Great Canadian Baking Show 8x7
meet the bakers
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.
8x7: Celebration Week/Semi Finals
The four remaining bakers get festive for a Celebration Week semi-final, with challenges themed to holidays and special occasions.
signature challenge: 12 Diwali treats
who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Elora - pistachio lemon barfi, ricotta cardamom rosewater kalojam, date palm kheer with rasgulla
Erica - coconut ladoo cardamom sugar cookies, gulab jamun donuts with orange blossom glaze, rose pistachio barfi candles with isomalt flames
Jen - lemon hibiscus shortbread birds, maple chai jalebi nests with toasted coconut, coconut ginger barfi egg with pineapple curd yolk
Pamela - mango saffron cardamom mini cakes, peanut nougat barfi, pistachio rose gulab jamun churros
technical challenge: Peruvian Turrón de Doña Pepa with anise cookies, fruit caramel, and homemade sprinkles
rankings: [Spoiler (click to open)]
1 - Pamela
2 - Erica
3 - Elora
4 - Jen
showstopper challenge: Malaysian kek lapis sarawak
who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Elora - rainbow sarawak with lime cake, banana cake, passionfruit cake, strawberry cake, almond marzipan, strawberry jam, isomalt bowl
Erica - koi pond sarawak with hazelnut peach cake, hazelnut spread, hazelnut marzipan, jelly koi pond
Jen - coconut lime cake, mango lime curd, mango goldfish, joconde sponge
Pamela - red velvet cake, cheesecake, cream cheese, marshmallow fondant, fondant tiara
star baker: [Spoiler (click to open)] Elora
eliminated: [Spoiler (click to open)] Erica
next week: finale!
watch the full episode here:
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