Midway through MasterChef Australia 2026, rumours of a secret romance between two contestants began swirling after Annabel Lloyd appeared to hint that one had blossomed behind the scenes.
During the episode that aired on June 29, which featured former contestants Declan and Sarah with their newborn twins, Annabel made the comment in a producer-led interview.
“This is wild that they both were on Back to Win and met and fell in love and have twins. Like that is the cutest thing; that’s the most beautiful story I’ve ever heard in my life. Is there anyone in our comp that could be future Sarah and Declan? I’m not allowed to say,” she said in an interview at the time.
After weeks of speculation, with some fans pairing her with Vinnie due to the fact they wore similar necklaces, and then others assuming it was Alyona and Petro after their hug lingered when she was eliminated, Annabel has come clean about the mysterious romance in an interview with Chattr.
“People who don’t know me — which is obviously a lot of the people who are watching this — [don’t know] I am like very jokey, cheeky person, and it’s just like a lot of banter, and so I may have just like accidentally just put my foot in it and just sort of been cheeky more towards Declan and Sarah, and then that’s been like taken with and run,” she told Chattr.
Annabel sadly confirmed that there’s no romance this season, and said the cast are all just close friends.
“But seeing the like online commentary about the supposed romance has been absolutely hilarious. It’s such a laugh. We’ve got a big group chat, and we’re like, ‘Oh my god!’ Firstly, I’m linked with Petro, then I’m linked with Vinny, and then no, it’s Casper… It’s just like hilarious rereading all of the [commentary]. But no, there’s no Declan and Sarah. I’m really sorry.”
Annabel quashes the ‘chilli necklace’ romance theory between her and Vinnie
One of the strongest theories in the MasterChef 2026 relationship-gate was that the romance was between Annabel and Vinnie because of matching chilli necklaces that eagle-eyed viewers had spotted.
“Since the beginning I thought Annabel and Vinnie had something going on, especially since they were both wearing a little red chilli pepper on a chain,” one person wrote on Facebook.
However, Annabel has completely quashed the theory, revealing that her and Vinnie’s charms are different.
“When it was like, it’s Annabel and Vinnie, he wears a chilli, they both have chillis around their necks, I was like damnit mine’s not even a chilli, but I was like wow, you guys are really good at this [sleuthing],” she laughed.
While there might not be a MasterChef romance this year, Annabel said she was surprised by the strong bonds the cast formed over the season.
“I have heard reports that we are the closest cast they’ve ever had,” she said. “I feel so lucky that I get to be a part of this.”
MasterChef Australia airs Sunday – Wednesday on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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