Top Chef Canada - Season 8

In the season debut, Host Eden Grinshpan and Head Judge Mark McEwan welcome 12 chefs from every corner of the country to compete in the most prestigious cooking competition in the country, battling it out for the biggest prize in Top Chef Canada history and the coveted title of Canada's Top Chef. In the season's first Quickfire Challenge the chefs must create their "Desert Island Dish" – the one dish they would want to eat every day if they were stranded on a desert island for the rest of their life. In a Top Chef Canada first, the chefs with the best four dishes will earn a game changing special advantage. Later in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs draw inspiration from the dawn of a new decade, tapping into the pulse of culinary trends to create dishes that speak to the future of food. At Judges Table, reality sinks in when the chefs face the first elimination of the season.

Things get both icy and heated in the Top Chef Canada Kitchen during a Quickfire Challenge that challenges the chefs to reimagine a classic dish by deconstructing it into a plate that features both a hot and cold element. Each classic dish is chosen by two chefs who will go head-to-head as they try to impress Patrick Kriss, the Chef and Owner of one of Canada's top restaurants, Alo. In the Elimination Challenge, the head-to-head battle continues as the chefs take inspiration from five international styles of BBQ and serve a BBQ party for the hungry crowds at Black Creek Community Farm, and of course Top Chef Canada's discerning judges.

It's time for the chefs to show off their skills! With bragging rights on the line, the chefs are put through the paces in the always intense Top Chef Canada Culinary Skills test. This season, their dexterity, speed, and finesse are tested using ingredients from Prince Edward Island. Chefs must perfectly peel as many apples as possible, expertly shuck 20 oysters, and race against the clock to extract as much lobster meat as possible – all under the watchful eye of Head Judge Mark McEwan. The final two then battle it out to create an amuse bouche with their apple, oyster, and lobster meat to represent P.E.I. in one perfect bite. In the Elimination Challenge the chefs take over Toronto's Stackt Market to create a Top Chef Canada grab-and-go experience, providing on-the-go offerings to 75 busy guests and the always on-the-move Top Chef Canada judges and special guest judge Chef Joanne Chang.

It's Drag Brunch! The Top Chef Canada kitchen glitters like never before when two fabulous Drag Queens, Miss Moco and Baby Bel Bel, drop by to challenge the chefs to create an indulgent three course brunch tasting menu fit for a queen. The chefs work in teams to impress the queens and slay the most decadent meal of the day. Later in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are tasked with taking the judges on a culinary trip across Europe for a European feast. Things get intense in the kitchen as the chefs each create a dish inspired by some of the most iconic cities across the continent.

Jaws drop when culinary trailblazer, Daniel Boulud, walks into the Top Chef Canada kitchen to judge a Quickfire Challenge that tasks the chefs with highlighting high-quality European ingredients. In the Elimination Challenge, it's time for Restaurant Wars! In this iconic Top Chef Canada challenge, the chefs battle it out in two teams to create an unforgettable restaurant experience at Toronto's historic Casa Loma. The stakes are higher than ever as the final eight chefs face a double elimination that will see two chefs from the losing team pack their knives and go.

Things are about to get funky! In this Quickfire Challenge, the chefs come face-to-face with David Zilber, the Director of Fermentation at Copenhagen's world famous Two Michelin-Starred restaurant, Noma. The chefs strive to impress Zilber, flexing their prowess and making their dishes sing with the funky flavours of fermented foods. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs channel Canada's food island as they create dishes that highlight ingredients from P.E.I. Later, in one of the most emotional Judges Table in the history of Top Chef Canada, two chefs break down in tears before a shocking elimination.

In a very special Quickfire Challenge, the chefs get a helping hand from some mini-sous chefs representing The Boys and Girls Club of Canada. Their mission: turning a veggie that kids don't always love and turning it into a delicious dessert. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs face the seemingly simple task of making fresh pasta to earn one of three spots in the finale. An unexpected twist rocks Judges Table when the judges decide to do something never before seen on Top Chef Canada.

Two fierce competitors have 25 minutes to create a dish to prove they deserve the final spot in the finale. One chef is sent packing, and one advances for a shot at victory. The season culminates with the final three chefs facing the most important meal of the competition – a progressive four-course tasting menu that they will serve overlooking a thunderous gorge at the breathtaking Elora Mill Hotel & Spa in Elora, Ontario. Only one chef will win it all and become Canada's Top Chef.