Narrator: Previously...
in a Gordon Ramsay master class...
That's how you make a delicious crab Benedict.
...some home cooks clawed to the top...
I'm seriously impressed.
That is perfectly cooked.
...while others were shell-shocked...
Your hollandaise needs more seasoning.
Your hollandaise is broke.
...and Olusola and Stephanie
saw their "MasterChef" journey come to an end.
- Tonight... - ( cheering )
We're at one of the largest breweries in the country.
- ( Horn honking ) - ( cheering )
Ryan: Chef Ramsay drives forklifts, too?
Leave something for somebody else.
Narrator: ...for the top 20...
It's your first team challenge!
- ( Bell ringing ) - ( truck horn honking )
...a storm is brewing.
- We hungry? - ( people shouting )
- Oh, my God! - All these hungry brewers are like a swarm of bees.
Narrator: Who will rise to the top,
- and whose MasterChef dream will fizzle out? - Look at this.
( Horses whinnying )
( buzzer sounds )
Look at all the beer!
Lindsay: We've left the MasterChef kitchen
for the first time, and we're at
one of the largest breweries in the country.
- ( Buzzer ) - ( cheering )
There's machines moving all around.
It sounds like you're inside of an airplane hangar.
- ( horn honks ) - ( buzzer sounds )
Everything's buzzing around you, but it's so cool to see.
The energy in there is awesome.
( All cheering )
( horn honks )
Chelsea: Oh, my God!
- ( laughing ) - ( cheering )
Taylor: It's hilarious watching Joe and Aarón
pulling up in that tiny little cart
that looks like a LEGO.
( Horn honking )
( cheers and applause )
Ryan: Not only does Chef Ramsay have
Michelin-star restaurants on multiple continents,
he drives forklifts, too?
Come on, man, like,
leave something for somebody else.
- ( Cheers and applause ) - Hello.
- How are you, Chef? - What in the hell are you doing
with that on and that silly hat? Come on!
- Safety first. - Oh, please.
Get it off. You guys, get that stuff off! Come on.
Dear, oh, dear.
Let's go.
Welcome to the incredible Anheuser-Busch Brewery,
the biggest brewer of beer in the entire world!
Located right here in sunny Southern California.
Right. It's time for your first big team challenge!
( All cheering )
You'll be cooking for 101 hard-working brewers.
( All murmur )
That's right. And you're gonna be cooking
with a secret ingredient.
- Beer. - ( all cheering )
With this beer, teams will be making one of these two dishes.
All: Oh!
Fried chicken sandwich
with beer-battered onion rings, and corn salad,
or beer-battered fish and chips
with coleslaw and tartar sauce.
Two classic dishes that are elevated
when made with delicious, fresh beer.
Aarón: Chelsea, you were the very best
in the crab skill competition, so come on up,
'cause you're gonna be one of today's captains.
- Okay. - ( cheers and applause )
Chelsea: Oh, my God, I'm the team captain!
I mean, it's an honor,
but this is way out of my comfort zone.
Bowen, you were the runner-up in the crab skill competition,
so you will be the other captain.
I don't think being a captain of a golf team back in college
will help me prepare for 101 brewers today.
Joe: Now, Chelsea, which advantage do you want?
Choosing what dish your team will be making,
or you can choose your teammates?
Oh, my God.
( All laugh )
- Oh, my God. - Shanika: Chelsea, if I was you, girl,
pick the fish, pick the fish.
Fish is so much easier.
Work smart, not hard.
Okay, I know what I'm gonna do.
- What's it gonna be? - I'm choosing my team.
- There you go. - ( cheers and applause )
That was not a good choice,
and I'm just hoping that I'm not on Chelsea's team.
- So, Captain. - Yes.
First pick on the blue team is going where?
All right, so, I'm choosing Alecia on my team.
- ( Screams ) - Wow, well done.
- ( laughs ) - Thank you.
( Screams )
Okay, second choice. Quick.
- I choose Lindsay. - Lindsay.
Chelsea: I'm picking my team because I think if we have a strong team,
they're the reason we're gonna win today.
So, for my next pick, I'm choosing Taylor.
No matter what protein we get,
we have to fry over 101 portions,
and that's not gonna be easy.
- Fourth pick. - Okay. Juni.
That's me!
I wanna have a team that will hopefully back me up...
I choose Darrick.
...be great team players,
and just listen to me and actually
do the job I ask them to do.
I would like to choose Farhan.
Farhan, let's go.
- Yes! - Next.
- I choose Cesar. - Cesar.
( Cheers and applause )
- Next one. - Okay, I choose Shanika.
Gordon: Wow!
Welcome to the blue team.
Shanika: I'm not excited because we have a team
full of strong individuals.
My very last pick today is Emily.
- Emily. - ( cheers )
Shanika: It is going to take somebody even stronger to lead us,
and I'm not sure if Chelsea can take this task on.
Joe: All right, so, red team,
come down here and get your aprons, please.
( Cheers and applause )
We have such a strong team right now.
Mark has worked in restaurants before with his family.
S.J.'s a really great listener.
Ryan is super strong with his knife skills.
I'm glad Chelsea didn't pick me!
Bowen, you have a big advantage now,
on deciding which dish you cook,
and which dish the blue team cook.
I'm thinking about doing the fish and chip.
Nice. Smart.
Captains, please, join your teams in the center. Thank you.
( Cheers and applause )
I choose the fish and chip,
because I know S.J. worked with fish to get his apron.
He's gonna do great.
On average, Americans spend $10 a day on lunch.
So, we supplied each brewery employee
with their very own MasterChef $10 bill.
- ( laughs ) - Come on.
Money's never looked this good before.
Now, employees will eat both team's dishes,
and then choose which one they like best
by rewarding that team with their $10.
The team that collects the most lunch money wins.
- Understood? - All: Yes, Chef.
Joe: Okay, red team, blue team, this is it.
You will have 75 minutes to prep.
Your time starts...
...now. - Let's go, guys! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
- Get that corn on the grill! - We got this, we got this.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Chelsea: Set up your station, guys.
Farhan, you need to start cooking chicken.
- I'm about to start. - Bowen: Teamwork, teamwork.
- Right, guys? - Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Gordon: So, first big team challenge
out of the comfort of that incredible MasterChef kitchen.
Joe: How difficult is it to fry food in general well,
and then to do it for a hundred people?
Well, let's talk about the blue team first.
So, they've got the most amazing chicken sandwich.
We know if that fryer is way too hot,
the batter's gonna cook too quickly.
So on the outside it looks cooked,
but on the inside that chicken's raw.
Cesar, leave it at 200, please.
Aarón: The idea is hold it in the oven for a little bit,
get it to a temperature, keep its integrity,
make sure it has its crunch and its moisture.
Farhan, I'm just dropping these in. How long?
- About eight minutes. - The fish and chips from the red team.
So, they've got their work cut out, because that fish needs to be lightly salted,
extracts the moisture out of them, then lightly floured, and then that batter.
But that batter's too thick. It'll never get crispy.
And there's potential issues with the fries.
If you dunk too many in, they're gonna congeal,
and they're gonna make a mess.
We have a hundred of these, right?
- Yeah. - More than a hundred.
Matt, Matt, I need somebody to fry the fish.
Bowen: Right now I need fish.
It don't need-- it don't need to go down now.
I don't care.
Bowen's starting to freak out.
He's really concerned that we won't be able
to pump out enough food on time, especially for the fish.
- Bowen, you sure? - I'm sure.
Even though I may not agree with him, at the end of the day,
I'll take whatever task that--
You know, that the captain tells me to do.
- Okay. - Bowen: I'm sure.
I don't wanna lose.
Chelsea: Hey, guys. What's going on?
- Waiting on you, boss. - Is that too thick?
That's way too thin. Less is more, less is more.
- For the beer batter? - Yeah.
Emily: I can see that visibly Chelsea is stressed,
and she should be.
As a team leader, a lot of the weight of our success,
you know, comes down on her shoulders.
Do you have enough onion rings cut?
Like, how many more do you need?
- A lot. A lot. - Oh, my God.
Unfortunately, the blue team is completely out of control.
Hey, Darrick, did you hear me? Take all your corn at once.
No! I'm not doing it all at once.
- I wanna test some first. - Everyone is running around,
not executing at a high level.
You do not want a line of flour underneath your batter.
- It's not gonna cook off. - It's not my first time frying chicken.
Emily: We need leadership and we need communication
and we need to pull it together,
otherwise we are gonna end up in that pressure test.
- Chelsea, give us direction, baby. - Yes?
Make sure you're on us.
- Okay, I'm sorry. - Lead us, please.
Bowen: Guys, keep working!
Red team, 15 minutes to go before our guests turn up.
Get some baskets ready, guys. Come on!
- This fish is ready. - Okay.
Start putting 'em in the trays.
- Can't we just bring everything up to the front? - No, listen to me.
- Ashley! Ashley, listen to me. - Red team, stop!
- Just put the container in the tray! - Stop!
- Can you hear me? - Yes, Chef.
Bring me that tray of fish that's cooked.
Yes, Chef.
Why are we cooking this now?
It's gonna sit there for ten minutes.
What's gonna happen to this in ten minutes?
- They're gonna get soggy. - Gonna get soggy.
Now look at that one.
That's not even cooked.
- That's ice-cold in there. - Oh, my gosh.
It's soaking wet and it's greasy as ( bleep )!
Bowen: The fish is soggy like a diaper.
This is such embarrassment.
Look at this.
This is madness!
Red team, I've got raw fish,
barely battered fish.
- Our timing's way off. - Yes, Chef.
In under ten minutes from now, we're open.
Get organized. Let's go.
So we shouldn't have started it so early.
I'm so stupid.
I should've just told Bowen when it's time to cook the fish.
Please, S.J., I thought you'd know better.
- Yes, Chef. - I'm begging now.
Get your ( bleep ) together!
- Okay? Come on! - Yes, Chef.
S.J.: Gordon is so disappointed.
( bleep )!
He chose me for a reason, you know.
He gave me the pin with that apron
and I feel like I'm just letting him down.
I gotta step it up right now.
Come on, guys, get that fish out!
( Bell ringing )
( horns honking )
Red team, blue team.
Our brewery workers are arriving.
- ( Horns honking ) - ( people clamoring )
We need chicken at the front. Guests are arriving.
Alecia: Oh, my goodness!
All these hungry brewers are like a swarm of bees.
They got their hard hats on. They came right off the line,
and they're ready to eat.
- We hungry? - ( people shouting )
Gerron: They comin', they comin', y'all!
- They comin'. Let's get it! - Bowen, go expedite!
Bowen: That's a lot of people!
Red team, blue team, we are open!
- Welcome. - ( people cheering )
- Let's go. - Let's go! Bring it on!
Gerron: Fish and chips hot, come and get it!
Mark: How's it going, guys?
- You're welcome. - Thanks for coming.
We got fish coming. You got fish?
- I'm dropping about five portions of fish right now. - You're doing great, guys!
Shanika, corn!
Lindsay: We got beer-battered chicken sandwich
with some beer-battered onion rings and some corn salad.
I hope you enjoy!
- We're hoping you guys enjoy. - Thank you.
There you go. I'll get some more chicken up.
Chelsea, I don't want them standing there with nothing.
- Okay, okay. - So we go up there, we expedite.
We need a system though, don't we?
Lindsay, I need you to do-- Like, make the sandwich.
Oh, okay.
I assumed Chelsea, as the team captain,
would be expediting at some point,
but it becomes very clear
that she's in the weeds with the chicken.
We are not prepared
for 101 brewers to come through.
Aarón: Lindsay, let's go. We gotta keep going.
This line ain't going anywhere.
Lindsay: Heard, Chef.
I need fries now!
- Mark: I got two minutes on fries. - No, now!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Guys, let's bring it down.
- Oh, my God. - Mark: Nobody told me they needed fries.
Julia: There's a line halfway down the block,
and we're waiting on fries?
- Oh, my God! - Mark, I get it.
You worked in your family's restaurant, but you know what?
This Chicago-Italian girl has a family restaurant, too.
So I really don't know what you're doing over here.
They're fries, Mark! Come on, get it together!
Bowen, I got your fries right here.
Okay, thanks.
When you see something you're not quite happy with, you double-check it.
Yeah, that chicken's not going out, Chef.
- That's not an appropriate piece of chicken. - Oh, my Lord.
Gordon: Blue team! Hey, stop.
You, you, come here. You, come here.
Look, look. Look, what's that there?
- Chelsea: It's raw. - That's not 30 seconds.
No, that's ( bleep ) minutes away.
I feel so embarrassed.
The batter is way too thick.
Come on, guys!
We don't get this figured out right now,
here we come pressure test.
I'm not serving that. Are you?
- No, sir. - No. Get them in the trash.
And, trust me, if we could salvage it, I'd salvage it,
but you know damn well we can't salvage that.
Come on, don't give, guys! Don't give up!
( Indistinct chatter )
Good afternoon! Happy lunchtime, employees!
I wanna ask: The blue team made fried chicken sandwich,
the red team made the fish and chips.
- What was your favorite? - Chicken sandwich is great.
The bread is-- I like that little toast on it.
- The corn slaw, flavor was just on point. - All right. Great.
Sir, red team or blue team?
I like the chicken, but I'm gonna go with the fish.
- It was battered good, it was crisp. - Great.
Keep going with the fish. It looks good.
The blue team's chicken sandwich was a little dry.
Hey, I just touched those two with flour.
- That's cross-contamination. Those gotta go. - Okay, okay.
Be careful, there's four pieces of chicken that you ruined.
- It wasn't intentional. - I understand.
Just be careful, please.
Darrick, please just slow down.
You're wasting all of our chicken.
Ah, damn it! Those two are stuck together.
The fish of the red team was a little greasy,
and the coleslaw was on the bland side.
Bowen: Fries right here.
Are they soggy, those fries?
- Come on. - How'd they look?
It's cold and it's limp.
Touch that.
- This is raw. - Hey, we need fries up here.
- Fries, fries, fries. - Mark.
- Yeah? - Talk to me. What is going on?
I got fries working right now.
I was let know at the last minute on the first order,
and I'm just trying to catch up.
- Did anyone tell you, "Drop the fries?" - No.
Where's our communication?
Mark: They keep asking for fries, they keep asking for fries,
but I don't think they hear me,
me calling out, "Two minutes on fries, five minutes on fires."
Bowen, if you want fries and I put up something
that's underdone and they're raw,
and you take my raw fries, that's on you.
- Gordon: S.J. - S.J.: Yes, Chef.
- How many portions of fish you dropped? - About eight.
- Have you told him? - No, Chef.
Oh, my God!
- What goes with chips? - Fri-- fish.
Fish, you ( bleep ) donut! Talk to each other!
- You're standing opposite! - Absolutely.
Absolutely. I'm sorry.
Guys, there's a lot of people walking by you
without fish and chips.
So what's the likelihood they're gonna vote for y'all?
Just throwing that out there.
Lindsay: All right, guys, I need chicken!
Chelsea, we're not gonna have enough chicken.
Oh!
Oh, my God!
This is horrifying to me.
Because Darrick messed up
so much chicken in the beginning,
we don't have enough left to serve.
Lindsay: I need onion rings.
Blue team, where's the onion rings?
- Juni: Uh, they're coming. - Have we run out?
Yes. I'm making some more right now.
- Chelsea. I haven't given up. - Yes?
- And nor should you. - Um, we're out of chicken.
- What? - We're out of chicken.
Chelsea: I don't know what to do.
We are going down.
Um... we-- we're out of chicken, Chef.
Shanika: Oh, my God!
Chelsea has got to be the worst team captain ever.
We don't have chicken and we have people.
We have hungry people that are standing there.
- Darrick. - Yes, Chef?
How many portions of chicken have we ruined?
- I don't know, Chef. I-- - You don't know.
- Farhan. - We've ruined 20.
I-- I've seen 20 go!
That means that there's more than 20 that has gone.
I honestly don't know what to do.
I'd rather serve them half a portion of chicken,
- than nothing at all. - Okay.
We may be down, but we're not out.
Okay.
I'm feeling defeated but I'm not giving up.
We're out of chicken. We have to slice this in half.
I stepped in and got Darrick off his station,
because I have to take over the chicken with Farhan,
and we have to finish the service.
Everyone is gonna get cooked chicken
if it's the last thing I do.
Keep going. Yes, perfect.
- Here we go. - Come on, blue team, please.
( People cheering )
All right, guys, we gotta speed it up. We gotta speed it up.
- Go, red team! - Bowen: Thank you, guys.
Ralph: The red team's working more cohesively.
We have the fries perfectly brown.
- We have the fish ready. - Julia: I need fish!
Bring it up here, Bowen.
And thank God we have Julia on our team.
She is expediting this like a pro.
Guys, keep it going.
Fish is coming! Fish is coming!
Let's go! Put it up forward.
Got you. I got all my eight coming out in about two minutes.
We're good, guys. Keep it going.
Is anyone gonna give their vote to the blue team?
The red team?
( All cheering )
Full house for the red team. Thanks, guys.
Brewer: I'd say definitely not the red team.
As soon as I bit into the fish I didn't like
how a lot of oil actually came out of the fish.
So, it wasn't enjoyable.
I need fish. Right now I need fish.
- Fish coming out now. - Come on, y'all, let's get it!
Man: Sandwich was okay,
but I only got a little tiny piece of chicken like that big.
I couldn't even taste the inside of that.
Onion rings, onion rings, onion rings.
Let's keep going, guys. Let's keep working.
- Okay, it's cooked. It's cooked. - Good.
Okay, it's not a celebration. Let's go.
I really taste the beer in the fish.
My money's definitely going with red.
In this group of four, we have two votes for the red team,
and two votes for the blue team.
Ralph: We're not done, guys. We gotta finish this strong.
- Let's go! - I was not a fan of the sandwich,
just because I had two tops
on my sandwich, and I think...
- Double the tops. - ...That quality control was missing.
Quality control? Wow, that's unbelievable.
- That would be a bad thing. - Bad mistake.
Lindsay: Chicken sandwich is coming up.
Thank you for your patience.
Keep pushing till the end. Keep pushing till the end.
Thank you! Enjoy.
- Guys, I think that's it. - Yeah.
We had, you know, a rough start,
and a rocky middle,
and we worked so hard to serve as fast as we could,
but I'm not feeling the best
because I know at the end of the day,
not all 101 brewers were able to taste our dish.
All: One, two, three, red team!
- Sorry for the wait, y'all. - Sorry about the wait.
- Enjoy. - Sorry about the wait.
Alecia: I'm really proud of the blue team
just because we did serve 101
men and women.
So now it's just time to pray
that everyone gives us the money.
All: Blue team!
( Cheers and applause )
Thank you.
Let's go, guys.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
on behalf of everybody here at "MasterChef."
Both teams fought very hard today
to provide you with not just one, but two delicious lunches.
Only one team can be safe from elimination.
Bowen: I'm so nervous.
I'm going to cry,
because I don't want to lead my team
to go to the ( bleep ) pressure test.
That team is...
Chelsea: Oh, my God, please, please, please be the blue team.
Please be the blue team.
Congratulations...
( whistle blowing )
- ...red team! - ( cheering )
We won! Yeah! Go, red team!
( Cheering )
Congratulations! Go celebrate with our amazing guests.
( All cheering )
- Thank you, thank you. - Thank you guys.
Blue team, you know what that means.
But first I want all of you to go back there
and get both those kitchens cleaned.
- Now! Let's go! - Yes, Chef.
Farhan: I can't say I'm surprised,
but I'm honestly just disappointed
at our lack of communication and teamwork.
There's always the pressure test, right?
Yep. Do you best in the pressure test
and we'll find the weakest one.
We shall find the weakest one.
Gordon: Come on down, guys, please.
Chelsea: Walking into this pressure test
I feel beaten to a pulp, to be honest.
Gordon: Line up.
I was team captain.
I feel like everyone is blaming me
even though I've never been put in that position before.
I hate making decisions,
and I just want being captain to be over with.
You are all about to face your first dreaded pressure test.
And at least one of you will be going home.
Okay, there are ten of you standing in front of us,
but not all of you are gonna have to face this pressure test.
Just seven of you are.
That decision will be made by...
you, Chelsea.
- Right now, one person. - Yeah.
Because at the beginning when I asked this person to do something,
they did it. They didn't bother me.
I'm saving Cesar.
- Cesar? - Yeah.
Okay. You are safe, head up to the balcony,
- and take off that black apron. - Thank you.
Chelsea: My mentality is to save those
that actually did what I asked them to do
even if I saw them struggling,
'cause everyone else was screaming at me.
Chelsea, there are two more saves left.
This individual kept my spirits up, so I'm saving Alecia.
- Alecia, you're safe. Please go up in the balcony. - Thank you.
Thank you.
( Whispering ) Thank you, Jesus!
- I don't think that that decision was fair. - It's hard to decide.
I mean, I wish I could save everybody.
Gordon: Right. Chelsea, one more decision left.
( Sighs ) I don't even know. Um...
- You don't even know? - Chelsea: Hold on.
- I'm going to save Juni. - Shanika: Oh, my God!
There are at least two other individuals here
that worked their ass off.
Other people literally did not do anything that I asked them to do.
- Gordon: Right. Juni, whisk yourself up to the balcony. - Thank you.
So, Chelsea, you made your decisions.
Sorry, guys.
In this pressure test...
you'll be baking...
banana cream pie.
A glorious combination of a flaky pie crust
of custard, caramelized bananas, and fresh whipped cream.
( Whispering ) Wow!
This is a perfect banana cream pie,
and this is exactly what we are looking for.
Now, all of you please, head to your stations.
Let's go.
Shanika: First of all, my team captain, Chelsea,
you're the reason why we're here.
And then on top of that, saving people
because they're nice to you?
It is so not fair.
You should've saved the people that worked hardest.
I should not have to be down here
baking this damn pie right now.
At your stations, you'll find everything that you need
to make a beautiful banana cream pie.
Joe: You have 60 minutes to give us
the best banana cream pie
that we have ever tasted.
- Is everyone ready? - All: Yes, sir.
Your time starts...
now.
( Bleep )!
- Hmm. - You got it, girl.
She'll be fine.
I make my boyfriend banana pudding all of the time.
I have no problem making a banana cream pie.
I just hate so many people hate me.
( Chuckles ) I'm not used to that.
- Get it, Farhan! - Thank you, sir.
Gerron: I see you, Lindsay.
I don't tend to do a lot of baking.
My wife and I stay away from sweets a little bit,
but I did knowing I was coming to "MasterChef."
Spent a bit of time on areas that I was uncomfortable with,
pies being one of them.
I'm representing Chef Ramsay,
and I've never made a banana cream pie before.
Looking good, Taylor. Looking good.
I'm a little nervous, but I am from Houston,
so, I can bake.
I have a good enough base to-- To kill it.
Guys, banana cream pie.
Gerron: Looking good, Em. Looking good.
Gordon: First off is the crust. Butter, flour, buttermilk.
Once it's rested we start rolling it,
and then line that pie crust in that dish.
- Good job, Chels. - You gotta get that made
within the first eight to ten minutes.
Why? 'Cause it needs to rest in the glass chiller
for at least five minutes so it firms up.
- And then you blind bake it. - Aarón: Mm-hmm.
That is the base. And then from there,
you start making three quarter whip,
and you paste your cream. Powdered sugar in there,
vanilla bean, and do not over-whip that cream on top.
- Aarón: Absolutely. - Gordon: It's a tough one.
My arm is sore.
Aarón: All right, guys, 40 minutes.
Make sure you're tempering that cream even and smooth.
Crust should be resting in the fridge.
Somehow Darrick does not have a pie crust yet.
Gordon: Right. Banana cream pie.
Darrick, how are you gonna nail this?
I am going to nail the pie crust to start.
My family, we actually have our own recipe for pie crust.
So, I'm not going home today.
Good. Get that set in the fridge.
- Good. - Thank you, Chef.
Halfway, guys. Come on, let's go. Focus.
- Hello, Emily. - Hello, Joe.
You're down here in the pressure test wearing my apron.
- What are you doing here? - I'm sorry. You know what?
There's a lot of variables you can't control.
That pie crust looks good. All right, are you a baker?
I am a baker, actually.
I make pies all the time at home in Wisconsin.
So I think I have a leg up on some of the people here.
I'm getting this in the oven and make sure
that my pastry cream is perfect,
and then slice and brûlée my bananas.
- Thank you. Good luck. - Thank you. Thanks!
You whippin', Farhan. You whippin'.
You know how I do it.
- Farhan. You've got my apron on. - Yes, Chef?
- Yes, Chef. - Are you a baker?
I am not a baker at all.
The closest I get to baking is helping my dad
make little Indian sweets at home.
Now what potentially can go wrong?
I think this is really a test of time management.
Luckily as a dental student, I have a lot of time management.
Right. Are you tasting?
Just 'cause it's pastry doesn't mean you can't taste, buddy.
- No, no. - You gotta see the evolution.
- Come on. All right. - Yes, Chef.
Just over 20 minutes left.
- Flavor's good. - Shanika.
- Yes, sir. - You're wearing my apron.
Situations that were out of your control put you here.
- Really. - ( chuckles )
- What does that feel like? - Everybody is not meant to be leaders
- and yesterday showed just that. - Yeah, of course.
That's why I'm down here cooking, too.
She should've just took that bullet for the whole team.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
I ain't going nowhere, Chelsea.
And after today, you're gonna learn, sister.
Let your success make the noise, Chelsea.
- Block everything out, you don't have to listen. - You and your little minion.
- You know you got this. - You and your little minion.
You got it, girl. In the bag.
- You got it in the bag. - Shanika: You wish, girl.
- Huh? - I'm not tough enough for this.
I'm betting y'all that.
Chelsea, I'm calling you out, sis.
I'm only wanting one person to go home today, and that is you.
Joe: Aarón, I think you might lose her tonight.
- What is she doing? - It's hard to even be in here right now.
( Chuckles )
Bye, Felicia.
Gordon: Just over 15 minutes remaining.
( Sniffling )
It's hard to even be in here right now.
Joe: Aarón, I think you might lose her tonight.
- What is she doing? - All these tough decisions
have really gotten to her constitution.
- Gordon: Oh, dear. - All right, Chels.
( Crying ) I gotta keep going.
Right, young lady.
You know, being a captain is a tough role.
I'm not used to people disliking me.
Gordon: All right, listen, don't beat yourself up.
Okay? It is what it is.
You're a talented, talented girl.
Now, dust yourself down.
- You can do this. Yeah? - Okay.
- Come on. - Yes, Chef.
You can do this in your sleep, girl. You got it.
- There you go, Chelsea. - Good job, Chelsea.
Chelsea.
Gordon: Last ten minutes, guys.
Pie crust should be cooling down.
You should start to assemble your banana pie.
Looks like I need more cream in here.
Shanika, her cream is overwhipped,
and all she did was add more cream to it.
- Big mistake. - Shanika is angry at Chelsea.
I wonder if that anger will affect her ability
to create a pie that could save her.
Aarón: And Farhan is not a baker at all.
We could potentially be losing one of the best savory cooks in him.
Joe: That would be a major loss for you.
Think about height.
Joe: If you don't have the height, it looks like soup in a bowl.
Gordon: Last two minutes.
Finishing touches, let's go! Darrick, come on.
Mark: His vanilla is not in there.
His vanilla is on his eggs.
60 seconds remaining,
and for one of you, your last time cooking
inside the MasterChef kitchen.
( Whispering ) Oh, my God, put your bananas on top.
( Singsong ) I'm scared for these people right now.
I'm scared for these people.
- Come on, guys! - There we go.
30 seconds remaining!
- Good. - Come on, Tay!
Smooth up that cream, put the bananas on with seconds to go.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
And stop. Hands in the air.
Gordon: Well done.
Now, all of you very carefully,
bring those pies down to the front. Thank you.
Emily: My first pressure test, it's a baking challenge.
This is not something that comes easily
to a lot of home cooks,
but with the amount of knowledge
and skill that I possess,
it kind of felt like a cakewalk.
And, honestly, looking around, I think
that there are quite a few other competitors
whose pies are just not up to snuff.
Let's begin with team captain, Chelsea.
Flavor, consistency? What am I looking for?
Give me a tour of your pie.
The bottom layer should be very evenly coated with bananas.
The pastry cream is very smooth,
and then I think I did a really good job on the whipped cream as well.
Moment of truth.
Ooh!
It holds its form.
So it's about even parts pastry cream and whipped cream.
Mm-hmm. I made sure it wasn't too, too sweet.
It's light. It's flavorful.
Flaky crust, looks like it's properly cooked.
You know, aesthetics are important in baking.
I look down the line, I see some pretty good examples.
Tough night for you, Chelsea, right?
Being a captain, making difficult decisions.
Maybe you made some friends,
maybe you made some enemies.
Maybe you made a pie that could keep you here.
Maybe you didn't.
- Emily. - Chef.
Wow. I mean, visually,
I gotta say it's striking. It's textbook.
It's like this beautiful little dome on the outside.
I think you caramelized those bananas beautifully.
- They're thin. They're consistent in cut. - Thank you, Chef.
So what should I be looking for when I cut this open?
For a perfectly set crème patissiere,
a nice stiff-peak whipped cream,
thin layer of bananas on the bottom
and a perfectly-cooked crust.
- Nice. - That's spot on.
I can see all the specks of the vanilla
in the cream, which I think is important.
Man, the flavor delivers. The cream is not too sweet,
which I'm so happy about. You're wearing Joe's apron.
To be honest, Joe, I think, is doing a great job with you,
in the truest of ways.
Of course, I could do a better job with you,
but I can't find anything bad to say about this.
Thank you, Chef.
And that doesn't happen often.
( Whispers ) Nice work.
Farhan, right, young man. Mentored by Aarón.
Describe the pie.
So, banana cream pie.
I think I should've domed the cream a little bit more, aesthetically--
So let's start that again. A flat banana cream pie.
- Yes, Chef. - But what worries me
more than anything is this bit here.
It's wobbly.
Have you made the cream firm enough?
I think the cream might be a little soft, Chef.
Let's get in there, shall we?
Whipped cream on the soft side.
That's weighing that down, as you can see.
- Yes, Chef. - Minutes from now,
that thing's gonna be requiring a straw to eat it.
- Do you bake at home? - I do not.
My mom is an incredible baker.
I've see her work some magic in the kitchen,
but pastry really scares me in a way.
- Really? - Yeah.
Let me whisper something in your ear.
You'll never become America's next MasterChef
if you can't bake.
- Yes, Chef. - Not your best effort.
It's a pressure test.
Let's hope you haven't cracked under it.
- Taylor. - Hi, Chef.
You've got Gordon's apron.
Yes.
Do you feel like this pie is going to do him justice?
I sure hope so.
You happy with the balance of flavor in here?
Absolutely.
Here's the deal.
The flavor is unreal.
Thank you, Chef.
You did a great job with the pastry cream,
putting the aeration and working those egg yolks.
Whipped cream is fluffy and airy as well.
What could I do better? The crust. It's clunky.
But other than that, I think you're in a good place.
- Thank you, Chef. - All right.
All right, Lindsay.
The bananas look like-- Some of them look dry.
Did you not get to glaze all of them?
- What happened there? - They could've had more time--
A little bit more glazing, yeah.
It's all about the details, Lindsay.
You know, you're an attorney.
Details count.
The ratio of custard to cream's like half and half?
- It's where I didn't want it to be. - How's your crust?
- It's pretty good. It's flaky. - It's flaky. I didn't overwork the dough.
A little on the salty side.
Oh. Altogether, it makes sense..
It's light. It's flavorful.
It's not Emily's level, but it's not bad.
Thank you, Joe.
- Shanika. - Hi, Chef.
You happy with the way everything was cooked?
I'm happy with the cook on the crust,
but I guess a little anger got in me.
So I think I may have overwhipped the cream.
Yeah, the whipped cream ain't right.
Yes, Chef.
But other than that, I feel that the flavors are there.
I think that crust is really delicious,
but here's just what I find a little confusing.
Okay.
You've got two big elements,
the cream and the pastry cream,
that are very difficult for me to distinguish.
The textures, and I think you can see it, are the same.
Because of the overwhipping of the cream.
That's a problem.
Darrick, you make these pies all the time, right?
Not these pies, Chef, but my family has a pie crust recipe that we use.
So it's not gonna win a beauty contest, is it?
- No, sir. - Okay.
As always, it's in the flavor, right?
Vanilla bean in there?
Uh, no, sir, I did not add vanilla bean.
- That is something I forgot. - Darrick! Why not?
- I-- first time making... - Just a mouthful of sugar.
...whipped cream, Chef.
( Stammers ) It's--
It's the first time you've whipped cream.
- Yes, Chef. - You're entering
the biggest cooking competition in the world,
and you've never whipped cream.
I don't like whipped cream, Chef, so--
- Oh, it's all about what you don't or do like. - No, Chef. No, Chef.
Why did you come here?
I wanted to learn to become a better chef.
You bust your balls before you come in.
Did anyone practice before they came to this competition?
Contestants: Yes, Chef.
Did anybody else not practice before they came?
That was a hard-fought, extremely difficult pressure test, no?
- Woman: Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
Please, everyone, come around front.
Darrick: Unfortunately, I let Chef Ramsay down.
I feel like I failed him.
Gordon: So there's three in the bottom.
Aarón: To think a pie would trip so many people up.
Right now, I'm just hoping that I get another opportunity
to prove myself in this kitchen.
I'm hoping that someone's made a dish
more egregious than mine.
- Joe: Got it? - Aarón: Yep.
Right.
It's been a pretty tough night in the MasterChef kitchen,
and at least one of you will be leaving tonight.
But first, there was one home cook
that made a banana cream pie
as good as the one we showed you.
Emily, who was that?
Me.
You are absolutely right.
You made me proud.
Go up to the balcony. Take your apron off.
You're safe and enjoy it. Good job.
- Thank you, Chef. - ( applause )
Emily: I am from Wisconsin. I lived in New Orleans.
My grandma's from North Carolina,
so I know my way around a pie for sure.
I could beat this almost with my eyes closed.
So there's six home cooks left.
If I say your name, please step forward.
Lindsay.
Taylor.
And Chelsea.
Please, all of you, take off your aprons and head up to the balcony.
- Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
Those steps. ( Chuckles )
I love those steps.
I mean, when you're down in that pressure test, it's scary,
but now I have one more cook in this kitchen
than everyone up on the balcony,
and that makes me stronger in itself.
Gordon: Right.
Farhan, Shanika, and Darrick.
All three of us have a stake in this decision this evening.
One judge will lose a talented home cook.
Tonight there was one home cook
that has shown they are a little bit flustered,
a little bit underprepared.
I'd like that person
to keep their integrity intact,
untie their apron...
and they know who I'm talking about.
Oh, Darrick.
You came in...
a thousand miles an hour.
Unfortunately, young man, you've just run out of steam.
Continue cooking and good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Did a good job. - Thank you, sir.
- Good luck, Darrick. - Thank you.
Woman: Good job, Darrick.
( Applause )
I used to think I didn't have a single shred of creativity
in my body.
And then I found my passion, my love in cooking.
I'm going home, but I made it to the top frickin' 20.
I'm not done cooking yet.
We're only getting started.
- Shanika. - Yes, Chef.
Head on upstairs.
Shanika: Whoo! Safe from elimination.
This competition is getting serious now.
- Farhan. Head on upstairs. - Yes, Chef.
Oh, my Lord. Oh, thank you.
Gordon has five aprons.
Aarón still has eight aprons.
And Team Joe, we got six,
but these numbers are dropping.
So whatever happens,
I have to give 100%
because if I don't,
I'm going home.
Good job.
Guys, however tough that was,
stay focused, stay sharp.
This competition gets more and more intense.
See you next time. Good night.
Narrator: Next week...
Keep your fingers out of there.
The top 19 face a mystery box...
- ( gasps ) - Oh, my God.
...that's tough to crack.
Woman: I don't know what to do.
I do not know how to cook with them.
And then...
Please welcome
one of America's greatest soccer players.
Alexi Lalas? Are we playing soccer
or are we cooking over here?
- A world-class challenge... - Woman: Oh, my God.
- ...with an end... - What happened?
...no one will see coming.
Are you done?