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Chad, a Poughkeepsie resident, was a contestant on this season's "MasterChef Junior" on FOX, being eliminated in the second episode. To get on the show, Chad went to New York City to audition with his mom, later receiving three callbacks.
Chad has been cooking for 7 years and enjoys helping his dad make steaks and french fries from scratch. He first heard about the show when his mom was watching and he realized he would make a good contestant. He said he wasn't surprised when he was given a chance to be on the show.
"I was excited," Chad said. "I had a lot of confidence in me that I was going to be on the show. I wasn't like 'oh my God oh my God I made it on the show."'
The show was filmed in California and Chad said he enjoyed the plane ride the most.
"I liked being on the air and seeing all the different clouds," Chad said. "Looking down out of my window, everything looks so small. I like that."
The usually abrasive and profane Gordon Ramsey was nice to the kids, Chad said. He also enjoyed the judges, Graham Elliot and Christina Toshi.
"They were all pretty cool," Chad said. "Gordon was actually pretty calm."
Chad also said he enjoyed working with the other contestants and they soon became his friends. He said he was shocked when he was eliminated in the second episode.
When he grows up, Chad said he wants to open a restaurant called The Question Mark.
"Because you don't know what you're going to get," Chad said. "I want to have almost all of the cuisines in the world on the menu. If someone comes from Asia and we're the closest restaurant, they'll be able to have Shrimp Lo Mein and Pork Fried ice."
When he's not making his own dishes, Chad said he likes eat at Red Lobster and IHop.
"At Red Lobster, I usually get the chicken tenders and fries with popcorn shrimp," Chad said. "At IHop, I get sausage, bacon and hash browns."
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