Previously on MasterChef...
- Switch! Go, go! - Come on, Jeff!
High speed tag team challenge...
- It ain't even gotta be pretty. - Let's go.
- I'm moving, I'm moving. - Shred, shred. Get a trout aside.
Jeff, we gotta prioritize here, buddy.
put the breaks...
- Who shredded the lamb? - I did, chef.
It's like a can of dog food.
on Caitlin's...
Tonight you weren't in this game.
MasterChef dream.
Top eight, baby, on Big Bear Lake!
It's so pretty.
This is not downtown LA anymore.
We are in the wilderness with the beautiful trees,
the water, the crisp air.
You can smell the sweet, herbal smell from all the plants.
It's a beautiful, picture postcard setting.
- Amazing. - There's deer tracks!
That's awesome!
Growing up in Illinois, we just do stuff outside.
That's what we love.
If we weren't hunting, we were fishing
or picking cherries and making pie.
So I feel right at home on Big Bear Lake.
Oh, my God. Here come the judges.
Oh, my God! What's up? Hi!
Hey!
- ( cheering ) - Is Christina driving?
Yeah! Whoo! Get it, girl.
Eboni: Bring it on in, girl power.
I like seeing Christina come in as the captain of the boat.
Mm-hmm. Fellas, get back. She doing that.
Hey, guys!
( cheering )
Christina's my girl. She's my tomboy.
- Come on, guys. - Christina! Let's give her a round of applause.
- Yeah, Christina! - Legit.
- Good morning. - All: Good morning!
Welcome to gorgeous Big Bear Lake.
Whoo!
Today you'll be working in two teams of four,
and you're gonna be serving some of the most intimidating,
some of the most experienced,
and definitely the most attractive guests
we've ever had in a team challenge.
- Us. - ( cheering )
We're honored.
Cate and Dino, you were the winning team
during that last team challenge,
so today you will each captain a team.
Please, both of you step up here.
Cate: I'm thrilled about being team captain again.
In my first team challenge at the peninsula,
I ended up handing the reigns to Eboni.
So today I need to prove to the judges
that I can be a great team captain.
Now, Cate, out of the two of you,
throughout this competition, you have had the most wins,
so now you'll get first pick of your team.
This person is excellent in the kitchen,
and he has grown so much in the competition already.
Mr. Jason, I would love to have you on my team.
- Good. - Thank you.
Dino, where we going?
This person's good with getting that energy up, movating us all,
and does pick the slack up where everybody misses it.
- Who is it? - Daniel.
Daniel. Let's go, buddy.
Welcome to the blue team, Daniel.
Right, Cate, second pick.
In the last team challenge,
I was struggling with having that loud, dominant voice,
and she stepped in and saved my butt,
so, Eboni, get over here.
Wow. Eboni, welcome to red team.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Okay, Dino.
This person's a badass cook.
I'll tell you that. Yachecia, baby.
Yachecia. Welcome to the blue team.
Thank you.
So, Cate, last pick.
Dino: Cate, please.
The worst possible person
I could have on my team is Jeff.
He's loud, doesn't listen,
and he's always just running his mouth.
The only time I ever won a team challenge
was when I was not on his team.
Gabe, come please join my team.
Yeah.
Thank you, ma'am.
Okay, so, Dino, hand the last blue apron to Jeff.
Captains, please join your teams. Thank you.
All right, so now that you know
who you're gonna be working with,
we're gonna tell you what you're working with.
- Yeah! - Stunning rainbow trout.
- Beautiful. - Gorgeous.
An incredible freshwater fish
that is indigenous to this beautiful lake.
And we spent all morning catching them fresh for you.
Each team is responsible for bringing us
three plates of two entirely different entrees.
The only thing that should be the same on both your plates
is the protein.
And I'm sure you've noticed, there's no MasterChef kitchen setup here.
And that's because today you guys are gonna get back to basics.
This is the great outdoors,
so your kitchen is a campground.
All right.
Jeff: I'm super excited for this.
Being an Eagle Scout, I've done this before.
I've cooked out in the rain, the snow.
12 years of scouting definitely prepared me for this moment.
The teams will have 60 minutes today
to prepare three plates
of two fully-composed rainbow trout dishes.
Your 60 minutes start...
- ...now. Let's go, guys. - Come on, guys.
All right, I'll grab the fish. Boys, you get the cooler.
- All right, guys. - Whoo!
Let's go, red team. Let's go, blue team.
- This is awesome! - Go, red team!
Here we go.
Okay, we have to do two elevated dishes.
I was thinking one a little bit rustic with,
like, a cornmeal crust on it.
And then we could do a pan-seared trout
and use those red bliss potatoes.
- Like an elevated potato salad. - Exactly.
What if we did something like-- kind of like a succotash?
They want something a little bit elevated.
You know, they want something refined.
We're gonna make it elevated and we're gonna plate elevated.
Gabe, don't shake your head, okay?
We're gonna make it elevated.
Gabe: I'm hearing all these ideas,
I'm seeing how she's conceptualizing,
and I'm definitely remembering
how bad a team captain Cate was
and how bad a team captain Cate still is.
One, two, three. Red team!
Yachecia: What are you thinking?
I wanna bring the elements of where we're at, okay?
I want it to have asparagus. I want to chop it.
- Have some of it coming out of... - Like a tree.
the side of the tree, but some of the tree fell over.
All right.
Jeff: Dino has this vision
of transforming nature to his plate.
We got the greens over here.
We got the little reds up there. You got the yellows.
So I was thinking we could peel these
- and put it at the top of the tree. - Beautiful!
And the rest of my team is buying into this ( bleep ).
Love the idea of bringing in the scenery on that one.
This is just childlike.
This is not MasterChef-worthy.
We have two types of fish. We got some tin foil.
I think if we do a pinwheel, we make, like,
a little bit of a heating pack into it there.
- Yes! Yes! - I've done that before camping.
It can work itself out very well.
Thank God we've got another dish that we can do
that can balance out the weirdness.
This could be our saving grace.
One, two, three, blue team!
Let's go. Get that water on the boil.
Now, two fascinating teams.
Blue team, Dino.
I'm working on one aspect at a time.
I need to make sure they're all together.
You have three strong personalities.
You have Dino, Yachecia, and Jeff.
And Jeff has not shown us
that he can take direction well.
- True, true. - Uh, Jeff remains the last-picked
time and time again.
Hey, hey.
We need the hot water for the asparagus, pal.
Oh, no, I was gonna pan-sear the asparagus for that one.
You need to blanch 'em first.
I don't know about that.
You need to blanch them first.
Red team, captained by Cate.
Never lost a team challenge before.
I'd wanna be on that team.
Filleting fish on a stump.
Let's not forget she's more comfortable here
out in the wild than she is in the kitchen.
She grew up fishing with her father.
She knows this kind of territory inside out.
How many filets off each side?
Do you think we can get two off each side?
I think we can get two off each side.
Now, this team challenge is much different than
other team challenges, right?
To be a great chef, you don't need a bevy of great equipment.
The delicious ingredients and how you prepare them, how you season them,
that's what speaks.
Oh, my God. This is so hard to cook on here.
Red team, right, guys, stand up.
30 seconds with you all. Quick.
Describe the dishes, Cate.
We have a light, cornmeal-crusted--
Stop. Cornmeal?
- Yes. - On rainbow trout?
Yes.
We don't put cornmeal on a rainbow trout.
Whose idea was that?
- Mine. - Cate's.
Anybody else agree with it?
No, I don't agree with it.
Speak up!
Gabriel: I'm getting really frustrated.
If we don't bring this fish up
to the level it's supposed to be,
we're gonna be in the pressure test,
and it could be sending me home potentially.
Cate, smarten up.
Cate, we don't put cornmeal on a rainbow trout.
We're going panko. Got it.
Tell me about the second dish.
Beautiful, pan-seared trout
with a nice warm potato side
with some creme fraiche and dill.
What, like a potato salad?
Like an elevated potato salad.
Guys, we're not on a picnic.
That's what I said, Chef.
I told Cate potato salad was a horrible idea,
and now it's coming back to bite her in the ass.
- Roasted potatoes... - I said do a hash, Chef.
- A hash. - Thank you, Chef.
I really wanna just tell Cate,
"You're already done being captain,
I'll take over, because these ideas are horrible."
Step up and get yourselves on this plate.
- Is that clear? - Yes, Chef.
- Man. - Get your hash idea.
I will do a sweet yellow pepper, and I might
take something else and throw it in the hash. Sound good?
- Yeah. - All right, thank you.
- Talk to me, though, okay? - Thank you.
All right, blue team, two different entrees.
What are you guys making?
We're doing a very inspired dish from nature, you know?
The first one is a pan-seared, crispy seasoned trout.
Talk me through what it's actually gonna look like.
Over here. Over here.
So we're doing the fish right here sort of at a bias.
We're gonna let a couple of branches of asparagus come out,
but it's gonna be laying like that.
Plus the trees. You see the orange over there?
You see the red up there. I got the tomatoes to sort of build that groundwork.
When you're too literal sometimes about how you plate,
then it feels a little childlike.
And what's dish two?
Dish two was the pinwheel.
Remember, you're cooking at a campground,
but we're not looking for campground food.
- Thank you very much. - We won't disappoint you.
We just need to get some fish on, guys. Let's go.
Cate, let me know if you need help, okay?
It's fine. Guys, I got this.
Don't say it's fine if you're not done.
I am going, guys.
Red team, blue team, ten minutes to go.
Danny, we need to start frying those things.
Does somebody wanna help me take the pin bones out?
- There's a lot in here. - Yep.
Daniel: I thought filleting the fish was gonna be the tough part,
But it turns out that trying to get all these pin bones out is the tough part.
There's a lot. There's definitely a lot in here.
Yeah, there are.
When you're crouched over on top of stumps
that are sunken into the mud.
Your feet are slipping around.
You're trying to hold on to this fish
that's wider than the surface
that you're working on,
and it's definitely a race against the clock.
- It takes so long! - I understand,
but we can't do a pinwheel that's got bones in it.
Gordon: Five minutes to go!
- Cate, you got to move, baby. - Okay. Okay. Here, you can--
- Panko? Got you. - Yeah. Here's your herbs.
Gotta get fish going.
Hey, we need to have something to serve.
I'm dropping it now.
- I got it here. - You got it?
You're running around. That's why I'm asking.
Gabriel: I'm definitely shocked and stoked
from the time that we started and how in disarray we were,
and now we're at least getting some kind of a flow and getting food out.
It looks beautiful, but I'm not as sure about the flavors.
Whoo! This looks good.
Two and a half minutes to go.
Two and a half minutes. Heard!
Dino: You need to finish those fish soon as possible.
Yachecia: Make sure it's cooked.
- It's coming. - That's crispy, crispy, crispy.
That's beautiful.
- Come on, come on, come on. - Come on, guys.
- We need a spoon. - We got this. We got this. We got this.
Make it look nice. Let's go. Let's go.
Drizzle. Olive oil. Watch out. Watch out.
Take this one off, with that big-ass stem right there.
- Ten. - Ten seconds. Ten seconds.
Judges: Nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four,
three, two, one.
( air horn blows )
- ( cheering ) - Yeah!
- Whoo! - Hands up!
- Yeah! Aah! - Whoo!
- Good job. Good job. - Red team, blue team,
please carry your dishes over to our table.
- Don't mess it up. Careful. - Gotcha.
Be careful. Keep looking down.
Cate: We definitely have two elevated,
restaurant-quality dishes
that not only look visually appealing,
they taste really good.
Let's go, blue team, please.
Dino: I am beyond happy right now.
This is some five-star, restaurant quality food.
But I have my vision on what I wanted with a plate,
and it looks like a masterpiece.
It's beauty on a plate.
Gordon: Let's go.
Today we asked each team to make two stunning entrees.
But there's a twist.
We only want to taste
one stunning dish from each team.
That's right, you must decide which
of those two dishes is your best effort.
Jeff: Dino's weird take on nature on a plate,
or my dish which is light,
refreshing, beautiful.
This is, like, a clear no-brainer.
Today, we asked each team to make two stunning entrees,
but we only want to taste
one dish from each team.
All of you, take a very serious moment
and start coming up with a consensus.
Right, so what are you thinking, Dino?
Both: What are you thinking, Dino?
We do have a lot of class with the sear,
because it sort of brings in the whole, you know,
what we're surrounded in.
My vote's over here with your dish.
Okay. What about you?
I-- I do believe in these ones here.
I think we have a lot going on here.
But this has the story.
The story is just one thing, but a flavor is another.
Are you kidding me?
My dish is MasterChef-worthy.
Dino's dish is just weird.
I am so frustrated right now.
Three against one at this point.
- One team, one dish. - One team, one dish.
Terrible.
- All the flavors are on both. - We have two beautiful dishes.
Yeah, the flavors are all there in both dishes.
But I think for more elegance, let's go with the white plate.
- The white place because-- - It's kind of a easy decision.
Agreed.
Cate: This is a no-brainer.
They both taste really good,
but our pan-seared trout is the winning dish.
Right. Red team, blue team, happy with the decisions?
All: Yes, Chef.
Dino, please bring up the dish
that you'd like the judges to taste to our table please.
Thank you. Please describe the dish.
A pan-seared crispy-skinned rainbow trout
on a bed of fennel, basmati rice, and asparagus,
Italian squash, and the heirloom carrots.
Visually, it's not the most stunning dish,
but let's get in there and taste it, shall we?
That's what counts.
Mm.
Um, the actual fish is seasoned beautifully.
- Who seasoned the fish? - That would be me, Chef.
The big issue I've got
is that the whole dish is missing citrus.
It needs the acidity, and there's not one ounce of lemon or lime,
and so it's actually quite dull.
The cooking of the trout is just exceptional.
That's, like, medium-rare, medium,
which, that's how I like to eat my trout personally.
Thank you, Chef. We wanted to respect it.
What I really think is a true high point
of this dish is this squash.
It is so lovely. It's delicate.
It's that one part of the dish that I keep coming back to.
My trout was cooked okay, but every bite
of rainbow trout I had had pin bones in it.
Which is not the kind of texture you're looking for
when you want texture in a dish.
Jeff, can you do me a big favor please?
- Yes. - Can you bring us one dish
that you left behind please? Thank you.
Can you describe it please?
It's a rainbow trout pinwheel
with a grapefruit creme fraiche stuffing
over spice-roasted red potatoes that were kinda fanned out,
little asparagus, and the edible flowers.
Thank you.
Red team. Please, Kate, present your dishes.
Kate, please describe the dish.
We have a fennel and coriander pan-seared rainbow trout
with caramelized heirloom carrots
and a sundrop tomato relish.
Red team, let's get one thing right.
The dish looks stunning.
Love the bright, visual colors.
It's exactly the way fish should be plated, with finesse.
The downside is my fish has been scored way too deeply,
so it's been hacked as opposed to being scored.
That could lead to the fish becoming overcooked too quickly.
I believe I cooked it properly at medium rare. Just--
Well, I'll tell you that if you let me cut in.
Thank you.
The actual fish, yeah, you're lucky. It's pink.
( fork clinks )
- You guys hear that? - Yes, Chef.
So it's like you've just thrown more carrots at the end.
Great shame. It's just a perfect way how to screw a dish.
Bad news is that my fish was definitely overcooked.
However, the fish itself was delicious.
The skin was crispy.
I love the tomatoes. I love the fennel.
The carrots don't really need to be there.
You had some highs, you had some lows.
I gotta say, this fennel,
it's just buttery and melting in my mouth.
It's probably one of the more delicious things
I've eaten throughout this competition.
Really remarkable cooking.
Thank you, Chef. Really nice job, guys.
Both teams, go and get some fresh air,
'cause we need to argue now on which team
put their best dish forward.
- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you.
Right, now, red team, visually,
it looked like restaurant quality.
The sauce was mind-blowing. The carrots were dreadful.
For me, the cooking of the rainbow trout was spot-on.
- The skin was crispy. - Really?
And mine was not scored as deeply as yours.
The fact that we presented that was great,
and, win or lose, like, I'm so proud of you guys.
Now the blue team, I was impressed
with the presentation of the dish they put forward.
Aarón: I thought the shaving
of the yellow squash was beautiful.
It was well-seasoned.
It was scented with fennel beautifully.
I have not won a team challenge. I wanna win a team challenge.
- Of course. - Big problem from the blue team for me,
they left their best dish on those tree stumps.
That pinwheel was delicious.
I still think we made the right decision.
Have we come to a consensus?
- I think so, yeah. - Yes, we have come.
Red team, blue team, we've made a decision.
Come on over please. Thank you.
Right. Well done.
This was a very close race. Let's get that right.
But we have come to a decision.
The winning team that will advance
into the top seven of the biggest cooking competition
anywhere in the world and will not face
that dreaded pressure test...
that team is...
Congratulations...
- ...red team! - ( cheering )
Group hug! We won! Good job, you guys!
Uh, red team, well done.
That that dish looked restaurant quality, tasted immaculate,
and that sauce was incredible.
Blue team, all three of us felt
that we tasted your weakest dish
because the flavor in that second dish
that you chose to leave behind was outstanding.
And now all four of you
will face this dreaded pressure test
back in the MasterChef kitchen.
But first, get back in your kitchens and clean up.
Red team, go and have some fun on the water.
My boat is over there. It awaits you. Off you go.
- Thank you, Chef. - All right, thank you.
- Can I drive? I'm driving. - Thank you.
I've continued my winning streak.
I've won every team challenge this far,
and I finally led a team to victory
and stayed the captain.
So I'm feeling super great right now.
Jason: Do you guys know how to swim?
I'm tired of losing. I've been on a losing team every single time.
Daniel: Jeff is so upset.
He's acting like a five-year-old
who didn't get to go on the field trip.
There's different ways to handle it, man.
You could hold your head high, know you did a great job,
go back tomorrow and fight for your life,
or you could sit here and you can bitch and moan
that you're not in the boat, buddy.
You make it sound like you're the only one
who wanted to win and doesn't like losing.
Yep, that's right, guys.
I'm-- I'm done.
Come on down, please, guys. Line up. Thank you.
Big Bear definitely turned into big disappointment, and I'm pissed.
Gordon: Let's go.
Jeff: The dish that we left to the side,
my dish, could have won us the entire challenge.
I just wish my team had believed more in me,
and I don't know if I got it in me
to do this right now.
For your pressure test tonight
you'll be making something from my wheelhouse,
an extremely-technical, outrageously difficult...
incredible box...
of chocolate truffles.
- Whoa! - Ooh.
Now, rich, sweet, decadent,
there are nine truffles in this box--
three each of three different flavors.
Now, each has a different coating,
and of course, a different center.
This one is a dark chocolate truffle
with a homemade honeycomb exterior.
- Oh! Wow. - Oh, nice.
You can tell how velvety and rich and luscious
and smooth that inner dark chocolate ganache is.
- ( whistles ) - Delicious.
Now this next one is a magnificent
milk chocolate truffle enrobed in cocoa powder.
Yes.
This truffle has a little bit of smoked salt,
- Mm-hmm. - bourbon, and toasted pecans
folded into that ganache.
- Ooh. - Both: Beautiful.
And then last, but certainly not least,
this beauty.
- That's beautiful. - ( whistles )
It's a white chocolate truffle.
This one has the sweetest white chocolate
and cherry truffle center.
Ooh.
All three are equally velvety,
intense, and utterly delicious.
And now you have to replicate them exactly,
and you'll have 60 minutes to do it.
And trust me, that won't be easy.
- Mm-mm-mm. - Head to your stations please.
Come on, guys. Y'all got this.
Eboni: They all better focus.
Jeff has struggled with desserts.
This is Daniel's first pressure test.
Yachecia thinks that she's a good baker,
but I don't think she usually gets her measurements together.
And Dino seems to like to prance
a little more than cook.
I don't know who gonna win.
At your stations, you have everything you need
to make a perfect box of truffles.
- Is everyone ready? - Yes, Chef.
Your 60 minutes starts...
now!
Come on, guys. You got this.
Good job, guys.
Now, box of truffles, this is, for me,
one of the most technical,
one of the most feared desserts.
Christina: Absolutely.
So three different types of truffles,
where do they start?
Christina: First thing is that honeycomb.
It's a sugar syrup.
A little bit of white vinegar.
It gets cooked to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sink it in the water, and then add baking soda,
which is going to cause the mixture to erupt, to aerate.
It becomes very brittle, it gets poured out,
and that's gonna need about 20 minutes to cool down
before it can even be used as an enrobing element
for that dark chocolate ganache.
- There you go. - Good job, Yachecia.
Second up, that chocolate ganache.
Gotta get that ganache made,
chocolate, heavy cream, butter,
heat up the liquids, pour it over the chocolate,
let the heat penetrate,
and then very gently start to whisk.
Now the ganaches all need to be done
in the first 30 minutes.
We will be able to tell whose got it and who doesn't
by how quickly they get their ganaches made
and put in the blast chiller.
Just under 15 minutes gone.
45 minutes to go.
You doing good, Yachecia.
- All right, Jeff. - How are ya?
You're kinda moving slow,
and it's not a molasses challenge.
- What's going on? Have you given up? - I'm not giving up.
I just don't wanna be here right now doing this challenge.
I get the vibe that you're sort of working angry tonight
- with these truffles. - Yeah.
If we had served the dish that was the right dish to go with,
we totally wouldn't have been in this pressure test
with a chance of going home. It stinks.
No matter how you're feeling right now, you gotta speed up.
I need all three of those ganaches
in the fridge in the next 15 minutes.
Ya gotta go, bud.
- Okay? - Will do. Thank you.
- Miss Yachecia. - Yes, Chef.
Talk to me. Have you made truffles before?
No, I have not, Chef.
All right, so this is your third pressure test.
- It is. - Do you feel that gives you an advantage here?
I think it does, because I know what it feels like to be down here.
I don't like it, but I've been known
to perform down here every single time.
Well, you got one thing going for you right now.
You're using Mexican chocolate,
which is the best chocolate in the whole world.
( laughs ) Absolutely, Chef.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Come on, Yachecia.
- Right, Daniel. - Yes, Chef.
First pressure test. Are you ready to leave this competition now?
Absolutely not, Chef.
Pressure test is where a lot of the competitors have proven themselves,
so I'm actually kinda looking forward to this.
I feel very confident in what I'm doing.
So honeycomb done? Good.
Correct. I just need to let this sit.
Get that nice and cold.
I have most of my ganaches done.
My milk chocolate already has the pecans
and the smoked salt and the bourbon in here,
and I'm gonna leave this to set.
- What are you worried about? - Not much.
I'm actually feeling really good right now.
I think I'm gonna win this thing.
I'm gonna be the first one up on that balcony.
- There's that confidence, man. - All right, Mr. Cocky.
- Taste everything, okay? - Absolutely. I'm thinking--
Because you can't change this taste after the set.
Yes, Chef.
- Good luck. - Thank you very much.
Your honeycomb looks good, Dino.
Thank you, babies.
- Now, Dino. - Yes, Chef.
I've seen you wow me before with desserts.
Is tonight gonna be an exception?
I really hope not. I wanna keep doing that,
'cause I really wanna live that dream one day
of opening up that pastry shop.
I wanna-- I actually have a name for it.
It's called "The Fat Cannoli," but, uh...
- "The Fat Cannoli." - Yeah.
Is that from one of the previous challenges
that you knocked out of the park?
Yeah. I'm really glad I got to impress you with that.
I wanna keep going because, you know,
after meeting you, that's definitely one of my dreams.
I love that. Thank you.
I gotta say, the way that you work in the kitchen,
- your ideas, - Yes, Chef.
got high hopes for you tonight.
Make sure that you taste that mouth feel
and that you've got nice, smooth ganache.
And keep your eye on this honeycomb.
- Go get it. - Thank you.
Gordon: We are halfway, guys.
30 minutes gone, 30 minutes remaining.
I don't know what the ( bleep ) I'm doing with this.
- Jeff, let's go. - Thanks.
Push, push, push, push. Faster, faster.
Come on, Jeff. You got this. Pick it up.
Now all of those ganaches
need to go into the blast chiller, otherwise it's game over.
They're gonntake about 10 minutes to cool.
Good job. Come on. Keep moving.
Ganaches need to be firm, they need to be hard,
because at the very end of this challenge,
you need to dip that truffle
to get that beautiful, perfect outer coating.
Come on, Jeff. You can do it. Get those ganaches made.
I can't do this.
Eboni: Jeff is moving so slow.
It's like he's so in his own head
that he can't even get right.
Yachecia, Daniel, and Dino all have their ganache done.
You gotta move, Jeff. Come on.
If Jeff can't get focused and get the ganache
and the honeycomb done, he's going home.
I don't even know what the ( bleep ) I'm doing.
I got chocolate there, I got chocolate here.
I can't believe Jeff giving up.
This is just a disaster. This is a ( bleep ) disaster.
Jeff is falling apart, you guys.
- Seriously. - Damn it, that's hot.
( bleep )
Gordon: Less than 20 minutes remaining.
Finesse, precision.
We want a beautiful box of nine truffles.
One of you is going home.
( bleep ). Damn it, that's hot.
Come on, Jeff, you can do it. Get those ganaches made.
I don't even know what the ( bleep ) I'm doing.
I got chocolate there. I got chocolate here.
Come on, Jeff. I know you ain't quitting on me.
You got this, Jeff. Come on.
This is just a disaster. This is a ( bleep ) disaster.
Jeff seems like he's given up.
- I can't do this. - You came here to cook.
Don't you got a son waiting on you?
Focus. You are smart.
You know how to do this. You can cook.
Jeff: More than half the time has gone by.
I have done nothing, but Eboni's right.
I'm here for my family,
my beautiful fiancée, my incredible little baby boy.
They believe in me.
Focus. Come on. You got this.
Okay.
I need to start believing in myself and get it going,
because I'm not going back home to Tampa right now.
White chocolate is done.
There you go, Jeff. Two more ganaches.
Get 'em in that fridge before the next ten minutes are up.
20 minutes left to go. Clean slate, get it done.
Cocoa, gold. Dark, next.
- You're doing good. - Bounce back.
Got your dark chocolate, got your milk chocolate. Done.
Jason: Make your family proud of you.
I know you can do it.
Dark chocolate and dark chocolate.
That's what I'm talking about, Jeff. Get it.
It's getting there. It's getting there. It's getting there.
Now all of those ganaches should be out of the blast chiller.
From there, they'll scoop out even quaities
of each ganache and roll them very gently
between the palm of their hands.
Ha ha! Yeah!
- Looks good, Yachecia. - There you go, Yachecia.
I'm very impressed with where Yachecia's at.
Her honeycomb looks beautiful.
She's staying very organized and calm.
Aarón: She seems to be really in charge of these truffles.
Baby doll! All right!
Christina: Dino, I have to say, is the other one
who's really impressing me out there tonight.
He's applying pressure and rolling those truffles.
He's really working like a pastry chef at this stage.
Ten minutes, guys. Last ten minutes.
( sighs )
Keep going, Jeff. Keep going.
All right, that's good.
Eboni: Come on, Jeff.
Let's talk about that white chocolate ganache.
You need to dip that truffle twice
to get that beautiful, perfect outer coating
with just a little sliver of cherry on top.
Cate: Looks good, Daniel. You're almost there.
Eboni: Looking good.
What are you, a pastry chef, Daniel?
Ugh!
Aarón: Nice and delicate, Yachecia.
Make sure they're completely encased.
Not coming together at all.
That's not good.
Christina: Now, Jeff is dipping
his white chocolate cherry truffle,
and it actually looks quite nice.
Aarón: It looks glazed and beautiful from here.
Ooh, looking good, Jeff.
Christina: Two minutes to go, guys.
Aarón: Get what you got in the box now.
- Come on, guys. - Go, go, go.
Gordon: Start setting yourself up for success.
Your chocolate have got to be set, guys.
Otherwise you cann put them into the box wet.
Oh, Lord! That is hideous.
Come on, Yachecia.
Get your truffles in your box.
Ugh!
You ain't came all the way from Detroit
to go home today, did you?
- 60 seconds. - Aarón: Come on, 60 seconds.
- Gabriel: Final stretch! - Christina: Gold leaf. Cherry.
- Gordon: Daniel, hurry up. - Daniel, move, man.
- 30 seconds remaining. - Eboni: Come on, come on, come on.
- Jason: Jeff, get 'em in the box. - Perfect those chocolates.
Get the gold leaf in the box.
- Come on. - Here we go.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
And stop! Well done.
( cheering )
- Great job! - Yes!
- Great job! - Gordon: Well done.
Oh, my God.
Christina: All right, please very gently
bring those truffle boxes down to the front.
Good job, guys. That was tough.
Good job, y'all. That was hard.
Jeff: This pressure test,
it got to me right from the beginning.
I wasted 30 minutes,
but somehow, some way, I got it done.
- Jeff. - Mm.
Let's see what this box of chocolates looks like.
- Visually, it's not perfect. - Mm-mm.
That honeycomb that's missing from the box
is actually meant to be enrobed around that dark chocolate ganache.
Let's take a look at this dark chocolate truffle.
( exhales )
- I'm impressed. - Thank you.
- You see that? - Yes.
That's a pretty impressive ganache. Look at that.
The center of the ganache,
it's almost impossibly smooth and luxurious.
I think, for me, the disappointment lies in the fact
that it's missing the honeycomb exterior.
It's a shame.
Next up, that milk chocolate truffle.
And, again, you've really nailed that beautiful,
smooth inner ganache.
Thank you very much.
I think the quantity of pecans you used is spot-on.
I would have loved for them to be in the center
so that I get them throughout.
Okay.
And the white chocolate truffle.
- Visually, it's... - The weakest.
- the worst-looking truffle in the box. - I would agree.
Tell you what, if it was a challenge
of impossibly smooth, rich ganaches,
you would have been a top runner.
But it's a challenge of a beautiful box of chocolate truffles,
- Yes, it is. - and you failed in the presentation,
- Yes, I did. - and some of the composition,
and I really don't know if that's enough
to stay in this competition at this point.
Understandable.
Dino, how did you feel it went?
It was, uh, probably the hardest challenge I've ever done.
Well, let's see what's in yours, Dino, okay?
Okay.
Look at that. Wow.
You know what, Dino? This takes training,
year and years of pastry production to nail this skill,
and I think visually you excelled.
Thank you, Chef.
So now I'm gonna look at
the ever-important ganache.
Oh, man.
I see pure beauty, my man.
Look how smooth that is.
You tempered it perfectly.
That's how it should look.
Oh, delicious.
The honeycomb is right there.
It's caramelized perfectly.
Very true to Chef Christina's.
Thank you, Chef.
Mm.
Right on point, flavor-wise.
Thank you, Chef.
I think it's well-balanced.
You got the double layer of the white chocolate there.
The consistency of the ganaches are unreal.
You kicked some ass.
Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Dino. - Nice job, Dino.
- Nice job. - Nice job.
Nice job.
Yachecia.
Okay, so, tough challenge.
Very tough.
Do you stand behind what's in your box?
I am proud of two of the truffles.
Well, that's not good enough.
Oh, no.
No.
No!
Yachecia.
You may as well untie your apron.
Yachecia.
Do you stand behind what's in your box?
I am proud of two of the truffles.
Well, that's not good enough.
Oh, no.
No!
Yachecia.
You may as well untie your apron.
Looks terrible. What is that?
It's horrible.
Mm, mm, mm.
Jeez.
These other two that you have completed
need to be immaculate, let me tell you.
Let's start off with the dark chocolate.
- Did you taste these? - I did, Chef.
And what was the feedback?
I thought it was good.
Your dark chocolate truffles...
are delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
Smooth ganache, perfect consistency.
Rich, moreish, everything you want from a truffle.
Yachecia: Thank you, Chef.
Right. The milk chocolate one.
Uh, Yachecia, delicious.
- Thank you, Chef. - The ganache is smooth,
has the right amount of bourbon in there.
I mean, it tastes perfect.
Now I've got nowhere to go now.
I've got two delicious truffles,
but we're judging the whole box of chocolates.
What a shame.
All right, Daniel. How did that go?
I'm very happy with what I was able to accomplish in those 60 minutes.
Let's take a look.
Let's do it.
Okay.
White chocolate truffles here,
it's clear you struggled there.
Yeah, I admittedly had a little bit of trouble with the coating.
It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.
- Let's see how they taste. - Please.
It's got cherries inside.
Looks like a really great ratio there.
You know, the flavors are definitely there,
but it's not unctuous and smooth.
( sighs )
Okay, let's take a look at these dark chocolate truffles.
What is this down here?
I think you have a piece of chocolate in there.
- Can you see that? - I can.
- Must not have melted. - That's not good.
Absolutely not.
The bits of the ganache that are smooth are smooth,
but there's big chunks in it,
- which is a number-one no-no - Of course. Of course.
when making chocolate truffles. Oh, what a shame.
Daniel: At this point in the competition,
it's definitely all about the minor deils
and getting everything as close to perfect as possible,
and I definitely didn't do that tonight.
Yachecia was missing a couple truffles.
Jeff got his coatings a bit mixed up.
You know, hopefully Yachecia and Jeff's mistakes
were big enough that they outweigh mine
and I can move up to that balcony
and into the top seven.
Now, first, the good news.
One of you did a fantastic job.
Please step forward...
Dino.
- Nice job, Dino. - Good job, buddy.
Nice job.
Dino, you nailed that box of chocolates tonight.
Please head on up to the balcony.
- Good job. - Well done.
- Baby doll, hurry up! - Congratulations. Well done.
- Good job. - Thank you.
All right, it comes down to you three.
Jeff, Yachecia, and Daniel--
all three of you up here for good reason,
and one of you will be going home.
Step forward, please...
Yachecia.
Please step forward, Jeff.
Jeff and Yachecia...
say goodbye to Daniel.
It's all right.
Head up.
Daniel, unfortunately that means your time is done
inside of the MasterChef kitchen.
It's down to these technical errors,
and the backbone of any truffle
is the ganache, unfortunately.
Um, incredible journey, gallant performance.
How are you feeling?
I didn't plan on going home any time soon,
but when my baby's born, I can tell him
that his daddy fought to the very end.
This is something I'll never forget,
and this is something that will light the path
for the rest of my life.
Absolutely.
Come and say goodbye, buddy.
Man. Ay-yi-yi.
- Thanks for everything. - Take care, bud.
- You did great, huh? - Thank you.
You guys made my journey incredible.
The positivity-- the positivity in you.
I'm going home proud, guys.
- Thank you, Daniel. - Love you guys.
- Good job, Daniel. - Nice job, Daniel.
- Win this for me, Dino. - Love you! You're amazing!
I guess I'm supposed to be upset or disappointed, but I'm not.
I'm so happy with what I've done,
what I've accomplished, and, uh, I get to go home.
I get to hold my fiancée, I get to feel my baby kick.
Thank you very much, Chefs.
I'm going home too soon,
but I'm going home happy and with my head high.
- I'm coming to the baby shower! - See you in Boston!
I might be 5'5",
but I feel like I'm eight feet tall right now.
- Announcer: Next week... - It's chopsticks!
...it's a mystery box from across the globe.
Whoo!
Your MasterChef dreams
are truly on the line tonight.
And then...
- Oh, my goodness. Pasta. - Ow!
- The home cooks... - Come on.
face their toughest challenge yet...
Yachecia: Lord, I'm gonna need all the help I can get.
Pasta's the star of the dish,
so if it's not perfect, I'm done.
The dish is a mess, and I'm pissed.
leading to an elimination...
This is one of the toughest decisions we've ever had to make.
...that shakes up the competition.
( sobs )
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