‘MasterChef Junior’ review: Did Alexander’s one mistake send him home?

The biggest shocker on tonight’s “MasterChef Junior” was that Alexander was no longer the model of culinary perfection that the rest of the other young chefs tried to emulate. Instead, he had some of his biggest struggles of the entire competition tonight, and it put him in a position where it really looked like he was going to be sent home.

The biggest victor of this entire episode was pretty clear from the start of the episode and that person is Sarah. Despite not even being ten years old, the show’s youngest cook managed to make something surprising and delicious in the mystery box challenge using some very shocking ingredients that kids hate. In doing this, she got immunity, and the chance to punish the other cooks by forcing them to make layer cakes.

This is where the wheels for Alexander came off, when he made a mistake regarding a mix-up with flour and powdered sugar. From here on out, it was a massive struggle, and he had a cake that was dense, and clearly at the bottom with Kaylen and Sofia (who needed help from Gordon Ramsay just to even finish). We honestly felt like this would be his time to go, unless of course the judges chose to also look at past work. Having him around creates so much more competition in the end, and he also would not be the same sort of lock to win that he once was. There was a vulnerability there!

In the end, it did look as though the contestants’ past work was also being considered here, and Alexander was spared thanks in part to two other cooks going home. Kaylen and Sofia went home, and we really appreciate the sensitive way it was handled. Gordon Ramsay in particular deserves a gold star for not allowing Sofia to feel like she failed when her cake did not turn out well.

Meanwhile, Dara and Gavin were awarded the prize for the best to cakes of the night. The best part of Gavin’s cake in particular was that it reminded us of an old sketch on “All That” where Kenan Thompson made almost everything with chocolate. (We’ve got that for you below if you are a nostalgic person.) Grade: B+

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Photo: Fox