Kissing: The 6 Rules of Engagement

My Recap of Episode 5

Good Idea? Bad Idea?

This week, I'm looking at this whole Bachelorette Journey thing a little different. Let's play a little game of Good Idea/Bad Idea, Bachelorette Canada Style. Yes, I am making the rules up as I go.

The One With All the Red Flags and Damage Control

Photo Courtesy: Corus/W Network

As Jasmine's Journey continues in Jamaica...

• Jasmine has learned to let herself go, to open herself up to everybody. She says every decision she makes brings her one step closer to finding her man.
• Kyle wants to solidify the connection he is now feeling with Jasmine
• David wants a date so the other guys will stop calling him "Dateless Dave." [So we're pretty sure he will get one.]
• Chris will be extremely shocked if he doesn't get a date. [So we're pretty sure he won't get one.]

It's Time for "DATING TIPS ...with Jasmine"

(A.K.A. My recap of The Bachelorette Canada Episode 2)

Bachelorette Canada Photos Courtesy Corus/W Network

Dating is a hell of a thing to begin with. Now multiply that by 15. I suppose if you're dating fifteen guys simultaneously, even the most experienced person is bound to gain some new insights very quickly. Just the thought of remembering all those names is mind boggling, not to mention who said what and when. So let's follow along with Jasmine's Journey as she discovers her new found role as a Dating Advisor. What valuable lessons will Jasmine pass on to us this week?

My Weekly Predictions Scorecard: Week Two Predictions

Here are my guesses for Week Two:

Week 1 Results:
I got 13 out of 15 right. Not bad. She dumped Eddie and Tony, kept JP and Kevin P instead. I was so sure TPTB would push Canada's Crush Eddie on her. And I was right about Mike getting the First Impression Rose. And knowing what we know now, I would change my guesses for 1st 1-on-1 & 1st kiss. Oh well.

14 Things I Learned From The Bachelorette Canada Premiere

Photo Courtesy: Corus/W Network

Right off the bat, I have to say I am much more impressed with The Bachelorette Canada than I ever was with The Bachelor Canada. It seems W Network has gone full steam ahead, producing and promoting their franchised version, creating a far superior product. In comparison, it is no wonder The Bachelor Canada died a miserable death after only two seasons. Twenty bachelors. A new host. Ninety-minute episodes. An After Show hosted by Jennifer Valentyne. Yeah, I'm in.

Now, on to the recap...and instead of a rehash of events, lets do this a little different. Although this isn't my first time watching anything from the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, let's pretend it's a brand new experience.  Here's my list of the things I learned from the premiere:

Those Bachelors, Eh?

Teaser Trailer for @BacheloretteCA @w_network 🌹 It all begins on Tuesday at 9 pm #bacheloretteca #bachelorettecanada pic.twitter.com/ZfzNCietCL

— Jasmine Lorimer (@jazlor1) September 8, 2016

Yes, it's time to light those fairy lights, fire up the candles, stick 20 guys in a limo, and above all else, hose down that driveway. Tonight is the night, folks!

I've intentionally tried to limit my impressions of the Jasmine's Bachelors until after the premiere.

BUT

We've been given all those silly, darn bios and videos. And those profile pics??? It's like they are just taunting us with those. Hey. I can't just let that go, can I? Jasmine gets a First Impression Rose, so why can't I give my first impressions? Alright, here goes, then I will use that prediction table:

Jasmine's Bachelors Part 4

Photos Courtesy: Corus/W Network

And the final five Bachelors have been announced...

Jasmine's Bachelors Part 3

Photo Courtesy: Corus/W Network

...And Jasmine's third group of five guys are:

Jasmine's Bachelors Part 2

Photo Courtesy: Corus Ent/W Network

The second group of 5 Bachelors. To see the first five, CLICK HERE

Jasmine's Bachelors: Part 1

Photo Courtesy: Corus Ent/W Network

Here are the first 5 of Jasmine Lorimer's 20 Bachelors, all vying to become her future ex-fiance:

(Additional names & bios will be added in additional posts, as they become available by Corus/W Network.)

The Bachelorette Canada Week-by-Week Summary

Click through to see a week-by-week summary of Jasmine's progress - which guys got dates, who's been sent home and who remains.

The Bachelorette Canada is...

...Jasmine Lorimer

From the W Network Press Release:

TORONTO, June 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The wait is finally over, Canada. As revealed on Entertainment Tonight Canada, Kenora, Ontario-native Jasmine Lorimer is putting her heart on the line this fall on W Network's The Bachelorette Canada. Lorimer, a hairstylist currently based out of Pemberton, British Columbia, will search for the man of her dreams when 20 eligible bachelors do whatever it takes to win her heart. By her side throughout the journey will be host Noah Cappe, who is best known for his roles on Food Network Canada's Carnival Eats, The Great Canadian Cookbook and W Network's top-rated series Good Witch. The smash-hit reality series premieres this fall on W Network.

"It is such an honour to be Canada's first bachelorette," says Jasmine Lorimer. "This opportunity came at the perfect time for me and I couldn't be more prepared to embark upon this lifelong adventure."

A small-town girl at heart, 27 year-old Lorimer's artistic nature and adventurous spirit drew her to the beauty industry and the West Coast. Her free spirited, down-to-earth approach to life, coupled with a warm and radiant disposition, make Jasmine the perfect choice for this romantic adventure of a lifetime. Refreshingly open, honest and not afraid to laugh at herself, Canadians nationwide will fall in love with Jasmine as she risks it all to find "the one."

In the Canadian version of this widely successful reality series, Jasmine Lorimer is in search of her soul mate – and hopefully her groom-to-be. The male suitors compete for the Bachelorette's affection on individual and group dates involving local and far-flung romantic encounters and adventures in exotic locations around the world. As Lorimer narrows the field and the number of men dwindles, romance and tensions rise. Ultimately, she will choose the one man with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life.

The Bachelorette Canada is produced by Good Human Productions Inc. The series is based on the U.S. format created by Mike Fleiss and produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Sales of the format are handled by Warner Bros. International Television Production.

The People's Couch

Bravo Canada has announced the series premiere of The People's Couch (formerly Gogglebox Canada) for July 13, 2014, 8:30 PM ET. Here is the cast that you will be watching watching TV. And no, that's not an indication that I didn't edit this post. In case you have never heard of it, The People's Couch is an observational reality show. The cast members are real people who give their own unique opinions and criticisms of whatever they are watching on television. The series originated in England as Gogglebox, and it's a huge hit. Apparently the Canadian version has picked up the franchise's U.S. title. I don't know if this will go over well with Canadian audiences, but as with most new series, I will reserve judgement until I watch at least two episodes.

Amazing Race Canada Season 1 Moments

This video of favorite moments reminds me just how great Season 1 really was!  Give it a watch HERE Of course my favorite team was Jet and Dave...and my favorite moment was Episode 6 "Check the Cannons", when they created the fake clue in Levy, Quebec and had the others running through the entire fort late at night.

I am hoping Season 2 will have at least one team to provide us with some humour to break up any overly dramatic racers. From what I have seen, there may be two.

MasterChef Canada Season 1 Finale Recap

And Then There Were Two

Eric Chong and Marida Mohammed are the two remaining home chefs in the first season of MasterChef Canada.

Pino and Josh are rooting for Eric, while Kaila thinks Marida is going to win. Those eyes of hers get misty saying that Marida is the most beautiful person she has ever known.

Their challenge is a 3 course dinner. Three servings of appetizer, entree  and dessert.They are allowed 10 minutes in the pantry.

First up, they have 60 minutes to prepare an appetizer. Marida chooses a pumpkin soup with creme fresh and pig tail, while Eric decides to make crispy pork belly with dumplings. Alvin says a soup must be very well done at this stage of the game to impress him. As Claudio walks up to Marida, she spills the soup on him.

Marida's soup goes over well with Michael, Alvin and Claudio. They agree she has elevated the soup and her presentation skills have improved dramatically. Eric's turn. Alvin says it's a very ambitious dish.  Claudio says one of his slices of pork was dry.

Next up is the entree. Marida makes Taro Steamed Cod with Cucumber Chutney. Michael warns her that the cod will dry out if its overcooked after she tells him its pretty forgiving. Eric makes Egg Noodles with Poached Lobster Sauce. Claudio is afraid that he might overcook the lobster is he stir fries it after cooking.

Michael tells Eric that he has learned how to cook lobster. Alvin tells him that he has learned to mix east and west cooking together. All three chefs like Marida's dish but Michael says her serving size was insufficient for a main course. It was...one small piece of cod, not much larger than a meatball.

Dessert. They have one hour. Marida makes Apple Crumble with Coconut Ice Cream and Warm Rum Sauce, while Eric makes an Asian  Tempura Banana Split and two types of ice cream. He has difficulty shredding the coconut. Both home cooks use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream. Claudio says Marida is looking confident, but they are very impressed with Eric making two different ice creams...infusing the liquid nitrogen simultaneously into the two mixtures. It looked pretty damn cool.

All thre judges like Marida's dessert, although Michael says she should have removed the skin to make it more elegant. They think Eric's dessert was very innovative.

Michael, Alvin and Claudio believe that Marida and Eric have just cooked the meals of their lives. It will be a very hard decision.

Here's my opinion: Marida's dishes showed a more complex flavour. Eric's dishes proved to be innovated and complex in design.

There can only be one winner. Michael, Alvin and Claudio agree that the winner is....

21 year old Eric Chong!!!

MasterChef Canada Episode 3 "First Kick at the Box" OR The Smelt Quiche Smelt

The home chefs are introduced to "The Shiny Perfect Place." That's how they describe the MasterChef Canada Kitchen when they first see it. Yes, it was shiny and perfect, but not for long. A big mess was soon to be made. Their first Mystery Box was sitting there just waiting for them, like the proverbial Pandora's Box. Everyone wondered what was underneath. Maybe it was more like the crate that covered the Lost Ark in Raiders, with all kinds of evil trying to burn it's way out.

But when it was finally revealed, it turned out to be pretty standard fare: pork tenderloin; honey; chocolate; chili pepper; strawberries; banana; and peanut butter - smooth and chunky. Not just any peanut butter either. Bonacini called it the finest. It was Kraft. Ah, they just had to give the nod to the major sponsor, didn't they? The home chefs had 60 minutes to prepare either a sweet or savoury restaurant-quality dish. Quite frankly, these ingredients were a gift. So the real challenge was in how they were combined to create balance. And presentation of course. Don't forget presentation.

The judges called up 3 home cooks they thought were the best:

Carly: Spicy Peanut Soup with Pork and Noodles
Eric: Peanut Butter Fruit Tart with Strawberries and Chocolate
Marida: Pork and Noodle Stir Fry with Peanut Vinigrette

The judges declared Marida the winner of the first Mystery Box Challenge. Not only was she safe from elimination this week, but she was brought into the Pantry where the judges presented her with a choice for the main ingredient in the Elimination Challenge. There was a theme to the 3 choices - they were ingredients taken from "Canadian land, seas and air". Just another way of saying meat, fish or fowl. Leung offered smelt, Bonacini revealed venison, and Aprile's choice was duck. The smart move to really trip up the other contestants would of course been the smelt, and that's exactly what Marida picked. There was one more surprise for Marida. She could choose another home chef to be safe from elimination, and she picked Brooke. Of course Brooke thought it was because they were friends, but Marida revealed that she did not see Brooke as a threat. Brooke could be dealt with later.

Once again, the home chefs are given 60 minutes to prepare a restaurant quality dish. Ben questions the pronunciation of the aptly named smelt, and even adds a "ch" - like schmelt. Maybe he was thinking of Smaug in the Hobbit. Meanwhile, the judges discuss the pros and cons of smelt. There is not a lot of flavour in smelt apparently, so the best way to serve it is breaded or floured, and then fried. The trick is to make it restaurant quality, so presentation is exceptionally important. The judges call up an assortment of home chefs to taste and critique their dishes.

Eric and Tammara are praised, although Tammara is told to stop preparing Asian dishes. Next up is Danny who decided to puree the smelt to make croquettes. Way wrong choice. Mr. Overly-Dramatic a.k.a. Alvin Leung explodes with "This is MasterChef Canada. You give me this?" Oh, oh. Since we were promised a surprise elimination in the preview, it's not looking good for poor Danny. Time for a commercial. When we return, the scolding is repeated, then Danny is told to go back to his station.

Dale does well. Time for another disaster dish. This time it's Meaghan's smelt quiche. Smelt quiche? What? Yep. The judges reaction? It was "Smelly. And not in a good way". I guess you could say the smelt quiche smelt. As for presentation - well let's just say the judges were dumbfounded that the whole quiche was simply put on a plate which was just slightly larger than the quiche itself. No garnish. Nothing. Just a large quiche pie sitting on the plate staring up at them.

Pino created a dish that the judges enjoyed. Next up were two more disasters from Kaila and Ben. Kaila made a hot mess with a scotch bonnet pepper, while Ben's garnish was called compost.

The there was good news and bad news. The judges announced the two best dishes were made by Dale and Pino, who were then named captains in the first team challenge (in the next episode). The bad news is the bottom 3 were Danny, Meaghan and Ben. Ben is asked to take off his apron and leave the kitchen. More bad news. There is another elimination - Meaghan. Danny is safe...for now.

My choices this week: Eric, Dale, Pino and Marida are the rising stars. Kaila and Danny need to shape up. 

This week there was tension between Kaila and Brooke. Next week, a little snit develops between Kaila and Dale. My money is on Dale. They are really trying to portray Kaila as this season's bitch, aren't they? It's only the third episode, and I can't tell you how many times they have zoomed in on Kaila's wide, glaring eyes, making her look completely stunned. Not a good look for her. The preview for the next Monday's episode, called "The Puck Drops Here" shows the Team Challenge that Dale and Pino will captain. They get to prepare lunch for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yay!!!

MasterChef Canada Episode 2 'Chicken Little' OR "Pardon Me, Would You Have Any Grey Poupon?"

The white apron auditions continue on MasterChef Canada, or what I like to call 'MasterChef Lite'.

First up is Danny Raposo, who presents his homemade Chorizo - a family recipe, to the judges. The best one-liner of the episode is delivered by Michael Bonacini who says, "You're very proud of your sausage, aren't you?". Now that was a mouthful. I wonder if Bonacini thought that line up while watching Danny prep his dish, or was it just one of those things you say without thinking, then regret later. Either way, I can't imagine Ramsay saying that. Danny decides against serving the sauce, a beer-reduction with 'plastic bottle' mustard. That was Leung's dig at the pedestrian French's mustard. I guess there was no Grey Poupon in the MasterChef pantry. Regardless, Danny earns his white apron.

More white aprons are handed out to:

Sparkle Davis
Evan Ouaknine
Meaghan Toth
Peter Smith (Bubba)
Mike Green
Josh Gale
Danielle Cardozo
Rob Slivchak
J.P. Lessard
Allison Abernathy
Natalya Demberg

Once again, some of those are not even identified by name. That brings the total number of white aprons the judges have handed out to 26. Apparently, 26 white aprons are way too many home chefs, and it sets up a good opportunity to instill some drama. Got to get that roster down to a more manageable 16. Time for a Stress Test!

This first elimination is supposedly inspired by Canada's first settlers. One burner (because I guess our settlers had electricity), one pan, and one...live chicken? Leung carries a chicken out to show the home chefs. Here we go. Or not. Just when everyone thinks they are going to have to butcher a chicken on television, 26 cooking stations are ceremoniously revealed, each with a nicely cleaned and plucked chicken. They have one hour to prepare a dish using all or any part of the chicken. Aprile encourages them to showcase their cultural diversity. The three judges have a side-bar. The biggest mistake would be to cook any part of the chicken on the bone - there isn't enough time. Some of the home cooks start dawdling in the pantry.

Oh the drama! Most of it is obviously manufactured for the enjoyment of the viewing audience. Of course, the 26 cooking stations were made to be very confining. Some have troubles with this, then we see Dale Kuda making a chicken liver pate, using a stylized, one-handed knife chop on the livers. The other hand is on his hip. Was he purposely being obnoxious? Trying to psych-out the others? Or was he just that bored?

The judges take the long walk down the line of 26 home chefs, tasting and critiquing as they go. They ponder whether or not some of the dishes are up to MasterChef 'standards', especially Bubba's sandwich. That's when I say, "Hey, what's wrong with sandwiches?" Besides, they were named after one John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Fact. The earl could eat his sandwich and play cribbage at the same time. If it was good enough for some 18th century English Earl, then that's snooty enough for me. Not up to MasterChef standards? Harrumph. Hey, you guys aren't exactly Gordon Ramsey, you know.

Time to start chopping the field. The judges show their versatility. They pull out three elimination methods from their repertoire.

Elimination Method 1. They call up one group: Mike, Marida, Julie, Meaghan and Josh. They get the standard lines from the judges, deliberately meant to make them, and us wonder if they are in or not. They are safe.

Elimination Method 2. Two groups are called up. Group 1 is Rob, Sarah. J.P., Allison, Natalya and Jordan. Group 2 is Tammara, Eric, Pino, Ben, Danielle, Carly and Brooke. It's obvious that one group will be cut, even before Bonacini, Aprile or Leung open their mouths. They keep group 2, and ask Group 1 to turn in their aprons.

Elimination Method 3. Eight home chefs remain to be judged. What to do, what to do? Hey, I know. Let's make them sweat and call them up in pairs...give them personal admonishment. These guys even have their dishes presented and tasted. The other 12 who kept their aprons didn't have to go through this.

- Dale and John. Dale's in. His chicken liver pate was a gamble. John's out, because his chicken was cooked in the pan with the bone in. A mistake. Chicken was pink.

- Sparkle and Bubba. Both out. Here we go with the MasterChef standards again. Okay so maybe the sandwich showed lack of imagination. Or maybe Bubba couldn't find the Grey Poupon either.

- Evan and Kaila. The judges ask Kaila if she thinks her dish is good enough for MasterChef Canada. Before she can give a complete answer, Leung interrupts with "We'll be the judge of that", or something to that effect. This only reinforces my opinion that there are no correct answers. These guys are going to get you no matter what. Don't even try. Anyways, Kaila is in and Evan is out.

- Dora and Danny. The last two. They just also happen to be a plumber and a construction worker. Funny how that went down. They hold hands, waiting for the decision. Only on MasterChef Canada can we see a plumber and a construction worker holding hands while waiting 3 chefs to pass judgement on their cooking skills. The transparency here is painfully obvious. The sequence was: one in, one out; two out; one in, one out. It only made sense that these two would be in. Besides, Dora and Danny are the two most interesting out of the lot! No worries, they both got to keep their aprons.

So that sets the field at a nice even 16 home chefs. For those keeping track, the breakdown by province is: 9 from Ontario; 4 from British Columbia, 2 from Alberta; and 1 from Manitoba. Of course, this isn't a provincial competition, but there are always people who need to know this information. The real competition begins with the next episode on Sunday, ...whenever the Superbowl ends. I still don't see the relationship between the Superbowl and MasterChef Canada. Perhaps they should have kept Bubba and his sandwich. The MasterChef Kitchen will be revealed, and the competitors face their first mystery box challenge. It looks like the first rivalry also develops, between Kaila and Brooke. The preview also promises a 'surprise elimination'. I don't know if that is a scheduled surprise elimination, or if the judges spontaneously boot someone out.

MasterChef Canada Episode 1 'White is the New Black' OR 'You Guys Don't Understand!!!'

It has begun. MasterChef has come to Canada, and along with it all the hopes and dreams of 'home chefs' across the country.

Of course, it starts in the usual manner. There is the typical montage of of applicants expressing those dreams. "I have the courage/vision/determination". "I'm doing this for my son/daughter/mother/grandmother" or "If I win, it will completely change my life/future".

But the problem is, this is Canada. The first episode moves way too quick. So quick they don't even bother to identify some of the applicants. Come on...these people took time out of their lives, and the showrunners couldn't even give them that 5 seconds of glory? How sad. Even some of the people who advanced and received their white aprons didn't even get a nod. Which is kind of curious. Were they not that good, but passable enough to fill the roster? Or maybe they were TOO good, and stood head and shoulders above the rest?

Here are the home chefs who advanced:

Tammara Behl. Calgary, Alberta.38 years old, Special Needs Teacher.
Marida Mohammed. Toronto, Ontario. Stay-at-home Mom.
Eric Chong. Oakville, Ontario. 21, Chemical Engineer.
Carly Tennant. Vancouver, B.C. Boutique Owner.
Kaila Klassen. West Kelowna, B.C. 24, Real Estate Agent.
Dale Kuda. Toronto, Ontario. 26, Self-Employed House Cleaner.
Dora Cote. Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. 37, Plumber.

Well, those were the ones that were identified during the episode. There were approximately 6 to 8 people who received a white apron, yet went nameless. Maybe we'll find out their names in the next episode, when the field is reduced in the first challenge. Or will they end up getting cut, doomed to anonymity forever?

(UPDATED Jan 27). I have attempted to identify those poor 'unnamed' contestants:

John Chung Yin Leun. Calgary, Alberta. Radio Operator
Sarah Nguyen. Oakville, Ontario. Stay-at-Home Mom.
Jordan Casey. Amherstview, Ontario. Financial Service Representative.
Pino Di Cerbo. Mississauga, Ontario. Stay-at-Home Dad.
Julie Miguel. Woodbridge, Ontario. Bankruptcy Analyst.
Ben Miner. Toronto, Ontario. Stand-up Comedian.

Of course, I could have missed one or two.

As for the celebrity judges, there has been a lot of criticism aimed at their comments. Especially Alvin Leung. "Too harsh", "nasty", "mean". Well, guess what? Get over it. First of all, this is a television show and the producers have to dramatize it. Second, the competition is not going to be a piece of cake. Sorry for the bad pun. Last, but not least, life in this career is not easy. If you want to survive in the industry, you have to buck up. Like baseball, there is no crying in the kitchen.

How many times have people, disgruntled with their direction in life, wished that they could quit their jobs and become a chef? It's almost become a cliche. The worst part of it is, it is almost always people who know absolutely nothing about the reality of that profession. MasterChef, basically, is built on that premise. That is why one of the most amusing parts of the episode was one applicant who, when turned down by the judges, declared "You guys don't understand!" The irony of it should have sent Bonacini, Aprile and Leung tumbling off their chairs in laughter.

The season looks promising. Apparently, team challenges the home chefs will be facing include cooking for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canadian Armed Forces. There will be a special guest judge...Joe Bastianich from the U.S. version. Nice. From the previews, we can also expect to see a lot of slipping, tripping, fumbling and crying. What fun.

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