‘MasterChef Canada’ transforms into a game show for one night only

Just when you thought you’d seen everything on MasterChef Canada (Sundays, 9 pET on CTV), the show broke from its traditional formula and transformed its set into the first-ever Kitchenary! game show in this weekend’s episode. (Hey, when safe filming protocols dictate that you can’t do any field challenges, you’ve got to get creative.)

And, judging from the Top 8’s reaction to the makeover, it was every bit as amazing in real life as it was on the screen.

Busting out the foodie trivia

For all those Trivia Night-lovers out there who pivoted to online competitions in the wake of the pandemic, Kitchenary! was a stellar replacement. The judges gave the home cooks a series of descriptions about cooking and ingredients, and the cooks had to ring in to answer. Ten points for a correct answer, and minus five points for an incorrect one.

Andrew, whose winning dessert impressed the judges in last week’s vegan comfort food challenge, got to start the night off right with 20 points on the board. 

That didn’t mean he had an easy win, mind you. At first the questions seemed impossible to answer (at least for this viewer), but between Andrew, Mai and Christopher, the competitors knew what’s up. 

Eventually, the questions seemed to get easier (again, for this viewer) and Marissa also went on a tear with correct answers. Andy however, got several questions wrong, and a frustrated Thea just couldn’t get in there with the ringer fast enough. It was no real surprise when she placed last. 

That extra 20-point lead came in handy, because Andrew held onto the No. 1 position (barely) at 35 points. As a result, he got to go up to the gallery for the subsequent Pressure Cooker test. If the other competitors aren’t considering this home cook a frontrunner, they really should be. 

Getting down to business

With the games portion of the evening out of the way, it was time to get to the Pressure Cook, where another contestant would be sent home.

To determine what they’d be concocting this week, the cooks (in order of how they placed in the game) were told to select two words from the board of Kitchenary! answers. With words like “emulsification,” “en papillote” and “pandan” to choose from, the chefs had to take some big concepts and rein them in quickly if they were going to succeed. 

Still smarting from last week’s loss to Andrew in the dessert department, Christopher decided that this cook was going to be all about redemption.

So far this season, the competitor has tried to prove his salt in the savoury department after becoming known as "the dessert guy," but this week, he went all out with what he called “Into the Ravine.” The 10-part dessert was gorgeous to be sure, and it included things like foam and microsponge.

Unsurprisingly, judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile and Alvin Leung were instantly impressed with both the taste and presentation, and they awarded Chris a big old win. He wasn’t this week’s only champion though. 

Mai, who seems to have been struggling with dazzling the judges so far this season, busted out in full force with her plate this week. They were very much into her Vietnamese flavours, including her spot-on velouté and perfectly cooked shrimp. She easily won the night alongside Christopher in one of the show’s rare ties. Fans will have to wait and see if that brings them any advantages next week, however. 

No trickery here

Not all of the home cooks were so successful. Frontrunner Jeremy, who almost everyone has named to win this thing, completely botched his spiralized potatoes and broke his emulsification minutes before he had to plate his dish.

In the end, his (almost) sauce-free dish earned him a lecture from Alvin, who told him to stop with the fancy fanfare and refocus on the main flavours and techniques. 

Andy was also a wildcard, because even though his creamy curd won over Michael’s heart, the dish was missing a crunchy component to add that much-needed texture.

But it was Marissa, who served tuna en papillote OUT of the papillote, who really disappointed the judges this week. You can understand why Marissa, who has been criticized for her lack of plating in the past, didn’t want to serve the judges a parchment paper bag full of steamed fish.

However, as Alvin pointed out, part of what makes the cooking style so special is when it’s served tableside, all of those smells waft up from the bag and create an experience.

Marissa tried to explain that she wasn’t about trickery, and that’s why she chose the path she did. She was worried about it, and as it turned out, she needed to be.

In order to honour Marissa’s “no trickery” mentality, the judges didn’t even bother calling out another name when determining the worst dishes. Instead, they were frank in telling Marissa that her time in the MasterChef Canada kitchen is over.

“You’ve been knocked down a few times but did that stop you? Not for a second,” Michael said following the elimination. “Each time you’ve picked yourself up and got something delicious on a plate. It’s been a delight having you back here.”

“It’s been hard… these guys? Those guys? They’re incredible,” Marissa responded, pointing at the cooks behind her and in the gallery. “It’s been an honour and a privilege to cook alongside them, I’ll never forget it.”

She then warned her fellow cooks what some viewers have been suspecting for a few weeks now: Andrew may be the one to beat after all. “He is a force to be reckoned with,” she added. “He’s got something special and I think he’s the one to beat.”

And with that, the MasterChef Canada competitors have been knocked down to seven. Tune in next week to see whether the remaining cooks heed Marissa’s advice and start taking Andrew as a serious threat to their own chances of winning.

Watch MasterChef Canada Sundays at 9 pET on CTV and catch up here.

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