Paraguayan actor Rodrigo Calonga, who has spent the past decade building an acting career in Brazil, is returning to Paraguay to compete in MasterChef Celebrity Paraguay. The reality cooking show is based on the original British MasterChef format. It will air on Channel SNT and the programme’s official YouTube channel. Calonga will join a line-up of well-known Paraguayan personalities competing for the title.
Speaking to The Asunción Times ahead of the premiere, Calonga describes the decision to take part as an emotional one. “Returning to Paraguay to be part of MasterChef Celebrity was an enormous emotion.” He explaines that, although he has lived and worked in Rio de Janeiro for more than a decade, he has never lost his connection to Paraguay.
A Paraguayan face on Brazilian screens
Calonga was born in Pedro Juan Caballero, a city in north-eastern Paraguay on the border with Brazil. He later became the only Paraguayan actor to join Rede Globo’s international cast. Rede Globo is Brazil’s largest television network. His work has also taken him to Netflix, Disney and Rede Record productions. In 2026, the Paraguayan Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro formally recognised him. The award honoured his contribution to the arts and the promotion of Paraguayan culture abroad.
Curious about the years Calonga spent building that career in Brazil? Our previous feature on the actor traces his path from Pedro Juan Caballero to Rio de Janeiro.
Beyond acting, Calonga holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the National University of Asunción (UNA). He has also trained as a journalist and as a psychoanalyst, the latter through the Brazilian Association of Clinical Psychoanalysis (ABPC). He speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Guaraní.
“Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone”
Rodrigo Calonga’s last appearance on Paraguayan television came in 2022, when he had a leading role in the Telefuturo series Cumbia Juan. Four years on, he returns to face a very different kind of challenge, trading the film set for a kitchen.
When asked what drew him to a competition so far removed from acting, Calonga is candid. He admits he has little culinary experience. “I am not a great cook, in fact I still have a great deal to learn, but I accepted because I like challenges and stepping outside my comfort zone.”
He is used to working on large productions, but he adds that MasterChef presents a different kind of test. It is one built around learning, listening and improving through mistakes.
He does, however, believe his acting background offers some advantages away from the stove. “I think it helps me handle pressure and work in front of the cameras naturally.” He notes that the scale of the MasterChef production reminded him of the Netflix and Globo studios where he usually works, with its large technical crew and elaborate set.
Once the cooking challenges begin, though, he says, everyone starts on equal footing. “In the kitchen, your artistic career does not matter; what matters is what you put on the plate.”
A tribute to Ña Margarita
Calonga’s connection to food runs deeper than the competition itself. He grew up alongside his maternal grandmother, Ña Margarita. From her, he inherited a love of traditional Paraguayan cooking, home recipes and the value of sharing a family table. He describes himself proudly as an “abuela memby,” a Guaraní expression capturing the close bond between a grandmother and her grandchild.
Asked which dish he would cook in her honour, Calonga does not hesitate. “I would cook her a vori vori, without a doubt.” He describes the traditional Paraguayan soup, recently named the best dish in the world by Taste Atlas, as one that carries him straight back to his childhood and to family gatherings. “I think preparing that dish would be the best way to honour her and thank her for all the love she sowed in us.”
A new side of Calonga on MasterChef Celebrity Paraguay
For Calonga, the competition is also an opportunity to show a side of himself that Paraguayan audiences may not yet know. “I would like them to get to know the Rodrigo behind the actor.” He describes himself as a simple, family-oriented person who is unafraid to learn new things, adding that he remains proud of his Paraguayan roots despite his years working abroad.
Rodrigo Calonga will compete alongside several well-known figures from Paraguayan entertainment. They include Jorge Castro, Marisa Monutti, Rubén “Junior” Rodríguez, Marilina Bogado, Maricha Olitte, Silvia Flores, María E., and Bethania Borba. The programme is hosted by Paola Maltese.
MasterChef Celebrity Paraguay premieres on Monday, 10 August 2026, at 20:50, broadcast on Channel SNT and streamed on the programme’s official YouTube channel.
