MasterChef Junior interview: Afnan Ahmad talks surprise elimination

Through most of this season of MasterChef Junior, we made it no secret that we felt as though Afnan Ahmad was going to be someone who made it very far in the competition. He was consistently strong in most of the challenges, likable, and it felt like he had the support of the judges and his fellow contestants.

However, sometimes the wrong challenge at the wrong time can do someone, and that’s what seemed to happen this past Thursday when Afnan was eliminated following the tag-team challenge with Peyton.

In this exclusive email exit interview, we go through a little bit of what happened there, but also some of Afnan’s thoughts on the season as a whole and his status as a favorite.

CarterMatt – What was it like watching yourself back on TV? Was it hard seeing yourself be eliminated?

Afnan – It was exciting but also normal at the same time. But when I got eliminated it surprised me because I did so well during the whole show.

Through much of the competition you performed really well. Did you ever consider yourself a favorite?

Yeah, I considered my self a favorite because I was very consistent and people seemed to like me.

Out of all of your achievements in the kitchen this season, what were you the most proud of?

I am definitely most proud of representing Bangladesh, but challenge wise, I would say my Mother’s Day dish and the Beef Wellington.

What do you think went wrong with the sushi task? Is there anything that you wish you could change now? 

I think that I was focused on getting stuff done while my partner was yelling at me. I would probably want to have a different partner who could help me instead of pointing out my wrongs.

What’s the biggest thing that you learned about yourself through the competition?

The biggest thing that I learned is that I can do anything I want to do. This journey was the best thing in my life!

Further MasterChef Junior news

You can head over here if you’re interested in everything from further exit interviews to reviews and other features.

Meanwhile, be sure to share some of your thoughts on this interview in the comments! New episodes air Thursday night on Fox. (Photo: Fox.)