Junior MasterChef Vietnam (season 1) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Junior MasterChef Vietnam
Country of origin	Vietnam
No. of episodes	13
Release
Original network	VTV3
Original release	October 2 (2016-10-02) – December 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)

Get ready for some serious cooking! The first season of the exciting Vietnamese cooking show Junior MasterChef Vietnam started on VTV3 on October 2, 2016. In this show, talented young chefs compete to show off their amazing cooking skills and become the next Junior MasterChef!

Meet the Top 12 Young Chefs

This season began with 12 super talented young cooks from different cities in Vietnam. They all had a dream of winning the title of Junior MasterChef! Here's a quick look at who made it to the top:

Episode Guide: The Cooking Journey

Let's dive into the exciting challenges and eliminations that happened throughout the season!

Auditions: Finding the Best Young Cooks

The first three episodes were all about finding the best young chefs to join the competition.

Episode 1: The Green Planet (Audition 1)

• Air Date: October 2, 2016
• Summary: This was the first audition round! Young cooks like Quốc Huân, Thanh Hải, and Minh Anh showed off their skills. Only three of them made it into the Top 12. The others, including Mai Ngọc and Vân Anh, were eliminated.

Episode 2: World in My Eyes (Audition 2)

• Air Date: October 9, 2016
• Summary: More talented kids competed in this audition. Hoàng Hải, Thuận Thành, and Gia Huy impressed the judges and earned their spots in the Top 12.

Episode 3: Love Comes from Delicious Food (Audition 3)

• Air Date: October 16, 2016
• Summary: This was the final audition! Hiền Anh, Bảo Anh, and Đức Hải joined the Top 12. Some cooks who were eliminated earlier, like Vân Anh, Phương Linh, and Minh Hoàng, got a special "wild card" chance to come back and compete for the last spots!

Main Competition: Challenges and Eliminations

Once the Top 12 were chosen, the real cooking battles began!

Episode 4: Cooked Pork (Top 12)

• Air Date: October 23, 2016
• Mystery Box Challenge: This is a classic MasterChef challenge where contestants get a box of mystery ingredients and have to create a dish. Gia Huy, Đức Hải, and Phương Linh made the best dishes, and Đức Hải won!
• Elimination Challenge: As the winner, Đức Hải got to choose the main ingredient for the next challenge: pork! Thanh Hải cooked the best pork dish and became the winner, earning the right to be a team captain later. Sadly, Hiền Anh, Minh Hoàng, Thuận Thành, and Vân Anh had the weakest dishes. Thuận Thành and Vân Anh were eliminated from the competition.

Episode 5: Halloween (Top 10)

• Air Date: October 30, 2016
• Team Challenge: The remaining 10 chefs were split into two teams: the Blue Team (led by Thanh Hải) and the Red Team (led by Hiền Anh). They had to cook a special Halloween menu for 15 guest judges. The Blue Team cooked "honey chicken leg with pumpkin sauce" and "pudding," while the Red Team made "lamb chops with black pepper sauce" and "sweet rice pancake roll apple."
• Pressure Test: Even though the Blue Team won the Team Challenge, they still had to face a Pressure Test! They had to cook one of three types of Vietnamese spring rolls. The Red Team had to cook all three! In the end, Gia Huy and Minh Hoàng were eliminated.

Episode 6: Yelling at the Tag Team (Top 8)

• Air Date: November 6, 2016
• Tag Team Challenge: In this challenge, contestants cook in pairs, but they have to switch places often, making it a tricky test of teamwork and communication!

Episode 7: Breakfast Disaster (Top 8)

• Air Date: November 13, 2016
• Team Challenge: The young chefs faced another team challenge, possibly focusing on breakfast dishes.
• Pressure Test: After the team challenge, some contestants had to face a pressure test to avoid elimination.

Episode 8: Around the World Panic (Top 8)

• Air Date: November 20, 2016
• Summary: This episode likely involved cooking dishes inspired by different cuisines from around the world. Hiền Anh was eliminated in this episode.

Episode 9: Top 7

• Air Date: November 27, 2016
• Summary: With only seven chefs left, the competition got even tougher. Hoàng Hải was eliminated in this round.

Episode 10: Top 6

• Air Date: December 4, 2016
• Summary: The remaining six chefs battled it out in new challenges. Phương Linh was eliminated, leaving only five contestants.

Episode 11: Top 5

• Air Date: December 11, 2016
• Summary: The Top 5 faced intense challenges as they got closer to the finale. Quốc Huân was eliminated, narrowing the field to the final four.

Episode 12: Top 4 Finale

• Air Date: December 18, 2016
• Summary: This was the first part of the grand finale! The Top 4 chefs cooked their hearts out, hoping to make it to the very end.

Episode 13: Top 4 Finale (Part 2)

• Air Date: December 25, 2016
• Summary: The final episode! The remaining chefs presented their best dishes to the judges. Đinh Thanh Hải was crowned the winner of Junior MasterChef Vietnam Season 1, with Nguyễn Danh Đức Hải as the Runner-Up. Vũ Nguyễn Minh Anh and Phạm Bảo Anh were also eliminated in this final episode.