MasterChef Ontario...Oops, I mean Canada, Premieres January 20, 2014

CTV has announced the first season of MasterChef Canada will premiere January 20th!

Thousands of home cooks applied from across Canada in open casting calls. From these auditions, 50 cooks were chosen to present their signature dish to the celebrity judges - in the preliminary rounds, which will begin airing on January 20th. Finalists will be presented with the "white apron".

Then the fun will begin on February 2nd. That is when contestants actually start competing, and will face the dreaded 'mystery box' challenge, and their first elimination. And yes, you read that right...February 2nd...Superbowl Sunday!

Apparently CTV considers this a coveted time slot.

Hopefully the home cooks will live up to that challenge. One thing is for sure, their main challenge is to cook better than the kids from MasterChef Junior (U.S.). Those kids rocked.

UPDATED December 9, 2013

CTV has announced the Grand Prize is $100,000. In addition, they has released the names of the 50 home cooks we will be introduced to on January 20th. Here they are, broken down by province:

Nova Scotia:
Allison Abernethy, Business Student - New Minas, N.S.
Trevor Jessome, Royal Canadian Forces - Lahave, N.S.

Newfoundland Labrador
Billie-Jo Picco, Licensed Practical Nurse - Mount Pearl, N.L.

British Columbia
Carly Tennant, Retail Clothing Store Owner - Langley, B.C. 
Danielle Cardozo, Employment Development Officer - Cranbrook, B.C.  
Josh Gale, IT Sales - Vancouver 
Kaila Klassen, Realtor - West Kelowna, B.C.
Patrick Stansfield, Entrepreneur - Vancouver  

Alberta
Dora Cote, Plumber - Rocky Mountain House, Alta
Fabian Suckoo, Merchandiser - Calgary, Alta.
John Chung Yin Leung, Radio Operator - Calgary, Alta. 
JP Lessard, Wine Representative - Irricana, Alta. 
Peter "Bubba" Smith, Sales Manager - Calgary, Alta. 
Tammara Behl, Special Needs Teacher - Calgary    

Quebec
Evan Ouaknine, Transportation Sales & Development - Montreal, Que.

Manitoba
Mike Green, Freelance Food Journalist - Winnipeg, Man.
Ryan Wright, Chemist - Winnipeg, Man.   

Ontario
Andrew Lawton, Political Commentator and Radio Personality - Toronto
Ashley Alexander, Science Student - Toronto
Bram Llewellyn, Banker - Toronto 
Christina Menchenton, Retail Management - Toronto
Dale Kuda, Housekeeper and Business Owner - Toronto 
Geoff Johnson, Division Manager - Toronto 
Kelly Rothschild, Tattoo Artist - Toronto
Marida Mohammed, Stay-at-Home Mom - Toronto
Narida Mohammed - Toronto
Natalya Demberg, Banking Strategist - Toronto 
Rob Slivchak, Web Developer - Toronto     
Ben Miner, Stand-up Comedian - Ottawa
Dina Van Koeverden, Opera Singer - Ottawa 
Brooke Feldman, Makeup Artist - York, Ont.
Carmela Campolargo, Stay-at-Home Mom - King City, Ont.
Chris Ward, Custom Home Builder - Breslau, Ont.
Danny Raposo - Brampton, Ont.
Eric Chong, Chemical Engineer - Oakville, Ont.
Jason Mayo, High School Teacher - Jarvis, Ont.
Jordan Casey, Financial Service Representative - Amherstview, Ont.
Jose Mosselli, Flooring Sales - Hamilton, Ont.
Julie Miguel, Bankruptcy Analyst - Woodbridge, Ont.
Maryam Chashnidel, Immigration Consultant - Vaughan, Ont.
Meghan Toth, Stay-at-Home Mom - St. Catharines, Ont.
Mike Hamilton, Autoworker - Mississauga, Ont.
Mylene Facchini, Hair Stylist and Zumba Instructor - Whitby, Ont.
Natalie Mascia, Dental Office Administrator - Niagara Falls, Ont.
Pino Di Cerbo, Stay-at-Home Dad - Mississauga, Ont.
Sarah Nguyen, Stay-at-Home Mom - Oakville, Ont.
Shane Ereaut, Canadian Armed Forces - Kanata, Ont.
Soujanya Arlikatti, HR Professional - Thornhill, Ont.
Sparkle Davis, Social Worker - Ottawa
Vicky Rodden, Library Assistant - Haliburton, Ont.

I remember when people complained about the lack of provincial or area representation by contestants on The Amazing Race Canada. Wow. Is it just me, or is this ridiculous? One home cook from Quebec? ONE? Welcome to MasterChef Ontario. 


*info from Canada News Wire, retrieved December 4th and 9th,2013