Masterchef Junior (US) - General Discussion

[Mr. Sparkle]

5 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Sadie, right? She's the one who bugged me the most.

I'm not saying you're right.... 

But I'm also not saying you're wrong. 

[jcbrown]

Just now, Superclam said:

I'm not saying you're right.... 

But I'm also not saying you're wrong. 

Oh, c'mon, climb into the handbasket with me!

I also noticed that there were home shots of one of the boys (name? no idea--white kid who said he cooks for his brothers) and he looked much cuter in that footage, with his hair kinda floppy. On the show, it was all slicked back.

[biakbiak]

Sadie in looks and manner totally reminds me of Sophie one of the kids on Single Parents.

[cameron]

11 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Sadie, right? She's the one who bugged me the most.

She reminded me of the two sisters from NYC last who wore those stupid JoJo bows.

[Mr. Sparkle]

29 minutes ago, cameron said:

She reminded me of the two sisters from NYC last who wore those stupid JoJo bows.

Totally. And Cyndney from the year before. This show really likes its "types." 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Superclam

[Ikki]

I hate challenges when the majority of the kids don't even compete. It hardly seems fair. Like, ten kids just flat out got a pass and then four more didn't have to do the lobsters because they made more perfect banana splits than the other teams while tied together-- that's really the best way to determine cooking ability?

[Wandering Snark]

I just couldn't get over that they were letting one of the Little Housewives compete with the kids. Struck me as very unfair.

[Lisapooh]

I love how the one little girl said she wants to cook for celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. Just like all normal 9 year olds, lol

[linthia]

I HATE the challenges that are designed to get the kids to screech and scream at each other. Why do they continue to do that every season? Is there someone out there that enjoys hearing that?

[WendyM]

I got whiplash from watching Gordon ream out a restaurant owner last week on "24 Hours to Hell and Back" and then be all smiles and giggles with these robotic children. Not all are robotic (IMHO) but there's something very artificial about the whole shebang. Has there ever been a behind-the-scenes, expose on this show, the BIGGEST COOKING COMPETITION IN THE WHOLE WORLD? There's gotta be dirt somewhere, please!

I'm definitely pleased they don't show the audition process (not sure they ever did with this version, but I approve) and I'm fine with losing the little buggers, two by two...

At this rate the show will be on for four weeks.

[mertensia]

I just watched Part one on Saturday night. Lordy Sadie's obnoxious.

I'm glad they cut Neko (she's Irish, you know).

[outtahere]

This is about Masterchef not Junior but very interesting.

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/17/i-am-a-master-chef-survivor/

[cameron]

Noticed Aaron's hands really were shaking when he was cutting that cake.  

[mlp]

I noticed Aaron's hands shaking too - like a fine tremor - and wondered why.  He's been on TV umpteen times so I wouldn't think it was nerves.  

The circus challenge was proof that the kids receive a lot of instruction ahead of time.  They were shown two fairly complex dishes from a distance and then they ran off to recreate them with no additional information.  An adult chef couldn't do that after just a glance from the peanut gallery.

The girl who has cows seems like a nice kid but she looks, unfortunately, like Honey Boo Boo.

[OoogleEyes]

On 3/17/2019 at 11:24 PM, outtahere said:

This is about Masterchef not Junior but very interesting.

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/17/i-am-a-master-chef-survivor/

Wow.  That article made me kind of sad, thinking about these kids here on MCJ.  I hope that they aren't treated like that. If they are, shame on their parents 

[Ikki]

I really like Reid. He's a cute little guy and he really worked hard to get the blue team that victory.

When the blue team started to fall apart at the beginning and one kid was like, "I don't know what's gonna happen!" I thought, "I do, your team is going to win." Che seemed like he was a good leader, though, so I'm glad he was safe; things were going well until Mateo decided to try to be "CEO" of the team, at least the way it was presented.

I try to hold off on criticizing individual kids, but when Sadie was like, "Compliment them!" to try to get the circus performers to vote for their dish...that wasn't a great look. Her comment about adults loving alcohol was funny to me, though.

[biakbiak]

I didn’t remember Ashley from the previous episode but she was so pretty, apparently can’t bake but adorable.

[zibnchy]

I see Sadie as a softer version of those hair bow girls from last year. She's a bit smug, but she seemed less smug in the circus episode. In fact I detected a bit of snark and I kind of liked it. And she made a good cake. And she strikes me as smart.

I'm so glad we lost the "I'm from Georgia and I Cook Steaks" kid early on. I'm not sure I could have taken more of him. His cake was ridiculous. I'm sorry about the other girl (Ashley?) but we just met her.

There were kids in that balcony that I'm sure I've never seen before.

I think 8 is too young. A couple of those kids are wee. Maybe if they had kids 10-14? I'd actually like to see a competition of kids aged, say, 14-17.

Malia is my favorite. She's cute, more or less competent, and not too obnoxious, and I can ignore the hair bow. It's understated. I also like Ivy but please lose the gd hat.

Can Tosi just go join the circus please. Aaron's fingers are tattooed - I always just think his hands are dirty. Speaking of dirty hands - children are gross germ factories. Why do we never see them washing their hands or wearing gloves? In truth I would not want to eat their food and I am not a germ phobic person.

These are just my opinions. YMMV.

[Mr. Sparkle]

5 minutes ago, zibnchy said:

There were kids in that balcony that I'm sure I've never seen before.

For the first 4-6 weeks of every season, I swear there are kids who haven't been on before. Or, I'll combine a few kids into one (blonde boy) and then I'm surprised when there's 2 of them. So far this year I know Ivy and Sadie, and now Mateo. 

[jcbrown]

17 minutes ago, zibnchy said:

I see Sadie as a softer version of those hair bow girls from last year. She's a bit smug, but she seemed less smug in the circus episode. In fact I detected a bit of snark and I kind of liked it. And she made a good cake. And she strikes me as smart.

I'm so glad we lost the "I'm from Georgia and I Cook Steaks" kid early on. I'm not sure I could have taken more of him. His cake was ridiculous. I'm sorry about the other girl (Ashley?) but we just met her.

There were kids in that balcony that I'm sure I've never seen before.

I think 8 is too young. A couple of those kids are wee. Maybe if they had kids 10-14? I'd actually like to see a competition of kids aged, say, 14-17.

Malia is my favorite. She's cute, more or less competent, and not too obnoxious, and I can ignore the hair bow. It's understated. I also like Ivy but please lose the gd hat.

Can Tosi just go join the circus please. Aaron's fingers are tattooed - I always just think his hands are dirty. Speaking of dirty hands - children are gross germ factories. Why do we never see them washing their hands or wearing gloves? In truth I would not want to eat their food and I am not a germ phobic person.

These are just my opinions. YMMV.

Not just you; actually, all of those are also my opinions except I do not yet have a favorite contestant.

And wouldn't it hurt a lot to have the backs of your hands and your fingers tattooed?

[Ciarrai]

1 hour ago, zibnchy said:

I'm so glad we lost the "I'm from Georgia and I Cook Steaks" kid early on. I'm not sure I could have taken more of him. His cake was ridiculous. I'm sorry about the other girl (Ashley?) but we just met her.

We didn't lose him; he was up on the balcony. His name is Reid; Tal went home today. They look pretty similar though!

[cameron]

11 hours ago, Ikki said:

I really like Reid. He's a cute little guy and he really worked hard to get the blue team that victory.

When the blue team started to fall apart at the beginning and one kid was like, "I don't know what's gonna happen!" I thought, "I do, your team is going to win." Che seemed like he was a good leader, though, so I'm glad he was safe; things were going well until Mateo decided to try to be "CEO" of the team, at least the way it was presented.

I try to hold off on criticizing individual kids, but when Sadie was like, "Compliment them!" to try to get the circus performers to vote for their dish...that wasn't a great look. Her comment about adults loving alcohol was funny to me, though.

Sadie is so obnoxious.

[WendyM]

And the bearded lady!

I'm not a fan of the hand tattoos either. I'm just watching Chopped for the first time (I know--WTF is wrong with me?) and a-RRRRRONE is but a dewy-eyed youngster, expecting his first (?) child. I wonder if they have to clear today's tats for every show or if he travels with a blanket release form.

I wasn't a fan of Tosi's till I saw her Chef's Table episode, where she was...normal. So I enjoyed her clown banter. She should be able to dress like that if she wants, FFS.

I thought Tal was Steak Boy, too. SO confused. I was thinking how unfair it was that he would get kicked off for a bad cake after cooking FIFTY-ONE steaks all by himself.

[WendyM]

On 3/17/2019 at 11:24 PM, outtahere said:

This is about Masterchef not Junior but very interesting.

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/17/i-am-a-master-chef-survivor/

Interesting. My only in-person experience is at the Apprentice finales and that's just a TV show, heavily produced like all TV shows.

I wonder if other cooking shows--the ones that don't show the auditions--are a little less intense during that process. (I'm talking about Top Chef, I guess. Are they treated differently because they're "professional" chefs?) But we all suspected they cast these things, right? They're telling a narrative and characters have to fit that narrative. I do wonder how the Masterchef Junior auditions work. Thank god we don't see them. Starting with 24 is plenty.

I do like that she never signed the contract. 

And now I wonder what Gordon smells like....

[Koalagirl]

On 3/12/2019 at 10:07 PM, springtime said:

Yes- the focus on those homes was not necessary.

Kyle from Scarsdale lives in a $4 million mansion in Scarsdale NY.  I know I shouldn’t hold this against the kid but the parents seem like assholes according to this:

https://nypost.com/2015/03/24/investor-sues-travel-agency-over-vacation-home-once-owned-by-mexican-president/

[galaxychaser]

1 hour ago, Koalagirl said:

Kyle from Scarsdale lives in a $4 million mansion in Scarsdale NY.  I know I shouldn’t hold this against the kid but the parents seem like assholes according to this:

https://nypost.com/2015/03/24/investor-sues-travel-agency-over-vacation-home-once-owned-by-mexican-president/

I got the same vibe from the toothy parents. 

Matthew is 8 too young to be there. Wow he has been cooking for 5 whole years.

[mamadrama]

I just wanted to say thank God for you guys. I used the words "pretentious" and "smug" over on another forum (I won't say the name but it rhymes with "Dreaditt") and I got banned from the board. Heck,compared to what I think about the Teen Mom women and most of the Bachelor contestants, "pretentious" is a downright compliment from me. I'd never say anything mean about the kids, considering what my own have gone through, but if you think that filet mignon is middle America's regular breakfast meat and you comment about how unique your palate is compared to all other children's, I'm gonna have to comment on that. 😋

[KLovestoShop]

On 3/22/2019 at 3:42 PM, Koalagirl said:

Kyle from Scarsdale lives in a $4 million mansion in Scarsdale NY.  I know I shouldn’t hold this against the kid but the parents seem like assholes according to this:

https://nypost.com/2015/03/24/investor-sues-travel-agency-over-vacation-home-once-owned-by-mexican-president/

Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to cheer for this kid from an over privileged family who seems to be spoiled beyond belief.

I don't know the kids names yet, but I just didn't like the attitude of the captain of the winning team.  She was so cocky and said she deserved a standing ovation.  I guess I just don't care for snooty, big mouthed kids who think the world revolves around them, and this show seems to have an over abundance of that kind of kid.  What, kids from poor home  and families can't cook?  

Edited March 23, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[mlp]

Quote

 I just don't care for snooty, big mouthed kids who think the world revolves around them, and this show seems to have an over abundance of that kind of kid.  What, kids from poor home  and families can't cook?  

I agree but I doubt it has to do with whether kids in certain income brackets can cook or not.  I imagine it has much more to do with parents who want their little darlings to be on TV and have the means to take them to auditions and then participate in whatever is required if the child is selected.  That's not true of all of them of course.  Some of the kids in past seasons seemed to be from ordinary middle-class households but they still had to have a parent or other guardian who was in a position to devote the time needed to accompany them to the show.

[mertensia]

Okay, call me a Philistine but I loved how the galaxy cake looked.

Teehee! Champagne is for adults! Teehee! Adults like alcohol! Teehee! Go away, Sadie. Like mom didn't plan that whole bit out for you.

Also, like I believe they're frosting warm cake. Nope. They clearly have a break for the cakes to cool.

[OoogleEyes]

On 3/24/2019 at 1:48 AM, mertensia said:

Teehee! Champagne is for adults! Teehee! Adults like alcohol! Teehee! 

Maybe that's how Sadie made it into this world 

(Number one in the Handbasket line)

[Ikki]

Reid charmed me last episode, but the Country Boy aspect just keeps getting thicker, doesn't it? The only part I would say bothered me was his "and some salads for the ladies" comment, but still as whole it's a lot. Also, was he just...not hugging the eliminated kids as the group hug took place right behind him? Really, his call if he wants to hug anyone, it was just funny to me to have him just standing there.

I found Aarón's Spanish with Nayeli sweet at first...and then she immediately burned herself, and I couldn't help being like, "Thanks a lot, Aarón." And then I couldn't decide if him repeatedly calling her mija was too much. 

Too many kids getting passes. Ivy hasn't cooked in a single elimination challenge so far, and only once has it been because she won something. I like Ivy, and I'm perfectly willing to believe that she's a talented cook, but I'd really like to see that as well.

I felt bad for Talulah, but at least now I can stop being distracted by her glasses.

[cameron]

Reid looks so much older than the other eight year olds his age.  Also noticed that they didn't focus on Sadie last night.

Edited March 27, 2019 by cameron

[Samwise979]

Is it just me or does Evie look like she could be Tosi's daughter? I feel like if Tosi found a picture of herself from when she was a little girl she and Evie would look like twins. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Samwise979

[mamadrama]

I think one of the reasons why they're getting kids from wealthier families is because those kids have access to a wider ranger of high-end ingredients.  A lot of ingredients they cook with are not things that some families can afford to have regularly. When I was little, if I'd gone on the show and was given the instructions to cook fish then I'd have made a catfish filet with mashed potatoes and cornbread. We were pretty much a potato/pasta/bread family during the "poor" years.

[ae2]

2 hours ago, mamadrama said:

I think one of the reasons why they're getting kids from wealthier families is because those kids have access to a wider ranger of high-end ingredients.  A lot of ingredients they cook with are not things that some families can afford to have regularly. When I was little, if I'd gone on the show and was given the instructions to cook fish then I'd have made a catfish filet with mashed potatoes and cornbread. We were pretty much a potato/pasta/bread family during the "poor" years.

... fish sticks and instant mashed potatoes (and I'm not saying that's a bad meal!)

This is certainly a big part of it. Most kids have never heard of half the stuff cooked on this show, nonetheless cooked them.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I think, as @mlp suggested above, that kids from higher-income families have a few advantages:

1.  Access to cooking classes. 
2.  Access to fancy restaurants with fancy ingredients. 
3. Ridiculously fancy kitchens (and equipment) in which to practice. 
4. Possibly a parent who stays at home, or at least has the time to take them to classes and to cook with them. Maybe a nanny or something like that. 
5. Parents who can take off work and pay for travel to audition sites. I also believe one parent has to stay with them for the duration of the contest, I don't know how long the process is if you make the finals.  

And yeah, if it was me, it would be boxed macaroni and cheese and canned soup or chili. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Superclam

[Ikki]

Oh, there was an interesting topic on Reddit I saw-- season three winner, Nathan Odom, did an AMA.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/b53f93/im_nathan_odom_winner_of_season_3_of_masterchef/

In it, he mentions that filming takes about six weeks (obviously less if you get out sooner). So, yeah, a kid needs a parent/guardian who can be available for six weeks. Now, these days, some people could work via their computers, so it might not mean time off for everyone. But for most people, that's a significant amount of time away if they work.

[kittle1974]

I'm kind of sad to see Kyle go.  I was hate watching that kid big time.  He was WAY too full of himself for a 10 year old (although based on the post above I'm not totally surprised he acts like that - the kid obviously learned it from somewhere).  I loved how he went on and on about how he was an expert at using the ingredients during the elimination round and that his dishes with those ingredients were always masterpieces (paraphrasing).  Then two minutes later the judge ripped it apart because it tasted like crap.  It was so great that I had to rewind and watch it again.  (ok, I guess I'll get in that handbasket line now)

[Ikki]

7 minutes ago, kittle1974 said:

I'm kind of sad to see Kyle go.  I was hate watching that kid big time.  He was WAY too full of himself for a 10 year old (although based on the post above I'm not totally surprised he acts like that - the kid obviously learned it from somewhere).  I loved how he went on and on about how he was an expert at using the ingredients during the elimination round and that his dishes with those ingredients were always masterpieces (paraphrasing).  Then two minutes later the judge ripped it apart because it tasted like crap.  It was so great that I had to rewind and watch it again.  (ok, I guess I'll get in that handbasket line now)

Well, good news for you, I guess-- Kyle wasn't eliminated. The two to go were Mateo and Talulah, with Kyle and Brielle being the other two in the bottom four who were ultimately safe.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, Ikki said:

Oh, there was an interesting topic on Reddit I saw-- season three winner, Nathan Odom, did an AMA.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/b53f93/im_nathan_odom_winner_of_season_3_of_masterchef/

In it, he mentions that filming takes about six weeks (obviously less if you get out sooner). So, yeah, a kid needs a parent/guardian who can be available for six weeks. Now, these days, some people could work via their computers, so it might not mean time off for everyone. But for most people, that's a significant amount of time away if they work.

Thanks for this. Very interesting! 

ETA: I read to the bottom, and then I saw "633 more replies." I think I'm done for today! 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Superclam

[BensBritches]

I'm beginning to think this show is fully scripted more and more. Last night, it seemed like several of the kids couldn't pronounce or explain their dishes. They rattled off what they had made as if reading from a cue card in a robotic voice. Made me wonder just how much "help" they get. Also, it seems like all the kids glaze over when the judges babble on and on like, "the floral notes of the sauce balance the tartness of the hint of citrus that I'm getting but if the rendered fat was a bit more in the background..."  It's clear ALL the kids are told to state where they are from in every single interaction as in "back home in Georgia... back home in New Jersey... back home in Texas." It was driving me batty last night because, as someone who works with kids, I know no child who speaks like that or continually references where they are from. Let it go, script-writers, let it go!

Was I the only one bothered by the contradictory nature of the kids (fake) whining about chopping up the goldfish, but then jumping with (excessive) glee at butchering a bigger (less cute?) fish? And did I miss it- were we shown the kids actually cutting up the fish or deboning it? Because apparently every one of their fillets were perfect.

As for the kids themselves, I was happy to see so little of Sadie this week. I can't hate on Kyle for being rich, but I really don't need to see these kid's mansions. I still don't know most of the kid's names, but I like the little girl who wears a bandanna tied in a bow and Ben (but that's more to do with what we know ultimately happened to him. I just want to pull him from the screen and protect him from his future!).  I have no idea how Matthew went about picking the kids he wanted to keep safe and thus I assume it was producer manipulation (he seemed to have a good relationship with the girl who was cooking at the front station, but he didn't chose her). And why do they do this? It prevents us from really getting to know the kids and seeing their skills in various challenges. I want all kids cooking all the time.

[kittle1974]

5 hours ago, Ikki said:

Well, good news for you, I guess-- Kyle wasn't eliminated. The two to go were Mateo and Talulah, with Kyle and Brielle being the other two in the bottom four who were ultimately safe.

LOL.  I guess that goes to show how much attention I was paying by the end.  I didn't realize that he was sent back to live another day with the rest of the kids.  I'm looking forward to continuing to hate watch him at least another week.  Also, it looks like I get a second chance of realizing my dream where chef Ramsay slips and accidentally tells him to 'piss off'! 

[ae2]

5 hours ago, BensBritches said:

It's clear ALL the kids are told to state where they are from in every single interaction as in "back home in Georgia... back home in New Jersey... back home in Texas." It was driving me batty last night because, as someone who works with kids, I know no child who speaks like that or continually references where they are from. Let it go, script-writers, let it go!

It was especially funny (by funny I mean grating!) to me in this episode when the girl that burnt herself, while crying over the burn, managed to slip in a "back home in Texas!" 

[Ciarrai]

6 hours ago, BensBritches said:

As for the kids themselves, I was happy to see so little of Sadie this week. I can't hate on Kyle for being rich, but I really don't need to see these kid's mansions. I still don't know most of the kid's names, but I like the little girl who wears a bandanna tied in a bow and Ben (but that's more to do with what we know ultimately happened to him. I just want to pull him from the screen and protect him from his future!).

... What happened to Ben? A past contestant named Ben lost both of his parents shortly afterward in a murder-suicide but I haven't seen anything about the Ben currently on the show.

[BensBritches]

41 minutes ago, Ciarrai said:

... What happened to Ben? A past contestant named Ben lost both of his parents shortly afterward in a murder-suicide but I haven't seen anything about the Ben currently on the show.

Oh, I thought it was this season's Ben whose parents died in a murder-suicide. Glad to know it wasn't this boy. I can watch him with less anxiety now. What season was the Ben whose parents died on? 

[biakbiak]

26 minutes ago, BensBritches said:

What season was the Ben whose parents died on? 

Last season.

[zibnchy]

On 3/27/2019 at 4:20 PM, BensBritches said:

Was I the only one bothered by the contradictory nature of the kids (fake) whining about chopping up the goldfish, but then jumping with (excessive) glee at butchering a bigger (less cute?) fish? And did I miss it- were we shown the kids actually cutting up the fish or deboning it? Because apparently every one of their fillets were perfect.

I'm still kinda bothered by the nonchalance with which they killed their lobsters, last week I think.

I actually thought for a second that I had accidentally missed the portion of the show where they created those perfect fillets. Maybe they were afraid to show the carnage so they just hand waved that part.

I cracked up when one of the 8 year olds said he'd been cooking since he was one.

So, apparently, there's a girl from my state competing. Her name is Jaala, I think. I'm not sure I've ever laid eyes on her. Now I'm afraid she'll have an early talking head next week and I'll know she's a goner. Like maybe I jinxed her by mentioning her.

[mertensia]

Jaala had the galaxy cake.

Why couldn't smarmy Kyle have gone?

[Rammchick]

On 3/28/2019 at 6:21 PM, zibnchy said:

I'm still kinda bothered by the nonchalance with which they killed their lobsters, last week I think.

I actually thought for a second that I had accidentally missed the portion of the show where they created those perfect fillets. Maybe they were afraid to show the carnage so they just hand waved that part.

I don't think actually filleting the fish was part of the challenge.  I wondered about that too.