Masterchef Canada

The judges kick-off the season by paying a surprise personal visit to 21 of the best home cooks across the country. Armed with their coolers containing special ingredients, the home cooks travel to the MasterChef Canada Kitchen in Toronto to prepare a dish for the esteemed judges and attempt to claim an iconic white apron and a spot in the Top 12.

The Top 12 home cooks face their first Mystery Box of the season and must create a dish that features coffee as the key ingredient. The winner of the Mystery Box Challenge is not only safe from elimination but is given a powerful opportunity to influence the direction of the competition and the outcome of the budget-driven Elimination Challenge.

The home cooks face their first Team Challenge when they are asked to prepare a hearty meal for 101 Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Split into two teams, they are given only two hours to create a family-style meal, with hungry volunteers casting a vote to declare their favourite. The losing team faces a Pressure Test and at least one home cook is asked to leave the MasterChef Canada Kitchen.

This week the home cooks focus on making key ingredients shine and dealing with the hand (or ingredients) they've been dealt. The Top 10 are given a mere 30 minutes to tackle a Mystery Box and must produce an original dish with fresh ingredients found in a Chefs Plate box. Then, a fungi-inspired Elimination Challenge puts an end to one home cook's food dreams.

A Team Challenge takes place along Toronto's waterfront at the dog-friendly Cherry Beach. The home cooks are given just two hours to churn out donuts for dog owners who frequent the park. Each team must show creativity, imagination, and deliver a great tasting donut. The team that sells the most donuts wins, with the losing team facing a Pressure Test and at least one home cook is eliminated.

The remaining Top 8 come home cooks enter the MasterChef Canada Kitchen wearing ominous black aprons and sense a strong intensity from the Judges as they realise the stakes are getting higher. The home cooks face an intense series of three, French-inspired Pressure Tests created to determine their skills and strengths, and reveal their weaknesses.

Eight home cooks gather for a Team Challenge at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The teams are tasked with preparing a tasting menu for seven esteemed recipients of the Order of Canada. After consulting the distinguished guests, the Judges determine the winning team. The losing home cooks face a Pressure Test and potential elimination.

The seven remaining home cooks are presented with a massive Mystery Box Challenge and receive a surprise when they are asked to prepare an elevated diner dish inspired by the cast of the hit comedy Corner Gas Animated. Then, the competition intensifies as the home cooks take on a classic Tag Team Challenge, leading to elimination.

The Top 6 home cooks face a super-charged Restaurant Takeover Team Challenge at Judge Claudio Aprile's Toronto restaurant, Copetin. The teams must make two technically demanding appetizers and two entrées for a restaurant filled with discerning dinner guests. The losing team is left to compete in a sweet and precise Elimination Challenge that will see one of the cooks sent home.

The remaining home cooks must reimagine and rework their signature ingredient from their MasterChef Canada audition. The pressure of the competition intensifies as former winners drop by for a surprise visit, and the judges announce that a double elimination will lead to the Top 3 being determined.

The Top 3 home cooks face the first-ever MasterChef Canada Pop-Up Restaurant Challenge with 30 of Canada's top food bloggers and influencers. The winner of the Pop-Up challenge advances to the finale, while the remaining two home cooks face an intense 3-way Dessert Replication Challenge that will determine which home cook moves onto the finale, and who will be eliminated.

The final two home cooks go head-to-head for the nation's biggest culinary prize, with only three uninterrupted hours to create an unforgettable three-course meal. As the clock counts down, the two remaining competitors vie for the grand prize of $100,000 and the sought-after MasterChef Canada title.