If you’re currently in a television slump and are looking for something to enlighten your free hours, look no further than the Food Network! Shows like "Kids Baking Championship," "Chopped Junior," and "MasterChef Junior" (which is actually on Fox) are commanding the attention of food fanatics, people who love kids and everyone in between. These fast-paced and creative reality shows are hard not to enjoy.
They combine the intensity and intrigue of regular cooking shows (who doesn’t love seeing chefs prepare glorious dishes right down to the last second of the time limit?) with adorable, brilliant, and talented kids!
There's something great about watching other people put all their focus and energy into making the most beautiful dish you've ever seen while you're at home like
Although, it can be really stressful to watch these shows when contestants make dire mistakes and have to improvise in order to fix them. This is especially true when those shows include the relentless Gordon Ramsay.
However, on "MasterChef Junior," Gordon Ramsay is really sweet to all the contestants! There are no obscene insults or outbursts like those on his other shows with adult chefs. When a child makes a mistake, he is patient, understanding and encouraging.
Which causes me to turn to a pile of mush.
The cuteness doesn't stop there. While the kids cooking shows do still have the stressful element of completing a task under a deadline while competing against other ridiculously skilled mini-chefs, there is also an element of compassion that isn't there in the shows with only adults. For example, on an episode of "Kids Baking Championship," one of the contestants, Jackson, burned his finger on boiling water while taking a pot off of the stove. The heartbreaking injury wasn't major, but still hindered him from finishing his cream puffs. With five minutes left on the clock, and no puff pastries filled, Annika, the girl working beside him, ran over and asked if she could help. Together, they finished Jackson's cream puffs in time.
So once again, I sit watching this play out and have trouble keeping it together.
This episode was actually the exact moment that got me hooked on these amazing shows. Even though the kids compete against each other, many of them find the consideration to help someone else in need. I have never seen this happen in a cooking show without children. It seems to reveal that many adults lose their sense of empathy or willingness to be kind if it means that they won't get something in return. Although some may think it stupid for one contestant to help an opposing contestant, it gives me hope. If kids, or adults for that matter, watch this on television, maybe it will reintroduce values that a lot of people lose or forget about as they grow up.
Aside from the incredible sweetness of many of these children, my other favorite part of these shows is the humor that only genuine kids being themselves can bring to television. Their unfiltered minds are so refreshing when you realize that as you grow up, you begin to stop and question everything you say or even think. It's fun to watch the adorable, innocent things kids say and do at a time before they feel the need to censor themselves.
Need another reason to watch these shows? My personal favorite: they empower kids to express themselves, pursue their dreams, and not to give up, even if their shortbread burned and there's no time to make a new batch. The kids are always so proud when the judges are impressed with their dishes and say things like "Wow, a 10-year-old made this? I would order this in a five star restaurant!" Shows that promote these values in children are nothing but uplifting and gratifying to watch.
