Welcome to the grand finale
of the world's biggest cooking competition.
This season for the first time ever in "MasterChef" history,
we are battling each other
to find the greatest home cook in America.
And now it's down to just three.
Buckle up. It's starting right now.
[ Cheers and applause ]
All: MasterChef! MasterChef!
Gordon: The search for the next MasterChef
started with thousands of hopeful home cooks
from all across the country.
Each judge had just eight aprons
to hand out to the hopeful home cooks.
Boy, do I see potential.
And we each battled it out to have the opportunity
to mentor the best of the best.
When you have talent like this,
you can't let it walk out the door.
- Once one of our white aprons - Yes!
- Was in their hands... - Let's go!
...the home cooks began
the journey of a lifetime.
- [ Cheering ] - Ashley: This is so beautiful.
This season, the challenges were more difficult than ever before.
- Judges: Switch! - The contestants survived
intense MasterChef team challenges.
- Ashley: Oh, my God! - Whoa!
Ashley: They're landing for dinner.
As the competition got tougher...
- I got tables that are ready to walk out. - I need the food!
...we sometimes had to send home our own home cooks.
I gave you both aprons because I believed in both of you.
Please, place your apron on your bench.
Now only three home cooks remain
and each judge finds themselves
with one home cook in the finale.
So, the stakes are just as high for us,
because only one home cook
will become America's MasterChef.
[ Cheers, applause ]
Now, last week the contestants were sent home
to prepare for the finale,
and we went to surprise them in their hometowns
to make sure that they were on track
to take home the trophy.
- [ Phone line ringing ] - [ humming ]
- Aarón: Hello? - Hello.
- Joe: Hey. Hey, Gordon. - Are you both there?
Joe: I'm just rolling through downtown Nashville.
- What's happening with you all? - Aarón: Hey, Joe.
How's Music City, my friend?
What's that noise in the background? Where are you?
- [ Horns honking ] - Yeah, I'm kind of in
the swanky downtown part of Houston.
- I think you're lost. - No, no, no.
I should be at Cesar's house shortly.
This is why we never let you drive.
Because you're always getting lost.
Aarón, pull it together and get to where you're going.
Looks like I'm here, guys. About to visit America's next MasterChef.
Joe: Talk to you later. Bye.
Are you guys still there?
- [ Line beeping ] - Hello? Hello?
[ Doorbell chimes ]
- Hello! - Oh, my God. What--
This is unreal.
Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad.
[ Screaming ]
I had to move back home after I left
my career as a teacher.
Oh, my God!
I mean, it's embarrassing living with my parents
- at 28 years old... - Sit down.
...but I have to do whatever it takes
to pursue this culinary dream.
Here we are.
- The young lady is back at home... - Ashley: Back home.
...because she wants to follow this food dream.
When she called me and said she was gonna quit her job
to be a chef, I was like, "What?"
- [ laughs ] - I was nuts!
When Ashley started actually cooking here...
- Yes. - ...we doubted it.
For a while, we got a little nervous.
[ laughing ]
But we made sure she had everything she needed.
Trust me, food is definitely her calling.
If she wins,
it's gonna be one of my proudest moments ever.
Ashley: I want this for myself, but I want this for them.
They have literally--
Damn.
[ Crying ] Even though they didn't agree with me,
they have never turned their back on me.
So how do you repay them?
I don't know. You know, just like every--
You become America's next MasterChef.
- [ laughing ] - Yes!
Absolutely.
Seeing Gordon is just invigorating...
Seat belts on, please.
...because I get to share with him
who I am and where I come from.
It's very important for Gordon to understand how I operate
and why I operate the way I do.
I have not come all the way to Opa-Locka
without going to the farmer's market.
- See? - Oh, my goodness.
Getting to show him all of the exotic fruit
that I've grown up with,
I couldn't have asked for a better moment.
- So this is where you shop. - This is where I shop.
- What an oasis! - I know!
- Give me a little insight... - Yes.
- ...just a little snippet of the menu. - Yes.
- Where we going? - We're in it.
- Yes. Yes. - Miami, Opa-Locka flavors.
- Citrus, seafood. - Good.
I am mixing my Southern roots with French cuisine,
and hopefully give you a feel of, like,
that Michelin star flair.
I am going to wow you.
Forget everybody around you,
- and focus on three things. - Okay.
- The appetizer, the entrée, and the dessert. - Yes. Yes.
- Ignore everything else. - Everything else.
Steely focus, that's what you need to bring to the finale.
- Okay? - Yes. Yes.
I am ready to kick some butt.
- Good luck. You can do this. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you. Oh!
I cannot wait for this finale.
[ School bell rings ]
Gerron: Today, I want you to write about a story
that you plan to tell your children someday.
Being back home has been amazing.
To see my kids' faces for the first time in months,
it means the world to me.
Something that you've experienced.
- Okay? - [ knocking on door ]
Mr. Hurt, can I interrupt your class?
- Oh, my goodness! - How are you?
With the finale right around the corner,
I've been cooking every single day.
What's going on, guys?
I've really been pushing myself to focus on plating,
so that I can bring that MasterChef trophy home.
So, I invested one of my eight aprons in him,
'cause I believed that he had the passion, and he had the skills,
and I think the greatest thing
is he is an incredible student.
So, I'd love to hear from
some of you guys the impact that Mr. Hurt
has had on you and your lives in this classroom.
Like, when he came, I just thought he was gonna be like another teacher,
but he actually was connecting with students.
Like, he actually came to the basketball games.
He'll leave his door open for students
to come in during lunch and stuff like that.
We don't really have that many male figures in this school.
We can really relate to Mr. Hurt.
His background is similar to mine.
Just knowing how far he's come,
I feel like I can achieve the same-- the same thing.
My students, they grow up in these rough neighborhoods and rough communities.
- [ School bell rings ] - Well, guys, thanks for sharing your stories.
I know where they come from.
I've been there and I've done that.
And so if I win the MasterChef title,
I'm taking that money back
and I'm going to open up a culinary institute
to make sure that I give my students a chance
so that they can better themselves.
So you've been here in Nashville two years now.
You know, you came in with Southern flavors.
I'm sure that has its roots here in Nashville. Tell me about that.
The food scene here is amazing.
Hot chicken is something that I experienced when I first got here,
and I got into the MasterChef kitchen on hot chicken.
Speaking of that, finale's coming.
- What are you thinking? - Southern. Southern.
You know, any time I can stay true to my roots,
it's gave me positive results.
But I tell you what, it's gotta be elevated, though.
- It-- it does. - So I'm gonna give you some advice.
Think like you're in, like, a really luxurious restaurant
in a city like New York or Paris.
Flavor, presentation, sophistication.
As much as I think sticking to your roots is fundamental,
make sure you bring the level.
Yeah, I've done so much to get here at this point,
- and I am ready. - You gotta win
for those kids I met in the classroom.
You got a lot riding on this, Gerron.
I got you, Joe.
It's game time.
My eye is on the prize...
All right, Gerron, I'm counting on ya.
...and I can see that MasterChef trophy
sitting in my living room.
Finale, I'm coming for you.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Boom. Boom.
Food plays such a big role in my family,
and my mom is the greatest source of inspiration
in my culinary journey.
- [ Knocking on door ] - Come in.
Hola!
- [ laughs ] - [ screaming ]
I know my mom is beaming and excited to have our food
and our culture represented in the finale.
He has beat out thousands of people in this country.
- Yes. - How proud are you guys of him?
Oh, my God.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
She was a teacher in Mexico and she couldn't continue that career here
because she stayed home to take care of us,
which was the most important thing.
She practically gave up her life
to make sure we had a life.
- That's a huge deal. - That's an honor
and a huge deal, and I take it very seriously.
That's why I want to make the best menu
I can put together for that finale.
So what are some of the thoughts?
So I've been thinking something with duck.
- Patomaybe as my entrée. - Mm-hmm?
Chocolate definitely in the dessert,
'cause, you know, Mexico, Aztecs, chocolate.
It's the appetizer where I'm still a little iffy.
Well, think about what is the basis of Mexican food.
- Yes, Chef. - And hopefully being home will allow you
to get inspiration and love
from the people that care about you the most, okay?
[ Speaking Spanish ]
It's so refreshing to have my mentor here.
I definitely needed that guidance.
Thank you very much, everybody.
I appreciate you guys so much.
I only have one shot to get this right,
so I'm focused, I'm determined.
Bye, Chef!
I have to bring everything I have
to take that trophy home.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Up first in this three-way culinary battle,
a young man in my apron.
Cesar.
[ Cheers and applause ]
A 33-year-old high school English teacher
from Houston, Texas.
The first hurdle that stands in Cesar's way
is a home cook that took my apron.
My protégé, Ashley.
[ Cheers and applause ]
A 28-year-old professional grocery shopper
from Opa-Locka, Florida.
And our final home cook, a young man
that I have mentored through the entire competition,
Gerron.
[ Cheers and applause ]
A 25-year-old English teacher
from Louisville, Kentucky.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Crowd laughs ]
Now, throughout this competition
you've had a lot of obstacles thrown your way,
including extremely talented opponents.
But tonight, they've all returned to cheer you on.
[ Cheering ]
Much love.
Thank you.
Shanika: Yes! Yes! Get it!
And then of course, your family are here
in the MasterChef kitchen to support all of you.
Cesar, you have your mom Maria
and your sisters Elda and Diana.
Ashley, here to support you is your boyfriend Damien,
your father Henry, and your mother Aletha.
Gerron, here supporting you tonight
is your fiancée Brandi,
your father Christopher,
and your grandma Elizabeth.
It's now time to put together the best three-course dinner
you could ever dream of.
One incredible appetizer, one stunning entrée,
and one delicious dessert.
Your reputations and ours are on the line.
This time, there are three judges that want to win,
and that means we expect a three-course masterpiece.
You'll each have ten minutes in the pantry
to collect everything that you need to cook us
the best three-course dinner of your lives.
Your time in the pantry starts...
...now. Let's go.
- [ Cheering ] - Let's go, baby!
- Let's go! - [ cheering ]
This is the battle of the century...
Raspberries.
...and my money is all on Gerron at this point.
Smoked paprika.
Ralph: He's been the underdog since day one,
but his passion and drive for how he cooks
is the reason why he's here.
I have no doubt in my mind that Gerron is gonna be the next MasterChef.
Gotcha, thank you.
Emily: There's only one person that is gonna win it all.
I think it's Cesar.
He's got the knife skills and the food knowledge.
He has experience.
Under this pressure, he's gonna be focused
and he's gonna get it done,
and hopefully come out on top.
Shanika: I want Ashley to win.
Come on, I'm from Miami. If I couldn't take it,
somebody from South Florida needs to bring this home.
Collard greens.
Shanika: Ashley is a powerhouse.
She has become so fierce in this kitchen,
and that is the attitude that you need
to take this trophy home.
[ Cheers and applause ]
- Let's go! - Come on, Cesar!
Let's go!
- Let's go, Gerron! - Whoo!
Cesar, Ashley, and Gerron,
the grand finale is about to begin.
And, of course, it all starts with the appetizers.
Cesar, what will you be making for your appetizer?
I'll be preparing a squid ink infladita with lobster,
dragon fruit salsa, and a roasted poblano sauce.
Ashley, what will you be making for your appetizer?
Tonight, I'm preparing a pan-seared red snapper
with spicy conch salad, malanga fritters,
and an ají coconut sauce.
Gerron, what are you gonna be making for your first course?
Tonight, I'll be making a Nashville hot quail
with a fingerling potato salad and poached quail eggs.
This is it.
You'll have just one hour
to make us your amazing appetizers.
Three plates of each. Are you ready?
- Yeah! - Yes, Joe!
Don't let us down.
Your time starts...
- ...now. - [ cheers and applause ]
This is it! Let's go!
- You got this, Gerron! - Go, Ashley! Whoo!
- [ Cheering ] - Come on, Cesar!
This is it. I mean, one of the most
important nights of their culinary career.
Also, a big night for us.
For the first time, we are competing against each other.
- May the best judge win. - We lit, baby. We lit.
Ashley: We gotta move fast, baby, tonight.
- Come on, Gerron! - Let's go! Come on!
[ Cheers and applause ]
- Come on, guys! - Let's go!
This is it. The MasterChef grand finale.
Whoop, whoop, baby, whoop, whoop.
- Whoop, whoop! - Heard that.
This year we're mentoring individual talent.
- Go, Ashley! - Yes, we're highly competitive,
but we're gonna be judges to all three of them this evening.
If your contestant or your contestant
gives me the best dishes of the night,
- Yes. - I'm gonna be with you in crowning them
- Sure. - As America's next MasterChef.
Gerron, he's doing Nashville hot quail.
It's his audition dish.
He's taken it from a chicken to a quail.
Does he know how to cook a quail properly?
He's never cooked a quail before.
Gerron: There we go.
30 seconds over on the quail,
it's gonna be a dry quail.
It's a big risk, but that's the kind of guy he is.
He's taken the tradition, he's evolved it.
The guy's honest, he cooks with a lot of heart,
- Sure. - And everything tells a story.
The way that Gerron could fall down is that his dish is too simple,
- the flavors are not elevated. - Gordon: Yeah.
Gordon: Fingerling potatoes and quail's eggs,
I don't know if you can elevate that.
There's only so far you can go with that stuff.
What worries me a little bit is his plating.
He's made a lot of progress.
It's still a concern.
Where that Team Ashley at?
[ Cheering ]
So, Ashley's appetizer.
That pan-seared red snapper with a Floridian salsa
with conch in there. She's playing to her strengths.
She's cooking food from her back garden.
Aaron: But the idea of conch,
it's a sea snail from the Caribbean.
It's a very difficult shellfish to nail.
Listen, if there's one person in this competition
who can nail it, it's Ashley.
Another habanero, some mango.
You know what? Ashley using so much fruit,
are you concerned that sometimes managing
the sweetness and the acidity of fruit,
whether it be citrus, mangos, pineapple?
That is a good question, but she's got two proteins there--
The pan-fried red snapper and, of course, the conch.
So, you know, you need to balance that up
with the heat, the sweet, and that level of acidity.
- You got this, Cesar! - Sorry, little guy.
- Oh. - Oh, gosh.
I apologized before doing it, all right?
- [ laughter ] - Cesar's taken a very humble
ingredient like the corn tortilla,
elevating it by putting squid ink into it, frying it,
so it can puff up and house all this beautiful lobster
and different elements in there.
Whoo!
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Aarón: There's a lot riding on the execution
of that little puffed up tortilla.
But why take a risk just as a shell to put lobster in?
It's texture, it's flavor,
and it's a striking presentation.
Joe: It's made with squid ink.
That seems kind of, like, really off the rails for me.
Aarón: Well, do they make squid ink pasta in Italy?
They do, but they've done it for centuries.
Have they made squid ink tortillas in Mexico for centuries?
- They have not. - Okay.
We are 15 minutes down.
We have 45 minutes to go, guys. Come on.
- Whoo! - Come on, Gerron! Come on, Gerron!
Okay, Gerron, tell me about your appetizer.
What I wanna do tonight
is to elevate my Nashville hot chicken
by doing it with a quail.
Quail is much bonier, much smaller.
- Gerron: It is. - The meat's dark, not white.
Will it take the spice? Will it take the heat?
Does it translate?
Are you taking such a big risk
with swapping out quail for chicken?
- Can you make it work? - I can definitely make it work,
and I'll let you be the judge of that.
[ Cheering ]
Eye on the prize, baby.
I'm bringing it home for us, you know?
- We can go to Italy. - You wanna go to Italy with me?
I do. I wanna go and you gotta make sure your mother's there.
If we go to Italy to meet my mama, you have to pay,
because you'll be a quarter of a million dollars richer, I think.
I'll pay for you.
- You'll pay for me? - I'll pay for you.
- Do you speak Italian, Gerron? - I don't, but you know what?
- I'm a quick learner. - I'm gonna leave you one word.
Buona fortuna, my friend. Good luck.
Thank you! Thank you, Joe.
Yeah!
Gordon: 30 minutes remaining.
- 30, heard. - Let's go, Ash!
- Right, young lady. - Yes, Chef.
- Give us an insight into the dish. - Living in Opa-Locka,
you live around so many different cultures.
My grandfather has roots in Bahamas.
- Wow. - So that's where the conch salad representation is.
I have an aunt who's Peruvian,
- so that's why the sauce has that theme. - Love it.
And then, you know, in Miami you can get locally caught seafood
- all day, every day. So, it's a representation - Yeah.
Of my childhood and my foundation in culinary.
That skin on that snapper is delicious when it gets nice and crispy.
- How you gonna cook it? - I'm pan-searing it in some oil,
and then afterwards, I'm gonna rotate it over
- and baste it in a lot of butter. - Yeah.
Put everything you know, live for, breathe for, on that plate.
- Yes, Chef. Thank you. - Good luck, Ashley.
She ready.
Gordon: 20 minutes remaining.
Come on!
- Go, Cesar! - Come on, Cesar!
- Cesar! - Chef Aarón, how are you?
- How are you, my man? - I'm doing great, Chef.
- You doing good? - Yes, Chef.
So, talk to me about your appetizer.
I'm doing an infladita,
which is corn dough that you part cook on the griddle
and then you throw it in the deep fryer,
so they puff up, make a hollow shell.
And then I'm gonna fill it in with this lobster
that's gonna get tossed in this tomato sauce, Chef.
Cesar, a lot can go wrong with that.
What happens if the infladitas don't puff up?
Well, then I might have to change the shape of my dough
and call it something else, Chef.
- I got you. - [ laughter ]
So, this might be a taco by the end of the day, huh?
- Exactly, pretty much. - All right, Cesar,
- keep your eye on the prize, mijo. - Yes, Chef.
All right? You're almost there.
- Almost there. - Come on.
- Go, Cesar! - Bring it home!
We are coming down to ten minutes to go.
Come on, guys, pick it up.
Ten minutes, baby, ten minutes.
With minutes to go, Cesar, he may have to change direction,
because once they are toasted,
he puts them in the fryer to blister.
It's that blister that puffs them, right?
- Yeah, absolutely. - Almost like a soufflé potato.
- Exactly. - If it doesn't puff up, where do you go?
- He's gonna be in trouble. - He's doing them now.
- Yeah, he's actually doing it right now. - So, he's doing them now.
He's giving me a heart attack.
It's hot.
Cesar, are they puffing up?
Oh, my God.
[ Groans ]
If it doesn't puff up, where do you go?
- He's gonna be in trouble. - It's hot.
Cesar, are they puffing up?
Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God. - [ groans ]
Gordon: Cesar.
[ Sighing ]
[ Speaking Spanish ]
That's puffed, right? You all see it?
- Oh, my God. - Come on, mijo, you got it!
- Do they collapse? - Aarón: No, not at all.
As long as they have enough time to rest--
Gordon: Wow.
Quail eggs, quail eggs, quail eggs, quail eggs.
Where are they? There they're going.
Joe, here's a $250,000 question.
How is Gerron's big fingers and hands
gonna peel a quail egg?
Yes, he does have big hands, but I told him
think small, think dainty,
and I think he's gonna make it.
Come on, gotta speed it up.
We're down to five minutes to go.
- This is it, guys. - Cesar!
- Gerron! - Go!
- Ashley! - Gordon: Ashley.
She's learned so much from the competition. She's tasting everything.
Joe: All that sweetness and acidity, she'd better taste everything,
because she's walking a high wire.
Is she gonna overcook her snapper?
No, definitely not overcooking the snapper.
90% of that cooking will take place in that skin.
So you'll see that crispness,
and that'll protect the fish and keep it moist.
That snapper is so difficult to cook right.
You have to get it just right.
It could be too dry. I'm nervous.
Gordon: My one concern with Gerron right now?
He's spendt so long on those quail eggs. It's insignificant.
Now he's putting dots on the plate, fingerling potatoes.
- The hero is the quail. - Yeah.
Focus on the quail, get it on the plate first,
and then put all your little extras on.
Cesar has so much he has to do.
He has to break those little infladas,
stuff them with his lobster mixture, plate,
and he's been known to do very elaborate plating.
Joe: So with three minutes to go,
- Cesar has nothing on the plate yet. - Nothing.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Woman: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Start plating, start plating.
Whoo! Let's go!
I just don't think he's gonna finish in time.
Not only that, his tortilla shell is hot,
his lobster mixture's hot.
- Is that gonna break the integrity of it? - Yeah.
Last minute!
60 seconds to go! Come on, guys.
- 60 seconds, Cesar! - One minute, Cesar!
Pressure ain't nothing to you, Gerron!
- Gordon: Come on, Gerron! - Let's go!
- [ Cheering ] - Let's go, Ash! Let's go!
- Come on, Ash! - 30 seconds to go!
- Come on! - Come on! Whoo!
- Let's go! - You got it, you got it! Yes!
- Come on, come on! Go, go, go! - You got it! Whoo!
- Let's go, come on! - Aarón: Come on, Gerron. Let's go! Garnish!
- Gerron: There you go! That's right! - Go, Ashley.
- Go, Ash! - That's right!
10 seconds to go.
All: Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three,
- two, one! - Stop!
- Well done! - [ cheers and applause ]
- [ Muttering ] - Oh, man.
- Well done. - Oh, my God!
Now, all the three of you, please very carefully
bring your appetizers down to the front.
[ Cheering ]
Yeah!
Cesar, Ashley, Gerron, these dishes look phenomenal.
They're so unique and distinct.
You have done us proud,
and you have done yourselves proud.
Please bring those stunning appetizers
into the MasterChef restaurant.
Ashley: The appetizer round sets the bar
for my three-course meal,
and that's why I wanted to deliver on all cylinders.
I'm representing Chef Gordon in this,
and I didn't come to play it safe tonight.
I really am going in
with a lot of technique and a lot of skill set
that I want the judges to see with this appetizer.
Right. Ashley, please present us your appetizer.
Ashley, please describe this dish.
Tonight, I have prepared for you
a pan-seared red snapper with spicy conch salad,
malanga fritters, and an ají coconut sauce.
This plate has a lot going on.
So the first thing we need to see
is obviously the star protein of the dish, your snapper.
When I cut it open, it should glisten,
it should be moist, it should be flaky.
- We don't want it to be dry. - Yes, Joe.
If you have not cooked the snapper properly,
that would put you significantly behind in this competition.
- I'm ready. - Let's take a look.
I have to say, Ashley, this snapper, for me, is...
Ashley...
I have to say, Ashley, this--
Snapper, for me, is...
overcooked and dry.
That's a pretty novice mistake to make
at this point in the competition.
There's an incredible heat component in the fritter.
- What is that? - Scotch bonnet.
The heat is very, very aggressive.
- Okay. - You took a big risk,
but the dish as a whole
just reeked of too much ambition.
Ashley, I love your courageous nature of cooking,
and I'm sorry my colleagues have very European palates.
That spice is perfect. It tastes like the sun.
It's warm. And the cook on the snapper, for me, is good.
It's right there. It's textbook.
- Really great job. - Thank you.
- Ashley? - Yes, Chef?
Um, my fish was cooked beautifully.
The seasoning's on point. Fritters, delicious.
But there's one issue with this.
This coconut sauce, it broke.
When you stick that amount of heat
on top of a sauce like that, it'll break.
So you need to be smart in emulsifying that
and don't let that residual heat from the snapper spoil it.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
Next up, the young home cook that I chose
to give my apron to, Cesar.
So I have a squid ink infladita,
which means "puffed one,"
filled with lobster.
Then I have a dragon fruit pico on the outside,
caviar, and a roasted poblano sauce.
I'm always marveled by you.
I'm inspired by the way
that you view Mexican food in particular.
My concern, very simply,
is that did you put one element too much
to overpower all these different flavors?
Uh, no. I think everything I chose
to go on there complements everything else,
and I think I found balance in that plate.
Aarón: Cesar, that corn flavor of the inflada
comes out beautifully,
and it kind of becomes this little sponge
for all that wonderful flavor of the lobster I just dig so much.
What I don't like, dragon fruit's
a very difficult fruit to master,
and I think it doesn't belong on this dish.
Okay.
- But really impressive. - Thank you.
I have to say, Cesar,
this dish hits the standard of excellence in the plating.
Thank you, Joe.
Joe: The poblano has a nice smoky richness.
What really kind of makes this dish sing
is that the lobster is cooked very well
and seasoned really well.
- Excellent job. Very impressive. - Thank you.
I think "MasterChef" has just had their first "UFL" landing.
- Unidentified Flying Lobster. - [ chuckles ]
I mean, it looks like a spaceship.
A very posh spaceship.
But I love the ambition. You've nailed the lobster.
Lobster's cooked beautifully, sweet.
The roasted poblano sauce,
the heat is just beautifully done.
Caviar, big no-no.
When you've got that heat, the last thing you want to go
is that salty, expensive caviar.
Okay, Chef.
But that squid ink in that tortilla?
Love the flavor, that saltiness from the sea.
Absolutely incredible.
And you've taken it down a route
that very few Mexican chefs would.
- Great job. - Thank you.
- Good job, Ces. - Thank you.
Next up, Gerron.
Thank you.
You have a Nashville hot quail
with a fingerling potato salad and poached quail eggs.
The dish is beautiful. It shows your journey.
Gerron: You know, my inspiration for tonight is family.
The frying technique is something that my mom taught me,
but I wanted to find a way to elevate that to restaurant quality.
Joe: Gerron, I'm gonna take a bite of that quail.
It needs to be moist, it needs to be spicy,
it needs to be crispy.
If all that happens on my palate,
you have a dish that could win.
Gerron, I've never tasted anything
quite like that before.
Gerron, I've never tasted anything
quite like that before.
This is kind of like...
perfection.
The quail meat is flavorful.
The batter is well-seasoned.
The spiciness of the Nashville hot sauce is spot-on. Perfect.
And there's so many different things
going on on this dish,
and they're all really well done.
My criticism would be perhaps it lacks the cohesiveness
of one conceptualized appetizer.
If you go down south and you have Nashville hot chicken,
your options are a coleslaw or a potato salad.
That's exactly what I wanted to provide you guys,
- a taste of me on a plate. - You know, Gerron, I appreciate that,
and you are so bound to that tradition
that it's been great, and it's got you to here.
But now, not everything has to be a strict reference
to where you come from anymore.
- It's time for you to fly. - I disagree with you, Joe.
I think this is exactly what "MasterChef" is intended to do:
To bring out the best in you
with us helping you with technique.
So this says so much about your evolution.
I think frying is the lost art in the kitchen,
and it's a true art, and I think you've done that.
- Fantastic job. - Thank you, Chef.
Gerron, I think you've done a great job.
Quail's slightly gamy.
The coating, delicious.
You've elevated a fast food,
and you paid respect to your upbringing.
I love the dish. Good job.
Thank you.
- Good job. - Thank you.
- Good job, G. - Thank you.
So, guys, an amazing start.
Please, head back to the kitchen.
Entrées are up next.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Wow. Come on, what an amazing start.
Three stunning appetizers.
- Whose appetizer had the edge? - Cesar's plate had it for me.
He took the most risks and it paid the biggest dividends.
I agree. I think that's one of his best dishes he's ever cooked.
Aarón: It pains me to say this,
but I think Gerron had the dish for me.
Gerron was so masterful with frying that quail.
But I feel that he was just always in his box,
and the finale would be the perfect moment for him to take off.
Now, Ashley, she may have fell short on the appetizers,
but this is a marathon, and it's not all on one course.
Two more courses to go. Let's go get our entrées.
Yeah!
Aarón: All three of you did an incredible job,
but that was just the first course.
It is time for your entrées!
Are you three ready?
- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef!
Your 60 minutes starts now.
- Let's go. - [ clock beeping ]
[ Crowd cheering ]
- Gordon: Right, this is it. Come on. - Joe: Amazing.
Gordon: Three of the best appetizers we've ever seen
in the history of this competition.
Now we gotta follow suit with incredible entrées.
- Come on, Gerron! - Let's go! Whoo!
I'm really interested to see, not only the dishes,
but the progression of the menu at this point.
- Gordon: Sure. - You don't want to make lateral movements.
Each course, take it up another level.
Let's do it, Ashley!
For my entrée, I'm making a pan-seared guinea hen breast,
black-eyed peas, and collard green ragout
- with a quince cognac sauce. - Let's go, babe.
I really am focusing on using every part of the guinea hen.
I have some ground to make up in this entrée round,
but what I'm doing is a whole other level of difficult.
So if I pull this off, I'm right back in this game.
- Oven open. - Samantha: Smells good!
Let's go, Cesar!
For my entrée, I'm making pan-seared duck breast,
charcoal grilled vegetables, and an almond mole.
Besides getting the temperature correct on the duck,
to try to accomplish mole in 60 minutes
is gonna be ludicrous.
Done correctly, it's a beautiful texture and flavor profile.
- Look at what Cesar's doing. - A mole normally takes all day!
- Gordon: Yeah. - Joe: In one hour-- too ambitious.
The thing that could go wrong
is that it's not enough time
to fully develop all the components.
But I'm doing something completely different,
and I hope that bodes well for me.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Gerron is cruising! I love it!
I am making Carabinero prawns with heirloom grits,
shellfish jus, and crispy shallots.
So, pretty much a shrimp and grits.
Mmm. Perfect.
That was one of my mom's absolute favorite dishes.
What I'm doing tonight is in memory of her.
Gordon: 45 minutes to go, guys. Come on.
- Stay focused, Gerron. - Whoo!
Young man, question. How does it feel to be mentored
by one of the best restaurateurs anywhere on the planet?
- You know what? Everybody knows I love Joe. - We don't, by the way.
- Okay? We don't. - So that makes one of us.
But you both have one big thing in common.
Joe's mum was a massive influence on him.
Your mum was a huge influence on you.
Always. You know, when my mom passed away,
in the last supper that I had with her,
she ordered shrimp and grits.
And so, you know, it's only right for me
to elevate a shrimp and grits dish.
I live in the South, so I know it.
How are you gonna elevate to make it something beautiful?
You know what, Chef? My presentation has been something
that I've worked on constantly in this competition.
And so I'm ready to show you guys how much I've grown,
and how much flavor I can put into a shrimp and grits in such little time.
- All right. - Good luck, young man. You got this, come on.
- Well done. - Come on, Gerron!
- All right, Ash. - Yeah!
- Go, Ashley! - All right, so, Ashley,
you know, you having arguably the best chef in the world
- Yes. - Mentor you, that's a huge honor.
- Of course! - How has he guided you
- through this whole competition? - He makes me fearless.
I feel like I've tried so many new things because of him,
and guinea hen, I've never done before.
But I'm using every part--
The heart to the thigh to the breast,
and my collard greens are cooking down. I'm going for it.
Joe: You picked one of the leanest
and most difficult birds to cook.
- That guinea hen, when I cut it open, - Yes, Chef.
And I see a red blood line? It's undercooked.
If I cut the center of it,
and it's mealy, grainy, and dry, it's overcooked.
You are walking on a very, very high wire.
- Aarón: Yep. - High wire. Highest, baby. Highest!
- Joe: Good luck. - Ashley: Thank you.
- [ Cheering ] - [ clock beeping ]
25 minutes remaining.
- Whoo! Cesar! - Come on, Cesar!
You got this! You got this!
- Right, young man. - Yes, Chef.
Give me an insight to the dish. What are you cooking?
Cesar: I'm making a pan-seared duck breast,
charcoal roasted vegetables, and an almond mole.
- Gordon: Wow. - He's crazy. Loco.
You have a recipe for a 60-minute mole?
- Cesar: Working on it. - Joe: How do you do a mole in an hour?
- We're-- we're baffled. - I couldn't go
with the traditional mole from Puebla,
so I had to pick a different mole
based on guajillo peppers and almonds.
Gordon: You have a mentor
who's one of the best Mexican chefs anywhere the planet.
He knows you can't fast-track a mole in 60 minutes.
What are you doing?
I chose mole for my entrée
because doing something this difficult
is one way to prove that I'm worthy
of the title of America's next MasterChef.
Gordon: There's chefs in Mexico
- that spend a year making a mole. - I know.
You're doing it in 60 freaking minutes.
I knew going into it it was a gamble, and, I mean,
right now I'm feeling like I might've made a mistake.
60-minute mole. It better be freaking good.
Cesar, there's chefs in Mexico that spend a year making a mole.
- I know. - You're doing it in 60 freaking minutes.
Cesar: 60 minutes. It's ambitious, but if I want this title,
- those are the kind of moves that I have to make, Chef. - Mama, what is he doing?
[ Speaking Spanish ]
- That's how good he is. - You can do it.
Hearing my mom and my sisters cry out from the balcony
reminds me of why I chose mole to begin with.
- [ Cheering ] - [ speaking Spanish ]
I'm here to make my family proud
and make myself proud, and showcase dishes
that represent me and my upbringing,
- and my roots and my home. - Good luck, Cesar.
- It sounds amazing. - Thank you. Thank you, guys.
- Good luck. - You got it!
Let's go, Gerron!
- Let's go, babe. - Let's go, girlie!
Gordon: We are down to the last ten minutes.
- Let's go! - Shanika: Y'all got this!
Joe: There's at lot at stake here.
Three really ambitious entrées.
Gerron is doing basically elevated shrimp and grits, right?
- Ralph: Dude, those prawns look amazing. - The color's gorgeous.
My big question about Gerron's entrée
- is can you elevate it? - Aarón: Yup.
Gordon: Very few chefs in this country
have taken that to the premiere league.
But, come on, the last meal with his mum, the dish that she ordered,
he's replicating that dish out of respect for her.
Aarón: Talk about somebody that's working with lots of heart.
So, Ashley's making a pan-seared guinea hen,
and that's gonna be sat on a puree of black-eyed peas
with those incredible collard greens.
So she's bringing that French influence into the deep South.
- Yeah. - But guinea hen are wild birds.
It's a little bit gamy, a little richer, less fat.
So, difficult protein to cook.
Come on, Cesar! That manic mailman speed.
Gordon: My big worry tonight with the entrées has to be Cesar.
I don't know if that rich, gamy duck breast
can be cooked perfectly
with a mole that can be done in 60 minutes.
Maria: Amazing!
I believe in him. If there's one guy
that moves fast enough to get a mole done,
it's that crazy locoman right there.
And that mole right now, from here, has the right color.
I like the consistency. It looks great.
- That looks amazing! - Amazing!
You fly, mijo!
Five and a half minutes to go.
- Let's go, Gerron! - Ooh, it looks so good.
Whoo! Go, Ash!
- Yes! - Looks good, Ash.
I'm smelling a burning smell
and I'm not sure where it's coming from.
[ Groans ]
I peek into my collard greens,
and they are burnt.
I'm having a panic attack.
I can't have any mistakes on the plate
like I did in my appetizer round.
We're down to four minutes to go, guys.
Ashley might be a little behind.
- Is she redoing them? - I think so. It looks like it.
- Come on. Come on, come on. - Gordon: She's cooking collard greens twice.
- Oh, my Lord. - Come on, Ashley, let's go.
- You can do it. - Bowen: She's crazy.
Shanika: That's Ashley for you.
- Oh, my God. - Gordon: Three minutes to go.
- Whoo! - This is it, guys. Start plating, come on.
Gerron: Plating. Come on, baby.
- Here we go. - Ash, you gotta start plating, darling.
- Ashley, come on, girl. - Oh, my gosh.
Coming! I'm coming, I'm coming.
Girl, what are you doing? We don't have time for this.
Forget about the greens. Start plating.
Guys, I don't think Ashley's gonna make it.
Minutes to go, and she hasn't even finished cooking.
- Narrator: Next time... - Gordon: This is it.
The world's biggest cooking competition continues...
- Come on, Cesar! - Come on, baby!
As the three best home cooks in America...
You got it, Gerron! Let's go!
- Battle it out... - Go, Ashley!
- You got it, girl! - ...over the final two courses.
Come on!
- Only one... - It's exceptional.
- Will walk away... - I love it.
With a quarter of a million dollars...
My God. Perfection.
...and the MasterChef title.
The winner is...