Judges Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley and hosts Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis are all back! This is the best judge/host team of all the Bake Off franchises (with the current Australian team a close second) so if you are tired of Paul and Prue, give the Canadian version a try (full episode embedded below)!
Christine Campbell, 46 (she/her)
Hometown: Saint John, N.B.
Occupation: customer service representative
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinecampbellbaker/
Christine inherited her culinary chops from her grandmother, who was the pastry chef at a children’s hospital and a local baking legend. She aspires to make her grandmother proud by baking every chance she gets, and by being the sweetest auntie for her niece and nephew. Christine loves to be creative with hobbies like watercolour painting, and trying new things like learning to play piano. A full-blown super fan of the Baking Show who watches an episode nearly every single day, Christine has fulfilled a dream by becoming the first New Brunswick baker in the tent. She hopes to represent the Maritimes well through her highly decorative bakes.
Elora Khanom, 42 (she/her)
Hometown: Edmonton, Alta.
Occupation: E-Commerce process assistant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_ride123/
Elora has enjoyed baking since her childhood growing up in Bangladesh. After moving to Canada with her husband, she eventually reconnected with baking after learning that her son was diabetic. Her home baking allowed him to enjoy treats with less sugar. Now, it’s a form of relaxation and she enjoys infusing South Asian flavours into classically French desserts. She loves to serve her elegantly decorated treats alongside her pretty pink tea set during elaborate tea parties for family and friends. Elora also channels her creativity into hobbies of painting and creating resin geode art, which she taught herself to do by watching internet tutorials.
Erica Schell, 30 (she/they)
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
Occupation: ecologist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica.schell/
An ecologist by trade, Erica is passionate about local vegetation and helping to keep safe the resident frogs and other amphibians when land is being developed. But when Erica’s not working, baking is on their mind, an obsession picked up through osmosis from mom and grandma that blossomed in their adult life. Now Erica is frequently found sketching ideas or dreaming up novel flavour combinations before tackling their next baking adventure. Aside from baking, Erica’s favourite pastimes are spent outside, like bird-watching and taking their cat for walks around the city. Their most recent venture is learning to skateboard, with a helping hand from boyfriend Sam.
Guillaume Boivin, 35 (he/him)
Hometown: Saguenay, QC
Occupation: psychologist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guiboivino/
Guillaume loves to spend time outdoors jogging, foraging for baking ingredients, and studying unique creatures. He started a bug collection as a child when his dad taught him the Latin names for insect species, and his fascination with them has only grown. His favourite insects and sea creatures now adorn his body in the form of tattoos. Guillaume works as a psychologist and is an educator and activist for the non-binary and transgender communities. He began baking with his grandmother when he was just a toddler but it became a more serious hobby while completing his Master’s degree when he “procrastibaked” in between studying. The mental respite of baking has continued, and he favours classic French recipes infused with elements from nature.
Jen Childs, 45 (she/her)
Hometown: Esquimalt, BC
Occupation: bookkeeper
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jen.m.childs/
Jen sets the record for most applications submitted before finally reaching the baking tent, having auditioned for the show every year since Season 1. Applying became an annual tradition that her husband and their three kids dubbed “baking season” as her experimentation with new treats kicked into high gear as soon as casting opened. Her perseverance paid off on the eighth time around. The rest of the year, Jen’s Vancouver Island family loves to have fun together outdoors, spending their time kayaking, paddleboarding and skiing. Always up for a challenge, Jen races on extreme obstacle courses several times each year and has become an ambassador for the sport.
Marcus Tam, 30 (he/him)
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: tax manager
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pastriesbymarcus/
Marcus always loved desserts, but never tried making them himself until the pandemic. One of his early attempts was a pumpkin pie that was so bad, his fiancée refused to eat his baking long afterward. In just a few years, he has perfected complex bakes that are edible for all, specializing in highly technical elements like mousse and puff pastry. Marcus shares his baking and love of food with his parents and two brothers, and they balance it out by staying active, playing badminton together. That’s not all they have in common: nearly every member of Marcus’ family, including his fiancée, are accountants, with the exception of his twin brother. Marcus also enjoys computer gaming, and has even built his own PC.
Pamela Kramer, 34 (she/her)
Hometown: Stayner, ON
Occupation: cooperative education teacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloom.and.batter
Pamela is a high school co-op teacher who helps her students try out potential careers by getting them placements in actual workplaces. She is known at school as the teacher who bakes, and her students and fellow faculty rave over her treats. Pamela is very close with her parents, who moved to Canada from Uruguay. She and her dad enjoy learning new things together, recently learning to cure meats for the ultimate charcuterie spread. Pamela is also an avid crafter, making seasonal wreaths and sewing bandanas for her dog, Kimchi, who she brings to work as a therapy dog for the students. She and her partner, Tim, first connected over the love of their pups, but Kimchi and Tim’s dog Kubo are still working through some relationship kinks.
Patty De Guia, 50 (she/her)
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Occupation: stay at home cat mom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chubbyasiancrippledgirl/
Patty brings a wicked sense of humour to the tent, returning the positivity that baking has given her. Her obsession with it began during recovery from her lower leg amputation when she started devouring cookbooks, eventually growing a collection of over 500 volumes. She loves a traditional bake with some quirkiness and incorporating the Filipino flavours that she grew up on. Patty bakes for her three young-adult kids who have inherited her foodie gene. A former full-time portrait photographer, Patty is now a self-proclaimed crazy cat lady. She even shares a commonality with one of her cats, Lumpia, who has only three legs. Patty’s life challenges have propelled her to pursue things that scare her, from trying stand-up comedy to auditioning for the Baking Show.
Réjean Mayer, 58 (he/him)
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Occupation: retired communications manager
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayerrejean/
Réjean comes from a very big family. He and his husband, Chris, are both the youngest of eight siblings, plus countless cousins, nieces and nephews. Rejéan thrives as host of the family hootenannies when they gather to play music and then enjoy his baking around an elaborately decorated tablescape. Réjean started baking alongside his daughter, Courtney, following her adoption, as a means for them to connect. It ignited a lifelong passion. Carrying on tradition from his dad, he makes maple syrup from his own trees and loves incorporating it into his bakes. Réjean also enjoys artistic pursuits like sewing, quilting, and performing in local musical theatre productions. The performance gene was also picked up by the family dog, Belvedere, who made his acting debut in a holiday TV movie.
Rita Vathje, 60 (she/her)
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
Occupation: retired
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritas_flour_garden/
Rita is all about having fun. She keeps an active social schedule in retirement, spending time with her church group and water aerobics pals between trips to Austria to visit her daughter and grandkids. She enters the baking tent in homage to her late mother, who was a huge fan of the show. Baking has been a consistent hobby throughout Rita’s life and she became known for her beautifully iced sugar cookies, which she mastered to fundraise for her daughter to compete in skeleton at the World Winter Games. At home, Rita prepares smoked meat every week and plays a competitive daily game of cribbage with her husband, with the loser doing the dishes.
8×1: Cake Week
Ten of Canada’s amateur bakers arrive at the Baking Tent to start their quest for the cake plate.
signature challenge: love cake made with nut flour and essential aromatics/spices
who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Christine – hazelnut coconut lime cake with lime glaze
Elora – rose cardamom cake with ras malai syrup, saffron custard, marzipan flowers
Erica – perfect morning coffee & orange cake with tonic water syrup, honey meringue, coffee bean brittle
Guillaume – lemon & sweet clover cake with smoked applewood crème mousseline, meringue mushrooms
Jen – almond lemon elderflower cake with saskatoon berry syrup, marzipan flowers
Marcus – pumpkin spice redemption cake with rosewater ganache, tempered chocolate hearts
Pamela – Uruguayan cedrón almond cake with lemon cream, wafer paper leaves
Patty – Filipino love coconut ginger jackfruit cake with coconut cream glaze, candied key limes, lemongrass
Réjean – maple spice proposal cake with maple syrup sugar bowl, apple roses
Rita – orange hibiscus cake with brown sugar frosting, candied pistachios
technical challenge: schmoo cake with pecan angel food cake, whipped cream, caramel, candied pecans
rankings: [Spoiler (click to open)]
1 – Jen
2 – Erica
3 – Guillaume
4 – Rita
5 – Elora
6 – Patty
7 – Pamela
8 – Marcus
9 – Christine
10 – Réjean
showstopper challenge: split cake
who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Christine – blueberry butter cake, wafer paper thistles & shamrocks
Elora – geode with poppyseed cake, lemon curd, marble fondant, cream cheese frosting, rock candy crystals
Erica – pumpkin patch with mango coconut cake, mango lassi filling, italian meringue, isomalt crystal frost
Guillaume – gynadromorph moth with earl grey cake, lemon crémeux, meringue buttercream, wafer paper
Jen – half and half black forest cake with spiced chocolate cake, cherry filling, raspberry filling, chocolate bark, meringue mushrooms
Marcus – sun with almond génoise cake, passionfruit puree, modeling chocolate
Pamela – banana split with banana cake, pineapple strawberry sauce, chocolate ganache, fondant ice cream
Patty – impressionist painting with strawberry chunk cake, italian meringue buttercream
Réjean – family tree with sage pumpkin cake, pumpkin maple filling, chocolate tree, painted fondant
Rita – chocolate milk with chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, caramel mousse, milk chocolate mousse
star baker: [Spoiler (click to open)] Jen
eliminated: [Spoiler (click to open)] Christine
watch the full episode here:
Make your prediction: who will win S8?
