MasterChef Junior

Announcer: Previously, on "MasterChef Junior"...

- What? Umbrella? - Oh, no.

- Rice! - ( screaming )

Announcer: The first Mystery Box challenge of the season...

- Gordon: That is delicious. - Announcer: ...revealed the early frontrunners.

You clearly were born to cook.

Watch carefully.

- Announcer: But a Gordon Ramsay master class... - Whoa!

Oh, my Lord.

- Announcer: ...proved too much... - Gordon: Purée's missing.

And unfortunately, your sea bass is overcooked.

Announcer: ...for Elisabeth and Solomon.

Whoo!

- Announcer: Tonight... - Both: Corn dogs.

- ...it's wiener takes all... - Yeah!

- ...as the top 18 young home cooks... - Take it out, take it out!

...turn the judges into an American classic.

Then a special guest judge...

- Christina: Mayim Bialik! - Are you real?

- I am real. - Announcer: ...makes a big bang.

I am...

vegan.

- Announcer: Which leaves the talented home cooks... - Whoo!

- No! - ...floored.

- She just dropped her burger. - No.

I can't go home.

Why?

- Hi! - ( yelling )

- Let's go, guys. - So excited!

Sam: I'm nine years old.

And now I'm one of the top 18 chefs in America.

That's big.

Really, really big.

Good to see you all!

Sam: If I win the MasterChef trophy,

I think I'd be one of the coolest kids in Massachusetts.

Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.

- ( cheering ) - Whoo! Whoo!

Christina: Now, this next challenge

is all about one of the most important skills--

teamwork.

- Yes! - ( cheering )

But not everyone will be competing

- in tonight's challenge. - What?

- What? - Uh-oh.

- Why? - And that's where these come in.

- Sticks. - Grab a short stick and you'll be competing.

Grab a long stick, you'll be cheering on your fellow cooks.

Come on up and grab a stick. Let's go.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- Girl: Excuse me. - Oh, I got a short stick!

- I got a long one. - Short stick!

Oh, I got a short one! Yes!

Right, those with long sticks, please come and stand over here.

- Well done. - Sam: Long stick!

Now, you talented six home cooks

drew short sticks.

And at the end of your sticks, you have a color on the end.

The person with the same colored stick

is your teammate.

- Whoo! - Yes!

My partner is Justise, which I'm somewhat worried about.

She likes to take charge as much as I like to take charge.

Please, put these aprons on.

Evan: So our personalities could really clash

and we could end up failing the challenge.

All right, now one of my favorite things about food

- is how it can evoke a memory. - Yes.

And what you're cooking tonight

definitely makes me nostalgic for my childhood.

- Nice. - It's a classic.

- Ah, gosh. - Funnel cake.

- Gordon, Christina: Corn dogs. - Yes!

- Oh, wow, corn dogs! - Oh, yes!

- It's nice! - Whoo!

Each team will have just 10 minutes

- to make as many beautiful corn dogs as possible. - Yes.

This is what you're going for tonight--

a nice even coat of golden-brown batter,

and more importantly, no hot dog showing, whatsoever.

The winning team tonight will enjoy the sweet taste of victory

and will not have to cook in the next challenge.

- We need to win this one. - Yeah, we need to win this.

But there's even more at stake

than saving yourselves.

What is that?

Oh, no, I have a very bad feeling...

Gordon: There's saving...

...us. That's right.

We gotta win this.

Listen carefully. If your team wins this challenge,

together you will decide which one of us

gets a sloppy mess of batter spilled all over them.

Christina, pick Christina.

- Pick Christina. - Get Gordon!

- Christina: No, no, no, no. - Get Gordon!

Please, all of you, head back to your stations. Let's go.

- Yeah, blue team! - ( cheering )

Eddie: I wanna win this challenge so bad,

so I can pour batter all over Christina.

First off, she's a girl.

Second of all, um...

she's a girl.

At your station, you have everything you need

to make us perfectly battered,

MasterChef-worthy corn dogs.

- Now, are you all ready? - All: Yes, Chef!

Ten minutes starts...

- ( ticks ) - now!

- Gordon: Let's go. - Help me.

- Okay, throw-- - Are we allowed to stick out the top?

No. Just enough that I can hold it with three fingers.

You got this.

Here, I'm just gonna give them to you.

- I'm gonna put them in the sticks. - Good.

Now, the secret to a corn dog,

- you've gotta skewer it tightly. - Ah, darn it.

This one broke.

Christina: Roll it in flour first

and then you dunk it in batter.

Yeah. Take it out, take it out, take it out.

Oh, no!

Not too thick, not too thin.

But evenly coated is the key.

- Get it evenly coated. Oh! - Oh!

Now, strategy-wise, Gordon,

what do you think is the smarter approach?

Gordon: So one skewers and flours,

the other one fries and dips, yes?

Dripping.

Gonzalo: Our strategy is to have Eddie

take care of the flour and the batter,

and I'll just fry the corn dogs.

Okay, Gonzalo, I'm waiting.

Just get another one going and put flour in it.

So the secret of this one is about teamwork.

- Check your corn dogs. - Evan: Justise and I, we have to win it.

Because I know we both want to make it to the top 16.

Justise: How many do we have so far?

Uh, we have two down.

Our strategy is communicating to each other

and making sure every corn dog is perfect.

We got this in the bag, just stay calm.

Don't spaz, okay?

Now, we've given them six fryers.

We need them to use all six.

But you can't just drop the corn dog in the fryer.

- Go! - Christina: You've gotta hold the corn dog in the fryer

for a minute or two until that shell forms,

then you can drop it in.

Go.

Ready, got two.

Me and Peyton's strategy is to do two at a time

so we get more done

and make as many corn dogs as possible.

Look at Peyton, look at the concentration on that lady's face.

- Incredible. - Look at the multitasking.

She's working four different fryers at once.

Gordon: I mean, they are flying through.

- Incredible. Four minutes, guys. - Mark: You can do it!

Are you serious with me?

Push it, push it, push it!

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Justise: Corn dogs may look easy,

but they can be really difficult.

Agh, they're falling out!

Justise: If you don't put the stick in right,

it's gonna fall off.

- I got it, I got it. - You got it?

Okay, just get a new one, just get a new one.

If you don't flour the corn dog,

- the batter's gonna fall off. - Eddie, flour them.

- Are you forgetting to flour them? - Yeah.

- Eddie, come on, we need those floured. - Sorry!

Justise: And if you don't fry it right, it's gonna be raw

or it's gonna be overcooked and burnt.

- And that's disgusting. - Those aren't done.

None of those are done. They should be golden brown.

Start putting some on the rack.

- Two minutes to go, guys. - You can do it!

Peyton, perfectly fried one right here.

It's gonna be a close race.

Blue and red are looking strong

but I'm a little worried about the yellow team.

- Okay. - More flour.

- This is good. This is perfect. - Eddie!

- Gordon: Last minute, guys! - ( ticks )

- Go! Go! - Come on, guys!

Blue team, blue team!

Hurry, hurry, hurry. Put it in, put it there.

Now, Gordon, I know this might

come across as a little selfish,

but I'm really hoping the winning team

chooses to turn you into the human corn dog.

- Come on, take 'em out, take 'em out, take 'em out. - Gordon: Let's go, come on!

- Let's go, yellow team. - Keep it goin', guys.

Oh, no, another hot dog got stuck.

Okay, Eddie, there's no more time to make new ones.

I'm just gonna make some new ones, okay?

Gordon: Quick, Gonzalo!