My Review of "MasterChef Canada: Season 3"

Last season we saw David Jorge win season 2 of MasterChef Canada. It was a good season and I think I still got the same flame of competitiveness as I saw in season 1. I liked the fact that it was distinctly Canadian.

Season 3 ups the ante of the MasterChef Canada series. They took some good ideas from season 2 and bolstered them to make this season as entertaining.

One of the changes you'll notice is that the competition is starting to become increasingly diverse. That's not to say that the other seasons weren't but I think there was an added effort to make it a diverse cast. I don't know why I think that but it just seems that way.

I liked that they continued to give us the backstory of these contestants just like season 2 and they continued to add the family element of the show to this season. Again they had the cook for your family episode which was close to the end of the competition. I think this is a really nice touch to the show especially the timing of it. We get to know each of the contestants and then we meet their loved ones at the end. It's better this way because we're already have a vested interest into the contestants and now we're really diving in with seeing their family.

I have to admit at first I thought it was a weaker bunch of cooks than the 2nd season but quickly I would notice that their culinary skills were really developing as they continued to progress through the show. I'm not sure what happens in the background of the show but I think they may be giving these home cooks lessons while they're off screen.

I see this in their skills in plating and ensuring that everything is cooked just the right way. I especially notice this in the replication challenges. In the beginning nothing looked like they were supposed to and then as we get closer to the end of the competition all of the contestants are killing it.

This season the stand out stars for me were Mary Berg, Jeremy Senaris, Matthew Astorga, Veronica Cham, and Terry Adido. They were all pretty interesting in this season.

Veronica Cham was one of the cooks that I hated in the beginning and then I grew to really like her. She has this air of arrogance to her in the beginning of the competition and it's really no fault of her own. I think it's just the way she normally looks when she's waiting a decision. I grew to like her character because she really brought it. I mean her stuff looked super complicated pushing so much into the time limit that she's allotted.

Terry Adido was one of the contestants that I was really hoping would do better in the competition. I thought he had so much more potential but was only frazzled because of the time limits that he had. It was a crucial mistake in time management that got him the ax. I really think he could have gone way further.

Matthew Astorga was a very interesting contestant because he was highly skilled but yet was kind of under the radar a little. He got up to the semi's but was ousted because Jeremy Senaris had a better dish.

Speaking of Jeremy, I have to say that I thought his last dishes in the finals were a knock out. I think this guy grew the most out of all the contestants from the beginning to the end. You could really tell he was there to learn and he really made the most of his lessons there on MasterChef.

Ultimately, Mary Berg won the competition. Quite honestly, I don't know who could hate this woman. She's an amazing competitor and was very consistent throughout the show. I loved the fact that she was willing to help her fellow competitors if they needed help. She didn't want to win in any underhanded way.

I really respected that and I think this is partly why I like MasterChef Canada more than any other reality show. It's got that despite being a competition they still have their Canadian politeness. Less drama and more skills talking. That's what I would prefer in reality TV shows.

At first I thought Jeremy had won the competition but I looked again and I understood why the judges chose Mary's dishes over Jeremy. Although Jeremy's dishes were more complicated and artistic. Mary's dishes told a story throughout the meal she prepared. That in itself is a form of art.

Overall, I really enjoyed the 3rd season of MasterChef Canada and I hope the 4th season will be just as good. I will have to give this season of MasterChef Canada an 8 out of 10. It was a really good season and I think I would be able to recommend this to others.