Simon made his interest hard to miss during Angus and Simon's Instant Restaurant, from the nervous jokes to the desiccated-coconut love heart he placed on Deanne's dessert. Deanne has now given the possible match a very clear verdict.
Asked by Chattr whether the feeling was mutual, she replied: "Oh God, no!"
Deanne Says It Was All A Bit Of Fun
The South Australian contestant joked that she and Alisha may have leaned into Simon's attention when they needed "sympathy votes" around the table. She framed it as playful strategy, not a secret relationship.
Deanne said she eventually told Simon he was "not my type", although that exchange did not appear in the episode. She described the flirting as a bit of fun and stopped well short of suggesting anything continued once filming ended.
That settles the question left hanging after Simon first addressed the romance rumours. He had told New Idea that Deanne caught his eye and admitted he tried to charm her during dinner, while leaving the door open with a hopeful joke.
The Two Teams Still Found A Friendship
There may be no romance, but the two South Australian teams did get along. Alisha said she and Deanne loved Angus and Simon's humour, and the feeling appeared to be mutual.
The easy friendship also explains why the teasing took off so quickly. During the MKR dinner, Alisha immediately spotted Simon's special attention and asked whether a romance was beginning. The table did the rest.
Angus and Simon still finished their Instant Restaurant on 70 points, while Alisha and Deanne later scored 68 at Hot Mess. If Deanne's playful tactics earned anything extra from the boys, it was not enough to rewrite the leaderboard.
No secret couple, no off-screen love story, just one coconut heart, a crush that did not quite land and two teams who came out of the experience as friends.
