# Master Chef: Junior Edition - Full Season S01



## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

So? Am I, probably the least likely to watch this, the only one watching?

I'm really (really!) not a kid person, so I didn't think I'd watch but since they revised the name and my 'Master Chef' SP picked it up I figured I'd give it a look-see.

Well, imagine my surprise in finding that it's really good! These are not like the kids I see 99% of the time. These are smart, polished, caring, polite kids who can cook. I mean they REALLY can cook!

In E01 they started with 24 kidlets and had a challenge that whittled it down to 12. The one heartbreak was this tiny little guy with so much personality and I was so bummed when he got the ax. He cried.  I cried.

In E02 the 12 remaining kidtestants did a mystery box and one winner got to choose what everybody else would cook. This was one of the younger kids who is simply amazing (many of them are!).

So, they are doing this just like the adult version but what I am the most impressed with is these kids. Imagine that! (if you knew me, you'd probably be shocked out of your chair)

So? Who's in?


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

I also cried when that little 8 year old got cut -- he was a cutie with a ton of personality and would have been great on the show!
I am so impressed with these kids. Most seem like good sports, too-they applaud for each other rather than scheme and plot and throw the 'evil eye' like the adults do!
That 13 year old, Alexander, is an early favorite, the macaroons he churned out in the first ep were a-ma-zing! Grant was so funny-"I want to take these in the corner and eat them myself, but I am going to be nice and share..."
The chefs are nice to them, too...they have really dialed it back-- although they sometimes seem to tease them a little for dramatic effect...but they offer constructive criticism and always have something positive to say.
I am really enjoying the show. So cute how some of the kids have to stand on stepstools to reach the counters! Adorable!


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Oh, I love the good sportsmanship of encouraging each other and celebrating the successes of the others. I'm a sucker for good sportsmanship, though, which is why a lot of competitions that have nasty, ugly people just turn me off.

Yeah, Alexander is amazing too. I also like the little guy who won the mystery box challenge (forgot his name already). 

What blows my mind - I'm in my 50s. I've been cooking since I was 6. I can cook and make some freaking awesome stuff. Do I cook like these kids? Hellno. They impress me intensely.

The only bummer is the heartbreaking moments of somebody getting axed. But it's heartwarming also. I love how, unlike with the adults (really, the only difference I've seen so far), they get to keep their MC aprons when they get eliminated. That's cool.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I don't watch the grown-up Master Chef, but I'm watching this. 

I was rooting for the challenge to be the up-scaled fish fingers, but alas, it was not to be.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

Count me as liking it too.

I love how it is an overall positive experience.

Amazing how these kids can not only cook, but their presentations look great too.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

I don't usually watch Masterchef, but when I saw it was Masterchef Junior, I set it to record as a possible show my whole family will actually want to sit down and watch together. After last week's, we had a winner! The kids LOVED it.

I, too, was pushing for the charismatic 8-year-old who was eliminated last week. Now I'm pushing for Jack (who loves his Hawaiian shirts).

The only thing I really don't like is their prize for being the winner of the whole show: a trophy. Really? No large cash prize in a trust?

But yeah, we've quite enjoyed both episodes. My kids are 11, 9, and 8.

Greg


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

gchance said:


> The only thing I really don't like is their prize for being the winner of the whole show: a trophy. Really? No large cash prize in a trust?


On one of the episodes, they announced the cash prize was $100,000. I remember because they asked the kids what they would do with the money and more than one of the kids said they wanted to open their own restaurant.


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## Enrique (May 15, 2006)

murgatroyd said:


> On one of the episodes, they announced the cash prize was $100,000. I remember because they asked the kids what they would do with the money and more than one of the kids said they wanted to open their own restaurant.


Correct "After the audition round, two contestants are sent home per episode. The winner receives a prize of US$100,000 and the MasterChef Junior trophy." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MasterChef_Junior


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

These kids could compete with the Hell's Kitchen riff-raff. 9yr old Sarah is a cutest button ever!


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## sushikitten (Jan 28, 2005)

I'm in. Enjoying it so far!

My 4yo asks to watch with me and is always asking "Did he win? Did he lose?" after they taste each dish.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

murgatroyd said:


> On one of the episodes, they announced the cash prize was $100,000. I remember because they asked the kids what they would do with the money and more than one of the kids said they wanted to open their own restaurant.


Confirmed in a Fox press release:


> At the end of the episode, 10 kids will advance to the next round of competition and move one step closer to being named Americas first-ever MASTERCHEF JUNIOR and win a $100,000 prize.


Personally, I think it would be better without the cash prize, for one reason: this isn't "nationwide" in any remote definition of the term - two of the original 24 are from the San Francisco area, and the rest are either from the Los Angeles or New York City areas.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

murgatroyd said:


> On one of the episodes, they announced the cash prize was $100,000. I remember because they asked the kids what they would do with the money and more than one of the kids said they wanted to open their own restaurant.





Enrique said:


> Correct "After the audition round, two contestants are sent home per episode. The winner receives a prize of US$100,000 and the MasterChef Junior trophy." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MasterChef_Junior


That makes me feel a lot better about it. I remember watching the first episode, and all the kids being so excited about the apron "prize", then drooling over the trophy and don't remember mention of the $100k. 

Greg


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

I'm enjoying it just like any other season of MasterChef. I just believe there is more going on behind the scenes that we don't see with the juniors. Regardless, it's been interesting and fun so far.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Ment said:


> These kids could compete with the Hell's Kitchen riff-raff. 9yr old Sarah is a cutest button ever!


Is _Kitchen Nightmares_ still in production?

If so, how long will it take before Chef Ramsay tells one of the hapless cooks "I know eight-year-olds that can cook better than you!"


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

How the heck do these kids know how to cook this stuff? (rhetorical)

Plus, I think they're being MUCH nicer to the kids. I highly doubt they'll actually spit out the food like they do with the adults. So far, they've just said things like "it's a little bit dry", and something like "it's not up to the level of your previous food", even to the girl who was sent home this week whose food seemed MUCH worse than the other contestants'.

One thing I have noticed is that I think they should have built risers behind the cooking stations, or at least the ones assigned to the extremely short kids. They seem to just have a small little square step stool, and I could totally imagine falling off of one whole holding a hot pan!! i.e. they couldn't reasonably lower the cooking stations, so just build a foot-high (or whatever) "stage" covering the whole distance between that and the station behind it.


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## jeepair (Apr 22, 2004)

Ment said:


> These kids could compete with the Hell's Kitchen riff-raff. 9yr old Sarah is a cutest button ever!


Agree.

In one scene when they discussing the best 3 burgers, I saw her eating some of her burger. Pretty sure it takes a bit of 'real' time to do all we see and the kids get hungry.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Those kids are just amazing! The food they are turning out is mostly already restaurant quality and their understanding of flavors is incredible for their ages!

Not that I doubted it, but I'm impressed with the encouragement the three judges are giving the kids even for the poorer dishes. I hope this continues and doesn't turn into a b*tchfest like the last series of senior Masterchef did. That just wouldn't be fair.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

TonyTheTiger said:


> I hope this continues and doesn't turn into a b*tchfest like the last series of senior Masterchef did. That just wouldn't be fair.


There is pretty much zero chance that you are going to see any of the chefs yell at the kids for having a bad dish. Not that they probably don't let something slip out, mind you, but I doubt that the producers would allow it to air. That has to be one of the reasons they started with the Top 24 rather than showing a bunch of kids making disastrous dishes trying to qualify.

There's a reason Simon Cowell had no on-screen presence in _American Juniors_...


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

jeepair said:


> Agree.
> 
> In one scene when they discussing the best 3 burgers, I saw her eating some of her burger. Pretty sure it takes a bit of 'real' time to do all we see and the kids get hungry.


Chefs are supposed to taste the food before they send it out.

For a burger challenge, that probably means making more than one burger so you have one to taste.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

E03 - Beef Wellington!

Wowzer, so these little kids can slam out a restaurant quality Wellington too? Is there anything they can't do? 

I was afraid that the little guy was going to be cut. whew, that the other team made a super-salty one and that sent them home.

I wonder if every week is going to be a 2-fer on the eliminations. Maybe it's because they are little kids and they don't want to draw it out for 12 or more weeks.


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## terpfan1980 (Jan 28, 2002)

Wife 2.0 and I have been enjoying this show quite a bit. Definitely more friendly and nicer toned compared to the adults. Not that the drama and b!tch!ness with the adults doesn't make things interesting, it just wears at you after a bit of viewing. With these youngsters, the part that wears and tears on you is seeing them wind up heartbroken over one bad dish that sent someone home.

It was fun to see the judges have fun with the stiff peaks challenge. The judges took that all in stride too and made it a lot of fun for everyone. :up:


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## Sromkie (Aug 15, 2002)

I'm consistently wowed by these kids. It's just amazing how talented they are. I do wonder what kind of additional resources they are provided that we don't see on screen. When first presented, it seemed like nearly all of the kids were filmed saying that they had never made this before. The chef's offered to answer any questions they had, but is that where the help stopped? If that's all the help they had?'c I imagine that question and answer period was a lot longer than what we saw.

Still, though, even if there is some help we don't see, to pull something like that off on (what we assume is) a first try is amazing.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

Sromkie said:


> I'm consistently wowed by these kids. It's just amazing how talented they are. I do wonder what kind of additional resources they are provided that we don't see on screen. When first presented, it seemed like nearly all of the kids were filmed saying that they had never made this before. The chef's offered to answer any questions they had, but is that where the help stopped? If that's all the help they had?'c I imagine that question and answer period was a lot longer than what we saw.
> 
> Still, though, even if there is some help we don't see, to pull something like that off on (what we assume is) a first try is amazing.


One thing with the Wellingtons is that it was mostly packaged items. Crepe, Puff pastry, mushroom paste, all of that was already made. On the adult edition, they would have to make those parts.

Plus I figure they are getting some instruction as well.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

sharkster said:


> E03 - Beef Wellington!
> 
> Wowzer, so these little kids can slam out a restaurant quality Wellington too? Is there anything they can't do?
> 
> ...


I think a) the show is less episodes and b) cutting two at once reduces the stress on the kids a bit. Someone to share your unhappiness with.


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Sromkie said:


> I'm consistently wowed by these kids. It's just amazing how talented they are. I do wonder what kind of additional resources they are provided that we don't see on screen. When first presented, it seemed like nearly all of the kids were filmed saying that they had never made this before. The chef's offered to answer any questions they had, but is that where the help stopped? If that's all the help they had?'c I imagine that question and answer period was a lot longer than what we saw.
> 
> Still, though, even if there is some help we don't see, to pull something like that off on (what we assume is) a first try is amazing.


I'm sure what we don't see onscreen are the boring education parts that explain that X ingredient is like Y ingredient and can be used in Z and cooking times/tips. Even with all the help these kids are amazing.


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

From what I googled a week or two ago it appears they do have huge advantages with the challenges. But as mentioned, it's still impressive watching these kids execute. I could know what I was going to cook weeks in advance and take cooking lessons, and I'd probably still have problems executing these dishes.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Oh yeah, how could I forget the stiff peaks challenge? That was pretty funny. You knew at least one of them was going to get it and then when they went a little into 'food fight' mode it was pretty funny.

I liked how Joe tried to be kind of stern, ahead of time, as he made sure to mention that he gets angry, so he better not get nailed with the cream. Nailed he got.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Even in the adult version, they have cooking classes off camera - so I imagine they have the same thing with the kid version.

Loved this episode! It was great to see the judges laughing and playing with the kids during the food fight.

If only the adult version could be this much fun.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

dthmj said:


> If only the adult version could be this much fun.


Absolutely.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

billypritchard said:


> I think a) the show is less episodes and b) cutting two at once reduces the stress on the kids a bit. Someone to share your unhappiness with.


I don't know about (b), but (a) is certainly true - the finale is on November 8. (_Bones_ moves to Fridays (to make room on Monday for _Almost Human_), and _Raising Hope_ (new episode & repeat in an hour block) returns, on November 15. _Enlisted_ was supposed to start, but Fox moved its premiere to January, which, IMO, is not a good sign.)

*CORRECTION: Originally this said there would be a 2-hour finale on November 1, but Fox has since changed its plans - "Part 1" of the finale is now on 11/1, and "Part 2" on 11/8
*


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## Flop (Dec 2, 2005)

OMG can I adopt Sara?


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Grrr. I knew I should have waited to watch this episode. 

Now all the stores are closed, and I want chocolate cake.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

Note to self-don't have Gordon Ramsay pray over your souffle-it won't rise!


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Flop said:


> OMG can I adopt Sara?


LOL she's funny. These kids and their cooking ability blow my mind every episode.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Flop said:


> OMG can I adopt Sara?


I dunno. I think Sara started showing signs of what we all hate in the adult version of the show - only we think it's cute on a kid.


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## Flop (Dec 2, 2005)

dthmj said:


> I dunno. I think Sara started showing signs of what we all hate in the adult version of the show - only we think it's cute on a kid.


I don't really think so. She wasn't mean spirited or *****y. The only time I recall her saying anything negative about her competitors was when the judges asked her direct questions to solicit those responses.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I remain on the fence about Sara. At first she seemed like she was going to be a nasty little thing but she seems to have mellowed. Maybe she initially felt defensive since she's the smallest/youngest one. I really continue to enjoy how these kids have such good sportsmanship.

I was sad to see the one little girl eliminated this week (d'oh - forgot names - she was the smaller one).


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

sharkster said:


> I remain on the fence about Sara. At first she seemed like she was going to be a nasty little thing but she seems to have mellowed. Maybe she initially felt defensive since she's the smallest/youngest one. I really continue to enjoy how these kids have such good sportsmanship.
> 
> I was sad to see the one little girl eliminated this week (d'oh - forgot names - she was the smaller one).


Dara is her name I think. I didn't think she deserved to go, maybe eliminate Troy instead.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Dara is still there - I think he means Kalynn.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Didn't she get eliminated?


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

No - Kaylen and Sofia were eliminated last week.

Dara is shown in next week's previews.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

I know it's been said before, but I love seeing the judges/chefs helping the kids when they get in a mess.

Poor Sofia completely screwed up with her batter for the cakes and Gordon stepped in and helped her start over. She still got eliminated, but at least her confidence wasn't totally shot. Of course, she couldn't have won the challenge because that would have been unfair, but at least she was able to present a finished product.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Yeah, Kaylen. Thanks. (I have CRS and all these names just mess with me)

I think Kaylen should have stayed, plus I really like the kid.  

I like Dara too, but I'm totally OVER that Minnie Mouse giant bow (or whatever that is). Looks like she has a whole wardrobe of those. Oh well - it's kind of cute. I just get bored with things that are done ad nauseam.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I hate cooking, but must be missing something "obvious". Why is a layer cake significantly harder than N * regular cake?


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

mattack said:


> I hate cooking, but must be missing something "obvious". Why is a layer cake significantly harder than N * regular cake?


When you back a cake, it isn't flat on top. So when you put the layers on top of each other, you have to shave off parts of the layers to get them to sit evenly. That is tough to do. Usually folks end up with leaning towers of cake, like these kids did.

Additionally the icing has to be thick enough so when you put it between the layers it doesn't just squirt out the sides. But not too thick that it loses its creaminess.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Ouch not sure how I mixed Kaylen and Dara up. Either way Troy should've left instead of Kaylen.


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## Hot4Bo (Apr 3, 2003)

Donbadabon said:


> When you back a cake, it isn't flat on top. So when you put the layers on top of each other, you have to shave off parts of the layers to get them to sit evenly. That is tough to do. Usually folks end up with leaning towers of cake, like these kids did.
> 
> Additionally the icing has to be thick enough so when you put it between the layers it doesn't just squirt out the sides. But not too thick that it loses its creaminess.


It helps to put a drop of icing on the plate to hold it, then put the bottom layer upside down. That gives a flat surface on which to lay the icing and next layer.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

mattack said:


> I hate cooking, but must be missing something "obvious". Why is a layer cake significantly harder than N * regular cake?


What they said, plus it's three layers, not two, so more opportunity for mayhem.

When they announced the challenge, I instantly got a mental picture of the bakers on Cake Boss slicing the rounds to make them even.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

The kids were incredible (as usual) in the restaurant takeover challenge, but what 's with the timeline trickery? When they got to the restaurant, they were told they'd be doing lunch service, but when it was done, they called it dinner service and it was dark outside.
Makes me wonder what happened on that day of production.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

I think Troy should've gotten the axe. Too cocky and kind of a know it all.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

^^ I agree. He was really annoying during the challenge.

It was tough to watch Sarah break down at the end.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Kamakzie said:


> I think Troy should've gotten the axe. Too cocky and kind of a know it all.


I'm of mixed opinion on that one. Of those three on that team, Troy was, arguably, the strongest cook on the team, which should be the key factor. As bad as I felt for Sarah seeing her eliminated, and as good as she is for her age, she's not as strong as the other contestants... and Gavin let himself get run over by Troy.

Still, Troy was a bit of a bully to Sarah. I wanted to smack him by the end of the restaurant challenge.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I am praying for Jack to take it all and give Troy his comeuppance.


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## Numb And Number2 (Jan 13, 2009)

Kamakzie said:


> I think Troy should've gotten the axe. Too cocky and kind of a know it all.


I don't think he was cocky, more like entitled. He should have gone.. alone.


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## terpfan1980 (Jan 28, 2002)

Numb And Number2 said:


> I don't think he was cocky, more like entitled. He should have gone.. alone.


I had figured that Troy was going to go just for his apparent bullying of Sarah. I figured that Gavin would be gone because he didn't take advantage of being the captain of the team and certainly didn't help to reign in Troy (which led to Sarah being upset and ignored when she shouldn't have been).

I don't know that Sarah could have won, but I don't think Troy deserved to stay.

I'm also finding myself disappointed more and more with Alexander. He seemed to have a decent chance of winning a few episodes ago, but in the last couple of shows he has not performed well at all and actually seems to have badly regressed.


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## Hot4Bo (Apr 3, 2003)

I was very surprised that Sarah named Troy to win after he was so nasty to her through the whole episode. He wouldn't even let her talk!


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## jr461 (Jul 9, 2004)

Hot4Bo said:


> I was very surprised that Sarah named Troy to win after he was so nasty to her through the whole episode. He wouldn't even let her talk!


Maybe it wasn't as bad in reality as it was made to look from the editing.

It was a rough team with a 9 and 10 yr old and Troy. The other team had a 12 and a 13 plus Jack.

While he should have spoken more civilly to her, I thought Troy just wanted it right while Sarah was doing things that would have been a mistake (didn't she want to put the fish in before the oil was hot enough?). Right or wrong, he also didn't have faith that she could replicate the plating. Remember, he's just a kid also; because they handle themselves so well in the kitchen doesn't mean they handle this kind of stress and pressure like an adult would (should).


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Funny how they probably made it look like it was really close so that viewers couldn't totally see that the red team was kicking arse.

I agree that Troy should have probably gone home. Granted he was trying to fix things but hammering her relentlessly wasn't going any good. She's a little kid. Instead of getting a lightbulb (which she finally did later on) that if she just listen to the older kids and work as a team member, she was defiant and pouty. The team leader should have stepped up more, given tasks based on strengths, and kept things together. That might have held his spot but his weak leadership was his downfall.

I'll say I am glad that she is gone. Something about her I found grating.

I'd love to see Alexander and Jack as the final two. I think they are the best of the bunch. The hard part is that I would want them both to win. The other hard part is knowing that the two I consider the best two never seem to end up in the end.

ETA - I just had to come back to say that I think Sarah really held it together when she could have either gone off on a rage or just cried the whole time. When they were asked how everything was, she held her head high and just acted like everything was fine. Unfortunately, her young age didn't allow her to pull it the rest of the way together and perform. I need to realize that she was being stronger than I probably gave her credit for, all along.

One Sarah remark cracked me up - "I've been cooking for six years". That's 2/3 of her life so I could see what that meant to her. I don't know how you cook when you're 3, but these kids develop a lot earlier than we did back in my day.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

sharkster said:


> One Sarah remark cracked me up - "I've been cooking for six years". That's 2/3 of her life so I could see what that meant to her. I don't know how you cook when you're 3, but these kids develop a lot earlier than we did back in my day.


I was reading when I was three. I don't see why a three-year old couldn't start learning how to do stuff in the kitchen. Baking, especially, since an adult can do the part that involves transferring the pans to and from the hot oven.

Apart from developing a palate, there are two cooking skills that need a little maturity -- knife skills, and fire safety skills. You need the dexterity to handle knives, and to work around hot things and not burn yourself. (I'll leave it to the parents to address the issues of how old their kids were before they showed this maturity.)

Kids too young for knife skills can still prep some vegetables (tearing salad leaves, snapping beans), learn to measure and stir, and learn to season and taste. Experimenting with combining flavors, and developing the palate, could easily start as young as three, and that's really what 'being a chef' (as opposed to following someone else's recipe by rote) is all about.

IMHO we hold kids back from doing a lot of things they could do, because we assume they can't do it, set them up to fail, or don't treat the failure as a learning experience.

Obviously these kids are the ones who are the equivalent of book-learners who would go on to graduate school, but that doesn't mean other kids couldn't learn some of these skills, too.


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## Rkkeller (May 13, 2004)

I think a lot of the show is faked or overly rehearsed myself.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Well I kind of wanted Jack and Dara in the finale but I can see why Alexander got in over Jack. Alexander had the gross chicken liver and he made it excellent whereas Jack had a simple chicken breast. Of course Jack did a great job but Alexander had the more difficult protein. Troy blew it by under cooking his dish.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Troy was very lucky not to go last week anyway!

When they showed the proteins, I knew that Alexander was going to get the liver and I said that it's the one I'd prefer to get in a challenge like that. The reason being that I would get a more forgiving judgement because the level of difficulty is so much higher - and it paid off!


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Rkkeller said:


> I think a lot of the show is faked or overly rehearsed myself.


So do I, especially after the restaurant takeover challenge started as a lunch service and finished as a dinner service.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

Team Alexander all the way! He was my early pick and I really hope he wins! 

Dara is cute as a bug in a rug and those chicken wings looked a-ma-zing, but I think Alexander has been more consistent during the entire competition and he deserves it! :up::up:


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Regina said:


> Dara is cute as a bug in a rug ...


Except for that stupid bow. Makes me want to reach through the TV and rip it off her head.
That's what Gordon should have done when it was falling down over her eyes.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

steve614 said:


> Except for that stupid bow. Makes me want to reach through the TV and rip it off her head.
> That's what Gordon should have done when it was falling down over her eyes.


BA HA HA!  What did he say-something about their looking like sunglasses?


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

IMO, Jack got robbed.  I think they just wanted to have one boy and one girl in the finale. She made chicken wings! Granted, she made them well but Jack made a beautiful, not at all uncomplicated, meal with the chicken breast. 

It broke my heart to see him axed. I'm on team Alexander for sure. He and Jack were the best of the bunch from the get-go. Man, Troy sure tanked with the raw chicken. There was no way out of that one. Poor kid had to sit there through the rest of the tastings and judging, knowing he was outta there. I wanted to see him go anyway, but I still felt kind of badly for him. 

Agree about the Minnie Mouse (or whatever the hell that is) bow. Enough already!


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I think Troy really screwed up with the strategy when he assigned the parts to the other competitors. If you stick the toughest competitor with the hardest thing to cook, then if he does well, he really outshines everyone because he cooked the hardest thing. Look at what happened to Jack -- he had the chicken breast and did the roulade, but even though it was a very technical dish and the execution was brilliant, he still went home. 

Of course nothing can save you if your own dish comes out raw, but I wonder what would have happened if the assignments had been Alexander with the chicken breast, Dara with the liver and Jack with the wings.


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## Honora (Oct 16, 2006)

murgatroyd said:


> I think Troy really screwed up with the strategy when he assigned the parts to the other competitors. If you stick the toughest competitor with the hardest thing to cook, then if he does well, he really outshines everyone because he cooked the hardest thing. Look at what happened to Jack -- he had the chicken breast and did the roulade, but even though it was a very technical dish and the execution was brilliant, he still went home.
> 
> Of course nothing can save you if your own dish comes out raw, but I wonder what would have happened if the assignments had been Alexander with the chicken breast, Dara with the liver and Jack with the wings.


In the adult version of the show, how many times have we seen this happen? Somebody wins the advantage of choosing who gets what protein or dish to cook, gives what they think is the hardest to their chief competitor (who then does something fantastic with it) while they shoot themselves in the foot with a simple mistake like under/over cooking the food or forgetting an important ingredient.

I told my husband, Troy is going to screw up when they started.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

murgatroyd said:


> I think Troy really screwed up with the strategy when he assigned the parts to the other competitors. If you stick the toughest competitor with the hardest thing to cook, then if he does well, he really outshines everyone because he cooked the hardest thing. Look at what happened to Jack -- he had the chicken breast and did the roulade, but even though it was a very technical dish and the execution was brilliant, he still went home.
> 
> Of course nothing can save you if your own dish comes out raw, but I wonder what would have happened if the assignments had been Alexander with the chicken breast, Dara with the liver and Jack with the wings.


Not to mention that his own choice was the boring thigh, and all he did was cook it poorly, nothing interesting at all. He was probably going home even if it was cooked right.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Good point about the Troy/advantage thing. It seems that Ramsay's shows are so predictably formulaic that you almost can figure that the one with the advantage sets him/herself up for failure.

I sure hope Alexander takes this! He deserves it head and shoulders above the little girl. Maybe Jack will come back next time. He also deserves to win, IMO.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

In the adult version I've also seen the one with the advantage give their biggest competitor the easiest food - thinking they will over think it - and sometimes they do.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I really hope we see Jack again. He was my favorite competitor.


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## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

I really thought it was going to be a Jack and Alexander finale.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Yeah, me too. I like Dara, but Jack vs. Alexander would have been epic.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

sharkster said:


> I sure hope Alexander takes this! He deserves it head and shoulders above the little girl. Maybe Jack will come back next time. He also deserves to win, IMO.


Unless there's an "All-Stars" version, which I doubt (as by the time they have enough kids to do it, some will be adults), I don't think any of these 12 will be on the show in future seasons. Maybe if the "adult" version runs for a few more seasons (and I don't see why it wouldn't), one or more of these kids will be allowed to be on that show. Besides - assuming there is a next season for this show (_American Juniors_ was supposed to have a second season as well, until it was pulled at pretty much the last second), they will probably search nationwide rather than just in New York / Los Angeles / San Francisco.

No, it's not really fair to the runner-up not to be allowed back, is it? Then again, how fair was it when the winner of the most recent _Hell's Kitchen_ didn't get the promised job (choose one: "for personal reasons", "because she failed a Caesar's-mandated drug test") and the runner-up was told, "Sorry, but you don't get the job in her place"?


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

No comments on the finale?

I was rooting for Alexander all the way-and I was worried that Dara might win- she did a great job and I don't think the judges were exaggerating when they said it was super-close and came down to the smallest details 

YAY ALEXANDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :up::up:

He was a good sport, too-he gave Dara something she needed (don't remember what it was) out of his own supply...and helped Chef Ramsay calm her down when she freaked out...don't think the adults would do that...maybe help with the ingredients, but they'd relish a freak-out! 

Fun to see Luca there-nice of him to give the kids props-they really did perform well under the pressure! 

Hope they do this again! Lots of fun!


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## Hot4Bo (Apr 3, 2003)

Actually Luca was one to give ingredients out of his supply too.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I really enjoyed the show, and hope they do another season. 

It was great to see Alexander comforting Dara when she was feeling lightheaded. Ditto with sharing the ingredients. 

The judges kept saying it was really close -- I wonder if it came down to Dara's overcooking the shrimp in her main course.

The thing that impressed me the most -- after watching several seasons of Top Chef, one of the challenges that causes an Epic Fail is when the contestants are required to make a dessert. Clearly both Alexander and Dara, and several of the other kids, could whip a lot of the stuck-up chefs on Top Chef. It would be fun to see that. 

I'm sad that the season is over.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Glad to see Alexander win. This was sure a short season!


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Kamakzie said:


> Glad to see Alexander win. This was sure a short season!


Start with fewer people and eliminate two and a time and that's what happens.

I don't usually pick a person that I want to win on these types of shows. I usually just pick people that I don't want to win and hope the get eliminated.
Because it's just amazing how much more helpful, encouraging and understanding the kids were vs the adults, I never rooted for anyone's elimination.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I just watched last night. YAY for Alexander!! I'm so pleased that he won. What a nice nice kid, too! 

I really did want it to be Jack and Alexander, but then I'd have been torn. At least this way I was on Team Alexander all the way.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

The only negative I take from this season is that two of the oldest were the finalists. And wasn't Alexander the oldest overall?


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## Numb And Number2 (Jan 13, 2009)

billypritchard said:


> The only negative I take from this season is that two of the oldest were the finalists. And wasn't Alexander the oldest overall?


Don't trust anyone over 10.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

It was powdered sugar that Alexander gave Dara, and yes, it was great to see his sportsmanship.

As for their ages, I didn't see a problem. They just happened to be the best of the group, although Jack could possibly have made it.


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

Even with the obvious help/advantages they were given it was a very impressive season. I was pulling for Alexander as well. Both finalists did an awesome job!


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

billypritchard said:


> The only negative I take from this season is that two of the oldest were the finalists. And wasn't Alexander the oldest overall?


Alexander was the oldest (listed as 13 in the press release); Dara, Jewels, Molly, Roan, Sofia, and Troy are 12; Kaylen and Tommy, 11; Gavin and Jack, 10; Sarah, 9.

Did they ever mention the kids' last names on the show? They're not listed in the press releases, and Fox did not put out a release announcing the winner like it usually does for its reality shows. Yes, I realize that they're "just kids," but that didn't stop Fox from listing last names on _American Juniors_ (or for under-18 singers on _American Idol_ or _The X Factor_).
_Some sites do list some or all of their last names, but I won't mention them here out of privacy concerns._


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