MasterChef Junior (2013) s07e08 Episode Script
Junior Edition Kidz Bop Kitchen
1 Announcer: Previously Tonight will be all about conquering coconut cream pie.
a difficult baking challenge If that crust snaps, - ( gasps ) - it's game over.
brought out the best in Malia.
It's the kind of pie at the top shelf of any great pastry shop.
But Evie - Not a good evening.
- and Kate The pressure got the best of you tonight.
saw their MasterChef Junior dream - Bye, guys.
We love you.
- Bye.
come to an end.
Tonight The Kidz Bop Kids are here.
Oh, my God.
VIP guests with all the right moves I don't think so.
bring a very special mystery box.
- What? - Oh, my gosh! - And then - Aww! a blast from the judges' past It still fits.
proves that the future is bright.
- Masterful.
- We've never seen anything like this before.
- Welcome, guys.
- Long time no see.
Reid: It feels like yesterday I was just back home in Georgia grilling all the time with my dad.
And now I'm out here in the MasterChef kitchen in the top 12.
I'm learning more every day.
All of you, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Today, before you get to those mystery boxes, we'd like to introduce some very, very special guests.
- Who? - Gordon: Trust me.
They've traveled from all over the world, they've sold 20 million albums, and are "Billboard Magazine's" number one kids artist for eight consecutive years! - ( gasps ) - All of you, turn around.
Please welcome the Kidz Bop Kids! - Welcome, guys.
- Hi, guys! ( cheering ) Oh, my God! The Kidz Bop Kids are here.
- Hi, guys! - I never thought that I was gonna meet them in person.
- Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.
- Hey! - Welcome, welcome, welcome.
- Thank you.
I love how they take normal songs and they sing them without the bad words in it so I can listen to songs I like in front of my grandma.
Hey, guys.
So we've just announced our 2019 tour, so we're preparing for that.
But we're excited to take a break and join all of you here in the MasterChef kitchen.
So, the 2019 tour, "Kidz Bop Live," we're traveling across the country performing the biggest hits in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
I don't know if you guys know this, but they used to call me the king of the dance floor.
- Ooh! - If I may.
Um, I don't think so.
- Wha What? Oh, no.
- ( grunts ) - Aarón: Ready? - Show us what you got.
Who wants an order of chicken wings? Bam, bam, bam.
Bam, bam, bam.
Who wants a double order? Bum, bum, bah.
Okay, listen.
You might be the king of the dance floor, but I was Little Miss Springfield Queen.
- Aarón: Okay.
- And it was the '90s, - so we're talking these kind of moves.
- What? Aarón: Oh, man.
You want some of this? How about you? - You're laughing.
- No.
But I feel like you're just buying time to show us your moves.
Christina, do you mind? Two o'clock.
And one, two, three.
Oh, yeah! Malia: I wish I could teach the judges some moves so badly because no offense, but they need to work on it.
Oh, Lord.
Gordon: And spin.
And spin, that's it! Olivia, all jokes apart, I mean, mine were the best moves, right? I mean, you guys were okay, but those moves are all from before we were born.
We'll show you how it's done.
Ready? Five, six, seven, eight.
Down, down, do your dance Do your dance, do the Kidz Bop dance Jaala: I'm so happy that Kidz Bop is here.
Now you see what we're talking about Every one of them are amazing singers and dancers.
Kids rock the house, there is no doubt Gordon may be one of the best chefs in the world To the right, to the right, to the right - Hide me, hide me, hide me.
- To the left but he can't dance.
We got a brand-new style, y'all Gordon, stick to cooking.
- Whew.
- ( cheering ) - Whoa, that was great! - Thank you, guys.
We're giving you a front row seat to the rest of the competition - Thank you.
Thank you.
- up on the balcony.
- Thank you so much! - Head on up there.
- ( cheering ) - Oh, man.
It's time for another mystery box challenge.
Tonight we let the Kidz Bop Kids decide the contents of your mystery box.
Would you like to do the honors? All: On the count of three, lift those boxes.
One, two, three, lift! Oh, my gosh! Kale, apple, Oreo.
Potato chips? What? So when we're on tour, we like to have all of our favorite things to eat.
Loads of sweet stuff, obviously.
There are some cookies, potato chips, but we also like fruit, and we all love cheese.
And when we get lucky and have a kitchen, that's when we can make things like chicken and yams, that you'll also find in your mystery boxes.
Now, you'll have just one hour to make us a MasterChef quality dish.
There is a huge advantage on the line tonight, so make sure you perform your best.
- Are you ready? - All: Yes, Chef! Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go.
Let's go, everyone! You got this! Coming through.
I am making an apple stuffed pork chop with yams two ways.
My dad loves to eat pork on Thanksgiving, and today I wanna bring myself back to New York in the fall, where they use a lot of potatoes and Thanksgiving flavors.
Back home in Atlanta, I pick strawberries with my grandpa all the time.
So, I'm making a strawberry shortcake with a berry compote and dehydrated strawberry.
Nice, Brielle.
So tonight's mystery box was put together by our amazing team of Kidz Bops.
However, not as easy as it looks.
These are all very familiar ingredients.
I need the pork chop.
But we want them to reimagine these ingredients to MasterChef quality, top 12 worthy dishes.
Yeah, and there's a lot of snacks in here, so things that are just meant to be had on their own.
So how do you transform those ingredients and really sort of elevate them and make them into a dish that makes sense and celebrates that box? That's what we need.
Just over 44 minutes remaining.
Ooh, what's he doing over there? Today I'm making seared chicken breast with roasted broccoli that has a hint of lemon on it, and I have a sweet potato purée.
I make this dish a lot for my family, and they love it, and I hope the judges will, too.
Ivy, what are you doing? I am making a pan-seared chicken with sautéed kale.
- It smells so good! - That is amazing! Ooh, these are nice and crispy.
All right, 34 minutes, young home cooks.
- Malia.
- Hi, guys! - What are you cooking tonight? - Well, today I'll be making chicken en paupiette with a roux sauce and some kale chips.
I just love to cook chicken en paupiette at home before we go camping, so we can freeze it - and then heat it right up.
- Wow.
- Both: Good luck.
- Thank you.
Che, tell me about this dish.
What are you doing? I'm gonna do kind of a play on chicken parmesan.
I'm stuffing mine with mozzarella and I'm breading it with the potato chips.
Why a chicken parm? I'm Italian, so I like to go back to my roots, and I want to do this dish because I used to make it with my dad, and he passed away.
My dad's kind of how I got into cooking, so to make a dish that he and I made, I feel great doing it, and I feel like I'm honoring him in a way.
- And also, it keeps you very close to him, right? - Yeah, it keeps me close.
I love what this dish means.
I love the sound of it.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
Render that fat.
Gordon: Just over 20 minutes remaining, guys.
Come on.
- Miss Jaala.
- Hello.
What are you gonna be making, young lady? I'm making a no-bake cheesecake with a cookie sandwich crust, and it's gonna have strawberry and raspberry in it.
- That sounds like a very elegant dessert.
- Yeah.
Why did you decide to go dessert tonight instead of something savory? I bake at home, like, almost every single day because my dream is to open up a bakery back in Rhode Island.
- Aarón: I like that! - Thank you.
Oven open! Home cooks, less than ten minutes.
Okay, Reid, how are you feeling? I'm feeling really good, Chef.
I'm going dessert tonight.
- Hold on a minute.
The hunter? - Yes.
Look, that pork chop and that chicken screaming, - "Reid, grill me, grill me, grill me.
" - No, no, no.
No, no, I'm making a cookies and cream "pan colada.
" A a piña colada? A "pan colada.
" Cookies and cream pan colada.
Panna cotta.
Piña colada.
Panna cotta.
With a strawberry coulis.
Why dessert? Because I wanna show I'm not just a grill boy, but I can actually bake some fancy stuff.
Young man, good luck.
Cold.
I think I'm doing really good.
Aarón: Just over three minutes, guys.
You should be thinking about plating.
Make sure everything's perfect.
Gordon: Wow.
What excitement.
Come on, seriously.
There's so much energy in the kitchen.
I am amazed by the diversity of dishes that our top 12 are cooking up tonight.
- I'm getting hungry.
- I need to plate my Remember, a huge advantage for the winner.
- Perfect.
- Gordon: 60 seconds to go, guys.
- Last minute.
- Okay! ( muttering ) Yes.
Okay.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- And stop.
- Hands in the air.
Yay! - Well done.
- Whoo! Absolutely amazing.
Well done, guys.
That was an intense 60 minutes of tonight's - Yes.
- mystery box challenge.
What do you think of these incredible dishes down here? Oh, my gosh, they look amazing.
I wish that I could cook like they can.
It's been an absolute pleasure having you here in the MasterChef Junior kitchen.
I can't wait to see you on tour.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
- Kidz Bop is really inspiring, because they're really young and they're all pursuing their dreams just like us.
- Good luck, guys.
Bye.
- Bye.
I'm definitely gonna dance my way into the top three of this mystery box.
- Bye.
- Right, back to business.
Across that incredible 60 minutes, we watched and tasted everything you guys did.
We will call up the three best dishes that we'd like to examine even further.
Aarón: So the first dish that we wanna bring forward used these mystery box ingredients to make a clever dessert.
This dessert highlighted the strawberries and elevated them while also showcasing the sandwich cookies.
Please, bring up your dish, Jaala.
Jaala: I'm so excited that I'm in the top three again! I never made a no-bake cheesecake, but nobody makes desserts like I do.
So it's my time to shine and win this mystery box challenge.
Jaala, describe your dish.
So what you have here is a no-bake cheesecake with a cookie sandwich crust and a strawberry raspberry jam.
Visually, the piping, it's masterful.
You really did a great job of making that a focal point of the presentation, which I really appreciate.
- Thank you.
- Do you bake a lot at home? Yes, all the time.
I have been baking longer than I have been cooking.
I wanna open up my own bakery called Sugar Sugar.
That is so delicious.
- Thank you.
- It's wonderful.
You hit on three elements that I think all great dishes should have texture, a certain savoriness to it, and then a fresh element.
You have that little kind of jam in the middle - Yeah.
- that it just cooked down and has this beautiful gelatin to it.
If I were to change one thing, I think you could've done something different with the fresh strawberries.
Maybe put some sugar and blowtorched them.
But overall, it's fun, it's inventive, and most importantly, it's tasty.
- Good job, young lady.
- Thank you so much.
Good job, Jaala! - Matthew: Whoo! - Good job.
The second dish we'd like to take a closer look at is from a home cook that made something completely outside of their wheelhouse.
Please, come up here, Reid.
I made top three! Yes! I took a risk.
Yeah, I went outside of the box because I wanna show the judges that I'm a kid that can bake something fancy and make it good.
- My hunter man.
- Yes, ma'am.
I mean, I look at this dessert and I think to myself, this is made by a true artist.
What's the dessert? The dessert is a cookies and cream panna cotta with a strawberry coulis and a freeze-dried strawberry powder.
How did you set this cookies and cream filling? I got the cookies I took the filling out and melted three tablespoons of butter and I poured it in there.
And then when you pour the panna cotta in, it just kind of floats up a little bit to make it look like that real cookies and cream.
Wow.
I could just eat that for days.
It's deep in texture at the bottom, and then it starts to thin out in the middle where that cookies and cream panna cotta lives.
And then you get this sweet acidic, incredibly fresh strawberry coulis.
What would I do differently? Maybe a little less whipped cream.
But, Reid, you have exceeded my wildest expectations.
You just need to keep destroying any box that we put you in.
- Incredible job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Right, the third and final dish we'd like to take a much closer look at.
This dish was packed with personality.
And this individual, he sort of recreated a classic.
Please, step forward, Che.
- Come on up, bud.
- Che: I'm so pumped.
This is my first time on the top three.
My dad would be so proud of me right now that my version of chicken parm is getting me this far.
Che, young man, describe that dish, please.
So I made for you kind of like a play on chicken parmesan.
It's stuffed chicken breast breaded with potato chips, fresh tomato sauce, sautéed kale, and a fried mozzarella stick.
What's the base of the sauce? So first, I sautéed shallots and garlic.
And then I have my cherry tomatoes, and waited for it to cook down, and then blended it.
Mmm.
It's delicious.
I love the fact that you put the cheese inside, which helps the chicken not dry out so quickly.
The kale's delicious, and I love, love potato chips blended as the coating.
What would I change? You've got such a delicious sauce.
It doesn't need the blistered tomatoes.
But you have a chef's mind.
- Thank you.
- You're super creative.
I hope dad is watching, because that is exceptional.
I think that's one of the best dishes you've cooked so far.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
Three superb, delicious dishes.
It's game on.
I think you got it.
I'm not sure about that.
Guys, truly delicious dishes to have on or off the road.
But, as you well know, there can only be one winner.
And the home cook with the best dish, the one that will get a key advantage that person is The home cook with the best dish, the one that will get a key advantage congratulations Reid.
Unbelievable.
Jaala and Che, amazing dishes.
Keep up that great work.
Please head back to your stations.
Good job, Jaala.
Good job, Che.
Reid, please join us up front to find out your advantage.
Well done.
Right.
Tonight, young man, you'll be safe from elimination in the next challenge, but you also get to save one more person tonight.
What are you thinking? This person is really a nice kid and he's one of the best in this kitchen.
That person is - Aaron.
- Yes.
But, Reid, it doesn't end here.
- You do have one more decision to make.
- Oh, dang it.
Reid and Aaron, head into the pantry and you'll find out what your next advantage is.
It feels awesome to be sharing this moment with my buddy.
We're safe from elimination, and now I just wanna see this big advantage.
Why is there a baby? I think that's Aarón Sánchez.
- Hello! - It is you.
It is Aarón.
( laughs ) - You guys recognize me? - Oh, I do.
I rocked this look when I was just 16 months old.
Aarón's hair looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket while he was getting showered.
( laughs ) I wonder whose picture that is.
Yeah.
Who is it? - ( exhales ) - Uh-oh.
Come on, Christina.
You can't hide back there.
I was almost four years old in this picture.
You probably think this is Christmas dress, right? Guess what.
It was just a normal day in October.
Reid: Christina, her hair is orange.
- What do you think? - Like an oompa loompa.
Well, I think that's it.
- On with the challenge.
- No! Gordon.
Uh-oh.
Oh, gosh! Reid: Gordon has the same haircut as Christina.
He kind of looked like a girl.
That's not a fat Ed Sheeran.
This is me when I was about six years old.
Why do they have on these ridiculous baby outfits? Aarón is not even wearing shoes.
He's wearing socks.
All right, guys, when we were your age, we ate great food that all kids love.
One of my favorite things to eat is something you could eat as a snack or you can cook into thousands of dishes.
It is, in fact, cheese.
On this board, you have a beautiful array of cheeses from around the world.
My favorite food is crunchy, sometimes sweet.
It is, of course, cereal! - Both: Cereal.
- When I was a kid, I could literally eat this every day.
And, honestly, not a lot has changed.
Now, my favorite food when I was a kid was something I could eat right out of a can.
It is canned tuna.
- Tuna? - Delicious and versatile.
So many ways you can go with a can of tuna.
Those cheeks were so big, I could fit a can in each side.
All right, guys, your second advantage is that you will be choosing the ingredient that everyone else has to cook with tonight.
It feels amazing to have the power now.
Cheese is just too easy.
- Top ten is around the corner.
- Cereal.
So I wanna chose a hard ingredient, but I really want all my friends to stay in this competition.
Can of tuna? So this is gonna be a tough decision.
Which one of our three childhood favorites is everyone gonna have to cook with tonight? We're gonna go for - Oh.
- Huh? What's happening? - Huh? - Wait, a baby? Why are there baby pictures? - Where are the judges? - I don't know.
- ( screaming, laughing ) - Oh, my God! - Oh, my God! - Sadie: I love your overalls.
- Guys! Aarón.
- You look like a baby.
That's right, this was me.
Aww! - Hi, baby.
- What? Christina, what happened to you? - Look at her hair.
- Aww! - Oh, Gordon.
Uh-oh.
- Oh, God.
Oh, no! He looks like a blond version of me.
It's not funny.
In case you can't tell, back in the pantry, all three of us were transformed into much younger versions of ourselves.
We gave Reid and Aaron the choice of three things that we loved to eat as kids.
They were cheese.
Cereal.
And canned tuna.
Reid and Aaron decided that you will be cooking with Gordon: Canned tuna.
Now, you'll have access to the incredible MasterChef pantry.
- Yes! - Yeah! You will have one hour to make us an elevated MasterChef-worthy dish using canned tuna.
Unfortunately, at the end of tonight, two of you young home cooks will be heading home.
Che: I'm a little nervous, 'cause we got canned tuna.
I mean, I kinda like it, but how am I going to elevate that? How am I going to make that MasterChef Junior quality? It's an elimination challenge.
I mean, you can't mess up, otherwise you're straight out the door.
You will have one hour to make us an elevated MasterChef-worthy dish using canned tuna.
Your time starts now! Oh, there they go.
Go! Go! Go! Oh, jeez, what am I gonna make? - Canned tuna.
- Tuna! Tuna! - Get the baskets! - Two tuna cans.
Where are the string beans? Can someone pass me the arugula? The what? Oh, yeah, I can do that.
- Let's get out of these outfits.
- Please.
- I agree.
- Bye.
- What? - How'd you do it? Oh, where's that fennel? Back in New York, I always make salads for my mom.
Let's go, guys.
So I've decided I'm gonna make a tuna nicoise salad with a tuna cake, quail eggs, and a killer vinaigrette.
- Che, how many you cooking for, bud? - I don't know.
I just hope that my dish will be elevated enough for the judges.
Aaron: Unpack that, Che.
I'm trying.
It's a lot of stuff.
Guys, tonight we go from the top 12 into the top 10.
There's so much pressure with a can of tuna.
Thanks a lot, Reid.
Now, why did Reid choose canned tuna? - Simply the most challenging.
- Oh, my gosh.
Christina: It really is a true challenge for these home cooks, in terms of innovation, knowing tuna.
How do you lighten it? How do you make us believe that this dish didn't come from a can? We want an elevated, MasterChef quality dish.
We don't want tuna fish on toast.
- Kyle, what are you doing? - Pasta.
- Oh, that's very risky.
- Guys, come on.
50 minutes remaining.
Let's go.
Guys, remember, it's elimination challenge.
I am making spicy tuna sushi, pickled cucumbers, and fried sushi.
I am making this because it goes great with my heritage because Japanese people love sushi.
Looking good, Malia.
This is in honor to them.
I'm making a tuna pot pie with some onions, some carrots, and some celery.
I never made this before, but I'm feeling good about it.
Because even though I'm one of the youngest ones here, I can cook my way to being safe from elimination.
I'm making a tuna cake with corn salsa, but I've actually never cooked real tuna or canned tuna.
But I eat canned tuna, and I like to have it with mayonnaise.
Get some crackers, get on the couch, then watch TV from there.
I need to roll it out more.
It's too thick.
Young man, how we doing? Hi, Chef.
I'm doing great.
How many tins of tuna have you eaten? - Zero.
- What? Last time I tried it, kindergarten ugh! I threw up after.
Kyle, would you try it? Oh, no.
Mm-mm.
Try a little piece.
It's delicious.
- There you go.
- ( gags ) - What is happening? - Wow! - Ugh! - Gordon: Oh, boy.
Describe the dish.
What are you making? So I am making a tagliatelle - with chili spicy puttanesca sauce.
- Oh, lovely.
So how you gonna enrobe that delicious tuna? I am going to add it to the puttanesca sauce, and I'm gonna make it lightly spicy so that it doesn't take over the tuna flavor.
- Love that idea.
Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Come on, Jaala.
You got this.
- Jaala.
- Hello, Chef.
- What are you making? - I'm making tuna cakes with salsa, a bean and corn salad, with chipotle aioli.
I love the idea of that.
So is there anything you're worried about in your dish that could put you in jeopardy? Well, I can't try the tuna because I'm allergic to seafood.
- Got ya.
- And I would have to be rushed to the hospital - if I put it near my mouth.
- Got you.
So you've gotta really play to freshness, fresh herbs, acidity, - strong seasoning.
- Yes, definitely.
- Jaala, good luck.
- Thank you.
Reid: Come on, Matthew.
- All right, so, Ben.
- Hello.
The idea of tuna, what were your thoughts? I've never eaten it in my whole life.
So, Ben, what are you making, buddy? I'm making a Thai tuna curry with coconut Jasmine rice.
Where does your love for those flavors come from? Well, I've gone to Thai restaurants and I make curry with my mom and I really like it.
And also I really want to go to Thailand because I love to travel.
Stick with it, keep your head focused.
Good luck.
Sadie, tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I am making tuna croquettes, fried vegetables, and a malt vinegar aioli.
I love the idea.
If you were to become America's next MasterChef Junior, what would you do with that money? - I would buy 19 cats.
- What? Really? - I aspire to be a crazy cat lady.
- Hold on a minute.
But number 19 is very random.
Well, 19's actually my lucky number because the 19th Amendment allows women to vote.
I think women should be voting constantly.
- Don't you think? - Yeah.
So if you were to vote on the best chef in the world, - who would that be? - Julia Child.
She is amazing.
I like that.
Right, young lady, - good luck.
- Thank you.
I smell grilling in there.
Home cooks, just over 15 minutes to go.
Give yourself enough time.
This is an elimination challenge, and two of you will be leaving us tonight.
- Make sure it's not you.
- Reid: Come on, guys.
Step up your game, guys.
I forgot my tuna.
What is Brielle doing? - Brielle, what are you doing? - Yes? I forgot to put my tuna in there.
There's no tuna in that pot pie? Brielle, tuna is the challenge.
Yes, Chef.
Christina: There are 15 minutes left in this elimination challenge and Brielle hasn't even opened a can of tuna.
Gordon: Oh, dear.
Brielle forgot the tuna - Yeah.
- in her pot pie.
- Christina: She isn't even rushing.
- Gordon: Oh, dear.
Come on, Brielle.
You got this.
Right, she's just mending it right now.
Gordon: Yeah, she's doing patchwork like she's doing a cosmetic surgery operation.
Oh, my God, she has to get that in the oven immediately.
Eight minutes to go.
Come on, guys.
Reid: Come on, guys.
You got this.
It's smelling good.
Big night, and I'm so impressed with the array of dishes.
That looks good.
They know it's elimination and we'll be entering the top ten.
- Christina: Wow.
- I have enough time.
- Everything's perfect.
- Taste everything.
It's done.
60 seconds to go, guys.
Remember, two of you, sadly, will be leaving the competition shortly.
Make sure it's not you.
Come on, guys! Looking amazing.
- Thank you.
- Mmm.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Hands in the air.
- And done! - ( cheering ) - Good job, everybody.
Tonight we asked you to spend the last 60 minutes creating an exciting dish with canned tuna.
And now it's time to see how they taste.
First up, Malia.
- ( cheering ) - Reid: Come on, Malia.
I make a lot of sushi every New Year because it was my great-grandma's tradition.
It's supposed to bring good luck to the next year.
But hopefully this will bring me great luck today.
Malia, that looks incredible.
- Describe the dish, please.
- I have made for you a tuna roll with some vegetables and fried tuna and fried avocado.
- Do you do this at home? - I do with my mom.
Right.
Gotcha.
Now, I wanna get in there.
Okay.
I just love the finesse.
How long did you cook the rice for? About 20 minutes.
Young lady, it's - incredible.
- Thank you.
It's cooked beautifully, seasoned beautifully.
The shape is cut beautifully.
And it's like it's just come out of Japanese restaurant.
Thank you.
You are really seriously multifaceted.
What I can guarantee with this dish, A, you're not going home, and B, congratulations, 'cause you are the first in the top ten.
- Thank you.
- Well done, young lady.
That was a brilliant job.
Amazing.
Great job, Malia.
- Great job, Malia.
- Thank you.
Next up, Kyle.
- Good job, Kyle.
- Good job, Kyle.
Even though I hate tuna, I accepted the challenge, and I think I nailed this dish despite that.
But this is gonna be the first and last dish of canned tuna I'm ever going to make.
Kyle, canned tuna.
- What was your first reaction? - Eww.
But I knew that I have to create something delicious from something gross.
So I decided to elevate this dish by making tagliatelle with a spicy puttanesca sauce with tuna, and on top, you have a dollop of ricotta.
I'm curious why this big spoonful of ricotta.
The puttanesca sauce was a little spicy when I tried it.
So I added a dollop of ricotta on top to, like, subdue that really strong spice.
Hmm.
Kyle, I'm curious why this big spoonful of ricotta.
The puttanesca sauce was a little spicy when I tried it.
So I added a dollop of ricotta on top to, like, subdue that really strong spice.
Hmm.
The sauce itself is really spicy.
- Mm-hmm.
- And so if I get heat first, - I don't get tuna.
- Yes, Chef.
There are some things that I really appreciate about it.
You knew that that pasta sauce was too spicy, so you tried to be really thoughtful about giving us ricotta and lemon zest.
But then there's capers, chives, and then there's some other dried herbs, and what masks the one flavor that's meant to be the star.
- Tuna.
- Tuna.
But I really appreciate the effort.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Kyle.
- Whoo! - Good job.
- Good job, Kyle.
Next up, Che.
Che: The one thing I'm nervous about is that my salad is a little too basic.
But I know I've put a lot of flavor in there and love and creativity.
So I think all those things are gonna really elevate the dish.
I hope it does, and I hope I stay into top ten.
- Describe your dish, please.
- So I made a nicoise salad, and then to incorporate the tuna in there, I made a tuna cake.
Mmm! Wonderful.
It has great acidity by way of that vinaigrette.
Mustard is in check.
It's not overpowering.
I love the texture from the cake.
All the elements in the salad make sense.
It's hitting really high notes on so many different levels.
- Great job, young man.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Matthew: Good job, Che! - Next up, Sadie.
Today I made tuna croquettes with a malt vinegar Dijon aioli, frisée salad, and fried vegetables.
Wow.
I can see tuna flaked through these croquettes.
I think your flavors are on point.
So elegantly balanced.
I think this is the most elegant dish I have ever seen made out of a can of tuna.
- Very nice job.
- Thank you.
- Great job, Sadie.
- Good job.
Next up, Matthew.
Let's go.
I made a pan-seared tuna cake with southwest salsa and mayonnaise sauce.
Why did you pan fry over deep frying? When you deep fry them, I kind of felt like it took away the tuna flavor and made it more like fast-food.
The tuna cakes are delicious.
Really good.
But what it needs on the outside is a little bit more color.
That salsa, a touch heavy on the seasoning, - but it's a good job.
- Thank you.
Next up, Jaala.
What's the dish? You have tuna cakes with a bean, corn salad mix, salsa, and chipotle aioli.
This is, like, more of a spicy dish.
I think the spice level is awesome.
It matches with that sort of southwestern Tex-Mex thing that you're going with.
The tuna, it's nice and moist, but I want more of this aioli that's just dotted around.
There's not enough there.
But, otherwise, - you did a nice job.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Jaala.
- Whoo! Good job, Jaala.
You should be very proud of yourself.
Next up, Ben.
Come on up here, young man.
I never have tuna at home.
I probably have negative ten cans in my pantry.
Whoa! But I really love Thai curry and I make it a lot with my mom.
So tonight it's Thailand tuna.
Ben, describe your dish, please.
I have made Thai tuna curry with coconut Jasmine rice and garnished with cilantro.
So, visually this right here just looks like a lot of food, and it's not very appealing, to be very honest, Ben.
But let's see if the taste delivers, okay? Yes, Chef.
So what is it in that curry that I'm gonna be drawn to? So it's gonna have the curry flavor.
There's a little lime juice in there, ginger, garlic.
As far as the flavor of the curry, it's a little bit muddled.
You could've benefited from more fresh ingredients and not cooking the vegetables so much.
- Yeah.
- The tuna was your attempt to try to elevate the presentation.
It kind of fell short.
But I love the fact that you went for a curry.
You cooked the rice beautifully.
It's scented with the right amount of jasmine, but I don't know if this is enough yet.
- Thank you, though, Ben.
- Matthew: Good job, Ben.
- Good job, Ben.
- Last up, Brielle.
Kid: Whoo! I don't eat tuna very much, but I do make chicken pot pie with my granny.
- Come on, Brielle.
- I'm worried because I got the tuna in the dish late.
But I hope my flavors are there and it's enough to make me safe.
Brielle, describe the dish, please.
It's a tuna pot pie with a pea, pearl onion, carrot salad.
Something happened tonight.
What did you forget to put inside your pot pie? I forgot the tuna.
How do you make a tuna pot pie and forget to put the tuna in? Well, I was really distracted, and I was really going really fast.
Now, visually, the pastry is all ripped and torn.
Is that where you ripped it open to put the tuna in? Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
I'm an optimist.
- Let's get in there and taste it, shall we? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
Dear, oh, dear.
Brielle.
Oh, boy.
Brielle, visually, the pastry is all ripped and torn.
Is that where you ripped it open to put the tuna in? - Yes, Chef.
- Oh, dear.
I'm an optimist.
Let's get in there - and taste it, shall we? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
Did you have a roux in here? - Yes, Chef.
- And where did that go? - I think it soaked up with the vegetables.
- Looks like right.
Unfortunately, the roux is not there.
There's no sort of thickness to it.
And, unfortunately, the pastry's raw there.
See? But what I do like is the freshness of the peas.
The peas give it lift.
Peas and fish go well together.
If you rolled the pastry a little bit thinner, I think we could've got there.
But I don't think this has been your strongest performance.
Thank you, Brielle.
Sadie: Even though this is an elimination challenge, I don't really wanna see anyone get eliminated.
All the contestants and I, we're like family.
Reid, Aaron, please, come and take a station down here.
But this is a competition, so I know there are gonna be two people that are gonna have to go home.
Wow, well done.
Tonight we saw some amazing dishes.
But I think we all agree that the best dish of the night belongs to Malia.
That was outstanding.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
Well, plenty to celebrate tonight, but as always, unfortunately, there's always some bad news.
If we say your name, please step down to the front.
Kyle.
Brielle.
Ben.
I thought I was gonna be in the top three, not the bottom three.
I want to get in the top ten and prove to the judges that I'm a great chef and that I can be the next MasterChef Junior.
Unfortunately, tonight, two of you will be going home.
If I say your name, please step forward.
Brielle.
And Kyle.
Which means, Ben young man, you are safe.
Head back to your station, please.
Brielle.
Now, Kyle, Brielle, you two have got nothing to be upset about.
You made the top 12.
Think how much stronger you've become.
You've got some great friends for life, and you've been in the most famous kitchen in America.
Just think of those bragging rights when you step into that classroom.
Everyone wants to be your best mate now.
Well done.
Now, come up here and say good-bye.
Please, here we go.
- Hey, I'm so proud of you.
- Give me a hug.
Come on.
You've been amazing, come on.
- You did a really great job.
- You did great, buddy.
Gordon: Come here, big boy.
You've been amazing.
Huh? Haven't you? Brielle: I'm really sad I'm going home, but I learned a real lot in this competition.
Well done.
Even though I'm not in the MasterChef Junior kitchen, I'm still gonna keep cooking at home in Atlanta.
I love you, Brielle.
It's really heartbreaking to be eliminated.
But out of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of kids who have tried out, I've made it to the top 12.
Bye, Brielle.
I feel like I've made lifelong friends that I'm never gonna forget, including three of the best chefs in the world.
Great job, guys.
Well done.
My MasterChef Junior journey might be over, but I still plan to become a travel food blogger or open my own restaurant.
- Bye! - Bye, guys! - Bye.
- Matthew: Bye, guys! Never stop cooking.
- Announcer: Next time - We need more flour! - the top ten - Go! Go! Go! Keep pulling it.
are stretched to the limit We're just rolling and rolling and rolling.
in a high stakes team challenge.
If we win, we get to pour marinara sauce on Gordon Ramsay's head.
- And then - Eclairs.
- Oh, my God.
- an elimination test with a shocking result.
We are gonna do something that we've never done before - on "MasterChef Junior.
" - No! We're cooking up fun on MasterChef Junior.
Now here are a few more shows to check out from Fox.
Let me talk to you about my new show, Mental Samurai.
You think you're smart, good at puzzles, knowledge, memory games? What if I told you you were battling the clock, had to be perfect, and you were strapped into this thing? -(screams) -Whoa! -(grunts) -(shouts) ANNOUNCER: Mental Samurai, Tuesdays.
Is there a kill switch? ANNOUNCER: On Fox.
Can I eject outta this thing? ANNOUNCER: It's outrageous.
Oh, my God! It's outlandish! -Oh, my God! -Oh, my God! -It's out of control.
-Aaah! Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! It's Fox Sunday! -Oh -My -Freakin' -(farts) Oh, my God.
Sundays, only on Fox! Oh, my God, oh, my God!
a difficult baking challenge If that crust snaps, - ( gasps ) - it's game over.
brought out the best in Malia.
It's the kind of pie at the top shelf of any great pastry shop.
But Evie - Not a good evening.
- and Kate The pressure got the best of you tonight.
saw their MasterChef Junior dream - Bye, guys.
We love you.
- Bye.
come to an end.
Tonight The Kidz Bop Kids are here.
Oh, my God.
VIP guests with all the right moves I don't think so.
bring a very special mystery box.
- What? - Oh, my gosh! - And then - Aww! a blast from the judges' past It still fits.
proves that the future is bright.
- Masterful.
- We've never seen anything like this before.
- Welcome, guys.
- Long time no see.
Reid: It feels like yesterday I was just back home in Georgia grilling all the time with my dad.
And now I'm out here in the MasterChef kitchen in the top 12.
I'm learning more every day.
All of you, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Today, before you get to those mystery boxes, we'd like to introduce some very, very special guests.
- Who? - Gordon: Trust me.
They've traveled from all over the world, they've sold 20 million albums, and are "Billboard Magazine's" number one kids artist for eight consecutive years! - ( gasps ) - All of you, turn around.
Please welcome the Kidz Bop Kids! - Welcome, guys.
- Hi, guys! ( cheering ) Oh, my God! The Kidz Bop Kids are here.
- Hi, guys! - I never thought that I was gonna meet them in person.
- Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.
- Hey! - Welcome, welcome, welcome.
- Thank you.
I love how they take normal songs and they sing them without the bad words in it so I can listen to songs I like in front of my grandma.
Hey, guys.
So we've just announced our 2019 tour, so we're preparing for that.
But we're excited to take a break and join all of you here in the MasterChef kitchen.
So, the 2019 tour, "Kidz Bop Live," we're traveling across the country performing the biggest hits in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
I don't know if you guys know this, but they used to call me the king of the dance floor.
- Ooh! - If I may.
Um, I don't think so.
- Wha What? Oh, no.
- ( grunts ) - Aarón: Ready? - Show us what you got.
Who wants an order of chicken wings? Bam, bam, bam.
Bam, bam, bam.
Who wants a double order? Bum, bum, bah.
Okay, listen.
You might be the king of the dance floor, but I was Little Miss Springfield Queen.
- Aarón: Okay.
- And it was the '90s, - so we're talking these kind of moves.
- What? Aarón: Oh, man.
You want some of this? How about you? - You're laughing.
- No.
But I feel like you're just buying time to show us your moves.
Christina, do you mind? Two o'clock.
And one, two, three.
Oh, yeah! Malia: I wish I could teach the judges some moves so badly because no offense, but they need to work on it.
Oh, Lord.
Gordon: And spin.
And spin, that's it! Olivia, all jokes apart, I mean, mine were the best moves, right? I mean, you guys were okay, but those moves are all from before we were born.
We'll show you how it's done.
Ready? Five, six, seven, eight.
Down, down, do your dance Do your dance, do the Kidz Bop dance Jaala: I'm so happy that Kidz Bop is here.
Now you see what we're talking about Every one of them are amazing singers and dancers.
Kids rock the house, there is no doubt Gordon may be one of the best chefs in the world To the right, to the right, to the right - Hide me, hide me, hide me.
- To the left but he can't dance.
We got a brand-new style, y'all Gordon, stick to cooking.
- Whew.
- ( cheering ) - Whoa, that was great! - Thank you, guys.
We're giving you a front row seat to the rest of the competition - Thank you.
Thank you.
- up on the balcony.
- Thank you so much! - Head on up there.
- ( cheering ) - Oh, man.
It's time for another mystery box challenge.
Tonight we let the Kidz Bop Kids decide the contents of your mystery box.
Would you like to do the honors? All: On the count of three, lift those boxes.
One, two, three, lift! Oh, my gosh! Kale, apple, Oreo.
Potato chips? What? So when we're on tour, we like to have all of our favorite things to eat.
Loads of sweet stuff, obviously.
There are some cookies, potato chips, but we also like fruit, and we all love cheese.
And when we get lucky and have a kitchen, that's when we can make things like chicken and yams, that you'll also find in your mystery boxes.
Now, you'll have just one hour to make us a MasterChef quality dish.
There is a huge advantage on the line tonight, so make sure you perform your best.
- Are you ready? - All: Yes, Chef! Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go.
Let's go, everyone! You got this! Coming through.
I am making an apple stuffed pork chop with yams two ways.
My dad loves to eat pork on Thanksgiving, and today I wanna bring myself back to New York in the fall, where they use a lot of potatoes and Thanksgiving flavors.
Back home in Atlanta, I pick strawberries with my grandpa all the time.
So, I'm making a strawberry shortcake with a berry compote and dehydrated strawberry.
Nice, Brielle.
So tonight's mystery box was put together by our amazing team of Kidz Bops.
However, not as easy as it looks.
These are all very familiar ingredients.
I need the pork chop.
But we want them to reimagine these ingredients to MasterChef quality, top 12 worthy dishes.
Yeah, and there's a lot of snacks in here, so things that are just meant to be had on their own.
So how do you transform those ingredients and really sort of elevate them and make them into a dish that makes sense and celebrates that box? That's what we need.
Just over 44 minutes remaining.
Ooh, what's he doing over there? Today I'm making seared chicken breast with roasted broccoli that has a hint of lemon on it, and I have a sweet potato purée.
I make this dish a lot for my family, and they love it, and I hope the judges will, too.
Ivy, what are you doing? I am making a pan-seared chicken with sautéed kale.
- It smells so good! - That is amazing! Ooh, these are nice and crispy.
All right, 34 minutes, young home cooks.
- Malia.
- Hi, guys! - What are you cooking tonight? - Well, today I'll be making chicken en paupiette with a roux sauce and some kale chips.
I just love to cook chicken en paupiette at home before we go camping, so we can freeze it - and then heat it right up.
- Wow.
- Both: Good luck.
- Thank you.
Che, tell me about this dish.
What are you doing? I'm gonna do kind of a play on chicken parmesan.
I'm stuffing mine with mozzarella and I'm breading it with the potato chips.
Why a chicken parm? I'm Italian, so I like to go back to my roots, and I want to do this dish because I used to make it with my dad, and he passed away.
My dad's kind of how I got into cooking, so to make a dish that he and I made, I feel great doing it, and I feel like I'm honoring him in a way.
- And also, it keeps you very close to him, right? - Yeah, it keeps me close.
I love what this dish means.
I love the sound of it.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
Render that fat.
Gordon: Just over 20 minutes remaining, guys.
Come on.
- Miss Jaala.
- Hello.
What are you gonna be making, young lady? I'm making a no-bake cheesecake with a cookie sandwich crust, and it's gonna have strawberry and raspberry in it.
- That sounds like a very elegant dessert.
- Yeah.
Why did you decide to go dessert tonight instead of something savory? I bake at home, like, almost every single day because my dream is to open up a bakery back in Rhode Island.
- Aarón: I like that! - Thank you.
Oven open! Home cooks, less than ten minutes.
Okay, Reid, how are you feeling? I'm feeling really good, Chef.
I'm going dessert tonight.
- Hold on a minute.
The hunter? - Yes.
Look, that pork chop and that chicken screaming, - "Reid, grill me, grill me, grill me.
" - No, no, no.
No, no, I'm making a cookies and cream "pan colada.
" A a piña colada? A "pan colada.
" Cookies and cream pan colada.
Panna cotta.
Piña colada.
Panna cotta.
With a strawberry coulis.
Why dessert? Because I wanna show I'm not just a grill boy, but I can actually bake some fancy stuff.
Young man, good luck.
Cold.
I think I'm doing really good.
Aarón: Just over three minutes, guys.
You should be thinking about plating.
Make sure everything's perfect.
Gordon: Wow.
What excitement.
Come on, seriously.
There's so much energy in the kitchen.
I am amazed by the diversity of dishes that our top 12 are cooking up tonight.
- I'm getting hungry.
- I need to plate my Remember, a huge advantage for the winner.
- Perfect.
- Gordon: 60 seconds to go, guys.
- Last minute.
- Okay! ( muttering ) Yes.
Okay.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- And stop.
- Hands in the air.
Yay! - Well done.
- Whoo! Absolutely amazing.
Well done, guys.
That was an intense 60 minutes of tonight's - Yes.
- mystery box challenge.
What do you think of these incredible dishes down here? Oh, my gosh, they look amazing.
I wish that I could cook like they can.
It's been an absolute pleasure having you here in the MasterChef Junior kitchen.
I can't wait to see you on tour.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
- Kidz Bop is really inspiring, because they're really young and they're all pursuing their dreams just like us.
- Good luck, guys.
Bye.
- Bye.
I'm definitely gonna dance my way into the top three of this mystery box.
- Bye.
- Right, back to business.
Across that incredible 60 minutes, we watched and tasted everything you guys did.
We will call up the three best dishes that we'd like to examine even further.
Aarón: So the first dish that we wanna bring forward used these mystery box ingredients to make a clever dessert.
This dessert highlighted the strawberries and elevated them while also showcasing the sandwich cookies.
Please, bring up your dish, Jaala.
Jaala: I'm so excited that I'm in the top three again! I never made a no-bake cheesecake, but nobody makes desserts like I do.
So it's my time to shine and win this mystery box challenge.
Jaala, describe your dish.
So what you have here is a no-bake cheesecake with a cookie sandwich crust and a strawberry raspberry jam.
Visually, the piping, it's masterful.
You really did a great job of making that a focal point of the presentation, which I really appreciate.
- Thank you.
- Do you bake a lot at home? Yes, all the time.
I have been baking longer than I have been cooking.
I wanna open up my own bakery called Sugar Sugar.
That is so delicious.
- Thank you.
- It's wonderful.
You hit on three elements that I think all great dishes should have texture, a certain savoriness to it, and then a fresh element.
You have that little kind of jam in the middle - Yeah.
- that it just cooked down and has this beautiful gelatin to it.
If I were to change one thing, I think you could've done something different with the fresh strawberries.
Maybe put some sugar and blowtorched them.
But overall, it's fun, it's inventive, and most importantly, it's tasty.
- Good job, young lady.
- Thank you so much.
Good job, Jaala! - Matthew: Whoo! - Good job.
The second dish we'd like to take a closer look at is from a home cook that made something completely outside of their wheelhouse.
Please, come up here, Reid.
I made top three! Yes! I took a risk.
Yeah, I went outside of the box because I wanna show the judges that I'm a kid that can bake something fancy and make it good.
- My hunter man.
- Yes, ma'am.
I mean, I look at this dessert and I think to myself, this is made by a true artist.
What's the dessert? The dessert is a cookies and cream panna cotta with a strawberry coulis and a freeze-dried strawberry powder.
How did you set this cookies and cream filling? I got the cookies I took the filling out and melted three tablespoons of butter and I poured it in there.
And then when you pour the panna cotta in, it just kind of floats up a little bit to make it look like that real cookies and cream.
Wow.
I could just eat that for days.
It's deep in texture at the bottom, and then it starts to thin out in the middle where that cookies and cream panna cotta lives.
And then you get this sweet acidic, incredibly fresh strawberry coulis.
What would I do differently? Maybe a little less whipped cream.
But, Reid, you have exceeded my wildest expectations.
You just need to keep destroying any box that we put you in.
- Incredible job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Right, the third and final dish we'd like to take a much closer look at.
This dish was packed with personality.
And this individual, he sort of recreated a classic.
Please, step forward, Che.
- Come on up, bud.
- Che: I'm so pumped.
This is my first time on the top three.
My dad would be so proud of me right now that my version of chicken parm is getting me this far.
Che, young man, describe that dish, please.
So I made for you kind of like a play on chicken parmesan.
It's stuffed chicken breast breaded with potato chips, fresh tomato sauce, sautéed kale, and a fried mozzarella stick.
What's the base of the sauce? So first, I sautéed shallots and garlic.
And then I have my cherry tomatoes, and waited for it to cook down, and then blended it.
Mmm.
It's delicious.
I love the fact that you put the cheese inside, which helps the chicken not dry out so quickly.
The kale's delicious, and I love, love potato chips blended as the coating.
What would I change? You've got such a delicious sauce.
It doesn't need the blistered tomatoes.
But you have a chef's mind.
- Thank you.
- You're super creative.
I hope dad is watching, because that is exceptional.
I think that's one of the best dishes you've cooked so far.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
Three superb, delicious dishes.
It's game on.
I think you got it.
I'm not sure about that.
Guys, truly delicious dishes to have on or off the road.
But, as you well know, there can only be one winner.
And the home cook with the best dish, the one that will get a key advantage that person is The home cook with the best dish, the one that will get a key advantage congratulations Reid.
Unbelievable.
Jaala and Che, amazing dishes.
Keep up that great work.
Please head back to your stations.
Good job, Jaala.
Good job, Che.
Reid, please join us up front to find out your advantage.
Well done.
Right.
Tonight, young man, you'll be safe from elimination in the next challenge, but you also get to save one more person tonight.
What are you thinking? This person is really a nice kid and he's one of the best in this kitchen.
That person is - Aaron.
- Yes.
But, Reid, it doesn't end here.
- You do have one more decision to make.
- Oh, dang it.
Reid and Aaron, head into the pantry and you'll find out what your next advantage is.
It feels awesome to be sharing this moment with my buddy.
We're safe from elimination, and now I just wanna see this big advantage.
Why is there a baby? I think that's Aarón Sánchez.
- Hello! - It is you.
It is Aarón.
( laughs ) - You guys recognize me? - Oh, I do.
I rocked this look when I was just 16 months old.
Aarón's hair looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket while he was getting showered.
( laughs ) I wonder whose picture that is.
Yeah.
Who is it? - ( exhales ) - Uh-oh.
Come on, Christina.
You can't hide back there.
I was almost four years old in this picture.
You probably think this is Christmas dress, right? Guess what.
It was just a normal day in October.
Reid: Christina, her hair is orange.
- What do you think? - Like an oompa loompa.
Well, I think that's it.
- On with the challenge.
- No! Gordon.
Uh-oh.
Oh, gosh! Reid: Gordon has the same haircut as Christina.
He kind of looked like a girl.
That's not a fat Ed Sheeran.
This is me when I was about six years old.
Why do they have on these ridiculous baby outfits? Aarón is not even wearing shoes.
He's wearing socks.
All right, guys, when we were your age, we ate great food that all kids love.
One of my favorite things to eat is something you could eat as a snack or you can cook into thousands of dishes.
It is, in fact, cheese.
On this board, you have a beautiful array of cheeses from around the world.
My favorite food is crunchy, sometimes sweet.
It is, of course, cereal! - Both: Cereal.
- When I was a kid, I could literally eat this every day.
And, honestly, not a lot has changed.
Now, my favorite food when I was a kid was something I could eat right out of a can.
It is canned tuna.
- Tuna? - Delicious and versatile.
So many ways you can go with a can of tuna.
Those cheeks were so big, I could fit a can in each side.
All right, guys, your second advantage is that you will be choosing the ingredient that everyone else has to cook with tonight.
It feels amazing to have the power now.
Cheese is just too easy.
- Top ten is around the corner.
- Cereal.
So I wanna chose a hard ingredient, but I really want all my friends to stay in this competition.
Can of tuna? So this is gonna be a tough decision.
Which one of our three childhood favorites is everyone gonna have to cook with tonight? We're gonna go for - Oh.
- Huh? What's happening? - Huh? - Wait, a baby? Why are there baby pictures? - Where are the judges? - I don't know.
- ( screaming, laughing ) - Oh, my God! - Oh, my God! - Sadie: I love your overalls.
- Guys! Aarón.
- You look like a baby.
That's right, this was me.
Aww! - Hi, baby.
- What? Christina, what happened to you? - Look at her hair.
- Aww! - Oh, Gordon.
Uh-oh.
- Oh, God.
Oh, no! He looks like a blond version of me.
It's not funny.
In case you can't tell, back in the pantry, all three of us were transformed into much younger versions of ourselves.
We gave Reid and Aaron the choice of three things that we loved to eat as kids.
They were cheese.
Cereal.
And canned tuna.
Reid and Aaron decided that you will be cooking with Gordon: Canned tuna.
Now, you'll have access to the incredible MasterChef pantry.
- Yes! - Yeah! You will have one hour to make us an elevated MasterChef-worthy dish using canned tuna.
Unfortunately, at the end of tonight, two of you young home cooks will be heading home.
Che: I'm a little nervous, 'cause we got canned tuna.
I mean, I kinda like it, but how am I going to elevate that? How am I going to make that MasterChef Junior quality? It's an elimination challenge.
I mean, you can't mess up, otherwise you're straight out the door.
You will have one hour to make us an elevated MasterChef-worthy dish using canned tuna.
Your time starts now! Oh, there they go.
Go! Go! Go! Oh, jeez, what am I gonna make? - Canned tuna.
- Tuna! Tuna! - Get the baskets! - Two tuna cans.
Where are the string beans? Can someone pass me the arugula? The what? Oh, yeah, I can do that.
- Let's get out of these outfits.
- Please.
- I agree.
- Bye.
- What? - How'd you do it? Oh, where's that fennel? Back in New York, I always make salads for my mom.
Let's go, guys.
So I've decided I'm gonna make a tuna nicoise salad with a tuna cake, quail eggs, and a killer vinaigrette.
- Che, how many you cooking for, bud? - I don't know.
I just hope that my dish will be elevated enough for the judges.
Aaron: Unpack that, Che.
I'm trying.
It's a lot of stuff.
Guys, tonight we go from the top 12 into the top 10.
There's so much pressure with a can of tuna.
Thanks a lot, Reid.
Now, why did Reid choose canned tuna? - Simply the most challenging.
- Oh, my gosh.
Christina: It really is a true challenge for these home cooks, in terms of innovation, knowing tuna.
How do you lighten it? How do you make us believe that this dish didn't come from a can? We want an elevated, MasterChef quality dish.
We don't want tuna fish on toast.
- Kyle, what are you doing? - Pasta.
- Oh, that's very risky.
- Guys, come on.
50 minutes remaining.
Let's go.
Guys, remember, it's elimination challenge.
I am making spicy tuna sushi, pickled cucumbers, and fried sushi.
I am making this because it goes great with my heritage because Japanese people love sushi.
Looking good, Malia.
This is in honor to them.
I'm making a tuna pot pie with some onions, some carrots, and some celery.
I never made this before, but I'm feeling good about it.
Because even though I'm one of the youngest ones here, I can cook my way to being safe from elimination.
I'm making a tuna cake with corn salsa, but I've actually never cooked real tuna or canned tuna.
But I eat canned tuna, and I like to have it with mayonnaise.
Get some crackers, get on the couch, then watch TV from there.
I need to roll it out more.
It's too thick.
Young man, how we doing? Hi, Chef.
I'm doing great.
How many tins of tuna have you eaten? - Zero.
- What? Last time I tried it, kindergarten ugh! I threw up after.
Kyle, would you try it? Oh, no.
Mm-mm.
Try a little piece.
It's delicious.
- There you go.
- ( gags ) - What is happening? - Wow! - Ugh! - Gordon: Oh, boy.
Describe the dish.
What are you making? So I am making a tagliatelle - with chili spicy puttanesca sauce.
- Oh, lovely.
So how you gonna enrobe that delicious tuna? I am going to add it to the puttanesca sauce, and I'm gonna make it lightly spicy so that it doesn't take over the tuna flavor.
- Love that idea.
Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Come on, Jaala.
You got this.
- Jaala.
- Hello, Chef.
- What are you making? - I'm making tuna cakes with salsa, a bean and corn salad, with chipotle aioli.
I love the idea of that.
So is there anything you're worried about in your dish that could put you in jeopardy? Well, I can't try the tuna because I'm allergic to seafood.
- Got ya.
- And I would have to be rushed to the hospital - if I put it near my mouth.
- Got you.
So you've gotta really play to freshness, fresh herbs, acidity, - strong seasoning.
- Yes, definitely.
- Jaala, good luck.
- Thank you.
Reid: Come on, Matthew.
- All right, so, Ben.
- Hello.
The idea of tuna, what were your thoughts? I've never eaten it in my whole life.
So, Ben, what are you making, buddy? I'm making a Thai tuna curry with coconut Jasmine rice.
Where does your love for those flavors come from? Well, I've gone to Thai restaurants and I make curry with my mom and I really like it.
And also I really want to go to Thailand because I love to travel.
Stick with it, keep your head focused.
Good luck.
Sadie, tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I am making tuna croquettes, fried vegetables, and a malt vinegar aioli.
I love the idea.
If you were to become America's next MasterChef Junior, what would you do with that money? - I would buy 19 cats.
- What? Really? - I aspire to be a crazy cat lady.
- Hold on a minute.
But number 19 is very random.
Well, 19's actually my lucky number because the 19th Amendment allows women to vote.
I think women should be voting constantly.
- Don't you think? - Yeah.
So if you were to vote on the best chef in the world, - who would that be? - Julia Child.
She is amazing.
I like that.
Right, young lady, - good luck.
- Thank you.
I smell grilling in there.
Home cooks, just over 15 minutes to go.
Give yourself enough time.
This is an elimination challenge, and two of you will be leaving us tonight.
- Make sure it's not you.
- Reid: Come on, guys.
Step up your game, guys.
I forgot my tuna.
What is Brielle doing? - Brielle, what are you doing? - Yes? I forgot to put my tuna in there.
There's no tuna in that pot pie? Brielle, tuna is the challenge.
Yes, Chef.
Christina: There are 15 minutes left in this elimination challenge and Brielle hasn't even opened a can of tuna.
Gordon: Oh, dear.
Brielle forgot the tuna - Yeah.
- in her pot pie.
- Christina: She isn't even rushing.
- Gordon: Oh, dear.
Come on, Brielle.
You got this.
Right, she's just mending it right now.
Gordon: Yeah, she's doing patchwork like she's doing a cosmetic surgery operation.
Oh, my God, she has to get that in the oven immediately.
Eight minutes to go.
Come on, guys.
Reid: Come on, guys.
You got this.
It's smelling good.
Big night, and I'm so impressed with the array of dishes.
That looks good.
They know it's elimination and we'll be entering the top ten.
- Christina: Wow.
- I have enough time.
- Everything's perfect.
- Taste everything.
It's done.
60 seconds to go, guys.
Remember, two of you, sadly, will be leaving the competition shortly.
Make sure it's not you.
Come on, guys! Looking amazing.
- Thank you.
- Mmm.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Hands in the air.
- And done! - ( cheering ) - Good job, everybody.
Tonight we asked you to spend the last 60 minutes creating an exciting dish with canned tuna.
And now it's time to see how they taste.
First up, Malia.
- ( cheering ) - Reid: Come on, Malia.
I make a lot of sushi every New Year because it was my great-grandma's tradition.
It's supposed to bring good luck to the next year.
But hopefully this will bring me great luck today.
Malia, that looks incredible.
- Describe the dish, please.
- I have made for you a tuna roll with some vegetables and fried tuna and fried avocado.
- Do you do this at home? - I do with my mom.
Right.
Gotcha.
Now, I wanna get in there.
Okay.
I just love the finesse.
How long did you cook the rice for? About 20 minutes.
Young lady, it's - incredible.
- Thank you.
It's cooked beautifully, seasoned beautifully.
The shape is cut beautifully.
And it's like it's just come out of Japanese restaurant.
Thank you.
You are really seriously multifaceted.
What I can guarantee with this dish, A, you're not going home, and B, congratulations, 'cause you are the first in the top ten.
- Thank you.
- Well done, young lady.
That was a brilliant job.
Amazing.
Great job, Malia.
- Great job, Malia.
- Thank you.
Next up, Kyle.
- Good job, Kyle.
- Good job, Kyle.
Even though I hate tuna, I accepted the challenge, and I think I nailed this dish despite that.
But this is gonna be the first and last dish of canned tuna I'm ever going to make.
Kyle, canned tuna.
- What was your first reaction? - Eww.
But I knew that I have to create something delicious from something gross.
So I decided to elevate this dish by making tagliatelle with a spicy puttanesca sauce with tuna, and on top, you have a dollop of ricotta.
I'm curious why this big spoonful of ricotta.
The puttanesca sauce was a little spicy when I tried it.
So I added a dollop of ricotta on top to, like, subdue that really strong spice.
Hmm.
Kyle, I'm curious why this big spoonful of ricotta.
The puttanesca sauce was a little spicy when I tried it.
So I added a dollop of ricotta on top to, like, subdue that really strong spice.
Hmm.
The sauce itself is really spicy.
- Mm-hmm.
- And so if I get heat first, - I don't get tuna.
- Yes, Chef.
There are some things that I really appreciate about it.
You knew that that pasta sauce was too spicy, so you tried to be really thoughtful about giving us ricotta and lemon zest.
But then there's capers, chives, and then there's some other dried herbs, and what masks the one flavor that's meant to be the star.
- Tuna.
- Tuna.
But I really appreciate the effort.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Kyle.
- Whoo! - Good job.
- Good job, Kyle.
Next up, Che.
Che: The one thing I'm nervous about is that my salad is a little too basic.
But I know I've put a lot of flavor in there and love and creativity.
So I think all those things are gonna really elevate the dish.
I hope it does, and I hope I stay into top ten.
- Describe your dish, please.
- So I made a nicoise salad, and then to incorporate the tuna in there, I made a tuna cake.
Mmm! Wonderful.
It has great acidity by way of that vinaigrette.
Mustard is in check.
It's not overpowering.
I love the texture from the cake.
All the elements in the salad make sense.
It's hitting really high notes on so many different levels.
- Great job, young man.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Matthew: Good job, Che! - Next up, Sadie.
Today I made tuna croquettes with a malt vinegar Dijon aioli, frisée salad, and fried vegetables.
Wow.
I can see tuna flaked through these croquettes.
I think your flavors are on point.
So elegantly balanced.
I think this is the most elegant dish I have ever seen made out of a can of tuna.
- Very nice job.
- Thank you.
- Great job, Sadie.
- Good job.
Next up, Matthew.
Let's go.
I made a pan-seared tuna cake with southwest salsa and mayonnaise sauce.
Why did you pan fry over deep frying? When you deep fry them, I kind of felt like it took away the tuna flavor and made it more like fast-food.
The tuna cakes are delicious.
Really good.
But what it needs on the outside is a little bit more color.
That salsa, a touch heavy on the seasoning, - but it's a good job.
- Thank you.
Next up, Jaala.
What's the dish? You have tuna cakes with a bean, corn salad mix, salsa, and chipotle aioli.
This is, like, more of a spicy dish.
I think the spice level is awesome.
It matches with that sort of southwestern Tex-Mex thing that you're going with.
The tuna, it's nice and moist, but I want more of this aioli that's just dotted around.
There's not enough there.
But, otherwise, - you did a nice job.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Jaala.
- Whoo! Good job, Jaala.
You should be very proud of yourself.
Next up, Ben.
Come on up here, young man.
I never have tuna at home.
I probably have negative ten cans in my pantry.
Whoa! But I really love Thai curry and I make it a lot with my mom.
So tonight it's Thailand tuna.
Ben, describe your dish, please.
I have made Thai tuna curry with coconut Jasmine rice and garnished with cilantro.
So, visually this right here just looks like a lot of food, and it's not very appealing, to be very honest, Ben.
But let's see if the taste delivers, okay? Yes, Chef.
So what is it in that curry that I'm gonna be drawn to? So it's gonna have the curry flavor.
There's a little lime juice in there, ginger, garlic.
As far as the flavor of the curry, it's a little bit muddled.
You could've benefited from more fresh ingredients and not cooking the vegetables so much.
- Yeah.
- The tuna was your attempt to try to elevate the presentation.
It kind of fell short.
But I love the fact that you went for a curry.
You cooked the rice beautifully.
It's scented with the right amount of jasmine, but I don't know if this is enough yet.
- Thank you, though, Ben.
- Matthew: Good job, Ben.
- Good job, Ben.
- Last up, Brielle.
Kid: Whoo! I don't eat tuna very much, but I do make chicken pot pie with my granny.
- Come on, Brielle.
- I'm worried because I got the tuna in the dish late.
But I hope my flavors are there and it's enough to make me safe.
Brielle, describe the dish, please.
It's a tuna pot pie with a pea, pearl onion, carrot salad.
Something happened tonight.
What did you forget to put inside your pot pie? I forgot the tuna.
How do you make a tuna pot pie and forget to put the tuna in? Well, I was really distracted, and I was really going really fast.
Now, visually, the pastry is all ripped and torn.
Is that where you ripped it open to put the tuna in? Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
I'm an optimist.
- Let's get in there and taste it, shall we? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
Dear, oh, dear.
Brielle.
Oh, boy.
Brielle, visually, the pastry is all ripped and torn.
Is that where you ripped it open to put the tuna in? - Yes, Chef.
- Oh, dear.
I'm an optimist.
Let's get in there - and taste it, shall we? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
Did you have a roux in here? - Yes, Chef.
- And where did that go? - I think it soaked up with the vegetables.
- Looks like right.
Unfortunately, the roux is not there.
There's no sort of thickness to it.
And, unfortunately, the pastry's raw there.
See? But what I do like is the freshness of the peas.
The peas give it lift.
Peas and fish go well together.
If you rolled the pastry a little bit thinner, I think we could've got there.
But I don't think this has been your strongest performance.
Thank you, Brielle.
Sadie: Even though this is an elimination challenge, I don't really wanna see anyone get eliminated.
All the contestants and I, we're like family.
Reid, Aaron, please, come and take a station down here.
But this is a competition, so I know there are gonna be two people that are gonna have to go home.
Wow, well done.
Tonight we saw some amazing dishes.
But I think we all agree that the best dish of the night belongs to Malia.
That was outstanding.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
Well, plenty to celebrate tonight, but as always, unfortunately, there's always some bad news.
If we say your name, please step down to the front.
Kyle.
Brielle.
Ben.
I thought I was gonna be in the top three, not the bottom three.
I want to get in the top ten and prove to the judges that I'm a great chef and that I can be the next MasterChef Junior.
Unfortunately, tonight, two of you will be going home.
If I say your name, please step forward.
Brielle.
And Kyle.
Which means, Ben young man, you are safe.
Head back to your station, please.
Brielle.
Now, Kyle, Brielle, you two have got nothing to be upset about.
You made the top 12.
Think how much stronger you've become.
You've got some great friends for life, and you've been in the most famous kitchen in America.
Just think of those bragging rights when you step into that classroom.
Everyone wants to be your best mate now.
Well done.
Now, come up here and say good-bye.
Please, here we go.
- Hey, I'm so proud of you.
- Give me a hug.
Come on.
You've been amazing, come on.
- You did a really great job.
- You did great, buddy.
Gordon: Come here, big boy.
You've been amazing.
Huh? Haven't you? Brielle: I'm really sad I'm going home, but I learned a real lot in this competition.
Well done.
Even though I'm not in the MasterChef Junior kitchen, I'm still gonna keep cooking at home in Atlanta.
I love you, Brielle.
It's really heartbreaking to be eliminated.
But out of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of kids who have tried out, I've made it to the top 12.
Bye, Brielle.
I feel like I've made lifelong friends that I'm never gonna forget, including three of the best chefs in the world.
Great job, guys.
Well done.
My MasterChef Junior journey might be over, but I still plan to become a travel food blogger or open my own restaurant.
- Bye! - Bye, guys! - Bye.
- Matthew: Bye, guys! Never stop cooking.
- Announcer: Next time - We need more flour! - the top ten - Go! Go! Go! Keep pulling it.
are stretched to the limit We're just rolling and rolling and rolling.
in a high stakes team challenge.
If we win, we get to pour marinara sauce on Gordon Ramsay's head.
- And then - Eclairs.
- Oh, my God.
- an elimination test with a shocking result.
We are gonna do something that we've never done before - on "MasterChef Junior.
" - No! We're cooking up fun on MasterChef Junior.
Now here are a few more shows to check out from Fox.
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