MasterChef Junior Season 9 episode 4: Culinary magic gone in a flash

While a great chef can transform the most humble ingredients into an amazing dish, MasterChef Junior Season 9 episode 4 required the young chefs to create their own culinary magic. Celebrating The Magic Castle’s 60th anniversary, these dishes needed to deliver on taste and not be all smoke and mirrors.

In MasterChef Junior Season 9, the young chefs are being pushed with every challenge. While this episode is their second team challenge, the dynamic is more than just creating a cohesive dish. Each person needs to contribute. The leader might delegate tasks, but they need to drive their team to victory.

The Red and Blue teams offered the judges a sample plate before dinner service. That moment allowed each team to make some corrections before it was too late.

The biggest takeaway from the sample plates was the young chefs were not paying attention to the details. If they can get the temperature correct for the protein, they should not be serving cold potatoes. Mistakes on the easier side should not happen in a MasterChef competition.

Looking at the two different dishes, the Blue Team had the bigger margin for error. Even though Bryson might be a grill master, a well-cooked pork chop is not easy. In addition, non-crispy bacon on collard greens is unacceptable.

The Red Team had some issues with its sample plate, too. In addition to cold potatoes, the sides needed more seasoning and the sauce was a little too tight.

Through the challenge, both teams had ups and downs. While the young chefs might have made some guests’ appetites disappear, others were left hungry. Both teams served undercooked proteins. In addition, the Red Team sent out plates without sides.

Although the final decision came down to the favorite dish voted on by all the guests, the head chef of the Magic Castle picked the Blue Team as the best dish. He commended the chefs for picking a hard protein yet cooking it well.

In the end, the winning team was the Blue Team. Even with coming up three plates short of a complete service, the Blue Team was safe.

One member of the Red Team had to be eliminated. After a slow start, team captain, Remy, found her voice and kept her team on track. She was able to prove herself as a leader.

The Red Team’s biggest downfall was their steaks. Between inconsistent cooking and seasoning, the protein was a miss. Given that the steak was the major issue, Miles was the young chef sent home on MasterChef Season 9 episode 4. Too many mistakes could not be overlooked.

On the next episode, the young chefs need to face their fears and cook with ingredients that they prefer not to eat. Will these young chefs find an appreciation for those ingredients or will they throw their hands up in defeat?

Be sure to tune into new episodes of MasterChef Junior on Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. Episodes can be streamed the next day on Hulu.