The secret is out and mum’s no longer the word.

The final five was not supposed to be revealed on Masterchef until next Sunday night.

But Maitland is buzzing with talk about Allen’s success and the Mercury has been collecting information from around the city.

The hunky young Allen, who is an electrician and Mustangs basketballer, developed a passion for food and cooking while living at home with his parents.

Allen has returned from a MasterChef stint in Italy and all the while has gained the admiration of women (and some men if Twitter is anything to go by) who are swooning and drooling as he heats up the MasterChef kitchen on Channel 10.

The show continues to be a huge ratings winner.

On Monday night, despite the launch of the highly-promoted new series The Shire on a rival channel, MasterChef attracted 1.355 million viewers across the Hunter region.

Allen is the son of East Maitland couple Peter and Maree Allen, who have been sworn to secrecy, and despite their son’s success, have refused to confirm or deny Mercury requests on their son’s progress.

Allen has been a steady favourite on MasterChef with his cooking style and has fans lining up to meet him.

But he remains single and modest about his success.

The Allen family is proud of their son’s achievements and are as close as always with their son.

Meanwhile dad Peter, a primary school teacher, confirmed he has booked his son for an appearance at Bolwarra Public School when the MasterChef series is complete.

Students and parents are already excited about Allen’s guest spot. It is all part of the school’s health and lifestyle program to encourage children to grow their own food and cook with it.