Everything about Masterchef Canada, eh?

Featured, Masterchef Canada, Private Eyes

Comments and queries for the week of June 24

MasterChef Canada

If Jeremy had served one entree rather than four dishes in one, I think he would’ve had a better change of winning. His mistake was making four dishes rather than one in the entree round. —Rich

Wow, that’s all I can say. What a disappointing finale. Jeremy was supposed to win. They wanted a Canadian female to win for ratings, but at least find someone other than Jeremy to put her up against. He outclassed her on so many levels. —Ed

I will not watch MasterChef Canada again. The decision and shallowness of this year’s decision has left a very bad taste in my mouth. —Cynthia

It must have been a very difficult decision for the Chef judges, but I was happy that Mary came out victorious. I will bet that Jeremy gets some offers in the culinary industry in his future. —Joyce

Jeremy threw in everything but the kitchen sink in that appetizer, four sushi dishes and dessert. That doesn’t make it creative! Would you like a bison entree, followed by four different raw seafood rolls and then a dessert that had cream in it? None of the dishes were connected in any way.  For those of you who think Mary won because she is a woman, how would you like it if a man won and everybody said he only won because he’s a “man”? You are sore losers. Veronica, Matthew, the doctor and several other contestants got as much face time as Mary did on the show. She won because she’s a great chef—get over it! —So There

For those who thought Jeremy should have won, keep in mind that the winner was likely decided not just based on the final round but over the entire competition. At any rate, I didn’t think Jeremy decisively beat Mary in the final round. Keep in mind, none of us tasted the food. —Rabbit

I think Mary had it in the bag all season and her final meal looked and obviously tasted great. Good on you girl. Hope you get everything you want. —Glenys

Haunted Case Files

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see the series premiere in the U.S. for a few more weeks, it’s both exciting and a relief to read your thoughts about Episode 1. Anna and I shared five of our most compelling investigations complied over the last six years of investigating some of the most haunted locations in the U.S.A. Villisca is certainly an experience we will not forget, it is good to know through our stories you felt some of the anxiety and fear this location, as well as the others, experienced by each of us. We are a bit biased when it comes to the content and the impact our stories have with the viewers. It is good to read such a positive recap.
In closing, we can attest to the fact that ALL of what you hear and see is real, experienced by each of us, (The Paranormal Investigators Squad). We love what we do, we continue to Seek the Truth. One location at a time! Thanks for a Great Review!! Regards.—Alan and Anna Tolf, PoppaNana Paranormal Investigations, Michigan

Private Eyes

I’ve always made fun of my girlfriend’s detective shows, but not Private Eyes. I’m hooked especially on Cindy Sampson, now there is one sexy woman. Let’s just hope this show lasts a little while; not a bad show for being Canadian. —John

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada winner plans her future

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Mary Berg won Season 3 of MasterChef Canada, but she’s only beginning her culinary adventure. The energetic insurance broker from Pickering, Ont., captured the grand prize on Sunday night by beating Jeremy Senaris with her cohesive three-course creations. But winning the series, a trophy and $100,000 is just a launch pad for Berg, who plots to run her own catering business … and perhaps return to television.

“I have a project in development with Bell Media and Proper Television and we’ll see where that goes,” Berg says with a smile during an interview Monday afternoon. “I met with Proper Television and was showing them some photos and they sat me down and approached me.” Berg is mum on anymore details regarding the potential television project, but does plan to continue catering. Sunday’s season finale broadcast didn’t stop her from catering an event for 29 on Saturday night.

Regarding her three-course finale of golden beet borscht, surf and turf and blueberry financier, Berg plotted the meal once she’d made the Top 5 so she’d be prepared, using the inspiration of her family as the basis for her choices. Being prepared was never an issue for Berg, but being too adventurous was. Case in point? Deciding to create four different eclairs in an Elimination Challenge that put her on the cusp of going home.

“As soon as I started that challenge I thought, ‘Mary, you idiot, why are you doing this?’ but I had decided and once you make a decision like that you just have to go with it,” she says with a laugh. “And even though I look frazzled, I get it done.” Berg was in the bottom two a second time this season after leaving a bone in the fish she’d prepared; she still has that piece of bone.

But that’s all in the past. Berg is eying future prospects … and finally getting her hands on the trophy after it was taken away at the conclusion of filming.

“I know where I’m going to put that,” Berg says. “In my house, on the speaker for my record player. It’s very central. I don’t have trophies, this is my first, and I’m going to place it somewhere noticeable.”

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada’s Season 3 winner is …

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After 14 weeks of toil, MasterChef Canada crowned its Season 3 winner. Mary Berg triumphed over Jeremy Senaris to not only claim the title, but the $100,000 grand prize. She is the first female winner of MasterChef Canada.

“This trophy represents everything I’ve learned and that is about to happen,” Berg said moments after judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile handed her the trophy; she was surrounded by her family.

“Mary really deserves this, and I’m happy for her,” Senaris said. “I made it this far and I’m really proud of what I did. Second ain’t so bad.”

Berg had been a frontrunner all season long, proving being a vegetarian wasn’t a disadvantage as she prepared meat dishes that won consistently high marks from the judges. She proved that once again in Sunday’s season finale by featuring beef tenderloin in her modern take on surf and turf, pairing the seared protein with fried oysters drew raves from the celebrity chefs. The trio deemed Berg’s three-course menu of roasted golden beet borscht, surf and turf and blueberry financier to be a little more cohesive than Senaris’ bison takaki, sushi boat and milk tea panna cotta.

Unlike Berg, Senaris improved week to week throughout the competition, winning over the judges quietly but confidently, and showing he could create innovative and thrilling plates. His Achilles heel was presentation, though that didn’t hurt him in the finale. If anything, he saved his most beautiful plating for Sunday night, especially his multi-coloured, multi-layered dessert.

Season 4 of MasterChef Canada is happening now.

Were you happy Mary won Season 3 of MasterChef Canada? Comment below.

Check out our exclusive interview with Mary and her plans for the future.

Flash back to last July, when Mary auditioned in Toronto:

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Unlucky 13 for one MasterChef Canada home cook

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After weeks of anticipation, cooking and crashing and burning, it’s down to the final two home cooks, who will battle it out in MasterChef Canada‘s season finale next Sunday.

In one corner is Mary Berg, the spunky vegetarian who has an uncanny ability to prepare tasty meats; in the other is Jeremy Senaris, who not only makes great food but is able to replicate intricate recipes with stunning accuracy. The duo will go head-to-head, with one emerging $100,000 richer and with the Season 3 title.

Sadly, “Only the Best,” resulted in Matthew’s elimination after two mistakes in the Pressure Test sealed his fate. They were minor gaffes to be sure—a liquid tart centre and missed croutons—but at this point in the competition a small error makes a big difference.

There honestly isn’t much to say about Sunday’s penultimate episode other than I was mightily impressed with what all three were able to accomplish. The Mystery Box challenge, involving 13 ingredients from the first Mystery test of the season, was an exercise in creativity and time management, as the home cooks were tasked with providing 16 identical plates to 13 of the country’s most influential chefs and Claudio, Michael and Alvin. Once again, timing threatened to derail Mary, but she created the tastiest offering of fish and chips and won a spot in the finale.

Jeremy, meanwhile, ran out of gnocchi to serve, landing him alongside Matthew in the Pressure Test. Their challenge seemed insurmountable, to make three citrus-infused desserts in 90 minutes. If not for Matthew’s errors, he very well could have beaten Jeremy.

Who do you hope wins during next week’s season finale? Comment below.

MasterChef Canada‘s season finale airs Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Bachelorette Canada, Big Brother Canada, Featured, Mary Kills People, Masterchef Canada, Ransom

Corus announces Global and specialty schedules

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The media releases from Corus today make me fear for their advanced caffeination levels and I can’t bring myself to print them verbatim but among the Canadian series news are these tidbits with the superlative adjectives edited out:

Global

Ransom – As announced yesterday, Global, together with TF1 France, green lit new original suspense drama Ransom, starring Luke Roberts (Black Sails, Game of Thrones), with CBS joining as a broadcast partner for the series. Production on Ransom will begin later this summer.

Mary Kills People – Also in production this summer, Global’s new original drama Mary Kills People has cast Caroline Dhavernas(Hannibal) as the series lead. The six-episode series follows Dr. Mary Harris (Dhavernas), a single mother and emergency doctor, who also moonlights as an underground angel of death – helping terminally ill patients who want to die slip away on their own terms. So far Mary has managed to stay under the radar; but her double life gets complicated when the police start to close in, forcing Mary to fight dirty if she’s going to stay in the killing game.

Big Brother Canada – After its most successful season yet, with an average audience of almost 1.2 million viewers per episode (2+) – growing audiences with total viewers and key demos A18-49 and A25-54 versus Season 3, Big Brother Canada, returns for a fifth season of competing, scheming, and household chaos. Based on Endemol Shine Group’s worldwide franchise and commissioned by Corus Entertainment Inc., Season 5 of Big Brother Canada is produced by Insight Productions in association with Corus Entertainment Inc.

Specialty Top Chef Canada from Food Network Canada makes its return with an All-Stars edition slated for early 2017. Real Housewives of Toronto promises an intimate look at the luxurious lives of the city’s wealthiest women, from their extravagant day-to-day escapades in Toronto to grandiose getaways at their exclusive colossal cottages in Muskoka, Canada’s playground for the rich and famous. A different kind of haute couture continues in the new Slice™ original Style Factory with a behind-the-scenes look at how fashion and beauty products are made. W Network is set to launch the first ever version of The Bachelorette Canada this fall. Bryan Baeumler, Scott McGillivray, and Mike Holmes all return to HGTV Canadawith new series this fall. Bryan Inc., Moving the McGillivrays, and Holmes and Holmes each give a deeper look into the personal and professional lives of the network’s biggest stars.

HISTORY treks north to Edmonton International Airport in the new, original series Airport: Below Zero. The series takes Canadians behind-the-scenes at North America’s most northerly big city airport. Joining HISTORY in Spring 2017, a team of crack investigators search for billions of dollars worth of treasures stolen by the Nazis in Nazi Treasure Hunters. Finally, CMT (Canada) brings host Billy Bretherton north of the 49th parallel in the original series Billy Goes North. The series chronicles Billy’s adventure with Canadian pests, critters, and gnarly animals other exterminators can’t handle alone.

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