MasterChef Junior Contestants Prepare for Epic Pancake Challenge in Exclusive First Look

With six contestants left cooking their little hearts out for the top prize — a trophy and $100k cash — the stakes (and the pancake flips) could not be higher.

In tonight’s new episode, the pint-sized chefs will compete for the top spot in a team-based pancake challenge. Then, four young chefs must face a frosty fight to the final five, whipping up their own ice cream dishes.

In TooFab’s exclusive clip from tonight’s episode below, Emmy-winning The Chew co-host, and MasterChef Junior judge, Daphne Oz demonstrates the perfect pancake pour and presentation for the contestants.

This season, the judging panel welcomed back Oz and acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez. Plus, there’s a new judge on the scene … Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, Tilly Ramsay.

Fans of the Ramsay family are given an insight into the father and daughter dynamic watching them work together in the MasterChef kitchen.

To celebrate Season 9 of MasterChef Junior, TooFab caught up with Sánchez to hear about how the contestants handle the stress in the kitchen.

Sánchez has worked with the Hell’s Kitchen star for over eight years now and while Ramsay has become known for his passionate personality and expletive-filled rants (though not on this particular show), the chef called Ramsay a “mentor” and “the OG”.

MasterChef Junior follows young home cooks between the ages of 8 and 13 who compete in a series of challenges to win the title of America’s next MasterChef Junior.

MasterChef Junior is produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam.  Elisabeth Murdoch, Danny Schrader, Jennifer Fazey, Gordon Ramsay, Pat Llewellyn, Ben Adler, Sharon Levy and DJ Nurre serve as executive producers.

MasterChef Junior Season 9 airs Mondays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, streaming next day on Hulu.