Victorian mushroom deaths: The Chase star forced to apologise for ill-timed joke about poisoning with food

The Chase star Mara Lejins made an awkward blunder on Monday night’s show when she made an ill-timed joke about poisoned food.

Lejins, 27, who goes by the nickname ‘The Smiling Assassin’ on the quiz show, joked she had put her boyfriend in hospital with her bad cooking.

While the episode was filmed weeks ago, its release was poorly timed after the mushroom poisoning case in Victoria. 

Erin Patterson hosted a July 29 lunch at her Leongatha home, in Victoria’s southeast 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 dished up by Ms Patterson.

The Chase star Mara Lejins made an awkward blunder on Monday night’s show when she made an ill-timed joke about poisoned food. Lejins, 27, who goes by the nickname ‘The Smiling Assassin’ on the quiz show, joked she had put her boyfriend in hospital with her bad cooking

His wife Heather, her sister Gail and husband Don Patterson all died after eating the toxic meal. 

The Chase star Mara made the unfortunate comment on the Channel Seven show as she went head-to-head with a contestant who loves to cook. 

‘I’m also an amazing chef and when my boyfriend gets out of hospital he’ll definitely back me up. I didn’t do it!’ she laughed.

Mara took to Instagram the following day to address the awkward blunder.

Sharing a screenshot of a news headline about the situation, Mara wrote: ‘I promise this episode was filmed before the Death Cap debacle.’ 

While the episode was filmed weeks ago, its release was poorly timed after the mushroom poisoning case in Victoria . Erin Patterson hosted a July 29 lunch at her Leongatha home, in Victoria’s southeast 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 investigation by police after mushrooms she served at the family lunch are suspected of fatally poisoning three guests and leaving another fighting for life

She is said to have invited to the meal estranged husband Simon Patterson, his parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and husband Ian, 68.

Simon pulled out of the July 29 lunch at the last minute but Gail, Tom and Heather were dead in a week and Ian remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Daily Mail Australia doesn’t suggest Erin tried to poison Simon or her four guests. 

On Tuesday, a tradesman has claimed he took a photo of a so-called ‘death wall’ covered in grisly scrawled images and warnings inside the former house of Ms Patterson.

Mara took to Instagram the following day to address the awkward blunder. Sharing a screenshot of a news headline about the situation, Mara wrote: ‘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 home occupied by Erin and Simon Patterson and their two high school-age children in the Gippsland town of Korumburra, 15km from Leongatha.

The tradesman said he was tasked with removing the imagery and words last year because the couple was preparing to sell the property, which fetched a price of $545,000 last August.

The images, which Daily Mail Australia has seen, include pictures of grave stones and bizarre scribbles with themes of death and destruction drawn in black and red ink – the latter used to symbolise blood.

The gaffe came before the most recent update in the ‘Death Cap debacle’ which saw Victorian Erin Patterson allegedly poison her in-laws by accident 

MUSHROOM POISONING: A TIMELINE OF EVENTS 

Saturday, July 29

Don and Gail Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson (a pastor) gather at Erin Patterson’s home in Leongatha, north-east of Melbourne, for lunch and east her beef wellington

Erin’s two children go to the movies 

Sunday, July 30

Erin’s children eat leftover beef wellington but with the mushrooms scraped off.

All four lunch guests present to hospital feeling ill. It is initially thought they have gastro. 

As their condition deteriorates, they are transferred to hospitals in Melbourne. 

Erin also goes to hospital.

Monday, July 31

Erin is transferred to a hospital in Melbourne, where she is treated for poisoning

Friday, August 4

Gail and Heather die in hospital.

Police find Erin’s food dehydrator dumped at a tip 

Saturday, August 5

Don dies in hospital. Police search Erin Patterson’s home in Leongatha and seize a number of items.

Sunday, August 6

Police are seen returning to Erin’s home to question her. She is heard wailing loudly from inside the house before the four officers leave.

Monday, August 7 

Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad, Dean Thomas, confirms Erin is being treated as a person of interest in the case.

However, he says the investigation is still in its early stages and it is yet to be determined if the deaths are suspicious. 

A short time later, Erin breaks her silence and speaks to reporters outside the home. She says she is devastated and ‘loves’ the four relatives who came to her home. She denies any wrongdoing but does not answer questions where the mushrooms came from, who picked them or what meal she made for her guests.

Tuesday, August 8

In a bizarre twist, Simon Patterson was revealed to have suffered from a mysterious Stomach illness in June, 2022. He fell into a coma and was in ICU for 21 days. His case is yet to be explained by doctors.

Forensic testing is underway to find any traces of death cap mushroom on the food dehydrator. Police believe it was used during preparation of the meal.

Wednesday, August 9

Daily Mail Australia reveals that Simon Patterson was expected to attend the lunch, but pulled out at the last minute 

Thursday, August 10

Erin Patterson tells reporters she is driving to Melbourne to see her lawyers. A representative from the legal firm later arrives at her house to hand deliver a letter, but she is not home.

Friday August 11: Erin Patterson provides a lengthy written statement to police

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