''Chopped Canada'' is a Canadian

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...

television series based on the US series ''Chopped''. The program pits four chefs against each other as they compete to win $10,000 and the title of Chopped Canada Champion. It first aired on January 2, 2014 and last aired on February 11, 2017. In May 2017, the show's producers announced that

Food Network Canada Food Network, formerly called Food Network Canada, is a Canadian English language specialty channel based on the U.S. cable network of the same name. It airs programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry. The Canadian versi ...

had cancelled the show.

Format

In each episode, four chefs go head to head and compete to create a delicious three course meal. The competition is divided into three rounds: "

Appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...

", "

Entrée An entrée (, ; ) in modern French table service and that of much of the English-speaking world (apart from the United States and parts of Canada) is a dish served before the main course of a meal. Outside North America, it is generally synony ...

", and "

Dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

". In each round, the chefs are presented with a mystery basket containing four ingredients, and the challenge is to incorporate those mystery ingredients into an appetizing dish. The ingredients are generally diverse items which are not commonly prepared together. The chef competitors are given access to a

pantry A pantry is a room or cupboard where beverages, food, and sometimes dishes, household cleaning products, linens or provisions are stored within a home or office. Food and beverage pantries serve in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. Etymol ...

and

refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

stocked with a wide variety of other ingredients, which they are free to use as they wish. Each round is timed (twenty or thirty minutes for the Appetizer round, thirty minutes each for the Entrée and Dessert rounds), and the chefs must cook their dishes and complete four platings (three for the judges and one "beauty plate") before time runs out. After each cooking round, there are three celebrity judges on hand to critique the dishes based on presentation, taste, and creativity. The chef with the worst dish is "chopped" from the competition. Dean or Brad reveals the judges' decision by lifting a cloche on their table to show the losing chef's dish, and one of the judges comments on the reason for their choice to the eliminated chef. By the dessert round, only two chefs remain, and when deciding the winner, the judges consider not only on the dishes created by the two chefs during that round, but also their overall performance throughout the competition. The winner is awarded a prize of $10,000, and the title of Chopped Canada Champion.

Teen Tournament

The third season opened with a special Teen Tournament (the first tournament on the Chopped Canada series), which saw 16 chefs (aged 13 to 17) compete over the course of four semi-final episodes. The winner of each semi-final episode went on to compete in the Teen Tournament final, which awarded a $20,000 grand prize to the Chopped Canada Teen Champion.

Host

The first two seasons of the show were hosted by Canadian actor

Dean McDermott Dean McDermott (born November 16, 1966) is a Canadian actor best known as a reality television personality with his wife, actress Tori Spelling, and as the host of the cooking competition ''Chopped Canada''. He played the role of Constable Renfi ...

. However, in early March 2015, it was announced that he would not be returning as host for the upcoming third season. In June 2015,

Shaw Media Shaw Media was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice (TV channel), Sli ...

announced that former

Canadian Football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

player and

The Bachelor Canada ''The Bachelor Canada'' is a Canadian reality television series that first premiered on October 3, 2012, and is based on the American television series ''The Bachelor''. Seasons 1 and 2 aired on the City television network, after which point the f ...

Brad Smith Brad or Bradley Smith may refer to: Sportspeople * Bradley Smith (cricketer) (born 1969), English former cricketer * Brad Smith (footballer, born 1948), Australian rules footballer and premiership coach of East Fremantle * Brad Smith (ice hockey) ...

would take over as host, despite not having any culinary experience.

Judges

The episodes feature a rotating panel of three celebrity judges. Past and current notable judges include celebrity chefs

Massimo Capra Massimo Capra (born 1960) is an Italian Canadians, Italian-born Canadian restauranteur, restaurant consultant, cookbook author, and celebrity chef. He is known for his appearances on the television shows CityTV's ''CityLine, Cityline'', Global Tel ...

Lynn Crawford Lynn Crawford (born July 18, 1964) is a Canadian chef and television personality. She is known for her appearances on the Food Network show ''Restaurant Makeover'', which is seen in over 16 countries worldwide. Biography Lynn Crawford was bo ...

, Eden Grinshpan, John Higgins,

Chuck Hughes Charles Frederick Hughes (March 2, 1943 – October 24, 1971) was an American football player, a wide receiver in the National Football League from 1967 to 1971. , he is the only NFL player to die on the field during a game. Early years Born ...

Susur Lee Susur Lee (; born December 1958) is a Canadian celebrity chef based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Culinary career Susur was born in Hong Kong, the youngest of six children. He served his culinary apprenticeship at Hong Kong's renowned Peni ...

Mark McEwan Mark McEwan is an American-born Canadian celebrity chef based in Toronto, Ontario. He was head judge on Food Network Canada's ''Top Chef Canada''. McEwan had his own television show on Food Network Canada entitled ''The Heat'', which followed h ...

Roger Mooking Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. Mooking is the host of the television series '' Man Fire Food'' (2012 to present). He is also the host and co-creator of ''Everyday Exotic''. Both programs aired on the ...

, Antonio Park, Michael Smith,

Vikram Vij Vikram Vij (born 1964)Vikram Vij of Vij's - Biography Vancouver, BC
s ...

and Anne Yarymowich.

Episode guide

In March 2016, it was announced by Shaw Media that the show had been renewed for a fourth season, with Brad Smith returning as the host. The season featured special themed episodes, including Grandmothers, Firefighters, Celebrities and the first ever Judges' episode where four of the rotating judges stepped into the kitchen to compete for money for charity. The season also included additional Teen episodes with competitors aged 14 to 18, as well as the addition of Junior episodes, showcasing talented young chefs aged 9 to 13.

References

External links

* * {{Food Network (Canada) series Food Network (Canadian TV channel) original programming Food reality television series English-language television shows 2014 Canadian television series debuts 2017 Canadian television series endings Television series by Corus Entertainment Television series by Entertainment One 2010s Canadian reality television series 2010s Canadian cooking television series Cooking competitions in Canada