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

Melissa Skowron from Calgary, Alta. is the first home cook eliminated from the competition.

Following the first Mystery Box and Elimination Challenge of Season 5, esteemed MASTERCHEF CANADA judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile, and Alvin Leung revealed that Melissa Skowron, a Facilities Coordinator from Calgary, Alta. would be the first of the Top 12 home cooks  to relinquish her white apron and depart the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen. With 11 home cooks now remaining in the competition, MASTERCHEF CANADA returns next week on Tuesday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 MT on CTV and CTV GO, with the season’s first Team Challenge. In tonight’s episode, the Top 12 home cooks faced their first Mystery Box Challenge, working with coffee as the key ingredient. Given one hour to develop and complete their coffee-inspired dishes, the home cooks were randomly assigned a flavour profile of either ‘sweet’ or ‘savoury’. With a dish Chef Alvin declared as ‘genius’, Kaegan won the challenge with a perfectly cooked coffee-crusted steak with coffee celeriac purée’. Despite improvising and working without a recipe, Beccy’s éclairs with coffee and dark chocolate earned unanimous praise from the judges. Michael G’s flavourful coffee-encrusted sirloin steak with coffee yam purée earned a solid third place. Safe from elimination as winner of the Mystery Box Challenge, Kaegan was given another advantage when he was asked to assign wallets to 6 home cooks in a unique budget-driven Elimination Challenge. Kaegan assigned the $50 luxury budget to Michael V, Andy, and Beccy, and the $10 maximum economy budget to Melissa, Jonathan, and Marissa. With one hour to shop in the specialty pantry, the home cooks adhere to their assigned budgets and complete their dishes. Jonathan captured the top dish with a pan-seared cod on a bed of corn succotash, which earned huge accolades from the judges for its intense, bold flavours. Delivering huge depth of flavour, Michael V’s seafood paella on a bed of charred pepper chimichurri landed him in second place. Melissa and Beccy both delivered disappointing dishes and ultimately the judges decided that Melissa would be the first of the Top 12 home cooks to leave the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen. In the next all-new episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA, “Building an Appetite” (Tuesday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 MT on CTV and CTV GO), the home cooks face their first Team Challenge when they are asked to prepare a hearty meal for 101 Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Split into two teams, they are given only two hours to create a family-style meal, with hungry volunteers casting a vote to declare their favourite. The losing team faces a Pressure Test, and at least one home cook is asked to leave the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen. The remaining Top 11 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.
  • Kaegan Donnelly, Software Sales 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 Kaegan Donnelly – @kaegan 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