Masterchef (2010) s04e04 Episode Script
Top 19 Compete
Previously on MasterChef The home cooks faced one of the wildest challenges in MasterChef history There was lamb over here, lamb over there--baa-aaa! As those who won an apron, had to fight to keep them.
I want to hold on to this apron so bad.
You have to put them out of their misery.
Wwhen the judges thinned out the herd We've seen enough.
Time to go home.
Only the strongest survived.
- Congratulations.
- Yeah! - Jonny.
- It's Bri.
You've made it to the MasterChef kitchen.
Now, the best home cooks in America take their place in the MasterChef kitchen.
Oh, my goodness, this is our home now.
This is the kitchen of your dreams.
And it isn't long before sparks begin to fly.
You underestimated the wrong person.
Keep cooking.
Shut your mouth.
- She hates me.
- She hates you? Who will be the first eliminated? If that's the best you can do, I'll put you out of your misery.
It all happens right now on Ecch! This is a waste of time.
MasterChef.
Thousands of cooks have already been eliminated, and only these competitors remain in the battle to become America's next MasterChef.
Now, it's time for these top home cooks to take their place in the MasterChef kitchen.
So I'm the first to walk through and all I can see is the beautiful kitchen.
I'm thinking, "oh, my goodness, this is our home now.
" The first thing I noticed was the wine room.
I just wanted to lock myself in there for, like, a couple hours.
I'm looking at the equipment room.
Man, they got top-notch mixers, pressure cookers.
They got top-notch everything.
I want to become a great chef, and the only way I can do that is by being here in the MasterChef kitchen.
I see a restaurant.
It looks like there's a nice plushed-out V.
I.
P.
section.
'cause, you know, I'm V.
I.
P.
type of girl, so I'm familiar with those type of areas.
Let's go.
The MasterChef kitchen is insane.
It's just so picturesque.
The judges are standing there, you can see the side rooms, and anything and everything you could ever think of-- It takes your breath away.
Welcome.
This is the kitchen of your dreams.
All you need to do now is to beat every other home cook in here, and one of you will win $1/4 million.
And most importantly, you will walk away with a title that cannot be bought, can never be taken away.
It's yours forever, to become America's next MasterChef.
And to find out who that is, you need to start cooking.
Please, go to your stations.
It's time to find out who has what it takes, and who just can't cut it in the MasterChef kitchen.
Are you ready? Because it's time for your first mystery box challenge.
You'll each have to prepare, cook, and present one amazing dish using only the ingredients hidden under those boxes.
With every mystery box challenge, you'll have the use of a staple pantry box to help you make one stunning dish.
The person with the best dish will get a huge advantage in the next stage of the competition.
We will be watching your every move.
There's no faking it in here, Nowhere to hide.
On the count of three, you'll lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
Lift.
Oh, [bleep.]
.
Bacon! Simply amazing.
I'm going up, and I thought this was a joke.
I was hoping for a big nice fish, some steak.
What do I have to do with this? One tomato, some amazing bacon, handful of chocolate, and the most incredible single potato.
You need to prove to us that you can work with the basics before you move on to greater things.
As soon as I lifted up the box, I thought to myself, "like, this is so easy and so difficult at the same time.
" Your 60 minutesStarts Now.
Where are the measuring cups? - Exciting.
- It's great.
You know they all feel the heat right now.
they want to make a good impression, first mystery box.
They know that we're expecting a lot.
So, Gordon, what would your strategy be? I would take the bacon, the potato, and the tomato and do a stunning chowder, and then finish it with a really nice basil-infused oil.
- Which ingridienat is the devil in the box? - Definitely the chocolate.
The devil in the box is the ingredient these contestants should steer clear from.
Today, I'm going to be making a seasoned potato puree.
I'm gonna sun dry some tomatoes.
I'm gonna do a riff on a mole sauce as well as a spicy bacon sauce.
I want to show the competition to watch out for me, so this is the perfect opportunity to do it right away.
Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast.
I'm making a potato and bacon frittata.
I feel like I got this in the bag.
I'm hearing a lot of people making really plain-sounding breakfasts, and I'm doing mine just a little bit bigger.
I figured out my other sauce just a moment ago, so I think that'll be pretty killer, when I get that on the plate.
Mm.
Tasty.
Get creative.
Halfway, guys, let's go.
Right, Jonny, how you doing? What are you making? - Tomato and egg potato cake.
- Ugh, what's in there? Chocolate mashed potatoes.
Just trying to be creative - something different.
- Creative or stupid? I've never, ever seen chocolate and potato together.
I'm trying to present it in a different way.
- Savannah.
- Hi.
Walk me through what you have.
I'm making a spanish tortilla de patatas with a bacon-tomato marmalade.
It's simple.
Do you think it's creative enough to win this? Well, I think it's gonna look beautiful and, you know, I want the competitors to feel like I'm someone to watch out for.
- All right, Howard.
- Hello, Gordon.
- How you doing? So you're melting the chocolate directly in the pan, - coating it in bacon? - Yes, I am.
And baking a little bit of potatoes, and seeing if it works out.
Holy crap.
What's the dish? I haven't figured it out yet.
I'm working as I go, and, hopefully, it will all come together.
I'm gonna do a lemon tart with a bacon ganache and then do a whipped cream on top with vanilla.
Everyone's competition here for me, but Kathy and Krissi are the biggest talkers here.
They don't know what they're doing, and they should just go home.
- Hello, Krissi.
What have you got for us? - Hello, boys.
- I made a frittata.
- It's pretty simple.
I make this for my kid all the time--he loves it.
- You have a big personality.
- I do.
How does that come across with your fellow contestants in the kitchen? Do you think some people like you and some people hate you? Oh, Howard, Natasha, they hate me.
- Are they afraid of you? - I think so.
Start visualizing that dish.
Think of your presentation.
Come on.
I'm making a potato hash with a poached egg over the top with a little bit of gremolata on the side.
Trying to make sure I get it all done in time.
Just over five minutes to go.
Time is what's kilLynng me right now.
Start thinking of plating, finishing your dishes, and making something incredible out of that mystery box.
Some amazing stuff out there.
Yeah, some tasty, tasty dishes.
Natasha's tart, though, you should see the pastry! - I mean, beautiful.
- Yeah.
Bethy, she's already made gnocchi and bread.
Wow.
On the other hand, I am seeing - some disastrous combinations.
- Really? - A chocolate mash.
- Right.
Chocolate-coated bacon.
Trust me, that is not the way to get yourself noticed in this competition.
- 60 seconds to go.
- Finishing touches, guys.
This challenge can be won or lost in the last 30 seconds.
Presentation is key.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, Five, four, three, two, one and stop.
Let's go.
Move.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Well done.
In this year's first challenge in the MasterChef kitchen, our home cooks were given the most basic mystery box ever to create one stunning dish.
After observing and sampLynng throughout the challenge, the judges now take one final look to identify three standout dishes.
There are three dishes that looked amazing, tasted incredible, but really stood out.
One of these three cooks will be the winner, and that comes with an amazing advantage in the next stage of the competition.
The first dish that we would like to look at again That dish belongs to Bime.
Great job.
Yes! Whoo! That bell has rung, and I'm coming at you, and you better have your guard up, because if not, pbbbt, I'm knocking out the competition.
Explain the dish, please.
A poached egg over potato hash with a tomato and basil salsa with a gremolata on the side.
So the secret of this is to slice through the egg, - and you wenriching the potatoes? - Yes.
Let's just see if you poached the egg perfectly.
Wow, I mean that is absolutely sublime.
The dish has got finesse.
It's seasoned beautifully.
- Great start.
- Thank you, chef.
Well done.
Thank you.
There's acidity, there's sweetness from the caramelization on the potato, the smokiness with the bacon I'm very excited.
Thank you, chef.
You know, this dish smells a little bit like a fake to me.
You're a boxing coach from Eastern Massachusetts? Where did you experience food like this before? - I haven't.
- You saw it in a book? Where'd you come up with this? Truthfully, yeah, I go through books, and I just look at pictures and get ideas for plating.
Does this represent you on a plate, or are you trying to deceive us? It represents where I want to be as a chef.
- Where you heading looks good.
- Thank you, chef.
I just hope, now that you throw up a big flare like this, that you can walk the walk.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
Great start.
- Thank you, chef.
All right, the second person that made it into the top three, they cooked a delicious, scrumptious dessert.
It looked like any dessert that you'd find in our restaurants.
That dish belongs to Natasha.
Well done.
Of course I'm proud of myself.
I'm not here to just look pretty on camera and chop some basil.
Like, I'm here to be better than everyone.
Hi.
How are you? I'm awesome.
At some point, maybe I'll go up to her and say, "look, I know we have our differences, but good job.
" But I probably won't because I can't stand her.
Tell me exactly what's in it.
A lemon curd pie tart with a chocolate ganache incorporated with bacon fat, with a meringue.
A lot of finesse.
Great flavors.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
The technical ability of rendering the bacon fat, putting that together with the cocoa fat and not allowing it to break is actually quite rare, let me tell you.
It's layer upon layer upon layer, which is the sign of a great technician.
I can't wait to see what you've got in the next rounds.
This dish you could buy at a patisserie in Paris, or at a three-star restaurant in New York.
I'm thinking, what is the message to us? You're saying, "well, I'm Natasha.
I'm serious.
I'm here to win.
" And turn around--you know what you're saying to the rest of them? "Kiss my ass.
" Okay, the third dish was seasoned to perfection.
Three people made frittatas, but this one frittata was as good as my mother's.
And that dish belonged to - Krissi.
- Damn it! Come on up.
I am shocked to hear that Krissi's name was called.
Anyone can do a frittata.
Explain the dish, please.
It's a bacon-potato frittata and a tomato basil salad.
It's--it's delicious.
Here's the thing, you know, a couple dollars of ingredients turned into something magical, done with absolute honesty, because that's what it is on that plate.
You're one to watch, let me tell you.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
At times, in a competition like this, we don't always get full-flavored seasoning because people are afraid.
You come out of the box with that type of aggressive seasoning and flavors, it's telLynng me that you're a confident cook, and you're gonna cook us food that we're gonna want to eat.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
- Its tough this one.
- Yeah.
Three stunning dishes.
Bime's finesse This top three don't mean nothing.
The only thing that means something to me is winning the challenge.
The technical ability, in my mind, is Natasha.
I just basically know that I've already got it.
I have a smirk on my face.
I'm already ready to walk up to that podium.
Krissi's food was extremely yummy.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely want the advantage, but I definitely want to beat Natasha.
Three amazing dishes, but only one can be the winner.
The most outstanding dish today in your first mystery box challenge-- Congratulations goes to Three amazing dishes, but only one can be the winner.
The most outstanding dish today in your first Mystery box challenge-- The cook that, right now, Is the cook to beat-- Congratulations goes to - Well done, Natasha.
Great job.
- Whoo! Really good job.
I'm excited and I'm happy.
I'm winning, so these people need to watch out.
Amazing.
Let her have her moment, because I don't think it's gonna last very long.
For winning today's mystery box, you get to come into The MasterChef pantry and find out your huge advantage.
- Are you ready? - Yes, sir.
Let's go.
Well done.
That's the last person I thought it would be.
Yeah.
As the winner of the mystery box challenge, Natasha is the first home cook to enter the MasterChef pantry.
Here, she is in control of the first elimination test.
Walking into the pantry, I'm astonished.
There's pretty much everything and anything you need.
Oh, my gosh.
Natasha now gets to choose the style of food or the dish that everyone must cook.
The one thing she can't control is the theme of the challenge.
That is in the hands of the judges.
Welcome to the most amazing MasterChef pantry.
This is the place where one home cook gets the chance to be in control of everybody else's destiny.
Make the right decisions in here, and you could be sending your toughest competitors home.
Now, in the mystery box challenge, We gave you the most basic of ingredients.
but a true MasterChef knows how to handle the most refined ingredients.
Natasha, are you ready to see what you have to choose from? I'm absolutely ready.
This staple of european cuisine-- One of the finest seafood ingredients that money can buy.
Langoustine.
At an upscale restaurant, you could pay upwards of $50 for a dish of langoustines.
Even more.
How about another protein that's always on the menu at the world's finest restaurants? The first-cut veal chop.
This is a chef's dream.
But, Natasha, I think I've got something under here Even more high-end and beautiful than those two.
It's unique.
It's so special it's only allowed to be produced by five farms in the entire world.
- Wow.
- In the hands of the wrong cook out there, this could be a disaster.
You have the most amazing Stunning, Stilton blue cheese.
This amount is worth about $1,000.
- Wow.
- So, Natasha, are you confident that you would be able to cook something amazing with one of these ingredients? Not all of them, no.
Well, fortunately, for you, you do not have to.
You will not be cooking in this elimination challenge.
Wow.
Wow! So now you get to pick which ingredient all of your fellow competitors will be cooking with.
- Okay.
- Who do you want to send home? Krissi.
Is she competition? She is.
She is competition, definitely.
She knows food.
She's definitely a threat.
In my mind I'm running, "what is gonna get her out of this competition? What is gonna be her failure point?" Which of these ingredients do you choose for your fellow competitors? I choose Up you go, Natasha.
Make yourself comfortable.
That's right, everybody, because Natasha won the mystery box challenge, she is safe from elimination tonight.
Natasha's second advantage was picking which ingredient all of you will be cooking with today.
but she has a third advantage that even she doesn't know yet.
Natasha, you now get to choose one more person to join you up there in the gallery OhWow.
and be safe from elimination.
If Natasha was smart, she'd pick somebody really weak that she knows she can knock out later, and leave the strongest contenders on the ground.
She's not gonna pick me.
I don't feel she's gonna choose me, because she knows I'm a competitor.
She won't be choosing Jessie.
She will not be choosing Lynn.
She wants to put us on the floor to see if we can burn ourselves down.
Who is gonna be joining you and safe from elimination today? I'm gonna I'm gonna pick Savannah.
Wow.
Savannah, you look surprised.
Yeah, I'm surprised, but I'm very happy, thank you.
You're now safe from elimination.
I chose Savannah because, in a competition to come, I'll be able to take her out.
We started out today with basic ingredients, and now, we are going to challenge you with ingredients that are much harder to work with.
Natasha chose the most amazing, stunning, beautiful Langoustine.
And for at least one of you, This langoustine will be your undoing.
I don't know what it is.
I've never seen it.
I don't even know what he said at first.
I was like, "what? A lou? A who?" I'm, like, overjoyed.
I've had langoustine a couple of times.
It's delicate.
It's easy to overcook.
You know, I'm looking around at everyone, like, staring at it, like, "oh, it's a giant shrimp.
" And I'm just, like You're all gonna [bleep.]
this up.
When this challenge is over, at least one of you will be leaving the competition for good.
Now.
Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.
As Natasha and Savannah enjoy the safety of the MasterChef lounge, the remaining home cooks must now choose the ingredients to make one stunning langoustine dish.
Go, go, go.
At the end of this challenge, at least one home cook will be sent home.
I'm sorry.
I spent three years in the army, and all we would do is talk about what we were gonna do when we got home.
And what I want to do is try to win this competition.
Jordan, you got enough in there? Right now, we're testing them like we've never tested these contestants before.
Day one in the kitchen, we've gone from a humble potato to one of the most luxurious items anywhere.
- Right.
- Well, someone has to be able to show us the range, from simple to super complex.
This is wrought with difficulty because you can overcook it.
And once you overcook it, it's inedible.
Hey, Luca, what do you got? I'm making, ah, fettuccine with saffron and langoustine, which I cooked with some brandy, white wine, cherry tomatoes, garlic.
So another pasta from you.
Is that all we're gonna get is Italian food? Last time it was frittata.
Frittata, which is Italian.
Absolutely.
Pasta is Italian.
Who's going home with the langoustine today? I heard Malcolm, that he was a little bit scared.
I am making a langoustine mac and cheese.
He's a little scary looking, but I know the flavor's gonna be there.
I make lobster mac and cheese all the time.
As long as I can nail this langoustine, I should be fine.
All right, Howard, on a scale of one to ten, - how confident are you? - I'm about a nine.
Wow, I like that.
What are you doing? I poached the shellfish, and I made a fruit champagne vinaigrette.
- Strawberries in there as well? - I did, yes.
When was the last time you saw strawberries and langoustine? I never have.
somebody's going home.
- Definitely not be me.
- Who is it? I think it's gonna be mac and cheese girl over here.
- Mac and cheese girl? - Yeah, definitely.
I don't think mac and cheese and shellfish would go well together at all.
But strawberries definitely go with it.
I honestly have never instantly hated someone so much, and he's just an epic fail at cooking.
I can't wait until you go home, Howard.
Let's go.
Start thinking execution, presentation.
At the end of this first elimination challenge, at least one home cook will leave the MasterChef kitchen.
Come on, come on.
Today, I'm gonna be making kind of a deconstructed chowder with langoustine, and I'm gonna throw some fruit in there for a nice balance of acid.
And the cream sauce's base is gonna be basil and some vanilla bean.
I gotta reestablish myself here in this competition.
- Kathy? - Yeah.
Yeah, she poached it, and now she's putting it in a stew.
They're gonna be so tough.
Watch out for the underdog, boo.
You underestimated the wrong person.
Well, that's why I'm up here and you're down there.
It's all good, though.
whoo-ee! The next time I'll be up there, and your ass will be down here.
It's getting spicy over here.
It's all good.
I ain't afraid of her.
You should probably keep cooking and shut your mouth.
Start making sure your langoustines are the hero.
- Sasha - Yes, chef.
- What's going on? - Well, honey, I'm gonna keep this southern and traditional with some cheese grits.
Cheese grits with langoustines? Yes, honey.
You ain't never had lobster and grits before? Langoustine is very, very delicate.
You sure you want to put cheese on it? It's gonna work out.
Trust me, darLynng.
I'm so sorry.
All right, Jessie, what are you doing? I'm doing the tails right now.
- You're frying the tails, right? - Yep.
I'm just doing a little tempura batter.
I spiced it up with some cayenne in there.
You're from Georgia and you never cook - with langoustines before? - No, sir.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? No, it's not gonna be me.
I made my version of a stuffed shrimp.
You know, I've never cooked with this, but it kind of looks like shrimp, so I hope I didn't over-mask the langoustine with the bold flavors that I put in it.
Tastes good to me, so it's all in the judges' hands now.
All right, what are your predictions now? - Jessie's dishis sound delicious.
- Yeah.
Really delicious.
She's cooking really beautifully.
And the way she fried those tails was amazing.
I think that one of the best is Jordan.
The flavors he's working with are really delicious, so I'm hoping that he can pull it off.
And Sasha massacred the langoustines.
- Right.
- They're, like, basically ground shrimp meat.
Do not let these last few seconds of plating bring you down.
One dish to keep you in the competition.
Let's go, guys, come on.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Stand back, hands up.
Well done.
Let's see how you did.
Okay, Krissi.
A mac and cheese is not creative.
That's simple.
That's easy.
I don't think she can think outside of the box.
Tell me about the dish.
I've made a langoustine mac and cheese.
Why do you think Natasha picked langoustine? To trip us up.
Especially me.
- Why? - Because she hates me.
- She hates you? - Oh, absolutely.
- Why would she hate you? - I have no idea.
- You don't even know each other.
- Exactly.
Good balance of flavor, rich.
It's good.
Thank you.
Hmph.
I think the langoustine is cooked perfectly.
It's very sweet.
Really yummy.
I didn't think I was gonna like it because it looks clumsy and sort of out of place.
What you haven't done is fallen flat on your face.
Sorry, Natasha, that may have come back to bite you hugely on the ass, let me tell you.
You tried, and you failed.
You're gonna have to do better than that, sweetheart.
Pure luck.
Uh, next up, Jordan.
Let's go.
- Is that two dishes you've done? - No, this is the broth-- - The cream sauce that will go with this.
- What is that? It's my interpretation kind of on a lobster bisque.
I started with shallots and some bacon.
and then I had some fingerLynng potatoes.
I threw a little bit of garnish of avocado and some fresh tomatoes.
- That is delicious.
- Thank you, chef.
It's got finesse.
The balance of the flavor is delicious.
Now that you're there, stay there.
- You got it, chef.
- Good job.
Thank you.
You've got this gorgeous, crispy bacon, perfectly cooked langoustine.
- Visually it looks beautiful.
- Thank you.
This is the best that I've had so far.
- Good job.
- Well done.
Great job.
Howard, let's go, please.
[bleep.]
.
Did you disappear into the library for half an hour? No, I did not.
What is it, please? I made a citrus salad with a champagne vinaigrette, diced mangoes, sliced grapefruit, and just put the langoustine on top.
If I just get rid of half the plate, i.
e.
the three slices of lemon, what have you been doing across the last 60 minutes? I concentrated on my vinaigrette.
I can't see any vinaigrette.
I mean, Graham Can you see any vinaigrette on there? - No, sir, I see no vinaigrette.
- Joe? This is a joke.
I don't know what to say.
You know I'm not a rabbit, and yet you serve me food that's fit for a rabbit hutch.
And you expect me to get blown away? Well, I am blown away.
I'm shocked.
In fact, I'm not gonna even eat it.
He won't even eat it? I went out and told everyone how good you were.
Absolutely.
You're in a landslide.
I know.
This is a waste of our time.
At this point, if it were up to me, I'd throw you out.
I put my ass on the Lynne for you, and that's the [bleep.]
you give me? I screwed up.
I've made two mistakes in a row.
There's a big chance I'm not gonna make it through this.
This is a waste of our time, and if it were up to me, I'd throw you out.
Howard, if you're having a tough time, and it's a meltdown, and you're a spent force I'll put you out of your misery.
Absolutely not, chef.
If that's the best you can do, then you are in the wrong kitchen.
Uh, Luca.
It's saffron fettuccine with langoustine, which I sauteed with white wine.
The langoustine is way overcooked.
What this has confirmed is that you're a one-trick pony, because take pasta away from you, you're [bleep.]
.
Next, Lynn.
Tell me what you made.
It's a poached langoustine in coconut and pine nuts over a lime beurre blanc with roasted beets and a crispy kale chip.
I like the flavor of that against the natural sweetness of the langoustine.
Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
- Next up, Kathy.
I made moro de langoustine.
I stuffed the rice with the langoustine.
I don't think this type of a dish respects the product.
This is MasterChef.
It's just a little boring.
I don't think that's how you play the game.
Next up, Sasha.
Please bring us perfection.
Voila.
First of all, it looks like someone's pooped on the plate.
- Mmm.
- What is that? That is the langoustine on top of cheese grits.
And where are the langoustine? On top of the cheese grits.
Oh, there they are there.
Sasha, you're out of your depth on that dish, - because it doesn't taste nice at all.
- Oh.
The combination is just all wrong.
I give you $50 worth of langoustine, and you give me this? What's it worth now? with the grits, I'll say 55.
This is probably worth 55c.
Mmm.
Thanks for nothing.
Jessie, let's go.
Bring me some form of redemption.
I have no idea how my langoustine's cooked on the inside.
I won't find out until they're cutting into it, and that's nerve-racking.
What is in here? What am I looking at? I did a tempura tail and some shiitake mushrooms and rainbow swiss chard to go with it.
A fried langoustine? Well, you can see-- I mean, it's perfectly coated.
Perfectly seasoned.
Really good.
- Great job.
- Thank you so much.
It's beautiful.
That, for me, is one of the best langoustines I've tasted.
Really good job.
Wow.
Jessie's definitely on my radar right now.
I'm definitely keeping an eye close to seeing What her weaknesses and strengths are.
All right, next up, Malcolm.
I see Malcolm's dish.
He has a ton of boxed pasta on there, and I see an epic fail.
What is it? I made a stuffed langoustine tail over a bed of pasta.
Does that look cooked properly? I was going for medium, but I'm not sure.
Looks a little rare to me.
Ugh.
Blech.
I've never tasted a stuffed langoustine tail.
There's certain cardinal rules, and you've just overstepped one.
Yes, chef.
There were some outstanding dishes, which is a joy.
Unfortunately, there were some absolute disasters.
When we give you the very best, we just want your very best back.
We need a moment to discuss who's gonna be leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
So frustrating, when you look at, like-- There's three top-- I mean real top dishes.
Oh, no, you didn't have the soy, it was-- - No, I had--that was Jessie.
- I had a lime beurre blanc.
Oh, all right, nice.
Well, there's three disasters.
What happened? I'd rather just not talk about it.
- Thank you.
- Play nice.
Disappointed with Howard.
I thought he would've stepped it up a little bit more there.
Look, nobody will even talk to him, look.
- Yeah, I'm going home.
- I don't think you are.
I think Howard is.
Well, at least they all tasted my food.
Nobody spit my food out.
We've got some difficult decisions.
Back to your stations, please.
Thank you.
In this elimination test, Joe, Graham, and myself thought there were two really outstanding dishes that were above and beyond their competition.
The first dish, it was beautifully cooked.
That dish belonged to Jordan.
Great job.
Young man, if you continue cooking like that, you single-handedly will take out anybody.
Thank you, chef.
But the winning dish--and this person will, like Jordan, become a team captain in your first real field challenge.
This individual took lots of risks, and it paid off.
The winning dish belongs to-- Congratulations, Jessie.
Great job.
But we come to the three worst dishes that were not just disappointing, but nowhere near the MasterChef standard.
And at least one of these home cooks will be going home shortly.
The first dish, we felt that it was lazy, underwhelming, and just a total waste of that luxury ingredient.
Please, step forward, Howard.
When Howard's name is being called, I'm extremely happy, because I hate him.
The second disastrous dish-- Please, step forward Malcolm.
And the third dish that was a total failure tonight was over the place.
It used a selection of ingredients that should never go together.
Combinations of flavors that I hope never to have to taste again.
Please step forward And the third dish that was a total failure tonight was all over the place.
Please step forward Sasha.
Guys, each and every stage of this competition, you have to cook as if your life depends on it.
That's what it's gonna take to win this competition.
Sasha, I worry that you are a one-trick pony that's just comfortable making home-cooked food.
No, chef.
Give me another chance so that you can taste what I can really do.
Malcolm, if you're gonna take langoustines and stuff them, understand what you're stuffing, because they weren't even cooked.
- Have you peaked? - No, chef.
Howard, you delivered a underwhelming, bland spinach mango salad.
Anything to say? I just over-thought it.
- Over-thought it? - No, you under-thought it.
I grabbed too much from the pantry, and started out doing too much and got overwhelmed and went too simple, and that was my product.
Malcolm, step forward.
Back on your section.
Howard and Sasha We were seriously unimpressed with both of your dishes.
But we do see a glimmer of potential, more in one of you than the other.
Sasha We believe That you Have reached the end of the road.
I'm sorry, your time is done in MasterChef.
Howard, back on your station, please.
Sasha, when you arrived in this competition, you came in with heart, and you came in with soul.
It's not the end of the road.
I shall continue to cook.
Good.
Before you go Yes.
Who's America's next MasterChef? Krissi.
- Krissi? - Yep.
Thank you.
Put your apron on your station and leave MasterChef.
I had no idea, not even a dream to make it this far, you know? And one doorknob hits you in the ass, and the other doorknob will open and let you in.
So, honey, this is not the last that you will see of Sasha Foxx.
- Next time on MasterChef - Go.
It's the first team challenge of the season Oh, gosh, this is gonna be painful.
As the home cooks serve for the toughest critics yet.
My mom cooks better.
They're children, not animals.
Start putting some meatballs on, or you're never gonna have it done.
I'm seriously about to lose my [bleep.]
.
- And then, a pressure test - This is my nightmare.
that turns ugly fast That was a bitch move.
in my neighborhood, that would get your ass kicked.
as another MasterChef hopeful sees their dream come to an end.
It's time to say good-bye.
I'm not ready to go home yet.
I want to hold on to this apron so bad.
You have to put them out of their misery.
Wwhen the judges thinned out the herd We've seen enough.
Time to go home.
Only the strongest survived.
- Congratulations.
- Yeah! - Jonny.
- It's Bri.
You've made it to the MasterChef kitchen.
Now, the best home cooks in America take their place in the MasterChef kitchen.
Oh, my goodness, this is our home now.
This is the kitchen of your dreams.
And it isn't long before sparks begin to fly.
You underestimated the wrong person.
Keep cooking.
Shut your mouth.
- She hates me.
- She hates you? Who will be the first eliminated? If that's the best you can do, I'll put you out of your misery.
It all happens right now on Ecch! This is a waste of time.
MasterChef.
Thousands of cooks have already been eliminated, and only these competitors remain in the battle to become America's next MasterChef.
Now, it's time for these top home cooks to take their place in the MasterChef kitchen.
So I'm the first to walk through and all I can see is the beautiful kitchen.
I'm thinking, "oh, my goodness, this is our home now.
" The first thing I noticed was the wine room.
I just wanted to lock myself in there for, like, a couple hours.
I'm looking at the equipment room.
Man, they got top-notch mixers, pressure cookers.
They got top-notch everything.
I want to become a great chef, and the only way I can do that is by being here in the MasterChef kitchen.
I see a restaurant.
It looks like there's a nice plushed-out V.
I.
P.
section.
'cause, you know, I'm V.
I.
P.
type of girl, so I'm familiar with those type of areas.
Let's go.
The MasterChef kitchen is insane.
It's just so picturesque.
The judges are standing there, you can see the side rooms, and anything and everything you could ever think of-- It takes your breath away.
Welcome.
This is the kitchen of your dreams.
All you need to do now is to beat every other home cook in here, and one of you will win $1/4 million.
And most importantly, you will walk away with a title that cannot be bought, can never be taken away.
It's yours forever, to become America's next MasterChef.
And to find out who that is, you need to start cooking.
Please, go to your stations.
It's time to find out who has what it takes, and who just can't cut it in the MasterChef kitchen.
Are you ready? Because it's time for your first mystery box challenge.
You'll each have to prepare, cook, and present one amazing dish using only the ingredients hidden under those boxes.
With every mystery box challenge, you'll have the use of a staple pantry box to help you make one stunning dish.
The person with the best dish will get a huge advantage in the next stage of the competition.
We will be watching your every move.
There's no faking it in here, Nowhere to hide.
On the count of three, you'll lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
Lift.
Oh, [bleep.]
.
Bacon! Simply amazing.
I'm going up, and I thought this was a joke.
I was hoping for a big nice fish, some steak.
What do I have to do with this? One tomato, some amazing bacon, handful of chocolate, and the most incredible single potato.
You need to prove to us that you can work with the basics before you move on to greater things.
As soon as I lifted up the box, I thought to myself, "like, this is so easy and so difficult at the same time.
" Your 60 minutesStarts Now.
Where are the measuring cups? - Exciting.
- It's great.
You know they all feel the heat right now.
they want to make a good impression, first mystery box.
They know that we're expecting a lot.
So, Gordon, what would your strategy be? I would take the bacon, the potato, and the tomato and do a stunning chowder, and then finish it with a really nice basil-infused oil.
- Which ingridienat is the devil in the box? - Definitely the chocolate.
The devil in the box is the ingredient these contestants should steer clear from.
Today, I'm going to be making a seasoned potato puree.
I'm gonna sun dry some tomatoes.
I'm gonna do a riff on a mole sauce as well as a spicy bacon sauce.
I want to show the competition to watch out for me, so this is the perfect opportunity to do it right away.
Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast.
I'm making a potato and bacon frittata.
I feel like I got this in the bag.
I'm hearing a lot of people making really plain-sounding breakfasts, and I'm doing mine just a little bit bigger.
I figured out my other sauce just a moment ago, so I think that'll be pretty killer, when I get that on the plate.
Mm.
Tasty.
Get creative.
Halfway, guys, let's go.
Right, Jonny, how you doing? What are you making? - Tomato and egg potato cake.
- Ugh, what's in there? Chocolate mashed potatoes.
Just trying to be creative - something different.
- Creative or stupid? I've never, ever seen chocolate and potato together.
I'm trying to present it in a different way.
- Savannah.
- Hi.
Walk me through what you have.
I'm making a spanish tortilla de patatas with a bacon-tomato marmalade.
It's simple.
Do you think it's creative enough to win this? Well, I think it's gonna look beautiful and, you know, I want the competitors to feel like I'm someone to watch out for.
- All right, Howard.
- Hello, Gordon.
- How you doing? So you're melting the chocolate directly in the pan, - coating it in bacon? - Yes, I am.
And baking a little bit of potatoes, and seeing if it works out.
Holy crap.
What's the dish? I haven't figured it out yet.
I'm working as I go, and, hopefully, it will all come together.
I'm gonna do a lemon tart with a bacon ganache and then do a whipped cream on top with vanilla.
Everyone's competition here for me, but Kathy and Krissi are the biggest talkers here.
They don't know what they're doing, and they should just go home.
- Hello, Krissi.
What have you got for us? - Hello, boys.
- I made a frittata.
- It's pretty simple.
I make this for my kid all the time--he loves it.
- You have a big personality.
- I do.
How does that come across with your fellow contestants in the kitchen? Do you think some people like you and some people hate you? Oh, Howard, Natasha, they hate me.
- Are they afraid of you? - I think so.
Start visualizing that dish.
Think of your presentation.
Come on.
I'm making a potato hash with a poached egg over the top with a little bit of gremolata on the side.
Trying to make sure I get it all done in time.
Just over five minutes to go.
Time is what's kilLynng me right now.
Start thinking of plating, finishing your dishes, and making something incredible out of that mystery box.
Some amazing stuff out there.
Yeah, some tasty, tasty dishes.
Natasha's tart, though, you should see the pastry! - I mean, beautiful.
- Yeah.
Bethy, she's already made gnocchi and bread.
Wow.
On the other hand, I am seeing - some disastrous combinations.
- Really? - A chocolate mash.
- Right.
Chocolate-coated bacon.
Trust me, that is not the way to get yourself noticed in this competition.
- 60 seconds to go.
- Finishing touches, guys.
This challenge can be won or lost in the last 30 seconds.
Presentation is key.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, Five, four, three, two, one and stop.
Let's go.
Move.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Well done.
In this year's first challenge in the MasterChef kitchen, our home cooks were given the most basic mystery box ever to create one stunning dish.
After observing and sampLynng throughout the challenge, the judges now take one final look to identify three standout dishes.
There are three dishes that looked amazing, tasted incredible, but really stood out.
One of these three cooks will be the winner, and that comes with an amazing advantage in the next stage of the competition.
The first dish that we would like to look at again That dish belongs to Bime.
Great job.
Yes! Whoo! That bell has rung, and I'm coming at you, and you better have your guard up, because if not, pbbbt, I'm knocking out the competition.
Explain the dish, please.
A poached egg over potato hash with a tomato and basil salsa with a gremolata on the side.
So the secret of this is to slice through the egg, - and you wenriching the potatoes? - Yes.
Let's just see if you poached the egg perfectly.
Wow, I mean that is absolutely sublime.
The dish has got finesse.
It's seasoned beautifully.
- Great start.
- Thank you, chef.
Well done.
Thank you.
There's acidity, there's sweetness from the caramelization on the potato, the smokiness with the bacon I'm very excited.
Thank you, chef.
You know, this dish smells a little bit like a fake to me.
You're a boxing coach from Eastern Massachusetts? Where did you experience food like this before? - I haven't.
- You saw it in a book? Where'd you come up with this? Truthfully, yeah, I go through books, and I just look at pictures and get ideas for plating.
Does this represent you on a plate, or are you trying to deceive us? It represents where I want to be as a chef.
- Where you heading looks good.
- Thank you, chef.
I just hope, now that you throw up a big flare like this, that you can walk the walk.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
Great start.
- Thank you, chef.
All right, the second person that made it into the top three, they cooked a delicious, scrumptious dessert.
It looked like any dessert that you'd find in our restaurants.
That dish belongs to Natasha.
Well done.
Of course I'm proud of myself.
I'm not here to just look pretty on camera and chop some basil.
Like, I'm here to be better than everyone.
Hi.
How are you? I'm awesome.
At some point, maybe I'll go up to her and say, "look, I know we have our differences, but good job.
" But I probably won't because I can't stand her.
Tell me exactly what's in it.
A lemon curd pie tart with a chocolate ganache incorporated with bacon fat, with a meringue.
A lot of finesse.
Great flavors.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
The technical ability of rendering the bacon fat, putting that together with the cocoa fat and not allowing it to break is actually quite rare, let me tell you.
It's layer upon layer upon layer, which is the sign of a great technician.
I can't wait to see what you've got in the next rounds.
This dish you could buy at a patisserie in Paris, or at a three-star restaurant in New York.
I'm thinking, what is the message to us? You're saying, "well, I'm Natasha.
I'm serious.
I'm here to win.
" And turn around--you know what you're saying to the rest of them? "Kiss my ass.
" Okay, the third dish was seasoned to perfection.
Three people made frittatas, but this one frittata was as good as my mother's.
And that dish belonged to - Krissi.
- Damn it! Come on up.
I am shocked to hear that Krissi's name was called.
Anyone can do a frittata.
Explain the dish, please.
It's a bacon-potato frittata and a tomato basil salad.
It's--it's delicious.
Here's the thing, you know, a couple dollars of ingredients turned into something magical, done with absolute honesty, because that's what it is on that plate.
You're one to watch, let me tell you.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
At times, in a competition like this, we don't always get full-flavored seasoning because people are afraid.
You come out of the box with that type of aggressive seasoning and flavors, it's telLynng me that you're a confident cook, and you're gonna cook us food that we're gonna want to eat.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
- Its tough this one.
- Yeah.
Three stunning dishes.
Bime's finesse This top three don't mean nothing.
The only thing that means something to me is winning the challenge.
The technical ability, in my mind, is Natasha.
I just basically know that I've already got it.
I have a smirk on my face.
I'm already ready to walk up to that podium.
Krissi's food was extremely yummy.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely want the advantage, but I definitely want to beat Natasha.
Three amazing dishes, but only one can be the winner.
The most outstanding dish today in your first mystery box challenge-- Congratulations goes to Three amazing dishes, but only one can be the winner.
The most outstanding dish today in your first Mystery box challenge-- The cook that, right now, Is the cook to beat-- Congratulations goes to - Well done, Natasha.
Great job.
- Whoo! Really good job.
I'm excited and I'm happy.
I'm winning, so these people need to watch out.
Amazing.
Let her have her moment, because I don't think it's gonna last very long.
For winning today's mystery box, you get to come into The MasterChef pantry and find out your huge advantage.
- Are you ready? - Yes, sir.
Let's go.
Well done.
That's the last person I thought it would be.
Yeah.
As the winner of the mystery box challenge, Natasha is the first home cook to enter the MasterChef pantry.
Here, she is in control of the first elimination test.
Walking into the pantry, I'm astonished.
There's pretty much everything and anything you need.
Oh, my gosh.
Natasha now gets to choose the style of food or the dish that everyone must cook.
The one thing she can't control is the theme of the challenge.
That is in the hands of the judges.
Welcome to the most amazing MasterChef pantry.
This is the place where one home cook gets the chance to be in control of everybody else's destiny.
Make the right decisions in here, and you could be sending your toughest competitors home.
Now, in the mystery box challenge, We gave you the most basic of ingredients.
but a true MasterChef knows how to handle the most refined ingredients.
Natasha, are you ready to see what you have to choose from? I'm absolutely ready.
This staple of european cuisine-- One of the finest seafood ingredients that money can buy.
Langoustine.
At an upscale restaurant, you could pay upwards of $50 for a dish of langoustines.
Even more.
How about another protein that's always on the menu at the world's finest restaurants? The first-cut veal chop.
This is a chef's dream.
But, Natasha, I think I've got something under here Even more high-end and beautiful than those two.
It's unique.
It's so special it's only allowed to be produced by five farms in the entire world.
- Wow.
- In the hands of the wrong cook out there, this could be a disaster.
You have the most amazing Stunning, Stilton blue cheese.
This amount is worth about $1,000.
- Wow.
- So, Natasha, are you confident that you would be able to cook something amazing with one of these ingredients? Not all of them, no.
Well, fortunately, for you, you do not have to.
You will not be cooking in this elimination challenge.
Wow.
Wow! So now you get to pick which ingredient all of your fellow competitors will be cooking with.
- Okay.
- Who do you want to send home? Krissi.
Is she competition? She is.
She is competition, definitely.
She knows food.
She's definitely a threat.
In my mind I'm running, "what is gonna get her out of this competition? What is gonna be her failure point?" Which of these ingredients do you choose for your fellow competitors? I choose Up you go, Natasha.
Make yourself comfortable.
That's right, everybody, because Natasha won the mystery box challenge, she is safe from elimination tonight.
Natasha's second advantage was picking which ingredient all of you will be cooking with today.
but she has a third advantage that even she doesn't know yet.
Natasha, you now get to choose one more person to join you up there in the gallery OhWow.
and be safe from elimination.
If Natasha was smart, she'd pick somebody really weak that she knows she can knock out later, and leave the strongest contenders on the ground.
She's not gonna pick me.
I don't feel she's gonna choose me, because she knows I'm a competitor.
She won't be choosing Jessie.
She will not be choosing Lynn.
She wants to put us on the floor to see if we can burn ourselves down.
Who is gonna be joining you and safe from elimination today? I'm gonna I'm gonna pick Savannah.
Wow.
Savannah, you look surprised.
Yeah, I'm surprised, but I'm very happy, thank you.
You're now safe from elimination.
I chose Savannah because, in a competition to come, I'll be able to take her out.
We started out today with basic ingredients, and now, we are going to challenge you with ingredients that are much harder to work with.
Natasha chose the most amazing, stunning, beautiful Langoustine.
And for at least one of you, This langoustine will be your undoing.
I don't know what it is.
I've never seen it.
I don't even know what he said at first.
I was like, "what? A lou? A who?" I'm, like, overjoyed.
I've had langoustine a couple of times.
It's delicate.
It's easy to overcook.
You know, I'm looking around at everyone, like, staring at it, like, "oh, it's a giant shrimp.
" And I'm just, like You're all gonna [bleep.]
this up.
When this challenge is over, at least one of you will be leaving the competition for good.
Now.
Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.
As Natasha and Savannah enjoy the safety of the MasterChef lounge, the remaining home cooks must now choose the ingredients to make one stunning langoustine dish.
Go, go, go.
At the end of this challenge, at least one home cook will be sent home.
I'm sorry.
I spent three years in the army, and all we would do is talk about what we were gonna do when we got home.
And what I want to do is try to win this competition.
Jordan, you got enough in there? Right now, we're testing them like we've never tested these contestants before.
Day one in the kitchen, we've gone from a humble potato to one of the most luxurious items anywhere.
- Right.
- Well, someone has to be able to show us the range, from simple to super complex.
This is wrought with difficulty because you can overcook it.
And once you overcook it, it's inedible.
Hey, Luca, what do you got? I'm making, ah, fettuccine with saffron and langoustine, which I cooked with some brandy, white wine, cherry tomatoes, garlic.
So another pasta from you.
Is that all we're gonna get is Italian food? Last time it was frittata.
Frittata, which is Italian.
Absolutely.
Pasta is Italian.
Who's going home with the langoustine today? I heard Malcolm, that he was a little bit scared.
I am making a langoustine mac and cheese.
He's a little scary looking, but I know the flavor's gonna be there.
I make lobster mac and cheese all the time.
As long as I can nail this langoustine, I should be fine.
All right, Howard, on a scale of one to ten, - how confident are you? - I'm about a nine.
Wow, I like that.
What are you doing? I poached the shellfish, and I made a fruit champagne vinaigrette.
- Strawberries in there as well? - I did, yes.
When was the last time you saw strawberries and langoustine? I never have.
somebody's going home.
- Definitely not be me.
- Who is it? I think it's gonna be mac and cheese girl over here.
- Mac and cheese girl? - Yeah, definitely.
I don't think mac and cheese and shellfish would go well together at all.
But strawberries definitely go with it.
I honestly have never instantly hated someone so much, and he's just an epic fail at cooking.
I can't wait until you go home, Howard.
Let's go.
Start thinking execution, presentation.
At the end of this first elimination challenge, at least one home cook will leave the MasterChef kitchen.
Come on, come on.
Today, I'm gonna be making kind of a deconstructed chowder with langoustine, and I'm gonna throw some fruit in there for a nice balance of acid.
And the cream sauce's base is gonna be basil and some vanilla bean.
I gotta reestablish myself here in this competition.
- Kathy? - Yeah.
Yeah, she poached it, and now she's putting it in a stew.
They're gonna be so tough.
Watch out for the underdog, boo.
You underestimated the wrong person.
Well, that's why I'm up here and you're down there.
It's all good, though.
whoo-ee! The next time I'll be up there, and your ass will be down here.
It's getting spicy over here.
It's all good.
I ain't afraid of her.
You should probably keep cooking and shut your mouth.
Start making sure your langoustines are the hero.
- Sasha - Yes, chef.
- What's going on? - Well, honey, I'm gonna keep this southern and traditional with some cheese grits.
Cheese grits with langoustines? Yes, honey.
You ain't never had lobster and grits before? Langoustine is very, very delicate.
You sure you want to put cheese on it? It's gonna work out.
Trust me, darLynng.
I'm so sorry.
All right, Jessie, what are you doing? I'm doing the tails right now.
- You're frying the tails, right? - Yep.
I'm just doing a little tempura batter.
I spiced it up with some cayenne in there.
You're from Georgia and you never cook - with langoustines before? - No, sir.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? No, it's not gonna be me.
I made my version of a stuffed shrimp.
You know, I've never cooked with this, but it kind of looks like shrimp, so I hope I didn't over-mask the langoustine with the bold flavors that I put in it.
Tastes good to me, so it's all in the judges' hands now.
All right, what are your predictions now? - Jessie's dishis sound delicious.
- Yeah.
Really delicious.
She's cooking really beautifully.
And the way she fried those tails was amazing.
I think that one of the best is Jordan.
The flavors he's working with are really delicious, so I'm hoping that he can pull it off.
And Sasha massacred the langoustines.
- Right.
- They're, like, basically ground shrimp meat.
Do not let these last few seconds of plating bring you down.
One dish to keep you in the competition.
Let's go, guys, come on.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Stand back, hands up.
Well done.
Let's see how you did.
Okay, Krissi.
A mac and cheese is not creative.
That's simple.
That's easy.
I don't think she can think outside of the box.
Tell me about the dish.
I've made a langoustine mac and cheese.
Why do you think Natasha picked langoustine? To trip us up.
Especially me.
- Why? - Because she hates me.
- She hates you? - Oh, absolutely.
- Why would she hate you? - I have no idea.
- You don't even know each other.
- Exactly.
Good balance of flavor, rich.
It's good.
Thank you.
Hmph.
I think the langoustine is cooked perfectly.
It's very sweet.
Really yummy.
I didn't think I was gonna like it because it looks clumsy and sort of out of place.
What you haven't done is fallen flat on your face.
Sorry, Natasha, that may have come back to bite you hugely on the ass, let me tell you.
You tried, and you failed.
You're gonna have to do better than that, sweetheart.
Pure luck.
Uh, next up, Jordan.
Let's go.
- Is that two dishes you've done? - No, this is the broth-- - The cream sauce that will go with this.
- What is that? It's my interpretation kind of on a lobster bisque.
I started with shallots and some bacon.
and then I had some fingerLynng potatoes.
I threw a little bit of garnish of avocado and some fresh tomatoes.
- That is delicious.
- Thank you, chef.
It's got finesse.
The balance of the flavor is delicious.
Now that you're there, stay there.
- You got it, chef.
- Good job.
Thank you.
You've got this gorgeous, crispy bacon, perfectly cooked langoustine.
- Visually it looks beautiful.
- Thank you.
This is the best that I've had so far.
- Good job.
- Well done.
Great job.
Howard, let's go, please.
[bleep.]
.
Did you disappear into the library for half an hour? No, I did not.
What is it, please? I made a citrus salad with a champagne vinaigrette, diced mangoes, sliced grapefruit, and just put the langoustine on top.
If I just get rid of half the plate, i.
e.
the three slices of lemon, what have you been doing across the last 60 minutes? I concentrated on my vinaigrette.
I can't see any vinaigrette.
I mean, Graham Can you see any vinaigrette on there? - No, sir, I see no vinaigrette.
- Joe? This is a joke.
I don't know what to say.
You know I'm not a rabbit, and yet you serve me food that's fit for a rabbit hutch.
And you expect me to get blown away? Well, I am blown away.
I'm shocked.
In fact, I'm not gonna even eat it.
He won't even eat it? I went out and told everyone how good you were.
Absolutely.
You're in a landslide.
I know.
This is a waste of our time.
At this point, if it were up to me, I'd throw you out.
I put my ass on the Lynne for you, and that's the [bleep.]
you give me? I screwed up.
I've made two mistakes in a row.
There's a big chance I'm not gonna make it through this.
This is a waste of our time, and if it were up to me, I'd throw you out.
Howard, if you're having a tough time, and it's a meltdown, and you're a spent force I'll put you out of your misery.
Absolutely not, chef.
If that's the best you can do, then you are in the wrong kitchen.
Uh, Luca.
It's saffron fettuccine with langoustine, which I sauteed with white wine.
The langoustine is way overcooked.
What this has confirmed is that you're a one-trick pony, because take pasta away from you, you're [bleep.]
.
Next, Lynn.
Tell me what you made.
It's a poached langoustine in coconut and pine nuts over a lime beurre blanc with roasted beets and a crispy kale chip.
I like the flavor of that against the natural sweetness of the langoustine.
Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
- Next up, Kathy.
I made moro de langoustine.
I stuffed the rice with the langoustine.
I don't think this type of a dish respects the product.
This is MasterChef.
It's just a little boring.
I don't think that's how you play the game.
Next up, Sasha.
Please bring us perfection.
Voila.
First of all, it looks like someone's pooped on the plate.
- Mmm.
- What is that? That is the langoustine on top of cheese grits.
And where are the langoustine? On top of the cheese grits.
Oh, there they are there.
Sasha, you're out of your depth on that dish, - because it doesn't taste nice at all.
- Oh.
The combination is just all wrong.
I give you $50 worth of langoustine, and you give me this? What's it worth now? with the grits, I'll say 55.
This is probably worth 55c.
Mmm.
Thanks for nothing.
Jessie, let's go.
Bring me some form of redemption.
I have no idea how my langoustine's cooked on the inside.
I won't find out until they're cutting into it, and that's nerve-racking.
What is in here? What am I looking at? I did a tempura tail and some shiitake mushrooms and rainbow swiss chard to go with it.
A fried langoustine? Well, you can see-- I mean, it's perfectly coated.
Perfectly seasoned.
Really good.
- Great job.
- Thank you so much.
It's beautiful.
That, for me, is one of the best langoustines I've tasted.
Really good job.
Wow.
Jessie's definitely on my radar right now.
I'm definitely keeping an eye close to seeing What her weaknesses and strengths are.
All right, next up, Malcolm.
I see Malcolm's dish.
He has a ton of boxed pasta on there, and I see an epic fail.
What is it? I made a stuffed langoustine tail over a bed of pasta.
Does that look cooked properly? I was going for medium, but I'm not sure.
Looks a little rare to me.
Ugh.
Blech.
I've never tasted a stuffed langoustine tail.
There's certain cardinal rules, and you've just overstepped one.
Yes, chef.
There were some outstanding dishes, which is a joy.
Unfortunately, there were some absolute disasters.
When we give you the very best, we just want your very best back.
We need a moment to discuss who's gonna be leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
So frustrating, when you look at, like-- There's three top-- I mean real top dishes.
Oh, no, you didn't have the soy, it was-- - No, I had--that was Jessie.
- I had a lime beurre blanc.
Oh, all right, nice.
Well, there's three disasters.
What happened? I'd rather just not talk about it.
- Thank you.
- Play nice.
Disappointed with Howard.
I thought he would've stepped it up a little bit more there.
Look, nobody will even talk to him, look.
- Yeah, I'm going home.
- I don't think you are.
I think Howard is.
Well, at least they all tasted my food.
Nobody spit my food out.
We've got some difficult decisions.
Back to your stations, please.
Thank you.
In this elimination test, Joe, Graham, and myself thought there were two really outstanding dishes that were above and beyond their competition.
The first dish, it was beautifully cooked.
That dish belonged to Jordan.
Great job.
Young man, if you continue cooking like that, you single-handedly will take out anybody.
Thank you, chef.
But the winning dish--and this person will, like Jordan, become a team captain in your first real field challenge.
This individual took lots of risks, and it paid off.
The winning dish belongs to-- Congratulations, Jessie.
Great job.
But we come to the three worst dishes that were not just disappointing, but nowhere near the MasterChef standard.
And at least one of these home cooks will be going home shortly.
The first dish, we felt that it was lazy, underwhelming, and just a total waste of that luxury ingredient.
Please, step forward, Howard.
When Howard's name is being called, I'm extremely happy, because I hate him.
The second disastrous dish-- Please, step forward Malcolm.
And the third dish that was a total failure tonight was over the place.
It used a selection of ingredients that should never go together.
Combinations of flavors that I hope never to have to taste again.
Please step forward And the third dish that was a total failure tonight was all over the place.
Please step forward Sasha.
Guys, each and every stage of this competition, you have to cook as if your life depends on it.
That's what it's gonna take to win this competition.
Sasha, I worry that you are a one-trick pony that's just comfortable making home-cooked food.
No, chef.
Give me another chance so that you can taste what I can really do.
Malcolm, if you're gonna take langoustines and stuff them, understand what you're stuffing, because they weren't even cooked.
- Have you peaked? - No, chef.
Howard, you delivered a underwhelming, bland spinach mango salad.
Anything to say? I just over-thought it.
- Over-thought it? - No, you under-thought it.
I grabbed too much from the pantry, and started out doing too much and got overwhelmed and went too simple, and that was my product.
Malcolm, step forward.
Back on your section.
Howard and Sasha We were seriously unimpressed with both of your dishes.
But we do see a glimmer of potential, more in one of you than the other.
Sasha We believe That you Have reached the end of the road.
I'm sorry, your time is done in MasterChef.
Howard, back on your station, please.
Sasha, when you arrived in this competition, you came in with heart, and you came in with soul.
It's not the end of the road.
I shall continue to cook.
Good.
Before you go Yes.
Who's America's next MasterChef? Krissi.
- Krissi? - Yep.
Thank you.
Put your apron on your station and leave MasterChef.
I had no idea, not even a dream to make it this far, you know? And one doorknob hits you in the ass, and the other doorknob will open and let you in.
So, honey, this is not the last that you will see of Sasha Foxx.
- Next time on MasterChef - Go.
It's the first team challenge of the season Oh, gosh, this is gonna be painful.
As the home cooks serve for the toughest critics yet.
My mom cooks better.
They're children, not animals.
Start putting some meatballs on, or you're never gonna have it done.
I'm seriously about to lose my [bleep.]
.
- And then, a pressure test - This is my nightmare.
that turns ugly fast That was a bitch move.
in my neighborhood, that would get your ass kicked.
as another MasterChef hopeful sees their dream come to an end.
It's time to say good-bye.
I'm not ready to go home yet.