Masterchef (2010) s04e22 Episode Script
Top 5 Compete, Part 2 of 2
It began with a nationwide search to find the best home cooks in America to compete in the biggest culinary competition in the world.
MasterChef! MasterChef! Guided by three food giants.
And only the very best made it into the MasterChef kitchen, where the culinary battle began.
- Hands on deck! - Move your ass.
Come on! - Jesus.
Red team! Your time is done.
Now only five remain.
Natasha You cook with such confidence.
It's one of the best dishes I've ever tasted.
James That just explodes with flavor.
Like your beard, you just keep growing.
Jessie You put soul into that dish.
You're one to watch, let me tell you.
Luca We asked for a restaurant dish.
You delivered it.
And Krissi.
You're a force to be reckoned with, because it tastes absolutely sublime.
Thank you.
But only one can win the title of MasterChef.
Tonight Hey, y'all.
Welcome Paula Dean.
Heck, yes! Now I get to cook Southern.
Paula Dean hosts a charity lunch - as the top five - Come on.
become the final four.
I need to step it up.
The two winners are Y'all hold on! MasterChef's five remaining home cooks have been brought to a ranch outside of Los Angeles to cater a very special lunch party thrown by a mystery host.
Welcome, everybody.
What a stunning day to be at this phenomenal ranch.
Look at it.
There's gonna be a huge party today, and you five will be responsible for all of the food.
But it's not our party.
Paula Dean! Hi! What's up? When I see Paula Dean, the first thing that comes in my head is Southern food.
I'm Italian.
What do I know about Southern food? Hey, guys.
How y'all doing? Paula and I are both from Georgia, so I'm used to Southern food been around it my whole life.
So I hope that gives me a leg up today.
Are you ready to find out what u're gonna be doing today? Yes.
Hop on the back, honey, and I'm gonna take y'all to the party.
Never have I ever guessed I would be on the back of a tractor with Paula Dean driving it.
Okay, guys, we're here.
Who are we gonna cook for? We're in a big pasture.
It's set up beautifully.
Like, it could even be a small wedding.
In past challenges, outside the MasterChef kitchen, you've always cooked in teams, right? The red team, blue team.
In this challenge, as there are now five of you, you'll each be cooking on your own.
Each one of you will be responsible for cooking and serving one table of ten guests.
I'm glad we're cooking alone.
Put these aprons on.
At this point I'd rather cook by myself.
I really don't want to deal with anyone else.
In today's challenge, the final five will be catering a luncheon for 50 hardworking local charity volunteers.
What I wanted to do, guys, was to throw a thank-you luncheon for some of these dedicated volunteers.
They give a lot of their time, and I want to make sure that they have a very special day today with some wonderful food.
It's definitely important to make sure that every guest here has a fantastic meal.
They volunteered their time.
This is our time to thank them and show them we appreciate Paula has handpicked five proteins that really celebrate the best of Southern cuisine.
You'll each have to cook one Southern-style protein, along with at least two sides.
It makes me nervous that we have to cook Southern-style today.
I am nowhere near Southern-style cooking.
I was born in South Africa, my mom was born in Argentina, and my dad was born in Croatia.
So I don't know it.
Paula, what's on the menu? The first one is Kentucky chicken.
Next one is Alabama pork chops, Georgia shrimp.
Wow.
Delicious.
Mississippi catfish, and how about a little gator tail? Luca, as the winner of the last challenge, you now get a huge advantage.
You will now assign each contestant the protein you would like them to have to work with.
Okay, come over, young man.
Right now I have a huge advantage.
I can decide for me the easiest protein, and then target some of my contestants, and put them in the pressure test.
Luca, which one are you choosing for yourself? I'm cooking pork chops.
- Wow! - Wow! Will you select your next protein to your fellow contestants? The two cooks that right now are the biggest competition are Natasha and Jessie.
Alligator and catfish will be the two proteins that will put anybody in serious trouble today.
Natasha, what have you got? I've got catfish.
Okay.
Jessie? Wow.
How do you feel being dealt alligator? Smart 'cause I've never cooked with it, but I've never seen raw alligator meat in my life.
I don't even know what it's gonna look like.
But I need to prove that I'm meant to be top four, so I've got to step up today.
Krissi, what have you got? I got shrimp! Yes! James? Luca gave me chicken.
I could not be happier about this.
I've got a couple of badass recipes in my head, and I'm ready to pull these out.
All right, guys.
Paula will be picking the top two dishes, and those two home cooks will be safe from elimination in the next challenge.
Think of it this way.
Paula will be giving two of you a fast track to the final four of MasterChef.
It would be amazing to have that advantage to make it through the top four.
Last time I was almost sent home.
I don't want to be in that situation ever again.
All right, you have 90 minutes.
Your time starts now! Let's go, guys! In this challenge, the five remaining home cooks will have 90 minutes to prep, cook, and serve their entrees to a table of ten charity volunteers at Paula Dean's luncheon.
Paula will taste each dish and she will pick two winners from this field challenge Yeah.
Who will not participate in the next challenge.
Yeah, two straight into the final four.
- Straight into the final four.
- Yeah.
I'm slightly concerned the way Luca chose the pork chop for himself.
That's, like, one of the least forgiving, I think.
it dries out in a second.
Yeah, I think Luca underestimates how good James is.
Because that's a dream ticket for him, the chicken.
How about Krissi and the shrimp? How many pressure tests has she been in? I think she's gonna nail it.
I think that Jessie's gonna have a hard time with the alligator.
She's tasted it before, but she's never cooked it before.
So that could be a big no-no for her.
Yeah.
I think that Paula she's gonna really be impressed with a smart and intuitive cook like Natasha.
With 60 minutes remaining before service, the judges check in with Luca.
Luca, why pork chop? Because I thought that shrimp and chicken were just too easy, guys.
It's not the time to play it safe anymore.
Those are the sweet potatoes.
I'm making a puree.
The puree is on the side and I have the brussels sprouts with bacon.
Who's going through to the top four? Which two? Uh Probably me and James.
So Krissi, Jessie, and Natasha in the pressure test? Yeah.
- Right, Natasha, how you doing? - Good, chef.
Can we taste the slaw, please? - Sure.
- Thank you.
- That's so pretty.
- That looks lovely.
What's in that, please, Natasha? So I've got a little bit of mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, A little bit of jalapeno.
- Mm.
- That's lovely.
How you cooking the catfish? Leit sit in some buttermilk.
I'm gonna add some spices to it.
Yum! - Good luck.
- Thank you.
Krissi, what are those? Fried green tomatoes, Krissi.
Those are fried green tomatoes.
Where are the shrimp? The shrimp are marinating in a citrus How you gonna cook them? - I'm going to grill them.
- Are these collards? They are collards.
Paula is gonna pick two of you to catapult straight into the final four.
Gonna be me.
It's gonna be you and who else? - James.
- James? Luca is not familiar with Southern cuisine.
Well, your fried green tomato are excellent.
Thank you.
Right, Jessie, what's in the fryer? The alligator.
I just had one idea just to see it in the fryer to see if I like that.
Very difficult.
it's dry.
And how you gonna season that? Some garlic, I've got some different spices.
That's the way I cook mine.
Tell Paula what your sides are.
Macaroni and cheese with some andouille sausage.
and then I'm also gonna do green beans, sautee them in, like, a garlic butter sauce.
Sounds good, Jessie.
- Good luck.
- Good luck, darling.
Thank you, hon.
Just under 15 minutes to go, and Paula's esteemed guests are arriving now, guys.
Right, James, explain the dish to Paula, please.
I'm doing a bourbon barbecue, a glazed grilled chicken, braised black-eyed peas, and honey-glazed carrots.
- It's delicious.
- Isn't it? Is that just one breast? Yeah, it's a big serving.
I'm slightly concerned about that.
That's gonna take at least 20 minutes in the oven there, yeah? Please make sure you cook it properly.
Okay? The chicken breasts I have to work with Are much larger than normal.
I'm a little worried if they're gonna get cooked in time.
There is no more room for error.
Coming up Are you ready? Paula Dean launches two home cooks straight into the final four of MasterChef.
The top two people going through are Just under 15 minutes to go.
The charity volunteers for Paula Dean's luncheon have arrived.
In this challenge, each home cook is preparing a Southern-style dish to be served to a table of ten guests.
With under 15 minutes to go, James is worried that his chicken won't cook in time.
But he's not the only one having problems.
Oh, my fish is sticking a little bit right now.
The reason why it's sticking is 'cause of the buttermilk.
Get a pan on, get it nice and hot, sit them in the pan, and put the pan in the oven, Especially if it's sticking like that.
- Am I will do? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Okay.
I'm worried and I'm anxious.
You know, once you take something off the heat and you put it on something else, you need to make sure that the fish is cooked through.
It just throws you all off.
Five minutes to go! How many breasts of chicken have you got there, James? About 13, I think.
I made a couple extra just in case.
Is it cooked? Oh, it's definitely cooked.
- That's not cooked.
- Mm-hmm.
Could you pass me a knife, please? Sure.
James, it's not fine.
- Look.
It's pink.
- Damn! Please get them back in the oven rapidly! Yes, and turn that sucker on blast.
Please.
The chicken is not done, and I'm kind of screwed.
I've only got, like, four minutes left.
And I hope to God these get cooked in time.
Last two minutes, guys.
Come on.
Please, start plating.
Hot damn.
Now it's time to cut the pork chops.
When I got to the first one, I cut inside And it's perfect.
Nice, juicy.
How do you say "on the money"? I made a beautiful plate, and the shrimp tastes great, so I got this.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Guys, you've got to start serving.
Let's go.
Hey, guys.
How are ya? So much pressure, because the top two dishes go straight into top four, so I'm just praying I'm in the top two.
All right, we have some cajun alligator with andouille mac and cheese and some garlic green beans.
You guys enjoy.
Thank you.
So this is a spice-rubbed pork chop.
The brussels sprouts are roasted with bacon, served with creamy mashed sweet potatoes.
Buon appetito.
Hi, guys.
What you have before you is a citrus-marinated grilled shrimp, collard green, and a classic fried green tomato.
So enjoy, guys.
Okay, hi, guys.
- How we doing? Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, great.
Okay, so here we have a catfish.
Basically got some good cajun flavors in there.
We have some potato au gratin with andouille sausage, and then a slaw along with it.
- So enjoy it.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
All right.
Here you guys go.
This is bourbon barbecue glazed bone-in chicken breast with braised black-eyed peas and honey-glazed carrots.
- It looks great.
- I hope you like it.
Everything's at stake today.
I am crossing every finger and every toe I have that they're all cooked through.
All five home cooks have served their ten entrees.
Now Paula and the MasterChef judges head out to get feedback from the guests.
The top two dishes will automatically advance to the final four.
So what'd y'all think about the gator? I thought it was very good.
- It was tender, juicy - Really? A little bit of heat to it.
I think it is delicious.
So how are the shrimp? - The shrimp is fabulous.
- Very good.
- Yeah? - Tomato's really good.
I think the tomato was the star.
Tell me about the tomato.
Perfectly crispy, kind of chewy.
Well, good.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
So y'all got the pork chops.
Yes.
On a scale of one to ten, how would y'all rate this meal? - I know.
- Whoa! Our home cooks' dishes have been earning rave reviews until Gordon notices an issue at James's table.
Damn, yours is still undercooked there.
Oh, dear.
- Would you like another one? - Yes, please.
Damn.
Excuse me.
James! Come on, quick! You have to get it back on the grill, please.
On the table there.
Oh, wow.
I'm floored right now.
I didn't want that to happen.
- You got one sent back? - Yeah.
Jeez, man.
Oh Oh, man, that's raw.
There's no coming back from that.
[bleep.]
! Get it back on the grill, please.
- You got one sent back? - Yeah.
Jeez, man.
Oh Oh, man, that's raw.
For this MasterChef challenge, our five remaining home cooks have served lunch to local charity volunteers.
While James recooks an undercooked chicken breast, Paula Dean checks in on her last table, Natasha's catfish.
So what'd y'all think? My fish was a little undercooked.
- Yeah.
- Which was disappointing.
You know, I-I see I see what you're talking about, and I'm gonna pass on the fish.
Who all had an undercooked piece of fish? I had, like, bits and pieces.
I like sashimi, but So how about yours, baby? Mine was undercooked too.
You know, we tell all these young people coming through, "Don't overcook fish, don't overcook fish.
" She did not.
I am so sorry.
I apologize about that.
- Is it at least taste good? - Yes.
It tastes good? At this point, James served raw chicken.
We all know what happen when you serve raw chicken.
With all plates served to the guests, the judges check in with Paula, who has the power to select the top two dishes and fast-track the winners to a place in the final four.
James's chicken breast.
So James made a huge error.
Yeah, I think putting on a piece of chicken that big showed his inexperience.
and the dish suffered because of that poor decision.
Mm-hmm.
Natasha's catfish.
I'm amazed that Natasha didn't fry that catfish.
I know.
She had it in buttermilk, dredged it, and fried it.
Some things you just have to fry.
Jessie's gator with mac and cheese and the green beans.
I think she nailed the alligator.
It's a tough meat to get right, and she got it perfect.
I love the coating that she put on it.
Everything on that plate was delicious.
Luca's pork chop.
I thought the cook on the pork chop and the courage of serving a double-cut thick pork chop moist like that was delicious.
Luca knew just what he was doing When he picked the pork chop.
Krissi's shrimp.
I like the finishing on the shrimp.
I quite like that, it's sweet and sour with the lemon and the lime at the end.
You know, Krissi knows how to cook shrimp.
- We know that.
- She's nailed it.
- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
Paula, do you have the top two best dishes today that you're gonna send straight into the top four of this competition? - Yes, I do, Gordon.
- Right.
Let's tell them.
I'm very proud of my dish.
If the meat is as good as I think it is, I did an amazing job, and I have a big chance.
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I'd like to thank you all for making a special visit out here and be part of this amazing but very thoughtful lunch.
Before we announce our top two dishes, a few words from our host, Paula, please.
Thank you.
Thank you, Gordon.
I would like to say thank you to all the contestants.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.
So without further ado, would you be so kind to tell us the two people that are going straight into Yes.
the top four of MasterChef? I would be happy to.
So the top two people that are going through today's competition on up the chain are Are you ready? Y'all ready? Yes! Please let them say my name.
Please let them say my name.
I've got to represent Georgia, So I think I want this one more than any other challenge.
My dish looks the best presentation-wise.
I think I'm gonna win today.
The two winners today Are Luca and Jessie! Yes! Well done, please, both of you, come and help yourselves to a well-deserved glass of Champagne.
Congratulations.
James, Natasha, Krissi, we will see you three back in the MasterChef kitchen where one of you will be sent directly home.
It scares me.
I'm going up against the other two people that are still in the top five.
So that's not easy.
I have to cook my way into the top four tomorrow.
That's fine.
At least I know what I'm up against.
I'm not too worried.
Come on down, guys, please, thank you.
Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Luca and Jessie, congratulations.
You are now officially in the final four.
As well as being safe from elimination, the advantage we're about to give you will probably decide which of these three goes home tonight.
We're asking both of you into the pantry.
Let's go.
This is a game-changer.
The fact that they're back there with them figuring out whatever we're gonna do at this point, I'm scared now.
In a MasterChef first, we have two talented individuals making game-changing decisions that will impact what happens next for Krissi, James, and Natasha.
This is a big decision, and it's entirely your decision.
We're asking both of you into the pantry.
In the aftermath of the charity luncheon challenge, the fate of the losing home cooks is about to be decided by Jessie and Luca.
Each of us own some very well-known restaurants, and each of those restaurants have some very famous dishes.
As you can see, there are three dishes in front of us, and there are three competitors out there in the kitchen.
It will be up to you two to decide together who has to cook which dish.
Jessie, Luca, the first dish is one of the most popular appetizers that I first served in my three Michelin star flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea nearly 15 years ago.
It is the most amazing seared scallop salad with delicious confit potatoes dusted lightly with a touch of curry, and then laced with fresh perigord black truffles, and an amazing truffle vinaigrette.
This dish would cost $150 in my restaurant.
The next dish is a main course from my Michelin-starred restaurant Del Posto in New York City.
It's an Italian classic.
It's the world-renowned fillet rossini.
- Ooh.
- Mmm, yummy.
A perfectly-cooked fillet perched on truffle polenta topped with seared foie gras with a red wine sauce and Asian pear.
The third and final dish is a dessert.
This is a dish that helped get my eponymous restaurant Graham Elliot its second star from the Michelin guide.
It's an incredible, rich, decadent Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
It seems simple, but there's a lot going on.
So there you have it and let's be honest.
Some of the finest restaurant dishes available anywhere in the world.
Okay, please spend a few minutes discussing these decisions.
Luca and I, we've got to agree, and we've got to be strategic about this.
The panna cotta and the foie, I think, are the easier ones.
- Yeah.
- So it's like a toss-up.
The panna cotta is easy? I don't think so.
But the decorating seems hard, and I think James would struggle with that 'cause he plates really badly.
James would go down.
Now let's get that fillet, scallop right.
We both agreed that the main target today will be Natasha.
We want to throw another big battle to her.
And let's see how it goes.
It is now time to give us your decisions.
As you can see, there are three dishes in front of you.
Luca and Jessie decided which dish each of you will cook tonight.
The person who cooks the worst dish will be leaving this kitchen forever.
The first dish is an appetizer.
It is a stunning seared scallop salad served with a delicious truffle vinaigrette.
The next dish is a main course fillet rossini topped with seared foie gras.
And the third dish is an amazing dessert.
Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
Luca, which individual tonight is gonna have to replicate my appetizer? Natasha.
I knew I was gonna get the most intricate dish.
I knew it.
Why would they? So I can be up there with them? Jessie, who did you both decide to recreate my fillet entree? We are giving your dish to Krissi.
You know, like, I haven't been to fancy restaurants, and I haven't tasted a lot of things, so I'm totally out of my element here.
So that, of course, means, James, you will have to recreate my restaurant dessert.
Well, I'm pretty sure this is a death sentence.
Graham's dessert is, like, this ethereal, beautiful, cohesive dish.
The little finess-y plating stuff at the end That's not really what I do.
I'd be way more comfortable with the other two.
Okay, I'd like all three of you to come up and sample the dish that you'll be replicating.
Let's go.
Good.
Well done.
Thank you.
You'll have 45 minutes to make us one of our classic restaurant dishes.
Your 45 minutes starts Now! Good luck.
I'm gonna have to duplicate one of Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant dishes.
I'm trying my best to remember everything that I saw and that I tasted.
Granulated honey.
This is, in all honesty, the toughest challenge these three have faced so far.
What is the time line of what gets cooked when in your dish? The biggest problem with my appetizer is the time management.
You got to get those potatoes on confit haul.
and then from there, get your truffle vinaigrette done.
Then get your scallops sliced.
Cooking those scallops, you have to be on the money with those.
Joe, what kind of mistakes can Krissi, as a home cook, make on that tournedos rossini? Polenta immediately, right out of the gate, you have to season it properly, salt at the beginning.
Then it also needs to be poured out and set, right? It has to set.
It has to be seared in a pan.
The next thing is to cook that steak properly, so you want to wait.
You don't want to cook it too much in advance.
And Graham, I mean, the jeopardy of the panna cotta Obviously, the setting, but what's the first thing that James should get done? He needs to bloom his gelatin right away.
Warm up that yogurt and cream mixture so that he can incorporate that, and make sure it's got the right amount of vanilla.
as soon as it's setting, you start on your knife work.
So he's got a lot of different timings that he has to do.
Still too thin.
I mean, if I was just making a standard panna cotta, this would be no big deal, but this is Graham Elliot's panna cotta, so I'm a little concerned.
I'm feeling confident.
I'm comfortable right now, actually.
You know, I'm not worried and stressed out too much, but this dish better get me into the top four.
This is definitely the biggest dish I ever cooked in my life.
I just want everything to be perfect, you know.
I'm in unfamiliar waters right here.
Please, all three of you, speed up! Right, Natasha, how you feeling? I'm okay, chef, right now.
You're okay.
Are you confident? At this point, you know, I just want to duplicate the best dish that I can, so I'm trying to stay confident.
I don't want to fall down and not finish this.
I have a large ego.
I don't want to lose.
You've got 30 minutes to get yourself in the top four.
You've now got Come on! Please! James just put the panna cotta in the fridge.
The panna cotta needs to go in the blast chiller.
Just 30 minutes? I would have put the panna cotta in the blast chiller.
That's what I was wondering, 'cause 30 minutes isn't enough time to let it set.
That's a big mistake.
James is messing up all my plans.
I want Natasha to go home, not James.
You've now all got In tonight's pressure test, three home cooks must each replicate one dish from one of our judges' flagship restaurants.
Natasha is making Gordon's appetizer A stunning seared scallop salad served with a delicious truffle vinaigrette.
Krissi cooks Joe's entree Fillet rossini topped with seared foie gras.
And James is handling Graham's dessert.
Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
- Krissi.
- Hi.
This is a restaurant-quality dish.
Do you think that you're handicapped at this stage in the competition when we do all these restaurant challenges? You know, you don't go out to restaurants a lot, you can't afford to.
It definitely is a disadvantage to me, you know, being the fact that, you know, I'm not familiar with that type of setting.
Good luck.
I see Krissi put her fillet in the oven after she'd seared it for a long time.
So we're thinking she's overcooking the heck out of it.
That was very stupid.
James, is your panna cotta set? Yeah, I've already got it in the fridge.
Now, the gelatin How did you bloom that? Just in some cold water in a small bowl, until it sta to ff up, and then I mixed it in.
- Was it bloomed all the way? - Bloomed all the way.
Who is in trouble? James, you know, doing his panna cotta.
He didn't start in the blast chiller.
He just put it in the fridge, so I don't know if it's gonna completely set.
I'm worried about Krissi.
There's one thing I never put in the oven is a filet mignon.
It's gonna overcook within minutes.
- But Natasha looks the most composed.
- Yeah.
She has everything lined up all on her station just perfect.
Well, you know, it takes a lot of courage to leave those scallops on the cutting board and then put them into the pan with three minutes left, which is, I think, what she's gonna do.
Five minutes to go, guys.
Natasha's putting the scallops in with five minutes left.
Perfect timing.
- Yep.
- Nice, smoking-hot pan.
Finesse, guys.
Gotta get don't have time.
You've got to start plating.
Ooh! Ah, sweet lord.
Thank God.
Let's go, let's go.
Come on.
Got to start plating, Natasha.
James, you got to make sure all that condensation's off that bowl so it doesn't drip into the panna cotta.
Last minute, guys.
Let's go, Natasha.
Get them in that circle.
Come on, guys.
Get some truffles on there.
She's not gonna make it.
She's panicking, She's panicking.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four God, this is killing me.
Three, two, one.
And stop, guys.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
From here, they look incredible.
We asked each of you to replicate one of our famous signature dishes.
Let's start off with the appetizer.
Natasha, let's go, please.
I feel pretty confident with the actual structure of the dish itself.
And just by looking at it, it looks so close to what Gordon did on his plate.
First of all, visually, You've missed half the sauce off here.
Yup.
And a bit of extra truffle, but love the sear on the scallops.
And uniform-wise, there's no potatoes that are bigger than the scallops, there's no scallops bigger than the potatoes.
Cooked beautifully.
And it's delicious.
The scallops are sweet, crisp on the outside, seasoned right.
It's definitely not perfect, but it's a bloody good effort.
- Great job.
- Thank you, chef.
Well done.
It's beautiful, and this is also probably the most technically challenging 'cause of all the cooking techniques involved.
Here are the key things.
The scallop.
This is literally cooked perfect, and you can see that, how it's white and then goes translucent towards the middle.
Melts in your mouth.
and that vinaigrette is great.
I just wish there was more of it.
- Me too.
- Great effort.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
So they seem to like it, but I have to hold you accountable to the aesthetic.
We asked you to duplicate a dish, and it's not only the dish can even probably taste as good.
It needs to look the same.
And it is good.
The potatoes are great.
Great truffle flavor throughout.
Too bad.
Almost there.
Thank you.
Okay, Krissi, please.
Krissi's plate looks like Joe's dish, but I think she overcooked the filet mignon.
It's exactly the dish.
Beautiful job on the presentation.
Very proud.
Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks.
So the first thing we have to see is if you cooked the beef properly.
How did you want it cooked? Like, medium-rare.
and it's more medium than towards medium-rare.
You know, I'd rather have it pink like this throughout.
You obviously cooked it more on this side or this is the side that was on the pan down.
Yes.
It's a little bit cooked through.
Delicious restraint on the polenta.
You can taste the corn.
Very good.
You left the skin on the pear.
- That's a mistake.
- Sorry.
This is very, very impressive, Krissi.
I didn't think you had this in you, quite frankly.
Thank you.
Visually, it looked beautiful.
The polenta is delicious.
Got some chicken stock in there.
Mm-hmm.
I can taste that a little bit too strongly.
The fillet I'm gonna disagree with Joe For me is overcooked 'cause it's more medium, medium-well.
You never put a fillet in the oven.
You left it to cool down on the tray.
It just continues cooking.
Presentation, it looked good, but the dish slightly overcooked for me.
Thank you.
We weren't, like, targeting Krissi, but obviously, none of us are gonna be sad to see her go.
James, let's taste your dessert.
Graham's dish is so delicate.
It's just about timing and finesse, which is tough.
How do you think it looks compared to the one I made for you? Hopefully, close.
how does that look to you? Close.
Yeah.
The rhubarb's cooked perfectly.
It still has that texture.
The flavoring with the sweetness and the vanilla bean in the yogurt's great, but the panna cotta isn't really set into a panna cotta.
Yeah.
Yeah, here's the thing.
- See, it tastes nice.
- Mm-hmm.
Right balance.
- Mm-hmm.
- Delicious, yes.
Panna cotta, no.
It's such a shame.
You've done all the intricate steps correctly.
The blend, the honey, but it's not set properly.
What a shame.
Thank you.
Thanks, chefs.
James's dish looks really bad.
I think he might be going home today.
So it looks like I could be safe.
I love it.
Ah, it's tough.
- Tough, tough.
- It was a hard challenge.
- A very hard challenge.
- Yeah, real hard.
Listen, they've all got problems.
My panna cotta didn't set.
That was the main thing, so what am I supposed to do? I couldn't do anything.
James, you know, tough.
- Tough.
Tough, - It tasted good, though.
It didn't have all the components, but it tasted great.
Well, I didn't do so hot either.
I was surprised by Krissi.
The easiest dish to plate up.
The dish looked - Identical.
- Better than it tasted.
My steak was, like, too overcooked on the one side, 'cause I left it in the pan when I took it out 'cause I wasn't paying attention.
But Natasha's plate she missed the truffles.
Mm-hmm.
She missed some of the vinaigrette, but the flavor was quite good.
- There's a timing issue.
- Yeah.
That was the issue she was up against.
You guys gave me a tough one because I had to make sure all those elements tasted good.
- It is a major decisions who goes home.
- Huge.
- The final four.
- Okay.
I know going into this judgment today that it's gonna be pretty tough.
The panna cotta didn't set.
This sucks.
Please, all three of you, come down to the front.
Getting amateur, talented home cooks to match dishes that are in our flagship restaurants It doesn't get any higher than that.
So three phenomenal, talented home cooks stand before us.
Unfortunately, for one of you, it's the end of the road.
The person leaving MasterChef tonight Krissi and Natasha Please say good-bye to James.
We didn't hit our main target, Natasha.
That's who we wanted to send home.
But we got James.
That's a huge person out of the way.
Wow! That was close, man.
James, that was hard.
I'm sorry you fell short with that panna cotta.
Taste can only carry you so far, but the dish, as a whole, has to come together.
James You're gonna leave this competition with your head up high.
I want you to go back and marry that gorgeous girl, and find a kitchen and get yourself in there.
You were born to cook.
You've reached the top five.
You have got to follow that dream.
You are a talented young man.
Don't stop.
Come say good-bye to everyone.
Thanks, guys.
- Thanks for the experience.
- Well done.
Well done.
Right.
One, two, three, four.
Who is gonna win MasterChef? I think Luca's got it this year.
Why Luca? He's the best student, and he's been on a roll lately, and I think that's gonna take him all the way to the end.
Listen, good luck with the wedding, okay? Best wishes.
Put your apron on your bench.
This has been the most incredibly challenging and rewarding things that I've done with my life, and I'm glad I did it.
I got to learn things about food from three of the brightest minds in the culinary world.
Couldn't be more grateful.
A professional cook would be proud - to put the dish together as good as this.
- Thank you.
This competition has proven to me that my life is supposed to be about food.
It's my destiny.
So it's time for me to go home, get married, and then get back in the kitchen.
I'll open my own restaurant.
I'm gonna do it all.
Love you, bud.
I'm going home a stronger cook, a stronger person, and with much more drive to get the things I want in life.
Next week on MasterChef, the final four go to war.
I am not comfortable doing the crepes.
You got to pick something you can cook.
What the [bleep.]
did you just say to me, bitch? In the most explosive episode in MasterChef history.
It's war.
I am gonna take this hot pan and smash it in her face.
Krissi's wrath Not one of them will look at me.
sends tremors through the entire competition.
I would like to go five miles away.
I want to send this cow home.
sync: Ajvngou.
cz
MasterChef! MasterChef! Guided by three food giants.
And only the very best made it into the MasterChef kitchen, where the culinary battle began.
- Hands on deck! - Move your ass.
Come on! - Jesus.
Red team! Your time is done.
Now only five remain.
Natasha You cook with such confidence.
It's one of the best dishes I've ever tasted.
James That just explodes with flavor.
Like your beard, you just keep growing.
Jessie You put soul into that dish.
You're one to watch, let me tell you.
Luca We asked for a restaurant dish.
You delivered it.
And Krissi.
You're a force to be reckoned with, because it tastes absolutely sublime.
Thank you.
But only one can win the title of MasterChef.
Tonight Hey, y'all.
Welcome Paula Dean.
Heck, yes! Now I get to cook Southern.
Paula Dean hosts a charity lunch - as the top five - Come on.
become the final four.
I need to step it up.
The two winners are Y'all hold on! MasterChef's five remaining home cooks have been brought to a ranch outside of Los Angeles to cater a very special lunch party thrown by a mystery host.
Welcome, everybody.
What a stunning day to be at this phenomenal ranch.
Look at it.
There's gonna be a huge party today, and you five will be responsible for all of the food.
But it's not our party.
Paula Dean! Hi! What's up? When I see Paula Dean, the first thing that comes in my head is Southern food.
I'm Italian.
What do I know about Southern food? Hey, guys.
How y'all doing? Paula and I are both from Georgia, so I'm used to Southern food been around it my whole life.
So I hope that gives me a leg up today.
Are you ready to find out what u're gonna be doing today? Yes.
Hop on the back, honey, and I'm gonna take y'all to the party.
Never have I ever guessed I would be on the back of a tractor with Paula Dean driving it.
Okay, guys, we're here.
Who are we gonna cook for? We're in a big pasture.
It's set up beautifully.
Like, it could even be a small wedding.
In past challenges, outside the MasterChef kitchen, you've always cooked in teams, right? The red team, blue team.
In this challenge, as there are now five of you, you'll each be cooking on your own.
Each one of you will be responsible for cooking and serving one table of ten guests.
I'm glad we're cooking alone.
Put these aprons on.
At this point I'd rather cook by myself.
I really don't want to deal with anyone else.
In today's challenge, the final five will be catering a luncheon for 50 hardworking local charity volunteers.
What I wanted to do, guys, was to throw a thank-you luncheon for some of these dedicated volunteers.
They give a lot of their time, and I want to make sure that they have a very special day today with some wonderful food.
It's definitely important to make sure that every guest here has a fantastic meal.
They volunteered their time.
This is our time to thank them and show them we appreciate Paula has handpicked five proteins that really celebrate the best of Southern cuisine.
You'll each have to cook one Southern-style protein, along with at least two sides.
It makes me nervous that we have to cook Southern-style today.
I am nowhere near Southern-style cooking.
I was born in South Africa, my mom was born in Argentina, and my dad was born in Croatia.
So I don't know it.
Paula, what's on the menu? The first one is Kentucky chicken.
Next one is Alabama pork chops, Georgia shrimp.
Wow.
Delicious.
Mississippi catfish, and how about a little gator tail? Luca, as the winner of the last challenge, you now get a huge advantage.
You will now assign each contestant the protein you would like them to have to work with.
Okay, come over, young man.
Right now I have a huge advantage.
I can decide for me the easiest protein, and then target some of my contestants, and put them in the pressure test.
Luca, which one are you choosing for yourself? I'm cooking pork chops.
- Wow! - Wow! Will you select your next protein to your fellow contestants? The two cooks that right now are the biggest competition are Natasha and Jessie.
Alligator and catfish will be the two proteins that will put anybody in serious trouble today.
Natasha, what have you got? I've got catfish.
Okay.
Jessie? Wow.
How do you feel being dealt alligator? Smart 'cause I've never cooked with it, but I've never seen raw alligator meat in my life.
I don't even know what it's gonna look like.
But I need to prove that I'm meant to be top four, so I've got to step up today.
Krissi, what have you got? I got shrimp! Yes! James? Luca gave me chicken.
I could not be happier about this.
I've got a couple of badass recipes in my head, and I'm ready to pull these out.
All right, guys.
Paula will be picking the top two dishes, and those two home cooks will be safe from elimination in the next challenge.
Think of it this way.
Paula will be giving two of you a fast track to the final four of MasterChef.
It would be amazing to have that advantage to make it through the top four.
Last time I was almost sent home.
I don't want to be in that situation ever again.
All right, you have 90 minutes.
Your time starts now! Let's go, guys! In this challenge, the five remaining home cooks will have 90 minutes to prep, cook, and serve their entrees to a table of ten charity volunteers at Paula Dean's luncheon.
Paula will taste each dish and she will pick two winners from this field challenge Yeah.
Who will not participate in the next challenge.
Yeah, two straight into the final four.
- Straight into the final four.
- Yeah.
I'm slightly concerned the way Luca chose the pork chop for himself.
That's, like, one of the least forgiving, I think.
it dries out in a second.
Yeah, I think Luca underestimates how good James is.
Because that's a dream ticket for him, the chicken.
How about Krissi and the shrimp? How many pressure tests has she been in? I think she's gonna nail it.
I think that Jessie's gonna have a hard time with the alligator.
She's tasted it before, but she's never cooked it before.
So that could be a big no-no for her.
Yeah.
I think that Paula she's gonna really be impressed with a smart and intuitive cook like Natasha.
With 60 minutes remaining before service, the judges check in with Luca.
Luca, why pork chop? Because I thought that shrimp and chicken were just too easy, guys.
It's not the time to play it safe anymore.
Those are the sweet potatoes.
I'm making a puree.
The puree is on the side and I have the brussels sprouts with bacon.
Who's going through to the top four? Which two? Uh Probably me and James.
So Krissi, Jessie, and Natasha in the pressure test? Yeah.
- Right, Natasha, how you doing? - Good, chef.
Can we taste the slaw, please? - Sure.
- Thank you.
- That's so pretty.
- That looks lovely.
What's in that, please, Natasha? So I've got a little bit of mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, A little bit of jalapeno.
- Mm.
- That's lovely.
How you cooking the catfish? Leit sit in some buttermilk.
I'm gonna add some spices to it.
Yum! - Good luck.
- Thank you.
Krissi, what are those? Fried green tomatoes, Krissi.
Those are fried green tomatoes.
Where are the shrimp? The shrimp are marinating in a citrus How you gonna cook them? - I'm going to grill them.
- Are these collards? They are collards.
Paula is gonna pick two of you to catapult straight into the final four.
Gonna be me.
It's gonna be you and who else? - James.
- James? Luca is not familiar with Southern cuisine.
Well, your fried green tomato are excellent.
Thank you.
Right, Jessie, what's in the fryer? The alligator.
I just had one idea just to see it in the fryer to see if I like that.
Very difficult.
it's dry.
And how you gonna season that? Some garlic, I've got some different spices.
That's the way I cook mine.
Tell Paula what your sides are.
Macaroni and cheese with some andouille sausage.
and then I'm also gonna do green beans, sautee them in, like, a garlic butter sauce.
Sounds good, Jessie.
- Good luck.
- Good luck, darling.
Thank you, hon.
Just under 15 minutes to go, and Paula's esteemed guests are arriving now, guys.
Right, James, explain the dish to Paula, please.
I'm doing a bourbon barbecue, a glazed grilled chicken, braised black-eyed peas, and honey-glazed carrots.
- It's delicious.
- Isn't it? Is that just one breast? Yeah, it's a big serving.
I'm slightly concerned about that.
That's gonna take at least 20 minutes in the oven there, yeah? Please make sure you cook it properly.
Okay? The chicken breasts I have to work with Are much larger than normal.
I'm a little worried if they're gonna get cooked in time.
There is no more room for error.
Coming up Are you ready? Paula Dean launches two home cooks straight into the final four of MasterChef.
The top two people going through are Just under 15 minutes to go.
The charity volunteers for Paula Dean's luncheon have arrived.
In this challenge, each home cook is preparing a Southern-style dish to be served to a table of ten guests.
With under 15 minutes to go, James is worried that his chicken won't cook in time.
But he's not the only one having problems.
Oh, my fish is sticking a little bit right now.
The reason why it's sticking is 'cause of the buttermilk.
Get a pan on, get it nice and hot, sit them in the pan, and put the pan in the oven, Especially if it's sticking like that.
- Am I will do? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Okay.
I'm worried and I'm anxious.
You know, once you take something off the heat and you put it on something else, you need to make sure that the fish is cooked through.
It just throws you all off.
Five minutes to go! How many breasts of chicken have you got there, James? About 13, I think.
I made a couple extra just in case.
Is it cooked? Oh, it's definitely cooked.
- That's not cooked.
- Mm-hmm.
Could you pass me a knife, please? Sure.
James, it's not fine.
- Look.
It's pink.
- Damn! Please get them back in the oven rapidly! Yes, and turn that sucker on blast.
Please.
The chicken is not done, and I'm kind of screwed.
I've only got, like, four minutes left.
And I hope to God these get cooked in time.
Last two minutes, guys.
Come on.
Please, start plating.
Hot damn.
Now it's time to cut the pork chops.
When I got to the first one, I cut inside And it's perfect.
Nice, juicy.
How do you say "on the money"? I made a beautiful plate, and the shrimp tastes great, so I got this.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Guys, you've got to start serving.
Let's go.
Hey, guys.
How are ya? So much pressure, because the top two dishes go straight into top four, so I'm just praying I'm in the top two.
All right, we have some cajun alligator with andouille mac and cheese and some garlic green beans.
You guys enjoy.
Thank you.
So this is a spice-rubbed pork chop.
The brussels sprouts are roasted with bacon, served with creamy mashed sweet potatoes.
Buon appetito.
Hi, guys.
What you have before you is a citrus-marinated grilled shrimp, collard green, and a classic fried green tomato.
So enjoy, guys.
Okay, hi, guys.
- How we doing? Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, great.
Okay, so here we have a catfish.
Basically got some good cajun flavors in there.
We have some potato au gratin with andouille sausage, and then a slaw along with it.
- So enjoy it.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
All right.
Here you guys go.
This is bourbon barbecue glazed bone-in chicken breast with braised black-eyed peas and honey-glazed carrots.
- It looks great.
- I hope you like it.
Everything's at stake today.
I am crossing every finger and every toe I have that they're all cooked through.
All five home cooks have served their ten entrees.
Now Paula and the MasterChef judges head out to get feedback from the guests.
The top two dishes will automatically advance to the final four.
So what'd y'all think about the gator? I thought it was very good.
- It was tender, juicy - Really? A little bit of heat to it.
I think it is delicious.
So how are the shrimp? - The shrimp is fabulous.
- Very good.
- Yeah? - Tomato's really good.
I think the tomato was the star.
Tell me about the tomato.
Perfectly crispy, kind of chewy.
Well, good.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
So y'all got the pork chops.
Yes.
On a scale of one to ten, how would y'all rate this meal? - I know.
- Whoa! Our home cooks' dishes have been earning rave reviews until Gordon notices an issue at James's table.
Damn, yours is still undercooked there.
Oh, dear.
- Would you like another one? - Yes, please.
Damn.
Excuse me.
James! Come on, quick! You have to get it back on the grill, please.
On the table there.
Oh, wow.
I'm floored right now.
I didn't want that to happen.
- You got one sent back? - Yeah.
Jeez, man.
Oh Oh, man, that's raw.
There's no coming back from that.
[bleep.]
! Get it back on the grill, please.
- You got one sent back? - Yeah.
Jeez, man.
Oh Oh, man, that's raw.
For this MasterChef challenge, our five remaining home cooks have served lunch to local charity volunteers.
While James recooks an undercooked chicken breast, Paula Dean checks in on her last table, Natasha's catfish.
So what'd y'all think? My fish was a little undercooked.
- Yeah.
- Which was disappointing.
You know, I-I see I see what you're talking about, and I'm gonna pass on the fish.
Who all had an undercooked piece of fish? I had, like, bits and pieces.
I like sashimi, but So how about yours, baby? Mine was undercooked too.
You know, we tell all these young people coming through, "Don't overcook fish, don't overcook fish.
" She did not.
I am so sorry.
I apologize about that.
- Is it at least taste good? - Yes.
It tastes good? At this point, James served raw chicken.
We all know what happen when you serve raw chicken.
With all plates served to the guests, the judges check in with Paula, who has the power to select the top two dishes and fast-track the winners to a place in the final four.
James's chicken breast.
So James made a huge error.
Yeah, I think putting on a piece of chicken that big showed his inexperience.
and the dish suffered because of that poor decision.
Mm-hmm.
Natasha's catfish.
I'm amazed that Natasha didn't fry that catfish.
I know.
She had it in buttermilk, dredged it, and fried it.
Some things you just have to fry.
Jessie's gator with mac and cheese and the green beans.
I think she nailed the alligator.
It's a tough meat to get right, and she got it perfect.
I love the coating that she put on it.
Everything on that plate was delicious.
Luca's pork chop.
I thought the cook on the pork chop and the courage of serving a double-cut thick pork chop moist like that was delicious.
Luca knew just what he was doing When he picked the pork chop.
Krissi's shrimp.
I like the finishing on the shrimp.
I quite like that, it's sweet and sour with the lemon and the lime at the end.
You know, Krissi knows how to cook shrimp.
- We know that.
- She's nailed it.
- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
Paula, do you have the top two best dishes today that you're gonna send straight into the top four of this competition? - Yes, I do, Gordon.
- Right.
Let's tell them.
I'm very proud of my dish.
If the meat is as good as I think it is, I did an amazing job, and I have a big chance.
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I'd like to thank you all for making a special visit out here and be part of this amazing but very thoughtful lunch.
Before we announce our top two dishes, a few words from our host, Paula, please.
Thank you.
Thank you, Gordon.
I would like to say thank you to all the contestants.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.
So without further ado, would you be so kind to tell us the two people that are going straight into Yes.
the top four of MasterChef? I would be happy to.
So the top two people that are going through today's competition on up the chain are Are you ready? Y'all ready? Yes! Please let them say my name.
Please let them say my name.
I've got to represent Georgia, So I think I want this one more than any other challenge.
My dish looks the best presentation-wise.
I think I'm gonna win today.
The two winners today Are Luca and Jessie! Yes! Well done, please, both of you, come and help yourselves to a well-deserved glass of Champagne.
Congratulations.
James, Natasha, Krissi, we will see you three back in the MasterChef kitchen where one of you will be sent directly home.
It scares me.
I'm going up against the other two people that are still in the top five.
So that's not easy.
I have to cook my way into the top four tomorrow.
That's fine.
At least I know what I'm up against.
I'm not too worried.
Come on down, guys, please, thank you.
Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Luca and Jessie, congratulations.
You are now officially in the final four.
As well as being safe from elimination, the advantage we're about to give you will probably decide which of these three goes home tonight.
We're asking both of you into the pantry.
Let's go.
This is a game-changer.
The fact that they're back there with them figuring out whatever we're gonna do at this point, I'm scared now.
In a MasterChef first, we have two talented individuals making game-changing decisions that will impact what happens next for Krissi, James, and Natasha.
This is a big decision, and it's entirely your decision.
We're asking both of you into the pantry.
In the aftermath of the charity luncheon challenge, the fate of the losing home cooks is about to be decided by Jessie and Luca.
Each of us own some very well-known restaurants, and each of those restaurants have some very famous dishes.
As you can see, there are three dishes in front of us, and there are three competitors out there in the kitchen.
It will be up to you two to decide together who has to cook which dish.
Jessie, Luca, the first dish is one of the most popular appetizers that I first served in my three Michelin star flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea nearly 15 years ago.
It is the most amazing seared scallop salad with delicious confit potatoes dusted lightly with a touch of curry, and then laced with fresh perigord black truffles, and an amazing truffle vinaigrette.
This dish would cost $150 in my restaurant.
The next dish is a main course from my Michelin-starred restaurant Del Posto in New York City.
It's an Italian classic.
It's the world-renowned fillet rossini.
- Ooh.
- Mmm, yummy.
A perfectly-cooked fillet perched on truffle polenta topped with seared foie gras with a red wine sauce and Asian pear.
The third and final dish is a dessert.
This is a dish that helped get my eponymous restaurant Graham Elliot its second star from the Michelin guide.
It's an incredible, rich, decadent Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
It seems simple, but there's a lot going on.
So there you have it and let's be honest.
Some of the finest restaurant dishes available anywhere in the world.
Okay, please spend a few minutes discussing these decisions.
Luca and I, we've got to agree, and we've got to be strategic about this.
The panna cotta and the foie, I think, are the easier ones.
- Yeah.
- So it's like a toss-up.
The panna cotta is easy? I don't think so.
But the decorating seems hard, and I think James would struggle with that 'cause he plates really badly.
James would go down.
Now let's get that fillet, scallop right.
We both agreed that the main target today will be Natasha.
We want to throw another big battle to her.
And let's see how it goes.
It is now time to give us your decisions.
As you can see, there are three dishes in front of you.
Luca and Jessie decided which dish each of you will cook tonight.
The person who cooks the worst dish will be leaving this kitchen forever.
The first dish is an appetizer.
It is a stunning seared scallop salad served with a delicious truffle vinaigrette.
The next dish is a main course fillet rossini topped with seared foie gras.
And the third dish is an amazing dessert.
Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
Luca, which individual tonight is gonna have to replicate my appetizer? Natasha.
I knew I was gonna get the most intricate dish.
I knew it.
Why would they? So I can be up there with them? Jessie, who did you both decide to recreate my fillet entree? We are giving your dish to Krissi.
You know, like, I haven't been to fancy restaurants, and I haven't tasted a lot of things, so I'm totally out of my element here.
So that, of course, means, James, you will have to recreate my restaurant dessert.
Well, I'm pretty sure this is a death sentence.
Graham's dessert is, like, this ethereal, beautiful, cohesive dish.
The little finess-y plating stuff at the end That's not really what I do.
I'd be way more comfortable with the other two.
Okay, I'd like all three of you to come up and sample the dish that you'll be replicating.
Let's go.
Good.
Well done.
Thank you.
You'll have 45 minutes to make us one of our classic restaurant dishes.
Your 45 minutes starts Now! Good luck.
I'm gonna have to duplicate one of Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant dishes.
I'm trying my best to remember everything that I saw and that I tasted.
Granulated honey.
This is, in all honesty, the toughest challenge these three have faced so far.
What is the time line of what gets cooked when in your dish? The biggest problem with my appetizer is the time management.
You got to get those potatoes on confit haul.
and then from there, get your truffle vinaigrette done.
Then get your scallops sliced.
Cooking those scallops, you have to be on the money with those.
Joe, what kind of mistakes can Krissi, as a home cook, make on that tournedos rossini? Polenta immediately, right out of the gate, you have to season it properly, salt at the beginning.
Then it also needs to be poured out and set, right? It has to set.
It has to be seared in a pan.
The next thing is to cook that steak properly, so you want to wait.
You don't want to cook it too much in advance.
And Graham, I mean, the jeopardy of the panna cotta Obviously, the setting, but what's the first thing that James should get done? He needs to bloom his gelatin right away.
Warm up that yogurt and cream mixture so that he can incorporate that, and make sure it's got the right amount of vanilla.
as soon as it's setting, you start on your knife work.
So he's got a lot of different timings that he has to do.
Still too thin.
I mean, if I was just making a standard panna cotta, this would be no big deal, but this is Graham Elliot's panna cotta, so I'm a little concerned.
I'm feeling confident.
I'm comfortable right now, actually.
You know, I'm not worried and stressed out too much, but this dish better get me into the top four.
This is definitely the biggest dish I ever cooked in my life.
I just want everything to be perfect, you know.
I'm in unfamiliar waters right here.
Please, all three of you, speed up! Right, Natasha, how you feeling? I'm okay, chef, right now.
You're okay.
Are you confident? At this point, you know, I just want to duplicate the best dish that I can, so I'm trying to stay confident.
I don't want to fall down and not finish this.
I have a large ego.
I don't want to lose.
You've got 30 minutes to get yourself in the top four.
You've now got Come on! Please! James just put the panna cotta in the fridge.
The panna cotta needs to go in the blast chiller.
Just 30 minutes? I would have put the panna cotta in the blast chiller.
That's what I was wondering, 'cause 30 minutes isn't enough time to let it set.
That's a big mistake.
James is messing up all my plans.
I want Natasha to go home, not James.
You've now all got In tonight's pressure test, three home cooks must each replicate one dish from one of our judges' flagship restaurants.
Natasha is making Gordon's appetizer A stunning seared scallop salad served with a delicious truffle vinaigrette.
Krissi cooks Joe's entree Fillet rossini topped with seared foie gras.
And James is handling Graham's dessert.
Greek yogurt panna cotta with stewed rhubarb and variations of honey.
- Krissi.
- Hi.
This is a restaurant-quality dish.
Do you think that you're handicapped at this stage in the competition when we do all these restaurant challenges? You know, you don't go out to restaurants a lot, you can't afford to.
It definitely is a disadvantage to me, you know, being the fact that, you know, I'm not familiar with that type of setting.
Good luck.
I see Krissi put her fillet in the oven after she'd seared it for a long time.
So we're thinking she's overcooking the heck out of it.
That was very stupid.
James, is your panna cotta set? Yeah, I've already got it in the fridge.
Now, the gelatin How did you bloom that? Just in some cold water in a small bowl, until it sta to ff up, and then I mixed it in.
- Was it bloomed all the way? - Bloomed all the way.
Who is in trouble? James, you know, doing his panna cotta.
He didn't start in the blast chiller.
He just put it in the fridge, so I don't know if it's gonna completely set.
I'm worried about Krissi.
There's one thing I never put in the oven is a filet mignon.
It's gonna overcook within minutes.
- But Natasha looks the most composed.
- Yeah.
She has everything lined up all on her station just perfect.
Well, you know, it takes a lot of courage to leave those scallops on the cutting board and then put them into the pan with three minutes left, which is, I think, what she's gonna do.
Five minutes to go, guys.
Natasha's putting the scallops in with five minutes left.
Perfect timing.
- Yep.
- Nice, smoking-hot pan.
Finesse, guys.
Gotta get don't have time.
You've got to start plating.
Ooh! Ah, sweet lord.
Thank God.
Let's go, let's go.
Come on.
Got to start plating, Natasha.
James, you got to make sure all that condensation's off that bowl so it doesn't drip into the panna cotta.
Last minute, guys.
Let's go, Natasha.
Get them in that circle.
Come on, guys.
Get some truffles on there.
She's not gonna make it.
She's panicking, She's panicking.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four God, this is killing me.
Three, two, one.
And stop, guys.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
From here, they look incredible.
We asked each of you to replicate one of our famous signature dishes.
Let's start off with the appetizer.
Natasha, let's go, please.
I feel pretty confident with the actual structure of the dish itself.
And just by looking at it, it looks so close to what Gordon did on his plate.
First of all, visually, You've missed half the sauce off here.
Yup.
And a bit of extra truffle, but love the sear on the scallops.
And uniform-wise, there's no potatoes that are bigger than the scallops, there's no scallops bigger than the potatoes.
Cooked beautifully.
And it's delicious.
The scallops are sweet, crisp on the outside, seasoned right.
It's definitely not perfect, but it's a bloody good effort.
- Great job.
- Thank you, chef.
Well done.
It's beautiful, and this is also probably the most technically challenging 'cause of all the cooking techniques involved.
Here are the key things.
The scallop.
This is literally cooked perfect, and you can see that, how it's white and then goes translucent towards the middle.
Melts in your mouth.
and that vinaigrette is great.
I just wish there was more of it.
- Me too.
- Great effort.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
So they seem to like it, but I have to hold you accountable to the aesthetic.
We asked you to duplicate a dish, and it's not only the dish can even probably taste as good.
It needs to look the same.
And it is good.
The potatoes are great.
Great truffle flavor throughout.
Too bad.
Almost there.
Thank you.
Okay, Krissi, please.
Krissi's plate looks like Joe's dish, but I think she overcooked the filet mignon.
It's exactly the dish.
Beautiful job on the presentation.
Very proud.
Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks.
So the first thing we have to see is if you cooked the beef properly.
How did you want it cooked? Like, medium-rare.
and it's more medium than towards medium-rare.
You know, I'd rather have it pink like this throughout.
You obviously cooked it more on this side or this is the side that was on the pan down.
Yes.
It's a little bit cooked through.
Delicious restraint on the polenta.
You can taste the corn.
Very good.
You left the skin on the pear.
- That's a mistake.
- Sorry.
This is very, very impressive, Krissi.
I didn't think you had this in you, quite frankly.
Thank you.
Visually, it looked beautiful.
The polenta is delicious.
Got some chicken stock in there.
Mm-hmm.
I can taste that a little bit too strongly.
The fillet I'm gonna disagree with Joe For me is overcooked 'cause it's more medium, medium-well.
You never put a fillet in the oven.
You left it to cool down on the tray.
It just continues cooking.
Presentation, it looked good, but the dish slightly overcooked for me.
Thank you.
We weren't, like, targeting Krissi, but obviously, none of us are gonna be sad to see her go.
James, let's taste your dessert.
Graham's dish is so delicate.
It's just about timing and finesse, which is tough.
How do you think it looks compared to the one I made for you? Hopefully, close.
how does that look to you? Close.
Yeah.
The rhubarb's cooked perfectly.
It still has that texture.
The flavoring with the sweetness and the vanilla bean in the yogurt's great, but the panna cotta isn't really set into a panna cotta.
Yeah.
Yeah, here's the thing.
- See, it tastes nice.
- Mm-hmm.
Right balance.
- Mm-hmm.
- Delicious, yes.
Panna cotta, no.
It's such a shame.
You've done all the intricate steps correctly.
The blend, the honey, but it's not set properly.
What a shame.
Thank you.
Thanks, chefs.
James's dish looks really bad.
I think he might be going home today.
So it looks like I could be safe.
I love it.
Ah, it's tough.
- Tough, tough.
- It was a hard challenge.
- A very hard challenge.
- Yeah, real hard.
Listen, they've all got problems.
My panna cotta didn't set.
That was the main thing, so what am I supposed to do? I couldn't do anything.
James, you know, tough.
- Tough.
Tough, - It tasted good, though.
It didn't have all the components, but it tasted great.
Well, I didn't do so hot either.
I was surprised by Krissi.
The easiest dish to plate up.
The dish looked - Identical.
- Better than it tasted.
My steak was, like, too overcooked on the one side, 'cause I left it in the pan when I took it out 'cause I wasn't paying attention.
But Natasha's plate she missed the truffles.
Mm-hmm.
She missed some of the vinaigrette, but the flavor was quite good.
- There's a timing issue.
- Yeah.
That was the issue she was up against.
You guys gave me a tough one because I had to make sure all those elements tasted good.
- It is a major decisions who goes home.
- Huge.
- The final four.
- Okay.
I know going into this judgment today that it's gonna be pretty tough.
The panna cotta didn't set.
This sucks.
Please, all three of you, come down to the front.
Getting amateur, talented home cooks to match dishes that are in our flagship restaurants It doesn't get any higher than that.
So three phenomenal, talented home cooks stand before us.
Unfortunately, for one of you, it's the end of the road.
The person leaving MasterChef tonight Krissi and Natasha Please say good-bye to James.
We didn't hit our main target, Natasha.
That's who we wanted to send home.
But we got James.
That's a huge person out of the way.
Wow! That was close, man.
James, that was hard.
I'm sorry you fell short with that panna cotta.
Taste can only carry you so far, but the dish, as a whole, has to come together.
James You're gonna leave this competition with your head up high.
I want you to go back and marry that gorgeous girl, and find a kitchen and get yourself in there.
You were born to cook.
You've reached the top five.
You have got to follow that dream.
You are a talented young man.
Don't stop.
Come say good-bye to everyone.
Thanks, guys.
- Thanks for the experience.
- Well done.
Well done.
Right.
One, two, three, four.
Who is gonna win MasterChef? I think Luca's got it this year.
Why Luca? He's the best student, and he's been on a roll lately, and I think that's gonna take him all the way to the end.
Listen, good luck with the wedding, okay? Best wishes.
Put your apron on your bench.
This has been the most incredibly challenging and rewarding things that I've done with my life, and I'm glad I did it.
I got to learn things about food from three of the brightest minds in the culinary world.
Couldn't be more grateful.
A professional cook would be proud - to put the dish together as good as this.
- Thank you.
This competition has proven to me that my life is supposed to be about food.
It's my destiny.
So it's time for me to go home, get married, and then get back in the kitchen.
I'll open my own restaurant.
I'm gonna do it all.
Love you, bud.
I'm going home a stronger cook, a stronger person, and with much more drive to get the things I want in life.
Next week on MasterChef, the final four go to war.
I am not comfortable doing the crepes.
You got to pick something you can cook.
What the [bleep.]
did you just say to me, bitch? In the most explosive episode in MasterChef history.
It's war.
I am gonna take this hot pan and smash it in her face.
Krissi's wrath Not one of them will look at me.
sends tremors through the entire competition.
I would like to go five miles away.
I want to send this cow home.
sync: Ajvngou.
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