Victorian mushroom deaths: The Chase star has to apologize for an ill-timed joke about food poisoning
Chase star Mara Lejins made an awkward gaffe on Monday night’s show when she made an ill-timed joke about poisoned food.
Lejins, 27, nicknamed “The Smiling Assassin” on the quiz show, joked that she had put her boyfriend in the hospital because of her poor cooking skills.
Although the episode was filmed weeks ago, its release was ill-timed after the mushroom poisoning in Victoria.
Erin Patterson hosted a July 29 luncheon at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria’s southeastern Gippsland region, and three of her relatives by marriage died of suspected mushroom poisoning, while a fourth man remains in a coma.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only person to survive the poisonous beef wellington served up by Mrs Patterson.
Chase star Mara Lejins made an awkward gaffe on Monday night’s show when she made an ill-timed joke about poisoned food. Lejins, 27, who is nicknamed ‘The Smiling Assassin’ on the quiz show, joked that she had put her boyfriend in the hospital because of her poor cooking skills
His wife Heather, her sister Gail and husband Don Patterson all died after eating the poisonous meal.
The Chase star Mara made the unfortunate comment on the Channel Seven show when she was up against a contestant who loves to cook.
‘I’m also a great chef and when my boyfriend comes out of the hospital he’ll definitely support me. I did not do it!’ she laughed.
Mara took to Instagram the next day to address the awkward blunder.
Mara shared a screenshot of a news headline about the situation, writing, “I promise this episode was filmed before the Death Cap debacle.”
Although the episode was filmed weeks ago, its release was ill-timed after the mushroom poisoning in Victoria. Erin Patterson hosted a July 29 luncheon at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria’s southeastern Gippsland region, and three of her relatives by marriage died of suspected mushroom poisoning, while a fourth man remains in a coma.
Meanwhile, Ms. Patterson is currently under police investigation after mushrooms she served at the family lunch are suspected of fatally poisoning three guests and leaving another to fight for life
She allegedly invited estranged husband Simon Patterson, his parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and husband Ian, 68, to the meal.
Simon pulled out of the July 29 luncheon at the last minute, but Gail, Tom and Heather were dead within a week and Ian is still in critical condition in hospital.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Erin tried to poison Simon or her four guests.
On Tuesday, a trader claimed to have taken a photo of a so-called ‘death wall’ covered in gruesomely scribbled images and warnings at Ms Patterson’s former home.
Mara took to Instagram the next day to address the awkward blunder. Mara shared a screenshot of a news headline about the situation, writing, “I promise this episode was filmed before the Death Cap debacle”
A tradesman came forward to say he was paid to remove disturbing graffiti from an interior wall of a house occupied by Erin and Simon Patterson and their two high school-aged children in the Gippsland town of Korumburra, 15 km from Leongatha.
The trader said he was tasked with removing the images and words last year as the pair prepared to sell the property, which fetched $545,000 last August.
The images, seen by Daily Mail Australia, include images of headstones and bizarre scribbles with themes of death and destruction drawn in black and red ink – the latter symbolizing blood.
The blunder came before the most recent update in the ‘Death Cap debacle’ in which Victorian Erin Patterson allegedly accidentally poisoned her in-laws