MasterChef Australia 2026 is right at the pointy end, and there are only three contestants left in the race to be crowned the winner of this season. But has the winner already been leaked ahead of the finale?
Fans have weighed in on who they think will take out the title, and one contestant has emerged as the clear favourite. It’s someone who’s consistently impressed the judges with standout cooks throughout the season.
According to a Facebook poll, viewers believe that Petro will take out the crown and win MasterChef Australia 2026.
“Petro, he is by far the best and has a wonderful nature,” one person commented. Some others agreed that it seemed like Petro would win, but admitted they hoped Aaron would triumph in the final moments.
“Petro is a fabulous cook. However, he’s only been in one pressure test throughout the competition. That might work against him. I’d like Aaron to win. If not him, then Petro,” one wrote.
“I’m saying Petro but I’d love it to be Aaron,” another penned.
Casper spilled to Chattr his theory on the MasterChef Australia top two
On Monday night’s MasterChef, Casper narrowly missed out on the top three in a challenge where he missed the mark with a grape-heavy dish inspired by his parents.
In an interview with Chattr about the final three, he made it clear that he believed the strongest cooks left were Vinnie and Petro, saying they’re his pick for the top two.
“I would love to see a little Lygon Street showdown between Petro and Vinny, and that one could go either way. They’ve had so much growth across the competition. I think Aaron started with a really good base and has definitely learned along the way,” he said.
“But when you look at Vinnie, he was in that first pressure test, he was in the first three eliminations, and now in that run to the finals week, he won two immunities there — that’s some pretty incredible growth. And Petro’s had a very similar story. I think seeing them show what they’ve learned across the season would be great.”
Despite some fans claiming Petro has it in the bag, Casper doesn’t think it’s so clear-cut. “He’s very driven and locked in. You can tell he’s a competitive guy for sure. But you know, I think people thought Dot would be the winner or Pat — they were very strong cooks, and they probably had momentum before Petro had it. I think it really is anyone’s game.”
As far as the top three’s biggest strengths, Casper said they all have different assets. “Petro has a really refined palate, and he’s not afraid to make some big crazy flavour combinations. Vinny is a very strong, all-around cook, he has some good desserts — he’s got good cooking DNA. Aaron has a really great base and is very delicate. He presents dishes well, whereas the others have maybe more rustic plating, but that probably goes back to their heritage,” Casper admitted.
“They peak in different areas of their skill sets. It’s going to be interesting to see how that sets them up for semis and grand finale.”
Another telling sign suggests that Vinnie could win
There’s another subtle clue from the very beginning of the season that suggests Vinnie could be crowned the MasterChef Australia winner.
When introducing the cast, producers need to help viewers connect with the eventual winner, but they also don’t want to make the result too obvious by giving them the most screen time.
By episode nine, Vinnie had appeared in 20 interview segments, while Petro had featured in just 14. We could be reading too much into it, but 14 confessionals doesn’t seem like a lot of screen time for someone who goes on to win MasterChef Australia, does it?
Did Annabel give away the winner in an interview with Chattr?
In an interview with Chattr, Annabel pointed out that the winner normally shows a lot of growth during their MasterChef journey, and said she thinks Vinnie could be the winner for this reason.
“Vinnie, because he’s improved the most out of anyone. I think if you look back, a lot of the people who win are the ones who’ve come the furthest,” she told Chattr in an exclusive interview.
However, she added that all four of the remaining cooks are extremely talented, and she believes any of them could take out the win.
“Honestly. I would be happy with any— Aaron, Petro, Casper, or Vinny. These guys are all legends and they’re all awesome cooks. So yeah, it’s anyone’s game!”
Was the MasterChef winner leaked correctly in 2025?
Spoilers about who wins MasterChef Australia drop regularly, and they have often been right. Last year’s grand final was between Laura Sharrad and Callum Hann, and we received a major hint about the leaked winner from none other than judge Andy Allen himself.
When Chattr first spoke to judge Andy at the start of MasterChef Australia, did he give a very big hint that the MasterChef winner leaked?
“I just can’t help but single out Laura, who’s a new mum. She had a six-month-old baby when she walked back into the kitchen this year; she’s got businesses,” Andy told Chattr.
“For her to drop everything, and just for that, probably, last chance of lifting that trophy, just goes to show after 17 seasons, where we’re still going strong, which is lovely.”
Andy judged Laura during his first season as a MasterChef judge back in Season 12, and he recalled how close she was to winning the title. “If it wasn’t for an icy Jerusalem artichoke ice cream, then she may have come out on top,” he said.
On top of that, Former MasterChef producer Alexandria Funnell took to TikTok to answer common questions she’s been asked about the show, and dropped another big clue — which pointed to Laura taking out the competition.
“One little tidbit for this season is I know somebody, well, I know a few people that are currently working on it, and they told me that people will not be happy with the winner,” Alexandra revealed.
One of the biggest indicators of who will win a season is usually betting odds. According to Sportsbet, their last published odds had Laura tipped as the winner with odds of $5.00. Fan favourite Callum was tipped with the next highest odds at $10.00, which turned out to be correct.
Who won MasterChef Australia 2025?
Eliminated contestant Andre Ursini believed both Callum and Laura had what it takes to go all the way.
“It’s pretty hard to win MasterChef. You need to be good at everything. There’s so many different aspects to it — you need to be good at team challenges, which require a certain skill set. You need to be good at your single dishes, individual dishes, which is another skill set. And you need to be good at following recipes and Pressure Tests,” Andre told Chattr.
“Callum and Laura are top level at all of the aspects of MasterChef… [but] for me, a dark horse is Depinder,” he reveals. “Everyone who’s a good game player in MasterChef has their own angle at MasterChef. And it was quite interesting for me to sit back and watch their angles, because I didn’t have one. I just went [to] create chaos and have fun.”
Turns out our suspicions were correct, and Laura Sharrad was crowned the winner.
Now, only time will tell if we are also correct about this year’s leaked winner.
Watch MasterChef Australia Sunday to Wednesday on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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