How do you make something great even better? Plenty of adult chefs would be flummoxed by this question, but Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn handled it like a pro this week on “MasterChef Junior.”
On Monday’s episode of the FOX reality series, the young home cooks were asked to revisit a dish they’d prepared during the first challenge of Season 9. Their task was to elevate the ingredients and presentation into something even tastier and more refined. Sound easy? Not for Bryson, who had set a very high bar with his winning steak dish on Episode One.
At the time, all the judges were impressed by Bryson’s skill in preparing a scrumptious ribeye cap with white truffle potatoes, Manchego cheese, broccolini and compound butter. “I have to say, it’s like the tower of power of meat,” Aaron Sanchez said. “Look at that thing! You’ve got a beautiful sear on the outside, and those potatoes just look glorious.”
How to improve on his previous gold standard? A spot in the semifinals was at stake, as the boy competed on a tense episode called “Thyme Travel.”
“This is going to be really hard, because the first challenge I actually won, so the judges are going to have insanely high expectations,” Bryson said. “This is not good. This is the most stressed I’ve ever felt. My nerves are getting the best of me. There’s so much pressure. It’s going to be really hard to elevate my dish.”
If you didn’t watch Monday’s program — or simply want a refresher on the “MasterChef” action — here’s what happened.
Repping Alabama: Bryson, 12, is an Auburn resident who goes by the nickname of “Cheese Curd.” He’s a sixth-grader at Fox Run School in Opelika and the son of Mike and Shannon McGlynn. Bryson’s also a young grillmaster and barbecue specialist who competes in grilling competitions with his father. (Mike, a Wisconsin native, earned the nickname “Cheese” when he moved to Alabama, and that prompted his son’s moniker.) Bryson hopes to be a chef one day and have his own food truck.
What’s at stake: The winner of “MasterChef Junior” receives a trophy, bragging rights and $100,000 prize. Five contestants remained on the show this week, after eliminations on previous episodes.
How it works: Four chefs act as judges on “MasterChef Junior” throughout the season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Along with head honcho Gordon Ramsay, the judging panel includes Sanchez, Daphne Oz and Tilly Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay’s daughter. Weekly cooking challenges and eliminations trim the list of contestants until a single cook remains.
This week’s challenge: The junior cooks were asked to use the knowledge and skills they’d acquired throughout the season, turning their very first dish on the show into something more elegant and refined. “Kids, I can see five amazing young home cooks here, who might become five Michelin star-winning chefs when they grow up,” Oz said. “So tonight, think about your future self and how they would elevate these dishes from your past. This should be your signature dish at your future restaurant.” The cooks had one hour to figure out a strategy, grab ingredients from the “MasterChef” kitchen and prepare their reinvented dish for the judges.
Bonus prize: Along with a coveted spot in the top four, the winner of the challenge would receive a family trip to the Paradisus Playa del Carmen resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. “That just sounds fancy,” Bryson said. “I really want to win this trip to Mexico, because Mama Cheesecake and Papa Cheese, we need to get out of Alabama and go over to Mexico and get on a vacation.”
What Bryson cooked: A New York strip steak with Gruyere cheese mashed potatoes, sautéed mustard greens and bourbon peppercorn sauce.
Words of wisdom: When Bryson expressed doubts about his ability to improve the previous dish, both Ramsays stepped in to encourage him. “You can just think of everything you’ve learned and also just stay calm, Bryson, because you know how to cook,” Tilly Ramsay said. “You think about it all, taste it all, it’s going to be delicious.” Then Gordon Ramsay chimed in. “Absolutely right,” he said. “Listen, make sure that New York strip goes on, really strong sear, and you’ve got that nice medium rare. Hey, young man, you’ve got this.”
High hopes: “This guy is in his element when he’s cooking meat, right, so it really is in his wheelhouse,” Gordon Ramsay said when conferring with the other judges. “So fingers crossed he can nail that steak.”
Judges’ reactions: All four offered praise to Bryson and noted the difficulty of his task. The boy achieved a “beautiful” medium-rare cook on the steak, according to Ramsay, and the other elements were extremely flavorful.
What Oz said: “Visually, I think your new plate is lovely. I think that the meat looks delicious, and its front and center, it’s the gold on the plate. I also love that you chose to put the potatoes under the steak, so it’s really drinking up that delicious bourbon peppercorn sauce. … Bryson, I mean, if you don’t open a steak restaurant at some point in your life, it’s game over for everybody. But blowing my own mind, the potatoes and steak are not the best part of this dish. Those greens are out of control. They have shallots, they have the anchovies, they have a beautiful hit of vinegar that’s balanced. It is a really satisfying bite when you get a taste of all three. I liked it a lot.”
What Sanchez said: “Man, this is delicioso. For me, this peppercorn coating could easily have been overwhelming, and you could have put too much. You crusted it so perfectly that it’s seasoning the rest of the dish. And that right there shows a lot of technique and a lot of growth.”
What Tilly Ramsay said: “I love the fact that you’ve done a mashed potato, you’ve incorporated the cheese inside it. They are delicious.”
What Gordon Ramsay said: “Young man, seven weeks ago, you raised the bar, right? You came in super strong. And so I’m going to be honest. Visually, I don’t think the dish looks better, but it does taste better. The steak is cooked perfectly, and the greens, exceptional. Mash, delicious. … Listen, good job.”
How Bryson fared: His dish was among the top three contenders. Although he didn’t win the challenge, Bryson was declared safe and earned a spot in the semifinals.
Challenge winner: Michael Seegobin, 11, of New Smyrna, Florida. He cooked shrimp tortellini with white wine cream sauce, blanched tomatoes and basil oil. The pasta for the tortellini was prepared from scratch — an impressive feat, the judges said — and the elegant presentation of the dish displayed plenty of finesse.
Eliminated: Jordyn Joyner, 8, of Greensboro, North Carolina. She served the judges a roasted pork tenderloin with apple cider barbecue sauce, roasted baby turnips, greens and peas in a pea puree. Although her dish showed promise, the judges said the pork was overcooked and the presentation was messy. “I’m really disappointed that I’m eliminated, but I’m really proud that I got to top five,” Jordyn said after she turned in her apron. “It’s been a really good journey in the ‘MasterChef’ kitchen. This has been the most, best experience I’ve been in, in my life. I’ve grown so much as a cook, and I got to make so many amazing things.”
Still in the competition: Along with Bryson, the remaining contestants are Michael Seegobin, 11, of New Smyrna, Florida; Asher Niles, 8, of Yakima, Washington; and Remy Powell, 10, of Hollywood, Florida.
Next up: The four semifinalists face a nerve-wracking challenge, trying to keep up Ramsay as he shows them how to prepare one of his signature dishes. “Tasked with replicating one of Gordon’s iconic duck dishes, each contestant must match Gordon’s pace, precision and passion to impress the judges and stay in the competition,” an IMDb synopsis says. They’re competing for a spot in the finals, and Bryson can be seen in a preview video, covering his face while declaring his dish “looks terrible.”
