FORTY PINT-SIZED HOME COOKS VIE FOR AN APRON ON THE SPECIAL TWO-HOUR SEASON PREMIERE OF "MASTERCHEF JUNIOR" FRIDAY, MARCH 2, ON FOX

Junior Home Cooks from Across the Country Enter the MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Kitchen to Compete for A Coveted Spot in the Top 24

The kids are back for Season Six of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, featuring award-winning chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi, as well as the return of fan-favorite judge Joe Bastianich. The all-new season of the hit culinary competition series debuts with a special two-hour premiere Friday, March 2 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, and makes its time period premiere on Friday, March 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Watch/share a first look at Bastianich's return to the MASTERCHEF kitchen:

After a nationwide search, 40 of the best young home cooks between the ages of eight and thirteen have been given the chance to showcase their culinary abilities and passion for food through a series of delicious challenges in the MASTERCHEF JUNIOR kitchen. Only the best 12 female and 12 male junior chef-testants will move forward and earn a MASTERCHEF JUNIOR white apron.

This season, the kids will face exciting challenges, including a mystery box challenge with 26 ingredients, each representing a different letter of the alphabet, and a test during which they'll cook a dish that represents their family heritage. Additionally, the young home cooks will prepare a meal for one lucky couple and their guests at their wedding reception, create the perfect chicken-and-waffle dish, compete in a Blue Apron mystery box challenge and power through the fan-favorite pop-up restaurant challenge, until one talented kid is named America's next MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, taking home the MASTERCHEF JUNIOR trophy and $100,000 grand prize.

In the special, two-hour season premiere, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun/The Boys Are Back In Town," 40 junior home cooks come to Los Angeles ready to compete for a MASTERCHEF JUNIOR apron. The junior home cooks are split up into two groups - girls and boys. All 20 girls are tasked with making a flawless medium-rare filet mignon dish, while the boys must create the perfect chicken breast dish. Only 12 winners from each group will earn an apron and a chance to move on. The competition is tougher than ever as the judges separate the best junior chefs from all the rest. The Top 24 contestants begin their quest for the title of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR in the series' time period premiere, airing Friday, March 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Below are the hometowns, names and ages of the Top 40 junior home cooks:

Name Hometown
Abby, 9 Mandeville, LA
Addyson, 9 Parker, CO
Anthony, 10 Old Bridge, NJ
Ariana, 12 Excelsior, MN
Aubrey, 9 Miami Beach, FL
Avery, 8 Kingwood, TX
Ben, 10 Gary, IN
Beni, 9 Chicago, IL
Cade, 11 Hattiesburg, MS
Camson, 13 Fleming Island, FL
Chloe, 9 San Antonio, TX
Chuk, 10 Los Angeles, CA
Drew, 10 Baton Rouge, LA
Elliot, 12 Westlake Village, CA
Emily, 9 Sylmar, CA
Evan, 11 San Diego, CA
Felix, 11 Santa Barbara, CA
Gracie, 9 Cardiff by the Sea, CA
Grayson,11 St. Francisville, LA
Henry, 9 Katy, TX
Jadon, 11 Arcadia, CA
Juelz, 8 St. Louis, MO
Kolby, 8 New Orleans, LA
Laken, 9 River Ridge, LA
Lila, 8 Hoboken, NJ
Lindsay, 10 Elk Rapids, MI
Luca, 11 Chicago, IL
Maria,8 Northridge, CA
Mackenzie, 9 Newhall, CA
Mikey, 10 Clarendon Hills, IL
Nadia, 9 Chicago, IL
Noelani, 8 Makawao, HI
Oliva, 10 New York, NY
Pierce, 10 Oak Park, IL
Quani, 11 Lawrenceville, GA
Remy, 12 New York, NY
Sammy, 12 Huntington Woods, MI
Sophia, 12 Honolulu, HI
Tyler, 8 Milford, DE
Zia, 9 Pasadena, CA

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR is produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Endemol Shine. Robin Ashbrook, Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Georgie Hurford-Jones, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers. "Like" MASTERCHEF JUNIOR on Facebook at facebook.com/MasterChefJuniorFOX. Follow the series on Twitter @MasterChefJrFOX and join the discussion at #MasterChefJunior. Follow the judges on Twitter: Gordon Ramsay - @gordonramsay; Christina Tosi - @christinatosi; Joe Bastianich - @JBastianich. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @masterchefjunior.

ABOUT ENDEMOL SHINE NORTH AMERICA

Endemol Shine North America delivers world-class content and compelling storytelling to multiple platforms in the U.S. and across the globe. Endemol Shine North America is part of Endemol Shine Group, the global content creator, producer and distributor with a diverse portfolio of companies that are behind some of the most prominent hit television formats and series in the world. Its Endemol Shine Latino division oversees all Spanish and Portuguese-language operations across Latin America, including newly launched studio Endemol Shine Boomdog, which produces original content for both the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican markets. Subsidiary production companies include Authentic Entertainment, Truly Original and 51 Minds Entertainment. Endemol Shine Group's companies in North America are behind such hit series as "Big Brother" (CBS), "Ink Master" (Spike), "Kingdom" (AT&T Audience Network), MASTERCHEF (FOX), MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (FOX), "Swamp People" (History), "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" (Bravo), "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle" (VH1), "Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge" (CMT), "Page Six TV" (Syndicated), "Billion Dollar Buyer" (CNBC), "Fear Factor" (MTV), "Best.Cover.Ever." (YouTube), "I'm Dying Up Here" (Showtime) and upcoming "Trading Spaces" (TLC).

ABOUT STUDIO RAMSAY

The next-generation multi-media production company STUDIO RAMSAY has a joint venture with All3Media to develop and produce both unscripted and scripted television shows, creating new formats and innovative programming that includes a scripted arm focused on food-related themes, and development of new talent on a global front. The catalogue of programs that Ramsay has worked on historically with All3Media via One Potato Two Potato, together with new original content he's currently developing, make for a unique and dynamic production and distribution partnership. Studio Ramsay's first production, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, premiered live this past summer in the U.S. on FOX. Its first daytime cooking series, CULINARY GENIUS, premiered in the spring on ITV in the U.K. and was syndicated on FOX stations in the U.S. this summer, while his new documentary series, "Gordon on Cocaine," for ITV, premiered this fall. Seasons Three and Four of "Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch," starring Tilly Ramsay, for U.K. children's channel CBBC, are also produced by STUDIO RAMSAY. Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, Emmy-nominated, multi-Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsay produces TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic seen by audiences worldwide, including his FOX shows, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, GORDON RAMSAY'S 24 HOURS TO HELL & BACK, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, HELL'S KITCHEN and MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY SHOWDOWN, as well as Bravo's "Best New Restaurant" and Food Network's competition series "Food Court Wars." In the U.K., he's produced "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape" for Channel 4; food biography and nostalgia series "My Kitchen" for UKTV's Good Food Channel; two instructional cookery series, "Ultimate Home Cooking" and "Ultimate Cookery Course" for Channel 4; and "Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch," all under his One Potato Two Potato banner.