The BEST episodes of MasterChef Junior

#1 - Here Come the Kids

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/27/2013

Twenty-four cooks between the ages of eight and 13 prepare dishes for the judges.

#2 - Finale (2)

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/2013

The two remaining cooks prepare three-course menus; the winner is chosen.

#3 - The Semi-Final

Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 6/14/2022

The three semi-finalists go head-to-head in front of a live audience with a surprise visit from their loved ones. The chefs have one hour to prepare a dish inspired by their families for each judge. The two chefs who manage to overcome the added pressure of the live audience will move on to the finals.

#4 - The Finale

Season 8 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/23/2022

The stakes have never been higher in the season finale of MASTERCHEF Junior Edition. The two finalists compete for the best prizes yet: $100,000, brand-new kitchen appliances and a trip to Las Vegas to dine with Gordon Ramsay at his restaurant. With their families and past contestants in the crowd to cheer them on, the two chefs create an entree and dessert that best represent themselves. The chefs face off in two 60-minute challenges to prove they are a MASTERCHEF.

#5 - Finale Part 2

Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/20/2024

The three pint-sized finalists are one step away from winning the competition as they complete their main courses and whip up a stunning dessert. With a trophy, $100,000 grand prize and the title of MasterChef Junior champion on the line, the chefs have one final hour to showcase their culinary abilities and impress the judges.

#6 - Alexander In A Box

Season 8 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/2/2022

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Season One winner Alexander Weiss makes a surprise return, as the chefs are challenged to filet as many fish as they can in 15 minutes. The three chefs who filet the least number of fish will need to create a show-stopping salmon dish to make it to the final four.

#7 - A Presidential Mystery Box

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/16/2017

The Top 14 junior home cooks receive a mystery box challenge inspired by the White House garden from former First Lady Michelle Obama. The young cooks must come up with an original recipe that is both healthy and presidential worthy, and the winner will receive a special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! For the next challenge, Julie Bowen steps into the MasterChef kitchen to watch the kids make a dish in honor of their moms. Then, it's up to the judges to decide which contestant will go home.

#8 - The Finale (2)

Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 5/18/2018

The finalists face one last battle, during which they must prepare a three-course meal that will impress the judges. Then, the winner is announced.

#9 - Head of the Class

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/22/2016

The remaining 4 junior home cooks compete in the semi-finals and are challenged to make the ultimate dessert - a soufflé! The winner receives a huge advantage in the elimination challenge. Later, the contestants must prepare a unique dish with a select cut of pork. Then, it's up to the judges to decide who will go home and who will continue in the competition and compete in the finals.

#10 - A Gordon Ramsay Dinner Party

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/15/2016

The remaining 6 junior home cooks receive a special invitation to Gordon's home for their next team challenge. Each team will prepare a two-course menu for a VIP lunch, including a seared red snapper appetizer and a roasted venison loin entrée. Later in the MasterChef kitchen, the judges will reveal which team received the best overall feedback on their dishes and had the most successful lunch service and which contestants will be in jeopardy of elimination. Then, it's up to the judges to decide who will go home and who will continue in the competition and compete in the semi-finals.

#11 - Quacking Under Pressure

Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/9/2019

The top 14 junior home cooks face a difficult mystery box challenge where they must learn to butcher an entire duck and make a dish from it; The cooks are paired up and challenged to create a dozen of the tastiest cupcakes they can make.

#12 - Bad Food Bares

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/18/2013

The cooks create dishes using foods kids don't usually like; the kids must create layer cakes in 90 minutes.

#13 - Finale (1)

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/2013

The top four cooks create dishes featuring chicken, with the cooks of two best dishes moving to the final round.

#14 - Just Like Gordon

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/23/2017

The Top 20 face the season's first mystery box challenge, during which they must cook dishes using both sweet and savory ingredients. Later, the contestants must replicate Chef Ramsay's signature hand-roasted sea bass. Then, it's up to the judges to decide who stays and who goes home. Chef Aarón Sanchez is the guest judge.

#15 - Grandma Gordon

Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/4/2018

The remaining junior home cooks prepare dishes inspired by their grandmothers.

#16 - Totally Egg-streme!

Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/19/2022

This week, the seven remaining junior chefs test their culinary knowledge of different types of eggs and cuts of steak. In 45 minutes, the chefs must create a dish with an egg of their choice, ranging from a tiny quail egg to a giant ostrich egg. The winning chef earns immunity and decides the order in which the other contestants will choose a cut of steak in an Operation-style game. The winner of the steak challenge will get his or her recipe published and win a trip to a cattle ranch.

#17 - Flip It!

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/11/2014

A pancake-flipping contest precedes a challenge to create the best citrus cream pie.

#18 - The Finale

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/29/2016

In the highly anticipated season finale, the two finalists will compete head-to-head and prepare the most important menu of their lives. Find out which talented junior home cook will earn the MasterChef trophy and a $100,000 prize.

#19 - Batter Hurry Up

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/2/2017

The Top 18 return to the kitchen to face off in 2 challenges. In the first, the young cooks are split into teams and have 10 minutes to make a classic American dish: the corn dog. The winning team gets to turn the judges into a yummy treat. Later, the contestants have to make a juicy burger, but there's a tough catch! Then, it's up to the judges to decide who stays and who goes home.

#20 - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/2/2018

The 40 junior home cooks are split up into two groups – girls and boys. All 20 girls are tasked with making a flawless medium-rare filet mignon dish. Only 12 winners earn an apron and a chance to move on.

#21 - WWE Tag Team

Season 8 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/2/2022

The four remaining junior chefs pair up with WWE Superstars, who are much more comfortable in the ring. The winning junior receives tickets to a WWE match! In the elimination challenge, the chefs prepare one of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes. Find out whose dish can live up to the great Gordon Ramsay's.

#22 - Pancakes & Ice Cream

Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/22/2024

#23 - The Restaurant Takeover

Season 7 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/21/2019

The Top Six cooks are given full control over the kitchen at Mélisse, a Michelin Star-rated restaurant in Los Angeles, where they must appease hungry and expectant guests who will determine who will progress to the semifinals.

#24 - Girl Power

Season 7 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/7/2019

The Top 10 face a difficult team challenge in which they prepare dishes for a group of important female role models, who will determine who make it to the Top 8; the losing team must replicate a 3-Michelin-star dish after a Gordon masterclass.

#25 - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/30/2017

Guest judge Richard Blais enters the kitchen once again, but not to judge the remaining 10 junior home cooks. There's a big surprise in the MasterChef kitchen, as the judges bring back the six kids who have gone home, to give them another shot at reentering the competition! The six junior home cooks will participate in two challenges that involve breaking apart a chicken and then using the parts to make unique dishes. Then, it's up to the judges to decide which two kids will be able to reenter the competition.