Olivia Attwood's Cooking Show Goes Off the Rails: The Fallout in Her Feud with Maura Higgins

IN the competitive world of reality television, a star’s fortunes can change in the blink of an eye. And right now, it is a tale of two very different Love Island legends.

While Irish beauty is thriving across the pond as a star on US, her reality TV rival is feeling the heat.

Olivia Attwood’s new show The Heat is said to have descended into chaosCredit: ITV It’s the latest blow for the star, who has had a difficult few monthsCredit: Splash

I can reveal that Olivia’s highly anticipated new series was a disaster behind-the-scenes – and its star host was “nowhere to be seen”, according to my insiders.

The Heat, fronted by 34-year-old Olivia, finally hit our screens on and ITVX last night.

On paper, it had all the ingredients of a surefire smash hit.

Set against the sun-drenched, millionaire playground of the glamorous Port Vell Marina in Barcelona, the 10-part series follows 10 hungry young chefs battling it out.

Watching their every move is the fearsome former Hell’s Kitchen star, French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

But behind the glossy editing and Mediterranean drone shots, I can reveal that the ambitious show descended into chaos during filming in July last year.

According to set insiders, producers had already faced an uphill battle just to get bottoms on seats in the luxurious Spanish marina.

Despite the lure of television cameras and the promise of a free three-course meal crafted under the watchful eye of a Michelin-starred legend, the production team reportedly struggled to fill the pop-up restaurant.

For the brave diners who did agree to take part in the television experiment, the VIP experience quickly turned into a total farce.

Instead of being greeted with ice-cold, premium champagne as they basked in the scorching Barcelona heat, guests were handed “no-secco” – an alcohol-free alternative to Prosecco that did little to lift the spirits of the waiting (and very thirsty) crowd.

Diners were subjected to bizarre, lukewarm starters. The most baffling culinary offense of the night? A “traditional” Spanish omelette that was served devoid of its staple ingredient: potatoes.

As the hungry, baffled guests sat nursing their warm, alcohol-free fizz, the atmosphere in the dining room rapidly deteriorated.

‘Disaster zone’

A source said: “The diners waited for nearly two hours for their main courses while shouting and screaming could be heard from the kitchen.

“They didn’t even have any alcohol to keep them going – just some warm non-alcoholic Prosecco.

“There was even a hen-do who booked onto the experience, which ended up as a damp squib.”

While the dining room was full of hangry punters, the kitchen was rapidly turning into a disaster zone when a fire ripped through the cooking area, wrecking the expensive kitchen appliances.

The situation escalated and the entire restaurant had to be immediately evacuated.

Olivia’s rival’s career has gone from strengh to strengthCredit: Getty Maura is a host on Love Island US and has a huge following across the pondCredit: Getty

My source said: “All of the diners were starving after they were only served one measly starter and were then left standing on the street during the fire alarm.”

For Jean-Christophe Novelli, a proud perfectionist whose culinary empire is built on absolute precision, the humiliating public spectacle was simply too much to bear.

Forced to step out and face the music, the Michelin-starred chef had to personally apologise to the evacuated guests.

Jean-Christophe’s fury

“It was a huge disaster – Jean-Christophe had trusted one of the contestants as the head chef,” our set insider explained.

“It was Jean-Christophe’s name above the door, which meant he felt responsible for the diners having a bad experience.”

The young contestant who had been entrusted with the head chef duties that evening attempted to make amends with the furious Jean-Christophe.

But the pro, whose hard-earned reputation was on the line, gave the amateur cook short shrift.

“The young chef tried to apologise to Jean-Christophe but he was having none of it – and refused to even shake his hand,” my source revealed.

“Jean-Christophe told him to leave the premises, which was hugely embarrassing in front of the diners.”

Jean-Christophe was not impressed with the way things panned outCredit: Eroteme The chefs were let loose in the kitchen but didn’t seem to know what was going onCredit: Eroteme Diners were very unimpressed as they waited for their foodCredit: Eroteme

“The chef was clearly very upset and dramatically driven away in a golf buggy by producers,” the insider noted.

The nightmare didn’t end after the buggy ride. The fire meant that the entire production schedule was thrown into disarray for the days that followed.

My source said: “Other diners had to move their reservation to a different day because of the chaos at the restaurant.”

Yet, perhaps the most glaring issue during the entire ordeal was the absence of the show’s main star – Olivia Attwood.

‘Missing in action’

Olivia – who recently split from her footballer husband – has built a highly lucrative television career on her sharp tongue and is usually at the centre of any drama.

But when her flagship new series literally caught fire, the star was missing in action.

So as diners stood starving on the pavements of Port Vell Marina, the presenter was nowhere to be found.

“Despite this being Olivia’s new hit show, she was nowhere to be seen,” our source pointedly revealed.

The Sun revealed last August that former star Olivia would front the new cooking show.

ITV said: “This isn’t just a straight-forward cooking competition – each day when the kitchen service is over, the cameras keep rolling because when you’re living, working and competing with one another, there is no escaping The Heat.

“Viewers can expect post shift dates, staff nights out and more – blending both their professional and personal lives will see tempers simmer, steam and boil, in and outside of the kitchen.”

The chaotic scenes will be a bitter pill to swallow for Olivia, especially when contrasted with the soaring trajectory of her former Love Island peer turned nemesis.

Tension has brewed between the pair for years, and recently hit boiling point when Olivia complained Maura has been .

But while disaster struck Olivia’s Spanish Kitchen, has been praised for her scene-stealing turn on the American version of The Traitors, rubbing shoulders with US reality royalty, showcasing her high-fashion wardrobe, and counting Taylor Swift’s fiance among her fans.

But Olivia, who has earned millions as an ITV presenter following her 2017 Love Island stint, has a knack for coming out on top – and will surely be hoping her kitchen nightmare won’t prove a recipe for disaster.

Olivia has recently split from her husband Bradley DackCredit: ITV