'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 Semi-Final: Ivy gets eliminated due to undercooked halibut

While it was a close call, Ivy, unfortunately, undercooked her fish, costing her a spot in the finale

UPDATED JUN 15, 2022

If you've been an ardent fan of 'MasterChef Junior', then you know that the time has finally come, it's the Season 8 semi-finals! While the show started off with 12 extremely talented young chefs has now boiled down to the top three, all of whom have their eyes on the prize.

Grayson, Ivy and Liya have all had a great track record on the show, impressing the judges time and again with their creativity and technique. Going up against each other certainly isn't easy -- each of these young chefs has their own unique strengths. And now, it is their time to shine!

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With each of the contestants' families joining them, the young chefs had one hour to make three identical dishes inspired by their families. All three of them were certainly feeling the heat -- not only were their families there to support them, but they were also cooking in front of a live audience. With no room for error, each of them jumped right in, determined to secure their spot in the top 2.

Liya wanted to celebrate her Asian heritage and thus went with a pork dumpling, complete with a salt and pepper blue prawn and spicy aioli. Even though she cut her finger, Liya was not fazed by it and was determined to do her best. Grayson on the other hand went with pan-seared hamachi with crab, yuzu aioli and radish. Grayson noted that the inspiration came from his family's favorite restaurant back home and he wanted to celebrate diversity through his food. Finally, Ivy decided to make champagne beurre blanc with halibut, a celery root puree and white and green asparagus.

When it came to the final tasting, Liya was the first to step up to the plate. She explained that dumplings were important to her culture and she wanted to share that with the judges. While the judges noted that the addition of a broth or a sauce would have been great, they couldn't deny that the dish, in general, was phenomenal, with Gordon stating that it could be in any good restaurant across America.

Up next was Grayson, whose dish was inspired by his experiences with his family. His perfect sear impressed the judges, with Gordon stating that Austin had a new talented young chef in town. Daphne Oz even joked that she trusted Grayson's hands so much, that she'd let him be her dentist. Gordon even noted that the dish was elegant and it had him transported to Paris. The biggest concern was if the fish was cooked -- but Gordon confirmed it was cooked beautifully. Unfortunately, Daphne's fish was raw. But, she did have good things to say about the beurre blanc. Chef Aarón's fish was cooked well and he hoped that Ivy would inspire his own 8-year-old.

When it came down to the judging process, it was certainly a tough call. However, Ivy's undercooked fish proved to be her undoing. Nonetheless, the judges were proud of her work and Ivy too, was grateful for her journey. This meant that going Grayson and Liya would now face off in the Season 8 finale, making them the top two contestants on the show.

So, who are you rooting for this season? Sound off in the comments below and tell us who you think will be crowned the Season 8 winner of 'MasterChef Junior'!

Catch the 2-hour 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 finale on June 23, 2022, at 9 pm, ET.