Cheese Curd rules. As far as we’re concerned, that’s the only conclusion viewers can draw after watching Monday’s episode of “MasterChef Junior.” A home cook from Alabama, Bryson McGlynn, won the first challenge of Season 9, making a spectacular debut.

Bryson, 12, is an Auburn resident who goes by the nickname of “Cheese Curd.” He’s also a young grillmaster and barbecue specialist who’s been known to enter grilling competitions with his father, Mike McGlynn. (Mike, a Wisconsin native, earned the nickname “Cheese” when he moved to Alabama, and that prompted his son’s moniker.)

Bryson’s personalized apron on “MasterChef Junior” bears his real first name, but thousands of social media followers know him as “Cheese Curd.” And you can bet that cheese was included in the winning dish he created for Monday’s hourlong episode of the FOX reality series.

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

If you didn’t see Bryson score his first culinary triumph on the season debut of “MasterChef Junior,” don’t fret. We’ll be following the aspiring chef on his TV journey, and are happy to fill you in. Here’s what you missed.

Who he is: Bryson is a sixth-grader at Fox Run School in Opelika and the son of son of Mike and Shannon McGlynn. He hopes to be a chef one day and have his own food truck. His interests in cooking and grilling are showcased on “MasterChef Junior,” but he’s also an avid baseball player and budding percussionist at school.

What’s at stake: Bryson started the season as one of 12 contestants on Season 9 of “MasterChef Junior.” All competitors on the series are between the ages of 8 and 13. The winner receives receives a trophy, bragging rights and $100,000 prize.

How it works: Four chefs act as judges on “MasterChef Junior” throughout the season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Along with head honcho Gordon 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.

This week’s challenge: Theme for the episode was “Eating Emoji.” Each contestant was given a large emoji cookie and asked to prepare a high-quality dish that represented the emotion depicted on the cookie: happy, silly, cool, etc. The kids had one hour to decide on their dishes, grab ingredients from the “MasterChef” pantry and prepare the dishes for the judges. The winner of the challenge received immunity from elimination and a bonus prize: A family trip to Las Vegas.

What Bryson cooked: A ribeye cap with white truffle potatoes, Manchego cheese, broccolini and compound butter. “I got the cool sunglasses emoji, and in my opinion, I think my dad’s really cool,” Bryson said, explaining the impetus for the dish. “He taught me how to cook steaks.”

Initial reaction: “I have to say, it’s like the tower of power of meat,” judge Sánchez said. “Look at that thing! You’ve got a beautiful sear on the outside, and those potatoes just look glorious.”

Kudos: All four chefs were thrilled by Bryson’s dish and offered effusive praise. Bryson said he was aiming for the cook on his ribeye steak to be medium-rare to rare, and he achieved that, prompting exclamations of “wow” from the judges.

What Gordon Ramsay said: “Right, let’s get one thing clear. That ribeye cap is cooked beautifully. The potatoes are crispy, broccolini a little bit over for me, but young man, you’re cooking with confidence, aren’t you? Well done.”

What Tilly Ramsay said: “I actually like the way you did the broccolini. I like it cooked like that, and those potatoes are nice and fluffy on the inside, really delicious.”

What Oz said: “Everything’s great. Cheese is awesome, butter’s awesome. Your potatoes were truly perfect. Clearly, you really came to show us some beautiful cooking, and I am very excited to see you expand that palate even further.”

What Sánchez said: “What you put forward on this plate, it’s rich, it’s deep, it has a lot of those wonderful flavors and it’s honest. So, great job.”

How Bryson fared: He won the challenge and the Vegas trip, which includes a stay at Harrah’s Las Vegas and dinner at Ramsay’s Kitchen. “That rib cap was exceptional,” Gordon Ramsay said. “You really do know your meat, young man.”

Bryson’s reaction: “It feels so good,” he said. “I just won the first challenge on ‘MasterChef Junior.’ Like, I’m going to Las Vegas. This Cheese Curd is not leaving the building!”

Eliminated: Breanna “Bre” Williams, 10, a self-described “burger queen” from Burbank, California, was sent home.

Still in the competition: Along with Bryson, the 11 remaining contestants are Alfred Eggermont, 11, of Binford, North Dakota; Asher Niles, 8, of Yakima, Washington; Jason Sun, 9, of San Gabriel, California; Jordyn Joyner, 8, of Greensboro, North Carolina; Kristell Jean, 10, of Austin, Texas; Lilo Tsai, 9, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Lydia Ledon, 9, of Atlanta, Georgia; Michael Seegobin, 11, of New Smyrna, Florida: Miles Platt, 10, of College Station, Texas; and Remy Powell, 10, of Hollywood, Florida.

Next up: In an episode called “Under the Sea,” the contestants must cook seafood. Each chooses a closed treasure chest that contains a specific kind of fish. As a twist, they must include an unusual ingredient in their dishes, and it’s one the contestants have probably not used before.

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