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.
Contents
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
Elimination Table
†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
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
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
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.