MasterChef Junior (2013) s06e04 Episode Script

- Announcer: Previously - Lift! - Ooh! - the season's first mystery box challenge Definitely one to watch.
- revealed the early front-runners.
- Amazing.
But a challenging French classic Christina: Tonight you'll all be making a fruit tart.
- Oven open! - proved too much - How much butter was in this? - A stick.
It's definitely a stick.
Stick to the pan.
for Zia and Juelz.
- ( cheering ) - Kids: Bye! Tonight Oh, my God! - Milkshakes.
- Girl: Faster, faster! - the competition - Blend, blend, blend.
gets a shake up.
Quani: Just might get pretty messy.
But it's the judges - ( kids screaming ) - that find themselves in the thick of it.
And then, a Southern classic Chicken and waffles.
- gets a modern spin.
- Joe: Tie dye.
It looks like you made them out of Play-Doh.
- Oh! - Oh, wow.
( cheering ) Boy: Whoa! Giant milkshake! - Oh, that's amazing.
- Milkshake? - Boy: Can I have one? - This Michigan boy is in the top 22 of "MasterChef," and I'm very thankful, because there's a giant milkshake in the kitchen today.
Both: Oh, my God! Sammy: It's huge.
That milkshake is bigger than my family's minivan, and our minivan is pretty big.
Gordon: Welcome back, everybody, to the greatest kitchen in America.
It's a kitchen that tonight has been given a makeover.
Or should I say, a milkover! ( cheering ) - Boy: Milkshakes are awesome! - I want that milkshake.
That's right.
Tonight's first big challenge is all about perfecting the American classic milkshakes.
- Oh, my God.
- But not everyone will be competing in this challenge.
- ( gasps ) - Oh, my gosh.
- Oh.
- What do you mean? For this challenge, we'll have three teams of three home cooks.
- Yes! - Christina: Now, in a moment, each of you will come up and grab a straw from Gordon and from Joe's milkshakes.
If you grab a straw with a color at the bottom of it, that means you're gonna be competing tonight.
Oh, my gosh! If you grab a straw with no color, you'll be heading up to the balcony.
You will be cheering on your fellow home cooks.
Now, all of you, very carefully come up - and grab a straw.
- ( kids screaming ) - I got yellow! - Oh, that is good.
I am really hoping I get a color, no matter what color.
I just really want to make milkshakes badly.
Yes, I got a color! - Red! - Is that a blue? - Red! - This is no color or it is a color? I'm hoping for a colored straw.
- Oh, that's yellow.
- And I'm hoping the other people in my group are good at cooking.
Red Team, Yellow Team, Blue Team, line up! - See you later! - Okay, teams, please, turn around, take off your white aprons, and put your team aprons on.
- Want me to tie yours, Quani? - Yes, please.
Here, I'll tie yours.
We're making a train.
My team is all guys, so we can all connect to each other very easily.
With a girl, we could be bossed around a little bit more.
Ladies are a little bossy sometimes, making you lose your A-game, and then you're gone.
All right, on the red team, we have Ben, Sammy, and Quani.
On the yellow team, we have Anthony, Olivia, and Henry.
And on the blue milkshake team, Gracie, Evan, and Pierce.
Now, a picture-perfect milkshake looks something like this.
- Boy: Yum.
- Christina: Creamy texture, whipped cream topping, and of course, - the perfect garnish - Kids: Cherry! Each team will have just ten minutes to make as many flawless, stunning milkshakes as possible.
Only a complete milkshake will be counted.
Now, the best two teams will enjoy the sweet taste of victory, - and will not have to cook in the next challenge.
- Yes! - But, there's something else.
- Good gosh.
- Not everybody will be safe tonight.
- Wait, what? - Oh, no.
- Including one judge.
That's right, tonight one of us is heading - straight into - The milkshake.
- that milkshake! - ( kids cheering ) Maria: Joe should do it! He barely has any hair! Right, now, please head to your stations.
Christina: At your stations you have everything you need to make us your MasterChef-worthy milkshakes.
Don't settle for anything less than the perfect milkshake.
- Gordon: Now, are you guys ready? - Kids: Yes, Chef! Your ten minutes start - ( whispers ) Now.
- Gordon: Now! - Let's go! - Let's go! I'll do the blackberry.
You go on mashing.
Get the milk and the ice cream ready.
Come on, guys, let's go! - Raah! - Christina: So, milkshake, you have four scoops of ice cream - One - A little bit of milk or heavy cream to thin it out.
- Did you put the milk in there? - Oh, the milk! The fruit shouldn't be lumpy, it shouldn't be chunky.
- Gordon: Come on, Quani! - Christina: And then of course, whipped cream piped beautifully on top, - nothing running over.
- It's dripping.
Garnish, straw, boom.
Work together, guys.
Henry, did you put any ice cream in there? - I put-- yeah, I put ice cream.
- Okay, good.
Our strategy in the yellow team is we're gonna make an assembly line.
Henry's doing mashing, Anthony is doing churning, and I'm gonna do piping.
Liv, make sure the piping is awesome! I will! We're gonna go slow and steady, and make the best we can, because that wins the race.
- We need strawberries! - I'll mash, I'll mash.
Gordon: Come on, Sammy! Our strategy is to get as many done as possible.
That way, even if some of them are bad - Ew, that does not look good.
- we've got so many that it could still be fine.
Gordon: Crank, crank, crank! Let's go! - ( Christina laughs ) - Ben, clean your hands! Quani: Although going so fast, this might get pretty messy.
- Three - We're in last place.
Hurry, hurry! Our strategy to complete this challenge is having the boys mashing the berries and blending up everything.
Make it faster, faster, faster! Me, I'm in charge of whipped cream Make sure it's silky smooth.
and the boys.
If the boys make these, they ain't gonna look good.
Spatula it.
Joe: So the blue team, they're really putting a big push on now.
- Oh, my God! - Let's go, guys! Crank 'em! We should do two at a time, guys.
I think yellow team has done a great job of delegation.
They know Olivia has the finesse, the piping bag skills.
- Olivia, you're doing great.
- Thanks.
Red team, look at them.
They're fragmented.
They're not even talking together, and they're just working as individuals.
Hey, Red Team, you're not even working together as a team.
- No one's talking.
- Sammy: Guys, I'm mashing more strawberries! - Somebody pipe! - Ben: I'll pipe.
Gordon: Now we've got a system, Red Team, well done.
It's not about how you start, it's how you finish.
- Thank you, Sammy.
It's exactly that.
- There you go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go! Gordon: Right now it's a draw, five, five, and five.
Christina: Go, Sammy, go, go, go! Gordon: Two minutes to go! Kid: Let's go, guys! Come on! - Perfect! - It's so close, it's about the quality and presentation.
Make it look pretty.
Hey, it looks actually really good.
Kid: Do not slow down! You got this! Girl: Pipe like you've never piped before! Gordon: 60 seconds remaining! - Oh, my God! - Blend, blend, blend.
- Guys, this is so close.
- Go, go, go.
- Somebody get a straw.
- Finish those milkshakes! - Hey-- - ( thump ) - I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
- Yeah, I'm fine, keep going.
- Gordon: Ten - All: Nine, eight, seven, six, five, - four, three - Put it up there.
- two, one! - Gordon: Stop! - Hands in the air! - Joe: Hands in the air! - We did awesome! - Go team! Gordon: Well done! Amazing.
We now need to come out there and count up the perfect milkshakes.
( whispers ) That one's good.
- Oh, gosh, I'm scared.
- Don't worry.
Gracie: Our milkshakes have enough whipped cream.
They all look beautiful.
I think I did a pretty darn good job.
This one, that whipped cream should be up here, not down here.
Oops.
The next one, same situation, yeah? Yeah.
When Christina was saying they gotta be perfect We'll have to lose this one, guys.
she wasn't joking.
I hope we have enough to be safe.
- Joe: Wow.
- Olivia: We have the least, but ours look pretty good, compared to everyone else's.
It all comes down to the judges.
Joe has high standards, and he's also scary.
- Hmm.
- I'm starting to worry that we didn't make enough.
- Gentlemen.
- Sammy: We have the most milkshakes, but I'm not sure if all of our milkshakes are perfect.
Look at that, looks like a glass of cream.
Man, that is a messy one.
( sighs ) That's just, like, whole strawberries in there.
- Dear, oh dear.
- Sammy: To be honest, they're kinda ugly.
Will all three teams please come line up at the front? It's gonna be very, very close.
All right, the results are in.
Two teams will be safe, and will not compete in the next challenge.
Gordon: The winning team tonight, the team that have nine stunning milkshakes, congratulations the yellow team! Amazing! - ( cheers, applause ) - Gordon: Really well done.
Joe: So that means the blue team or the red team will have to compete in the next challenge.
Blue Team, you scored seven perfect milkshakes.
Red Team you scored five, which means blue, you are safe.
- ( cheering ) - Congratulations.
Yes! Yes! I'm very bummed out that we lost.
You guys, come and join these teams.
Line up, all of you.
- Let's go.
- Sammy: But on the flip side, even though we lost, we're gonna see a judge dunked in milkshake.
- That's awesome.
- Congratulations to the blue team and the yellow team.
You will be safe from the next challenge.
You will also get to put your hands on that button.
- It says, "Don't push.
" - Oh, yeah.
Now is the moment of truth.
Joe, please, pass me that milkshake.
- Absolutely.
- We're gonna draw straws, guys.
- Kids: Ohh! - Oh, no.
Whoever gets the short straw Please, please, please, please is gonna have to dive straight in - to that milkshake.
- Kid: Lucky! Yum! Pull! ( all cheering ) ( chanting ) Joe, Joe, Joe - Come on, do it! - Do it for the kids! - Gordon: Come on, Joe! - ( kids screaming ) - Gordon: Come on, Joe! - ( kids screaming ) Hey, guys! What does a milkshake need? Kids: Whipped cream! Gordon: One, two, three! Cream! ( kids screaming ) Joe's $3,000 suit is becoming a $3,000 milkshake suit.
Throw some cherries! ( kids yelling ) A milkshake's not a milkshake without a cherry on top.
Christina: An amazing human milkshake.
- What a trooper! - Christina: All right, kids, what do you think? You look like my grandma! Gordon: Right, this judge needs cleaning.
We'll be back in a second, okay? I think you're gonna need more than that.
Kids: Ooh! - How are you so clean? - Yeah, what-- what? Ah, yes.
Much better.
- ( chuckles ) - It's just magical.
So, Yellow Team and Blue Team.
Congratulations, you are all safe from elimination.
Please, head up to the balcony.
- Go, enjoy your milkshakes.
- Oh, a milkshake? - Milkshake! - Oh, my God.
- I'm jealous.
- All right, guys.
Enjoy those milkshakes.
- You were once one of them.
- ( kids laugh ) ( slurping ) Now, there are 16 talented young home cooks standing down here.
Tonight, you all have to face another tough challenge.
Now tonight, all of you will be putting your own spin Oh, no.
on a true American classic.
- What is it, what is it? - Steak, steak.
- Pizza? - Is it a burger? This is a dish with heart, and a dish with soul.
- Hot dogs? Hot dogs? - Ooh, yeah.
- Pasta? - Burgers? - It comes from the South.
- Yes! It is, the one and only - Oh, here we go.
- ( whimpering ) - chicken and waffles! - ( cheering ) - I was so scared.
- Amazing.
Cade: I love chicken and waffles.
It's really popular in Mississippi.
People from New York are probably thinking, "This isn't even a meal.
They just paired two things together.
" But it is a meal, it's everywhere in our town, and I'm really familiar with it.
I gotta take a bite of this.
Perfectly fried chicken, well-seasoned, with that crispy coating and incredibly juicy center.
- ( groans ) - And, come on.
Can't forget those wonderful waffles.
Nice crunch on the outside, but incredibly fluffy on the inside.
Both: I wanna eat it! You getting jealous over there? Kids: Yes! - Will you please stop? - ( kids groaning ) Oh, man.
- You're torturing us.
- Christina: Mmm, it's perfection on a plate.
It looks so delicious! Gordon: All of you, listen carefully.
There are so many ways to prepare chicken and waffles.
We want to see some influence from your heritage or your signature cooking style.
For example, if I was gonna give this a British twist, I would put a little bit of spice in my flour, garam masala or turmeric - and make it slightly Indian.
- Mmm.
- Sounds really good.
- I love that.
If I were gonna give this sort of a New York twist, I'd take some pretzels, grind it down into a flour, and use that as the base of the waffles, and then maybe make a nice honey mustard butter on top.
- Ooh, yeah.
- Yes! Joe? Italian? - Come on.
- Kid: Meatballs? Joe: If I were gonna make it Italian, I'd throw it away and order a pizza.
( laughter ) - You're such a grinch.
- There's nothing Italian about that.
- Oh, that's just funny.
- You're gonna like ours.
Okay, please, head to your stations.
- Wish me luck! - You got this, guys.
- Remy, you can do it.
- Thanks, Liv! Joe said you can't make chicken and waffles Italian, but I love a good challenge, and I'm in it to win it, so I'm here to prove him wrong.
Gordon: Now, at your stations you'll each find a board with the basics for chicken and waffles.
And you'll all have access to a wide array of ingredients and tools inside that incredible equipment room.
Now, you'll each have just 45 minutes to cook us your take on chicken and waffles.
- Right, are we ready? - Yes, Chef! Your 45 minutes starts - now! - Girl: Now! - Boys! - You got this, guys! - ( squealing ) - You got this, guys! - You got this! - I need mangoes.
- Scallions! - I need "rosamermary.
" "Rosamermary?" Jalapeños, where are the jalapeños? I love chicken and waffles.
They're so sweet and yummy.
Got it! I'm gonna make a jalapeño and red pepper waffle, with a paprika and cumin-fried chicken, and just top it with a Texas gunpowder sauce, which is my made-up recipe.
It's really spicy and it's a little bit sweet.
Joe: So I'm so new to this whole chicken and waffle concept, like, I don't have a spin.
How do you spin this? For me, I'd take advantage of that buttermilk tonight and marinate it, to tenderize the meat.
It's in the coating.
That's the most exciting bit.
When I think about fried chicken, I think about spicy, - well-seasoned breading.
- Ben: Joe's crazy.
Who doesn't like chicken and waffles? For me, the beauty, as much as it is in the fried chicken is also in the waffle.
You can add personality.
You can take away some of the flour - and add cornmeal.
You can add scallions.
- Joe: Chocolate.
- You can add vegetables.
You can absolutely add chocolate.
- Chocolate? Really? You have to be thoughtful about what you're adding in.
Mikey, you're making those spicy.
All right, Mikey, make sure it doesn't overwhip.
Being from Florida, we have a lot of chicken and waffles.
I really wanted to put my own little twist on it.
I am making jalapeño and cheese chicken and waffles, breaded with chips.
I feel pretty confident.
Boy: Come on, Camson! So in Michigan, we don't eat chicken and waffles, but my grandma used to make fried chicken for me all the time.
So today I am making smoked paprika chicken with just a regular waffle, and I'm gonna do a cilantro whipped cream, so I'm just sorta going out of the box, so it sorta stands out a little bit.
In Georgia, chicken and waffles is really popular, because it's a Southern food.
I have it about once or twice a week.
If I went to a restaurant and they didn't have chicken and waffles, I'd be surprised.
I like using nuts a lot, so I decided to put walnuts and almonds in my waffles, with a spicy chicken, and my homemade maple syrup.
I definitely think it's gonna be a winning dish.
36 minutes remaining.
Right, Grayson.
- You're from Louisiana.
- Yes, sir.
11 years of age.
Now, what are you doing? What's your spin on this one tonight? Well, I'm making fried chicken with tie-dyed waffles.
- Tie-dyed waffles? - Tie-dyed, wow.
- Tie-dyed strawberry waffles.
- Gordon: Strawberry waffles? Blech! With chicken, why? Because my sister really likes tie-dyed.
One day I just attempted them.
- It's groovy.
- I really like colorful things.
- And it looks really good.
- Tell me about the breading.
What are you doing with the breading? Well, I'm making a flour, egg, and bread crumb.
Stop, stop.
Taste it.
What's wrong with that? - ( gasps ) - Oh, my.
You tell me.
Joe: Where's the top? Does it say "flour"? Grayson: Uh-oh.
Oh, no.
Right, Grayson, tell me about the breading.
What are you doing with the breading? Well, I'm making a flour, egg, and bread crumb.
Stop, stop.
Taste it.
What's wrong with that? - ( gasps ) - Oh, my.
You tell me.
It said, "flour.
" That's powdered sugar.
That says powdered sugar.
Good catch.
Say, "Thank you, Gordon.
" - Powdered sugar.
- Thank you, Gordon.
Gordon: Okay, but be careful, and swap that out with some flour.
We should probably eliminate that right away to avoid any confusion.
Yeah, get rid of that straight away, okay? - Good luck.
- Good luck.
Dear, oh, dear.
Guys, we have 30 minutes to go.
- ( humming ) - Girl: Spray it like you mean it! - Miss Remy.
- Hello.
Now, 12 years old, from New York City.
So how are you approaching this? 'Cause it looks like you have some very Italian ingredients.
Well, I love Italian food, and also, I want to show Joe that Italian does go great with chicken and waffles.
- Okay.
- So I'm going to be making parmesan-crusted chicken, with tomato waffles.
- Tomato waffles? - Yes.
And a sour cream parsley sauce.
- Okay.
Keep your eye on that clock.
- Yep! - Good luck.
- Remy, you're doing great! Thanks, Liv! Ariana, 12 years of age, - Minnesota girl, right? - Yes, Chef.
How can you separate yourself from the competition? Well, both my parents are from Minsk in Belarus, and a lot of people don't cook with Belarusian cuisine, so I'm making a herb waffle, with buttermilk fried chicken, and a mushroom cream sauce.
Cream sauce? You're using-- what are you using? - I'm using maitake mushrooms.
- Maitakes, nice.
- Yes.
- Gordon: Smart.
So you're kind of taking chicken and waffles and putting more of a gourmet stint on it with the mushroom sauce.
- Yes, sir.
- That's an interesting strategy.
Wow.
Do you still speak the language? - Da.
- Da.
That means "yes.
" How do you say, "I'm gonna become America's next MasterChef Junior"? ( speaks Russian ) - ( speaks Russian ) - Da.
Right, young lady.
Get that mushroom sauce on.
Love that idea, by the way.
- Thank you! - Good girl.
Okay.
There we go.
Cade, hello! What are you bringing into the MasterChef kitchen tonight? I am making Cajun spiced chicken, - with a cornmeal waffle.
- Okay.
And my own bacon corn salsa.
- That's super clever.
- Yes.
Being in Hattiesburg, we have chicken and waffles all the time.
- Oh yeah? - My family loves putting sweet stuff with savory stuff, so we find ourselves eating breakfast food at dinner a lot.
I grew up on eating breakfast for dinner.
I'm very excited to see how these come out.
Good luck! All right, thank you.
- Ben.
- Hi.
- Gary, Indiana, Ten years old.
- Yeah.
Corn Flakes? So you're not afraid of having a nice, crispy coating on that.
Are you ready to put that in the fryer? - Yes.
- Gordon: Yes, please.
Let's see it.
Let's see it, man.
Uh, Ben, Grayson's doing a tie-dyed waffle.
Is that because he's standing in front of your t-shirt? Oh, yeah.
Yeah, that's nice, Grayson.
Be careful.
- Gordon: Good boy.
- Joe: Nice.
What are you gonna do with the waffles? With my waffle, I'm going to make a white chocolate and strawberry sauce.
White chocolate and strawberry sauce waffle? 'Member last time you put white chocolate on the fruit tart? Yeah.
You sure you want to put white chocolate with the chicken? - Is that your signature? - Yeah.
Both: Right.
Think about it.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Christina: Home cooks, less than 15 minutes to go! Gordon: Start to visualize the presentation! Wow, we got some bizarre, some incredible, and some really out there individual spins on chicken and waffles.
Music to my nose.
First of all, tie-dye.
- From Ben? - No, Grayson.
So he's doing a strawberry tie-dyed waffle.
Is that tie-dye waffle? - Look at it.
It's orange.
- With chicken? So, Remy is taking a little Italian and folding it into this chicken and waffles dish.
She has a tomato waffle.
- Acidity, yeah.
- Exactly.
And then her fried chicken, she's made some Italian breadcrumbs and some parmesan cheese.
It's certainly a take on chicken and waffles that we've never seen before.
Gordon: Well, Ariana's doing a Belarusian style with a mushroom cream.
Staying away from the sweet stuff.
- Totally savory throughout.
- Interesting.
- I like the personality.
- Yep.
We're gonna use that side.
Christina: Less than seven minutes to go, guys.
Make sure that chicken is cooked all the way through and finish up those waffles.
- Beni, nice waffles.
- Thank you.
- Beautiful.
- They look beautiful.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my God.
Boy: Forgot to put spray.
- Ugh.
- Gordon: Oh, man.
What is Camson doing? Look.
Look at that waffle.
Girl: Oh.
He broke the waffle.
We're down to just over five minutes to go.
Oh, my God.
( groans ) I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Camson has raw waffles with five minutes.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The time is running out.
If he wants to stay in this competition, he's gonna have to make another waffle, fast.
( groans ) Oh, my gosh.
Christina: Let's go, guys.
Make sure that chicken is cooked all the way through and finish up those waffles.
Beautiful.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, my God.
Girl: He broke the waffle.
- ( groans ) - We're down to just over five minutes to go.
- ( groans ) - What is Camson doing? I don't know what I'm gonna do.
I'm freaking out because there's five minutes to go and I have no waffles.
Oh, my gosh.
This is chicken and waffles, not just chicken.
So I need to get the waffles perfect and on the plate, or else I'll be doomed.
I really need these to work.
Hallelujah.
Joe: Last three minutes, guys.
Last three minutes.
Make sure you start plating.
Gordon: You've got to speed up, guys.
Two hands.
Look at her designing.
That's really cute with that egg and that mini casserole.
Girl: It's adorable.
Christina: Keep your eye on the clock, Lindsay! Make sure that chicken is cooked all the way through.
- I think it's gonna be perfect.
- Come on, Gabe.
Kid: Something's burning, guys.
Look at Quani's fried chicken.
It's brown.
Is it at 165? I'm checking! 165! Gordon: Ninety seconds to go! - It's go time! - Come on, put it on the plate.
Finishing touches.
What has Ben put in that piping bag? - Joe: Whipped cream.
- Oh, he loves his whipped cream, that Ben.
Oh, yeah.
- It's ready.
- Come on, quick! 30 seconds remaining! Olivia: Make it the best chicken and waffles of your life! - Ten - All: Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Hands in the air! - Christina: Hands in the air, everybody! - Whoo! Good job, guys! Gordon: Well done.
Right.
Let's start tasting.
First up, Avery, please.
Olivia: Avery! I want the judges to feel like they ate heaven when they taste this dish.
But Gordon Ramsay better not steal my Texas gunpowder sauce recipe, or else.
Pew.
Describe the dish, please.
I made for you a paprika and cumin-breaded chicken with a jalapeño and red pepper waffle, a Texas gunpowder sauce, and a sunny-side up egg.
Avery, whoa, whoa, whoa, a Texas gunpowder sauce? Yes, Chef.
Are you serious? And does your family hunt? Yes.
So cool that you go hunting.
What do you feel when you go out into the field? What are you looking for? - Bears.
- Bear? - Seriously? - Yes.
- Have you ever come across a bear in the woods? - No.
Have you ever seen an Italian man in a milkshake? Yes, I have, actually.
- Right there.
- Ha-ha.
Okay, so what's the sauce? It is a Texas gunpowder sauce, which has honey, apple cider vinegar, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper.
Um, love the breading on the outside.
Nice and crispy.
Mm, and the jalapeño and red pepper in the waffle.
Yes, Chef.
Wow.
I mean, here's the thing.
The chicken is amazing.
I mean, really delicious.
Waffle you've nailed.
And the sauce is, you know, incredible.
- I love the heat in there.
- Thank you.
You're only eight years of age, right? Yes, Chef.
Do you think you can go on and become America's next MasterChef Junior at eight? Yes, Chef, I do.
Good job.
Well done.
- Thank you.
- Kids: Good job, Avery! Next up, please, from New York City, Remy.
- Remy! - Go, Remy! All right, Miss Remy, what was your take on chicken and waffles? Well, Joe said that you couldn't make an Italian chicken and waffles, so Uh-oh, you trying to show me up? So I made a parmesan-crusted chicken with tomato waffles, tomato salsa, with a cilantro sour cream.
I think the reason Joe was sort of hating on the thought of an Italian take on chicken and waffles is 'cause he just couldn't quite figure out how he would incorporate some of those flavors.
But you, Remy, 12 years old, have done a very impressive job.
Thank you.
Um, listen, Remy, I'm impressed.
The chicken is delicious.
The crust is delicious.
I personally wouldn't have even imagined tomato waffle, but in a really beautiful way, it works.
Thank you.
I would've loved to see a little ricotta or a mascarpone cream over here instead of that cilantro sour cream.
But I like the risks that you took.
- Lovely job.
- Thank you, Chef.
( speaks Italian ) - Nice job, Remy.
- ( Gordon laughs ) Great job, Remy! Remy: I think I proved to Joe that Italian and chicken and waffles go great together, so take that, Joe.
( snaps ) Okay, Quani, come on up.
( cheering ) Quani: Even though the chicken looks a little dark, I took a big risk making my own syrup, so I hope to show off my baking skills with my waffles and my syrup tonight.
All right, Quani.
So, you're a Southern boy.
This should be old hat for you.
- Yes, Chef.
- Tell me about this dish.
Quani: I made a spicy fried chicken with an almond and nut waffle.
And my own original syrup.
Fake maple syrup.
Why not just use regular maple syrup? Because I thought it would be better homemade because it'll taste sweeter and not from the store.
Right.
What's in it? Um, brown sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks.
So it's like a cinnamon sugar.
You know, this could make or break you.
That's either gonna be the icing on the proverbial cake or the anchor on your foot that takes you to the bottom of the lake.
You into taking those kind of risks? - Yes, Chef.
- You are? - You're a risk-taker? - Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
So, Quani, why make your own fake maple syrup? I thought it would be better homemade because it'll taste sweeter and not from the store.
You know, this could make or break you.
- You into taking those kind of risks? - Yes, Chef.
- You are? You're a risk taker? - Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
So, the maple syrup we give you is a natural product that comes from maple Trees.
So it's the sap of a tree, one of the most prized sugars in the world.
You made something with brown sugar and water that, quite frankly, is not as good as maple syrup.
It's a little bit watery, oversweet, it's not balanced.
Your waffle is a little bit dry.
The nuts make it even drier.
Chicken is burnt on the outside, although it's cooked properly on the inside.
So, I have to say, when you take something special and try to replace it with something that you're gonna make yourself because you think you're gonna be cutesy or a smarty pants and it doesn't really work out, well, then what happens? - It makes it bad.
- Gotta tell you, that's the way it is.
- I'm sorry, buddy.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Next up, please, Cade.
- ( cheering ) My chicken and waffles look better than I planned, and I feel confident.
- Girl: Don't drop it.
- Ah! I set out to make a Southern comfort Cajun dish and I think I did just that.
All right, Cade.
Now, what did you make us for your take on chicken and waffles? Cade: I made you a Cajun spiced fried chicken with a cornmeal waffle and my own bacon corn pepper salsa.
Now, based on the look of your apron, the spice in that fried chicken is some sort of chili powder, maybe some paprika.
What's going on there? I put all the Cajun seasonings in the flour, then I drudged it in milk and then put it in the flour.
Man, it's got a lot of flavor to it.
- Thanks.
- The smoky nature of the bacon and the sweet-spicy nature of the peppers blends itself perfectly on those waffles.
I love the idea of putting cornmeal in.
It's a great riff off of your classic waffle recipe.
If you're already at this level, sir, I don't think you're going anywhere tonight, and I'm every excited to see what you come up with next.
Job well done, sir.
Very, very impressive.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Good job, Cade! - ( cheering ) Okay, next up, Grayson.
Boy: All right, Grayson! I made these tie-dyed waffles because I really wanted to stand out.
I was going for the color of Ben's shirt.
It doesn't look how I wanted it to look, but the most important thing is the taste.
Tell me about this dish.
Grayson: I made spicy fried chicken with tie-dyed strawberry waffles.
I don't know.
What do you make of this? It looks like you made 'em out of Play-Doh.
So, what's the flavor? Did you have any flavoring? Yes, Chef, I had strawberry in them.
And the chicken looks a little bit overcooked.
Is there any technique on the seasoning or fry I should know about? I used Cajun seasoning.
Strange, it's like the things you are telling me-- I'm listening to you, but I'm not tasting them in the dish.
Sometimes you get so enraptured with thehe aesthetic that you leave behind the fundamentals, which is the flavoring, because it's pretty bland.
- Thank you, Grayson.
- Thank you.
Next up, please, Ben.
Ben: I made chicken breaded with corn flakes and a blueberry waffle with a maple syrup whipped cream.
So, the guys told me that you were thinking about doing a white chocolate.
I was, but I thought about my fruit tart.
White chocolate pretty much killed that, so I didn't want to do white chocolate again.
The chicken is well fried, it's crispy on the outside.
- But the waffle is a bit underwhelming.
- Okay.
The blueberries don't necessarily lend itself, and I want the strawberries to just go away.
- Okay.
- I like hearing yourself editing yourself 'cause being in the MasterChef kitchen, you gotta take feedback every time we give it to you.
- Mm-hmm.
'Kay.
- Thank you.
Next up, Camson, please.
Thank you.
Camson! Okay, young man.
Describe the dish, please.
Camson: It is a spicy chicken with waffles that have jalapeño, green onions, and gruyere cheese and a sweet caramel.
Love the idea of the jalapeño inside the waffle.
You sliced the jalapeño up, right? Yes, Chef.
Look at that.
What's that? Moist, crispy chicken.
Did you taste some of the waffle? - Mmm.
- Um, yes, Chef.
The actual waffle, you know, sometimes they can taste bland and boring, but you made yours spicy.
It's actually delicious.
The chicken is cooked beautifully.
You bounced back, and I'm so proud of what you've achieved.
- Good man.
- Thank you.
Well done, thank you.
Kids: Good job, Camson! Next we'd like to try the chicken and waffles made by Ariana.
Kids: Ariana! Tell us about this dish.
Ariana: I made a herb waffle with buttermilk fried chicken and a mushroom cream sauce.
The mushroom sauce, how did you make it? Ariana: I cooked down some shallots and garlic and then added in some chopped mushrooms, chicken stock, and the cream.
Mmm.
That mushroom sauce is like a family recipe? - Yes.
- Luckily for you, since you decided to put all your chips in your mushroom sauce.
- Mm-hmm.
- What am I gonna say? My mushroom sauce is very powerful, has a lot of flavor, and I think it lifts the whole dish up.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Very good job.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Good job, Ariana! Whoo! Next up, please, Mikey.
Joe: Watch the step, watch the step.
This is the most gorgeous presentation of chicken and waffles that I have ever seen.
- Thank you.
- All right, what's the dish? Mikey: Herb and cheddar waffles with potato chip-crusted chicken and a honey thyme glaze.
So, what herbs are in this herb cheddar waffle? Chives, basil, and cheddar.
You have a real richness in your herb waffle.
You certainly have a richness in that potato chip-crusted chicken.
A little bit more acidity, I think, could've helped it, - but, overall, nice job.
- Thank you so much.
- ( cheering ) - Thank you, Chef! And, finally, Lindsay.
Let's go, please.
( cheering ) Let's go, young lady.
Okay.
Now, what do we have here? So, it is a smoked paprika chicken with a regular waffle and some cilantro whipped cream.
Um, visually, the dish looks a bit bland.
- Mm-hmm.
- Especially with that cream on there like that.
Lindsay: The chicken was a little too hot and it melted and made the waffle just a little soggy on the bottom.
Right.
Okay, let's go in there, shall we? How long did you cook the chicken for? The chicken-- I, actually-- it sounds pretty bad-- I didn't keep much time on it.
You didn't? Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Why? I just sort of had a little bit of an instinct.
Stop, stop, stop.
Look at that in there.
What does that look like? - Mm.
- Come on.
Describe that chicken there.
How long did you cook the chicken for? The chicken, I-- actually, I didn't keep much time on it.
I just sort of had a little bit of an instinct.
Stop, stop, stop.
Look at that in there.
What does that look like? Come on.
See that in there? Got a little bit of blood in there.
The chicken's still quite pink in here.
Mm.
So, what's the flavor behind the waffle? What've you got in there? I decided to leave the waffle plain.
- Plain waffle? - Yes.
Right.
What's the flavor of the whipped cream? The whipped cream is cilantro.
Cilantro.
Mm The problem I've got here is there's no seasoning in that chicken.
And the breading is just plain.
One chicken drum is a little bit pink in the center.
Uh, the waffles are bland.
Mm-hmm.
So, tonight, we wanted to see a little bit of a spin, a little bit of a Lindsay attitude on there, a little bit of heat in there.
Just something that sparks off a bit of personality.
Thank you.
Lindsay: I'm really nervous because there are so many people that had amazing dishes and even though I am representing my hometown, I don't really want to go back to my hometown anytime soon.
But it's up to the judges, at this point.
Wow.
Now, all of you put up a great effort tonight, let's get that right.
And some of you really tapped into your chef instincts.
- Well done.
- Yes.
Now, an exceptional dish, and the second best dish of the night belongs to a young home cook who really put their spin, their story, into that chicken and waffles dish.
Congratulations Ariana.
- Beautiful dish.
- Thank you! - Whoo, Ariana! - But the very best dish of the night, they came out of their shell, they showed their individual spin, and confirmed that they are a target in this competition.
Congratulations Cade.
( cheering ) Yeah, Cade! Gordon: So, Ariana and Cade, both of you will become team captains in our next big challenge, which takes place outside of the MasterChef kitchen.
( cheering ) Now, this is a competition, and sadly we have to say good-bye to at least two of you.
( exhales ) If I call your name, please come down to the front.
Grayson.
Ben.
Lindsay.
And, finally Quani.
Gotta tell you, the four of you did a great job tonight.
You got tough competition.
No matter what happens, your time in this kitchen has made the three of us incredibly proud.
If I say your name, please step forward.
Quani, Ben.
Ben, Quani the reality is, you did make quite a few mistakes with your dishes tonight.
But thankfully for you two, there were two dishes that were a little worse than yours.
- Kid: Oh, my God.
- Ben, Quani, please head back to your stations.
Oh, my God.
Oh, dear.
Uh, Lindsay.
Grayson.
First of all, both of you, well done.
We don't enjoy this part.
Grayson, tonight, you know, the tie-dyed waffle, the idea got the better of you and it ran away.
But, young man, you've got to continue cooking.
Yes, Chef.
Lindsay, you know, yes, your chicken was undercooked, but you forgot the most important thing about that chicken, young lady.
It needs seasoning.
Promise me you're gonna continue cooking.
Yes, Chef.
Gordon: You two have come in here and you've made your families proud, and you're leaving as much better, talented cooks.
Thank you and good night.
- ( cheering ) - Good job.
Great job, guys.
Grayson: Being here at "MasterChef Junior" was amazing.
You never expect that you could do something like this.
I learned a lot of new techniques from the best chef in the world, and it was nice to express my creative side.
We're gonna miss you so much.
When I get back to Louisiana, I think I'm gonna put the tie-dyed waffles aside and show my family all kinds of new tricks.
- Whatever happens, never stop cooking.
- Thank you.
Lindsay: I came to "MasterChef" to basically show all the kids in my school that cooking is not boring and dumb.
- Lindsay.
- Thank you.
And that a little girl from a tiny town back in Michigan can make it this far, into the top 22 of "MasterChef," so mission accomplished.
We'll miss you guys! - Kids: Bye! - Bye, guys.
Announcer: Next week This is the biggest team challenge we have ever had.
Announcer: the top 20 Oh, my God.
are in for a major commitment A wedding? as they join together - Joe: 75 guests.
- Are we mad? - How are they gonna do it? - in a team challenge - I need that lamb.
- Lamb, lamb! - for better - Looking awesome! or for worse? I wouldn't even serve that to my frickin' bulldog.
This lamb is still alive.