Season 5 at a Glance
The season premiered April 3, 2018, on CTV, and concluded June 19, 2018, running 12 episodes. Filming took place from early September to November 2017. That season, the three judges had traveled cross-country to surprise applicants at their own homes and workplaces for the audition stage, before bringing them into the MasterChef Canada kitchen for the qualifying white apron battle round — a format that also introduced random mid-challenge eliminations via a “tap on the shoulder.”
Who Won MasterChef Canada Season 5?
Rebecca “Beccy” Stables, a 19-year-old tile-setter’s assistant from Sherwood Park, Alberta (originally from Grimsby, England), was crowned the winner, taking home the MasterChef Canada title and $100,000 grand prize. At 19, Stables became — and remains — the youngest winner in the show’s history, having also tied the record for youngest contestant ever to compete on it. In the finale’s three-hour, three-course showdown, her standout dishes included a Scotch quail egg served on a nest of potatoes and parsnips, and rabbit prepared two ways on a Jerusalem artichoke purée. “I’m the new MASTERCHEF CANADA! This trophy is going to change every aspect of my life — I can finally pursue my dream of becoming a chef,” Stables said after the win. “I’ve realized that dreams are possible, they’re not just dreams. I am not going back to tile setting; I just want to cook in a restaurant.” Following her victory, Stables relocated to Kelowna, British Columbia, where her family runs a private cheffing and catering business, and she now operates her own dessert blog, Dessertclub. She later returned for a guest appearance in Season 6.
Runner-Up
Andy Hay, a 31-year-old small business owner from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, finished as runner-up, having reached the final two by narrowly edging out fellow finalist Michael Griffiths — a mathematician from Richmond Hill, Ontario — in a pressure test requiring exact replications of three elevated Canadian desserts: a deconstructed Nanaimo bar, a butter tart, and a blueberry grunt. In the finale itself, Hay’s dishes included a Halifax donair salad with lamb, pita chips, and tahini dressing. Hay later returned for the all-star Season 7 (“Back to Win”), where he once again reached the finale as co-runner-up alongside Christopher Siu and Thea VanHerwaarden.
Prize Money
The winner took home CAD $100,000 in cash, along with the MasterChef Canada title — consistent with the franchise’s standard grand prize.
Judges
The judging panel featured the franchise’s original trio:
- Michael Bonacini — Chef and restaurateur
- Alvin Leung — Chef, known for his Michelin-starred restaurant work
- Claudio Aprile — Chef and restaurateur
Final Thoughts
MasterChef Canada Season 5’s east-versus-west finale, and Beccy Stables’s record-breaking win at just 19, gave the season a genuinely feel-good, against-the-odds storyline that’s stuck with the franchise ever since. Andy Hay’s return to the finale stage three years later in “Back to Win” also tied this season directly into one of the show’s most memorable follow-ups, cementing Season 5 as a genuine turning point for several of its contestants’ careers.