'MasterChef Junior' Season 8: Andrew loses spot in top 10 due to undercooked cake

Seeing that it is a go hard or go home situation, the young chefs were starting to feel the heat of making it to top 10

UPDATED APR 22, 2022

Andrew in 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 (FOX)

The chefs on 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 might be young, but they certainly pack some big talent. With the competition nearing the top ten mark, now is the time for the contestants to pull out all the stops. Seeing that it is a go hard or go-home situation, this week, they faced two challenges, a mystery box challenge and an elimination challenge.

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With a spot in the top 10 on the line, the young chefs had to take on a mystery box challenge -- they had to cook with walnuts! The contestants went all in, getting creative with their dishes. When it came down to it, three dishes stood out the most to the judges -- Liya's walnut shrimp and pineapple fried rice, Cruz's mixed berry walnut crumble and Ciara's walnut cake with sauterne pears and mascarpone.

The judges agreed that Ciara's cake truly stood out, earning her immunity and a spot on the balcony. However, this meant that the rest of the chefs would enter an elimination challenge. But, it wasn't all bad, seeing that Season 7 winner Che Spiotta made an appearance to show the contestants how to flambe, a technique they had to use in their elimination challenge dish. The young chefs jumped right into the challenge, seeing that everyone wanted a spot in the top 10. When it came down to trying dishes, the judges picked three to see who would be eliminated -- They tried Starla's tequila flambeed New York strip. They left as though the dish was lacking overall.

A'dan's pan-seared lamb -- the judges acknowledged that he was good at what he does, but his editing process needed to be worked on, seeing that there was too much on his plate. It was Andrew's rum pecan cake with caramelised pineapple. Gordon noted that the pineapple and the flambe were great, but the cake itself was undercooked. When it boiled down to the final elimination, Andrew was the one who was asked to leave. While his food journey came to an end on the show, he promised to keep on cooking.

Catch Season 8 of 'MasterChef Junior' on Thursdays, at 8 pm ET/PT on FOX.