The young cooks get some expensive seafood in the first basket and struggle to make the most of valuable time in order to impress the judges, actress Ta'Rhonda Jones, restaurateur Sabin Lomac and chef Aaron Sanchez. Then, bacon is discovered in an odd place in the entree basket. Finally, some figs and fancy peaches must make it to the dessert plates.
When the junior chefs unpack pickle-flavored cotton candy in their appetizer baskets, it's anyone's guess how the round will unfold. In the second round, they must dip into cookie jars to discover sweet ingredients for their entrees and impress the judges, including guest Nikki Bella. Finally, a stinky soda and a crunchy treat await the feisty final competitors in the dessert round.
In the appetizer round, the young cooks get to find out if bok choy tastes better with bacon. An old-fashioned "pinwheel" protein stirs things up in the entree round. And cottage cheese for dessert? The junior chefs attempt to find a place for it in their final plates. Actress Maia Mitchell and chefs Marc Murphy and Luke Thomas serve as judges.
A new group of kid competitors bond over their love of music and food as they prepare dishes for the judges: Food Network's Valerie Bertinelli, ballerina Misty Copeland and chef Chris Santos. First, they find themselves working with beets and octopus in block form in the appetizer round. A salmon-like fish filet in the entree round presents challenges, then the finalists must figure out how to work edible piano keys into their desserts.
Four fresh-faced junior chefs must give it their all to impress the judges, model Jourdan Dunn and chefs Carla Hall and Chris Santos. In round one, the competitors must confront a soft drink with a wacky flavor, and some grapes in a funny shape and a crunchy healthy snack are required elements in the young chefs' goat entrees. Then, there's big drama in the dessert round as one competitor attempts a last-ditch dash to the ice cream machine.
Four outstanding young cooks compete to see who will earn the last spot in the grand finale. Some slender peppers and some scrumptious rolls are part of the puzzle in the appetizer round. The junior chefs must figure out a way to make a guilty pleasure snack work in their venison entrees, then some serious mistakes in the dessert round leave the judges with much to consider.
Starting with ketchup soda in round one, the young chefs seek to learn from their mistakes and roll with weird ingredients to impress guest judges Gina Torres and Daniel Breaker. A fancy food and a frozen drink are among the ingredients in the second round, and pork rinds in the dessert basket challenge the last two kid cooks to get creative.
Neatness is always important in plating, but with sloppy joes as a mandatory ingredient in the first round, the judges -- food blogger Siri Daly, actress Cheryl Hines, and chef Geoffrey Zakarian -- must excuse some sloppiness! A red pesto and some white turnips keep things interesting in the entree round, then a yummy bacon apple pie is found in the dessert basket.
Four confident young cooks set out to make judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Sandra Lee and Laura Vitale a spectacular Thanksgiving meal. Pumpkin pie comes first as one of the mystery ingredients for the appetizer round. There's no turkey in the entree basket, but there are a lot of other traditional flavors. Then, some adorable cupcakes are at the center of a goody-filled final basket.