The kitchen is reopening for young chefs. FOX has renewed MasterChef Junior for a ninth season and casting is underway for the next round of episodes.

A cooking competition series, the MasterChef Junior TV show features home cooks between the ages of eight and 13 years, vying for the title, trophy, and a $100,000 cash prize. Judges and mentors are chef Gordon Ramsay, chef Aarón Sánchez and nutrition expert Daphne Oz. In season eight, the pint-sized contestants cooked a meal for diners at a historical renaissance fair; saw how they sized up to monster trucks at a motocross track; welcomed Ramsay’s daughter, Tilly, for a donut challenge; and participated in a WWE-themed episode.

Airing on Thursday nights last spring, the eighth season of MasterChef Junior averaged a 0.37 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.41 million viewers. Compared to season seven, that’s down by 49% in the demo and down by 28% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (which includes DVR playback through 3:00 AM). While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel. MasterChef Junior was a middle-of-the-road performer for FOX last season but, as an unscripted series, likely is relatively expensive to produce.

Ramsay and the casting site for MasterChef Junior are looking for junior cooks to compete for season nine. Parents can sign their eligible kids up here.

It’s OFFICIAL! @GordonRamsay and his Casting Team are looking for the next Junior MasterChef! Parents, sign up today at https://t.co/HrGSXkzOPn pic.twitter.com/ELFGxF63sx

— MasterChef Junior (@MasterChefJrFOX) December 20, 2022

Additional details and a premiere date will be announced later.

What do you think? Have you watched the MasterChef Junior TV series? Are you looking forward to watching the ninth season on FOX?