MasterChef Junior exit interview: Eddie Levine, Sam Brock talk show experience (exclusive)

Today’s MasterChef Junior exit interview feature focuses on Eddie Levine and Sam Brock, two young home cooks who brought a ton of enthusiasm to the kitchen this season — not to mention a lot of personality. It would’ve been great to see each one of them make it a little further! Unfortunately, this past episode marked the end of the road after trying to create a vegan burger to impress The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik.

Below, you can take a look at what both Sam and Eddie had to say about why they wanted to be on the show, the advice that they got from Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi, and also their overall experience!

Eddie Levine

CarterMatt – Why did you want to do MasterChef Junior this season?

Eddie – Honestly, I did not have expectations about what would happen when I went to the audition. It was just a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning, like going to a party! Getting into MCJ was a dream come true!

Was there a part of the experience that you enjoyed the most?

Meeting Gordon and Christina, but I also enjoyed making new friends and riding airplanes!

I know you had some trouble during the vegan burger challenge, so how happy were you to get your food on the plate in the end?

I had to make the burger a few times but it kept falling apart. I was happy that my plate was complete at the end but I think it would have tasted better if I had been able to sneak some beef in there! heehee

What was some of the best advice you got from the judges?

My favorite things that I learned from them were: doing a flambé which was so much fun, plating, and watching Gordon make the sea bass dish.

After going through this experience, are you cooking more? Did it inspire you to do something more with food?

I still love to cook, and I learned a lot from watching my new friends make so many different kinds of foods.

Sam Brock

CarterMatt – What made you want to be on the show in the first place?

Sam Brock – I’ve watched the show as a fan. I’ve always wanted to be on TV and I really, really like cooking.

One of the things that the judges commented on was how excited you were to be there. What was the part of the competition you liked the most?

My favorite (and my least favorite) part was the tasting/judging. That was scary at times but then when they said something good it was exciting.

Did doing the vegan food challenge make you want to cook more vegan food in the future?

Vegan? No thanks. But we do eat a lot of vegetarian meals. 

What was the best bit of advice Chefs Gordon and Christina gave you?

It’s not about how you start, it’s not about whats happening while you are cooking, it matters how you finish.

What’s it been like watching yourself on the show?

It’s been pretty cool, especially watching while knowing what was going to happen!

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Thanks to Eddie and Sam for their time! Remember that MasterChef Junior airs on Fox Tuesday nights, and we will have more news related to the show tomorrow.