Every MasterChef Australia fan knows about Back To Win‘s Declan Cleary and Sarah Todd’s adorable romance after meeting on the show, but there are some hints that two MasterChef Australia 2026 contestants have followed in their footsteps and struck up a secret romance of their own.
While no romantic relationship from this season has been officially confirmed, during the episode that aired on June 29, which featured Declan and Sarah with their newborn twins, Annabel gushed about their relationship and seemed to imply there was another budding romance on the current season.
“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 laughed.
While the potential new couple’s romance is still under wraps, a fan noticed some clues that could reveal who it involves.
Petro and Alyona
The emotional goodbye hug between Petro and Alyona after Alyona was eliminated in the November 8 episode raised eyebrows among fans, with many convinced there could be more to their relationship than friendship. Some viewers even speculated the pair looked like they were about to kiss before the cameras cut away.
“They nearly had a pash at the end of her presentation… camera moved very quickly,” they wrote.
“Yes I saw that and thought they were going to kiss too. Not sure, but I think they are all a really close knit bunch,” another penned.
A third person doubled down that the hug looked more than friendly.
“They are definitely an item, that hug lasted way too long, it was more of a lovers embrace,” they wrote. Another said: “Thought there is something between them for a little while, the way he looks at her more so, but she does as well.”
To add more fuel to the fire, Alyona is following Petro’s sister Sophia on Instagram, which could imply that she’s met the fam already!
Verdict: While it’s all speculation for now, Petro and Alyona are our frontrunners for the mystery MasterChef romance.
Annabel and Vinnie
Some eagle-eyed fans thought it’s Annabel Lloyd and Vinnie Gibaldi as the contestants who had quietly struck up a romance during filming.
“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.
Upon closer inspection, the Facebook user was right, and both Annabel and Vinnie can be seen multiple times throughout the season wearing necklaces with a little chilli charm on them.
On top of that, both Annabel and Vinnie’s Instagram pages are littered with cute behind-the-scenes photos of them together, adding even more weight to the romance rumours.
However, while Annabel and Vinnie would certainly make a cute couple, they’re just friends. Vinnie is actually already in a happy relationship, so the jury is still out on who exactly this year’s showmance is between.
Verdict: The mystery romance isn’t between Annabel and Vinnie.
How many MasterChef romances have there been?
Not including this season’s new couple — which is still TBC — there have only been two romantic relationships that have been made public knowledge out of the 18 seasons of MasterChef Australia.
Of course, there’s the previously mentioned Sarah and Declan, who met on MasterChef 2025, which was filmed in 2024, and she gave birth to their twins the following Christmas Eve.
But, there’s also Chris Badenoch and Julia Jenkins who met during the first season and began dating after filming wrapped.
Their relationship initially raised eyebrows because of their 18 year age gap, and the fact that Chris had a girlfriend when he filmed his season. However, their relationship has stood the test of time and the couple are still together and got married in August 2013.
Could this mystery couple be the next Declan and Sarah or Chris and Julia? We hope so!
MasterChef Australia airs Sunday 7pm and Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.
