We are almost at the end of the 2026 season of MasterChef Australia, but already we’re thinking about who could be the next winner.
How? Well, for years, fans have looked at the betting odds to try and predict who will win. Plus, I’ve watched every single episode of this season and scoured the internet for fan theories.
Now that we are nearing the top five, fans are pretty certain of who will be crowned 2026’s MasterChef.
Last season, fans correctly guessed that Laura Sharrad would win. The year before, Nat Thaipun led the pack with the most favourable odds of winning. And she ended up taking out the top prize. Plus, in 2023, fans used betting odds to correctly predict the MasterChef winner. As soon as the 2023 season started, betting agencies had Brent Draper with the most favourable odds of winning, and he did win.
The names that come up a lot on online forums are Annabel for her creativity, Casper for his consistent technical prowess, and Aaron for her expert handling of complex flavours.
However, of the remaining contestants, Pat and Petro have taken out the top dish plenty of times. The judges also chose Pat’s Anzac ice cream to be stocked in Coles around Australia. Plus, both he and Petro won top prizes: Petro won a $5,000 voucher for LG, and Pat won a $10,000 travel voucher and $5000 for a new kitchen. Petro was quietly succeeding in the background until midway through this season. Then he started winning challenges back to back.
Sadly, in episode 51, Larrikin Luke knocked Pat out of the challenge! But he was happy to go home to his girls.
Annabel is the last woman standing after Alyona left in episode 47. She has proven herself capable of staying calm under pressure. Plus, her dishes often end up in the top dish round-up.
A dark horse winner would be Luke, the youngest competitor with the confidence to make it all the way. I could only see him faltering on a dish technicality. He can focus when needed but does tend to go off the rails in non-elimination challenges.
Obviously, though, only time will tell who takes out the MasterChef title this year…
There’s no official word on when the finale of MasterChef 2026 will take place. However, it normally ends around mid-August (last year the finale took place on 12 August). Plus, The Traitors is premiering on Channel Ten on Tuesday, 4 August, so this season may wrap the week before.
Watch MasterChef Australia on Channel Ten or 10play.
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