Masterchef (2010) s05e06 Episode Script
Top 16 Compete
A wedding to remember, as America's best home cooks catered the reception.
But Leslie's poor captaincy I don't know what's going on here.
Get your [bleep.]
together now! Led to a blue team victory.
I said I'm sorry.
You're not sorry at all! And in the pressure test, it was a tearful Jordan who said good-bye.
Tonight The kitchen is graced by two returning champions.
Last year's winner, Luca Aah! And our first-ever MasterChef Junior winner, Alexander.
It was like royalty walked in.
But it's one catastrophic mistake that takes center stage.
For the very first time, someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
Come on down.
Make your way to your station.
The top 30, top 20, and now the top 16 It's an incredible feeling.
I'm a country boy from Wilmington, Ohio.
So, to walk away with the title MasterChef, for me, that's that's the ultimate.
Let's go.
I'm really hoping that I win this mystery box, because winning two in a row would be an incredible achievement, and it would really prove to my competitors that I am one of the front-runners.
Welcome back, everyone.
Seems like we've put you through a lot already, doesn't it? Yes.
But trust me, we are just getting started.
Now it's time for another mystery box challenge.
As with every mystery box challenge, the home cooks must prepare, cook, and present one incredible dish using all or some of the ingredients inside the box.
Focus.
It's time to find out what's under your mystery box.
I want something unique that will throw somebody else's game off under the box.
I want the rabbit or a squirrel or something that somebody somebody'd look at and go, "Whoa.
" I really want bone marrow under that box.
I could really get down and dirty with some bone marrow.
On the count of three, lift your boxes.
One Two Three.
Lift.
Oh.
Oh, my god.
That's right, tin cans.
People across America cook with cans like this every day.
Ingredients we all have in our pantries Every house in America has tin cans Oh, my.
Except in most houses, the cans have labels.
They don't need labels, because where I'm from, everything we do is in a can.
I'm feeling real confident in what I'm gonna produce.
In my house, we never really ate canned food.
We always use, like, fresh ingredients.
So, at this point, I'm kind of worried.
This is like a doomsday prepper's dream come true.
You all have Identical ingredients.
You can open up as many cans as you like, Use as many or as few as you like.
You'll also each have a staple pantry box, which includes milk, eggs, and flour to help make your dishes shine.
You'll each have to turn whatever's in those cans into one stunning dish.
Win this challenge, and you can come into the pantry, where you'll get a huge advantage An advantage that can send your toughest competitor back home.
Right, is everyone ready? Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes Starts Now.
Don't know what that is.
Ugh.
What? Nice.
Ugh.
Ah, this is awesome.
So 52 cans of deliciousness.
Let's have a look at the basic ones.
Chickpeas, baby corn, canned olives, beetroot.
- Fruit salad.
- Fruit salad.
- Peaches.
- Asparagus.
I mean, this is a tough challenge, this one, guys, tonight.
I mean, you know, I don't envy their task.
How many ingredients do you open? Is it 3 cans? Is it 6? Is it 10? Is it 20? The key tonight is to use the staple pantry to get you into some quality handmade food, then just use the cans for that extra touch.
- Olives.
- Peaches.
That's a plus.
So, Joe, what would you do? I would definitely take that spinach, wash it out good, lots of garlic - to take the canned flavor away.
- Yeah.
- Do maybe, like, an orecchiette with garlic and spinach.
- Nice.
I'm gonna do eggs Benedict.
I didn't open all my cans because a couple of cans stood out already.
I have a creamy beet and potato soup that's gonna have a crispy potted meat topping.
It's gonna be like a borscht.
I think this is one that I can actually win, like, this is one where having a childhood filled with canned foods is actually an advantage.
I've been waiting for that to be an advantage in this competition, and now it is.
I think it is a huge waste of time opening up all these cans, 'cause there's so many.
So I'm using the staple box and the canned fruit to make a cake.
I am legitimately stumped right now.
I am about to start crying.
Francis L.
Sir, yes, chef.
- How are you doing? - Experimenting.
- Playing.
- Experimenting.
No, you? Experimenting? Really? Come on.
Right, what's the dish? I'm doing a thai-inspired seafood soup.
So I took a lot of the juices from the cans of fish - and I made a fish stock and soup.
- Wow.
Juices.
Now, everyone's discarding the juices, so you're going You're you're Juices are my best friend.
I made and amazing seafood stock here, I believe.
Good luck.
- Hello, Ahran.
- Hi.
What do you know about cooking with canned food? You making a little fruit salad? No, I'm making a sponge roll cake.
Is your sponge cake already baking? Yeah, it's in the oven right now.
I'm filling it with some fruit and whipped cream.
- There you go.
- Oh, so you're going pastry.
Yeah, I'm gonna make the fruit to not taste as artificial.
- Yeah, you got to rinse 'em really good.
- Yeah.
Victoria, how are you feeling? - Oh, I'm feeling all right.
- Where are we going? It will be a potted meat fritter with a pickled salad.
Top 16 great news for making this far, but we haven't actually seen you shine yet.
You know, I haven't shown up like I wanted to show up, and I'm hoping that with this challenge, I can do that.
Even though it's canned food, I want to put my best out there, - and I want it to be phenomenal.
- Yep.
I want to be someone that people are looking out for.
Good luck.
I think I'm just gonna make a soup.
Ten minutes left.
- Tough, tough mystery box, this one.
- Very hard.
So I see Elizabeth's using the beets.
- Yeah.
- What is she making? A traditional Russian borscht.
Love the flavor.
- Borscht is smart.
- Yeah, very smart.
Francis Legge he's taken all the juices from the cans in an asian-inspired sort of coconut-broth soup.
Ahran made a sponge.
Oh, really? And it's already in the oven baking, and then she's got the fruit compote cooking down.
Very smart.
Willie what's he making? So he's doing the processed ham with a fried egg.
Almost like a sort of eggs Benedict.
- Boring.
- Just uninspiring.
This kind of a mystery box really discerns which cooks are able to think on their feet, have good intuition, and are really intelligent.
Let's go.
Last minute remaining.
For one of you, a huge advantage is at stake here.
They may be cans, but you can make a delicious meal.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop! Hands in the air.
They may be cans, but you can make a delicious meal.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Stop! Hands in the air! Well done.
Throughout the mystery box challenge, the judges taste elements of all the home cooks' dishes as they come together.
They now take one final look to choose the top three standouts, and the winner of this challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
I have a feeling that this dish might finally put me on the map.
I'm just crossing my fingers, and I'm like, "This is the dish that's gonna get me there," 'cause I want to be in the top three.
I look down at my dish, and it's gorgeous.
That soup tastes bloody amazing.
This is gonna be my night, people.
All right, well done.
Now, on to three seriously good-looking dishes that we want to take an even closer look at Three dishes that stood out.
The first dish we want to take a closer look It was elevated.
It was hard to believe that the actual ingredients originated coming out of a can.
This home cook is about to have their first time in the top three.
Please step forward Elizabeth.
Oh, my god, like I finally feel like I'm a standout competitor.
Wow.
Describe the dish, please.
It's a beet and potato cream-based soup with a can of condensed milk and coconut milk, and then I made a crispy black-eyed pea canned ham and chickpea topping.
So you wanted that sort of creaminess.
I did want the creaminess, yes.
That's why I used the condensed milk.
Yeah, it's got that intriguing taste.
Delicious tasting, doesn't really need that sweetness there.
But you've created that balance with the seasoning.
So I got the heat.
Is that chili? Uh, cayenne and some paprika.
Yeah, it looks great.
I'd be happy to see that in a restaurant tonight for dinner, And I'd struggle to understand that that came out of a tin.
- Great start.
Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
It's great.
I love the heat that comes with it, but also the saltiness of the ham, which, you know, a lot of times when it's kind of canned and preserved like that can be too much, but here, used to great effect.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
I love the richness of it.
I love the fact that you added the croutons of processed meat and chickpeas.
I think it has a good depth of flavor.
Great job.
Good soup.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
The second dish that we really want to examine further had a hearty component to it.
It was something that we were intrigued by.
First time for this home cook in the top three.
Please step forward Victoria.
Boom! I'm in the top three! It happened! Tell us exactly what it is.
It's a potted meat fritter with a spicy, smoky ketchup, and a sauteed artichoke and beet salad with an herb vinaigrette.
So how many canned components are on the dish? All in all, I would say that there's maybe eight cans in here.
I think there are maybe five meats inside there.
Really good.
There's sweet, spicy, earthy, all those flavors going on.
Great use of the ingredients.
You know, the fritters are heavy, - Kind of dense, you know.
They could've been smaller.
- Yeah.
A little more finesse given to 'em, but as far as what you put on the plate, it's really great.
- Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
Thank you.
We love the idea of what you did with the fritters.
It's very sort of in, hip, sort of gastropub-y.
Here's the thing.
- It may not look the most attractive - Yeah.
But it delivers a punch of flavor.
Batter, delicious.
Canned artichokes, you know, not every chef can use them.
They've got a really nice char on them.
Beetroots work.
But the spicy ketchup is the one that lifts that whole dish together.
What's in there? I incorporated the adobo sauce with some diced tomatoes.
Uh, good job.
Thank you so much, chef.
Thank you.
The third and final dish we want to take a closer look at This home cook made a very, very smart use of the staple pantry box.
This home cook did not open all of their cans.
Please step forward, Ahran.
Tell me what the dish is.
So it's a sponge roll cake with canned fruit inside and a flavored whipped cream.
Certainly the smartest dish out of this mystery box is this one today.
If nothing else, just the ability to bake a sponge cake that's this soft and moist and light - is a skill set already.
- Thank you.
Then the intelligence of making a dessert No one else in this room did.
And then the courage to use one can of fruit cocktail.
Mm-hmm.
There's one cherry in it, though, right? The whole can had one cherry in it.
This is brilliant.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Any flavorings in the sponge? There's vanilla bean in there.
- But that's it.
- Delicious.
- Thank you.
- Nice.
Fragrant.
What would I change? - Little more color maybe.
- Mm-hmm.
Some lemon zest in the cream, cut down that richness.
You may be 18 years of age, but right now tonight, You have the biggest set of balls in this competition.
- Congratulations.
Good job.
- Thank you.
Elizabeth, Victoria, Ahran, all three of you, well done.
There can only be one winner, who'll join us in the pantry and receive that huge advantage.
I deserve to win this challenge because I really, I think, thought out of the box.
I made a cool, creative dish.
I want this advantage.
An advantage like never before.
It's crucial that I win this mystery box so that I can finally start to pull away from the rest of my competitors and make a name for myself in the kitchen.
The person who cooked the best dish tonight The fact that I took the risk to make this cake Nobody else did anything similar to mine.
This just shows my competitors that I am one of the front-runners here.
The person who'll get this huge, huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge That dish was cooked by The person who'll get this huge, huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge That dish was cooked by Congratulations Elizabeth.
Aah! I feel amazing.
I'm I'm like, I finally won! Are you ready to find out what your advantage is? - Yes.
- Let's go.
As the winner of the mystery box challenge, Elizabeth is now in control of the elimination test where at least one person will leave the competition.
Elizabeth, welcome to the MasterChef pantry.
Are you ready to find out the theme of today's elimination challenge? Born ready.
Well, we're not gonna tell you what it is.
We've invited a special guest who's gonna do that for us Someone who knows how to prevail under the pressure of this competition, Someone who has stood right there where you're standing.
Please welcome back last year's MasterChef winner, Luca.
Hey! Hello! Hi! Ciao, Elizabeth.
Luca, it's so nice to meet you.
- Welcome, Luca.
- Good to see you.
Now, last 12 months, what have you been doing? I have my own catering company.
Brilliant.
What's it called? Dinner with Luca.
Ah.
Kate and I are waiting for our little baby.
- Ah.
- Nice.
Fantastic.
Amazing.
Then I have my beautiful cookbook.
Titled My Italian Kitchen: Favorite family recipes, which is available now.
And my restaurant will be open by the end of the year in Brooklyn.
Fantastic.
And what's the name of that? We don't know yet.
Probably "Luca.
" Easy, right? So, Elizabeth, you know what's even cooler than one MasterChef winner? Two MasterChef winners.
Please welcome our youngest winner ever.
Oh, yes! First MasterChef junior Alexander.
Hi.
Hi.
Good to see you.
Welcome home.
Good to see you too.
- You good? - Thank you.
Yeah.
- Now, you've been busy.
- Yeah.
What have you been up to? I've been trying to do more cooking lessons for people who were inspired by the show and especially young kids who like to cook and want to learn more.
And I've kept on cooking.
I've learned so much.
Brilliant.
Wow.
Two amazing MasterChef champions together in one place.
Two amazing MasterChef dishes hidden under here.
Elizabeth, we told you that you would get some huge advantages in here.
For your first advantage, you do not have to cook either of these complex dishes tonight.
Your second advantage involves a choice regarding these two different dishes which we will show you in the MasterChef kitchen.
You're not going to choose between the two dishes.
You're gonna choose who is gonna have to cook which dish.
- I love that.
- Okay, Elizabeth, let's go and show everybody what they'll be cooking in tonight's elimination challenge.
Let's go.
Upstairs, please.
Because Elizabeth won the last mystery box challenge, she is safe from elimination, and she is through to the next stage of the competition.
The rest of you are far from safe.
At least one of you will be going home after this elimination challenge.
Elizabeth wasn't back there alone.
Please welcome two MasterChef champions Last year's winner, Luca And our first-ever MasterChef Junior winner, Alexander.
Excellent.
I cheered for Luca at home, and to see him there so successful and happy and proud I want to be that.
Alexander walks in, and that kid is, like, fierce.
I mean at 14 years old, I was like I was playing with my barbie dolls.
We asked Luca and Alexander to each make us one of their signature dishes Luca Can you please tell us what you created? This is my pancetta-wrapped veal filled with grana padano and sage.
served with radicchio, apples, and finished with a very classic white-wine sauce.
It looks very restaurant quality.
So I'm a little intimidated by it, because I'm not known for the prettiest of plates.
Alexander, why don't you tell us about your dish? This is my passion fruit panna cotta with a juniper berry raspberry coulis, candied hazelnuts, and a lavender crumble.
and this looks like something I would go get in a five-star restaurant.
Some of you will have to make Luca's savory dish, and some of you will have to cook Alexander's sweet dish.
And guess who gets to decide.
That's right.
Your fate is in the hands of Elizabeth.
My basic strategy is to assign the panna cotta to my competitors who don't have the finesse to pull it off and assign the veal to people that I think have weaker palates.
Elizabeth, which home cooks will have to re-create Alexander's phenomenal panna cotta? The first person that is gonna cook panna cotta is someone who's brimming with confidence, but I wonder if his bearish hands can create something delicate, and that would be Cutter.
Oh Death by desserts.
Here we go.
Give me some mojo, bro.
Give me some mojo.
Okay, the second home cook.
Christian.
- Third.
- Jaimee.
Wow.
Next pick.
Christine.
Next name, please.
- Ahran.
- Let's go.
Next.
Francis B.
- Next one.
- Victoria.
One more.
Last but not least, Tyler.
Elizabeth picked me to do the panna cotta.
I'm actually kind of excited.
Which means the rest of you out there will have the almost impossible mission of re-creating Luca's veal dish.
All of you, please, come up and have a taste of these amazing dishes.
Thank you.
There you go.
Alexander's panna cotta is so good.
Every bite I'm taking I am cataloguing the different flavor profiles, and I'm feeling really confident.
I'm tasting the dish, and what I'm noticing is that it's perfectly balanced.
I guess I'm starting to realize that I have a really good palate, and I'm going to kick this dish's ass.
Now that you've seen and tasted these two amazing dishes, It's time for you to replicate them.
You'll each have either Luca's savory dish or Alexander's sweet one, whichever one Elizabeth has selected for you.
Is everybody ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts - Now.
- Off you go.
I'm just going by with what I tasted on Luca's dish.
What does radicchio look like? And I'm looking.
Like, radicchio? What is radicchio? Ah! Let's go, guys, come on! Good luck, guys.
Just chillin' with Luca no big deal.
Bloody hell! So Luca his signature dish, a pancetta-wrapped veal roulade.
How hard is that? The jeopardy is intense because you need that pancetta to be crisp.
You've got to cook the veal properly, and then they've got to let it rest So it cooks properly on the inside.
It's not just cooking you're butchering.
- Yeah.
- Pounding it thin.
So Alexander's dish, a panna cotta, cooked cream, but held together with gelatin.
And that is a very technical thing to be able to accomplish.
Just the way it sits on the plate, - It should be bulging at the side - Right, right.
So it's got to set, but it takes time to set.
Right.
You can't rush it.
Right, Courtney, why do you think Elizabeth picked veal for you? Well, probably because I've done some nice desserts and she hasn't had a chance to see me do anything savory.
I think she definitely sees me as a threat.
I've been in the top before, and she would probably like me to go home.
What are you doing? I had to pound out my veal.
I rolled it up.
- It's resting in the fridge.
- Good.
So you rolled it up tight with the saran wrap.
Rolled it up tight with saran wrap, yes.
And then you're gonna sear that off? Yes, I'm gonna sear it off, baste it Good luck.
Christian, why did Elizabeth give you the panna cotta? To be honest with you, I really don't know.
And, honestly, I really don't care.
I mean, to be honest with you, I'm down here trying to learn as I go and I'm not really that great with desserts, but I mean, this is why I'm here.
To be honest with you, maybe that's why she gave you panna cotta.
Probably so.
Right, Big Willie, how you doing? I'm doing pretty good, chef.
So you're cooking it now.
There's no pancetta around that? No, I'm going to sear this off and then I'm going to wrap it in the pancetta and put it in the oven.
So you're cooking the veal twice, so I suppose the danger tonight is you can actually make it dry.
Did Luca tell you to do that? No, Luca didn't tell me to do it.
I just I think that's what I need to do.
Yeah, but Luca didn't do that.
No, that's not what he did.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? It's midway through the elimination test.
One half of the home cooks must replicate MasterChef junior winner Alexander's passion fruit panna cotta.
The other half must reproduce MasterChef champion Luca's pancetta-wrapped veal.
But not everyone is sticking to the menu.
Big Willie.
You're cooking the veal twice.
Did Luca tell you to do that? No, Luca didn't tell me to do it.
I think that's what I need to do.
Yeah, but Luca didn't do that.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? I don't think it's gonna be me.
Wow.
Uh, Luca, Big Willie's searing off the veal first before he wraps it in pancetta he wants to add more flavor.
Uh, well, good for him.
He can invent a new dish.
I would not evolve it, because as you taught me, you need to learn how to walk before you start running.
Yeah.
So, Alexander, based on your observations, who is doing that panna cotta justice? I think that Jaimee is doing really well.
She's done the order of steps properly.
She's got her panna cottas in the blast chiller.
And I think that she's leaving herself enough time to plate, which is important.
And also Tyler looks pretty good.
I'm extremely nervous about the panna cotta not setting.
So I wanted to make sure that I got it in there and at least gave it enough time to set nicely.
Okay, uh, mr.
Panic.
All over the place.
- Looks like a bomb's gone off.
- Yeah, it is.
It's not "panna cotta," it's "panic Cutter.
" When was the last time you made a panna cotta? - Never.
- Never made a panna cotta? Never made a panna cotta.
- Have you eaten it? - No.
Never even eaten it.
Cutter, seriously? Try to work tidy.
Alexander's watching.
Come on.
Start pulling it together.
What the Somebody took a panna cotta off my tray.
I originally put in three panna cottas, and as I pull my tray out, there's only two here.
I don't know if somebody took it or on accident or is trying to sabotage me.
My first panna cotta, it just puddles.
Oh, guess I should try and bang out the other one.
Puddle.
Gee, I wish I had my third one.
Come on, let's go! Hurry up! Come on! Go, go, go.
Ahh.
Whoo! Come on, Tyler, put it on the plate.
Come on.
Let's go.
Finishing touches.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, fve, four, three, two, one, and stop! Hands in the air! Elizabeth, Luca, Alexander, please come downstairs.
Alexander, Luca, this way, please.
Elizabeth, straight back to your station, thank you.
Luca and Alexander, thank you for giving inspiration to our contestants this evening.
Good luck to everybody.
And listen to these three genius of the business, because every word they tell you is better than a book.
Good luck with your book.
Alexander, well done.
- Good luck.
-Good night, guys.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good night.
Thank you, guys.
Now it's time to start tasting those amazing dishes and find out who has cooked their last meal inside the MasterChef kitchen.
Okay, Courtney, let's go.
I am so proud of my dish.
It is like a photo replication of Luca's dish.
Sauce absolutely nailed.
Tell me what's inside the veal.
Inside the veal is grana padano cheese and sage leaves.
The dish looks beautiful.
Talk to me about the radicchio.
How did you cook it? I slowly cooked it with apple and a little bit of chicken stock and just let it cook itself down, get tender.
Yeah, you've definitely got mojo back.
Slight over-char on those sprouts.
However, the veal was nailed.
Rolled nice and tightly.
you do cook with confidence.
- Great job.
- Thank you, chef.
So why do you think Elizabeth gave you the veal? Because it was a very difficult plate to replicate, and she saw that I could do desserts, and I think she thought I might stumble on this.
Just by sight alone, it is right there with Luca's.
- It's delicious.
It's perfumed.
- Thank you.
It's fragrant.
It's cooked well.
Perfect.
Great job.
Thank you.
Is this something you've done before? I have never cooked veal before, ever.
That's amazing.
Thank you.
This dish is definitely a big statement.
I like the charred sprouts.
I think they're good that way.
- Thank you.
- The sauce is light.
There's enough sweetness, it's not over-acidic.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
Taking this dish that I don't even know what it's made of and nailing it is sending a strong message to all the other competitors, like, "You need to watch out.
" Next up, Big Willie.
Okay, it looks like Luca's dish, so I'm thinking, "Okay, good job.
" When you started cooking the veal dish, Did you not listen to Luca? I did listen.
When you pound any kind of protein out, it never takes lightly to being cooked twice.
So the big issue you had tonight was searing it without the pancetta and then wrapping it and cooking it again, - because as it rests, it'll just continue cooking.
- Yeah.
So therefore it's gonna be dry.
It's a shame Because the sauce is nice.
The radicchio is delicious.
You've nailed that part, but the hero The veal.
It's really dry.
So there's a reason why Luca stuffed it, rolled it, Wrapped it, and soaked it.
I'd be gutted Really sad for you to go home tonight.
But it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Unless there's a bigger mistake out there tonight than yours, you'll go back to church on Sunday.
It's a shame - because the hero - The veal.
It's really dry.
I'd be really sad for you to go home tonight.
But it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Unless there's a bigger mistake out there tonight than yours, you'll go back to church on Sunday.
Unfortunately, Big Willie's was kind of a letdown, which made me really sad.
I mean, he has to fail eventually if I'm gonna win, but he didn't have the best day.
Okay, next up, please, Christian.
Christian, how we doing? Not so good.
I'm very disappointed in myself.
The candied hazelnuts are not there.
My plating could've been better.
I feel that the hazelnut crumble could've been better.
I'm not I'm not happy.
I know I could've done better.
It's like a cheesecake.
Just way too much gelatin.
It's so firm.
This is something where Elizabeth put the target on your back.
She wanted you out of here.
She knows how strong you are.
She thought that this might trip you up, and I think that it did, 'cause this is easily the worst thing you've given us.
Cutter, come on up.
Why do you think that you were the first person given this dish, this panna cotta, by Elizabeth? 'Cause she knows desserts is my achilles' heel, and there's a lot of finesse to it.
And I have, like she said, big old bear hands.
Um, your panna cotta's actually really quite good.
It's funny.
You can tell just by the consistency of these which ones is right, which one's wrong.
And yours, Cutter, happens to be right.
Thank you.
Elizabeth I don't know what she was planning, but she targeted you, and I think it was a miss.
Gonna have to get him next time.
- Ooh, man.
- Good job.
Thank you.
Please come up, Jaimee.
I wish I still had my third ramekin.
I mean, my third one was my safety net.
but it went missing.
What do we have here? I need a spoon, actually.
I know.
It's mush.
I don't even know what to call it.
So what happened? This is the first time in six years that it has not set up on me.
If I would've had a third one, maybe It's like a really good pudding.
But the flavor's great, so I guess the one thing is seeing who else out here you know, performed at this level or lower.
I'm downright embarrassed right now.
This is a nightmare.
I am praying to the pastry gods above that someone messed up more than me.
Last up, Tyler, please.
Let's go.
Three blindfolds, please.
- Three blindfolds? - Blindfolds.
Is there anything you want to tell me about this dish? I thought everything was coming together, and then when it was time to plate, I had to, you know, jackknife powerbomb the ramekin on the plate just to get it out of there.
Right, Tyler for the very first time in MasterChef history, I am so sorry to tell you that someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
What do you mean, chef? Stay there.
Chef Ramsay walked to the back.
I was like, "Oh, [bleep.]
.
What's about to happen?" I'm getting pretty nervous.
My heart's beating as fast as it can beat.
I still have no clue what's going on.
Oh, my gosh.
You got to be kidding me.
Tyler For the very first time, someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
What do you mean, chef? Stay there.
You got to be kidding me.
What do you see on that tray, young man? - My ramekins.
- Your ramekins.
Yes, chef.
I, uh My my I put my ramekins on the top shelf, and I don't know if they got switched I don't know, chef.
You didn't.
They were on the bottom shelf.
Bottom left-hand side.
You put four ramekins in the blast chiller.
I just pulled out the same four.
You served us Jaimee's panna cotta.
I-I had no clue.
I apologize.
For the record, I 100% believe you.
Yes, chef.
I think you panicked.
I think you ran in there with seconds to go and grabbed somebody else's dish.
This is a first in MasterChef history.
I'm afraid Joe, Graham, and myself need a few seconds to catch up.
Stay there.
Oh, dear.
I can't believe this is happening.
I mean, look If we wanted to taste his dish, it would be disrespectful to every other contestant who played by the rules.
And the rules of the competition say every challenge, you have to plate your food.
Now, I don't think it was meant purposely.
I think it was just a complete mistake.
- Rules are the rules.
- Rules are the rules.
In MasterChef, the biggest cooking competition anywhere in the world, we have to judge you for what you put on a plate.
But for the first time ever, we've had a dish served tonight by you that you didn't make, which contravenes the rules of MasterChef.
Oh, Tyler I am so sorry.
But your journey is going to end Tonight.
Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, young man, we've seen your journey go from this up to there, and we had no idea it was going to end like this.
But you must promise yourself that you'll continue cooking, because you're gonna make it.
I think you're that good.
Thank you, chef.
Anything you'd like to say to us before you go? Again, I apologize for what happened.
I understand your decision, and I appreciate everything you guys have allowed me to do.
Jaimee, I apologize.
I'm sorry.
I had no intent on doing that.
No, I'm sorry that you grabbed mine.
And, hey, at least if they would've tasted it, it would've tasted pretty damn good.
So thank you.
Uh, Tyler, please take off your apron, place it on your bench.
Good luck, my man.
- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you.
Keep cooking.
- I'm sorry.
- Thank you, chef.
- Appreciate that, chef.
- Good luck, man.
Thank you.
This is devastating, but I feel like the judges made a fair decision.
You break the rules, you pay the price.
I broke the rules.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
MasterChef changed my life.
Hopefully it leads to better things.
My dream hasn't changed.
I get knocked down, but I get back up.
This isn't the end.
It's only a detour.
Listen, that hurts, let me tell you.
That was a very sad ending.
But the competition has to go on.
And we have had some great dishes tonight.
But there is one dish that literally hit all the high notes.
This person will also have a huge advantage in a game-changing position in the next challenge.
The best dish of the night is Little miss tippy-toes.
Courtney, well done.
Great dish This victory doesn't feel as good as the first one Just in light of everything that happened.
But it is validation that I am supposed to be here.
From here on out, it's nothing but perfection, and I'm going to win this thing.
There are 15 home cooks tonight standing in front of us.
What's ahead is never gonna be easy.
Good night.
Next time on MasterChef You will be cooking in pairs.
Uh-uh.
No, thank you.
The home cooks meet their match Girl, we got it.
as teammates Let's be honest.
Leslie's your bitch.
quickly become enemies.
I have an idiot as a partner.
Hell, yeah, I'll whup his ass.
And a performance so shocking Do the honors.
Two could be going home.
Both of you have got one foot out the door.
But Leslie's poor captaincy I don't know what's going on here.
Get your [bleep.]
together now! Led to a blue team victory.
I said I'm sorry.
You're not sorry at all! And in the pressure test, it was a tearful Jordan who said good-bye.
Tonight The kitchen is graced by two returning champions.
Last year's winner, Luca Aah! And our first-ever MasterChef Junior winner, Alexander.
It was like royalty walked in.
But it's one catastrophic mistake that takes center stage.
For the very first time, someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
Come on down.
Make your way to your station.
The top 30, top 20, and now the top 16 It's an incredible feeling.
I'm a country boy from Wilmington, Ohio.
So, to walk away with the title MasterChef, for me, that's that's the ultimate.
Let's go.
I'm really hoping that I win this mystery box, because winning two in a row would be an incredible achievement, and it would really prove to my competitors that I am one of the front-runners.
Welcome back, everyone.
Seems like we've put you through a lot already, doesn't it? Yes.
But trust me, we are just getting started.
Now it's time for another mystery box challenge.
As with every mystery box challenge, the home cooks must prepare, cook, and present one incredible dish using all or some of the ingredients inside the box.
Focus.
It's time to find out what's under your mystery box.
I want something unique that will throw somebody else's game off under the box.
I want the rabbit or a squirrel or something that somebody somebody'd look at and go, "Whoa.
" I really want bone marrow under that box.
I could really get down and dirty with some bone marrow.
On the count of three, lift your boxes.
One Two Three.
Lift.
Oh.
Oh, my god.
That's right, tin cans.
People across America cook with cans like this every day.
Ingredients we all have in our pantries Every house in America has tin cans Oh, my.
Except in most houses, the cans have labels.
They don't need labels, because where I'm from, everything we do is in a can.
I'm feeling real confident in what I'm gonna produce.
In my house, we never really ate canned food.
We always use, like, fresh ingredients.
So, at this point, I'm kind of worried.
This is like a doomsday prepper's dream come true.
You all have Identical ingredients.
You can open up as many cans as you like, Use as many or as few as you like.
You'll also each have a staple pantry box, which includes milk, eggs, and flour to help make your dishes shine.
You'll each have to turn whatever's in those cans into one stunning dish.
Win this challenge, and you can come into the pantry, where you'll get a huge advantage An advantage that can send your toughest competitor back home.
Right, is everyone ready? Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes Starts Now.
Don't know what that is.
Ugh.
What? Nice.
Ugh.
Ah, this is awesome.
So 52 cans of deliciousness.
Let's have a look at the basic ones.
Chickpeas, baby corn, canned olives, beetroot.
- Fruit salad.
- Fruit salad.
- Peaches.
- Asparagus.
I mean, this is a tough challenge, this one, guys, tonight.
I mean, you know, I don't envy their task.
How many ingredients do you open? Is it 3 cans? Is it 6? Is it 10? Is it 20? The key tonight is to use the staple pantry to get you into some quality handmade food, then just use the cans for that extra touch.
- Olives.
- Peaches.
That's a plus.
So, Joe, what would you do? I would definitely take that spinach, wash it out good, lots of garlic - to take the canned flavor away.
- Yeah.
- Do maybe, like, an orecchiette with garlic and spinach.
- Nice.
I'm gonna do eggs Benedict.
I didn't open all my cans because a couple of cans stood out already.
I have a creamy beet and potato soup that's gonna have a crispy potted meat topping.
It's gonna be like a borscht.
I think this is one that I can actually win, like, this is one where having a childhood filled with canned foods is actually an advantage.
I've been waiting for that to be an advantage in this competition, and now it is.
I think it is a huge waste of time opening up all these cans, 'cause there's so many.
So I'm using the staple box and the canned fruit to make a cake.
I am legitimately stumped right now.
I am about to start crying.
Francis L.
Sir, yes, chef.
- How are you doing? - Experimenting.
- Playing.
- Experimenting.
No, you? Experimenting? Really? Come on.
Right, what's the dish? I'm doing a thai-inspired seafood soup.
So I took a lot of the juices from the cans of fish - and I made a fish stock and soup.
- Wow.
Juices.
Now, everyone's discarding the juices, so you're going You're you're Juices are my best friend.
I made and amazing seafood stock here, I believe.
Good luck.
- Hello, Ahran.
- Hi.
What do you know about cooking with canned food? You making a little fruit salad? No, I'm making a sponge roll cake.
Is your sponge cake already baking? Yeah, it's in the oven right now.
I'm filling it with some fruit and whipped cream.
- There you go.
- Oh, so you're going pastry.
Yeah, I'm gonna make the fruit to not taste as artificial.
- Yeah, you got to rinse 'em really good.
- Yeah.
Victoria, how are you feeling? - Oh, I'm feeling all right.
- Where are we going? It will be a potted meat fritter with a pickled salad.
Top 16 great news for making this far, but we haven't actually seen you shine yet.
You know, I haven't shown up like I wanted to show up, and I'm hoping that with this challenge, I can do that.
Even though it's canned food, I want to put my best out there, - and I want it to be phenomenal.
- Yep.
I want to be someone that people are looking out for.
Good luck.
I think I'm just gonna make a soup.
Ten minutes left.
- Tough, tough mystery box, this one.
- Very hard.
So I see Elizabeth's using the beets.
- Yeah.
- What is she making? A traditional Russian borscht.
Love the flavor.
- Borscht is smart.
- Yeah, very smart.
Francis Legge he's taken all the juices from the cans in an asian-inspired sort of coconut-broth soup.
Ahran made a sponge.
Oh, really? And it's already in the oven baking, and then she's got the fruit compote cooking down.
Very smart.
Willie what's he making? So he's doing the processed ham with a fried egg.
Almost like a sort of eggs Benedict.
- Boring.
- Just uninspiring.
This kind of a mystery box really discerns which cooks are able to think on their feet, have good intuition, and are really intelligent.
Let's go.
Last minute remaining.
For one of you, a huge advantage is at stake here.
They may be cans, but you can make a delicious meal.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop! Hands in the air.
They may be cans, but you can make a delicious meal.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Stop! Hands in the air! Well done.
Throughout the mystery box challenge, the judges taste elements of all the home cooks' dishes as they come together.
They now take one final look to choose the top three standouts, and the winner of this challenge will receive a major advantage in the next round.
I have a feeling that this dish might finally put me on the map.
I'm just crossing my fingers, and I'm like, "This is the dish that's gonna get me there," 'cause I want to be in the top three.
I look down at my dish, and it's gorgeous.
That soup tastes bloody amazing.
This is gonna be my night, people.
All right, well done.
Now, on to three seriously good-looking dishes that we want to take an even closer look at Three dishes that stood out.
The first dish we want to take a closer look It was elevated.
It was hard to believe that the actual ingredients originated coming out of a can.
This home cook is about to have their first time in the top three.
Please step forward Elizabeth.
Oh, my god, like I finally feel like I'm a standout competitor.
Wow.
Describe the dish, please.
It's a beet and potato cream-based soup with a can of condensed milk and coconut milk, and then I made a crispy black-eyed pea canned ham and chickpea topping.
So you wanted that sort of creaminess.
I did want the creaminess, yes.
That's why I used the condensed milk.
Yeah, it's got that intriguing taste.
Delicious tasting, doesn't really need that sweetness there.
But you've created that balance with the seasoning.
So I got the heat.
Is that chili? Uh, cayenne and some paprika.
Yeah, it looks great.
I'd be happy to see that in a restaurant tonight for dinner, And I'd struggle to understand that that came out of a tin.
- Great start.
Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
It's great.
I love the heat that comes with it, but also the saltiness of the ham, which, you know, a lot of times when it's kind of canned and preserved like that can be too much, but here, used to great effect.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
I love the richness of it.
I love the fact that you added the croutons of processed meat and chickpeas.
I think it has a good depth of flavor.
Great job.
Good soup.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
The second dish that we really want to examine further had a hearty component to it.
It was something that we were intrigued by.
First time for this home cook in the top three.
Please step forward Victoria.
Boom! I'm in the top three! It happened! Tell us exactly what it is.
It's a potted meat fritter with a spicy, smoky ketchup, and a sauteed artichoke and beet salad with an herb vinaigrette.
So how many canned components are on the dish? All in all, I would say that there's maybe eight cans in here.
I think there are maybe five meats inside there.
Really good.
There's sweet, spicy, earthy, all those flavors going on.
Great use of the ingredients.
You know, the fritters are heavy, - Kind of dense, you know.
They could've been smaller.
- Yeah.
A little more finesse given to 'em, but as far as what you put on the plate, it's really great.
- Good job.
- Thank you, chef.
Thank you.
We love the idea of what you did with the fritters.
It's very sort of in, hip, sort of gastropub-y.
Here's the thing.
- It may not look the most attractive - Yeah.
But it delivers a punch of flavor.
Batter, delicious.
Canned artichokes, you know, not every chef can use them.
They've got a really nice char on them.
Beetroots work.
But the spicy ketchup is the one that lifts that whole dish together.
What's in there? I incorporated the adobo sauce with some diced tomatoes.
Uh, good job.
Thank you so much, chef.
Thank you.
The third and final dish we want to take a closer look at This home cook made a very, very smart use of the staple pantry box.
This home cook did not open all of their cans.
Please step forward, Ahran.
Tell me what the dish is.
So it's a sponge roll cake with canned fruit inside and a flavored whipped cream.
Certainly the smartest dish out of this mystery box is this one today.
If nothing else, just the ability to bake a sponge cake that's this soft and moist and light - is a skill set already.
- Thank you.
Then the intelligence of making a dessert No one else in this room did.
And then the courage to use one can of fruit cocktail.
Mm-hmm.
There's one cherry in it, though, right? The whole can had one cherry in it.
This is brilliant.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Any flavorings in the sponge? There's vanilla bean in there.
- But that's it.
- Delicious.
- Thank you.
- Nice.
Fragrant.
What would I change? - Little more color maybe.
- Mm-hmm.
Some lemon zest in the cream, cut down that richness.
You may be 18 years of age, but right now tonight, You have the biggest set of balls in this competition.
- Congratulations.
Good job.
- Thank you.
Elizabeth, Victoria, Ahran, all three of you, well done.
There can only be one winner, who'll join us in the pantry and receive that huge advantage.
I deserve to win this challenge because I really, I think, thought out of the box.
I made a cool, creative dish.
I want this advantage.
An advantage like never before.
It's crucial that I win this mystery box so that I can finally start to pull away from the rest of my competitors and make a name for myself in the kitchen.
The person who cooked the best dish tonight The fact that I took the risk to make this cake Nobody else did anything similar to mine.
This just shows my competitors that I am one of the front-runners here.
The person who'll get this huge, huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge That dish was cooked by The person who'll get this huge, huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge That dish was cooked by Congratulations Elizabeth.
Aah! I feel amazing.
I'm I'm like, I finally won! Are you ready to find out what your advantage is? - Yes.
- Let's go.
As the winner of the mystery box challenge, Elizabeth is now in control of the elimination test where at least one person will leave the competition.
Elizabeth, welcome to the MasterChef pantry.
Are you ready to find out the theme of today's elimination challenge? Born ready.
Well, we're not gonna tell you what it is.
We've invited a special guest who's gonna do that for us Someone who knows how to prevail under the pressure of this competition, Someone who has stood right there where you're standing.
Please welcome back last year's MasterChef winner, Luca.
Hey! Hello! Hi! Ciao, Elizabeth.
Luca, it's so nice to meet you.
- Welcome, Luca.
- Good to see you.
Now, last 12 months, what have you been doing? I have my own catering company.
Brilliant.
What's it called? Dinner with Luca.
Ah.
Kate and I are waiting for our little baby.
- Ah.
- Nice.
Fantastic.
Amazing.
Then I have my beautiful cookbook.
Titled My Italian Kitchen: Favorite family recipes, which is available now.
And my restaurant will be open by the end of the year in Brooklyn.
Fantastic.
And what's the name of that? We don't know yet.
Probably "Luca.
" Easy, right? So, Elizabeth, you know what's even cooler than one MasterChef winner? Two MasterChef winners.
Please welcome our youngest winner ever.
Oh, yes! First MasterChef junior Alexander.
Hi.
Hi.
Good to see you.
Welcome home.
Good to see you too.
- You good? - Thank you.
Yeah.
- Now, you've been busy.
- Yeah.
What have you been up to? I've been trying to do more cooking lessons for people who were inspired by the show and especially young kids who like to cook and want to learn more.
And I've kept on cooking.
I've learned so much.
Brilliant.
Wow.
Two amazing MasterChef champions together in one place.
Two amazing MasterChef dishes hidden under here.
Elizabeth, we told you that you would get some huge advantages in here.
For your first advantage, you do not have to cook either of these complex dishes tonight.
Your second advantage involves a choice regarding these two different dishes which we will show you in the MasterChef kitchen.
You're not going to choose between the two dishes.
You're gonna choose who is gonna have to cook which dish.
- I love that.
- Okay, Elizabeth, let's go and show everybody what they'll be cooking in tonight's elimination challenge.
Let's go.
Upstairs, please.
Because Elizabeth won the last mystery box challenge, she is safe from elimination, and she is through to the next stage of the competition.
The rest of you are far from safe.
At least one of you will be going home after this elimination challenge.
Elizabeth wasn't back there alone.
Please welcome two MasterChef champions Last year's winner, Luca And our first-ever MasterChef Junior winner, Alexander.
Excellent.
I cheered for Luca at home, and to see him there so successful and happy and proud I want to be that.
Alexander walks in, and that kid is, like, fierce.
I mean at 14 years old, I was like I was playing with my barbie dolls.
We asked Luca and Alexander to each make us one of their signature dishes Luca Can you please tell us what you created? This is my pancetta-wrapped veal filled with grana padano and sage.
served with radicchio, apples, and finished with a very classic white-wine sauce.
It looks very restaurant quality.
So I'm a little intimidated by it, because I'm not known for the prettiest of plates.
Alexander, why don't you tell us about your dish? This is my passion fruit panna cotta with a juniper berry raspberry coulis, candied hazelnuts, and a lavender crumble.
and this looks like something I would go get in a five-star restaurant.
Some of you will have to make Luca's savory dish, and some of you will have to cook Alexander's sweet dish.
And guess who gets to decide.
That's right.
Your fate is in the hands of Elizabeth.
My basic strategy is to assign the panna cotta to my competitors who don't have the finesse to pull it off and assign the veal to people that I think have weaker palates.
Elizabeth, which home cooks will have to re-create Alexander's phenomenal panna cotta? The first person that is gonna cook panna cotta is someone who's brimming with confidence, but I wonder if his bearish hands can create something delicate, and that would be Cutter.
Oh Death by desserts.
Here we go.
Give me some mojo, bro.
Give me some mojo.
Okay, the second home cook.
Christian.
- Third.
- Jaimee.
Wow.
Next pick.
Christine.
Next name, please.
- Ahran.
- Let's go.
Next.
Francis B.
- Next one.
- Victoria.
One more.
Last but not least, Tyler.
Elizabeth picked me to do the panna cotta.
I'm actually kind of excited.
Which means the rest of you out there will have the almost impossible mission of re-creating Luca's veal dish.
All of you, please, come up and have a taste of these amazing dishes.
Thank you.
There you go.
Alexander's panna cotta is so good.
Every bite I'm taking I am cataloguing the different flavor profiles, and I'm feeling really confident.
I'm tasting the dish, and what I'm noticing is that it's perfectly balanced.
I guess I'm starting to realize that I have a really good palate, and I'm going to kick this dish's ass.
Now that you've seen and tasted these two amazing dishes, It's time for you to replicate them.
You'll each have either Luca's savory dish or Alexander's sweet one, whichever one Elizabeth has selected for you.
Is everybody ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts - Now.
- Off you go.
I'm just going by with what I tasted on Luca's dish.
What does radicchio look like? And I'm looking.
Like, radicchio? What is radicchio? Ah! Let's go, guys, come on! Good luck, guys.
Just chillin' with Luca no big deal.
Bloody hell! So Luca his signature dish, a pancetta-wrapped veal roulade.
How hard is that? The jeopardy is intense because you need that pancetta to be crisp.
You've got to cook the veal properly, and then they've got to let it rest So it cooks properly on the inside.
It's not just cooking you're butchering.
- Yeah.
- Pounding it thin.
So Alexander's dish, a panna cotta, cooked cream, but held together with gelatin.
And that is a very technical thing to be able to accomplish.
Just the way it sits on the plate, - It should be bulging at the side - Right, right.
So it's got to set, but it takes time to set.
Right.
You can't rush it.
Right, Courtney, why do you think Elizabeth picked veal for you? Well, probably because I've done some nice desserts and she hasn't had a chance to see me do anything savory.
I think she definitely sees me as a threat.
I've been in the top before, and she would probably like me to go home.
What are you doing? I had to pound out my veal.
I rolled it up.
- It's resting in the fridge.
- Good.
So you rolled it up tight with the saran wrap.
Rolled it up tight with saran wrap, yes.
And then you're gonna sear that off? Yes, I'm gonna sear it off, baste it Good luck.
Christian, why did Elizabeth give you the panna cotta? To be honest with you, I really don't know.
And, honestly, I really don't care.
I mean, to be honest with you, I'm down here trying to learn as I go and I'm not really that great with desserts, but I mean, this is why I'm here.
To be honest with you, maybe that's why she gave you panna cotta.
Probably so.
Right, Big Willie, how you doing? I'm doing pretty good, chef.
So you're cooking it now.
There's no pancetta around that? No, I'm going to sear this off and then I'm going to wrap it in the pancetta and put it in the oven.
So you're cooking the veal twice, so I suppose the danger tonight is you can actually make it dry.
Did Luca tell you to do that? No, Luca didn't tell me to do it.
I just I think that's what I need to do.
Yeah, but Luca didn't do that.
No, that's not what he did.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? It's midway through the elimination test.
One half of the home cooks must replicate MasterChef junior winner Alexander's passion fruit panna cotta.
The other half must reproduce MasterChef champion Luca's pancetta-wrapped veal.
But not everyone is sticking to the menu.
Big Willie.
You're cooking the veal twice.
Did Luca tell you to do that? No, Luca didn't tell me to do it.
I think that's what I need to do.
Yeah, but Luca didn't do that.
Someone's going home tonight.
Is it you? I don't think it's gonna be me.
Wow.
Uh, Luca, Big Willie's searing off the veal first before he wraps it in pancetta he wants to add more flavor.
Uh, well, good for him.
He can invent a new dish.
I would not evolve it, because as you taught me, you need to learn how to walk before you start running.
Yeah.
So, Alexander, based on your observations, who is doing that panna cotta justice? I think that Jaimee is doing really well.
She's done the order of steps properly.
She's got her panna cottas in the blast chiller.
And I think that she's leaving herself enough time to plate, which is important.
And also Tyler looks pretty good.
I'm extremely nervous about the panna cotta not setting.
So I wanted to make sure that I got it in there and at least gave it enough time to set nicely.
Okay, uh, mr.
Panic.
All over the place.
- Looks like a bomb's gone off.
- Yeah, it is.
It's not "panna cotta," it's "panic Cutter.
" When was the last time you made a panna cotta? - Never.
- Never made a panna cotta? Never made a panna cotta.
- Have you eaten it? - No.
Never even eaten it.
Cutter, seriously? Try to work tidy.
Alexander's watching.
Come on.
Start pulling it together.
What the Somebody took a panna cotta off my tray.
I originally put in three panna cottas, and as I pull my tray out, there's only two here.
I don't know if somebody took it or on accident or is trying to sabotage me.
My first panna cotta, it just puddles.
Oh, guess I should try and bang out the other one.
Puddle.
Gee, I wish I had my third one.
Come on, let's go! Hurry up! Come on! Go, go, go.
Ahh.
Whoo! Come on, Tyler, put it on the plate.
Come on.
Let's go.
Finishing touches.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, fve, four, three, two, one, and stop! Hands in the air! Elizabeth, Luca, Alexander, please come downstairs.
Alexander, Luca, this way, please.
Elizabeth, straight back to your station, thank you.
Luca and Alexander, thank you for giving inspiration to our contestants this evening.
Good luck to everybody.
And listen to these three genius of the business, because every word they tell you is better than a book.
Good luck with your book.
Alexander, well done.
- Good luck.
-Good night, guys.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good night.
Thank you, guys.
Now it's time to start tasting those amazing dishes and find out who has cooked their last meal inside the MasterChef kitchen.
Okay, Courtney, let's go.
I am so proud of my dish.
It is like a photo replication of Luca's dish.
Sauce absolutely nailed.
Tell me what's inside the veal.
Inside the veal is grana padano cheese and sage leaves.
The dish looks beautiful.
Talk to me about the radicchio.
How did you cook it? I slowly cooked it with apple and a little bit of chicken stock and just let it cook itself down, get tender.
Yeah, you've definitely got mojo back.
Slight over-char on those sprouts.
However, the veal was nailed.
Rolled nice and tightly.
you do cook with confidence.
- Great job.
- Thank you, chef.
So why do you think Elizabeth gave you the veal? Because it was a very difficult plate to replicate, and she saw that I could do desserts, and I think she thought I might stumble on this.
Just by sight alone, it is right there with Luca's.
- It's delicious.
It's perfumed.
- Thank you.
It's fragrant.
It's cooked well.
Perfect.
Great job.
Thank you.
Is this something you've done before? I have never cooked veal before, ever.
That's amazing.
Thank you.
This dish is definitely a big statement.
I like the charred sprouts.
I think they're good that way.
- Thank you.
- The sauce is light.
There's enough sweetness, it's not over-acidic.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
Taking this dish that I don't even know what it's made of and nailing it is sending a strong message to all the other competitors, like, "You need to watch out.
" Next up, Big Willie.
Okay, it looks like Luca's dish, so I'm thinking, "Okay, good job.
" When you started cooking the veal dish, Did you not listen to Luca? I did listen.
When you pound any kind of protein out, it never takes lightly to being cooked twice.
So the big issue you had tonight was searing it without the pancetta and then wrapping it and cooking it again, - because as it rests, it'll just continue cooking.
- Yeah.
So therefore it's gonna be dry.
It's a shame Because the sauce is nice.
The radicchio is delicious.
You've nailed that part, but the hero The veal.
It's really dry.
So there's a reason why Luca stuffed it, rolled it, Wrapped it, and soaked it.
I'd be gutted Really sad for you to go home tonight.
But it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Unless there's a bigger mistake out there tonight than yours, you'll go back to church on Sunday.
It's a shame - because the hero - The veal.
It's really dry.
I'd be really sad for you to go home tonight.
But it looks like you've got one foot out the door.
Unless there's a bigger mistake out there tonight than yours, you'll go back to church on Sunday.
Unfortunately, Big Willie's was kind of a letdown, which made me really sad.
I mean, he has to fail eventually if I'm gonna win, but he didn't have the best day.
Okay, next up, please, Christian.
Christian, how we doing? Not so good.
I'm very disappointed in myself.
The candied hazelnuts are not there.
My plating could've been better.
I feel that the hazelnut crumble could've been better.
I'm not I'm not happy.
I know I could've done better.
It's like a cheesecake.
Just way too much gelatin.
It's so firm.
This is something where Elizabeth put the target on your back.
She wanted you out of here.
She knows how strong you are.
She thought that this might trip you up, and I think that it did, 'cause this is easily the worst thing you've given us.
Cutter, come on up.
Why do you think that you were the first person given this dish, this panna cotta, by Elizabeth? 'Cause she knows desserts is my achilles' heel, and there's a lot of finesse to it.
And I have, like she said, big old bear hands.
Um, your panna cotta's actually really quite good.
It's funny.
You can tell just by the consistency of these which ones is right, which one's wrong.
And yours, Cutter, happens to be right.
Thank you.
Elizabeth I don't know what she was planning, but she targeted you, and I think it was a miss.
Gonna have to get him next time.
- Ooh, man.
- Good job.
Thank you.
Please come up, Jaimee.
I wish I still had my third ramekin.
I mean, my third one was my safety net.
but it went missing.
What do we have here? I need a spoon, actually.
I know.
It's mush.
I don't even know what to call it.
So what happened? This is the first time in six years that it has not set up on me.
If I would've had a third one, maybe It's like a really good pudding.
But the flavor's great, so I guess the one thing is seeing who else out here you know, performed at this level or lower.
I'm downright embarrassed right now.
This is a nightmare.
I am praying to the pastry gods above that someone messed up more than me.
Last up, Tyler, please.
Let's go.
Three blindfolds, please.
- Three blindfolds? - Blindfolds.
Is there anything you want to tell me about this dish? I thought everything was coming together, and then when it was time to plate, I had to, you know, jackknife powerbomb the ramekin on the plate just to get it out of there.
Right, Tyler for the very first time in MasterChef history, I am so sorry to tell you that someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
What do you mean, chef? Stay there.
Chef Ramsay walked to the back.
I was like, "Oh, [bleep.]
.
What's about to happen?" I'm getting pretty nervous.
My heart's beating as fast as it can beat.
I still have no clue what's going on.
Oh, my gosh.
You got to be kidding me.
Tyler For the very first time, someone has brought us a dish that they did not cook.
What do you mean, chef? Stay there.
You got to be kidding me.
What do you see on that tray, young man? - My ramekins.
- Your ramekins.
Yes, chef.
I, uh My my I put my ramekins on the top shelf, and I don't know if they got switched I don't know, chef.
You didn't.
They were on the bottom shelf.
Bottom left-hand side.
You put four ramekins in the blast chiller.
I just pulled out the same four.
You served us Jaimee's panna cotta.
I-I had no clue.
I apologize.
For the record, I 100% believe you.
Yes, chef.
I think you panicked.
I think you ran in there with seconds to go and grabbed somebody else's dish.
This is a first in MasterChef history.
I'm afraid Joe, Graham, and myself need a few seconds to catch up.
Stay there.
Oh, dear.
I can't believe this is happening.
I mean, look If we wanted to taste his dish, it would be disrespectful to every other contestant who played by the rules.
And the rules of the competition say every challenge, you have to plate your food.
Now, I don't think it was meant purposely.
I think it was just a complete mistake.
- Rules are the rules.
- Rules are the rules.
In MasterChef, the biggest cooking competition anywhere in the world, we have to judge you for what you put on a plate.
But for the first time ever, we've had a dish served tonight by you that you didn't make, which contravenes the rules of MasterChef.
Oh, Tyler I am so sorry.
But your journey is going to end Tonight.
Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, young man, we've seen your journey go from this up to there, and we had no idea it was going to end like this.
But you must promise yourself that you'll continue cooking, because you're gonna make it.
I think you're that good.
Thank you, chef.
Anything you'd like to say to us before you go? Again, I apologize for what happened.
I understand your decision, and I appreciate everything you guys have allowed me to do.
Jaimee, I apologize.
I'm sorry.
I had no intent on doing that.
No, I'm sorry that you grabbed mine.
And, hey, at least if they would've tasted it, it would've tasted pretty damn good.
So thank you.
Uh, Tyler, please take off your apron, place it on your bench.
Good luck, my man.
- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you.
Keep cooking.
- I'm sorry.
- Thank you, chef.
- Appreciate that, chef.
- Good luck, man.
Thank you.
This is devastating, but I feel like the judges made a fair decision.
You break the rules, you pay the price.
I broke the rules.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
MasterChef changed my life.
Hopefully it leads to better things.
My dream hasn't changed.
I get knocked down, but I get back up.
This isn't the end.
It's only a detour.
Listen, that hurts, let me tell you.
That was a very sad ending.
But the competition has to go on.
And we have had some great dishes tonight.
But there is one dish that literally hit all the high notes.
This person will also have a huge advantage in a game-changing position in the next challenge.
The best dish of the night is Little miss tippy-toes.
Courtney, well done.
Great dish This victory doesn't feel as good as the first one Just in light of everything that happened.
But it is validation that I am supposed to be here.
From here on out, it's nothing but perfection, and I'm going to win this thing.
There are 15 home cooks tonight standing in front of us.
What's ahead is never gonna be easy.
Good night.
Next time on MasterChef You will be cooking in pairs.
Uh-uh.
No, thank you.
The home cooks meet their match Girl, we got it.
as teammates Let's be honest.
Leslie's your bitch.
quickly become enemies.
I have an idiot as a partner.
Hell, yeah, I'll whup his ass.
And a performance so shocking Do the honors.
Two could be going home.
Both of you have got one foot out the door.