The Junior MasterChef USA has been a treat to watch for years now. MasterChef Junior edition is an cooking competition involving children aged 8 to 13 which premiered on Fox on September 27, 2013. It is based on the format of the British Junior MasterChef series.
In October 2023, the series was renewed for season nine with Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez and Daphne Oz as returning judges along with new judge Tilly Ramsay. The season premiered on March 4, 2024.
Format of MasterChef Junior
Any child who is aged between eight and thirteen can be a participant in the show by applying at their web or via an open audition. Over time, contestants have been called through various ways including or sometimes it is just high achievers and other times they are selected through a contest.
Just like its parent show – MasterChef, the challenges listed below have been constant features of the program
Skills Test: Cooks are made to prepare for meals using some of the common cooking techniques/styles or to repeat the exact method of cooking a certain dish (i.e. steaks cooked precisely how people want them). Such a test is also used as an Elimination Test sometimes.
Team Challenge: The cooks are either separated into subgroups by supervisors or adjudicators. Normally, these competitions take place during a restaurant takeover or a pop-up restaurant which replaces the staff at the respective restaurants. Therefore those dining will have to sample both dishes so that they can choose their preferred one in the end. The successful team goes forward while the unsuccessful one either takes part in Pressure Tests or faces elimination according to how well each of them performed.
Pressure Test: A variation on the elimination test in which members from different defeated teams compete against each other for who can create a certain dish within an exceedingly short period during which great skill is necessary for cooking skills. On flavor, presentation, and method this meal is evaluated, with leading to losing chef being kicked out completely from competition.
Mysterious Box: Every chef receives an identical container of contents to make sure that they only utilize those components in their meals for a restricted period. Only three are picked by the judges out of the various dishes on the grounds of beauty and methods for taste testing, from which one winner is chosen who may sometimes be given the leg up in the next stage.
Elimination Test: As soon as we have understood what this challenge involves, all judges start tasting food according to its enticing taste and style. The judges name several worst plates that may lead to elimination as well as referencing them when making a decision about who will stay after losing at least one person.
MasterChef Junior Season 1 (2013)
Chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliott and Joe Bastianich served as the judges of the season premiere that aired on September 27, 2013. Alexander Weiss won the title of MasterChef Junior season 1 at age thirteen from New York City. He was also a semi-finalist Troy Glass now known for acting in various roles including appearing on “Kids React” among other cooking shows as well as making guest appearances in television serials such as “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
MasterChef Junior Season 2 (2014)
The second season saw its launch date on November 4, 2014, and similar to its predecessor it had judges who are Gordon Ramsay,Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich. The winner of MasterChef Junior season two was Logan Guleff an eleven year old boy from Memphis,Tennessee.
MasterChef Junior Season 3 (2015)
Before production on season two commenced, on March 5, 2014, MasterChef Junior was given the option to live for a third season. The third season started airing from January 6, 2015, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich reprising their roles as judges. A twelve-year-old boy living in San Diego, California won the third season of MasterChef Junior by the name of Nathan Odom.
MasterChef Junior Season 4 (2016)
Fourth season premiered on November 6, 2015, with judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Christina Tosi. Addison Smith, a nine-year old from River Forest, Illinois, won MasterChef Junior season 4.
MasterChef Junior Season 5 (2017)
The fifth season made its debut on February 9, 2017, and the judges were chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi with several guest judges like Julie Bowen and Mayim Bialik. Jasmine Stewart, an eleven year old girl hailing from Milton in Georgia emerged as MasterChef Juniors' season five champion. She is also known for being the first eliminated contestant who won this competition.
MasterChef Junior Season 6 (2018)
The sixth season was first shown on March 2, 2018, with the again appearing chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi as judges, alongside returning judge Joe Bastianich who served in the capacity of a third judge. Beni Cwiakala, a nine-year-old boy from Chicago, Illinois, was the winner of MasterChef Junior season six.
MasterChef Junior Season 7 (2019)
A two-episode special will open the seventh season, as it was revealed on February 13, 2019, and it will be aired on March 12 of that year with the trio made up of Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and Aarón Sánchez as judges. Che Spiotta from Boiceville, New York, was declared winner of MasterChef Junior season 7 at just twelve years old.
MasterChef Junior Season 8 (2022)
The announcement of the eighth season return was made in July 2019 having Ramsay and Sanchez as judges alongside Daphne Oz who took over from Tosi. It started airing on March 17, 2022. The victor for MasterChef Junior 8th seasons was a 10-year-old Liya Chu hailing from Scarsdale, New York.
MasterChef Junior Season 9 (2024)
The prospect of a ninth season was mentioned for the first time on December 20, 2022. The Twitter announcement was re-posted on September 8, 2023. On October 12, 2023, it was announced that the series would return for a ninth season featuring previous judges Ramsay, Sánchez and Oz along with new judge Tilly Ramsay. On December 13, 2023, it was revealed that the season would begin airing from 4 March, 2024. The announcement of the 12 new contestants came on February 21, 2024. Bryson McGlynn from Opelika, Alabama emerged as winner of MasterChef Junior season 9 at just 11 years old.
Who is the youngest person to win MasterChef Junior?
The youngest person to win MasterChef Junior is Addison Smith, who won Season 4 (2016) and Beni Cwiakala who won Season 6 (2018) at the age of 9.