Gordon Ramsay gives Alabama boy a high-five (and a barf bag) as he cooks a Southern delicacy

Chef Gordon Ramsay, right, holds up a barf bag so Bryson McGlynn can spit out a lima bean during a “Mystery Box” challenge on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.”(Greg Gayne/2024 FOX Media LLC)

Giggles, gagging noises and lots of talk about barfing. You might not expect to hear such things on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior,” but the young cooks were all about the “yuck” factor on Monday’s episode of the Fox reality series.

That’s because the seven finalists were working with ingredients they detest, such as anchovies, oysters, mushrooms and kale. The goal, chef Gordon Ramsay said, was to give the talented kids a chance to expand their culinary horizons. Also, by cooking with an ingredient that makes them shudder, each contestant might learn to love the food item in question.

“Welcome to your nightmare challenge,” Ramsay said. “You have to turn the ingredients you hate into something delicious on a plate.” The notoriously strict chef was in a playful mood this week, joking about how he used to put spinach in his daughter’s cupcakes and teasing the young cooks about their food phobias.

To their credits, all of the contestants — including Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn — managed to keep real nausea in check during the hourlong program. But the kids had fun making faces, groaning loudly and explaining why certain foods are absolutely horrible. (“Blue cheese is basically like cow poop,” said Alfred Eggermont, 11. “But blue cheese is worse.”)

If you didn’t watch this week’s episode, or simply want a refresher on the “MasterChef” action, here’s what happened.

Repping Alabama: Bryson, 12, is an Auburn resident who goes by the nickname of “Cheese Curd.” He’s a sixth-grader at Fox Run School in Opelika and the son of Mike and Shannon McGlynn. Bryson’s also a young grillmaster and barbecue specialist who competes in grilling competitions with his father. (Mike, a Wisconsin native, earned the nickname “Cheese” when he moved to Alabama, and that prompted his son’s moniker.) Bryson hopes to be a chef one day and have his own food truck.

Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn, second from left, was among the top seven finalists for a “Mystery Box” challenge of Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.”(Greg Gayne/2024 FOX Media LLC)

What’s at stake: The winner of “MasterChef Junior” receives a trophy, bragging rights and $100,000 prize. Seven contestants remained on the show this week, after eliminations on previous episodes.

How it works: Four chefs act as judges on “MasterChef Junior” throughout the season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Along with head honcho Ramsay, the judging panel includes Aarón Sánchez, Daphne Oz and Tilly Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay’s daughter. Weekly cooking challenges and eliminations trim the list of contestants until a single cook remains.

This week’s challenge: Theme for the episode was “Mystery Box.” The junior cooks found wooden boxes at their stations in the “MasterChef” kitchen. When the lids were lifted, each cook saw a food item that he or she detests.

The kids were asked to use the hated ingredients to create restaurant-quality dishes, making sure to taste everything along the way. Each cook had one hour to grab ingredients from the “MasterChef” pantry and create a scrumptious dish for the judges to sample.

Bryson’s reaction: “I feel amazing to be in the top seven. But I see the mystery boxes, and I’m like, I know there’s been some really crazy things, or just nasty stuff (on other episodes). So I don’t know what’s going to pop out of that mystery box. I’m super-duper scared.”

Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn was asked to prepare a dish with lima beans on the “Mystery Box” challenge of Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.” But here’s the catch: The boy hates lima beans.(Greg Gayne/2024 FOX Media LLC)

Loathsome limas: As it turns out, Bryson hates lima beans. He recoiled in disgust when a bowl of lima beans was revealed at his station. “It smells terrible, bro,” Bryson said. “I do not like lima beans, because my school ruined it.

I mean, they serve ‘em every single week. They’re just soaked in butter. It’s terrible.” (Sorry, lunch ladies!) Ramsay took the boy at his word, running over to hold up a barf bag when he asked Bryson to taste a single lima bean. The chef allowed him to spit out the bean afterward, and gave Bryson a high-five for his bravery.

What Bryson cooked: Parmesan-crusted lamb with lima bean succotash. Bryson said lima beans are “really known” in the South, and this inspired him to cook the succotash, which also included corn and tomatoes.

Judges’ reactions: Bryson received praise for his dish, especially the rack of lamb, and some constructive criticism for the succotash, which evidently needed more flavor.

Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn, left, shows Gordon Ramsay and Tilly Ramsay a lima bean succotash he’s preparing on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.”(Greg Gayne/2024 FOX Media LLC)

What Gordon Ramsay said: “Bryson, it’s cooked beautifully, by the way, and you made the lamb the hero of the plate, as opposed to the lima beans. But succotash needs a bit more heat. It’s just on the verge of being a little bit dull.”

What Sánchez said: “Bryson, believe it or not, I’m one of the few chefs that doesn’t like lamb, and you made me a believer of lamb. You showed finesse. You didn’t do that kind of, like, rustic backyard cooking. This showed a lot of technique, so good job.”

What Oz said: “This is, like, garden fresh, vibrant, and I love that you hit (the succotash) with vinegar. … You really nailed that cook on your least favorite, but maybe now signature, lima bean dish. Nice job.”

What Tilly Ramsay said: “I do like how bold he is at cooking a rack of lamb like that. It’s not easy.”

How Bryson fared: His lamb dish made the top four this week. Although he didn’t win the challenge, Bryson was safe from elimination. “Succotash was a good format and a good foundation for the dish,” Sánchez said. “It speaks to the South. It speaks to who he is.”

Alabama’s Bryson McGlynn, left, confers with judges Aarón Sánchez and Daphne Oz as he prepares a lamb dish on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.”(Greg Gayne/2024 FOX Media LLC)

Challenge winner: Michael Seegobin, 11, of New Smyrna, Florida. He cooked a mushroom-rubbed ribeye with mushroom callaloo (a Caribbean stew) and sweet plantains. Michael was safe from elimination and won a set of e-bikes for his family.

Eliminated: Lilo Tsai, 9, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She prepared oysters three ways — fried, baked and raw with her own sauce — but the judges said she tried to do too much with the dish and was overwhelmed.

Still in the competition: Along with Bryson and Michael, the six remaining contestants are Alfred Eggermont, 11, of Binford, North Dakota; Asher Niles, 8, of Yakima, Washington; Jordyn Joyner, 8, of Greensboro, North Carolina; and Remy Powell, 10, of Hollywood, Florida.

Next up: Sweets are on the agenda, as the junior cooks face two separate challenges, making pancakes and preparing desserts with ice cream.

If you watch: “MasterChef Junior” airs on Mondays at 7 p.m. CT on FOX, and streams the following day on Hulu.