For weeks he has been rumoured as the man who wins Sophie Monk’s heart on The Bachelorette.
And on Sunday, another cryptic clue was dropped as a handful of contestants met for a reunion at one of Stu Laundy’s pubs.
The publican was absent from the drinking session at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, in Sydney’s east, which prompted Bachelorette bad boy Ryan Jones to question his whereabouts.
Where’s Stu? The Bachelorette boys hang out at rumoured winner Stu Laundy’s pub for a Sunday session… but he is noticeably absent
The recently-eliminated ‘villain’ posted a shot of James Trethewie, Jefferson De La Rosa, Pete de Gail, Luke McLeod and Sam Cochrane looking like the best of friends to his Instagram.
‘When your crews (sic) on point!’ Ryan captioned the post.
‘Where is @stulaundy44,’ he then questioned, before including the hashtags ‘#atstuspub’ and ‘#bacheloretteau.’
Stu, 44, is currently Sportsbet’s favourite to win the show.
His decision to not partake in the drinking session with fellow contestants – despite it being at his own pub – will only add to speculation that he is now dating Sophie.
Rumours gaining momentum: For weeks Stu has been rumoured as the man who wins Sophie Monk’s heart on The Bachelorette
The post comes after Stu made his debut on The Bachelorette on Wednesday, when producers all but confirmed the show’s result when they dropped a major clue in post-production.
Fans familiar with the TV franchise will recognise Stu was given the ‘winner’s theme’ upon his arrival – a musical motif which is known to signal the contestant’s eventual victory.
In fact, the slow, heavenly strings which accompanied Stu’s entrance via helicopter and first meeting with Sophie earlier this week have appeared before.
The same musical track was playing when Alex Nation first met Richie Strahan on The Bachelor last year. She later won the series although the relationship didn’t last.
Fuel to the fire! Stu’s decision to not partake in the drinking session with fellow contestants – despite it being held at his own pub – will add to the speculation that he is now dating Sophie
Major clue? Fans familiar with the TV franchise will recognise Stu was given the ‘winner’s theme’ upon his arrival – a musical motif known to signal the contestant’s eventual victory
And a similar, but not identical, instrumental song was heard in the first series of The Bachelorette in 2015 when winner Sasha Mielczarek greeted Sam Frost.
And just like Sasha, Stu’s musical introduction was accompanied by a sincere voice over where the contestant spoke about his desire to find lasting love.
These signals would appear to confirm rumours that Stu – a wealthy ‘playboy publican’ who knew Sophie before the show – indeed takes out the competition.
Meanwhile, other Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants’ entrance music ranges from upbeat dance music to comical tones that accentuate their quirks.
These soundtracks usually suggest the participant will not progress in the series.
A giveaway? The same combination of strings, chimes and piano played a sentimental melody when Alex Nation (right) first met Richie Strahan (left) on The Bachelor last year
It’s all in the music! As Alex turned a corner and locked eyes with Richie for the first time, the music kicked up a notch
History repeats itself! A similar, but not identical, instrumental song was heard in the first series of The Bachelorette in 2015 when winner Sasha Mielczarek greeted Sam Frost
Frontrunner: Apart from the entrance music being in his favour, the odds are also signalling a victory for Stu this season, according to bookmakers Sportsbet