So Close And Yet So Far: Dicey Episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN Sets Up a Savoury Finale

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Onion, carrot, beet, cabbage: those four ordinary ingredients had to be raised to extraordinary levels by the four remaining competitors on MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN. In a new episode that aired Sunday, May 9 on CTV, and is available for catch-up on the all-new CTV.ca and CTV app, each cook was tasked with taking one simple ingredient, and making it the undisputed star of three separate dishes. None of the four cooks – Andrew Al-Khouri, Andy Hay, Christopher Siu, and Thea Vanherwaarden – hit three home runs. And judges Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini, and Alvin Leung were even more discerning and critical than usual, as was appropriate given what was at stake. SPOILER ALERT: Specific details about what occurred are going to be discussed There was some big news right off the top of the episode, when the competitors were informed that for the first time in MASTERCHEF CANADA history, three cooks – not the traditional two – would be advancing to the finale. A slicing, dicing, and trussing challenge followed, and by emerging victorious, Andy got to choose the key ingredient for each cook in the elimination challenge. He took carrot for himself, and then – trying to undermine everyone, as he put it – he gave onion to Thea, cabbage to Andrew, and beet to Christopher. There were “some big hits, and also some misses,” Bonacini observed. But there was true shock on the faces of the three survivors when Aprile delivered the stunning news: Andrew – perhaps the most consistent performer over the course of the entire season – was out. As Bonacini put it to Andrew, “It is ironic that today, for the very first time this season, you faltered.” With the MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN season finale set to air on Sunday, May 16, at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, here’s what an understandably disappointed Andrew had to say about getting so close to the finale that he could taste it: Q: It’s always tough when you work so hard at something, and achieve so much, but just come up a bit short of your goal. How are you feeling about the experience? ANDREW: “It was an honour to get selected to come back to the competition in the first place, but I felt my time was cut short because I had been pre-planning a show-stopping finale menu that I didn’t get a chance to showcase. All in all, the experience was so much more fun this time around.” Q: As one would expect, the judges were super picky in this episode. Which dish do you think ultimately got you sent home? Could you have done anything differently? ANDREW: “At this point, even great dishes might send someone home. I am super proud of what I presented, and I think they hit all the marks. However, I have an immense amount of respect for the judges, and I can only speculate that they enjoyed the other competitors’ dishes more than mine.” Q: Having been through two gruelling seasons, what’s the biggest difference between the Andrew who competed in Season 2, and the Andrew who made it all the way to the final four on MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN? ANDREW: “This time around I had less to prove. I was there to showcase my skills and promote my restaurant. The first time, in Season 2, I was there to get validation that I should be cooking for a living. And now, I own my own restaurant and have been doing what I love for years. I would have eventually gotten there on my own, but my experience on MASTERCHEF CANADA certainly gave me a big boost.” Q: If a friend of yours were interested in trying out for MASTERCHEF CANADA in the future, what’s the No. 1 piece of advice you would give them, and why? ANDREW: “Don’t phone it in. Do the work. Yes, this is a TV show, but most importantly and above all else, you need to fully commit to learning and improving. If you do that, I believe anyone can have a shot at the MASTERCHEF CANADA title.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv