MasterChef Junior

Announcer: Previously on "MasterChef Junior"...

The 40 best young home cooks in America...

- Oh, this thing is so heavy. - Announcer: ...faced off...

Four home cooks. Just two aprons.

Announcer: ...in the culinary challenge of their lives.

- Christina Tosi should be worried. - ( laughs )

- Announcer: In the end... - This apron belongs to...

Announcer: ...only the 20 best claim the coveted white apron

and a spot in the competition.

- ( thunder crackles ) - Tonight...

- Boy: Umbrella? Oh, no. - Announcer: ...the top 20...

- Oh, God. - ( all scream )

Announcer: ...face their first mystery box challenge...

- Gordon: Rice! - Announcer: ...of the season.

- It's in my shirt! - It's in my shoes!

- It's in my pants. - Announcer: And then...

- Watch carefully. - Announcer: ...a Gordon Ramsay master class...

- Beautiful. - Announcer: ...heats up the competition...

- Whoa! - Someone's gonna get hurt.

- Announcer: ...like never before. - ( boy yells )

Sam. Let me see.

- I burnt myself. - Jeez.

Really hurts.

There's no words to explain

how, like, it feels to be in the top 20 out of thousands.

This is definitely the biggest thing I've ever done in my entire life.

Let's do this!

I'm so excited!

- Whoo! - Come on down.

Girl: I'm 10 years old,

and the MasterChef kitchen is probably, like,

the biggest kitchen in the whole world.

My kitchen in Brooklyn

is definitely not the size of this kitchen.

It's, like, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

- Hi, Gordon! - Hi, guys.

Girl #2: I'm eight years old,

and I was six when I started cooking.

Even though I'm the youngest in the competition,

I can cook Indian food, American food,

Italian food, Japanese food, Chinese food.

Gordon: Line up, please.

Girl #2: I don't think age matters.

I think it's just how good of a cook you are.

Boy #2: Being in the MasterChef kitchen,

I feel like I can accomplish my dream

of having a restaurant. I'm only 10 years old,

but I want to inspire kids to cook

and show them they have as much potential

in the culinary world as adults do.

Welcome to "MasterChef Junior."

Christina: You are the 20 most talented home cooks

between the ages of eight and 13

from all across America.

Now one of you is gonna walk away

with the title of "America's MasterChef Junior."

Wow.

One of you will win $100,000.

Boy: Yes!

But there's one more truly incredible prize.

The MasterChef trophy.

- Oh--! - What?

- Uh... - What?

Don't worry. It hasn't been stolen.

- Okay. - Oh, okay, good.

We asked somebody very special to take care of it.

- What? - This year,

we'll be welcoming some very exciting guest judges

to the MasterChef kitchen. And tonight, we're welcoming

one of the brightest names in our industry.

His passion, his skill, his flair in the kitchen,

have placed him in amongst the world's best Latin chefs.

Hopefully he's brought that trophy with him.

All of you please welcome...

- ( door whirrs ) - Chef Aarón Sánchez.

- Aarón Sánchez. - Yes!

Aarón Sánchez, he is definitely one of my biggest inspirations

because we're both Latino.

And I cook Latin food a lot for my family.

Amazing.

And that's why he's one of my biggest inspirations.

It is a true honor to be here in the MasterChef kitchen.

Christina: Now it's time for the real fun to begin.

It's the iconic Mystery Box Challenge.

Gordon: At each of your stations

is the most amazing mystery box.

Gordon: And under that mystery box are your ingredients

for tonight's first big challenge.

- But... - Oh, no.

...there's one extra ingredient.

That ingredient is not under your mystery box.

- Boy: Umbrella? - Boy #2: What?

Oh, no.

- ( all scream ) - Gordon: Rice!

What the heck?

- It's in my shirt. - It's in my shoes.

It's in my-- it's in my pants.

The most commonly eaten crop in the entire world-- rice.

And tonight all of you are gonna put

your "MasterChef Junior" spin on it.

Now head to your stations where you'll find

what else you have to work with this evening.

I live in Jonesboro, Georgia,

but my family is actually from Bangladesh.

Rice is a big part of Bengali culture.

I can make a lot of traditional dishes,

but if I can show the judges

that I can cook more than Bengali food,

I will definitely impress them.

Christina: Now alongside your choice of rice,

you'll have to use whatever you find

under those boxes to make us one amazing,

MasterChef Junior, restaurant-quality dish.

Whoever has the best dish tonight

will get a huge advantage in the upcoming challenge.

Aarón: On the count of three,

lift those boxes, okay?

One, two, three! Lift those boxes!

- Boy: Yes! - Whoo!

- Chicken! - Chocolate!

Oh...

Yes, you got me! Whoo!

Christina: Under your mystery boxes,

there's an amazing selection

of popular ingredients you all know and love.

Ah, I know what to make.

We wanna see you on a plate.

Alongside the ingredients

you're gonna have your staple pantry box.

Remember, those ingredients are essential

to enhancing any dish, so use them wisely.

Gordon: Tonight, you'll all have just one hour

to make us your very first mystery box dish.

- Now, is everybody ready? - Cooks: Yes, Chef!

Your 60 minutes starts...

- now! - ( ticks )

Go, go, go!

Oh, what kind of rice am I doing?

- Basmati, basmati. - Arborio. Arborio.

Ugh, ugh...

Eddie: Where's sushi rice? Sushi!

Season five, our fifth year,

- and look at the talent. - Here we go.

The most diverse group of talent we've ever had.

They hail from nine different states across America.

Uh, shake it.

Yeah, and I think rice is the perfect vehicle.

We can honestly see 20 different rice dishes.

All different flavor profiles. I'm excited.

Today I'm making jasmine rice,

stuffed bell peppers, and Portobello mushrooms.

I really wanted to do the jasmine rice

because I know that it's a very, very popular rice in Jamaica.

I thought that that would definitely show my culture,

and the name "jasmine," I love the name of that rice.

Today I'm making a chicken risotto

with pan-seared mushrooms, onions,

and I seasoned my chicken with a little bit of spice,

'cause in Texas we love spice.

- Whoo! - ( whirrs )

I've been cooking since I was about five years old,

and I'm making a chicken mole

with a dirty rice.

Back home in New Jersey, my dad really likes mole,

so I wanna make him really proud of me.

Gordon: Jump to halfway, guys.

- 30 minutes remaining. - ( ticks )

Cydney, remind me again--

your age and where you're from.

Brooklyn, New York, and I'm 10 years old.

- What are you making? - I'm making a rice pudding...

- I love rice pudding. - ...with a pistachio crumble

and caramelized peaches.

Everyone's going the savory route,

so I decided to do something sweet.

I can't wait to taste this rice pudding.

- Okay. Thank you. - Good luck.

- Gonzalo. - Hey, Chef.

...a all-vegetarian risotto.

So I have some peas that I'm gonna blanch,

carrots, and broccoli.

Where did you learn how to do this?

I was self-taught, then my grandma came in,

and my mom to teach me some Peruvian flavors.

- Good luck, Gonzalo. - Thank you, Chef.

- Aarón: Buena suerte. - Gracias.

- Here we go. - Come on, steak.

- Right, Mashu, how you feeling? - Pretty good, sir.

Looks like you are in the zone. What are you doing?

Uh, I'm making a risotto

with mushrooms, Parmesan and shrimp.

Back in Thousand Oaks, California,

I make a lot of, uh, Italian and Japanese dishes,

so I'm making a dish to show my love for Italian food,

and share my Japanese culture and background.

Top 20. Come on. How desperate are you for the advantage?

Oh, I want this advantage as bad as anyone else.

Good luck.

Go, go, go...

This is so much fun.