Judging a chef's dish – what he puts his heart, soul and artistry into – while he's standing right there in front of you is difficult enough, but imagine judging an aspiring chef who just happens to be 8 years old and doing it on national TV! Luckily for judge Graham Elliot, the food he's tasked with sampling on "MasterChef Junior" is created by some of the most talented junior chefs in the world, so it's rare that he gets a foul-tasting bite. Even still, someone has to be sent home.
After FOX's "MasterChef" aired for two successful seasons, producers moved on to making a spinoff that focuses on junior gourmets ages 8 to 13. Now, four seasons later, the show is just as successful as the original adult version. It's also more impressive since these are not only some extremely talented culinary kids, they're also extremely mature – strong enough to take the criticism and the eliminations that have been known to crush adult contenders.
Elliot, 39, has been with the show since the beginning alongside judge Gordon Ramsay. Joe Bastianich was the third judge for the first five seasons of "MasterChef" and the first three seasons of "MasterChef Junior," but cupcake expert Christina Tosi recently took over for him.
While it's never easy to eliminate anyone of any age, the judges make sure to send the kids home two at a time so nobody ever feels like they're at the bottom and alone.
"These kids bring such an innocence to their cooking that they're not looking to be the next millionaire chef or rock star. They really just genuinely enjoy cooking. The hardest part is when you have to send them home," Elliot told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "They've come so far, so they should always feel super-psyched, and I think it's all positive at the end. And what's funny is that five minutes later they walk to the back, and they're all best friends, they're all buddies."
Still, Elliot keeps an upbeat attitude and often dresses up in funky outfits to go with each epsiode's theme and to make the kids laugh. The point, he says, is to encourage rather than discourage.
"I try to do the compliment sandwich, where it's like, 'Wow this looks great, but here are the things I would have done differently,' " he explained. "Or tell them where they might have gone wrong. But again, I try to encourage them to think out of the box and tell them how to make it better next time. As a dad of three boys, I try to do my best to motivate them, but the last thing I want to do is crush someone's dreams. We want these kids to go home and still love cooking."
The season four finale of "MasterChef Junior" is right around the corner, and from among the 24 junior chefs that began this season, only two chefs, Addison and Avery, remain in the competition to compete for the trophy, the $100,000 prize and the title of first ever female MasterChef Junior. Both contestants are 9-year-old girls who are well-deserving of this final spot. Both have proved time and time again that they are mature beyond their years, can cook delicious meals, and have the personality and leadership skills to be MasterChefs.
"They're amazing," Elliot said of the two finalists. "Addison is one of those natural born leaders, where you see her saying, 'Come on guys, we can do this! We gotta push ourselves!' And you're just like, Where the hell does someone learn that? Is it from her dad or her coach? I mean, that's someone that's really going to be great at whatever she does. She just naturally has that ability, which is huge. And then there's someone like Avery, who cooks from the heart and the soul unlike anyone else that we've seen before."
