It's go thyme!

From his home kitchen, Alfred Eggermont has developed a special talent for culinary excellence that is uncommon for a boy of eleven years old.

And the world will get the chance to see the Griggs County Central Elementary student's abilities under the pressure of time constraints, teamwork, and the withering criticism and commentary of four judges.

Oh, and there's that $100,000 top prize, too.

Eggermont is one of a dozen finalists competing for the nation's top young chef on "MasterChef Junior", the first episode of which airs on FOX tonight (March 4) at 7 p.m. CT.

He is the son of Leroy Eggermont Jr. and Sue Eggermont.

Regular challenges on the show include:

• A skills test, where contestants are asked to prepare dishes with certain techniques or cooking methods, or to replicate a particular cooking method of a dish.

• The "Mystery Box", where a box of common ingredients are given to all chefs and they must create a dish within a time limit. The judges will select three dishes based on visual appearance and technique alone to taste, and the winner usually gains some sort of advantage in the elimination test.

• Team challenges, where cooks are split into teams by either team captains or judges. Contestants get the opportunity to present their dishes to diners, vote for their favorite dish, and the winning team advances. Losing team members will then face off in an elimination test, and one contestant is eliminated at the end of each episode.

• The elimination test, where the worst dishes are subject to criticism before a contestant is eliminated.

• The pressure test, similar to the elimination test, in which chefs complete a dish or dishes in a condensed amount of time.

The season has finished filming, and due to nondisclosure agreements, the final results are prohibited from being released.

Eggermont is one of three 11-year-olds competing on this season of the show. Four others are age 10, three age nine and two age eight.

About MasterChef Junior:

Gordon Ramsay's popular, pint-sized cooking competition series MasterChef Junior returns to FOX on Monday, March 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) for its ninth season.

This season, the judging panel welcomes Tilly Ramsay, who will join her father, award-winning chef, host and executive producer Gordon Ramsay. Acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez and Emmy winning TV host Daphne Oz also return as judges.

MasterChef Junior follows young home cooks between the ages of 8 and 13 who compete in a series of challenges to win the title of America's next MasterChef Junior, taking home a trophy and $100,000 in prize money.