Masterchef Junior, currently airing at 8pm EST Fridays on FOX, is quite possibly the most intense reality show currently on tv. There's no backstabbing and sabotage as on other reality competitions like Survivor or RuPaul's Drag Race. In fact, the 8-13-year-old contestants on this show are quite the opposite: supportive and helpful towards each other; they appear to be truly bonding and forming deep friendships during their experience. This is refreshing in the current reality tv landscape, where nobody is genuine and everyone does whatever it takes to win. The kids are insanely talented, whipping up restaurant-quality dishes and desserts under insane time limitations: Eggs Benedict, chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, steak with cocoa-infused rub, to name just a few of their creations this season.
Now at the top 7, my current favorite is Mikey, a tiny Italian spitfire who almost got into a fight with judge Gordon Ramsay because he thought that Ramsay was being too mean to another contestant. The recipient of the coveted "Gold Apron" after winning the last challenge, Mikey will automatically advance to the semifinals in a couple weeks. Another favorite, 8-year-old Avery, is the youngest contestant remaining, but she has the steely intensity and focus of an adult during each challenge, never wavering from her goal of winning.
I won't say anything mean about little kids, but on the contrary, bratty sisters Olivia and Remy, both still in the competition, are sweet but bossy. They take over every team challenge, ensuring that things are done their way. Which usually works in their favor, as both are pretty talented.
Ramsay, unlike on his other reality cooking show Hell's Kitchen, actually displays a pretty gentle personality on MasterChef Junior. When a kid chef-testant sometimes gets overwhelmed during a challenge after making a mistake, Ramsay will walk over to their station, give them a mini pep talk, and get them back on track. This is not to say that he isn't critical or even harsh during some critiques, especially with the older kids. He's never mean though, and the kids all seem to admire him and take his criticisms like true champs. Another regular judge, baker Christina Tosi, is the most gentle and positive one on the panel. She puts on her false serious face during negative critiques, but she's really a big softy who adores the kids. Finally, Italian judge Joe Bastianich, returning this season after several years away from the show, is probably the harshest. He barely has a sense of humor, which seems a bit out of place on a kids' cooking show, but (like the other two judges) he's fair and never mean. He seems to have formed a sweet bond with little Mikey over their shared Italian heritage.
The last few episodes of Masterchef Junior have kept me glued to the screen, and I'm genuinely excited to find out who will win in a few weeks. You may have overlooked this show, thinking that it's just a silly kids' cooking show, but it's the real deal. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
Below, learn how to make a perfect poached egg. You're welcome...
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