Mary Berg, winner of Season 3, is back on MasterChef Canada, though not as a contestant.Crave/Supplied
When Mary Berg walked back onto the MasterChef Canada set this summer, she says it was like a homecoming – but with more cameras. The bestselling cookbook author and host of CTV’s The Good Stuff is no stranger to the kitchen. She won Season 3 of the culinary competition nearly a decade ago and launched a career that’s made her one of Canada’s most recognizable food personalities. This time, Berg isn’t returning as a contestant but as the host of the rebooted series.
“I remember being in those contestants’ shoes, shaking as the clock ticked down,” she says. “Now I get to support them, to nudge them along and hopefully calm their nerves.” That mix of relatability and polish is exactly what Bell Media is banking on as MasterChef Canada returns to CTV after a four-year hiatus. The series, which originally ran for seven seasons, disappeared after its all-star season in 2021 because of filming challenges related to the pandemic.
“MasterChef Canada was still doing really well,” explains Justin Stockman, vice-president of content development and programming at Bell. “The issue was COVID. These shows depend on brand partnerships, and at that time, the culinary category was hard. We had to choose between Amazing Race Canada and MasterChef, and ultimately stuck with Amazing Race. But the moment has passed – so why not bring back a show that Canadians clearly love?”
A still from MasterChef Canada, Season 8, Episode 1: “Black Apron Battle.”Crave/Supplied
The new season brings a mix of familiar structure and fresh flavour. The Canadian set was dismantled and discarded years ago, but production was able to recycle the same one used for the U.S. series. Shipping it north was costly, but the result is a set with a scale of the same magnitude. Speaking of production, Scott McGillivray’s McGillivray Entertainment, best known for Canada’s Got Talent, has taken over production duties from Proper Television and worked closely with format owners Banijay to ensure the Canadian version matches its 70 global siblings.
“They had a lot of really clever ideas to make the show look big and premium, even with Canadian budgets,” Stockman says. “It was important to us that viewers wouldn’t feel they were getting a ‘smaller’ version than the U.S. series.”
Sets are important, but the most critical ingredient in any reality series is the cast. More than 250 Canadians applied virtually, and casting whittled that down to a dozen competitors who reflect Canada’s diversity in geography, culture and cuisine.
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“These home cooks really show the breadth of what Canadian food is today,” executive producer Marike Emery says. “You’ve got people who grew up cooking family recipes from Jamaica, India or rural Quebec, standing side by side at the same bench. That creates incredible storytelling and some really surprising dishes.”
The reboot also comes with an entirely new judging panel. Alongside Berg sits Hugh Acheson, the Ottawa-born chef and restaurateur best known for his turns on Top Chef, and Craig Wong, chef-owner of Toronto’s celebrated Patois. Emery says the judging mix was intentional.
“Mary is sparkle and empathy, Hugh brings the edge, and Craig offers deep technical expertise. Together they balance each other beautifully.”
Acheson agrees that his reputation as a straight shooter holds true on set.
“I’m brutally honest, which can come off as tough sometimes,” he says. “But food is tricky. I’ve competed before, so I have a ton of empathy for the constraints they’re under. At the same time, if someone is cocky and making poor choices, I’ll call it out. That’s part of the gig.”
This season of MasterChef Canada offers a grand prize of $100,000.Crave/Supplied
What excites him most is how the show reflects Canada’s multicultural identity.
“The cooks exemplify the mosaic of Canada – people of every colour, heritage and background. You’re seeing Bangladeshi curries, Jamaican soups, French pastries. It’s disparate but uniting at the same time. That’s Canada.”
Wong, meanwhile, is a fan of how the competition mirrors the way Canadians actually eat.
“I grew up in a Chinese-Jamaican household where dinner might be jerk chicken alongside fried rice,” he says. “That kind of blending isn’t unusual here – it’s the Canadian experience. On MasterChef Canada, you see those mashups taken seriously, and you realize how powerful food can be in telling our stories.”
If MasterChef Canada was only about who cooks the best scallops, poutine or beef, it wouldn’t resonate in the same way with viewers. This series has always been about something larger: identity, aspiration and community. And as restaurants still recover from the pandemic and home cooking has taken on renewed importance, the show arrives at a key moment.
“Life’s too short to just eat boiled chicken breast,” Acheson says. “We need to cook, to enjoy, to watch people thrive in the kitchen. Restaurants were hit hard, but the curiosity for good food hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s grown. Whether people cook at home or go out, it all feeds into that same appetite.”
Berg agrees. “People are so much more confident in the kitchen now,” she says. “During lockdowns, we all tried sourdough or learned to make pasta. Now viewers see themselves reflected in these home cooks. It’s not about being a professional chef – it’s about telling your story through food.”
For Bell Media, the return of MasterChef Canada was a no-brainer. Stockman says reality competition formats are among the network’s most reliable performers. They also offer easy integration for advertisers and a creative way to bring in more revenue. This season’s $100,000 grand prize is sponsored by CIBC, for example, and there are brand integrations from Chicken Farmers of Canada and Dempster’s throughout the series.
“It can’t feel like a commercial,” Stockman says. “It has to feel organic, like something you’d naturally see in the kitchen. Our team is very good at that. Viewers don’t complain – it’s just part of how TV works now.”
Ratings also play a role. While Bell won’t disclose targets (or budgets), past seasons of MasterChef Canada regularly drew more than a million viewers per episode, and the U.S. version continues to perform well on CTV. Stockman points out that Canadian versions of popular formats often outperform their American counterparts here.
“There’s something about seeing Canadians on screen, telling Canadian stories, that resonates.”