Greek-Cypriot home cook Petro Papathomas is among the final three contestants left in MasterChef Australia 2026, after Casper was eliminated on Monday, 27 July. The remaining contestants — Petro, Aaron Kher and Vinnie Gibaldi — are now preparing for the semi-final as the competition enters its final stage. Petro Papathomas The latest elimination took place during the emotional “Letters from Home” challenge, in which each cook received encouraging messages from loved ones and prepared a dish featuring an ingredient chosen by family.
The challenge left few dry eyes in the kitchen. Petro’s journey Petro Papathomas, 30, from Victoria, is a chartered accountant with strong Greek-Cypriot roots. He developed his love of cooking by watching his mother Georgia and his grandmothers (yiayiades) Sophia and Christina.
He is particularly passionate about Greek and Mediterranean flavours and has spent years perfecting his halloumi recipe. His long-term dream is to open a Cypriot restaurant. Petro earned his place in the Top 3 earlier than the others after impressing guest judge Meghan Markle with a celeriac dessert that won him immunity.
Going into the semi-final, his approach is straightforward: “To try and keep calm and enjoy the experience.” The other finalists Aaron Kher, 32, also from Victoria, draws inspiration from his Malaysian-Chinese heritage and the cooking of his grandmother. He said his strategy for the semi-final is to cook dishes that truly represent his personal journey on the show. “Going into the semi-final, I just wanted to cook dishes that truly represented me and my journey on MasterChef,” Aaron told WHO.
“I wanted my food to reflect how much I’d grown throughout the competition… The only person I felt I had to beat was myself.” Vinnie Gibaldi, 25, a registered nurse from Victoria, grew up in a large Italian family where food was central to celebrations and connection. His father once ran a restaurant on Melbourne’s Lygon Street. Vinnie dreams of one day opening his own panini shop, “Vinnie’s Panini’s,” with everything made from scratch.
All three contestants have formed close bonds during the competition. Aaron noted that rather than competing against each other, it felt like they were “cooking with each other.” With only days remaining, Australian audiences will soon find out which of the three will be crowned MasterChef Australia 2026 champion — an…
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