Newly married Sam Ciaravolo, hot frontrunner in hit TV show MasterChef, has found himself at the centre of controversy after appearing on the show with an obvious lovebite on his neck – despite contestants supposedly being isolated from their loved ones.

Melbourne boy Sam, 24, who insists he is no love cheat, set tongues wagging when he appeared on screen sporting the telltale mark after a weekend in Sydney with former contestants Kate Rodrigues, 20, and Josh Catalano, 25.

Speculation about the origin of the hickey has been inflamed by the apparent chemistry between Sam and Kate, amid talk of a love triangle.

"I think before I left the house people had already started to talk about the vibe between Kate and Sam," Josh tells Woman's Day.

When Woman's Day investigated the mystery of the hickey, Josh insisted it was he who gave Sam the bite in a deliberate attempt to "stir the pot".

"We were partying and we had a few drinks," he says. "We were mucking around when we got back to the hotel and I ended up giving Sam the hickey."

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