<P> Top Chef Canada is a Canadian reality competition television series and is considered one of the most prestigious culinary competition in Canada . The show premiered on April 11, 2011 on Food Network Canada . The first season consisted of 13 episodes, with 16 contestants vying for a grand prize of $100,000 and a GE Monogram kitchen valued at $30,000 . Contestants shopped at Loblaws in season one and McEwan in season two . Like the original American series, each week the chef contestants compete against each other in culinary challenges . Contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry, with one or more contestants being eliminated each week . The Canadian edition uses the same graphics and music as the American version of the program . </P> <P> The first season of Top Chef Canada was one of Food Network Canada's most highly rated programs . The network renewed the program for a second season, which began to air on March 12, 2012 . Top Chef Canada returned in 2017 with an all - stars edition for the fifth season . Season 6 of Top Chef Canada returned April 8, 2018, with a lineup of 11 chefs from the next generation . </P> <P> The host for the first season of the Canadian program was Thea Andrews . After giving birth to her second child, Andrews stepped down from the position . On November 15, 2011, actress Lisa Ray announced that she was named as host . </P> <P> The head judge (the position held by Tom Colicchio on the original version) is Mark McEwan, chef and owner of several restaurants in Toronto and host of the Food Network Canada program The Heat with Mark McEwan . </P>

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