image courtesy of Channel Ten

He took home $100,000 after beating Julia Taylor in the MasterChef finale with his seafood basket, but the biggest reward for Andy Allen, 24, is the “interesting” encounters with doting female fans: “I suppose it’s a good thing!” says the single apprentice electrician, who spills on his winning charms to WHO Magazine.

I’m open to love

I’m single. I had a girl come up to me recently when I was out who proceeded to confess her love for me. She wanted to marry me on the spot and she was dead serious. I didn’t know what to say! I suppose it’s a good thing, but I’ll have to sift through everyone to see which one I can pin down to being a decent normal person.

I’ll try anything once

In Italy, we tried coratella, which translates to the inside of a lamb - the heart, lung, sweet bread and liver - all in one dish. It was actually really tasty!

I love to socialise

The first normal thing I did after MasterChef was have more than two beers. We were restricted to two standards drinks a week in the house, so it was great to be around my friends and family and catch up over a quiet drink.

I like to keep fit

I thought I was going to be a sportsman. I played a lot of basketball until I was eighteen, however I probably should have taken it more seriously. Now that I look back, I suppose [quitting] was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was forced to look at other options.

I don’t manscape

My worst habit is letting my beard grow too long. I should really keep it in tact. I let it grow until someone goes, “Sheesh, what look are you going for?”

Happiness is life’s key ingredient

Being a sparky, I was never going to do it for the rest of my life and then I was thrown into the show. I’ve realized how cool it is [to follow your dreams]. I didn’t realize how much I loved cooking until I came on the show.

I’m ready for my next challenge

It’s the question on everyone’s lips - what am I going to do next? If I can incorporate travel and cooking, I would love to do that. I mean, [fellow contestant] Ben and I are defiantly going to do something together. We love cooking together and being around each other, so it would be stupid not to keep doing it!

To get up close with MasterChef’s favourite contestants and some of our biggest chefs, check out mastercheflive.com.au for details on the 2012 MasterChef Live experience, featuring MasterClasses and cooking shows, at the Horden Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries from October 5 - 7.