Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef Junior"...
- ( squealing ) - Welcome, guys.
We've brought in another judge.
- Hey, guys. - ...the season kicked off
with the 12 best young cooks in America.
I'm also making my special sauce.
- Can you give us, like, one ingredient? - I can't.
That rib cap is cooked beautifully. Thank you so much.
Those potatoes, they're nice and fluffy on the inside.
So, for me it was really delicious.
The winning home cook is Bryson.
- Well done. - Nice job, Bryson.
I'm loving the creativity, but it does look better than it tastes.
It is definitely not medium rare.
Flavors are there, just the cook needs a bit of work on.
The home cook going home tonight is Bre.
- Keep your head up! - Bye, Bre!
- Tonight on "MasterChef Junior"... - All: Whoa!
We have treasure chests!
The theme of tonight's challenge is Under The Sea.
- Yeah! - it's sink or swim time...
I love mussels. I'm kind of like the mussel man.
I can't squeeze!
...as the top 11 young home cooks
take on a very fishy...
Aah! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!
- very slimy... - Seaweed!
- ...seafood challenge. - ( squealing )
Got you, Dad.
I love the cook on the shrimp. Good job.
- Impressive stuff. - The flavor's there,
but that plate's got more seaweed in it then my head had earlier.
Oh, my gosh.
( music playing )
Whoa!
- Whoa! - Whoa!
Wow! Seaweed!
- Oh, my God! - We have treasure chests!
This is awesome!
Whoa, this is so cool!
I get to see all these fish and crab and squids.
- Whoa! - It's like a whole new world almost.
I wanna live here.
Asher, that fish looks like Gordon Ramsay.
( laughter )
- Gordon! - Chef Ramsay!
- Judges! - Tilly!
- Where are they? - Where'd you guys go?
All: Oh!
Look at you, little crab. And my sweet pirate.
- Judges! - Hey.
- ( growls ) - Wow!
- Thank you. - ( squealing )
- Oh, my God. - Whoa!
- You guys look so amazing. - Arr!
Hi, guys.
Tills, you look crabbier than your dad.
- Oh! - The claws are out for sure.
Speaking of Dad, where is he?
Gordon, where are you?
Where is he?
- Oh! - Oh, my God.
( laughter )
- Oh, my-- - What the--
- That's so amazing. - Scuba diver!
- Oh, my God! - Oh, my God.
- That is so-- - ( laughter )
That has to be hard to walk in.
Yes!
- What are you guys wearing? - Chef, I think what you mean
is what "arr" we wearing there, mateys?
Now, I am sure you're all wondering why we're dressed like this.
- Yeah. - Yes.
Well, the theme of tonight's challenge is Under The Sea.
- Oh! - It's "MasterChef Junior's"
very first mystery treasure chest challenge.
- Yeah! - Avast, mateys. Listen up closely.
What? What?
This evening, you'll be cooking with seafood, ah?
- But here's the catch. - A catch.
Each treasure chest has a different kind of seafood inside,
so you won't know what you're getting until you open
- that treasure chest. - No!
- Oh, no!
And this is the toughest season ever,
so I think we should add an ingredient that's not in their treasure chest.
- ( gasps ) - What?
Oh, no!
Tilly: Now, kids, you will also
have to use something that's slimy...
- ( groans ) - Oh, no, no!
- salty... - Oh, no.
...and everywhere in the ocean.
- Oh! - Oh, a fish.
- What's that, Tills? - It's seaweed!
Seaweed? What?
Oh, my-- oh, my God.
- Tilly, really? - Got you, Dad.
Man. Man.
- ( screaming ) - Ahh!
- You're in the line of fire. - Ugh!
That got in my mouth!
Now, guys, I did not just dump seaweed on my Dad's head for a laugh.
- Although that's mostly why I did it. - Yeah!
But seriously, guys, there's a treasure trove of seaweed in the pantry
that you must also use in your dishes tonight.
Your seafood should be the hero of the dish tonight,
but your seaweed should be a very strong supporting character.
- Oh. - Right, you guys ready to get things started?
- Yes! - Okay.
All of you, go on. Pick any treasure chest.
Go and fish.
Gently swimming, little minnows in the ocean.
- Here we go. - I want, I want, I want--
- Gordon: Don't open them. - Pick a good one.
- I call this one. - Grab whichever one's open.
Okay, I want this one.
Gordon: Now, Asher, let's go.
Go ahead and open your treasure chest
and tell me what you got.
Halibut!
- Oh, yes. - Ah.
- My favorite. Right, next up, Lydia. - Sea bass.
- Aww, yes. - Sea bass, nice. That's a good one.
- Remy. - Squid.
- Oh, yes. - Aarón: Nice!
Ugh, I hate squid. Hate calamari. Ugh!
- Jason. - I got mahi mahi.
- Oh, yes! - Nice!
Lilo, show me what you got.
Lilo: Baby octopus.
- Yummy! - Oh, yes.
Love that. Miles.
( gasps ) Clams and mussels.
- Kristell. - Aah! Lobster!
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh!
- Right, next up. - I got salmon.
- Tuna. - Amberjack.
Gordon: Oh, man. Love that.
- Let's go, Alfred. - Prawns.
- What'd you think? - It's scary.
Prawn? They are delicious.
They're delicious, but they're scary.
- Ha-hah. - Pow!
All right, listen closely there, you scallywags.
You have just one hour to cook us your seafood dishes,
complete with that seaweed, let's not forget.
All: Yes, Chef!
And whichever one of you serves the victory tonight
and cooks the best dish will win an incredible all-expenses paid trip--
a California seaside vacation for you and your family.
- ( gasping ) - That's so cool.
So cook the winning dish tonight,
not only do you have that amazing holiday,
but you're up on the safety of the balcony.
Now, sadly if you're the bottom three,
you may find yourself in deep water.
- Oh, my gosh. - Understood?
- Yes! - Yes, Chef.
Good. Now your 60 minutes start now.
Whoo!
- Go, go, go, go! - ( yelling )
- Oh, my God. - Seaweed!
- Oh, my gosh. - Ugh!
- Eww! - This is disgusting.
- ( groans ) - Oh, it smells so bad.
- Eww! - Seaweed? Eww. Nasty.
It's like boogers under the sea.
I hate it, but I cook seafood so much
and I'm really good at it.
So I'm gonna make a pan-seared salmon
with curry couscous
and I'm gonna incorporate
that ogo seaweed into it.
I think I'm gonna ace this thing out of the park.
( crowd cheering )
- Uh, guys, I think we should change clothes. - Yeah.
- Come on, let's go. - Come on, let's go.
Aarón: Let's do this. Be careful. Arr!
( Aarón laughs )
Here we go.
We're almost there.
Gordon: Don't ever do that again, please.
Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
Daphne: Oh, wow.
Oof. Oh, my goodness. That's better.
- We got to hurry. - Okay. Okay.
I'm not running. I'm not risking anything.
- Nice and careful. - Come on.
- Aarón: Rock and roll. - Oh, jeez.
- Come on. - We got it.
Panko. Nice.
Miles: I am super excited.
I love mussels. I'm kind of like the mussel man.
I'm making mussels and clams fettuccine
with a seaweed tomato sauce.
I feel like I'm just really prepared for this competition because I love seafood.
- Okay. - ...the head. Okay. Yeah, buddy.
This may sound like an easy challenge,
but honestly, cooking seafood is way more difficult
than actually cooking meat because there's no mid-rare.
There's only one temperature and that's perfection.
- Yes, it's unforgiving. - Absolutely.
- Okay. - And there is nothing worse
- than overcooked seafood. - Seaweed.
Let's talk about the extra challenge Tilly threw on the pile here
- with the seaweed. - Gordon: Yeah, seaweed,
it's a really nice way of using less salt
and a more natural way of seasoning,
- especially seafood. - Eww.
Daphne: Absolutely. Good point.
You think any of these kids have cooked
- with seaweed before? - I don't think so.
- Highly doubt it. - No.
But we did put a lot of seaweed back there
for them to choose from.
There's sea lettuce, velvet horn.
- Got it. - There's just so many different types.
- You went to town. - I know.
( groans, mutters )
We're 15 minutes down, 45 minutes to go!
Let's go.
And then add my wine.
- Squid does not sound fun. - It's nasty.
- Hello, Asher. - Hello.
Tell us, what seafood did you get
and what are you gonna do with it?
So I got the halibut.
And I'm making a halibut and a coconut curry.
- Nice! - Wow, I love that.
How we gonna get this in there?
So that's gonna be, one, as a garnish.
- Gotcha. - And two in the curry.
Right. Now, who got you into cooking? Was it mom, dad?
Me and my dad have been cooking for a long time.
My dad was on season 8 of "MasterChef."
What? Hold on. What's dad's name?
- Sean Niles. - Gordon: Sean, wow.
You definitely nailed the fried chicken.
I think you were born to cook. Don't stop.
- Thank you. - Asher: He did really good,
but he didn't get a white apron.
- And now, look. You're here! - Uh-huh.
Now, halibut is a very tough fish to cook, right?
- Yeah. - It's unforgiving, gets very dry.
So it's a really smart move, putting it inside a curry.
But the halibut's over there. Where's the curry?
- I'm chopping my vegetables. - Okay, good.
So, let's get some of those veg sweated off at the same time.
Otherwise, you're gonna be running behind.
Just under 42 minutes to go, okay?
Nail this dish, but get that curry sauce on,
- because it takes time to cook. - Yep. Okay.
Please! Let's go.
- Good luck. - Oh, no.
- Oof. - Gordon: Just over 40 minutes to go
in this seafood challenge.
- Oh, my God. - Let's go.
- ( muttering ) - Third cup. Good.
Shoot.
Stir that up.
- Alfred! - Señor Alfred.
What do you got rocking and rolling here, buddy?
- Talk to us about your dish. - So I got prawns.
And this is the shells and heads which I am making into a nice broth.
I love that.
And I'm gonna make a prawn chowder.
Where did that idea come from?
During the winter at home in North Dakota,
we have to make warm soups.
I live on the farm in the middle of nowhere.
- This is my neighborhood. - ( cows lowing )
We have cows. We have chickens. We have cats.
- Hi, guys. - ( meowing )
My daily chores are feed cats,
pick the chicken eggs, and watch after the cattle.
When I'm wrangling a calf, you use a call.
I will demonstrate.
You might want to plug your ears.
Hup, hup! Oh! Ai, ai, ai!
( lowing )
What I love about being a farmer
is using fresh vegetables from the garden.
When I grow up, I want to be a chef
and a hay bale farmer.
Are you allowed to drive the tractor?
- Yeah. - Whoa! Man.
- How old are you again? - 11.
- How fast does that tractor go?
- 18 miles an hour. - 18 miles an hour.
You're the terror on the tractor.
I love it. That's amazing.
Just one thing to keep in mind, prawns cook up super fast
and if you overcook them, they shrivel, and they get really rubbery,
- which is not delicious. - Yep, I know.
So don't overcook them, but everything looks so yummy!
- All right, good stuff. - All right.
- Nice. - I can't squeeze! Oh, my God.
Bryson, how's that steak going?
Uh, it's marinating right now. It looks really good though.
- Oh, nice. - I got tuna, and I'm a barbeque and grill guy.
I say why not just do a tuna steak, and on the side,
a good old seaweed salad.
I'm so excited that I won the last challenge,
but now I got a target on my back.
Everyone's coming for me,
so I just got to roll with the punches.
- Okay. - Jason: Get in there!
I got mahi mahi, and I felt very happy
because my family is from China.
My great-grandpa will always fish,
and the fish that he grilled
were very delicious and they're very similar to mahi mahi.
- Hey, Jason. What are you making? - Hello.
My ogo seaweed with gochujang remoulade.
I love that, but just stop for two seconds. Look at me.
Psst. Put that down. There is nothing going on here.
- Um, my french fries are inside. - Okay, good.
- And what's in this? - What?
- What's in there? - Uh, seaweed.
- Wow. Oh, that's good. - And I'm making a mahi mahi sandwich.
How you gonna cook the mahi mahi?
I'm gonna cook it by first seasoning--
Yes, good idea.
People call me the Spice King because I bring the heat.
That looks so spicy.
My most talented, most talented skill is making the flavor.
Gordon, if you want to taste it, just ask me.
When I grow up, I wanna be a professional chef,
and my dream is to open up so many different restaurants
and the name of it is gonna be "Cooking With Jason."
This mahi mahi's a very expensive piece of fish,
- so make it flavorsome inside. - Yeah.
Okay, good. Good luck, good luck.
- Remy, how's it going? - Messy.
Gordon: 30 minutes gone. 30 minutes remaining.
- Halfway. Keep it going. - ( groans )
- I'm gonna start on these. - I like it.
- Kristell! - Hi!
- What are you making? - So I'm making today a lobster fra diavolo.
That's wonderful. So you have a little bit of peppers, onions.
- You have garlic in there? - Yes.
- Outstanding. - Without garlic? Oh, no, no, no.
- No, no. Without garlic? - I love it.
And I'm so happy I got lobster,
because where I grew up in Mexico,
it's very famous for their lobster burritos.
And their flour tortillas, it's bigger than my head.
My love of food started in Mexico with my grandma.
She has a food truck where I get to help her out
to sell her tacos.
And my food dream is having my own food truck of brownies
and being next to my grandma.
Be like, "Hey, neighbor! What you doing?"
Daphne: I like to see you tasting as you go.
Good girl, that's awesome.
One thing I would just note for sure,
you want the water to come to a bubble,
because pasta cooks up pretty fast,
and you want to nail that texture.
If you're already cooking the pasta
with 27 minutes to go,
I would maybe start again with the pasta
when the water's boiling, so that it doesn't stick.
What you don't want is pieces clumping together, right?
- Exactly. - Yes.
Maybe get another pot and have it boiling just in case.
- Okay? All right. - Okay.
- Thank you! - Good stuff. Keep it going.
- Ooh. - Oh, yes.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes. - We just add a little bit.
Lydia: I got sea bass and I'm feeling really confident,
because I've been fishing ever since I was in a stroller,
so I know all the techniques.
I come from the country, so I love going fishing all the time.
I love going hunting. I love my dirt bike and my go-kart.
Hey, guys.
And it's cool 'cause you get an adrenaline rush
when you're cooking, and it's really fun.
I'm making fish and chips...
And I think my dish is gonna come out amazing.
Ooh, I hate when it pops.
- Ugh. - How you doing, Asher?
- It's very stressful. How are you? - Good.
- It's amazing. - Hey, Jordyn.
- Hi. - How's it going?
- Good. - Okay, what's in there? What have you got?
There's shallots, sea lettuce, dulse, ogo.
You've gone big with how many seaweeds you've got, haven't you?
- Yes. - So, Jordyn, what kind of fish you got
- and are you happy with it? - I'm really happy with it.
I got amberjack, and I'm making an amberjack tostada.
- I have a friend named Amber. - Okay.
So, like, this is my best friend, so I know it really well.
I've got a brother named Jack, so your friend Amber, my brother Jack.
He is very, very naughty. Right, start thinking about the presentation.
- Don't leave yourself short. - Okay.
- Remember, big holiday at stake. - Yes.
And flip side of that, somebody's going home.
- Make sure it's not you. You got this, yes? - Okay, thank you.
Guys, we're 40 minutes down.
20 minutes remaining. Let's go!
- Where's salt? - Oh, my gosh.
Let's get this going.
( grunts ) Oh, my gosh.
Kristell, here she is making a fra diavolo. She got lobster tails.
But one big moment here that's a little bit tricky
is we have 20 minutes left here
and I'm worried she is cooking her pasta way too early.
- It's gonna be mush by the time it gets to us. - Yeah.
- Needs something. - So Alfred, he got the prawns.
And he's gonna go with sort of a chowder.
A very rich broth that's made with the heads and shells of the prawns.
So it's gonna be key that he doesn't overcook the prawns.
Now Jason's got mahi mahi with ogo,
and he's gonna sauté the mahi mahi.
The dish looks a little bit plain.
I don't think he quite understands that mahi mahi is a very tough fish.
- Yeah. - I would've marinated it in a seaweed marinade.
He's just fried it in a nonstick pan,
- so it could go very, very tough. - Yeah.
But he told us he knows how to properly spice, so we'll see.
We're down to the last 15 minutes.
Taste everything, guys.
- Let's go! - Taste, taste, taste.
- Oh. - Oh, no!
Okay, we got to get that off.
Dang it. This is not happening to me.
I burnt my rice vinegar, and I'm like, oh, no.
I cannot serve this to the judges.
So I have to whip up a whole 'nother one.
- Hurry up. - There's a whole bunch of pressure on me right now
because, I mean, I won the last challenge
and my nerves are getting the best of me.
Dude, come on. Dang it.
This is not good. This is not good.
Gordon: 13 minutes to go. Come on. Speed up.
- Let's go, guys. - Alfred: Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, Bryson. What do we need?
What do we need?
Just a little.
Lilo, what are you making today?
I am going to make octopus tacos.
- Yum! - Wow, okay. So that's a tough one, this one.
Tilly: Yeah, 'cause that octopus
- needs time to tenderize, doesn't it? - Yeah.
So have you cooked octopus before?
I do a lot in the restaurant.
My family owns an Asian fusion restaurant.
- Tilly: Okay. - I make octopus sushi and octopus salad.
Okay, so you must've been pretty happy to get this octopus in your mystery box.
- Yes. - Nice.
Now, listen, last week you were in the bottom three, okay?
We need some redemption. Get the octopus cooking.
- Mm-hmm. - Good luck.
Okay, see you later, Lilo.
- Gordon: Amazing. - I'm very confident
I know what to do in my dish,
because I've been training for this.
I don't want to be in the bottom three again.
- How's it going? - Really good.
Really good? Me, too.
I think I'm gonna make it in time, but I'm not quite sure.
I'm a bit scared.
I just need to get it done with.
♪ Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
- Looks good. - Remy, Remy, Remy!
- Hi! - Right, this is busy here. Wow, tell me about it.
What did you get? So I got squid and I'm making fried calamari po'boy.
- Wow, love that idea. - That sauce is good. What's in it?
"Roy-sister-shiree" sauce.
It's what? Sorry?
- No, I call this "Roy-sister-shiree." - Roy?
- Roy-sister-shiree? - Yes.
- Okay, original. - You mean "Worcestershire."
- No. Roy-sister-shiree. - Remy, it's okay, because Dad
can't even say it any better. Dad, what's this called?
- "Wooshter-sure" sauce. - "Wooshter-sure."
- How do you say it? - "Wooster-sure" sauce.
No, why'd you put "ch-ch" in the middle?
There's no-- "Wooster-sure" sauce.
- It's exactly how you say it. - "Woosh-ish-ish--"
- You say it. - It doesn't need the "cha-cha."
- That's a dance. "Cha-cha." - You said "cha-cha."
- Girl, are you arguing with me? - No.
You remind me of my daughter when she argues with me.
- All right, this sounds delicious. - You need it.
Whenever I see calamari on the menu,
it's the first thing I order, so I cannot wait.
Okay, little miss "Wooshter-sure-sure" sauce,
- keep it going, yes? - Roy-sister-shiree.
No, it's not Roy!
- I'm almost ready. - Oh, shoot.
That's not supposed to happen.
- Okay. - How's it going?
- So good! - Ooh, that looks good.
I'm ready to go on my plate. I'm really excited.
Dang, you already got your plate already?
Gordon: Seven minutes to go, guys.
- Come on, let's go. - Ah, okay.
Tilly: So Lilo, she's got baby octopus
and she's planning on an octopus taco.
You know, octopus are a little bit tricky.
- Yeah. - You got to braise it or boil it,
give it a chance to tenderize, and it can go very wrong.
But she cooks octopus in her dad's restaurant.
She's very confident with it. I think it's gonna be delicious.
- Ooh, okay. - You know, something that's tricky with Kristell
is she's got her pasta dish completely assembled right now,
- ruining some of that al dente texture. - Gordon: Yeah. Yeah.
We wanna make sure it's warm, wanna make sure it has good texture on it.
- Yeah. - And the lobster's not rubbery.
- No, 100%. - Nah-- yeah.
- Eh. - Alfred's gotta blowtorch.
Aarón: Be careful there!
He's like the most beautiful little mad scientist in the kitchen over here.
- He has 12 pots going, a blowtorch, 17 bottles. - He's like this.
He had the white wine out early, and the whole thing is just unbelievable.
Gordon: We are down to the last five minutes.
- Daphne: Wow, guys. - Start to plate your dishes. Come on!
- Let's go, guys. - ( groans )
- Come on, speed up! - You got to hurry up.
- Got it. - Gordon: We are down to our last two minutes to go.
Come on. Finishing touches. We got to go!
Aarón: There you go, Jordyn. Good job, young lady.
- Oh, my gosh. - Daphne: The perfect bite.
- Nice. - Gordon: Guys, we are down to the last minute!
- Aarón: Let's go. - Make sure the seaweed is highlighted.
- Where's my-- - Judges: Ten, nine, eight...
All: Seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
Gordon: Stop! Hands in the air!
Well done.
Finished.
That looks amazing by the way. Good job.
- Alfred: I got it done. - Ooh, let me see that.
- How you feeling? - Lilo: I feel a bit scared.
My dish looks good,
but I'm not quite sure that I cooked the octopus right.
and if I didn't, I might be one of the bottom three.
Or worse, going home.
Right, all of you, well done.
Now, tonight you each had to cook an amazing dish
featuring seafood inside your treasure chest.
Now, we're gonna take a much closer look at all your dishes.
We're gonna see who's on top and who is in danger of walking the plank.
Daphne: Alfred, how'd those prawns turn out for you?
- Good. - How could you tell that they were cooked right?
They weren't all shriveled up like this.
- Very nice. Okay, cool. Thank you, Alfred. - Thank you.
Señorita Jordyn.
Look, so you went the route of tostada.
- Yes. - Do you feel like you cooked that amberjack
- and it's well-seasoned? - Yes.
I like the confidence. Good job, young lady.
- Jason. - Hello.
- Do you think you packed a lot of flavor in this dish? - Yeah.
And you think your fish is cooked beautifully?
- Yeah. - Okay. Thank you very much.
Bryson, are you happy with the cook on your tuna steak?
I am very happy with my tuna steak.
Happy with how you used the seaweed?
Very happy with the seaweed.
Good man.
Lilo, the taco.
And how about the tenderness of the octopus?
You're happy with that?
I think the tenderness of the octopus will be just right.
- Okay. - The talent here at MasterChef is insane.
Look at all the kids.
We got to the top 11,
and that has a lot of pressure.
Gordon: Miles, seaweed, where is it?
I incorporated my seaweed into my fettuccine.
Thank you.
Asher: I'm looking at the other dishes,
and I'm scared that I'm gonna be one of the losing dishes.
Where'd you put the seaweed in here?
It's fried in the dredge of the calamari.
Well, that's a clever move. Awesome. Thank you very much.
Asher: Curry takes forever to cook,
so I'm worried the judges might not like it.
Oh, no. What's gonna happen?
Did you incorporate your seaweed in there?
Yes, I used it as a garnish and also in the curry.
Thank you very much.
- Kristell. - Hi!
Young lady, you had everything in the pan with,
like, 20 minutes to go, which doesn't bode well
for the pasta or the lobster.
I just wanted to get it ready
'cause I didn't want to lose out of time.
Thank you.
Right, it's time to taste our top three dishes.
Now, whoever made the best dish will win that seaside vacation
for you and your entire family.
The first dish we'd like to dive into.
This dish we felt had great flavors, showed great flair.
Please step forward,
Alfred.
Yes, I'm top three!
No matter what, I'm going up to that balcony of safety.
This chowder keeps me warm in North Dakota,
so I hope it warms up the judges' heart and I win.
Alfred, tell us what seafood you found inside your treasure chest,
what seaweed you used,
and tell us what the dish is called.
Alfred: I got prawn, so I made a prawn chowder
and a seaweed butter crostini
with sea lettuce and torched cheese on the top.
So, visually, listen, this dish looks hearty.
- It's you on a plate. - Yep.
I love the colors. I love the vibrancy.
- Shall we dig in? - As we say, chow down.
- Gordon: "As we say, chow down." - Chow down.
Gordon: Thank you. Okay.
What did you do with the shrimp heads and the tails? Where did they go?
I turned them into the broth for the veggies.
Alfred, this is a really good chowder.
I love the cook on the shrimp, but the real essence
of this dish is the flavor of that broth.
It's got this really nice shrimp bisque flavor.
- Good job. - Thank you.
Alfred, for me this screams like a comfort dish.
and I love the way you made a seaweed butter
and doing it on that crostini that you can dip in.
It's really, really delicious.
You made smart decisions when it comes to the vegetables.
They were hearty enough to stand up to that really powerful broth that you created.
Fantastic job, young man.
Gordon: Thank you. Good job.
- Alfred. - Man.
The next dish that we are dying to taste further
is made by one of the youngest cooks in this competition,
who made great use of the seaweed.
Please step forward, Jordyn.
Good job, Jordyn.
Jordyn: I made amberjack tostada
with avocado crema and a seaweed salad.
The seaweed that I used was ogo, sea lettuce, and dulse.
I mean, visually to me, that looks delicious.
- Looks like you've cooked it perfectly, that amberjack. - Thank you.
So, tostada's nice and crispy.
Aarón: Miss Jordyn, I'm super impressed.
The fact that you took that amberjack and seasoned it so well,
- really well done, young lady. - Thank you.
Daphne: What a fabulous bite.
And the seaweed that you very boldly used three ways
comes through in such a beautiful crunchy manner.
The only thing I would change is the avocado crema's quite thick,
and because it's very rich and fatty, kind of mutes the other flavors.
But other than that, absolutely phenomenal.
Jordyn, I'm loving the confidence.
That plate's got more seaweed in it than my head had earlier,
so I want to commend you on that, and you've cooked the fish beautifully.
- Really good job. Well done. - Daphne: Thank you.
Okay, the last dish of the top three tonight
was cooked by a young man who went in a more exotic direction.
Please step forward, Asher.
I'm in the top three. Let's go!
This dish represents all the hard work
my dad did before me at "MasterChef,"
and I wanna make my dad super duper ultra proud.
I made a halibut with Thai yellow curry,
white rice, and velvet horn seaweed as a garnish,
but also inside this curry sauce.
Visually, I have to tell you, this looks really gorgeous.
I really can anticipate how delicious this flavor's gonna be.
All right, let's look at this fish, shall we?
- Let's see if it's lovely, juicy. - ( Aarón whistles )
- How does that look to you? - Good.
Really nice, right?
- What are the herbs in here? - So, there's cilantro,
Thai basil leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and green onions.
- Wow. - Asher, managing a curry's not easy.
It can easily overwhelm a dish.
And I have to say, to be able to pull off that kind of Thai curry?
Impressive stuff. Well done.
Tilly: I think you did a great job,
and that velvet horn seaweed is just--
it's fun, it's different.
- I really enjoyed that. - Thank you.
The halibut's cooked beautifully.
And it's one of the most difficult proteins tonight to cook,
so to slip that into the curry the way you did is genius.
And your dad, he is gonna be so proud,
because I can taste the connection.
So hats off to dad, but congratulations to you.
- Thank you. - Well done.
Thank you, Asher.
- Join your friends. - Well done.
Okay, you have given us all a lot to discuss.
Please, give us a moment.
So fun. So, Alfred's chowder,
- smart move with the flavor of that broth. - Yeah.
- And a good place for seaweed. - The tostada, you loved those.
Aarón: Yeah, I mean, and Jordyn did a great job
of just using the right amount of elements
- and the proportions. - Sure.
- That was good, wasn't it? - Great.
Tilly: It was really good. She did have good flavors.
- Yeah. Asher's curry. - Tilly: I mean, 60 minutes, that's not a lot of time
to build that level of flavor
and really nail the cook on everything.
- Unreal. - Right.
- Oof. - Right.
Alfred, Jordyn, Asher, three outstanding dishes,
and the good news is all three of you
are safe from elimination tonight.
but after a lot of discussion, we do have a winner.
We feel that the best dish of the night
showed great flair, restraint, but really did highlight
the seafood and the seaweed to its absolute best.
That dish belongs to...
Alfred, Jordyn, Asher, we do have a winner.
That dish belongs to...
Asher.
Well done.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
You've won an all-expenses
paid trip to SLO Cal,
San Louis Obispo county,
in the center of California central coast.
And the activities, like fishing and surfing,
- how cool is that? - Awesome!
Amazing. Right, you three, all of you head up
to the safety of the balcony. Well done.
I'm the winning dish. Let's go!
I'm so proud. My dad's probably so happy.
- Yeah! - This place is awesome.
Excellent. Now listen carefully,
we feel there were three dishes
that were not up to our standard.
The first dish we need to bring forward
and take a much deeper look at,
this individual hails from the South.
Please step forward...
Kristell.
I feel butterflies so much in my stomach.
And I'm like, oh, my gosh.
I did so many wrong things.
Now, what's the name of the dish please?
I made lobster fra diavolo.
My seaweed is dulse,
and I put some seaweed when I was making the sauce,
and I put some seaweed on top.
So visually, it's hard to tell it's lobster
because you cut it to such small pieces.
When you've got such a prime beautiful lobster, show it off.
- Shall we dig in? - Let's.
- And then what was the sauce? - The sauce had chilies
with garlic and shallots and seaweed.
You know, I just think 'cause you started so early, the lobster overcooked slightly.
You just needed to kind of manage your time a little better.
The biggest problem here, and it was something that we talked to you about,
was you rushed and cooked the pasta too early, and now it's mushy.
But I do think the flavor is here. We need more of it.
I think the pasta was almost too much volume of pasta for how much sauce you had.
I really want to taste more of that sauce.
Yeah, when lobster sits in the pasta for that length of time,
sadly, it just goes rubbery, and that's what we got here.
What I do love is the heat in this sauce.
The flavor's there, right? It's just the execution that you rushed.
Thank you.
Such a shame. I know she can cook better than that.
Absolutely.
All right, in this next dish we'd like to take a closer look at,
we were all concerned there wasn't enough seasoning.
Please step forward...
Jason.
Oh, no.
Okay, Jason, tell us what you made.
Jason: I made a mahi mahi sandwich with--
the side is French fries, and an ogo seaweed
and gochujang remoulade.
It's a very simple presentation.
It's basic lettuce. It's basic tomato.
So, we're really hoping that the flavor comes through in a big way.
- Shall we? - Gordon: Shall we?
Daphne: Gonna give this a cut.
Mahi mahi you said was the protein?
And what were you hoping the cook is on that?
- Juicy. - Juicy, okay.
Let's take a look.
Listen, I love fish burgers, right?
I absolutely adore them.
I think this one is just a little bit sad.
It's under-seasoned.
Sadly, my side of the fish was dry and little bit overcooked.
But it reminds me of my school report-- "Could've tried a bit harder."
Tilly: Jason, I think the sauce you made was really delicious.
It's just a shame that that fish didn't have the exact same flavoring.
Unfortunately the fish was supposed to be the star of the dish and the seaweed,
and I kind of feel like the seaweed got hidden.
I don't think this was your best effort at making it a truly star-worthy,
"MasterChef Junior" worthy flavorful dish.
It's just hard to see 60 minutes here.
- You know what I'm saying? - Right.
- Yes, Chef. - Thank you.
- Thank you, Jason. - Aarón: Thank you.
Jason: I feel very nervous
because I'm walking down the plank right now.
The challenge was really hard.
So right now is so scary because who knows what is going to happen to me.
I do not wanna go home right now.
Tilly: Okay, the last dish belongs
to someone who had to deal with a very challenging protein.
Please come forward, Lilo.
Not Lilo.
I am really sad that I am in the bottom three again,
and I don't want to be here.
I'm just a bit worried about my octopus,
'cause I don't know if it's cooked good enough for Gordon Ramsay.
But I think it is and I'm gonna trust my instincts.
I made octopus tacos with pickled vegetables and lime crema,
and I put my ogo seaweed on top.
I think I'd love to see a little bit more color
when you char the octopus just to help it get that extra flavor
- and help the texture of it. - Okay.
- Shall we? - Thank you.
Lilo, I don't think you nailed the octopus tonight. It's a little bit rubbery.
It doesn't have the great texture it could have had if you'd boiled it,
dried it out a little bit, and then hit it really hard on that grill pan
so it got nice char marks. But I love this pickle.
I think it's so beautifully balanced with acid and sweet,
and that you added the seaweed in there was a really clever, smart touch.
The octopus was a miss, but it's also a very challenging protein to nail.
Lilo, you kind of put a lot of sauce on the actual taco itself, okay?
It's delicious, but cut back on it, okay?
Lilo, I'm surprised to see you here again.
You have access to a restaurant.
You get to go and spend time with dad behind the line,
and I want to see that experience on the plate.
Because right now, I'm not tasting it.
Thank you.
- Oh, no. - You did amazing, okay?
Kristell, Jason, and Lilo, tonight you three went somewhat adrift out there.
And now one of you, sadly, will be going home.
But right now we need a moment because this is gonna be a very tough decision.
Please excuse us.
It's probably gonna be me. I've been here two times.
So, when it comes to the proteins, I mean,
let's go down the list here, right?
- I mean, talk about Kristell. - Gordon: Well, the lobster,
I mean, that had the makings of a highly successful dish.
Unfortunately, the pasta was overcooked
and the lobster was sadly overcooked as well.
You know, I think the flavors were there.
She just could've developed it even further.
Aarón: Jason was really-- 'cause--
again, it's a frustrating dish 'cause it has all the makings,
but it just had no seasoning.
It seemed very basic to me in that preparation.
You're absolutely right. But also, mahi mahi needs lifting, right?
- It needs big flavor. - Big flavor.
- And there was no seasoning on that. - ( sighs )
And the tacos from Lilo?
Tilly: I think Lilo had it tough.
I mean, baby octopus at that age.
She did have good flavors, it's more just, like--
again, it's how she builds the taco
- and what she adds in. - Aarón: Yeah, sure. Yeah.
It was just missing the vibrancy across those tacos.
- Gordon: Are you happy? - All right, guys. I think we're good.
- We're good? Thank you. - Thank you.
Kristell, Jason, and Lilo, tonight was a tough, tough challenge.
We've come to an agreement, and the young home cook
who will be going home tonight is...
Jason.
Kristell and Lilo, please say goodbye to Jason
- and head back to your stations. - ( whimpering )
You know how good you did?
Here, don't cry. It's okay. Don't cry.
Keep your head up.
Oh, mate. Young man, listen first of all,
I love your energy.
And when I first met you, honestly, you'd lit this room up.
Sadly tonight, that mahi mahi just needed more seasoning
and a touch more love from you.
Jason, you've done something
most people will never do in their whole life
and you've done it by the time you were nine.
And I can't wait to see
what you continue to do in the kitchen,
because I know it'll be great.
Gordon: Promise me you're gonna continue cooking.
- Yes. - Good boy.
Jason, come and say goodbye, bud. Give us a hug.
Jason: It's hard to hear that I'm going home,
but I'm really hoping that my mom will be proud of me
for making it into the top 11.
There you go, my man. Take care. Safe trip back.
I have learned that cooking seafood, it's not that easy.
It just takes practice to cook seafood.
- Good job, Jason! - All: Bye!
- Bye, Jase. - Bye!
- Take care, bud. - Bye!
- Bye, bud.
Gordon: Next time, the MasterChef kitchen
- welcomes some sporting superstars. - Oh.
- The Harlem Globetrotters. - Oh!
- Take it all in. - ( squealing )
- Oh! - ( cheering )
And the junior home cooks face their first team challenge.
You are gonna have to make these Globetrotters hearty, filling meals.
Do any of our guests have any dietary requirements?
- Chef Gordon, I'm vegan. - Oh, no.
- Pick up the heat. - Aah!
Need to get that chicken out.
This is definitely not done right here,
I can tell you that right now.
- Back up. Hot! - Got it?
- ( gasping ) - Gordon: Bryson, you okay?
I burned myself!
- ( crying ) - Medic, please.
- Oh, my God. - ( whimpering )