Previously on MasterChef...
- A difficult cake challenge... - Oh, my God.
was anything but sweet for Alejandro.
Your time is done.
As his MasterChef dream slipped away.
It has been a blessing.
Thank you.
Tonight on a two-hour MasterChef...
We are on a farm.
Go!
The top 11 get down and dirty.
Farmers are starting to arrive.
Blue team!
And while some dig deep for the win...
- Beautiful. - Other...
Katie, chops on the plates
...fail to cultivate a victory.
Oh, my God.
And then, the most shocking elimination.
I can't eat that.
In MasterChef history.
I can't quite believe I'm saying this.
Thirty miles from the MasterChef kitchen
How gorgeous.
The 11 remaining home cooks
have arrived at Underwood Family Farms
in Moorpark, California for another team challenge.
That's like broccolini.
Oh, my gosh, they're huge.
The scenery is lovely.
The air smells fresh and inviting.
- Cabbage. - Oh, yeah.
Back in Kentucky,
when you're driving down the road
this is all you see. And I feel right at home.
It smells so good out here.
Guys, look.
What?
The judges look hysterical because those are three people
I never thought to see on a tractor.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
Oh, yeah.
Let's go, baby.
Chef Ramsay is having a little bit of trouble
controlling his tractor.
I don't think it probably rides as smooth
as his Ferrari,
but he seems to be working it out.
Good ride.
Farmer Ramsay.
Welcome to this incredible, majestic,
lush California farm land.
Today to honor this amazing industry,
you are going to be cooking
for 101 farmers.
Love that.
Now, you'll be split into two teams
and your teams will be picking
your key ingredients straight from the ground.
Yes!
There's a lot riding on your performance today.
The losing team will be getting their hands dirty
in the dreaded pressure test.
Now guys, for some of you, we've yet to see
what you can do as leader of the kitchen.
So today, we are picking the team captains.
Oh, wow.
- All right, Diamond, you'll be red team captain. - Nice.
Dan, you are the blue team captain.
- Guys-- - Everybody thinks I'm just a frat guy.
Guess what? I'm also a farm guy.
I grew up on a farm in North Carolina
picking vegetables, plowing fields,
so I know I'm gonna be a huge asset
for my team today.
Right, today each team will be cooking
the most popular meat
in the entire world.
Pork.
The first cut of pork
is stunning pork tenderloin.
Nice,
It's incredibly lean, packed with flavor.
Get this right, and it's a showstopper.
The second protein is one of the most
comforting cuts of meat that money can buy.
Bone in pork chop.
You get this right,
and you could win over any hungry farmer.
That's for sure.
Now this is how it's gonna work.
One of our team captains will get the first pick
of their team and ultimately wind up
with a team of six members.
The opposing team will be left with five,
but that team get the chance to select
which of these two amazing cuts of pork
their team will cook with.
Now in order to find out who will get each advantage,
we're gonna flip a coin.
If it's heads, Diamond gets to choose
which advantage she'd prefer.
If it's tails, Dan, you get to choose
which advantage that you prefer.
All right, guys. Here we go.
- Tails. - Yes!
Oh!
Dan, that means you have the advantage.
I'm pretty sure Nathan is gonna be the last pick,
and if I choose six people I'm gonna end up with Nathan,
which might potentially sabotage my team
and my perfect day as captain.
I am going with the pork chop.
North Carolina classic.
- Wow. - Ooh.
And that means Diamond will have first team pick
- and six people on your team. - Awesome.
I think having more people working in the kitchen
will be to our advantage because I'd like to make sure
that there's enough people for us to feed
all 101 farmers.
The first person that I'd like to choose for my team,
I liked their knowledge about different types of food
and different flavors that go well together.
And I think that's important.
- That would be Shaun. - Thank you, Diamond.
I'll be there for whatever you need, my girl.
Dan, who's your first pick?
I'm gonna go with somebody that knows farms
- head to tail, Brandi. - Okay.
- All right. - Please come up.
- Andrea. - Oh!
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
I'm going with Tanorria.
Terry.
- Katie. - Thank you, Dan.
The all Southern team.
- Eric. - All right!
- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.
Dan, who is your last pick?
David, please step forward.
I am from Texas, so I am from the south.
All right, that's even better.
Which means Nathan, you're on the red team.
- Thanks. - you're welcome.
Captains, please, go and join your teams.
One team of five, one team of six.
Just because we have an extra person on our team
does not mean that the red team has an advantage.
It's actually a disadvantage because it's Nathan.
He doesn't know how to communicate.
Both teams will have just 75 minutes
to create a delicious pork entrée
for 101 specially invited farmers.
Now, each farmer is gonna sample a dish
from both teams and then pass their vote.
The competition today is in the farmer's hands.
Oh, my God.
- Red team, blue team are you ready? - Yes, chef.
It's time to get picking.
On your marks, get set,
go!
- Let's go, guys. - Let's go, let's go!
I don't wanna crash.
Both teams must now quickly conceptualize a menu
for today's service--
- Come on, Nathan! - Come on, Nathan.
before picking their fresh produce.
- First, start with the pork... - Okay.
- I got a beautiful ancho seasoning. - Okay.
We can do a bourbon sauce.
I'm thinking definitely want something warm.
- Purple kale? - purple kale.
Do you guys like the purple kale better over the cabbage?
- Yeah, definitely. - Yes, let's do the purple--
I was scared about being a team captain,
but I feel like everyone is doing a really great job in the team huddle.
I feel like we're gonna really be able to hear from one another
and move through this pretty smoothly.
I'm really happy right now.
- One-two-three, red team! - Let's go, let's go.
Okay!
So I'm thinking rice, pork chop, slaw on top.
I will make a sweet, citrusy slaw to go on top.
I want a North Carolina barbecue sauce.
So we're doing the barbecued pork chop.
I think that's a great idea.
My team is awesome. Everyone's on the same page.
Everyone's from the south, if they listen to me,
this is gonna be a breeze,
Let's go pick some vegetables.
Let's go. We gotta go get some veggies.
This is a first for MasterChef
because they are literally picking fresh vegetables
from the ground and then they are given
the option to cook them.
We got this, Tanorria, come on.
Now we get a taste of what our farmers are doing every day.
When you are the one that is plucking it out of the ground--
- Coming over. - You can't get more respect
or more close to an ingredient.
- Whoa! - Let's go, red, let's go, red.
- Let's go. - We got it.
Hey, come on, blue team!
Well, here they come, guys.
Careful, careful. Let's go.
- Seriously, get in the kitchen. - All right, Get in there.
Get in there!
Who do you think is gonna do a better job
of leading their team today?
Can Diamond control a team of five, hmmm.
Let's put the salad in a little bit of a circle.
Okay.
Do you see Dan stepping up?
If he stops clowning around
and starts getting serious,
I think they'll take him seriously.
The biggest are the blue team today.
They've only got five members in there,
so they have to move fast.
Dan, how small do you want the leeks
- going in the black rice? - Umm...
- that's a Tanorria question. - I'm asking you.
15 minutes into prep time,
blue team, Captain Dan, seems a little overwhelmed
with his responsibilities.
Dan, do you want more cabbage than this?
Umm...
Dan is so focused on his precious barbecue sauce
that he's completely ignoring the rest of the team.
Put this on the grill or no? Yes or no?
I've never cooked-- I think yes.
Dan is just running back and forth
not really in charge of anything.
Dan, come on!
Dan, you need to make a decision about--
I'm scared they're not gonna come together
- and you need to make a decision. - Uh... Oh, boy.
Oh, my God.
In today's team challenge,
our home cooks must prepare a pork entrée
and fresh vegetable side with ingredients
they picked themselves for 101 farmers.
Dan! What are you doing?
- Umm. - You can't put oil on that.
Look you've set the ( bleep ) place on fire.
And as the action in the kitchen heats up,
Captain Dan has zero control of the blue team.
- Hey, you, can you get a grip? - Yes, sir.
You're panicking. Stop panicking and get your team together.
A hundred and one portions.
I can't tell you enough about wasting time, okay?
- Yes, chef. - Get organized. Let's go.
Guys, listen up.
David, I want you on the grill.
Your job is to flip them
- and then get them in the oven. - You got it.
- Tanorria, how's the slaw doing? - The slaw's good.
It's prepped, it's ready to go.
- Katie, how's the rice? - It's coming along good.
Now we're cooking.
Hey, Diamond, are we putting garlic in the kale?
Let me roll it around in my mind for a second.
Meanwhile, red team captain Diamond's indecision
is stunting her team's progress.
- Diamond? - Yes, chef.
So pork, how much is one of these loins gonna yield?
- Two portions. - Two portions.
How are you gonna cut it?
My suggestion is that we cut--
You're the captain, so it's not a suggestion.
You're right. So we're gonna cut it
on a bias straight through the middle.
How many pieces are you gonna get per half loin?
I'm thinking four.
Thinking about that thick-- I was thinking three to four.
You're the captain, so at this point--
- There needs to be a decision made. - I know, you're right.
- I just wanna make sure the-- - Girl, get in the game.
And what's Nathan's job gonna be?
Nathan is finishing up with the kale.
I know that he can help finish braising
and he's sautéed green beans before.
- I know he can do it. - Good luck.
Once again, my team captain's not using the skills
that I know I have.
I just wanna hurry up finishing this kale,
and go on to help the team do bigger things.
Red team, blue team,
our farmers are just starting to arrive.
Hurry up!
They're coming in by the tractor load.
How are you, nice to see you. Please take a seat.
I want you plating the beds of rice, right now, Katie.
Tanorria, I want you dropping slaw beside her.
Despite the terrible start, we're in the zone, we're flowing.
If I can keep this up as team captain,
we're gonna land ourselves some secure spots in that top 10.
I will come with each pork chop once I've checked them
and Brandi will do the barbecue sauce.
The whole bottle, Shaun? No.
Yeah, get that whole bottle going.
Over on the red team...
Bleh...
Andrea is having a difficult time
making their bourbon reduction sauce.
- Andrea. - Yes, chef.
This saucer, how many portions
do you think that's enough for?
- Oh, my God. - Come on, straight away off the bat.
- Probably five. - Yeah, five.
So we're 95 portions short.
- Yes, chef. - Come on, guys.
I don't want to be the one that messes up the sauce
and drags the red team down.
Shaun, trade with me.
Shaun right now needs to come over and do his sauce
because I don't really know what I'm doing
and I'm not afraid to admit that.
For the apples, do you want me to just food process it?
What would you want to eat?
- I need you to tell me what to do. - No, I know.
- Diamond, three minutes to go. - Yes, chef.
- Diamond, this is the last of the kale. - Okay, perfect.
But I need you to go grab the sliced pieces,
we're putting them on the plates, okay?
Ladies and gentlemen, farmers, thank you so much for coming.
From a chef's point of view, you make our life so much easier.
And I'd just like to say on behalf of MasterChef,
a big thank you for giving us
this opportunity to give something back to you.
Enjoy.
Let'go, red team, blue team.
Terrible.
Please, help yourselves, guys, let's go.
For today's MasterChef farmer lunch...
Diamond's red team is serving a chipotle pork tenderloin
with garlic roasted potatoes and sautéed kale.
Dan's blue team has made
a North Carolina spice rubbed pork chop
over a bed of black rice
with a tangy apple coleslaw.
Hello, folks, how are you?
You can't jump all over.
You guys have to have a system here.
I'm going left to right. left to right.
Let's go, guys.
Thank you.
- There you go. - Hope you enjoy it.
- Thank you. - I'm gonna need pork chop,
I need pork chop here, guys.
I'm really proud to serve this pork chop dish
to these farmers.
Thank you for this beautiful produce to work with.
- Thank you so much. - Here you go, guys.
We're taking flavors that they know and love and elevating them.
- Wonderful. Thank you. - You're welcome.
Nathan, start laying out more plates, let's go.
Nathan, get plates out. We don't need four people.
- Oh, my gosh, - What are you doing? You're just standing there.
Meanwhile, the disorganized red team is struggling
with plating and drastically slowing the pace of service.
- I need kale on all these. - There is no more kale.
Is that all the kale? Is that it?
Yes, chef.
Oh, my God.
Nathan was the one that was left with the kale.
We gave him the bigger responsibility that he wanted,
which was to cook the kale, so he wasn't doing just prep work.
And we're screwed.
Hey, red team, farmers are waiting for kale
and we're standing in a field of it.
Yes, chef.
I mean, come on.
- Red team! - Yes, chef.
- We've run out of kale? - Yes, chef.
Look at the line backing up now.
Nathan said that he was done with the kale,
and so I went ahead and put him on another task.
Now we're gonna lose votes,
because he didn't make enough kale.
Switch up. No more cooking this kale, all right?
We don't have time to cook it. We need to get this going.
I mean, this is MasterChef, I am not your babysitter.
I am the team captain. I should be able to delegate tasks,
put people where I know that they're going to shine,
and kinda just let them do their thing.
- Kale coming up right now. - Kale coming in.
Oh, guys, come on, please.
As the red team tries to rebound
from Nathan's kale shortage...
Enjoy.
- Thank you. - You're very welcome.
Something smells like it's burning.
Oh, guys, come on! Oh!
The blue team's smooth service
is suddenly going up in smoke.
Those are just lost votes.
I'd rather give them a slightly charred one than none.
What's your strategy?
The strategy is take off that char with a knife, re-char it on the grill.
- You're gonna cut the burnt piece off? - Yes.
If we don't have enough chops for these farmers,
we're gonna be chopped.
- David, nice knife work on slicing that pork. - Thank you, chef.
While David tries to cut the blue team's losses
and save their burnt pork chops...
David's working over there like a doctor.
Out in the dining area, the farmers are voting
for the team who's food they preferred
and giving feedback on their meals.
Hello, what do you think so far?
The red team's kale is really salty.
Salty, like you can't eat it salty, or just a little bit--
Yeah, I just spit it out over there.
- You just spit out your kale? - It was bad.
Get that kale on, Nathan, just get it on the plate.
I was born and raised on the farm.
Grew up on the farm and this blue dish was spectacular.
- We need chops, guys. - Twenty chops coming.
I'm going for the red team.
The pork just melts in your mouth.
Six portions of pork here, guys.
I know my veggies, and the blue team
definitely did it justice today on the California farming.
- Good job, Tanorria, good job, Brandi. - Yeah, good job.
Red team.
Blue team.
It's even down the middle.
These are our last plates, man.
Let's go, come on, finish strong.
- Enjoy. - Thank you.
The red team was a hot mess.
We had no leadership. Nathan was a disaster.
Like, this is embarrassing.
Vote for the blue team.
You're gonna wanna get that other meat in this sauce.
Absolutely.
I think my team did better than any other team
I've been on in this whole competition.
Everyone did awesome.
Everything I tasted, as captain, was great.
So I'm just hoping the farmers loved it as much as I did.
Ladies and gentlemen,
both the red team and the blue team
worked extremely hard today.
You've all cast your votes and just one team
will be safe from elimination.
The winning team...
The team that will be safe from elimination
That team is...
The blue team!
I feel awesome. I led my team to victory.
I performed well as a captain.
I showed other contestants I have what it takes.
This is a great day for Dan "the Boatman."
Blue team, great job. Congratulations, well done.
Red team, you know what that means.
All of you will be facing a pressure test
where at least one of you will be leaving
this competition for good.
Start cleaning both kitchens.
We'll see you back in the MasterChef kitchen.
Ladies and gentlemen, give it up one more time for the blue team.
Well done.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
This is my second pressure test
in two team challenges in a row and it sucks.
At least you haven't been on a team with Nathan
every single challenge.
Nathan, all you had to do was tear the frickin' kale.
Well, you gave Nathan a job for once and then--
- And it backfires. - Then you wonder why he's usually chopping.
You know what, stop.
I'm tired of taking you guys' crap.
Andrea's over there, "I just find it funny
that all Nathan did was peel kale."
You couldn't even make a sauce.
Oh my God, I love it when he gets me mad.
He really knows how to frickin' do it.
Ugh! Oh, I can't wait until you go home tomorrow.
I really can't. I'm so excited.
Red team, blue team, line up, please. Let's go.
I am upset that we're headed into this pressure test.
But personally, I think I did my best.
It's not my fault that we lost. It was a team effort.
Yesterday we gave you a farm-to-table team challenge.
Let me tell you, the final result
was a bit of a landslide.
Eighty-one votes to the blue team.
And just 20 to the red team.
Blue team, well done, please, take your stand over here.
Well done, great job.
Six of you stand before us,
but not all of you
will be facing this pressure test.
One of you will be safe from elimination.
The people deciding who's gonna be safe will be...
our winning team.
In the wine room there are five
pressure test aprons.
You'll have three minutes to talk amongst yourselves.
When that time's up, you'll need to have made a decision
on who you're taking into the top 10.
Now, all of you make your way
into the wine room.
This decision is so important for our team
and it could go a lot of different ways.
Okay guys, I think we should go down through the line
and talk about each person.
We gotta be strategic.
We get to save someone that's weak
so that we can take them out later.
Diamond and Nathan are the weakest cooks.
They are, absolutely.
Or we can save someone that's strong,
so that the weak can disperse.
Andrea's going to go in and kill
whatever we're doing right here.
She's going to be in the top 10 regardless.
- Terry, I feel like the same position. - I agree.
This is top 10, we have to think about the long term.
Does anyone feel differently?
- No, not at all. - No, I agree 100%.
Time up, blue team.
Let's go!
Right, Dan. Make your way to the aprons.
the rest of the blue team, make your way upstairs, please.
Let's go.
Dan, it's time to find out who you want to throw
into the heat of the pressure test.
The home cook who does not received a black apron,
will be saved from elimination.
Dan, please, hand out a black apron.
The first apron goes to someone who we think
is the strongest cook down here.
We're sending you in, Shaun.
The second home cook is someone we definitely
all feel threatened by.
Andrea. Good luck.
Thanks.
This third home cook, Terry.
- Next up. - Good luck on the next one, Eric.
Bring it on, brother.
Right, Dan, two home cooks remain.
This is a very critical decision.
I should absolutely be in the top 10.
As a team captain, I performed to my best abilities.
I feel like Nathan was the weakest link out of our team.
This was really tough for my team.
We're gonna save...
Nathan.
Diamond, it's time to prove yourself.
Nathan, you've been saved. Please head up to the balcony.
Are you kidding me right now?
The blue team is only saving Nathan
because they know he's a weaker chef
and that they can get him out later.
But, like, he doesn't deserve to be in the top 10.
Tonight, in this pressure test, you'll be cooking
a quintessential American classic.
You'll all be cooking...
sausage in a bun.
Tonight we're looking for a gourmet
unique, restaurant quality MasterChef worthy sausage.
From scratch.
Now you'll all have to grind and case your own sausage.
Please head to your stations.
I'm from New York City.
We have sausage and pepper carts
on almost every corner in New York City.
So I feel pretty confident going into the competition.
I know this dish.
In the equipment room tonight, you'll find a meat grinder
and a sausage stuffer alongside an amazing array of proteins.
You will also find a selection of herbs, spices,
and topping ingredients to make your sausage in a bun
worthy of the MasterChef kitchen.
You have 60 minutes to prepare us an astounding
sausage in a bun.
When those 60 minutes are up,
we need to see your baskets on this front station.
Does that make sense? You're not ending at your station,
you're ending down here.
Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes starts...
now.
- Let's go, guys. - Let's go, guys.
I need to go to the gym.
You know, guys, timing is really crucial.
They have 60 minutes to make a sausage
from scratch to encase it,
to make toppings, and to put it in a beautiful bun.
- First things first, they've gotta make-- - Cuts.
They've gotta taste it, and they've gotta encase it.
The big thing I'm looking for tonight.
It's the blend, The right seasoning, the spices.
What kinda vegetables you put in there.
I think sausage is no good
unless it has fat and texture in it.
So they've got to have that perfect ratio
of fat to meat.
Come on, Diamond. You've got this.
- Diamond. - Yes, chef.
Tell me about the sausage. What are you making?
I had to go Italian because they're very much
about eating food as a way to spend time
with their family and that's how I am.
I'm making a chicken and asiago sausage.
I like chicken, that's a lean protein
by using the thighs to help with the juiciness.
The garlic's in the sausage. What you going to compliment it with?
I made a quick tomato garlic basil topping.
- Kinda like a bruschetta. - Don't waste too much time dicing that.
You should be grating it, save yourself some time.
- I'm gonna go grab a grater. Thank you. - Good luck. Let's go.
All right, Eric, what kinda sausage are we making tonight?
Like, I grew up in an Italian family,
every weekend we'd go to my grandmother's house
and one of the things that she would make
- was her pork and veal meatballs. - Oh, okay.
So I'm gonna take a spin on that
and make a pork and veal sausage instead.
It's gonna have a nice provolone cheese sauce
and it's gonna be a nice hot sauce.
Just like you can get on any corner in the city.
All right, Eric, good luck.
Halfway, guys. 30 minutes remaining.
Got to get your casings stuffed.
Whee.
Make sure you're happy with the texture
and the seasoning before they go inside the casing.
All right, Terry, how you feeling?
Yes, chef. I'm feeling good, chef.
Tell me about the sausage. What are you making?
I'm gonna make a nice Italian fennel sausage.
And then I'm gonna top it with a medley of different,
nice colored peppers on top,
and I got a nice little tomato sauce
that's gonna also complement the fennel sausage.
Do you feel more comfortable being down here
or would you rather be up in the balcony?
Being up in the balcony, I mean, that's to be safe,
Chef, I'm here to cook. And I'm gonna get better.
And then eventually I'm gonna have to go
- against everyone here, so let's do it today. - Good luck.
Thank you, chef.
Let's go, guys.
15 minutes remaining.
Looking good, Shaun.
- All right, Shaun. - Hello, Chef Tosi.
Tell me about your sausage. What are you cooking?
So I'm making a venison sausage
with a jalapeno chive white cheddar sauce
and homemade pickles.
Back in Vegas I make sausage quite a bit.
I always have big cookouts at my house all the time,
so I should be all right at this.
All right, Shaun, who doesn't deserve to be in the top 10?
Uh, Nathan. Nathan doesn't.
I don't think David does.
I think those are the two weakest people up there.
All right, good luck.
Aw, you're mad now and you targeted me.
- No, dude. - You're mad because you're not up here.
- There's no way we're gonna send you up here. - I'm not mad I'm not up there.
- I wanna be down here, brother. - So then why are you so angry?
- Stop crying. - I'm not, I'm speaking facts.
You're speaking facts. You're whining.
Why don't you shut up and just stand up there
in your precious little balcony.
- I'm still here, right? - Yep.
- You might not be. - You're right.
So why don't you shut up and let me cook?
Oh, look. That grill looks too hot.
Edward and Oh, it's on fire.
- Ugh. - Oh, my gosh, Oh, my gosh,
Oh, Shaun, they're gonna burst. The skins are gonna burst.
Burn, baby, burn.
Ugh. I'm screwed.
Oh, Shaun, they're gonna burst. The skins are gonna burst.
Ugh, I'm screwed.
Burn, baby, burn.
I am boiling mad right now.
David's literally just like a fly buzzing around my head.
Don't get started with me, homie.
But I gotta pull it together
and stay focused on my dish.
Come on, Shaun, get this done.
Ten minutes remaining.
For one of you, your last 10 minutes
inside the MasterChef kitchen. Come on.
Guys, Diamond just pulled her sausage out
and there was no coloring.
Damn.
Diamond, Diamond, Diamond.
- Andrea. - Yes, chef.
- How you doing? - I'm feeling good, chef.
- What are you making? - I'm making a bratwurst, chef.
What's going on top?
I'm doing some beer butter caramelized onions,
And then a currywurst ketchup.
And then a pretzel roll.
I thought you were a Miami girl.
I am a Miami girl, but--
What's up with the Midwestern, German sausage?
Well, you guys told us to put us on a plate
and I'm a traveler and I love food from other countries,
so that's what I'm giving you guys today.
- Good luck, Andrea. - Thank you, chef.
60 seconds remaining. Come on.
And remember, your sausage in a bun must be down here
on the front row before your time is up.
Yes, chef.
Ooh, that's nice.
- Come on, Eric! - Eric, you can do this.
Come on, Eric!
That's not working out.
What's Andrea doing?
- She needs to go. - You're running out of time.
Andrea, move!
20 seconds remaining.
Looks good, Terry.
Right on, Shaun.
You guys got this.
Eric, you gotta move.
- 10, nine, eight-- - You have to be in the front.
seven, six--
- Andrea! You've got to be down here. - Five,
- Oh, ( bleep ) I did not even-- - Andrea!
Four, three, two, one, and stop.
She didn't make it.
I was so focused on getting my sausage
in the bun perfect,
that I completely forgot to walk to the front.
I mean, at this point, I don't know what's gonna happen next.
I really don't.
It's time to see whose sausage in a bun is a showstopper,
and whose doesn't quite cut it for the top 10.
Eric.
Describe your dish.
This is a New York City style
hot Italian sausage and pepper hero.
It's got red and green bell peppers, some onions,
as well as a provolone cheese sauce on top.
Huh. It's juicy.
It's flavorful.
I think the heat is there for sure.
My only critique would be that I wanna see more of your creativity.
We're talking about the top 10 now.
- Yes, chef. - But overall, nice job.
Thank you.
- Terry. - Yes, chef.
Tell me what you got.
Well, Chef, here I have a fennel sausage.
I put it on a nice French roll
and topped it with some homemade marinara sauce
and some onions and peppers.
What did you use for your protein?
I used pork shoulder with a fatback.
Okay.
Your sausage is pretty good.
It's juicy. The marinara's a nice touch.
It kinda just balances everything out together.
Literally, you just needed a little bit more salt
and this would have been a perfect sausage.
- Thank you, chef. - Thank you.
Right.
- Andrea, describe your sausage. - Yes, chef.
This is a bratwurst sausage with a toasted pretzel bun
and a tomato curry sauce,
and some beer butter caramelized onion.
What percentage of fat did you put in there?
One and a half pounds of pork shoulder.
One pound of the veal.
and then half a pound of the fat.
Wow, it's incredibly moist.
Thank you, chef.
I mean, young lady, here your sausage
is still glistening.
That is beautiful.
Thank you, chef.
Mmm, have a slice.
- The seasoning is on point. - Thank you.
The texture and the grounds,
the size of the way you ground that meat,
- What did you think? - Delicious.
Very good, chef.
That's it. Great recipe.
I think that's gonna be one in my book. Really good job.
- Thank you, chef. - Delicious.
Thank you. Wow.
- Nice job, Andrea. - Good job, Dre.
Thank you.
- Shaun. - Chef.
You made us what kind of sausage?
I went with a venison
with a white cheddar, jalapeno and chive sauce on top.
And then some homemade pickles.
And what kind of fat did you use?
I used about 50% fatback
to try to make it nice and juicy for you.
Huh. Gotta say, I had high hopes.
There's a few things that are strange about this.
The cheese sauce is super grainy.
- That sucks. - Yeah.
You can definitely see that there's enough fat in there,
- but you can also sort of see where-- - It got a little grainy.
The venison just got grainy and dried out,
which is hard with the grainy cheese as well.
I like that you took a risk.
The concern is obviously that it's an elimination challenge.
- Diamond. - Yes, chef.
Describe your sausage, please.
I made a chicken and asiago cheese sausage.
And I made sort of like a quick bruschetta type
of topping with a tomato garlic basil salt and pepper.
And I garnished it with a little bit
of parmesan crisp and fried basil.
- What's the fat in there? - I decided to go with the chicken thigh,
so there was a lot of the chicken fat and chicken skin
still mixed in there.
I mean, visually, it looks quite bright.
I'm not too sure about the parmesan crisp,
but I like the visual impact.
For me, it's all about what's going on in the inside
of these sausages.
- So that is the hero tonight, right? - Yes, chef.
Damn.
That doesn't look like it's cooked.
Oh, Diamond.
For me, it's all about what's going on in the inside
of these sausages.
- So that is the hero tonight, right? - Yes, chef.
Damn.
That doesn't look like it's cooked.
No.
Oh.
That's your sausage. It's raw.
Oh, my God.
If there's anything to salvage this side?
It's actually worse.
Yeah, that's crazy, I touched it.
So that thing's barely running around the garden.
- I can't eat that. - No. I'm sorry about that.
Damn.
It's raw.
This is the worst possible thing
that could have happened.
Holy mackerel.
I served Gordon a raw sausage.
Like, that's it. That's the end.
There's no ifs, ands, or buts.
I'm going home.
Will you five home cooks please come around to the front?
Wow, what a night.
And right now we need a moment to discuss
each sausage in a bun.
Oh, man.
So this is hard, I mean, seriously.
Let's start off with Diamond's,
unfortunately, raw in the middle.
It's such an amateur move.
She had some missteps there,
but visually I thought her presentation was beautiful.
I mean, I think, I think you might be staying.
He couldn't eat it. He couldn't even eat it.
Guys, there's still one more thing we have to talk about.
- Yeah. - That's Drea.
I completely forgot that we had to run it up here.
Everybody needs to be down on that front bench
within the 60 minutes.
- She was not. - Wasn't even close.
But, hear me out,
it wasn't as if she was throwing more stuff
into the basket. It's just-- she froze.
Guys, there's rules. I don't think we could have made it any more clear.
Listen, she had the best sausage of the night, okay?
Rules are rules, guys.
So what do we do?
The pressure is absolutely rising in the MasterChef kitchen.
The final 10 is on the line.
I mean, at this point, there's very little room
for error in this competition.
There they go. There they go.
There they go. Here we go.
But knowing that someone's
going home tonight. I mean, it's sad.
Five of you cooked here in the kitchen tonight,
but one of you is going home.
The other four home cooks will officially enter the top 10,
the biggest cooking competition.
The big news of the night is...
the person who is unfortunately
going home tonight did not have the worst dish.
When we began this pressure test tonight,
we made it very clear to all of you
that at the end of 60 minutes,
each and every sausage in a bun
had to be down here on the front station completed.
Andrea, we were forced to watch the last 10 seconds,
and sadly you did not adhere to that rule.
- You've got to be down here. - Five,
- Andrea! - Three, two, one.
- Hurry. - And stop.
You arrived at the front station
three seconds after time was up.
Mmm-hmm.
And it breaks my heart
that one of the most talented,
one of the youngest,
one of the most inspirational amateur chefs
we've ever had in this competition
sadly is going home
and not going in the top 10.
I am so sorry.
Rules are rules
and we have to abide by them on a daily basis.
That means, my darling, you have to leave the competition.
I am so sorry.
I messed up.
But young lady, you have been incredible.
You shouldn't be this good at 21.
Thank you. Thank you, guys, for everything.
You have no idea.
Come and say goodbye.
- To you? - Yeah, come over. Say goodbye.
Come here. There, dear.
- Thank you. - Don't give up.
- Thank you. - You did great.
Please my darling, place your apron on your bench.
Love you, Andrea.
To be leaving like this, it sucks. It sucks.
It sucks so much.
Andrea, thanks for being you.
But I'm leaving here today knowing that I made
the best sausage in our kitchen.
I came here as just a college student from Miami,
used to cooking in my microwave.
But now I'm way more confident.
I was very impressed. Congratulations, Andrea.
- Yeah! - Whoo!
Just having mentors like Gordon Ramsay
and Christina Tosi
and Wolfgang Puck. Like-- It's amazing.
It looks like you nearly could have pulled it off
- of Gordon's dish. - Thank you, chef.
Producing cupcakes like this.
That's the kind of talent that we thrive
on working with.
- Thank you, chef. - Congratulations.
Blue team!
And yes, if I just ran three seconds earlier,
I'd be in the top 10, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Like what matters is that I came here
and I know what I want to do now.
I know what I want to be
and I'm so pumped for what's to come.
Coming up...
The mystery box...
Whoo!
...delivers a sweet surprise.
This is the first time Christina Tosi's
ever cooked on MasterChef.
- Whoo! - This is such an honor.
Three dishes from one mystery box
Showing off a bit, Christina,
I expect nothing less.
And then...
Yikes.
An exotic dish...
I've never tasted it.
I have no idea what it is.
Nathan, what's wrong?
We're all super intimidated right now.
...proves hard to stomach.
It looks like puke.
I'm top 10 and the MasterChef kitchen.
Somebody pinch me, please.
Welcome, guys.
I mean, I have two little girls back home.
I work two jobs. I'm busy all the time.
For once in a long time, I want to be selfish.
I want to chase my dream of becoming America's next MasterChef.
You are the MasterChef's top 10.
Give yourselves a round of applause. Come on.
Whoo!
But just one of you will win
a quarter of a million dollars,
Publish your very own cookbook,
sail the Caribbean on the MasterChef cruise,
and claim the most coveted prize in the culinary world.
The MasterChef trophy.
All right, it's time to see what's lurking underneath
those mystery boxes.
At the count of three, lift your boxes.
One, two, three.
Lift.
Whoo!
Nutella, it goes on everything.
I put it in my protein shakes after I work out.
That's the only thing frat guys like more than beer.
Nutella, the original hazelnut spread
that originated in Italy over 50 years ago?
This roasted hazelnut and cocoa spread
can be incorporated into all kinds of dishes.
Breakfast, lunch, dinnertime,
and my favsnack timeorite snacktime.
Tonight, for your mystery box challenge,
you're gonna focus on using Nutella
in one particular meal time.
Breakfast.
Is it on toast? The most amazing warm waffles?
Delicious pancakes, crepes, croissants.
The list of possibilities is endless.
And I'm gonna cook a Nutella breakfast
right alongside all of you.
Finally, we get to see Christina Tosi bake
and not just with anything-- with Nutella.
It's just the icing on the cake.
At your stations you will find a MasterChef staple pantry box.
And in the equipment room,
you'll find some more ingredients to help you make
a Nutella breakfast dish capable of blowing our minds.
Now if you win this challenge tonight,
you could get a significant advantage in the pantry.
Please, Christina, head to your station.
Thank you.
You'll all have 60 minutes to make us
one incredible breakfast dish.
Your 60 minutes starts...
now.
- Coming right behind you, Katie. - Right in front.
The top 10. This is where the competition goes
to a completely different level.
You've got a fireman, elementary school teacher,
a poker player, a handyman, a DJ.
And I love seeing how 10 people
are gonna take Nutella
in 10 different ways.
But we don't want to see anyone in their comfort zone.
I wanna see that Nutella incorporated in a very smart way.
- Christina, how's it going? - Great, It's fun down here.
Tell us about the dish. What are you doing?
There are banana cake donuts
with a chocolate hazelnut glaze
paired with a Nutella cappuccino.
- A little coffee and donut. - Wow.
Pretzel bread French toast soaked in a pretzel milk,
filled with Nutella, then a parfait.
Nutella yogurt, corn pudding,
and chocolate hazelnut granola on top.
Stop it. Three dishes from one mystery box.
Showing off a bit, Christina,
I expect nothing less.
I am making a Nutella crepe with Nutella and espresso
pastry cream, caramelized bananas, and toasted hazelnuts.
We're at the top 10,
so everyone now is a really good cook.
You can't snake by. Your dish just has to be the best.
Come on, bacon.
This challenge is about Nutella.
So Nutella needs to shine.
So I am making a cream cheese
and Nutella stuffed French toast.
With a berry and banana foster syrup,
and Nutella-covered bacon.
Nutella's easy, but you've gotta be able to elevate it.
And if you don't elevate it, you're going home.
I'm making huevos rancheros.
A banana muffin with a Nutella topping.
And I'm also making a granola parfait.
We go through a jar of Nutella a week at my house.
It's something I love and my kids love.
So I'm cooking for my kids today.
30 minutes remaining.
- We're halfway there. - Whoo!
Dan, how you feeling?
Excellent, chef. Tell me about the dish, what are you doing?
I'm doing sweet and savory Nutella turnovers
with bacon and Nutella inside.
That's gonna be my savory part of the breakfast.
For my sweet turnovers,
I'm gonna use banana, Nutella.
That's a classic combination.
Yeah, something you grew up with, Nutella.
Oh, yeah. See my mom was always working.
She was an anchor woman.
So every day I would have to get up and make breakfast
for my little brother and sister.
- Wow, love that. - Thank you, chef.
That smells delicious.
Damn.
- How you doing, Eric? - I'm doing great.
Do you guys cook breakfast in your firehouse?
Every single morning, actually.
It's the most important part of the day.
- What are you making? - All right, Chef,
I'm making croissant French toast,
with a corn pop crunch on it, with some brandied peaches,
and then I'm also gonna make a Nutella pancake.
You're in the top 10 now. Who are you most afraid of?
My neighbor. My neighbor, Shaun.
I'm very honored, but he's a good cook as well.
No one's afraid of Dan?
No.
You know what, Dan, I'm afraid of you though.
- Thank you. - For many reasons other than cooking.
Chef Lee, I appreciate that.
All right, good luck, man.
Thank you, chef.
- Terry, how you doing? - Yes, Chef, good.
- What's the dish? - A hazelnut crepe, French toast.
I wanna make a nice little Italian zeppole donut
with hazelnut in the middle.
And this is just gonna be a little side,
a little hazelnut truffle.
Wow, four ways, Terry. Look at you.
Right, let's go. Come on.
Mmm, mmm.
Wow, some exciting breakfast dishes out there tonight.
Amazing. Dan, he's doing two dishes.
The savory turnover with Nutella
- and a sweet Nutella turnover. - Wow.
So it's really interesting.
I'm interested in what Brandi's doing.
She's making a Nutella crepe, Nutella whipped cream.
She's got a lot of different flavors going on here.
If she can nail that crepe, it's gonna be delicious.
Thirty seconds remaining.
Perfect.
Remember, all of you-- a huge advantage.
Here we go, guys.
Ten, nine, eight, seven
six, five, four, three
two, one.
And stop. Hands in the air.
Whoo!
Well done.
Christina, it looks like you made
three stunning dishes.
Can't wait to taste them.
Please, bring them up to the front, please. Thank you.
Wow.
Give us a little insight to what we have.
Banana cake donuts, chocolate hazelnut glazed,
toasted crushed hazelnuts
and caramelized banana patons,
- and a Nutella cappuccino. - Wow.
Then, my take on a parfait, some Nutella yogurt
some corn pudding on top,
and then a chocolate hazelnut granola.
And then a Nutella stuffed pretzel toast.
Caramel glazed pretzels some strawberries
and a little pretzel syrup to finish.
Mm, I'm using my fingers.
This is like Christina Tosi is Christina Tosi.
Like, she can make three incredible,
very distinct, different dishes
in the same amount of time
that I'm scrambling to make one dish.
Growing up I actually always wanted to be a pastry chef.
And so, it's really inspiring.
Delicious. Honestly,
I would not want to be following those,
let me tell you,
but the three of you tonight will be.
Let's have a look.
Throughout the mystery box challenge,
the judges taste elements of all the home cook's dishes
as they come together.
- Looks good. - Thank you.
They now take one final look
to choose the top three standouts.
Ooh, wow.
And the winner of this challenge
will receive a major advantage
in the next round.
The first home cook who impressed us tonight
surprised us with their balance of sweet and savory.
This home cook is becoming a real contender
in this kitchen.
Please step forward.
The first home cook who impressed us tonight
made a delicious breakfast that stood out.
Please step forward.
Dan.
Yes! First time in the top three.
My pastry looks like it came out
of a professional pastry shop.
People are gonna think I went up and stole this
from Christina Tosi's station.
But, no, this is straight up Captain Dan.
Dan, tell me what it is.
I did sweet and savory Nutella turnovers
made from cream cheese dough
with a vanilla sour cream maple syrup.
When I walked back to your station
I thought you had used store bought pastry
because it looks beautiful.
I love the egg wash on them,
and I love that each one of the turnovers
has a little decor on top,
so I know what I'm getting into before I get into it.
That's a very pro pastry chef move.
What's in this turnover?
Well, on strawberry ones,
super ripe bananas, some rolled oats,
and freeze-dried strawberries.
It's tasty.
I think the freeze-dried strawberry
in the filling, such a smart move.
It's not wet and soggy.
I love that you used a super ripe bananas,
because all I need is a little bite.
The Nutella is great.
I think a little bit more moisture in there
would have gone a really long way,
but I think you did a really nice job,
and I'm very impressed with your baking skills.
Thank you.
Now, this is the bacon one, right?
Yes, bacon, rice crisps, and Nutella.
This is a good breakfast dish.
It's perfect, it's simple,
it's hearty, it's comforting.
You know what I love about this? The simplicity of it.
You can create something
this simple and still win this,
because it's about flavor.
Good job.
Right. Why didn't you play it safe
and go for French toast?
I wanted to elevate all the ingredients
to show you guys that I'm here to be serious now.
It's delicious.
Almost aerated, caramelized.
I think this journey just started for you.
You got rid of the goofiness.
And you proved, yet again,
to everyone standing behind you
that you're in it to win it.
- Very good. Thank you. - Thank you, chef.
Good job, Dan.
The second dish we'll want to dip into,
artfully perfected
a very popular breakfast dish.
This home cook demonstrated a classic dish with style
panache, with heart.
It's time to see if this home cook
can win her second mystery box challenge.
Step forward Tanorria.
Yay.
I really want to win this advantage a second time.
It's gonna send a message to all the contestants
that I'm here to win top 10, top five.
Winner.
Wow. You didn't pull the punches
on the calories here, huh?
- I usually don't when it comes to breakfast. - Tell me what you got.
So, I made for you
a Nutella and cream cheese stuffed French toast.
There is a strawberry banana sauce on top
with a little bit of orange,
Nutella covered bacon
and a Nutella and hazelnut covered strawberry.
There was a lot of sweet going on,
so I wanted opportunities to cut it with the salty
from the bacon, the tartness from the cream cheese,
the tartness from the strawberry,
so that it just wasn't sugar.
It's satisfying.
Your French toast is cooked perfectly.
There's like an old-timey diner
in Louisville
and it's so simple,
yet so delicious.
And this just makes me
- feel like I'm back home. - I love that.
It's a little bit clunky.
- Just refine it a little bit more, okay? - Okay.
- Great job. - Thank you, chef.
What's the coating on the French bread?
I crushed up some toasted hazelnuts,
added a little bit of flour to help with the coating,
as well as a little bit of sugar.
That Nutella filling is delicious.
You've elevated that to a complete different level.
I'm glad you baked it
because of that crispness on the outside.
The bacon is sweet,
the chocolate is sweet, but salty as well,
so it's like a salty chocolate caramel.
- It's lovely. - Thank you, chef.
Thank you.
Yeah, girl.
The third and final dish
we'd like to take a closer look at.
This person used more than one element.
In fact, this home cook almost gave Christina
a run for her money.
We can't wait to taste it.
Please, make your way down here.
- Terry, let's go. - Oh.
You know, I've been in every single pressure test.
I was the first captain.
The one thing that I haven't done
is won a mystery box yet.
Four different items on the plate.
What is the dish?
I made Nutella four ways.
I made a Nutella stuffed French toast.
I have a Nutella filled beignet.
I made a Nutella and banana stuffed crepe
and I also have some Nutella truffles.
You pushed yourself over these 60 minutes
and you are showcasing
a variety of different techniques.
Did you go to pastry school? How did you learn this?
Mostly just from practicing at home
and making it for the family.
Mmm.
The crepe is delicious.
The French toast is great.
The beignets, they're beautiful.
You stole my heart
when I saw you making truffles
because that's something that they teach you
when you work at a five-star restaurant.
You clearly pushed yourself over those 60 minutes,
but I want you to think more about presentation on a plate.
I want more color.
Now Terry, you're in the top 10.
Do you think you can win this?
I do, chef.
- Me too. - Thank you, chef.
What's in the middle?
- Inside the crepe? - Inside there I have bananas
and I have Nutella.
And then the French toast?
The French toast has some mascarpone cheese
that I infused
with a little bit of the Nutella.
And on top I also have a Nutella chantilly cream.
Mm. It's crisp on the outside.
Love the idea of the chocolate truffles.
Hazelnut inside. Delicious.
Beignets are spot-on.
French toast doesn't need all this on top.
But that is a very, very good effort. Well done.
- Thank you, chef. - Whoo! Terry!
Three incredible breakfast dishes,
all highlighting the versatility of Nutella.
There's one home cook tonight,
whose breakfast dish really stood out among the rest.
The person who will join us in the pantry
to receive a massive advantage...
That dish was made by...
Three incredible breakfast dishes.
But the person who will join us
in the pantry
to receive a massive advantage...
- Congratulations... Terry. - Yes.
Whoo!
Good job, Terry.
I just won the mystery box challenge.
- I'm completely blown away. - Let's go.
It's just something that I've been waiting for
you know, since the top 20.
Right, Terry. Please come in.
Now Terry, the fate of every home cook out there
is in your hands.
- Excited? - Yes, chef.
Whilst you stand up on the balcony,
safe from elimination, all remaining home cooks
are going to have to showcase
one of the most popular ingredients on the planet tonight.
It is the versatile,
the very humble,
yet all mighty...
Rice.
Terry, under here, this Spanish one pan wonder,
is a global hit.
Any idea what I'm talking about?
Paella, chef.
- Paella. - Oh.
Now, that's Spanish.
On the rice, studded with mussels,
clams, spicy chorizo,
head on shrimp, of course,
but it's not that easy to get paella right.
Each bit of protein has to be cooked to perfection.
Yes, chef.
All right, next up.
Under here the Korean is fast becoming
an American classic.
The Korean name for this dish
literally translates into mixed rice.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
Chef, I lived in Koreatown for almost three years.
- It's the Korean bibimbap. - You know it.
Bibimbap.
Sushi rice, delicious beef, sautéed vegetables,
mushrooms, bean sprouts, sunnyside up egg on top.
This is pure rice bliss.
But no where near as easy as it looks.
You have to properly execute every element in that dish.
Now, Terry, let me tell you.
This is a beloved Italian classic rice dish.
Any idea what I'm talking about?
Risotto.
A stunning risotto.
Arborio rice, seasoned with porcini mushrooms,
and finished with black truffles.
Trust me, it may look simple,
but you cannot rush risotto.
Terry, it's like making love.
You don't stop until 25 minutes is up.
I don't know about the 25 minutes.
I mean, I am newlywed.
Okay, Terry, will it be paella,
bibimbap,
or risotto?
I choose...
Hey, Terry.
Back in the pantry,
Terry got some huge advantages.
First and foremost, as you can see,
Terry does not have to cook in tonight's challenge.
- Comfortable up there? - Very comfortable, chef.
For his second advantage Terry had to choose
between three of our favorite
highly technical rice-based dishes.
Spanish paella, Korean bibimbap,
- and Italian risotto. - Oh, Lord.
Terry chose...
Bibimbap.
Bibimbap?
What? What is that?
I'm pretty sure that's a Hanson song.
Maybe it's a Korean version that I've never heard of,
but I'm screwed.
This rice bowl is basically the national dish of Korea.
You have a stone bowl which you want to heat up.
That's going to crisp the rice on the bottom.
And then you're going to have four, five, six toppings
that when you mix them all together at the end,
they work together.
Tonight we are looking for your take on bibimbap.
You guys will all have 45 minutes
to make the most incredible bibimbap
you've ever made in your entire life.
Is everyone ready?
Yes, chef.
Your 45 minutes starts...
now.
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it.
Onions.
Today I'm thinking an African style bibimbap.
If anyone sees the cabbage, let me know.
I spent three years in Zambia
doing children's ministry with my family
and if I was making this true African style,
I'd make it with caterpillars,
but there's no caterpillars in the pantry today,
so I grabbed chicken instead.
I have never made bibimbap, but my spin on this rice dish
is inspired by my children.
Do we not have shrimp?
I love Thai flavors.
It reminds me of a day at the beach with my kids.
So, this dish is gonna be my family all in a bowl.
Let's go, guys.
Whoo, wow. Bibimbap.
- Edward, this is a tough one. - It is.
- You cannot underestimate. - It is.
Give us the A to Z about perfect bibimbap.
All right. Starts with the rice.
The rice has to be fluffy, but you've gotta have
that crispy layer on the bottom.
If you don't, it's not bibimbap,
it's just a rice bowl at that point.
Come on, come on, heat up, baby.
After the rice is done, you need a visual array of toppings.
Vegetables, meat, anything you want.
So, each one of those stations of food
should bring something different
- to the dish. - It should show their knife work,
their technique, their creativity.
And also, their voice.
I'm curious to see what they've got
out there tonight.
I have no idea what bibimbap is,
but I make a fried rice my family loves,
and one dish that I make it with
is an Asian shrimp and pineapple skewer.
So, I'm kinda combining those two into one here.
I'm making a curry duck bibimbap.
The duck fat I thought would be a really good way
to get the bottom of that bowl to crisp up.
I've never had bibimbap before,
but I'm pretty sure I can use my legendary palate
to guide me.
Thirty minutes to go.
Hey, Diamond, what are you making?
So, most of my family's from the South.
- They all live in Georgia, Mississippi. - Oh, wow.
And so I wanted to make a lot of different things
my grandma likes to make during Thanksgiving.
So, I've got a little bit of fried chicken for you
right there as my protein.
I have some red beans working back right there.
And then in the oven I have a corn bread,
so I will be adding a little bit of like, a stuffing type of flavor.
- What kind of rice is this? - I used jasmine.
- Smells good. All right, good luck. - Thank you.
Guys, we are halfway. Taste everything.
Make sure you perfect those knife skills.
Nathan, what's wrong?
I don't know what's wrong.
You don't know what's wrong?
That's the problem.
- I can't breathe. - What happened? Tell me.
I... I haven't cooked rice before.
So, I don't even know if I'm doing it right.
Are you kidding me?
Nathan just said he doesn't know
how to make rice.
I cooked it when I was a kid,
but, then, in our family, food was big,
so my sister did the rice.
My five-year-old daughter knows how to make rice.
How are you expecting to be America's next MasterChef
when you don't even know how to cook rice?
Nathan, what's wrong? Tell me.
I... I haven't cooked rice, so I don't even know
- if I'm doing it right. - Christ!
Okay. Let's give you a little taste.
Let's see what we got there.
How does it taste? Correct the seasoning?
Now, visually it looks good, that rice.
Yeah, it does. So, just turn this off?
I don't think it looks like it needs anymore cooking.
I can't do that for you, but you need to be in control of it.
- Okay. - What are you making?
I'm making an African style bibimbap
with African blackened chicken
and baked summer squash topped with fried egg.
Wow, it sounds adventurous.
But-- we can't-- don't get too fancy.
- Bibimbap is a street food. - Okay.
- All right. - Come on, you can do this. Good luck.
Fifteen minutes remaining, guys.
- All right, Shaun. - Hello, chef, how are you doing today?
I'm great.
So, will you tell me what's in that pot?
That is some shallot and some garlic
- deglazed with sake. - I saw that sake.
Soy sauce, some fish sauce.
I'm also going to do some really hard charred shishitos.
Now, you're more of a high end flavor profile
- and you seem like you're on track today. - Yes.
Terry's targeted everybody on this one.
He's making us step up our game.
- All right, Shaun, good luck. - Thank you.
- How are you doing, David? - I'm doing great, chef.
- What's your dish? - I'm making a ratatouille bibimbap.
So, I've got here bell peppers,
eggplant, zucchini.
For my sauce, I'm gonna use a tomato sauce.
I'm taking a traditional ratatouille
and turning it into a bibimbap topped with a fried egg.
And I'm going to use a little Italian sausage.
Okay, the ratatouille is French.
- Ratatouille is French? - You got Italian sausage.
And then you've got a Korean base.
At the end of the day it's gonna taste good
and that's the important part.
Just be careful that the rice and the vegetables
- work together. - Definitely.
- Thank you, chef, I appreciate all that tips. - You got it.
Three minutes remaining.
All right, gentlemen, who's going home?
That's a tough one, this one.
- I think Diamond looks a little bit flustered. - Ooh.
And Nathan is all over the place.
David's doing ratatouille.
I just don't get how he's gonna take tomato sauce
and crispy rice and put it together.
I'm worried about Katie.
- Really? - I think that she signed herself up
for too many different ingredients
and she's not going to have enough time
to finesse them all, because presentation for that bibimbap is key.
Katie, you've got to hurry up.
Sixty seconds remaining.
Make sure it looks amazing.
Come on, Diamond.
Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four,
three, two, one.
- And stop. - That's all.
Whoo-hoo!
Yeah!
Great job.
Right.
Let's start with Brandi.
Let's go.
This crazy dish I've never heard of
has been thrown at me,
but when my husband and I were in high school,
we went to this Japanese hibachi restaurant.
My husband fell in love with fried rice there
and I've spent the last nine years trying to perfect it.
So, I know I can take Asian flavors
and make thetaste really great.
Brandi, describe your dish.
This is a coconut jasmine bibibap.
Bibibop?
Bibimop? Bimibap?
Bimibap? I have no idea.
d Bibimbap and bap and bap and bap. d
I mean--
Sorry, can you tell me how to say it correctly?
Bibimbap.
- "Bibimbap?" Okay. - Yeah.
I made an Asian inspired
shrimp and pineapple bibimbap.
What is this here?
It's an Asian.
What's underneath the egg? What is this?
That is the hoisin sriracha in soy sauce.
Right.
Get-- I can hear underneath and you can just tell
- that's what I want to see there. - Yeah.
- Look at it. You can see the crispiness. - Oh, wow.
My mom would be proud of that.
I mean that is incredible.
How do you get the rice crispy?
I drizzled sesame oil around the outside
and cranked it up
and it started sounding like rice krispies.
Here's the thing-- it's absolutely delicious.
I love what you've done with the shrimp,
the heat's there.
I thought the pineapple was really a bit too sweet,
but it's nice.
What I'd change, a little bit
- more green in there. - Okay.
However, you're a teacher.
Yet, for us, you're one the most perfect students.
You may not pronounce it correctly,
but you can definitely cook it brilliantly.
- Great job. - Thank you, chef.
Well done. Really good.
How far out of your comfort zone
was this dish?
The flavors, I was comfortable with.
My kids love fried rice.
They love different Asian dishes.
And just because I'm from a small town,
I don't want my children to be held back.
I want them to be able to taste other cultures.
Hmm.
The yellow carrots bring a sweetness,
but also an earthiness.
And I think the sesame oil, that nuttiness is actually
what helps make it a really deliciously
harmonious bibimbap.
And it's great to see that you are so much more
than a great skilled Southern home cook.
Really nice job.
Thank you, chef.
Yay, Brandi.
The next home cook we want to see is...
David.
For the first time in the kitchen,
I've really stepped out of the box.
Because it's the top 10, it's no longer time to play it safe.
Hello chefs.
I gambled with some flavors today,
but sometimes you've gotta take big risks
for big rewards.
I have for you a ratatouille style bibimbap
with peppers, onions, tomato sauce, ricotta,
and Italian sausage, chef.
I get that you embraced taking this challenge
and making it personal and making it your own.
But it looks pretty horrendous right now.
I understand that the tomato sauce
kinda ruins the beauty of the other slices of the vegetables.
What's tragic is you've ruined something
that was beautiful.
I'll tell you this, if you served this to my mom
she would have been really mad.
If you served this to my mom,
she would have been really mad.
And what's tragic is you cut
all your vegetables so pretty.
It's like you painted this glorious painting
on a canvas and then you just took some red paint
and just--
Ideally the tomato sauce would have been a bed
on top of the rice
underneath all the components.
But as time was running out, I wanted to make sure
I got it on the plate.
It's just-- it doesn't look appetizing to me.
Does it look better mixed up?
Yeah, I mean, it couldn't look any worse the other way, so,
Of course it was gonna look better.
So, the rice is beautifully cooked,
but what you gave me was a ratatouille
on top of an Asian rice bowl.
So, now there's one story on the top layer of this dish
and then another story on the bottom layer,
and that all has to work together.
Thank you, chef.
I clap for myself.
Right, next up, Dan.
Let's go.
I don't know if you guys can tell or not,
I'm not Asian.
I was never whipping up bibimbap
in the fraternity house.
But I'm a great student. Always was.
So, I'm just really counting on my palate
to help me impress the judges.
We have a duck curry bibimbap
with coconut milk and lemongrass.
Infused basmati rice
along with several pickled vegetables.
I love the color.
How did you get that crispiness?
I used the duck fat to coat the bowl.
I knew it could crisp the rice really well.
Smart. Why curry, though?
It's a type of spice
that I know works well with the duck.
And I also grew up hunting duck
on my family's farm.
- Seriously? - Yes, chef.
- You hunting? What, in a pair of shorts? - No, no.
I can imagine you, right now, hunting chicks,
but not ducks, Dan.
And, here's the thing, it tastes great.
The curry's actually fragrant. It's delicious.
Rice is cooked nicely.
I would prefer to see a little bit more
correct garnish with the duck.
Water chestnuts, mushrooms.
But the actual blend of making that curry spice worked.
Before we started you were absolutely fixated
on what Edward was saying.
That's the sign of a smart pupil.
I just liked the fact that you're getting stronger
and this proves why you're in the top 10.
- Well done. - Thank you, chef.
Thank you.
Brilliant tasting.
Cooking things in duck fat. I mean, come on.
Clever.
All right, the next home cooked bibimbap
we want to taste is Nathan.
I've never cooked rice before,
but when in doubt, go African.
I really think it's gonna be something
Chef Edward's never seen before
and I want to prove that I deserve to be
in the top 10.
I have for you tonight a African style bibimbap.
Blackened chicken, baked squash,
sautéed caramelized carrot,
and this is the Zambian's relish.
Interesting. So, an African bibimbap.
Yes, my parents were missionaries in Zambia.
When I was 16 years old, my parents moved over there
and I didn't come back till I was 19.
It was probably the greatest three years of my life.
Well, it's certainly not Korean.
No, chef.
Over the short period of time I've been here,
I have come to stop expecting anything normal.
You are a complete anomaly. And so out of the box.
The chicken is a little overdone,
the rice is beautifully cooked,
but there's no crisp on the bottom,
but you brought this African spice blend
that is just addictive and delicious.
- Good job. - Thank you, chef.
All right, next up, Katie.
Go, Katie.
Hi.
All right. Describe your bibimbap.
I did a pineapple Thai shrimp
with sweet carrots, sweet potatoes
and then underneath the egg I have Thai peanut sauce,
and black forbidden rice.
You gotta chance to see that classic bibimbap.
Where do you think yours differs visually?
On the classic one I think everything's a little smaller,
but I was thinking when I was making this
I wanted a good visual.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
It's just big.
This makes me feel like
I'm at a tropical fruit buffet.
Now, why did you choose this black forbidden rice?
I love black forbidden rice.
The issue with it in bibimbap
is that that husk
is gonna make any sort of flavor
- and texture slide right off. - Okay.
It's gonna repel it.
The flavor's a little clunky,
the texture's a little clunky.
Even at the starch of the sweet potato
and then the thickness of that peanut based thickened sauce,
it's thick on thick,
and the rice just isn't the star tonight.
I was, in my mind,
just thinking of being on the beach
at the end of a long day with my girls.
At this point you might be seeing your girls
sooner rather than later.
Next home cook, Shaun.
So, I took a dish that I would order
from restaurant take out,
and I elevated this bibimbap
to a high-end fine dining plate.
Right now I'm the guy setting the bar,
and I'm going to keep setting it higher
and higher and higher.
All right, Shaun, what's the dish?
It's a New York strip bibimbap with sushi rice.
I did two pickled radishes and charred shishito,
the kimchi and sambal paste,
and then deep fried a shishito leaf.
I love the vibrant colors.
I mean, this looks like something
I would get at a Korean restaurant.
I want to dig into this.
Now remember, we're looking for crispy rice.
Oh, oh, oh. You see that?
You definitely have some crispiness down there.
That makes me so happy.
Look at that.
- That is a sexy egg yolk. - Thank you, chef.
Makes everything so unctuous.
This is absolutely delicious.
All the different vegetables work.
That kimchi sambal sauce that you had, fantastic.
Keep going this way, and I guarantee you,
you're gonna make it to the end.
Thank you.
Air-five.
Last up. Diamond, please.
Let's go.
I'm hoping that my dish will stand out
since I'm not going the traditional Asian route
or a tropical flavored route.
I'm just going American type of flavors
and, so, I'm feeling pretty confident
with my bibimbap.
Well, right. Describe your dish.
Today I made a Southern Thanksgiving style bibimbap
with fried chicken, some panfried sweet potato.
I have homemade cornbread and red beans.
Thanksgiving. What's that got to do with Bibimbap?
A plate that has a lot of different flavors
and a lot of different sides that you can mix together
that came in my mind.
You're elegant, you're very pretty.
This has to be one of the ugliest dishes
I've seen so far tonight.
I mean, so unappetizing.
It's almost like it's been eaten
and that's the leftovers.
That looks horrible.
- That looks horrible. - Mm.
There's no colors that are popping
showing very bad knife skills.
You go from thick to thin.
And then the big worry for me is that you dumped
a cornbread loaf on top of heavy rich rice.
- What's that? - That is a pan gravy.
I used the chicken grease that I fried and I made
a gravy like my grandmother would make.
Diamond, it looks like puke.
I didn't think it would get any worse,
but gravy.
Ed, ever seen a gravy in a bibimbap?
- Never. - Christina?
No.
The cornbread is undercooked,
the beans are heavy.
I get the rice and beans. I get all that.
But you masquerade all that rice
with that heavy, stodgy gravy.
So, there's no crispiness to the rice.
- You've never made this before, right? - No, chef.
Yeah, it shows.
Right now, sadly,
that's one of the worst dishes tonight.
I feel like this could be the night
that I go home.
I think the one saving grace that I have
is that at least I did try to show myself on a plate.
Maybe they'll see where my inspiration
was coming from and give me another chance.
Today I get to deliver the good news.
There was a handful of dishes
that really, really impressed us.
But the best dish of tonight was Shaun.
Thank you, chef.
- Thank you. - Beautiful.
It's an honor.
Now to the not so glamorous news.
Three of you tonight made some incredibly
disappnting dishes.
The first home cook delivered a dish
that didn't make sense.
Please step down, Diamond.
The second home cook put together a bibimbap
that just had no inspiration,
please step forward, David.
The third and final home cook
put things together
in a very clumsy way.
You know who you are. Come on down.
Three pretty bad dishes tonight, guys.
David, please step forward.
Tonight, you gambled with flavors.
It didn't work.
But you got lucky.
'Cause the rice, alone, is what saved you.
- Please head back to your station. Thank you, chefs.
Clearly two very talented home cooks.
Unfortunately there's no room for both of you
to stay in this competition.
This is hard.
I mean, both dishes were lackluster.
They could easily both win.
I know, but is it the meticulous pineapple
over the corn bread?
As mas miss my girls back home,
and as much as I miss my family,
my journey here's not over.
I'm not ready to go home.
This is really tough.
Katie, we've witnessed you get stronger,
growing in confidence, growing in flavor,
and particularly strong in team challenges,
but tonight your performance was a disappointment.
Katie...
it's time for you--
I've got so much left in me.
Tonight was a mess up. I have so much left in me.
to get a grip and head back to your station.
Say good-bye to Diamond.
Diamond, you cook with flair, you cook with lightness,
and you have that level of excitement
around everything you've done,
but tonight was a disappointment.
I'm sorry, but your time is up.
Please come up and say good-bye.
Thank you so much. It's been awesome.
I have the Miss San Diego crown.
Unfortunately I did not get the MasterChef crown
that I wanted.
I wanted to prove that pageant girls
can do more than look pretty.
And so, to know that I made it to the top 10,
that I grew and pushed myself further
for my own personal growth,
I'll always have that in my heart.
I am extremely proud of myself
and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens
in the future.
- Good night. Thank you. - Good night.
Next time...
Whoa.
That is a chef's dream.
A high-end mystery box...
- Whoa! - ...takes the competition to a whole new level.
This is MasterChef cooking at it's absolute best.
And then...
- Salmon. - All right.
- For the top nine-- - Ew.
...it's sink or swim.
There's no ocean in Kentucky.
And only the sharpest home cooks will survive.
That's definitely one of the worst.
You're a talented cook, but it's dreadful.
Sync & corrections: Ajvngou www.addic7ed.com