Announcer: Last week...
Watch and learn.
a classic Gordon Ramsay dish...
He takes a simple egg
and turns it into the Taj Mahal.
Announcer: ...sent six home cooks...
Gordon: His eggs looks really runny.
...to the bottom of the competition.
You'll be doing this challenge
all over again.
- Please, God, please, God. - and when they scrambled for redemption...
- ( gasps ) - Heather cracked under the pressure.
( coughs )
Gordon: The color is dark and gray.
Ending her time in the MasterChef kitchen.
Tonight...
- Gordon: Lamb. - Cool.
The top 17 have front row seats
to a Gordon Ramsay master class.
Can we do this today? This is crazy.
Gordon: You've got to speed up.
And when the competition heats up,
who has the chops...
- Whoo-hoo! - It's beautifully done.
You just cook like a chef's dream.
to make the cut?
What in the ( bleep ) happened?
Welcome, everybody.
Please make your way to the front. Let's go.
Top 17.
Being a nutritionist, food is my passion.
So being able to breathe and live
in the MasterChef kitchen
is just like a dream come true.
It's time to get your next challenge started.
Let's go.
I haven't been in the bottom yet,
but I haven't got a win yet.
I am so tired of just coasting.
So it's like, time to show up and show out.
So now they're gonna find out what Eboni is all about.
Tonight, we'll be testing all of you talented home cooks
on something extremely technical.
Let's see what we got.
Now, you all are about to face
what we call a skills test.
A true master chef needs to know
their way around butchery.
And on the menu tonight, Colorado's finest...
- lamb. - Oh!
This one is immaculate.
But it doesn't start out like this.
It starts out like...
this.
Most home cooks buy their rack of lamb from a butcher,
fully prepped, with all that fat and membrane removed.
We call that Frenching.
Tonight, you'll have to French your rack of lamb
like a master butcher.
Now, I'm gonna show you how it's done.
All of you, please, watch and learn.
Now, hold your rack of lamb up
and then run your thumb down the outside
and gently peel back that first layer
of fat.
From there, place it on the board
and then just very carefully, lift the fat up and slice.
Be careful. One slip of the knife here
and you've lost a finger.
As I pull back this fat,
you can start to see the layers of bones exposed.
Now, this is where the real work starts.
What you want to do is separate the sinew from the bones.
So, knife goes in and down
and you peel away.
Turn the knife over,
again, peel.
This is a labor of love.
Knife goes in, twist.
Get your cloth, and this little bit of sinew here
you pull over and down.
- See how it's coming off? - Home cooks: Yes.
And then trim that lamb beautifully.
Now, once those bones are cleaned,
go around for a second time,
scrape down both sides of the bones.
And look how clean those bones are getting..
Really important to get every little scrap,
'cause if not, the bones look dirty and unpresentable.
And then finally, this dense layer of fat
needs to come off.
Jason: My eyes are as wide as saucers.
Chef Ramsay looks so smooth and precision-like.
Everything is just moving like a well-oiled machine.
Can we do this today? This is crazy.
Once you get to the very end,
give the bones a final polish.
And that is how you French trim a rack of lamb like a true master chef.
( cheers )
- Good luck. - All: Thank you, chef.
All right, home cooks. Please go to your stations.
Newton: As a rancher in Texas, I raise cattle.
So I know my way around the knife.
This is gonna be no big deal.
This is like a cakewalk.
I'm ready take these young kids out.
It's time to send them back to their millennial life
with the taverns, the beer, and hip-hop music.
Christina: In front of you, you each have a gorgeous,
raw rack of lamb.
At the end of this challenge,
you should be left with a pristine,
Frenched rack of lamb, just like Gordon's.
The home cooks that complete
this skills challenge to our standards
will be safe.
But those that fail to execute the technique
will immediately face an elimination challenge
where at least one of you will be sent home tonight.
You'll all have 20 minutes
to perfectly butcher
those incredible racks of lamb.
- Is everybody ready? - Yes, chef.
Your 20 minutes starts...
now.
- Christina: Come on, guys. - Gordon: Come on.
Now, French rack of lamb is the most pristine,
Rolls-Royce cut of lamb anywhere in the world.
This is something that takes years to master in professional kitchens.
Gordon, you made it look easy.
But what are the potential pitfalls?
You have to be precise, every cut.
Take too much fat off and you've lost half of the rack of lamb.
There we go.
Tonight's purpose is all about trimming it properly,
finish with those bones clean,
and making sure that you're left
with 90% of that cannon intact.
You know, in Boston, I have not butchered a rack of lamb.
So it's not something I'm familiar with.
But my mother grew up on a farm.
I always watched her in the kitchen growing up.
And I just hope I paid enough attention back then,
paid enough attention just now when chef was demonstrating.
I think I'm on the right path here.
And I just have to keep doing what I'm doing.
I have cleaned a rack of lamb before,
it's been a very long time.
Rack of lamb was one of my sister-in-law's favorite dishes
and she passed away five years ago,
so I'm doing this for her.
Gordon: Guys, five minutes gone. 15 minutes to go.
Gotta be on those bones now.
Come on, you son of a bitch.
Oh, my God. There's so much fat.
- Eboni. - Yes, chef?
- Now, do you eat lamb often? - I love lamb.
I cook it almost every Sunday for my husband.
But I've never cleaned one like this.
Confident you can get yourself up on the balcony?
Hopefully. I'm hoping for that.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
- Ah! - All right, Jenny.
- Hi, chef. - I've gotta believe you've eaten
some lamb in your day, no?
- Nope. - Not really?
You seem a little frazzled, what's going on?
Um, to start with, a French cut is a little bit intimidating.
I'm not sure what to leave and what to take off.
And we'll see how good I can make it.
Jenny, I need to see that confidence out of you right now.
- Okay, please? You can do it, all right? - I know, I'm feeling kinda...
- I know. - Good luck, mama.
- Thank you. - Stick with it.
- Right, Reba. Have you done this before? - No, sir.
- This is my first time. - Really?
I've never even ate lamb.
- What? - No.
- Seriously? - So what's the go-to meat that you hunt?
Deer, squirrel, rabbit.
- Squirrel? You don't eat squirrel, do you? - Yeah.
What part of the squirrel is the best bit for you then?
- I like the squirrel legs. - Squirrel legs?
My uncle likes to suck the brains.
- He sucks the brains? - Throw the head in there
and just suck the brains out of it.
It's just juicy and succulent.
And it's delicious.
- But they're vermin. - I don't care, they're good.
Young lady, get yourself safe up on the balcony.
Good luck.
Ten minutes remaining.
- All right, Jason. - Hi.
How confident are you in this challenge?
Uh, I'm a little out of my element here.
Lamb used in Chinese cooking
is always cut up into pieces,
so this is just a very different presentation.
I just wanna do it justice.
Well, you're a teacher, right?
So you know what it takes to be a good student,
so stay focused and good luck.
Thank you, chefs.
Right, Cate. Ever French trimmed one of these at home?
- No. But I'm very familiar butchering deer. - Right.
You know, I grew up hunting and fishing
and being like a wild child.
How confident are you to nail this tonight?
You know what, I'm confident,
I just need to get this Frenching technique down.
- Good luck, young lady. - Thank you, chef.
Whoo-hoo.
Five minutes remaining.
You've got to speed up.
Now, guys, who do you think's gonna really succeed?
For me, Newton.
You gotta believe that him working on a ranch
can be a huge advantage for Newton.
So I'm looking for big things from him.
Reba's is incredible.
And Reba's never done it before.
Those bones are immaculate, guys.
Now there are some home cooks out there
that are definitely struggling.
Yeah. Sam, he's had some serious struggles in this kitchen.
His confidence seems down.
I'm really concerned that it might get the best of him.
Christina: I'm worried about Jennifer.
Come on, Jennifer. Please.
She looks all over the place.
Messy board, messy knife.
I agree, she's kind of just hacking at the lamb.
All right, guys, you have just 60 seconds.
You want your rack of lamb to be beautiful enough
to bring you to the safety of the balcony.
Come on, Eboni. Let's push.
Gordon: Use your cloth. Come on, guys, you can do this.
- Christina: Polish those bones. - Push, Caitlin.
Gordon: Finishing touches. Let's go.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
- Stop. Hands in the air. - Hands in the air.
You want your rack of lamb to be beautiful enough
to bring you to the safety of the balcony, guys.
Let's go.
Judges: Five, four, three, two, one.
Stop. Hands in the air.
Wow. Well done.
It's time to find out who did enough
to get themselves safe up there on the balcony.
Jason. You're a teacher, you work with numbers and grades
- all the time, right? - Yes.
- How do you think you did? - I think I did, probably,
92%.
A 92%?
Jason, you're selling yourself short.
This is more like a 98. All right?
It has the right ratio of meat to bone.
The way that you brought down all of the fat
right to the perimeter of the cannon or the eye.
Unbelievable job.
My man, you are definitely safe.
- Please go upstairs. - Thank you very much. Thank you.
98% from chef Sánchez. I mean, come on, for real?
- Look at that eye. - Very good.
To know that I got a nice passing grade
and I'm up to the balcony,
that's the best feeling ever.
Jennifer. Describe your performance
because it looked like you were struggling.
I was struggling a little bit,
but I feel like that I've paid a lot of attention,
and I tried my best.
So let's cut straight to the chase.
Those bones look terrible.
There's still meat on the bone.
They are caked in sinew.
And you haven't focused on cleaning any of those bones.
- Yes, I-- - That does not look like the Rolls-Royce of lamb.
- That looks like a dog chew. - Yes, chef.
You are definitely not heading up on the balcony.
I understand.
Sam, how do you think you did?
I did my best. I got all of the fat off, I believe.
I would've liked to have gotten the bones cleaner.
Well, it's very uneven.
It's been completely hacked up over there.
You can see the grooves from your knife
as you were sawing.
That's right.
This doesn't cut the mustard.
You are not safe.
( sighs )
All right, Cate, how do you think you did?
Um, I'm happy, it's presentable.
But I don't think I'm the best butcher yet.
You know, I'm like a tomboy,
I'm kinda rough around the edges.
Well, Cate, I gotta say,
there's nothing rough around the edges about your butchery.
- This is a gorgeous, gorgeous rack of lamb. - Oh, jeez, thanks.
It's incredibly impressive.
Thank you so much.
Look at that beautiful cannon there.
Great job with those bones. They're polished.
That is the closest rack of lamb I've seen
to Gordon's all night.
- You are safe. - Thank you.
- Head up to the balcony. - First girl. I'm coming, guys.
Beautiful. I mean, literally, textbook.
- Hey. - Jason: Yay.
Eboni. You said this was the highlight of any Sunday lunch for your man.
It is.
Honestly, you've just taken the most expensive cut of lamb
- anywhere in the world... - Mm-hmm.
and made it look the cheapest.
Even the bones aren't cleaned.
- What happened? - I was trying to take my time too much.
That's not French trimmed.
That's French screwed.
- Stay where you are, young lady. - Mm-hmm.
Eboni: I cannot believe that I messed up
on something that I cook almost every week.
I just want to crawl under a rock right now.
'Cause now I gotta face elimination,
and this sucks.
- Jeff, it's good. You are safe. - Thank you.
- Brien, you're safe. Congratulations. - Thank you, chefs.
Please head up to the balcony.
Gabriel, you should be very proud of yourself.
That's one of the best ones we've seen.
Head on up to the balcony.
- Great job. - Thank you, chef.
Christina: That's a lot of fat right there.
Caitlin, I'm afraid to say you're not safe.
Aarón: Daniel, those bones are immaculate.
- You are safe. - Thank you very much, chef.
It's like you were hacking at it.
What's happened to you?
I wasn't in the game today, chef,
and obviously this proves it.
Christina: Jenny, you're staying here.
Gordon: Yachecia, you know...
I mean, that is...
textbook.
Bones are clean. You've got the cannon beautifully round.
When you see something that beautiful,
before it's even cooked,
can you imagine what that looks like
when it comes out of the oven and hits the table?
- You're beyond safe. - Thank you, chef.
- Thank you so much. - Head on upstairs.
Reba, how'd you do?
I don't think I done too bad for my first time.
Gotta tell you, Reba,
in all the weeks I've seen you cook in this kitchen,
I've never seen you so comfortable before.
- Thank you, ma'am. - That's definitely one of the best of the night.
You are safe. Please head up to the balcony.
- Good job. - Nice job.
Yay, Reba!
Amazing.
Way to go, Reba.
Aarón: You're a ranch owner.
You see animals all the time, right?
Yes, sir.
Presentation of this lamb is so crucial,
to deliver that "wow" factor.
Newton...
it's a mess.
I mean, what did that rack of lamb do to you?
It's one of the most difficult challenges I've been in.
Oof.
Aarón: I think I need glue for that.
I just got too much of the fat off around the bones
or something when I was cleaning.
But it's rough as a night in jail.
"Rough as a night in jail."
Well, there's one thing right.
That's a crime.
- I think I need glue for that. - I just got too much of the fat off
around the bones or something.
I thought you were gonna nail this.
It's too heavy-handed.
Newton, I think you know,
with that kind of performance,
you're not safe. You're staying right here.
- I'm sorry, Newton. - Thank you, chef.
I'm just-- my head's a-spinning.
I mean, this should've been a cake walk.
I just turned this great piece of meat
into horse manure.
And I'm starting to have a lot of self-doubt.
To all 11 of you up there,
we were thoroughly impressed,
and all of you are safe tonight.
Two of you in particular really impressed us with your technique.
Those two home cooks are...
Cate...
and Yachecia.
- Well done. - Thank you.
- Thank you, thank you. - ( cheers, applause )
- Thank you. - Stellar job.
Thank you, chef.
Christina: Six of you remain down here at your stations.
We will say goodbye to at least one of you tonight.
Please, all of you, down to the front.
I'm not used to being at the bottom of anything I do in life.
I'm usually one that excels to the top,
so I feel very vulnerable,
but I'm ready to step up to the challenge.
You all now are gonna have to take
the rack of lamb that you butchered
and turn it into not just a dish
worthy of this kitchen,
but a dish worthy of any of my restaurants.
All of you will be making...
my delicious herb-crusted rack of lamb
with potato fondant, honey-glazed carrots,
and an incredible red wine sauce.
Now, I'm going to show all of you
how to replicate this intricate dish.
Watch and learn.
Start off with the oil,
and get that pan really nice and hot, okay?
With a herb-crusted rack of lamb,
you cannot season after it,
so you need to season it right at the very beginning.
Salt and pepper. Season it generously, both sides.
Make sure the rack of lamb is seasoned throughout.
There. As the oil comes up to temp...
...start to sear this beautiful rack of lamb.
Garlic in,
and then in with this fresh, fragrant thyme.
Don't over-sear the lamb.
So nice, gentle color.
Searing in the ends,
locking in all that flavor.
And then from there, lay out your thyme,
and your garlic,
and you literally sit that on top.
That acts as a trivet.
Beautiful.
Couple of knobs of butter.
As the butter starts to melt,
then tilt the pan and baste.
What does that do?
Moistens it, keeps it from drying out.
Exactly that.
Eboni: Chef Ramsay is cooking
right in front of my face.
This is, like, phenomenal.
We're gonna cook that in the oven now for four minutes.
I'm literally blinking
like I'm taking snapshots of him, doing this demo
so I can remember every step exactly how he did it.
Now, once the lamb is parcooked,
as it's still nice and warm,
the secret now is to get your brush.
and you've got your Dijon mustard,
and you brush while it's warm,
with that mustard, so the mustard seeps in,
and literally almost tenderizes the lamb even more.
Here I've got panko breadcrumbs,
parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and fresh basil.
From there, take your lamb,
roll up, and you roll all the way along.
Tilt... tilt,
and shake off any excess breadcrumbs.
Place it back into the pan,
and then back into the oven for four more minutes.
From there, we get our garnish plate.
This is a fondant potato.
Potato's peeled, cut out with a cutter,
into a pan, hot heat.
As they color, you turn them over,
put some stock in, and they go in the oven.
Braised carrots, you can all do that with your eyes closed.
- What's the hero tonight? - All: The lamb.
Four minutes later,
take this out.
And you let it rest.
What happens when we slice meat piping hot?
Juices run out of it and it becomes dry.
Yeah.
Now, I take my bone, open that up there,
and I'll come in here, 'cause I want one nice, beautiful chop.
I go down. I come off.
And I place onto the plate.
Come to the second one here.
One clean, straight slice.
Shake off any excess, and on.
This bone here, too thin,
so I come round, I take that off.
That's for my bulldog.
I come back up,
and I cut all the way through again.
- Third one. Now... - Beautiful, chef.
...finally, you take your sauce...
and you sauce very carefully around the plate,
and just over the actual bone, not on that crust.
And there you have a beautiful, stunning,
crusted rack of lamb with fondant potatoes
and glazed carrots.
( applause )
Thank you.
Now, please, all of you, head back to your stations. Thank you.
Now I gotta recreate one of Gordon Ramsay's dishes.
He doesn't get Michelin stars for throwing out horse manure.
And I gotta use this piece of meat that I've kind of macerated.
There's not much meat left on the bone.
I need a miracle just to survive this.
At your stations, you'll find everything you need
to make Gordon's stunning lamb dish.
You have just 60 minutes, guys,
to pull off this extremely technical, complicated dish.
- Is everybody ready? - All: Yes, chef.
60 minutes starts...
- ...now. - Woman: Let's go, guys.
Man: You can do this, guys.
Clean this up.
Looking good, Jenny.
I've never made rack of lamb before.
I've never had rack of lamb before,
so I'm definitely getting out of my comfort zone.
I don't think I've been in my comfort zone this whole competition,
but I'm not going out without a fight.
This seems like a daunting task,
to be able to recreate one of your signature dishes
after they've already jumbled up a little bit of their lamb rack.
I'm worried that this might be too much, Gordon.
The saving grace tonight is that they
have double the amount of lamb in front of them
than they actually need to put on a plate.
Eight bones in each rack. They only need three stunning cutlets.
So you can bounce back with this.
20 minutes gone. Just under 40 minutes remaining.
- Eboni, how you feeling? - Yes, chef. I'm okay, chef.
- I'm amazed you're down here, you know that. - I know. Me too.
This is a protein that you cook every week for your husband.
My husband have a fit, I go home on the lamb challenge. That might be a divorce.
You're more confident about the cooking of it, yes?
I always cook mine pretty rare,
so I think I'm okay with that.
I'm concerned with making the plate look as good as yours
and making sure all my flavors are there.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Yachecia: Come on, Sam.
Sam, how we feeling over here, buddy?
I'm pretty good. I've prepped all of my vegetables,
I've seasoned my lamb.
I've cleaned these three a fair amount more.
You'll have enough meat
to give me three beautiful medallions of lamb.
- That's the idea. - Are you confident?
- I am confident. - I need you to step back.
- Come on, man. - All right, I'm doing it. I'm doing it!
- Good. - Reba: Yeah, let's go, Sam!
Whoo!
Right. How you doing?
Pretty good. Little embarrassed about my performance.
I'm a rancher. You know, you'd think I'd know my way around
a skills contest with the lamb.
Didn't work out that way, so it's all about redemption for me right now.
Are you confident you can pull this off?
- I am. - You are.
Do I have that fight in you?
- You do have that fight in me. - I want to see it.
- I want to see you nail it, okay? - Fair enough.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: Just under 30 minutes to go, guys.
Where's the...
( groans )
Jennifer, there's time. You don't need to be frazzled.
Jennifer looks like she's over her head.
Oh, dear.
I did forget the ( bleep ) cheese, though.
Cate: Jen, deep breaths, you got it.
Jennifer isn't the best under pressure,
and she gets frazzled in the kitchen all the time.
My biggest demon in this competition
is my memory, trying my best to remember every step
that Chef Ramsay had said.
And if I don't, that's it for me. I could be going home.
Come on Jennifer...please. Come on.
She is a flurry.
Oh, God. I can't watch that.
I'm worried she's gonna crumble.
Ugh.
Jennifer is breaking down...
I'm worried she's gonna crumble.
Oh, God. I can't watch that.
Jennifer, look at me. You can do this.
Listen, you do your best when you're focused,
and when you're confident.
This doesn't have to be your last night in this kitchen, okay?
I don't want it to be.
What are you worried about in terms of this dish?
When do I put this lamb on?
Like, my mind is like, "Do it now."
Okay, so let's talk through it.
How long does it need to sear the first time?
Two minutes, not even.
And then what happens next?
You put it in the oven for four minutes,
and then take it out, and then you mustard encrust it
and then put it in there for four minutes.
You got it. Nice job.
Don't let that other voice in your head get you.
I believe in you.
- You can do this. - I appreciate it, thank you.
Daniel: Let's go, Jen!
Let's go, Jennifer!
- Let's go, Jen! - Come on, Jennifer!
Miss Caitlin, talk to me.
You eat a lot of lamb and meat, right?
I eat a lot of meat, but not a lot of lamb.
I normally consider it pretty far out of my budget.
Really? Okay, well,
are you feeling good about everything?
I'm feeling okay so far.
I'm just gonna focus on the task at hand
and make sure I don't overcook tonight's lamb.
All right, make sure that your timing is concise,
- Yes, chef. - And you deserve not to be in the bottom,
- but where? - I deserve to be on the balcony tonight.
Aarón: Okay, show us you can do it.
Gordon: Guys, just under ten minutes to go.
Sauce should be reducing.
Carrots, potatoes, coming together.
Gordon: Wow, it's intense.
Eboni is a little bit down in the dumps.
This is the rack of lamb that she cooks
for her family every Sunday, but she never trims it.
I'm just hoping that she doesn't get herself into a muddle
with the cooking of that lamb.
My concern is that Sam's crust looks very separated.
It's not emulsified. It has too much bread crumb in it.
( sighs )
Two and half minutes to go.
Lamb should be out resting.
Christina: Come on, guys.
Come on, damn it.
Gordon: Start dressing your plates.
Perfect slices.
Man: Jenny, love that crust.
Aarón: Every last detail, guys.
- Gordon: Come on. - Christina: Whoo!
Come on, get it all on the plate.
- Focus on finishing strong. - Man: Come on, guys.
Gordon: Here we go, ten...
- ( cheers, applause ) - Judges: Nine, eight...
seven, six, five...
four, three, two, one!
- Stop! - That's it.
Hands in the air!
- ( applause ) - Gordon: Well done.
It's time to see who was able to turn this night around.
and to find out of course who is heading home for good.
First up, Eboni. Let's go, please.
I really feel like I let my husband and my kids down
the way I butchered this lamb.
So I really hope that I redeem myself
with the cook on it especially,
but in this competition, you never know.
Okay, first off, across those 60 minutes,
you looked down. You okay?
I'm okay. I was concentrating,
trying to put everything in order
to make sure I don't forget anything.
Here's the thing, Eboni.
Ten minutes ago, the way you were cooking,
I thought you had one foot out the door.
So, I'm amazed you've got something looking this good.
Visually, it looks beautiful.
Lamb is not hacked. It's sliced beautifully.
Love that nice dark green crust.
It's almost like the sort of field of grass
that the sheep's come out on.
It's beautifully done.
Slicing that lamb is like slicing through butter.
And look, when you slice through there,
pink, and then the crust, nice and crispy.
Uh, the dish is delicious. Let's get that right.
Thank you, chef.
Gordon: Lamb is cooked to perfection.
Carrots beautifully glazed, sauce not too thick.
What would I change? Cook the potatoes a bit longer.
But here's the thing, you just cook like a chef's dream.
I need you just sounding more confident,
just start believing in yourself a little bit more.
- Great job. - Thank you, chef.
Now, Eboni, what did you season this lamb with?
I used some thyme, garlic.
And how much of that mustard did you brush down on that lamb?
Two, three tablespoons.
It's delicious. It's well-seasoned.
Your vegetables are beautifully cooked.
You've never made this dish before,
and yet your replication of Gordon's dish is almost exact.
- Thank you, chef. - Nice job.
Brien: Good job, Eboni!
Sam, come forward.
I've been in the bottom a lot,
but I'm confident with my dish.
It's no more flunking.
I'm ready to get that A paper.
That's what I'm here to show the judges today.
Sam, how do you feel it went for you there?
I made some mistakes, but I got everything there,
and frankly, it's one of the prettier plates I've presented for you guys.
The lamb. Why did you choose to sauce
the top part of the chop?
I was trying to keep the sauce off the crust, most importantly.
What is that?
I think that's some of the sauce that congealed.
I think maybe you over-reduced it,
which is a little bit disappointing.
I think the fact that you sauced the top of the lamb
also shows a lot of oversight.
( sighs ) Look at that.
That right there is rare, black and blue, right?
I mean, this thing still has fur on it.
I mean-- ( coughs ) here's the deal.
Had this lamb been cooked a little bit better,
I can overlook some of the other glaring issues
which is that crust. Look at that.
Does that look like your crust, Gordon? I don't think so.
- That's too much bread crumb, right? - Yeah.
Well, the sauce has a lot of flavor.
- Thank you. - That's the only thing
I can gravitate towards that gives me some relief
from the undercooking of the lamb.
There's some fundamental mistakes
that are very hard to overlook.
Sam, I don't mind the rare,
medium-rare pink, beautiful.
But blue there's no excuse for.
( sighs )
The lamb, it's so rare
that even the fat hasn't even rendered down.
Also, the actual crumb mixture
is so bland and anemic-looking,
it looks unappetizing.
So, blue lamb...
is an insult to the cut.
I wouldn't even ( bleep ) swallow that.
I can't do that to my palate.
( coughs )
Let me ask you this: are you happy with it?
- I might eat it. - You'd seriously eat blue lamb?
Yeah, I would.
For you to turn round and openly admit
that you'd eat that ( bleep ),
that tells me a lot about you, Sam.
I'm disappointed. I really wanted to impress the judges,
and I failed with that today.
But I know that my flavors are there,
and I hope it's enough to keep me safe.
Next up, Jennifer, please. Let's go.
I lost my cool during the cook,
but I feel like it doesn't reflect on my plate.
I feel like I pulled it together,
and I'm hoping this dish will keep me here.
First of all, have you ever been in an airplane
where it hits turbulence,
and the thing starts nose-diving?
- No. - I have--
watching you cook across the last 60 minutes.
Are you confused as much as I am right now?
What in the ( bleep ) happened?
Gordon: First of all,
have you ever been in an airplane
where it hits turbulence and the thing starts nose-diving?
- No. - I have--
watching you cook across the last 60 minutes.
What in the ( bleep ) happened?
I'm kind of at a loss for words.
The only thing I can think of is that
- I get panicky, 'cause-- - Why?
You take people's possessions away for a living!
And you get yourself in a tizz cooking a piece of lamb?
- Are you ready to quit? - No, I don't want to quit.
I'm not here to quit. I want to be here.
- You do? - Yes, chef.
- Then stay composed. - Okay.
So, lamb is cooked pink. Well done.
Let's taste it.
Here's the thing.
Lamb's cooked beautifully, let's get that right.
Sauce, carrots, cooked beautifully.
However, you put the rack back in the oven upside down.
That's why it's slightly soggy underneath.
Not a big deal. You did a really good job.
Stop working yourself up.
Stay composed, confident,
and don't show that weakness.
- Promise? - I promise.
- Good girl. - Okay, thank you.
Cate: Good job, Jennifer.
( cheers, applause )
Aarón: Miss Caitlin. Please come down.
( applause )
Caitlin: I have been barely sliding by in this competition.
'Cause I have been in the bottom three times in a row,
so I really need to show the judges why I deserve to stay in this competition.
Aarón: Caitlin, so you've cooked with lamb before?
Very rarely.
Once or twice on Easter with my family.
Well, you know what? I couldn't tell.
- It looks like Easter around here, because... - Thank you.
this is something you could find at many restaurants all over the world.
Do you eat at a lot of high-end restaurants, or no?
I prefer to get humble groceries and cook them up at home
in a way that I can stretch my budget and focus on my dance training.
The cooking of the lamb, which is a true star here,
is out of this world.
I mean look at that. You guys see that up there?
- Yeah. - Yes, chef.
- That's medium rare. - Gorgeous.
For me, the balance is definitely there.
It's vibrant, it's fresh. I love the fact
that you didn't go heavy on the mustard.
I can see the color of the potatoes have that beautiful bronze exterior,
and you've wilted down the carrots in such a way
that they truly are caramelized and glazed. I love that.
- Well done. - Thank you, chef.
Look at that lamb. Unbelievable.
All right, what were you worried about going into it?
I was primarily worried about the cook on the lamb,
so I pulled it out of the oven at 120 degrees
and let it rest for at least ten minutes.
Well, you've nailed it. Ten times over.
Look, pink. Beautiful throughout.
Plating, great finesse.
What's the worse thing about the dish?
You've got the breading a little bit too clumsy.
- Okay. - That's it.
Lamb's delicious.
Fondant, cooked beautifully.
Carrots braised beautifully.
I mean, it's a restaurant-quality dish.
Continue like this, you're going to be more than a threat.
- Very well done. - Thank you so much.
- Good job, Caitlin. - Nice job, Caitlin.
Finally.
Next up, please, Jenny.
Necco: Come on, Jenny.
Going up in front of the judges is always a nerve-wracking experience.
Especially when you're replicating the dishes
of some of the best chefs in the world.
They know those dishes inside and out,
and so I'm scared that I might not have gotten the flavors completely right.
- All right, Miss Jenny. - Yes, chef?
What was sort of your biggest challenge over this one hour cook?
Definitely getting the lamb rack cleaned.
I didn't get it to the point where I needed it to be,
but I did my best to get off as much as I could.
I'm hoping I did just enough.
Potato fondant is nice, cooked well.
Carrots very well seasoned.
The cook on the lamb is beautiful.
The sauce for me is really the star that helps make the lamb shine.
You know, visually, I would have loved to see you spend
a little bit more time on these bones here, really polishing them off.
The flavors are there. You did a pretty good job.
Thank you, chef.
The cooking of that lamb is spectacular.
You did a beautiful sear on the outside.
I think your crust is one of the better crusts that I've tasted so far.
I saw your lamb before it became this.
You made something really special.
I mean, you completely transformed what at one point
didn't look like it was salvageable.
- That's amazing. - Thank you, chef.
- Good job. - Jason: Great job, Jenny.
Daniel: Killin' it.
Christina: Newton, please bring your plate forward.
In the previous challenge, I've let the judges down.
But now, I feel quite confident.
My meat looks good,
my accoutrements look good, my sauce is excellent.
This is the time to redeem myself.
All right, Newton, ranch owner from Texas.
You definitely know meat.
How would you feel, if you left tonight
on a butchering and meat cooking challenge?
I don't know if I can say "jackass,"
but my friends would give me a hard time about it.
All right, let's dig in.
Now lamb, Gordon's cooked medium rare.
Let's see how you did.
Uh, okay.
Newton...
um... your lamb is...
( sighs )
Newton, wish I had better news.
Your lamb is definitely undercooked.
How much mustard did you put on there?
That's a lot of heat.
Did you kind of use that as the glue?
I did.
The carrots, the potatoes, they're cooked beautifully,
but the crusting balance of herbs is off,
and for me, beyond the lamb being undercooked, there's so much mustard.
That it tastes like Dijon mustard
before it tastes like beautiful gamey lamb.
Ah Newton.
If I thought anyone was going to nail this challenge, I thought it was you.
Maybe the only person that would love that dish is Sam.
I'm so disappointed and disgusted with myself.
I'm supposed to be the guy that skates through this with a blindfold.
I actually feel like I'm going home.
I've screwed the pooch.
Guys, this was an extremely difficult challenge,
but two of you excelled beyond our expectations.
The two people that are absolutely safe tonight are Eboni...
- Thank you, chef. - and Caitlin.
- Daniel: Well deserved. - Thank you.
Head up to the balcony.
Bum, bum, bum, bah.
I just heard the church bells ringing. I'm safe.
Great job. Well done.
I cracked for just a little bit, got nervous.
Not no more. Everybody better be worried now.
All right, so there's four of you.
The fact of the matter is that two of you are safe.
Jenny, please step forward.
Jennifer, please step forward.
Tonight, you guys did just enough
to stay in this competition
Please, head upstairs.
Jennifer: I'm going up to the balcony, now I'm safe,
and that is a huge relief.
There's no more getting into a huffy puffy.
No more tailspins. It's time to work.
It's time to figure out how I'm gonna get myself to the top.
Two of you stand here, one of you will be leaving this competition tonight.
Sam, you are clearly passionate, let's get that right.
You're a smart, intelligent young man,
but that test got the better of you.
Newton, you are talented. You do have a future in food.
But your dish was just a disgrace.
My money was on you. Tonight, you let yourself down, you let me down.
Gentlemen, one of you knows,
it's the end of the road.
If that's you, please, go ahead and untie your apron, gracefully.
Christina, Aarón, and myself agree.
Newton, say goodbye to Sam, head on upstairs.
Love you bud, happy trails.
Sam, were really hoping you would have bounced back tonight,
but you are not ready to become America's next master chef.
Sam: You know, cooking, it's something I love.
I'm happy because I think the criticism
that I got from you guys made me stronger,
and I feel privileged.
Sam, please place your apron on your bench and go back to school.
- Thank you. - Bye, Sam. We love you.
Caitlin: Love you, Sam.
Sam took a bullet for me, today.
Feel bad for him, happy as hell for me.
I think this was a good kick in my pants
to get me laser-focused.
I gotta take every one of these challenges on as if it's my last.
Sam, best wishes.
Bye, Sam.
Announcer: Next time on "MasterChef"...
Service!
...the home cooks run a five-star restaurant service.
Too many, one pancake.
But will this high-end breakfast challenge...
Burning your eggs.
...leave one team scrambled?
Where's my two and two?!
It's not up, it's done.
If my pancakes are up, then they're dying.
You need to get this together.
Five-star hotel, and we're serving that.
Oh, my God.
Followed by a pressure test...
Fish and chips.
...that's a Gordon Ramsay classic.
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