Masterchef (2010) s01e10 Episode Script

Previously on MasterChef Competition in the MasterChef kitchen was hotter than ever.
Absolutely delicious.
All of you should come up here and try this.
This is really propelling Lee to MasterChef level.
But college student Slim failed to make the grade Go back to your station.
I'm not tasting this crap.
And saw her MasterChef hopes trashed.
This is ridiculous.
Your time in MasterChef is done.
Some cracked under the pressure of an upscale wedding reception I'm just gonna go ahead and get my ticket ready for Atlanta.
You've now just butchered that thing.
That is .
While David Miller rose to the occasion.
Keep it up.
Absolutely brilliant.
You were the hero of that team.
But in a pressure test, Tracy paid the ultimate price.
Construction worker Jake shocked the judges with a bad dish at the wrong time.
What's going on here? Please take your apron off.
Tonight the final six become the final four Ow! As they face the world's three most-feared food critics.
The garlic is overpowering.
I can't really taste the fish.
I have some bones in mine.
Six amateur cooks remain.
The last contestant standing will receive $250,000, a cookbook-publishing deal, and above all else, become the first American MasterChef.
After six grueling weeks All right.
The MasterChef competition has reached its final stages.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Morning, Chef.
From all that sea of people that entered the MasterChef kitchen for the first time, it's just us left.
It's right there, and all I need to do is just grab it.
I'm the most confident and powerful Chef in this kitchen.
I can win this.
One, two, three, four, five, six of you currently.
The best six amateur cooks anywhere in America today.
And one of you is gonna be crowned the first ever MasterChef.
If there's anything I want to warn the rest of the contestants about, it's that I've got some things up my sleeve that you haven't seen yet.
To be the very best, you have to beat the very best.
This Is your final mystery-box challenge.
In their final mystery-box challenge of the season, the contestants have to cook and prepare an amazing dish using only the ingredients inside the box.
They must do this in just one hour.
Excited? Yes, Chef.
Because the cook that creates the most stunning dish with the ingredients under that box will have a huge advantage in the next stage of this competition.
Are you ready to lift those boxes? I thought that in the mystery box today, we would have something crazy and kooky.
I'm like, "oh, it's gonna be a big, long, slithery, like, eel, and I'm gonna have to touch it.
" This is the last mystery-box challenge, and I'm hoping, "give me some ingredients that I can work with.
" On the count of three.
One Two Three.
Ohh! Today's mystery box ingredients are The most tender, flavorful rack of venison.
My mom would say, "what is venison?" And I'd have to explain to her that it's deer meat, and then I think she might hang up on me.
We have blueberries, bacon, red cabbage, quail eggs, fingerling potatoes, striped beets, hazelnuts, brussels sprouts, and, of course, red wine.
Guys, when's the last time you were at your local market and saw a rack of venison? Never.
Or quail eggs? All different types of things you can do with it-- grilling, searing, braising, tartare, all kinds of stuff.
Just remember-- super easy to overcook.
One hour, ten ingredients, one winner Starting from now.
Off you go.
Game time, baby.
Game time.
Right now I'm working on my roasted brussels sprouts.
I am used to cooking deer.
I'm a Southern girl, and in Mississippi, we eat deer like it's going out of style.
I'm gonna try a blueberry red-wine sauce.
I would love to win a mystery-box challenge.
I haven't yet, so it would be really nice.
Not having a lot of experience cooking meat, I think that's gonna be the challenge here for me.
I think compared to every other mystery-box challenge, this one really speaks to me.
It's ingredients from where I'm from.
The biggest challenge for me is gonna be the perfect balance of cooking time and resting time for the venison.
Their level of concentration is phenomenal.
No one's running around crazy, and they are seriously in the game.
They're very focused on just staying in their world.
Their cutting board is like their restaurant.
We're asking them to create a restaurant-quality dish, so there has to be some components and some complexity.
It doesn't have to be overcomplicated, but it has to show technique and thought.
Right, David, what are you doing? I think I'm gonna stick with a filet style.
I like wrapping it in bacon.
On the bone or off the bone? I was gonna roast it on the bone.
Red-wine base? Red-wine base, yes.
When are you gonna start cooking the venison? About five minutes in.
Okay.
Right, Sharone.
One, two, three different sauces.
How come you got three sauces on here? This is a soup.
It goes with one wave of venison and the other venison is gonna go with two different sauces.
So there are three sauces.
One dish has got two sauces on.
One dish has got one as a soup.
This is a broth.
A broth? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, okay.
You're not doing it once.
You're doing it twice.
Not doing one sauce, two sauces, you're doing three sauces? Correct.
Is that nuts? Nuts? Yeah, you're being polite.
All right, Whitney, what's happening? What are you doing here? You boiling these? I'm trying to get the flavor off of 'em, so I can try to make a gravy.
So what's the final dish? Pan-seared venison Uh-huh? With a brown gravy.
Okay, Lee.
I got a blueberry coffee sauce.
I'm braising some of the beet root, as well as the beet leaves and the cabbage.
So coffee and blueberry sauce with the gamey venison? Absolutely.
Whitney did some nice mixed oven-roasted vegetables and got some really nice caramelization and browning on the vegetables and the potatoes in the oven.
You wouldn't put a roux-based gravy with a loin of venison.
It's the Rolls Royce cut.
Absolutely.
Right.
David Miller-- I saw some really good butchering skills from him.
Great potential there.
The only downside to what he's done is cut the venison chops so big, it's gonna take a long time to cook in the center.
Guys, 30 minutes to go! Halfway there, guys! How are you cooking the venison? Right now, I have-- I have it testing.
I just want to-- oh, no.
What's the matter? That's way overcooked, yeah.
Okay.
That is gonna taste like Gandhi's flip-flop.
Where's the red-wine sauce? Where is it? Yeah.
I haven't started it yet.
Sauce should be on, reducing down.
Okay.
And so far, with 34 minutes gone, all we've done is overcooked a piece of venison.
Oh, my God.
I have 30 minutes to, like, cook my entire dish.
I started freaking out.
Good sear on that venison chop.
Very nice.
So listen to that.
Isn't that great? Yeah.
So with the scan pan, you get a nice sear, as well as having the fact that it's nonstick.
This is the last mystery box.
This is so important.
I really want to win this challenge.
Sharone is a talented cook, but to his disadvantage, his overcomplication-- too many ideas on one plate-- could really bite him in the ass.
Lee--how many times have I seen him cook with fennel? Every single dish he pops out is, like, with fennel and mint.
All right, guys.
Ten minutes to go.
Last ten minutes, yes? With just ten minutes left, the race is on to create the most compelling dish.
The judges will select the top three based on presentation and whose venison they think is cooked to perfection.
Venison should be out resting, and more importantly, sauce should be coming together.
Start dipping in your sauce and tasting the combination.
Just over five minutes to go, guys.
Start thinking about putting the venison on the plate.
My sauce is done.
My venison's cooked.
And I tasted it and I thought, "wow.
It tastes really good," but I don't know what it's supposed to taste like, because I'm cooking this for the first time in my life.
30 seconds to go, guys.
Come on.
Speed up.
Come on, Whitney, Sheetal.
20 seconds to go.
Come on, David, get it sauced.
Get it sauced.
Get it sauced.
Get it sauced.
Come on.
Oh, .
Great, great.
Ten, nine, eight, seven "Six, five.
" I'm like, "no, I need another minute.
" Four, three, two, one.
And stop, guys.
Whoo! Oh, my goodness! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop, guys.
Whoo! Oh, my goodness gracious! All right.
Whoo! Okay, stand back from your stations.
I was second guessing and I thought, "wow, it tastes really good," but I don't know what it's supposed to taste like, because I'm cooking this for the first time in my life.
You all started off with the most amazing venison.
Exactly the same ingredients, all six of you.
We're only gonna be tasting three.
The judges criteria for selecting the top three dishes is based on final presentation and from observing the contestants' techniques during the challenge.
First one Sheetal.
I was so happy for her 'cause she's a really good team player in the team challenges, but she hadn't had her moment yet in the spotlight.
Kind of earlier today, she was like, "I'm ready.
I'm ready to bring it," and it was, like-- it was awesome to see that come to fruition.
It's a pan-roasted tenderloin with a red wine and blueberry reduction over creamed brussels sprouts.
Wow.
It looks immaculate.
It's like a restaurant dish.
Yeah, through and through.
And it's done with great finesse, more than anything, because the fact that it was even started the sauce the venison was still rare.
How did you manage that dish in just over 30 minutes? I take a lot of time to think before I act and, um, I need time to process and plan.
So You have got over the most difficult hurdle.
You've let the venison rest for as long as you've cooked it and it's cooked equally throughout.
Sheetal, you've made that Become a dream come true.
The texture of the venison is superb.
You've got that bite in the brussels sprouts, but you've managed to combine this acidity with the richness of the game and it worked brilliantly.
That tastes as if you've cooked it 1,000 times.
Amazing.
Thank you.
Excellent.
If I had to make one comment, perhaps a drizzle of the most green, intoxicating, raw olive oil to give it a little bit more of that lush bitterness.
Italian flavor.
Excuse me.
Did I say, "Italian"? Olive oil on top of that? Absolutely.
Two drizzles of olive oil just kind of breaking through the sauce would be a-- like, would be like the icing on the proverbial cake.
Great job.
Congratulations.
A delicious dish.
Thank you.
You'd want to spoil that with olive oil on top of that? Just because you can't grow olive trees in your country, you don't have to harbor that bitterness towards the Mediterranean climate.
Great start.
Very good.
Okay, next up.
Okay.
Whitney.
Let's go.
Come forward.
Hearing Whitney's name called, it's not surprising.
She's been in the top three on many occasions.
She just has this natural ability and not surprised at all.
Describe the dish for me, please.
Okay, I have a pan-seared venison and then I made a gravy from roasting the bones and, um, the meat, and then i have roasted brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes.
My one concern is the-- the gravy.
I give you the most amazing cut of venison and you go and stick a gravy on it.
Yet red wine was there.
And it's almost like the venison's got the wrong coat on.
How many times have you cooked venison? My dad hunts, so it's usually at least once every year during the fall.
Venison is cooked beautifully.
I mean, it's cooked by an angel.
Vegetable's delicious.
It works, and it works better than it looks.
And you have managed to confirm to all three of us is that you understand how to cook venison, which is quite rare at 22 years of age.
Well done.
Thank you.
Right, the third and final dish to be tasted Sharone.
Not being selected for the top three is a little frustrating.
I felt like my dish was right on.
You know, Sharone had so much going on on his plate and I felt like I did a better job, that I really deserved to be in the top three today.
Okay.
I decided to go with the seared venison.
We've got it tartare and a couple different sauces to accompany it.
Can we just talk about the obvious for a second here? The plating is a disgrace.
You're lucky you're even up here.
It's like Salvador Dali on crack.
Tell us what it is.
The venison got shot in the woods, on the plate, and moved to what? The reason why you're up here is because that venison is cooked perfectly and it's cooked on the bone.
It's the vomit to the side of the plate I'm struggling to understand.
Okay.
Has someone dropped their eyeball on the plate? What is that thing? It's a quail egg.
A quail egg eyeball running through the center? If you can follow me through, it's-- no, I'm not gonna follow you.
Are you crazy? No.
I'm gonna go there on top of there and I'm gonna eat my venison that way.
It's oozing pink, gamey deliciousness.
Venison's delicious.
Beet root's nice, acidic, wonderful.
Delicious.
Slow down.
You're too complex.
I'd love to strip 1/3 of the of you off, and I think underneath those layers there's a talent.
Fine.
As for the eyeball, what a nutter.
I really--I tried to make it look like it was a walk through the woods, you know? It looks like a walk through a crime scene.
I mean, it literally it does.
This is cooked perfectly.
You just need to get out of your own way.
Less is more.
Less is more.
So I guess the question is: Why is this dish up here? I'll tell you why.
Because we were so impressed by the quality of the cookery on the chop.
Great butchering.
Great sear.
Perfect cooking.
It was head and shoulders above the field.
So I've been really looking forward to tasting this, because it looked so incredible.
And it is.
Thank you.
Okay, Sheetal, Whitney, Sharone, well done.
The winner of the last mystery box challenge Congratulations goes to It's time for the judges to decide the winner of the final mystery-box challenge.
Whitney, Sheetal, Sharone, well done.
Will they choose Whitney's venison with Southern gravy, Sheetal's roasted venison, or Sharone's pan-seared venison with blueberry puree? The winner of the last mystery-box challenge Congratulations goes to Sheetal.
Well done.
Oh.
It feels really good to finally be the winner of a mystery-box challenge and to win on something that I've never cooked before, which really means that I'm making my decisions in the kitchen based on instinct.
I'm a little surprised that Sheetal made it into not only the top three, but the number-one dish of the day.
She seems very one-dimensional.
Sheetal, your first individual victory.
You're back in the game.
You have a major advantage in the next stage of MasterChef.
Ready? Yes.
Well done.
This way.
Sheetal now gets to choose the main ingredient for the invention test.
Whatever she selects, everybody else must cook with.
Whoever makes the worst dish will be eliminated from MasterChef.
As always, the theme of this challenge is in the hands of the judges.
Today's theme Is dessert.
Okay.
Big dessert lover? No.
What? No.
Well, time to start thinking sweet thoughts.
I--yeah.
You're faced with a huge advantage right now, because what you select, everybody else cooks with, yeah? Three amazing ingredients.
Ready to see what's under the first cloth? Yes.
Honey.
Beautiful.
From lavender honey, honey comb, raw honey.
Let's see what's under number two.
You have A plethora of different berries.
Ooh.
Things from the ordinary, like strawberries, blueberries, to things otherworldly that a lot of people never get a chance to cook with-- cape gooseberries, huckleberries, Inca berries.
Absolute unique.
Does that light your fire? I'm starting to get a little inspired.
Good.
Lots of ideas started coming to my mind, including, like, a pie or, like, a tort or something.
I like to see what all my options are before I choose.
From the exotic tropics of Tahiti and Madagascar, we have vanilla in all its forms.
We have vanilla beans, vanilla powder, vanilla extract, vanilla tea, even.
Vanilla, vanilla, vanilla.
You've got to really think about this choice.
And who's your strongest competition? Who's the one that you're most feared of out there? Whitney.
Whitney? Mm-hmm.
She knows dessert.
Six of you left Who's the weakest? David Miller.
Think carefully.
Which ingredient you gonna choose? I have to choose right this second? Right this second.
I'm drawn to the colors on the table, but I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I am-- I'm gonna go with-- Okay.
David Miller, what do you think's under here? I'd love another shot at the venison.
Today's theme Is dessert.
I love desserts.
I have the hugest sweet tooth and so, I mean, I was-- I think I was the only one today that was excited that it was desserts.
Ready to see what Sheetal has picked for you all? The options were The most amazing vanilla The most amazing array of berries and then the most amazing honey.
Sheetal's choice is Vanilla.
Oh, my God.
What goes with vanilla? What goes with vanilla? An Asian family, you know? We ate fruit.
That was dessert, you know? The rest of you will have half the time Sheetal had-- 2 1/2 minutes.
And your time starts now.
Off you go.
With an elimination at the end of this challenge, the dessert theme has distressed even some of the most confident contestants.
I really didn't have a clear idea of what I'm going to make, but, uh, you know, vanilla it is, so here we go.
I'm getting, like, double of everything, because I'm thinking, "if I don't have enough time, I'll make it again.
" Flour, vanilla, sugar-- I grab some Brandy.
I go to the fridge.
I grab some cream.
Oh, my God.
Oh, .
I'm just pulling as much as I possibly can, 'cause at this point, I'm not really certain how I'm gonna do this.
Right, 90 minutes to make the most amazing, stunning dessert.
And on the back of those desserts, you know one of you will be leaving MasterChef.
starting from Now.
Off you go.
So I'm gonna make a vanilla creme brulee.
I don't do dessert.
I don't eat dessert.
I don't like dessert, so, you know, there's a lot that could go wrong.
I'm making vanilla sponge cake layered with a vanilla custard.
I've never made this before.
I am making a butterscotch Napoleon with three different delicious nuts.
Um, 90 minutes, there's no excuse-- something absolutely stunning.
Well, certainly we're seeing the most significant challenge, i think, so far, because here comes together the technical, science aspect of baking, the creative aesthetics of decoration and impact.
Whitney's definitely the baker in the bunch.
I think Sharone has a propensity for overthinking things, as opposed to focusing on one delicious component, and I really think Sheetal's gonna come through and make something that's gonna be delicate and beautiful.
Today, with only six left, this should be immaculate.
Right, Whitney, what are they? They are profiteroles.
Yeah? Profiteroles.
So shoe pastry is a very difficult pastry to get right.
Mm-hmm.
And you're putting a little bit of water on your finger to dab down the points.
That stops it from burning, yeah? Yes.
And what are you putting inside the profiteroles? Chantilly vanilla cream.
Okay.
I can smell the confidence from here.
Lee, what do we got going on? I have, um, milk and cream infused with walnut and vanilla.
That's gonna go together with my walnut french toast, as well as a plum coulee and a nectarine carpaccio.
You're gonna want to make sure you get as much moisture, because, I mean, you're really, at the end of the day, using old bread to try to keep you alive in the final five.
Definitely.
All right, David.
How you feeling? I'm sticking with a classic.
I'm doing the vanilla creme brulee.
Vanilla creme brulee.
There's two ways of doing creme brulees now.
You could do it over a burner and cook the eggs out like a zabaglione and then set them into the mold, which is a lot quicker, or you can go the dangerous route Uh-huh.
Which is And put them in the oven.
Which way have you gone? In the oven.
Mike, how we doing? Uh, this is just a basic sort of like the pie custard, pudding that I'm gonna be using for the trifle.
Where's the vanilla at? Vanilla's actually in the-- scalded in the milk.
So you're gonna be putting a layer? I'll be putting layers, yeah.
And then you're gonna be putting the sponge cake followed by the pear? Followed by the pear, then the custard.
Man, I gotta--I think I might have bitten off a little bit more than I could chew.
In this elimination, one goes.
So what is your strategy here? Do you stay off the bottom? So do you go safe? Or do you reach for the stars and try-- you have to try to win at this point--you have to, because you're gonna start intimidating the other ones that are still here.
All right, guys, listen up! One third of the time that was given to you-- you had 90 minutes to make a stunning dessert.
There should be no excuses and no reason that you're not able to produce.
Wow.
Cooking is a very calming thing for me.
It's what I do at home to, like, relax, is I sit down and I make something.
If you're not calm, then your nerves are gonna affect your cooking.
You let that happen, then, uh You know, you're just gonna screw yourself.
Mike, your station's over here.
Mike's all over the place.
He's always all over the place.
You see him.
He's jumping back and forth.
And he's, like, shaking and running back and forth.
I'm now.
Oh, my God.
Just over ten minutes to go, guys.
Oh, my God.
Oh, no.
Ten minutes to time, I realized I'm not gonna have-- the meat of my dessert is just-- it's not there.
That's when it just started oozing.
I started panicking, really panicking.
Just over ten minutes to go, guys.
Oh, no.
With just ten minutes left, Sheetal's dessert looks to be a disaster.
She must plate something that can save her from elimination.
What I had were four garnishes.
There was nothing of substance that could be called a proper dessert in any of those components.
The big part of my dessert was the sponge cake.
Two minutes to go, guys! You gotta put something on the plate, you know, figure it out.
All right.
I'm realizing, "oh, my God.
"This beautiful vision I had for trifle is not gonna be nearly what it should be.
" One minute to go! Start putting those finishing touches on those plates and make those plates beautiful.
This looks disgusting.
20 seconds to go.
My custard was perfect.
It really was spot-on, so I didn't want to ruin that by overtorching the top.
Ten, nine, eight Seven, six, five Four, three, two, one.
And stop! Whoo! Well done.
The judges will taste all six desserts.
The winner takes an advantage into the next stage of the competition.
The person with the worst dish will be going home.
Okay, Sharone, let's go.
After overcomplicating his last dish, has Sharone played it safe with his dessert? Wow, it's pretty.
It's a mille-feuille? What's in that? Each layer consists of a different layer of nuts.
On top is a zabaglione with marsala and vanilla.
That's not only Delicious for what it is, but I think you've achieved in kind of capturing the essence of what a zabaglione is on the plate-- the lightness, the airiness, the flavor.
A real triumph-- this is unbelievable.
Thank you, Chef.
Yeah, listen to that.
I love that Crunch.
You know, it's one of the senses that even professional Chefs in a restaurant forget to think about.
That is delicious.
Oh, thank you, Chef.
Really good job.
You can hear it.
It is absolutely on the money.
Oh, wow.
They loved it.
They absolutely loved it.
They thought it was, bam, straight on, bam, delicious.
Now I'm not in a position where I go home.
What a great start.
Yeah.
Absolutely amazing start.
You could lift that dish now and stick that in any restaurant in this country.
Right, David.
I looked at his creme brulee, and I was like, "that's not even a creme brulee.
Like, Dave, I'm sorry, but you're missing something here.
" What is that, please? We have a vanilla creme brulee with a vanilla orange mango coulee.
Do you know what "brulee" means? 'Cause that looks like a lemon tart-- it means to burn, yes.
That's right.
Lightly burn.
Can you just give him your glasses for two seconds? Where's it bruleed? The idea--put them on and just tell me if you can see that bru-- help me to understand.
Uh, I-I-I see a few-- I see a few pieces, but it will crack.
I think we'll crack before that brulee cracks.
Now, you've cooked a creme brulee the hard way, in the oven Yes, Chef.
In a water bath.
And you had very little time to do that and cool it down.
You've managed it.
The coulee-- you've got the bitterness from the orange, you had the sweetness from the mango, but it worked.
I mean, it really does work.
But it's missing the brulee.
Whitney, let's go.
While Whitney has excelled in mystery-box challenges, she has yet to win an invention test.
What is it? A profiterole with chantilly vanilla cream and flambeed, caramelized bananas.
Trust me, having lived in France for three years, I have eaten thousands of profiteroles.
This had better be good.
The five individuals behind you going into this test today Were nervous.
If they were tasting that right now They'd be even more nervous.
Good job.
Thanks.
So you flame these in rum? Actually, it was bourbon.
Keeping it Southern, huh? Actually, the first time, I decided to, um, flambe bananas, I was nervous to go into the liquor store, 'cause that was the first time I've ever bought liqueur.
So I went in there, and I was like, "I'm just buying this for bananas.
" That is kind of sad to me, actually.
Super light, very sexy, ah, very delicious.
Good job.
It really just made me feel good that, overall, the judges loved my dish.
And I really want to show now that, you know, I can win t his challenge.
Three down, three to go.
One of you will be going home.
I looked at my dish, and it looked like baby food-- one layer of mush and then a second layer of mush and then whipped cream.
Next up, Sheetal.
Even if my custard tastes divine, the best custard in the world, I know that the challenge was not about putting custard on a plate, given 90 minutes.
The real question-- where is your dessert? 'Cause that's not it after 90 minutes.
Let's get that right.
That's half of it.
That's the best that I could do given that my sponge cake didn't cook.
So what's in the bowl? It's a vanilla custard with a vanilla and pear coulee and a vanilla whipped cream.
I was really riding on your energy today.
I love your idea.
I was expecting a lot.
So it's a personal disappointment to have to taste a half-completed dessert from you.
I think you could be in real trouble here.
Sheetal had the advantage today.
She had full time in the pantry, got to choose her ingredient.
There is no reason that she should be failing.
You know, she really dropped the ball on this one.
Lee, let's go.
The whole dish came together beautifully and really tasted good.
And I was stoked.
I was really excited about it.
Okay, so we have Bourbon pain perdu, which is basically, uh, you know, french toast, over a nectarine and mint carpaccio with a walnut and vanilla sauce.
Obviously, fried bread is not what we thought when we talked about desserts and stunning restaurant desserts.
This is simply bad Bad as a dessert.
It's even bad as breakfast.
Okay, Mike, let's go.
Walking up to the judges' table, I'm a bit nervous.
There's a lot on the line right now for me.
I'm just praying the judges might have a little bit of mercy on me today.
It's a pear poached trifle with, uh, sponge cake underneath.
It's been drizzled with vanilla-scented Brandy.
What is that froth? It's, uh, basically the egg whites, um, that were sort of-- I folded it in, 'cause I didn't have any other thing to kind of--to, uh Egg whites? What are these? That's, uh, just a pie crust, sort of dusted with a little cinnamon and sugar.
Pie crusts? So like a short pastry? Yes, Chef.
It's short Short of flavor.
Does this have raw eggs in it? Does it have raw eggs in it? Uh, there's a sort of-- yes or no? A meringue, I mean, you know, the egg whites-- it's an easy question.
Does it have raw eggs in it or not? Does this have raw eggs in it? Does it have raw eggs in it? Uh, there's a sort of-- yes or no? A meringue, I mean, you know, the egg whites-- it's an easy question.
Does it have raw eggs in it or not? Yes.
I'm disappointed, Mike.
Go back to your station.
After tasting all six dishes, the judges must decide which desserts rose to the occasion and which fell short.
The cook with the worst dish will be leaving MasterChef.
Okay, David, Sharone, Whitney Three stunning dishes.
Sadly, there can only be one winner.
And the winner has a huge advantage in the next stage of MasterChef.
Sharone looks like he's probably gonna be my biggest competitor, but I'm not worried.
I know I can win this.
I thought my dish was spectacular.
I'm going into this feeling like I can own this.
I can do this.
Congratulations.
Whitney.
Well done.
To have made it this far means so much, because I've made a huge sacrifice, and I left school.
And it's all been worth it to be here.
The youngest and, quite frankly, now the strongest in the competition.
Well done.
The judges, from the very beginning, saw only my age.
And they didn't see the rest of the potential that's in me.
But now I'm really thinking that they're seeing that.
They're gonna see me to the end, and they're gonna give me that title.
OkayThe field's split.
It's split in two.
Three stunning dishes And three dreadful dishes.
Front row, you're all safe.
Back three rows, get up here, please.
There's three really bad dishes out there.
It could be anybody.
I have no idea who to gauge.
Sheetal's dish completely came apart.
Mike, raw eggs-- I don't know.
That's a big no-no.
And Lee's dessert, I don't even know what it was.
Lee, we expected more.
And we expected you to excel.
Sheetal You had a huge advantage, and you fell short.
Mike Apart from panicking for 90 minutes, you produced a trifle that looked like Toxic scum on a stagnant pool.
The person leaving MasterChef Lee.
Get back to your station.
Thank you, lord, for salmonella and Mike serving raw egg on the plate.
And Sheetal's dish was so unfocused and so simplistic, in a way, like she always is-- 'cause that's my savior right there.
The person leaving MasterChef Mike.
You cannot serve raw egg whites on top of a badly made trifle.
You've come a long way in a short period of time, but you have got to slow down.
And when you do, you'll surprise yourself about the results.
Please take your apron off.
I really wanted this.
I really, really wanted it.
Thank you, Chef.
Please take your apron off.
All right.
Thank you.
This is not the end.
Being on MasterChef has just fueled this burning desire that I have about food and cookery, and, you know, I'm gonna take this whole experience and all the mistakes I made, and I'm gonna just take those as sort of a sign of refinement, you know? And I'm gonna just take 'em and become better.
Coming up The final five-- David, Whitney, Sharone, Sheetal, and Lee-- are about to cook for the three most intimidating food critics on the planet.
We got a lot riding on this too, guys! Don't embarrass us.
Damn it.
That's not right.
I can't really taste the fish.
You notice I didn't eat mine.
But first, they have to catch their ingredients.
Aah! The two who create the lowest-scoring dishes will face the dreaded pressure test, where one more contestant's dream of becoming America's first MasterChef will come to a bitter end.
The person leaving MasterChef Mike.
With one more amateur cook out of the competition, the final five-- David, Whitney, Sharone, Sheetal, and Lee-- are about to cook for the three most intimidating food critics on the planet.
We got a lot riding on this too, guys! Don't embarrass us.
Damn it.
That's not right.
I can't really taste the fish.
You notice I didn't eat mine.
But first, they have to catch their ingredients.
Aah! The two who create the lowest-scoring dishes will face the dreaded pressure test, where one more contestant's dream of becoming America's first MasterChef will come to a bitter end.
For the final field challenge, the contestants will each have to serve their best possible fish dish to the three most powerful food critics in America.
Their ingredients must be as fresh as possible, so they're going direct to the source-- the Sea.
Today's challenge is an individual competition.
It's no more team challenges.
I'm actually extremely excited for that, because the only person I can blame for a loss or praise for a win is myself.
Sculpin? Maybe some red snapper.
I've never cooked a sculpin.
Really? Yeah.
I'm relying on luck to get me through this one.
At least with the fishing.
Once I'm in the kitchen, though, it's a whole nother ball game, 'cause fish is really my forte.
Being a lucky guy, I know I'm gonna catch some fish.
Oh, man, he's a fighter! I see Mr.
David Miller over there struggling like he has the biggest marlin the Pacific Ocean has ever seen.
It's a rock? You got a rock.
Oh, yeah.
It's a fighter, though.
David Miller The look on his face-- that was priceless.
All right, it's uh Season it well, David.
It's been a long time since I've made rock soup.
Little salt, little pepper.
All right.
Here you go.
Yes! Aah! Oh, I see color.
Here it comes.
Oh, nice one.
This is really heavy.
I was really excited, and I-- I was the only one that had never been fishing.
And, oh, my God, the sculpin fish is a really ugly fish.
These are the spines that have the poison in it.
Oh! This one down here has poison and these.
I looked down, and I saw the spikes of that fish sticking out.
And these scales are poisonous.
Don't--don't let that spine get you.
After Sheetal caught her first fish, I was like, that competitive side got out of me, and I was like, "I gotta catch the next fish.
" Whoo-hoo! Uh, I see him.
Uhh! Nice one.
Yeah! Gorgeous.
As a Chef, it's a great opportunity to actually go out and pick your fish out of the Sea.
All right, guys, here comes a nice-sized one.
Ah, that looks big enough for me.
Way, way more connected to where your food comes from.
And you gotta do it justice.
Our amateur cooks will take the fish they've caught and use it to prepare just one dish in the kitchens of the world-famous Ritz-Carlton.
Well, how we doing? Awesome! Amazing! First individual challenge, head-to-head.
Suddenly, two of you will face a pressure test on the worst two tasting dishes.
One of you will be leaving MasterChef.
The critics, they are lethal.
Some of the most powerful critics anywhere in the world.
You're now about to face them.
Joe, Jeffrey Steingarten.
Jeffrey is probably the most prolific food writer of our time-- head critic for Vogue magazine, the greatest food writer in the country.
Wow.
I hear the name Jeffrey Steingarten, and I'm like, "oh, my goodness.
" Jeffrey is best known for shattering people-- amazing reputation.
This could be either really good or really bad.
Tanya Steel.
Tanya Steel is the Editor of epicurious.
com.
It's the biggest food website there is.
And then finally, Barbara Fairchild.
Yeah? Editor in chief of Bon Appetit magazine.
The most sophisticated, discerning palate anywhere in the States today.
I know Tanya Steel and Barbara Fairchild.
You know, I've admired these women.
And that even put more pressure on me, knowing how much I wanted to impress the critics today.
Whitney, you won that amazing dessert challenge.
You have one hour and 15 minutes to cook the most amazing dish.
The rest of you have got one hour.
While Whitney uses her advantage from winning the invention test to start filleting her sculpin fish, the others can do nothing but watch.
Those 15 minutes seemed like eternity.
But I really took that time to put my dish together, and now I know exactly what I need to do to really make the critics love my dish.
All right, you guys-- one hour, one stunning dish, starting from now.
Off you go.
Good luck.
Everybody started rushing into the kitchen.
I was like, "oh, my gosh.
"Like, did you really use that time wisely? I mean, you had That is huge when you only have an hour to cook.
My strategy today is really keeping it simple and keeping it real.
So I'm going to braise the fish.
It's a tough fish that can withstand braising.
And I'm gonna serve it with the broth.
So the same way I pulled it out of the water, I'm gonna keep it on the plate with the broth, you know, the water that it swam in to cook, like, the water it swam in to live.
Use the time wisely, yes? The inspiration for my dish came from the meat itself.
The consistency of it is almost like lobster tail.
Being from Boston, I think I've probably killed so I think lobster, I think butter.
So I'll do a saffron butter poach with an Israeli couscous and some onions and some roasted peppers underneath.
You tasting, David? I've been tasting the whole time.
Whitney What's the dish called? What are you doing? Roasted eggplant and zucchini.
Right.
I'm making a, uh, tomato sauce with the salt and, um, plum tomatoes that I'm stewing down.
I decide to put kind of, like, an Italian spin on this dish.
And I like tomato-based things.
So I did a tomato sauce.
How you cooking the fish? Braise it.
Braise it? They've got their work cut out-- sculpin fish.
Right, yeah, it's gonna be a very difficult challenge, because it's an unusual fish.
Mm-hmm.
Make sure you taste everything you're doing.
15 minutes, yes? Use that time wisely, yeah? Ooh.
I decided I was gonna do a curried cauliflower, and I used the curry powder that was available.
And I should have tasted it before I put it in the cauliflower, because there was salt in the curry powder, and on top of that, I also salted with regular salt.
And my first batch of cauliflower was disgusting.
I had to start over.
Right, Sheetal.
Okay, you're in control, yes? Yeah.
'Cause you look like you're flapping around like a headless chicken.
You guys look immaculate in the Chef jackets.
You're actually looking like professional Chefs.
Make sure those dishes come out like professional Chefs.
Hey, anybody have salt? Oh, found some.
All right, Sharone, where you at? I took a risk and took two different proteins from the fish.
Make sure you try one before you do it.
I did.
I picked sculpin liver, because I tasted it, and it just had a very buttery, light flavor of the sculpin.
I believe--everything that I touch that's food, I believe I can make magnificent.
And it's no different going into this competition.
Sharone is gonna sear off the liver of the--of the sculpin fish and serve it, which is very, very bold.
I mean-- has he tasted the liver? He said he tasted it.
He said it's good.
That would be a big risk.
You could either really win somebody with that or really throw 'em off.
I knew, at that defining moment, I could be the next MasterChef.
Sharone made a conscious decision to use the liver of a fish.
I feel like he took the poisonous scale and just went "krrr" to himself.
Four minutes to go, guys, yes? Four minutes? Four minutes, that's right.
You have your plate picked out? Put the pan down, take that glove off, and work with two hands-- let's go! Guys The pressure is on.
They've been sat there patiently, anticipating five stunning dishes.
Come through for us! Make something gorgeous! Amateur cooks are cooking for critics that, you know, restaurant Chefs are scared of.
I was like, "this has got to be the best dish you've ever made in your life.
" We got a lot riding on this too, guys.
Don't embarrass us.
These are not just foodies.
These are three of the biggest food critics in the country.
And here I am, you know, a little less than a year after I started cooking, and all of a sudden, I'm presenting food to these people, and, you know, I just hope everything goes well.
One minute! It's not right! Now start putting it on a plate.
Get it on a plate, Sheetal.
Stop cooking.
You're not gonna be able to serve it.
Where's the cumin? Cumin.
Are you kidding me? She's putting cumin in now? With one minute to go? Last second? I was frantically running around.
I felt like "manicked" and crazed, because I was running around, trying to figure out how to fix my sauce.
Ten, nine Eight, seven Six, five Four, three Two, one Damn it.
And stop.
Ten, nine, eight Seven, six Five Four, three Two, one Damn it.
And stop.
Well done.
Well done.
Really good job.
The dishes look amazing.
You know that? I mean, really amazing.
We're proud to present these to these critics out there.
Hot damn, guys.
You should be psyched.
This is great.
The critics out there are sat as we speak, sharpening their knives.
Three phenomenal critics.
It's out of our hands.
We're passing you on.
This is the next stage.
Some of the most powerful critics anywhere in the world-- you're now about to face them.
You sell it to them.
You tell them what they're gonna be expecting, and you push it to the absolute Max.
Now get out there and sell them.
First up, Whitney! The critics can give each dish up to 4 stars, for a maximum of 12.
The two cooks with the fewest stars will go head-to-head in the final pressure test, where one will be eliminated.
My name is Whitney.
What I have for you today is a pan-seared sculpin over roasted eggplant and zucchini.
My sauce is a tomato sauce that I reduced with roasting the head and the bones from the fish.
Where did you find fresh tomatoes? Um, I actually used the tomatoes out of the can.
I just let it reduce and crushed them up and strained the pulp.
This is very interesting.
Thank you.
Both the zucchini and the Wow.
Eggplant have been drenched in salt.
Yeah.
The garlic is overpowering.
I can't really taste the fish, because there's so much garlic in my mouth.
How'd it go? It went good.
And the score is Breath mints three.
David Miller! So I am freaking out.
These are people that will wreck your restaurant if they write a bad review.
They've had everything.
You could name us any dish in the world, and they've eaten it.
And no matter what it is, no matter what I'm making, they've had the same thing, and they've had it better.
Today we're doing a Saffron butter poached California scorpion fish, uh, over Israeli couscous with roasted red and yellow peppers and a touch of smoked Sea salt.
Do you cook couscous a lot for fun at home? Uh, I've never made Israeli couscous.
I hope I got it al dente.
Why did you choose to make it today if you've never made it, knowing that we were gonna be tasting it? That's a very good question.
I-I decided to be adventurous.
There's something alluring about, uh, Israeli couscous, uh, more so than just standard Moroccan couscous, which I think is kind of boring.
Thank you very much.
All right.
What the hell am I doing? Three of the most world-renowned food critics, you know, and I'm serving them a plate of something I just whipped up in an hour.
Hopefully, I won't be berated as much as I have been by our judges.
Uh, the idea of thinking that a Moroccan couscous is just always boring, I mean, it's ridiculous what he said.
I think it's pretty bold of him to serve us Israeli couscous having never cooked it before.
To make it for the first time.
And the fish is nicely cooked--I mean Mm-hmm.
The saffron really gives it Mm-hmm .
A nice, sprightly flavor.
And despite the fact that he didn't have a lot of time to work with it, it does have a really nice flavor.
Look at that smile.
How'd it go? Oh, it went really well.
They said it was the best dish they had all day.
They said that? No, I'm joking.
Wow.
I'm happy to give you my peppers.
You notice I didn't eat mine.
Next up, Lee.
Get ready.
These are three of the biggest food critics in the country.
If you're a Chef in this country, you know who these people are.
I can't afford any mistakes right now, and the tiniest bone would be a disaster.
Uh, today I made a braised California scorpion fish over Moroccan-style fennel couscous, served with the braising broth.
So what's in the braising broth? So in the braising broth, uh, I took the head and the carcass of the fish that filleted, some carrots, some shallots, leeks, fennel.
I can't sense anything from them, and that just drives me crazy, because I don't know if they like it, they don't like it.
Well, great.
Thank you, Lee, so much.
Very nice, thank you.
Thank you very much.
And, again, thank you for the opportunity.
You're welcome.
I thought that was tasty.
I mean, I think the couscous is very good.
It's very tasty.
I love--the broth Is what's giving it the flavor.
I think he did a really nice job with that.
On the other hand, you can't taste the fish.
I mean, the fish is just used as a piece of white protein.
It would have been good to have something-- again, contrasting textures.
In the couscous? Yeah, there This dish didn't really have very much-- garbanzo beans or something.
Exactly.
How'd it go? It went fantastic.
So shall we score it? Are you guys ready? Yeah, I'm ready.
Our scores are gonna be totally different.
Sheetal, let's go.
Right now I'm a little nervous.
I'm worried that my entire plate is just a touch too salty.
Hi.
Hello.
How are you? My parents are from India.
I was born and raised here, but I grew up in a very fragrant Indian home-- lots of garam masala, lots of curry.
Um, so I've incorporated those flavors into the sculpin.
And just a very simple tomato curry sauce with coriander powder and cumin powder.
And the cauliflower is curry powder and some fish sauce to just keep it moist so it doesn't dry out.
Well, thank you so much.
Thank you very, very much.
Thank you.
One thing that's good is the curry powder's not overwhelming.
Sometimes it can be overwhelming, and this was not overwhelming.
Well, unfortunately, I have some bones in mine.
All right! How'd you do? Hi.
Right.
How'd it go? Oh, fine.
Yeah? You're smiling.
Yes.
What did they say? Um, they didn't say anything.
They just tried it.
Nothing at all? No.
They ate everything, though.
Any questions? I put it on their platate.
I do feel like the texture is-- there's a lot of softness here.
There's not contrasting flavors.
There's not contrasting textures.
Well done.
Thank you.
Right, next up, Sharone! Cut the waffle.
Straight to the point.
Tell them how excited you are, what you've done, what the journey's been like.
Okay.
And more importantly, sell that dish.
Good luck.
I feel like I'm such a better Chef than the rest of them.
I really, truly feel that.
If I can impress these judges, I may be able to really jumpstart my career right then and there.
Tell us about your dish.
Well, um, I live in L.
A.
I was born and raised here.
I'm a local.
I love these waters.
Even though it's cold around this time of season, it was so beautiful this morning.
Really a great day.
I'm a big guy.
I like to eat a lot.
I'm very improv.
I'm not this weird, competitive guy.
My, uh, grandmother's been a huge inspiration for me.
I wasn't very close with my mom.
I grew up with my dad, and I moved out when I was a freshman in college.
I left finance to try doing this with my life about a year ago-- I was in banking.
On January 2nd, my kid was born.
"Grab--grab this, grab that, sautee this, sautee that.
" Lo and behold, here I am.
It's like fate.
Hmm.
I saw the liver, and the liver looked absolutely beautiful.
So I decided to give you two tastes of it.
One, the actual flesh, and the other, the liver of the scorpion fish.
And that's just done with a grapefruit vinaigrette and, uh, some blanched asparagus, some yellow tomatoes, and some fresh grapefruit.
The fish liver is a very unusual twist.
And have you had monkfish liver? I don't think so.
No, I haven't.
That's the Foie gras of the Sea.
Thank you.
Well, thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
You know, it's funny, with everything that's going on in this dish, it is surprisingly bland.
Don't make your judgment about on this one.
The fish liver-- yeah.
By this liver, which is not a good liver.
Well done, guys.
We're now gonna get those results.
Ready? Let's go.
The top three scoring contestants will earn a place in the final.
The lowest-scoring two will face the dreaded pressure test.
I cannot afford to go into another pressure test right now.
This is it.
The judges are back with the verdict.
Let's start off With the highest-scoring dish.
That individual goes straight into the final four.
This dish scored out of 12.
That's near-perfect.
Congratulations goes to The remaining contestants have presented their dishes to three of the world's top food critics.
The three cooks with the highest scores will advance to the final four, while the bottom two will face the final pressure test, where one will be eliminated.
Let's start off with the highest-scoring dish.
This dish scored out of 12.
That's near-perfect.
Congratulations goes to David Miller.
Whoo hoo hoo! You're kidding me.
Absolutely brilliant.
You're kidding me! Absolutely brilliant.
Whoo hoo hoo hoo! Good job.
Oh, yeah! Listen to this.
"Butter poached fish was a huge success.
"Phenomenally balanced, seasoned beautifully.
Incredible.
Couldn't stop eating it.
" We sent you into the lion's den, and you came out shining.
Seriously well done.
You're now the first into the final four.
Of every review I've gotten today, I feel like master Chef.
Ha ha! I'm an amateur Chef.
I'm a software engineer.
And I get a near-perfect score? I get a near-perfect score? Are you kidding me? Okay From the very top We're now going down to the very bottom.
"Badly put together.
Under-seasoned.
"Shockingly disgusting.
Undercooked taste.
And left nothing to desire.
" When I hear the critics describing a dish as shockingly disgusting, I'm just praying they're not talking about my dish.
With 4 out of 12, and the lowest-scoring dish, it's not good news For Sharone.
And that means you're up for elimination.
Why the liver? Why go that route? You could have taken it a little simpler and made it just beautiful on its own.
I've been cooking for 25 years.
I wouldn't have taken that risk today, if this was my kitchen, my restaurant, and I had those tough cookies sat there.
I wouldn't do it! I wanted to grow.
I wanted to challenge myself.
And although maybe at times it helps to play safe.
But I'm not here to do dishes that I've done ten times before.
I'm here to be a master Chef.
The next person advancing straight into the final four, joining David Miller with a score 8 out of 12 Lee.
Good job.
"Fish cooked perfectly.
Seasoning was absolutely amazing.
" It's fantastic that Sharone is going into a pressure test.
We're not going for popularity contest, and I'm not here to make friends.
I'm here to eliminate the competition.
Two left.
Joining Sharone to face the pressure test with a score of 5 out of 12 That person is Whitney.
5 out of 12.
Sheetal, congratulations.
You are through to the final four.
"Too salty.
"Way too much garlic.
"Slightly shocked on using canned tomatoes on such an exquisite dish.
" Why tell the harshest critics anywhere in the world today that you're serving them canned tomatoes? Why don't you just turn around and look on that tray there.
You have the most amazing, fresh tomatoes on the vine.
The results are not what I expected at all.
I'm really upset.
But anyway, no, I'm just gonna fight back, 'cause tomorrow, I'm not going home.
Three of you are gonna be sleeping well tonight.
Two of you are not getting any sleep.
I'll see you tomorrow for the pressure test where one of you will be leaving MasterChef.
Whitney has been this quiet underdog.
She's 22 years old.
I think I've got a lot more experience, but then again, she continues to do very well, 'cause she just does what she knows, and that's what I'm gonna do.
And if I do what I know, I can win this.
Good afternoon.
Sharone and Whitney, one of you will advance to the final four.
Unfortunately, one of you will be leaving MasterChef tonight.
That means this pressure test is gonna be your toughest test ever.
I really want to see Whitney kick Sharone's ass.
Like, I would love for a tiny little 22-year-old girl from Mississippi to just come in and lay his ass flat.
We're gonna reveal the ingredients on the count of three.
One Two Three.
One of you will advance to the final four.
One of you will be leaving MasterChef tonight.
We're gonna reveal the ingredients on the count of three.
One I'm praying to God it's not dessert.
Two If it's anything with fish, then, you know, it's not looking too good.
But I'll still try really hard.
Three.
Oh, my God.
Oh, boy.
Right in front of you are some of the most amazing ingredients.
Beautiful chocolate, oranges.
Eggs, sugar, butter.
Milk, cream.
I'm not feeling great, because this is not my strongest point.
And I look to my left, and the last person I want to see to my left is Whitney.
But, lo and behold, there she is.
Sharone and I, as far as sweets, it's even still, almost on the same level.
He won the cupcake challenge.
He was in the top with the dessert challenge.
So, you know, it'll be a battle today, definitely.
There's nothing more terrifying than trying to create and cook your very own monstrous Souffle.
Oh ho ho ho.
This dish puts the fear of God into Chefs around the world.
Guys, this freaks me out.
Souffles are one of the most technically difficult dishes that you can make.
When it's great, it can be one of the most epic desserts that you could have in the world.
And when it doesn't work, it's a complete disaster.
The secret of a good souffle is to get straight from the oven to the table in a maximum of 90 seconds.
It is very difficult to make a souffle.
One reason is because they can sink so easily.
Sharone and Whitney are free to make as many souffles as they like in 90 minutes.
But can only present one to the judges.
Good luck to you both.
Because you're gonna need it.
90 minutes starting from Now! Off you go.
Good luck.
Final four means to me I can actually be master Chef.
I can make my dream of opening up a restaurant come true.
For me to be the first master Chef, it means everything.
So cornstarch, milk, up to the boil.
Then you add the chocolate.
Then you add the eggs.
It's gotta be exact.
Mm-hmm.
You know, souffle is chemistry.
It's the incorporation of the sugar and the egg white.
That's the real tough challenge.
So much has to do with timing in this.
I'm just trying to make sure I measure everything and just do everything to a tee, because this is such a critical dessert.
You need to cook one first within those 90 minutes to understand, to gain that confidence, to let it rise so the underneath gets that momentum and pushes the souffle out.
It's not liquid, but just slightly gooey at the bottom, and not liquid.
If that comes out undercooked, and it's risen a little bit.
It will go flat within seconds.
Whitney is very methodical, but making some mistakes.
She took the chocolate off of the double boiler, and then poured the chocolate into the milk when she should have taken the milk and dumped it onto the chocolate while it was still in the double boiler.
I won't lie, I think Sharone is a better cook than Whitney.
It really falls down to if Sharone is gonna try and over-complicate things.
Because I know that Whitney's gonna go right by the book, exactly how it should be made.
It really is anybody's game at this point.
Guy's there's 30 minutes gone you've got one hour left.
I urge you to get one souffle in the oven so you get some idea of the correct balance of the sugar, the egg whites.
The only time I looked over to see what Sharone was doing was when he was putting his souffles into the oven.
And I was thinking, "oh, my gosh, Whitney, "get it together, get your batter ready, put it in the oven.
" Whitney, can I advise you? Please get something in the oven.
Sharone, are you just praying in front of the oven? You watching the oven channel? Jut watching the oven channel.
Okay, you have time to get another one made.
Throwing my first batch of souffles in the oven and just saying, "please be good.
Please just be good.
" Waiting is not fun.
It's torture.
That's why I hate baking.
Just under half an hour to go guys, yeah? Whitney, please put something in the oven.
Otherwise tonight, you'll be cooking for your parents again.
I don't know where the time went.
I mean, it was insane.
I guess I was just really trying to be so precise with my measurements.
Every detail of the chocolate souffle I wanted to do perfect.
With 20 minutes left, Sharone enjoys a huge advantage as he samples his first souffle, while Whitney is just getting her first batch into the oven.
It tastes really good.
Whitney, how many souffles you got in the oven? I have two.
Two.
Okay, guys, 15 minutes to go.
They take, minimum, I've got 15 minutes to go.
I put my second batch in.
I'm hoping that this batch will rock, and the judges love it.
You open that oven door Yeah, and it's destroyed.
Take your apron off, yeah? Go back to mom and dad's.
Keep that door closed.
I have no time to put any more into the oven.
I really only had one shot.
I put all my eggs in the basket, and this one souffle was determining whether I was staying or being eliminated from the MasterChef kitchen.
For two of America's greatest home cooks, the dream of becoming MasterChef rests on a single chocolate souffle.
In this final pressure test, it all comes down to a battle between Sharone, the risk-taker, and by-the-book Whitney.
Today, one of them will be going home.
So, Whitney, how long do you take them out of the oven? They've been in for 13 minutes.
So there's no alternative.
What you've got in there, you're serving.
Mm-hmm.
loves to bake.
But in the hopes of creating the perfect batter, she never completed a trial batch.
Will her quest for perfection pay off? Or will it cost her the MasterChef crown? She's opening it.
Oh, wow! I was, like, trembling as I'm taking the tray of souffle out.
It was perfectly risen, but if I didn't hurry up and present it to the judges, it could easily collapse.
As I told you before, 90 seconds before that starts deflating.
Come on! Come on.
If it deflates before we get it here, there's no souffle.
My souffles are in the oven.
Whitney's comes out, and it looks beautiful.
And I'm hoping she'd drop the souffle.
But there's nothing I could do but wait.
It's hot.
Of course it's hot! Where's your glove? It's collapsing, Whitney! Whitney, it's collapsing! Whitney, you haven't even tasted it.
Guys, souffle waits for nobody.
Crack it.
It smells Delicious.
I was so nervous.
And all I want to do is just for them to tell me something, like, "it was good, it was bad.
" But I couldn't read their faces at all when they were trying my souffle.
I was hoping that one mistake she made would play to my advantage.
I tasted one, and I made some adjustments.
She didn't taste it, and she served it.
Sharone's souffle has been in the oven for 11 minutes.
With only three minutes left, his souffle must quickly rise to the occasion, or this will be Sharone's fall from the MasterChef kitchen.
Sharone, you have 90 seconds to go.
And if nothing hits this table, you are automatically disqualified from this competition.
60 seconds to go.
What's he doing? 30 seconds to go.
20 seconds to go.
With 18 seconds left, is this it? This is it.
What was that last bit you put on top after the icing sugar? A little bit of Sea salt.
The difference between going home or joining the final four is in this spoon.
Cross up the top, straight down to the bottom.
I see the judges eating Sharone's souffle, and they just kept eating it and eating it.
And I'm, like, "were they eating mine like they're eating his?" I mean, I was going insane, because one of us is eliminated, and one of us are gonna make it to the finals.
You left that, literally, to the last second.
Well done.
The judges must decide, based purely on their souffle, who will take the last remaining place in the final four of MasterChef.
It's not only about the title, it's not about the cookbook.
It's about the honor of having three individuals, who I respect so much, look at me in the eye and say that I have it, and that I'm in.
Okay, Sharone, Whitney Well done.
Two delicious souffles.
But there is only one winner.
The individual joining the last three in the final four Congratulations goes to Okay, Sharone, Whitney, there is only one winner.
I feel extremely nervous for them because it's so close, and we really have no clue.
I would not want to go up against Sharone.
He has been really strong throughout the whole competition.
I'm gonna say Whitney's gonna do it, just because everything she does is pure magic.
The individual joining the last three in the final four Congratulations goes to Whitney, well done.
Congratulations.
Really well done.
Your souffle was Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Sharone, yours was delicious.
Sadly Slightly undercooked, slightly cold in the center, and something that needed two to three minutes more to perfect.
I was three minutes away from perfection, and now I'm out of this competition.
I faced a really big challenge today.
I really had to take down the pastry princess.
Just doesn't feel good going home because deep inside my heart, I really feel like I had it in me, and I could have won this thing.
You're a great cook, a great risk-taker.
Putting that salt on that souffle gives me goosebumps because it took balls that clang.
And it really kind of blew me away.
You have got to keep your head up high.
There's something exciting about the danger that you take with food.
It's refreshing.
You're quirky, you're confident, you're a great risk-taker And you're gonna go far with food.
This has been absolutely a privilege and a dream come true to learn from you guys.
Sharone, I know you used to stop by mozza when your wife was pregnant.
But if you ever wanted to stop by there and have a job there, we'd be proud and happy to have you.
Sharone, your time is done in MasterChef.
Well done.
This is not the end of the road for me.
This is just an affirmation, and really opened my eyes to this world and made me realize that I can do this.
And I encourage every single person who loves food, and who loves to cook, and they know that's something they want to do, don't be afraid-- go do it.
Go do it.
Don't be afraid.
Hey, dude, that offer stands now.
I'm gonna take all that amazing experience and make sure that I flourish with it.
Make sure that I grow and open up one of the best restaurants in L.
A.
And, hopefully, maybe compete someday with a restaurant like Gordon Ramsay's.
America's gonna get a taste of that.
The final four! Oh, my God! Whoo! Way to go, Whitney.
Way to go.
Thinking back, knowing there was 50 of us in the very beginning-- even, you know, 10,000 that auditioned-- I mean, it's insane knowing that out of all those people, I made it to the final four.
David miller-- who would have thought? I've been sitting in the middle of the road.
Now I'm at the top of the game, and I'm gonna show people that I belong here at the top of the game.
Give yourselves a round of applause.
It's anybody's game right now.
It's like bottom of the ninth inning, and it's exciting.
Looking at the three others that are still here, I have as good of a chance of winning this as any of them, if not the best chance.
And I am so excited right now.
Now, you know you're gonna have to raise your game because the stakes have just gotten higher.
Well done.
Get some sleep, because you deserve it.
Good night.
Thank you good night, good night, good night.
Next time on MasterChef The first ever MasterChef final.
It all comes down to America's four best amateur cooks-- Whitney, the 22-year-old student I can win this.
Bartender Lee Second place is not an option.
Software engineer David To be number one, that's what I'm here for.
And Sheetal, a teacher.
I am definitely here to win.
They'll face off in their toughest battle yet, and cook the most important dishes of their lives.
Oh, God Oh! That is a very big mistake.
Four finalists competing for $250,000, a cookbook publishing deal, and above all else, cooking's most coveted title.
The winner of America's first ever MasterChef.