Fox announced season three of the hit culinary competition series MasterChef Junior will be premiering on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 8pm ET/PT. Gordon Ramsay returns to host and judge the cooking contest along with fellow returning judges Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot, with 19 up-and-coming young chefs competing for the MasterChef Junior trophy and the $100,000 prize.
This season’s 19 junior home cooks range in age from 8 to 12. In the first episode of season three, the junior cooks will take part in a mystery box challenge in which they’ll have to create a restaurant-quality dish from the mystery box’s ingredients. At the end of episode one, 14 junior home cooks will advance to episode two.
MasterChef Junior Season 3 Contestants:
AJ
Age: 10
Hometown: Freeport, NY
Signature Dish: Grilled Chicken Wrap
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Angel hair spaghetti and meat balls!”
ALEXIS
Age: 8
Hometown: Gilroy, CA
Signature Dish: Barbecued Breaded Chicken
Favorite Dish to Eat: “I love clams and lobster with garlic and butter sauce. And lots of lemon.”
ANDREW
Age: 11
Hometown: West Deptford, NJ
Signature Dish: Chicken Milanese with Creamed Spinach and Cucumber Peels
Favorite Dish to Eat: “I enjoy all types of food, but my favorite is homemade pasta and meatballs.”
AYLA
Age: 11
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Signature Dish: Pumpkin and Corn Soup
Favorite Dish to Eat: “St. Louis-style barbecue ribs!”
CORY
Age: 9
Hometown: Englewood, NJ
Signature Dish: Blackened Mahi Mahi with Lemon Garnish
Favorite Dish to Eat: “I love sushi!”
JACK
Age: 12
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Signature Dish: Sweet and Sour Chilean Sea Bass with Asian Noodles, Shitake Mushrooms and Bok Choy
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Sushi!”
JENNA
Age: 12
Hometown: New York, NY
Signature Dish: Sesame-Crusted Flash-Fried Tuna with Avocado on a Bed of Arugula
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Definitely steamed mussels in a white wine garlic sauce. I always eat it on my birthday.”
JIANNA
Age: 9
Hometown: Providence Village, TX
Signature Dish: Micro Baked Apple Crumble and a Spinach Strawberry Salad with Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Favorite Dish to Eat: “A big, fat, juicy steak with a loaded baked potato.”
JIMMY
Age: 12
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Signature Dish: Almond Ricotta Pancakes with Almond Whip Cream
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Even though I love to cook and experiment with really high-end, fancy foods, my absolute favorite food to eat is just plain old s’mores. I could eat those all day and night!”
KAYLA
Age: 11
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Signature Dish: Lemon Chicken with Sautéed Asparagus
Favorite Dish to Eat: “A nice, medium rare steak with French Aligot. And of course I have to include the vegetables – steamed haricot verts with garlic, shallots and olive oil.”
KYLER
Age: 10
Hometown: Coto De Caza, CA
Signature Dish: Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Stir-Fried Riced
Favorite Dish to Eat: “My Grampy’s Shepherd’s Pie!”
MIA
Age: 10
Hometown: Menlo Park, CA
Signature Dish: Scallops and Slivered Brussel Sprouts with a Balsamic Glaze
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Beef Wellington. I made it for the first time a few months ago!”
MICAH
Age: 9
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Signature Dish: Maple-Glazed Salmon with Honey- and Orange-Glazed Carrots
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Macaroni and cheese with broccoli and cauliflower and mashed potatoes with gravy.”
NATHAN
Age: 12
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Signature Dish: Tokyo-Style Ramen
Favorite Dish to Eat: “My favorite dish is by far my Nonie’s pasta sauce and pasta that she makes on special occasions.”
PARKER
Age: 11
Hometown: New Buffalo, MI
Signature Dish: Asian Salmon with Asparagus
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Lamb shank, mashed potatoes and green beans!”
PHILLY
Age: 9
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Signature Dish: Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms, Pasta and Brussel Sprouts
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Meatballs! All the breading, meat and parmesan cheese melts into the sauce, mix it all together over fine angel hair pasta… yum, so good!”
QUINCY
Age: 12
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Signature Dish: Shrimp and Grits
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Filet Mignon with a shrimp diablo sauce, lobster-mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts with pancetta and shallots.”
RILEY
Age: 8
Hometown: Carrollton, TX
Signature Dish: Schnitzel
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Homemade pasta sprinkled with olive oil and parmesan cheese. I love parmesan!”
RYAN KATE
Age: 11
Hometown: Coppell, TX
Signature Dish: Crostini Alla Crechio
Favorite Dish to Eat: “Soup! I love eating all different kinds of soups, because there are so many varieties, and it can have so many healthy ingredients.”
