Bootcamp: Day 1

Five minutes before the plane landed in California was when the reality of this whole adventure truly set in.  I looked at my Mom and squealed in excitement.  She was listening to Justin Bieber (her go-to travel playlist) and I needed to join her to distract myself.  I grabbed one of her ear buds and we started singing together.  My mom kept telling me to remember this feeling, because no matter what happened, I should be proud of myself.  It was really hard to think that way because I was freaking out! All my insecurities set in.  What were the other finalists like? Could I handle the clock? Who were the judges? 

We had made our plan.  We would head to the hotel, get an early dinner and get ready to meet the casting directors that evening.  Everything was moving right along until we found out that the directors were coming to our hotel room. That was not part of our plan, but we got a good taste of what TV was all about.  Expect the unexpected!

The next morning I started Top Chef Jr. Bootcamp. I had major butterflies in my stomach and I thought to myself 'here goes nothing'.  We arrived on set, met our culinary team and got right to work practicing our knife skills!

It was exciting to be in such great company with these amazing chefs. Also, standing in the Top Chef Jr. kitchen for the first time was absolutely incredible.  I knew I wanted to be there. I HAD to make the cut! Game on finalist.

The best part about Day 1 was getting to know the other cast members.  We became fast friends, especially the girls. After a long day in the kitchen, we went to dinner and got to know each other further.  It was bittersweet knowing that some of my new friends had already been cut that evening. And more, I may even be sent home tomorrow. It was time to get some rest so I could bring my A game in the morning.

Stay tuned for more on Day 2 of Bootcamp!

SAVE THE DATE: Watch the premiere on Universal Kids on October 13 at 7pm Central.