Second Home Cook of Season 5 Exits the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen on CTV

Kaegan Donnelly from Vancouver, B.C. is the second home cook eliminated from the competition.

Following the first Team Challenge of Season 5, esteemed MASTERCHEF CANADA judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile, and Alvin Leung  revealed that Kaegan Donnelly,  a Software Salesman from Vancouver, B.C., would be the second home cook to surrender his white apron and depart the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen. With 10 home cooks now remaining in the competition, MASTERCHEF CANADA returns next week on Tuesday, April 24 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 MT on CTV and CTV GO, with an off-site Team Challenge. In tonight’s episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA, the home cooks faced their first Team Challenge as they were given only two hours to create a hearty family-style meal for 101 Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Divided into Red and Blue colour-coded teams each tasked with preparing a high volume of meals with many complicated components, the Red Team started to fall behind, with Beccy emerging as a driving force and lead the team through a serious time-crunch. Meanwhile, the Blue Team struggled with Kaegan’s chaotic and messy trail in the workspace. The Habitat for Humanity volunteers cast their votes, with the Red Team winning by 31 votes. Returning to the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen and safe from elimination, the Red Team retreated to the safety of the balcony, where they watched the Blue Team compete in a Pressure Test – a replication challenge which saw the remaining home cooks recreate an elevated Black Forest Cake. Initially struggling, Reem rises to the challenge; however, Kaegan succumbs to the pressure, and forgets to include sugar in his cake batter, ending up with only one of the cake’s four required layers. Ultimately he is eliminated, and the remaining Top 10 home cooks move forward in the competition. In the next all-new episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA, “Fast and Epicure-ious” (Tuesday, April 24 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 MT on CTV and CTV GO), 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, an Elimination Challenge puts an end to one home cook’s food dreams. The remaining Top 10 home cooks vying for the title of MASTERCHEF CANADA and the $100,000 cash prize are:

• Reem Ahmed, Biomedical Engineer from Toronto, Ont.
• Eugene Cheng, Financial Advisor and Rowing Coach from Vancouver, B.C.
• Michael Griffiths, Mathematician from Richmond Hill, Ont.
• Andy Hay, Small Business Owner from Dartmouth, N.S.
• Jen Jenkins, Stay-at-Home Mom from Dawson Creek, B.C.
• Marissa Leon-John, Tech Support Manager from Dollard–des–Ormeaux, Qué.
• Jonathan Rahim, Real Estate Agent from Winnipeg, Man.
• Nadia Rehman, Account Executive from Markham, Ont.
• Beccy Stables, Tile Setter Assistant from Sherwood Park, Alta.
• Michael Varga, Firefighter from Vancouver, B.C.

Fans are invited to visit CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada throughout the season for exclusive content, including background on this season’s finalists and the MASTERCHEF CANADA judges, as well as interviews, recipes, and more. CTV.ca also offers viewers behind-the-scenes glimpses of this season’s challenges, culinary creations, triumphs, and upsets. Returning this season, MASTERCHEF CANADA’s digital exclusive, MASTERCHEF CANADA: REDEMPTION, presented by Miele and hosted at the Miele Experience Centre, returns to CTV.ca, in which eliminated home cooks are invited back for a chance to earn their white apron once again and return to the MasterChef Canada Kitchen. As competitors are whittled down, the digital companion series is a must-watch for viewers to catch the tangential developments that may propel their favourite eliminated home cook back into the MasterChef Canada Kitchen. Throughout Season 5, viewers across the country can satisfy their MASTERCHEF CANADA cravings by tuning to the series’ previous seasons, now streaming on CraveTV™. Following the finale of Season 5 on CTV, the current season of MASTERCHEF CANADA will be available in its entirety on CraveTV, and is also slated to air on Gusto this summer (check local listings). Season 5 of MASTERCHEF CANADA has also partnered with Chefs Plate and SPLENDA^® Sweeteners. The MASTERCHEF format and finished programmes are represented internationally by Endemol Shine Group, and is based on a format originally created by Franc Roddam. MASTERCHEF CANADA is produced by Proper Television in association with CTV. Proper’s Co-President Cathie James is the Executive Producer and Showrunner and Co-President Lesia Capone is Executive Producer. For Bell Media, Tina Apostolopoulos is Production Executive; Robin Johnston is Director, Original Programming, Factual and Reality; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Original Programming; Pat DiVittorio is Vice-President, CTV and Specialty Programming. Mike Cosentino is President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Bell Media. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Twitter: #MasterChefCanada @CTV_PR @CTV_Television @MasterChefCDA Michael Bonachini – @Michael Bonacini Alvin Leung – @TheDemonChef Claudio Aprile – @ClaudioAprile Facebook: Facebook.com/CTV Facebook.com/MasterChefCDA Instagram: @ctv_pr @ctv_television @MasterChefCDA Reem Ahmed – @reemahmed_91 Eugene Cheng – @eugeneacheng Michael Griffiths – @michaelsfoodexperience Andy Hay – @andyseastcoastkitchen_ Jen Jenkins – @jenjenkins0517 Marissa Leon-John – @mdominique Jonathan Rahim – @jonnyrahim Nadia Rehman – @nadzland Beccy Stables – @beccystables Michael Varga – @thecup14