"Last year, the MasterChef kitchen opened its doors..." "Ugh!" "... to some of the smallest cooks in the country." "Whip it!" "Whip like a man!" "Whipped!" "But one kid's huge talent..." "It's beautiful." "It could be the cover of your cookbook." "... propelled him to become" "America's first MasterChef Junior." "Alexander." "Oh, my god!" "His success inspired thousands of young home cooks across the country to try out and earn a spot in the MasterChef kitchen." "Now it's time for the 16 who made the cut to step up..." "Yeah!" "... to the plate." "We're gonna go to a whole new level this year." "They'll have to reach for perfection..." "It didn't cook all the way." "That is not your best plate." "None of us are A-plus students all the time." "But for those who make the top of the class..." "Oh!" "... the rewards will be sweet." "That looks world class." " Thank you." " That's beautiful, man." "This is one of the best things I've ever eaten." "The sugar work is stunning." "You're sure you're only 12?" "Yes, I'm sure." "But only one can be crowned America's next..." " They cook like pros." " Yeah." "Yay!" "... MasterChef Junior." "Oh, my gosh, it's really amazing to know that you've been picked out of so many kids out there." "I'm, like, still pinching myself that I'm here." "I still don't believe it at all." "I'm nine years old, and I was six years old when I started cooking." "This is kind of my first big adventure in my childhood." "Oh, my gosh." "Come on down, guys." "Cooking is my favorite thing." "I would rate myself, on a scale from 1 to 100, a 96." "I'm probably not your average ten-year-old." "What's up?" "What's up?" "Did you go... are those pictures, or are they statues?" "They're real people." "Oh, my gosh," "They're the real people." " They're real people." " They're the real people." "Whoa." "My kitchen is not as big as this one." "The MasterChef Junior kitchen is a giant sandcastle, and my kitchen's like a grain of sand." "Oh, my gosh." "Wow." "Good to see you all." "I am 12 years old." "My food dream is to take all these rules and throw it out the window." "I want to change the minds of culinary thinkers in our world." "Welcome to the most famous kitchen in all of America." "Welcome to MasterChef Junior." "Are you excited?" "Yes, chef." "I can't hear you." "Yes, chef!" "You 8 to 13-year-olds are all united by your passion and your skill, and one of you 16 kids will win $100,000 and the most coveted prize in the culinary world, the MasterChef Junior trophy." "If I won the $100,000," "I would donate most of that to charity, and I could buy a horse." "Now, to show you what you can win if you win it all, we asked a very special guest to join us." "Any guesses?" "The president of the United States?" "Far more special than him." "It's a chef, a chef that's making a real impact on the world of food." "Please, welcome..." " Alexander!" " Alexander!" "Alexander, the winner of the first-ever MasterChef Junior." "Whoa, this is the kid that won it all last year." "I really want to be like him." "Since winning this competition," "Alexander has cooked for foreign governments, been on the cover of magazines, and has been flown all over the world as America's MasterChef Junior." "Alexander, becoming America's first-ever MasterChef Junior, what does that mean to you?" "It's changed the way I cook." "It's changed the way I think of food." "A lot of kids who recognize me in New York said that they were inspired to cook from watching the show." "Wow." "And soon, I'm going to Indonesia for MasterChef Junior Indonesia as a judge." "Amazing." "Okay, guys, it's time for your very first mystery box challenge." "Please go to your stations." "As with all mystery box challenges, you have to use whatever you find under those boxes to make us one incredible dish." "Win this challenge, you'll come back into the pantry with us where you'll get a really big advantage in the next stage of this competition." "And Alexander chose all the ingredients that are under that box." "No!" "Oh, my gosh." "On the count of three, lift your boxes." "One, two, 2 1/2..." "Hey!" "Three!" "Lift!" " Wow." " Ooh." " Yes!" " Ugh!" "Those ingredients include a pork chop, a pork tenderloin," "Granny Smith apples, hazelnuts, brussels sprouts, phyllo dough, fingerling potatoes, wild rice, whole grain mustard, and artichoke." "To inspire you in your first challenge..." "Is that a body?" "Uh-oh." "Alexander came up with some of his own dishes using the same ingredients that you have in front of you." "Oh, wow." "Holy cow, Alexander, how many dishes did you come up with?" "Since I was 13 when I won the show," "I decided to make 13 dishes." "O. M. G." "Ooh." "Alexander, if there was one piece of advice" "You'd like to give them all tonight, what would it be?" "This is your first mystery box." "Show your passion, and put yourself on a plate." " Brilliant." " Thank you." "Keep up the good work." "See you soon." "Bye, guys." "Alexander, he's just, like, so amazing and such a great cook." "Bye." "He's just so cute." "Right, are you all ready to cook the best dishes of your entire lives?" "Yes, chef!" "You will all have to make one stunning MasterChef restaurant-quality dish using the ingredients in front of you." "Your 60 minutes starts..." "Now." "Ugh." "I need grape seed oil." "Ohh, thank you." "The best 16 talented 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 13-year-olds in the country here tonight." "Well, I think we're gonna go to a whole new level this year." "It's almost like last year's season inspired a complete new generation." "I have big expectations for this crop of young cooks." "Darn it." "I'm making a pork tenderloin with a smoky, sweet, hot rub." "I'm just kind of keeping it simple, and hopefully, it will wow the judges." "I'm making an apple juice-injected pork chop." "I really think that if I inject my pork chop, it'll really give it a great flavor." "I'm from Texas, and I love bacon." "I'm making bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes." "It's a dream come true to be cooking in the MasterChef kitchen right now." "Wow." "Let's go." "Oona, how are you doing?" "Good." "Right, what's the dish called?" "I'm doing a spicy seared pork loin with mixed, pan-seared vegetables and a mustard cream sauce." "You're very grown up for nine." " Thank you." " Do you think you've got what it takes to become" "America's next MasterChef Junior?" "I think my palate's pretty awesome." "Natalie, how are you doing?" " Good, how are you?" " I'm doing great." " So how old are you?" " I'm 12." "What is the dish?" "It is a pan-seared pork chop with sauteed apples and carrots." "Are your parents in the food world at all?" "My dad owns a Mediterranean restaurant in California." "Wow." "Now, is there anybody here that people think is the front-runner?" "Um, probably Samuel." "Samuel?" "People think that?" "Yes." "Right, Samuel, how are you feeling?" " I'm feeling very good, chef." " Describe the dish." "I'm making a pork tenderloin stuffed with a bacon and brussels sprout mousseline and pressure-cooked wild rice pilaf." "Wow, pressure-cookers," "Mousseline, tenderloin." "You seem to know your stuff." "Where's this coming from?" "Um, well, I learned to cook two years ago, and my mom's very creative" " in the kitchen." " Right." "So that's sort of where I get my creativity from." " Yeah, good luck." " Thank you so much." " They are busy out there." " Yeah." "Ah, beautiful." "50 minutes gone." "Last ten minutes." "Oh, my gosh, ten minutes." "What's up?" "Are you okay?" "What's wrong?" "There's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, and I feel like some kids might not be used to the pressure or the speed of the competition." "You all right, Coco?" "Talk to me." "Let me help you." "I can't do it." "What's wrong?" "You all right, Coco?" "Talk to me." "Let me help you." "I can't do it." "Your mashed potatoes are too salty." "Let's have a look." "Right, is that them in here, are they?" "They are definitely not too salty." "You see, I think what you did, when you seasoned them, you just hit the top of the spoon." "They don't taste salty at all, do they?" "I have three daughters, Holly, Megan, and Mathilda, and they always cry in the kitchen, but they cry with laughter, so I'm not leaving till you laugh." "Good luck." "It's incredible to see them take so much care over what they're doing, amazing." "60 seconds to go." "Keep it going, guys." "It looks incredible." "30 seconds to go." "Come on." "First mystery box challenge, finishing touches." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," "And hands in the air!" "Well done!" "Awesome!" "Some fantastic-looking dishes out there." "They look incredible." "Throughout the mystery box challenge, the judges taste elements of all the junior home cooks' dishes as they come together." "They now take one last look to choose the top three standouts, and the winner of this challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round." "Incredible." "Well done, all of you." "Now, we want to look at the three best dishes of the night." "The first dish could be on one of our restaurant menus easily tonight." "The pork was cooked to perfection, plated with great finesse." "That dish belongs to..." "Natalie." "Well done." "I'm really happy for Natalie." "She has a wonderful dish and deserves to be up there." "Wow." "Visually, it looks beautiful." "How old are you again?" " I'm 12." " 12 years of age." "Describe the dish, please." "It's a seared pork chop with a pork stock mustard sauce, rosemary potatoes, sauteed apples and carrots." "So great sear on the pork." "In terms of the cook in the center, what am I expecting?" " Um, medium." " Medium." "And it is, perfect." "It's glistening." "Look how juicy it looks." "Yeah, the pork's cooked beautifully." "Vegetables, touch more seasoning, but the potatoes and the pork, you've absolutely nailed." "I have to say, that definitely has the wow factor." " Thank you." " You sure you're only 12?" " Yes, I'm sure." " Incredible." " Good job." " Thank you." "Wow." "It's delicious." "It's beautiful." "Do you have a cultural influence in your food?" "Well, I like to cook Mexican food." "Do you have Mexican in your family?" "Yes, my mom's Mexican." "The spicing on the pork chop is perfect." "The sear is great." "Potatoes are perfectly cooked." "Muy, muy bonito." "Gracias." "De nada." "Really good." "The next dish that we want to examine further had a lot of flavors going throughout the dish." "This home cook made smart use of the staple pantry box." "Please step forward..." "Mitchell." "I mean, I wish they picked me, but Mitchell's dish looks pretty tasty." "Oh, yes." "He's definitely a threat." "All right, Mitchell, tell me what the idea is behind it." "It is a pork tenderloin with a spicy rub, wild rice, egg, and two sauces." "Beautiful." "Thank you, chef." "What's the spice on the outside?" "Like, a smoky, sweet, spicy salt rub." "Yeah, it smells great." "Thank you." "You used some cayenne." "It's got some heat to it." "It's aggressive, bold." "And I think it holds up well to the pork especially." "The egg, really smart use, adds some richness." "That pork is awesome." " Thank you, chef." " Good job." "Mitchell, I love the idea of that smoky sweetness." "Where does that come from?" "I mean, how'd you get into those spices at 12?" "Come on." "My dad, he's a fire captain, and he's good at, like, barbecuing and making sauces, and my mom is good at the seasonings." "Um, seasoned brilliantly." "Thank you." "Pork needs at least two more minutes." "Just in the center, you can see it's slightly too pink there." "Yeah, a little bit." "But the heat and the seasoning on the pork" "Is absolutely delicious." "Thank you, chef." "Good job." "Well done." " Thank you, chef." " Thank you." "Oh, I was nervous." "Really good, delicious." " Good job." " You too." "Okay, the third and final dish we want to take a closer look at, this little home cook had big, big flavors." "This dish has a lot of confidence," "Just like the home cook who made it." "Please step forward..." "Oona." "I'm a little bit jealous that I'm not in the top three." "I felt like my dish was really gonna be the thing that propelled me to great heights, but I didn't get there, like Oona." "How old are you?" " I'm nine years old." " Describe your dish." "I did spicy seared pork loin with mixed vegetables/fruit, a mustard sauce, and fried egg on top." "Who do you cook for usually?" "I usually cook for my parents at home in Connecticut." "It is, like, a perfect medium, textbook." "Thank you." "I would expect that kind of level of perfection in any one of my restaurants." " Thank you." " The only thing that I would say," "I would take the skin off the apples." " Mm." " It's a little chewy, 'cause everything else is so soft and delicious." "All right." "But aside from that, the brussels sprouts are nice and crunchy, perfectly caramelized." "Good dish." "Really good dish, thank you." "Thank you." "Good job, Oona." "Thanks." "Oona, Mitchell, Natalie, three stunning dishes tonight." "Great job." "However, there was one dish that was a little bit more refined, and it something that we would have served exactly the same way in our restaurants." "The first young home cook that will join us in the pantry for that huge advantage..." "The young cook who made the best dish tonight..." "I'm trying to send telepathic waves." ""Pick me, pick me, pick me."" "Winning this mystery box, it'll be good for my reputation." "That person is..." "Congratulations..." "Oona, Mitchell, Natalie, three stunning dishes tonight." "Great job." "The young cook who made the best dish tonight, the first young home cook that will join us in the pantry for that huge advantage, that person is..." "Congratulations..." "Natalie." " Thank you." " Amazing." "Good job, Natalie." "Thank you." "You guys did good too." "Natalie, that was an amazing dish." " Thank you." " All right." "Let's go to the pantry and see what advantages you have." " Let's go." " Good luck, Natalie." "Thank you." " Uh, amazing." " Thank you." "Seriously, well done." "Well done, well done." "She's so lucky." "Welcome, Natalie." "12-year-old Natalie is now in control of the elimination test." "At the end of this challenge, some junior home cooks will leave the competition." "Natalie, welcome to the amazing MasterChef pantry." "Thank you." "For your first advantage, Natalie, you are safe from elimination." " Congratulations." " Thank you." "For your second advantage, you get to choose what everyone out there has to cook." "This is where you hatch your plan." "Okay." "Let me go grab the first choice." "Okay." "Wow, what could it be?" "Huh?" "Wow, handsome fella, ain't he?" "Yeah." "One of the things you get to choose from tonight is a chicken." "Chicken ain't the only choice." "It's a duck." "It is a duck indeed." "Chefs love to cook duck, but it requires a ton of technique to get right." "Now, Natalie, there's one more popular bird you have to choose from." "It's a turkey." "No, no, no, no, no." "Ugh, I didn't know turkeys were that big." "It looks kind of like my grandma." "Natalie, young lady, it's time to choose which one of these three beautiful birds..." "The chicken, the duck, or the turkey... do you want all your fellow competitors to have to cook with tonight?" "Hmm." "I choose..." "Natalie is safe from elimination in this challenge." "In the pantry, Natalie had to choose between three different types of birds." "Natalie, which bird did you choose for your fellow contestants?" "I'm not telling." "Oh, excuse me, in that case, all of you are gonna have to go into the pantry and find out for yourselves." "Yay!" "Is everyone ready?" "Yes, chef!" "Go!" "They smell nasty." "I'm gonna have chickens squawking in my nightmares." "Sam, I'm from New York." "I can't do this." "I'm a city kid, so I don't want to lift up a chicken." "I got one." "I got one!" "Ah!" "I don't got it." "It's so much fun to have animals everywhere, because I love animals." "I got one!" "Let's go, guys." "It's not funny, Natalie." "Come on down, please." "There we go." "Tonight, you'll all have to cook us one amazing chicken dish." "Now, I hope you haven't got too close..." " Oh!" " Mm." "... to your feathered friends." "You do have to say good-bye." "Oh, no, they're gonna kill this guy!" "I didn't sign up to butcher chickens." "Don't worry, you don't have to cook those guys in your hands." "Oh, thank you." "They're gonna live a very long and happy life." "Phew!" "I don't have to kill the chicken." "Chickens are pretty..." "pretty nice people." "Bring 'em up." "Nice and gentle, just put 'em in here." "Here you go." "Gentle." "Okay, guys, you ready?" "In this challenge, you'll find all different parts of the chicken in the pantry for you to cook with:" "Breasts, wings, thighs, legs, and even livers." "Your one hour starts..." "Now." "Excuse me." "Here's a basket." "It's a madhouse in the pantry." "Everyone is freaking out." "Peanut butter!" "Sriracha!" "Probably the most pressure I've ever felt in my life." "I'm freaking out." "Green onions over here!" "Anybody see the peanuts?" "Oh, this thing is getting heavy." "let's go!" "I can't run." "Holy mackerel." "What have you got in there?" "Got everything." "Yeah, this is not gonna work." "The rules here are no different than any other MasterChef, and we expect a restaurant-quality dish..." "Big-time." "... from the lowly chicken." "The sad news is tonight, after the challenge, we will be saying good-bye to a few of them." "Where'd my garlic go?" "Ah, there it is." "I have to say that... especially for young home cooks... chicken's something you eat every day..." "Yes." "So to think about it as an elevated restaurant or a MasterChef dish might be very challenging." "Can I use some of that chicken stock?" "Sure." "I'm making chicken Milanese and fingerling potatoes with wilted greens." "There's a lot of pressure down here." "I don't want to go home." "Today, I'm making fish sauce chicken wings with a light ponzu salad." "Mmm." "Salt." "All righty." "Samuel, how are you doing?" "I'm doing very good." "How are you?" "Wow, there's a lot going on here." "Describe the dish, please." "It's five-spice marinated chicken wings with some lemongrass and cilantro rice, pickled vegetables, and a sriracha foam." " A sriracha what?" " Foam." "Foam." "Why foam?" "Because I think it adds some textural interest to the plate." "Textural interest." "Have you thought about reining it in a little bit and focusing on better with two things, as opposed to five things averagely?" "I think there's enough brain capacity right now to get everything done." " Good luck." " Thank you." "Okay, Abby, where are you from?" "I'm from Winchester." " Winchester?" " Virginia." "Virginia, and where'd you learn how to cook?" "My mother taught me." "Oh, that's nice." "What are you making, fried chicken?" " Yes." " Wow!" " And this is some zucchini?" " Yes." " And you're eight years old?" " Yes." "Oh, my goodness, what happened to your hand?" "Oh, nothing..." "I'm just using that, so I don't get my hand dirty for the chicken." "Oh, that's an excellent idea." "Mm-hmm." "30 minutes to go." "Oh, no." "I see in front of me that Nasir's pan is smoking, and the chicken wings are just burning, and I'm like, "He's in big trouble tonight."" "What happened down there, bud?" "They were too burnt." "Man." "Damn, Nasir, what happened?" " You burning it?" " Yeah." "Your chicken's burning." "I mean, that is, uh, that's not looking good." "Someone's going home at the end of this, and Nasir's not looking too great." "What happened down there, bud?" "They were too burnt." "Man." "Damn, Nasir, what happened?" " You burning it?" " Yeah." "Your chicken's burning." "I mean, that is, uh, that's not looking good." "Have you got any more chicken there?" " Yeah." " Oh, you've got some more." "So why don't you start off with a fresh pan?" "'Cause if you continue cooking in there like that," " what's gonna happen?" " It's gonna burn again." "Yeah, so I know it's a little bit pressurized tonight, but I would start with a fresh pan, and that way, when you start searing them, they all won't come out like that, okay?" " Thank you, chef." " Yeah, good man." "Let's go." "You're doing good, Nasir." "Thanks." "20 minutes to go." "All of you, speed up!" "Oona, how are you doing?" "I'm doing pretty well." "I'm doing a chicken liver pate." " Wow." " Yeah." "That is hard-core." "I didn't think anyone was gonna go with the chicken livers." "And I'm also doing bruleed pears with it." "That is really ambitious." "And I like your glasses." "Oh, thank you." "Do you want to try these on, see if they help you focus more?" "They look good." "They look real good on you." "Thank you." "We got to get you a pair." " Thanks." " All right." "Good luck." "This sounds great." "I sure hope it does." "Let's check on those." "Yeah, they need another few minutes." "Perfect." "Isabella, how are you doing?" "I'm doing very well." "Great, describe the dish for me, please." "I'm making a chicken parmesan." "It's, like, a very cheesy, very saucy experience." "Sounds a bit like Joe." " Good luck." " Thank you." "Five minutes remaining." "This is gonna be a challenge." "Guys, who's got the best dish out there?" "Oona's doing the crostini with a chicken liver mousse." "She's got some bruleed pear." "Super fancy pants." "So young Sean, he made chicken wings with a vietnamese salad that I swear to god would come out of any restaurant in L.A." "Seriously, wow." "Amazing." "These are not cooking." "Oh, yeah, this is going well." "Come on." "Last minute, guys." "Whisk, whisk, whisk." "Speed up." "Natalie, from up there, who's looking strong?" "Um, I think Levi." "Wow." "Who's looking vulnerable?" "I think Samuel." "Interesting." "Let's go, guys, make it count." "Ahh, look at them, so pretty." "Let's go." "Ten..." "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "Stop!" "Hands in the air!" "Good job!" "Well done, all of you." "Everybody's dish looks incredible." "It's time to see how they taste." "First up, Oona." "Let's go." "I'm pretty confident with this chicken liver dish." "My parents brought me to restaurants at an early age, so i think, my palate is pretty good." "Wow." "Oona, discribe your dish, please." "Chicken liver pate on garlic crostini with bruleed pears." "Where you get these idea from?" "Well, I'm always really wanted to make chicken liver pate," " so..." "I thought I'll tried." " Okay." "Your are only nine years of age, how long you've done chicken pate?" "Since I was 6-years-old." "Delicious." "Finesse." "Restreint, great flare." "Do you think, you can be the first-ever female MasterChef Junior winner?" " I hope I can." " You hope you can." "I don't know, I'm going to try." "Keep cooking like this, and there is very good chance you will be." " Inceredible, well done." " Thank you." " Oona, how are you doing?" " Pretty good." "This is awesome." "And Oona, I love your name, but i think we gonna need change it to "uno", becouse right now you are number one." " Thank you." " It's great." " Thank you." "Next up, Isabella." "Gordon, I just love his cooking ability." "I just..." "I idolized him." "So I'am little one, but i am also willing show my culinary skills." "Isabella, describe your dish, please." " It is chicken parmasan with mayonnaise sauce." " Wow." "That's huge." "Why such big portion?" "I don't know." "I thought...." "There is three of you." "Oh dear." "See that there?" "I can't eat that." "Yeah?" "Damn." "I am sorry." "You don't want me to eat raw chicken, do you?" "Why such big portion?" "I don't know." "I thought..." "There is three of you." "Oh dear." "See that there?" "You don't want me to eat raw chicken, do you?" " Uh-huh." " It's fine." "You have to be very careful there." "It's raw." "At least find something I can eat." "This bit here." "Mmm." "It's seasoned really well." "The sad news is, the chicken is undercooked." "Thank you." "It's okay." "I kind of feel bad for Isabella..." "We're okay." "Because she's really nice, and I don't want to see her cry." "None of us, I don't think, are A-plus students all the time." "My dad's number one rule:" "Always have fun." "When all the contestants come up to hug me, it is an amazing feeling." "Thank you, guys." "You guys are so supportive." "Thank you." "Everyone is there to, like, help me and, you know, watch after me." "Come on, show me a smile." "I'm not leaving till you show me a smile." "Some people are really mean on TV, but these kids, they're really nice people, and I thought that that was really cool." "Okay, Sean, please bring up your dish." "Wow." "What's going on?" "This is fish sauce chicken wings with a yuzu salad." " Wow." " What restaurant did you steal that from?" "Me and Sean are gonna make money, 'cause this kid knows how to take a dollar worth of chicken wings and turn it into a $20 dish." "Wow." "The flavor is amazing on the chicken wings." "It's so aggressively spiced." " You're 12 years old?" " Yes." "What you wanna do with your life?" "Open a restaurant?" " Yes." " Excelent, that is a good idea." "Because this is incredibly flavored technical dish, that literally is kind of flawless." "You my friend are one to watch." "Thank you." "All right, next up please, Coco." "At the first challenge I was pretty overwhelmed, but at this point I'm feeling pretty good about this dish and I think I might be able to win." " Hi, Coco." " Hi." " How are you?" " Good." " Tell me what we have." " That is chicken Milanese with wilted greens and fingerling potatoes." "Great crunch." "What did you put in the actual breaded?" "Flour and little bit of cayenne." "And then some breadcrumbs with parsley and parmasan." "I would say that this part is cooked better then here and gets starting flaking." " Get that powdering look." " Okay." "The chicken just a little dry, but over all I love that you put parmasan and cayenne in there," " give its some flavor." "Good job." " Next up, Berry." "It's Moroccan chicken with cuscus and Fava bean salad." " What is in the sauce?" " Turmeric, cayenne, coriander." "Very nice seasoning." "Why'd you boiled chicken?" "Because i want get all that flavors in there." "Sometimes boiling chicken can get very tricky thing to do, because it tends to be dry." "But good seasoning, very Moroccan, good job." "Thank you, Berry." "Thank you." "Next up, Nasir." "Lemon drumette with ?" "Wow." "My mouth is on fire." "Chicken is cooked sort of..." "slightly three four minutes too long." "It went dry, because there is full of spice on that." "Tonight's object was make sure the hero stood as a star." "Unfortunatly the potatoes ?" "peas and lemon are the star and the chicken is a sort of apendix that you want out." "Thank you." "My plate was good, but I think that might be too spicy." "Abby please, can you bring plate up?" "I am feeling so confident about my dish." "I love fried chicken." "And I love Mexican food, bring it together you got Mexican fried chicken." " Hello, Abby." " Hello." " You are 8-years-old." " Yes." " You are youngest here." " Yes." "Do you think that puts you disadvantage?" "No." "I've been cooking since i was 2." " What did you make?" " I made Mexican fried chcicken with grilled corn salad, zucchini, and hot sauce sour cream." " Hot sauce sour cream?" "Just a little..." " Just a little bit." "Thank you." " Delicious." " Thank you." "It's spicy, it's crounchy." "You might be the youngest here, Abby," " Yes." " but you got big, big potencial." "Thank you." "Last up, Samuel please." "Thank you." "I feel like I have larger culinar repertoar than some of the younger kids." "And I want redeem my culinary supremacy at the kitchen." " What's this." " This is five-spice chicken wings with black rice, cilantro mixture, pickled vegetables." "and sriracha foam." "The chicken wings are absolutely delicious." "Five-spice you got to blend brilliantly done." "This perhaps has to be most technically accomplished dishes this evening." "I love what you've done with that pickled vegetables salad to put down the heat from the five-spice." "But the star is those five-spiced wings." "Absolutely delicious." "I want picked up them eat all." "Good job, well done." "Thank you so much." "This wave of euphoria and relief passes over me." "Because I've redeem myself and I am going be take whole lot more seriously now." "Thank you." "All of you well done." "Tonight confirmed, we definetely got the best 16 young talented home cooks in America." "Based on tonight's performance, right now we need a serious moment to discuss who's moving on." "And sadly, who's moving home." "Based on tonight's performance, right now we need a serious moment to discuss who's moving on." "I wish everyone could win." "I don't want anyone to go home." "But it is a competition, and someone has to go home." "Give us a minute, please." "Thank you." "They told me that I was number one." "Coco's dish was very unbalanced, it was oversimple, clumsy." "You're not going home." " Yes, I am." " No, you're not." "Isabella, raw chicken." "Raw chicken, not much to say about that." "Once chicken's raw, you can't even really taste it." "No." "You just had a simple flaw." "A little overcooked or a little undercooked?" "It was undercooked." "But still, it was just a tiny bit." "That was a tough decision back there." "And unfortunately, we do have to say good-bye to some home cooks tonight." "Right, will the following seven cooks please come down to the front?" "Coco," "Sean," "Berry," "Oona," "Nasir," "Samuel, and finally, Isabella." "If I call your name, please step forward." "Sean." "Oona." "Samuel." "You three home cooks, age 12, 12, and 9, gave us the best dishes of the night." "Congratulations." "Good job." "Great job, guys." "Go ahead and head back to your stations, please." "I feel, like, so amazed that my dish was the top three of the night, just because the judges cook at such a high level, and they thought my dish was extremely good." "It's just an accomplishment." "Coco, Berry, Nasir, Isabella," "I'm sorry to say, tonight, it's the end of your journey here in the MasterChef kitchen." "Now, keep your heads up high." "You made it into the top 16." "And please, continue cooking." "It's gonna be worth it." "I'm going home, and it's really sad." "But it's okay, because I got to learn so many great things and met such great people." "I'm feeling really sad I have to leave the MasterChef Junior kitchen, but I also want to go home and see my dog and my dad." "I'm glad that I came here and I got to experience this." "I mean, I was one of the top 16 home cooks in America." "That's a huge deal." "I'm gonna go home and continue cooking and make sure I don't stop my passion of cooking, and make sure every time I cook, I wear my MasterChef Junior apron." "Next week on MasterChef Junior..." "Don't fall!" "The top 12 young home cooks flip out..." "And the judges find themselves in a very sticky situation." "Dude!" "It's, like, a whole new level of awesomeness." "Then, a tough baking challenge... produces amazing results." "Absolute delicious." "That, for me, is the pie of the year."