Kev Riley, known as the 'whisk man', became an internet meme after shoving a hand whisk into his mouth during his 2013 appearance on Come Dine With Me. He has now revealed that he was pranked into going on the show by a friend.
From Nightclub Owner to Meme
While preparing dessert on the Channel 4 show, Kev picked up a hand whisk and put the entire utensil into his mouth. The clip has been shared and memed countless times, turning Kev from a nervous first-time cook into an unlikely online celebrity.
Speaking on behalf of Buzz Bingo, Kev said he has embraced the fame: "I love it. It's one of those things. I've done it and lived with it."
Dealing with Fame
Kev said the reaction can be noticeable when he travels away from his home in Burnley, where people already know who he is. "When I'm out of town, people look at me as if they're saying, 'Where do I know him from?' Then it kicks in," he said. "Because Come Dine With Me has got a cult following."
He admitted he deliberately avoids reading comments online, having learned from his time running a nightclub that not everyone is going to like the same thing. "If you were to read all the comments and start getting into online battles with people who made a negative comment, you could probably say it was negative," he said. "But I don't read the comments at all."
The Prank That Started It All
Kev revealed he was pranked into going on the show by a friend who spotted an opportunity to put his name down on a casting clipboard in the town centre. At the time, Kev owned a nightclub and had a reputation for enjoying dining out, which his friend apparently thought made him the perfect candidate.
"My friend thought it'd be funny to put my name and number down on the form," Kev explained. "When the call came through, I was thinking it was a wind-up, so I went along with it. Then a couple of weeks later I got told, 'You've been successful. You're on the show.'"
It was only when a camera and sound crew turned up at his home that Kev realised the prank had gone much further than expected. "That was when I knew it was real," he said.
The application process itself had been surprisingly straightforward, involving just two phone calls before the production team visited his home. Kev admitted he did not feel he made the best impression when the crew arrived – particularly as he and his wife had had "a massive row" that morning. But despite his reservations, filming eventually went ahead three months later.
