Forty Pint-Sized Home Cooks Vie for an Apron on the Two-Hour Season Premiere of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, Friday, March 2 on FOX

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).

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:

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.