The Taste (2013) s02e07 Episode Script

1 Narrator: Last week, Anthony's kitchen took a hit.
Anthony's kitchen.
Brad, I'm sorry.
It's you, my brother.
That's how it is.
All right.
Thanks, guys.
Narrator: After losing one cook, Anthony was dealt another blow.
You are indeed my favorite, but I'm sending you home.
Come and say goodbye.
Tonight, it's the semifinals.
And go! - Anxious? - I'm not having this conversation around Ludo.
I love you, Ludo.
[Bleep.]
.
You cannot take any pressure at all.
I [bleep.]
know that [bleep.]
.
Huh?! No, no, no, no, no.
Ludo: You like to kill.
I like to kill my food and spank them, too.
[ Shouts in French .]
Whatever we cook will be here! Everybody stop! Narrator: Six cooks remain, but only four will secure a place in the finale.
We are all very disappointed.
It's a hanging offense.
My red star tonight goes to Narrator: Let the battle begin.
Wow.
I didn't see that coming.
Ooh ooh-ooh-ooh ooh How do you like the taste? Let's let Tony take over.
- Let Tony take over.
- I -- no! But I'm French, okay? I don't use -- I don't drink beer, okay? That's why I think Tony should take over.
Let -- let him -- let him struggle, let him struggle.
Anthony: Well, Ludo's competitive with everybody, but he's doing so well.
He's got three people on his team.
[Chuckles.]
I mean the situation speaks for itself.
Are you familiar with this game, Ludo? No.
We call it "le beer pong.
" [ Chuckles .]
It's a game fraught with peril.
Come on! Nigella: Ludo is possibly the most competitive person I have ever, ever met.
Ohh! The ball -- she was inside.
[ Shouts in French .]
I mean, I'm very competitive, you know? I want to win.
I don't, uh, like losing.
This one is for, uh Anthony.
Whoo! [ All cheering .]
Nobody beat Team Ludo! [ Taunting in French .]
Ohh! [ Laughter .]
No, don't -- ohh.
Ugh.
Anthony: In a competition like this, one faces many challenges.
But having to get past the sight of Ludo's hairy ass -- [ Sighs .]
That's a tough one.
I'm traumatized.
[ Sings in French .]
Anthony: This week's challenge is "Good with Beer.
" That should be right in our wheelhouse.
Food that you want while drinking beer and food that makes you want more beer.
Fat, crunch, salt.
Semifinals.
I love that.
It's getting hot.
So, the theme this week is "Good with Beer.
" Let's do something that the guest mentor can relate to, but has a twist.
[ Screaming .]
Jeff: We show up today to Ludo's trailer, and I'm really surprised.
Everyone's playing beer pong.
[ Screaming .]
I feel like something's fishy.
They're not all normally together, so Um, I'm curious.
Congratulations for making it into the, uh, semifinals.
- Yeah.
- Good job, guys.
Today's, uh, theme -- "Good with Beer.
" I bartended for 12 years, so it's, like, my dream challenge.
[ Chuckling .]
Beer! Yay! Lee: That's what I do -- I eat food and I drink beer, so this is -- it's perfect.
It's right up my alley.
Your, uh, mentors will be taking you out into the field to research this subject more more deeply.
- Awesome.
- Yes.
[ All groan .]
Marcus: All right.
Let's go, guys.
Come on.
We got some beer drinking to do.
Nigella: There's no one in my kitchen, but The boys are competing for the finale, and I think the pressure is unbelievable.
Anthony: Last week, I lost two people in the dessert challenge.
Got one cook left.
But this week, the challenge is "Good with Beer.
" I spend much of my life eating food with beer.
I know this.
I'm good at this.
Lee knows this.
He's good at this.
This should be a really easy challenge.
Man: Gentlemen, konnichiwa.
What -- what can I get you? Beer.
I chose to take Lee to Izakaya because it's a type of cuisine that grew up around beer and beer drinkers.
Ever been to an izakaya? Uh, no, I have not.
Izakaya is one of the great institutions of the world.
It's basically the Japanese version of a pub but with better food that is designed precisely to go well with beer.
I wanted to do something with animal flesh.
And izakaya food tends to be salty, crispy, fatty, savory, spicy -- That intersection of flavor and texture that izakaya does so well in relation to beer.
But I like the -- the chicken ass.
Got to have some chicken ass.
Do you have chicken skin? Yes.
[ Speaks in foreign language .]
- Heart.
- Heart.
- Liver? - Liver.
- Tongue? - Kobe beef tongue.
- I can get down with all of that.
- Yeah.
Lee: I mean, I tried chicken testicle for the first time, chicken butt, kobe beef tongue -- a lot of stuff I've never had before.
It was -- I mean, it was awesome.
It was really good.
Oh, that's -- God, that's good.
Just gnaw on this.
It is really good.
Man, if I wasn't on TV, I'd be gnawing on this.
Mmm.
You've made it through.
Here's the thing -- Drink up and eat well, because you've been able to lay back doing the team challenge.
- Now it's exactly the opposite.
- I know.
Now you cannot lose the team challenge.
You cannot.
This time, I don't have anybody to throw in front of the bus - on your behalf.
- I know.
I got to -- I got to really step it up.
Anthony: I think Lee's smart enough to win.
But now faced with the fight of his life against a kitchen run by an evil but incredibly talented frenchman.
Louise: Excellent.
Jeff: Thank you, Chef.
Ludo: I took my team to my restaurant, Trois Mec.
It was just so great to take my team out and to cover beer and pairing and what's good with beer.
I want to, uh, congratulate, uh, all of you.
All: Thank you.
- Yes.
- Good job.
Look, I'm very happy to now go to the semifinal with three cook But I'm worried, too, you know? - Louise: Excellent.
- Ah, Johnny, merci, man.
You know, I grew up with the mussel and fries.
And we, in France, we eat a lot more frites, we say, with beer.
Don't be scared to dip your mussel, okay, guys, with the sauce.
Very classic, this one, okay? Salty.
Jeff: The horseradish with the beer.
Creamy.
This and this.
- Yeah.
- Ludo: Go well together.
We're gonna go with shellfish raw challenge, okay? - Good.
I'm excited about that.
- This is really good.
What do you think about it? You know a lot about beer.
When I think of my ideal beer eating and drinking situation, it usually involves shellfish, for sure.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I made the right decision.
I want to make it to the finale so bad.
It would be horrible to go home on a beer challenge.
I want somebody from my team win this week.
I care.
I care about you.
I know I'm tough sometimes, but I care.
Marcus: We cooked with our backs up against our wall for the last three weeks.
We got to win the team challenge to have at least one person in the final.
First of all, cheers.
[ Sarah chuckles .]
Both: Cheers.
Have some Ethiopian beer.
Good job, you guys.
Messob is a very authentic Ethiopian restaurant.
Ethiopian food is very humble.
It's something that we eat with our hands.
I wanted to show them a little more about my culture, where I'm from.
And you tasting that spice bun, or you tasting injera bread, dipping these stews -- I wanted to show them something exotic, something that took them on a journey.
When I think about beer, I think about India, Asia -- food that is spicy and the beer just cuts it right through.
It's just a right thing.
You sweat a lot -- you're outside, like, "oh, my God.
" [ Sarah chuckles .]
You don't think about, "I want a wine now.
" - Mm-hmm.
- Right.
"I want a beer.
" Shehu: Marcus is like -- he's like the coach.
He's feeling amped.
You know, we made it to the semifinals.
I'm getting fired up.
Sarah's getting fired up.
So we're feeling pretty good.
The key is to win this team challenge, right? Sarah: I'm one step away from being in the finale.
It's so close I can see it.
I can see it right there.
[ Laughs .]
Let's go win the next team challenge.
Can we do that? - Let's do it.
- Yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it.
Take 'em down.
[ Chuckles .]
Just get through this team challenge for me.
I will get you court-side for a Knicks game.
That would be amazing.
All right, I'm -- I'm making it through.
- To victory.
- Yes, sir.
- Go Team Ludo.
- Team Ludo.
Jeff: Ludo all the way.
- Okay, we can do it, okay? - Absolutely.
- Let's do this.
We can do it.
- Absolutely.
You know on those other crappy competitive reality shows? - Yeah.
- You know, where they always say, "it's crunch time?" You know what? It's [bleep.]
crunch time, dude! [ Laughing .]
Tonight's team challenge is "Good with Beer.
" Only six of you remain.
One of you will be sent home after the team challenge, and another will be sent home after the solo challenge.
As usual, the team challenge will be judged blind by our guest mentor -- in this case, the esteemed, the incredible Jonathan Waxman.
Jonathan Waxman is really one of the founding chefs of American cuisine as we know it.
He goes back to Chez Panisse, Michael's.
He's seen it all.
What he doesn't know is not worth knowing.
But he's also, himself, very familiar with competitions as a competitor himself.
You'll have one hour to cook for the team challenge.
Let's get into our kitchens.
Narrator: The team challenge will be judged blind by guest mentor Jonathan Waxman.
- What's up, brother? How you feeling, Chef? - Good.
Narrator: The winning team will receive a master class with Chef Waxman and his help during the solo challenge.
[ Speaks French .]
Mm-hmm.
Narrator: The mentor of the losing team will be forced to eliminate someone from their own kitchen.
He brought them to a French restaurant, his restaurant.
How that goes with beer, I don't know.
Narrator: Each mentor has prepared a unique pantry of ingredients tailored to their team's challenge.
Nigella: At this level, you expect to see cooks really pushing themselves and doing something tremendous.
Make something delicious with beer, and make the -- the star of the show something that died.
- Okay.
I can do that.
- Can you do that? - Absolutely.
- All right.
Beer and meat, they -- It goes together 100 times out of 100, you know? I know exactly what I want to make, and I'm gonna kill it.
I get a lot of shellfish for you guys! So, I get some oysters, scallop, Mexican shrimp, spot prawn, lobster, dungeness crab, calamari, clams, mussel, and bread, too, if you want to do a bread, - like a lobster roll or shrimp toast.
- And uni! We have, for example, here, chicken liver, lamb kidney, sausage, pork belly, and even foie.
Sarah: Marcus has really interesting things on the cart in our pantry, so I'm excited for this one.
I have prepared a pantry that I think is devastatingly shrewd, just to show what Lee is capable of.
Chorizo, pork belly, ground pork, chicken testicles -- quite wonderful -- uni, chicken livers, quail egg -- which I would only be thinking about, obviously, as a garnish.
My mind instantly goes blank.
I don't know what he was thinking.
All chicken hearts, livers, testicles.
One of the worst things for me to see.
I'm like -- freak-out time.
Can you work with this? I'm not feeling that good, honestly.
- Yeah? Why? - With all of the stuff here.
I don't cook with the -- with the innards, usually.
I'm really caught short by this.
He freezes in the headlights.
I'm so in love with izakaya, I kind of steam-rolled over any possibility that this was completely foreign to Lee.
Now, what were you -- walking in the door here, what were you thinking about? Just in my mind, what I was -- like, I was thinking kobe, and I was just gonna do, like, crispy-fried potato, like, a julienne, you know? Mm-hmm.
Um To see fear in his eyes and confusion really rocks me on my heels.
If Lee goes home today, I have no team.
I'm out of the game.
Look, you're either gonna go spicy or you're gonna go savory here.
What we definitely don't want to do is go in a direction - that you're not comfortable with.
- Yeah.
Nigella: Cooking starts in one minute, everyone! One minute! Can you work with this? I'm not feeling that good, honestly.
What we definitely don't want to do is go in a direction - that you're not comfortable with.
- Yeah.
Nigella: 30 seconds before you start cooking.
All right, guys.
We just got to get through this.
Great.
Go positively.
- Jeff: Yes.
- We send Lee home.
[ Laughter .]
Nigella: 5.
And 1! Start cooking now! Let's go, guys.
Let's go, guys.
[ Speaks French .]
Narrator: The cooks have one hour to make a dish that tastes good with beer.
The best French dish is in a deep fryer.
Each mentor must choose the best bite from their team to be tasted by guest mentor Jonathan Waxman.
Get a piece of garlic toast straight in the oven.
At the end of the challenge I got it on low heat.
one cook will be eliminated.
Pick your beer.
Pick your beer, guys.
Be on your feet.
Nigella: Lee, are you stressed? More than you would know.
I mean, obviously, the semifinals is bound to be fraught, but it's particularly fraught because Tony has only got one dish -- Lee's dish -- to choose from.
If that doesn't work, he's snookered.
- Go with your original plan.
- All right, all right.
- But with -- with a meatball.
- Okay.
Lee: Time started, and I -- I still am not 100% set on what I'm about to do.
I'm kind of a mess at this point.
Oh, what am I [bleep.]
doing? But Anthony suggested that I do a meatball.
- Just make it the best damn meatball in the world.
- Exactly, exactly.
Anthony: I feel he deserves to be in the finals, so I said, "go with a meatball," 'cause, clearly, we were stuck.
Lee's a great cook, and he's been very strong in this competition.
But I think, more than anything else, it's about desperation.
Just be careful.
Put all the pan in the freezer.
Let's go.
[ Blows raspberry .]
Jeff: Ludo wants us to work with seafood.
I want to go, maybe, bar food, but a little classier, to try and not make it so literal.
So, what are you doing today? I am making a shrimp scampi, and these potatoes are gonna be for a little pommes frites on top.
- I'm gonna make it really spicy and fresh.
- Yeah, don't forget, you know, - food with beer need to be fried, fat a little.
- Yeah.
Lots and lots of butter.
Spicy -- you know, I mean, not a lot, a lot.
But I need spicy and fat.
Okay, don't forget about that.
Beer is my thing.
It's what I love.
When I was a bartender in New York, I worked at a beer bar.
And, you know, that's the sort of food I fell in love cooking, so It really couldn't be any better than this.
So, Louise, tell me what you're going to do for it.
- Okay.
Spot prawn taco.
- Love it.
So With a super citrus-y slaw, little bit of avocado crema, little bit of sweet.
It's gonna be good.
I'm choosing this dish because I know that Jonathan Waxman is from California.
I'm sure he's eaten a number of fish tacos in his time.
So, you're gonna do your own masa, your own little tortilla? - Yeah.
Right here.
Right here.
- You did that before? - You did that before? - Yes, I have, Chef.
- Oh, you did it already? - Yeah, it's right here.
Oh, my God.
You're on fire today.
You're fast.
[ Sighs .]
Well, Louise made taco again.
And I go, "you get taco everywhere.
" Comfort food is taco.
Street food is taco.
Guilty pleasure is taco.
Everywhere you can go taco.
There's nothing new.
- So, shrimp toast, you're doing? - Yes.
So, how you do about this, actually, shrimp toast? - Because I love shrimp toast.
- Oh, you -- you see it.
I'm gonna make shrimp toast, because I don't drink.
But I believe the beer is a little bit bitter.
So is tea.
And so I believe that what I have in my mind that pair with tea can also pair with beer.
You got a little shrimp paste, no? You doing a -- - Shrimp paste.
Shrimp paste.
- With, like, a mousse? No, actually I'm gonna And then just Shhh! Guys, today, guys, the key -- I want some fat food.
What's going on, Marcus? - So, we're doing a pickled Napa cabbage.
- Oh, wow.
I can really -- With a little bit of Sauerkraut.
Take those big pieces out so nothing takes over.
We julienned that.
Nothing's gonna take over in flavor, okay? Chef Marcus wanted us to go exotic today, so I'm making a vadouvan seared lamb kidney.
I'm gonna poach and then fry sweetbreads, and on top, I'm gonna sear a piece of shrimp.
You've got more pans going than I can believe.
Well, I got both kitchens.
- Yeah, that's good.
- So I'm just gonna definitely use both of them.
Take some of that foie fat into our mash.
Foie fat into mash -- Now, that is the height of decadence.
Sarah: For this challenge, me and Marcus decided to do an elevated version of a chicken apple sausage with seared foie gras.
It's probably the most technical thing I've made since I've been here.
Deglaze the pan in beer.
If I had an hour and a half, that would be awesome, but I have to make some adjustments and try and get it done within the hour.
Shehu, be smart, now.
Nigella: Marcus has given his kitchen the challenge of coming up with something exotic.
Now, in a way, I admire that, but I have to say his kitchen does look like, you know, some sort of, uh, spell-making session at Hogwarts.
40 minutes, folks.
40 minutes.
So, you always do well in the solo challenges.
- Yes.
- So just consider this a solo challenge.
- Anthony: Yeah, oh, yeah.
- That's what I'm -- - That's what I'm thinking.
- So, here's where we are.
We're going back to that very successful meatball.
I'm gonna do, like, a French-onion broth and some blue cheese.
And are you making the onion soup with beer rather than wine? Uh, no.
We're gonna make it with wine.
Oh [bleep.]
.
Is there not a pusher that comes with it? I-I don't know where.
I-I don't know.
Lee is the most frightened I have ever seen him.
But, of course, he's up against the wall here, because if he comes in last, Lee is gonna be out.
What am I looking for? Oh, yeah.
If I was sent home right now, I would be devastated.
This competition -- you know, this is the first time I've been cooking since I left my restaurant, and it's really brought me back, you know, to a place that I love.
When I was younger, I dropped out of high school.
I didn't really know what I wanted to do.
By the time I was 23, I was, you know, head chef of a place, and most recently, I left my place as executive chef in Manhattan.
I mean, I was getting worn down, you know? You know, it's a tough life.
It's a lot of work.
It's a lot of hard work.
Right now, I'm waiting tables for money.
It's just -- like, I never want to wait another table again.
I want to -- to cook again, so Winning this competition would mean that I get to start my own place.
Anthony: Court-side seats at the Knicks, dude.
- I'm gonna hold you to that, you know this.
- Oh, yeah.
Lee has been doing really, really well.
He just has to survive this challenge.
Make it [bleep.]
delicious.
That's all that matters is deliciousness.
'Cause I don't know what tree these guys are climbing up.
You ripped a piece of ham in here? - It's already in there, Chef.
- Good.
Perfect.
Sarah: So, I'm listening to Marcus over with Shehu.
And, you know, they're going through their dish, and Marcus is really hands-on with him.
- And this liquid, we're using, okay? - Yes, Chef.
Sarah: And, you know, I'm just kind of cooking over here.
This chicken is 80% of the sausage, okay? There you go.
I understand that the dish that Shehu was doing was really complicated, but it would've been nice to have a little bit more from Marcus.
Marcus: Braising liquid and foie fat.
Okay, go.
Okay.
You spend a lot more time with Shehu than with Sarah.
- Your main direction, yeah? - Oh, you know what? Sarah had this beautiful idea that I just -- again, from dealing with Sarah -- - You want her to blossom.
- "Just do your food.
" You know, "just do your food, Sarah.
Cook it.
" You know, I had an idea on how I would mentor them really equally, divide my time.
But it became very clear that Shehu needs help.
You drop it for 4 minutes.
Then we fry it, okay? Okay.
So, Lee.
[Speaks French.]
Ludo: What are you doing, Lee -- meat? Meat, yes.
Uh It's very difficult to cook in one hour.
I would not agree with that.
I love you, Ludo.
[Bleep.]
.
What's he doing? Oh, that's, like, the worst idea in the history of humanity.
No, no, I'm sorry.
That's a really good idea.
That's the first thing I think of when I -- when I have a scampi, is beer.
I'm gonna add more -- a lot of butter.
I know.
All right.
Good.
Foie gras? You know how to cook foie gras? It's good.
Get the foie.
I think he sabotaged you on this one.
I see Ludo coming into my kitchen, being annoying, of course Ludo: I see what Shehu was doing in the kitchen.
There's no finesse.
I love the kid.
I like him.
But I don't think Shehu -- I don't think Shehu is that good.
Be careful, be careful.
- [Bleep.]
.
I need a medic.
- What? I need a medic.
Got a little cut.
It rattled him! I mean, it really messed with him.
Just keep pressure on it.
I'm not surprised, Shehu.
I'm not surprised you cut yourself.
You cannot take any pressure, bro.
Don't -- Shehu, don't even get involved with him.
Just don't even spend 2 seconds with him.
- Shehu: No problem, Chef.
- I'm not surprised! Shehu: Dirty nasty -- that's what it is.
What kind of person are you?! What kind of Frenchman -- fake [bleep.]
It is what it is, you know? Uh, to hell with him.
Stay right here.
Right here.
I'm good, Chef.
Smash it.
- You like to kill.
- Oh, yeah! Hyah! Dragon lady will swoop out of the sky, blow fire onto the village, and rise up as the champion.
I like to kill my food and spank them, too.
[ Chuckles .]
And then I'll eat them.
Meow! Nigella: There's 10 minutes.
Is that blue cheese? Yes, and crème fraîche.
- Oh, Lee, your hands are shaky.
- Oh, my God.
- Try it.
- Okay, I'll go fast.
Lee: Yes -- shaky hands.
I'm nervous as hell.
You know, no matter what, I go home if it's the worst.
There's no one else here but me.
I think that blue cheese tastes far too salty.
And I love salt, but it takes your palate away from what's going on underneath.
Anthony: Nigella came over, and the look of sympathy and empathy and concern in her eyes -- and that's not what you want to see.
- Good luck, boys.
- Thank you, Nigella.
- I know you don't like mine.
- Ludo: Too fancy.
Okay, it's between now Louise and Marina.
You get to help me to pick the dish.
Okay, guys? - Did you try this one? - I haven't tried it, no.
- Did you want for him to try, no? - Yeah, yeah.
Coming.
Nobody try your food! I know! Marina, what's wrong with you? Well, the ball has to be cooked! Plate up.
Just please plate up.
Slice a nice piece.
Jonathan's gonna pick the best and worst, and we cannot afford to be in the bottom.
- We want these to be perfect.
- Yes, Chef.
Sarah: I've been an executive chef for 7 years, so, technically and, you know, execution-wise, I do think I'm stronger than Shehu is.
You have to make one more, Shehu.
Shehu: When I taste Sarah's dish, I'm thinking, like, "hey, you know what? My dish is better than your dish.
" Sarah, try it.
I'll be tasting.
What do you think? It needs a little more tang.
The dish that Shehu did today, it was very one-note.
The single bite just needs to have a little bit more punch to it.
We're going with that.
We're going.
Put it up.
Sarah: When Marcus decided to pick my dish, I was kind of like, "really? Like, you just spent the whole time working with Shehu.
" 1 minute left to cook, everyone.
1 minute.
Louise: Chef? Perched on its side.
Okay, that'll work.
That'll work.
That'll work.
Uh, ouzo, ouzo, ouzo.
Ouzo, lemon.
Ouzo, lemons! [ Speaking French .]
Shehu: Anything I can help you with, Sarah? Marcus: No, leave her alone.
It's time to try the dish, Marina! [ Speaks French .]
Everybody stop! Everybody stop now! Stop! What do we think? It's time to try the dish, Marina! Chef Ludo wants everyone to taste each other's dish and pick whose goes up.
Everybody stop! Everybody stop now! Stop! What do we think? What you think, Louise?! I'm telling you! I love that shrimp toast.
Okay, with that, we'll go.
We'll go with shrimp toast.
Yeah, okay, now move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move! Don't forget to put your beer! Oh, my God.
My hands are shaking.
Marcus: Quickly.
Ludo: Come on, Marina! The beer.
Where's the glass? Where's the beer? Where's the beer? Marina! - Right here.
- Marina, wake up! Your beer -- here! - Nigella: 4, 3, 2, 1.
- Gah! Hands up.
Stop cooking.
- Whew! Man.
- Nice job, Sarah.
Dude, I just don't think they got solid stuff.
Ludo's strategy is to dominate and win.
No, we can't have that.
I really believe it tastes good.
Ludo's playing a good game, but this is our time to take him out.
Narrator: The team challenge will be judged blind by guest mentor Jonathan Waxman.
The team that makes his best dish will win his help in the solo challenge.
The mentor of the team who made his worst dish must eliminate one of their own.
Anthony: I'm worried.
I would like to have a team for the solo challenge.
Lee: Anthony told me that if I make it through this round, he's gonna give me court-side seats to the Knicks.
But I'm scared.
I'm scared out of my mind.
I don't want to go home.
If we win this, we get Jonathan Waxman, but, more importantly, we get to knock out somebody from the other teams.
I believe I can get into the finale.
I can taste that.
- Welcome, Jonathan! - Thank you, Nigella.
Marcus: I love Waxman.
I love his restaurant, Barbuto.
So many people came out of his kitchen -- Bobby Flay.
You know, he's been mentoring Michael Symon for years.
He's also the original celebrity chef.
He was driving a red Ferrari in the '80s.
[Chuckles.]
With long hair.
How about that? Now, each kitchen has put out their best dishes.
Give us your best and your worst.
We have some wonderful items to taste, and I think we should just get on with it.
- I think so.
- Shall we? Lee: I am the team.
I'm the only person left, so Anthony finally has to use my dish to go up for the team challenge.
I want to be number one without a doubt.
Marcus: Lee's food -- to me, it's not very exciting, but with his luck, I'm sure he will get away with it.
I like the size.
I like the crispiness.
They were obviously very well cooked.
There's a garlicky hint there that I'm a little bit Not so happy with.
Overall I'm satisfied with it, but the sauce is a little bit off-putting.
Aw, we thought the sauce was the best thing we had going for us.
Brutal.
[ Sighs .]
Um You know, you're not supposed to eat anything bigger than your own head.
Hopefully, it's is gonna fit in my mouth, here.
Marina: I chose the lightest beer, which is the Chinese beer, so here, with fried shrimp, it's like a yin-yang balance thing.
Definitely needs some beer.
[ Whispering .]
Yes.
Oh, everybody knows me.
I love crunch.
Crunch is, like, the greatest thing in the world, so I love the crunch.
I think the flavors inside were really good.
It's a little dry But not so off-putting that it's -- it's gonna not make me want another one.
- Good job, guys.
- Good job, Marina.
Good job.
Jeff: Marina is someone to look out for.
She does know things that they don't know that she knows, that we don't know Something like that.
Sarah: Not many people can execute sweetbreads properly in an hour.
I know it's got the right tang to it, I know it's got the right heat to it, and I know it goes well with beer.
Part of dining is taking me on a journey.
We put, by far, the most risk and cool dish up there.
There's a great Asian flavor to this.
The thing I'm a little unhappy about this is the amount of spice.
It almost has a little bit of a "Sriracha out of the bottle" kind of flavor.
I do like the audacity of all the acidity and the Asian flavors.
A good effort.
I think this is gonna be a hard choice for me.
I've been in this kind of competition before.
I know how difficult it is.
The best dish Here we go.
Ludo's kitchen.
[ Cheering .]
First time my dish went to represent our team, and we win.
And Ludo's really happy.
I knew this is gonna happen, because what I do -- it doesn't have to be expressed in verbs or in words.
It just show in my dish.
It feels like finally I have contributed to my team.
My own 4th of July.
Congratulations, guys.
It had the crunch.
It had the softness.
It had a little bit of sweetness.
It was fun! Ludo's team wins again.
Surprise, surprise.
Anthony: I'm sick.
We're standing there like condemned men.
I hope our dish sucks less than -- than Marcus'.
I think Jonathan Waxman's gonna choose Lee's dish to be on the bottom.
The only thing that he really said that he liked about it was that he likes meatballs.
[ Sighs .]
Uh, this was extremely difficult.
We're going down to the -- the millimeter here.
Lee: I'm dying right now.
The pressure is eating me alive.
Between these two Anthony: If Lee gets picked as worse, you know, I'm an observer.
I'm gonna have no team.
I'm gonna be out.
[ Sighs .]
Between these two [ Sighs .]
I'm sorry.
Marcus, I love you to death.
Lee: 1,000 pounds off my shoulders right now.
Even if it wasn't the best dish, I'm through.
So, I'm happy.
My heart goes out to you guys.
I got to send my girl Sarah home or my man Shehu home.
I don't want to do that.
I think they're about even, in terms of skill set of cooking.
Shehu: I'm definitely gonna make my plea and tell Marcus, you know, why I should stay.
I still got a lot more to prove.
Sarah: I want to be in the finale more than anything else.
I think it could go either way.
Neither one of us wants to go.
[ Chuckles .]
We want to stick together till the end.
Sarah, I think you're really skilled, really talented.
My only issue is that, yes, I picked your dish several times, but almost every time, it's hurt us.
It put us in the bottom.
Shehu, I've been a big believer in your cooking.
You started really strong in this competition, and then, somewhere, you hit a brick wall.
But you rebounded really nicely.
Sarah, why should you stay? I've been consistently putting up good dishes.
You've chosen my dish to go up for the team challenge most of the time.
I'm a -- I'm a good cook, and I think that I deserve to go to the finale.
Shehu, why should you stay? I think, uh, my dishes have definitely, uh, risen to the challenge.
I'd really like to be in the final.
I think I deserve it.
And, you know, I still have a lot more to put out.
I have great admiration for both of you guys, but only one person can go to the next level.
Sarah You can stay.
Shehu, thank you very much.
Bye, Sarah.
- Knock 'em dead, all right? - All right.
[ Sighs .]
Sarah: I feel so horrible that Shehu is going home.
Too bad.
Shehu just have to go.
Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Well done.
Chef, I admire your work.
Shehu: I'm really upset that I'm going home, but it wasn't Sarah that sent me home.
It was me.
I sent myself home.
I'm glad I that I had this experience.
It was amazing.
I would be so honored if you came into my kitchen.
I would love for you to join my team.
I'm gonna have to pick Marcus.
- All right.
- Yeah.
Shehu: I haven't been dealt the best hand in life.
But you know what? I'm moving forward for a better future.
- What do you think about this one? - Good.
Mmm, I'm loving this.
[ Laughter .]
Shehu: This experience was great -- getting to meet other people that I would never have normally met, getting to work with four great mentors.
Now I'm just gonna go back home and continue making some good food.
We're taking Shehu's dish.
We're going with you.
Thank you, Chef.
This is not the end of what we're gonna see or taste from Shehu.
I know that one day I'm gonna walk into a restaurant in New York City, and it's gonna say "Shehu's Bar," and it's gonna be amazing food.
Shehu: I can walk home definitely proud that I cooked my food, did my dishes.
At least I went out on a high note.
I made it all the way to the semis, so that's pretty high.
Five of you left.
Only four of you will be going to the finals, however.
For the solo challenge, make something with beer, meaning beer will be an ingredient.
Ludo's winning team -- and I'm getting really tired of saying this [ Laughs .]
you will have the considerable advantage of the assistance/advice of one of the legends of American gastronomy, Jonathan Waxman.
We get a master class again.
Yeah.
Suck it, losers.
I'm so excited.
While Ludo's winning team gets a private mentoring session, you guys take a break.
Let's go.
I am devastated that my dish sent Shehu home.
This is a wake-up call for me.
I could've very easily gone home today, very easily gone home today.
- That was intense.
- Rough.
[ Sighs .]
I don't think I've been as nervous this entire competition - than I just was.
- No.
- Luckily for me, he really likes meatballs.
- Yeah.
So that saved my ass right there.
[ Chuckling .]
Anthony told me that if I just make it through this round, he's gonna get me floor seats to the Knicks.
Shut up! Ah, I'm so happy.
I'm, like -- I can't even believe it.
Court-side seats to the Knicks, that's, like, my lifetime dream right there, so I'm gonna hold him to this promise, for sure.
The magic meatball.
- Marcus: Yeah.
- The magic meatball.
Gonna cost me a few grand for this -- this meatball victory.
I said if he makes it through, - I promised him court-side seats for the Knicks.
- Oh, cool.
It's an outrageous amount of money.
But I intend to honor that promise, and I'm happy to do so, I can tell you.
You're a little bit of a Knicks fan, right? I'm a big Knicks fan.
[ Both laugh .]
So, I have to ask Which one of you had the idea for the dish? - I did.
- Ah.
Give me a hug.
[ Laughter .]
Great job.
Jeff: So far, Team Ludo -- we have four wins under our belt.
We are kind of kicking ass.
Now we get a master class with Jonathan Waxman, which is -- it's amazing.
Today's challenge, of course, is "Good with Beer," but the twist, of course, is that we have to use beer in the recipe.
- Right.
- Right.
So, I love beer, and I love using beer, 'cause I think it has a really rich texture.
It actually is better than wine some of the time.
Many years ago, I went to Milan with my partner, and I had this dish.
It was the best rib dish I ever had in my life.
This dry rub -- it's a little bit of my background.
It's a little Mexican.
It's a little Asian.
It's a little Southern barbecue and a little bit of California, and, so, if you guys can kind of sprinkle that all over the pork for me.
Take a little bit of sea salt and sprinkle it -- No.
Okay.
I'm the -- I'm mentoring today, right? Okay.
Yeah! [ Laughter .]
So, here's the deal.
Always salt up high.
Why? 'Cause you want to spread it out evenly.
I'm learning more about Jonathan's style.
He's all about simplicity.
Make it really simple, but make it right.
Jonathan: This little bit of flameage is absolutely perfect.
- Marina: Perfect.
- But you got to be careful because you don't want to burn it.
You want to get to that what I call - "the dark bark crust," okay? - Okay.
- Dark bark crust is kind of everything.
- Jeff: It's nice.
All right, beer in there.
Garlic in here.
How about now, Chef? Yeah, you're great to go.
Throw it right on there.
Here, try one.
- So tender.
- Mmm.
I eat a lot of ribs, and they were really, really good.
Delicious.
Louise: It tastes so good.
He has so much to offer.
Hey, Louise.
Hey.
- What are you thinking about? - I'm sort of going down the road - of, like, doing, like, a posole.
.
- Okay.
or some sort of, like, stewed, braised pork.
- Would you caramelize it? - Absolutely.
- A little bit like what I did with the - Yeah, yeah.
Don't steal my ideas, my dear.
[ Laughs .]
I'm not -- no, no, no.
I've never made a dish that got me a red star.
But I also only have three gold stars.
And I feel like everyone is overlooking me.
I think that I can actually come in and be surprising.
At least, that's what I'm hoping.
[ Chuckles .]
So, you just won, so you're feeling pretty good, right? - Yeah, pretty awesome.
Pretty awesome.
- You're a little buoyant, right? I will say it once again, as I have been saying consistently for some time.
Marina is the deadliest cook out there.
Marcus: Yeah, she is.
She is.
She is, definitely.
- She's so strong here.
- Yeah.
- In the battle of the wills, she would win.
- Crazy.
If we were to drop all of these contestants - into the middle of, you know, the desert - Sure.
Sure.
- And have to cook themself out? - With, like, nothing but a butter knife - Yeah.
- And a quart of water, she's coming out.
- Yeah.
- She's walking out.
She's walking out.
I fear Marina.
Marina's the one I fear.
If somebody's gonna come out of there and -- and take down Lee at this point, it's Marina I worry about.
So, what's -- what's on your head? What's -- what're you thinking about? Um, I'm gonna extract a, uh, chicken broth, not with water but with beer.
- Bay leaf - I see.
So you're -- - You're gonna do a fresh stock with beer.
- Yes, with beer.
And with the meat, I'm gonna make you know, kind of like a stir fry.
- Yeah? - And I'm gonna just coat it and fry it.
Deep-fry it? - Yes.
- In what? In oil.
And you think this is gonna -- this is gonna win? - My gut feeling, this is gonna be something -- - Gut is good.
- You use your head too much, forget about it.
- Yeah.
I've been cooking for 30 years.
A little bit longer than me, but [ Both laugh .]
Have a great time, Marina.
- Okay.
Thank you.
- Good luck.
Jeff, what're you thinking about? What's in your pantry? What's in your head? I definitely want to do a braise, and if I use pork, I'd put, like, oranges and maybe some spices in there.
I'm -- you know, I'm not gonna tell you how to do it, but I think the pork with the orange -- I would -- I would fade into that direction.
Do you know the one who's taken two steps back? - Jeff.
- Jeff.
Louise and Marina's going like this.
And your home boy, where is he? Where is he? Now's the time, like, you can't put anything mediocre up, 'cause there's no excuse now.
Yeah, I mean, I didn't come here - to lose in the semifinals.
No way.
- Oh, no.
Yeah.
I will fight tooth and nail to get into the finals.
Lee is my strongest competition, but I'm a fierce competitor.
I came up playing hockey as a young kid, and I didn't like losing then.
I don't like losing now.
All right.
Team, get ready.
You all have a good plan, right? - Yes.
- Louise: Yeah.
And guess what? I'm right here for you.
All right.
Here we go.
- Good luck.
- All right.
You, too.
Anthony: Okay, everybody, the theme is "Good with Beer.
" Using beer as an ingredient, make four tastes and one complete dish for the four of us to try.
You have not just one, but the luxury of two hours to cook.
- Holy.
- Oh, my God.
That's awesome.
Louise: Part of me is really excited about this, but I don't know.
They're gonna expect a lot more because we have an extra hour.
Time starts Now.
Two hours is supposed to give them time to cook dishes that they would've found impossible to do in an hour.
Narrator: Each cook has to make a single bite using beer as an ingredient to be judged blind by the mentors.
[ Sighs .]
The cooks with the best dish will receive gold stars.
The cooks with the worst dish will receive red stars and face elimination.
Only four cooks will make it through to the finale.
I'm nervous today.
Being in the semifinals, it's a lot of stress.
I need a gold star today.
I'm just trying to be in the zone and make my food without freaking myself out.
So, semifinals.
Anthony: Uh-oh, we're We're at that point.
Semifinals.
So, so near to the final now, and it must be excruciating for them cooking.
Really at this stage, anyone of them could be in the bottom.
It's pressure for them now, you know? Yeah, they've got enormous pressure.
There's too many people over there.
Yeah, I don't like seeing three over here.
I'm okay with the two of us.
Someone needs to go over there.
So, Louise, you still on the same plan, you think? - So, I am gonna make chili.
- Ah.
Beer food, right? [ Laughs .]
I'm actually gonna put it in the blast chiller, and then pulse it in the food processor just a little bit, 'cause I want this, you know, two hours.
My chili normally takes all day.
Today I am making a classic American chili.
I'm using pork shoulder, and I'm using beef.
Braise them with beer and serve that with a little bit of habanero pico de gallo, and call it a day.
- You need more fat, all right? - Okay.
I really think you need some more.
Yeah, there you go.
- Fat doesn't hurt us, right? - No, it doesn't.
Jonathan: So, Jeff, what are you What did you decide to do? I am going to put the pork in the pressure cooker and do a kind of a - braise with the beer.
- Cool.
I'm thinking I want to braise some pork, make my own barbecue sauce.
I'm gonna make some cheddar biscuits and a nice crispy, spicy slaw with some serrano peppers.
They told me before that I was -- my food was, like, too elegant for the challenge, so this is extremely, very Americana, very classic and easy.
And you know how to use a pressure cooker, because I have no clue.
Yes, I own one.
I don't use it as often.
- Yeah.
- I'm not like Marina.
She has eight of 'em.
Oh.
Did I tell you she owns eight pressure cookers? Eight pressure cookers.
- That's cool.
- Tricky lady, tricky lady.
- Yeah.
- 'Cause she said you need a tall one, you need a wide one, you need a skinny one.
You have eight? Oh, I have eight pressure cookers.
No, no, that's too much.
My mother had the old fashioned kind that had the little thing on top.
Oh.
Must be particularly nerve-wracking for you.
I have only one chef left in this race.
I'm such a fan of Sarah, but if it doesn't transfer to delicious, if it doesn't transfer to fun, if it doesn't transfer to a good taste, there's nothing I can do.
- Pressure's on.
- Of course, of course.
It's a beer challenge so I have to cook with beer for one of our ingredients, so I'm making a merguez sausage out of lamb and a little bit of pork belly.
All I'm gonna do is braise it off in some of the beer and make some harissa potatoes and pickled cauliflower.
I mean, who doesn't like sausage and potatoes, right? You know, we're getting so close to the finale.
All I have to do is get through this round and I'm there.
I know who is going home today.
I know.
- Who's going home today? - Sarah.
Why would you even say that before they cooked, you know? I have only one chef, but, if you ask me, I still think I got the best cook.
So, today is some It's Sarah go home or my team.
That's it.
He's just messing with you, man.
And how's your -- how's your I don't know.
[ Both laugh .]
The thing I don't like about pressure cookers is you can't open it, you can't stir it, you can't make sure things aren't burning.
You just have to trust it's gonna work and hope for the best.
I love, Marina, that you just sharpened your knife with that.
- Marina: Oh, yeah.
- That's so cool.
It's like a nail filer, you -- you, with something coarse and something fine.
I think it's brilliant.
[ Laughs .]
Hey, Ludo, Marina doesn't drink.
That would be worrisome to me.
I'm not worried, Tony.
You know why? I have three cooks.
You have one.
Oh, oh.
Oh, I love that.
No, just let it go.
Marina's the only home cook left in this competition.
I think it's important that chefs understand that home cooks are not inferior beings.
I definitely feel the pressure.
I have something in my mind today similar to what I used to eat in Brazil.
I'm making chicken shredded meat with choux pastry and bread crumb, egg wash, fry it.
We eat this a lot in Brazil.
We call it "bolinho de carne.
" When I was 10, my parents immigrated to Brazil.
We own a produce stand, so I learn how to cook with all the ingredient we have in our store.
And in Taiwan, my parents own a chicken farm, so I learn how to kill chicken.
I've cooked alligator.
I've cooked piranha.
Anything you throw at me, I'll cook it.
Oh! I am feeling great 'cause I know exactly what I want to make.
I know exactly how to do it.
I'm making sloppy Joe.
In my sloppy Joe, though, I'm using pork belly, pork shoulder, morcilla blood sausage.
I think the flavors are gonna be amazing.
I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Two hours is more than enough time.
No concerns at all.
Like I said, it's too easy.
Lee was a nervous wreck during the team challenge.
He was shaking.
Yeah, absolutely a nervous wreck.
His solo challenge stuff has always been solid.
Lee has done a great job getting this far.
The very good average contender.
There's nothing average about that guy.
He's a solid cook, and he's been smart.
But he also has to step up his cooking.
I would agree with that.
This is what defines who goes to finales and who doesn't, so I got to impress today.
Lee: Jeff is the man.
I think he's an amazing cook.
I think I'm a better cook.
I'm gonna win.
I want it bad, if not just to rub it in Lee's face.
Louise: Jeff and Lee have their little rivalry, and they like to, like, bicker at each other.
Sarah: I want to take those guys down.
They need to be put in their place a little bit.
Thank you, sir.
- You're welcome.
- Good luck.
I don't see that Lee or Jeff is threat to me.
They're young.
They have a lot to learn.
Jeff: If there's a finale of the two of us, it'll be kind of crazy 'cause we're, like, really good friends, but at the same time, bring it on, bitch.
[ Laughs .]
I don't want to open my pressure cooker.
I'm afraid.
It's kind of a gamble with the pressure cooker.
I'm not touching it.
I'm letting it go.
I have two hours, but, yeah, I'm freaking nervous.
I have no backup.
If the pork doesn't work, I'm screwed.
Sarah: I feel pretty good about this solo challenge.
I don't think it's that difficult.
We're kind of getting an idea of what the mentors' palates are like, and having the extra hour is pretty killer.
Two hours to cook.
It's a luxurious span of time.
Let's give 'em a little extra work.
A curve ball.
The assumption is they have the two hours, but today there is a little extra layer of challenges to get through.
Or one might alternately say, an additional opportunity to shine.
An additional opportunity to shine.
To showcase their talent.
All right, everybody, it's one hour to go, but we have a little twist.
We would like you to do one additional dish.
You use whatever you've got your pantry.
It's a complementary dish.
Complementary -- what do you mean? Like, they have to go together? That's what complementary means! I [bleep.]
know that, [bleep.]
.
Excuse me? Sorry.
Not you, him.
[ Laughs .]
Oh, my God.
No, you don't want to do that.
That just came out of my mouth by accident.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
I wish I could take that back.
I wish I could take that back.
No more trash talking, dude.
Sorry.
Okay, one extra complementary dish.
It'll be a bite equal to the other bite.
You got an hour left.
Good luck.
Lee: It kind of throws me because I don't even know what goes with the sloppy Joes, so I'm like, "what the hell do I do?" Jonathan: I love the idea of this curve ball.
It really will separate the ones that'll win from the ones who won't.
Marina: I didn't feel distressed about it when Jonathan announced that we gonna make an additional dish because I'm very versatile.
Jonathan: What are you gonna make for us? I am gonna make celery, apple, pineapple, fennel salad.
Don't put too many ingredients in.
You're gonna make yourself nuts.
I know what I'm doing.
I know what I'm doing.
I do this all the time, so I don't have to listen to that.
All right, Louise, what are you gonna make? Well, I'm trying to figure out what to go with chili.
- Yeah.
- And I think I should make cornbread.
- Do you have time to do it? - I just don't know I'm not sure.
I don't know what else to do.
With every challenge that comes our way, we have to be able to think on our feet.
And, honestly, like, I'm freaking out.
Reset because you're creating zones of disaster for yourself.
I hear you.
I just have to be confident and know that, like, what I'm sticking in the oven is gonna turn out.
That's why I've made it this far.
I've made good decisions, and I'm sticking to it.
For my second dish I've got some smelt.
I'm gonna beer batter some smelt and make smelt fries to go with it.
It's gonna be delicious.
Smelt fries are a Minnesota staple.
It's definitely something that I'm comfortable with.
Frying smelt is like shoveling your sidewalk in the midwest.
You do it all the time.
It's something that's as -- as normal as apple pie.
I know that small, oily fish go well with lamb, so I'm happy.
What are you gonna make for your side dish here? I'm gonna make standard collard greens.
- I'm gonna sauté up some bacon.
- Love it.
Yeah, and I'm adding kimchi to my greens.
Jeff: Oh, my God.
I'm feeling the pressure.
It's real.
Anyone could go at this time.
What the hell goes good with sloppy Joes? I have no clue.
When the clock is ticking in your face, it's really hard to get it through your head exactly what you want to do because every second counts.
What about polenta fries? No.
You can make a thousand different things, but, you know, I have no idea what I can do.
I don't know.
Ugh.
Jeff: Yeah, Lee probably needs a change of pants right now.
Lee is flipping out.
Lee: I don't want to talk about it.
Sarah: What do you got, Lee? - Nothing.
- Nothing? But I do have 15 minutes.
That's what I have what about polenta fries? No.
Lee: After getting hit with the surprise that we're making another dish, every second counts.
You're up there and you're looking at the clock, and you're like, "what the hell do I do?" Okay.
Sarah: I think that Lee is in full-on panic mode.
He might be the one that goes home today.
I have no clue.
15 minutes to go.
Jeff: It's a big gamble with the pressure cooker.
So, yeah, I'm freaking nervous.
So I open the pressure cooker.
Here we go.
The moment of truth.
Oh, yes.
And it's perfect.
The pork is soft, it pulls apart perfectly so I feel really good about that.
Got to find my big balls first.
Okay.
[ Chuckles .]
Two or three big balls? No, two.
- Two.
Two is good.
Two is always good.
- I don't have more dough.
I feel confident just because in a normal life, if I serve that dish, it would be little balls, like 10 or 20 balls, but I can only serve one ball to the judges.
I think the mentors are gonna want to eat more balls, right? What about avocado fries? - What do you think? - Ballsy.
Lee: So I think I'm gonna go with avocado fries.
They're fatty, salty, once I put the breading on.
At this point, it's what I'm doing.
It's all I have to work with.
So I think you're gonna have a bad -- a bad night tonight, Ludo.
You said that at the beginning of this competition.
I still have three cooks.
Every week, it's the same story with Anthony.
No way I'm going to lose today.
No way.
"No, you're going down, Ludo.
" On the cornbread, what are you gonna do? Butter and honey on a spoon.
- Butter and honey, okay.
- I have to because it's too crumbly.
This is the real deal here.
This is to determine who is gonna go into the finals.
It's stressful.
There's definitely a lot of pressure today.
I just am really hoping that I can get this stuff done on time.
One minute left, everyone.
No pressure.
One minute.
Come on, Sarah! One minute, Sarah.
Let's go, Sarah.
Plating everything up, I'm feeling good about my dish.
My sausage, I think it tastes really good, plus it matches well with the smelt fries, so I'm feeling great about it.
30 seconds left, everyone.
I'm a little bit worried.
This is the dish that's supposed to get me into the finale.
It's not the best thing that I've done in this competition, but I do think it's good enough to make it through.
Jonathan: 10, 9 5, 4, 3, 2, done.
Chef, I need a hug.
[ Chuckling .]
Narrator: Here's how the tasting works.
The mentors taste every dish.
They have no idea who cooked it or what they're eating.
Oh! Each mentor must select their best dish I enjoyed that.
It's a very small dessert.
and, more importantly, their worst dish.
- Not balanced.
- Too burnt for me.
The best cooks receive gold stars.
Whoo! Good job.
The worst receive red stars and face elimination.
Breaks my heart.
It's not about surviving anymore.
It's about winning.
Five people, eight stars.
Those odds are not good.
Lee: I love having more gold stars than Jeff.
I love it.
I want to beat Jeff.
This has to hit the mark.
It has to be great.
Since everyone has done a side dish, we got two bites to taste.
Lee: My sloppy Joe has pork belly, pork shoulder, morcilla blood sausage.
I used the I.
P.
A.
in the actual chili, and avocado fries complement it.
Salty.
I find it greasy.
I don't have a problem with greasy.
My point is grease on grease on grease on grease.
Nigella: Yes, there's a balance issue.
Has good flavor.
I would've liked a bit more of the meat element in that.
I thought it was salty, greasy in a good way.
Jeff: I think Lee is overly confident.
There are a lot of red stars to go around today.
And it's such a kind of - Avocado.
- Avocado, I thought so.
- That's quite the -- that's ingenious.
- It's a fried avocado.
The avocado by itself is nice, and the sandwich by itself is nice, but there's no link.
I don't think I'm gonna be in the bottom at all.
I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Marina: I really, really want it because, like, cooking was the only thing in my life, and now cooking become the everything in my life.
So I wanted to make it through to the final.
I made chicken shredded meat with choux pastry balls, and I made some slaw, and I'm really confident it's gonna complement my dish.
I like the side dish better than I like the main.
The main dish was quite sweet, and the side dish was quite sweet.
There's a fruitiness.
My vote, I needed a bit more acidity in the side dish.
Where's the beer? Was dry, very hard to eat.
The fritter, for me, wasn't enough meat in there.
- No.
- A lot of breading, and not breading, it's a lot of the dough, right? If this had been spicy, savory, - saltier - Then it would've been fantastic.
which it wasn't, that would've been totally awesome.
It need -- it needed more meat.
I want to have some food that just says -- screams, "I want to be in the final.
" I know.
Well, maybe my time is up, but we'll see.
Jeff: I'm totally worried.
I like my dish, but are they gonna like it? You know, they could totally dissect it.
I'm completely stressed out, and I really want to be in the finale.
I made a braised pork, my own barbecue sauce, some cheddar biscuits, and a nice, crispy, spicy slaw with some serrano peppers, and collard greens, bacon, and kimchi in it.
I thought that was a good pairing.
I -- well, I think there were serious proportion problems in the braised meat, but it was a tasty mouthful.
It addressed the challenge.
Jeff: If I can just get a gold star from Anthony, you know, I'm a freaking winner today.
- Meat was tasting good.
- Nigella: Very good.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, it was good.
It was a very good flavor.
I think clearly there was beer used here.
- Yeah.
- Too, I mean.
And I think the cook drank it when they cooked, too, because it's one of those feel-good dishes.
- Yeah.
- Where you get moved.
Good with beer and made with beer.
It's probably the best usage of the side dish, that they worked together.
That was a cohesive effort.
I need to have at least one more star than Lee.
I just want to beat him.
That's all.
To get through the semifinals into the finals, it's something that I want more than anything else in the world.
I made a braised cabbage and lamb sausage with a side of smelt fries.
There's a lot of flavor in this dish.
It's spicy.
It's got a little sweet.
I don't know where to start.
- "Disappointed" is where I'm starting.
- Yeah.
What do you think it was exactly on the spoon, guys? - Sausage? - I thought it was sausage and potatoes.
Marcus: Sausage and potato.
Sausage and potato.
But the potato wasn't cooked enough.
My only problem with this is this was too salty.
Yes, that was salty and then the salty on this cheese.
I think it's not that salty.
- I think they're trying here.
- Nigella: I agree.
And I think that I can see beer, drinking it, and I can see beer going into the ingredients here.
I think my dish met the challenge.
I just want to stay out of the red stars and get a couple of gold ones.
Louise: I really, really, really want to make it to the finals.
I hope they like my dish.
I made a classic American chili with a habanero pico de gallo, and what is the best thing to go with that? Cornbread.
- No way.
It's chili? - Mm-hmm.
That's not the most imaginative thing I've ever seen in this competition, but - Marcus: Tasty bite.
- Dial back the salt a little bit, I'd have a big bowl of that and I'd have a big wad of that cornbread, too.
Because the salt is so emphatic, and I'm -- I say that as someone who never travels anywhere without my own salt, I felt I couldn't taste what else had gone in.
One thing that was nice, they took both flavors, the sweetness of the cornbread was very sweet, the crunch of the -- I like sort of the texture, how they thought about it, that it wasn't a one-noted chili.
It wasn't bland in any way.
For sure, no, yeah.
Him or her used beer to braise the meat - through the chili, you know? - It was okay.
But I think it was exactly that -- I think it was okay.
Louise: I don't want to go home on a beer challenge, but I have no idea what's gonna happen.
Okay, guys, thank you very much.
We'll see you in a little while.
I mean, I -- I'm disappointed.
- I do feel a bit - Marcus: I agree.
- You know, if -- if - Nothing was amazing.
- If you had said to me -- - I agree that nothing -- There were some dishes I wouldn't have -- I don't know what to take for my best.
I don't know what to take for my worst, guys.
I'll be honest with you.
Across the board, this was a pretty sorry showing.
Two hours, and what do we got here? A freaking sandwich, a deep-fried ball, and a bowl of chili.
- Jeff: They were harsh today.
- They were harsh today.
And I -- we all kind of knew that.
- Well - Because we had two hours.
- Exactly.
- That they were gonna [bleep.]
- Scrutinize everything.
- Louise: Oh, yeah.
Lee: Nobody feels particularly good at this point.
I'm most certainly hoping today that one of Team Ludo goes.
They need a crush in some way to get them off their high horse.
I think I'm getting a red star from Nigella.
That is my prediction.
She didn't like mine, either, though.
I mean, I thought I utilized the whole two hours.
- I made my own sauce.
- Lee: I know.
- You know? - I know.
I think a lot of people played it safe today.
The fact that I made my own sausage, I'm hoping that's gonna -- it's gonna keep me here.
I want to be in the final.
I think I deserve to be in the final.
I'm a good cook, so I'm just hoping I don't get a red star because they're like -- because they're so nit-picky.
Does anyone feel like they're gonna get a gold and red star? I think mine was good enough to pass without a red star, but I don't think I'm gonna get a gold star.
There's five of us.
There's four red stars.
There's four gold stars.
They're bound to be peppered, you know, a little bit.
You think I'm gonna get a red star? - Is that what you're saying? - Huh? - You think -- - No one knows.
- No one knows.
- Speak.
I don't know if you're going to get one.
I don't know if I'm gonna [bleep.]
get one.
There's four red stars.
Like, I don't know what you don't get about that.
Like, someone's -- people are -- there's bound to be gold and red stars on someone.
- I just don't think I'm gonna get one.
- You know what? If you get a red star, you're gonna cry like a little girl.
Well, we've selected our best and worst.
I have to say I'm angry and disappointed, and eager to get them out here and say so.
- Marcus: Mm-hmm.
- Ludo: I agree with you.
I need to have at least one more gold star than Lee.
It's just mandatory.
That's just the way it is.
Bottom line, nothing against him, I just want to beat him, that's all.
Welcome back.
I'll be blunt.
We are all very disappointed.
This was a pretty sorry, sad, substandard bunch of dishes.
We're going into the finals here.
This was about cooking with beer.
Very few of you have addressed that challenge in other than a perfunctory way.
There were so many ways to go, and we were yearning for many of them.
We didn't get 'em.
If Satan ran a cafeteria, we pretty much had the menu today.
Whoever emerges on top shouldn't be patting himself on the back too much, either.
Sarah: Oh, my God.
We're all kind of ashamed about it, you know? None of us want to be told that our dishes suck.
That said, we did have to decide on our best and worst.
First, our best.
My favorite dish was made by Jeff.
Good job, sort of.
I was like, "thank you?" We're even now.
I see that.
I have no reds, though.
Shut up.
My best dish was made by - Nigella: Jeff again.
- Jeff.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So, I am awarding a gold star to Jeff.
[Bleep.]
.
Like, okay, no matter what happens, he's got more than me now.
My best dish was made by Nigella: Oh.
Ah! Always.
[ Laughs .]
Always you choose Lee.
Anthony: Oh, man.
I love it.
Thank you, Chef.
You talk him down, but you always give him a gold star.
Ludo -- third time he picks me for a gold star.
It's got to be killing him.
Anthony: Congratulations, Lee and Jeff.
Let's bring out your best dishes.
You love him, admit it.
You have a magical connection.
He's ignoring you.
Jeff, tell us about what you made.
I braised pork shoulder in beer and made my own barbecue sauce.
I made a cheddar biscuit, a slaw with serrano chilies, sweet pickles, and then for my side dish, I made greens and some kimchi, and topped it with bacon.
Jeff, I liked this dish because you were not shying off from the beer.
I liked the heat, the sweetness, and the sourness from the beer in this dish.
It came through -- well-balanced.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Jeff, I do think you've got an exquisite palate.
Thank you.
Nigella: And that showed.
Those two dishes really helped create one taste in the mouth that was better for that.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You at least embraced the challenge.
You're not getting a James Beard award for this one, but good job.
Thank you.
Even though Anthony's kind of giving me the third degree because he's like, "you know, don't be too happy with yourself," I don't think my dish was really that bad.
Lee.
Lee? Hi, Ludo.
Ça va? [ Chuckles .]
So, tell me what you made today.
I mean, you pleased me.
I liked it.
Well, today I did ground pork belly, ground pork shoulder, and ground morcilla sausage.
I made a sloppy Joe.
There was less than a half-hour to go before I realized what I was gonna do for the side.
I did some fried avocados, and it was kind of a last-minute desperation.
I know this is obviously not winning any James Beard awards, either.
I know it's not the best thing that I've put forward, but I thought it was good enough to get me through, which, you know, hopefully it -- it was.
I think it was a What's that, Nigella? What you say? - You want to say something? - I just No, I just said it's an odd thing to say to say that you made something that you think would be "good enough" to get you through.
I liked it, but you're giving me a sloppy Joe? Are you looking to get into the finals? You're up against all these good cooks.
Sloppy Joe? Really? It's a good thing Ludo loves you.
[ Chuckles .]
- I know.
I know.
- Let me tell you, this was not one of my favorites by a long shot.
You had some serious proportion problems, but I'm very happy to see you get another gold star, obviously.
[ Chuckles .]
Sloppy Joe.
I thought it worked.
Narrator: Jeff earns three gold stars to Lee's one, making the two rivals tonight's best cooks, but no one's safe yet.
Don't go running away too quick because we have yet to reveal our worst.
The dish I liked least was made by Oh, I didn't see that coming.
All right, now for the bad news -- our least favorite dishes of the night.
The dish I liked least was made by Wow, I didn't see that coming.
Sorry, Marina.
My red star tonight, I'm handing it out to General Lee.
Wow.
Oh.
Yep, boo-hoo.
I know how it feels, you know.
Lee: This is the first time I've been in the bottom.
You know what? I was completely shocked.
My red star goes to - Oh! - Lee.
It hurts, you know? You never want to see your name up there for the worst dish.
It was very difficult for me, guys.
So, my red star is going to Sarah.
Every red star that I've gotten has been from Ludo.
It's just frustrating.
I don't understand it, but I have to respect the decision.
I'm pissed about this situation to begin with.
I'm upset with myself.
I'm upset with Sarah.
It sucks, man.
Anthony: Marina, Sarah, Lee, you cooked tonight's worst dishes.
One of you guys will be going home.
What this means is, Jeff, Louise, you're in the finals.
- Congratulations.
- You made it.
I'm in the finale.
That's pretty freaking awesome.
I'm so overwhelmed and so excited about it be-- I don't even know what to make of it.
Anthony: All right, let's take a look at our worst dishes and try to figure out what went wrong here.
Marina, please tell us what you made.
I made a choux pastry with mashed potato, and I made a slaw with pineapple, green apple, celery, and fennel.
My complaint with this dish is that it was bland, that it in no way seemed to involve beer other than in a coincidental way.
Nigella: I agree with Tony.
I felt it was too bland and doughy, and I think that's the potato and the choux paste.
Marcus: I couldn't find the beer in there.
There was a lot of dough, but very little meat.
It just didn't work with this challenge.
Marina, I was not crazy about your dish.
I think it's missing flavor.
You know, your side dish was great -- very good job on that.
But the rest, okay.
I feel that I could be sending home today.
Lee, there was a proportion issue, really quite a large one, in that the meats barely really came through.
I had a lot of bread, and I felt the cheese on top was so emphatic that really it was hard to detect all the other tastes.
I loved the side dish, but not with this.
It was heavy-handed.
That was kind of my point.
- There wasn't enough meat in.
- I agree.
You've used the meat as if it's some sort of precious spread.
You must only use a teaspoon at a time.
I certainly missed the mark on that.
I didn't want to get it all over you.
That was my mistake.
Oh, please.
That's not a good excuse.
You -- you're right.
For me, too much bread, too much fat, quite frankly, and not enough vinegar to pick it up, right? If there would have been some vinegar, some pickle, it would've been a much brighter dish.
I agree.
I agree.
You know, I guess it's just me, but I like it anyway.
Look, my objection to this dish is strictly -- I agree with Nigella -- proportion.
More meat, less bread.
It didn't end up in the bottom for me, but it could have.
Okay.
You could literally make Anthony a [bleep.]
sandwich and be fine.
I never want any one of the mentors to think that I'm just here to slide through.
Like, I want to win.
Ludo: So, Sarah.
[ Sighs .]
What did you make for us today? I made a merguez sausage.
I did a braised cabbage, and smelt fries were on the side with the harissa aioli, as well as some braised potatoes.
I mean, I do not understand this dish, and the side dish was -- I mean, I think it was a very, very bad choice.
It was very, very salty.
To have potatoes which were not completely cooked, when you have two hours, I didn't get.
I'm afraid I just think it shows a complete want of palate.
I sense a really great cook under tremendous pressure because your barometer just went, like, right out into the red zone here with the solidity.
Sarah, it was by far not my worst, but here you are, you know? I thought I, you know, embraced the challenge better than anybody else did, and -- but whatever.
Apparently that wasn't enough.
Marina, Lee, Sarah, any one of you could go home.
Marina, why should we keep you? Because I still have the best to show, so I hope you give me opportunity to showcase my last piece.
Sarah? You know, I thought that I'd understood the challenge really well today.
I did have beer in every single one of my elements in that dish, but I, too, have more to give.
I know that I belong in the finals.
I was off today, but I'm not gonna be off next week.
Lee? You know, this is my first time being at the bottom.
I've cooked well this entire competition.
I want to cook better for all of you, and I know that I can do that, and I would love the opportunity.
Here's the part where you all get to viciously offend each other by selecting who you would throw under the bus in your own quest for victory.
It's an ugly thing to ask, but it's all in the game.
Marina, who would you send home? Based on the result of that -- of the competition, I would send Sarah home.
Sarah? Who would you be pushing into traffic? I think that Marina was the one that should go home.
As far as, like, the challenges getting more difficult, she's not gonna be able to keep up with it.
Lee? I would also choose Marina.
I tasted your dish today.
I thought it was a little gummy, almost.
The potato maybe was over-whipped or something.
I do think you're a great cook, though.
Well, we obviously have a spirited discussion ahead of us.
We have to decide which two of you we're gonna be sending along to the finals with Jeff and Louise, and who's going home.
We'll see you shortly after our decision.
[ Sighing .]
Ludo: Tough decision.
Yowza.
That's all I got to say.
Louise: The break room today is intense.
I mean, there's only five of us here, and we've got the finale, that's it.
I think that everybody is really feeling it today.
Lee: Louise and Jeff, congratulations.
Thanks.
Jeff: Yeah, we're in the finals.
Yeah.
Well, let me start with the reds, I guess.
Oh, red stars suck.
I thought I was in the middle.
I thought I was safe -- no gold, no red.
I thought I was good, and then, when -- to see my name come up there two times, I mean, it was scary.
You know, given the fact that I have two red stars now, I could go home.
First time I got two red stars, I was pissed.
- Yeah, you were.
- Pissed.
I was really pissed.
But you didn't get a gold star, too, so Ooh! [ Chuckling .]
I can't feel that upset.
You know what, I called that you were gonna get three today.
I'm happy for you.
Jeff: I can't believe I made it this far, and I'm extremely happy and I'm very proud.
And, I mean, you know, to enter the finale on such a high note is really, really awesome.
Dude, [bleep.]
look at this now.
Well, yours is a jumbled mess.
I like to keep mine nice and aligned.
Oh, oh, these? These little gold stars right here? Yeah, that's nice, right? It's very nice, very nice.
Don't look down here.
I think it's gonna be between you two, and I think that's tough.
Marina: I feel like, well, maybe my time's up, but until I go home, I'm still standing on stage.
I thought that I did a lot today, and I did a good job.
Nobody likes failure, but I especially, like -- it's like losing a hockey game.
I hate it.
And especially when you think you've done something really good, and then boom, down on the bottom.
It's very humbling.
Marcus has saved me once before.
If I go home, I'm gonna be really pissed off.
Tough decision.
Tough decision.
Well, you know where I come down on this.
Obviously I'm against sending Lee home.
Can I just say one thing? It did slightly appall me when he said, "oh, I thought I'd done something "that would be good enough to get me through to the final," and I felt a bit, "is that the level you're cooking at?" - That's everything about him! - You don't think -- I mean, I found that a bit depressing.
I feel like, because I've never been in the bottom before, I can -- I can get through this, but I'm not, you know, I'm not -- I'm not safe yet.
Sarah, for me, she addresses the challenge.
She looks at this challenge and says, "you know what? This is a beer challenge.
"I'm gonna do it, and I'm gonna do it in the most ambitious way I possibly can.
" In my book, she deserves to be in the final.
She really does.
Marina's wowed us with a lot of dishes.
She does not address the challenge, and that has nothing to do with this challenge.
Marina has some food, and, "if I have to put beer in that, oh, I'll put beer.
" I'm surprised because they had Jonathan Waxman with them, and I'm surprised, you know, Marina chose to do an okay dish.
- Well, she doesn't listen, does she? - That's true.
She doesn't listen, so it doesn't matter for her.
By the time I've realized my dish has no beer flavor - It was kind of late? - Kind of late.
Jeff: Even though she's my teammate, I want Marina to go home.
She's talented, which makes her a threat.
I think all the professional cooks, they think they're better than me.
They went to training, they spent money, you know? They work hard, but they don't know me.
I don't worry about a lot of theory.
I cook from my heart, I cook from my soul, and I cook from my passion.
I'm a Marina fan.
She's the only home cook left in this competition, and she's been kicking ass and taking names against seasoned professionals challenge after challenge.
- She did miss, um - The spice.
the spark inside, and the meat should've been gooey and just come out.
- She missed everything.
- I mean, let's be honest.
But what she did do was put everything on the plate.
This has nothing to do with beer.
I've been to Brazil 10 times.
This has nothing to do with Brazilian dish.
- This is a horrible execution.
- It's brown.
That's not the standard for going into the final.
- Nigella: No, no, not really.
- This is a horrible executed dish.
I think I did a pretty ambitious dish today.
- Yeah, I agree.
- You totally did.
I followed up all the parameters.
I put beer in everything that I made.
- And you made sausage from scratch.
- Yeah.
- Exactly.
No.
- That's not easy.
Yes, she did the sausage, but the sausage is no good.
Still, if you do your own sausage, you think it's good.
There's no doubt that Sarah has skill, and great skills, but she just doesn't have a palate, and I don't think she can suddenly gain one.
I like salt, but Sarah's dish is madness.
Every component over-salted, and together it is a miasma of salinity.
I barely put any salt on those smelts.
- Really? - Yeah, which is bizarre.
I feel like I been through the wringer more than anybody else here - You have.
- And I don't feel like I deserve that.
- You made it through.
- You've been through the wringer.
And I do feel like I deserve to be in the final.
- Yeah.
- I really do.
If one of us goes home, either Marcus or Tony is gonna be out.
Sarah: If I go home today, that's it for Team Marcus.
He's out, I'm out, so it'll end up being a Ludo and Anthony show.
I'm not going home today.
There's -- I can't go home today.
I feel so much for Sarah, and I want to give her one more chance.
For us, at this point, to send Sarah home -- she belongs in the finals.
She really does.
As Marina.
As Marina.
We've made our decision here.
Let's bring them out.
Well, let's see who's going home.
Lee: All right.
I've been cooking well this entire competition.
I do feel like I deserve to be here.
Sarah: Marcus has told me he's got confidence that I'm gonna be the one to take his team into the finals.
I don't want to let him down.
I want to keep going.
I told myself I'm gonna stay to the end, and the end is the next challenge.
Sarah, not a good night for you by a long shot.
Marina, my least favorite, did not address the challenge, and a very, very disappointing plate of food.
Lee, more than one person at this table found your dish tonight to be the absolute worst, and even your most ferocious defender didn't have much good to say about it.
You've been doing really well at times when it counts.
Other times you've been laying back in the cut.
Tonight, you seem to be trying to back into the finals, to be frank.
But frankly, it worked.
You will not be going home tonight.
Please go join Jeff and Louise.
Congratulations, you're still alive.
The guy's either a genius, or the luckiest son of a bitch on earth.
We're going into the finals on a sloppy Joe.
[ Chuckles .]
[Bleep.]
.
This was a tough decision, a very tough decision.
On one hand we have a very fine, very professional chef who has all of the gifts and the skills and the experience that we would hope for.
On the other, we have a talented home cook who, for a while there, had us believing she might go all the way.
This was a very tough call for us.
But, Sarah, we're sending you home.
[Bleep.]
.
She didn't just have a bad day, she had a, you know, fatal day.
Sarah, it's been an absolute pleasure and joy to mentor you.
Although your journey really ends here with us today, I feel like you're gonna continue to work.
You're gonna be an amazing chef, all right? Come and say goodbye.
Respect, Chef.
Thank you very much.
Appreciate it.
Look forward to seeing you again.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Good luck.
Thank you very much.
- Good luck, Sarah.
- Thanks.
Sarah: I don't think I should be going home.
I don't think I'm the fifth best cook here, not by a long shot.
I did have a good experience here.
- This is a "yes," my dear.
- Yes.
It's been a good opportunity for me to learn, not only from Marcus and other chefs here, but learning some stuff about myself.
- Sarah.
- Yes! - Nicely done.
- Yes! Sarah: It's hard to go home knowing that I didn't accomplish what I set out to do, but you don't get an opportunity like this that often.
I want to open my own restaurant.
That's the next goal.
Marina, congratulations, you are in the final.
- Enjoy, okay? - Thank you.
Go back to the kitchen.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
You're in the finals.
Come on.
Come on.
Oh, my God.
Relax.
Maybe celebrate responsibly, and when we see you again, make us believers again.
- Congratulations.
- Congrats, guys.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
Oh, my God.
[ Sighs .]
- Awesome.
- It's getting real.
Team Ludo.
Narrator: Next week, it's the finale.
It's me versus Ludo.
Let the battle begin.
Bourdain, you're going down today, bro.
- Yeah, you think so? - Oh, yeah.
- Rome - No! did not beat an empire by sitting in meetings.
They did it by killing people who oppose them.
So, you know what? Kiss my ass.
Today, I kill Anthony Bourdain.
I'm going to beat you guys.
Okay, okay! Dial back the testosterone, dude! It's tiresome.
Anthony: He's got three people in the finale.
I got Lee.
And that's okay.
The French outnumbered the German invaders in World War II.
Look what that got them.
- Oh, be careful! - Oh!