'MasterChef Junior' Season 8: Blake's crawfish dish puts him in the elimination zone

While Abir, Ivy and Blake found themselves in the bottom three, Blake's crawfish resulted in the season's first elimination
Blake on 'MasterChef Junior' (Instagram/masterchefjunior)
Blake on 'MasterChef Junior' (Instagram/masterchefjunior)

'MasterChef Junior' may feature adorable chefs, but don't let their looks fool you; these kids mean business. With Season 8 off to a cutthroat start, the contestants had to whip up dishes using a mystery ingredient that they picked out. And while some rose to the challenge, others seemed to have fallen short.

Love all things food? Looking for more cooking reality shows to feast your eyes on? You might want to consider -- 'Top Chef: Houston', 'Top Chef Family Style', and 'Family Food Fight'. 

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With each contestant whipping up dishes using the mystery ingredient they picked out, the judges narrowed it down to the top three best dishes and the three dishes that seemed lacking. 
When it came to the top three, Liya, Grayson, and A'dan blew the judges away with their dishes. First, Liya, who had to work with eels, prepared soy and honey glazed eel. She impressed the judges with her technique of basting the eel while cooking and her understanding of Asian flavors.

Next was Grayson, who had to work with okra. He served the judges lemon verbena snapper with fried and pickled okra. The judges complimented him on his restaurant-level plating skills and extensive food knowledge. And finally, A'dan made the cut, having used lobster to create a lobster with creamy grits and crumbled pancetta. Again, he impressed the judges with his ability to work with an unfamiliar ingredient.

While these three chefs were in the top, three found themselves in the bottom. Abir's molten chocolate lava cake and brûléed kiwi did little to highlight his given ingredient -- kiwi. Ivy's apricot cobbler with bavarian cream fell short as she over whipped the cream and undercooked the cobbler.

And finally, Blake's lemon pepper crawfish was overcooked and tough. It was not an easy decision, but the judges eliminated Blake, seeing that there was no coming back from the crawfish he prepared. However, they did encourage him to keep on cooking. Blake walked away with his head held high, noting that he made it to the top 16, which was a remarkable feat.

Regardless of the outcome, fans as always were vocal and supportive when it came to the contestants. "Watching masterchef junior always makes me feel incompetent AF. like, I think I'm a decent cook but then I see what these 8 year olds can make and I feel inferior." tweeted a fan. "Masterchef Junior >>>> Adult Masterchef. The contestants actually cheer each other on instead of cussing each other out." added a fan. "Wow, what a start for Masterchef Junior. The quality of the dishes these kids are making is incredible. The dishes look absolutely gorgeous," noted another. 



 



 



 

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

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