MasterChef Junior (2013) s01e05 Episode Script
Restaurant Takeovers
Ew.
This is so not gummi bears.
A gruesome mystery box Disgusting.
produced some amazing dishes.
Well done.
You nailed it.
It's all delicious.
Phenomenal.
Sarah wowed the judges Really, really amazing.
but it was the end of the road for Kaylen and Sofia.
Tonight One of L.
A.
's finest restaurants recruits a new generation of chefs.
The restaurant takeover.
As the junior contestants take charge 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! I cannot believe how crazy it is.
Where the diners are in for the shock of their lives.
That's right, MasterChef Junior contestants.
Welcome, everybody.
Please come up here.
I'm in the top six, and I'm very proud because, like, 9 million kids tried out for this.
And I know I can make it farther.
And I know I can do more.
Being in the top six is really amazing, but I know that I have to step up my game.
This competition is only gonna get harder as it progresses.
You are the best young home cooks in this entire country.
One of you standing here before us will make history and become America's first Junior MasterChef.
Today's challenge will not be happening inside the MasterChef kitchen.
No! That's right Today we're going out on a field trip.
We're gonna set you a test in the real world.
Oh.
Oh, god.
How does that sound? Kind of scary.
I'm just getting used to the MasterChef kitchen, and now they're gonna take us away from that.
So I'm, like, nervous but really excited.
Right, you guys ready? Yes, chef.
Let's go.
Here we go.
Field trip? I don't know if this is gonna be a field trip or a business trip, seriously.
Walking in downtown L.
A.
was kind of exciting because you're going to a new place.
It was a really cool experience being in that restaurant.
It looked beautiful, and it made me realize that I definitely want to have a restaurant one day.
Welcome to Drago Centro, One of the finest italian restaurants in all of Los Angeles.
Guys, we didn't bring you here for fun.
We brought you here for a classic MasterChef challenge, one of the most grueling challenges we do The restaurant takeover.
- Oh.
- Oh, my god.
- Oh, my god.
- So cool.
Today all six of you will be taking over lunch service in the kitchen of this restaurant.
Wow.
I think that the three judges are out of their minds.
You're going to compete in two teams of three.
Each team will serve one side of the dining room, and you will battle head-to-head in the kitchen of this fine restaurant, Drago Centro.
What is he thinking? We're 9 to 13.
We might be great home cooks, but we're not great restaurant cooks.
This might be too big for us to do.
Ugh.
It is time to pick your teams.
Dara and Gavin, please step forward.
I know that I'm one of the best junior chefs in America, and I'm pretty competitive.
I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I went to the junior olympics.
So I know how to win.
Dara and Gavin, since you had those amazing, delicious winning cakes in the last elimination challenge, you two are now captains in this extraordinary, difficult MasterChef classic challenge.
Dara, since you had the best layer cake, you get to pick first.
But there's a red, and there's a blue team.
What color would you like? - Red.
- Red team.
- That means, Gavin, you are the blue team.
- Okay.
Good.
Now, you will alternate picks until both teams are set.
I really want to be on Dara's team, because Gavin, I don't think, has enough experience.
he could mess up as team captain.
I'm gonna pick this person because he's got a lot of good feedback from you guys.
And I feel that we would work good together.
So I'm gonna pick Alexander.
Alexander, wow.
Good choice.
Gavin, who are you picking? I'm going for this person because I know that we can work great together.
He's just a really great cook.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm gonna pick Troy.
Troy, wow.
Gavin picks me.
I have to go on his team, pretend I'm happy, but I'm not.
So Dara's got the pick.
Basically she picks for both teams, because whoever you don't choose will automatically go into the blue team.
Truthfully, I'm a little bit hoping that Dara picks Sarah, because Sarah is a little bit young, and she hasn't developed enough in cooking and teamwork.
Well, I think this person really knows what they're doing and knows what to put on the plate.
So I'm gonna pick Jack.
Wow.
Jack.
Please.
Young lady, please come pick up your apron.
I expected to be the last picked since I was the youngest.
But I have been cooking for six years, so I know what I'm talking about.
Red team, blue team, the restaurant is sold out for lunch today.
And we are in the middle of downtown Los Angeles.
You have agents, actors, power brokers, bankers, politicians.
They know good food, and they know good service.
The one thing they don't know is that the people making their food are you guys, ages 9 to 13.
We'll talk to the diners, and we'll take their feedback.
But ultimately, we will decide the winning team.
And if you're on the losing team, you will be facing elimination.
Are you guys ready? Yes, chef! It's time to go find out what exactly you will be cooking today.
- Let's go, guys.
- Let's go.
Let's go.
All right, guys, you guys are right over here.
- Line up.
- Right there.
Line up.
Let me introduce you to a very important man.
The executive chef, chef Ian Gresik.
Good afternoon, chef.
This extraordinary chef is here to show you how to replicate Drago's dishes.
So watch carefully and ask as many questions as possible.
Got it? - Yes, chef.
- Good.
Let's go, guys.
You guys around there.
For service today, the six junior home cooks must make two appetizers.
A burrata salad with artichokes, tomatoes, and crostini, and seared albacore tuna with a risotto cake.
Then two entrees A short-rib ravioli and a pan-seared branzino.
Okay, chefs, the first dish is the burrata.
Now, the key to the burrata is gonna be the balsamic stamp.
Place it onto the plate.
Then you need to cut the burrata into four equal pieces.
In between, you're gonna add the olive crostini.
You're gonna add your artichokes, cherry tomatoes.
You're gonna place the arugula onto the burrata.
So the dishes are not, like, salami and cheddar cheese.
These are fancy dishes, and it looks really hard to do.
The next appetizer we're gonna do is the tuna appetizer.
You're gonna fry a risotto cake.
Place it into the fryer.
Three to four minutes later, you're gonna pull it out.
You're gonna take your beautiful block of yellowfin tuna, and you're gonna sear the tuna on all sides.
You want to make sure the tuna is still rare inside.
Nice.
You're gonna put the risotto cake into the center of the plate.
You're gonna add sauteed fennel and sunchoke.
You're gonna start to slice your tuna.
You're gonna end up with three beautiful slices.
And we have your salad already dressed.
And we're gonna place it on top of the dish.
- There's a lot of steps to this one.
- Our next dish here Our first entree, guys.
So short-rib ravioli it's a filled pasta.
Inside of the filling, you're gonna add onions, carrots, and celery, besides the short rib.
And we pipe it into the ravioli.
Next, so you just want to put down fresh egg pasta dough.
And you're actually gonna take a piece of the pasta dough itself and push into these molds here.
Pipe in the filling, and you only want to fill the pasta dough up to the side, otherwise it won't close.
Brush the dough with a little bit of water, and this is gonna act as your glue.
The next step, you're actually gonna use a wooden dowel, and you're gonna form the pastas themselves.
And then you just knock them out, right? Yeah.
These are very gentle, and they're only gonna cook for about three minutes.
The next step, you're gonna add your sage sauce.
You're gonna add some of the carrots to the dish.
You're gonna add your raviolis.
And you're gonna glaze 'em in the sauce.
And you're gonna use a spoon to plate the ravioli.
Right.
Here's your pasta.
Lovely, wow.
The thing that has me the most nervous is the plating, 'cause it has to be plated specifically.
If it's not, then we have to start all over.
So the next dish is the branzino.
You're gonna place the fish into the pan, falling away from you.
And you only want to cook it on the skin side.
So the next step You're gonna take the fish, place it on top of your garnish.
That looks amazing.
There's a lot of key factors to this.
Like, I'm only 12, and we have to cook to the quality of this restaurant.
I'm a little nervous.
You will have one hour to prep and 75 minutes to serve all of those amazing dishes.
Also, chef Ian will be tasting your dishes.
Wow.
We're gonna listen to what he has to say.
There's one more very important part to this challenge.
Sarah, do you know what an expeditor is? Yes, chef.
Guess who your expeditor is tonight.
Chef Ian.
- No, chef Gordon.
- You.
That's right.
I will not let anything pass substandard.
Do you think you can all handle that? Yes, chef! Oh, my gosh.
It's nerve-racking.
I was like, "Are we gonna see the mean side of Gordon Ramsay?" Right, red team, blue team, your 60 minutes prep starts Now.
Let's go.
With only one hour of prep time for two appetizers and two entrees, both teams must quickly delegate responsibilities.
Okay, so so this is what's gonna happen.
- He's burrata.
- We share the tuna.
- Okay.
I can do the branzino all by myself.
- And then you can do the ravioli.
- Yeah.
I think that she should do most of the vegetables.
I don't really feel comfortable doing the vegetables.
It's very simple.
I wrote it all down in the notebook.
You should have taken notes.
I'll tell you what to do, and you just do it.
Troy is telling us what to do, which I thought was unfair because Gavin is the team captain.
So stay out of it.
- Okay, guys, got it? Come on.
- Let's go, let's go.
I got this one.
With a power struggle already brewing on the blue team The red team is taking a far more democratic approach.
Let's start off with tuna.
I'll do the rice cakes.
- And do you want to do - So I'll do the burrata.
You want to do burrata? - Okay, yeah.
- Okay.
Entrees I'll do the searing for the branzino.
- I feel confident with the ravioli.
- Okay.
Looking at the dishes, I'm nervous.
But I think that if we work as a team, we could pull it off.
Okay, let's go.
These cooks, for the first time in their lives, will be cooking multiple dishes at the same time.
That changes the entire world for them.
They've never done it.
This prep time is critical.
If they prep up perfectly, it'll be a dream cooking.
Right.
Don't push too hard.
Sarah, Sarah, do this, look.
Just tap it in around the edge like this.
- Here, can I show you? - I have an idea.
All right, but you don't want it to, like, fall apart.
Sarah is the youngest competitor, but she thinks she can do everything perfectly.
And she doesn't know how to take advice That's the thing.
And that's why we can get screwed in this competition.
Remember, Troy, you don't have to go so fast.
Flour? Did you flour it? - Oh, shoot, no.
- You have to flour.
Blue team, Gavin, communicate with them.
Let's go.
Guys, come on.
We can do this, okay? Guys, you should already have two or three in right now.
I only have one.
Hurry up.
Sarah, this matters a lot.
Come on, guys.
For tonight's MasterChef challenge, the junior home cooks have taken over the kitchen of Drago Centro in downtown Los Angeles.
Each team has just one hour to prep and 75 minutes to serve two appetizers and two entrees for a fully booked restaurant.
How long can they concentrate in the heat? That's the big question tonight.
Well, they're certainly gonna be feeling the heat, because these customers have full expectation to have the quality of food they always have here.
And every customer in the dining room has no idea that these chefs tonight are between Sarah, what number are you on for pasta? - Four.
- You're on four? Great.
Jack, I'm on my fifth right now.
Why are you telling me? Just to make you nervous.
Troy just came over and was like, "I'm on my fifth.
" Troy was probably lying anyway.
They're probably not done to perfection like ours.
Five minutes to go before that first table arrives.
Oh, my gosh.
Blue team, how are we doing? - We're doing great, chef.
- Yeah? How's it look? Nice.
They're beautiful.
Okay, thank you.
The ravioli's off to a good start.
I definitely think that we can pull this off.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
While the blue team is looking good, the red team is having a difficult time filling the ravioli molds properly.
Red team, stop please.
- Dara, look.
- Yeah? You got twice as much in there and half the amount there.
The secret of a great service is making sure you have an amazing preparation.
And I've seen the way you've cooked in the MasterChef kitchen, and it's not like that.
Okay, I want them all filled to the exact same level.
- Yes, chef.
- Okay? Dara, who's the captain of the red team? - I am.
- Keep your eyes open.
- I will.
- Let's go.
I am really independent, so, like, when it does come to, like, communicating, I'm kind of in my own zone, and I have to open the zone up to more people.
How do these look, Dara? They look perfect.
As prep time in the kitchen comes to an end, The Drago Centro dining room is quickly filling up with hungry customers.
The teams will have to serve two appetizers and two entrees to all the diners, whose feedback will be key in helping the judges decide a winner in this elimination challenge.
Red team, blue team, listen! Yes, chef! Thank you.
What you just produced there is phenomenal.
Now we're gonna start service.
Are we ready? Yes, chef.
Right, blue team, on order.
Two covers away.
Table 17.
One burrata, one tuna.
Entree, one ravioli, one branzino.
What? One of everything.
Yes, chef! Stop, stop, stop.
I'm gonna call out the order.
Once I've read out the order, then give me a "Yes, chef.
" Let's start again.
On order, two covers, table 17.
Blue team, one burrata, one tuna.
- Yes, chef! - Thank you.
On order, red team.
Two covers away, table 51.
One burrata, one tuna.
Yes, chef.
- How long? - Six minutes.
Let's go, six minutes.
Being in the kitchen is so much more intense than I thought it would be.
I cannot believe how crazy it is.
Blue team.
- Blue team! - Yes, chef! Second table.
Two covers, table 71.
One burrata, one tuna.
All right, one more tuna.
Tuna! Eh, is that a "yes, chef" or "No, chef"? - Yes, chef! - Thank you.
Red team, one burrata, one tuna.
After that, you got one burrata, one tuna.
Followed by one burrata, one more tuna, yes? Yes, chef.
When Gordon's yelling out the tickets at us, all of us are going crazy because it's really fast.
My mind is just like, whoo-ooh! What the heck? Like, oh, my god.
Why are, like, half the dots coming out and half of them not? So I try it again on a new plate.
Oh, come on! And then they didn't come out.
I'm like, what? Why? Do you want me to do it, Jack? Okay, I'm just not good with the stamp, that's it.
Luckily Dara got the dots to finally all come out nice.
Thank you so much.
One burrata for the red team.
- Jack, stunning.
- Thank you.
Table 52.
Please, red team, go.
With the red team working well together to complete orders The blue team is struggling to find its rhythm as a unit and is falling behind.
On order, blue team.
Two more burrata, two more tuna.
Dude, you need to get this out.
Sarah, stop.
Blue team, I'm dying for that tuna.
Put it up, dude! We're done with our tuna.
Order up, chef.
Thank you, chef.
Who sliced that? Blue team, stop what you're doing.
Come here, all of you.
Three of you, come around.
Hurry up.
This tuna comes out, and it looks stunning.
And then all of a sudden, I've got this.
It looks like a dog's dinner.
It does.
- Troy.
- I know, I cut it too thin, chef.
So are you happy with that? No, I'm not, chef.
The restaurant service is all about consistency.
And do you think I'm gonna serve that? No, you're not.
- That is embarrassing.
- Get rid of it.
- Okay.
- Move.
Let's go.
- Thank you.
Chef Ramsay has the power just to go, boom, Troy, out.
And I have to leave.
I cannot afford for that to happen.
While the blue team works to improve the consistency of their plating, the red team is now struggling to keep up with the volume of orders.
Red team, two tuna, followed by two more tuna.
- Yes, chef! - Let's go.
Get the salad on.
Is this dressed? No, do it.
Dara, don't get aggravated at me.
Red team, you've got to talk.
- You seasoned these, right? - You know what, no.
No.
I'm telling you, they need salt, Alexander.
if I'm telling you they need salt, - put salt on them.
- I'm making sure.
Oh, man.
Guys, just stop arguing and start working together.
Get the tuna on the plate.
Then get this on the plate.
Let's go.
The communication in our team is really bad.
we're in big trouble, and I'm kind of getting ready to pack my bags.
Let's go, guys.
Red team, this burrata has been up here now for seven minutes.
I'm begging for a tuna.
Get the salad on.
No.
Do it.
Guys, just stop arguing and start working together.
Let's go.
Guys, guys, come here, you two.
Come out.
- Yes, chef.
- Look at me.
This cannot become a power struggle.
You have to talk to each other.
Yes, chef.
You're two talented youngsters, but you're not working together.
I need you to get on the same page.
The youngest in your team is in front of you by three dishes.
If you continue to work against each other, your team is gonna lose.
Sort it out.
Okay, I'm gonna get the rice cakes on.
I was really frustrated because Alexander wasn't really listening to what I was saying.
But I want the best for all of us, so we need to communicate better.
Do you have your salad made, or do you need me to do that for you? Do the salad, do the salad.
While the chaos in the kitchen continues for both young teams, the guests in the dining room have started their appetizers and begin giving their reviews.
I'm eating the red team burrata appetizer.
I like the way it looked.
The burrata's nice and soft.
I'm eating the blue team's burrata appetizer, and the presentation was really pretty.
It's just a little bit chewy.
So the red team's tuna appetizer, the risotto cake, I couldn't identify if it was risotto or potato.
Chef! I'm eating the tuna appetizer.
Very crunchy on the outside.
Very soft on the inside.
It's really good.
As the customers continue to enjoy their appetizers Each team must now complete one final special order.
Red team, blue team, on order.
V.
V.
I.
P.
, the chef of the restaurant that you're running, on order: Two covers, table 18.
One burrata, one tuna.
- Yes, chef.
- How about, "Yes chef"? Yes, chef! Thank you! Sarah, watch out.
You're gonna mess it up.
Just stop messing with it.
I'm not messing with it! Just don't touch it.
We have to cook for the V.
I.
P.
table, which was chef Ian.
Sarah is going to mess this up.
Just let me plate this one, Sarah, okay? Just let me plate this.
And I think I can plate a little better and quicker than she can.
I'm plating.
- No, you're not.
- Yes, I am.
- Don't touch it.
- Stop! Sarah, put your plate down.
Blue team, red team, I'm waiting on two burrata, two tuna.
Blue team, how long? Burrata in the window! Excellent.
V.
I.
P.
Burrata in the window, right now! Thank you.
Blue team, where is this tuna? Five seconds, chef.
No, no, no, no.
You don't do that yet.
Guys, come on tuna! Let's go, guys.
- Dara - Yes, chef? - Are we communicating? - Yes, chef.
- Tuna in the window, chef.
- Thank you.
- Done, chef! - Sarah! Stop.
Tuna up, chef.
Thank you, Troy.
Service, please.
V.
V.
I.
P.
Thank you.
This is frustrating because Troy is not understanding that you have to work together as a team when it's a team challenge.
Red team, blue team, listen to me! Yes, chef! Appetizers, great start.
Clear down, get set for the entree.
Yes, chef! Let's go.
As both teams prepare to make their entrees, the final appetizers are sent to the restaurant's executive chef.
His opinion will be a factor in the judges' decision on which team wins this elimination challenge.
First impression: They look good.
Maybe I can hire some of these kids.
Yes.
The blue team's plating looks very impressive.
I think the arugula on the red team doesn't look as nice.
Okay, let's have a taste.
Really well seasoned.
This is a great dish.
Great dish.
Let's try the red's burrata.
The only thing missing on this dish is the vinaigrette on the arugula leaves.
In this appetizer, the blue team definitely won.
Okay.
Now for the tuna.
Let's taste it.
It tastes really well.
The tuna's cooked nicely.
The risotto cake's a little bit under.
But the rest of their dish is really spot-on.
Okay, great.
Now let's try the blue team's.
The blue team, the tuna's a little under-seasoned.
But the star was they cooked the risotto cake correctly.
- It's really good.
- Correctly.
So if you had to pick a winner, What do you think? Right now, it's neck and neck.
- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you.
With the teams evenly matched after the appetizers, both of them must now prepare their entrees for 50 customers in the dining room and chef Ian.
We need to come up with a plan, okay? I know you work better independently, So that's why you're gonna do the pasta by yourself, okay? - Yeah, yeah.
- But just still communicate, okay? Yeah.
I really like working independently, and Jack can work well with two people.
So Dara and Jack are gonna do the branzino, and I'll do the ravioli.
We got this.
We got this, guys.
Yeah, we got this.
With the red team feeling confident about their strategy for the entrees, Gavin, the captain of the blue team, is trying to ease the tension between teammates Troy and Sarah.
Troy, I'm sorry, but you can't I know I'm not trying to boss her around.
She's just really excited.
You have to I'm super excited too.
- I know.
- In entrees, what am I doing? We're doing the branzino.
I'm gonna do all the fish again.
Let me plate, okay? That's what cost us.
He's doing the ravioli.
Okay, but, yeah, we have to stay together.
I definitely think that we can pull this off because we're such a great team.
It just really helps your team if you don't have any arguments.
Let's get ready! Red team, blue team, listen to me! Yes, chef! Now let's finish strong with the entrees.
Away now, red team.
Blue team, one ravioli, one branzino.
Yes, chef! Thank you.
Let's go.
This is one order.
I'm gonna get the second order going after this one.
Jack, how long for the fish? One minute.
Dude, you need to get those in the pan.
I need it to heat up, Sarah hold on.
I'm gonna put in a fish! Hold on! Sarah, calm down.
These guys are doing some hard-core stuff.
These are really intricate dishes.
The food coming out is looking great.
Well, I got a problem with the blue team, because Troy's not listening, and he's certainly not bringing his team together.
And he's almost, like, trounced Gavin into the corner, because Gavin was frying.
- But Gavin's the captain.
- Well It's almost like he's been sort of demoralized on back of Troy's over-exertive presence.
Red team, however, finally have got it together.
Red team! Ravioli's in the window.
Very nice, that ravioli.
Thank you, chef.
Where's the branzino? Two plates, Alexander.
Work at the same time.
Let's go.
Who cooked the fish? Me! Me, chef! - Beautifully done.
- Thank you, chef.
Good job, Jack! Red team, you're cooking beautifully now that you're working as a team.
- Yes, chef.
- Stick together.
While the red team seems to be on track with their entrees The blue team is having trouble with the seasoning of the branzino dish.
Sarah, no, no.
No more.
- You put way too - No, I'm doing this for Gavin's.
Sarah, come here.
Look how much pepper that is.
We need to start over.
- There's so much.
- Mix it in.
That happened to the ravioli, and you said it was good.
Sarah there's so much pepper.
Blue team! Where's the branzino? - Three minutes, chef! - Three minutes, chef! What? They're ready.
The fish is ready.
Where's the garnish? We're still waiting on the vegetables.
Why is the fish ready before the vegetables? - Because she over-peppered them, sir.
- I messed them up.
Oh, guys.
Are those almost done? - Hold on.
- Troy, talk to me! Hold on, Sarah! I'm trying to do something.
Calm down.
No, but you're not talking to me.
I'm trying to do what you messed up, okay? So hold on.
Why are those two arguing? I don't know, I Guys, come on.
Stop arguing.
Guys.
We have paying customers waiting for food.
Sarah's messing it up.
We have to start over.
We're two tables behind than the red team.
Let me have it.
Troy, I can put it up.
One ravioli, one branzino.
The red team already gone.
No, no, no.
on top of it.
Sarah, it's on top of the actual dish.
- Encourage her, Troy.
- Sarah, come on.
What is it? What is it with you two? Why can't you work together? It's annoying me.
It's annoying me so much, that I just want to kick her off the team.
Come on, guys, speed up! Sarah, don't touch it.
Come on, guys, speed up! Let me have it! Troy, I can put it up.
I'm trying to do what you messed up, okay? What is it with you two? Why can't you work together? Blue team are falling behind drastically.
Sarah, don't touch it.
You three come round here.
What happened? What's wrong? - Nothing.
- Well, why are you crying? I kind of felt annoyed, because Troy was trying to micromanage everyone.
He wasn't even trying to listen to what I had to say.
We can't keep waiting while Troy does his own thing.
Troy, stop trying to take over.
Okay.
Know that you have a job to do.
Do it, and then help.
Team captain, you have to keep hold of your team.
- Okay.
- You have to delegate.
You can't stand there and be quiet.
Okay.
So if we stick together as a team, we're brilliant.
If we ignore each other, we're in trouble.
- Got it? - Yes, chef.
Sort it out.
Let's go.
While the blue team regroups and focuses on improving their communication Chef Ramsay is concerned with the delegation of duties on the red team.
Jack, how long are you gonna be for the fish? Branzino, like I need, like, four more minutes.
Dara and Alexander, are you two doing the ravioli and Jack's doing the branzino on his own? - Um, no, I'm doing the branzino.
- Yes or no? What are you doing for the branzino? I'm doing the salad right now and The tendrils? Hey Look at me.
You two, come here.
Yes, chef? You're the oldest.
He's got the difficult job on his own.
You got the easy job on your own.
- Come on.
Step up, will you? - Yes, chef.
- Get out of your comfort zone.
- Yes, chef.
Jack, great work.
Keep it going.
Thank you, chef.
While Dara and Alexander attempt to improve their contribution to the red team by taking on more responsibility The customers in the dining room are now eating their entrees and give Joe their feedback.
Good evening again, folks.
You had the entrees of the red team.
Two branzinos and two ravioli.
How did they do? Very good.
- Really good? - Yeah.
What was the best part about the branzino? Nice.
Loved it.
How about the ravioli? How are they? The sauce, while it's lovely, it's a little congealed, as if it's been sitting in the window for a while.
So sorry.
I had the blue team's ravioli.
The actual pasta was really, really well done.
But I felt like there could have been more seasoning.
Uh, my entree today was the fish.
It was beautifully presented, the fish was cooked nicely.
The peas were nice and bright.
It was good.
So far, the reviews in the dining room are mixed for both teams' entrees And back in the kitchen, Chef Ramsay is about to call out the final order of the night.
Red team, blue team, V.
I.
P.
, the chef of the restaurant.
Entree one ravioli, one branzino.
Yes, chef! Make this the best dishes you've cooked all night.
Work together.
Keep it going.
- Yes, chef! - Let's go.
Ravioli going in the pan.
I'm gonna help you.
I'm prepared for your ravioli in the pan.
Season, season, season.
Season! I'll get your salt.
Gavin is kind of in his own little world.
And he's kind of struggling, and that's when I realized I needed to start helping him.
Come on, guys! We got this, okay, guys? I'm plating your rav right now.
Thank you, thank you.
Great job.
Great job, Sarah.
Keep up the good work, okay? - Thanks.
- Thank you so much for helping me.
While the blue team is finally working together to finish strong The red team is struggling to complete the most important order of the night.
Come on, guys.
Let's go, let's go.
We need way more than that.
- Come on, come on.
- All right.
Sorry, it's my first time doing it.
No, no, no.
Stop, stop, stop.
No, no, no, no, no.
We don't need more pepper.
We do not need more pepper.
Alexander, is the other ravioli in? No, I didn't put it in.
Okay, can you do that, please? - Yes.
- Come on, guys.
Alexander does not work that well under pressure.
He was, like, so frazzled.
Teamwork, Alexander.
- You've got to come together.
- Yes, chef.
The fish and the ravioli have got to arrive together.
Jack, how long for your branzino? - Four more minutes, chef.
- Thank you.
Is the ravioli in? What? No answer.
They should be in the water! Yes, chef.
I'm falling behind on time, and I'm just, like, struggling to get those raviolis done.
And if I don't step it up, that's it I'm going home.
Ravioli's ready for that pot.
What? Dara, why is he doing that? I don't know.
Let's go, let's go.
Come on.
- Red team - Yes, chef? It's your last ticket.
The fish and the ravioli have got to arrive together.
The ravioli's ready for that pot.
What? Dara, why is he doing that? - I don't know.
- You drop your raviolis.
- Okay.
- You, get the veg in with the potatoes.
Yes, chef.
This is definitely the most important meal of the service.
This is my fate, basically.
We can't mess it up.
Where's the branzino? It's coming, chef.
Quick.
- One branzino! - Ravioli up! Order up, chef! Chef! Thank you.
Well done, blue team.
Thank you, chef.
Ravioli in the window, chef.
Well done.
Let's go.
- All right, great.
- Hey, all of you, come round.
Well done.
When service ends, I'm exhausted.
We're all exhausted, and we're just relieved that it's over.
Well done.
How do you feel? - Great.
- Great.
- Amazing, chef! You guys did over 50 covers of some of the pickiest, most frequent diners that Los Angeles has, and they were blown away.
And they have no idea who was cooking for them.
I couldn't have been prouder.
How many dishes came back from the dining room tonight? Zero.
That is the sign of a great service.
And that is a first in MasterChef.
So help yourself to a nice, sparkling glass of cider.
Blue team, help yourself.
Enjoy that well-deserved apple juice.
Great job, guys.
Well done.
Well done.
- Cheers, guys.
- Cheers, guys.
- Good job, guys.
- Nice job.
Since I was obviously, to Gordon, the stronger competitor on my team, I'm pretty confident he'll definitely keep me in the competition.
- To us! - To us! While the teams celebrate completing the restaurant takeover challenge Chef Ian is tasting the entrees from both teams and giving his final evaluation.
What do you think about these dishes visually? The overall look of the red team's ravioli Looks a lot better.
- The sauce coats all the pasta.
- Mm.
The blue team's has too much garnish, too many carrots.
So let's taste it and see what you think.
Start with the red team, please.
Their ravioli is really good.
They've got a nice amount of filling.
The sauce is really good.
All right, let's try the blue team's, then.
The blue team made the raviolis correctly.
It's just missing the sauce.
I clearly think the red team's ravioli is better.
Now, we will try the second entree.
This is the branzino of the red team, And this is the branzino of the blue team.
So, visually, what are we thinking? The look of the red team's branzino looks a little bit better.
Nice, crispy skin.
The fish is cooked well.
Really mild.
Just needs a little bit more salt.
Okay, let's try the blue team's.
It's seasoned really well.
It just doesn't have that crispy skin.
Well, I would say that the red team's dish looked a lot better, but the blue team's fish tasted a lot better.
So, chef, overall, which team has the advantage The red team or the blue team? Really just splitting hairs here.
We're very close.
With chef Ian's tastings complete, the guests in the dining room fill out their comment cards.
The winner of tonight's challenge will be decided by the judges based on the feedback from chef Ian, the customers, and the team's overall performance in the kitchen.
The winning team will move on to the semifinals, While the losing team will see at least two junior home cooks go home.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's great to see you.
And I'd like to thank you on behalf of Graham, Joe, and myself, Uh, for being part of this very special lunch.
How was it, by the way? Would you like to meet the chefs that cooked your amazing lunch? Sarah, Gavin, Troy.
Jack, Dara, and Alexander.
When we saw the diners clapping for us, and they had no idea that kids were cooking their meals, some of them were in disbelief, and there were some people crying in the audience.
It was a pretty amazing feeling.
Yes, that's right.
Your lunch was cooked by Junior MasterChef contestants.
Incredible.
And Wow.
An amazing job.
Maybe a few words on what you thought about today's lunch.
It was a lot, probably, different in here than back there.
It was a lot of, "Give me come on, come on! Come on, come on!" And in here, it was probably like, "Mmm, it is so good.
" Gavin, how do you feel, bud? I can see why he stars on Hell's kitchen.
How do you feel? I'm feeling amazing, and now, whenever I go to a restaurant and something is taking too long, I'm never gonna say anything! Newfound respect.
Unbelievable.
Red team, blue team, seriously, well done.
Now Unfortunately, we have a very, very difficult decision to make.
Because we have to decide which team did a little bit better than the other.
Unfortunately That won't happen here, because we need more time to work this out.
The decision will happen back in the MasterChef kitchen.
So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much.
- Good night.
- Good-bye.
Let's go.
I saw some of the other team's dishes, and I feel like our dishes were more together and more composed.
I think we're gonna win.
It is definitely nerve-wracking.
I do think my team did enough to win, but anything can happen.
Let's go, guys.
Let's go! Come on down.
I'm feeling nervous because it's anyone's game now, 'cause the judges get to decide who makes it through and who doesn't.
All right, you all just did the most amazing job in the restaurant takeover challenge.
But There can only be one winning team.
Blue team The seasoning needed balancing in areas.
But, overall, the speed and the agility of your team was outstanding.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chef.
Red team Appetizers were somewhat slow.
But the strength and determination shown across those entrees was phenomenal.
You may have had a slow start.
But you certainly had a very strong finish.
The team That are going straight through to the semifinal of the first-ever junior MasterChef Congratulations Red team.
Oh, my god.
Well done.
Oh, my god.
Good job, guys.
My team wins! And I'm so excited.
I'm so happy.
I'm going into the semifinals, which is amazing.
All three of you, head up to the gallery, take those red aprons off, and put your nice, white ones on.
I'm really sad that our team lost, but I'm also really proud, because I know that we did the best we could.
Thank you.
So, blue team of the three of you, we are gonna save one of you.
And, sadly, two of you will be leaving.
We discussed everything.
and we've made probably one of the most difficult decisions that we've ever made in the MasterChef kitchen.
I really do believe I should be here.
And, Gavin and Sarah, they're great, but it is a competition.
People have to go home.
The one junior home cook who will be joining Dara, Alexander, and Jack into the semifinal I'm very nervous, 'cause I really wanna make it through more than anything.
I'm not ready to go home at all.
Is I'm just like, "Please let it be me.
Please let it be me.
" Troy.
Thank you.
- Good job, Troy.
- Good job, man.
Good job.
Oh, my god.
I'm super excited.
I made top four, and I just cannot wait to see what's next.
Sarah You okay? Don't cry.
Just think of what you're gonna do.
Think about all those kids that are gonna cook because of what you've done.
We're so, so proud of you.
Sarah Gavin Not only have you done your parents proud, but you've done every nine-year-old, every ten-year-old in America tonight proud.
Come up and say good-bye, guys.
I'm gonna miss you two.
Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Gorgeous.
- Come on, big man.
- Thank you.
I'm leaving this competition.
I wish that I would have stepped up more as captain.
But I did it as best as I could.
I'm really proud of myself that I made it to the top six.
I came in as maybe not one of the best cooks But I've definitely grown, and I've risen.
In any of my Italian restaurants, if I wanted to put on an Italian burger, this would be a terrific example.
- Bravo.
- Thank you.
It's been a great experience.
I've learned so much, and I'm definitely gonna keep on cooking when I go home.
Sarah, who's gonna win the first-ever junior MasterChef? Um I think Troy is gonna win.
Troy? Why Troy? He's a strong chef, and he can compete.
And I feel like he can beat all of 'em.
No offense to you guys, though.
And Gavin.
Jack might win, because I know that he has a strong heart.
And he is determined, isn't he? Yeah.
All right, Gavin, Sarah, take care.
- Good night, guys.
Take care.
- Thank you.
Bye, darling.
Good luck.
I came here to win, and I didn't do that, but I'm very proud of myself for making it this far.
Sarah! There we are, princess.
Let's go.
Whip like a man, Gavin! Whip like a man! I proved to myself that I can do much more than I thought I could.
I think that you have nailed it.
I'm still gonna follow after my food dream.
You haven't seen the last of me.
Next time, on MasterChef Junior Oh, come on.
the final four answer the age-old question Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Are we gonna have to kill a chicken? As they compete for a shot in the finale Jack is praying to the egg god right now.
Only two can move forward Everybody else is done.
and get the chance of winning $100,000 This is make-it-or-break-it time.
and the title of America's first MasterChef Junior.
Nervous? sync, corrections: Ajvngou.
cz
This is so not gummi bears.
A gruesome mystery box Disgusting.
produced some amazing dishes.
Well done.
You nailed it.
It's all delicious.
Phenomenal.
Sarah wowed the judges Really, really amazing.
but it was the end of the road for Kaylen and Sofia.
Tonight One of L.
A.
's finest restaurants recruits a new generation of chefs.
The restaurant takeover.
As the junior contestants take charge 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! I cannot believe how crazy it is.
Where the diners are in for the shock of their lives.
That's right, MasterChef Junior contestants.
Welcome, everybody.
Please come up here.
I'm in the top six, and I'm very proud because, like, 9 million kids tried out for this.
And I know I can make it farther.
And I know I can do more.
Being in the top six is really amazing, but I know that I have to step up my game.
This competition is only gonna get harder as it progresses.
You are the best young home cooks in this entire country.
One of you standing here before us will make history and become America's first Junior MasterChef.
Today's challenge will not be happening inside the MasterChef kitchen.
No! That's right Today we're going out on a field trip.
We're gonna set you a test in the real world.
Oh.
Oh, god.
How does that sound? Kind of scary.
I'm just getting used to the MasterChef kitchen, and now they're gonna take us away from that.
So I'm, like, nervous but really excited.
Right, you guys ready? Yes, chef.
Let's go.
Here we go.
Field trip? I don't know if this is gonna be a field trip or a business trip, seriously.
Walking in downtown L.
A.
was kind of exciting because you're going to a new place.
It was a really cool experience being in that restaurant.
It looked beautiful, and it made me realize that I definitely want to have a restaurant one day.
Welcome to Drago Centro, One of the finest italian restaurants in all of Los Angeles.
Guys, we didn't bring you here for fun.
We brought you here for a classic MasterChef challenge, one of the most grueling challenges we do The restaurant takeover.
- Oh.
- Oh, my god.
- Oh, my god.
- So cool.
Today all six of you will be taking over lunch service in the kitchen of this restaurant.
Wow.
I think that the three judges are out of their minds.
You're going to compete in two teams of three.
Each team will serve one side of the dining room, and you will battle head-to-head in the kitchen of this fine restaurant, Drago Centro.
What is he thinking? We're 9 to 13.
We might be great home cooks, but we're not great restaurant cooks.
This might be too big for us to do.
Ugh.
It is time to pick your teams.
Dara and Gavin, please step forward.
I know that I'm one of the best junior chefs in America, and I'm pretty competitive.
I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I went to the junior olympics.
So I know how to win.
Dara and Gavin, since you had those amazing, delicious winning cakes in the last elimination challenge, you two are now captains in this extraordinary, difficult MasterChef classic challenge.
Dara, since you had the best layer cake, you get to pick first.
But there's a red, and there's a blue team.
What color would you like? - Red.
- Red team.
- That means, Gavin, you are the blue team.
- Okay.
Good.
Now, you will alternate picks until both teams are set.
I really want to be on Dara's team, because Gavin, I don't think, has enough experience.
he could mess up as team captain.
I'm gonna pick this person because he's got a lot of good feedback from you guys.
And I feel that we would work good together.
So I'm gonna pick Alexander.
Alexander, wow.
Good choice.
Gavin, who are you picking? I'm going for this person because I know that we can work great together.
He's just a really great cook.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm gonna pick Troy.
Troy, wow.
Gavin picks me.
I have to go on his team, pretend I'm happy, but I'm not.
So Dara's got the pick.
Basically she picks for both teams, because whoever you don't choose will automatically go into the blue team.
Truthfully, I'm a little bit hoping that Dara picks Sarah, because Sarah is a little bit young, and she hasn't developed enough in cooking and teamwork.
Well, I think this person really knows what they're doing and knows what to put on the plate.
So I'm gonna pick Jack.
Wow.
Jack.
Please.
Young lady, please come pick up your apron.
I expected to be the last picked since I was the youngest.
But I have been cooking for six years, so I know what I'm talking about.
Red team, blue team, the restaurant is sold out for lunch today.
And we are in the middle of downtown Los Angeles.
You have agents, actors, power brokers, bankers, politicians.
They know good food, and they know good service.
The one thing they don't know is that the people making their food are you guys, ages 9 to 13.
We'll talk to the diners, and we'll take their feedback.
But ultimately, we will decide the winning team.
And if you're on the losing team, you will be facing elimination.
Are you guys ready? Yes, chef! It's time to go find out what exactly you will be cooking today.
- Let's go, guys.
- Let's go.
Let's go.
All right, guys, you guys are right over here.
- Line up.
- Right there.
Line up.
Let me introduce you to a very important man.
The executive chef, chef Ian Gresik.
Good afternoon, chef.
This extraordinary chef is here to show you how to replicate Drago's dishes.
So watch carefully and ask as many questions as possible.
Got it? - Yes, chef.
- Good.
Let's go, guys.
You guys around there.
For service today, the six junior home cooks must make two appetizers.
A burrata salad with artichokes, tomatoes, and crostini, and seared albacore tuna with a risotto cake.
Then two entrees A short-rib ravioli and a pan-seared branzino.
Okay, chefs, the first dish is the burrata.
Now, the key to the burrata is gonna be the balsamic stamp.
Place it onto the plate.
Then you need to cut the burrata into four equal pieces.
In between, you're gonna add the olive crostini.
You're gonna add your artichokes, cherry tomatoes.
You're gonna place the arugula onto the burrata.
So the dishes are not, like, salami and cheddar cheese.
These are fancy dishes, and it looks really hard to do.
The next appetizer we're gonna do is the tuna appetizer.
You're gonna fry a risotto cake.
Place it into the fryer.
Three to four minutes later, you're gonna pull it out.
You're gonna take your beautiful block of yellowfin tuna, and you're gonna sear the tuna on all sides.
You want to make sure the tuna is still rare inside.
Nice.
You're gonna put the risotto cake into the center of the plate.
You're gonna add sauteed fennel and sunchoke.
You're gonna start to slice your tuna.
You're gonna end up with three beautiful slices.
And we have your salad already dressed.
And we're gonna place it on top of the dish.
- There's a lot of steps to this one.
- Our next dish here Our first entree, guys.
So short-rib ravioli it's a filled pasta.
Inside of the filling, you're gonna add onions, carrots, and celery, besides the short rib.
And we pipe it into the ravioli.
Next, so you just want to put down fresh egg pasta dough.
And you're actually gonna take a piece of the pasta dough itself and push into these molds here.
Pipe in the filling, and you only want to fill the pasta dough up to the side, otherwise it won't close.
Brush the dough with a little bit of water, and this is gonna act as your glue.
The next step, you're actually gonna use a wooden dowel, and you're gonna form the pastas themselves.
And then you just knock them out, right? Yeah.
These are very gentle, and they're only gonna cook for about three minutes.
The next step, you're gonna add your sage sauce.
You're gonna add some of the carrots to the dish.
You're gonna add your raviolis.
And you're gonna glaze 'em in the sauce.
And you're gonna use a spoon to plate the ravioli.
Right.
Here's your pasta.
Lovely, wow.
The thing that has me the most nervous is the plating, 'cause it has to be plated specifically.
If it's not, then we have to start all over.
So the next dish is the branzino.
You're gonna place the fish into the pan, falling away from you.
And you only want to cook it on the skin side.
So the next step You're gonna take the fish, place it on top of your garnish.
That looks amazing.
There's a lot of key factors to this.
Like, I'm only 12, and we have to cook to the quality of this restaurant.
I'm a little nervous.
You will have one hour to prep and 75 minutes to serve all of those amazing dishes.
Also, chef Ian will be tasting your dishes.
Wow.
We're gonna listen to what he has to say.
There's one more very important part to this challenge.
Sarah, do you know what an expeditor is? Yes, chef.
Guess who your expeditor is tonight.
Chef Ian.
- No, chef Gordon.
- You.
That's right.
I will not let anything pass substandard.
Do you think you can all handle that? Yes, chef! Oh, my gosh.
It's nerve-racking.
I was like, "Are we gonna see the mean side of Gordon Ramsay?" Right, red team, blue team, your 60 minutes prep starts Now.
Let's go.
With only one hour of prep time for two appetizers and two entrees, both teams must quickly delegate responsibilities.
Okay, so so this is what's gonna happen.
- He's burrata.
- We share the tuna.
- Okay.
I can do the branzino all by myself.
- And then you can do the ravioli.
- Yeah.
I think that she should do most of the vegetables.
I don't really feel comfortable doing the vegetables.
It's very simple.
I wrote it all down in the notebook.
You should have taken notes.
I'll tell you what to do, and you just do it.
Troy is telling us what to do, which I thought was unfair because Gavin is the team captain.
So stay out of it.
- Okay, guys, got it? Come on.
- Let's go, let's go.
I got this one.
With a power struggle already brewing on the blue team The red team is taking a far more democratic approach.
Let's start off with tuna.
I'll do the rice cakes.
- And do you want to do - So I'll do the burrata.
You want to do burrata? - Okay, yeah.
- Okay.
Entrees I'll do the searing for the branzino.
- I feel confident with the ravioli.
- Okay.
Looking at the dishes, I'm nervous.
But I think that if we work as a team, we could pull it off.
Okay, let's go.
These cooks, for the first time in their lives, will be cooking multiple dishes at the same time.
That changes the entire world for them.
They've never done it.
This prep time is critical.
If they prep up perfectly, it'll be a dream cooking.
Right.
Don't push too hard.
Sarah, Sarah, do this, look.
Just tap it in around the edge like this.
- Here, can I show you? - I have an idea.
All right, but you don't want it to, like, fall apart.
Sarah is the youngest competitor, but she thinks she can do everything perfectly.
And she doesn't know how to take advice That's the thing.
And that's why we can get screwed in this competition.
Remember, Troy, you don't have to go so fast.
Flour? Did you flour it? - Oh, shoot, no.
- You have to flour.
Blue team, Gavin, communicate with them.
Let's go.
Guys, come on.
We can do this, okay? Guys, you should already have two or three in right now.
I only have one.
Hurry up.
Sarah, this matters a lot.
Come on, guys.
For tonight's MasterChef challenge, the junior home cooks have taken over the kitchen of Drago Centro in downtown Los Angeles.
Each team has just one hour to prep and 75 minutes to serve two appetizers and two entrees for a fully booked restaurant.
How long can they concentrate in the heat? That's the big question tonight.
Well, they're certainly gonna be feeling the heat, because these customers have full expectation to have the quality of food they always have here.
And every customer in the dining room has no idea that these chefs tonight are between Sarah, what number are you on for pasta? - Four.
- You're on four? Great.
Jack, I'm on my fifth right now.
Why are you telling me? Just to make you nervous.
Troy just came over and was like, "I'm on my fifth.
" Troy was probably lying anyway.
They're probably not done to perfection like ours.
Five minutes to go before that first table arrives.
Oh, my gosh.
Blue team, how are we doing? - We're doing great, chef.
- Yeah? How's it look? Nice.
They're beautiful.
Okay, thank you.
The ravioli's off to a good start.
I definitely think that we can pull this off.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
While the blue team is looking good, the red team is having a difficult time filling the ravioli molds properly.
Red team, stop please.
- Dara, look.
- Yeah? You got twice as much in there and half the amount there.
The secret of a great service is making sure you have an amazing preparation.
And I've seen the way you've cooked in the MasterChef kitchen, and it's not like that.
Okay, I want them all filled to the exact same level.
- Yes, chef.
- Okay? Dara, who's the captain of the red team? - I am.
- Keep your eyes open.
- I will.
- Let's go.
I am really independent, so, like, when it does come to, like, communicating, I'm kind of in my own zone, and I have to open the zone up to more people.
How do these look, Dara? They look perfect.
As prep time in the kitchen comes to an end, The Drago Centro dining room is quickly filling up with hungry customers.
The teams will have to serve two appetizers and two entrees to all the diners, whose feedback will be key in helping the judges decide a winner in this elimination challenge.
Red team, blue team, listen! Yes, chef! Thank you.
What you just produced there is phenomenal.
Now we're gonna start service.
Are we ready? Yes, chef.
Right, blue team, on order.
Two covers away.
Table 17.
One burrata, one tuna.
Entree, one ravioli, one branzino.
What? One of everything.
Yes, chef! Stop, stop, stop.
I'm gonna call out the order.
Once I've read out the order, then give me a "Yes, chef.
" Let's start again.
On order, two covers, table 17.
Blue team, one burrata, one tuna.
- Yes, chef! - Thank you.
On order, red team.
Two covers away, table 51.
One burrata, one tuna.
Yes, chef.
- How long? - Six minutes.
Let's go, six minutes.
Being in the kitchen is so much more intense than I thought it would be.
I cannot believe how crazy it is.
Blue team.
- Blue team! - Yes, chef! Second table.
Two covers, table 71.
One burrata, one tuna.
All right, one more tuna.
Tuna! Eh, is that a "yes, chef" or "No, chef"? - Yes, chef! - Thank you.
Red team, one burrata, one tuna.
After that, you got one burrata, one tuna.
Followed by one burrata, one more tuna, yes? Yes, chef.
When Gordon's yelling out the tickets at us, all of us are going crazy because it's really fast.
My mind is just like, whoo-ooh! What the heck? Like, oh, my god.
Why are, like, half the dots coming out and half of them not? So I try it again on a new plate.
Oh, come on! And then they didn't come out.
I'm like, what? Why? Do you want me to do it, Jack? Okay, I'm just not good with the stamp, that's it.
Luckily Dara got the dots to finally all come out nice.
Thank you so much.
One burrata for the red team.
- Jack, stunning.
- Thank you.
Table 52.
Please, red team, go.
With the red team working well together to complete orders The blue team is struggling to find its rhythm as a unit and is falling behind.
On order, blue team.
Two more burrata, two more tuna.
Dude, you need to get this out.
Sarah, stop.
Blue team, I'm dying for that tuna.
Put it up, dude! We're done with our tuna.
Order up, chef.
Thank you, chef.
Who sliced that? Blue team, stop what you're doing.
Come here, all of you.
Three of you, come around.
Hurry up.
This tuna comes out, and it looks stunning.
And then all of a sudden, I've got this.
It looks like a dog's dinner.
It does.
- Troy.
- I know, I cut it too thin, chef.
So are you happy with that? No, I'm not, chef.
The restaurant service is all about consistency.
And do you think I'm gonna serve that? No, you're not.
- That is embarrassing.
- Get rid of it.
- Okay.
- Move.
Let's go.
- Thank you.
Chef Ramsay has the power just to go, boom, Troy, out.
And I have to leave.
I cannot afford for that to happen.
While the blue team works to improve the consistency of their plating, the red team is now struggling to keep up with the volume of orders.
Red team, two tuna, followed by two more tuna.
- Yes, chef! - Let's go.
Get the salad on.
Is this dressed? No, do it.
Dara, don't get aggravated at me.
Red team, you've got to talk.
- You seasoned these, right? - You know what, no.
No.
I'm telling you, they need salt, Alexander.
if I'm telling you they need salt, - put salt on them.
- I'm making sure.
Oh, man.
Guys, just stop arguing and start working together.
Get the tuna on the plate.
Then get this on the plate.
Let's go.
The communication in our team is really bad.
we're in big trouble, and I'm kind of getting ready to pack my bags.
Let's go, guys.
Red team, this burrata has been up here now for seven minutes.
I'm begging for a tuna.
Get the salad on.
No.
Do it.
Guys, just stop arguing and start working together.
Let's go.
Guys, guys, come here, you two.
Come out.
- Yes, chef.
- Look at me.
This cannot become a power struggle.
You have to talk to each other.
Yes, chef.
You're two talented youngsters, but you're not working together.
I need you to get on the same page.
The youngest in your team is in front of you by three dishes.
If you continue to work against each other, your team is gonna lose.
Sort it out.
Okay, I'm gonna get the rice cakes on.
I was really frustrated because Alexander wasn't really listening to what I was saying.
But I want the best for all of us, so we need to communicate better.
Do you have your salad made, or do you need me to do that for you? Do the salad, do the salad.
While the chaos in the kitchen continues for both young teams, the guests in the dining room have started their appetizers and begin giving their reviews.
I'm eating the red team burrata appetizer.
I like the way it looked.
The burrata's nice and soft.
I'm eating the blue team's burrata appetizer, and the presentation was really pretty.
It's just a little bit chewy.
So the red team's tuna appetizer, the risotto cake, I couldn't identify if it was risotto or potato.
Chef! I'm eating the tuna appetizer.
Very crunchy on the outside.
Very soft on the inside.
It's really good.
As the customers continue to enjoy their appetizers Each team must now complete one final special order.
Red team, blue team, on order.
V.
V.
I.
P.
, the chef of the restaurant that you're running, on order: Two covers, table 18.
One burrata, one tuna.
- Yes, chef.
- How about, "Yes chef"? Yes, chef! Thank you! Sarah, watch out.
You're gonna mess it up.
Just stop messing with it.
I'm not messing with it! Just don't touch it.
We have to cook for the V.
I.
P.
table, which was chef Ian.
Sarah is going to mess this up.
Just let me plate this one, Sarah, okay? Just let me plate this.
And I think I can plate a little better and quicker than she can.
I'm plating.
- No, you're not.
- Yes, I am.
- Don't touch it.
- Stop! Sarah, put your plate down.
Blue team, red team, I'm waiting on two burrata, two tuna.
Blue team, how long? Burrata in the window! Excellent.
V.
I.
P.
Burrata in the window, right now! Thank you.
Blue team, where is this tuna? Five seconds, chef.
No, no, no, no.
You don't do that yet.
Guys, come on tuna! Let's go, guys.
- Dara - Yes, chef? - Are we communicating? - Yes, chef.
- Tuna in the window, chef.
- Thank you.
- Done, chef! - Sarah! Stop.
Tuna up, chef.
Thank you, Troy.
Service, please.
V.
V.
I.
P.
Thank you.
This is frustrating because Troy is not understanding that you have to work together as a team when it's a team challenge.
Red team, blue team, listen to me! Yes, chef! Appetizers, great start.
Clear down, get set for the entree.
Yes, chef! Let's go.
As both teams prepare to make their entrees, the final appetizers are sent to the restaurant's executive chef.
His opinion will be a factor in the judges' decision on which team wins this elimination challenge.
First impression: They look good.
Maybe I can hire some of these kids.
Yes.
The blue team's plating looks very impressive.
I think the arugula on the red team doesn't look as nice.
Okay, let's have a taste.
Really well seasoned.
This is a great dish.
Great dish.
Let's try the red's burrata.
The only thing missing on this dish is the vinaigrette on the arugula leaves.
In this appetizer, the blue team definitely won.
Okay.
Now for the tuna.
Let's taste it.
It tastes really well.
The tuna's cooked nicely.
The risotto cake's a little bit under.
But the rest of their dish is really spot-on.
Okay, great.
Now let's try the blue team's.
The blue team, the tuna's a little under-seasoned.
But the star was they cooked the risotto cake correctly.
- It's really good.
- Correctly.
So if you had to pick a winner, What do you think? Right now, it's neck and neck.
- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you.
With the teams evenly matched after the appetizers, both of them must now prepare their entrees for 50 customers in the dining room and chef Ian.
We need to come up with a plan, okay? I know you work better independently, So that's why you're gonna do the pasta by yourself, okay? - Yeah, yeah.
- But just still communicate, okay? Yeah.
I really like working independently, and Jack can work well with two people.
So Dara and Jack are gonna do the branzino, and I'll do the ravioli.
We got this.
We got this, guys.
Yeah, we got this.
With the red team feeling confident about their strategy for the entrees, Gavin, the captain of the blue team, is trying to ease the tension between teammates Troy and Sarah.
Troy, I'm sorry, but you can't I know I'm not trying to boss her around.
She's just really excited.
You have to I'm super excited too.
- I know.
- In entrees, what am I doing? We're doing the branzino.
I'm gonna do all the fish again.
Let me plate, okay? That's what cost us.
He's doing the ravioli.
Okay, but, yeah, we have to stay together.
I definitely think that we can pull this off because we're such a great team.
It just really helps your team if you don't have any arguments.
Let's get ready! Red team, blue team, listen to me! Yes, chef! Now let's finish strong with the entrees.
Away now, red team.
Blue team, one ravioli, one branzino.
Yes, chef! Thank you.
Let's go.
This is one order.
I'm gonna get the second order going after this one.
Jack, how long for the fish? One minute.
Dude, you need to get those in the pan.
I need it to heat up, Sarah hold on.
I'm gonna put in a fish! Hold on! Sarah, calm down.
These guys are doing some hard-core stuff.
These are really intricate dishes.
The food coming out is looking great.
Well, I got a problem with the blue team, because Troy's not listening, and he's certainly not bringing his team together.
And he's almost, like, trounced Gavin into the corner, because Gavin was frying.
- But Gavin's the captain.
- Well It's almost like he's been sort of demoralized on back of Troy's over-exertive presence.
Red team, however, finally have got it together.
Red team! Ravioli's in the window.
Very nice, that ravioli.
Thank you, chef.
Where's the branzino? Two plates, Alexander.
Work at the same time.
Let's go.
Who cooked the fish? Me! Me, chef! - Beautifully done.
- Thank you, chef.
Good job, Jack! Red team, you're cooking beautifully now that you're working as a team.
- Yes, chef.
- Stick together.
While the red team seems to be on track with their entrees The blue team is having trouble with the seasoning of the branzino dish.
Sarah, no, no.
No more.
- You put way too - No, I'm doing this for Gavin's.
Sarah, come here.
Look how much pepper that is.
We need to start over.
- There's so much.
- Mix it in.
That happened to the ravioli, and you said it was good.
Sarah there's so much pepper.
Blue team! Where's the branzino? - Three minutes, chef! - Three minutes, chef! What? They're ready.
The fish is ready.
Where's the garnish? We're still waiting on the vegetables.
Why is the fish ready before the vegetables? - Because she over-peppered them, sir.
- I messed them up.
Oh, guys.
Are those almost done? - Hold on.
- Troy, talk to me! Hold on, Sarah! I'm trying to do something.
Calm down.
No, but you're not talking to me.
I'm trying to do what you messed up, okay? So hold on.
Why are those two arguing? I don't know, I Guys, come on.
Stop arguing.
Guys.
We have paying customers waiting for food.
Sarah's messing it up.
We have to start over.
We're two tables behind than the red team.
Let me have it.
Troy, I can put it up.
One ravioli, one branzino.
The red team already gone.
No, no, no.
on top of it.
Sarah, it's on top of the actual dish.
- Encourage her, Troy.
- Sarah, come on.
What is it? What is it with you two? Why can't you work together? It's annoying me.
It's annoying me so much, that I just want to kick her off the team.
Come on, guys, speed up! Sarah, don't touch it.
Come on, guys, speed up! Let me have it! Troy, I can put it up.
I'm trying to do what you messed up, okay? What is it with you two? Why can't you work together? Blue team are falling behind drastically.
Sarah, don't touch it.
You three come round here.
What happened? What's wrong? - Nothing.
- Well, why are you crying? I kind of felt annoyed, because Troy was trying to micromanage everyone.
He wasn't even trying to listen to what I had to say.
We can't keep waiting while Troy does his own thing.
Troy, stop trying to take over.
Okay.
Know that you have a job to do.
Do it, and then help.
Team captain, you have to keep hold of your team.
- Okay.
- You have to delegate.
You can't stand there and be quiet.
Okay.
So if we stick together as a team, we're brilliant.
If we ignore each other, we're in trouble.
- Got it? - Yes, chef.
Sort it out.
Let's go.
While the blue team regroups and focuses on improving their communication Chef Ramsay is concerned with the delegation of duties on the red team.
Jack, how long are you gonna be for the fish? Branzino, like I need, like, four more minutes.
Dara and Alexander, are you two doing the ravioli and Jack's doing the branzino on his own? - Um, no, I'm doing the branzino.
- Yes or no? What are you doing for the branzino? I'm doing the salad right now and The tendrils? Hey Look at me.
You two, come here.
Yes, chef? You're the oldest.
He's got the difficult job on his own.
You got the easy job on your own.
- Come on.
Step up, will you? - Yes, chef.
- Get out of your comfort zone.
- Yes, chef.
Jack, great work.
Keep it going.
Thank you, chef.
While Dara and Alexander attempt to improve their contribution to the red team by taking on more responsibility The customers in the dining room are now eating their entrees and give Joe their feedback.
Good evening again, folks.
You had the entrees of the red team.
Two branzinos and two ravioli.
How did they do? Very good.
- Really good? - Yeah.
What was the best part about the branzino? Nice.
Loved it.
How about the ravioli? How are they? The sauce, while it's lovely, it's a little congealed, as if it's been sitting in the window for a while.
So sorry.
I had the blue team's ravioli.
The actual pasta was really, really well done.
But I felt like there could have been more seasoning.
Uh, my entree today was the fish.
It was beautifully presented, the fish was cooked nicely.
The peas were nice and bright.
It was good.
So far, the reviews in the dining room are mixed for both teams' entrees And back in the kitchen, Chef Ramsay is about to call out the final order of the night.
Red team, blue team, V.
I.
P.
, the chef of the restaurant.
Entree one ravioli, one branzino.
Yes, chef! Make this the best dishes you've cooked all night.
Work together.
Keep it going.
- Yes, chef! - Let's go.
Ravioli going in the pan.
I'm gonna help you.
I'm prepared for your ravioli in the pan.
Season, season, season.
Season! I'll get your salt.
Gavin is kind of in his own little world.
And he's kind of struggling, and that's when I realized I needed to start helping him.
Come on, guys! We got this, okay, guys? I'm plating your rav right now.
Thank you, thank you.
Great job.
Great job, Sarah.
Keep up the good work, okay? - Thanks.
- Thank you so much for helping me.
While the blue team is finally working together to finish strong The red team is struggling to complete the most important order of the night.
Come on, guys.
Let's go, let's go.
We need way more than that.
- Come on, come on.
- All right.
Sorry, it's my first time doing it.
No, no, no.
Stop, stop, stop.
No, no, no, no, no.
We don't need more pepper.
We do not need more pepper.
Alexander, is the other ravioli in? No, I didn't put it in.
Okay, can you do that, please? - Yes.
- Come on, guys.
Alexander does not work that well under pressure.
He was, like, so frazzled.
Teamwork, Alexander.
- You've got to come together.
- Yes, chef.
The fish and the ravioli have got to arrive together.
Jack, how long for your branzino? - Four more minutes, chef.
- Thank you.
Is the ravioli in? What? No answer.
They should be in the water! Yes, chef.
I'm falling behind on time, and I'm just, like, struggling to get those raviolis done.
And if I don't step it up, that's it I'm going home.
Ravioli's ready for that pot.
What? Dara, why is he doing that? I don't know.
Let's go, let's go.
Come on.
- Red team - Yes, chef? It's your last ticket.
The fish and the ravioli have got to arrive together.
The ravioli's ready for that pot.
What? Dara, why is he doing that? - I don't know.
- You drop your raviolis.
- Okay.
- You, get the veg in with the potatoes.
Yes, chef.
This is definitely the most important meal of the service.
This is my fate, basically.
We can't mess it up.
Where's the branzino? It's coming, chef.
Quick.
- One branzino! - Ravioli up! Order up, chef! Chef! Thank you.
Well done, blue team.
Thank you, chef.
Ravioli in the window, chef.
Well done.
Let's go.
- All right, great.
- Hey, all of you, come round.
Well done.
When service ends, I'm exhausted.
We're all exhausted, and we're just relieved that it's over.
Well done.
How do you feel? - Great.
- Great.
- Amazing, chef! You guys did over 50 covers of some of the pickiest, most frequent diners that Los Angeles has, and they were blown away.
And they have no idea who was cooking for them.
I couldn't have been prouder.
How many dishes came back from the dining room tonight? Zero.
That is the sign of a great service.
And that is a first in MasterChef.
So help yourself to a nice, sparkling glass of cider.
Blue team, help yourself.
Enjoy that well-deserved apple juice.
Great job, guys.
Well done.
Well done.
- Cheers, guys.
- Cheers, guys.
- Good job, guys.
- Nice job.
Since I was obviously, to Gordon, the stronger competitor on my team, I'm pretty confident he'll definitely keep me in the competition.
- To us! - To us! While the teams celebrate completing the restaurant takeover challenge Chef Ian is tasting the entrees from both teams and giving his final evaluation.
What do you think about these dishes visually? The overall look of the red team's ravioli Looks a lot better.
- The sauce coats all the pasta.
- Mm.
The blue team's has too much garnish, too many carrots.
So let's taste it and see what you think.
Start with the red team, please.
Their ravioli is really good.
They've got a nice amount of filling.
The sauce is really good.
All right, let's try the blue team's, then.
The blue team made the raviolis correctly.
It's just missing the sauce.
I clearly think the red team's ravioli is better.
Now, we will try the second entree.
This is the branzino of the red team, And this is the branzino of the blue team.
So, visually, what are we thinking? The look of the red team's branzino looks a little bit better.
Nice, crispy skin.
The fish is cooked well.
Really mild.
Just needs a little bit more salt.
Okay, let's try the blue team's.
It's seasoned really well.
It just doesn't have that crispy skin.
Well, I would say that the red team's dish looked a lot better, but the blue team's fish tasted a lot better.
So, chef, overall, which team has the advantage The red team or the blue team? Really just splitting hairs here.
We're very close.
With chef Ian's tastings complete, the guests in the dining room fill out their comment cards.
The winner of tonight's challenge will be decided by the judges based on the feedback from chef Ian, the customers, and the team's overall performance in the kitchen.
The winning team will move on to the semifinals, While the losing team will see at least two junior home cooks go home.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's great to see you.
And I'd like to thank you on behalf of Graham, Joe, and myself, Uh, for being part of this very special lunch.
How was it, by the way? Would you like to meet the chefs that cooked your amazing lunch? Sarah, Gavin, Troy.
Jack, Dara, and Alexander.
When we saw the diners clapping for us, and they had no idea that kids were cooking their meals, some of them were in disbelief, and there were some people crying in the audience.
It was a pretty amazing feeling.
Yes, that's right.
Your lunch was cooked by Junior MasterChef contestants.
Incredible.
And Wow.
An amazing job.
Maybe a few words on what you thought about today's lunch.
It was a lot, probably, different in here than back there.
It was a lot of, "Give me come on, come on! Come on, come on!" And in here, it was probably like, "Mmm, it is so good.
" Gavin, how do you feel, bud? I can see why he stars on Hell's kitchen.
How do you feel? I'm feeling amazing, and now, whenever I go to a restaurant and something is taking too long, I'm never gonna say anything! Newfound respect.
Unbelievable.
Red team, blue team, seriously, well done.
Now Unfortunately, we have a very, very difficult decision to make.
Because we have to decide which team did a little bit better than the other.
Unfortunately That won't happen here, because we need more time to work this out.
The decision will happen back in the MasterChef kitchen.
So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much.
- Good night.
- Good-bye.
Let's go.
I saw some of the other team's dishes, and I feel like our dishes were more together and more composed.
I think we're gonna win.
It is definitely nerve-wracking.
I do think my team did enough to win, but anything can happen.
Let's go, guys.
Let's go! Come on down.
I'm feeling nervous because it's anyone's game now, 'cause the judges get to decide who makes it through and who doesn't.
All right, you all just did the most amazing job in the restaurant takeover challenge.
But There can only be one winning team.
Blue team The seasoning needed balancing in areas.
But, overall, the speed and the agility of your team was outstanding.
- Well done.
- Thank you, chef.
Red team Appetizers were somewhat slow.
But the strength and determination shown across those entrees was phenomenal.
You may have had a slow start.
But you certainly had a very strong finish.
The team That are going straight through to the semifinal of the first-ever junior MasterChef Congratulations Red team.
Oh, my god.
Well done.
Oh, my god.
Good job, guys.
My team wins! And I'm so excited.
I'm so happy.
I'm going into the semifinals, which is amazing.
All three of you, head up to the gallery, take those red aprons off, and put your nice, white ones on.
I'm really sad that our team lost, but I'm also really proud, because I know that we did the best we could.
Thank you.
So, blue team of the three of you, we are gonna save one of you.
And, sadly, two of you will be leaving.
We discussed everything.
and we've made probably one of the most difficult decisions that we've ever made in the MasterChef kitchen.
I really do believe I should be here.
And, Gavin and Sarah, they're great, but it is a competition.
People have to go home.
The one junior home cook who will be joining Dara, Alexander, and Jack into the semifinal I'm very nervous, 'cause I really wanna make it through more than anything.
I'm not ready to go home at all.
Is I'm just like, "Please let it be me.
Please let it be me.
" Troy.
Thank you.
- Good job, Troy.
- Good job, man.
Good job.
Oh, my god.
I'm super excited.
I made top four, and I just cannot wait to see what's next.
Sarah You okay? Don't cry.
Just think of what you're gonna do.
Think about all those kids that are gonna cook because of what you've done.
We're so, so proud of you.
Sarah Gavin Not only have you done your parents proud, but you've done every nine-year-old, every ten-year-old in America tonight proud.
Come up and say good-bye, guys.
I'm gonna miss you two.
Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Gorgeous.
- Come on, big man.
- Thank you.
I'm leaving this competition.
I wish that I would have stepped up more as captain.
But I did it as best as I could.
I'm really proud of myself that I made it to the top six.
I came in as maybe not one of the best cooks But I've definitely grown, and I've risen.
In any of my Italian restaurants, if I wanted to put on an Italian burger, this would be a terrific example.
- Bravo.
- Thank you.
It's been a great experience.
I've learned so much, and I'm definitely gonna keep on cooking when I go home.
Sarah, who's gonna win the first-ever junior MasterChef? Um I think Troy is gonna win.
Troy? Why Troy? He's a strong chef, and he can compete.
And I feel like he can beat all of 'em.
No offense to you guys, though.
And Gavin.
Jack might win, because I know that he has a strong heart.
And he is determined, isn't he? Yeah.
All right, Gavin, Sarah, take care.
- Good night, guys.
Take care.
- Thank you.
Bye, darling.
Good luck.
I came here to win, and I didn't do that, but I'm very proud of myself for making it this far.
Sarah! There we are, princess.
Let's go.
Whip like a man, Gavin! Whip like a man! I proved to myself that I can do much more than I thought I could.
I think that you have nailed it.
I'm still gonna follow after my food dream.
You haven't seen the last of me.
Next time, on MasterChef Junior Oh, come on.
the final four answer the age-old question Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Are we gonna have to kill a chicken? As they compete for a shot in the finale Jack is praying to the egg god right now.
Only two can move forward Everybody else is done.
and get the chance of winning $100,000 This is make-it-or-break-it time.
and the title of America's first MasterChef Junior.
Nervous? sync, corrections: Ajvngou.
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