kids encyclopedia robot

MasterChef Canada facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
MasterChef Canada
Genre Cookery / Reality competition / Food
Created by Franc Roddam
Directed by Dave Russell
Judges Claudio Aprile
Michael Bonacini
Alvin Leung
Narrated by Charlie Ryan
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 93 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Guy O'Sullivan, Cathie James, Elisabeth Murdoch
Running time 60 minutes with commercials.
Production company(s) Endemol Shine International
Proper Television
Bell Media
Release
Original network CTV
Original release January 20, 2014 (2014-01-20) – present

MasterChef Canada is a Canadian competitive cooking reality show, part of the MasterChef franchise, open to amateur home cooks. It premiered on CTV on January 20, 2014, and has aired its seventh season. The show stars three judges: Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini and Alvin Leung. The show is produced by Endemol Shine International and Proper Television.

MasterChef Canada airs Tuesday nights on CTV and the Cooking Channel in the United States. The current season airs starting in September of each year in the U.S. It airs also in Sweden, Italy and Spain.

On August 8, 2018, CTV renewed MasterChef Canada for another season, announcing that audition casting for the all new sixth season was greenlit. Filming began in October 2018 and concluded in January 2019. Season 6 premiered on CTV on April 8, 2019, and ended on June 10.

The series was renewed for a seventh season, which is the franchise's first Back to Win season. It aired its premiere on February 14, 2021, and its finale on May 16, 2021. There are currently no plans for an eighth season.

Plot

Amateur chefs compete in a series of challenges to become the best amateur home cook in Canada through challenges issued by judges Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini and Alvin Leung. The rest of the format is very similar to the U.S. version starring Gordon Ramsay.

Each season begins with around 20 applicants invited to the kitchen. To secure a place in the competition, they are tasked with creating their signature audition dish in a certain amount of time. Judging based on the food plating, flavours, technique, and sophistication, the judges will decide whether or not the applicants and their signature dishes are worthy of receiving a coveted white apron (a spot in the competition). In the first three seasons the traditional audition format (like the U.S. version) requires the applicants to earn an affirmative "yes" (thumbs up) from at least two out of the three judges to advance. Since season 4, changes to the audition format have been made. Applicants who fail to produce a passable dish are rejected and sent home. Some other rejected applicants are given a second chance to compete for the white apron.

  • Skills Test: An immunity challenge where the home cooks observe and pay close attention to a judge demonstrating essential cooking skills (dicing onions and vegetables, filleting fish, separating eggs, French trimming a rack of lamb, peeling crayfish, breaking down a crab, breaking down a duck, breaking down a whole chicken, etc.) before they must properly replicate their work. Those who succeed are safe from elimination up on the balcony (and in some cases, those who flawlessly nailed the skills test are made team captains in next week's field team challenge episode) while those who fail to properly replicate must face the Elimination Test, whereby they must make an elevated MasterChef worthy dish featuring that key ingredient.
  • Mystery Box: An immunity challenge where the home cooks are all given a box with the exact same ingredients. They discover ingredients (fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat or fish or kitchen utensils,) underneath and they must utilize only those to create a stunningly elevated, MasterChef worthy dish featuring said ingredient as the star of their dish within a fixed amount of time for a shot at immunity. Sometimes, a special guest may also appear to inspire the home cooks and will serve as a guest judge for this challenge before leaving. The judges will usually bring forward the top three (in a few cases, even more or less) dishes up to the judges' podium for tasting based on the beautiful plating, technique and sophistication alone to taste, and from those three (or more) select one winner (or at most two) who usually gains a number of advantages in the upcoming elimination test. They usually win immunity, automatically advancing forward in the competition and win a spot of safety up on the balcony, and have some sort of control over the elimination test, but in some cases, they do not win immunity and must also cook in the elimination challenge, as well as being given the chance to save a fellow competitor.
  • Elimination Test: Shortly after the elimination challenge is explained, judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. Contestants who produce the best, winning dishes of the night are usually made team captains for next week's off-site field team challenge episode. The judges nominate the worst dishes for elimination, criticize them and single them out for elimination before eliminating at least one contestant.
  • Team Challenge: The cooks arrive at an off-site location (beach, carnival, airbase, vineyard, wedding, racetrack, school) and are split into usually two (sometimes three) teams by either the team captains or the judges. While contestants who perfectly nailed the skills test or produced the top-notch, best dishes in the previous elimination test are usually made team captains by the judges and get to pick their teams after a coin toss, sometimes the judges dictate and form the teams and their captains. The teams (Red Team and Blue Team; sometimes a Green Team) must create a fine dining restaurant meal for a group of VIP diners (lifeguards, wedding guests, race car drivers, firefighters, military soldiers, motorcyclists, construction workers, etc.). Diners taste both meals and vote for their favourite. This similar challenge often occurs in the Restaurant Takeover or Pop-Up Restaurant challenge (where the final 6 contestants divide into 2 groups of three and run a full dinner service in a professional Michelin-starred restaurant kitchen, serving appetizers and entrees shortly after a tutorial and demonstration from a judge), taking the place of the staff of a particular restaurant. Although the client comment cards are taken into account, the judges ultimately decide the winning and losing team. The winning team advances forward in the competition, safe from elimination up on the balcony, while the losing team will participate in the replication Pressure Test.
  • Pressure Test: Another form of the Elimination Test, in which the losing team members return to the kitchen the next morning after the field team challenge. Donning on their black aprons, they compete against each other for survival in a replication elimination challenge whereby they must recreate a very technical and difficult, professional, Michelin-starred dish, sweet or savoury (sometimes replicate two or at most three different versions/plates) within a very limited amount of time that requires a great degree of cooking finesse. Sometimes before the test begins, the judges, the losing team captain, or even the winning team, can save at least one member of the losing team from this replication elimination test while in other cases, all members must participate and not one, but one or two contestants are sent home (double-elimination). Each dish is judged on taste, visual appeal and technique. Contestants who produced a flawless, top-notch replication are sent to safety up on the balcony, and the losing chefs are eliminated.

After the Restaurant Takeover challenge, the next mystery box challenge is a family-reunion themed episode where the final 5 remaining contestants are visited by their family members. This particular mystery box tasks the contestants with making a stunningly elevated, home-style family-inspired dish while their family members look on from the balcony, followed by the elimination test. In later seasons the family members assisted the contestants.

In the Top 3 semifinals, the final three remaining semifinalists face the last mystery box/immunity challenge of the season for a shot at immunity. The semifinalist who wins this immunity challenge will automatically advance to the finals and secure a place in the grand finale, safe from elimination, while the remaining two semifinalists go head-to-head and compete against each other in the final replication Pressure Test of the season to earn to last spot in the grand finale. Other times, the semifinalist who wins this first challenge does not automatically advance to the finals/grand finale and must also participate in the last Elimination Test (which they have an advantage over in terms of getting to choose a key ingredient to work with for themselves while giving different key ingredients to the other two semifinalists).

Once the competition is reduced to the final two remaining competitors left standing, the two or three finalists will compete against each other in a three-hour, three-course dinner cook-off in a ring-like arena while their family members (joined by previously eliminated contestants), spectate and cheer them on. The finalists join the judges in the private dining room for the judging and tasting of their dishes at the end of each course. All three courses of the meal are judged and an overall winner is crowned after the two finalists switch places with the judges and stand on their podium. The winner of each season wins a $100,000 cash prize money, the MasterChef Canada trophy, and the title of MasterChef Canada. Some seasons have also added other prizes. In the first three seasons, the finalists had separate time for each item. Since the Season 4 finale, the finalists must continuously cook non-stop for three whole hours, making sure that each course is ready for serving at the end of each hour and then join the judges in the private dining room once time is up to hear the judges feedback.

Judges and hosts

MasterChef U.S. judge Joe Bastianich guest starred in the Season 1 semi-finals (Episode: "Not-Your-Average-Joe") which aired on April 21, 2014. Additionally, MasterChef U.S. judge Graham Elliot guest starred in an episode of Season 2 (Episode: "Good Things in Small Packages").

Seasons

Season Episodes Time slot

(ET/PT)

Originally aired

(Canadian and U.S. dates)

Viewership in

Canada

Contestants Winner Runner-up
Viewers (millions) 18-49 (age) 18-34 (age) 25-54 (age) Show rank
Season premiere Season finale TV season
1 15 Mondays at 8 p.m. January 20, 2014 (2014-01-20) April 28, 2014 (2014-04-28) 2013-14 1.8 averaged 788,000 - averaged 819,000 Canada’s 2nd Most-Watched Canadian Series 16 Eric Chong Marida Mohammed
2 Sundays at 7 p.m. February 1, 2015 (2015-02-01) May 24, 2015 (2015-05-24) 2014-15 1.4 - - - - David Jorge Line

Pelletier

3 Sundays at 7 p.m. February 14, 2016 (2016-02-14) June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19) 2015-16 1.5 - - 631,000 15th most watched Canada’s 3rd Most-Watched Competition Series 15th over all 14 Mary Berg Jeremy

Senaris

4 12 Thursdays at 9 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. March 2, 2017 (2017-03-02) June 1, 2017 (2017-06-01) 2016-17 1.4 12th most watched 10th most watched 11th most watched - 12 Trevor Connie Thea VanHerwaarden
5 Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. April 3, 2018 (2018-04-03) June 19, 2018 (2018-06-19) 2017-18 - - - - - Beccy Stables Andy Hay
6 Mondays at 8 p.m. April 8, 2019 (2019-04-08) June 10, 2019 (2019-06-10) 2018-19 - - - - - Jennifer Crawford Andre Bhagwandat
7 Sundays at 9 p.m. February 14, 2021 (2021-02-14) May 16, 2021 2020-21 TBA TBA Christopher Siu Andy Hay
&
Thea VanHerwaarden

Specials

Title Original air date Canadian viewers (thousands)
"MasterChef Canada: A Holiday Special" December 15, 2014 (2014-12-15) 1407
Four home cooks (Dora Cote, Marida Mohammed, Pino DiCerbo, and Tammara Behl) from Season 1 return to the kitchen, joined by spouses, parents, and siblings as they complete a series of festive food challenges for the chance to win $10,000 for the charity of their choice. In the end, Pino DiCerbo is announced the winner.
"MasterChef Canada: All-Star Family Edition" December 5, 2016 (2016-12-05) 910
The three MasterChef Canada champions and the winner of Holiday Special are joined by their families to compete in four increasingly difficult culinary challenges: the Better-Half Skills Race, the Mother and Child Mystery Box, the Bossy Sibling Coaching Challenge, and the Family Feast Team Cook. Over the course of the two-hour special, select family members will compete alongside Eric Chong, David Jorge, Mary Berg, and Pino DiCerbo, as they work to impress the judges with their creativity and skill. The family who cooks their way to victory will win the first MasterChef Canada: All-Star Family Edition and $10,000 for their chosen charity. For the final challenge, the two remaining chefs were assisted with contestants from the previous seasons as their sous-chefs: Julie Miguel and Dora Cote (season 1), Christopher Siu and Line Pelletier (season 2), and Veronica Cham and Jeremy Seneris (season 3). In the end, Pino DiCerbo is announced the winner for the second time of the specials series.

Episodes

Below is a full list of MasterChef Canada episodes per season.

Season Episode Episode title Air Date
1 1 White Is the New Black Jan 20, 2014
2 Chicken Little Jan 27, 2014
3 First Kick at the Box Feb 3, 2014
4 The Puck Drops Here Feb 10, 2014
5 Where's the Beef? Feb 17, 2014
6 Edible Art Feb 24, 2014
7 Brains before Beauty Mar 3, 2014
8 Major Steaks Mar 10, 2014
9 Great Canadian Bake Off Mar 17, 2014
10 Meals on Wheels Mar 24, 2014
11 Claws Out Mar 31, 2014
12 Line of Fire Apr 7, 2014
13 Family Style Apr 14, 2014
14 Not-Your-Average-Joe Apr 21, 2014
15 And Then There Were Two Apr 28, 2014
2 1 Fit to Be Tied Feb 1, 2015
2 Patriotic Pantry Feb 8, 2015
3 Constant Cravings Feb 15, 2015
4 Juggling Act Mar 1, 2015
5 Slice of Life Mar 8, 2015
6 One Potato, Two Potato Mar 22, 2015
7 No Piece of Cake Mar 29, 2015
8 Wedding on the Waves Apr 5, 2015
9 Good Things in Small Packages Apr 12, 2015
10 Walking on Eggshells Apr 19, 2015
11 Tea for Two Apr 26, 2015
12 Fine Dining Under Fire May 3, 2015
13 From Home, with Love May 10, 2015
14 The Trip Bountiful May 17, 2015
15 Ring of Fire May 24, 2015
3 1 Yes, No, Maybe So Feb 14, 2016
2 A Cut Above Feb 21, 2016
3 At Home and Abroad Mar 6, 2016
4 Trial by Fire Mar 13, 2016
5 Off the Hook Mar 20, 2016
6 Feast Your Eyes Mar 27, 2016
7 From the Heart Apr 10, 2016
8 Oktoberfest Feast Apr 17, 2016
9 Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes Apr 24, 2016
10 Out of This World May 1, 2016
11 Demon at the Pass May 8, 2016
12 Cooking with Cocktails May 29, 2016
13 Meals and Wheels Jun 5, 2016
14 Only the Best Jun 12, 2016
15 Finale Jun 19, 2016
4 1 Special Delivery Mar 2, 2017
2 Home on the Range Mar 9, 2017
3 True Patriot Love Mar 16, 2017
4 The Blind Leading the Blind Mar 23, 2017
5 Burgers for Bikers Mar 30, 2017
6 Jamie in the House Apr 6, 2017
7 Egg Showdown! Apr 13, 2017
8 Auberge Anniversary Apr 27, 2017
9 Take Five May 4, 2017
10 Harvest Family Dinner May 11, 2017
11 Sweet Francaise May 25, 2017
12 Finale Jun 1, 2017
5 1 Opportunity Knocks Apr 3, 2018
2 How Do You Take Your Mystery Box? Apr 10, 2018
3 Building An Appetite Apr 17, 2018
4 Fast and Epicure-ious Apr 24, 2018
5 Baker's Dozen May 1, 2018
6 Vive La Pressure Test May 8, 2018
7 The Magnificent Seven May 15, 2018
8 Cooking with Corner Gas May 22, 2018
9 On the Line of Fire May 29, 2018
10 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Jun 5, 2018
11 Pop- Up Star Jun 12, 2018
12 Three Courses, One Crown Jun 19, 2018
6 1 Masterchef Canada Invitational Apr 8, 2019
2 Home Cooks, Your Roots Are Showing Apr 8, 2019
3 Top Hats And Tails Apr 15, 2019
4 Tastes Like Teen Spirit Apr 22, 2019
5 School Lunch! Apr 29, 2019
6 Risk And Reward May 6, 2019
7 Knife Fight! May 13, 2019
8 Into The Fire May 20, 2019
9 Wheel Of Fruit May 27, 2019
10 Gifts From The Earth May 27, 2019
11 Fire And Ice Jun 3, 2019
12 Final Showdown Jun 10, 2019
7 1 The Dish That Haunts You Feb 14, 2021
2 Japanese Showdown Feb 21, 2021
3 MCC4U Delivery Mar 7, 2021
4 Pressure, Italian Style Mar 14, 2021
5 Plant-Based Paradise Mar 21, 2021
6 Kitchenary! Mar 28, 2021
7 Food of the Future Apr 4, 2021
8 Seafood Extravaganza Apr 11, 2021
9 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Apr 18, 2021
10 The Sweet Taste of Success Apr 25, 2021
11 Ordinary to Extraordinary May 9, 2021
12 Back to Win Finale May 16, 2021

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: MasterChef (Canadá) para niños

kids search engine
MasterChef Canada Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.