Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef"...
An American culinary icon... Grant Achatz.
Tonight is all about plating.
...the cooks took creativity to new levels.
I love it. You deconstructed it in a very, very clever way.
- Congratulations goes to Nick. - What?
You are safe from elimination.
- Good job. - Tonight...
A spot in the top eight is on the line.
...it's a meaty elimination challenge.
Are you kidding me? Are we gonna have to cook him?
Tonight, you'll be making homemade sausages.
I'm gonna show you how to make your very own sausages.
And the cook with the weakest link
will be leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
- Jeez. - Hold on.
It's a sausage challenge. Where's the sausage?
It's done in a refined manner. I love it.
This sausage, it's terrible.
It's just an ugly dish to look at.
The person leaving the MasterChef kitchen is...
( music playing )
Let's go, let's go.
This is the hardest, most intense season ever.
And being in the top nine is just another step
on the staircase of success for me
in bringing a new level of competition
every single time I step in.
Now, first of all, we have the top nine.
It's been an absolute privilege of mine personally
to watch you all grow across this competition.
Nick, congratulations.
You are safe from tonight's elimination challenge.
- How are you feeling? - Feeling great, Chef. It's weird.
I mean, the elimination challenges,
I've gone through a couple of them now,
and they're tough, but you learn a lot.
So, I'm excited to look down and try to keep doing that.
Yeah, good. Well done.
All right, everyone, it's time to get down to business.
Please, put on those black aprons behind you.
Sarah: I've gotten this far.
I'm not ready to go home anytime soon.
I need to push it through to the end.
I've been in the most elimination challenges,
and that kind of sucks.
But at the same time,
this is really lighting a fire in me
to win this thing.
Guys, this is season ten.
We have had some huge guests in this kitchen.
But they all pale in comparison
to who is about to walk through those doors.
- Huh? - Oh, my.
- What? - Whoa.
So, I'm gonna be a gentleman, a caballero,
and give her a personal escort.
- I'll be right back. - All right.
- ( gasps )
Nick: We've had different guests
where some people know who they are and love them,
and others, you know, maybe have heard of them.
But I have a weird feeling that with this guest,
it's gonna be someone who is just looked up to
and admired by everybody.
You guys, please welcome
a true beast in the kitchen.
- Uh-oh. - We got smoke.
He said it's a Latina.
- Please welcome Marley. - Dorian: Oh, it's a pig!
- Aah! - A big old pig!
- Oh, my gosh. - My boo!
- Aww, look how cute! - Oh!
Oh, my gosh. That's crazy.
Are you kidding me? Are we gonna have to cook him?
So cute! Aww!
Guys, doesn't she look delicious?
- Ha! - That's messed up.
Hey, do not be rude in front of our guest here, man.
- I'm just saying. - Go do your thing, mamacita.
- That's like a small horse. - Ridiculous.
I've been around farm animals my whole life,
but that is the biggest damn pig I've ever seen.
Now, tonight you'll be making homemade sausages.
- Sweet. - Okay.
Now, quick show of hands. Who's ever made homemade delicious sausages?
- I made... not in a casing. - Not in a casing.
That's not properly a sausage, is it, right?
Wow, Micah. What kind did you make?
- Venison sausage. - Venison.
Nobody else has ever made sausages. Wow.
- Incredible. - Don't worry, everyone.
I'm gonna show you how to make your very own sausages.
- ( murmuring ) - Awesome.
Now, I'm gonna make my favorite, which is chorizo,
but you guys can make whatever you want.
The method is the same.
It's really up to you to put your personalities
into your sausages, okay?
Watch and learn.
Shari: It's Aarón Sánchez.
Being able to have a front row seat to this
and not just seeing him television, it's...
to me, this is, like, the best experience ever.
So, the kind I'm gonna make is a chorizo based on a family recipe.
So, right here I have a beautiful mixture of pork shoulder
and some additional fat back.
Now we're gonna add some beautiful acid.
We have some cider vinegar or champagne vinegar.
We have a little bit of white wine.
The acidity is gonna help tenderize it
and break down that pork a little bit.
And then we're gonna start to add some aromatics.
Ground cinnamon, we're gonna add some clove, garlic,
and then finally, a copious amount of ancho chili, okay?
- Wow. - Oh, my gosh.
Now, so here's the deal. You kinda just wanna incorporate
all of that beautiful spice in there.
Now we're gonna go to the grinder.
What we're gonna do is we'll turn the machine on.
Use your little port here, your little bay.
And then what we'll do is we're gonna go ahead
and start pushing in this beautiful seasoned meat.
Now, don't stuff it.
Let some air, some friction get in there, obviously.
Dorian: I'm a little nervous.
I don't have a lot of experience at all...
none, making sausage.
It's very technical, but watching Chef Aarón
and seeing how he's bringing his culture
into what he's making is definitely an inspiration.
Now what we're gonna go ahead and do is add the bit
that has the actual casing to it, okay?
It's basically a funnel. Okay?
So we're gonna actually take the casing.
We're gonna put it right here onto this funnel.
And the idea is that you keep pushing it back
and then you're gonna enclose it.
Now we're gonna take our chorizo mixture back
and we're gonna start to form the actual sausages.
Start feeding the machine, okay?
Just push it down lightly.
Use your hand, guys, as the guide.
And if you wanna do a long one,
you wanna do a couple small ones...
We'll start feeding the machine a little bit more,
a little bit more.
Just don't overfeed the machine, guys.
Just let it do its thing. All right, here you go.
Almost nearly there.
And then this is a good time to kind of just make sure
that you have all your sizes consistent and even.
And then we'll just tie off the other end.
And then we're good to go, guys.
Noah: I've never made sausage,
so being able to watch Aarón,
he's just so calm and cool.
And to be able to learn,
literally, firsthand experience?
It is amazing.
And that is how a MasterChef makes his own sausages.
There is a lot that goes into making a sausage.
There's many, many steps,
and if you mess up, you could go home.
All right, all of you guys will have just 60 minutes
to make your own sausage links
and use those same links
to make an incredible dish.
- Oh, boy. - Oh, my gosh.
Joe: Guys, in the pantry you will find a variety
of meats and seasoning to fill your sausages.
But, remember, a spot in the top eight is on the line,
and tonight is not the night to be the weak link.
Somebody is going home tonight. Make sure it's not you.
Right, let's have 60 minutes on the clock.
- Everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 60 minutes...
start... now.
Let's go. Good luck, guys.
Big old portobellos. Big as possible.
Awesome.
( muttering )
Okra, okra, okra. There we are.
Guys, all the ingredients out of the baskets.
Three minutes gone. Focus. Let's go.
All right.
Not going home today.
Okay, celery root.
I'm not gonna need all that.
I'm making a coriander flavored chili
pork and lamb sausage, and then have a...
what's a called coconut korma on top of that with the sausage.
I have not made sausage before at all,
but I use sausage extensively cooking Cajun dishes.
But, you know, making sausage
and flavoring it in the Indian way,
it's the first time.
So I'm gonna see how that goes.
I'm really excited right now 'cause I love sausage.
I love pork. I love elk.
I know my way around sausage.
This ain't a place for just old dogs.
This is a place for young kids, too.
- ( groans ) - Keep moving.
Jamie, you got it.
- ( muttering ) - Let's go, Jamie. Come on.
Dadgum it.
I was just making sure the blade was in there
and it had the right dial on it.
Oh, my God.
I'm having a freak-out session in my head.
I've never made sausage before.
These things are temperamental from what I know.
But I'm gonna give it my all,
because if I don't do this,
I'll wind up going home.
So the pressure is on at this point, big time.
Oh, God.
Almost there.
We can make this happen tonight, buddy.
- Okay, perfect. - Let's go, Bri.
- Get moving, Bri, come on. - Now tonight, somebody's leaving,
cooking for their very last time,
so the jeopardy is definitely there.
One hour to stuff, case, and cook your sausage.
That's a tall order.
The big points of jeopardy this evening,
I mean, the combination of those proteins,
you know, the venisons, the wild boars...
when you're using protein like that with no fat in there,
- you have to be super careful the sausage doesn't dry out. - Yeah.
I think there's gonna be a lot of jeopardy
in the structure of the sausage links themselves...
either erupting, being full of air.
Or too tight, Joe.
You need to literally, A, let them rest,
and, B, make sure you don't jam pack those skins.
- Gotta be super careful. - One of the things
that is an absolute must is to almost over-season.
I think these home cooks are gonna underestimate
how much seasoning you truly need
- to make an impact with flavor. - Yeah.
There we go.
Let's go, Sarah. Come on, go.
Guys, 12 minutes gone, 48 minutes to go.
Come on, let's go. Focus.
How you doing, Sarah?
- Pretty good. How are you? - Doing awesome. Stay focused.
- All right, señorita Sarah. - Hi, Chef.
- What do we got going on? - I'm making a bratwurst
and a braised cabbage.
It's inspired by my travels in Germany when I was in the service.
Traveling, you know, I got familiar with all of the flavors.
So I'm trying to bring that part of my history
to the forefront tonight.
- So, super German Bavarian classic. - Yes.
- Wow! - Your dish sounds really authentic
and really good if you can actually execute it.
Just don't overstuff, okay, Sarah?
Thank, Chef. Thank you.
I wanna be in that top eight so badly.
I just have to show them my travels on a plate.
I have to push through this.
Jamie, give me an insight. What are you doing? What's the dish?
I'm doing a Cajun green onion sausage.
We have green onion breakfast sausage at home,
and I'm gonna do some red beans and rice.
I actually cook this a lot.
Even when I'm traveling doing rescue stuff,
red beans and rice is one of those things that you can do pretty quickly.
Presentation-wise, how are you gonna serve this thing?
I'm gonna make a rice and put a round
of red beans on top of that
and then set the sausage on the red bean gravy.
Almost a sort of rustic comfort... homestyle, right?
Exactly. I'm gonna nice it up as much as I can, though.
- Sausage is the hero, right? - Exactly.
- That's the challenge. Good luck. - Absolutely. Yes, Chef.
- Think about the garnishing. - Yes, Chef. Thank you.
Jamie: After Hurricane Harvey,
I started my own nonprofit,
and beans and rice is one of those things
where you can feed a mass quantity of folk.
I mean, this is something I've cooked a thousand times.
But today's an elimination round,
so it's gotta be perfect.
Guys, just under 40 minutes to go.
You've got to get your casings stuffed.
And make sure you're happy with the texture
and the seasoning before they go inside the casing.
Keep it going, let's go.
So, Gordon, Subha looks really behind.
When is he gonna start making these sausages?
What's he doing?
- Keep moving, Subha. - Now Jamie's doing a take
on a traditional pork sausage.
The only thing I'm concerned about
is the way they went through the mixer.
It's come out almost like a puree there,
so it's looking super mealy.
Yeah, it should have that ground meat texture to it.
- Yes. - We'll see how it comes out.
Noah, come on, let's finish it up. Let's go.
Awesome. Perfecto.
- Noah. - Those are some good-looking sausages.
- Thank you so much. - What is your dish?
I did a lamb and pork sausage.
I went to Ireland last summer
visiting my sister who was in Galway,
had some awesome lamb and pork sausages.
I'm gonna do a succotash with a little bit of corn and carrots and onions.
Gonna do a brown gravy over the top.
Should be really nice.
Joe: Sounds good.
So, Noah, what do you think about tonight's competition?
I feel that everyone's got probably a solid game plan,
so it's gonna be really interesting.
It's going to be very competitive field.
What are the chances of you going home, Noah?
Zero change. Zero. None.
Shari, how you feeling?
I'm feeling really good, Chef.
Now tell me, what are you doing?
I made kind of, like, a green chorizo.
So I put some poblano, parsley,
- coriander leaf in there. - Right.
And I'm gonna make some black beans to go with this
- and an apple salsa. - Okay.
I make this dish for my family, like, once a week.
It's one of their favorites.
- You're in the top nine. - It's crazy.
It's a dream to have even met you and learned from you.
Like, this is more than I could ever ask for.
But you're a serious contender in this competition.
Do you see yourself as a threat now?
I don't think I have that confidence.
- I'm working on it. - What? Really?
Where's this lack of confidence come from?
Probably from the time I was a little girl.
- I was a fat kid. - Stop it.
Which... no, really. Which makes it worse.
When you're a fat kid, you get teased for everything.
- Right. - You know? It impacts your confidence.
I believe in you.
Think of what you've done, okay?
- And, hey, head up. - I know. I know.
You've got 32 minutes to get yourself
- in the top eight. - Yes.
Good luck.
Guys, we're coming up to halfway.
Just over 31 minutes to go.
Oh.
Come on, Subha, let's go.
So right now, I'm worried about Subha.
He hasn't even got the sausage mix in the casing yet.
Everybody else has got theirs resting on the tray.
I don't understand what he's doing.
Right, I gotta get started with this.
Subha, you have to hurry up.
Yes, yes, yeah.
Subha, stay focused, come on.
Nick: Subha looks like he's really in trouble.
He's clearly lagging behind.
He's gonna have to catch up
or he's not gonna have
everything in the plate.
Oh, Lord, have mercy.
Gordon: Dear, oh, dear.
Subha, you have to hurry up.
Yes, yes, yeah.
I need to catch up because I'm behind everybody else.
I'm not gonna give up.
I need to start moving now
or game over.
All right.
You got it, Subha, come on. Let's go, Subha.
Guys, it's coming up to 25 minutes to go.
Think about the cooking techniques.
Don't overcook those sausages.
Keep it going, let's go.
Love it, Micah.
Gordon: Look at Micah. He's smoking sausage.
- Wow. - Yeah, fascinating.
Let's go, Bri. Get moving, Bri. Come on.
- Right, Bri, how you feeling? - I'm feeling pretty good.
Give me an insight into the dish. What are you doing?
I'm doing a handmade tagliatelle pasta.
Hold on, it's a sausage challenge. Where's the sausage?
It's going to be on... resting on top.
And I think the flavors will pair really, really well together.
What's the flavor of the sausage? That's the bit I'm excited about.
- Garlic and salt and pepper. - Garlic.
So pretty simple, but refined.
And I'm gonna do a beurre monté sauce.
So, make sure this dish isn't too frou-frou.
Make sure you lift it up with some heartiness, some great flavor.
You've got this. 20 minutes to go.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: Right, guys, we're 20 minutes to go.
- They look good, Subha. - Thank you.
All right, Subha, what do you got going on, buddy?
I have the korma sausages done
with a coriander-based lamb and pork.
And I have a coconut rice just doing... I gotta strain this out.
And then brown the sausage a little bit and put it on there.
That's a lot of things to do in 20 minutes, Subha.
Yes, Chef. Yeah, I'm working hard.
You're gonna sauté the sausage after you boil them?
Yeah, I'm gonna brown them. I'm gonna brown them and put them in the sauce.
Do you think they're gonna explode?
No, Chef, because I think there's no air pockets there.
- Don't overcook those, okay, Subha? - Yeah. Yeah, okay.
Take them out. Make sure you watch the evolution of your dish.
- Keep on cooking, all right, Subha? - Absolutely.
- Thank you, Chef. - All right.
All right, Jamie, how do you feel about the texture of your sausage?
I feel good about it right now. I poached it for just a minute,
and it's nice and plump, and I'm about to put in the pan.
Me and Joe have a concern that some of the texture of yours is a little mealy.
- Did you run it through twice or just once? - I did run it through twice.
- That could be a mistake. - Really?
- Did you try some of your mixture in the pan? - I did and it was delicious.
It was like a cross between a regular sausage and a kielbasa.
- Okay. - All right.
- All right, proof is in the pudding. - Yeah, I guess so.
I guess so. Thank you.
Dang, that's not good to know.
Mmm.
Mm-mmm-mmm. That is delicious.
Come on, Mr. Bacon. Gotta get crispy for me.
Don't like it.
Gordon: Guys, we're down to ten minutes to go.
Come on, Sarah, you got it.
Those are cute sausages, Sarah.
Thank you.
- Micah, is that portobello? - Yes, sir.
Beautiful mushroom.
- Roasting it whole, baby. - Looks really good.
- Micah, I saw that smoking gun there. - Yes, Chef. Yeah.
That's you. If I have to describe you,
you're like this smoldering, smoking gun.
This 19-year-old, gutsy, determined individual.
Now, tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
All right, so I'm doing smoked wild boar and elk sausage
- Right. - with a roasted portobello mushroom
in a port and beef stock reduction.
That sounds delicious. How'd you get these ideas?
My uncle is a hunter and we smoked everything.
He had a 50 gallon drum that he would smoke everything in.
Wow. How are you gonna elevate this dish?
How are you gonna make it look good?
I'm gonna plate it on a board, sort of that rusticness
of the hunter, you know, those roots.
Right. Get yourself in the top eight, okay?
- Yes, Chef. - And remember, you can do this, okay?
- Good luck. - Thank you. I appreciate it.
Micah: I came in this competition
not really having much confidence in myself at all.
Me being here has helped me see
that I can really excel in this.
I just have to continue to build myself up
no matter who or what stands in my way.
- It's smelling good up here. Keep going. - Thank you.
- This is so good. - Oh, yeah, Dorian.
Dorian: I was always around my mom in the kitchen.
She always taught me
the love that you put in food
is what makes it southern,
and that's what I want to represent in my cooking.
And I just hope that this dish works out,
because there's a lot riding on this.
There's an elimination that's gonna happen.
- Dorian. - Yes.
You should be in your comfort zone...
- southern flavor, sausage. - So, what's that?
- That's beans and tomato sauce? - It's beans and tomatoes
- with a little bit of okra. - Aarón: Cool.
- Your sausages, you're just poaching them? - Yes.
I'm gonna poach them, and then just sear 'em really quickly
just to get some color on the outside.
Everything that's in the liquid is in the sausage.
- Oh, I love that. - So I have fennel seed, cayenne, garlic,
- salt, pepper. - What I really like about what you're doing here
is that you're reinforcing the flavors of the actual sausage
into other components of the dish.
- Joe: It's very smart. - I like that, Dorian.
- Thank you. - All right, Dorian, good luck.
Thank you so much.
Those are perfect.
All right, Noah, let's go.
Oh, yeah, that's freakin'...
that's looking freakin' awesome.
- Oh, yeah, Jamie. Looks delicious. - Thanks, brother.
Bri, that looks awesome. Perfect pasta.
Thank you.
Gordon: So, guys, I'm a little bit worried.
With Bri going down that tagliatelle route,
- there's no flavor there. - I just hope everything else
makes a resounding statement.
Gordon: Guys, we're down to the last five minutes.
This is it.
For one of you, your last five minutes
inside the MasterChef kitchen.
Joe: Guys, no exploding sausages,
because now it's too late to retrace your steps.
Whoa. Sear, sear, sear.
I think Subha is burning his sausage.
They're gonna burst. The skins are gonna burst.
No, no, no, no, no. Oh, my goodness.
( groans )
Guys, we're down to the last five minutes.
Joe: No exploding sausages in the last five minutes
because now it's too late to retrace your steps.
Sear, sear, sear.
- ( groans ) - Oh, my God.
Aarón: Subha, you're having an eruption!
- Yes, Chef. - Joe: They're exploding. What are you doing?
Actually, there's a little bit of water coming out there, so...
Are you concerned? Look at that. You have all air bubbles in there.
Be careful, be careful. All right, come on, Subha.
- You gotta bring it right now, okay? - Thank you, Chef.
- Yeah, yeah, absolutely. - Keep moving, Subha.
Subha: I've been in almost every single elimination challenge,
but I have survived.
I've proved myself before.
I'm gonna prove myself again.
I'm a fighter. I don't give up.
Three minutes to go. Come on.
Let's start thinking about plating, everyone. Come on.
Joe: And remember, we're gonna be judging the whole dish.
The consistency and texture of your sausage.
- The flavor, the seasoning. - Beautiful.
- Here we go. - All right, Dorian, it's looking good. Let's go.
Gordon: 90 seconds to go.
- Behind, behind, behind. - Yes, sir, go ahead.
Let's go, Subha.
Let's go, Micah. Work fast.
One minute remaining. Let's go!
- Joe: This is it, guys, come on! - Let's go, Sarah.
Nick: Come on, finish strong. Let's go.
- 30 seconds remaining. - Oh, God. Oh, God.
- Come on, Jamie, you got it. Let's go. - ( groans )
Tidy those plates up and make them look magical. Let's go!
Finish that up, Bri. Let's go.
Gordon: Here we go. Ten.
- Judges: Nine, eight, - Oh, God.
- seven, six, five, four... - Oh, my God.
...three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop. Hands in the air. - Aarón: That's it.
Well done.
Jeez! That was tough.
- That was tough. - ( groans )
I am feeling great.
I was panicking at the moment,
but then I was able to pull out some amazing flavor.
I'm gonna be in top eight.
I really wanted to bring out
a more rustic side of myself,
really highlight my roots in Michigan,
being in the forest, playing around.
Um, I had a little bit more fun plating today.
I think that this is something really special and I'm really proud of it.
Well done. That was not an easy task.
60 minutes to make a delicious,
stunning sausage dish.
Now, it's time to taste how you all did.
Let's go. First up, Sarah, please.
Make your way down. Thank you.
- Come on, Sarah. - Let's go, Sarah.
Sarah: After the Chef Grant challenge,
I really need to redeem myself.
This dish, it is a representation
of my travels and it's elevated.
The only thing that I'm really worried about
is the sausage is moist on the inside.
- Describe the dish please, Sarah. - So, this is a wild boar,
mustard, green apple, and goat cheese sausage
with braised red cabbage
and a butternut squash and apple puree.
Visually, I love the colors, but it just looks like
someone's gone crazy with a mustard bottle at the end.
When you put a puree on a plate, let it sit naturally.
Let a puree be a puree on a plate.
Now, did you poach and then sear?
I poached them in a lager style beer,
and then I rolled them in paprika
and got a little color on them.
Mm.
The sausage is...
the right consistency. It tastes flavorful.
Even the puree is good. It's well-executed.
Good job on interpreting the authentic flavors of Bavaria, really.
- It's a good dish. - Thank you.
Look at the construction of that sausage
and how it's hugging the casing and everything.
It's just so well-constructed.
- Thank you. - Cabbage is spot-on.
The actual sausage is delicious.
However, you caramelized them so well, it doesn't taste
like they've been poached 'cause I can't taste the beer.
- Okay. - But it's a really good effort.
- Well done. Amazing. - Thank you.
- Good job. - Nice job, Sarah.
I'm feeling so proud.
My dish as a whole was really well conceptualized.
I came in with a goal to make the top eight,
and I just made it one step closer to that goal.
The next home cook, Subha, can you please bring your dish?
- Go, Subha. - Good job, Subha.
Subha: I'm feeling extremely confident.
This dish is by far the best dish
I've cooked in the MasterChef kitchen.
It's got Indian in it. It's got Cajun in it.
It's got flavors which nobody's ever put together before.
This dish is gonna get me into top eight, period.
Subha, can you please describe your dish?
I have for you here a lamb, pork coriander sausage,
spiced in the Indian way, served over a korma
and a flaky basmati coconut rice.
Subha, here's where I'm disappointed.
Visually, I think the sausage,
they're kind of a little bit off-putting.
So, hopefully, the flavor delivers.
The dish, it's tasty.
The flavors are aggressive.
It's hot, but well-seasoned
where it's not spicy.
But I gotta say that I'm disappointed
about the sausage and the execution of it.
Your rice is overcooked. The sausage could be better.
At the end of the day...
the flavors are all really good.
But if even you're a Jedi with spicing,
you still gotta cook your rice properly.
So the depth of flavor in korma is there,
let's get that absolutely right.
- It is delicious. - Yes.
It's just an ugly dish to look at.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
Much appreciate the feedback.
- Pleasure. Thank you. - Thank you.
Hearing the comment from the judges
makes me feel a little bit disappointed,
but there's six more.
I'm hoping that, you know,
one of them had a very, very bad day,
so that I can be in top eight.
The next dish we want to try was made by Bri.
- Bri. - Let's go, Bri.
- Come on, Bri. - Good job, Bri.
Bri: I'm thrilled.
Everything looks exactly how I thought it would.
And I wanted to kind of go out of my comfort zone
by doing something that I don't usually do,
which is making a fresh pasta.
I'm hoping that the risk pays off.
Okay, Bri, what did you make for us?
I made a pork and garlic sausage
with a by hand tagliatelle pasta,
with a beurre monté sauce,
asparagus tips and micro basil.
I don't know. You're the only one in the competition
that always wants to put us three judges on a diet.
I'm not looking for a light sausage dish.
You've got five slices of sausage. Why?
I thought that I put a fair amount,
but still kept it refined and elegant.
Bri, what's the breakdown inside the sausage? What have you got in there?
Minced garlic, and then I liberally seasoned with salt and pepper.
Here's the deal, Bri.
Everything that's here is executed properly, okay?
I'll give you that. But it's boring.
The sausage has nothing of interest.
There's no popping seasoning. There's nothing.
This is the opportunity to go crazy with bold flavors
and sausage is not the right application to be subtle.
For me, sausage is neutral.
The pasta is neutral. It's in a butter sauce.
- It's all very safe. - In all fairness,
for me it wasn't safe
because I've only ever made by hand pasta
- once before. - Bri, there's more pasta than there is sausage.
It's a sausage challenge and you're presenting it
like it's a pasta challenge. It's not.
We haven't got enough of the sausage.
And the sausage you put on there is, sadly,
it's just so bland.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
Five slices. It's barely a sausage.
Thanks.
I'm feeling embarrassed because it's really, really tough
to hear such negative critiques
on something that you've worked so hard on.
It just sucks when you try your best
and then it's not enough.
Now I am nervous that I might be in trouble.
Next up, Dorian, please. Make your way down, thank you.
( indistinct chatter )
Dorian: I'm proud of my dish.
It's hearty. It's rustic.
It definitely represents me and my family.
The one thing that I am kind of concerned about
is nailing that sausage.
Gordon: Describe the dish, please.
It is a take on my mom's pot of beans
with cumin and tomatoes.
And then my sausage is wild boar,
fennel, and apple.
Visually, the sausage looks hearty.
And that wonderful bean stew underneath it,
it's got "dive in" all over it.
And I love the idea of the toasted slice on the top.
It tells me it's gonna scream of texture
and dark, rich flavors.
Thank you.
Yeah, I disagree.
I think the toast cheapens the dish.
So you don't serve garlic bread
- in your restaurants? - No.
- Oh, excuse me. - There's no such thing
as garlic bread in Italy.
So, I think it cheapens it.
It makes it less than it could be.
- I disagree. - If you wanna do something interesting,
take the sausage, make a pÃ¢té,
spread the pÃ¢té on the toasted bread.
I'm just trying to push you to the next level.
- Got you, Joe. - Would you like a bite of garlic bread?
That's the kind of restaurant you guys go to. That's all right.
- Would you like a bite? - No, I don't want any garlic bread.
You're such a ( bleep ) snob.
Joe: No, it's not.
I'm trying to advise her on how to take it up a level.
Mmm.
Joe: Um, it tastes good.
It's sweet, and tomatoes and beans really work together.
The sausage itself has a wonderful texture.
The flavor permeates the whole thing
- and it's a complete dish. - Aarón: It's homey.
I think the idea of the tomato and the beans,
it's done in refined manner. I love it.
It's delicious. It's you on plate.
- And the garlic bread I absolutely love. - I'm glad you love it.
Love the garlic bread, because you can sop up all that juicy bean.
And the sausage is delicious. Well done.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Dorian.
- Good job, Dorian. - Good job.
Micah, please bring your dish down, sir.
- Micah. - Go, Micah.
I'm feeling good about today's challenge.
I think that I showed I am very thoughtful
about every element on my dish.
Everything that's there is gonna be designed
to enhance my dish,
and it's all going to bring beauty to it.
What do you have here for us, Micah? Please describe it.
I have elk and wild boar sausage
with a carrot and celery puree,
roasted mushrooms and roasted carrots
with a port and sherry vinegar reduction.
Yeah, visually, I think it brings up the forest, it brings up campfires,
- and I'm excited about that. - Super rustic.
I'm not a super fan of the plating.
I think it's a little bit pushing the limits,
but it actually speaks
to flavors that I expect to taste in that dish.
The sausages have a nice color. I'm very optimistic.
What's the ratio of fat in the wild boar?
- What have you done? - I added a lot of back fat
'cause neither boar nor elk are very fatty,
So I added a decent amount.
Tried to stay close to that 80-20.
You know what's nice about this sausage in particular,
is that you used very gamey meats.
And this has a nice balance
of the flavor of a pork sausage,
but it has that additional sophistication of the gaminess.
It's very, very good.
I love the decision of port in that particular sauce.
That's the kind of thinking that chefs do at restaurants.
And it's surprising.
I didn't think I was gonna like
the portobellos, but they work.
It's a delicious dish.
That puree is one of the best I've ever tasted.
- Joe: Yeah, it's good. - But I have to remind ourselves
you're 19 years of age.
It's pretty incredible to see
you produce food like this.
It's sophisticated.
- It's really good. - Joe: Good job.
- Good job. Thanks, Micah. - Thank you. Thank you.
- Noah: Good job, Micah. - Good job.
To get the positive feedback from Gordon, Aarón, and Joe,
for me, that just shows that I deserve to be here.
And I can't help but start to feel hope
that I can make it all the way to the end.
Okay, the next dish we want to try is from Shari.
- Let's go! - Let's go, Shari.
I'm feeling really great about the flavors of my dish.
I would've liked to plate it a little differently,
but looking at it, like,
how do you make beans and a sausage look pretty?
It ain't easy.
Okay, Shari, what do you got for us?
I have a Mexican inspired wild boar sausage,
with black beans, apple salsa, and a chili lime crema.
I think I'm concerned about the amount of crema
you have on there, to be honest.
It has a really strong presence on your dish,
and I think the black beans
were a little challenging to plate pretty.
It's a little tough to look at.
I think the sauce, if it's really good, it might even be appropriate.
I don't know. I'm excited to try it.
When I slice into that sausage for the first time, I want that burst of flavor.
When you slice it like that, it just goes dry very quickly,
so it needs to be in something.
But you've got the contrast right,
because the heat's there, the richness is there,
and it's a light take on a sausage casserole,
but done with a bit of flair. Delicious.
Yeah, I like the salsa a lot. I think it's a fresh element.
I just don't like the way it's composed.
- Okay, I understand that. - I think, Shari,
it's another great example of your ability to create contrasts in your dishes.
You know, heavy, brooding, light and fresh.
Even the crema and the sausage,
you have this way of juxtaposing flavors
which for my palate, which is quiet sophisticated,
is very interesting. I like it.
- Thank you, Joe. - Thank you, Shari. Good job.
- Thank you, Shari. Delicious. - Good job, Shari.
Next up, Jamie, please. Let's go.
- Let's go, Jamie. - Come on, big fella.
Jamie: All in all, I feel like
that was a tough challenge for me.
I'm nervous as hell because it looks like a mess.
My only saving grace at this point
is if they cut into it and it tastes like it should.
I'm crossing my fingers right now.
Describe the dish, please, Jamie.
This is actually a Cajun sausage
with fried okra and a red beans and rice.
- So, visually, I'm gonna be honest, it looks a mess. - I know. Yes.
It's not your most attractive plating.
I mean, I don't know what to make of the ones that are sliced,
- the ones that are whole. - For me, your presentation
I think had grandiose ideas, but when it comes down to it,
- time got the best of you and it just looks a mess. - It did, yeah.
What is the combination of the flavor of the sausage, please, Jamie?
It's just regular pork and lamb with a lot of extra fat.
Jamie, this sausage, uh...
I don't know what to say.
I'm gonna be straight with you, Jamie.
This sausage, it's dry,
but worse then dry, I have more bad news for you.
- Oh. - It's terrible.
The sausage is mealy.
The seasoning is unbalanced.
It's not something I want to even keep in my mouth.
- My apologies. - The rest of the dish is dry.
It's just really far off the mark.
Yeah, the red beans and rice, it's such a promise.
It's something that's religion down where I live.
And this is not it.
Gordon: So, the sausage.
We've lost the texture there in a way
that has actually, sadly, turned it almost like a paste.
So, it's almost like a pÃ¢té.
- Mm-hmm. - However, I'm a big lover of okra,
and I like the flavor.
It tastes way better than it looks.
Unfortunately, everything's dry there.
I'm searching for texture and moisture.
- Damn. - Oh, man.
- Thank you, Jamie. - Sorry, guys.
All right, Jamie.
Chin up, big fella. You got this.
It's been fun.
Jamie: Sausage and red beans and rice is simple.
And that's why I'm upset that I messed up
is because, man,
I should be able to do this with my eyes closed.
- Noah, can you please bring your dish down? - Absolutely.
Let's go, Noah.
Noah: This dish that I'm looking at
is the first complete Noah on a plate.
It's got everything I want.
I totally want to show the judges
that I'm not just some hick from Epworth.
I feel like a million bucks.
This is the first challenge that I feel 100%
I did exactly what I wanted to do.
- What do we have here, Noah? - All right, so what we have today, gentlemen,
is a lamb and pork sausage.
It's topped off with a sweet
and bitter Guinness brown gravy
with a little bit of multicolored carrot succotash
with a Joel Roubichon butter rubbed potato.
Visually, it's got that sort of good old Irish pub feel to it
on a winter's night in the middle of November.
So, I can't wait to get in there.
So, what kind of lamb did you put in there?
I used lamb shoulder.
It should be real bold and juicy, though.
I mean, it's delicious.
- Thank you. - Here's the thing.
It's you on a plate.
It's hearty, it's earthy.
Mash is delicious.
And you've gone all sort of posh on us now
'cause you've got no lumps in there.
I don't know how the hell you made
a very hearty dish light and acidic,
which is really amazing
how you were able to lift it up with that succotash
and not make it so rigid and bogging it down.
Thank you, Chef.
I love the Irish-ization of the bangers and mash.
It's got some sophisticated flavors in there.
- I think it's spot-on. - Thank you.
Good job.
Good job, dude.
- All right, we need a minute, guys. - Give us a moment, please.
- It's okay, big guy. - It's all right, man.
- I'm ready to go. - Tonight, especially with these dishes,
you could see what was gonna be unctuous and good and what was gonna be dry.
- There was a lot of dry dishes. - Aarón: Yeah.
So, the down ones... Bri.
- Joe: Too simple. - Bri: I just fell flat on my face with this challenge.
But this competition just really means the world to me
and I want this to change my life.
Uh, Jamie struggled.
- Yeah. - What's going on with that texture?
Mine was just too dry.
Jamie: Right now, it's an emotional rollercoaster.
You're anxious, you're nervous, you're freaking out.
But at the same time, I know I gave it 110%.
All I can hope is that that's what they see.
- Joe: We agree. - Yeah. All right.
Let's go.
Tonight, we asked you all
to make some delicious homemade sausages.
Almost all of you excelled.
But there's one individual tonight that dropped the ball,
and they know they've cooked for the last time.
I'd like that person to take one step forward.
- Jamie. - Yes, sir.
Aw, Jamie.
First of all, I'd like everybody to say good-bye to Jamie
- and head upstairs. - Love you all.
- I'm gonna miss you. - Micah: Seeing Jamie leave
at this stage in the competition
is truly a reality check.
- Come here, big guy. - I'll see you later, all right?
He's a strong competitor,
but a slight slip up will send you home.
Jamie, unfortunately, tonight your dish didn't hit the mark.
The dish was dry and the sausage was a disaster.
- Jamie, tonight you struggled. - Yes, Chef.
But you had an amazing run, let's get that clear.
Even across the dessert challenges, you defied the odds.
It's been an amazing adventure.
I did learn how to bake, which I didn't know.
- Have you enjoyed it? - Absolutely. Incredible experience.
Can't thank you all enough.
- Come say good-bye then. - I love you, Jamie.
- Keep up that good work. - Thanks so much.
- I'll see you on that boat one day. - Thank you very much, okay?
- Good luck, brother. - Thank you, Joe.
- Gonna miss you, Jamie. - We're gonna miss you, Jamie.
You know each and every one of them so well.
Jamie, in your mind, who's gonna become America's next MasterChef?
Subha. If he can knock me out,
- he can knock out everybody else. - Noah: You're the man, Jamie.
- Take care, buddy. - Thank you, guys. I appreciate y'all.
- Bye, Jamie. - Thank you all. I love you.
- Take care, Jamie. - I came into this competition,
I wasn't even sure if I was gonna get an apron.
You cooked the fish beautifully.
You could be one to watch.
- ( cheers and applause ) - I came in here knowing
that I don't have the culinary experience of a lot of people.
But I felt like it was worth giving it a shot.
You're studying hard. I can see that.
- I am. - Continue taking those risks.
It's hard to look back and think what I didn't know then...
Man, this is tough.
...and what knowledge I can take home now.
Jamie don't really fish for a living.
I think he owns a bakery.
- Visually, this is just beautiful. - Thank you, guys.
The fact that I made it this far?
It's absolutely incredible.
- I'm gonna take this okra. - Bye, Jamie.
- Love you, bro. - I'm gonna go back home
and focus on raising money for the nonprofit.
- Noah: See ya, brother. - And now I feel confident
that I can cook way better food for them.
So, coming here and being forced to actually study cooking,
it's changed the way I'll cook for the rest of my life.
Thank y'all so much.
( music playing )
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