Great Chocolate Showdown is a Canadian cooking competition television series that airs on Food Network themed around chocolate baking and confections. The show is carried in the United States by The CW Network.
The first season of the series officially premiered on February 4, 2020, with judges Steven Hodge, Anna Olson, and Cynthia Stroud. Episode 1, "The World Needs S'more People Like You", received a nomination for a Canadian Screen Award in the category of "Editing in a reality or competition program or series". The second season premiered on February 22, 2021, while the third season debuted on March 1, 2022, retaining the same cast of judges. In May 2022, the CW renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on August 5, 2023. It was canceled after four seasons.
The show features product placement from Purdy's Chocolates, which is the "official chocolate sponsor" of the show. Some challenges are presented by a representative of the company.
Format Each season begin with 10 amateur home bakers. After each episode, a contestant is eliminated, until a finale episode to determine the season winner. Episodes typically consist of two challenges: an initial "Technique Test" and a "Chocolate Elimination Challenge". Winners of the skills challenge receive either immunity from elimination, or an advantage in the elimination round. Season winners receive a grand prize of $50,000.
Season 1 Contestants Source:
Fadi Odeh – Austin, Texas Casey Hallen – Rye, New York Craig Taylor – Vancouver, British Columbia Andrew Keen – Falls Church, Virginia Renu Mathew – Olds, Alberta T. Lawrence-Simon – Somerville, Massachusetts Venessa Liang – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Katie Rochin – Montreal, Quebec Trinity Andrew – Los Angeles, California Kathy Choffe — Aurora, Ontario
Episodes
Elimination Table Place Team Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Casey WIN SAFE† RISK WIN WINNER 2–3 Renu RISK SAFE WIN RISK RISK† RISK† RUNNER-UP 2–3 T RISK WIN RISK RISK WIN RUNNER-UP 4 Vanessa SAFE† RISK RISK SAFE† ELIM 5 Kathy SAFE† RISK SAFE† WIN ELIM 6 Fadi SAFE SAFE† WIN ELIM 7 Trinity RISK SAFE† ELIM 8 Andrew RISK SAFE ELIM 9 Katie SAFE ELIM 10 Craig ELIM
†The baker(s) that won in the first round.
Season 2 Contestants Source:
Sheldon Taylor-Timothy, 30 – Rehabilitation Assistant and Bouncer, Toronto, Ontario Richard Martemucci, 56 – Retiree, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tam Truong, 42 – Real Estate Appraiser Latice Williams, 37 – Dental Office Manager, McKinney, Texas Jujhar Mann, 21 – Student, Surrey, British Columbia Raphael Nishida, 32 – Commercial Operations Manager Saudat (Sabby) Atta, 25 – IT Manager, Vancouver, British Columbia Abbey White, 34 – Retail Operations Specialist Atikah Mohamed, 35 – Campus Administrator, Toronto, Ontario Ginny Lepp, 59 – Civil Servant, Toronto, Ontario
Episodes
Season 3 Contestants Source:
Amber Horn, 43, Bartender, Las Vegas, Nevada Bri Brown, 33, Office Manager, Detroit, Michigan Connie Kazan, 42, Stay-at-home Mom, Dearborn, Michigan Evan Morgan-Newpher, 31, Zoo Guest Services Manager, Tulsa, Oklahoma Gavan Knox, 44, Stay-at-home Dad, Scarborough, Ontario Ian Frias, 28, Finance Manager, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Lexi Christiansen, 24, Model, Vancouver, British Columbia Maile Crewdson, 35, Stay-at-home Mom, Maui, Hawaii Shyam Rethinavelu, 34, Fashion Stylist, San Francisco, California Vince Driver, 31, Freelance Artist, Atlanta, Georgia
Episodes
Season 4 Contestants Timothy Eford, 35, Police Detective, Atlanta, Georgia Mike Casner, 38, Emergency Physician, Chicago, Illinois Charli Coakley, 43, Music Teacher, Jacksonville, North Carolina Ashlee Pridgen, 33, Medical Assistant, Baltimore, Maryland Jayln "Raplheal" Williams, 27, Retired U.S. Army Soldier, Fayetteville, North Carolina Meredith Bridges, 35, Stay-at-home Mom, Temple, Texas Donna Kim, 50, Props Builder, Langley, British Columbia Emma Lee Young, 23, Health Records Clerk, Coquitlam, British Columbia Ally Hrbachek, 30, Stay-at-home Mom, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Kristen Washington, 23, Food Delivery Driver, Jackson, Mississippi
Episodes
International broadcasts In January 2021, The CW picked up the series for broadcast in the United States. It premiered on the channel on January 29, 2022. The third season premiered on August 11, 2022. The fourth season premiered on August 5, 2023.
In Australia, it premiered on the Lifestyle Food channel on November 11, 2021. In Hong Kong the programme is aired on ViuTV6.
See also
Great Chocolate Showdown on The CW
References