If you thought we were done with the MasterChef secret romance rumours, think again. While we’re obsessed with the hit reality cooking show for many reasons — the talent, the friendship, the insane challenges — its wholesome nature probably takes the cake, and what’s more wholesome than a love story?
After guest judges Declan Cleary and Sarah Todd (and their twin babies) sparked a cheeky comment from top five contestant Annabel Lloyd about a possible MasterChef love story brewing this season, fans were immediately invested.
Fans initially suspected that Annabel and Vinnie were together, but this was debunked after it was revealed that Vinnie is in a long-term relationship (with a partner who encouraged him to apply for the show).
However, after some cheeky camera work and an even sneakier edit in post-production, viewers firmly set their sights on Alyona and Petro.
Alyona spoke to WHO about the romance rumours, saying she and Petro “became very close friends during the competition” and have “stayed in close contact since”.
While her response wasn’t exactly a yes, it also wasn’t a no, either.
Either way, as fans continue to search for more clues while Petro battles it out in the final days of the competition, WHO went to the next closest source to Petro himself, his MasterChef roommate and best friend, Luke.
If anyone’s going to know about Petro’s secret romance, surely it’s him.
Luke’s response to the rumours was coy, but telling
When asked what he thought about the rumours of a brewing romance this season, Luke said that it’s been “quite funny listening to all of the rumours”.
“We take it as a compliment,” he said. “The fact that there have been rumours [about a secret romance] just speaks to how close we all were. But no, if there was a rumour, I would have no idea who it is [about].”
When pressed about whether there was a romance between Alyona and Petro, Luke simply replied, “I wouldn’t know”.
While we respected his diplomatic answer, what we loved more was how he then went on to hype up his roommate — but not without throwing a jab in there too.
“He’s a lovely guy,” he said. “He’s probably the most eligible bachelor in Australia.
“You know what my dad said after [my elimination episode]?” Luke confessed. “He said, ‘There’s one thing a girl likes, and it’s a man who can cry.'”
Spot on, Mr Harris.
Earlier in the season, Petro shed tears of joy during an immunity cook when he successfully prepared a complex charred corn ice cream and received positive feed back from the judges.
However, Luke didn’t dwell too long on Petro’s redeeming qualities.
When asked about some of the funny stories he collected of his roommate throughout the show, he did not hold back (in true best mate fashion).
“You know what’s funny about Petro? He gets self-proclaimed post-food depression,” he said. “Where if he has a bad meal, he’s in quite a bad mood.
“He says to himself, if he has a bad meal, he’ll ruin his whole day.”
Luke and Petro’s friendship is the true secret MasterChef romance
After Luke’s elimination, Petro posted a heartfelt message on Instagram in tribute to the young cook, ending his message with a very sweet sentiment: “I know you might have four brothers, but you’re my only one”.
Luke gushed about what this message meant to him, explaining they “got on like a house on fire”.
“I must say that post that he put up was a shock,” he said. “I mean, obviously I’ve had a lot of private messages and comments from people reaching out, but that probably takes the cake.
“We got along really well from day one, and it was funny… We would notice new things about perhaps the way we were – you know, different cultural backgrounds, different states, different ages – but everything we said about each other was like, ‘Oh, that’s so funny, that’s like me.'”
Luke added: “That’s probably what got me so far, that people were willing to look out for me, which I really appreciate.”
This bond was also noticed by Luke’s family.
“I think the best comment on [Petro’s] post was my brother’s,” he said. “He said, ‘My guy, thanks for taking care of the youngest bro for us. We love you king.'”
“I thought that was a very sweet message and that summarised a lot of the competition and that a lot of the contestants looked after me.”
Well, now we’re tearing up!
It turns out that in our search for answers to the MasterChef secret romance rumours, maybe the real love story is between Luke and Petro.
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