Masterchef Junior (US) - General Discussion

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well that sucks. Only got the first half hour before local news broke in for the last half until the last minute to tell us about tornado warnings.😏 And l’ll have to rewatch On Demand to figure out how it is that Lillian was the one who was eliminated.

[mertensia]

Whoever would have thought children would have issues cooking for a huge group?

[CapeCodLuv]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:28 PM, KLovestoShop said:

I can’t stand Ivy.  She’s just too much everything and what’s with the triple strand of pearls?  

I bet she is a dressy girly girl in real life but I can't help but think her family and the producers push this as her "thing." Reminds me of the 2 sisters with the ridiculous bows from an older season, both were actresses who went on to bigger things. I think some of the kids are on the show because they really enjoy cooking and others are here because their parents hope it boosts to an acting career. She's a sweet little girl but she's too young to be here, I feel bad because it's not her fault. And she's not doing horribly for an 8 year old, just shouldn't be on the show.

[cameron]

5 minutes ago, CapeCodLuv said:

I bet she is a dressy girly girl in real life but I can't help but think her family and the producers push this as her "thing." Reminds me of the 2 sisters with the ridiculous bows from an older season, both were actresses who went on to bigger things. I think some of the kids are on the show because they really enjoy cooking and others are here because their parents hope it boosts to an acting career. She's a sweet little girl but she's too young to be here, I feel bad because it's not her fault. And she's not doing horribly for an 8 year old, just shouldn't be on the show.

Definitely feel that it's the parents behind this.  She comes from a very affluent area of Connecticut.  Maybe bragging rights at the Club.

[KeithJ]

34 minutes ago, cameron said:

Definitely feel that it's the parents behind this.  She comes from a very affluent area of Connecticut.  Maybe bragging rights at the Club.

I think this is probably true along with the hat and outfits Maclain wears.  What 12 year old would want to wear that?

[CapeCodLuv]

1 hour ago, KeithJ said:

I think this is probably true along with the hat and outfits Maclain wears.  What 12 year old would want to wear that?

Yes! I thought it might be an outfit / style he actually owns and wears sometimes, perhaps copying Dad like many kids do? But now he's stuck with it as his shtick so if he wants to switch to jeans and a T-Shirt it's a no go.  I doubt he wears that to school every day. There is a family nearby though, the parents wear all black as though they are stuck in goth times. Their children do as well. I do not know them but I hear the kids are sweet but get picked on, my hairdresser has kids in the same grades.

[theatremouse]

I was led to believe in the past that the "uniforms" the kids are asked to wear are often something they were wearing in, say, one photo from their portfolio or a short video clip from their application. Then once cast, the show is like "this is what you will be wearing the entire season".

[threebluestars]

Most reality shows choose your clothes/look for you. One of many reasons why I'd never go on one lol.

[KLovestoShop]

It's the same with Molly and her cummerbund-head.  Is it supposed to be a sweat band or to keep her hair back.  Either way, it looks silly.

I'm not impressed with the challenges this season.  The medieval thing was dumb and not something the kids should have been doing.  These kids are too young to have a tough team captain shouting orders.  I just don't like it.

[DanaK]

Finale June 23 https://tvline.com/2022/04/05/fox-season-finale-dates-911-lone-star-simpsons/

[mertensia]

On 4/2/2022 at 1:15 PM, KLovestoShop said:

It's the same with Molly and her cummerbund-head.  Is it supposed to be a sweat band or to keep her hair back.  Either way, it looks silly.

I'm not impressed with the challenges this season.  The medieval thing was dumb and not something the kids should have been doing.  These kids are too young to have a tough team captain shouting orders.  I just don't like it.

They always have one of these team against team feeding strangers challenge. Then the chefs are always shocked, SHOCKED!!! that children struggle to make large amounts of identical food and that they aren't perfect when it comes to working as a team.

My question is why don't they make the kids wear those cut resistant mesh gloves like Wizard gloves.

Oh, and the smell meant I knew there was durian under the box.

[mlp]

Last week's team competition followed the usual GR scenarios.  The brave and winning knight rides in (probably a double) and surprise, surprise.  It's Gordon!!!  Screeches and claps all around.  A group of little kids can't suddenly become a well-oiled crew with a dynamic and organized leader.  Cue advice and somewhat nasty comments from the "mentors."  The kids have problems getting everything done on time but, somehow, all the diners get plates and most have good comments.  Those chicken legs didn't look thoroughly cooked to me.  

So this week, all of them know how to make donut batter (with no duplicates!) and several of them were apparently able to go from an empty cone to a fully assembled tower in the last five minutes.  Sure.  The elimination challenge was ridiculous.  More screaming and screeching.  A monkfish head could do that but I'm sure they're encouraged to react.  Then every kid somehow knew how to make a dish from at least one weird ingredient.  I'm sure they are coached and rehearsed and probably "assisted" with some of the cooking.

Why do I always watch this show?

 

[Colorado David]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

 

Why do I always watch this show?

 

Because you are hopeful, as are the rest of us.

[Yeah No]

24 minutes ago, mlp said:

Why do I always watch this show?

That's a good question.  I made it through the first episode this season but since then I've found it unwatchable.  It just feels fake, the challenges are unbelievable and all the kids are completely insufferable now.  I didn't feel that way in the early seasons.  It just got progressively worse as the seasons went on.  Last season I came in mid season and managed to stick it out to the end, but I just can't anymore.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

That's a good question.  I made it through the first episode this season but since then I've found it unwatchable.  It just feels fake, the challenges are unbelievable and all the kids are completely insufferable now.  I didn't feel that way in the early seasons.  It just got progressively worse as the seasons went on.  Last season I came in mid season and managed to stick it out to the end, but I just can't anymore.  

This so much! And do they dress up Ivy in the SAME pink dress for ALL the talking head moments? Did they film them all the same day with her for the different episodes? She's the only one that's wearing the SAME PINK DRESS each week.

I really wanted Freddy gone. He pouts, stuffs his face; pouts and just doesn't bother. He's a good cook? Not from what I've seen thus far.

I still like Andrew. He's pretty low key, as well as the other one, whose name I'm blanking on. Molly and Freddy can go any time now. And Ivy. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I kind of agree that this season feel a little more fake than previous seasons. It feels like the kids are coached more. 

30 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I really wanted Freddy gone. He pouts, stuffs his face; pouts and just doesn't bother. He's a good cook? Not from what I've seen thus far.

That's a hard agree from me, and I really thought they were setting him up to go. 

[Ciarrai]

On 4/8/2022 at 2:05 PM, Superclam said:

I kind of agree that this season feel a little more fake than previous seasons. It feels like the kids are coached more. 

That's a hard agree from me, and I really thought they were setting him up to go. 

I was hoping but alas, no.

[threebluestars]

I can't watch the show with the volume too high thanks to all the high pitched screaming. It literally wears me down. I don't know how the judges handle it.

And I agree, the show seems much less authentic compared to the first season. All of his US shows get so overproduced it's maddening.

[DEL901]

In previous seasons  they used to send the kids home in pairs.  Less traumatic.  Wonder why they changed?

[mertensia]

Fish and chicken. Whoever would have guessed?

[dmeets]

I feel bad saying this about a kid, but now that Freddie's gone I hope A'dan follows him right out the door. What a brat.

The judges are definitely less concerned about hurting the kids' feelings than previous seasons. Daphne and Aaron are making Joe seem like a teddy bear in comparison.

[cameron]

3 hours ago, dmeets said:

I feel bad saying this about a kid, but now that Freddie's gone I hope A'dan follows him right out the door. What a brat.

The judges are definitely less concerned about hurting the kids' feelings than previous seasons. Daphne and Aaron are making Joe seem like a teddy bear in comparison.

Totally agree about A'Dan.  Think he worst than Freddy.

[CoyoteBlue]

22 hours ago, dmeets said:

I hope A'dan follows him right out the door. What a brat.

He's the show's poster child for toxic masculinity.

[DEL901]

Did we talk about the “unicorn”?    

[Ciarrai]

Thank god Freddie is gone. That child is painfully obnoxious; I laughed when Gordon told him to stop being nosy.

[DougJones]

I very much support A’dan going away next. They even took one of the most overused names(aiden) and tried to jazz it up but it’s just cringe. Oh and he’s annoying. 
I second how overproduced this show is and miss how low key shows like the Great British Baking Show are. No drama, no annoying contestants, funny hosts, thoughtful judging, and no cliffhanger between every commercial break. 

[jabRI]

I don't know why they picked bone-in chicken breast to cook for a crowd.  Really bad choice, impossible to do consistently with that time constraint.  And I blame the team captain for no 'recipe' baste for 10 minutes, cook for 15, or whatever.  No meat thermometers (or are those not allowed?)  

Yeah, bored with the gimmicks.. the hats, headbands, pearl necklaces. Ridiculous

[KLovestoShop]

I really wanted A-Dan to go.  Has anyone noticed he’s always stuffing his mouth?  He did a crappy job with his dish, but as time expired, there he was plowing into whatever food was in front of him. 

I’m beginning to feel that this show is coming very close to child abuse.  Seeing how some of these kids are crushed and crying so hard as what they see is their failure is heartbreaking. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by KLovestoShop

[milkyaqua]

I've only watched bits and pieces of a couple of these but I was ready for A'Dan to go (Ivy could have gone as well).

Edited April 22, 2022 by milkyaqua

[lilysmom]

I can't believe that the producers of this show believe that we believe that:

A. A 10 year old has the ability to oversee a whole kitchen and tell fellow 10 year olds what to do and when to do it. 

B. Because a kid won the competition last year, he has suddenly acquired all the knowledge and skills to advise and judge other kids. That he can now comment on the cooking like he was Aron!! (Aron cannot even make that seem believable!) His comments sounded even more scripted than the contestants.

C. That these young chlldren can have any food type thrown at them and without blinking an eye, rush into the pantry and grab all the ingredients they need to create some marvelous plate.

[tunajune]

What a great idea.  Put 8-year-old kids together with fire and alcohol.  What could go wrong?  

Most kids were not using the towel on the skillet handle, as demonstrated by the visiting miniature chef.  Too bad that A'dan made the top ten.  I feel guilty being irritated by a child.  

[cameron]

17 hours ago, milkyaqua said:

I've only watched bits and pieces of a couple of these but I was ready for A'Dan to go (Ivy could have gone as well).

He's tends to be either bossy or whiney.  Saw newest pictures of him on the internet sporting purple hair.  Show off in my books.

[cameron]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:23 PM, Ciarrai said:

I was hoping but alas, no.

I go back to season 3 with the little boy Riley.  He was so cute and unpretentious; not like they are on this show now.  

[mlp]

This show gets more unbelievable every season.  I just don't believe that all those little kids came up with fully realized concepts on the fly and each one was different nor do I believe that they did all the cooking and plating without any assistance.  Bah.

I wanted to see A'Dan booted.  The boy who left was one of my favorites.  I hope Molly and Ivy aren't far behind him.

Edited April 24, 2022 by mlp
plating not playing

[MartyQui]

Did Gordon dump the burned butter into the gas burner?  I think that’s what I saw?

[cameron]

21 minutes ago, MartyQui said:

Did Gordon dump the burned butter into the gas burner?  I think that’s what I saw?

Same here.

[theatremouse]

Apparently those models have a drip tray. He dumped it directly into the drain for that. I thought the same thing you did initially and then looked it up.

[hookedontv]

The high-pitched screaming is out of control. Just stop it. 

[DEL901]

They are just so ridiculous with the challenges now.  And so many very young children.  Combine that with the change from sending 5hem home 2 at a time so they had emotional support and the verbal abuse during the challenges, this stopped being enjoyable a few episodes ago.  

[cameron]

Unfortunately, A'Dan will be around next week.  Just send him home already.  Not a team player at all.

[Mr. Sparkle]

8 hours ago, DEL901 said:

They are just so ridiculous with the challenges now.  And so many very young children.  Combine that with the change from sending 5hem home 2 at a time so they had emotional support and the verbal abuse during the challenges, this stopped being enjoyable a few episodes ago.  

I really hate the team challenges, which seem to be a reason to get the kids anxious and yell at them. It's why I stopped watching the adult version, it was just too mean-spirited. It's been a while, but I remember this show being a little kinder. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly. 

Anyway, the team challenges bring drama, and the producers seem to think drama brings ratings, so.... 

[CapeCodLuv]

Are we supposed to believe that Daphne drove the kids from the studio to the offsite set in that monster fire truck? Are we supposed to believe it was actually Gordon who drove over the cars in a monster truck with Aaron sitting in the back? Eye roll.

A'Dan is a brat, I wish Abir had not let him get his way. I am certain he will not win and I hope when he is eliminated the judges tell him he needs to learn to be a team player, check his ego, follow instructions and respect the person in charge. I also hope his parents are honest and tell him that is what he should have done but I fear they will tell him he was wronged and should have been in charge of everything and won.

I thought Molly did pretty well for such a young kid and accepted a lot of fault for any issues with grace. She wasn't as annoying this episode. Starla was absolutely the right choice to go and she knew it. She handled it well, such a sweetheart.

[cameron]

22 minutes ago, CapeCodLuv said:

Are we supposed to believe that Daphne drove the kids from the studio to the offsite set in that monster fire truck? Are we supposed to believe it was actually Gordon who drove over the cars in a monster truck with Aaron sitting in the back? Eye roll.

A'Dan is a brat, I wish Abir had not let him get his way. I am certain he will not win and I hope when he is eliminated the judges tell him he needs to learn to be a team player, check his ego, follow instructions and respect the person in charge. I also hope his parents are honest and tell him that is what he should have done but I fear they will tell him he was wronged and should have been in charge of everything and won.

I thought Molly did pretty well for such a young kid and accepted a lot of fault for any issues with grace. She wasn't as annoying this episode. Starla was absolutely the right choice to go and she knew it. She handled it well, such a sweetheart.

A'Dan is so full of himself; tired of all the faces he makes when he doesn't get his way.

[Colorado David]

Agree on the silly theatrics the show uses (Daphne and GR driving monster vehicles), but then again the show is promoting kids so kids probably get a kick outta seeing their chefs doing wacky things. Now if GR would care to take one of those motorbikes oh 30 feet in the air over a dirt-ramp, THAT would impress me.

This show becomes less of a lesson in following instructions and more of a whoever shouts the loudest gets things done their way. That is not good training for a chef.

[bunnyblue]

I'm new to the show; I binged watched the entire season and part of season 1 over the weekend and have a few random comments and a question.

Molly claims to be a BBQ whiz and A'Dan acts like he knows his way around a grill but it really bothers me that they are constantly touching and turning over the meat & chicken. For purported experts, they sure do turn out a bunch of raw or undercooked grilled food. It's not just them, of course, every kid I've seen man a grill doesn't let the food sit for a while and get a good sear. I don't think I saw one chicken at the Ren Faire that had the beautiful grilled to perfection color.

Also, how do a bunch of kids mess up pizzas?? Raw, watery pizza?? How is that possible??

I had a good laugh when Molly said every dish must go through her before it goes out to the patrons, but when Gordon later asked her if she tasted the bland salad and raw meat before it was served she said no. These kids talk a good game but their follow through needs work. 

I know he's gone, but I have to comment on Freddy. I felt bad for him, especially when he got picked last for a team and then proceeded to just completely shut down. I too was the fat kid who was always picked last so my heart went out to him. I was impressed that Gordon picked up on Freddy's demoralized behavior at the fair and took him aside and gave him a pep talk/kick in the pants. Freddy always seemed to have a sad sack attitude, except when he was arguing with A'Dan. I hope the kid has "found his voice" since they filmed this season.

Ivy's adorable and she can cook, but the whole grown up attire complete with string pearls is a bit too much. It seems to me like the gimmick is either encouraged by her parents or the show producers. Same goes for the hat-wearing boy. Which leads me to wonder how many of these kids have acting aspirations.

Like I said above, I'm new to the show (all cooking shows, actually) and was wondering if the kids really know how to cook every meal they're tasked to come up with on the fly. Or is there a lot of behind the scenes manipulating? Like the producers giving them recipes to follow or straight up showing them how to make a dish. In a season 1 episode several of the kids said they'd never baked a cake before, yet they were able to gather all the necessary ingredients and bake pretty respectable looking cakes in the allotted time. I side-eyed that pretty hard and call shenanigans. So, just how much help are these kid chefs getting?

Edit: I'm reading some of the old comments and it appears this show is majorly staged and the kids receive a lot of help/cooking lessons/guidance before they're made to cook those elaborate dishes. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by bunnyblue

[bunnyblue]

Me again. At this point I'm just picking random seasons to watch and I'm up to episode 11 of season 7. And, yes, season 8 obviously spoiled me on the season 7 winner but I don't mind being spoiled. 

My favorite kids are Reid & Jaala, so I'm bummed that Jaala was eliminated after her disastrous "tag team" with Matthew. She was such a level headed and mature young girl and I loved that she repeatedly reassured and comforted Matthew as they neared elimination. She got a raw deal. Matthew was cute in earlier episodes but his yelling while working with Jaala was over the top and clearly the pressure was just too much for him in the end. The boy was literally sobbing as he walked out of the kitchen. Yeesh.

There was one episode this season where the kids were straight up plating food with their bare hands. Even pre-Covid that is something that has always grossed me out. Use tongs or wear gloves, FFS, because I know those kids are not regularly washing their grimy little hands. 

Sadie reminds me so much of the little girl from Airplane who likes her men like she likes her coffee. Ya'll know who I mean. 

Ugh, Ivy and her hats. I have no proof but I believe the producers wanted her to make it far and contrived scenarios where she was spared from participating in the elimination challenges. 

Edited May 4, 2022 by bunnyblue

[mertensia]

Production more or less forces contestants to dress for a certain look in both the kiddy and adult versions.

[KLovestoShop]

I despise A’Dan. He’s a mean and spiteful jerk.  I don’t know how they dumped Ciara just because she didn’t like to taste the crab.  What would they have done if she were allergic to shellfish?  Would they eliminate her because of that?  A’dan should have been dumped just because of how mean he was during the first challenge. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by KLovestoShop

[mertensia]

I haaaaaate that they think everyone should like all food. I detest seafood. when I taste it, I taste dead sea weed smell. How will I know if crab is good tasting?

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I despise A’Dan. He’s a mean and spiteful jerk.  I don’t know how they dumped Ciara just because she didn’t like to taste the crab.  What would they have done if she were allergic to shellfish?  Would they eliminate her because of that?  A’dan should have been dumped just because of how mean he was during the first challenge. 

Here's the thing about Ai'Dan IMO: yes, he's bossy, blunt to the point of being hurtful, and he doesn't have the skills himself to justify as much smack as he talks. But: he doesn't seem to be coming from a malicious place. His comments are meant to help for the most part. And most importantly, it seems to me like his comments are generally correct. One thing that will be interesting is if he is ever able to start off as team captain and can put his money where his mouth is. I also hope that when he and his parents see this, there's some real learning done. Anyway, the show probably wants to squeeze as much drama as they can from Ai'Dan, so I'd tend to think he's got at least another couple weeks as long as his food is at least mediocre as it has generally been.

As to Ciara: if there is one commandment for a Gordon Ramsay cooking show, it is Thou Shalt Do What GR Personally Tells You To Do. Gordon told her several times to taste her food, she acted as though she was going to follow his advice, and then she didn't. It would not have mattered if she somehow lucked into the best tasting crab cake ever. Ciara was going home. We see in the teaser for next week's episode that the team challenge is going to be girls vs. boys, so it would not surprise me if it was basically predetermined that a girl would go home this time so you could have unisex teams of four rather than mixed gender teams of four. There have been contestants who are allergic to shellfish/whatever or who are vegan or whatever on the various GR cooking shows. Sometimes those contestants have bitten the bullet and ate the item anyway, and sometimes they have relied on their fellow chefs to taste and give advice. In any case, not tasting food because you're allergic isn't the same as not tasting food because you just don't want to.