How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a 2008 Canadian reality competition television series derived from a 2006 series of the same name broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. The Canadian version aired on CBC Television between June 15, 2008, and July 28, 2008. The premise of the contest was to find a musical theatre performer to play the lead role of Maria von Trapp in the 2008 Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Mirvish revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. Initial auditions were held in seven Canadian cities. The show was hosted by Gavin Crawford and featured Simon Lee, Elaine Overholt, and John Barrowman as the judges for the show. The first episode of the show featured the top 50 auditioners at the show's Maria School being cut to 20. The second episode had the Marias performing in front of Lloyd Webber in London, and then the 20 were cut to 10 with his input. Beginning June 22, the Marias performed live in Toronto every Sunday night with a live orchestra. The voting results aired on the following night.

Finalists

Ten contestants made it through the audition rounds and performed during the live shows.

• at the start of the contest

Results summary

Live shows

The live shows saw the finalists eliminated one by one (or two) following both individual and group performances. Once eliminated, the leaving contestant(s) ended the program by leading a performance of "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music with the remaining contestants.

Week 1 (June 22, 2008)

Following the first week of the competition, Alison was the first Maria to be eliminated from the competition. The show performances were: Sing-Off

Week 2 (June 29, 2008)

As the mission for this week, the potential Marias had to prove how fit they are by taking part in a thorough workout. For their individual performances, the contestants sang songs by Canadian artists to celebrate Canada Day. The show performances were: Sing-Off

Week 3 (July 6, 2008)

For their individual performances, the contestants sang songs from the musicals. The show performances were: Sing-Off

Week 4 (July 13, 2008)

As the mission for this week, the contestants act with the children to help separate between the potential Marias. The show performances were: Sing-Off

Week 5 (July 20, 2008)

This week, just like the British version, the mission was a chemistry test with John Barrowman, which involved his giving the Marias a surprise kiss. The show performances were: Sing-Off

Week 6 (July 27, 2008)

For their individual performances, the contestants sang songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The show performances were:

After the show

Elicia MacKenzie won the most votes, as announced prematurely on the Canadian Press wire at 7:30pm, July 28, half an hour before the show aired in the Toronto area. On August 14, 2008, it was announced that runner-up, Janna Polzin, had been cast as an "alternate Maria" for the Toronto stage production. Janna played Maria twice a week (Wednesday evenings and Saturday matinees), while Elicia will perform the role six times weekly (Tuesday evenings, Wednesday matinees, Thursday through Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees). Some viewers of the show have claimed that the panel and Lloyd Webber favoured Janna over the other performers in the competition. However, Elicia MacKenzie ended up beating Janna in the final.