MasterChef Junior (2013) s01e04 Episode Script
Bad Food Bares
Last time on MasterChef Junior The competition whipped into a frenzy.
Whip like a man! Tip.
And it was an elimination challenge for the record books - Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington.
- Oh! with some mixed results.
It doesn't get any more perfect than that.
It's like eating a mouthful of salt.
In the end, Roen and Jewels had to say good-bye to the MasterChef kitchen.
Lift! Tonight Sardines, liver, snails.
This is so not gummi bears.
It's a mystery box filled with the stuff of nightmares.
- Disgusting.
- I've never eaten kidneys before, - and I don't plan on it.
- Then Please make that rise and taste scrumptious and delicious.
a baking challenge.
- Come on! - With results you could only dream of.
- You hit it out of the park with this one.
- Yes! - Did you try how good your cake is? - Wow.
You may be the smallest, may be the youngest, but you can cook.
Come on down, guys.
Let's go.
It's really great to be in the top eight.
It's just so exciting.
When I walked into the Junior MasterChef kitchen, I saw the box, and I'm like, "Oh, snap! It's a mystery box challenge.
" Where's Sarah? Why are you hiding down there? I thought we had a box of spaghetti you stand on.
You on your tiptoes? That's it.
Now I can see you.
Welcome back, everybody.
You are the top eight young home cooks in all of America.
I'm feeling pretty confident because I won that first mystery box, but I still know that anything could happen.
Is everyone ready for another phenomenal mystery box challenge? - Yes, chef.
- Great.
As with every mystery box challenge, we're gonna decide which three dishes we want to examine further.
The person with the best dish will come into the pantry with us and get a game-changing advantage in the next round of this competition.
On the count of three, lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
Lift.
- Eww! - Eww! Eww.
This is so not gummi bears.
When I lift it up, I immediately step back by a stench and the looks of it.
Under there you have some wonderful ingredients that all kids just love to eat.
Liver, kidneys, snails, brussels sprouts, sardines with their faces on 'em.
Eww! Olives, dates, fennel, artichokes, and the most incredibly stinky blue cheese.
That sounds so good, doesn't it? - No.
- No, chef! Ugh.
It's so nasty.
How disgusting.
The sardines have their heads on it, and they were, like, watching you.
Oh, my god.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Oh, it's stuck.
It's stuck.
Now, I've never eaten kidneys before.
It's pretty gross, but I'm going to make deep-fried kidneys with grilled artichokes, sauteed fennel, and an olive tapenade.
Right now I'm about to make a snail chowder.
I do have a very sophisticated palate, I would say.
I guarantee none of my friends would probably touch or eat a snail.
Today I'm making a blue cheese souffle.
Personally, I hate blue cheese, but I'm using it.
So we've given these youngsters the most miserable mystery box challenge in the history of this competition.
As a nine-year-old, what would you have been scared of? Liver, kidney, snails.
You know, all those things.
It's a tough box.
Let's go.
Alexander, how you doing? - I'm doing good, chef.
How are you? - What are you making? I'm making a classic sticky toffee pudding.
- Hold on a minute.
- You're going British? - I am.
So what are you using from that mystery box that's gonna be involved with this? The secret ingredient in the cake itself is the dates.
And I'm also gonna do it with some candied fennel.
You're candying fennel? - Yes, I am.
- To serve with a sticky toffee pudding.
- Good luck.
I cannot wait to taste it.
- Okay, thank you.
- Sofia, how we doing? - I'm doing excellent.
What scared you when you lifted up the box? Definitely the sardines, kidneys, and liver.
All right, so what do we have? I'm making nettle soup with escargot.
Escargot does not gross me out at all.
- All right, well, good luck.
- Thank you.
- 26 minutes.
- Ooh.
- Right, Sarah, how you doing? - I'm doing good, chef.
Right.
What are you making? I'm making deep-fried sardines with the heads on - Okay, good.
- With a brussels sprout fennel salad.
- That sounds delicious.
- Careful.
You're telling me to be careful I like that.
Oh, thank you for that.
There we are.
Handle's not hot.
Off you go.
Push it down, push away, and flip it back.
Good girl.
Are you a big fan of sardines? - Only when I cook them.
- Only when you cook them.
And are you gonna flour them, season them? There's gonna be crushed red pepper, cayenne, - salt, and pepper in the flour.
- Okay.
- So they're gonna get coated in that.
- Good.
So are you a little bit nervous about cooking these sardines? - No, chef.
- No? - You're confident? - I'm very confident.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Last 15 minutes.
Let's go.
Mmm.
Jack, how's that kidney? Surprisingly, I like it.
Nice.
Really great stuff out there.
Extraordinary.
Soafia is doing an escargot because I thought that was the devil in the box for sure.
- I know.
I know.
- Big surprise.
Dara is making a blue cheese souffle.
I mean, honestly, when was the last time you saw a souffle - in a mystery box challenge? - I was just gonna say, have we ever seen somebody do one that they don't have to? - No.
- It's kind of amazing that these are who have the perspective of global cuisine to be able to use these very difficult ingredients in such intelligent ways.
And to come up with 'em out of nowhere.
Guys, just under three minutes left.
Under three minutes left.
- Dara, how you feeling? - Good.
- Are they gonna come out high? - I think.
Yeah.
- Have you prayed yet? - No.
Every time I put a souffle in the oven, I always pray.
Okay.
Dear god of suffle, please make that rise and taste scrumptious and delicious.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Just under 90 seconds to go.
Let's go, guys.
Come on, finishing touches.
Time's running out, and I'm just hoping that my souffle is cooked.
Souffles right out of the oven now, look.
Oh, my gosh.
It didn't cook.
- She's out of it.
- Yeah.
Quick.
Oh, my gosh.
It didn't cook.
Unfortunately, Dara's souffles, looks like they're Yeah, they're not rising.
- She's out of it.
- Yeah.
Come on, finishing touches.
Oh, my god! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop, guys! Hands in the air.
Good job.
The judges now take one last look to decide the top three dishes.
The winner of this mystery box challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
Don't be upset.
Just fill up the mix next time.
- Okay.
- Mold half-full, and it'll cook twice as quick.
Okay.
Okay? Relax.
Okay.
Well done.
Who here thinks they've got the best dish? Love it.
There were three standout dishes that we want to take a second look at.
The first dish This was smart in a very creative way.
This individual is a top contender.
Second time in the top three.
Please step forward Troy.
Congratulations.
Troy's just always up there.
He's been the top three, like, a thousand times.
Right, describe the dish, please.
Well, you have a snail chowder with herb oil and baked eggplant peels.
Visually, it looks delicious.
It's rich, it's creamy.
Love those eggplant chips.
The snails aren't overcooked.
Sometimes when they go inside a chowder, they get rubbery - and a little bit chewy, but they taste delicious.
- Thank you.
Mind-blowing.
Great job.
Well done.
- Thank you very much.
- Seriously.
Generally, with an eggplant, - everyone's cooking the insides, right? - Mm-hmm.
What made you do the skin? I think that the outside of the eggplant is more creative than a lot of people would think of.
You're showing a ton of creativity, but also skill and knowledge of making a good soup.
- Thank you.
- Spot-on.
- Great job, Troy.
- Thank you very much.
Mmm.
- Well, it's properly seasoned, and it's very rich.
- Thank you.
And the snails have a nice kind of bite to them.
The herb oil gives it a lift and flavor.
- It's a good soup.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
Well done, Troy.
I think that I do stand pretty high up there because I've never gotten any bad feedback from the judges.
The second dish went in a direction that not everybody selected.
It clearly looks like it comes out of a restaurant.
Please step forward, Big Al.
- Describe it to me.
- It's a sticky toffee pudding with candied fennel, a chantilly cream, and a fig-lemon puree.
Wow.
If there was more of the caramel, I would have written, like, stupendously incredible yumminess.
It's all delicious.
The only thing I can say that I would change is just putting more of the toffee sauce over the top, just so it sucks it up a little more, like a sponge.
- Phenomenal.
- Thank you.
Amazing job.
Visually, it looks beautiful.
Why the fennel? Fennel is something that I really don't like, and I wanted to be creative with it.
The texture inside is on the verge of a cupcake texture, 'cause it's very light.
The fennel doesn't work for me.
However, trust me, technically, you nailed it.
In 60 minutes, Alexander, to see the confidence for you to attempt something as difficult as this I love it.
Don't stop.
- Great job.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
Did a good job, man.
For the third and final dish that we want to taste up here This person took an ingredient from the mystery box, and it wasn't just the main protein that shined.
Every component completely wowed us.
This person may be small in stature, but they're clearly very big in talent.
Please step forward Sarah.
What's the dish? I made deep-fried sardines with a cabbage, brussels sprout, fennel salad.
So this is amazing to me because it is the most restauranty dish of all the dishes, I think.
Like, when I think about Mediterranean flavors, it's all right here.
It's all cooked perfectly.
It's moist and sweet.
You know how I like to eat sardines? - How? - Like this.
- Is that gross? - You just ate a fish eye.
I ate the whole head.
- How long did you fry them for? - Four minutes each.
Did you fry them one by one? - No, chef.
- All three of 'em together.
- Was that scary? - No, chef.
- Did you burn yourself with the oil? - No, chef.
- Are you afraid of the fryer? - No, chef.
- Are you afraid of anything? - Yes, chef.
- What are you afraid of? - Clowns.
- Clowns? - How can you be afraid of clowns? - They're creepy.
Well, you're afraid of clowns, and I'm afraid of how good this dish is because it's really, really amazing.
I don't even know how you come up with this stuff.
- Thank you, Sarah.
- Thank you.
So visually, it looks beautiful.
Who taught you how to cook like this? You're nine years of age.
My grandmother owns a restaurant, and I when I was, like, nine months old, I would come with my mom.
The brussels sprouts taste fragrant.
Love the fennel.
That cools it down.
Sardines, delicious.
Looks like grandma's passed off some of her magic.
Here's the thing.
You may be the smallest, maybe the youngest, but if I was standing behind you right now, I think I'd be pooped my pants.
Brilliant.
Exceptional.
Escargot, toffee pudding, followed by these sardines.
It's like, three completely different worlds.
- I mean, it's perfect.
- Right.
Tonight, three stunning dishes.
Troy, Alexander, Sarah, you know only one of you will come through to the pantry for that huge advantage.
The winner of the best dish of the night was made by You know, only one dish can be tonight's best rated dish.
The best dish of the night was cooked by - Sarah.
- Good job, Sarah.
- Well done.
- Good job, Sarah.
Are you ready to receive your huge advantage? - Yes, chef.
- Let's go.
Good job, young lady.
Good job.
Well done.
Sarah is now in control of the elimination test Come in, please, Sarah.
after which at least two young home cooks will leave the competition.
Nice, nice, nice.
Right.
Sarah, welcome to the MasterChef pantry.
In an ideal world, who would you like to see - leaving the competition next? - Alexander.
- Oh! - Oh! - Duh! - Duh! - And Troy.
- And Troy.
Wow! - Very smart thinking.
- This next challenge focuses on what many professional chefs would say is their biggest weakness.
The theme of tonight's elimination challenge is Baking.
Yeah! For the first item, we have one of my favorites.
A classic bakery treat that's been experiencing a boom in popularity over the last few years.
- I'm talking about - Cupcakes.
The cupcake.
The perfect treat, but very hard to make correctly.
The next option can test even the most skilled baker.
It's a classic favorite.
Delicious, but complex.
I'm talking about the layer cake.
If I was looking to send someone home, this is for sure what I would be making 'em make.
Very easy to eat, but definitely hard to make.
The third and final option, Sarah, is a pastry.
They're the most amazing, delicious, gorgeous Fruit tarts.
You have that sweet pastry at the bottom, your pastry cream, and it's topped with all these wonderful berries.
Sarah, since you won the mystery box challenge, your first advantage is that you won't be baking - in this elimination challenge.
- Yes! That means you're safe from elimination.
Sarah, it's time for you to choose which one of these three difficult desserts are you gonna get your fellow competitors to make.
Is it cupcakes, layered cake, or the fruit tart? I choose - A little present for you.
- Gummi bears! Oh, my god! There's a lot of gummi bears.
Whoa! That's right, everybody, because Sarah won the mystery box challenge, she is now safe from elimination and has advanced to the top six of MasterChef Junior.
And I'm sorry to say at the end of this challenge, two of you will be leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
Sarah chose A layer cake.
I don't know how she knew that I suck at layered cakes.
Maybe she just got lucky, but I'm pretty nervous.
I better pack up my bags, 'cause this is the death of me.
We want one layer cake from you, and that layer cake must have at least three layers to it.
I don't really know how to make cakes.
I don't like cake.
I don't like to associate myself with it.
Layer cake looks easy, but it's really not.
They're hard to frost, they're hard to cool off.
There's so many things that can possibly go wrong.
You'll have 90 minutes to bake us a stunning layered cake.
Your 90 minutes starts Now! Let's go.
Go! Go! Go! Go! Where is the vanilla? Does anybody know where the vanilla is or the sugar? I need four sticks, plus a little bit.
I just can't believe she chose layer cakes.
I've never cooked one.
Have to make three times the batter, three times the frosting, and three times the decoration on it.
I really don't think I can pull this off in the amount of time I have.
- I need more baskets.
- Oh, my god.
Hey, guys, where's the baking soda and baking powder? When I was 10 10.
Just telling you, I was 10, I made my mom's wedding cake.
If I can do something like that, I know I'm okay.
Oh, my god! - These are so heavy! - Push, push, push, come on.
Jack, can you manage? Come on, buddy.
There you go.
Big one tonight.
A stunning, delicious layered cake.
The jeopardy's within the first 20 minutes.
You have got to get that sponge in the oven.
I think this is the one that can screw everybody up.
I mean, it's so technical.
This is a big deal.
I'm gonna go for all chocolate, basic three layers.
I was talking to Gordon Ramsay, and he said that he loves chocolate.
So I think it's gonna be fine.
I'm making a lemon layered cake.
The key to making sure your cake doesn't break is handling it carefully.
I'm making sure it's moist, but firm.
I know that my cake is going to be a lemon cake, but I'm not 100% sure of what my frosting will be.
So why do you think Sarah chose the layered cake? Sarah's strategy was that Alexander will take a cake like this, and because of his ambition and his skill, he'll overcomplicate it and fall.
She wants to take him out, but so does everybody else, because he is really good.
Oh, come on.
An hour and a half is not a long time for a layered cake, especially when you want to take your time to make it look good.
Ugh! Yeah, it's just not easy at all.
Oh, shoot.
I actually screwed up a bit, and I misplaced my flour for powdered sugar, so I have to start over.
Alexander seems frazzled.
- Wow! - Where's the cup measurer? - His confidence is stirred.
- Exactly.
He took a big hit with that mistake.
I don't know if he can come back.
Oh, my god! Try to get that sponge in the oven as quick as you can.
In this challenge, mystery box winner Sarah has assigned the junior home cooks the task of baking the most amazing three-layer cake.
Sarah is now safe and automatically has moved on to the top six.
Alexander, how's it going? I'm a little bit behind on time because the first cake batter I had, I mistaked my flour for powdered sugar.
- No.
Really? - Yeah.
So I really got to go fast.
Is that gonna give you enough time to get the cakes cooled down to decorate? I'm gonna toss them in the blast chiller and hope for the best, I guess.
So Sarah chose the layer cake because she wanted to get you out of here.
I'm just focusing on getting this done.
My plan's working, because Alexander doesn't even have the cake in.
I think it was a smart choice on her behalf.
All right, well, good luck.
Those sponges have to get straight in the oven.
- What happened? - I don't know.
Don't worry, don't worry.
Look, I'm here to help you.
Please don't get upset, hey? Don't worry.
Let's start again, shall we? I think you've got to cream the butter first.
The sugar, the butter, then the eggs and the flour.
- What way you making it? - I just did it backwards.
Don't you worry, my darling.
Let's start again.
Now, let's get this going.
We can do this.
Okay? We still got time.
Butter first.
We're gonna cream that.
Yeah? Then after that, we're gonna add our eggs.
And then we'll sift the flour and add the flour.
- Okay, my darling? - Mm-hmm.
Good girl.
So get your flour ready.
I'll turn this on.
So we get that butter really nice and whipped.
Okay? There we are.
We can pull this back.
Good girl.
Now, tie your apron, big, deep breath.
The butter's on, and one minute from now, add your sugar.
And then you add your eggs.
You may be a couple minutes behind, but that's nothing.
- You back with me? - Yes.
- You can do this.
I know you can.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Let's go.
- Steam.
- Jack, what's smoking in there? What are you doing? - That's the sugar and water.
- I thought you were on fire.
- Why is it smoking like that? - Because it is.
- Why? - It's gonna cool down.
- Don't worry.
- What are you gonna do with that? Make it into a meringue with all that butter.
You're gonna make a meringue? Meringue buttercream frosting.
Meringue buttercream frosting.
Wow! - That's a lot of butter, jack.
- I know.
Who's gonna eat all that butter? Me, Gordon, and Graham.
Leave some, because if you eat it all, you're gonna get, like, diabetes - Die of a heart attack? - Or something.
Yeah.
- All right, good luck, buddy.
- Thank you.
Come on.
Your sponges should be out of the oven by now.
You got to start thinking, filling, and assembling them.
This thing is almost bigger than me.
- All right, Sarah.
- Yes? - I'm coming up.
- Okay.
- How you feeling? - Good.
May I have a gummi bear, please? Thank you.
So you had a target on Alexander's back tonight.
How's your plan working? It's working out pretty good.
Oh, Alexander's sponge is out and it's late.
Better late then never.
- He doesn't look happy.
- His looks a little light.
It does look a bit light.
There's hardly any color there.
- Well spotted.
- Yeah, I think he took 'em out too early.
Who do you think is gonna be in the top two? Gavin and Jack.
Jack is one of my biggest competitors.
And if I make him think I'm his friend, then it'll just be that much easier to wipe him out.
- Jack, gummi bear? - Oh, yeah, sure.
- I got it.
- Good job.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
You really do that? - Those are good.
- Yes.
Can you pass me another gummi bear, please? Any color.
Guys, less than five minutes to go.
You got to start pulling it together now.
Finish your frosting.
Final touches.
Please, I'm praying to god that I've got enough frosting.
For me, this is the most exciting part.
This is the part where they start to really use their artistic flair.
And Dara, I mean, she's making the most amazing spiced chocolate cake.
- Really? - It's spiced with kale.
So it's almost like a mexican chocolate.
Yeah, like a mexican chocolate cake with a delicious ganasche.
She's on a mission.
I mean, I think that disappointment with the souffle not rising Tonight is her comeback dish.
She's got something to prove now.
Gavin is very, very confident about the chocoholic.
He seems to be working pretty efficiently.
How many different types of chocolate does he have in there? - It sounds crazy.
- Every kind of chocolate we have in the pantry he's putting in that cake.
Find a way to make it look beautiful, guys.
Make your layer cake stand out.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one Stop! Hands in the air.
Ahh! - Wow! - That was tough.
I can see that you've all made a very valiant effort.
Well done.
Right now it's time to see how they taste.
First up, Alexander.
I'm kind of freaking out.
My cake looks like a five- year-old could have made it.
I think that this is possibly one of the worst things that - I've ever baked in my life.
- What do you have here? It's a lemon cake with a lemon curd filling, meringue frosting, and garnished with a bit of blueberry and raspberry puree.
What's this stuff running out of the side? - It's my lemon curd.
- Your lemon curd.
But your lemon curd's supposed to be in the middle, right? - Right.
- Are you disappointed? I'm not happy how my presentation came out, But I think that the taste will run through.
I have to push really hard.
That's generally not a good sign, but we'll keep optimistic.
What should it look like? The cake should be light and airy, and the layers should be even.
Light and airy? I think that it might be a bit dense.
I can feel just by the weight of it that it's a little bit dense.
It's definitely undercooked.
There's no doubt about that.
As far as the structure goes, you can tell that you know what you're doing, but it's not your best work.
Thank you.
That's the first time in this competition, young man, I've seen you struggle.
Sometimes when you're not that good at doing something that you want to be brilliant at, then don't overcomplicate it.
Just do something plain, and do it beautifully, because the sponge is too dense.
The frosting doesn't work, and, unfortunately, the dough texture is quite crunchy.
What a shame.
Thank you.
It's her lucky day, because I could be going home on this layered cake.
That's the first time in this competition, young man, I've seen you struggle.
Sometimes when you're not that good at doing something that you want to be brilliant at, then don't overcomplicate it.
What a shame.
Thank you.
I'm sure that I'm going home.
My only hope is that somebody screwed up bigger than I did.
All right, next up, please, Dara.
Wow! That looks beautiful.
It's a chocolate cake with a spiced cayenne pepper ganasche.
- How many layers? - Three.
Remind me.
- Sixth grade? - Yes.
- How confident are you? - I'm really confident.
- What do you think? - I like it.
Wow! It smells awesome.
I can't believe you can pull this off at, like, 12.
Great use of that spice.
It just accents the chocolate.
The raspberry helps bring in some of that floral.
It's just perfectly nuanced.
I think that you hit it out of the park with this one.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
- Did Graham like it? - Yes.
Graham likes cake, though.
Doesn't everyone love cake? I love your cake.
This is delicious.
This idea of doing the spiced chocolate is brilliant.
Very brave, but really good sensibility because, you know, sometimes things like this can get out of balance.
And the great thing about this cake, it has balance.
- I am very, very impressed.
- Thank you.
Great job.
That was so good.
Next up, please, Kaylen.
Wow.
Describe to me what we have.
I made a vanilla cake with a mixed berry buttercream.
Did you have any problems with it? 'cause it looks - The shape is, you know, kinda - I did - Have a problem with it.
- Abstract.
When I was taking it out of the pan, it accidentally landed on the ends of the other cakes.
So I tried to, like, take it out, and it just, like, crumbled into a bunch of pieces.
All right.
It's my first time cooking a three-layered cake, so it's - First time cooking a layer cake? - Yeah.
What'd you think? I think it's pretty good for a first time.
So the actual sponge cake is really dense.
I don't know if you aerated it enough, you know.
Almost like you make a whipped cream and it froths up.
And so that's why I think you get some of these bits where it almost looks moist, you know, and dense going through.
Here's the thing.
You know those visual impacts of layer cakes have to have that wow factor, and yours doesn't look like it's up there - with the best of the best, right? - Mm-hmm.
So the icing, there's not enough sugar in there.
I saw you struggling to spread it 'cause it's so firm.
The sponge, it's a little bit floury 'cause it's undercooked.
However, you didn't give up.
You stood in there, you held your own.
It was a gallant effort.
Thank you.
I'm feeling disappointed in myself Because I think I could have done a little bit better.
Gavin.
What do we got here? A chocoholic delight.
At the bottom, it's a chocolate layer and then chocolate icing.
and then chocolate layer and then chocolate icing.
and then chocolate layer, and then chocolate icing.
You know what I liked to do sometimes when I was a kid? - Yeah? - I would go like, I wouldn't want to cut the cake more and more 'cause my mom would be watching, so I'd just go, like, on the inside like this and keep on taking out pieces and kind of like hollow it out 'cause this is where all the good stuff is anyway.
Yeah, don't tell my mom, but sometimes I do that too.
- And then you keep on hollowing it out.
- Yeah.
Make a little wall here, and no one knows.
And you wind up eating the whole cake on the inside.
It's definitely a fat-kid trick, Joe.
I was a fat kid.
It's really, really good.
I think the frosting or ganasche, whatever you want to call it, is tremendous.
Did you try how good your cake is? - I didn't try my cake, but - Try it.
- Describe it to me.
- Wow! What's the one word that comes to your mind right away - when you put it in your mouth? - Stupendous.
I was thinking moist, but let's go with stupendous.
- Good job, Gavin.
- Thank you so much.
Troy, please come up.
Explain to me what we have.
Well, it's a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting and candied lemon slices.
Well, I liked that you showed yourself.
It's nice and sunny.
A little sweet for me.
The problem, though, is that it's like you're skimping on the frosting.
Yeah, I kinda ran out.
Thank you.
Jack, let's go, big man.
Hawaiian jack.
Wowza! What is that beauty? This is a vanilla cake with a meringue buttercream frosting.
Visually, it's got that kind of intriguing look.
Yay.
Were you nervous about trying to produce a layered cake? I was a little nervous, but I'm feeling pretty confident.
Well, and so you should be.
OMGD.
Do you know what it means? - No.
- Oh, my goodness, delicious.
- Oh, yay! - Oh, yes! The sponge is exquisite.
Thank you.
It's light.
Absolutely incredible.
I mean, you are not fazed at all, are you? - No.
- You're not feeling homesick, are you? - A little bit.
Yeah.
- A little bit.
- Who do you miss the most? - I miss my dad the most.
- Do you know who I miss the most? - Who? My son Jack.
He cooks like an angel.
But when I dig into something that delicious, - it makes me feel less homesick.
- Thank you.
- Great job.
- Yes! Last up, Sofia.
Seeing my cake, I'm embarrassed.
I hope that I never have to make a cake ever again in my life.
Okay, tell me about the cake.
It's a chocolate cake with strawberry and raspberry buttercream.
If you had just got the buttercream around it was it just hard to spread because of the consistency of the buttercream? Yes.
What do you think? - Not good.
- There's not many layers.
- They all kinda got mushed together.
- Yeah.
The icing is a little too buttery.
Maybe a little cream cheese would have given it a little bit more of that tartness.
It would have also made it easier to spread.
So a little bit of technical errors.
Thank you.
Right, Sofia.
So the oven must have been a little bit too high, - 'cause you've got a crispy edge - Right.
- To your sponge.
- Yes.
You know, layered cake, souffles desserts, they're chemistry.
And it's so regimental, you can't afford to have one gram of anything out of synch.
But, young lady, I'm amazed that you got what you did out in that short period of time.
- And well done for bouncing back.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
All of you did an amazing job.
Let me tell you, that is one of the most difficult tests you'll ever have.
Great job.
Obviously, there were some better than others.
And right now, we need a moment to make some very difficult decisions.
Excuse us.
Honestly, Dara, incredible.
I mean, seriously.
Yeah.
I mean, Jack's, how light it is.
Gavin's, the flavor.
You're okay, right? - You're not going home.
- I know I'm going home.
You're not going home.
Alexander, it's just one mistake, okay? You did amazing.
- Yes, there was! - Yes, there was.
I really want to see Alexander go home.
We've become great friends, but he's tough competition.
And I think I can make it to the finals.
All of you, please come down to the front.
Thank you.
Now, you know this is a competition, and sadly, we have to say good night.
There were two standout cakes tonight that really were phenomenal.
Congratulations Gavin and Dara.
You two had the best cakes of this evening.
Congratulations on making it into the final six.
Please join Sarah on the balcony.
Well done.
- It's okay.
- It's all right.
This is as hard for us as it is for you all.
Only three of you five can move on tonight.
Jack, can you please step forward? Tonight, you didn't have the best cake, but you still baked a great cake.
Congratulations.
You've made it to the top six of Junior MasterChef.
Yay! - Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Not being in the bottom, and being ahead of Alexander was really an amazing feeling.
I'm very proud of myself.
All four of you, well done.
Sadly, there are only two of you that are gonna move forward to the next stage and join the four in the balcony and become America's top six Junior MasterChefs.
I don't think that I should go home.
I think that Alexander and Troy made mistakes in both their cakes.
So I feel like that Alexander's days are numbered.
I just don't feel like I'm ready to go home because, at this point, this is, like, the only thing that I've really screwed up big time on, and I'm just really sad.
The two of you who are moving on are All four of you, well done.
Sadly, there are only two of you that are gonna move forward to the next stage and join the four on the balcony and become America's top six Junior MasterChefs.
The two of you who are moving on are Troy and Alexander.
Oh, my god.
Please Say good night to Kaylen and Sofia.
Both of you, come up here and say good night, please.
Well done, ladies.
Come on.
Hey, well done.
Well done.
Well done.
Good girl.
Come here you, gorgeous.
Oh, dear, oh, dear.
I'm gonna miss you.
Sofia, great job.
- Really, you guys did great stuff.
- Right.
Kaylen, I have to ask you who do you think is gonna win the first ever Junior MasterChef? - Dara.
- Sofia, - who do you think is gonna win? - Alexander.
Thank you.
Good night.
Keep a hold of those aprons.
I wanted to win junior MasterChef, but that's okay.
Everybody is going home, except for one.
I had a great time, and I'm never gonna forget this experience.
Eww! Technically and visually, young lady, it's pretty phenomenal.
I'm blown away.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
I feel like that making a whole new batch of friends is really good for me because now we all share, like, the same love for food.
Oh, man.
Even though it's my dream to win Junior MasterChef, still, I think it's pretty amazing to be only 11 and to have cooked in the MasterChef kitchen.
Is this restaurant quality? - Yes.
- I agree.
I want to cook even more and maybe come back next year.
Maybe try and win this.
I'm the only girl who poured completely unwhipped cream on chef Ramsay's head.
Next time on MasterChef Junior One of L.
A.
's finest restaurants recruits a new breed of chefs.
The most grueling challenge the restaurant takeover.
The junior contestants run the kitchen Get this on the plate.
Let's go! I'm trying to do what you messed up! In an intense team challenge.
That is embarrassing.
Get rid of it.
Red team, blue team, listen to me! Come on! Get out of your comfort zone.
- How about "Yes, chef!" - Yes, chef! They'll get the culinary experience of a lifetime.
I cannot believe how crazy it is.
- Beautifully done! - Thank you, chef.
And the diners are in or the shock of their lives.
That's right, MasterChef Junior contestants.
sync, corrections: Ajvngou.
cz
Whip like a man! Tip.
And it was an elimination challenge for the record books - Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington.
- Oh! with some mixed results.
It doesn't get any more perfect than that.
It's like eating a mouthful of salt.
In the end, Roen and Jewels had to say good-bye to the MasterChef kitchen.
Lift! Tonight Sardines, liver, snails.
This is so not gummi bears.
It's a mystery box filled with the stuff of nightmares.
- Disgusting.
- I've never eaten kidneys before, - and I don't plan on it.
- Then Please make that rise and taste scrumptious and delicious.
a baking challenge.
- Come on! - With results you could only dream of.
- You hit it out of the park with this one.
- Yes! - Did you try how good your cake is? - Wow.
You may be the smallest, may be the youngest, but you can cook.
Come on down, guys.
Let's go.
It's really great to be in the top eight.
It's just so exciting.
When I walked into the Junior MasterChef kitchen, I saw the box, and I'm like, "Oh, snap! It's a mystery box challenge.
" Where's Sarah? Why are you hiding down there? I thought we had a box of spaghetti you stand on.
You on your tiptoes? That's it.
Now I can see you.
Welcome back, everybody.
You are the top eight young home cooks in all of America.
I'm feeling pretty confident because I won that first mystery box, but I still know that anything could happen.
Is everyone ready for another phenomenal mystery box challenge? - Yes, chef.
- Great.
As with every mystery box challenge, we're gonna decide which three dishes we want to examine further.
The person with the best dish will come into the pantry with us and get a game-changing advantage in the next round of this competition.
On the count of three, lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
Lift.
- Eww! - Eww! Eww.
This is so not gummi bears.
When I lift it up, I immediately step back by a stench and the looks of it.
Under there you have some wonderful ingredients that all kids just love to eat.
Liver, kidneys, snails, brussels sprouts, sardines with their faces on 'em.
Eww! Olives, dates, fennel, artichokes, and the most incredibly stinky blue cheese.
That sounds so good, doesn't it? - No.
- No, chef! Ugh.
It's so nasty.
How disgusting.
The sardines have their heads on it, and they were, like, watching you.
Oh, my god.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Oh, it's stuck.
It's stuck.
Now, I've never eaten kidneys before.
It's pretty gross, but I'm going to make deep-fried kidneys with grilled artichokes, sauteed fennel, and an olive tapenade.
Right now I'm about to make a snail chowder.
I do have a very sophisticated palate, I would say.
I guarantee none of my friends would probably touch or eat a snail.
Today I'm making a blue cheese souffle.
Personally, I hate blue cheese, but I'm using it.
So we've given these youngsters the most miserable mystery box challenge in the history of this competition.
As a nine-year-old, what would you have been scared of? Liver, kidney, snails.
You know, all those things.
It's a tough box.
Let's go.
Alexander, how you doing? - I'm doing good, chef.
How are you? - What are you making? I'm making a classic sticky toffee pudding.
- Hold on a minute.
- You're going British? - I am.
So what are you using from that mystery box that's gonna be involved with this? The secret ingredient in the cake itself is the dates.
And I'm also gonna do it with some candied fennel.
You're candying fennel? - Yes, I am.
- To serve with a sticky toffee pudding.
- Good luck.
I cannot wait to taste it.
- Okay, thank you.
- Sofia, how we doing? - I'm doing excellent.
What scared you when you lifted up the box? Definitely the sardines, kidneys, and liver.
All right, so what do we have? I'm making nettle soup with escargot.
Escargot does not gross me out at all.
- All right, well, good luck.
- Thank you.
- 26 minutes.
- Ooh.
- Right, Sarah, how you doing? - I'm doing good, chef.
Right.
What are you making? I'm making deep-fried sardines with the heads on - Okay, good.
- With a brussels sprout fennel salad.
- That sounds delicious.
- Careful.
You're telling me to be careful I like that.
Oh, thank you for that.
There we are.
Handle's not hot.
Off you go.
Push it down, push away, and flip it back.
Good girl.
Are you a big fan of sardines? - Only when I cook them.
- Only when you cook them.
And are you gonna flour them, season them? There's gonna be crushed red pepper, cayenne, - salt, and pepper in the flour.
- Okay.
- So they're gonna get coated in that.
- Good.
So are you a little bit nervous about cooking these sardines? - No, chef.
- No? - You're confident? - I'm very confident.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Last 15 minutes.
Let's go.
Mmm.
Jack, how's that kidney? Surprisingly, I like it.
Nice.
Really great stuff out there.
Extraordinary.
Soafia is doing an escargot because I thought that was the devil in the box for sure.
- I know.
I know.
- Big surprise.
Dara is making a blue cheese souffle.
I mean, honestly, when was the last time you saw a souffle - in a mystery box challenge? - I was just gonna say, have we ever seen somebody do one that they don't have to? - No.
- It's kind of amazing that these are who have the perspective of global cuisine to be able to use these very difficult ingredients in such intelligent ways.
And to come up with 'em out of nowhere.
Guys, just under three minutes left.
Under three minutes left.
- Dara, how you feeling? - Good.
- Are they gonna come out high? - I think.
Yeah.
- Have you prayed yet? - No.
Every time I put a souffle in the oven, I always pray.
Okay.
Dear god of suffle, please make that rise and taste scrumptious and delicious.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Just under 90 seconds to go.
Let's go, guys.
Come on, finishing touches.
Time's running out, and I'm just hoping that my souffle is cooked.
Souffles right out of the oven now, look.
Oh, my gosh.
It didn't cook.
- She's out of it.
- Yeah.
Quick.
Oh, my gosh.
It didn't cook.
Unfortunately, Dara's souffles, looks like they're Yeah, they're not rising.
- She's out of it.
- Yeah.
Come on, finishing touches.
Oh, my god! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop, guys! Hands in the air.
Good job.
The judges now take one last look to decide the top three dishes.
The winner of this mystery box challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
Don't be upset.
Just fill up the mix next time.
- Okay.
- Mold half-full, and it'll cook twice as quick.
Okay.
Okay? Relax.
Okay.
Well done.
Who here thinks they've got the best dish? Love it.
There were three standout dishes that we want to take a second look at.
The first dish This was smart in a very creative way.
This individual is a top contender.
Second time in the top three.
Please step forward Troy.
Congratulations.
Troy's just always up there.
He's been the top three, like, a thousand times.
Right, describe the dish, please.
Well, you have a snail chowder with herb oil and baked eggplant peels.
Visually, it looks delicious.
It's rich, it's creamy.
Love those eggplant chips.
The snails aren't overcooked.
Sometimes when they go inside a chowder, they get rubbery - and a little bit chewy, but they taste delicious.
- Thank you.
Mind-blowing.
Great job.
Well done.
- Thank you very much.
- Seriously.
Generally, with an eggplant, - everyone's cooking the insides, right? - Mm-hmm.
What made you do the skin? I think that the outside of the eggplant is more creative than a lot of people would think of.
You're showing a ton of creativity, but also skill and knowledge of making a good soup.
- Thank you.
- Spot-on.
- Great job, Troy.
- Thank you very much.
Mmm.
- Well, it's properly seasoned, and it's very rich.
- Thank you.
And the snails have a nice kind of bite to them.
The herb oil gives it a lift and flavor.
- It's a good soup.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
Well done, Troy.
I think that I do stand pretty high up there because I've never gotten any bad feedback from the judges.
The second dish went in a direction that not everybody selected.
It clearly looks like it comes out of a restaurant.
Please step forward, Big Al.
- Describe it to me.
- It's a sticky toffee pudding with candied fennel, a chantilly cream, and a fig-lemon puree.
Wow.
If there was more of the caramel, I would have written, like, stupendously incredible yumminess.
It's all delicious.
The only thing I can say that I would change is just putting more of the toffee sauce over the top, just so it sucks it up a little more, like a sponge.
- Phenomenal.
- Thank you.
Amazing job.
Visually, it looks beautiful.
Why the fennel? Fennel is something that I really don't like, and I wanted to be creative with it.
The texture inside is on the verge of a cupcake texture, 'cause it's very light.
The fennel doesn't work for me.
However, trust me, technically, you nailed it.
In 60 minutes, Alexander, to see the confidence for you to attempt something as difficult as this I love it.
Don't stop.
- Great job.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
Did a good job, man.
For the third and final dish that we want to taste up here This person took an ingredient from the mystery box, and it wasn't just the main protein that shined.
Every component completely wowed us.
This person may be small in stature, but they're clearly very big in talent.
Please step forward Sarah.
What's the dish? I made deep-fried sardines with a cabbage, brussels sprout, fennel salad.
So this is amazing to me because it is the most restauranty dish of all the dishes, I think.
Like, when I think about Mediterranean flavors, it's all right here.
It's all cooked perfectly.
It's moist and sweet.
You know how I like to eat sardines? - How? - Like this.
- Is that gross? - You just ate a fish eye.
I ate the whole head.
- How long did you fry them for? - Four minutes each.
Did you fry them one by one? - No, chef.
- All three of 'em together.
- Was that scary? - No, chef.
- Did you burn yourself with the oil? - No, chef.
- Are you afraid of the fryer? - No, chef.
- Are you afraid of anything? - Yes, chef.
- What are you afraid of? - Clowns.
- Clowns? - How can you be afraid of clowns? - They're creepy.
Well, you're afraid of clowns, and I'm afraid of how good this dish is because it's really, really amazing.
I don't even know how you come up with this stuff.
- Thank you, Sarah.
- Thank you.
So visually, it looks beautiful.
Who taught you how to cook like this? You're nine years of age.
My grandmother owns a restaurant, and I when I was, like, nine months old, I would come with my mom.
The brussels sprouts taste fragrant.
Love the fennel.
That cools it down.
Sardines, delicious.
Looks like grandma's passed off some of her magic.
Here's the thing.
You may be the smallest, maybe the youngest, but if I was standing behind you right now, I think I'd be pooped my pants.
Brilliant.
Exceptional.
Escargot, toffee pudding, followed by these sardines.
It's like, three completely different worlds.
- I mean, it's perfect.
- Right.
Tonight, three stunning dishes.
Troy, Alexander, Sarah, you know only one of you will come through to the pantry for that huge advantage.
The winner of the best dish of the night was made by You know, only one dish can be tonight's best rated dish.
The best dish of the night was cooked by - Sarah.
- Good job, Sarah.
- Well done.
- Good job, Sarah.
Are you ready to receive your huge advantage? - Yes, chef.
- Let's go.
Good job, young lady.
Good job.
Well done.
Sarah is now in control of the elimination test Come in, please, Sarah.
after which at least two young home cooks will leave the competition.
Nice, nice, nice.
Right.
Sarah, welcome to the MasterChef pantry.
In an ideal world, who would you like to see - leaving the competition next? - Alexander.
- Oh! - Oh! - Duh! - Duh! - And Troy.
- And Troy.
Wow! - Very smart thinking.
- This next challenge focuses on what many professional chefs would say is their biggest weakness.
The theme of tonight's elimination challenge is Baking.
Yeah! For the first item, we have one of my favorites.
A classic bakery treat that's been experiencing a boom in popularity over the last few years.
- I'm talking about - Cupcakes.
The cupcake.
The perfect treat, but very hard to make correctly.
The next option can test even the most skilled baker.
It's a classic favorite.
Delicious, but complex.
I'm talking about the layer cake.
If I was looking to send someone home, this is for sure what I would be making 'em make.
Very easy to eat, but definitely hard to make.
The third and final option, Sarah, is a pastry.
They're the most amazing, delicious, gorgeous Fruit tarts.
You have that sweet pastry at the bottom, your pastry cream, and it's topped with all these wonderful berries.
Sarah, since you won the mystery box challenge, your first advantage is that you won't be baking - in this elimination challenge.
- Yes! That means you're safe from elimination.
Sarah, it's time for you to choose which one of these three difficult desserts are you gonna get your fellow competitors to make.
Is it cupcakes, layered cake, or the fruit tart? I choose - A little present for you.
- Gummi bears! Oh, my god! There's a lot of gummi bears.
Whoa! That's right, everybody, because Sarah won the mystery box challenge, she is now safe from elimination and has advanced to the top six of MasterChef Junior.
And I'm sorry to say at the end of this challenge, two of you will be leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
Sarah chose A layer cake.
I don't know how she knew that I suck at layered cakes.
Maybe she just got lucky, but I'm pretty nervous.
I better pack up my bags, 'cause this is the death of me.
We want one layer cake from you, and that layer cake must have at least three layers to it.
I don't really know how to make cakes.
I don't like cake.
I don't like to associate myself with it.
Layer cake looks easy, but it's really not.
They're hard to frost, they're hard to cool off.
There's so many things that can possibly go wrong.
You'll have 90 minutes to bake us a stunning layered cake.
Your 90 minutes starts Now! Let's go.
Go! Go! Go! Go! Where is the vanilla? Does anybody know where the vanilla is or the sugar? I need four sticks, plus a little bit.
I just can't believe she chose layer cakes.
I've never cooked one.
Have to make three times the batter, three times the frosting, and three times the decoration on it.
I really don't think I can pull this off in the amount of time I have.
- I need more baskets.
- Oh, my god.
Hey, guys, where's the baking soda and baking powder? When I was 10 10.
Just telling you, I was 10, I made my mom's wedding cake.
If I can do something like that, I know I'm okay.
Oh, my god! - These are so heavy! - Push, push, push, come on.
Jack, can you manage? Come on, buddy.
There you go.
Big one tonight.
A stunning, delicious layered cake.
The jeopardy's within the first 20 minutes.
You have got to get that sponge in the oven.
I think this is the one that can screw everybody up.
I mean, it's so technical.
This is a big deal.
I'm gonna go for all chocolate, basic three layers.
I was talking to Gordon Ramsay, and he said that he loves chocolate.
So I think it's gonna be fine.
I'm making a lemon layered cake.
The key to making sure your cake doesn't break is handling it carefully.
I'm making sure it's moist, but firm.
I know that my cake is going to be a lemon cake, but I'm not 100% sure of what my frosting will be.
So why do you think Sarah chose the layered cake? Sarah's strategy was that Alexander will take a cake like this, and because of his ambition and his skill, he'll overcomplicate it and fall.
She wants to take him out, but so does everybody else, because he is really good.
Oh, come on.
An hour and a half is not a long time for a layered cake, especially when you want to take your time to make it look good.
Ugh! Yeah, it's just not easy at all.
Oh, shoot.
I actually screwed up a bit, and I misplaced my flour for powdered sugar, so I have to start over.
Alexander seems frazzled.
- Wow! - Where's the cup measurer? - His confidence is stirred.
- Exactly.
He took a big hit with that mistake.
I don't know if he can come back.
Oh, my god! Try to get that sponge in the oven as quick as you can.
In this challenge, mystery box winner Sarah has assigned the junior home cooks the task of baking the most amazing three-layer cake.
Sarah is now safe and automatically has moved on to the top six.
Alexander, how's it going? I'm a little bit behind on time because the first cake batter I had, I mistaked my flour for powdered sugar.
- No.
Really? - Yeah.
So I really got to go fast.
Is that gonna give you enough time to get the cakes cooled down to decorate? I'm gonna toss them in the blast chiller and hope for the best, I guess.
So Sarah chose the layer cake because she wanted to get you out of here.
I'm just focusing on getting this done.
My plan's working, because Alexander doesn't even have the cake in.
I think it was a smart choice on her behalf.
All right, well, good luck.
Those sponges have to get straight in the oven.
- What happened? - I don't know.
Don't worry, don't worry.
Look, I'm here to help you.
Please don't get upset, hey? Don't worry.
Let's start again, shall we? I think you've got to cream the butter first.
The sugar, the butter, then the eggs and the flour.
- What way you making it? - I just did it backwards.
Don't you worry, my darling.
Let's start again.
Now, let's get this going.
We can do this.
Okay? We still got time.
Butter first.
We're gonna cream that.
Yeah? Then after that, we're gonna add our eggs.
And then we'll sift the flour and add the flour.
- Okay, my darling? - Mm-hmm.
Good girl.
So get your flour ready.
I'll turn this on.
So we get that butter really nice and whipped.
Okay? There we are.
We can pull this back.
Good girl.
Now, tie your apron, big, deep breath.
The butter's on, and one minute from now, add your sugar.
And then you add your eggs.
You may be a couple minutes behind, but that's nothing.
- You back with me? - Yes.
- You can do this.
I know you can.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Let's go.
- Steam.
- Jack, what's smoking in there? What are you doing? - That's the sugar and water.
- I thought you were on fire.
- Why is it smoking like that? - Because it is.
- Why? - It's gonna cool down.
- Don't worry.
- What are you gonna do with that? Make it into a meringue with all that butter.
You're gonna make a meringue? Meringue buttercream frosting.
Meringue buttercream frosting.
Wow! - That's a lot of butter, jack.
- I know.
Who's gonna eat all that butter? Me, Gordon, and Graham.
Leave some, because if you eat it all, you're gonna get, like, diabetes - Die of a heart attack? - Or something.
Yeah.
- All right, good luck, buddy.
- Thank you.
Come on.
Your sponges should be out of the oven by now.
You got to start thinking, filling, and assembling them.
This thing is almost bigger than me.
- All right, Sarah.
- Yes? - I'm coming up.
- Okay.
- How you feeling? - Good.
May I have a gummi bear, please? Thank you.
So you had a target on Alexander's back tonight.
How's your plan working? It's working out pretty good.
Oh, Alexander's sponge is out and it's late.
Better late then never.
- He doesn't look happy.
- His looks a little light.
It does look a bit light.
There's hardly any color there.
- Well spotted.
- Yeah, I think he took 'em out too early.
Who do you think is gonna be in the top two? Gavin and Jack.
Jack is one of my biggest competitors.
And if I make him think I'm his friend, then it'll just be that much easier to wipe him out.
- Jack, gummi bear? - Oh, yeah, sure.
- I got it.
- Good job.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
You really do that? - Those are good.
- Yes.
Can you pass me another gummi bear, please? Any color.
Guys, less than five minutes to go.
You got to start pulling it together now.
Finish your frosting.
Final touches.
Please, I'm praying to god that I've got enough frosting.
For me, this is the most exciting part.
This is the part where they start to really use their artistic flair.
And Dara, I mean, she's making the most amazing spiced chocolate cake.
- Really? - It's spiced with kale.
So it's almost like a mexican chocolate.
Yeah, like a mexican chocolate cake with a delicious ganasche.
She's on a mission.
I mean, I think that disappointment with the souffle not rising Tonight is her comeback dish.
She's got something to prove now.
Gavin is very, very confident about the chocoholic.
He seems to be working pretty efficiently.
How many different types of chocolate does he have in there? - It sounds crazy.
- Every kind of chocolate we have in the pantry he's putting in that cake.
Find a way to make it look beautiful, guys.
Make your layer cake stand out.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one Stop! Hands in the air.
Ahh! - Wow! - That was tough.
I can see that you've all made a very valiant effort.
Well done.
Right now it's time to see how they taste.
First up, Alexander.
I'm kind of freaking out.
My cake looks like a five- year-old could have made it.
I think that this is possibly one of the worst things that - I've ever baked in my life.
- What do you have here? It's a lemon cake with a lemon curd filling, meringue frosting, and garnished with a bit of blueberry and raspberry puree.
What's this stuff running out of the side? - It's my lemon curd.
- Your lemon curd.
But your lemon curd's supposed to be in the middle, right? - Right.
- Are you disappointed? I'm not happy how my presentation came out, But I think that the taste will run through.
I have to push really hard.
That's generally not a good sign, but we'll keep optimistic.
What should it look like? The cake should be light and airy, and the layers should be even.
Light and airy? I think that it might be a bit dense.
I can feel just by the weight of it that it's a little bit dense.
It's definitely undercooked.
There's no doubt about that.
As far as the structure goes, you can tell that you know what you're doing, but it's not your best work.
Thank you.
That's the first time in this competition, young man, I've seen you struggle.
Sometimes when you're not that good at doing something that you want to be brilliant at, then don't overcomplicate it.
Just do something plain, and do it beautifully, because the sponge is too dense.
The frosting doesn't work, and, unfortunately, the dough texture is quite crunchy.
What a shame.
Thank you.
It's her lucky day, because I could be going home on this layered cake.
That's the first time in this competition, young man, I've seen you struggle.
Sometimes when you're not that good at doing something that you want to be brilliant at, then don't overcomplicate it.
What a shame.
Thank you.
I'm sure that I'm going home.
My only hope is that somebody screwed up bigger than I did.
All right, next up, please, Dara.
Wow! That looks beautiful.
It's a chocolate cake with a spiced cayenne pepper ganasche.
- How many layers? - Three.
Remind me.
- Sixth grade? - Yes.
- How confident are you? - I'm really confident.
- What do you think? - I like it.
Wow! It smells awesome.
I can't believe you can pull this off at, like, 12.
Great use of that spice.
It just accents the chocolate.
The raspberry helps bring in some of that floral.
It's just perfectly nuanced.
I think that you hit it out of the park with this one.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
- Did Graham like it? - Yes.
Graham likes cake, though.
Doesn't everyone love cake? I love your cake.
This is delicious.
This idea of doing the spiced chocolate is brilliant.
Very brave, but really good sensibility because, you know, sometimes things like this can get out of balance.
And the great thing about this cake, it has balance.
- I am very, very impressed.
- Thank you.
Great job.
That was so good.
Next up, please, Kaylen.
Wow.
Describe to me what we have.
I made a vanilla cake with a mixed berry buttercream.
Did you have any problems with it? 'cause it looks - The shape is, you know, kinda - I did - Have a problem with it.
- Abstract.
When I was taking it out of the pan, it accidentally landed on the ends of the other cakes.
So I tried to, like, take it out, and it just, like, crumbled into a bunch of pieces.
All right.
It's my first time cooking a three-layered cake, so it's - First time cooking a layer cake? - Yeah.
What'd you think? I think it's pretty good for a first time.
So the actual sponge cake is really dense.
I don't know if you aerated it enough, you know.
Almost like you make a whipped cream and it froths up.
And so that's why I think you get some of these bits where it almost looks moist, you know, and dense going through.
Here's the thing.
You know those visual impacts of layer cakes have to have that wow factor, and yours doesn't look like it's up there - with the best of the best, right? - Mm-hmm.
So the icing, there's not enough sugar in there.
I saw you struggling to spread it 'cause it's so firm.
The sponge, it's a little bit floury 'cause it's undercooked.
However, you didn't give up.
You stood in there, you held your own.
It was a gallant effort.
Thank you.
I'm feeling disappointed in myself Because I think I could have done a little bit better.
Gavin.
What do we got here? A chocoholic delight.
At the bottom, it's a chocolate layer and then chocolate icing.
and then chocolate layer and then chocolate icing.
and then chocolate layer, and then chocolate icing.
You know what I liked to do sometimes when I was a kid? - Yeah? - I would go like, I wouldn't want to cut the cake more and more 'cause my mom would be watching, so I'd just go, like, on the inside like this and keep on taking out pieces and kind of like hollow it out 'cause this is where all the good stuff is anyway.
Yeah, don't tell my mom, but sometimes I do that too.
- And then you keep on hollowing it out.
- Yeah.
Make a little wall here, and no one knows.
And you wind up eating the whole cake on the inside.
It's definitely a fat-kid trick, Joe.
I was a fat kid.
It's really, really good.
I think the frosting or ganasche, whatever you want to call it, is tremendous.
Did you try how good your cake is? - I didn't try my cake, but - Try it.
- Describe it to me.
- Wow! What's the one word that comes to your mind right away - when you put it in your mouth? - Stupendous.
I was thinking moist, but let's go with stupendous.
- Good job, Gavin.
- Thank you so much.
Troy, please come up.
Explain to me what we have.
Well, it's a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting and candied lemon slices.
Well, I liked that you showed yourself.
It's nice and sunny.
A little sweet for me.
The problem, though, is that it's like you're skimping on the frosting.
Yeah, I kinda ran out.
Thank you.
Jack, let's go, big man.
Hawaiian jack.
Wowza! What is that beauty? This is a vanilla cake with a meringue buttercream frosting.
Visually, it's got that kind of intriguing look.
Yay.
Were you nervous about trying to produce a layered cake? I was a little nervous, but I'm feeling pretty confident.
Well, and so you should be.
OMGD.
Do you know what it means? - No.
- Oh, my goodness, delicious.
- Oh, yay! - Oh, yes! The sponge is exquisite.
Thank you.
It's light.
Absolutely incredible.
I mean, you are not fazed at all, are you? - No.
- You're not feeling homesick, are you? - A little bit.
Yeah.
- A little bit.
- Who do you miss the most? - I miss my dad the most.
- Do you know who I miss the most? - Who? My son Jack.
He cooks like an angel.
But when I dig into something that delicious, - it makes me feel less homesick.
- Thank you.
- Great job.
- Yes! Last up, Sofia.
Seeing my cake, I'm embarrassed.
I hope that I never have to make a cake ever again in my life.
Okay, tell me about the cake.
It's a chocolate cake with strawberry and raspberry buttercream.
If you had just got the buttercream around it was it just hard to spread because of the consistency of the buttercream? Yes.
What do you think? - Not good.
- There's not many layers.
- They all kinda got mushed together.
- Yeah.
The icing is a little too buttery.
Maybe a little cream cheese would have given it a little bit more of that tartness.
It would have also made it easier to spread.
So a little bit of technical errors.
Thank you.
Right, Sofia.
So the oven must have been a little bit too high, - 'cause you've got a crispy edge - Right.
- To your sponge.
- Yes.
You know, layered cake, souffles desserts, they're chemistry.
And it's so regimental, you can't afford to have one gram of anything out of synch.
But, young lady, I'm amazed that you got what you did out in that short period of time.
- And well done for bouncing back.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
All of you did an amazing job.
Let me tell you, that is one of the most difficult tests you'll ever have.
Great job.
Obviously, there were some better than others.
And right now, we need a moment to make some very difficult decisions.
Excuse us.
Honestly, Dara, incredible.
I mean, seriously.
Yeah.
I mean, Jack's, how light it is.
Gavin's, the flavor.
You're okay, right? - You're not going home.
- I know I'm going home.
You're not going home.
Alexander, it's just one mistake, okay? You did amazing.
- Yes, there was! - Yes, there was.
I really want to see Alexander go home.
We've become great friends, but he's tough competition.
And I think I can make it to the finals.
All of you, please come down to the front.
Thank you.
Now, you know this is a competition, and sadly, we have to say good night.
There were two standout cakes tonight that really were phenomenal.
Congratulations Gavin and Dara.
You two had the best cakes of this evening.
Congratulations on making it into the final six.
Please join Sarah on the balcony.
Well done.
- It's okay.
- It's all right.
This is as hard for us as it is for you all.
Only three of you five can move on tonight.
Jack, can you please step forward? Tonight, you didn't have the best cake, but you still baked a great cake.
Congratulations.
You've made it to the top six of Junior MasterChef.
Yay! - Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Not being in the bottom, and being ahead of Alexander was really an amazing feeling.
I'm very proud of myself.
All four of you, well done.
Sadly, there are only two of you that are gonna move forward to the next stage and join the four in the balcony and become America's top six Junior MasterChefs.
I don't think that I should go home.
I think that Alexander and Troy made mistakes in both their cakes.
So I feel like that Alexander's days are numbered.
I just don't feel like I'm ready to go home because, at this point, this is, like, the only thing that I've really screwed up big time on, and I'm just really sad.
The two of you who are moving on are All four of you, well done.
Sadly, there are only two of you that are gonna move forward to the next stage and join the four on the balcony and become America's top six Junior MasterChefs.
The two of you who are moving on are Troy and Alexander.
Oh, my god.
Please Say good night to Kaylen and Sofia.
Both of you, come up here and say good night, please.
Well done, ladies.
Come on.
Hey, well done.
Well done.
Well done.
Good girl.
Come here you, gorgeous.
Oh, dear, oh, dear.
I'm gonna miss you.
Sofia, great job.
- Really, you guys did great stuff.
- Right.
Kaylen, I have to ask you who do you think is gonna win the first ever Junior MasterChef? - Dara.
- Sofia, - who do you think is gonna win? - Alexander.
Thank you.
Good night.
Keep a hold of those aprons.
I wanted to win junior MasterChef, but that's okay.
Everybody is going home, except for one.
I had a great time, and I'm never gonna forget this experience.
Eww! Technically and visually, young lady, it's pretty phenomenal.
I'm blown away.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
I feel like that making a whole new batch of friends is really good for me because now we all share, like, the same love for food.
Oh, man.
Even though it's my dream to win Junior MasterChef, still, I think it's pretty amazing to be only 11 and to have cooked in the MasterChef kitchen.
Is this restaurant quality? - Yes.
- I agree.
I want to cook even more and maybe come back next year.
Maybe try and win this.
I'm the only girl who poured completely unwhipped cream on chef Ramsay's head.
Next time on MasterChef Junior One of L.
A.
's finest restaurants recruits a new breed of chefs.
The most grueling challenge the restaurant takeover.
The junior contestants run the kitchen Get this on the plate.
Let's go! I'm trying to do what you messed up! In an intense team challenge.
That is embarrassing.
Get rid of it.
Red team, blue team, listen to me! Come on! Get out of your comfort zone.
- How about "Yes, chef!" - Yes, chef! They'll get the culinary experience of a lifetime.
I cannot believe how crazy it is.
- Beautifully done! - Thank you, chef.
And the diners are in or the shock of their lives.
That's right, MasterChef Junior contestants.
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