Masterchef (2010) s04e15 Episode Script
Top 9 Compete
Previously on MasterChef A point break team challenge had the home cooks feed 101 hungry surfers.
All right, hands on deck! But it wasn't long before there was a major wipeout.
We need more fish.
It's fish tacos, for god's sake.
And when Krissi found herself on the losing team once again Blue team! things got heated in the pressure test.
I am so sick and tired of you bitching about everything.
You better shut the [bleep.]
up Really? What're you gonna do? Or I'm gonna knock you the [bleep.]
out.
- Good.
- I'm done.
- In the end - Your time is done.
Savannah was sent home.
Tonight This one you're gonna love.
A mystery box challenge throws the home cooks off-balance.
I never made sausage before.
As the top nine begin targeting their biggest competition I gotta knock some people out.
How do you break this girl? She's gonna have to go.
I am here to destroy you.
And one more MasterChef hopeful is eliminated.
You have reached the end of the road.
Let's go! I made history today.
I'm the first Italian who made it in the top nine of MasterChef USA.
Best day of my life so far.
Walking into the MasterChef kitchen, I notice a huge box at the front.
Automatically, I'm thinking, like, it's some type of alligator, some type of big snake.
At this point, I'm getting extremely nervous.
Welcome back, everyone.
There are just nine of you left.
One of you will be America's next MasterChef.
We'll see who has the edge right now in your next mystery box challenge.
This one you're gonna love.
It's time to find out what's under your boxes.
On the count of three, please lift your mystery boxes.
One Two Three.
Lift.
Oh Yeah.
A delicious sausage machine.
Excited? - Yes.
- Yes, chef.
A meat grinder.
Hell yeah.
This is gonna be badass.
Who doesn't like sausages? I'll tell you who.
Bad people.
You will use it to make your own incredible sausage with All of this.
So the judges lift up the giant box that they have in front of them, and it is a long line of meat.
And then I see that there's full vegetarian proteins there, and I'm excited now.
So I just see all these different meats, and I just light up, because one thing that Eddie loves, Eddie loves meat.
You know, I'm the meat man.
Besides this meat, you'll have use of a limited pantry full of herbs, spices, produce, and other items you can use to make your spectacular sausage dishes.
You have 60 minutes to make your own homemade sausage and then feature it in one incredible entree.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Good luck.
Like a pack of wild dogs.
This is a meat festival, baby.
I mean, there's everything you could imagine, from alligator to wild boar ground, chunk Tons of different bacon.
But I'm going straight to the king of sausage.
Definitely pork today.
So, sausages.
Gordon, what would you do? I'd go for a delicious pork and sage sausage with a granny smith apple grated finely through there, and then serve that like a traditional bangers and mash.
I'd actually go very similar.
I'd probably do a little more veal mixed with that pork for fat.
Some roasted apple, caramelized onion, spicy mustard with it, just keeping it very simple, kind of midwestern style.
Oh, yeah.
- Right, Natasha.
- Hi, chef.
- How you doing? - Good.
So what's the dish? I'm gonna kind of do a play on breakfast.
Two eggs, I'm gonna have, like, a hash with it, and then do a chicken, apple, and bacon sausage.
Right.
So it's not forgiving.
I mean, chicken is very lean, hardly any fat.
It's gonna go absolutely solid and firm So how are you balancing that up? What are you putting in there? I'm gonna be adding a little bit of cheese as well in there, some mozzarella cheese with it.
So we'll see - Yeah.
Okay.
Good luck.
- Thank you.
I am doing a traditional sausage, one you would buy at a baseball game, with hickory bacon and wild boar.
Hands down, this is something that would be on the menu of a bed and breakfast if I end up having one one day.
I'm doing kind of my take on a midwestern bratwurst with some homemade kraut, some beer cheese soup.
The main component is well on its way.
This is my roots.
This is who I am.
- Bri.
- Hello.
So what's in the veggie sausage? It's actually seitan.
I wound up not using the tempeh, so I think it's a really courageous thing.
I mean, you know, you're not going the easy route, You're not going the meat option, and, you know, you're making something out of the box, so Yeah.
I'm thinking that this is this is gonna be a good one.
I'm really excited.
I'm just hoping that I have enough time for all my flavors to come together, so - Good luck, Bri.
- Good luck.
Thank you.
- How are you doing? - Good, chef.
What are you doing? I got a pork sausage going with braised cabbage, apple chutney.
Here, I'm just gently poaching it, just a little bit.
Wow.
Okay, great.
And then after, are you taking it out, are you frying it? I think I'm gonna just pan-sear it, Just to get it a little crispy.
- That tastes delicious.
- Thank you.
- Poach it, don't boil it.
- Yup.
Krissi, that's a nice sausage.
What do you got in there? Thanks.
I have pork, fatback, salt, sugar, a little hot pepper seed, some rosemary You make sausage at home? Yeah, this is my go-to Italian sausage recipe.
This is another challenge tailor-made for you.
Look at that smile.
I love when you cook happy.
Enough of the angry thing.
I love it.
I like being angry.
Ah They exploded.
Interesting, huh? Wow, yeah, very interesting.
Lot of different things going on out there.
- It smells incredible.
- It does.
Spices and aromas Poaching liquor Natasha's look beautiful from here.
For a chicken sausage? Very difficult.
Eddie's is looking incredible.
Right now, for me, that man is born to grill.
Honestly, he has that natural connect with protein.
- Krissi's in the zone.
- Is she? She's using very, very traditional Philly Italian flavors.
Every time we give her a home-style challenge, - she rises to the top.
- Right, absolutely.
She's never won a mystery box yet, though.
Just coming up now, two minutes to go! Sausages should be relaxing, garnish should be ready, You should be plating your dish.
Let's go, guys, come on! Think about your presentation.
The sausage has to be the hero.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop! - Hands up! - Hands in the air.
Let's go, guys, come on! The sausage has to be the hero.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop! - Hands up! - Hands in the air! Let's go.
After observing and tasting throughout the challenge, the judges now take one final look to identify three standout dishes.
The winner of this challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
Incredible.
Nine different exciting ways of cooking sausage.
Incredible.
There were three outstanding deliveries in terms of the sausage being the hero.
The first dish that we want to dissect This individual smartly combined different proteins in their sausage.
Great seasoning.
The blend was absolutely spot-on.
Congratulations.
Please, step forward Natasha.
Natasha, what is this? Basically, I did a spin-off on breakfast.
I did a chicken, bacon, apple, and mozzarella sausage.
Why breakfast? I think just the simplicity in a beautiful breakfast and a sausage is a way to go and I didn't think anyone else would think of it.
What else is in that sausage? So, there's red chili flakes, a little bit of sriracha for some heat, oregano, rosemary.
How'd you stop that chicken from going dry? I just kinda watched the temperature as I was cooking it.
I added the cheese in there too to add a little bit of moisture as well, and I did it over the pan and finished it just a couple minutes in the oven.
It's delicious.
I mean, absolutely delicious.
It's a posh breakfast.
- Really good job.
- Thank you.
- Seasoned beautifully.
- Thank you.
The level of spice is really great.
Good texture, great flavor.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
For people out there who think this might've been too simple, you are wrong, because this is very smart plate.
The chicken's really well-seasoned.
You incorporated a lot of complex flavors the onions are delicious, and this sausage it's a winner.
Smart.
- Good job.
Thank you.
- Thanks.
Really good.
So the second dish that we'd like to examine further was put together by a home cook that definitely knows their way around meats and proteins.
Their dish was plated beautifully, and this person is step by step becoming a real contender for the title of MasterChef.
Please, step forward Eddie.
Eddie's climbing up the ladder, and the judges are recognizing him day after day.
My pistol's pointed at Eddie now, so when the time comes, I'll pull the trigger and we'll get rid of him.
What's going on, brother? Describe to me what we have here.
Pork sausage link with braised purple cabbage and apple chutney.
I used pork shoulder, bacon, brown sugar, smoked paprika, Onion powder, a little worcestershire sauce.
You've got the meaty flavor from that pork shoulder, some spices.
The sweetness from the brown sugar, earthiness from the cabbage, and then that apple that just makes it all come together.
This is a stellar dish.
- Great job.
- Thank you very much.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
You are starting to seriously shine, because it's seasoned beautifully.
It's garnished lovely, and that, for me, is the kind of dish that I could see in my gastropub 'cause it is that delicious.
- Thank you very much.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Wow.
The third and final dish we want to taste is from a home cook that put together something Really ambitious as far as an evolved dish is concerned.
They took traditional comfort food and elevated it to really be a restaurant dish, something I could put on my menu right away.
This person has never won a mystery box.
Please, step forward Krissi.
I think that Krissi is a good home cook, but because she has such a negative attitude, I don't think that Krissi is ready at all to be a MasterChef.
What's this dish? Tthis is Italian sausage and peppers with some parmesan and polenta.
Polenta's delicious, The broth is an excellent idea.
Very, very good.
Thank you.
Peppers, classic.
Simple, but elevated.
And I think that with this kind of plating, you're formidable.
Thank you.
First of all, it's nice to see you put food on a plate with finesse.
And when you put food on a plate like that, it now confirms in my mind that you're taking this competition more serious than everybody standing behind you.
It's delicious.
Polenta, sauce, broth, peppers, sausage.
But it's spicy.
The only thing you want to do is continue eating it.
That's your best performance so far in this competition.
- It tastes amazing.
- Thank you.
Good job.
Um, there were three stunning dishes tonight.
The winner of this mystery box challenge comes with a huge advantage that, right now, is pivotal at this stage.
Only one of you can be the winner.
You know, it seems like everybody's dish was spot-on, so at this point I really, you know, can't tell which way they're gonna go.
The person who will receive a huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge I'm confident that my dish is gonna be a winner.
Hopefully I'm gonna win this mystery box for the second time.
For the person who cooked the best sausage dish I would love to win a mystery box.
I gotta knock some people out, and this is gonna be the way to do it.
Congratulations So there were three stunning dishes tonight.
Only one of you can be the winner.
The person who will receive a huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge For the person who cooked the best sausage dish Congratulations It's this person's second mystery box win.
That dish belongs to Eddie.
Phenomenal.
Really good.
Uh, phenomenal.
Are you ready to receive this huge advantage? Without a doubt.
Let's go.
Great job.
Well done.
Uh, amazing.
Congratulations.
- Thanks.
- Well done.
Good job.
Welcome.
The winner of the mystery box is now in control of the elimination test, where at least one person will leave the competition.
Under these three cloths are some of our favorite ingredients that we use in our restaurants all the time.
Okay, Eddie, the first ingredient is a meat enjoyed by people all over the world.
Ham.
Oh, yeah.
Here we have beautiful iberico ham, serrano ham, and a spiral of cut ham.
The second ingredient is wild and wonderful.
It is the delicious Fungus.
- Mushrooms.
- That's right.
The most amazing, incredible, wild musooms.
You have black trumpet mushrooms, Maitake mushrooms, and beautiful oregon hedgehog mushrooms.
The third and final ingredient for you consideration, Eddie, is something unique.
It is the most amazing - Oh - Shrimp.
Santa barbara spot prawns, We also have tiger prawn, and then one of the most popular anywhere in the world, delicious rock shrimp.
For your first advantage, you do not have to cook in this challenge, so you are safe from elimination.
So for your next advantage, you get to choose which one of these incredible three ingredients your fellow competitors will have to cook tonight.
What ingredient are you going to choose? Without a doubt, I'm gonna choose the mushrooms.
- Smart.
- Great.
Traditionally, mushrooms are put on a plate for a topping or sometimes folded into a sauce.
Rarely do you see a mushroom as being the star of the dish, so that's what's gonna help me get rid of some people today.
Now, not all of your fellow competitors will have the opportunity to cook with these amazing, delicious, wild mushrooms.
You are gonna force half of those home cooks out there to cook instead with these canned mushrooms.
Cheaper than the fresh, nowhere near as glamorous, and much more difficult to elevate into a restaurant-quality dish.
So they're sort of processed.
Ah, spongy.
Yeah, not nice.
These, compared to these, seriously? The difference is night and day.
This right now is a huge, huge game-changing advantage.
Their fate rests in your hands.
I'm an ex-NFL player, so I came here to compete and I came here to win.
I have my target on Jessie, James, and Jordan.
I've taken their weaknesses and their strengths and placed the products accordingly, so I think that my strategy is gonna pan out perfect.
Eddie will not be cooking tonight, but he did play a pivotal role in deciding what you all have to cook.
And at least one of you will be leaving this competition tonight.
Okay, back in the pantry, Eddie chose the star ingredient that you will all be cooking with tonight.
The most amazing - Mushrooms.
- Mushrooms! But it's not going to be that simple.
Eddie selected that four of you out of the eight cooking tonight will be using these amazing, exquisite, delicious selection of wild mushrooms, and the other half of you will have to cook with These.
That's right.
Mushrooms out of a can.
Strategically i got imagine Eddie would give me canned mushrooms because I know for a fact he sees me as competition.
Each and every pick, he used a lot of strategy.
Eddie having an advantage worries me, because he knows I'm one of the best cooks in the competition, and canned mushrooms are disgusting.
No one wants to work with that.
Everybody ready? - Ready - Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Quick.
Go and find out what surprise Eddie has left for you.
Really? - Yes.
- Really? Okay.
Fresh? [bleep.]
.
- What are these, oysters? - No.
Oyster? Yeah.
These are oyster, right? These are oyster, so I'll need oysters.
The fact that Eddie gave me these beautiful, fresh mushrooms is an advantage for me today.
I'm gonna dance the dance and make a little romance with these mushrooms.
So Eddie, thank you.
Wow.
Jordan and James, you know, they feel safe because I gave them fresh mushrooms, But please, I want you to feel safe.
I'm banking on both of them just doing too much and forgetting the key factor, which is the mushrooms has to be the star of the dish.
These are beautiful-ass mushrooms, so it's kinda hard to [bleep.]
'em up.
I'm not excited about the canned mushroom.
I can't stand them, but Oh, well.
Jessie, she's used to working on expensive yachts, Probably never even seen canned mushrooms.
Definitely want to try and trip Jessie up.
Tough one, this one.
I think mushrooms are a very, very good pick from Eddie.
It's the one where you really have to cook and Bring that flavor out of 'em.
Yeah, but he's going straight for his biggest competition.
Who do you think Eddie really wants out of here? I think he's having a mind competition with Jordan.
By giving Jordan the fresh mushrooms, these very delicate, unforgiving fresh mushrooms, would be like dealing him a card that he could overplay it.
Trip himself up.
Jordan's the kind of guy who could trip himself up and fall flat on his face.
So I'm gonna basically do a mushroom cream sauce, and I'm gonna do mushroom ravioli.
I have never cooked with canned mushrooms until now.
But you know what? Like, this is a competition.
You're gonna be thrown whatever's given to you, so I'm okay.
I'm happy with it.
- Bethy, how we doing? - Good.
What's going on with this? Tell me where you're going.
I am making szechuan.
Szechuan.
Szechuan with fresh wild mushrooms, homemade noodles, and I really want my the mushrooms to star.
For the sauce, what are you using? I had szechuan, lemongrass, ginger, pepper, garlic, and onion.
Are you gonna balance it with anything? Do you have a little maple, or In the pantry, I forgot any form of sugar.
Really? I forgot to grab sugar from the pantry, and without that element, there is a definite flavor that's missing.
That's my one ingredient that I'm it's killing me that I don't have.
I really, desperately need sugar right now, and I'm hoping that someone will just loan me just even a little.
Does anybody have sugar? No, sorry.
I would give it to you if I had it.
Do you have sugar? James, do you have any sugar? Sugar? I don't.
I'm gonna go ask people.
Do you have sugar? I would give it to you if I had it, babe.
I'm freaking out here.
If nobody gives me sugar, I'm probably going home.
Do you have sugar? - No sugar.
- Ay yi yi.
Do you have sugar? Do you have sugar? In the pantry, I forgot any form of sugar.
Really? James, do you have any sugar? Sugar? I don't.
Does anybody have sugar? I really, desperately need sugar right now, and I'm hoping that someone will just loan me just even a little.
- What? - Do you have sugar? No.
That's my one ingredient that I'm It's killing me that I don't have.
Jessie, do you have sugar? I would give it to you if I had it, babe.
You know, Bethy wasn't the one that I was initially gunning for today, but at the same time she's someone that I see that has a chance of winning.
So if this is the end for her, then so be it.
Do you have sugar? - No sugar.
- Do you have sugar? - Sugar? - Yeah.
Yeah, right there.
Can I use some? Yeah, you can take a pinch.
Don't take it all.
Thank you so much.
I owe you big time, buddy.
Bethy wanted some sugar from me, so I obliged.
I'm not too threatened by her.
That's not my competition.
I want you to be at your game.
If I wanna beat you, I wanna beat you with all your stuff.
James, how we doing? I'm doing very well, chef.
You have the most amazing wild mushrooms.
What are you doing with them? I'm going more of a chowder style with it to keep it thick and hearty.
And then I'm slow-cooking some in a brown butter with a couple of herbs and some onions.
Do that as a topping, and I made a little three-herb oil to kind of bring some lightness to it.
The first thing that went through your mind when he gave you those mushrooms.
No, Eddie's a competitor.
He's going after some specific people that he's ready for them to be gone.
I know what he's doing, so I'm not concerned about it.
Who's going home tonight? - Uh, probably Luca.
- Luca.
I think the point he's at now, he's just scraping the bottom of the barrel for something good.
Keep yourself in the competition.
Good luck.
Everybody thinks that Luca is going home tonight.
I got canned mushroom, and I'm gonna make a mushroom soup.
I don't see anything else you can do with it.
I need to give as much flavors as possible with some nice colors, some croutons.
I think I'm in a good shape, but, you know, what the judges think is more important than what I think.
- All right, Bri.
- Hi, chef.
- Ha, you lucky girl.
- I know.
So what're you gonna make? I am going to do an onion puree, grilled wild mushrooms, I'm roasting the beets right now with some walnut oil, and goat cheese salad.
- Wow.
- Onion puree? Yeah.
You're a little bit all over the place today, Bri.
Once it comes together, then you'll see it like it is in my head.
- All right, good luck.
- Thanks, chef.
Right, Jordan, you've got the fresh mushrooms.
What are you making? I'm doing a wild mushroom trumpet ravioli with some deep-fried hedgehog mushrooms and mushroom beet cream sauce.
Is there such a thing? There is right now.
And I wanted to bring another component with the beets.
And the mushroom's definitely gonna be the hero? Definitely gonna be the hero.
Not gonna be drowned out by the beets? Nope, a nice, big portion of ravioli for you guys.
Good luck.
All righty, thank you, chef.
just under five minutes to go, guys.
Wow.
Interesting.
Jessie's doing a risotto.
- Oh, really? - But she has the canned mushrooms, right? So she sauteed them with pancetta to give them a bacon flavor.
Very smart.
Then she's gonna use them in the risotto.
We'll have to see how that plays out.
Bethy, on the other hand, is somewhat fragmented.
She's doing szechuan noodles.
When you have mushrooms of that quality, would you really need to make a szechuan infusion? No.
Chilies and spices.
Spices are gonna I mean, you're gonna kill the mushroom.
I think we're starting to see bethy crack at the edges.
Natasha doing a ravioli, using these canned mushrooms, making a little Alfredo with mushroom in there.
I think that's gonna be really good.
You've got to start plating, please.
The mushrooms have got to be the star of this dish.
For one of you, your last Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Hands in the air.
Good job.
Eddie The man with the competition in his hands.
Please, make your way down.
That was a very, very tough elimination.
We agreed that Eddie made some very smart decisions in positioning canned and wild mushrooms for who he wanted to put under pressure.
Okay, first up.
Bethy, please.
Tell me first off what you were given.
I was given the fresh wild mushrooms.
And what did you prepare? So I did a szechuan noodle dish with ginger, garlic, toasted szechuan peppers, and mushrooms.
I love mushrooms with asian flavors Okay.
So I didn't think that would be a common theme tonight, - so I wanted to go that route.
- Mm-hmm.
On a one to ten, what do you give this dish? Uh, I'm thinking an eight.
- An eight? - All right.
Seems like there's a lot of noodle for the amount of mushroom.
The first thing that hits me is this overwhelming flavor of sesame and ginger.
- Okay.
- So anything else after that, I'm missing, 'cause that's all I get.
Okay.
When I heard that you were doing something Asian, I was a little bit surprised, first of all, because I just don't think it's the right kind of mushroom.
These mushrooms definitely scream something euro-centric, you know? - Either French or Italian - Yeah.
Or, you know, something much more refined.
Sesame oil is all I can taste.
It's a shame.
You don't even know the mushrooms are there.
The flavor is completely gone.
It's too bad.
You've got the delicious, wild, fresh mushrooms.
Why don't you just smell that? I was back there smelling it, like, too much sesame oil.
You've done nothing to enhance those mushrooms because everything tastes the same, 'cause you've just sprayed my tongue with this perfume of sesame seed oil.
Bad day.
- Yeah, someone's going home - Uh-huh.
And it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
You've done an injustice to those mushrooms.
Bad day.
Yeah, someone's going home, and it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Not good.
I am feeling frantic, I'm feeling nervous, I'm feeling like I don't feel like I'm ready to go home yet.
I just hope more than anything that someone's dish is worse than mine.
Natasha, let's go, please.
So, what were you given, again? I was given the canned mushrooms.
What is the dish? I've got a mushroom-stuffed ravioli with crispy pancetta and white mushroom cream puree.
Inside we've got some tarragon mushrooms and a little bit of aged gruyere.
I think that the tarragon is a super decoy for the mushrooms.
It that very, um Kind of mush Can-y flavor that the mushrooms have.
It's a good dish.
Good job.
Pasta's nice, cooked beautifully.
It's hard to believe there's canned mushrooms in the center.
So, um, I like the sort of three different ways that you've tried to enhance the flavor from a can.
Puree, the sauce, and slightly pickled.
It's like a $1 can elevated into, like, a $10 dish.
So good job.
Thank you.
James, let's go, please.
When I think of James, I think of a sauce guy, and I think it's gonna be hard for James to make the mushroom.
The star of his dish because that's not his M.
O.
So what is this? It is a wild mushroom chowder.
The wild mushrooms were slow-cooked in butter, a little bit of creme fraiche with some fresh arugula in it.
It's seasoned well, but it is just way too heavy.
Too rich.
And this dish not what we expect from you at this level.
I think that it's way too salty, it's over-extracted.
What's unfolding here is incredible, because Eddie, by giving you the most luxurious, exotic ingredients.
He played to your inability to edit yourself.
Amazing.
Next up, Jessie.
Right, what is that? It's pancetta and canned mushroom risotto.
Some julienne leeks, and a little arugula oil.
You've hidden those horrible flavors that come with processed, canned food.
The pancetta works, I like the arugula oil.
There's no doubt about it, the dish tastes of a mushroom risotto.
- Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Seriously, smart.
All right, please, Luca.
Hi, Luca.
So tell me what we have.
Cream of mushroom soup with canned mushrooms, served with cauliflowers, croutons, carrots, and parsnip.
This is the cream of mushroom.
So, just looking at it, it doesn't look like a soup.
You know? - Um, visually - Okay.
It looks a little thick to me.
- Is that truffle in there? - Yeah.
At the end, when the croutons were nice and crispy, I just sprinkled some black truffle oil.
So to me, the soup itself is pretty good, it's pretty tasty.
The only thing I would omit would be that truffle oil.
- I understand.
- Okay? Krissi.
What is the dish? It's my take on a mushroom cassoulet with crispy pancetta on the top, there's a layer of eggplant, cannellini beans.
The pancetta was a good idea.
Even a little bit will cover up that flavor right away, 'cause it's so strong.
I mean, considering what the product you had to work with, This is a pretty impressive effort.
All right, The vegetarian that was given fresh mushrooms.
Let's go, Bri.
What do we have? This is a walk through the forest.
It is grilled sage wild mushrooms with a beet and goat cheese salad.
- Wow.
Beautiful.
- Thank you.
"A walk through the forest"? Come on, dude.
Just stop with this whole save the world, friendly vegan hippie thing you got going on, 'cause it's really pissing me off.
Just cook and shut up.
Everything on it's really great.
The beet and goat cheese alone would be a great salad with the pepitas here the peas, delicious.
Better than anything is the actual mushroom, Which we asked to be the star.
This is one of the best things that we've seen you do.
- Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Thank you.
How did you cook the mushrooms? I sauteed them first with sage, and then I grilled them with walnut oil.
Everything is cooked perfectly, Everything speaks of itself.
For me, this is a dish that maybe if I went to, like, Brooklyn or, you know, some sort of hipster neighborhood and went to a little vegetarian restaurant, I would definitely expect to get a dish like this.
This dish is fabulous.
I'm impressed.
Thank you.
Right.
Next up.
Jordan.
What is that, Jordan? Mushroom ravioli with a mushroom beet cream sauce and fried mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and honey.
You are a talented individual, and you've completely overshot that one.
Here's the problem.
If I copied your dish and cooked it with a can, you would not identify the difference in the mushrooms.
That's the problem that I've got with this.
and we're not with 20, 50, We're down to the [bleep.]
final nine.
Damn.
What were you given? Fresh mushrooms.
Looks like canned.
You've kind of hidden the beauty of all those mushrooms.
Yeah.
Should probably schedule a pasta-making meeting with Natasha At your earliest convenience as well.
- All right.
- Eddie.
What was your strategy giving Jordan the fresh mushrooms? Fresh mushrooms, you don't have to do too much to it.
I thought Jordan would over-think it and try to do too much.
Well, guess what.
You were absolutely right.
While you thought maybe he was giving you a bone or giving you a real treat or something that you could shine on, he played to your weaknesses.
Eddie has taken two front-runners and brought them to their knees.
I mean, it's kind of amazing.
Eddie has taken two front-runners and brought them to their knees.
I mean, it's kind of amazing.
I think Eddie definitely is targeting me to go home.
He struck gold today on his little mind game he threw at me.
Well played, Eddie.
This has been a very difficult challenge.
Right now, we've got a very tough decision to make.
We need a minute, please.
Thank you.
I can't believe that the fresh mushrooms tended to trip people up more than the canned.
Oh, totally.
Why'd you give me the canned mushrooms? I honestly thought that you would do well either way.
Yeah? I was really trying to get Jordan or James.
James's was way too rich.
It was like a sauce.
No, like I got trashed.
Bethy, with a technical error, could see herself going home tonight.
Yeah, and that sesame seed - I've still got that taste there now.
- Yeah.
I knew it was coming.
As much as I had a ton of mushrooms on there, you couldn't taste them.
All of you, that was a very tough challenge tonight.
There were two standout dishes.
The first dish elevated that canned mushroom in a way that we didn't expect, but showed great technical flair.
That dish belongs to Natasha.
Oh, wow.
Good job.
The winning dish tonight This individual really made the mushrooms the hero.
The dish of the night belongs to Bri.
Congratulations.
It was a vegetarian dish, and it beat out all the carnivores, and I'm really, really proud of myself.
Bri and Natasha, you're both safe from elimination and team captains in the next challenge.
Now, to the three worst dishes.
and at least one of these three home cooks will be leaving this competition.
The first of the worst took fresh mushrooms and absolutely obliterated them in a way that was almost an embarrassment.
Please, step forward, Jordan.
The second disastrous dish was muddled, confused, overdone.
Please, step forward James.
The third and final lackluster dish.
Step forward Bethy.
Miraculously, Eddie has managed to pull this one off, because he's put three of the strongest cooks on their ass.
James, step forward.
James, you presented us with a bowl of sauce, not a wild mushroom soup that you described.
Graham said it tasted good, but it wasn't the hero.
It wasn't showing off what we gave you.
James You are not going home tonight.
Fortunately for you, bethy and Jordan's dish were somewhat weaker.
Back to your station.
That was horrifying, but I live to fight another day, and I think that Jordan might be going home today.
He's my buddy, but better him than me.
Jordan, are you done? Definitely not, I just need to show some more restraint and, uh, stay a little more focused.
Bethy, have you peaked? No, I had a bad day today, for sure, and, you know, I want to make you guys proud.
We know how talented you both are.
and you've wowed all three of us.
But sadly, one of your dreams is ending tonight.
The person going home is Bethy.
I'm sorry.
That dish was not what we expected at this stage of the competition.
Jordan, please, make your way back to your station.
Young lady, this is not easy for any of us.
You're a talented girl, let me tell u.
Thank you.
I think more than showing us and America that you can cook, you've showed us a work ethic and an ability to perform on a consistent level.
If I had to hire one person in this room to work in a restaurant, it would be you.
Thank you.
Come up here and say good-bye.
Okay.
Say good-bye.
- I'm gonna ask you now.
- Yes.
So Who's gonna win MasterChef? My girl, Jessie.
Good night, darling.
Good night.
I've learned so much here.
There is no way that you can leave this competition not a better cook.
There's something quite inspiring about the amount of effort that you put into it.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
My passion for cooking has only gotten greater, so I can't wait to continue this journey, and I feel like my dream now does not seem that big.
It seems, like, in reach.
Like, I can actually do this.
I love you guys.
Next week on MasterChef Whoa! An extreme team challenge has the contesnts cooking in the wilderness It's a coyote.
with nature's ingredients.
We will be spending the night here.
Nothing but you and nature.
Outdoors in the middle of nowhere.
I'm not feeling this.
It becomes survival of the fittest What's that right there? and the team with the worst dish It's very rough.
faces a pressure test Stop! where another MasterChef dream comes to an end.
They're all cracked.
sync: Ajvngou.
cz
All right, hands on deck! But it wasn't long before there was a major wipeout.
We need more fish.
It's fish tacos, for god's sake.
And when Krissi found herself on the losing team once again Blue team! things got heated in the pressure test.
I am so sick and tired of you bitching about everything.
You better shut the [bleep.]
up Really? What're you gonna do? Or I'm gonna knock you the [bleep.]
out.
- Good.
- I'm done.
- In the end - Your time is done.
Savannah was sent home.
Tonight This one you're gonna love.
A mystery box challenge throws the home cooks off-balance.
I never made sausage before.
As the top nine begin targeting their biggest competition I gotta knock some people out.
How do you break this girl? She's gonna have to go.
I am here to destroy you.
And one more MasterChef hopeful is eliminated.
You have reached the end of the road.
Let's go! I made history today.
I'm the first Italian who made it in the top nine of MasterChef USA.
Best day of my life so far.
Walking into the MasterChef kitchen, I notice a huge box at the front.
Automatically, I'm thinking, like, it's some type of alligator, some type of big snake.
At this point, I'm getting extremely nervous.
Welcome back, everyone.
There are just nine of you left.
One of you will be America's next MasterChef.
We'll see who has the edge right now in your next mystery box challenge.
This one you're gonna love.
It's time to find out what's under your boxes.
On the count of three, please lift your mystery boxes.
One Two Three.
Lift.
Oh Yeah.
A delicious sausage machine.
Excited? - Yes.
- Yes, chef.
A meat grinder.
Hell yeah.
This is gonna be badass.
Who doesn't like sausages? I'll tell you who.
Bad people.
You will use it to make your own incredible sausage with All of this.
So the judges lift up the giant box that they have in front of them, and it is a long line of meat.
And then I see that there's full vegetarian proteins there, and I'm excited now.
So I just see all these different meats, and I just light up, because one thing that Eddie loves, Eddie loves meat.
You know, I'm the meat man.
Besides this meat, you'll have use of a limited pantry full of herbs, spices, produce, and other items you can use to make your spectacular sausage dishes.
You have 60 minutes to make your own homemade sausage and then feature it in one incredible entree.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Good luck.
Like a pack of wild dogs.
This is a meat festival, baby.
I mean, there's everything you could imagine, from alligator to wild boar ground, chunk Tons of different bacon.
But I'm going straight to the king of sausage.
Definitely pork today.
So, sausages.
Gordon, what would you do? I'd go for a delicious pork and sage sausage with a granny smith apple grated finely through there, and then serve that like a traditional bangers and mash.
I'd actually go very similar.
I'd probably do a little more veal mixed with that pork for fat.
Some roasted apple, caramelized onion, spicy mustard with it, just keeping it very simple, kind of midwestern style.
Oh, yeah.
- Right, Natasha.
- Hi, chef.
- How you doing? - Good.
So what's the dish? I'm gonna kind of do a play on breakfast.
Two eggs, I'm gonna have, like, a hash with it, and then do a chicken, apple, and bacon sausage.
Right.
So it's not forgiving.
I mean, chicken is very lean, hardly any fat.
It's gonna go absolutely solid and firm So how are you balancing that up? What are you putting in there? I'm gonna be adding a little bit of cheese as well in there, some mozzarella cheese with it.
So we'll see - Yeah.
Okay.
Good luck.
- Thank you.
I am doing a traditional sausage, one you would buy at a baseball game, with hickory bacon and wild boar.
Hands down, this is something that would be on the menu of a bed and breakfast if I end up having one one day.
I'm doing kind of my take on a midwestern bratwurst with some homemade kraut, some beer cheese soup.
The main component is well on its way.
This is my roots.
This is who I am.
- Bri.
- Hello.
So what's in the veggie sausage? It's actually seitan.
I wound up not using the tempeh, so I think it's a really courageous thing.
I mean, you know, you're not going the easy route, You're not going the meat option, and, you know, you're making something out of the box, so Yeah.
I'm thinking that this is this is gonna be a good one.
I'm really excited.
I'm just hoping that I have enough time for all my flavors to come together, so - Good luck, Bri.
- Good luck.
Thank you.
- How are you doing? - Good, chef.
What are you doing? I got a pork sausage going with braised cabbage, apple chutney.
Here, I'm just gently poaching it, just a little bit.
Wow.
Okay, great.
And then after, are you taking it out, are you frying it? I think I'm gonna just pan-sear it, Just to get it a little crispy.
- That tastes delicious.
- Thank you.
- Poach it, don't boil it.
- Yup.
Krissi, that's a nice sausage.
What do you got in there? Thanks.
I have pork, fatback, salt, sugar, a little hot pepper seed, some rosemary You make sausage at home? Yeah, this is my go-to Italian sausage recipe.
This is another challenge tailor-made for you.
Look at that smile.
I love when you cook happy.
Enough of the angry thing.
I love it.
I like being angry.
Ah They exploded.
Interesting, huh? Wow, yeah, very interesting.
Lot of different things going on out there.
- It smells incredible.
- It does.
Spices and aromas Poaching liquor Natasha's look beautiful from here.
For a chicken sausage? Very difficult.
Eddie's is looking incredible.
Right now, for me, that man is born to grill.
Honestly, he has that natural connect with protein.
- Krissi's in the zone.
- Is she? She's using very, very traditional Philly Italian flavors.
Every time we give her a home-style challenge, - she rises to the top.
- Right, absolutely.
She's never won a mystery box yet, though.
Just coming up now, two minutes to go! Sausages should be relaxing, garnish should be ready, You should be plating your dish.
Let's go, guys, come on! Think about your presentation.
The sausage has to be the hero.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop! - Hands up! - Hands in the air.
Let's go, guys, come on! The sausage has to be the hero.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop! - Hands up! - Hands in the air! Let's go.
After observing and tasting throughout the challenge, the judges now take one final look to identify three standout dishes.
The winner of this challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
Incredible.
Nine different exciting ways of cooking sausage.
Incredible.
There were three outstanding deliveries in terms of the sausage being the hero.
The first dish that we want to dissect This individual smartly combined different proteins in their sausage.
Great seasoning.
The blend was absolutely spot-on.
Congratulations.
Please, step forward Natasha.
Natasha, what is this? Basically, I did a spin-off on breakfast.
I did a chicken, bacon, apple, and mozzarella sausage.
Why breakfast? I think just the simplicity in a beautiful breakfast and a sausage is a way to go and I didn't think anyone else would think of it.
What else is in that sausage? So, there's red chili flakes, a little bit of sriracha for some heat, oregano, rosemary.
How'd you stop that chicken from going dry? I just kinda watched the temperature as I was cooking it.
I added the cheese in there too to add a little bit of moisture as well, and I did it over the pan and finished it just a couple minutes in the oven.
It's delicious.
I mean, absolutely delicious.
It's a posh breakfast.
- Really good job.
- Thank you.
- Seasoned beautifully.
- Thank you.
The level of spice is really great.
Good texture, great flavor.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
For people out there who think this might've been too simple, you are wrong, because this is very smart plate.
The chicken's really well-seasoned.
You incorporated a lot of complex flavors the onions are delicious, and this sausage it's a winner.
Smart.
- Good job.
Thank you.
- Thanks.
Really good.
So the second dish that we'd like to examine further was put together by a home cook that definitely knows their way around meats and proteins.
Their dish was plated beautifully, and this person is step by step becoming a real contender for the title of MasterChef.
Please, step forward Eddie.
Eddie's climbing up the ladder, and the judges are recognizing him day after day.
My pistol's pointed at Eddie now, so when the time comes, I'll pull the trigger and we'll get rid of him.
What's going on, brother? Describe to me what we have here.
Pork sausage link with braised purple cabbage and apple chutney.
I used pork shoulder, bacon, brown sugar, smoked paprika, Onion powder, a little worcestershire sauce.
You've got the meaty flavor from that pork shoulder, some spices.
The sweetness from the brown sugar, earthiness from the cabbage, and then that apple that just makes it all come together.
This is a stellar dish.
- Great job.
- Thank you very much.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
You are starting to seriously shine, because it's seasoned beautifully.
It's garnished lovely, and that, for me, is the kind of dish that I could see in my gastropub 'cause it is that delicious.
- Thank you very much.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Wow.
The third and final dish we want to taste is from a home cook that put together something Really ambitious as far as an evolved dish is concerned.
They took traditional comfort food and elevated it to really be a restaurant dish, something I could put on my menu right away.
This person has never won a mystery box.
Please, step forward Krissi.
I think that Krissi is a good home cook, but because she has such a negative attitude, I don't think that Krissi is ready at all to be a MasterChef.
What's this dish? Tthis is Italian sausage and peppers with some parmesan and polenta.
Polenta's delicious, The broth is an excellent idea.
Very, very good.
Thank you.
Peppers, classic.
Simple, but elevated.
And I think that with this kind of plating, you're formidable.
Thank you.
First of all, it's nice to see you put food on a plate with finesse.
And when you put food on a plate like that, it now confirms in my mind that you're taking this competition more serious than everybody standing behind you.
It's delicious.
Polenta, sauce, broth, peppers, sausage.
But it's spicy.
The only thing you want to do is continue eating it.
That's your best performance so far in this competition.
- It tastes amazing.
- Thank you.
Good job.
Um, there were three stunning dishes tonight.
The winner of this mystery box challenge comes with a huge advantage that, right now, is pivotal at this stage.
Only one of you can be the winner.
You know, it seems like everybody's dish was spot-on, so at this point I really, you know, can't tell which way they're gonna go.
The person who will receive a huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge I'm confident that my dish is gonna be a winner.
Hopefully I'm gonna win this mystery box for the second time.
For the person who cooked the best sausage dish I would love to win a mystery box.
I gotta knock some people out, and this is gonna be the way to do it.
Congratulations So there were three stunning dishes tonight.
Only one of you can be the winner.
The person who will receive a huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge For the person who cooked the best sausage dish Congratulations It's this person's second mystery box win.
That dish belongs to Eddie.
Phenomenal.
Really good.
Uh, phenomenal.
Are you ready to receive this huge advantage? Without a doubt.
Let's go.
Great job.
Well done.
Uh, amazing.
Congratulations.
- Thanks.
- Well done.
Good job.
Welcome.
The winner of the mystery box is now in control of the elimination test, where at least one person will leave the competition.
Under these three cloths are some of our favorite ingredients that we use in our restaurants all the time.
Okay, Eddie, the first ingredient is a meat enjoyed by people all over the world.
Ham.
Oh, yeah.
Here we have beautiful iberico ham, serrano ham, and a spiral of cut ham.
The second ingredient is wild and wonderful.
It is the delicious Fungus.
- Mushrooms.
- That's right.
The most amazing, incredible, wild musooms.
You have black trumpet mushrooms, Maitake mushrooms, and beautiful oregon hedgehog mushrooms.
The third and final ingredient for you consideration, Eddie, is something unique.
It is the most amazing - Oh - Shrimp.
Santa barbara spot prawns, We also have tiger prawn, and then one of the most popular anywhere in the world, delicious rock shrimp.
For your first advantage, you do not have to cook in this challenge, so you are safe from elimination.
So for your next advantage, you get to choose which one of these incredible three ingredients your fellow competitors will have to cook tonight.
What ingredient are you going to choose? Without a doubt, I'm gonna choose the mushrooms.
- Smart.
- Great.
Traditionally, mushrooms are put on a plate for a topping or sometimes folded into a sauce.
Rarely do you see a mushroom as being the star of the dish, so that's what's gonna help me get rid of some people today.
Now, not all of your fellow competitors will have the opportunity to cook with these amazing, delicious, wild mushrooms.
You are gonna force half of those home cooks out there to cook instead with these canned mushrooms.
Cheaper than the fresh, nowhere near as glamorous, and much more difficult to elevate into a restaurant-quality dish.
So they're sort of processed.
Ah, spongy.
Yeah, not nice.
These, compared to these, seriously? The difference is night and day.
This right now is a huge, huge game-changing advantage.
Their fate rests in your hands.
I'm an ex-NFL player, so I came here to compete and I came here to win.
I have my target on Jessie, James, and Jordan.
I've taken their weaknesses and their strengths and placed the products accordingly, so I think that my strategy is gonna pan out perfect.
Eddie will not be cooking tonight, but he did play a pivotal role in deciding what you all have to cook.
And at least one of you will be leaving this competition tonight.
Okay, back in the pantry, Eddie chose the star ingredient that you will all be cooking with tonight.
The most amazing - Mushrooms.
- Mushrooms! But it's not going to be that simple.
Eddie selected that four of you out of the eight cooking tonight will be using these amazing, exquisite, delicious selection of wild mushrooms, and the other half of you will have to cook with These.
That's right.
Mushrooms out of a can.
Strategically i got imagine Eddie would give me canned mushrooms because I know for a fact he sees me as competition.
Each and every pick, he used a lot of strategy.
Eddie having an advantage worries me, because he knows I'm one of the best cooks in the competition, and canned mushrooms are disgusting.
No one wants to work with that.
Everybody ready? - Ready - Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes starts Now! Quick.
Go and find out what surprise Eddie has left for you.
Really? - Yes.
- Really? Okay.
Fresh? [bleep.]
.
- What are these, oysters? - No.
Oyster? Yeah.
These are oyster, right? These are oyster, so I'll need oysters.
The fact that Eddie gave me these beautiful, fresh mushrooms is an advantage for me today.
I'm gonna dance the dance and make a little romance with these mushrooms.
So Eddie, thank you.
Wow.
Jordan and James, you know, they feel safe because I gave them fresh mushrooms, But please, I want you to feel safe.
I'm banking on both of them just doing too much and forgetting the key factor, which is the mushrooms has to be the star of the dish.
These are beautiful-ass mushrooms, so it's kinda hard to [bleep.]
'em up.
I'm not excited about the canned mushroom.
I can't stand them, but Oh, well.
Jessie, she's used to working on expensive yachts, Probably never even seen canned mushrooms.
Definitely want to try and trip Jessie up.
Tough one, this one.
I think mushrooms are a very, very good pick from Eddie.
It's the one where you really have to cook and Bring that flavor out of 'em.
Yeah, but he's going straight for his biggest competition.
Who do you think Eddie really wants out of here? I think he's having a mind competition with Jordan.
By giving Jordan the fresh mushrooms, these very delicate, unforgiving fresh mushrooms, would be like dealing him a card that he could overplay it.
Trip himself up.
Jordan's the kind of guy who could trip himself up and fall flat on his face.
So I'm gonna basically do a mushroom cream sauce, and I'm gonna do mushroom ravioli.
I have never cooked with canned mushrooms until now.
But you know what? Like, this is a competition.
You're gonna be thrown whatever's given to you, so I'm okay.
I'm happy with it.
- Bethy, how we doing? - Good.
What's going on with this? Tell me where you're going.
I am making szechuan.
Szechuan.
Szechuan with fresh wild mushrooms, homemade noodles, and I really want my the mushrooms to star.
For the sauce, what are you using? I had szechuan, lemongrass, ginger, pepper, garlic, and onion.
Are you gonna balance it with anything? Do you have a little maple, or In the pantry, I forgot any form of sugar.
Really? I forgot to grab sugar from the pantry, and without that element, there is a definite flavor that's missing.
That's my one ingredient that I'm it's killing me that I don't have.
I really, desperately need sugar right now, and I'm hoping that someone will just loan me just even a little.
Does anybody have sugar? No, sorry.
I would give it to you if I had it.
Do you have sugar? James, do you have any sugar? Sugar? I don't.
I'm gonna go ask people.
Do you have sugar? I would give it to you if I had it, babe.
I'm freaking out here.
If nobody gives me sugar, I'm probably going home.
Do you have sugar? - No sugar.
- Ay yi yi.
Do you have sugar? Do you have sugar? In the pantry, I forgot any form of sugar.
Really? James, do you have any sugar? Sugar? I don't.
Does anybody have sugar? I really, desperately need sugar right now, and I'm hoping that someone will just loan me just even a little.
- What? - Do you have sugar? No.
That's my one ingredient that I'm It's killing me that I don't have.
Jessie, do you have sugar? I would give it to you if I had it, babe.
You know, Bethy wasn't the one that I was initially gunning for today, but at the same time she's someone that I see that has a chance of winning.
So if this is the end for her, then so be it.
Do you have sugar? - No sugar.
- Do you have sugar? - Sugar? - Yeah.
Yeah, right there.
Can I use some? Yeah, you can take a pinch.
Don't take it all.
Thank you so much.
I owe you big time, buddy.
Bethy wanted some sugar from me, so I obliged.
I'm not too threatened by her.
That's not my competition.
I want you to be at your game.
If I wanna beat you, I wanna beat you with all your stuff.
James, how we doing? I'm doing very well, chef.
You have the most amazing wild mushrooms.
What are you doing with them? I'm going more of a chowder style with it to keep it thick and hearty.
And then I'm slow-cooking some in a brown butter with a couple of herbs and some onions.
Do that as a topping, and I made a little three-herb oil to kind of bring some lightness to it.
The first thing that went through your mind when he gave you those mushrooms.
No, Eddie's a competitor.
He's going after some specific people that he's ready for them to be gone.
I know what he's doing, so I'm not concerned about it.
Who's going home tonight? - Uh, probably Luca.
- Luca.
I think the point he's at now, he's just scraping the bottom of the barrel for something good.
Keep yourself in the competition.
Good luck.
Everybody thinks that Luca is going home tonight.
I got canned mushroom, and I'm gonna make a mushroom soup.
I don't see anything else you can do with it.
I need to give as much flavors as possible with some nice colors, some croutons.
I think I'm in a good shape, but, you know, what the judges think is more important than what I think.
- All right, Bri.
- Hi, chef.
- Ha, you lucky girl.
- I know.
So what're you gonna make? I am going to do an onion puree, grilled wild mushrooms, I'm roasting the beets right now with some walnut oil, and goat cheese salad.
- Wow.
- Onion puree? Yeah.
You're a little bit all over the place today, Bri.
Once it comes together, then you'll see it like it is in my head.
- All right, good luck.
- Thanks, chef.
Right, Jordan, you've got the fresh mushrooms.
What are you making? I'm doing a wild mushroom trumpet ravioli with some deep-fried hedgehog mushrooms and mushroom beet cream sauce.
Is there such a thing? There is right now.
And I wanted to bring another component with the beets.
And the mushroom's definitely gonna be the hero? Definitely gonna be the hero.
Not gonna be drowned out by the beets? Nope, a nice, big portion of ravioli for you guys.
Good luck.
All righty, thank you, chef.
just under five minutes to go, guys.
Wow.
Interesting.
Jessie's doing a risotto.
- Oh, really? - But she has the canned mushrooms, right? So she sauteed them with pancetta to give them a bacon flavor.
Very smart.
Then she's gonna use them in the risotto.
We'll have to see how that plays out.
Bethy, on the other hand, is somewhat fragmented.
She's doing szechuan noodles.
When you have mushrooms of that quality, would you really need to make a szechuan infusion? No.
Chilies and spices.
Spices are gonna I mean, you're gonna kill the mushroom.
I think we're starting to see bethy crack at the edges.
Natasha doing a ravioli, using these canned mushrooms, making a little Alfredo with mushroom in there.
I think that's gonna be really good.
You've got to start plating, please.
The mushrooms have got to be the star of this dish.
For one of you, your last Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Hands in the air.
Good job.
Eddie The man with the competition in his hands.
Please, make your way down.
That was a very, very tough elimination.
We agreed that Eddie made some very smart decisions in positioning canned and wild mushrooms for who he wanted to put under pressure.
Okay, first up.
Bethy, please.
Tell me first off what you were given.
I was given the fresh wild mushrooms.
And what did you prepare? So I did a szechuan noodle dish with ginger, garlic, toasted szechuan peppers, and mushrooms.
I love mushrooms with asian flavors Okay.
So I didn't think that would be a common theme tonight, - so I wanted to go that route.
- Mm-hmm.
On a one to ten, what do you give this dish? Uh, I'm thinking an eight.
- An eight? - All right.
Seems like there's a lot of noodle for the amount of mushroom.
The first thing that hits me is this overwhelming flavor of sesame and ginger.
- Okay.
- So anything else after that, I'm missing, 'cause that's all I get.
Okay.
When I heard that you were doing something Asian, I was a little bit surprised, first of all, because I just don't think it's the right kind of mushroom.
These mushrooms definitely scream something euro-centric, you know? - Either French or Italian - Yeah.
Or, you know, something much more refined.
Sesame oil is all I can taste.
It's a shame.
You don't even know the mushrooms are there.
The flavor is completely gone.
It's too bad.
You've got the delicious, wild, fresh mushrooms.
Why don't you just smell that? I was back there smelling it, like, too much sesame oil.
You've done nothing to enhance those mushrooms because everything tastes the same, 'cause you've just sprayed my tongue with this perfume of sesame seed oil.
Bad day.
- Yeah, someone's going home - Uh-huh.
And it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
You've done an injustice to those mushrooms.
Bad day.
Yeah, someone's going home, and it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Not good.
I am feeling frantic, I'm feeling nervous, I'm feeling like I don't feel like I'm ready to go home yet.
I just hope more than anything that someone's dish is worse than mine.
Natasha, let's go, please.
So, what were you given, again? I was given the canned mushrooms.
What is the dish? I've got a mushroom-stuffed ravioli with crispy pancetta and white mushroom cream puree.
Inside we've got some tarragon mushrooms and a little bit of aged gruyere.
I think that the tarragon is a super decoy for the mushrooms.
It that very, um Kind of mush Can-y flavor that the mushrooms have.
It's a good dish.
Good job.
Pasta's nice, cooked beautifully.
It's hard to believe there's canned mushrooms in the center.
So, um, I like the sort of three different ways that you've tried to enhance the flavor from a can.
Puree, the sauce, and slightly pickled.
It's like a $1 can elevated into, like, a $10 dish.
So good job.
Thank you.
James, let's go, please.
When I think of James, I think of a sauce guy, and I think it's gonna be hard for James to make the mushroom.
The star of his dish because that's not his M.
O.
So what is this? It is a wild mushroom chowder.
The wild mushrooms were slow-cooked in butter, a little bit of creme fraiche with some fresh arugula in it.
It's seasoned well, but it is just way too heavy.
Too rich.
And this dish not what we expect from you at this level.
I think that it's way too salty, it's over-extracted.
What's unfolding here is incredible, because Eddie, by giving you the most luxurious, exotic ingredients.
He played to your inability to edit yourself.
Amazing.
Next up, Jessie.
Right, what is that? It's pancetta and canned mushroom risotto.
Some julienne leeks, and a little arugula oil.
You've hidden those horrible flavors that come with processed, canned food.
The pancetta works, I like the arugula oil.
There's no doubt about it, the dish tastes of a mushroom risotto.
- Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Seriously, smart.
All right, please, Luca.
Hi, Luca.
So tell me what we have.
Cream of mushroom soup with canned mushrooms, served with cauliflowers, croutons, carrots, and parsnip.
This is the cream of mushroom.
So, just looking at it, it doesn't look like a soup.
You know? - Um, visually - Okay.
It looks a little thick to me.
- Is that truffle in there? - Yeah.
At the end, when the croutons were nice and crispy, I just sprinkled some black truffle oil.
So to me, the soup itself is pretty good, it's pretty tasty.
The only thing I would omit would be that truffle oil.
- I understand.
- Okay? Krissi.
What is the dish? It's my take on a mushroom cassoulet with crispy pancetta on the top, there's a layer of eggplant, cannellini beans.
The pancetta was a good idea.
Even a little bit will cover up that flavor right away, 'cause it's so strong.
I mean, considering what the product you had to work with, This is a pretty impressive effort.
All right, The vegetarian that was given fresh mushrooms.
Let's go, Bri.
What do we have? This is a walk through the forest.
It is grilled sage wild mushrooms with a beet and goat cheese salad.
- Wow.
Beautiful.
- Thank you.
"A walk through the forest"? Come on, dude.
Just stop with this whole save the world, friendly vegan hippie thing you got going on, 'cause it's really pissing me off.
Just cook and shut up.
Everything on it's really great.
The beet and goat cheese alone would be a great salad with the pepitas here the peas, delicious.
Better than anything is the actual mushroom, Which we asked to be the star.
This is one of the best things that we've seen you do.
- Good job.
- Thank you so much.
Thank you.
How did you cook the mushrooms? I sauteed them first with sage, and then I grilled them with walnut oil.
Everything is cooked perfectly, Everything speaks of itself.
For me, this is a dish that maybe if I went to, like, Brooklyn or, you know, some sort of hipster neighborhood and went to a little vegetarian restaurant, I would definitely expect to get a dish like this.
This dish is fabulous.
I'm impressed.
Thank you.
Right.
Next up.
Jordan.
What is that, Jordan? Mushroom ravioli with a mushroom beet cream sauce and fried mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and honey.
You are a talented individual, and you've completely overshot that one.
Here's the problem.
If I copied your dish and cooked it with a can, you would not identify the difference in the mushrooms.
That's the problem that I've got with this.
and we're not with 20, 50, We're down to the [bleep.]
final nine.
Damn.
What were you given? Fresh mushrooms.
Looks like canned.
You've kind of hidden the beauty of all those mushrooms.
Yeah.
Should probably schedule a pasta-making meeting with Natasha At your earliest convenience as well.
- All right.
- Eddie.
What was your strategy giving Jordan the fresh mushrooms? Fresh mushrooms, you don't have to do too much to it.
I thought Jordan would over-think it and try to do too much.
Well, guess what.
You were absolutely right.
While you thought maybe he was giving you a bone or giving you a real treat or something that you could shine on, he played to your weaknesses.
Eddie has taken two front-runners and brought them to their knees.
I mean, it's kind of amazing.
Eddie has taken two front-runners and brought them to their knees.
I mean, it's kind of amazing.
I think Eddie definitely is targeting me to go home.
He struck gold today on his little mind game he threw at me.
Well played, Eddie.
This has been a very difficult challenge.
Right now, we've got a very tough decision to make.
We need a minute, please.
Thank you.
I can't believe that the fresh mushrooms tended to trip people up more than the canned.
Oh, totally.
Why'd you give me the canned mushrooms? I honestly thought that you would do well either way.
Yeah? I was really trying to get Jordan or James.
James's was way too rich.
It was like a sauce.
No, like I got trashed.
Bethy, with a technical error, could see herself going home tonight.
Yeah, and that sesame seed - I've still got that taste there now.
- Yeah.
I knew it was coming.
As much as I had a ton of mushrooms on there, you couldn't taste them.
All of you, that was a very tough challenge tonight.
There were two standout dishes.
The first dish elevated that canned mushroom in a way that we didn't expect, but showed great technical flair.
That dish belongs to Natasha.
Oh, wow.
Good job.
The winning dish tonight This individual really made the mushrooms the hero.
The dish of the night belongs to Bri.
Congratulations.
It was a vegetarian dish, and it beat out all the carnivores, and I'm really, really proud of myself.
Bri and Natasha, you're both safe from elimination and team captains in the next challenge.
Now, to the three worst dishes.
and at least one of these three home cooks will be leaving this competition.
The first of the worst took fresh mushrooms and absolutely obliterated them in a way that was almost an embarrassment.
Please, step forward, Jordan.
The second disastrous dish was muddled, confused, overdone.
Please, step forward James.
The third and final lackluster dish.
Step forward Bethy.
Miraculously, Eddie has managed to pull this one off, because he's put three of the strongest cooks on their ass.
James, step forward.
James, you presented us with a bowl of sauce, not a wild mushroom soup that you described.
Graham said it tasted good, but it wasn't the hero.
It wasn't showing off what we gave you.
James You are not going home tonight.
Fortunately for you, bethy and Jordan's dish were somewhat weaker.
Back to your station.
That was horrifying, but I live to fight another day, and I think that Jordan might be going home today.
He's my buddy, but better him than me.
Jordan, are you done? Definitely not, I just need to show some more restraint and, uh, stay a little more focused.
Bethy, have you peaked? No, I had a bad day today, for sure, and, you know, I want to make you guys proud.
We know how talented you both are.
and you've wowed all three of us.
But sadly, one of your dreams is ending tonight.
The person going home is Bethy.
I'm sorry.
That dish was not what we expected at this stage of the competition.
Jordan, please, make your way back to your station.
Young lady, this is not easy for any of us.
You're a talented girl, let me tell u.
Thank you.
I think more than showing us and America that you can cook, you've showed us a work ethic and an ability to perform on a consistent level.
If I had to hire one person in this room to work in a restaurant, it would be you.
Thank you.
Come up here and say good-bye.
Okay.
Say good-bye.
- I'm gonna ask you now.
- Yes.
So Who's gonna win MasterChef? My girl, Jessie.
Good night, darling.
Good night.
I've learned so much here.
There is no way that you can leave this competition not a better cook.
There's something quite inspiring about the amount of effort that you put into it.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
My passion for cooking has only gotten greater, so I can't wait to continue this journey, and I feel like my dream now does not seem that big.
It seems, like, in reach.
Like, I can actually do this.
I love you guys.
Next week on MasterChef Whoa! An extreme team challenge has the contesnts cooking in the wilderness It's a coyote.
with nature's ingredients.
We will be spending the night here.
Nothing but you and nature.
Outdoors in the middle of nowhere.
I'm not feeling this.
It becomes survival of the fittest What's that right there? and the team with the worst dish It's very rough.
faces a pressure test Stop! where another MasterChef dream comes to an end.
They're all cracked.
sync: Ajvngou.
cz