MasterChef Junior (2013) s04e12 Episode Script
The Finale
The search began with thousands of talented, young home cooks.
But just 24 earned that coveted MasterChef apron.
- Switch! - Go, go! And this year, we made the challenges tougher than ever before.
We are on course for a disaster.
- Oh, my God! - Push.
A marshmallow avalanche Lemonade showers Aghh! In fact, we took the competition out of this world.
Whoo.
It's scientifically impossible.
But through it all, the small home cooks stood up to everything we threw at them.
Whoo! Wow, you went above and beyond here.
I think you knocked it out of the park.
Good job.
At eight years of age, you are a freak.
And one by one, they left, more skilled than ever before.
You have given us hope for what's to come in our industry.
And after three seasons of "MasterChef Junior" Alexander! Logan! Nathan! Tonight, culinary history is about to be made.
Finally, we are guaranteed a girl "MasterChef Junior" winner.
Tonight, you will have a front-row seat for the culinary battle of a generation.
Going head-to-head are the two most talented young home cooks in America, and both are just age nine years old.
Right here, right now, this is the "MasterChef Junior" finale.
Yeah, "MasterChef Junior" finale! First up From River Forest, Illinois, nine-year-old Addison.
How far do you think you can go? I can go to the finale, and then from there I'm gonna win.
A fierce competitor in the kitchen.
Go, go, go, go, go! We got this, guys.
Just work together.
Put your fish on there.
Don't let it curl.
- Yes, Chef.
- Addison has been on the leaderboard from day one.
Great start.
Great finesse.
Christina, somebody is chasing your job.
Serving everything from elevated, Midwest comfort food What did you do to these ribs? They're impossibly tender.
To sophisticated entrées with Asian flair.
Have you ever spent time in Asia? No, Chef.
Well, it tastes like you have.
Wow, it's like you just robbed a sushi restaurant or something.
Blue team! Addison has been in the top three and won more challenges than anyone else in the competition.
The winning dish, Addison.
Blue team! - Addison.
- Yes! That, young lady, was what we'd call perfection.
This is it! This is the battle of the As, Addison versus Avery.
This is the battle of the nine-year-olds.
This is the battle of the girls, and I've got to hit a grand slam and win this thing.
Tonight, can her competitive fire and cosmopolitan palate be enough to take the title of MasterChef Junior back home to Illinois? The only small obstacle that stands in Addison's way is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nine-year-old Avery.
So, Avery, is a girl gonna win this year's MasterChef Junior? - Yes, Chef.
- Which girl? - Me.
- Good luck.
Avery's big personality How you doing, darling? Ahh! Two thumbs up, bro.
Can only be matched by her big flavors.
Mm-hmm, girl, this is intense.
And from day one, Avery has remained true to her culinary roots.
Smells like church.
Serving up elevated Southern cuisine straight from the bayou.
It's so delicious.
- Mindpoofblown.
- Ah.
- Why halibut? - My daddy likes it.
Why pecans? 'Cause my daddy likes them.
Amazing.
Well done, Chef.
I have fought for my place in the finale, so Addison better watch out 'cause Hurricane Avery is coming through.
Cheers.
Boom.
And I'm ready to take that trophy.
Tonight, can her authentic southern flavors - and unbridled energy - Avery! Take the title of MasterChef to the bayou? It's right there.
It's right there.
Ahh! Now, congratulations to Addison and Avery for achieving the almost impossible, making it all the way here to the grand finale of "MasterChef Junior.
" To get to this moment to compete in the final battle, you have both fought past some of the most talented young home cooks in this entire country, and they have all returned to this amazing kitchen to cheer you both on.
Whoa.
They're all here.
Right here.
Also here to cheer you on are your family and friends.
Addison's mom, Kathleen, can you remember when you first saw that passion for cooking in Addison? She cooked when she was in preschool, and she always came home and said, "Can I do a cooking project? Can I do a cooking project?" And all the better if it could include candy.
Yes.
Avery, here to support you through this finale are your family and friends.
Avery's mom, Sharon, how's it feel to be up there watching Avery about to enter the "MasterChef Junior" finale? Extremely proud of her.
She's a hard worker and just a great fun, fun kid.
Great to watch.
This is the moment of truth.
Addison versus Avery.
Two home cooks compete.
Only one will rise to the very top.
For tonight's challenge, we want one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert.
Three dishes worthy of the world's biggest culinary competition.
You will each have just ten minutes to go to the pantry and get everything you need to make us your stunning, trophy-winning three-course dinner.
Whoo.
Your ten minutes Starts Now! Let's go! - I'm gonna beat you.
- No, no, no.
Shop like you've never shopped before! Oh, my gosh.
For my appetizer, I'm making sake shrimp, seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums, and togarashi puffed rice.
For my entrée, miso black cod, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and coconut ginger broth.
That's a big piece of ginger.
And for my dessert, a green tea panna cotta, crumbled cookie, and brûléed plums.
Whoa.
My menu is cosmopolitan, it's worldly, it's Asian-inspired, and I really want to wow the judges with this.
Oh! The theme of my menu is going to be very Cajun-y.
I need wood chips, 'cause I'm using a smoking gun.
For my appetizer, I'm going to be making cream of asparagus soup with smoked oysters, crème fraîche, and a Creole crouton.
Here you go, live lobster.
For my entrée, lobster and crawfish étouffée with crispy okra.
For my dessert, I will be making strawberry and rhubarb shortcake with an orange Chantilly cream.
I think that I'm really staying true to my roots and cooking from where I'm from, but I just hope that I can elevate it enough to win the MasterChef Junior title.
You will both have just 90 minutes to make us the best three-course dinner of your entire young lives.
And that is all that stands between you and the ultimate culinary victory.
Now, young ladies, are you two ready? Yes, Chef! Your 90 minutes starts Now! Let's go.
This is a really big moment right now.
I mean, it's Addison versus Avery.
There is finally going to be a girl winner, and it's about time.
Addison and Avery are only nine years old, but, I mean, it's mind-blowing how good they are.
Go, Avery! Come on, Addy, you can do this! This finale is bigger than the Super Bowl.
It's gonna be so close.
Avery versus Addison.
Who's it gonna be? - Go, Avery! - Go, Addison! Come on.
Let's go, girls! To become America's next MasterChef Junior, it's the bayou versus the Heartland as nine-year-old Avery from Louisiana and nine-year-old Addison from Illinois are battling it out with a three-course menu that they've created.
Avery! Avery is making a cream of asparagus soup appetizer with smoked and grilled oysters, a lobster and crawfish étouffée entrée, and for dessert, a strawberry and rhubarb shortcake.
I feel like I'm really staying true to my bayou Southern roots, but if I don't elevate my dishes enough, then there's no way that I win.
No way.
Come on, Addy! You can do this! Addison's menu features a sake shrimp appetizer with a seaweed and sea bean salad, a miso black cod entrée with shiitake mushrooms and a coconut ginger broth, and a green tea panna cotta with brûléed plums for dessert.
The theme is Asian because Asian food is one of my favorite types of cuisine.
So many bold flavors, and I really want to wow the judges with this.
My menu, on paper it sounds amazing, but I need to execute perfection today in order to win.
Let's go now! Oh, that's beautiful, Addy.
Addison is a real competitor.
She's been playing sports her whole life.
She has many trophies and medals.
Right on! But this trophy, this "MasterChef Junior" trophy, this is the trophy she wants more than anything else.
She's focused, she's passionate, and she's ready, and I think she's gonna bring her very best today.
Let's go! Come on, Avery! Whoo! I don't really think Avery is normal.
She got a motorcycle for Christmas with a clutch.
She learned to ride it in three days.
Whatever Avery picks up, she gets pretty quick.
The very first dish that Avery made for me that just floored me was lamb chops.
Rosemary and pepper, it was incredible, and she was only six years old.
Let's go! Amazing! This is it, the journey comes down to this.
No matter what tonight, it is going to be a girl winner.
I love that! All right, let's talk about the menus.
Addison's doing Pan-Asian, and very, very modern with her approach to this finale.
The Santa Barbara spot prawns, a marinated seaweed salad, this is a very refined-sounding dish.
Yeah, yeah.
And then, the entrée, that miso cod.
I mean, that is a tough one to get right.
- Gorgeous dish.
- 'Cause you know what it's like when it's overcooked.
I mean, it can absolutely ruin it.
And then that final light, fragrant green tea panna cotta.
- Okay.
- That is a lot to pull off for any professional chef in 90 minutes, let alone a nine-year-old.
There's a lot of technique involved.
Now what about Avery's menu? Avery's gonna play to the rustic charm - of the Louisiana backdrop.
- Yeah.
You're doing good, Avery! What's the bread for? Creole crouton.
The actual appetizer, Creole-style crouton, asparagus soup, and then the smoked oysters.
A lot of complexities in there.
Yeah, I think the real point of jeopardy that I see for her is you can't overcook 'em, you can't undercook 'em, and to smoke them, that's going to be tricky.
And then on to that lobster étouffée with the crawfish.
We know she can make a great étouffée, but can she elevate it? - Right.
- Bah-bah-bah-bah.
What she's putting out there across three courses is her on a plate.
This is exactly what we wanna see, right? Yeah, yeah.
Ladies, we have Come on! Good work, A.
Good work, A.
Good job, Avery, come on.
Young lady, how are you doing? Great, Chef.
So the concept of tonight's menu is Southern.
You're playing to your strengths, and you're elevating that stuff.
It's almost like a sophisticated southern style.
Let's talk about this starter.
You're doing that amazing asparagus soup.
Yes, Chef.
Why soup as an appetizer? With the smoked oysters and the Creole crouton, the flavors really go well together.
How are you gonna smoke the oysters? I'm going to grill them first, and then I'm going to get a smoking gun and smoke them just for extra flavors.
Wow.
Make sure they don't overcook, otherwise they're gonna get rubbery.
Yes, Chef.
I'm so glad you're doing étouffée, but you're going to do it with a lobster? Crawfish and lobster.
So you really are pushing the boundaries out, right? - Yes, Chef.
- It sounds amazing.
But why so complicated on a night like tonight? I think it's go big or go home right now.
Good luck.
Well done.
Here you go! - Whoo! - Whoo! Just under 40 minutes to go.
- Come on! - Addison! - Addison.
- Yes.
You are here.
It's the MasterChef finale.
Tell me what you're making tonight.
Appetizer? A sake shrimp with a seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums and togarashi puffed rice.
So your Santa Barbara spot prawns are cooked in nice, salty, boiling water? Very salty and it has some yuzu in it to give it more flavor.
Ooh, very interesting.
Explain to me the entrée.
- I'm making a miso black cod.
- Mm-hmm.
With bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger coconut broth.
Those are a lot of complex flavors.
Very restaurant-y, metropolitan kinda dish - that you're putting together.
- Yes.
What are you nervous about? I'm nervous about getting everything done.
- Okay.
- In my little time.
This is a hard dish to create in just 90 minutes.
Yeah, 'cause you've gotta build those flavors.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
Good luck.
Come on, speed up! We're at 30 minutes to go, ladies and gentlemen.
- Here we go.
- Avery! Go, Avery! Come on, Addison! - Go, Avery! - You look great, Addison.
- Whoo! Go, Avery! - Come on, Avery! Stay in it, baby.
Stay in it.
- Keep your cool, babe.
- Ahh! Oh, no! - Oh, Addy got cut.
- Uh-oh.
- Dad, Addy got cut.
- Oh, my God.
- What happened? - She cut her finger.
Medic.
She got cut.
How bad is it? Oh, I'm bleeding! - Let's go, girls! - Keep your cool, babe! - Ahh! - Oh, no! - Oh, Addy got cut.
- Uh-oh.
- Dad, Addy got cut.
- Oh, my God.
Medic.
The MasterChef Junior finale is on the line right now, and I can't believe I cut my finger.
Oh, I'm bleeding! I'm falling behind.
I don't have time for this.
Let's go, Addy, it's okay.
Addison, you gonna be able to get through this? Yes, Chef.
- You got this, Addy.
- All right, let's go, Addison.
- Okay, fire back in, Addy.
- You got it, girl! Fire back in.
Here you go.
Gotta hurry up, because I gotta get my panna cotta in the blast chiller, 'cause it needs to set.
Time is running out, and if my panna cotta doesn't set, it won't be a dessert, it'll be a soup.
My concern with Addison is she's cut herself.
That definitely threw her off track.
Her head, you can see it's racing in a bunch of different directions.
She's really going to need to reel it in.
But the most important thing is the panna cotta's in the fridge, it's setting, but it takes time to set.
- Right, you can't rush it.
You've got ten minutes to make it beautiful.
Creole croutons, done.
- Avery! - How you doing? - Great, Chef.
- Tell me about the dessert.
You've got the stewed rhubarb and the stewed strawberries.
What are you doing? I'm just going to make a compote with sugar and some water, and then just put it on the shortcake.
It sounds amazing.
Good job, well done.
All right, let's go! Let's go, Addy! Unbelievable, yeah.
- All right, Miss Addison.
- Yeah.
Take me through dessert.
You have that green tea panna cotta setting in the blast chiller.
What other elements are you pairing with that? I'm gonna have brûléed plums, food processed crumbled cookie, and put my panna cotta on top.
I like that.
That's a lot of flair on the dessert plate.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Ladies, last five minutes! - Let's go! Come on! - Ahh! - Avery, Addison, focus! - Whoo! Here we go! Addison's working on that green tea panna cotta.
Timing's always tricky to give it enough time to set.
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
Let's go, Addy, hustle.
So here Avery goes with the smoking gun.
Now she's gonna be able to infuse the oysters for her appetizer.
For Addison's dessert, she's brûlée-ing these plums.
She looks like a pastry/welder chef, right? Totally.
Now Avery is upscaling her strawberry rhubarb shortcake.
- She wants to elevate it.
- Right.
Oh, look at Avery's shortcakes just out of the oven.
- Wow.
- They look beautiful.
- That looks nice.
- You got this, A.
And she's upscaled her whipped cream even with a little crème fraîche, some orange zest, and some vanilla extract.
- Go, Avery! - Addison! Make those dishes look beautiful.
- Come on! - Come on, Addison! Come on, Avery! Right now, Addison has got the miso-glazed black cod out of the pan, going onto the plate.
And it looks perfect from here.
Avery's color, that asparagus soup looks incredible.
The smoked oyster will smell amazing.
Watching a third grader and a fourth grader in this environment, cook us a three-course, restaurant-quality meal in 90 minutes is pretty incredible.
- How you doing, Addison? - Pretty good.
One minute to go.
- Let's go, Addy! - You got it, Addy! - Good work, Avery.
- Come on.
Come on, Avery! Come on, Avery, Addison, focus, let's go! Come on! - Let's go, let's go, Addy! - 30 seconds to go! Get it sauced, get it wiped, get it garnished.
- You can do this.
- Come on, Avery! Whoo! Ten Nineeight Sevensixfive fourthree twoone.
Stop! - Oh, my gosh.
- Whoo.
Way to work.
Great job, Addison.
That looks beautiful.
- Well done! - Great job.
Both of you, very carefully walk around to the front and position your three dishes onto the plinth there.
- Let's go.
- Here we go, girls.
- Whoo! - One at a time, Addy.
Good job, girls.
I feel like my menu is the perfect balance of rustic and classic.
My dishes, they look really beautiful.
I'm just really hoping they taste as good as they look.
- Incredible.
- Good work, Addison! I'm looking at all three of my dishes, and I'm thinking, wow, wow, wow, those look delicious.
No matter what happens, I couldn't be more proud of myself.
It's time to head into the MasterChef restaurant.
Ladies, are we ready? Yes, Chef.
Let's go.
- Avery! Avery! - Addison! Addison! Let's go, Addison! Addison, let's start with you.
Bring us your appetizer.
Please tell us what this appetizer is.
For you I've made a sake shrimp with a seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums and togarashi puffed rice.
- The spot prawn - Mm-hmm.
The whole thing is it's gotta be glistening and beautiful and still a little opaque on the inside.
I mean, if it's overcooked and chewy, then clearly we're off to a bad start.
Nailed it.
Beautiful.
Look at the cook on that.
Is there any mint in the marinade? Um, a couple leaves of mint, Chef.
I think that gives it a nice, clean flavor.
Nice salinity coming from those sea beans, or sea asparagus, as some people call it.
Togarashi provides a great heat.
I think it's beautiful.
Very well balanced, very light, but full-flavored.
Very hard to achieve those things.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Whoo.
Wow.
The season is spot on.
The Santa Barbara spot prawns, you've done them justice.
You've taken the most expensive prawn anywhere in the world and you've given it a different dimension.
I feel like I'm in this incredible Japanese restaurant with a very modern Californian twist.
You are the real deal.
Great job.
Thank you, Chef.
Absolutely delicious.
So why the salted plum? Because I tasted the plum, and it was a little too sweet, and I wanted it to have a little bit of tanginess, so I added a little bit of salt.
Very smart, I think to use that, because I think that helps elevate the freshness and a little bit of spice from the dish.
Really exciting flavors, and I have really high hopes for the next course after tasting this.
Thank you, Chef.
Avery, please bring us your appetizer.
All the judges really, really liked Addison's dish, so that's a huge act to follow.
I mean, I really have to nail mine.
Please describe your appetizer.
I have made cream of asparagus soup with smoked oysters, crème fraîche, and a Creole crouton.
Avery, if we're gonna start dinner off with a soup, it has to be exceptional.
Is that the best appetizer you've ever cooked, young lady? Avery, if we're gonna start dinner off with a soup, it has to be exceptional.
Is that the best appetizer you've ever cooked, young lady? Um, yes, Chef.
It looks beautiful.
It looks very, very in season.
Thank you.
What's the idea behind this dish? To take some components from the bayou and just elevate it.
My big worry is that these oysters would be overcooked or too smoky, 'cause that could obviously overpower that delicate flavor of that asparagus.
Wow.
That's phenomenal.
I mean, the oysters are cooked perfectly, but the smokiness almost makes this taste like the most beautiful soup made of grilled asparagus.
The crème fraîche is a smart way to kinda make it a cream of asparagus, 'cause it's not heavy, rich, weighed down.
All of that together, it's a beautiful dish.
One of the best I think you've ever made.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Avery.
- Thanks.
The heat on the crouton, delicious.
That just lifts it as well.
It makes the bread even more exciting, and it's crisp, so it's a proper crouton.
There's one issue with this.
My oyster was slightly overcooked.
So oysters take seconds to cook.
Otherwise they become a little bit rubbery.
But I just love what you did, smoking those oysters, because across this competition you've been so rustic.
Tonight, you've got that finesse, but you've got this rustic charm as well.
Delicious.
Thank you.
My oyster, I have to say, was cooked just right.
It was just soft enough.
It was just sweet in all the right ways.
Overall, it's a really exceptional appetizer.
- Good job, Avery.
- Thank you, Chef.
Those appetizers were amazing.
Please go in the kitchen and bring us your entrées.
Thank you.
Yeah! All right, Addy! Good job, A! Whoo! Guys, this is my first "MasterChef Junior" finale, and I can't help but look at the both of you and ask: Are you kidding me? Yeah, incredible.
Addison's appetizer? I think that that's a dish that if we were in a restaurant and received, you would immediately talk about how beautifully Addison prepared those spot prawns.
Yeah, for me that was perfect.
Avery's appetizer? I loved it, I loved the presentation, the flavor.
My oyster was perfect, but the fact that yours was overcooked, I mean, they're obviously uneven.
It's a massive leap for her, and I think she really hit this course out of the park.
Based on those, I mean, we're in for a big ride here.
Please, Avery, present us your entrée, thank you.
I have made for you lobster and crawfish étouffée with crispy okra.
The fact that you've taken one of the most difficult proteins to cook anywhere in the world, a lobster, and you've taken a classic Southern dish and you put your own twist on it, love it.
Now, the important part is that lobster inside should not be chewy.
And the lobster, young lady Is cooked beautifully.
Ohh.
It just sort of cuts like butter.
Beautiful.
Mmm.
And what's the seasoning there? It's just some Creole seasoning and salt and pepper.
Wow.
At first I thought it was going to be slightly dense and bland.
The actual sauce kicks in here, but the lobster that is as good as it gets.
Whew.
Delicious.
Well seasoned, not just with spice.
Good use of salt.
The sauce, it's light, and it picks up a lot of that shellfish and spice flavor.
The veggies could have gone a little longer, maybe cut a little smaller so it's easier to eat, but good job staying close to your roots.
The balance of flavor here is refined, but it's remarkably from the bayou.
I love the fried okra on top as well.
I thought that was the perfect way to garnish this sort of high-end, low-end dish.
You have really done Louisiana proud with this lobster and crawfish étouffée.
Addison, please present your next course, thank you.
Nice and carefully.
I have made for you today a miso black cod, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and a coconut ginger broth.
You glazed the fish for Mm-hmm.
But you didn't cook it in a pan.
How did you cook it? I broiled it, Chef.
I wanted the marinade to stay on the fish and be very juicy with the fish.
You broiled the fish.
It dries out very, very quickly.
You only cooked one piece of fish.
Yes.
You've got no idea how this is cooked.
I just hoped for the best.
The cook on this fish could be worth a hundred thousand dollars.
Oh, my God.
Addison, the cook on this fish could be worth a hundred thousand dollars.
Yep, yep.
Oh, my God.
And that, young lady looks like a spoonful of diamonds.
It's glistening.
It's glazed.
It is still incredibly moist.
It is absolutely delicious.
The cook on the fish is perfect.
The rice is delicious.
The broth is fragrant.
It's pretty remarkable.
The only thing I don't like about this dish And I'm sorry to say it, but I've got to share this dish with Graham and Christina.
Oh, you scared me to death.
Oh, my God.
That was not Oh.
Wow.
Pfft.
This dish is so tasty, it's stupid.
What? I mean, it is, like, ridiculously good.
Coolest thing about the bok choy, you didn't just blanche it, which 99% of the time is what you see.
You've got grill on it, it's roasted, it's got caramelization.
Made by a fourth grader.
I'm speechless.
It's amazing.
Thank you, Chef.
You want a job? Yes, Chef.
Deal.
Oh, my goodness.
It's fragrant.
It's bright.
It's so flavorful.
I can't imagine having to say good-bye to it.
It's delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
But I think that the only thing for me is that it might be just a hair salty.
All right, ladies, please, go and fetch me your desserts.
Wow, I mean, come on.
If I weren't standing in the kitchen for the past 90 minutes, I would have a hard time believing that two nine-year-old young ladies prepared those two entrées.
Let's start off with Addison's miso glazed black cod.
It looked stunning.
It smelled incredible.
I mean, that's the kinda dish that we could all charge Not only could we charge $50 or $60 for it.
It would be the best seller on any restaurant menu.
Technically brilliant, but, I mean, come on to Avery's lobster étouffée.
Yes, it looks a lot more simple.
The power of the flavor was there, but I think she had the balance right.
I thought it was a really complex dish that made sense.
I wish Avery would have done just a little bit more.
There was something about it that didn't quite measure up.
Avery knows how technically to nail a lobster, which is a lot more difficult than a piece of black cod.
Sorry, you're getting carried away with the aesthetics.
Let's go, A! Bring it home, Addy.
Bring it home.
Addison, please bring your dessert forward.
My panna cotta came down to the wire.
This is it, it's the bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded.
I'm at the plate, and I gotta hit a home run.
Please describe your dessert.
For you tonight I've made a green tea panna cotta, crumbled cookies, and brûléed plums.
Let's see here.
This panna cotta, it has the perfect amount of green tea.
- Wow.
- It's perfectly rich and creamy, and I think the plums are the perfect thread through the story of your three courses.
Really impressive dessert.
Thank you, Chef.
The panna cotta itself, great texture.
The cream, green tea and sweetness balances really, really well.
I love the plum.
- I wish there was more of it.
- More of it.
Because when you eat something, you want it in nice proportion.
It tastes delicious, and it's beautiful.
I justa little more plum.
Okay.
Thank you, Chef.
What's your fascination with plums? Well, when I used to live in Oakland, and plums would always be my favorite dessert from our backyard.
Mm.
So I'm gonna be really honest now.
Visually, it's your most unappealing dish.
Way too much cookie on the plate.
It could have been a lot lighter.
Dang it.
When you blow us away with that appetizer and that entrée, desserts are supposed to look brilliant, and I'm sorry, but you've taken a little bit of wind out of my sail with this one.
I have to say, though I don't disagree with your presentation comment, I think that there's just the right amount of cookie crumble.
If you look at how much panna cotta we've eaten, it's light, it's mellow, it's refreshing.
It's everything that you want when you finish a meal.
I think the cookie crumble dries out the panna cotta.
It doesn't need that much.
Are you kidding me? Avery, please bring your dish forward.
Christina is a shortcake expert, so I have to get that balance of tartness and sweetness right or else it's over.
Please describe your dessert.
I've made a strawberry and rhubarb shortcake with an orange Chantilly cream.
The biscuit, the shortcake when I'm getting my fork down into it feels like it's light and buttery and flaky in all the right ways.
Mmm.
Now any Southern girl knows how to make a good biscuit and knows how to make a good shortcake, and you have met and exceeded that bar by far this evening.
And I really love that orange blossom crème fraîche.
Really beautiful dessert.
Thank you, Chef.
I want this back when you're done eating it.
- Deal.
- Oh, my God.
It's very flaky, buttery.
Still a lot of richness going onto it.
Balance is delicious.
Shows technique, and the fun thing is there's really only three things on the plate.
So not a lot to hide behind.
Less is more, and you proved it here.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Love the strawberry jus.
Rhubarb just takes me home.
And it's not trying to be too smart.
It's you staying close to your roots.
Delicious.
Oh! Oh, my God.
It's gonna be so close.
Addison and Avery, really good job.
You're making our jobs almost impossible, 'cause right now this is the closest we've ever had it.
Aye.
Please head back into the kitchen.
When you see us next, we will have made our decision.
This is not gonna be easy.
Whoo! Addy! So, Christina, Graham, I mean, six incredible dishes.
The question of the year: Addison or Avery? It all comes down to who has the best menu overall.
Let's talk about Addison's appetizer, the Santa Barbara spot prawns.
Taken the most expensive shrimp anywhere in the world and then elevated it even more.
That's very rare.
I think as a composed dish, Addison's appetizer didn't exactly sell me, but, man, did she make up ground with that miso black cod entrée.
I mean, that was just a full-on knockout for me.
And I really loved her green tea panna cotta.
I thought that it was well balanced as far as the sweetness, the green tea, but it wasn't perfection.
Now, Avery, on the other hand Avery gave us that incredible cream of asparagus soup with the smoked oysters.
Her on a plate.
Delicious.
I mean, I loved it.
I loved the idea behind it.
Then on to that lobster étouffée with the crawfish.
The cook on the lobster? The cook, it was beautiful.
The depth of flavor, the fragrance, I mean, incredible.
And then the strawberry and rhubarb shortbread, come on.
Oh, that it was so incredibly fragrant.
Yeah, I mean, for me, it comes down to there's, you know, always pros and cons, but if I had to order and eat one, it would be the shortcake.
For me, it's not even about the hundred thousand dollars.
It's all about the trophy and the title.
I mean, I did all that I could.
I put my heart and soul into my bayou Southern menu, so right now I'm just really hoping that it's enough.
There was one menu that had the slight edge.
When you look at it as who represents the future of cooking in this country, I think we do have one person here that is that person.
My fate is in the judges' hands.
I'm just this close to winning it all.
I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack.
I mean, this is the moment I've been waiting for for the last nine years.
Do you think we've made the right decision? - I do.
- Christina? - Yeah.
- Let's go and tell 'em.
All right.
Come on, Addy! I have to win this.
I cut myself.
I sweat to death using that blowtorch.
I even shed a few tears over my panna cotta.
I put everything on the line, blood, sweat, tears, everything.
I'm just a girl from the bayou.
I can't believe that I actually could be walking out of this competition with the MasterChef Junior title.
Either way, I'm gonna make my family proud, my friends, all of them.
Addison and Avery, you came into this competition as two nine-year-olds, one from River Forest, Illinois, the other from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
You started this journey as two very talented home cooks, but you guys have grown into something so much more.
That's why we would like both of you to come up here and switch places with us.
Ladies, please.
Tonight only one of you will receive a check for a hundred thousand dollars, and only one of you will take home the most sought-after culinary trophy anywhere in the world, the MasterChef Junior trophy.
Only one of you can be crowned the best young home cook in this entire country, and that person is Congratulations Addison! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God.
Great job, great job, great job.
Oh, my God.
- Well done.
- You did it.
- Oh, God.
- Amazing.
Tonight I just made "MasterChef Junior" history.
I'm nine years old, I'm a girl, and I just won "MasterChef Junior," and it feels pretty good.
Come here.
Oh.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you, awesome.
Oh, my God.
I could be more proud of myself.
The feeling of winning "MasterChef Junior" is nothing you could ever imagine.
I'm right up there with Logan, Alexander, and Nathan.
I mean, that is just amazing.
Whoo-hoo! I need a hug.
Oh, man.
Avery did an amazing job, and I really think that either one of us would have deserved it today.
Give me a hug.
You did a great job.
She should be really proud of herself as well.
I'm a little sad that I didn't win, but I'm really happy for Addison, that she won, and I think that I really did a great job and that I made Louisiana proud.
Oh, man! Winning a state championship in softball was amazing, but this? This is 100,000 times better than that.
Cool, I'm down.
I am the next MasterChef Junior!
But just 24 earned that coveted MasterChef apron.
- Switch! - Go, go! And this year, we made the challenges tougher than ever before.
We are on course for a disaster.
- Oh, my God! - Push.
A marshmallow avalanche Lemonade showers Aghh! In fact, we took the competition out of this world.
Whoo.
It's scientifically impossible.
But through it all, the small home cooks stood up to everything we threw at them.
Whoo! Wow, you went above and beyond here.
I think you knocked it out of the park.
Good job.
At eight years of age, you are a freak.
And one by one, they left, more skilled than ever before.
You have given us hope for what's to come in our industry.
And after three seasons of "MasterChef Junior" Alexander! Logan! Nathan! Tonight, culinary history is about to be made.
Finally, we are guaranteed a girl "MasterChef Junior" winner.
Tonight, you will have a front-row seat for the culinary battle of a generation.
Going head-to-head are the two most talented young home cooks in America, and both are just age nine years old.
Right here, right now, this is the "MasterChef Junior" finale.
Yeah, "MasterChef Junior" finale! First up From River Forest, Illinois, nine-year-old Addison.
How far do you think you can go? I can go to the finale, and then from there I'm gonna win.
A fierce competitor in the kitchen.
Go, go, go, go, go! We got this, guys.
Just work together.
Put your fish on there.
Don't let it curl.
- Yes, Chef.
- Addison has been on the leaderboard from day one.
Great start.
Great finesse.
Christina, somebody is chasing your job.
Serving everything from elevated, Midwest comfort food What did you do to these ribs? They're impossibly tender.
To sophisticated entrées with Asian flair.
Have you ever spent time in Asia? No, Chef.
Well, it tastes like you have.
Wow, it's like you just robbed a sushi restaurant or something.
Blue team! Addison has been in the top three and won more challenges than anyone else in the competition.
The winning dish, Addison.
Blue team! - Addison.
- Yes! That, young lady, was what we'd call perfection.
This is it! This is the battle of the As, Addison versus Avery.
This is the battle of the nine-year-olds.
This is the battle of the girls, and I've got to hit a grand slam and win this thing.
Tonight, can her competitive fire and cosmopolitan palate be enough to take the title of MasterChef Junior back home to Illinois? The only small obstacle that stands in Addison's way is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nine-year-old Avery.
So, Avery, is a girl gonna win this year's MasterChef Junior? - Yes, Chef.
- Which girl? - Me.
- Good luck.
Avery's big personality How you doing, darling? Ahh! Two thumbs up, bro.
Can only be matched by her big flavors.
Mm-hmm, girl, this is intense.
And from day one, Avery has remained true to her culinary roots.
Smells like church.
Serving up elevated Southern cuisine straight from the bayou.
It's so delicious.
- Mindpoofblown.
- Ah.
- Why halibut? - My daddy likes it.
Why pecans? 'Cause my daddy likes them.
Amazing.
Well done, Chef.
I have fought for my place in the finale, so Addison better watch out 'cause Hurricane Avery is coming through.
Cheers.
Boom.
And I'm ready to take that trophy.
Tonight, can her authentic southern flavors - and unbridled energy - Avery! Take the title of MasterChef to the bayou? It's right there.
It's right there.
Ahh! Now, congratulations to Addison and Avery for achieving the almost impossible, making it all the way here to the grand finale of "MasterChef Junior.
" To get to this moment to compete in the final battle, you have both fought past some of the most talented young home cooks in this entire country, and they have all returned to this amazing kitchen to cheer you both on.
Whoa.
They're all here.
Right here.
Also here to cheer you on are your family and friends.
Addison's mom, Kathleen, can you remember when you first saw that passion for cooking in Addison? She cooked when she was in preschool, and she always came home and said, "Can I do a cooking project? Can I do a cooking project?" And all the better if it could include candy.
Yes.
Avery, here to support you through this finale are your family and friends.
Avery's mom, Sharon, how's it feel to be up there watching Avery about to enter the "MasterChef Junior" finale? Extremely proud of her.
She's a hard worker and just a great fun, fun kid.
Great to watch.
This is the moment of truth.
Addison versus Avery.
Two home cooks compete.
Only one will rise to the very top.
For tonight's challenge, we want one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert.
Three dishes worthy of the world's biggest culinary competition.
You will each have just ten minutes to go to the pantry and get everything you need to make us your stunning, trophy-winning three-course dinner.
Whoo.
Your ten minutes Starts Now! Let's go! - I'm gonna beat you.
- No, no, no.
Shop like you've never shopped before! Oh, my gosh.
For my appetizer, I'm making sake shrimp, seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums, and togarashi puffed rice.
For my entrée, miso black cod, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and coconut ginger broth.
That's a big piece of ginger.
And for my dessert, a green tea panna cotta, crumbled cookie, and brûléed plums.
Whoa.
My menu is cosmopolitan, it's worldly, it's Asian-inspired, and I really want to wow the judges with this.
Oh! The theme of my menu is going to be very Cajun-y.
I need wood chips, 'cause I'm using a smoking gun.
For my appetizer, I'm going to be making cream of asparagus soup with smoked oysters, crème fraîche, and a Creole crouton.
Here you go, live lobster.
For my entrée, lobster and crawfish étouffée with crispy okra.
For my dessert, I will be making strawberry and rhubarb shortcake with an orange Chantilly cream.
I think that I'm really staying true to my roots and cooking from where I'm from, but I just hope that I can elevate it enough to win the MasterChef Junior title.
You will both have just 90 minutes to make us the best three-course dinner of your entire young lives.
And that is all that stands between you and the ultimate culinary victory.
Now, young ladies, are you two ready? Yes, Chef! Your 90 minutes starts Now! Let's go.
This is a really big moment right now.
I mean, it's Addison versus Avery.
There is finally going to be a girl winner, and it's about time.
Addison and Avery are only nine years old, but, I mean, it's mind-blowing how good they are.
Go, Avery! Come on, Addy, you can do this! This finale is bigger than the Super Bowl.
It's gonna be so close.
Avery versus Addison.
Who's it gonna be? - Go, Avery! - Go, Addison! Come on.
Let's go, girls! To become America's next MasterChef Junior, it's the bayou versus the Heartland as nine-year-old Avery from Louisiana and nine-year-old Addison from Illinois are battling it out with a three-course menu that they've created.
Avery! Avery is making a cream of asparagus soup appetizer with smoked and grilled oysters, a lobster and crawfish étouffée entrée, and for dessert, a strawberry and rhubarb shortcake.
I feel like I'm really staying true to my bayou Southern roots, but if I don't elevate my dishes enough, then there's no way that I win.
No way.
Come on, Addy! You can do this! Addison's menu features a sake shrimp appetizer with a seaweed and sea bean salad, a miso black cod entrée with shiitake mushrooms and a coconut ginger broth, and a green tea panna cotta with brûléed plums for dessert.
The theme is Asian because Asian food is one of my favorite types of cuisine.
So many bold flavors, and I really want to wow the judges with this.
My menu, on paper it sounds amazing, but I need to execute perfection today in order to win.
Let's go now! Oh, that's beautiful, Addy.
Addison is a real competitor.
She's been playing sports her whole life.
She has many trophies and medals.
Right on! But this trophy, this "MasterChef Junior" trophy, this is the trophy she wants more than anything else.
She's focused, she's passionate, and she's ready, and I think she's gonna bring her very best today.
Let's go! Come on, Avery! Whoo! I don't really think Avery is normal.
She got a motorcycle for Christmas with a clutch.
She learned to ride it in three days.
Whatever Avery picks up, she gets pretty quick.
The very first dish that Avery made for me that just floored me was lamb chops.
Rosemary and pepper, it was incredible, and she was only six years old.
Let's go! Amazing! This is it, the journey comes down to this.
No matter what tonight, it is going to be a girl winner.
I love that! All right, let's talk about the menus.
Addison's doing Pan-Asian, and very, very modern with her approach to this finale.
The Santa Barbara spot prawns, a marinated seaweed salad, this is a very refined-sounding dish.
Yeah, yeah.
And then, the entrée, that miso cod.
I mean, that is a tough one to get right.
- Gorgeous dish.
- 'Cause you know what it's like when it's overcooked.
I mean, it can absolutely ruin it.
And then that final light, fragrant green tea panna cotta.
- Okay.
- That is a lot to pull off for any professional chef in 90 minutes, let alone a nine-year-old.
There's a lot of technique involved.
Now what about Avery's menu? Avery's gonna play to the rustic charm - of the Louisiana backdrop.
- Yeah.
You're doing good, Avery! What's the bread for? Creole crouton.
The actual appetizer, Creole-style crouton, asparagus soup, and then the smoked oysters.
A lot of complexities in there.
Yeah, I think the real point of jeopardy that I see for her is you can't overcook 'em, you can't undercook 'em, and to smoke them, that's going to be tricky.
And then on to that lobster étouffée with the crawfish.
We know she can make a great étouffée, but can she elevate it? - Right.
- Bah-bah-bah-bah.
What she's putting out there across three courses is her on a plate.
This is exactly what we wanna see, right? Yeah, yeah.
Ladies, we have Come on! Good work, A.
Good work, A.
Good job, Avery, come on.
Young lady, how are you doing? Great, Chef.
So the concept of tonight's menu is Southern.
You're playing to your strengths, and you're elevating that stuff.
It's almost like a sophisticated southern style.
Let's talk about this starter.
You're doing that amazing asparagus soup.
Yes, Chef.
Why soup as an appetizer? With the smoked oysters and the Creole crouton, the flavors really go well together.
How are you gonna smoke the oysters? I'm going to grill them first, and then I'm going to get a smoking gun and smoke them just for extra flavors.
Wow.
Make sure they don't overcook, otherwise they're gonna get rubbery.
Yes, Chef.
I'm so glad you're doing étouffée, but you're going to do it with a lobster? Crawfish and lobster.
So you really are pushing the boundaries out, right? - Yes, Chef.
- It sounds amazing.
But why so complicated on a night like tonight? I think it's go big or go home right now.
Good luck.
Well done.
Here you go! - Whoo! - Whoo! Just under 40 minutes to go.
- Come on! - Addison! - Addison.
- Yes.
You are here.
It's the MasterChef finale.
Tell me what you're making tonight.
Appetizer? A sake shrimp with a seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums and togarashi puffed rice.
So your Santa Barbara spot prawns are cooked in nice, salty, boiling water? Very salty and it has some yuzu in it to give it more flavor.
Ooh, very interesting.
Explain to me the entrée.
- I'm making a miso black cod.
- Mm-hmm.
With bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger coconut broth.
Those are a lot of complex flavors.
Very restaurant-y, metropolitan kinda dish - that you're putting together.
- Yes.
What are you nervous about? I'm nervous about getting everything done.
- Okay.
- In my little time.
This is a hard dish to create in just 90 minutes.
Yeah, 'cause you've gotta build those flavors.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
Good luck.
Come on, speed up! We're at 30 minutes to go, ladies and gentlemen.
- Here we go.
- Avery! Go, Avery! Come on, Addison! - Go, Avery! - You look great, Addison.
- Whoo! Go, Avery! - Come on, Avery! Stay in it, baby.
Stay in it.
- Keep your cool, babe.
- Ahh! Oh, no! - Oh, Addy got cut.
- Uh-oh.
- Dad, Addy got cut.
- Oh, my God.
- What happened? - She cut her finger.
Medic.
She got cut.
How bad is it? Oh, I'm bleeding! - Let's go, girls! - Keep your cool, babe! - Ahh! - Oh, no! - Oh, Addy got cut.
- Uh-oh.
- Dad, Addy got cut.
- Oh, my God.
Medic.
The MasterChef Junior finale is on the line right now, and I can't believe I cut my finger.
Oh, I'm bleeding! I'm falling behind.
I don't have time for this.
Let's go, Addy, it's okay.
Addison, you gonna be able to get through this? Yes, Chef.
- You got this, Addy.
- All right, let's go, Addison.
- Okay, fire back in, Addy.
- You got it, girl! Fire back in.
Here you go.
Gotta hurry up, because I gotta get my panna cotta in the blast chiller, 'cause it needs to set.
Time is running out, and if my panna cotta doesn't set, it won't be a dessert, it'll be a soup.
My concern with Addison is she's cut herself.
That definitely threw her off track.
Her head, you can see it's racing in a bunch of different directions.
She's really going to need to reel it in.
But the most important thing is the panna cotta's in the fridge, it's setting, but it takes time to set.
- Right, you can't rush it.
You've got ten minutes to make it beautiful.
Creole croutons, done.
- Avery! - How you doing? - Great, Chef.
- Tell me about the dessert.
You've got the stewed rhubarb and the stewed strawberries.
What are you doing? I'm just going to make a compote with sugar and some water, and then just put it on the shortcake.
It sounds amazing.
Good job, well done.
All right, let's go! Let's go, Addy! Unbelievable, yeah.
- All right, Miss Addison.
- Yeah.
Take me through dessert.
You have that green tea panna cotta setting in the blast chiller.
What other elements are you pairing with that? I'm gonna have brûléed plums, food processed crumbled cookie, and put my panna cotta on top.
I like that.
That's a lot of flair on the dessert plate.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Ladies, last five minutes! - Let's go! Come on! - Ahh! - Avery, Addison, focus! - Whoo! Here we go! Addison's working on that green tea panna cotta.
Timing's always tricky to give it enough time to set.
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
Let's go, Addy, hustle.
So here Avery goes with the smoking gun.
Now she's gonna be able to infuse the oysters for her appetizer.
For Addison's dessert, she's brûlée-ing these plums.
She looks like a pastry/welder chef, right? Totally.
Now Avery is upscaling her strawberry rhubarb shortcake.
- She wants to elevate it.
- Right.
Oh, look at Avery's shortcakes just out of the oven.
- Wow.
- They look beautiful.
- That looks nice.
- You got this, A.
And she's upscaled her whipped cream even with a little crème fraîche, some orange zest, and some vanilla extract.
- Go, Avery! - Addison! Make those dishes look beautiful.
- Come on! - Come on, Addison! Come on, Avery! Right now, Addison has got the miso-glazed black cod out of the pan, going onto the plate.
And it looks perfect from here.
Avery's color, that asparagus soup looks incredible.
The smoked oyster will smell amazing.
Watching a third grader and a fourth grader in this environment, cook us a three-course, restaurant-quality meal in 90 minutes is pretty incredible.
- How you doing, Addison? - Pretty good.
One minute to go.
- Let's go, Addy! - You got it, Addy! - Good work, Avery.
- Come on.
Come on, Avery! Come on, Avery, Addison, focus, let's go! Come on! - Let's go, let's go, Addy! - 30 seconds to go! Get it sauced, get it wiped, get it garnished.
- You can do this.
- Come on, Avery! Whoo! Ten Nineeight Sevensixfive fourthree twoone.
Stop! - Oh, my gosh.
- Whoo.
Way to work.
Great job, Addison.
That looks beautiful.
- Well done! - Great job.
Both of you, very carefully walk around to the front and position your three dishes onto the plinth there.
- Let's go.
- Here we go, girls.
- Whoo! - One at a time, Addy.
Good job, girls.
I feel like my menu is the perfect balance of rustic and classic.
My dishes, they look really beautiful.
I'm just really hoping they taste as good as they look.
- Incredible.
- Good work, Addison! I'm looking at all three of my dishes, and I'm thinking, wow, wow, wow, those look delicious.
No matter what happens, I couldn't be more proud of myself.
It's time to head into the MasterChef restaurant.
Ladies, are we ready? Yes, Chef.
Let's go.
- Avery! Avery! - Addison! Addison! Let's go, Addison! Addison, let's start with you.
Bring us your appetizer.
Please tell us what this appetizer is.
For you I've made a sake shrimp with a seaweed and sea bean salad, sour plums and togarashi puffed rice.
- The spot prawn - Mm-hmm.
The whole thing is it's gotta be glistening and beautiful and still a little opaque on the inside.
I mean, if it's overcooked and chewy, then clearly we're off to a bad start.
Nailed it.
Beautiful.
Look at the cook on that.
Is there any mint in the marinade? Um, a couple leaves of mint, Chef.
I think that gives it a nice, clean flavor.
Nice salinity coming from those sea beans, or sea asparagus, as some people call it.
Togarashi provides a great heat.
I think it's beautiful.
Very well balanced, very light, but full-flavored.
Very hard to achieve those things.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Whoo.
Wow.
The season is spot on.
The Santa Barbara spot prawns, you've done them justice.
You've taken the most expensive prawn anywhere in the world and you've given it a different dimension.
I feel like I'm in this incredible Japanese restaurant with a very modern Californian twist.
You are the real deal.
Great job.
Thank you, Chef.
Absolutely delicious.
So why the salted plum? Because I tasted the plum, and it was a little too sweet, and I wanted it to have a little bit of tanginess, so I added a little bit of salt.
Very smart, I think to use that, because I think that helps elevate the freshness and a little bit of spice from the dish.
Really exciting flavors, and I have really high hopes for the next course after tasting this.
Thank you, Chef.
Avery, please bring us your appetizer.
All the judges really, really liked Addison's dish, so that's a huge act to follow.
I mean, I really have to nail mine.
Please describe your appetizer.
I have made cream of asparagus soup with smoked oysters, crème fraîche, and a Creole crouton.
Avery, if we're gonna start dinner off with a soup, it has to be exceptional.
Is that the best appetizer you've ever cooked, young lady? Avery, if we're gonna start dinner off with a soup, it has to be exceptional.
Is that the best appetizer you've ever cooked, young lady? Um, yes, Chef.
It looks beautiful.
It looks very, very in season.
Thank you.
What's the idea behind this dish? To take some components from the bayou and just elevate it.
My big worry is that these oysters would be overcooked or too smoky, 'cause that could obviously overpower that delicate flavor of that asparagus.
Wow.
That's phenomenal.
I mean, the oysters are cooked perfectly, but the smokiness almost makes this taste like the most beautiful soup made of grilled asparagus.
The crème fraîche is a smart way to kinda make it a cream of asparagus, 'cause it's not heavy, rich, weighed down.
All of that together, it's a beautiful dish.
One of the best I think you've ever made.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Avery.
- Thanks.
The heat on the crouton, delicious.
That just lifts it as well.
It makes the bread even more exciting, and it's crisp, so it's a proper crouton.
There's one issue with this.
My oyster was slightly overcooked.
So oysters take seconds to cook.
Otherwise they become a little bit rubbery.
But I just love what you did, smoking those oysters, because across this competition you've been so rustic.
Tonight, you've got that finesse, but you've got this rustic charm as well.
Delicious.
Thank you.
My oyster, I have to say, was cooked just right.
It was just soft enough.
It was just sweet in all the right ways.
Overall, it's a really exceptional appetizer.
- Good job, Avery.
- Thank you, Chef.
Those appetizers were amazing.
Please go in the kitchen and bring us your entrées.
Thank you.
Yeah! All right, Addy! Good job, A! Whoo! Guys, this is my first "MasterChef Junior" finale, and I can't help but look at the both of you and ask: Are you kidding me? Yeah, incredible.
Addison's appetizer? I think that that's a dish that if we were in a restaurant and received, you would immediately talk about how beautifully Addison prepared those spot prawns.
Yeah, for me that was perfect.
Avery's appetizer? I loved it, I loved the presentation, the flavor.
My oyster was perfect, but the fact that yours was overcooked, I mean, they're obviously uneven.
It's a massive leap for her, and I think she really hit this course out of the park.
Based on those, I mean, we're in for a big ride here.
Please, Avery, present us your entrée, thank you.
I have made for you lobster and crawfish étouffée with crispy okra.
The fact that you've taken one of the most difficult proteins to cook anywhere in the world, a lobster, and you've taken a classic Southern dish and you put your own twist on it, love it.
Now, the important part is that lobster inside should not be chewy.
And the lobster, young lady Is cooked beautifully.
Ohh.
It just sort of cuts like butter.
Beautiful.
Mmm.
And what's the seasoning there? It's just some Creole seasoning and salt and pepper.
Wow.
At first I thought it was going to be slightly dense and bland.
The actual sauce kicks in here, but the lobster that is as good as it gets.
Whew.
Delicious.
Well seasoned, not just with spice.
Good use of salt.
The sauce, it's light, and it picks up a lot of that shellfish and spice flavor.
The veggies could have gone a little longer, maybe cut a little smaller so it's easier to eat, but good job staying close to your roots.
The balance of flavor here is refined, but it's remarkably from the bayou.
I love the fried okra on top as well.
I thought that was the perfect way to garnish this sort of high-end, low-end dish.
You have really done Louisiana proud with this lobster and crawfish étouffée.
Addison, please present your next course, thank you.
Nice and carefully.
I have made for you today a miso black cod, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and a coconut ginger broth.
You glazed the fish for Mm-hmm.
But you didn't cook it in a pan.
How did you cook it? I broiled it, Chef.
I wanted the marinade to stay on the fish and be very juicy with the fish.
You broiled the fish.
It dries out very, very quickly.
You only cooked one piece of fish.
Yes.
You've got no idea how this is cooked.
I just hoped for the best.
The cook on this fish could be worth a hundred thousand dollars.
Oh, my God.
Addison, the cook on this fish could be worth a hundred thousand dollars.
Yep, yep.
Oh, my God.
And that, young lady looks like a spoonful of diamonds.
It's glistening.
It's glazed.
It is still incredibly moist.
It is absolutely delicious.
The cook on the fish is perfect.
The rice is delicious.
The broth is fragrant.
It's pretty remarkable.
The only thing I don't like about this dish And I'm sorry to say it, but I've got to share this dish with Graham and Christina.
Oh, you scared me to death.
Oh, my God.
That was not Oh.
Wow.
Pfft.
This dish is so tasty, it's stupid.
What? I mean, it is, like, ridiculously good.
Coolest thing about the bok choy, you didn't just blanche it, which 99% of the time is what you see.
You've got grill on it, it's roasted, it's got caramelization.
Made by a fourth grader.
I'm speechless.
It's amazing.
Thank you, Chef.
You want a job? Yes, Chef.
Deal.
Oh, my goodness.
It's fragrant.
It's bright.
It's so flavorful.
I can't imagine having to say good-bye to it.
It's delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
But I think that the only thing for me is that it might be just a hair salty.
All right, ladies, please, go and fetch me your desserts.
Wow, I mean, come on.
If I weren't standing in the kitchen for the past 90 minutes, I would have a hard time believing that two nine-year-old young ladies prepared those two entrées.
Let's start off with Addison's miso glazed black cod.
It looked stunning.
It smelled incredible.
I mean, that's the kinda dish that we could all charge Not only could we charge $50 or $60 for it.
It would be the best seller on any restaurant menu.
Technically brilliant, but, I mean, come on to Avery's lobster étouffée.
Yes, it looks a lot more simple.
The power of the flavor was there, but I think she had the balance right.
I thought it was a really complex dish that made sense.
I wish Avery would have done just a little bit more.
There was something about it that didn't quite measure up.
Avery knows how technically to nail a lobster, which is a lot more difficult than a piece of black cod.
Sorry, you're getting carried away with the aesthetics.
Let's go, A! Bring it home, Addy.
Bring it home.
Addison, please bring your dessert forward.
My panna cotta came down to the wire.
This is it, it's the bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded.
I'm at the plate, and I gotta hit a home run.
Please describe your dessert.
For you tonight I've made a green tea panna cotta, crumbled cookies, and brûléed plums.
Let's see here.
This panna cotta, it has the perfect amount of green tea.
- Wow.
- It's perfectly rich and creamy, and I think the plums are the perfect thread through the story of your three courses.
Really impressive dessert.
Thank you, Chef.
The panna cotta itself, great texture.
The cream, green tea and sweetness balances really, really well.
I love the plum.
- I wish there was more of it.
- More of it.
Because when you eat something, you want it in nice proportion.
It tastes delicious, and it's beautiful.
I justa little more plum.
Okay.
Thank you, Chef.
What's your fascination with plums? Well, when I used to live in Oakland, and plums would always be my favorite dessert from our backyard.
Mm.
So I'm gonna be really honest now.
Visually, it's your most unappealing dish.
Way too much cookie on the plate.
It could have been a lot lighter.
Dang it.
When you blow us away with that appetizer and that entrée, desserts are supposed to look brilliant, and I'm sorry, but you've taken a little bit of wind out of my sail with this one.
I have to say, though I don't disagree with your presentation comment, I think that there's just the right amount of cookie crumble.
If you look at how much panna cotta we've eaten, it's light, it's mellow, it's refreshing.
It's everything that you want when you finish a meal.
I think the cookie crumble dries out the panna cotta.
It doesn't need that much.
Are you kidding me? Avery, please bring your dish forward.
Christina is a shortcake expert, so I have to get that balance of tartness and sweetness right or else it's over.
Please describe your dessert.
I've made a strawberry and rhubarb shortcake with an orange Chantilly cream.
The biscuit, the shortcake when I'm getting my fork down into it feels like it's light and buttery and flaky in all the right ways.
Mmm.
Now any Southern girl knows how to make a good biscuit and knows how to make a good shortcake, and you have met and exceeded that bar by far this evening.
And I really love that orange blossom crème fraîche.
Really beautiful dessert.
Thank you, Chef.
I want this back when you're done eating it.
- Deal.
- Oh, my God.
It's very flaky, buttery.
Still a lot of richness going onto it.
Balance is delicious.
Shows technique, and the fun thing is there's really only three things on the plate.
So not a lot to hide behind.
Less is more, and you proved it here.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Love the strawberry jus.
Rhubarb just takes me home.
And it's not trying to be too smart.
It's you staying close to your roots.
Delicious.
Oh! Oh, my God.
It's gonna be so close.
Addison and Avery, really good job.
You're making our jobs almost impossible, 'cause right now this is the closest we've ever had it.
Aye.
Please head back into the kitchen.
When you see us next, we will have made our decision.
This is not gonna be easy.
Whoo! Addy! So, Christina, Graham, I mean, six incredible dishes.
The question of the year: Addison or Avery? It all comes down to who has the best menu overall.
Let's talk about Addison's appetizer, the Santa Barbara spot prawns.
Taken the most expensive shrimp anywhere in the world and then elevated it even more.
That's very rare.
I think as a composed dish, Addison's appetizer didn't exactly sell me, but, man, did she make up ground with that miso black cod entrée.
I mean, that was just a full-on knockout for me.
And I really loved her green tea panna cotta.
I thought that it was well balanced as far as the sweetness, the green tea, but it wasn't perfection.
Now, Avery, on the other hand Avery gave us that incredible cream of asparagus soup with the smoked oysters.
Her on a plate.
Delicious.
I mean, I loved it.
I loved the idea behind it.
Then on to that lobster étouffée with the crawfish.
The cook on the lobster? The cook, it was beautiful.
The depth of flavor, the fragrance, I mean, incredible.
And then the strawberry and rhubarb shortbread, come on.
Oh, that it was so incredibly fragrant.
Yeah, I mean, for me, it comes down to there's, you know, always pros and cons, but if I had to order and eat one, it would be the shortcake.
For me, it's not even about the hundred thousand dollars.
It's all about the trophy and the title.
I mean, I did all that I could.
I put my heart and soul into my bayou Southern menu, so right now I'm just really hoping that it's enough.
There was one menu that had the slight edge.
When you look at it as who represents the future of cooking in this country, I think we do have one person here that is that person.
My fate is in the judges' hands.
I'm just this close to winning it all.
I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack.
I mean, this is the moment I've been waiting for for the last nine years.
Do you think we've made the right decision? - I do.
- Christina? - Yeah.
- Let's go and tell 'em.
All right.
Come on, Addy! I have to win this.
I cut myself.
I sweat to death using that blowtorch.
I even shed a few tears over my panna cotta.
I put everything on the line, blood, sweat, tears, everything.
I'm just a girl from the bayou.
I can't believe that I actually could be walking out of this competition with the MasterChef Junior title.
Either way, I'm gonna make my family proud, my friends, all of them.
Addison and Avery, you came into this competition as two nine-year-olds, one from River Forest, Illinois, the other from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
You started this journey as two very talented home cooks, but you guys have grown into something so much more.
That's why we would like both of you to come up here and switch places with us.
Ladies, please.
Tonight only one of you will receive a check for a hundred thousand dollars, and only one of you will take home the most sought-after culinary trophy anywhere in the world, the MasterChef Junior trophy.
Only one of you can be crowned the best young home cook in this entire country, and that person is Congratulations Addison! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God.
Great job, great job, great job.
Oh, my God.
- Well done.
- You did it.
- Oh, God.
- Amazing.
Tonight I just made "MasterChef Junior" history.
I'm nine years old, I'm a girl, and I just won "MasterChef Junior," and it feels pretty good.
Come here.
Oh.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you, awesome.
Oh, my God.
I could be more proud of myself.
The feeling of winning "MasterChef Junior" is nothing you could ever imagine.
I'm right up there with Logan, Alexander, and Nathan.
I mean, that is just amazing.
Whoo-hoo! I need a hug.
Oh, man.
Avery did an amazing job, and I really think that either one of us would have deserved it today.
Give me a hug.
You did a great job.
She should be really proud of herself as well.
I'm a little sad that I didn't win, but I'm really happy for Addison, that she won, and I think that I really did a great job and that I made Louisiana proud.
Oh, man! Winning a state championship in softball was amazing, but this? This is 100,000 times better than that.
Cool, I'm down.
I am the next MasterChef Junior!