Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef"...
Joe: Surf, earth, and turf.
- Wow! - Make us a gourmet dish.
- Dorian: Bri better hurry up. - Oh, my gosh.
Gordon: He's making noodles from fresh.
Would you do that?
I have never seen plating of a dish like that.
Question. Where's the truffle?
You forgot the third vital ingredient.
- Joe: It's raw. - Ooh.
Fred, place your apron on your bench.
- Good night, everyone. - Love you, Fred.
Love you, Fred.
Tonight, a culinary daredevil
steps into the MasterChef kitchen...
- Grant Achatz. - Oh, my God!
- Shari: This guy's a genius. - ...for an immunity challenge
that will break with convention...
It's like he and David Blaine got together
and had a beer one night.
...and push the home cooks to their creative boundaries.
- I'm really struggling. - Come on, Shari.
( bleep )
Sarah: This looks like a mess.
It's inviting. It's mysterious.
It looks like something that we would do at Alinea.
- It really does. - Wow.
A little bit underwhelming visually.
It kind of reminds me of human remains a little bit.
Yeah. Uh, wow.
Like a decomposing corpse.
( music playing )
Whoa. Oh, my God.
- Wow! - Whoa.
- We going to the club. - Club MasterChef.
- Wow! - Oh, man.
Noah: It's top nine, season ten.
You can tell on the chef's faces that they're excited,
and I know something big is coming out.
What in the world?
Wow.
Welcome to the final nine.
- Whoo! - Good job, guys.
- Way to go, guys. - Good job, guys.
Great food is all about surprise,
and tonight we have a mind-bending immunity challenge
in store for you all.
To help present our next challenge,
we have a very, very special surprise guest.
He is a creative food genius,
the recipient of a three Michelin star accolade,
and his restaurant has been named
one of the best on the planet.
Please welcome an American culinary icon--
Grant Achatz.
( cheering )
- Oh, my God! - Oh, my God!
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, my God. - Welcome. Oh, my Lord.
Shari: Grant Achatz.
I mean, this is insane.
Like, this guy is a culinary genius.
Oh, my gosh.
Bri, do I see a tear in your eye?
Yes.
- Of joy? - Of joy.
Grant is such an inspiration to me.
He's everything that a chef should be--
innovative, creative, and he inspires me so much.
Thank you.
- I know you didn't come empty-handed. - No.
I brought you something special from Chicago.
Oh, man, look at this.
Oh, there they are. There's the balloons!
There they are. There's the mystical helium balloons.
- That's insane. - Unbelievable.
We often try to chase the impossible.
- Yes. - So we said, "How do we make food float?"
- Gordon: Stop it. - So you have
a green apple helium balloon.
I love it.
( high-pitched ) Welcome to "MasterChef."
Unbelievable!
( high-pitched ) Como estas, amigo?
It totally tastes like a fresh green apple.
- It does. - Yeah.
Grant has revolutionized
the way that we think about food,
especially when it comes to plating.
Plating in Grant's restaurants
is often a theatrical experience.
The food needs to taste amazing,
but you also have to tell a story
- with the way the food looks. - Mm-hmm.
Why do we need to use a plate and a bowl
and a fork and a spoon?
- There's no boundaries, right? - No boundaries.
Tonight, Grant is going to show you
how he plates one of his amazing signature dishes,
a stunning chocolate pumpkin pie.
Oh, my God.
If you don't mind, I could really use your help.
- I would love to. - Yeah.
Micah: I have wanted to see this dessert
since I was in high school.
I mean, it broke the internet for chefs.
He takes food to a place of true art.
I mean, the dude is genius.
Basically, we've created a chocolate shell...
- Gordon: Yes. - ...and we filled it with
a frozen mousse of cranberry
and dehydrated pumpkin pie.
So we have some liquid nitrogen.
No plates. Out the window.
Right. Gone.
This is so unbelievable.
We're gonna put some sauces on here.
So, we have a vanilla scented creme fraiche.
Come on, Gordon, let's go.
This is a coffee reduction.
Where did this idea come from?
We said, "Why do we have to be confined
to the dimensions of a plate?"
So, we said well, what can we make that would cover the entire table
like a painter on canvas?
That creative freedom is really important.
Next is passion fruit, giving it that nice acidic pop.
And if you notice
how our coffee is now turning square.
How?
- I don't know. - A little magic there.
Jamie: This is some next level, next level stuff.
This is like he and David Blaine got together
and had a beer one night
and this dessert came out of it.
Gordon: Micah, are you excited?
My mind is currently blown, Chef.
Next.
So we have some maple syrup and butter spheres.
- Yes! - Oh, my gosh.
Strawberry scented cheesecake.
These are coconut and turmeric.
And then, lastly, we have some citrus marigold petals
that have been dusted in edible silver.
- What? - That is so cool.
Noah: Oh, my gosh, this is like a Jackson Pollock.
Are you ready for the finale?
I'm excited. Are you kidding me?
- Okay, let's do it. - They're about to break it.
Cheers. Absolutely pleasure.
Oh!
- ( Dorian laughs ) - Yeah!
That's so cool.
All the rules are gone.
All the limitations are gone.
There are no rules tonight.
That's from Grant himself, okay?
Sarah: Seeing Grant and Gordon
do this dessert together is great. It's so awesome.
I mean, I couldn't pay for this experience.
In case you guys haven't guessed it,
your challenge tonight is all about plating.
- Yay. - And we want to test your ability
to create interesting, innovative plates.
Aarón: You can make us any dish that you want.
We will be judging on flavor,
but also on how creative you are
with the plating of your dish.
The judges and my competitors talk about my plating
pretty much daily,
so this needs to be the best dish
that I've made in the whole competition.
Inside that equipment room, you will find a full array
of unconventional plating possibilities.
I remind you, immunity is on the line tonight,
but only one of you nine is going to be safe.
So, let your imaginations run wild.
Every part of me wants to impress today.
You know, with Grant Achatz there,
it's this whole new element of, like, wow.
I need to do something amazing here.
I need to take it a level above what I've done before.
Grant: I would strongly encourage you
to tell a narrative, tell a story,
and that goes figuratively and literally beyond the plate.
Explain to people who you are
through that language of cooking.
But really challenge that convention.
Dorian: My first thought is where is this gonna fit in
to the type of cooking that I do?
Southern cooking is like an ugly duckling,
so this is definitely making me a little uncomfortable.
Tonight, you have an exceptional opportunity to shine.
At this point, you've all proved yourself to be great cooks.
Now, we want you to go beyond that
and test your innovation.
Wow us with presentation,
but also a restaurant quality dish.
Right, let's have 60 minutes on the clock, please.
Thank you.
Grant, would you mind doing the honors, please?
Your one hour...
starts now.
- Gordon: Let's go, guys. - Go, go, go, go, go!
This is, honestly, a dream come true.
Ah, vanilla.
Finally, the chains fall off.
We can do whatever we want...
Crab meat, oysters.
...and I can truly express myself artistically
through a plate.
Gordon: I think we're gonna see
some of the most exciting plating we've ever seen
- in this competition, thanks to you, Grant. - Yeah.
Gordon: Is it test tubes? Is it trays, sponges?
- Who knows? - I don't know what I'm doing.
I want to see them go into that next dimension, though.
- Sure. Yeah. - Take if off the plate.
Something unconventional.
Subha: Whatever you want to cook,
however you wanna present it--
in space, hanging,
on the table.
Maybe, uh...
I'm a chemical engineer,
so I try to present the sauce
as if it's a food science.
I saw the test tubes, and I grabbed that.
So, now I had my canvas.
Okay, I think that should be it.
( sighs ) So overwhelming.
Jamie: This whole plating thing, man,
next to baking, is the least likely thing
I am to succeed at while I'm here.
There's a better chance of me building a go-kart
than there is me finding something to plate with.
But I got to get my head straight.
This is for immunity,
and this thing has to impress Chef Grant.
Take a deep breath.
- Joe, who's gonna shine? - I think that
aside from the fact that she's probably your biggest fan,
Bri is really in her element.
The process she has with food really fits into this theme.
Gordon: I think she's still feeling a little bit
under the weather based on last week,
but I am expecting her to bounce back.
Bri: I've on the bottom for too many weeks in a row now
and I've had enough.
I want this to be my redemption.
It's a plating challenge.
Everyone here knows that plating is my thing,
so I can't mess this up.
It smells like a coffee house in here. It's beautiful.
Come on, we got some absolutely super talent.
Top nine.
And, Grant, every one them are big supporters of yours.
Yeah, and it's an opportunity to dig deep
into what drives you as cook,
and experiment and have fun.
I think Nick is gonna come up
- with the most creative ever-- - Joe: Could be, yeah.
Gordon: I mean, I am expecting something magical from that kid.
Grant is everything I aspire to be and so some day,
so I have to throw it all on the line here.
This is definitely an ambitious dish.
It's gonna come down to the last second,
but I think I-- I think I can get it done.
Gordon: 10 minutes gone, 50 minutes to go.
Keep it going, guys.
Smoke, smoke, smoke.
Oh, that's you. I'm like, something keeps smelling.
- I keep thinking my stuff is burning. - Smells good, though.
Shari: Because today we can kind of do whatever we want,
I'm gonna go vegetarian.
Going vegetarian is definitely a risk,
but now is the time to do it.
Immunity is on the line and I want to be top eight.
So, I really have to amp up my game.
- Bri. Come on, then. - Hi.
- How are you doing? Thank you. - Such an honor to meet you.
- I just think you're so inspiring. - Thank you.
Now, the execution, where are we going with this thing?
I'm going for a very oceanic inspired entree.
I'm going to do butter poached scallops.
I have the cauliflower puree, which is gonna be the waves.
And I'm going to top it with some ponzu and soy caviar
and it's gonna be served in a shell.
I really hope to impress you with my dish.
- Both of you. - Thank you.
- 15 minutes. Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: Guys, there's 40 minutes remaining.
Let's go.
I'm making a lime yogurt olive oil cake.
My parents were ministers,
so every time we moved out of the house,
they gave us a large bottle of olive oil
and it was blessed.
My unique plating is going to be
in this cute little bowl.
I'm going to place the cake down in here.
The type of cooking that I normally do,
you don't see this kind of plating.
But "MasterChef" is about taking chances,
so, yep.
So bitter. Hmm.
Sarah: I am making a deconstructed fruit pie.
My dad used to paint houses,
and we used to go with him and work during the summer,
and then he would pay us at the end of the day with moon pies.
And I'm going to try and plate it on this paint roller.
Working with my dad was really fun,
but it was also really helping him and the family,
because we really came from nothing
and I was one of five kids.
We had to fight for everything that we had.
I just want to show that side of where I come from
because it's very different from my military background.
It's still cold.
- Noah. - Joe. Hey, Chef.
I saw you really taken back.
You must be a big fan of Grant.
That would be an understatement.
So, what the hell about me and Joe then, Noah?
No, I would-- I do-- I watched you
going against Morimoto on TV live 15 years ago.
You were a little bit skinnier, a little bit better looking,
but still the same style and pizzazz.
Really? Great. Thanks a lot for that.
I don't know how to interpret that.
- Badly. - Yeah, thank you very much.
So what are you gonna make, Noah?
All right, so I'm doing a sour cream and apple pecan pie,
but I'm gonna be doing apples, like, seven different ways.
- I'm really swinging for the fence. - And what about the plating?
I see you've taken a lot of wood boards.
I'm still building that in my head.
Aarón: All right, so you're gonna bring some
- of the essence of the woods. - Oh, yes.
- Georgia is coming to the table, is that it? - Oh, absolutely.
- This is home for me. - Joe: That's interesting. Good luck.
Thank you so much.
The pressure is definitely on.
If you knock this out of the park,
you're in top eight automatically.
So I need to bring my A game right now.
- Chef, how are you? - How we doing?
Thank you so much for coming. It's an honor.
Nick's 22. Again, one of our youngest,
but food is in his blood.
There's no two ways about that, right?
I dream about food all day, and can't go to bed at night
until I write down all the ideas I have.
So, I just loved it enough
- to want to pursue it for life. - Grant: That's amazing.
- What do you have going? - So, I'm making a lemon meringue pie.
From a pretty early age, I found out
that my mom wouldn't buy me sweets and treats,
but if I gave her a big list of ingredients, I could make my own dessert.
So that's the first thing I ever baked on my own was a lemon meringue pie.
But I'm gonna try to add some of my own new twists here today.
I'm gonna leave it in the electric mixer
and just bring that whole thing up to the table.
I like the idea of bringing the process
- to the table. - Love the quirkiness.
Adventurous, dangerous-- that's what we want, yes?
I don't know if it's possible,
but I'm gonna give it my best shot.
Love the idea. Good luck.
Thank you. Nice to meet you, Chef.
Aarón: All right, everyone, just over 30 minutes.
Lemony crab, lemony crab.
Oh, look at that. It's perfect.
- So beautiful. - Thank you.
Everybody has, like, this crazy stuff,
and I feel like my dish looks anemic.
Having no boundaries today makes it really hard.
I'm trying to think outside the box
and see what I can do with some of these atypical plates.
Come on, Shari. Let's go.
But I'm really struggling.
Gordon: Tonight's challenge is all about plating.
The creativity here tonight, guys, was off the charts.
I think the biggest risk we're gonna run tonight,
and as you guys know as cooks,
ambition can get the better of you.
You know, you may have a great idea.
I think at times you have to reel it in
so you can actually execute it.
Often the biggest mistake
that younger cooks make is overreaching.
- Yeah. - Indeed.
Nick: This dish is definitely a big risk.
It's probably the most bold dish
I've tried to do yet in this kitchen,
and I need to win immunity.
So, it's a challenge and a risk that I'm willing to face.
Micah, I saw your face light up.
Come on, anything to say to Grant?
I just wanted you to know that you were one of the original chefs
who inspired me to get into culinary arts.
And to see what you've done with plates and going outside of the box,
that's something that I aspire to, so thank you.
- Thank you. - Now, give us an insight into the dish.
- What are you doing? - All right, so I'm really gonna harness
my childhood memories of coffee.
My mother had a grinding coffee maker
and it would shake the entire house every morning when she would make it.
So, I'm gonna be roasting some coffee,
doing a bete noire cake with a coffee caramel glaze.
And do you think now, top nine-- finally parents' approval
in terms of what you want to aspire to be?
I think that my mother, no matter what, she's gonna be happy for me.
I don't know if I'll be able to convince my dad of it,
but above all else, I know that my father loves me
and I can't forget that.
This has been the wildest adventure of my life
and I wouldn't take it back for anything.
- Awesome. - Dish sounds amazing, young man.
- Concentrate, and good luck. - Thank you.
My culinary dream has never been something
that's been positively looked on by my father.
He thinks that it's just a phase that I'm going through
because I'm young.
But now I'm here in the top nine
and I hope this shows him this is the life I wanna lead,
and hopefully one day he'll be proud of what I've done.
Gordon: Right, guys, 20 minutes to go.
This dish is me in a plate in every way.
In my childhood, my mom used to make these chapatis
made out of whole wheat bread.
All through middle school, I took that every day.
And my undergraduate is chemical engineering,
so I wanted to have a lab
where sauces are presented in test tubes.
I'm gonna take the nostalgic memory
of my mother giving me the roti for lunch,
deconstruct that, and present it in an unconventional way.
- Come on, Subha. - Okay.
Oh, my God, it's only 18 minutes left.
Dorian: This olive oil cake represents a lot for me and my family.
I've never been away this long.
But although I'm homesick,
I can't let that get in the way of why I'm here.
I'm here to fight for my family,
and I hope the judges see that story in this dish.
So what's the dish?
I am doing hoecakes three ways for you guys.
I grew up eating hoecakes on my grandma and granddad's farm.
Being on the counter all day long, you just come by and grab them.
This is me on a plate. I shoot ducks, I shoot deer, we eat blue crabs a lot.
So, these are three of the proteins
that I grew up with eating and also three of the proteins
I've got in my chest freezers at home right now.
I love the fact that it's so personal to you as well.
That's the story.
- That resonates. - Yeah, exactly.
I wanted to cook this for y'all since I got here.
I just haven't really had a perfect opportunity till today.
- Tonight's the night. - Tonight's the night.
- Yeah, good luck, young man. - Thank you so much.
Jamie: Plating, it's just not my thing, you know?
But honestly, I didn't think I'd be here at this point in time.
It's crazy to think that
there's a hundred different things I can cook now
that I didn't have the confidence to cook
when I first got here.
So, I'm gonna figure this out.
Where's that melon baller? Melon baller?
Hey, Sarah.
- There's some sort of painting theme going on here? - Yeah.
Do you have any artistic output in your life?
Do you do anything creative?
Well, I mean, if you ask my daughter,
I draw really good triangles.
- There you go. - That's a start.
This challenge is a 180 from my comfort zone,
but I'm just trying to not freak out.
I have never won an immunity challenge.
I really want this.
Gordon: Five and a half minutes to go.
( bleep )
- Bri's already started plating. - Yeah.
Grant: She seems very composed right now as well.
Aarón: Yeah, right now she seems in her element,
which is really great to see.
She could win this tonight, by the way.
Bri: Wow, this is so beautiful.
I don't know what the ( bleep ) I'm doing.
Noah: Having big, giant, manly hands
in some aspects in life are fantastic.
Plating is not one of them.
My hands just keep constantly getting in the way,
but I need to figure out what the heck to do
so I can show arguably the best chef in the world
that this mountain man from Georgia has got chops.
Oh, my God, it worked.
We should be plating elements now, everyone.
Come on, Dorian.
Focus, guys.
Look at this. Look at Dorian's.
Fingers there inside that beautiful glass bowl.
She looking so cute!
Dang, boy!
These are amateur home cooks
and they are swinging for the fences.
- Ooh. - Grant, who's impressing you this evening?
I got to go with Micah based on the backstory
- and-- yeah. - The coffee grinder.
And if he can really harness that, he'll have something.
Micah: I want immunity so badly.
There is no room for error right now.
Everything has to be beautiful.
Last two minutes, guys.
Keep it going.
Is that a bit late in the day for Nick to start whisking
- egg whites now? - He's making the meringue.
Nick: I'm a little behind here
and I'm starting to get nervous.
The biggest thing I'm worried about here
is the meringue coming together.
He better crank that thing up.
Sarah's hands are shaking like mad.
This definitely doesn't look
the way that I had it envisioned in my head.
The slope and the purees
just are kind of running together
and it just looks like a mess.
( bleep )
Gordon: Focus, guys.
- Come on, Subha! - Yes, Chef.
- 30 seconds to go. - Oh, man.
Uh, uh, uh--
( groans) Oh, my gosh.
It looks like Nick's taking a torch to the side of the bowl.
- Come on, Nick. - Nick: I'm trying to do so many things at once.
I'm toasting that meringue
and I'm dashing all sorts of things
onto the plate and into the bowl.
And if I don't get this done in time,
I'm screwed.
Oh, my gosh.
Gordon: 30 seconds to go!
( groans ) Oh, my gosh.
Nick: I'm trying to do so many things at once.
- Gordon: Keep it going. - Things that should probably
take more like a couple of minutes,
- but there's no room to mess up today. - Hurry up, Nick.
Getting immunity and going back up
to that balcony is everything.
Nearly there. Oh, what's that?
- ( bleep ) - Gordon: 20 seconds to go.
- ( bleep ) - Oh, no.
- God. - Gordon: Last ten seconds.
- Judges: Nine, eight, seven, - ( bleep )
six, five, four,
- three, two, one. - Aarón: Hands in the air.
Well done.
I'm tired. I feel like I done ran a race.
Whoo! Son.
I couldn't get my purees
to jellify the way that I wanted to,
so it's all just kind of a runny mess.
What an incredible 60 minutes.
So nice to see you coming out of your comfort zone.
Now it's time to taste those dishes.
Let's start off with...
- Micah. - Let's go, Micah.
Micah: It's mind-numbing
that one of the greatest chefs in America
is about to taste and critique my food.
I can't even begin to fathom what's about to happen.
This dish is called Coffee In The Morning.
I have a bete noire cake with an espresso ganache,
a fleur de sel caramel, a vanilla bean creme fraiche,
and espresso powder and roasted coffee beans.
- Where does the idea come from? - Every morning, I would wake up
to the sound of my mother's coffee grinder,
and that smell, it makes me feel safe and happy.
When I saw the tray come out, I thought it was a roasting pan.
And then I realized it was like a bed and breakfast tray.
So, really, really thoughtful presentation.
- Yeah, let's see how it plays. - Yeah. Love it.
It's interesting.
I think that's a very powerful thing
when you can take your childhood sensations
and reinterpret them in a dish.
So, very smart and very good.
Yeah, it's definitely out there tonight.
It's delicious, it's bitter, it's sweet.
You know, you could've gone one step further.
'Cause it's rich on rich, you just need some sourness
and a little bit of starch to sort of pull back.
- But I love it. - Yeah, the dynamite for me
was hitting that coffee powder with the sea salt.
That electrified everything for me.
Well done.
- Well done. - Aarón: Very nice, mijo.
One of the greatest chefs in the world loved my dish.
I feel like I can do anything.
I have so much confidence now.
For me, that just shows that I deserve to be here.
So the next dish that we want to taste,
please come down, Noah.
All right.
I feel that I created something that's very pretty.
It's a homage to my family, and I hope it blows them away.
So, Noah, please describe the dish.
Okay, so what we have is deconstructed sour cream apple pie
with pickled apple peel.
My grandma always would cook me
and my older brother an apple pie,
and we'd sit around a campfire and eat some apple pie.
So, you have the wood, the peat moss,
and you have a little smoked apple on top of the gelée.
I like the deconstructive process. I'm intrigued.
Yeah, I mean, it's like you. It's wacky.
You've done exactly what we've asked you to do. It's out there.
- Shall we dig in? - Yep.
You know, it's definitely individual. Let's say that.
I'm begging for apple and I want more crumble, so you've been too sparse.
Almost like a powder on the crumble.
I want crumble and more texture.
But it's a bold move and it's delicious.
- Thank you so much, Chef. - Yeah, I would have to agree.
When I dragged my fork through a bite
and got all the components in the right ratio?
- Immediate comfort. - Well done.
Thank you so much, guys. Thank you.
I'm a little mad at myself because I was trying to do
the Gordon Ramsay less is more and show restraint.
Just want more crumble in there.
I love-- I'm a crumble guy, too, Gordon.
I got a whole carton of crumble.
- ( bleep ) - Next up, Shari, please, let's go.
Walking up, I know my flavors are good,
but I'm really unhappy with my plating.
It looks okay, but it doesn't look as good as it should.
Shari, can you please describe the dish?
I have a vegetarian take on a tartare
with fennel and cashew nut puree,
goat cheese mousse, and some fennel scented lemon air.
What was the idea on the plating?
I really love black licorice.
So, fennel kind of is reminiscent of that.
And my parents have a cabin in northern Minnesota.
So, long car rides, lots of black licorice.
A little bit underwhelming visually.
Yeah, I struggle to find 60 minutes
of productive work here, to be very honest.
So, hopefully, the flavor delivers.
- Shall we? - Let's see how much depth
we've got in that flavor.
Joe: It tastes better than it looks.
I just wish the plating was better,
considering that was the theme of the day.
Had their been a higher ratio of cheese,
this would've made a fantastic cheese course.
- Aarón: Mmm, yeah. - Grant: Right?
I just think you could've been a little bit more
creative on the execution, because the flavor is there.
- Mm-hmm. Thank you. - Thank you.
I had the chance to cook for my culinary hero,
but I didn't think outside the box enough
and I feel really bummed.
- The next dish we want to try is from Bri. - Let's go, Bri.
Bri: After the past couple negative critiques,
I'm just really hoping that this dish
gives me the redemption.
I really want to stand out now more than ever.
Okay, Bri.
- Please explain the dish to us. - I took inspiration
from the beach vacations that I took with my family.
What I have for you guys today
is a butter poached sea scallop,
and I synthesized my own caviar with ponzu and soy.
And then to represent the waves of the ocean,
I have a purple cauliflower puree
with a basil and coconut milk foam.
- All right, let's give it a try. - Shall we?
It's fresh.
Close your eyes and we're on the beach.
I've got that sweetness from the scallop.
I've got that earthiness from those sea urchins.
But here's the majestic thing.
You made your own caviar with the soy.
And so it's a unique caviar
because it goes actually beautiful with the sweetness
of those uni.
So, it's sweet on sweet, but then, bang,
in comes Bri's caviar.
The whole thing screams of umami
with the ponzu and with the uni
and that brininess from the scallop.
It's just very full on the mouth, very satisfying.
Thank you so much.
If I had take you to task on something,
this puree on the bottom,
it just looks a little sparse.
I want more of it.
But I think you did the best job
of using a molecular gastronomy technique
like making your own caviar.
This is your best dish of the competition,
- bar none. - Wow.
Girl, you're back with a vengeance.
- Great job. - Thank you.
Joe: Thank you very much, Bri.
I was losing my confidence there
for a little while,
but I'm really happy
that in front of Chef Grant
I showed the judges that the real Bri is back.
Right, next up, Sarah, please.
- Go, Sarah. - Let's go, Sarah.
Sarah: I'm just looking at this paint roller tray.
I'm hoping I'll get points for creativity,
but it looks awful.
Yeah, uh, wow.
It kind of reminds me of human remains.
Like a decomposing corpse.
It kind of reminds me of human remains a little bit.
- Yeah. - Like a decomposing corpse.
- Sarah: Yeah. - Gordon: Right, please describe your dish.
So, this is a deconstructed cobbler and a moon pie.
I used to in the summers help my dad paint houses,
and he would pay me and my siblings by giving us moon pie.
I get the whole house painter reference,
but I think in your execution
things went a little bit wrong for you.
A lot wrong.
That doesn't mean it doesn't taste good.
I'm optimistic. Let's try it.
Gordon: Grant, how was that for you flavor-wise?
We're dealing with that punchy fruitiness.
The acid was there.
It's just the vessel choice.
- Yeah. - You're on an angle.
Right off the bat, you're at a disadvantage.
Once you put that first puree on,
it would've been good to change directions.
Okay.
- The flavors are there. Understand that. - Yeah.
These little biscuits? I mean, delicious.
- Thank you. - If that was literally executed on a blank sheet of canvas,
- this could have the wow factor. - Grant: I agree.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
So, the next dish that we'd like to taste is from Dorian.
Dorian: I'm feeling confident.
The flavors are definitely there.
But I'm anxious,
because it's so outside the box
of the traditional way that I would display a cake.
Aarón: Dorian, please describe your dish.
It is a lime olive oil cake
with a whipped cream essence on top
and a tuile with olive oil and powdered sugar at the bottom.
What's the story behind this, please?
My parents were both ministers,
and they would give each of us a bottle of olive oil
to bless our homes with it.
Let's try it.
I can only hope it tastes as good as it looks.
It's a fantastic dessert.
- Mm-hmm. - It's lemony, it's light,
it's moist at the same time.
It's a well-executed, delicious dessert
- in an interesting presentation. - Thank you.
When you got the olive oil cake that rich,
maybe a little drizzle on there, lemon drizzle.
You got that powder as well, so it's dry on dry.
So you get that contrast and lift that.
But, honestly, it looks like it's just come out of a top restaurant.
- Thank you. - It looks like something that we would do at Alinea.
- It really does. - Shut up!
Aarón: Oh, man!
Gordon: It won't get any better than that.
That's a nice compliment.
Aarón: Can you imagine?
- This is pretty unique. You need to understand that. - Yeah.
- Well done. - Thank you very much. Thank you.
I just made a dessert
that Chef Grant said he would serve
in his three Michelin star restaurant.
I've never even been to a three Michelin star restaurant.
That's great.
All right, Jamie, come on down.
- Come on, big fella. - That looks amazing.
Jamie: Usually, plating is an issue for me,
but today I feel like I've done what I wanted to do.
I know I don't have the most futuristic plate up there,
but to me, it tells the story that I wanna tell to these guys.
There you are, gentlemen.
So, in South Carolina, a lot of people will tell you
we only have three seasons.
We really don't have a spring.
And in the wintertime we hunt hogs,
in the fall we hunt ducks,
and then in the summertime we fish and eat blue crab.
I figure, let's do three hoecakes.
So we got lemony blue crab
on one hoecake with a blueberry corn salsa.
On the middle hoecake, we've got duck.
And then on my third hoecake, we have smoked
and deep-fried pork belly.
So, we have the three seasons of the low country
- with a foggy fall morning. - Joe: Very nice.
Great story, and really personal one.
Gordon: I can't wait to taste it.
- Thank you. - Joe: Let's take a look.
Using the hoecake as the vessel speaks a lot to the south.
I love the plate with the fog. It's inviting.
It's mysterious. It's all the things that you want.
- I love it. - Thank you.
Yeah, Jamie, it's hearty. Duck needs a little bit more cooking,
but I think the most important thing,
a bit like Dorian-- it's you.
The story is there, it resonates.
- So, great job. - Thank you so much.
A great narrative throughout,
and a lot of cooking. Very ambitious.
And that spirit to take risks is what it's all about today.
- Absolutely. Thank you. - Yeah. Thank you, Jamie.
Thanks so much.
Walking back, I'm on cloud nine, man.
- They all loved it. - Appreciate you guys.
My goal here today was to put me on a plate
for the first real time in this competition.
I just want to breakdance on the countertop right now.
Nick, let's go, please.
Nick: I've miserably failed at all desserts
I've tried to do in here so far,
so this was definitely a risk.
I'm just crossing my fingers
and praying it's going to pay off.
Nick, describe the dish, please.
This is a lemon meringue pie.
I've elevated it in different ways.
The bottom is just the meringue,
and then I have gingerbread crumb, blueberry coulis.
And then I have a little lemon juice with dry ice in the top
to give a little bit of that scent.
You have something that is somewhat common,
presented in a very unconventional way.
So that contrast is actually really beneficial.
- Thank you, Chef. - Yeah, let's see how it tastes.
Make it a little bit easier. Dig in, please.
Aarón: No plates necessary.
It's really nice.
Good balance. Sugar, tart.
And the meringue is really light and fluffy.
Really nice textures. Right?
- It's good. - Thank you, Chef.
You did the best service in honoring Chef Grant
because you took what he was doing conceptionally
in the demonstration, but you put your own twist to it.
Gordon: I love it.
You deconstructed it in a very, very clever way. Well done.
I'm just astonished because I didn't know Alinea had a presence
in the Harvard career placement office.
- Good job. - Gordon: Great job.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you. - Amazing.
- Good job, Nick! - Man, that's good.
That's good.
Getting positive feedback from not only the judges,
but also a person that I've looked up to forever,
it's definitely a dream come true.
Next up, Subha, please, let's go.
- Oh, boy. - Let's go, Subha.
Subha: Looking at my dish, I am a little nervous.
It looks like some crazy science experiment.
But this dish is me in a plate in every way,
so I hope the judges see that.
The test tubes, really?
Uh, um...
Um, it's just so, uh...
Oh, boy. The test tubes, really?
Yes. I'm chemical engineer, Chef.
So, you can just mix what you want
how you like it and taste it.
Describe this dish.
This is a deconstructed kati roll.
My mom used to give it to us for lunch all the time.
And the protein there is chickpeas and Andouille sausage.
And I have a lovely mint sauce and a yogurt sauce.
And those three colors resemble the Indian flag as well.
So, why don't you show us? What's the secret?
Yes, so you can just take a roti and then put mango in there.
- Okay. - I lived in New Orleans when I came to the country,
so I really love Cajun food.
So I used the Andouille sausage and chickpeas,
which is traditionally done in India.
- Joe: Wow. - And then you drip a little bit--
A little bit of yogurt sauce.
It's got a smoked coriander in there.
Looks nice.
- So we can taste that? - Let's taste it.
Subha, I think what you have here
is you have some big bold flavors.
I think there's some clumsy knifework
when it comes to the mango.
But other than that, I don't know how the hell you pull it off,
- but you somehow did. - Thank you.
It's like you've just thrown everything in your wheelbarrow
and then added two test tubes at the end of it as well.
But then when you start tasting your food, it all makes sense.
- Grant: Yeah. - I mean, it's got the heat,
the seasoning, and the most important thing
is you cook brilliantly.
It's a little clumsy on the presentation,
but it tastes great.
Cooking for you, Grant, was amazing today,
- so thank you for that. - Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
- Thank you. - Well done, buddy.
Joe: Excuse us, as we need a moment
to discuss this very important matter.
- Uh, it's a tough one. - Yeah.
- I definitely got a top three. - Yeah.
Micah: I know I did really well.
They even said so.
I hope it's enough.
Top three are clear. Winner not so clear,
but I think we have an idea.
- Agreement? - Yeah.
First of all, you talented nine did an amazing job tonight.
There are three dishes that we felt
that were top of the class this evening.
But, remember, only one of you
will get the spot up on the balcony.
If I call your name, please come forward.
- Nick. - Attaboy, Nick.
- Dorian. - Oh, wow.
- Attagirl, Dorian. - Good job, Dorian.
Gordon: And...
Bri.
Yes! Yay!
Good job.
Now tonight, we know that immunity is on the line.
But because this is season ten,
we have another treat for tonight's winner.
Oh, my gosh.
Tonight's winner will also receive...
Go ahead, Grant.
Dinner for two at Alinea.
- Gordon: Wow. - What?
- Wow. - Oh, my gosh.
Right, without further ado,
the winner of tonight's challenge...
congratulations goes to...
...Nick. Well done.
- Wow. Good job. - Well done, brother.
- All right, sweetheart. - Congrats.
- Good job, Nick.
- That's crazy. - Nick, congratulations.
You are safe from elimination.
Head up to the balcony. Let's go.
- Thank you so much, Chef. - Thank you.
Thanks for coming. It was great to meet you.
Nick: It feels amazing to win immunity.
I'm in the top eight now, which is amazing by itself,
but I have a dinner for two at Alinea.
It's really exciting. I mean, I can't believe it.
Tonight, without a doubt
is one of the most mind-blowing nights of my life.
Bri and Dorian, your dishes were great.
They just missed that mark. Well done.
- Head back to your stations, please. Thank you. - Thank you.
- Good job, girls. - Thank you.
I've never wanted to win a challenge so badly in my life,
so I'm feeling really disappointed.
I really genuinely tried my best,
but it wasn't enough.
What an incredible night.
For me, it's been one of the most exciting challenges
that we ever hosted.
I want all of you now to thank this incredibly busy man.
Give it up for Grant Achatz.
- Thank you, Chef. - Noah: Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef. - Grant: Thank you.
Now, for those of you that are still down here,
the next time you step into this kitchen,
it will be an elimination challenge.
Trust me, you want to make it to the elite eight.
But what will be your fate?
You'll find out soon enough.
Good night.
( music playing )
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