December 2, 2014 - Tonight, four junior home cooks moved one step closer to becoming the winner of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR after an exciting team challenge during which contestants split into teams to host MASTERCHEF JUNIOR’s first-ever pop-up restaurant.

The Top Four junior home cooks are eight-year-old Abby, from Winchester, VA; 12-year-old Adaiah from Danbury, CT; 11-year-old Logan, from Memphis, TN; and 12-year-old Samuel, from Greenbrae, CA.

In the next all-new episode of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR airing Tuesday, Dec. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the Top Four junior home cooks are tasked with breaking down an exquisite Alaskan king salmon and cutting as many perfect filets as possible. The winner of the challenge will get an advantage in the next round, when the contestants will have a limited number of ingredients to prepare a restaurant-quality salmon dish using the filets from the previous challenge. The two contestants with the most impressive dishes will earn a coveted spot in the highly anticipated MASTERCHEF JUNIOR finale.

Then, on the Season Finale airing Tuesday, Dec. 16 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the two finalists will compete head-to-head and prepare the most important three-course menu of their young lives. Find out which talented junior home cook will earn the MASTERCHEF trophy and a $100,000 prize.

The Top Four home cooks reveal their favorite MASTERCHEF JUNIOR memory:

Abby Age: 8
Hometown: Winchester, VA

Signature Dish: Southwest Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Abby’s Favorite MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Memory: “My favorite memory has been all the fun I’ve had with my great new friends! And I’ll never forget the help the judges gave me, especially Joe!”

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Adaiah Age: 12

Hometown: Danbury, CT

Signature Dish: Salmon with Lemon Butter on a Bed of Kale and Lemon Stir Fry
Adaiah’s Favorite MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Memory: "Walking into the MASTERCHEF kitchen for the first time was so surreal. I will never forget thinking, ‘I cannot believe I am actually here!’”
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Logan Age: 11

Hometown: Memphis, TN

Signature Dish: Marinated Flat Iron Steak with Green Grapes
Logan’s Favorite MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Memory: “Cooking in the very first pop-up restaurant of the show. In that challenge, I lived my dream of working through a dinner service with Chef Ramsay and meeting his exacting standards. It was one of the best days of my life.”
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Samuel Age: 12
Hometown: Greenbrae, CA

Signature Dish: Beet Carpaccio with a Mȃche Salad and Walnut Oil Vinaigrette and Crumbled Goat Cheese

Samuel’s Favorite MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Memory: “Definitely the pancake challenge. I really had a blast doing it, not only because I could dump sticky, sweet syrup on the judges, but also because in that challenge, all the contestants were having fun together and it felt like kids versus the judges!”
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MASTERCHEF JUNIOR is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

“Like” MASTERCHEF JUNIOR on Facebook at facebook.com/MasterChefJuniorFOX. Follow the series on Twitter @MasterChefJrFOX and join the discussion at #masterchefjunior.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: For information on MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, please visit www.foxflash.com.]