MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A budding chef who is the son of a Marion County firefighter was in the hot seat this week on TV’s MASTERCHEF JUNIOR.
Michael Seegobin is the son of Deen Seegobin a Marion County Fire Rescue lieutenant.
MASTERCHEF JUNIOR is a reality cooking show where kids aged 8 to 13 compete for the title and a $100,000 prize. It can be seen Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX or streamed online after it airs on TV.
In the fourth episode which aired Monday, March 25, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay selected 11-year-old Michael as the captain of the blue team.
The team challenge takes place at the Academy of Magical Arts, aka the Magic Castle, in Los Angeles.
“The biggest challenge for me is making sure everything is cooked good and everyone is communicating, not just me,” said Michael who is in 6th grade at New Smyrna Beach Middle School in Volusia County. “I think we’ve got a really good team. I know these kids can cook really good.”
Michael and three other kid cooks had to prepare a meal for 40 guests. They decided on a menu of a pork chop with a citrus sauce, collard greens with bacon and sweet potatoes with candied pecans.
“Make sure everything is on point and taste everything,” Michael directed his team.
“Michael, start thinking about how you’re going to plate this with finesse,” coached Ramsay.
Ramsay who is known for turning up the heat on cooks in the kitchen tested Michael multiple times throughout the 43-minute show.
“What’s the cook on the pork?” quizzed Ramsay.
“140 [degrees],” responded Michael with confidence.
“Medium right. It’s cooked beautifully,” complimented Ramsay.
Of course, things weren’t without drama.
“It’s undercooked! Get me five stunning pork chops in two minutes,” barked Ramsay. “No bit of magic will bring that thing back.”
With that, the surly celeb tossed a pork chop across the outdoor kitchen set.
“You’re not acting like a captain anymore. You’re going to lose it,” chided Ramsay.
Getting to this Point
Michael has performed well in the previous three episodes.
In the season premiere, Michael was in the top 3 chefs and immune from elimination.
Episode 2 was titled “Under the Sea” and challenged the kids to prepare a perfect seafood dish. Michael served up a shrimp linguini with pesto that garnered praise from Chef Ramsay’s daughter, Tilly, who is a judge this season.
“I love the way you put the pasta in the middle with a swirl,” remarked Tilly. “What I also love, it looks like there’s a good amount of sauce. The color in your shrimp looks perfect.”
The next new episode airs Monday, April 15, when the pint-sized prodigies face the nightmare challenge to whip up culinary creations using foods they hate.
