NEED TO KNOW
- MasterChef fans became convinced Petro and Alyona were secretly dating after spotting a lengthy hug and several cosy behind-the-scenes photos.
- Alyona previously told WHO that she and Petro became “very close friends” during filming and have remained in contact since leaving the competition.
- Petro has now shut down the speculation, confirming there is no truth to the romance rumours and revealing the cast found the headlines entertaining.
MasterChef fans, you can put down the magnifying glasses and close the case.
After weeks of theories, lingering-hug analysis and some very suspicious editing, Petro Papathomas has finally addressed rumours that he and fellow contestant Alyona Iljuhhina struck up a secret romance during filming.
Unfortunately for anyone hoping MasterChef had produced its next Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary, Petro’s answer as to whether there was any truth to the rumours was incredibly decisive.
“No,” he told WHO. “Just entertaining headlines.”
Welp. That settles it.
While Petro may not have found love in the MasterChef kitchen, he admitted the cast had plenty of fun watching viewers attempt to solve the season’s biggest non-food-related mystery.
“We were all having a good laugh,” he said.
Are MasterChef’s Petro and Alyona dating?
Petro’s denial comes after Alyona previously told WHO that the pair became “very close friends” while filming the competition and had remained in contact.
“We spent a lot of time cooking together, talking about food and supporting each other through the whole MasterChef experience,” she said.
However, Alyona stopped short of explicitly denying the romance at the time, saying she was currently more focused on food than dating.
Naturally, that only gave the internet more ingredients to work with.
Petro has now removed any remaining ambiguity, confirming there was no secret relationship behind their close friendship.
When asked how he felt seeing the romance rumours turn into headlines, Petro admitted he found the entire situation “quite entertaining”.
No awkwardness, no dramatic confrontation and, sadly, no secret dates hidden between pressure tests.
Just a group chat having a very good laugh at our expense.
How did the Petro and Alyona romance rumours begin?
The mystery started when Annabel Lloyd made a cheeky comment during Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary’s appearances as guest judges.
The former contestants famously met while competing on MasterChef: Back to Win and have since welcomed twins.
After hearing their love story, Annabel suggested there could be a “future Sarah and Declan” among the 2026 cast — before claiming she wasn’t allowed to reveal any more.
That was all the encouragement fans needed.
Initial theories pointed towards Annabel and Vinnie Gibaldi, although that idea was quickly abandoned after it was confirmed that Vinnie was in a long-term relationship.
Attention then shifted to Petro and Alyona after viewers spotted the pair sharing a rather cosy embrace following her elimination.
Behind-the-scenes photos showing them regularly sitting together and interacting on social media only added more fuel to a fire that, as it turns out, didn’t actually exist.
Annabel later admitted her original comment had been a tongue-in-cheek joke and confirmed there was no secret couple.
“Sorry to put it to bed,” she told WHO.
Petro has now hammered the final nail into that bed. Case closed.
Petro responds to being called MasterChef’s ‘most eligible bachelor’
Although Luke Broderick didn’t help the romance speculation when he remained coy about Petro’s love life, he did give his roommate one rather flattering title.
Luke described Petro as the season’s “most eligible bachelor” — an endorsement Petro is more than happy to accept.
“Indeed, I’ve got a lot to thank him for,” he joked. “He really pumped my tyres up.”
The pair became close while filming and shared rooms during their time in the competition.
“Luke and I are really close,” said Petro. “We just got on like a house on fire.”
Unfortunately, living on opposite sides of the country has made it difficult for the friends to catch up since filming wrapped.
“It’s a shame he’s all the way in Perth because I don’t get to see him too much,” Petro added.
So, there was no secret Petro and Alyona romance after all. But between Luke playing wingman and announcing his eligibility to the nation, Petro may still have walked away with a fairly successful dating campaign.
Perhaps the real MasterChef love story was the bromance we found along the way.
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