MasterChef Junior is an American cooking competition involving children from the ages 8-13 and airs on Fox. It premiered on Friday, September 27, 2013. It is based on the format of the U.K. series Junior MasterChef.
On March 5, 2014, MasterChef Junior was renewed for a third season before production on season two began. The second season premiered on November 4, 2014. The third season premiered on January 6, 2015. The fourth season premiered on November 6, 2015. The fifth season premiered on February 9, 2017. The sixth season premiered on March 2, 2018. On February 13, 2019, it was announced that the seventh season would premiere with a two-hour episode special on March 12, 2019, with the judges being Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and Aarón Sanchez.
Format[]
Any child between ages eight and thirteen can apply to become a contestant on the series by applying online or by going to an open casting call. Twenty-four applicants are chosen to audition. At the auditions, the applicants are split into three groups. Twelve of the applicants become contestants for the next round and all twenty-four receive one of the MasterChef franchise's signature aprons that they get to keep, regardless of their progress.
After the audition round, two contestants are sent home per episode. The winner receives a prize of $100,000 and the MasterChef Junior trophy.
In seasons 2-4, and 7 the contestants get their apron and the competition begins; In season 5-6, the top 40 cooks compete making dishes to get a spot in the top 20-24 and a white apron.
Series overview[]
Seasons[]
| Season | Eps. | Original airdate | Finalists | Results | Judges | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Winner | Runner(s)-up | |||||||
| 1 | 7 | September 27, 2013 | November 28, 2013 | 12 | Alexander Weiss | Dara Yu | Gordon Ramsay | Graham Elliot | Joe Bastianich | |
| 2 | November 4, 2014 | December 16, 2014 | 16 | Logan
Guleff |
Samuel Stromberg | |||||
| 3 | 8 | January 6, 2015 | February 24, 2015 | 19 | Nathan Odom | Andrew Zappley | ||||
| 4 | 12 | November 6, 2015 | January 29, 2016 | 24 | Addison Osta Smith | Avery Kyle | Christina Tosi | |||
| 5 | 15 | February 9, 2017 | May 18, 2017 | 20 | Jasmine Stewart | Justise Mayberry | Guest judges | |||
| 6 | March 2, 2018 | May 18, 2018 | 24 | Beni Cwiakala | Avery Meadows & Quani Fields |
Joe Bastianich | ||||
| 7 | March 12, 2019 | June 4, 2019 | Che Spiotta | Ivy Angst & Malia Brauer | Aarón Sanchez | |||||
Development[]
Casting[]
Like its adult counterpart, at its inception MasterChef Junior was judged by Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich. Bastianich did not return for the show's fourth season, being replaced by prominent pastry chef Christina Tosi. Elliot did not return for the show's fifth season. For the sixth season, Bastianich returned to his judging position.
Production[]
Fox placed casting calls for participants in January 2013. Fox officially ordered the series (then under the name Junior MasterChef) on May 10, 2013. The name was later changed to MasterChef Junior. There were concerns that Ramsay's style of cursing at the contestants on his other competition shows (most notably Hell's Kitchen and the adult MasterChef) would carry over to MasterChef Junior. It did not. One contestant (named Gavin) said that Ramsay had only cursed twice during the production of the series and never at the contestants. In the final editing, he cursed once in front of the contestants (but not at them.)
Season synopsis[]
Season 1 (2013)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 1)
The first season premiered on September 27, 2013, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich acting as judges.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 1 was Alexander Weiss, a thirteen-year-old from New York City.
Semifinalist Troy Glass is now an actor, appearing on Kids React and other cooking shows, and making cameos on shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season 2 (2014)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 2)
The second season premiered on November 4, 2014; with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich again acting as judges.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 2 was Logan Guleff, an eleven-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee.
Season 3 (2015)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 3)
The third season premiered on January 6, 2015, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich once again acting as judges.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 3 was Nathan Odom, a twelve-year-old from San Diego, California.
Season 4 (2015-16)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 4)
The fourth season premiered on November 6, 2015, with chefs, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Christina Tosi acting as judges.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 4 was Addison Smith, a nine-year-old from River Forest, Illinois.
Season 5 (2017)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 5)
The fifth season premiered on February 9, 2017, with chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as judges, along with numerous guest judges including Julie Bowen and Mayim Bialik.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 5 was Jasmine Stewart, an eleven-year-old from Milton, Georgia. She is the first previously eliminated contestant to win the competition.
Season 6 (2018)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 6)
The sixth season premiered on March 2, 2018, with returning chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as the judges, along with returning judge Joe Bastianich as the third judge.
The winner of MasterChef Junior season 6 was Beni Cwiakala, a nine-year-old from Chicago, Illinois.
Season 7 (2019)[]
- Main article: MasterChef Junior (U.S. Season 7)
The seventh season premiered on March 12, 2019, with returning chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as the judges, along with returning judge Aarón Sanchez as the third judge.
Television ratings[]
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of MasterChef Junior on Fox.
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Number of Episodes | Premiere | Finale | TV Season | Season ranking | Season viewers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
| 1 | Friday 8:00 PM | 7 | September 27, 2013 | 4.29 | November 8, 2013 | 4.14 | 2013–14 | 83 | 5.56 |
| 2 | Tuesday 8:00 PM | 7 | November 4, 2014 | 5.09 | December 16, 2014 | 5.66 | 2014–15 | 89 | 6.30 |
| 3 | 8 | January 6, 2015 | 5.33 | February 24, 2015 | 4.83 | ||||
| 4 | Friday 8:00 PM | 12 | November 6, 2015 | 4.16 | January 29, 2016 | 4.75 | 2015–16 | 81 | 5.67 |
| 5 | Thursday 8:00 PM | 15 | February 9, 2017 | 4.21 | May 18, 2017 | 3.52 | 2016–17 | 97 | 4.57 |
| 6 | Friday 8:00 PM | 15 | March 2, 2018 | 3.40 | May 18, 2018 | 3.32 | 2017–18 | 114 | 4.33 |
| 7 | Tuesday 8:00 PM | March 12, 2019 | 2.82 | 2018–19 | |||||