Young Alabama grill master competing for $100K on Season 9 of ‘MasterChef Junior’

America, meet Cheese Curd.

To family and friends, he’s Bryson McGlynn — a young grill master, avid baseball player and cheerful sixth-grader at Fox Run School in Opelika.

Followers on social media, however, know the Alabama cook by the nickname of “Cheese Curd.” They’ve seen him grill steaks, smoke brisket, prepare white chicken chili, serve up bacon-wrapped hot dogs and more.

Bryson, an Auburn resident, has been building his social media presence for about a year, via photos and videos that brim with youthful energy and enthusiasm. This kid knows food, and the fan base for “Cookin’ with Cheese Curd” — currently about 14,000 strong across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — is likely to grow significantly over the next several weeks.

That’s because Bryson, 12, is competing on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.” He’s one of a dozen home cooks who’ll be featured on the TV reality series, starting on Monday, March 4. (The season debut airs at 7 p.m. CT on FOX, and will stream the next day on Hulu.)

“These kids are taking cooking to the next level, but more importantly, coming up with such amazing ideas,” chef Gordon Ramsay says in a preview video for the new season. “Super quirky and incredibly competitive.”

Ramsay, of course, is the notoriously fiery founder of a culinary empire that includes series such as “Hell’s Kitchen,” “MasterChef,” “Next Level Chef” and “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.” On “MasterChef Junior,” audiences typically see a softer side of Ramsay, who’s been known to erupt in anger, throw plates of food and verbally eviscerate slackers on his other shows.

Bryson, who traveled to Los Angeles in fall 2023 to film the new season of “MasterChef Junior,” confirms that Ramsay is an exacting chef who sets high standards for contestants. But the boy also makes it clear that Ramsay is kind and caring to the young cooks in his TV kitchen.

“He was most definitely really nice to the kids,” Bryson says in an interview with AL.com. “I’ve always said, he’s really passionate about what he does. It was definitely really cool (to cook for him.) He’s really passionate about what he does, and he expected a lot.”

Bryson, the son of Mike and Shannon McGlynn, is the only Alabama contestant on “MasterChef Junior” during Season 9. From what we can tell, he’s also the only contestant who specializes in grilling and barbecue. Competitors on the series typically range in age from 8 to 13, and their culinary backgrounds and interests are diverse. All of them share a love of cooking, however, and kids on the show tend to be confident and outgoing.

Ask Bryson what it was like to participate in the series — Exciting? Fun? Scary? No big deal? — and here’s what he says:

“It was scary but fun, and it was really fun just to meet different people from all around the country. We definitely made friends. All the kids out there, we got together really well and we still talk to them. ... We built a special bond. And just to see somebody go was always really hard.”

No spoilers here — episodes are filmed in advance and Bryson can’t reveal any details — but viewers in Alabama will be hoping for their home-state hero to have a successful journey on “MasterChef Junior.”

Four chefs will act as judges this season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Aside from head honcho Ramsay, the judging panel includes Aarón Sánchez, Daphne Oz and Tilly Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay’s daughter. Weekly cooking challenges and eliminations trim the list of contestants until a single cook remains. The winner of “MasterChef Junior” receives a trophy, bragging rights and a $100,000 prize.

What will Bryson do with the prize money if he wins? “I probably want to get a food truck, and I can take my food literally anywhere that I want to,” Bryson says. “That would be really fun.”

There’s a long road ahead for the young cooks this season, but one thing we know for sure: Bryson (described by his dad as a extremely humble kid) is in it to win it. And he has skills aplenty, cooking with his parents since age 4 and moving on to grilling competitions about four years later.

Bryson’s father, Mike McGlynn, is the founder of the Auburn BBQ/Grill Association. It makes sense, then, that competitive grilling and barbecuing has become an absorbing hobby for both father and son. Mike — who works as the associate band director and percussion director for Opelika City Schools — says Bryson is a natural grill master and the boy took to it right away.

“When I started at Opelika I had a dear friend tell me I needed a hobby,” Mike McGlynn says. “He said, ‘You’re going to put yourself under ground if you work the amount of hours you do.’ And so I decided to take up competitive grilling and barbecuing. When (Bryson) was born ... this has been around him all his life. It’s turned into kind of my getaway, and a big family thing. We said, ‘Hey, do you want to try it?’ And he said, ‘Yeah!’ So he tried his first competition when he was about 8 1/2 years old.

“What’s funny is we actually plan our family vacations around competitions where he and I cook, and my wife goes with us,” Mike continues. “We also do a really neat father-son trip every year, and we pick a new location in the United States where we both get to cook.”

If you’re wondering how Bryson got the moniker “Cheese Curd,” it’s linked to his father, as well. Mike is a native of Wisconsin, a dairy state famed for its “Cheeseheads.” When Mike moved to Alabama, he earned the nickname “Cheese.” (He’s also been called “Papa Cheese” or “Coach Cheese.”) Folks who know the McGlynn family regard Bryson as a proverbial “chip off the old block,” hence the nickname “Cheese Curd.”

As Bryson will be the first to tell you, he likes cheese — eating cheese, thinking about cheese, cooking with cheese and being called “Cheese Curd.” Even his dog’s name, Brick, is linked to the world of cheese. If Bryson does graduate from home cook to food truck owner, you can bet that cheese will be on the menu.

Like many aspiring chefs, Bryson says culinary school is likely to be in his future, and he hopes to expand his palate, learn advanced techniques and explore international cuisines. Right now, however, he’s looking forward to a Monday watch party for his first episode of “MasterChef Junior,” starting at 6 p.m. at Moe’s Original BBQ in Auburn.

A crowd of family, friends, schoolmates and community members is expected to attend, according to the McGlynns. Bryson has yet to see the episode, where he receives the trademark apron given to all “MasterChef” contestants. (It’s white and has Bryson’s name at the top in red letters, along with a logo for the series.)

“That was really cool, because it just felt like you were a true ‘MasterChef Junior’ contestant,” Bryson says, recalling the moment he got his apron. “I’ve watched MasterChef Junior’ for years, every season. Just getting my hands on a white apron was the best, the best feeling ever.”

As “MasterChef” fans know, the series kitchen comes stocked with gadgets and tools aplenty, and the accompanying pantry is always brimming with food. That was fine with Bryson, who says he was ready and willing to grab a knife, plug in a mixer, heat up a saucepan and experiment with various ingredients.

“It kind of felt like a candy store,” Bryson says. “It was always fun. Actually in the pantry there was candy, and that was always fun, to go nibble on some.”

For several months, the McGlynns had to stay mum about Bryson’s participation in the series, but they’re happy to spread the word now the cast for Season 9 has been revealed.

“It probably hasn’t sunk in yet that my kid is going to be on this show, starting Monday,” Mike says. “It’s something special. It’s very neat and very unusual. I never thought that this would happen. Never did I ever think he’s about to be meeting Gordon Ramsay and be on the best show out there, the ‘MasterChef’ series and ‘MasterChef Junior.’ ... No matter where he finishes on the show, we are so proud of all the hard work. And I think this is probably one of the biggest lessons he’s ever had: To push yourself hard, get along with everybody and work as hard as you can.”

If you watch: “MasterChef Junior” airs on Mondays at 7 p.m. CT on FOX, and streams the following day on Hulu.