The latest season of Chopped Canada debuted on the Food Network Canada last week, which is good news if you’re anything like us. Mostly because it adds some fresh faces to those did-I-really-just-watch-six-episodes-of-Chopped binges that happen more often than we’d like to admit.

In addition to a roster of new competitors—which includes 12 chefs from B.C.—the third season of the high-stakes culinary showdown welcomes ex-Canadian-Football-Leaguer and former The Bachelor Canada star, Brad Smith, who replaces Dean McDermott as the show’s doom-bringer at the head of the judges’ table.

Smith was recently in town for a Chopped Canada press tour and we had the chance to chat with the newly minted host downtown at the Loden Hotel.

So, how does being in the Chopped Canada kitchen compare to finding your potential soulmate through a series of dates and awkward rose ceremonies on national television?

“There’s a lot less nudity,” Smith laughs. But in all seriousness, the Montreal native actually sees some similarities between the two roles.

“Essentially, I’m the face of the show as I was the face of The Bachelor [Canada], but in a different way,” he says. “Everything’s not about me. I’m there to make the judges look good or be the best they can be, to make the chefs comfortable, and strike up great conversations. Whereas The Bachelor [Canada], it’s a lot more insecure. It’s the only reality TV show where it’s just about one person.”

Smith recalls feeling terrible about “chopping” the competitors on Chopped Canada at first, but he confesses that he quickly warmed up to the duty.

“By the end, it becomes, like, this exhilarating thing where you’re waiting to see [the competitors’] reactions,” he says. “You’re seeing the story cut in your head and what’s gonna end up on TV.”

This season, Chopped Canada also adds another reality TV veteran to its lineup: former Top Chef Canada judge Mark McEwan, who joins the show’s rotating panel of celebrity chef judges. Rounding out the 13-episode program is a variety of themed specials, including a food truck throwdown, two redemption arcs—one that features four previously first-chopped contestants and the other, four past first-runner-ups—and an episode where two sets of brothers are pitted against each other.

As for this season’s mystery basket ingredients? Smith reveals that we can expect chocolate-covered grasshoppers and abalone—the latter of which he has particularly vivid memories.

“What was made with abalone was the worst thing I had ever tasted,” he shares, cringing at the mere thought. “It was the worst thing I think that two of our judges had ever tasted.”

You’ll have to wait to see the dish on-screen but in the meantime, we’ve grilled Smith on some of the more nitty-gritty details of the Chopped Canada kitchen, which you can dig into below.

Georgia Straight: On average, how long does it take to film each episode?

Brad Smith: Our call time is at 5 in the morning and our home time is 9:30 at night, so it’s a good 15-, 16-hour day. We’re shooting from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., break to 12 p.m.; shooting 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., break to 4 p.m.; and then shooting 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. And then in between, we just have to let the chefs rest and regroup.  

GS: How much time do the judges have to deliberate between each round?

BS: As much time as they need. I’ve seen it take 30 seconds; I’ve seen it take an hour of fighting. The judges are very professional and they want the integrity of the show to be first. So if we have two that really liked one dish and one that didn’t like another; and one issue’s a technique thing and one’s a missing ingredient thing, they’ll fight, fight, fight.

GS: Was there ever a time when the judges couldn’t come up with a decision in the allotted time frame? What happens then?

BS: Yes, we go to the scorecard. When the competitors are dismissed, the judges use scorecards to rate each dish out of five [on presentation, taste, and creativity]. So then at the end of the day, say there’s two people left and the judges can’t come to a decision and they’re mind-bent, the scorecards will come out and they’ll be used to calculate all the rounds. And then, it’s like, “Technically, this person won on score, does that equate to your decision?” It’s pretty intense.

GS: As a host, do you ever get the chance to taste any of the dishes?

BS: Every single one. I gained 27 pounds this year. I went in in such good shape; at the end, even the girls who were doing our wardrobe, they were like, “Oh my God, Brad, you’ve gained so much weight.” They had to actually use sticky glue or tape because my shirts were starting to bow.

GS: Was there ever a time when you disagreed with the judges’ decision?

BS: Yeah. But I have a very different palate—every judge has a very different palate. I tend to agree with Lynn [Crawford], Antonio [Park], and Eden [Grinshpan]. Those are the three that actually have the same food tastes as I do. It’s weird because Antonio is, like, super classy, but he likes very rustic food. So does Lynn and so does Eden.

GS: Are the dishes kept warmed or chilled to the appropriate temperature prior to the judges’ tastings?

BS: Yes. It’s done by our culinary staff, so the things that need the most warmth are out first. The things that are cool are in the blast chiller. If there’s pasta, that’s gonna get out first because it won’t taste as good if you leave it out for 15 minutes. But if it’s a salad, it can come out whenever.

GS: From what you’ve seen, is there a judge who is most unlike his or her on-screen persona?

BS: Mark McEwan—there’s not a sense of evil and sternness in him. He’s just the funniest, nicest man ever. I was scared because I watched Top Chef [Canada] and I’m like, “Man, this guy is gonna be a killer.” But he comes in and he’s like, “Smithy, what’s going on, buddy?”

GS: What’s the craziest thing you’ve witnessed in the Chopped Canada kitchen this season?

BS: Just Lynn as a human being; she is all over the freakin’ map. She is loud, obnoxious, brilliant, funny, beautiful. She’s just unbelievable television. The reactions that she has to food, she can’t hide. She’s my favourite thing about the show.

New episodes of Chopped Canada air on Saturdays at 6 p.m. PT on the Food Network Canada.