Narrator: Tonight...
We are going to try something different.
- ...the top 15... - Find a partner right away.
- Yo, guys, what's up? - ...team up...
...for a game of chicken.
- Come on. - A well-known ingredient.
- Whoo! - What the hell?
I am not getting this off.
- One great partner. - Why did you slice it that way?
- Piece of cake. - I've seen better in "Junior MasterChef."
Who mauled this?
And then, a grueling challenge returns.
- Contestants: Ooh! - Oh!
A dish that strikes fear in the heart of every home cook.
( Whistles )
- The top 15. - ( cheers )
- Let's go, guys. - Whoo!
Ooh!
I'm in the top 15!
Each mentor has five aprons left in the competition.
Being one of the youngest,
like, I did not expect to make it this far,
but I'm here for Gordon.
Welcome back. Let's go!
And I'm not going home any time soon.
- Yeah! - What are these?
Last month, I was in accounting, closing the books.
Now I'm out here closing in to this MasterChef title.
I'm looking at the other home cooks.
These are definitely the cream of the crop.
Okay, are all of you ready for tonight's challenge?
All: Yes!
Tonight, you'll be working...
...in pairs.
- ( Sighs ) - ( whistles )
And guess what.
You can choose your own partners.
- ( Whistles ) - I love it.
Please find a partner right away.
- Be my partner? Yeah, okay. - Yeah.
Bowen: I want to work with Shanika,
because she has a lot of knowledge about food.
And she's always telling the truth.
She's not sugarcoating.
I think most of the people, they don't like it.
Cesar.
There's one individual in particular
that I would just be enamored to be working with, and that's Cesar.
- Sir? - I think there's a lot
I can learn from somebody like him.
Oh, um, yo, what's up? Yo, guys, what's up, dude?
All right, everyone's got a partner.
I got left.
- Ralph, you don't have a partner. - I got left out.
- Ralph: There is nobody left. - Oh, my God.
I feel like I just got picked last in dodgeball.
Like, this is not a good feeling.
Sorry, Ralph.
Gordon: Now, tonight, you all have to work with...
- Nice. - Ooh!
...whole chicken, carrots,
onion, bacon, and cornmeal,
five stunning ingredients that are really accessible
to any American home cook.
Gordon, Aarón, and I took those five simple ingredients,
and we each made a different dish.
- Ooh. - Oh.
Now, when I see ingredients like this,
my mind immediately goes to classic Italian flavors.
So, I made...
chicken cacciatore
with polenta and crispy pancetta.
Fantastic!
For me, when I see these five ingredients,
the first thing I thought about
was incorporating my Southern and Latin roots.
So, I made...
cornmeal crusted chicken thigh with bacon jam,
carrot and chipotle puree, and fried onions.
It doesn't get better than that.
Now, both those dishes look amazing,
but for me, I think of the French countryside.
So, here you have...
an amazing pan-seared chicken breast,
spiced roasted carrots, caramelized onions,
and a beautiful polenta cake.
- Amazing. - Wow.
Now, for you, Ralph, listen carefully.
- Yes, Chef. - Since you don't have a partner,
tonight you get to cook with...
- ...your mentor, Joe Bastianich. - ( cheering )
Ralph: Let's go, Joe!
( laughs )
Joe: Me and you, baby. How lucky are you, bro?
Ralph: I got you, Joe.
Here's the best news.
You're also safe from elimination.
Oh, wow!
Dude, no way.
Joe, please join the big man Ralph.
- All right. - Best of luck.
- Whoo! - Let's go.
Let's go, bro. Wow.
- This is the dream team. - Dream team right here.
All right, so, home cooks and Joe,
tonight you will have 45 minutes to make an exquisite dish
utilizing whole chicken, carrot,
onion, bacon, and cornmeal.
You'll also have access to a pantry,
that features a wide array of ingredients
that will help you personalize all of your dishes.
- Now, everybody, ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 45 minutes starts...
- ...now. Let's go. - Where we going?
- This station over here. - Come on, come on, come on.
- What are you thinking? - I'm thinking pakora waffle.
- Yeah. It's-- - I think that's a cool idea.
I love this.
So, we'll do this really quick.
I'm happy to work with Taylor.
We worked in a field challenge together.
- She stepped up as captain. - I mean, we can do--
Also do one of the onions, but if we can do the--
And we both have a strong respect for each other.
I know that having her as a partner
is going to be stellar.
All right, so we have five ingredients here, Gordon,
the chicken, the carrot, the onion,
the bacon, and the cornmeal.
A dream list of ingredients.
You want me to do both onions?
I mean, you might as well chop 'em up.
These amateurs tonight should be so familiar,
but I want to see an elevated dish,
almost like two signature dishes
combining into one unique plate.
Aarón: Absolutely.
- I got acid of the wine, acid of the lemon. - All right.
So, tonight, working in pairs, Cesar and Mark...
Polenta is there in two minutes.
- ...Chelsea and Samantha, - What do you think?
- Farhan and Emily, - You wanna try that?
- Shanika and Bowen, - Hey, looking good, Bowen.
- Ashley and Taylor, - I think we got it.
- Ryan and Gerron, - A little garlic powder for sure.
- And Julia and S.J. - Do you wanna do that thing with the crispy skin?
Yeah, sure.
- Come on, come on. - I got you.
Joe: I'm teaching him everything I know.
There's gonna be no secrets left by the time this is done.
So, who do you think is gonna shine tonight?
Aarón: I'm looking at Gerron and Ryan.
They both have a love for Southern flavors.
- Sure. - So, I'm looking for them to be very successful.
This polenta is simply corn, right?
- Corn just-- okay. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, just cornmeal.
- Okay. - But it's gonna add kind of a more crunchy texture.
- You have measuring cups over there? - Yeah.
Ashley and Taylor, okay, two of my girls.
Yep. I think personally, they're too friendly.
They might not wanna say that tough thing to one another.
- Or correct one another. - Exactly.
- That's what I'm worried about. - Do you have a spoon?
- Need a spoon, need a spoon. - This it?
- Need a spoon. Yeah, yeah. - Let me use it.
Guys, 10 minutes gone. 35 minutes to go.
We're kinda doing, like, our play on some Southern foods,
so we're doing an Indian spice fried chicken,
and then we're doing a pakora waffle to go along with it,
- with a hot lime-- - Like a hot chili lime maple syrup.
It's like my Southern New Orleans style
and his Indian style coming together. It's gonna be amazing.
We're gonna do a chicken breast,
and we're gonna have, like, a creamy onion sauce on top,
and then we're gonna do polenta cake with that.
I'm taking lead on this, and Samantha is here to taste
and make sure everything is executed correctly.
We're doing a roast chicken breast
with a polenta cake, carrot slaw, and onion sauce.
We just collaborated on different ideas
and we work well together,
- so it seems like it's gonna work. - Gordon: 20 minutes gone,
25 minutes remaining. Let's go.
- Right, Cesar and Mark. Tell me about the dish. - Yes, Chef.
- What we doing? - We're gonna go with caramelized onion,
and bacon polenta cake, Chef.
And then what we're gonna with the chicken,
we're gonna try to make a roulade.
I'm gonna make a mousse out of the white meat.
- Very complicated dish. - It is.
- Good luck. - Thank you, Chef.
Hey, Ryan.
I see that flambé action, baby.
- You like that? - I like that.
- Ryan, Gerron, what's going on? - What's up, Chef?
All right, so talk to me about your dish.
We're two Southern boys.
We got some good fried chicken going on.
We got some cabbage, we got some bacon and onion jam
with some bourbon in there.
- All right, good luck, gentlemen, okay? - Thank you, Chef.
- Oh. - It's looking terrible.
- It looks terrible. - That's my bad. Sorry.
Okay. What are we gonna do?
- What do we do? - I don't know.
Right, Ashley and Taylor. Tell me about the dish.
We are highlighting our Southern roots.
- Right. - So, we're making cornbread and a carrot puree.
What's the onion shallots for?
We wanted to have an onion petal,
and then put some of the gravy inside.
- Petal? - Right.
Where you brulée the onion and then you peel--
That's normally in a cipollini
or something smaller, less harsh.
Is it for visual or is it for flavor?
I've never done it before, Chef. I wanted to taste it first.
Why are you doing things, testing them,
that you've never tasted before?
It's just sounding all over the place.
Oh, my Lord.
Who mauled this?
Just answer me. Who mauled this?
I did, Chef. I twisted it out of the joint.
- Do you know how to break down a chicken? - Yes, Chef.
- Do you know how to break down-- - Yes, Chef.
You're two girls I believed in.
I mean, I've seen better performances
in "Junior MasterChef" with eight-year-olds.
Oh, my Lord.
( Blows raspberry )
Who mauled this?
Just answer me. Who mauled this?
I did, Chef. I twisted it out of the joint.
I'm-- I'm just expecting a better quality.
You're two girls I believed in.
I mean, I've seen better performances
in "Junior MasterChef" with eight-year-olds.
- Get it together, girls. - Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Oh, my Lord.
Whoo, baby!
The chicken's good. It's ready to go.
- Put it on here and then put it in the blast chiller. - I got you. I got you.
- 11 minutes to go. - Aarón: Let's go!
- Gordon: Speed up, guys. - Whoo!
All right, so, Shanika, Bowen-- You're from Miami, Shanika.
- We have Bowen all the way from China. - Yep.
How are you gonna guys gonna incorporate both
of your particular styles in this one dish
and make something harmonious and delicious?
He's sweet, I'm spicy,
so we're gonna cook sweet and spicy.
Bowen: I'm gonna make a stuffed chicken breast
with some pork.
Shanika: We're gonna go ahead and pair that with a polenta cake.
And then we're gonna go ahead and do an apple-carrot salad,
doing an Asian twist on it with some ginger, lemon,
- with, you know, some bacon. - All right. Good luck.
Thank you.
Joe: Keep it going, keep it going.
We wanna, like, get a nice crust on it. Don't be afraid.
Right, Joe, what's the idea behind this? What are you doing?
So it's a polenta cake with a little Parmigiano,
and we're gonna do a chicken Milanese
with an arugula salad with some pancetta and tricolor tomatoes.
- What's in there, Ralph? - Polenta, cream, butter.
Is everything going according to plan, Ralph?
This is amazing. I mean, it's turning out perfect.
- Good luck. - Thank you, thank you.
- Beautiful, beautiful. - Dude, Emily, I'm so excited right now.
Gordon: Just under eight minutes to go.
What do you think about this color I'm getting on this chicken?
- I love it, I love it. - Loving it? Loving that color?
- Oh, yeah. - Gordon: Fascinating.
Cesar and Mark are doing a stuffed chicken roulade.
But here's the problem: They're taking the breast of the chicken,
turning that into a mousse, and stuffing that inside a thigh.
Aarón: And a chicken thigh is hard when it's stuffed
'cause you never know if it's cooked or not.
- So, I'm gonna do it here. - Get that meat out.
- Yeah, get that meat out. - Speaking of roulades,
Bowen and Shanika, they have a chicken breast
that has pork stuffing, which potentially could be undercooked
and the chicken breast overcooked,
so there's that.
90 seconds remaining. Speed up, guys.
- I like that sauce. Good job on the sauce. - Thanks.
This is gonna be ♪ amazing !
- We gotta get that chicken on there. - Go for it.
- I don't think we can slice it. Look, we have 30 seconds. - We have to slice it.
- We gotta get the bacon on top. - Bacon on top of carrots?
- In half. - No. This way?
The bacon. Where's the bacon?
- Go, go, go, go. - At an angle, at an angle.
- Oh, that's what I'm saying. - Here, then you go.
- Okay. - 20 seconds remaining.
Why did you slice it that way?
Taylor and Ashley are flustered like anything.
- Gordon: Oh, my Lord. - Look at how this is cut.
- It's the wrong way. - Okay.
Gordon and Aarón: Ten, nine, eight, seven,
- six, five, four, - Carrots, bro.
- Three, two, one. - Just throw it on, just throw it on.
- Gordon: And stop. - Aarón: That's it.
- ( Applause ) - Gordon: Wow.
Well done!
- Nice. - Let's go, Joe.
Now it's time to get even closer to those dishes.
Please, Joe and Ralph, step forward. Thank you.
Ralph: I'm just so happy to have made this dish
with my mentor Joe B.
I got so much tips that somebody
would pay Joe a lot of money for.
Definitely one of the best days of my life.
- Gordon: Wow. - Aarón: Unreal.
That looks delicious.
Ralph, describe the dish, please.
Ralph: It's a chicken Milanesa with a fried polenta cake
and a fresh arugula salad with pickled veggies,
and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Ralph, this is a once- in-a-lifetime experience
- to be working with a man of Joe's caliber. - Ralph: Exactly.
What did you learn?
Definitely, number one, the techniques.
You know, starting out with the polenta,
how to properly bread the chicken,
how to spread it, like, very thin, but also even.
Chicken tastes like it's confit.
- Yep. - It's so soft and tender.
And you used the cornmeal correctly.
You cooked it out and then caramelized it.
The bacon adds a beautiful seasoning to the salad.
- Ralph: Exactly. - And that's what it needed. It needed some salt,
it needed some love. And that chicken, forget about it.
Outstanding job. Seriously, delicious.
Ralph, the first one on the balcony. Well done.
- High five, bro. - Thanks, Joe.
- Thanks, man. - Thanks, Chef.
Gordon: Right.
Next, we'd like to taste Cesar and Mark.
Mark and I are proud of the work
we put into this dish.
There was teamwork, there was communication,
and we feel we created a successful plate.
This teacher-student team is definitely earning an A tonight.
- Mark, Cesar. - Yes, Chef.
Describe the dish, please.
Cesar: So, we have a chicken roulade,
where I took the thigh,
filled it with chicken mousse made out of the breast.
I put in bell pepper, jalapeños,
and then the polenta cake. We folded in bacon
and caramelized onions, and then we roasted the carrots.
Who conceptualized this dish?
I did, Chef.
And are you proud of this dish?
- Yes, Chef. - Absolutely.
It looks terrible.
Come on, guys.
It's like the size of a quarter.
It looks sad. It looks unappetizing.
It's terrible!
Mark, Cesar, it looks terrible.
It looks sad. It looks unappetizing,
and it's like the size of a quarter.
So I've got more polenta and carrots than I have chicken.
I've got four slices of chicken,
and I've got raw bell pepper in a chicken mousse.
It does not make sense.
It's just-- It's really badly executed.
It tastes terrible. Come on, guys.
The best part of the chicken is the thigh,
and the one that needs all the work is the breast.
But you've pureed the breast and put it inside a thigh.
The carrots are the most tastiest thing on there.
I'm underwhelmed, I'm disappointed,
and you need to step up, both of you.
- Absolutely. - Understood, Chef.
I was absolutely confident in our dish,
but I couldn't have been more wrong.
I don't know what's up, I don't know what's down,
but I think I might be facing my first elimination challenge.
Next up, Julia and S.J., please. Let's go.
I'm really proud of the way that S.J. and I work together,
and I'm really confident in the dish,
but the judges' expectations are high.
So I don't know if we did enough to be safe tonight.
S.J., describe the dish, please.
So you have a pan-seared and roasted chicken breast,
baby carrot-pickle salad, crispy chicken skin chicharrón,
polenta cake and a white wine reduction cream sauce.
Who took charge of that tonight?
Julia definitely did, Chef.
- And who cooked that chicken? - I did.
Ah, beautiful.
Wow. And delicious.
Seasoning on point, chicken cooked beautifully,
and the crispy skin just gives it that extra texture.
Sauce immaculate,
and the whole thing is just restaurant quality.
Well done, both of you.
- Thank you so much. - Gordon: Amazing.
It's really delicious.
The chicharrón is great, the polenta cake is textbook.
And here's what I love, guys.
You put this really beautiful smattering
of herbs and garlic on top of the chicken.
And that right there, friends, is the difference
between something being good to being exceptional.
Great job.
- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you so much.
( Applause )
- Good job, guys. - Joe: Okay, next, Farhan and Emily.
Tell me about the dish.
Farhan: So we did an Indian style chicken and waffles.
Emily spearheaded the chicken and I helped spice it up.
And I thought of doing a pakora waffle,
and then we came together on a slaw.
The chicken's actually seasoned well.
It's really crispy
and this waffle is really good,
but there's a tone of sweetness that pervades everything.
But it's a great collaboration.
Gordon: Next up, Bowen, Shanika.
Describe the dish, please.
Shanika: We have a pork-stuffed chicken.
It has a sweet and spicy sauce,
fried polenta that's cooked with chicken broth, butter,
and salt and pepper.
The chicken breast is the toughest one to get right,
and it's dry quickly.
So, putting the pork through the center is a very smart move.
The polenta is delicious
and that sauce just lifts it up.
Great job.
Aarón: Next up, Samantha and Chelsea.
Samantha and I made a crispy chicken breast
with caramelized onion cream sauce,
with a Parmesan polenta cake,
and then carrots with bacon lardons.
The chicken is cooked perfectly.
And that onion sauce, it's beautiful,
it's soft, it's luscious.
It's giving the necessary richness to the dish.
The texture on the polenta cake I'm iffy about,
but the flavor's there. Good job, ladies.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Whoo! - Nice work, guys.
Next up, Ryan and Gerron.
I've made fried chicken numerous of times.
I grew up, five years old in the kitchen
making fried chicken with my mom,
and so I'm really feeling confident about this dish.
Gentlemen, describe the dish, please.
Ryan: What we have is
cornmeal-crusted fried chicken
with dual-colored cabbage,
and also a bourbon, bacon, and onion jam on the side.
This is crunchy as anything.
It sounds like I'm eating a bag of freaking chips.
Please don't tell me
that you dredged this chicken in that whole cornmeal.
That's what I did, Chef.
You can't take cornmeal, crunchy cornmeal,
and then cook it by frying it.
You gotta grind this first.
I've never known that, Chef.
It's just crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.
However, it's seasoned on point,
but that is not your best effort.
Period.
There's some good elements on this dish.
This jam is actually delicious. It's super spicy.
Sweet. Love it.
The cabbage is fine, but, um...
the hero of your dish is a travesty.
It's too bad, because, like, two good guys.
Sorry, man.
- I'm not feeling too great. - It's all good, brother.
It's not the review that I wanted,
but I should've done something about that cornmeal
and broken it down.
But, hey, shoulda, coulda, woulda, right?
Next up, Ashley and Taylor.
- ( Sighs ) - ( applause )
Our final dish is completely not what we planned on.
Ashley and I were definitely not on the same page,
and it is completely coming through on this plate.
I am just mortified.
Okay, describe the dish, please.
Ashley: Pan-seared chicken breast
with sautéed carrots and bacon, and cornbread cake.
First of all, I have never ever seen
such a dysfunctional 45 minutes
in the history of this competition.
- What happened? - ( exhales )
Things went wrong quickly.
Honestly, I didn't really agree
with our concept in the beginning.
But I asked if we can--
"Are you gonna nail this cornbread?"
And I trusted Ashley in nailing a carrot puree,
and she said yes and we had nothing.
Carrot puree? Where is that?
It's-- it's not there, Chef.
Why puree baby carrots?
You could eat them freaking raw.
That was Taylor's idea.
She wanted a carrot puree at the bottom of the plate.
- Oh, my God. - That was-- no, we both said a carrot puree.
- Carrot puree. - And I said, "Can you nail that?" And you said yes.
And I said, "Leave some whole so that we can have sautéed carrots."
I don't remember you saying that.
Ashley and Taylor, why puree baby carrots?
- You could eat them freaking raw. - That was Taylor's idea.
She wanted a carrot puree at the bottom of the plate.
- Oh, my God. - That was-- no, we both said a carrot puree.
And I said, "Can you nail that?" And you said yes.
And I said, "Leave some whole."
I don't remember you saying that.
( Whispers ) Take responsibility. Damn.
Watching both of you work is like chewing gum
with a mouth full of nuts.
Two smart, talented girls, and look at the result.
Salt on point. But seriously?
The cornbread is dry, it's crumbly.
And out of all those carrots, that's what I've got.
And they're bitter.
And the chicken's cut like freaking elephant toenails.
Who cuts it like that?
I started to cut it,
and then Ashley was like, "Don't cut it that way."
- So, she cut right into it. - Oh, my Lord.
So you couldn't even cut a chicken breast up together.
Nope.
Here's what pains me more than anything.
What I saw, what I tasted,
and what I believed in both of you
weeks ago coming into this competition,
was nothing short of phenomenal.
But right now,
with these two guys standing behind me like that,
I look the biggest idiot in this kitchen.
We both have a Gordon Ramsay pin on our aprons,
and we have dishonored him.
If he would've just ripped it off of us,
I don't know if I could've blamed him.
Tonight, some of you really embraced this challenge
and shone as a team.
The winning team is...
Julia and S.J. Well done.
Whoo! I got the best dish of the night with Julia.
You are safe from elimination.
Please, head up to the safety of the balcony.
My hunch about Julia was right.
She is just a great cook,
and I'm just glad that I was able to work together with her.
Now for the bad news.
Please, all the remaining teams come down to the front.
- Ashley and Taylor, - ( whispers ) Oh, my God.
Ryan and Gerron,
Cesar and Mark.
You six are obviously cooking in the next challenge.
The rest of you are safe.
Head up to the balcony, please.
- Thank God. - Well done. Great jobs.
I'm going into my first elimination challenge.
I couldn't be more nervous.
It's very intimidating,
but I absolutely plan to make Joe proud
and stay in this competition.
Your second and final challenge of the night
is nothing like your first.
Tonight you'll be replicating a dish
that strikes fear in the heart of every home cook,
and a dish that is just as frightening
for seasoned chefs like us.
It is of course...
...a cheese soufflé.
- Ooh, a soufflé. - ( whispers ) Oh, my God.
Gordon: A true wonder of the culinary world,
crisp on top, and inside?
Soft and creamy and cheesy.
Look at it.
Every mouthful is a delight.
Mmm.
Nice.
But simplicity can be misleading.
Tonight, all of you need to focus
and make us the best soufflé of your lives.
Elimination is on the line,
and at least one of you will be going home.
Joe: You'll have 40 minutes for this challenge.
Within that 40 minutes,
you need to serve us one perfect soufflé,
and you can serve it any time you'd like
within that 40 minutes.
Now, if you're smart, you'll have a strategy.
Think about it.
Three ramekins, two ovens,
one perfect soufflé.
Gordon: This is not a race tonight,
but you must have a soufflé on the table behind you
by the time your 40 minutes is up.
Now, all of you, head to your stations.
I have never made a soufflé in my entire life,
and I am terrified
because there's no room for error.
Aarón: In front of you,
you all have the same exact ingredients
to make us a cheese soufflé.
Right. Your 40 minutes starts...
...now.
- Let's go, guys. - Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- Stay organized. - Let's go, y'all.
Right, six talented home cooks all fighting for their lives.
Right now, this is not a time to be adventurous.
You need to be focused, smart, and understand
that soufflés are chemistry.
Gerron: Make sure that I measure my butter out correctly.
So, Gordon, give me some insight
on what the soufflé is all about.
First of, you make the most amazing béchamel sauce.
That's your base, served with butter, flour.
And then you bring the milk up to a boil.
And you season that, little bit of onion powder, garlic powder.
You add that milk to your roux,
and that's the start of your cheese sauce.
Gordon: Grated cheese in, take it off the heat.
If you overcook that roux with the cheese in there,
the fat starts to seep out,
- Mmm. - And it's already broken.
Base is working.
Once you've got this beautiful, light, creamy béchamel cheese sauce,
let it cool down and fold in your egg yolks.
You then start whipping your egg whites.
- Perfect. - Just under 10 minutes gone.
30 minutes remaining.
- I need-- - Take your time, Ashley.
Stay organized, baby. Stay organized.
Ashley, how you feeling?
I am feeling strong, Chef.
The first soufflé I ever had was a cheese soufflé in France,
so I'm, like, channeling all of these memories.
Have you ever made a cheese soufflé before?
I've made it one time.
The first time, I was successful.
I had eight aprons to give out,
- and you were one of them. - Yes, Chef.
- I'm expecting big things from you. - Absolutely.
- Let's go. Good luck. - Thank you, Chef.
- Quarter cup, coming up. - It looks good, Mark!
- Joe: All right, Mark. - Yes, sir.
You're wearing my apron. Are you worried?
I'm a little worried just because I am in the elimination.
- It is my first time. - Do you make a lot of soufflés at home?
I'm more of a dessert soufflé person.
If you can make a dessert soufflé,
you can make this, right? Doesn't change that much.
So, three ramekins, two ovens.
Are you gonna put all three ramekins in at the same time?
Oh, no way. Absolutely not. That's too many eggs in one basket.
I'm gonna go one, wait a few minutes, maybe two,
and then after the first one comes out, I'll have the third in.
- Good luck, man. - Thank you so much.
Shanika: You got this, Ryan. You got this.
All right, Ryan. How we doing, buddy?
I'm not super confident, 'cause this is a--
A little outta my territory, but I'm trying.
I'm not psyching myself out on this.
Those are the people that go home.
I only had eight of those aprons
and I trusted you with one of them.
All right, counting on you.
Go. Keep going, keep going.
Gordon: 17 minutes to go.
In three minutes from now,
you've got to start putting soufflés in the oven.
Look. Cesar's cheese, it looks a little bit broken.
I hope he hasn't put the cheese in,
- cooked it out on the stove, - Right.
And the oil's coming out of it.
- I hope not. - Joe: It starts to break.
Guys, calm, cool, collected Ashley's got one in the oven.
Shanika: All right, Ashley.
I'm really worried about Taylor.
- Come on. - The one who's running behind right now
that I'm seriously concerned about is Taylor.
S.J.: Let's go, Taylor. Come on.
Guys, look at Ryan's mix.
It doesn't look like there's any cheese in there.
It looks like yogurt.
Gordon: Mark's going in.
- Mark's going in. - Let's go, Cesar.
- There we go, Gerron, dude. - Gerron's in. Gerron is in.
Shanika: You got this, Ryan. You got this.
Taylor's the only one with no soufflé in. Wow.
- Taylor. You've got to get a soufflé in the oven. - Yes.
Yes, Chef.
- Work faster, work faster, come on. - You can do it.
Let's go, Taylor!
Everybody has their soufflés in the oven but Taylor,
and time is running out, like, fast.
Doesn't it take 11 minutes for a soufflé to cook?
She's done.
- Gordon: Taylor, get one in the oven now. - I don't have it mixed.
Samantha: Taylor, just get it in.
Gordon: 11 minutes to go.
Taylor's the only one with no soufflé in. Wow.
Taylor, get one in the oven now.
I don't have it mixed.
Gordon: 11 minutes to go.
Taylor, everybody has their soufflés in the oven but you.
Doesn't it take 11 minutes for a soufflé to cook?
Let's go, Taylor!
Samantha: Taylor, just get it in.
Taylor, you better hustle.
Minimum time for cooking is 11 minutes.
We've got to get them in.
All right, guys, Taylor's soufflé is finally in
at 10 minutes to go.
( Sighs )
Joe: I'm really concerned about Taylor.
I don't know what we're gonna taste.
I don't know if Taylor's is gonna turn out.
Gordon: So, you can come back from that.
With 60 seconds left to go, crank up the heat.
- Joe: But it's a risk. - Gordon: There is a risk.
You crank up the oven too early and the soufflé can explode.
It'll actually pop out of its mold.
The waiting game.
This is the worst part of soufflé.
Eight minutes to go.
Taylor, what is happening with you tonight?
- Where's the soufflés? - I-- they're all in there.
When you put it at the top of the oven,
- what happens to soufflés? - It's closer to the heat.
And the top of the soufflé cooks, underneath is raw.
You haven't got many choices left now.
- So just be smart. - Okay.
Okay? And crank that oven up when necessary.
Don't go too early.
- Oh. Oh, yeah. - They rising?
Uh-oh! I got a riser.
Gerron, you need the soufflé
in the middle there so it cooks evenly.
Which one's coming out first?
I believe this one is the one
that's supposed to be coming out first.
It's kinda tilted a little bit,
so I'm probably gonna have to go with the other one, Chef.
You're here for a reason, because Joe believed in you.
Be decisive. It needs to be down there before the end.
- Okay, thank you. - Ralph: Hey, guys,
keep a close eye on the time, man.
Just be ready to put it out.
Right, young man. Where we going? Tell me.
This is my first one. So far, it's taking a rise, so...
Gordon: What's the paper under there?
- The parchment paper, Chef. - Why?
I should've taken it off. I don't know why I didn't.
Sometimes when that paper blows,
- It might hit the-- - It might hit the soufflé.
Don't touch it now. Let's just hope it doesn't blow.
- Okay. - But you're in there.
- ( Sighs ) - This is freaking torture.
Gordon: Four minutes remaining.
Oh, my God.
- Aarón: This is intense. - I can hear the trepidation
in their voice. They are so nervous.
- Are they up against it? - They're sticking them in the top of the oven.
So if they crank up the heat, it's gonna burn on top
- and it'll be raw underneath. - Oh, that's a problem.
Gordon: All of you remember, when the clock is at zero,
you need to have a soufflé down in front of us.
Three minutes to go.
( Groans )
Ashley's opened the oven door.
Soufflé out. Mark's got one out.
- Look at Mark's. - Soufflé's going back in.
What's he doing putting it back in the oven?
- Oh, my-- - What is he doing?
Rule number one, you don't take a soufflé
out of the oven and then stick it back in,
- You can't do that. - Because the temperature difference.
- Yep, absolutely. - It'll start deflating it.
Don't second-guess, just choose.
- Just choose. - Oh, no.
I'm not gonna use this one.
Beautiful, Ashley. Beautiful.
I'm coming.
- Yes! - Ashley's coming.
- ( Applause ) - There you go, Ash.
Right. Well done.
There we go, Ryan. Get that up there.
Wow.
Let's go.
Ashley: My soufflé looks great,
but does it taste as good as it looks?
There is no room for error.
It needs to be perfectly cooked
or I may be going home.
Oh, my God.
I know I'm not down there cooking,
but I'm sweating like I am.
Everyone down there is scrambling,
and on top of that, the judges are tasting
each and every soufflé as they come out of the oven.
I mean, this is literally the most insane challenge
I've ever seen before.
Gordon: One minute to go.
- Keep going, guys! Keep going! - Good job, guys. Come on.
- Work faster, work faster. - You can do it.
- Get up there! Go! - Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
- Joe: Let's go, guys. Come on. - Gordon: Come on, guys.
- Let's go, Mark. Let's go. - ( whispers ) I'm just--
- Come on. - Aarón: Come on, guys.
- Get it up there. - Gerron!
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - Four, three, two, one.
- That's it. - And stop.
Whoo!
Gordon: All of you, well done.
Wow, looks good.
I'm so glad I'm not down there cooking,
because making a cheese soufflé
was a very difficult challenge to pull off in 40 minutes,
and no matter who goes home,
we're definitely gonna be losing someone strong.
Gerron: It's so quiet that you can hear a pin drop,
and the judges are not giving anything away.
Based on their faces, I cannot tell
whether this is a good dish, whether it's bad.
This is so intense.
Cesar: This is my first time in an elimination challenge,
and, personally, I feel good.
I think, visually, my cheese soufflé looks great.
I really like the golden brown color
around the edges of the soufflé,
but tonight could come down to one mistake
and I'm out the door.
Wow.
That was the toughest, the most grueling 40 minutes
you've ever experienced inside this kitchen.
All of you now, come around to the front, please. Let's go.
Excuse us.
( Whispers ) This is really tough.
That was extraordinary.
- That was good. - Jeez.
So many different factors that are involved there.
I don't know about mine. I didn't get a chance to taste it.
- One was just egg whites, right? - Yeah, insufficient cheese.
Like, basically an egg white omelet.
I hope they like the taste of mine, man.
- The other one was undercooked, broken. - Yeah.
Gordon: Separated, so it didn't rise properly.
I think only one of my corners was still custardy.
One outstanding one, by the way, can I just say? Textbook.
- Absolutely. - It was cheesy and creamy and good.
- It was a tough one. - It was a diff-- definitely a tough one.
- All right, ready? - Yeah, go, go.
All right, guys, tonight you all performed admirably,
but we have to say goodbye
to at least one of you.
Now, there was one home cook that brought us a soufflé
that was clearly head and shoulders above the rest,
done by one of the home cooks wearing my apron.
An incredible performance
from a 19-year-old dishwasher.
- Well done, Mark. - Nice work, Mark.
Good job, buddy.
You are safe. Head up to the balcony.
Good job!
It was my first elimination challenge,
and I came out on top.
This is definitely something that really shows
that I'm worth that investment Joe put in to me.
Now, there are three home cooks
that didn't quite nail it,
nor did they do so bad
that they have to leave this evening.
Ashley,
Gerron,
Taylor.
( Whispers ) Are you kidding me?
Please, head up to the balcony.
Now for the bad news.
Two home cooks, both mentored by Aarón.
Cesar, you know your mixture wasn't perfect.
There's nobody in this room that can continue making a soufflé
with a broken cheese sauce.
Ryan, there was excessive egg white
in lumps across your mix.
You both made some fundamental errors this evening.
When I call your name, please step forward.
Cesar.
Uh-oh.
Tonight...
you are safe.
- Oh, my gosh. - Gordon: Head on upstairs.
I'm happy I'm safe, but I'm not happy with myself.
It's a wake-up call for me.
Just like I tell my students,
I have to make sure I bring my best effort
every single time.
Ryan, unfortunately, young man,
your soufflé tonight tasted more of egg white
than it did of a cheese soufflé.
That's why you're leaving this competition.
Aarón: Ryan, let me tell you,
I saw your spirit, your unbelievable cool demeanor,
and that's why I chose to give you one of my aprons.
You've grown throughout this journey.
Please keep your head up.
You have a beautiful future ahead of you.
Young man, please, place your apron
on top of your bench.
- Thank you. - Hey.
- Much love. - We'll see you in Houston.
- Love you, Ryan. - ( cheering )
Ryan: Nobody wants to be eliminated,
but it's been a dream ride.
I came into this competition
just a drummer from Houston, Texas,
but now I know that I'm more than that.
Love you, bro.
I've played on some of the greatest stages in the world,
but I definitely found my rhythm
in the MasterChef kitchen.
Narrator: Next time,
the MasterChef restaurant opens its doors
to the world's toughest food critics.
- All: I want food! - So many kids.
Welcome, welcome. Your table is waiting.
- This is impossible. - I need steaks over here.
- Let's go, let's go! - Do you like New York strip?
- Uh, no thanks. - Oh, dear.
- And a special guest... - Whoo!
Christina Tosi, the queen of cakes.
...with the ultimate challenge.
I don't know if I made the right decision
investing my apron in you.