BY ANITA STIEFEL
ANITAS@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — After winning the first challenge on last week’s premier of MasterChef Junior, Bryson “Cheese Curd” McGlynn of Opelika had a bit of a scare in the second episode, which aired March 11.
“The theme of tonight’s challenge is Under the Sea,” announced world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, host of the show. “It’s sink or swim time.”
The 11 remaining contestants (one is eliminated weekly) chose a treasure chest, each of which contained a different kind of seafood. The aspiring chefs, who range in age from 8 to 13, had 60 minutes to prepare a tasty, visually-pleasing dish using the seafood contained inside. A twist was that each junior chef had to incorporate a type of seaweed into their dish.
Some of the young cooks’ chests contained varieties of fish, while others held squid, baby octopus, lobster, prawns, clams and mussels. Bryson’s relief was apparent when he opened his treasure chest.
“I got tuna,” Bryson said. “I’m a barbecue and grill guy, so I said why not just do a tuna steak and on the side, good ol’ seaweed salad.
“I’m so excited I won the last challenge, but now I’ve got a target on my back. Everyone’s coming for me, so I’ve just gotta roll with the punches,” said the 11-year-old.
With 15 minutes to go, Bryson had a scare.
“I burnt my rice vinegar, and I’m like, oh no, I cannot serve this to the judges, so I have to whip up a whole ‘nother one,” he explained. “There’s a whole bunch of pressure on me right now … my nerves are getting the best of me.
“This is not good, this is not good,” he said, running back to the pantry for more supplies.
Bryson’s dish was not picked in the top three, but neither did it fall into the bottom three, so he will advance to the next round of the competition.
As this week’s winning dish, the four celebrity judges picked halibut in yellow curry with white rice and velvet horn seaweed, prepared by 8-year-old Asher of Yakima, Washington, who won an all-expenses-paid seaside vacation in California for his family. The contestant eliminated was 9-year-old Jason of San Gabriel, California, whose mahi mahi sandwich with french fries and ogo seaweed and gochujang remoulade did not impress the judges.
The remaining 10 contestants move forward to the third challenge next week.
The Observer will provide weekly updates on Bryson’s progress. To keep up with the action yourself, tune in to FOX network every Monday night at 7 p.m.