clothing store called ‘Charisma Fashions’ which Tracey undoubtedly has shares in). The … Read more

MKR Episode Four: Cacao, I Am Your Father

This episode welcomed us into the chilly Dunedin love-nest of newlyweds Christie and Dan. Their background introduction video showed long-haired Dan playing in his band, and doting Christie watching from behind the amps. The duo seem to enjoy chilling out with beanie-wearing friends at home, and just generally being young and in love. Although there … Read more

MKR Episode Three: Put Something Weird On It

This episode invited audiences to, at long last, get better acquainted with the lovable heroes of the show: “Bogan Besties” June and Steph. Adorned with boob tube tops (featuring generic woman’s face) and bracelets made out of melted forks that can only be bought from a very specific type of crystal store, the pair seemed … Read more