Watching Kids Cook On ‘MasterChef Junior’ Is The Ultimate Therapy

With all the terrible things currently happening in the world, it can be hard to find solace in conversations with the people around us – or even with our therapists. Luckily, television is the most accessible form of escapism in our every day lives – but even the most lighthearted of television programming doesn’t make the cut sometimes. What surprisingly does the trick? A little show called MasterChef Junior.

While the adult version of the series, MasterChef, can certainly provide its own form of therapy (Gordon Ramsay can’t really do this to these children aged 8-13), there’s something totally pure and heartwarming about Junior. Ramsay and Chef Christina Tosi deal the toughest of challenges to these kids, and they roll with the punches. Unlike the contention often witnessed between the adults on the show, these kids cheer each other on from the sidelines, even when they’re in direct competition with one another. Now, I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen without coaxing from the magicians behind the reality series, but from a viewer’s vantage point, it seems pretty genuine. These kids are clearly SO happy to be there – and so excited to share their love of cooking with other kids their age – and watching this unabashed joy play out on screen is so much fun.

“There’s only one temperature, and that’s perfection,” Ramsay tells the kids. He holds them to just as high a standard as he would the adults, and that makes the stakes even higher. Depending on how you look at it, watching these children come up with dishes that involve chicken oysters or sea bass while you barely manage to make your Trader Joe’s dumplings can either be inspiring or depressing, but either way, it evokes a heck of an emotional response. It’s also hard to watch without having your mouth water once in a while, because the stuff these kids are making looks good. These pint-sized home cooks are in it to win it – or just to try their best, and they do. And even when their dishes are bad – like, inedibly bad – they still support each other. This show’s got it all. There’s even romance! Lil Avani has a crush on Donovan, who sadly left us again after potentially returning last week, but hopefully, love will find a way.

I’m not saying these kids are total angels; there are definitely episodes where their emotions get the best of them (kids! They’re just like us!) and they turn on one another. Team challenges are especially difficult – many kids don’t know how to be leaders yet, and being put in these positions can be hard even for adults – but the fact that these children manage to be less immature and combative than the grown-ups facing the same challenges is hilarious and really gives you some perspective.

Just like any competition show, you root for your faves (AFNAN!) and pettily roll your eyes at your least faves (sorry, Cydney from ~Brooklyn~). The entire premise – watching Gordon Ramsay, King of Michelin Stars, Good Hair, and the F-Word – not make all of these children cry every episode – is an enjoyable one in itself. Sure, there’s fun to be had in watching him berate grown-ass people who don’t know how to talk to each other or cook a chicken, but it’s way more fun to watch little people pie him in the face and drown him in corn dog batter. The show feels like a reflection of real-world happenings; you have your peacemakers, go-getters, and problem-solvers. It’s like watching a more-composed Congress but with children and food.

Unless your cold, hardened heart is beyond saving, MasterChef Junior will restore your faith in humanity – or at least some of it. When things get rough and you need to wind down, grab a glass of wine and queue up this culinary delight. These little kid cooks are everything good in the world. (Plus, Chef Ramsay’s a total babe. But that’s neither here nor there.)