Masterchef Canada Season 2 Current Standings

This chart covers the progress of the 16 Finalists who will face off against each other in the MasterChef Canada Season 2 Kitchen, beginning with Episode 3 (Sunday February 15, 2015) To see how the rest fared in episodes 1 & 2, CLICK HERE

NOTES

Episode 3:
Jon won Mystery Box Challenge and saved David and Jennifer from elimination
Line and Andrew won Pressure Test and will be captains in the Team Challenge in Episode 4

Episode 4:
Team Challenge: Red Team (Andrew) wins. Blue Team (Line) lose.
Pressure Test: Jennifer and Line saved from test.

Episode 5:
Cody wins Mystery Box but voluntarily forfeits his advantage
David and Sabrina win Elimination Challenge and will be captains in the Team Challenge in Ep 6

Episode 6:
Team Challenge: 3 Teams - Green Team (Line); Red (David) and Blue (Sabrina) face Pressure Test for elimination

Episode 9:
Announcement made that one of 3 eliminated home chefs will return: Andrew, Cody or Kevin.

Recap of MasterChef Canada Episode 205 "Slice of Life" OR Like a (Truffle) Virgin

And the second Mystery Box Challenge this season is....

Pizza?

Sure, you can call it artisan. Or rustic, or whatever you want. You can slap just about any topping you want on it, but in the end, it's still pizza. And although a really good pizza is a hard-to-find commodity, I'm not quite sure it's worthy of a Mystery Box Challenge. There were a few variations and the judges called up the 3 home chefs they were most impressed with:

David and his "Fun Guy" Pizza
Jennifer and her "Summer Fresh" Pizza
Cody and his "Fifth Dimension" Pizza

The judges give the win to Cody. To be honest, I think Jennifer's looked so much better. I could almost smell it. Oh well. Perhaps they gave Cody the win because they had a feeling he would do something really dumb...

Cody is given immunity from elimination and then ushered into the pantry where last season's winner Eric Chong makes a guest appearance. Cody must choose between three luxury ingredients that the other 12 home chefs must cook with: duck; lobster; or black truffles. He says David is his biggest competition and he  would have a hard time with....truffles. But Cody loves truffles and is very jealous everyone gets to cook with them. So he does the most ridiculous thing ever. Yep, he gives up his immunity and joins the others in the kitchen. Everyone is stunned by this move, but no one complains - of course.

So why did Cody do this? It's his favourite ingredient. So what? He could have saved it until the finale - if he made it to the end, that is. Did he just do it to intimidate the others or prove his self-confidence to the judges? Who knows. Whatever his reasoning, it DID NOT go exactly as he planned.

Meanwhile, Line has a meltdown because he has never seen/tasted/cooked a truffle in her life. Claudio sets her back on track by getting her to identify it's flavour. Then there is Kristen. She failed to grab a protein for her dish and starts asking the others if they have anything to spare. Everyone seemingly ignores her like a pesky mosquito buzzing around their stations. Except Jon. He gives her a steak, explaining it would not be right for her to be eliminated like that.

Kwasi, who has also never used one before, gives a great description of black truffles. He tells us the first guy to ever taste a truffle had to be very adventurous...because they look like little turds. But he's right. Have you ever wondered about some foods like that? Think about it. Snails, frogs, bird nests. At some point, some guy looked at it and said, "Yeah, I can eat that."

The judges do their thing and taste everyone's dish. Once again, we don't see the judgement of some of the home chefs. This time: Jon, Andrew, Christopher and Tammy (I could have missed a few).

This week's winners are David and Sabrina. Here's a big hint: if you are presented with a luxury

ingredient in a challenge, you better damn well make sure it's the star of the dish. Think of it this way - if someone orders a dish with the word "truffles" in the description, they shouldn't have to wonder where the truffles are.

That is why the bottom 3 found themselves in their predicament:

• Michael. He went on about the "negative space" style thing again. Quite frankly, I think the judges' patience is wearing a little thin with this. He called it a work of art. Abstract art. Michael Bonacini said, "Abstract artists have to learn to draw first." Yes there is a trend in presentation of this sort, but the food that IS on the plate IS a work of art. This wasn't.
• Kevin. He ran out of time preparing his dish, so the whole thing became rather sloppy.
• Cody. This was a typical case of sticking your foot in your mouth. His major mistake was using truffle oil, which Alvin was quick to point out, doesn't have a bit of real truffle in it.

The judges send Kevin home.

This week, I was impressed with Jennifer, David, Sabrina and Kwasi. In fact, Kwasi had the best line of the night when he declared that he had lost his truffle virginity. Sinking to the bottom of the pack are Michael, Cody and Line.

On the next episode: David and Sabrina captain their teams in a challenge at the University of Guelph, making poutine. Meanwhile Michael needs to put "some kid in his place". I don't know who the kid could be, but my best guess would be Cody. I suspect their failures this episode (both barely escaping elimination) will become an issue between them. Note: this episode is preempted again for the Juno Awards....hopefully it will air on March 22, but check your schedules.

Recap of MasterChef Canada Episode 204 "Juggling Act" OR There's Always a LLama in the Crowd

The first Team Challenge!

There is always a llama

The 14 remaining contestants are escorted to the Cirque du Soleil tent on the Toronto Waterfront. The team challenge is cooking a meal for the cast and crew of Kurios - Cabinet of Curiosities. On the stage, last week's winner and runner-up - Andrew and Line, pick their teammates. A llama watches.

Red Team consists of Andrew, David, Kevin, Jon, Cody, Kristen and Kwasi.

Blue Team is Line, Tammy, Sabrina, Debra, Christopher, Michael and Jennifer.

Ummmn. Hold on. Why are these teams looking a little split along gender lines? I don't think the llama approves.

Recap of MasterChef Canada Episode 203 "Constant Cravings" OR The First Mystery Box Challenge is Brought to You By....

Here we go. It's the first Mystery Box Challenge of season two. Sounds exciting, no? No, not really.

The Phyllo with no name. Who made you, poor Phyllo?

The first Mystery box contains standard fare: phyllo, pineapple, maple syrup, peppers, berries, walnuts, kale and "one succulent
pork chop". Meh. Oh, I forgot the cream cheese. How could I miss the obvious sponsor? The first Mystery Box is brought to you by Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Duh. I can also tell the phyllo was not made by a sponsor because it just gets a miserable typed label. It could have come from anywhere.

Recap of MasterChef Canada Episode 202 "Patriotic Pantry" OR Who ARE All These People?

What's the point in having 49 "Finalists" when so many are not shown auditioning? I am scratching my head in disgust, and thinking it's just to show how crowded the audition room is. What makes it worse is they don't show the auditions of all 25 home chefs who are awarded a white apron. What's the point? Cramming this process into 2 episodes - when it should be 3, leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Pun intended. Then there is what happened to Meg Tucker....

Recap of MasterChef Canada 2 Premiere, "Fit To Be Tied" OR May I Please Have a Hashtag With That?

The best part of MasterChef Canada's season premiere airing right after the Superbowl is that you

don't have to sit through all the insufferable post-game analysis. Cos no-one needs that crap. And the best part about watching the MasterChef Canada auditions is you can pretty much tell who is going to get a white apron (or who doesn't) as soon as they open their mouths. In addition to that, you can tell who is going to make it through the first few eliminations when their auditions are "featured". We are given a back story and for a select few, there is now a hashtag. The way I figure it, if a home chef gets a hashtag during the audition, production REALLY wants us to get behind them, emotionally speaking. Yeah, it's just that simple.

MasterChef Canada 2 Audition Results

Who scored a white apron and who left empty-handed? Here are the results from Episode 1 "Fit to be Tied" and Episode 2 "Patriotic Pantry.

• Out of the 49 finalists, 25 white aprons were awarded.
• Of these 25, nine were cut in an elimination Stress Test.
• The 16 survivors will go on to face their first Mystery Box Challenge and Elimination in Episode 3, Sunday February 15, 2015
• Not all of the finalists are seen auditioning, including those who receive white aprons.

Contestants were given one hour to prepare their "signature dish" and 5 minutes to plate in front of the judges. To get their white apron, the home chefs needed the approval of 2 out of the 3 judges: Alvin Leung; Claudio Aprile; and Michael Bonacini.

MasterChef Canada 2 Finalists

Here are the finalists who made it through the final round of auditions:

Afaf Roubi, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Thornhill, Ont.
Andrew Al-Khouri, a Tax Officer from Halifax, N.S.
Anh Nguyen, a Business Student from Ottawa, Ont.
Ann Wilchynski, an Educational Assistant from Sherwood Park, Alta.
Carmen Araiza, an Actress, Writer, and Spanish Dialect Coach from Toronto, Ont.
Chris Mask, a Firefighter and Paramedic from Wahnapitae, Ont.
Christopher Siu, a Pharmacy Student from Markham, Ont.
Clarissa Diokno, an Academic Research Telephone Interviewer from Waterloo, Ont.
Cody Karey, a Recording Artist from Vancouver, B.C.
David Jorge, a Concrete Contractor from Surrey, B.C.
Deanna Brown, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Milestone, Sask.
Debbie MacDonald, a Special Needs Teacher from Port Hood, N.S.
Debra Pangestu, a Public Relations Officer from Richmond, B.C.
Gav Martell, a VP, Product Management from Thornhill, Ont.
Georgio Theofilpoulos, a Florist and Travel Agent from Toronto, Ont.
Holli Miller, a Bank Teller from Bolton, Ont.
Ian Giebelhaus, a Rural Veterinarian from Rimbey, Alta.
Inder Kambo, Real Estate Sales from Brampton, Ont.
Jennie Kelusky, a Marketing Coordinator and Office Manager from Toronto, Ont.
Jennifer Innis, a Dental Hygienist from Vernon, B.C.
Jon Hameister-Ries, a Retired Pro Football Player and Financial Advisor from Vancouver, B.C.
Kat Wolf, a Film and Music Producer from Montréal, Que.
Kenya Hushagen, a Freelance Film and TV Wardrobe Stylist from Edmonton, Alta.
Kevin Gregory, an Applications Engineer from Fredericton, N.B.
Kristal Rice, a Hospital Administration Clerk from Gander, N.L.
Kristen Dwyer, an Early Childhood Educator from Conception Bay South, N.L.
Kwasi Douglas, a Community Facilitator from Ajax, Ont.
Kyle McKenna, a Bartender from Paradise, N.L.
Lauren Scheit, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Leduc, Alta.
Line Pelletier, a Canadian Military Veteran and Computer Specialist from Moncton, N.B.
Lisa Kacur, a Marketing Coordinator from Mississauga, Ont.
Meg Tucker, a Radio Host from Red Deer, Alta.
Michael Motamedi, an Entrepreneur from Toronto, Ont.
Michelle ‘Mishie’ Gordiev, a Bus Driver from Winnipeg, MB
Mina Tasic, a Pharmacist from Toronto, Ont.
Mohit Sharma, an Event Manager and Personal Trainer from Whitby, Ont.
Natalie Wallace, an Executive Assistant from Toronto, Ont.
Nathan Young, Digital Media – Marketing from Toronto, Ont.
Nikita Scringer, a Healthcare Sales Consultant from Calgary, Alta.
Robert Mitchell, an HR Manager from Toronto, Ont.
Sabrina Poirier, an Office Manager from Montréal, Que.
Sebastien Champagne, a Graphic Designer from Montréal, Que.
Shane Chagpar, an Engineer from Toronto, Ont.
Shaunna Leinster, a Holistic Nutritionist from Brampton, Ont.
Suzy Cui, a Casino Cashier Supevisor from Windsor, Ont.
Tammy Wood, a Retail Clerk from Agassiz, B.C.
Taj Chohan, an Accountant from Oakville, Ont.
Ted Meisner, a Security Investigator from Ottawa, Ont.
Ted Pechey, an Advertising Radio Sales and Volunteer Cooking Instructor from Prince Albert, Sask.

What does this all mean? Well, these are the people who we will see either get a white apron or be shown the door. Getting a white apron basically means the judges say, "Meh. You can obviously boil water. Your presentation dish doesn't make me want to gag." We will meet them all in the first two episodes (the audition episodes), February 8th and 15th.

Originally scheduled to premiere on February 8th, CTV has just announced it will begin Sunday, February 1, immediately following the Superbowl - whenever that will be. Episode 2 will air February 8.

MasterChef Canada 2

MasterChef Canada Season 2 will debut a whole new crop of home cooks on Sunday February 8th, 2015 at 7 PM ET.

UPDATE: CTV just announced they have bumped up the premiere to Sunday February 1st, right after the Superbowl. That's good news. February 8th was just too big of a TV night....The Walking Dead, Talking Dead and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver are my first priorities.

Check back here for contestant announcements, episode recaps and standings.