In a revelation that has rocked fans of MasterChef Australia, two contestants from the hit reality show have spilled the beans on their hush-hush romance, and it’s sending shockwaves across social media. Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary—familiar faces from the high-stakes Back To Win season—have broken their silence on a secret love affair that brewed behind the cameras and blossomed into a real-life relationship.
Now officially a couple, Sarah and Declan have confirmed they’ve already taken the huge step of living together, a move that has left viewers gasping. Their relationship reportedly started simmering behind the scenes, with Declan telling Stellar Magazine that their connection was “instantaneous.” According to him, “We instantly got along,” adding that their closeness only deepened as filming progressed.
But the moment that changed everything came in the heat of competition—quite literally. When 38-year-old Sarah faced an intense elimination round, Declan’s emotions reached a boiling point. He decided to drop a bombshell of his own.
“As she’s walking into the elimination [challenge], I said, ‘Sarah, can I ask you something? Would you like to go on a date with me?’” Declan recalled. “And she just looked at me and said, ‘You’re a bloody idiot.’”
While his timing may have been questionable, his boldness wasn’t in vain. Sarah later admitted that once the dust settled, she saw things differently.
“After I got through the stress of the elimination and had a couple of days to recover, I realised it made sense,” she confessed.
That moment marked the beginning of their romance, which has since turned into a full-blown relationship. Their first date was far from ordinary—a romantic getaway to the breathtaking Grampians National Park in Victoria. From shopping at local markets to intimate dinners at scenic restaurants and leisurely strolls in the lush highlands, the weekend sealed their bond.
Since then, the pair has taken things up a notch. Declan has relocated from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Melbourne, bringing along his beloved dog Sol to join Sarah and her 14-year-old son, Phoenix. It’s a major life change that signals this isn’t just a TV fling—it’s the real deal.
But just as viewers were digesting this romantic surprise, another storm was brewing in the MasterChef universe.
A suspicious promotional poster for the Back To Win season stirred up chaos online, sparking theories that the winner may have been accidentally revealed. Posted on 10Play, the streaming platform for the network, the image included several contestants who had already been eliminated. One eagle-eyed Reddit user ignited the frenzy, posting a screenshot with the caption:
“Has anyone noticed how many contestants on this advert for MasterChef on 10Play app has already been eliminated??”
They pointed out that Darsh, Steph, Sav, and Tim—who featured prominently in the promo—were no longer in the competition. “Could this be a sign?” they asked, before predicting who might be axed next: “Maybe Laura and Declan will be out the door soon too??”
That speculation triggered a torrent of responses. Some fans speculated the images were chosen before filming ended, while others argued the network simply used the most recognizable faces for promotional purposes.
“Think someone mentioned it already but by the time they made this ad, they haven’t finished their filming. Thus they just put random people on the pic,” one user noted.
Another chimed in, “I think they just use whoever is most popular / easy to attract viewers rather than based on who makes it far. Steph has a huge IG following so makes sense why she’s front and centre.”
Despite the spoiler theories and elimination chatter, it’s the unexpected love story of Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary that’s truly stolen the spotlight—turning a cooking competition into a real-life recipe for romance.
