"Last week..." " Ugh." " Get open." "Scallops!" "Some junior home cooks..." " Ugh!" " Came out of their shell..." "Great dish." "Really tasty." "I've got a feeling you're gonna be around a long time." "But for Chad and Annabelle..." "Both of you, I'm sorry." "It was the end of their "MasterChef Junior" dreams." "Bye, guys!" "Good luck to ya!" "Tonight..." "The competition blasts off." " Whoa." " That is awesome." "The top 20 junior home cooks face an out-of-this-world challenge." "Make the very best cheese dish in this entire universe." "Which home cook will rocket to the top?" "Absolutely perfectly done." "Mmm, delicious." " Well done." " Thank you." "And whose journey will come to an end?" "What have you put in there?" "I forgot to season it." "Agh!" "Yeah!" "Oh, my gosh!" " A giant mystery box!" " What?" "I want!" " Are the judges in there?" " Uh-oh." "That is big." "No, not again!" " That is huge." " Oh, my gosh!" "I want to know what it is!" "Ten... nine..." "Shh." "Wait, maybe we can hear something." " Seven... six..." " Just like an alien." "Five... four..." " A rocket ship?" " Three... two..." "One." "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for "MasterChef."" "Hi, guys." "Whoo!" "Hair's kinda messed up." "Now, when I was your age," "I wanted to be three things:" "A soccer player, a chef, and an astronaut." "Oh, yeah." "Who wants to be an astronaut when they grow up?" "Me!" "Me!" "What if I told you I knew somebody that had actually walked in space, and they lived on board the space station for 174 days?" " I'd be surprised." " Whoa." "Awesome!" "Please welcome Tracy Dyson." "Oh, my gosh." "She's been launched into space twice." "A real, live astronaut." "Are you kidding me?" "I've always wanted to be a chef, an astronaut, and a spy." "So, it's amazing to see an accomplished astronaut." "That's, like, one of the things on my bucket list." "Right, I'm sure we've got some excited questions." "Kya, please." "Have you seen any aliens?" "Well, I lived up there with about five other guys." "Do those count?" "Right, next." "Ian, please." "Did you ever cook in space?" "We were adding water to food that's already been cooked and reconstituting it." "That is awesome." "Let's see." "Right inside this box here." " Looks a little bit like this." " Whoa." "The portions look tiny." "That's because all the water's been removed." "Once you rehydrate it, it looks a little bit more like a normal portion." "Wow, so no drive-thru takeaways." "No." "Incredible." "Thank you, my darling." " That's amazing." " You're very welcome." "So, guys, there is no greater mystery than outer space." "Except, of course, what's under your mystery box." "Go to your culinary space stations so we can find out." "Yes, astronaut." "All right, obviously tonight's challenge is space-themed." "Ooh." "Corey, any guesses what's under that mystery box?" "A chunk of moon." " A chunk of moon." " Moon." "Kamilly, what do you think's under that mystery box?" "Cheese, 'cause the moon's made out of cheese." "Interesting." "Right, on the count of three, lift those boxes." "Do me well, box." "One... two... three, blast off." "Cheese!" " Yeah!" " Whoa!" "Every real astronaut will tell you that the moon is made of cheese." "I knew it!" "Yummy!" "What?" "The moon is made of cheese?" "Oh, my God." "This is awesome!" "I love cheese." "You have all sorts of amazing cheeses:" "Gruyere, Swiss, brie, manchego, smoked Gouda, and Gorgonzola." "You're all gonna be making a MasterChef-quality cheese dish." "And along with all that cheese, you'll also have access to a limited pantry." "All of you, it's time to say good-bye to the amazing Tracy, our real-life astronaut." "Bye, Tracy!" " Take care." " Bye." " I touched her!" " Bye!" " I'm touching space." " Bye!" " Yay!" " High-five!" "I touched her!" " Good luck, you guys." " Bye!" "Bye!" "Bye!" "All right, guys, you will have just one hour to make us a MasterChef-quality cheese dish that is truly out of this world." "Your 60 minutes starts... now!" "Potatoes!" "Potatoes!" "Potatoes!" "Oh, my gosh." "I'm doing a chicken cordon bleu with a fettuccini ratatouille, because back in Hong Kong, my dad would always make chicken cordon bleu." "I would love to go to outer space, but I wanna be a chef." "Wow, there are so many cheeses." "It sounds like a very easy mystery box challenge, but it's not, it's actually quite difficult." "Totally hard." "You've got to have a little taste with them first." " Exactly." " Take away the intimidating cheeses you're not familiar with." "And then start incorporating that across the dish in order for it to become the hero." "I am making ricotta cookies with a blackberry sauce." "Back home in Arizona, my dad introduced me to the world of baking, and I know so many recipes with ricotta, so I feel really good." "This is hard to cut." " Addison." " Yes?" "What are you making?" "I'm making a three-cheese ravioli with a manchego, basil pesto." "So you're making fresh pasta?" " Yes." " Wow." "Have you made this before?" " I have." " Who taught you?" "My mom." "What'd you think when you saw those bags of space food?" "I wanted to try them." "If I was going to space, I'd need Tabasco in one pocket, salt and pepper in the other, because that food," "I think, needs a little bit of help, right?" "Yes." "Is this gonna be your victory tonight, this mystery box challenge?" " It is." " All right, good luck." "Okay." " Kaitlyn." " Hi." "What are you making with cheese?" "Lemon ricotta cookies with ricotta butter cream." " Okay." " And a lemon glaze." "Do you bake a lot at home?" "Well, back home in New York," "I like making cream cheese frosting for my velvet cupcakes." "Yes!" "That's what I'm talking about." "All right, good luck, Kaitlyn." "Thank you." "Halfway gone." "28 minutes remaining." " Hey, Derek." " Hello." "Now, how amazing was it to have an astronaut?" "It was amazing because I love all sorts of science." "I am the food scientist." "I look at a recipe, and then I experiment." "And today you can see I have the smoke gun out." "Wow, so what are you making?" "I am making a crepe." " I'm using Gruyere cheese." " Okay." "With a nice brie cheese." "Wow, and all of a sudden, you're, like, blowing me away." "Well, it's time for the smoke gun." "Do it, smoke on." "Oh, dear." "Agh!" "All right, JJ, so how good is this cheese dish that you're making gonna taste?" "It is one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world." "Tell me about it." "I made a cheese enchilada." "I got the sharp cheddar and I mixed it with Gouda, 'cause I know Gouda gives a nice, smoky flavor." "It's inspired by Tex-Mex." "A lot of Mexican foods are spicy and smoky." "That's why I put it in." "It's been a very interesting and a very fun... process." "Good luck." "All right, guys, just ten minuets left!" "Oh, my gosh." "Behind you." "They've come up with some incredible dishes." "I mean, they look amazing." "Very decisive and very creative." "This dish is gonna send the judges to the moon." "60 seconds to go!" "God!" "Start plating!" "Let's go, guys!" "Finish strong!" "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..." "Five, four, three, two, one!" " And stop!" " Blast off!" "Hands in the air." "Let's go, guys!" "15 seconds to go!" " Gosh." " Speed up, guys." "Make those cheese dishes look beautiful." "Let's go, you want that advantage." "Let's go, guys!" "Finish strong!" "Five, four, three, two, one!" "And stop!" "Hands in the air!" "Blast off!" "Well done!" "Now, as you cooked over the last 60 minutes, we saw everything, and we tasted as you cooked along." "Now it's time to bring forward the three dishes that we are dying to take an even closer look at." "The first dish incorporated more than one cheese, and the dish is finished off with an incredible sauce." "Please, step forward..." "Addison." "Whoo!" "Yeah, Addy!" "Yes!" "I feel so proud of my dish." "It has so much cheese, and I really think it's gonna taste out of this world." "Right, young lady, describe the dish, please." "You have a three-cheese ravioli with ricotta, mozzarella, and Asiago cheese, and a basil pesto." "Wow, visually, it's beautiful." "It's rustic, it's charming." "That looks like it's just come out of an Italian restaurant." "I have a lot of Italian in my blood." "Love it." "Why pesto over the ravioli?" "I've made pesto my whole life." "All nine years of it." "Yes." "Right, how did you combine the cheese in the center?" "I used an immersion blender and two eggs." "Pasta's nice and thin." "Mmm, wow." "Addison, three-cheese ravioli, delicious." "The blend is beautiful." "Seasoned perfectly." "You've made the most amazing raviolis, but when you sit them on top of one another," " you flatten them." " Yeah." "So next time give your stunning raviolis a little bit more space to breathe." " Okay." " But listen, they're filled beautifully, and the pasta's got a bite, so good job." " Well done." " Thank you." "Excellent." "Whoo!" "The second dish that we want to examine further has used the cheese in a different way than 99% of the other cooks out there, and that dish belongs to..." "Kaitlyn." "I'm so happy that I made it in the top three." "I think it's really risky to do a dessert and make something totally different." "So I'm hoping that will set me apart." "All right, Kaitlyn, these look great." "The dish that you made us, tell me exactly what it is." "I decided to put a little twist on macaroons." "Mm-hmm." "They're lemon ricotta cookies with ricotta butter cream and a lemon glaze." "Wow, so like, triple lemon throw-down." " Yep." " All right." "So, how old are you?" "I'm 11 years old." "Do you think that this shows who you are as far as, like, being a student?" "'Cause this really is one of the best classrooms in the world, if you think about it." "I kind of like to do things a little bit differently than my teacher asks me to do, and I always end up getting in trouble for it." "But in the end, I'll always figure out some way to do it." "You've got the foundation nailed." "Really tasty." "They pop with lemon, but that ricotta really comes through, which is almost like a sweet cream." "It's got just a beautiful dairy flavor, and that's what I'm getting from here." "Anything, the sugar in the filling could be incorporated a little more." "It's still got a little bit of graininess to it, but tonight you're top of the class." "Great job." "Really proud." "Thank you, thank you." " Whoo!" " Good job." "The third and last dish that we'd like to take a closer look at has cheese that has been stuffed into something delicious." "The dish belongs to..." "JJ." "I'm a little disappointed that I didn't make the top three." "I thought my smoke gun was gonna do it, but I'm happy for JJ." "His enchiladas are looking amazing." "All right, JJ, what did you put together?" "I have a cheese enchilada with a cheese crisp." "I used sharp cheddar and Gouda." "What started your passion for cooking?" "My dad, when I was two he would get me a stool out, and I would be the one with the spoon stirring the pot." "Now, I'm so curious, this cheese crisp is done so well, right?" "You can hear it." "Why did you choose to incorporate such a sort of fancy technique?" "I like crispy cheese, and I like enchiladas." "And it's just, like, why not?" "JJ, there's so much soul in the flavor of that enchilada sauce." "It's so deep." "That is delicious." "And it's the perfect accompaniment to those really rich cheeses that you chose." "I think you knocked it out of the park." " Good job." " Thank you." " Whoo!" " Great job, JJ." "Thanks." " Three great dishes." " Totally different cheeses." " Yes." " Totally different approach." "But all three dishes highlighted the cheese as the star." "Exactly." "Three amazing dishes, truly out of this world." "But there can only be one winner tonight, and the home cook with the best dish, the one who's gonna be rocketed straight to the top of the competition, that home cook is... congratulations..." "Kaitlyn." " Good job, Kaitlyn." " Good job." "Good job, Kaitlyn." "Can you three go and stand behind the front station, and could everybody else come down and join them, please?" "Let's go." "Kaitlyn, that was an incredible dish." "Well done." "You will of course get a huge advantage for winning that challenge tonight." "But first, let us show everybody, including you, exactly what tonight's next challenge is." "Gentlemen." "That mystery box challenge began with a trip to outer space." "But for this next challenge, it's time to come back down to earth." " Oh!" " Or should I say, splash down into the ocean." " Yes!" " Yay!" " Yes, it has..." " They have salmon!" " Mackerel!" " Yes, yes, yes, same as him." "Holy mackerel, that's a lot of fish." "There's halibut!" "Welcome to the MasterChef fish market." "We have halibut, branzino, Tai snapper, yellowtail, wild salmon, sea bass, and ruby snapper." "Now, in this challenge, you will all have to make us a stunning, delicious fish dish, featuring one of these incredible fish." "Who's worried about filleting those fish alone?" " Me, ma'am." " Me, Chef." "Well, you don't have to be." "We don't have to be?" "Wait, what?" "Do we get our own chef?" "Who wants to see me filet a fish real quick?" "Sea bass!" "Sea bass!" " The mackerel." " Salmon, salmon, salmon." "I got the best fish of all time." "Who wants to see me filet a real fish?" " Yeah!" " Yay!" "The fish I have eats those little guys for breakfast." "Let me show you a real one." "Give me a sec." "Graham says he has an even bigger fish." "What could be bigger than these huge fish?" "Oh, no, I'm scared!" " Eww." " Oh, my God!" "That's a fish!" "Who wants to see me filet a fish real quick?" " Sea bass!" "Sea bass!" " The mackerel." "I got the best fish of all time." "The fish I have eats those little guys for breakfast." "Let me show you a real one." "Give me a sec." "Graham says he has an even bigger fish." "What could be bigger than these huge fish?" "Oh, my gosh." "Is Graham, like, gonna come back with a giant dragon fish?" "Oh, no, I'm scared!" " Eww." " Oh, my God!" "That's a fish!" "That is what I call a real fish." " Oh!" " Oh, my God!" "Is that a piranha?" "Now, this is a moonfish." "That looks like Jaws!" "Weighs about 115 pounds." "Whoa." "Who wants to see me filet this thing?" "All right, let's do this." "I'm really happy that Graham, my favorite chef in the world, is gonna show us how to filet a fish." "This is, like, the best day ever." "This guy's got a giant bone plate here to control his organs, so I'm gonna cut just like this." "Once you're through that part, take it up here at the top." "Get as close to the bone as you can." "Go over that spine." "That's gonna try to leave as much meat as possible for us to take off." "Let the knife do the work." "Pull up gently so as not to tear the filet." "Even though you guys are not gonna be filleting a fish this big, this is pretty much the exact same technique you're gonna do with other fish." "Next we're gonna split this loin into two, following the seam of the filet." "Get your knife at an angle." "This is taking off the skin." "Now cut through." "Pull your fingers back." " See?" " Beautiful." "There's a filet." "There we go." "You're looking at close to 120 portions out of this giant fish." " Whoa!" " Whoa!" "Big old fishy!" "Great?" "Exciting?" " Yes, Chef!" " Thank you, guys." "Let's do it." "Watching Graham filet that fish so precise, that was one of my favorite lessons." "Maybe even more than science class." "Kaitlyn, because you won the mystery box challenge, you won't be cooking in this one." "And you are through to the next stage of the competition." "Yeah!" "Yeah, Kaity, whoo!" "But there's more." "That's right, Kaitlyn, tonight you will be the MasterChef fishmonger." "The fish what?" " Monger." " Monger?" "What's that?" "What is that?" "The person in charge of the fish." " Kaitlyn, come on up." " Oh, God." "Those are some stylish boots, Kaitlyn." "I've been to Seattle, and I've been to the markets." "So I know what fishmongers are, and I've seen them throwing fish from 20 feet away." " Very professional." " Love it." "Kaitlyn, there's one other final advantage we're gonna give you." "You will get to save one young, talented home cook that will also not have to cook in tonight's elimination challenge." "Who's that person gonna be?" "The person I'm choosing has great ideas, and I would like to have on my side." "This person is..." "Addison." "Right, Addison, please, head up to the balcony where Kaitlyn will join you shortly." "It would have been great to be saved, but I can do this challenge." "I can filet a fish." "I'm ready for it." "All right, Kaitlyn, it's time for you to hand out those fish." "You guys will take turns to come up and tell Kaitlyn, our fishmonger, what kind of fish you want to cook with." "Let's start with..." "Avery." "Please pick up a towel." "There you go." "What fish are you picking, Avery, please?" "Halibut." "Aghh!" "Ready?" "One, two, three." " Yay!" " Aghh!" "Well done, my darling." "That's exactly how it works." "Right, next up, Jesse, please." "Let's go." "Can I have a mackerel, please?" "Swim." "Hey, good catch!" "Wah!" "Nate, let's go!" "I would like a yellowtail, please." " Yellowtail, wow." " Yellowtail." " Nate, good job." " Look at you." "That fish is bigger than Kya." "Next up, Vivian, please." "Let's go." "I'll get the Tai snapper." "Oh!" " Nice job, Vivian." " You got it." "Next up, Jaeclyn, please." "Let's go!" "Can I please have the Tai snapper?" "Sam, please, let's go." "Can I get Tai snapper?" "Mia, please." "Oh, God." "And finally Kya, please!" "Come on, Kya!" "Salmon." " Oh!" " Good job, Kya!" "Filleting fish this tall and this big." "I don't know how I'm gonna do it." "Amazing." "Good girl." "All right, Kaitlyn, now please head up, and you're actually gonna be enjoying a couple fish dishes that I made myself using that awesome moonfish." "Go head up." "All right, it's time to get this challenge started." "Thank you." "Now you know what's on the line." "We will unfortunately be saying good-bye to some of you tonight." "Is everyone ready?" "Yes, Chef!" "60 minutes to create one incredible fish dish." "Your time starts... now!" " Come on, guys, you got it!" " Go, guys!" "Go, guys!" " Yeah!" " Find them fingerlings." " Onion." " Shallots." "Oh, yeah, baby!" "This is the awesomest thing of my life!" "Wow, look at this." "I mean, the fish that we gave them today represents everything, from rivers to lakes to oceans." "Tonight there's added pressure because they haven't gotten a portion of fish." "They've got a whole fish." "Okay, I removed the head." "We know these kids are good enough to filet their own fish." "It's how they butcher them, how they break them down, and what cut is it." "Can't you be a nice little fish for once?" "So if you're not that familiar with filleting a fish and butchering it, then there's a way of taking the skin off, scoring it, stuffing it with some fennel and lemon and actually baking the fish whole." "You've got sufficient time tonight." "Perfect, okay, there we go." "That's a way better cut." "I am doing a pecan-crusted halibut with a sweet potato mash and sour sauce." "This is my challenge." "I go fishing every day in the bayou, so I am not going home back to Louisiana without that trophy." "I am making a rustic ratatouille with the Tai snapper with a lemon and butter sauce." "I'm really proud of myself for filleting the fish perfectly, and I'm just really hoping this is a good sign of what's to come." "Today I'm gonna make a salmon confit with a daikon puree and cucumbers sunomono." "I want to incorporate some Asian flavors, 'cause that's where I'm from, and that's where my strengths are." "All right, guys, halfway there!" "30 minutes gone!" "30 minutes left!" " All right, Nate." " Hi there." "Tell me what you're cooking tonight." "I am making a sesame yellowfin tuna steak with a green bean, mushroom combination." "So going down the Asian route with this thing, huh?" " Yes, sir." " Beautiful." "Back in Philly, I cook a lot of Asian food." "Have you ever traveled to Asia?" "Nope, never traveled to Asia." "If you could travel anywywhere, where would you go?" "Asia." " Good luck, Nate." " Thank you." "Agh!" "Jaeclyn, how are you doing?" "Ah, I'm doing okay." "You're using the Tai snapper." " Yes." " Okay, tell me about the dish." "How are you cooking it?" "I am making fish tacos with a lime sauce and a coleslaw." "Wow, are you a big fan of tacos?" " Yes." " I love tacos." "My food dream is to open a restaurant in my hometown, Philly, called Taco Palace." "Wow." "Good luck." "Let's go." "Just over 12 minutes to go!" "All right, Ian, what's the fish?" "Talk me through it." "It's yellowfin tuna." "Are all your fish in the oven?" "No, I'm pan-searing them." "That's it right there?" "Ian hasn't even started his fish." "You don't have a hot pan, though." "You don't have anything ready to go." "I mean, there's, like, just over ten minutes to go." "None of the fish have been seasoned." "Pan's cold." "Oh, my God." "Um... oh, my God." "I'm getting really nervous, Ian." "That freaks me out." "I mean, do you have a game plan?" "And he still has to sautée asparagus." "Fish isn't cooked." "Oh, my God." "I cannot watch this." "This can't be happening." "Are all your fish in the oven?" "No, I'm pan-searing them." "That's it right there?" "Ian hasn't even started his fish." "You don't have a hot pan, though." "You don't have anything ready to go." "I'm getting really nervous, Ian." "That freaks me out." "Fish isn't cooked." "Oh, my God." "I mean, do you have a game plan?" "Where's all your other stuff?" "This can't be happening." "We got it." "We'll figure it out." "What's that for?" "That's gonna be, like, a sauce." "This is gonna be mashed potatoes." " Right." " Let's get that on." "If I were you, yeah, I'd get this, get it hot." "Yeah." "Ian, I know that you're eight years old, but you got this, and I know that you're gonna do yourself proud, us proud, and Indiana proud." "All right?" " Keep your head in the game." " Okay." "Good luck." "Ten minutes to go." " Derek, how you feeling?" " Great." "Now, you're cooking with a Dover sole." "That happens to be one of my favorite fish." "What are you serving it with?" "With a papas bravas and a caper sauce." "How far are you going in this competition?" "I think I'm going all the way." "Top ten, top five?" " Winning it." " Winning it?" " Good luck." " Thank you, Chef." "That's good." "Last three minutes, guys." "Let's go!" "Come on, guys!" "Hurry up!" "All right, some amazing-looking dishes." "But there are some dishes that I'm slightly worried about." "Yeah, absolutely." "Kyndall's oven-roasted vegetables aren't looking roasted, and I think that Kyndall's really gonna suffer for that." "Vivian's looked really suspect to me." "A ratatouille with a Tai snapper, don't get that at all." "No, no, don't go together." "You gotta be kidding me." "60 seconds to go!" "Start plating, please!" "Ten..." "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "And stop, guys!" " Hands in the air." " Oh, yeah!" " Good job, guys!" " Well done!" "Great job." "First up, the girl from Louisiana." "Avery, please, thank you." "I'm feeling great about my dish, 'cause my dish looks really good." "I tasted everything." "My fish is cooked perfectly." "I think I got this in the bag, yo." "Wow, wow, wow, Avery." "First of all, that looks beautiful." "Describe the dish, please." "This is a pecan-crusted halibut with a sweet potato mash and sour sauce." "Wow." "Why halibut?" "My daddy likes it." "Pecan." "Why pecans?" "'Cause my daddy likes them." "He's quite a hero, right?" "He's a good fisherman, yes?" "Yes, Chef." "Right, got you." "Okay, what did you season the mash with?" "It's just brown sugar." " Right." " Butter." "And then a little bit of salt." "Hmm." "Wow, fish is cooked beautifully." "Look, you can just see how it's all shiny and glistening." "Love the pecan crust on the outside." "It's seasoned beautifully." "But the mash and the acidity in that sauce absolutely lifts and combines all those flavors beautifully." "Do you think you've got what it takes to become America's next MasterChef Junior?" "Yes, I do, Chef." "Amazing." "Great job." "Well done, Chef." "Thank you." "Thank you, Chef." "Yes!" "I am so excited!" "I mean, he called me "chef."" "Watch out, Avery Hurricane is driving on through, straight to that trophy." "All right, next up, Jaeclyn." "Oh, yeah!" " Good luck." " Come on, Jaeclyn." "All right, Miss Jaeclyn, what did you make for us?" "I made fish tacos with lime sauce and lime coleslaw." "All right." "Why did you decide to make fish tacos?" "Do you eat a lot of fish tacos at home in Philly?" "Well, I don't really like fish, but I like tacos." "So I thought if I do fish on a taco, maybe I'd like it better." "That's a good point." "Did you get a chance to taste any of that fish to gauge how it was gonna work in there?" "No, I did not." "Let's give it a taste." "So, corn tortillas." "They've been fried in the pan there." "Yes." "Tai red snapper." "I love tacos, so hopefully it's good." "So, the fish is definitely..." "Miss Jaeclyn, did you get a chance to taste any of that fish to sort of gauge how it was gonna work in there?" "No, I did not." "Let's give it a taste." "So, the fish is definitely..." "Bland, which is a bummer." "I have to tell you, the concept of the fish taco, I applaud." "I think your aioli is delicious." "But because the fish is so bland, you really need a lot more of the other things to sort of help lift it up." "Yes." "And for me, you know, the beauty of a fish taco is that the fish is always the star." "Yeah, I like when people, like, tell me my mistakes, so I can redo it and practice it." "That's right." "Thank you, Jaeclyn." "You're very welcome." "I'm feeling very disappointed in myself, because I thought I did really good, but I am crossing my fingers, arms, legs, toes, and eyes that I'm not going home tonight." "All right, next up, please, Derek." "Derek, 11 years old, Pennsylvania, right?" "Yep." "Explain the dish to me like I was at your restaurant." "It is a Dover sole over roasted fingerling potatoes and sunchokes, with a smoke paprika aioli." "The idea is incorporating all the palate, the sweetness, the smokiness, and all sorts of flavors going." "Wow, that's an expensive fish that you see on a menu." "So, I mean, do you have, like, a refined palate, like fine dining kinda guy?" "I do have a refined palate." "All right." "So here's the thing." "There's really only three things on the plate." "What's amazing, though, is that it tastes like there could be 100 things on the plate, because they are so absolutely perfectly done." "I think your palate is arguably one of the best in the kitchen right now, because they are all seasoned to perfection." "You're definitely one of the guys to watch." " Good job, Derek." " Great job, Derek!" "Great job, Derek!" "That is arguably one of the best things anyone has ever said about my food." " It looked great." " Tasted so good." "I think I'm gonna have the best dish of the night." "Next up, from Arizona, Vivian, please." "Thank you." "Let's go." "All right, Vivian, describe the dish, please." "I made for you a Tai snapper over rustic ratatouille with a lemon sauce." "What's in the ratatouille?" "Zucchini, eggplant, onion, tomatoes and peppers." "So, unfortunately, the fish is really soggy." "So the skin is very, very chewy." "But the big issue is it's got all this almost like a raw vegetable ratatouille that sort of tastes a little bit bitter." "I love the lemon sauce, but unfortunately it's not the kind of sauce you serve with a fish." "Oh." "So, slightly disappointing." "Thank you." "Next up, Kya." "Come on, Kya!" "So, tell me about the dish." "Today we have a salmon confit with a daikon puree, a cucumber sunomono, and crispy skin." "I love that you chose to take down one of the biggest fish in the kitchen." "I like that you chose to confit the fish, which is a preparation that no one else in this kitchen used." "I think that the flavors are fantastic." "Very impressive dish." " Thank you." " Nice job, Kya." "Good job, Kya!" "Good job!" "Thank you." "Next up, please, Kyndall." "Explain the dish to me, please." "Well, today I have for you branzino with rice, parsnip puree, and roasted vegetables." "All right, so some of the rice, some parsnip." "Here's the thing." "You cook fish, and you get the skin crispy, then you plate it upside down like that, it's gonna get soggy." "Little piece of skin, just not gonna taste very good." "If you can see here, right?" "I got three vegetables." "None of them are cooked." "Just I didn't have a lot of time to roast it all." "There's a lot wrong with this plate." "Thanks, Kyndall." "You're welcome." "Next up, Nate." "Nate the Great." "My dish looks stunning." "I could not have been any more perfect with my dish." "I think it tastes great, and I love it so much" "I would probably marry it if I had the chance." "All right, tell me about the dish." "So, this is a seared yellowfin tuna with a mushroom, green bean combination, and a cucumber noodle and tomato salad." "Where did you learn this sort of Asian influence of cooking?" "Well, I'm not really Asian, but I love Asian food, and I do go to a lot of great Asian restaurants in Philly, and it's awesome." "Okay." "And so it looks like all of the flavors and the ingredients and the preparation are sort of like harmonious in this Asian style of cookery." "Nice flavor, very vibrant." "Thank you." "I gotta say, aside from just the size of plate it's on..." "This is the very best fish dish" "I've had in the MasterChef kitchen." " Thank you." " Nice job." " Wow, well done." " Yes, yes, yes!" "I'm so happy Christina likes my dish." "I'm not going home." "I feel like Rocky right now." "Thank you!" "All right, last up, the youngest male competitor, Ian." "Let's go, young man." " Come on, Ian." " Go, Ian!" "Even though I struggled during this challenge," "I'm very impressed with my dish, but I wish I had magic powers, that I can actually see inside the fish, and see if it's, like..." "if it's perfect." "Wow." "Describe the dish, please." "So, it is a pan-seared yellowfin tuna over mashed potatoes, a soy glazed sauce, and grilled asparagus." "Right, mashed potatoes." "Tell me there's some magic in there." "What have you put in there?" "It's just regular mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, um..." "What did you season it with?" "Wait, the fish or the, um..." "The fish." "Um, I forgot to season it." "Um, I'm sorry about that, Chef." "Join me and some of your favorite past contestants as we set sail on a "MasterChef" cruise." "Experience the excitement live with cooking demos, challenges, and mystery boxes." "What did you season it with?" "Wait, the fish?" "Um..." "The fish." "Um, I forgot to season it." "Um, I'm sorry about that, Chef." "Um..." "Here's the thing." "Tuna's actually delicious." "You've got a sesame seed vinaigrette going on there." "Okay, thank you." "Yes, sesame seed?" "Um, no, Chef." "No?" "There's no sesame seed at all in there?" "Um, no, Chef." "There is definitely sesame seed in there." " What that is..." " Smell that." "No, it's not sesame seed." "What I put in it is just... um, sesame oil." "That's what I said." "You said sesame seed." "Aghh!" "Where do you think sesame seed oil comes from?" "Um..." "Sesame Street?" "From sesame seeds!" " Fish cooked beautifully." " Thank you." "The sesame seed oil is delicious." "Thank you." " But it doesn't need the mash." " Okay." "Mash and asparagus is for things like salmon." " Yes." " Not a tuna." "Next time I see you serving mashed potatoes with yellowfin tuna," "I'm gonna hang you upside down and stick your head inside a moonfish." "Okay?" "Are we on the same page?" "Yes, Chef." "Thank you." "Good job, Ian!" "Even though Gordon Ramsay said that mashed potatoes don't go well with tuna," "I'm thinking that I'm, like, right in the middle, that I'm not going home, and I'm feeling pretty good." "All right, everyone, there were some really amazing dishes out there tonight." "But there was one dish in particular that we all agreed really stood out." "The best dish of the night belonged to..." "Nate." "Congratulations." " Good job, man." " Whoo!" "I have the best dish of the night." "No way!" "I love myself right now." "Hashtag best day ever." "Right, unfortunately here comes the tough part." "You all know by now this is a strong competition, and sadly tonight we do have to say good-bye to two of you." "The following three home cooks make their way down here, please?" "Vivian, please." "Kyndall." "And finally, Jaeclyn." "We are so proud of how all three of you did tonight, but sadly not everyone can move forward." "One of you will continue in the competition." "Jaeclyn..." "Please..." "Go back to your station." "Tonight you are safe." "Oh, my God." "Which means, Vivian and Kyndall, unfortunately your journey ends tonight in the "MasterChef Junior" competition." "We are sorry to see you two go." "You came into this competition with a ambition and an admirable amount of strength in order to succeed." "You have succeeded in our minds." "Vivian, Kyndall, well done." "Thank you and good night." "I'm sad to go home, but I made so many friends here, and I'm one of the 20 best home cooks in America." "I feel proud of myself and happy." "Kyndall, I just want you to know, girl, we love you." "I didn't win the trophy, but I'm gonna go back to Philly and open up Kyndall's Cakes and Sweets." "I'm gonna miss you so much." "I'm really sad to be leaving the MasterChef kitchen this early, but I feel like I'm really proud of myself for getting this far." "I'm only 11 years old, in the fifth grade, but I've already cooked for Gordon Ramsay." "I mean, how many people get to do that?" " Keep cooking!" " Bye, guys!" "Next week..." "The seven layers of dip building starts... now!" "It's the first ever "MasterChef" relay race." "No!" "Smash those peas like your life depends on it!" "But it's the judges..." "Who taste victory." "I'm gonna smash Gordon's head!" "Eee!" "And for the entree, a tricky elimination test..." " Aghh!" " What?" "That stinks." " Oh, my gosh." " Ugh!" " Oh, my god!" " Does anyone smell that?"