Culture

‘Junior MasterChef’ Is A Wholesome Reminder That We Still Have Some Joy Left In 2020

Honestly, tiny Cub Scout, trumpet-playing Ben has single-handedly saved 2020.

by Michelle Rennex  12 October 2020
junior masterchef wholesome

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Last night, following a horrible season of The Bachelor and tucked between a pretty boring season of The Bachelorette, Junior MasterChef quietly premiered.

For the first time since its short run in 2010 and 2011, the kids version of the popular cooking show made its way back on screens. Now any other year, I’d likely ignore a season of Junior MasterChef — watching a bunch of children do wholesome things for an hour isn’t exactly my idea of fun, at least it wasn’t in a pre-COVID world.

But in 2020, with so much doom and gloom in the world, Junior MasterChef is exactly what we all need: A dose of reality television that can only be described as sickly sweet, in all the best ways.

The series opened with 14 excited children and their extremely proud parents standing six feet apart from each other, while Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo, and Andy Allen welcomed the budding chefs to the competition.

After the necessary intros, the kids got stuck right into producing their signature dishes, with skill levels that are simply astonishing to see. Between dry ice presentations, Szechuan pepper meringues and parmesan tuiles, it’s hard to not watch and feel shit about your own cooking skills. But the good thing about kids is you can’t hate them and they can’t hate each other.

Beyond being talented, watching these kids cook and hype each other up, without any unnecessary drama or the ‘villain edit’ we normally see in traditional reality TV, is just really refreshing. And unlike what we saw in the Back To Win season, the judges don’t ever come off as annoying or shit-stirring either — something that Jock and Andy were often guilty of.

Instead Andy’s almost child-like energy and simple critiquing style works perfectly for Junior MasterChef, while Melissa’s soft-spoken, kind nature and Jock’s experience as a father make the new judges perfect for this junior spin-off that’s far calmer than the all-star season that preceded it.

But the most notable and enjoyable part of Junior MasterChef isn’t the cooking or the judges, it’s the infectious personalities each child brings to the kitchen.

Take cheerful 10-year-old Ben, for example, who is a Cub Scout that plays the trumpet and gives off serious Russell from Up energy. Between his chipper disposition, the homemade rolling pin he brought in for luck, and the unwavering confidence he displayed while making “posh S’mores” it’s no surprise the little cherub is already a fan-favourite.

Or how about 11-year-old Georgia, who is so tiny that she was practically drowning in fabric when she first put on her apron? While small, Georgia is mighty. The Victorian native basically started the episode by proudly declaring that she had made Jock her “slave” for carrying her heavy basket, and humbly accepted that her ice cream didn’t work out without any tears or unnecessarily dramatic editing.

Sure, there are always going to be some tear-jerking moments when it comes to passionate kids doing what they love, like when 13-year-old Vienna detailed how she was able to survive cancer because her brother — who absolutely loves her cooking — donated bone marrow to help with treatment.

But even then, these stories of perseverance act as reminders that tough times can pass — a fitting message for Australians, and in particular Melburnians, watching at home currently struggling through another month of strict COVID-19 lockdowns.

For me, Junior MasterChef is a nice escape and a little bit of a necessary wakeup call.

While we’re all busy collectively groaning about how 2020 is the worst year ever, 14 bright-eyed mini wannabe chefs just had their wildest dreams come true by simply landing a spot on a cooking show.

And because the stakes are so low (the prize money of $25,000 is only 10 percent of what Back To Win winner Emelia Jackson collected just three months ago), Junior MasterChef is a joy to watch thanks to competitiveness just simply not existing in the kitchen. It’s just kids being kids, who aren’t afraid to make Melissa help them mid-cook and aren’t ashamed to mess up a few times.

These bright-eyed kids come to Junior MasterChef with the sole goal to try and achieve their dreams of becoming chefs. They aren’t brought down by little mess ups or by the events going on around them, despite being fully aware they exist as the series was filmed during Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne. Instead, the kids make the most of their situation and just cook good food while having a whole lot of fun as they do it.

Really, the contestants on Junior MasterChef act as a gentle reminder that not all is bad in the world — even with everything going on.

You can watch Junior MasterChef from Sunday to Tuesday at 7.30pm on Ten.