The Taste (2013) s02e05 Episode Script

1 Narrator: Last week, Ludo's kitchen took its first hit Two people that really want to be here.
Sorry.
I believe in her.
She has talent.
- No, no, come on, Ludo.
- [Bleep.]
.
I'm sorry.
You're going home today.
I'm so proud of you.
Narrator: And Nigella is left with only one.
I could send either of you home.
You do not listen.
Crystal, I'm gonna send you home.
See you later.
Narrator: Tonight - I'm gonna do this.
- No! There's something that just isn't flowing.
[ Laughs .]
[ Grunts .]
Bourdain, you're going down today! Do us all a favor and just really [bleep.]
off.
La la, la la! We seem to have somebody missing in action here.
Well, it appears that one of our contestants has withdrawn from the competition.
[Bleep.]
Ooh ooh-ooh-ooh ooh How do you like the taste? Nigella: Well, welcome to my meat feast.
Marcus: Thank you.
Excited to be here.
I do like to feast on the flesh of living things.
The delicate interplay between fat and skin, flesh and bone -- truly magical.
Well, you are Mr.
Meat.
But to my horror, today is my Waterloo -- a battle I think you're well familiar with.
[ Laughter .]
It's a vegetarian challenge.
It's called "Go Green.
" - That's a great challenge.
- Oh, it is.
Bourdain, you're going down today, bro.
I feel at a serious disadvantage.
And you've lost your vegetarian.
- That is really unfair.
- Yes! Ludo: You know what? Don't start with that.
I'm so excited about the challenge today.
People love to cook with fat.
I've just had enough of that.
- Traitor to your race.
- No.
Traitor to your homeland.
Fat, fat, fat, fat, fat -- I'm tired of it.
You're going to lose two people this week, Tony.
Trust me.
- Yeah, you think so? - Oh, yeah.
I know your game.
Take a long last lingering look, my friends.
This is it.
Nigella: [ Laughs .]
Jacquelyn: Oh.
I know, but there's no time to eat.
We need to talk.
This week's challenge -- it's all about vegetarian.
Shehu: Pressure's on.
I can't lose.
I don't want to go home.
Better start playing the game now.
Nigella -- she has one contestant left.
Look around you.
There's supposed to be two more people here.
Look over there.
He's got four guys.
How we all doing today? - Good.
- Wonderful.
The bad news is, today's challenge is called "Go Green.
" It is a vegetarian challenge.
[ Laughter .]
When I heard this, my blood ran cold.
We're cooks.
I want meat, you know? I want to put bacon in everything.
Some of the other cooks call us Team Hot Mess.
We're gonna make them eat their words.
Oh, we absolutely will.
We need to be very smart -- very smart.
We cannot lose this challenge.
This is an excellent opportunity for us to win the team challenge and then get a couple of gold stars on your chest.
I have a vegetable tasting on my menu.
I know that I can knock this out of the park.
We're really far on in the competition now.
I mean, this is really important.
You have to bring it every time.
Yeah.
Because if you don't, there's no one else.
I am feeling the pressure.
Enough talking.
As I say, - the food has to do the talking.
- Yes, it does.
So get your apron, and I will meet you in the kitchen.
- Let's go cook.
- Okay.
- Let's go, chefs.
- Here we go, guys.
- Let's go.
- All right? - Sarah: Sounds good.
- Let's go.
Welcome, everybody.
Congratulations.
10 of you left.
Tonight, we have what I think is the most difficult challenge yet.
We're calling it "Go Green.
" Now, let me be very clear here -- dairy is acceptable, eggs, milk, butter, but no meat, no fish.
Our guest mentor and judge for the team challenge -- the awesome Yotam Ottolenghi.
Co-author of the book Jerusalem, he is the one chef in the world who has ever cooked an entire meal for me that was so delicious that even I -- passionate carnivore -- never noticed that there was not a single bit of animal protein in there.
Sarah: Yotam Ottolenghi -- he's the master of making you forget you're not eating meat, and I'm excited to -- to cook for him.
As always, two of you will be going home tonight one after the team challenge, one person will be going home after the solo challenge.
Good luck.
Let's get into our kitchens.
Narrator: Guest mentor Yotam Ottolenghi will judge the team challenge blind.
The team selected as his best will get a master class with Chef Ottolenghi and his help during the solo challenge.
- How's it going? - Good, Chef.
- Good? - Yeah.
The mentor of the team selected as his worst will be forced to eliminate a member of their own kitchen.
Today, our challenge is "Go Green.
" Each mentor assigns their team a specific challenge they think will give their kitchen a winning edge.
Anthony: Okay.
The challenge for you guys -- basically, we're talking make a pasta with veggies.
I -- personally, I like how Italians cook vegetables.
Made a quick spaghetti with a broccoli rabe, garlic, red pepper.
It's a dish that thousands of Italian grandmothers make all the time.
Lee: Anthony cooked for us.
It was really cool to see how he moves in the kitchen.
It's, uh, inspiring stuff.
I guess it's only worth pointing out that this dish is so much better with some nice Italian sausage in it.
We're looking for a vegetable event horizon here.
Marcus: My challenge for you is basically a nose-to-tail approach with the vegetable itself.
I'm gonna do a dish that's based on a little bit of rice, little bit of tofu, and cauliflower.
And I've used all the cauliflower, all right? I'm gonna roast some, I pickled some, and have some stems.
And here, it's clear that what's the star, right? It's really cauliflower is the star here, all right? Let's get in there.
This is a chance for me to prove that I've got what it takes and to be able to get my dream, you know? My husband and I wanted to open our restaurant together.
This is what we've wanted for our entire life together.
I know that if I can pull through that this is gonna be a big deal for us.
Show us your best stuff now.
We will go to the final if we treat every challenge like your final right now, from here on out.
As a vegetarian cook, you got to be much more precise, and I've got two strong cooks in my kitchen.
All right? We got it? - Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
I have decided that we should focus on a curry.
Nigella: My challenge to Jacquelyn is to make some form of curried vegetables.
I mean, I think, essential to making good curry is the curry-powder blend, and it's so embarrassingly easy.
I'm gonna toast peppercorns, - black mustard seeds - Mm-hmm.
bit of some nigella seeds.
Have you ever cooked with migella seeds? I have not.
If you've got a spice that has the same name as you, you know, you should use it.
Although you can use a pestle and mortar, in reality, it's often simpler to use a spice or coffee grinder.
But I do love, actually, when I've got time, really having a bash.
Oh, yes.
Especially if you've had a hard day.
So, the thing is, we only have an hour to cook, and some of these vegetables do take a while.
So I'm thinking about doing, like, a soup.
- Kind of that -- - Making a soup? I think that's -- yes, I think so.
But what you produce now has to be perfect because it's only your spoon that's going forward.
Pressure is a good thing, but it can also make you lose your focus if it doesn't suit your personality.
We really have to plan which ones we're gonna cook first.
Yes.
For me, "Go Green" is, when I go to a restaurant, I want a vegetable, I want a vegetable.
I don't want to eat pasta with vegetable.
I don't want to eat rice with vegetable.
Don't hide it.
Thank you.
Exactly.
Don't hide it.
This week's challenge is to take one vegetable and to make an amazing dish.
At the restaurant, we do this dish.
It's an orange puree barbecued carrot.
Watercress -- is a little spicy, too -- is good.
Ludo has advised us that he wants to showcase one vegetable, which is awesome.
All right, we got one minute to go, guys.
All right.
We got one hour, okay? Cook perfectly your vegetable.
Not too many froufrou.
It would be so awesome if we won this team challenge.
Oh, yeah.
Just break Ludo's spirit.
Here we go.
Let's go, guys.
Let's go! Hurry up! I'll get the spice grinder.
Narrator: The cooks have one hour to make a vegetarian dish.
Each mentor will pick the best bite from their team to be tasted blind by guest mentor Yotam Ottolenghi.
Nigella has no choice but to go with her only remaining cook, Jacquelyn.
In the end, one more cook will be sent home.
Marcus: You can also cook your beets in here.
You know what I mean? Yeah, once I get all the potatoes for the samosa, I'll go get the beets.
Shehu: I'm gonna make a samosa -- potatoes, peas, eggplants.
But I see the zucchini blossoms.
I'm like, "yo, we can -- I can stuff that in there, bread them up, and that'll be pretty freakin' cool.
" Save some of these leaves for later on.
Sarah: I'm gonna do a grilled radish and quinoa kind of salad.
Really use the whole vegetables, you know? I'm looking over, and Shehu's kind of running around a little bit.
It's making me a little nervous.
- Got my corn - Good.
and my carrot And peas, potatoes.
I'm not that familiar with Chef Ottolenghi, so, I mean, it's tough to cook for someone's palate.
I don't know.
It's like you're shooting in the dark.
Put that on oil, in the oven, and we can use them as chips later on, okay? Okay.
He's got me roasting beet skins.
I'm like, "wow! Why am I roasting beet skins for?" But [bleep.]
, he's the man.
He got James Beard's award, so I'm gonna do what the hell he tells me to do.
Use the whole vegetable.
I'm pretty much a vegetarian.
I eat a lot of meat, too, but it's like most of my foods -- I eat salad -- you know, all kind of veggies.
First of all, I think we should get our paste there.
Okay.
So I'm gonna give you those to start off with.
Jacquelyn's cooking a curry with charred baby corn, charred cauliflower, sweet butternut squash, some crunchy green beans.
We really have to think of the time, okay? Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, we do.
I want what is in my heart to come across on every dish that I put down from this point forward, and I want to do this for myself, I want to do it for Nigella, you know, all the people that depend on me.
I have a son that's 12.
His name is Presley.
Uh, he's my pride and joy.
I definitely want to prove to my son that I can do this.
I would start with the bigger spices, anyway.
Here.
Some coriander.
Okay.
Oh, oh, oh, shoot.
Uh-oh.
This is not a good start, is it? No, no, no.
Because there's only Jacquelyn in my kitchen, she knows it's all down to her, and if she's worst, she's out.
And I think that must really weigh very, very heavy on her.
I mean, this is going madness, so I can't [ Laughs .]
Okay.
I know, it's not that funny, you know? No, it's not.
It's not.
It's -- it's intimidating.
I'm trying to keep it happy and fun at the same time in my own self.
Oh, my God.
You don't peel ginger like that, do you? - I do in a hurry.
- Okay.
For someone who's been trained, I've never seen ginger being cut like that.
I mean, the amount of waste This is really -- this is doing my head in.
I'm -- I don't understand.
Do not understand.
It is 15 minutes gone on the clock, and there are no vegetables even prepared.
You may have to give up on the -- starting with the leek braise 'cause we've got time-management issues now.
The pressure is so intense because if this spoon doesn't deliver what it should, we're out.
Narrator: The mentors will each pick one dish to be tasted blind by guest mentor Yotam Ottolenghi.
The losing mentor will be forced to send someone from their own team home.
So, what are you doing now? I'm doing a garbanzo bean smashed with coriander, cumin, and some crushed red peppers.
And then I'm going to make a roasted cauliflower on top.
- Oh, it sounds good, yeah.
- Yeah, I'm excited.
Jeff: I used to work at a drug and alcohol rehab center, and I had to cook a lot of vegetarian and vegan, so I'm used to working within certain parameters.
I remember this one time this woman came in and she was like, "I can only have organic foods, no saturated fat," and I was like, "you smoked crack.
"You don't -- like, you've been snorting Ajax.
" Chef Marina, my Asian ninja.
[ Laughs .]
I've been getting some weird feedbacks.
They call me ninja.
They can call me "ninja.
" They can call me anything.
I don't really care.
[ Laughing .]
What are you doing, exactly? It is called vegetable legume medley.
- How about that? - You need me, or you want -- I'll go help Louise.
Do you need me? - No? - Go help -- no, go help her.
- You don't need me? - No.
I know what I'm doing.
Ludo doesn't get me.
My style doesn't match his frame.
I'm out of box.
Louise, what do you have in mind now? I'm gonna do some braised baby carrots, and I'm gonna glaze them with a little bit of honey.
I'd like to serve them with a preserved lemon yogurt and then, uh, crispy chickpeas.
Louise -- she's doing a kind of version of the dish he showed us, which is very smart.
If I have time, I'd like to just fry a little bit of that - as some extra crunch.
- No, don't waste your time, no.
No.
Chickpeas are fine.
Don't complicate too much, Louise.
You go too far.
Ludo: Louise -- she knows what's good food, but she wants to make sure it's good enough, so, "maybe I should do that, maybe that, maybe that, maybe that.
" You know, you add flavor, but after, it's like a mess on the spoon.
- I want to teach you some stuff.
- That sounds great.
I want to.
Louise: There are some people in this competition that came out like gangbusters from the beginning.
I have been lurking in the shadows.
I have my work as a food stylist, and it's really fun making food for a photograph and making stuff that's really pretty.
I enjoy it, but I also miss feeding people, like, on a regular basis.
It's what I love to do, and I think that probably is the direction I should go in, so now it is time to move out from behind the scenes and get some gold stars.
Bourdain, you're going down today! Mr.
Bourdain! 38 minutes to go.
Basically, we have -- we have time to call out for a burger.
Yeah.
What is that? It's my poaching liquid for my asparagus.
Ah.
Dana: Anthony wants to go the route of "make sure there's pasta in it, no matter what," which I kind of think is weird, but I'm like, "hey, dude's the mentor.
He's in charge.
" I come up with angel hair.
I'm gonna toss it with a sauce of asparagus.
And then I'm going to crisp up some grated cauliflower to resemble breadcrumbs, and I'm gonna sprinkle that on top.
I want to win every single competition every single time, so it's getting frustrating 'cause I'm not winning.
Could definitely use salt.
Maybe more kale? I can do that.
Today, I'm making angel-hair pasta with a mushroom ragout, shaved-asparagus salad, and then I'm gonna top that off with some spicy toasted kale.
Today, it would be the perfect challenge for Cassandra.
I know.
We need to win this thing for her.
That's the plan.
It just sucks that Cassie's not here.
I mean, this particular challenge was made for her.
And it really -- and it just hurts that she's not here.
I'm representing for her for the vegetarian.
Anthony: Shellie Kitchen, you've been doing really well.
- Feeling confident? - Yeah.
What is the dish? So, it's just gonna be that pasta with some parmesan and these fresh vegetables here with the burrata on top with the fried rosemary.
- Uh-huh.
- Maybe a nice olive oil.
You know, I'm from San Francisco, Berkeley.
The farm-to-table is really big.
I'm not even a vegetarian, but I love those type of ingredients.
Okay, the only thing I'm wondering about is the burrata.
Just a tiny bit.
Like, a tiny dot.
As a leader, as a mentor, I screwed up.
Pasta was probably a very bad idea.
Is the pasta diminishing from or adding to vegetables, and so, really, for me, it's all about getting us through this team challenge with team intact.
I want to make sure that the vegetable's the star.
Taste as you go along.
Let's taste, let's taste.
That's a bit liquidy, but we'll add some more cream if we need to.
I am slightly alarmed that Jacquelyn always wants to add an ingredient, all in one, without tasting.
Taste, taste, taste again.
You know, so we have to get this right, 'cause if it goes wrong, it's goodbye.
I have no room for error more than anybody else because there's nobody else on my team but me.
Very little room to [bleep.]
.
- Leave those cooking, Chef.
- Yeah, perfect.
Okay, we've got half an hour and we haven't got any of those in.
Okay.
This.
Nigella: So, at the moment, we got about three vegetables.
There needs to be more vegetables, there needs to be more complexity to the flavor, and it needs to come together.
Cauliflower, I have the corn.
I have the butternut squash.
We're never gonna get there.
We'll be lucky if we can chop some cilantro to put on top.
I really wanted to come into this, feel we can win, and I'm worried there will be no spoon at the end.
Have you tasted? I'm going to right now.
Sarah: Right.
We don't have anything soft on that dish.
I mean, you have tofu if you wanted it.
- Japanese tofu's amazing if you want to go there.
- Mm-hmm.
Okay.
You could take yogurt and tofu, even, to -- you know.
- Mix them together, or? - Mix them together, exactly.
Okay.
I'll do that.
We're gonna win this challenge today.
Excellent.
You put a little touch of olive oil, and they're going to stick together.
It's faster.
All right, now mix it.
And now they're gonna be so easy to chop.
Chop it -- ta-ta-ta-ta-ta! That's what we call speed.
How come I never knew this before? Because cooking, you don't know everything.
Well You think I know everything? I don't know everything.
It's awesome having Ludo's help today.
I can definitely take direction.
Yes? [ Laughs .]
I said, "just one vegetable.
" - Marina! - Okay, sure, sure, sure.
Pa-ting! She don't give a [bleep.]
about what I say.
She don't care.
You said simple.
This is simple.
- Did you say simple? - Yeah, I said simple, yeah.
Don't be like, "reow!" I feel like I'm the only one that feel -- that understood the going green.
I made all the vegetables here -- I had a green bean, had a leek, I had a turnip.
It's green, right? So it's green.
It's green.
Mine is all green.
Oh, wow.
Given that your restaurant makes excellent, exciting, unbelievably good vegetarian dishes -- even I will have to admit that -- what happens if -- if you lose this team challenge and I win? I mean, Anthony, I need to stop cooking.
I cannot lose against you today.
It' s not gonna happen.
You hold his career in your hands.
Yeah, exactly.
You're my career, guys, okay? We cannot lose against Anthony today, guys, you understand? Yes, Chef.
Were we able to borrow lemongrass? Could we borrow lemongrass? No, you put lemongrass in there.
No, this -- I don't have lemongrass.
This is green onion.
No, no, no, you put lemongrass in there.
- We did? We did? - You did.
Oh, that's right, that's right.
Sorry.
Nigella: The pressure is mounting, the clock is ticking down.
We have to move fast.
Some people, when they feel anxious, panic and get a bit hysterical.
Excuse me.
Sorry.
I'm gonna start rushing.
Jacquelyn: I feel like I'm alone in this competition.
It's just really hard.
I'm ready to add my veg.
In five minutes, they'll be overcooked.
Nigella: I need to keep Jacquelyn calm.
That's sort of my job.
I think it smells divine.
Tasty.
I'd order that in a restaurant.
I got a taste for you, Tony, right here.
Anthony: Thanks.
Lee: I'm dying to represent the team.
I haven't had a chance yet.
- Ooh! Spicy.
- Yeah.
You think too spicy? - I like it.
- Yeah.
Ugh! Oh, whoa.
I like spicy food a lot, but that degree of heat doesn't belong.
Lee's doing great in the individual challenge, racking up gold stars, but he's not pushing himself particularly in the team challenge because he doesn't have to.
Lee knows he can fall back onto Shellie.
Here you go.
It's delicious.
Shellie: Tony's not into the vegetarian challenge.
You know, he just loves meat.
So to have him go, "that is good," I was stoked.
I was excited.
This is delicious and, in fact, comes closest.
You can really taste the asparagus.
But at the end of the day, it's the pasta that's killing it, and the pasta's my fault.
Dana: I was a little bummed.
I vegetable'd this dish up.
The only thing that's not a vegetable is that angel hair.
Tasty dish.
I'd eat it in a restaurant.
Utterly delicious but texturally, it's mushy.
This totally embraced the challenge.
- It's crunchy - Shellie: Yeah.
it's got the multi-textured.
You've done it again, by my way of thinking.
- Thank you, Alice Waters.
- All right.
Who? [ Laughter .]
Lee: It's no secret that Anthony really likes Shellie.
She's his favorite.
I mean, I have the four gold stars.
I know how to cook.
To not have my dish chosen again, I think it's complete [bleep.]
.
We're up against time here.
Taste that.
Sarah, you taste that.
I want honest, and then we're gonna go back and taste.
It's about winning this challenge.
Whoever goes up, I'm okay.
Marcus: We're not taking second on this one.
Sarah: With Shehu's dish, it was fried, and Chef Ottolenghi doesn't do a whole lot of fried things.
All of his -- you know, everything is really fresh.
I like your dish, you know? I like this one, too.
It's tough.
I mean, they're both really good, so, I mean It's So, time's running down.
Marcus is going back and forth.
He's tasting both of the dishes.
Marcus: So, the clock is ticking.
Shehu, Sarah.
Sarah, Shehu.
Sarah, we're going with your dish.
Shehu: All right.
Marcus: I felt this was Sarah's time.
She knew about Yotam.
She has all his cookbooks.
Louise: I would love it if my dish went forward today.
Of course it would be great if it was just not Jeff for one week.
Ludo: Okay, guys, what do you think we should put on the front, guys? I want your honest decision from all the team.
I would choose hers over Marina's.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
Over you, you think? I like mine.
Louise, you're on top today.
Yeah.
Ludo picks my spoon, and I am ecstatic.
I think it tasted really good.
- Louise: Did you like it? - I really did.
- I really did.
- Okay.
- You deserve it.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
This is validation that I -- I do know how to make good food.
I would really, really like to win right now.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you for your help.
Good job.
Ludo: One minute and a half.
Think we're good.
I think I'm ready.
Okay -- okay, but you've got beans.
I'm gonna get the plate.
You've got -- no, no, you've got your beans -- I put it, I put it, I put it.
What's happening over there? I could hear Jacquelyn and Nigella arguing.
I would do it when the heat's off.
- It is off, it is off.
- It's not.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
You like that? You've got now 50 seconds.
I know, I know.
I've got to plate.
- I've got to plate.
- Okay.
I'm not gonna worry about this.
Well, it is too strong.
You need to worry about it.
Okay, then I'm gonna do this.
No! It's like the shower scene in Psycho, with a knife going up and down.
What is going on here? Sorry, sorry.
I'm doing it.
You've got now 50 seconds.
- Okay, then I'm gonna do this.
- No! Sorry, sorry.
I'm doing it.
Got 30 seconds.
Teeny bit and taste.
I don't have time.
- You've got to taste.
- I will, I will, I will.
Make sure you've got the exact mixture you want.
This has a nice flavor just by itself.
How the soup is being dished up is just catastrophic.
I -- I hope we're gonna get it there on time.
Okay.
Nigella: Okay.
Quickly.
- There's one in the front.
- And the stock.
- Where's the stock? - 10 seconds, quickly! You've got 10 sec-- you've got 4 seconds! Quickly, get one on the plate! Get one on the plate.
Otherwise, there's nothing.
Now.
Now! I'm saving the day! [ Laughs .]
- Hey! - Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Oh, God.
[ Laughing .]
Hot mess kitchen.
[ Both laugh .]
Jacquelyn has seemed desperate, and so I am very, very worried because I feel something has happened that I don't know what it is, and I just feel utterly drained.
Brad: Team Tony -- right now, we're four strong, and we totally want to have the four of us continue all the way to the end.
I believe we're still good.
I'm confident.
We don't want to see none of us go home.
I lost one time last week, and I did one mistake last week.
I'm not going to do the same mistake.
Trust me.
Have you taken your garlic out? Good.
Nigella: If we haven't produced the goods, it's the end of the road.
So of course so much rides on this.
And if it weighs heavy on me, it must weigh so much more heavily on Jacquelyn.
Nigella's kitchen is here.
I'm on the chopping block, and that's it.
- Hello.
- Chef.
I'm Yotam Ottolenghi, and I'm here from London.
Your challenge today, "Go Green," is all about vegetables, and this feels very, uh, close to my heart because I grew up in Jerusalem, where vegetables and legumes and fresh herbs are all at the center of the food.
And now I'm gonna have to check what you guys did with it.
Sarah: I have all of Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbooks.
I know what his palate is, and I know I'm gonna kill this dish.
I love the crunch of the vegetables.
The one thing that bothers me a little bit is that there is some creaminess there that kind of spoils the freshness, so I would've wanted it to be a little bit more salady.
Marcus: I really feel like I let my team down.
This was a beautiful dish.
It was really suave, and I thought if anyone would pick up those notes, it would be him.
Shellie: I made the raw essence of asparagus with snap peas, cauliflower.
I feel like I have a chance.
I have a chance to fricking win the team challenge.
I like that there's a crunch there.
It's a little fried.
Cauliflower is one of those things that a lot of people like to hate, and this is -- this hits the mark.
It's good.
Anthony: Shellie, who, as usual, off in her own world, had a plan that I didn't understand and pulled together something I thought quite extraordinary.
Louise: I'm pleased as punch that I've been picked, but it is a little bit frightening if it's the worst because I just have a feeling that I will be the one sent home.
I need, like, some good juju coming my way.
Wow, that's very interesting.
Lemon and curry flavors, carrots, maybe another root vegetable.
I'm not sure.
Really kind of kicks you in the gut.
It's good.
Louise: I think he likes it.
It sounds like a positive review.
Jacquelyn: I'm the only person left on my team, and there's a lot on my shoulders right now, and it's just such a hard place to stand in and experience.
It could fail, and that's the last thing I want to happen.
That's, um A few of my favorite flavors.
Very, very nice.
So, now I need to reveal my best one.
It's clear which one I want, but the others are pretty close contenders, as well.
Do-do-do.
[ Cap pops .]
Where the heck is she going? What happened to Jacquelyn? Lee: She's the only person left on her team, so you'd think she'd want to be there, you know, to see how she did.
- Ludo: Huh? - Don't know where she went.
I am gobsmacked.
I am almost lost for words and, at the same time, utterly bewildered.
Okay.
Um Nigella: Suddenly, Jacquelyn's off.
I don't know where she's going, and I don't know if there's a problem, or I don't know anything.
Okay.
Um Yotam, we s-- we seem to have somebody missing in action here.
Okay.
Please carry on.
I'm sorry.
I've -- I've lost someone, but please carry on.
You've lost someone.
Okay.
That's all right.
Continue.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry at any disrespect to you.
Nigella is standing in the kitchen alone.
Jacquelyn just left like in an instant.
All of us are just confused.
She just walked out the kitchen.
Um I'm gonna reveal my best dish.
There is definitely one that actually really stood out.
The best dish is Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
Ludo's kitchen.
We win! Bravo! So proud of you! No way.
He'll be insufferable now.
[ Laughter .]
Master chef! [ Laughs .]
Louise: I'm really thrilled.
I think that Ludo is really happy.
Good job, guys.
Good job, guys.
[ Speaking French .]
Good job, Louise.
I'm so happy we're going to spend time with Chef Yotam.
I mean, I would dream to do that -- you know, to just cook with him, too.
You know, I'm so happy for them.
Congratulations, Ludo and the team.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.
A very, very close second-best, and I had a bit of a problem deciding because it was very close, is Nigella's kitchen.
[ Applause .]
Bravo, Nigella.
I mean, you're gonna celebrate alone I'll celebrate alone.
But thank you.
Louise: Jacquelyn is AWOL, and it turns out she made a soup that he liked.
Oh, wow.
The only reason she's in second is because it was a group challenge, and you know Nigella was all up in her business, making sure she did everything the right way.
It was a close second -- a very close second -- but still a second.
Nigella: I think, "where's Jacquelyn? Are you hearing this? Where are you?" Maybe she'll be back in a minute, and, you know, that's fine, and she'll know.
I'm sorry Jacquelyn isn't here to, uh, receive those plaudits.
Very thirsty.
Really, I'm sorry.
It feels rude to you -- I apologize.
I don't know what happened.
Oh, wow.
With those other two, it's a much more difficult decision.
Anthony: I really screwed up.
I built this challenge around pasta for my team.
How do I make something that highlights vegetables in a tiny little spoon using pasta? Really, a terrible tactical mistake.
Yotam: My least favorite was Marcus' kitchen.
Marcus: I can't believe it.
I'm not ready to send either Shehu or Sarah home.
I'm just not.
Oh.
Shellie: We're still four.
We're still the whole team, so it's a great feeling.
Ludo: I was so happy when I hear Marcus was in the bottom.
I'm still so irritated about last week, about my Cassandra to go home.
I think she's better than Shehu, so it was a great revenge for me.
Win the challenge and Shehu is going home.
He don't deserve to be here.
[ Whistles .]
Shehu: Sarah has two gold stars.
I got one gold star, three red stars, so, you know, I guess I got to go.
Thank you, Yotam.
Thanks very much.
Sarah: Technically, I do think I'm stronger than Shehu.
Marcus, uh, you heard the bad news.
I'm afraid you have to send somebody home from your kitchen.
Sarah.
Tell me -- why should I let you stay? I'm, you know, getting my stride.
I got two gold stars last week, and, you know, I'm -- I'm not done.
I'm -- I'm just getting started.
Shehu, why should I keep you? Same here -- I'm still fighting.
I think today's dish I cooked really well and I was very proud of it.
And, you know, I still want to prove more.
While I'm super disappointed to be in the bottom, I believe in both of you guys.
I think you guys are fantastic chefs.
But I have a decision.
It's not easy.
Shehu, you've been really strong, but you also had your doubts, right? Sarah, I really believed in you.
Sorry.
Can I talk to you all for a minute? Way to [bleep.]
prolong our misery.
What the hell? This ain't right.
What the [bleep.]
is happening? I'm not [bleep.]
ready to go home yet.
Oh, hell, no.
And, unfortunately, that's the situation.
Okay.
Where do we begin? Um Well, it appears that one of our contestants has withdrawn from the competition.
Did that just happen? [ Chuckles .]
This is Bad news for Nigella.
It is good news for Marcus, in that is a stay of execution for Shehu and Sarah.
Thank you to the food gods.
I'm really embarrassed by this because -- You're embarrassed? - I am embarrassed.
- You're embarrassed?! Because we can discover, we can -- you know, we can duck, we can hide.
Marcus: Shehu and Sarah, you know we were saved by luck.
- Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef.
Sarah: Oh, my God.
Somebody was watching over us today.
So, Shehu apparently is a cat, 'cause that man has nine lives.
He almost went home last week, and I feel like he was gonna go home.
Anthony: Weird day at the office.
Marcus: Yeah.
It's really weird.
Thank you, Yotam.
Apologies for the melodrama.
It's all right, Tony.
I'm happy I didn't get to eliminate anyone.
Regrets, uh, Nigella.
Lucky you.
Yotam, please join Ludo's winning kitchen.
I'm so jealous.
[ Applause .]
Guys, you have so much to learn, guys.
Well done, well done.
Thank you.
Ludo: I wish I can go over there.
So, Ludo's winning team, you guys are gonna get some consultation time with our guest mentor, Yotam Ottolenghi.
The rest of you guys, count your lucky stars, take a break.
Good job.
I don't know what to say.
Please, someone tell me what happened.
I wish I could.
I -- as far as I know, she just wanted to leave.
She made a good dish! It was close.
- Between you -- - Exactly.
Yeah.
- And yet -- - Yeah.
I understand it.
She almost won this compe-- this challenge today -- almost.
It is not a way that I would choose to leave the competition.
If you do badly, that's it.
She did well! But -- you know what I mean? But to go out of a competition doing well is hard.
She just not believe enough in herself.
She's not confident.
I think that not everyone can cope with the pressures - Nigella.
- Of competition.
- Nigella.
- I mean -- I -- Nigella, I -- I need to say something to you, Nigella.
Yes? Your team was very amazing, like, with different character.
They were all bug-house nuts, as far as I can tell.
I don't know how to say it with my English, but you know these people that -- No, it's -- allegedly.
Team Nigella has vaporized in a heartbeat, and Nigella's out of the game.
What's up, guys? - Hey.
- Hi, Chef.
Oh.
- We dodged a bullet there, huh? - Yeah.
I'm not ready to cut one of you.
We're not ready to go.
No, we're not.
Twice we're in the bottom.
We can't be there anymore.
Nigella, Tony, and Ludo -- they're not gonna give us another break.
So if we're in the bottom, believe me, one of us is going home.
If Jacquelyn was still here, somebody would have gone home.
I'll take the extra competition just to have her gone now.
Lee: It would've been nice to get an explanation.
Where is she? What is going on? You know, maybe she just couldn't take the pressure.
I mean, her soup took second.
Made no sense.
I think she just finally was like, "I can't do it anymore.
" - We're still four strong.
- Yes, we are.
It's nice to be standing strong.
Team Bourdain, and we're badass.
I wanted that mentor in our kitchen.
I totally did, too.
Whose dish was it that blew me away? - That was my dish.
- You? - Yep.
- Really? - Well done.
- Thank you.
I am so excited to have Yotam Ottolenghi in our kitchen.
It's priceless.
- You know baba ghanoush? - Yes, of course.
Oh, I love baba ghanoush.
So we're making a kind of a baba ghanoush.
So, this eggplant has been sitting here on this high heat.
It will start burning and smoking, and smoke is one of these wonderful flavors that, if you add it to vegetables, you're halfway there.
Gonna take this eggplant And just roughly chop it like that.
A bit of yogurt here, some parsley, garlic, and salt.
That's gonna be like a bomb of flavors.
These are butternut-squash pieces that have been braising with stock and lots of aromatics.
Garlic, bay leaves, thyme, lemon skin.
There's cardamom.
And you've got this eggplant puree.
Add the wonderful lemon.
So, just dig in.
You can really infuse vegetables with flavor.
Oh, my God.
Mmm! Sweet, smoky, bitter.
You get all these flavors? - Yes.
- Mmm! Going into this challenge, I was really confused.
I really wasn't sure what I was gonna do, and I think a lot of people are stumped about what they're gonna do.
What have you got in mind, Jeff? I think I'm gonna take some cauliflower and then smash it - I love that.
- With some roasted garlic.
Nice.
And roast some root vegetables.
I was thinking of making, like, a nice spice oil to kind of drizzle it over the top.
Put one strip of orange skin, infuse it.
Mm-hmm, okay.
Orange oil is really nice with vegetables.
With Chef Yotam's help today, I feel like we have a huge advantage, though.
I'm feeling pretty good going into this.
- Marina.
- Yes.
What have you got in mind? I was going to use eggplant.
- Okay.
- Grilled on the olive oil, slow, until it becomes very soft and transparent.
Was going to incorporate dates and walnuts inside.
Okay.
I think you might end up having something that feels very good but a little bit too sweet and sickly.
Add something that is, like, especially salty, like feta cheese.
Feta cheese.
Yotam had a great idea.
I'm gonna do awesome.
Thank you.
- Louise.
- Hi.
What's up? One of my first things that I thought of is yuzu koshu, which is the crushed chilies and a little bit of yuzu and zest, - and it's -- - Dried yuzu.
So I envisioned a roasted beet -- yellow beet -- done the same way - Okay, okay, okay, yeah.
- Like, sliced that same way.
That sounds nice.
What about avocado? I don't know why, but -- Needs fat.
There's no fat here.
Beet and avocado work well together.
Beautiful.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Lee: Now we have to cook a bunch of vegetables again.
[ Laughter .]
All right, guys, one minute to cook.
- Let's do it.
- Let's do it.
- Team Bourdain! - Team Bourdain.
- Remember, stay strong.
- Represent.
All right, guys, are you all ready? All: Yes.
Good luck.
Go, Team Ludo.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
I'm sure you've gone through a lot of adversity to be the chef that you are today.
I really believe in the two of you.
Now just cook your hearts out and win this.
Win it.
Cooks, the challenge is "Go Green.
" You have one hour to prepare us something entirely vegetarian.
No meat, no fish.
Ludo's winning team, you will have the considerable benefit of Yotam's help.
Time starts Now.
Narrator: Each cook has to make a single vegetarian dish to be judged blind by the mentors.
Yotam: One hour.
Gonna put pressure on you.
The cooks with the best dish will receive gold stars.
The cooks with the worst dish will receive red stars and face elimination.
I like being in a Roman matron position as much as possible.
- You look like Cleopatra.
- Thank you.
- I want to roast these - Yeah.
to contain the sweetness inside.
Do I need to wrap these in foil, do you think? - No, no.
It's too much work.
- Just leave them? It's not worth it.
You know, Ludo, your kitchen is so lucky to have Yotam.
I was very happy to win the team challenge, but I was a little jealous, too.
They're going to spend one hour with Yotam.
I know.
It's a good advantage for my team.
I hope they are going to listen to him, especially Marina.
What is going on? Um Chick-- chickpeas or beans? - Chickpeas, chickpeas.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna kind of like crumble it and make it like a powder crunchy.
And I'm gonna smoke it Chinese-style.
Oh, wow.
Marina: I'm planning to make grilled eggplant rolled into a feta cheese, and then I'm gonna put a little bit of yogurt and a crunchy walnut on top.
Eggplants, chickpeas And where's -- where's the date? Do I have a date? What are you looking for? You're running away from me.
Oh, this is an important bit.
Yeah.
So, this -- jalapeño, some zest.
- Yuzu.
- And then some salt.
Louise: I'm gonna do glazed beets.
To add some crunch, some toasted walnuts, and then it's gonna have jalapeño citrusy drizzle.
My idea is I have the roasted beets, and then I have some avocado for some creaminess.
Do you think that sounds good? Sounds very good.
You're working your muscles.
Yeah.
[ Both laugh .]
Mr.
Jeff.
- How are you? - Very good.
- How are you? - I'm doing okay.
I am starting my butter first 'cause I really want to get a nice char on my cauliflower.
Yeah.
And I know if get it nice and buttered, I can put it under the broiler.
Jeff: I'm gonna braise carrots, and then I'm gonna make charred roasted smashed cauliflower, and then I'm going to top that with some parsnip chips.
Cool.
So there's a lot of flavors there.
And what I would like to suggest is, 'cause it's got a lot of spices, let me try so we can make sure you don't overspice it.
Absolutely, yeah.
I am super grateful to have you here.
Yotam: I love Jeff's attitude.
I don't know exactly where he's heading.
He's roasting it with butter, and then he wants to kind of crumb it.
I have a little doubt there -- little niggling doubt.
I feel, uh doomed.
You feel doomed? - Yes.
- Why do you feel doomed? I just feel like I got away with the team challenge without losing anybody, but just something they want to pretend never happened.
Like Godfather III.
Oh, it's a real competition at this point now.
Everybody's, uh, cooking for their life.
I'm making a deep-fried asparagus burrata with asparagus puree and asparagus parmesan yogurt.
I just love asparagus.
I'm keeping it green, and I'm keeping it real.
I want a gold star, man.
Today, I'm doing saag paneer.
It's an Indian dish.
It's basically spinach and cheese, but I'm making the cheese from scratch.
It's basically like ricotta, Indian-style.
You need to heat up milk.
Right before it starts to boil, you just any kind of acid.
Today, I used lemon juice.
I wanted to make it to showcase my skills.
I'm thinking the mentors will be like, "okay, he knows what he's doing.
" Brad: I'm doing a play on a ratatouille.
It's just like an Italian-style mixture of vegetables.
Brad called ratatouille an Italian dish, when really it's a French dish.
We're all completely confused.
Lee: Brad right now is just kind of holding on.
He's kind of lucky to be on our team.
Some-- something for the individual that only wants the vegetables.
Yes, Brad, that's what the challenge is.
Hong with this one bite, I can score some gold stars.
I've decided to make a spaghetti-squash salad with some diced heirloom tomatoes.
I have a green-chili cilantro for a little spicy kick.
And then I'm going to fry some eggplant and top it all with some cashew-yogurt sauce.
Gold stars are getting pretty important because what we're learning is that if you have them and you go up against the judges, it might save you from going home.
Sarah: It's really important that Shehu and I do a really good job today since we were on the bottom earlier today, so we really got to make sure we're on our game.
I'm gonna make a beet salad.
I've also got some celery hearts, some toasted walnuts, and a miso vinaigrette.
Who's ending up on the bottom? Nigella: You must be nervous about Shehu.
We're all thinking it.
We're not saying it, but we're thinking it.
Oh, I said it.
Sorry.
Anthony: [ Chuckles .]
If he gets a red star now, he's out.
There's no more talking from our team now.
You have to -- actually have to perform.
Uh, today, got a -- I call it the poor man's meal.
I'm gonna make potato dumplings with some sautéed mushrooms -- one of my favorite things I love to cook with -- with a nice, flavorful, fiery but subtle tomato sauce.
Well, right now, I'm just gonna cook from my heart and think about me cooking dinner for myself and my family.
I haven't been dealt the best hand in life, but you know what? I'm moving forward.
This is gonna be for dinner.
You want to eat it now for dinner? Oh, I'm definitely doing this for my daughter 'cause, like, you know, I have plans for, you know, a better life.
What do you think about this one? It's good.
Trust me -- it does suck being at the bottom all the time, but, you know, at this point in time, if I'm gonna go down, let me go down being myself.
Nice and slow.
Got you guys going.
Let that keep going.
Shehu -- it's like either you're gonna take this and do a really good dish or you're not.
And you -- you're worried about Marina.
I -- I think she's your wild card.
I wouldn't be surprised if she -- she won the whole thing.
It's gonna be brown -- brown sugar, rice, and smoked tea, and the chipped wood here.
I'm gonna learn -- learn something from you today.
Yotam: Marina -- I have a certain amount of faith in her because she's a home cook with balls.
Louise: She's got so much going on in her head that she could bust out something that even the chefs are like, "what is that?" So, what wood chips are you using? Whatever that was there.
Jeff: I said to a few people, "I could see Marina winning the competition," and everyone's like, "no, no, no," and I was like, "you don't know Dragon Lady.
" I keep telling them, you know, "I don't know what you know.
I only know what I know.
But I know what you don't know.
" - So, wood chips, brown sugar - And rice and tea.
rice, and a little bit of tea.
She breaks out, like, some old-school smoking technique.
And she's built this, like, smoker, and I'm like Now I need to fry rice.
I've said from the very beginning that that lady is crafty.
Oh, cool, yes.
Wow.
Isn't it amazing? You've got an advantage over everybody else 'cause you grew up with all these wonderful things.
Well I don't know.
'Cause my life is always in the house, cooking for the kids.
I want to be your kid.
I'm a mom -- a single mom -- and I have two kids.
My son is Jonathan, and my daughter's Jacquelyne.
They just love my food.
Now that my kids are grown up, it's time for me to focus on myself, to do what I like to do.
I have no idea who's going home today.
It's anyone's game at this point in time.
What if Jeff and Lee end up in the bottom? - Oh, my God.
- That would be a nightmare.
It would be.
Mmm-mmm! It's frickin' good.
You know, this competition -- I just take it every day, like I've done with my life.
You know, from being addicted to drugs and then, you know, cleaning up and going to culinary school and starting my life all over again, you know, you take every challenge as it comes.
I just keep moving, and that's what I'm doing through this thing -- I just keep moving and, hopefully, I can win.
That would just be awesome validation.
Good.
Leave it alone.
What's that? Lee: This is a beer.
[ Both laugh .]
Dana: Lee keeps bringing out the beer for every challenge.
He's, like, typical young guy.
Just kind of calming my nerves a little bit.
- I'd do the same if I were you.
- Yeah.
And what about Dana? Anthony: I have faith that she'll survive.
She's looking stressed.
Right now, I'm shredding my spaghetti squash, which I was kind of nervous about.
So, with Jacquelyn gone, the remaining cooks are all fierce competitors.
Like, you cannot make any mistakes from now on.
How are the beets doing? They are still Just a little They're still a little too hard.
You can never tell with beets how long they're gonna take.
Turn it up a bit.
Kicking it up a little bit.
Sarah: So, I've got about close to 20 minutes left.
I got everything almost done, and I realize that I've forgotten my walnuts in the oven.
So I go and run over and look at them, and, sure enough, they're burnt.
This is a disaster.
[Bleep.]
.
Sarah: I forgot my walnuts in the oven.
So I go and run over and look at them, and sure enough, they're burnt.
After we got saved earlier in the day, we -- we can't fail at this one.
I don't want to put up anything that isn't perfect, so I'm starting over.
- We need crunch.
- That's what the parsnip is.
Yeah, but I don't know if that's enough.
- You don't think it's gonna be enough? - No.
Yotam: I'm a little bit concerned about that it's gonna be uniformly soft.
From all the dishes, his has got the most potential to not do too well.
So we'll see what happens.
Lee: I only have five minutes left, and I didn't even really start cooking my spinach yet.
Like, I got to get this show on the road.
- Shehu: Hey, Sarah.
- Sarah: Yeah.
Sarah: Shehu was a little nervous.
He kept asking me to taste his food over and over again.
Um, which is great.
I love to help the guy out, but I was definitely in the weeds.
My beets turned out great.
They're cooked perfectly.
Now I'm just on my time crunch to get them -- to get them cut beautifully.
And he came over with that damn spoon again.
Have a taste, Sarah? "Dude, dude! "Can't you see what I'm doing here? "Can't you see what I'm up against? Like, I don't even have my spoons out yet.
" The last one.
I've got beets all over my hands.
It looks like a bloodbath.
I'm trying, like, frantically to perfectly cut all of these beets, and I have to stop and taste his sauce again.
Yeah, you're good.
But I just about lost my mind.
Two minutes, bitches! Shehu: Two minutes left.
Until the apocalypse.
So, some people will be having a meltdown now.
Lee: Holy [bleep.]
.
I have less than two minutes to go, and I haven't plated anything.
Actually, Dana, can you help me? Dana: Yeah.
Shellie: Lee is the front runner.
He has four gold stars, but if Lee doesn't finish his dish, there's a chance that he could go home.
Uh, just put a little bit of the -- the toasted [bleep.]
on top.
- This stuff? - Yeah, yeah.
Dana: There's something wrong with him.
Maybe it's part of the whole Cassandra/Lee thing.
'Cause their love affair is no more.
Guys, you got one minute to go! Those are great flavors.
I'm feeling very good about this one.
Thank you.
Holy [bleep.]
.
Lee totally looked like he was shaken.
He was upset.
I'd help any cook in the kitchen.
Aah! That looks good.
18 seconds.
Shellie: If it wasn't for Dana, Lee would've not finished his dish.
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Good luck, guys.
You did well.
Good job.
Bring it in, bring it in.
Bring it in.
Bring it in.
[ Groans .]
Ludo: Guys, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go! Okay, I'm ready.
If you would've told me an hour ago that it was gonna take me an hour to make a beet salad, I would've laughed at you.
[ Laughing .]
Narrator: Here's how the tasting works.
The mentors taste every dish.
They have no idea who cooked it or what they are eating.
Each mentor must select their best dish - Oh, the heat -- it's good.
- I like that.
Narrator: And, more importantly, their worst dish.
This dough is raw.
Boring.
Narrator: The best cooks receive gold stars.
Wow.
The worst receive red stars and face elimination.
I'm totally worried.
I like my dish, but are they gonna like it? Brad: You make the slightest mistake, you're potentially on the chopping block.
Shehu: I cannot get a red star.
If I get anybody's red star, I'm done.
Okay.
Nine courses of vegetables.
You must be looking forward to this, Tony.
[ Groans .]
Don't worry, Tony.
Like a root canal.
I never feel confident during any tastings.
Um, I'm just excited to have them eat it and get it over with so we can find out the results.
I think that my dish represents this challenge because it's -- it's all vegetables.
So you have, like, the hearty eggplant and you have the spicy vinaigrette, and then you have the spaghetti squash, which gives you the nice crunch.
Pasta.
It does not taste like pasta.
Thought it was like noodle, like glass noodle.
It absolutely does not look or taste like a glass noodle.
Great taste.
Roasted egg-- roasted eggplant? I mean, good flavor.
Nigella: Very good flavor.
Very good flavor.
The problem, I think, is we don't know exactly what we're eating.
I'm sorry.
That is astonishing to me.
How do you not know a vegetable when you're eating it? I mean, it's a delicious bite.
I didn't feel the top part went necessarily with the bottom.
It wasn't very, uh -- wasn't a cohesive mouthful for me.
I would've liked a bit more -- do you know? -- some bit of broccoli stem or at least teeny little bits of shaved Some crunch would have been nice.
Some crunch would have been nice.
Sarah: There's definitely a lot of pressure.
I mean, they are all intimidating people.
They all have intimidating palates.
I did a beet salad.
I've also got some celery hearts, some toasted walnuts, and a miso vinaigrette.
Beet, radish -- what's the, um? Corn? Corn.
- Crunchy.
- Crunch, tasty.
I like the heat level.
I like the sweetness of the corn.
Very much against the acid of the pickle.
I could've used a little yogurt -- a little dot of yogurt or some cream in there, as a counterpoint.
I'm not crazy about this one.
- Aren't you? - No.
I mean, it's just a beet salad.
I think him or her don't take a big risk.
I en-- I enjoyed that.
Sarah: I don't feel like I'm on the bottom.
I don't know if I'm on the top.
We'll see what happens.
Brad: I feel pretty confident about the dish.
I would love, definitely, to get one of the gold stars.
My dish is a vegetable ratatouille with diced vegetables rolled up inside of my Japanese eggplant and topping it off with a tomato fondue jam and radicchio frise salad on the top.
Sarah: Ratatouille? I mean, come on -- it's a peasant dish from France that's like 300 years old.
Way to bring your "A" game, buddy.
[ Laughs .]
This looks like an eggplant roll, isn't it? For me, the eggplant is A bit too greasy, and it's a touch bitter.
I agree with Nigella's point that it's -- it's pretty oily.
Nigella: It's too oily an eggplant.
I like the crunch of the vegetables inside.
Yeah, it's very good, the textures, yeah.
That texture is really nice.
Yeah, it was good.
Ludo: I love the flavor.
- Nigella: I didn't.
- You didn't like it? - I - Oh, my God.
Not a lot.
[ Scoffs .]
Okay.
Shehu: I'm going to try to get to the finals now.
I'm just looking like I want to cook one more time.
I don't want to go home.
I made a potato gnocchi with sautéed mushrooms and a tomato sauce.
It's not an appetizer.
It's not a side.
It's a straight-up hard-core full entrée.
Good vegetarian dish.
[Bleep.]
.
When I see Nigella shaking her head, I'm like, "oh, man, this is not good.
" Tomato sauce.
What was that soft thing in the middle? I can't believe she didn't get that, man.
She didn't get it was gnocchi, man.
I guess she don't do Italian food.
Uh Nigella: Was it -- was it, like, uh Uh, like a little gnocchi? A little gnocchi? That's what I think.
I thought it was pleasant.
You thought it was pleasant? I'm tasting a lot of tomato.
Ludo: It's good flavor, but there should be a little more mushroom.
You know, we can taste more mushroom.
It has too much tomato for me.
There's a real attempt to make a dish.
Not a side dish.
I didn't find that enjoyable.
Shehu: I'm already giving Sarah my goodbye speech 'cause Nigella's just not happy.
If this is her worst dish and I get a red star, that's it.
Game could be over.
Shellie: I want a gold star.
I really do.
I mean, I don't want to go through this entire competition not having one.
So I made a deep-fried burrata with asparagus puree and asparagus parmesan yogurt.
I'm hoping that they don't just think it's a deep-fried burrata ball.
I'm hoping that they can taste the flavors underneath that.
Somebody addressed this challenge head-on.
I mean, there's all sorts of veggie action going on in there.
There's a lot of different flavors.
Nigella: I'm loving it.
The fried thing -- I have no idea.
Cheesy? For me, it's gonna be vegetable forward, that fried thing needs to be vegetable.
I mean, because the big thing was not vegetable.
It's a -- I think it's a vegetable fritter.
- What vegetable fritter? - I don't know.
But I'd -- I'd eat a whole hell of a lot more of those things, so I'm not crazy about this one.
It's mysterious, that one.
Shellie: I'm nervous as all hell.
I don't want to be eliminated today.
I think my dish is good enough to put me to the next round.
I made eggplant cigars stuffed with feta cheese, smoked, and lemon pickle sauce that I learned from Yotam.
What I like about this dish, it's -- it's an eggplant dish and you taste eggplant.
I like the smokiness.
Something smoky.
I like it.
I like smoky.
Is it like a parmesan powder or something underneath? Baba ghanoush? It tastes like, you know, that charred, uh -- when you burn the outer skin, you roast it over the fire.
I like the lemon.
The lemon's nice.
I'm not crazy about the, uh The layer of dust under is a little gravelly for me.
For me, a tomato would've broken up that sand in the bottom.
I mean, I would not put tomato on this dish.
- Not me.
- No, I wouldn't.
I like the smoke.
You can taste the eggplant.
Okay.
Lee: I'm feeling really confident.
This is a dish that I've cooked before, that I eat all the time, that I love, and I thought I nailed the flavors.
So, today, I decided to make saag paneer.
It's a traditional Indian dish with spinach and cheese, and I made my cheese from scratch.
Mm-hmm.
Wow.
A tiny bit too salty, but I think -- - Yeah.
- Anthony: It's salty.
And it's mushy.
It's got -- it's even slimy.
Actually -- The flavor's really good, right? - The flavor is amazing.
- Yeah.
- It reminds me of an Indian dish.
- Anthony: Yeah.
Spinach, with spinach.
Nigella: And als-- goat's cheese? - Yogurt? - Got something -- yeah.
Had the creaminess of goat cheese, actually.
With a big piece of flat bread, just scooping it up.
- Or lavash.
- Yes.
And right in, right? I thought it was quite interesting.
I thought it was quite bold.
[ As Nigella .]
"It's quite bold.
" It's not my dream texture, but that flavor -- the flavor was right there.
Jeff: Of course they love Lee's dish, and, um I -- I really just want to beat him.
You know, I just want more stars than he has.
You don't know that.
I really hope that my dish, because it's just about the vegetables, is gonna really shine through.
I made braised carrots and turnips with a smashed cauliflower with roasted garlic and pickled shallots and parsnip chips.
It's an "open wide" situation.
I asked Chef Yotam to try stuff.
He wasn't really sure about my cauliflower smash, so, I mean, we'll see.
Carrots and Peanuts? Radishes in there, as well.
I thought it was some sort of sprout, but it -- that was pickled, but it isn't.
It's got a full crunch.
Jeff: I'm really surprised that they can't really pin it down, and I feel like it was very straightforward.
There's something nut-- nut-- nut-- - Yeah, it's peanuts.
- Nutty? Eh? It was a peanut.
It's hazelnut! Glazed carrots with a little bit of crunch.
I thought the carrot was a bit large for the rest of the others.
It's a lot of things going on here.
A lot.
I mean, the main thing was the carrot.
I don't know what -- like, before, you knew it was beets.
Here, you don't know exactly what was the main vegetable.
It was a little s-- a little sweet for me.
Louise: This is a good dish, and I know it.
I've made roasted baby yellow beets with a little bit of avocado, toasted walnuts, and my yuzu koshu, which is like a jalapeño, citrusy sort of drizzle.
Nigella: Is that miso in there? Eggplant? I thought it was eggplant at first.
Very hard to tell.
Marcus: Sesame seed for crunch.
I think the potatoes were -- potatoes that are nicely cooked.
Nigella: Got heat.
- Citrusy.
Orange? - I don't know.
Yes, there is something citrusy.
Spicy.
I love -- I love this, by the way.
It's extremely exciting.
That's awesome.
I don't need meat with that.
Is that possible? Ludo: What do you think, guys? I mean, the flavors are great.
It was very crunchy.
I don't know what it was, but I like it.
I'll take it.
Maybe I get a gold star off this? You know, you never know, so Got my fingers crossed.
Good job, guys.
This is gonna be tough 'cause there was a lot of good stuff in there, and it's getting harder and harder for us.
Anthony: Clearly, we have some thinking to do.
You guys hit the break room.
We'll see you in a little bit.
That sucked.
Brad: Veggie-licious.
[ Chuckles .]
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Is anyone feeling, like, bad right now? I didn't hear good things.
If I get one more red star, you know, it's pretty much game over for me.
I'm out of here.
I felt really good about my dish, and I thought it was straightforward, and then they couldn't figure it out.
It was just cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, and hazelnuts.
I don't feel really good.
I didn't do enough.
Sarah: It kind of makes me smile a little bit inside that somebody who has such a big ego can get knocked down a little bit.
They liked your dish, Sarah.
Yeah.
They said it was safe, though, you know? Safe doesn't get you red stars, though.
[ Laughs .]
You know? Safe doesn't actually make me feel safe, though.
You know what I mean? I wanted to showcase the vegetable.
The challenge was "Go Green," not, like, "Go Cream" or "Go Cheese.
" Lee: Well, I'm predicting that Wheezy's gonna get two gold stars.
I would like that especially because I'm on a team with people with gold stars, so, hell, yeah, but at the end of the day, I just don't want to go home.
I have no gold stars.
The people that don't have them, I feel like, are gonna start dropping off.
That makes me a little bit nervous.
At the end of the day, someone's gonna get a red star.
Yeah, good people are getting red stars - and someone good is going home.
- Yeah.
Nine vegetarian dishes.
We've all made up our minds? - Absolutely.
- How are you feeling? Badly in need of a cheeseburger or maybe a -- maybe a BLT.
All right, let's find out what we have done here today.
Shellie: I want a gold star.
I really do.
I mean, I don't want to go through this entire competition not having one.
Sarah: After what happened in the team challenge, there is no way either one of us can get a red star, and, of course, I don't want any red stars.
I mean, I want to go gold all the way through.
As you know, we've chosen our best and worst.
Let's find out who our best dishes of the night were first.
My best dish of the night was I told you you were gonna get a gold star.
- Oh.
- Awesome.
Thanks.
[ Chuckles .]
My best dish of the night was [ Gasps .]
Sarah.
Marcus: Sarah.
[ Chuckles .]
So happy! So happy! You and me both.
[ Laughs .]
And, uh, my best dish was cooked by Jeff: [ Gasps .]
[ Squeals .]
Wheezy.
Louise.
[ Laughs .]
Anthony: Stop smiling.
[ Laughter .]
My best dish was cooked by All: Oh! [ Laughter .]
Ludo: I will be honest with you Lee is a good cook.
Lee! He can't say it.
He can't bring himself to say it.
Anthony: Your arch-enemy you vote for again.
Beautiful.
[ Laughter .]
Lee: To see my name pop up when Ludo hits his button, it's like he's pissed, I'm stoked.
Like, it is so cool 'cause I know how much this hurts him.
'Course Lee gets another damn star.
Congratulations, Louise, Sarah, Lee.
Let's bring out your dishes and see what you made.
Louise, tell me about this divine dish.
I made a roasted golden beet citrus and avocado salad.
I was trying to figure out what sort of sweetness I could get from a vegetable, and a golden beet seemed to be the right pairing, so I wanted it to be spicy but bright and a little bit sweet and a little bit savory.
I was mystified when I ate it.
I couldn't tell what it was, but I wanted more.
It just was fabulous.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
It had it all -- lots of flavor, texture, variety.
I could eat that whole plate and -- and not miss animal protein.
That's a huge compliment coming from you.
- Quite the accomplishment.
- Thank you.
Anthony: Really delicious.
Thank you.
You got your two gold stars, finally.
Yes, I'm thrilled.
[ Chuckles .]
Yahoo! Getting two gold stars today was huge.
I needed that.
I'm real happy.
Sarah, tell me -- what did you make for us? I did beets four ways.
I roasted them, I pickled the stems, I put the leaves in the salad, as well, and then I made a beet powder with the skins and sprinkled that on top.
I grew up in beet land in Sweden, and never did we have as yummy and delicious beets like this.
I love the complexity.
I love the fact that there was numerous textures and flavors from beets.
- I happened to love it.
- Thank you.
I love this dish, as well.
You did everything right -- uh, great flavor, great textures.
It seemed like a simple, good thing, but it was actually a pretty complex balance of things going on there.
- A joy to eat.
- Thank you.
What you achieved is perfect balance.
Yes, it was very simple, but then, when something is so simple, it can easily be tilted in one direction, and actually, that was perfectly balanced.
I mean, for me, just a beet salad, but it was good.
Thanks.
I never thought, when I refused my beets growing up, that, you know, the lowly beet would elevate me to a gold star.
[ Laughs .]
Lee, tell us what you made.
I did my -- my version of a saag paneer.
I toasted some cashews and chickpeas in a little cumin, and then I made the cheese from scratch.
I'm happy you liked it, Ludo.
How many gold stars I give you? [ Laughs .]
[ Scoffs .]
Ludo: Whatever.
Seriously, for me, it was really an amazing dish.
Thank you, Chef.
I mean, for me, it was the best one here.
I mean the flavor was really amazing.
Maybe it was mushy, but whatever.
The taste was [bleep.]
amazing, bro.
Thank you, Chef.
To give me another gold star, it's like -- it's incredible.
You took a real risk here with your texture.
This is a sort of one-dimensional, texture-wise, dish, but the flavor was so dead on.
This is an homage to Cassandra 'cause you are not a vegetarian.
Well done, man.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Well done.
Anthony: Two gold stars for Louise, a star each for Lee and Sarah.
Congratulations.
It's not over yet, though, so hang in there.
Here's the unfun part Not looking forward to it.
where we reveal our least-favorite dishes of the night.
Shehu: I really don't want no red stars.
Any red stars right now means I'm going home, period.
I really just don't want a red star.
I'm gonna get my worst over with.
My worst dish of the night was cooked by Anthony: I'm gonna get my worst over with.
I am dreading this.
Narrator: The mentors reveal their worst dishes, still having no idea who cooked what.
My worst dish of the night was cooked by - Dana.
- Dana: Again? Nigella: Oh, dear.
[ Groans .]
Anthony: Second red star I've given Dana.
When you pick one of your own is worst.
It's a terrible feeling.
My worst dish tonight was cooked by Aah! Ooh.
Jeff.
Okay.
My worst dish tonight was cooked by Dana: Ah, great.
Dana.
Wonderful.
Sorry.
My worst dish was cooked tonight by [Bleep.]
.
You got to be kidding me.
[Bleep.]
.
I see the name of Jeff.
I mean, I feel like a [bleep.]
.
I had a feeling.
Dana, Jeff two red stars each.
Let's take a look at your dishes.
Dana, what is it? Um, I did a spaghetti-squash salad with some heirloom tomatoes.
I made a green-chili cilantro vinaigrette with a little mint.
Fried eggplant with a cashew yogurt sauce.
Anthony: Spaghetti squash -- - uh - Another of your It seemed like a good idea.
- most unfavorite things? - No.
Problem with this dish, and it was unfortunately for me an overwhelming one, was that the spaghetti squash mimicked spaghetti too well.
It was a pasta-like dish.
It was mushy.
Just didn't do it for me.
- I'm sorry.
- Clearly.
I thought it was noodles that had been kept in too much water, and so now I understand why.
What did you season the squash -- or did you not season it? - What did you -- - No, I absolutely did.
Oil, salt, and pepper when I roasted it.
I had my vinaigrette.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to toss it or top it, but when I tasted the spaghetti squash, I liked the juice that came with it, and so I decided to put the sauce on top instead.
Oh, I wish you had made a different decision, but, you know Marcus: For me, this is not a cohesive dish.
It has some notes that are very good, like I like the pesto you put on, I like the eggplant, but it doesn't really come together.
Thanks.
For me, I think there was too much garlic, too spicy, definitely, you know? Dana: For real? Again? I didn't think that my dish was the worst one.
Jeff, what did you do, tell me, because I really did not like it.
I'm honest.
I'm an honest guy, so I'm -- I'm -- I'm very bad for lying.
I don't ever lie.
Jeff: Yeah, if you don't like it, that's -- I mean, please tell me.
I appreciate that.
So tell us what it was, I guess.
First, I roasted the cauliflower under the broiler 'cause I wanted to get a little char on it.
And then I braised carrots and parsnips just like I would do meat in a little bit of butter and then I deglazed with brandy and honey, which probably is what made it go wrong because I know you thought it may have been a little too sweet.
Let me tell you something -- it sounds great like this.
I mean, all the technique, the way you cooked the vegetable.
I think you used good technique.
But I did not taste this flavor on the spoon.
I don't know.
I mean, when you talk about your dish, it sounds great.
But when I eat the spoon, I do not taste all this flavor.
I don't know.
For me, it was, uh Just a piece of -- piece of carrot and that's it.
- Sorry, bro.
- It's okay.
C'est la vie.
It needed meat.
This is a dish that would've benefited from meat.
[ Laughter .]
Conceptually, you had some mushy thinking here.
At no point did this register as even very interesting.
It -- it wasn't like it missed the -- the target.
You -- you shot in the entire opposite direction.
Nigella: I would never have thought you'd made this.
Never.
The balance was out.
This dish, for me, lacked clarity.
It was muddy.
All the different techniques you were talking about doesn't matter if it doesn't translate to the last word here, which is delicious.
Jeff: We're halfway through now.
Like, we're getting close to the end.
This is not a time for me to be screwing up.
Dana, Jeff -- two red stars each.
Dana, why should you stay? I don't know, guys.
I I liked my dish.
I didn't taste too much garlic, but clearly my palate is totally off from what you guys tasted.
But it's up to you guys in the end.
- Wow.
- I think this is the point where you're supposed to say, "'cause I'm the greatest cook ever.
" "And that miserable rat bastard over there is not half the talent I am.
" Jeff: She doesn't even fight.
She needed to fight for herself.
Jeff's an awesome cook, too.
I mean -- I don't know.
Because, like, I made that dish and I thought about it, and I really thought it worked.
So I feel like maybe I'm the one that's off.
It's hard to plead a case when you just don't agree with them, because you can't tell somebody in their position that they're wrong.
I mean, there's a reason that they're that high up.
Jeff? I understand where my dish went wrong.
- Um, I did like the flavors of it.
- There he goes.
I think that I am talented enough to stay in this competition.
I really want to win.
I want to be here.
I think I have the talent and I have the drive, and I want to.
I want to do better, and I -- I want to win.
So I would really appreciate the chance to do that.
Obviously, it's gonna get ugly here shortly, and I don't think I want you guys to see this fight.
[ Laughs .]
Um, thanks.
Why don't you guys, uh take a break and we'll see you shortly? We have a very hard decision to make.
Thank you.
Jeff: It was really crappy to have to pin on my red stars.
I now have to wear this all the time.
Like, I was doing so well.
[ Sighs .]
Dana: It sucks getting another red star from your mentor.
Bastard.
I feel terrible.
I feel defeated.
Yeah.
Today, mine was not delicious.
Louise, you know what? Get up.
Oh, will you -- will you -- I will, I will, I will.
Thank you.
I tasted your dish, and I thought you deserved it.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Getting two gold stars today was huge.
I feel like it's gonna save me if I end up on the bottom.
Right next to the other ones.
Okay.
It's like the prom.
Lee: Getting this gold star in particular was really special.
This was the vegetarian challenge, so I was really happy I could get a gold star and let Cassie know I'm representing for her for vegetarian.
Sarah: I'm pretty excited that not only do I have three gold stars but I have zero red stars, unlike somebody else in this competition, who would be Jeff.
We're unfortunately at that point in the competition where we have no option but to send good cooks home.
Nigella: You know, I know this is difficult, but just based on history, Jeff has had three gold stars and Dana already has a red.
We cannot argue.
Jeff has been one of the top guys.
He is my guy, so, Jeff, I'm very disappointed to see this mess in the plate.
That really bothered me.
I think almost he overthought about it.
I did not taste all this flavor, and that pissed me off.
I don't know what happened with Jeff.
I don't know if he had a bad day.
I think he's one of the best cooks here.
He should not be sent home.
You know, what sucks is that I really liked it, though.
I thought the flavors were good.
We're all trying to win the grand prize, so, of course, we're all feeling good that Jeff got some red stars.
You know, I'm feeling good that he's got knocked down a little bit.
He's running too fast.
He couldn't keep on his feet.
He tripped up on something.
Nigella: Even if you overlook the disaster of Dana's spaghetti squash, which was very watery and tasteless, she didn't introduce any texture, other than another soft vegetable, and the spicing was so fierce -- - Not balanced.
- Not balanced at all.
Dana's dish, for me, had better taste than that one.
Lee: They like heat.
They said mine was too spicy.
That's crazy, 'cause yours was not spicy.
I thought it wasn't spicy enough.
In the first second that I put that in my mouth, I'm thinking, "please don't let this be someone from my team.
" The fact that Dana doesn't want to just fight to be here She didn't even -- she didn't even say -- - Nigella: No.
But I felt for her.
- Ugh.
I wish you would've fought a little more.
You can only fight so much.
I'll kick and scream.
I don't care.
I hate being on the bottom.
I'm pissed.
I want to flip a table like a Jersey housewife.
- I'm fighting for my dish.
- Sarah: When you're fighting, you're fighting for the whole thing.
Shellie: For the whole thing.
Yeah, we gave Shehu a pass based on past performance.
We looked at a bigger picture.
I enjoy having Dana in my kitchen.
I see her as a power hitter, somebody who's just gonna solidly deliver for me every time.
I have absolutely no clue how things are gonna turn out.
Lee: It just sucks.
Jeff's my best friend here.
I hate that he's in the bottom.
And then Dana is such an amazing cook.
One of these chefs is going home, and they're both my friends.
Let's -- let's get this over with.
Jeff: I don't want to go home.
Like, it's not my time yet.
We're getting close to the end, and I really want to be in the finale.
Dana: I didn't think that my dish was the worst one.
I didn't expect to be here.
Dana, Jeff, welcome back.
We have made a decision.
Jeff, I don't know what happened to you, man.
I'm very disappointed.
It's a wake-up call for you, definitely.
You can't do a thing like this again.
- You know, seriously -- - Look, look, look.
I don't want to interrupt, but you know how this goes.
Dana, you deserve better than to be put through the wringer here.
The fact is, Jeff's got three gold stars.
You don't.
You have chosen, in your life, to turn your back on professional kitchens at one point.
Were I still running a kitchen professionally, uh, I -- I would've been proud to hire you in any professional capacity.
It breaks my heart to have to send you home tonight.
Can I say goodbye? - Anthony: Please do.
- Okay.
Thank you.
It was -- it was a great time.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
- Well done, Dana.
- Well done.
Thank you, thank you.
It was great to meet everybody.
Good luck.
- Dana.
- It was even nice to meet you, too.
- Nice to meet you, Dana.
- Thank you, Dana.
Congratulations.
I would never change anything.
I'm so happy I was here.
I'm so happy I got this opportunity.
No offense, guys -- I don't love working with male chefs.
[ Laughter .]
- Dana.
- Thank you.
Dana: I will miss cooking in that kitchen for that hour.
We are gonna have a good time.
Dana: I'm super bummed I didn't make it further, but I'm pretty proud of how far I got.
I'm glad that I had this opportunity because I know that I made my family proud.
Jeff, you got lucky today, bro.
Your gold stars really saved you today.
You know that.
- Yeah.
- Go back to the kitchen.
Thank you.
- Thank you, Jeff.
- Thank you.
I never want to be in that situation again.
Guys It has been a, uh Long and brutal night in the kitchen.
Nigella's team is no more.
Uh, I've taken my first very painful hit.
Get some rest.
We'll see you next time.
Thank you.
Crazy day on the set of The Taste.
Jacquelyn left.
That's it.
She's not here anymore.
No, no, no, no.
She didn't have enough ginger in, but carry on.
Need more ginger.
She's gone with the wind.
I still haven't quite got to grips with Jacquelyn's departure.
I'm gonna do this.
- No! - Sorry.
Sorry, I'm doing it.
It was a big shock for everybody.
- No, no, no! - Don't do that, Jacquelyn! That's sabotage! Now you've broken it.
Why did you do that? She clearly was not coming back.
Is that a cigarette lighter here? It is, it is, it is.
False eyelashes and sweat don't work together.
I still don't really know what happened with Jacquelyn, but somebody really turned the dial up into cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-razy.
[ Laughs .]