"MasterChef Junior" is back for its fourth season on Fox, and this time around, the contestants are cuter and more confident than ever. Twenty-four young home cooks between ages 8 and 13 will compete against each other in challenges some adults couldn't even handle, with celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Christina Tosi judging their every move. The judges are typically shocked with what these kids are capable of, and season 4 will be no different. Watch as these 24 talented chefs compete against each other for not only the Master Chef Junior title, but $100,000.
During tonight's premiere episode, the 24 contestants will tackle their first challenge of making the perfect burger, a delicious side and a sweet dessert using only the ingredients in the Mystery Box. To start off the show, the contestants must find their personalized white aprons, which are hidden in a giant piñata shaped like Ramsay's head.
"What a year," Ramsay says in the promo video. "The talent has got better, the challenges have got more difficult, and the array of kids from the East Coast, West Coast, Central, you name it, we've got it."
"We're looking for the best ameteur home cooks except in this case, they're between the ages of 8 and 13," Elliot added. "They have just as much passion, skill, creativity as adults do, which is amazing to see."
With young chefs from all over the country, there is so much to expect in this upcoming season. From contestants who started cooking when they were 2 years old to huge Guy Fieri fans and some very smart thinkers, these cooks will be a real threat in the kitchen. See what the 24 contestants had to say about their cooking experience in their exclusive Q&A's with Fox below!
Adam: It all started when he made spaghetti and meatballs at the age of 6. He grew up to love sushi and would really love to cook for Quentin Tarantino.
Addison: She started when she was just 3 years old when she made her dad, who she looks up into in the kitchen, his birthday cake. If she could cook for anyone in the world, it'd be the President and Malala.
Alexander: He started at age 5 with some fried eggs. His cooking hero is his mom, and he really would love to cook for her.
Amaya: The first dish she ever made was a plate of cookies at 7 years old. Her favorite food is chicken parmesan, and when it comes to her cooking hero, she looks up to her mom. If she could cook for anyone in the world, it'd be the President.
Annabelle: She started cooking at just 2 years old, and the first thing she ever cooked was also cookies. Her favorite food is a very specific and unusual dish: date madeleines, which are petite cakes, with sticky toffee sauce. She looks up to the iconic Julia Child as her cooking hero.
Avery: The first time she ever made a meal was when she brought her parents breakfast in bed at just 4 years old because they wouldn't let her use the stove. Her cooking hero is Ramsay, which should be fun for Avery as she'll be spending a lot of time with him throughout the season.
Chad: He started off his love for cooking with a Country Hash at just 3 years old. He looks up to Food Network's Guy Fieri and would also love to cook for the President.
Corey: He started in the kitchen a little later than most of the contestants with a traditional Christmas Yule Log at 9 years old. His favorite food is a delicious and sophisticated one, though, because he just loved fried calamari with a garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce. Corey would love to cook for Oprah Winfrey one day.
Derek: He grew up watching cooking shows and found his love for EVOO and garlic when he made a lasagna at just 2 years old. Derek likes to make dishes from scratch with all natural ingredients and channel his inner food scientist like his cooking hero Alton Brown.
Ian: He started simple with some scrambled eggs at the age of 5 and loves to eat oysters Rockefeller. He also looks up to Brown and would really love to cook for Jimmy Fallon one day.
Jaeclyn: Her mom taught her to make tacos when she was 7, and it has been her favorite food ever since. If she could cook for anyone in the world, it'd be Taylor Swift, and she'd make her a cat-shaped cake.
Jesse: His first meal ever was turkey wellington, but he loves to eat ramen noodle. If he could cook for anyone, it'd be musician Jack White.
JJ: He also started at the young age of 2 when he helped stir a pot of mashed potatoes. He's also a huge fan of Brown and would really love to cook for him one day.
Kade: He made pizzas with his mom at the age of 3 and really looks up to, and would love to cook for, celebrity chef Bobby Flay.
Kaitlyn: The first time she cooked was when she was 5, and she helped her Poppy bake an apple pie only to then help her mom prepare Thanksgiving dinner. When she was put in charge of the mashed potatoes, she added in a touch of garlic and thyme all on her own. She would also love to cook for Guy Fieri just so she could watch him taste the dish, because she thinks he's hilarious when he does it.
Kamilly: She and her dad made pancakes when she was just 4 years old, and she also looks up to Ramsay in the kitchen. Her favorite food is enchiladas, and she'd love to cook for the President one day as well.
Kya: She created her very own dish of seared salmon with crushed potatoes and roasted tomatoes when she was 5 after first learning to cook just two years prior. Her favorite food is pig's trotter stuffed with sweetbreads and chicken mousse and morels with mashed potatoes, and she looks up to several famous chefs, including Ramsay, Child and many others.
Kyndall: She also started simple with eggs at 6 years old but has grown to love shrimp and plantains. Ramsay is also her cooking hero, and she'd enjoy cooking for pretty much any Disney super star.
Mia: She could have an advantage in the first challenge, as her first meal was portabella mushroom burgers at 4 years old. She is another young chef that looks up to Brown because he taught her the science side of food and helped her learn to make classic dishes. As for who she'd love to cook for, she also chose Fieri because of how fun he is. Plus, she thinks it'd be really cool to cook him some vegetarian dishes since he's such a meat lover.
Nate: He learned to cook when he was 4 but didn't create his own dish until he was 9 when he made hot chocolate pancakes. He says he'd also like to cook for Fieri, since he's already cooked for Gordon, Graham and Christina.
Sam: He grew up watching his grandpa in his restaurant and learned to cook with a wok at the age of 2. He didn't start cooking on his own until he was 5 when he would make simple foods like pizza, burger and eggs. His favorite food is burgers, so he will be excited when he finds out the first challenge.
Tae-Ho: He started cooking when he was 6 when he created his family's house special fried rice with SPAM as the secret ingredient. Ramsay is also the person he looks up to, and he can't wait to finally be able to cook for him.
Vivian: She started at a young age when she would help her mom bake cookies for her annual cookie swap contest. As for the people she'd really love to cook for, she said it's the three judges, as she's always wanted to be on this show.
Zac: He started at a much later age than the rest of the contestants when he first watched season one of MasterChef Junior at age 11. His first dish was French toast with fresh whipped cream and a vanilla glaze. He also is a huge fan of burgers, and he even looks up to the Hamburglar.
Watch these junior master chefs take over the kitchen Fridays on Fox at 8/7c.
