Pete Stefanovic’s very awkward welcome home after he is pranked on Today

AS far as welcome home celebrations go, it was a bit of an awkward one. But that was entirely the point. And the only person more embarrassed than Pete was his girlfriend Sylvia Jeffreys.

AS far as welcome home celebrations go, it was a bit of an awkward one.

But that was entirely the point.

We can only assume serial prankster Karl Stefanovic was behind the awkward greeting his brother Pete received when he arrived at Sydney airport this morning.

Got got this morning. Well played, Karlito. Return fire will be coming ; ) @karlstefanovic

— Peter Stefanovic (@peterstefanovic) February 26, 2015

Pete’s face sums up the awkwardness.

As Pete, Nine’s foreign correspondent of almost eight years, walked into the arrivals hall, he was unexpectedly greeted with a brass band, lifesavers, balloons and a crowd of people waving posters and cheering for him.

“My brother Pete has been overseas for what seems like 80 years,” Karl said on The Today Show before the surprise, “when it’s been a little over seven and a half, nearly eight years travelling the world as a dashing foreign correspondent for Nine news.”

Karl was left crying with laughter, while the only person more embarrassed than Pete, was girlfriend Sylvia.

Karl added that he asked for the morning off to be at the airport to give him a big cuddle, but his boss said “no”.

So because there’s more than one way to skin a cat, Karl arranged for some other people to meet him.

And Pete was more than a little surprised at the reception.

Pete Stefanovic arrives, escorted by Qantas staff.

With a visibly confused look on his face, Pete was then approached by a Nine camera crew and asked if he was excited to see girlfriend and fellow Today co-host Sylvia Jeffreys, only for the seasoned reporter to become embarrassed and reply: “Yeh, yeh, yeh, I’m just a bit overwhelmed at the moment.”

While “Mmm, this is nice,” was all he could muster.

Karl, of course, was left crying tears of laughter at the prank.

Welcome back, Pete.

The rousing reception.