Masterchef (2010) s05e16 Episode Script

After a coast-to-coast search for the best home cooks in America MasterChef! Just 22 were chosen to wear the coveted white apron.
It's time for the world's biggest cooking competition to truly begin.
Here they come! Some have risen to the occasion - Red team, ladies and gentlemen! - Yeah! But many have cracked under the pressure.
I will throw your ass out of here faster than you can even imagine.
Now just five remain Elizabeth.
It's sophisticated.
Seasoned beautifully.
This dish is like you: A serious contender.
Leslie.
Wow.
You really can teach an old dog new tricks.
It's beautiful.
Courtney.
This is you at your best right now.
Delicious.
Ambitious.
You're just getting better and better.
Cutter.
Cutter, you may have a face like a british bulldog chewed a wasp, but you do cook like an angel.
And Christian.
Just the minute I'm ready to write you off, you come back with a dish like this.
Thank you.
Now they go head-to-head in a fiery two-hour edition.
Remember what's at stake.
But only one can claim the title of MasterChef.
I'm in the top five.
It doesn't get any better than this except for number one, and I plan on being number one.
My dream is to have a food truck.
I'm doing this for my fiance.
She saw the ambition.
She saw the motivation.
And MasterChef means the world to me.
Welcome back, everyone.
The final five.
Before we show you what's under this big box, let's show you what's under all your mystery boxes.
One, two, three.
Nothing.
Because the most important ingredient is under this box.
I see a bunch of feet, and then see pair of feet about that big.
And my six-year-old brother is standing there.
Please welcome your loved ones.
Oh, my gosh.
You've all been gone from home for so long now, I'm sure you've all missed your loved ones.
Now, Courtney, your six-year-old dude of a brother, Cooper.
Yeah.
How long ago was it you saw him? Almost a year.
I don't get to see my brother that often.
I moved to Philadelphia four months after he was born.
I missed out on his first steps, his first words.
You've gotten so big.
I really feel like I'm missing out on a lot of his life.
I want to make him proud of me today.
I love you.
Good to see you, buddy.
Welcome.
Stand over there.
He's so strong Christian, your beautiful fiance Jasmine.
My fiance is definitely my pedestal when I can't stand.
Baby.
Her being here gives me that motivation, that little oomph.
Elizabeth, you had been married for just five months when you came here to the MasterChef kitchen.
That's right.
Your husband Ross is here All the way from Brooklyn, New York.
Why don't you go and join your lovely wife and say hello? Hi, babe.
Mm, so happy to see you.
So happy to see you.
Cutter, your dad David is here all the way from Beaumont, Texas.
We know you guys are super close.
What have you missed the most about your dad? He's my best friend.
I'll be honest with you, he's mymy hero in life.
Why don't you go over there and give him that bear hug? All right, thanks.
- How you doing? - What's up? - You're looking good.
- You too.
Yeah? Leslie, your gorgeous wife Paula.
- Have you missed him? - Oh, it's terrible.
It's so lonely at home.
So quiet.
Where is the off button? We haven't found it in months.
I haven't found it in 20 years.
He's dying to see you.
Are you ready? - Oh, yeah.
- Please.
Go and see him.
Welcome, my darling.
Thank you.
I've missed you so much.
I've missed you so much.
I'm so proud of you.
Amazing.
Obviously, tonight's mystery box is gonna be working a little differently.
You and your loved ones will take those empty mystery boxes back into the MasterChef pantry to get everything you will need to make their favorite dish.
Paula.
What is the dish of Leslie's that you miss the most? His herb-crusted rack of lamb.
Ah.
Dave.
Just a good ol' blackened red snapper steak.
- Our newlyweds.
- Italian meatballs and grits.
Jasmine, what is it, my darling? Reveal all.
It's actually his seafood gumbo.
- Oh, man.
- Seafood gumbo.
Ah.
Cooper, you shout it out.
What is the dish you miss the most? Mac and cheese! I love mac and cheese.
You now need to make an elevated version of that dish in just 60 minutes.
Show your family and us just how far you've grown across this competition.
Your 60 minutes starts Now.
Run! Run, Cooper! Run, Cooper! Run, run, run, run, run! - Got to run.
- Got it.
Okay.
Okay, so we're gonna do a blackened red snapper.
Me and my dad have a great relationship.
He's my huntin' buddy, my fishin' pal.
He took me in as his son at five years old.
Spinach and carrots? My mom was a single mom raising a kid, and he went from being a bachelor to taking on a family, and I think that's a huge compliment to him as a person and as a man.
I need tomatoes.
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.
Oh, I need roasted tomatoes.
Little ones, yep.
My wife's the breadwinner.
When I first met her, I married her with five children.
She was tired of being a stay-at-home wife I'll just drink the wine.
And I was tired of working three jobs.
So I've been cooking for She's a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife.
She's my soul mate.
- All right, you carry it now.
- I got it.
There it is.
Oh! Onions.
I think we're gonna beat 'em.
Come on.
Speed up, guys.
Go upstairs.
See you in a minute.
Let's go.
Well, we're at the final five.
What an incredible day to bring in their loved ones.
You know, that's a lot of inspiration, but it's also a lot of pressure.
They haven't seen their families now for months and months and months.
Christian's gumbo.
Time.
Worried about the time.
'Cause you know it takes two hours plus to cook it.
Yeah, minimum.
I don't know how he does it in an hour.
So Jasmine may have thrown him a wrench - By picking the gumbo.
- Yeah.
He might be in trouble.
So I think Courtney, by far, has the hardest task here.
Mac and cheese something that we all know and love, but how do you elevate it? I'm gonna do a truffled lobster mac and cheese with some shaved truffle and a panko bread crumb that I'm gonna season and toast off.
I love you, Paula! I love you, Les.
Make something yummy.
I'm making an elevated rack of lamb with some beets, butternut squash, mushrooms, And it's it's gonna be really nice.
- Christian, how you doing? - I'm doing great, chef.
First of all, wow, what a lovely lady.
- Thank you.
- Gumbo.
Something that she absolutely adores.
How on Earth are you gonna get this done in 60 minutes? 'Cause you know it takes minimum 90 minutes, two hours.
It takes a minimumyes, chef, I'm gonna get it done.
How you gonna elevate that? I'm gonna have a lot of seafood in there with a little bit of Andouille sausage.
New Orleans touch to it.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
It's half the time gone.
You have 30 minutes left to cook.
- Hi, chefs.
- So, Elizabeth, what is it exactly? I don't get it.
Meatballs and polenta are a pretty traditional pairing, and grits are like the polenta of the South.
It seems so simple.
How do you elevate it? The meatballs have five meats.
Mortadella, ground veal, ground pork, ground beef, and Italian pork sausage.
- Good luck.
- Thank you so much, chefs.
- Wow.
- Interesting.
It smells awesome.
The speed in the way they're cooking today is incredible.
No doubt that Leslie is in the pole position today.
I think the rack of lamb is a restaurant protein.
I'm really worried about Elizabeth, just because it's gonna be hard to elevate two rustic ingredients.
Come on, family members.
Give them some support.
Last minute.
Come on, Les! Come on, Courtney! Come on, Chris.
You got this.
- Let's go, guys, come on.
- Come on.
Come on, speed up.
It's almost to zero.
Ten, nine, eight, seven Hurry up! Six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop.
Hands in the air.
Still to come, in a two-hour MasterChef, the home cooks face some gruesome proteins Heart, brains, tongue, and testicles.
Ew.
Come on, family members.
Give them some support.
For MasterChef's top five, it's a mystery box challenge that's personal.
Come on, Courtney! The home cooks have had just one hour to turn a loved one's favorite dish into a restaurant-quality plate.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Stop.
Hands in the air.
Looks incredible.
Throughout the challenge, the judges taste elements of all the home cooks' dishes - as they come together.
- Nice color.
They now take one last look to choose the top three standouts, and the winner will receive a major advantage in the next round.
- Fantastic.
- Amazing.
- She did something - Unbelievable.
It's incredible.
Tough one, this one tonight, however, the first dish out of the top three that we want to take a much closer look at That dish clearly elevated that humble dish that their loved one chose for them and took it to a completely different level, definitely restaurant-quality dish Please step forward Courtney.
Yes.
Describe the dish, please.
I made for you a truffled lobster mac and cheese with fried brussels sprouts and a fried quail egg.
So when you break into it, the yolk will run over the lobster and make a lovely sauce.
The dish is delicious and complex in flavor.
Trying to get the cheeses matching the sweetness of the lobster is a tall order.
- And you've done that perfectly.
- Thank you.
Pasta is cooked beautifully.
Saucethick, rich.
Everything you want from a mac and cheese.
You've elevated, definitely.
Good job.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
I know.
So when young Cooper said "Mac and cheese," I was like, "Uh-oh.
" But you turned it into, really, a world-class pasta dish.
I want to ke you something very elegant, which is why I chose the orecchiette pasta, and I wanted to do a trio of cheeses instead of just, you know, the standard.
Breaking down those cheeses and making the sauce without breaking them is a very difficult thing to do.
You made a fonduta, is what we call a cheese sauce in Italian, and perfectly.
- That takes a lot of technique.
- Yeah.
Cooper, what do you think? Are you proud of your big sis? Yes.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you very much.
The second dish that we would like to examine further This home cook really dug down deep and used some bold flavors.
They were given a really tall order to pull off in just an hour, but somehow they managed to pull through.
Please come forward Christian.
Ah, yes.
Please describe your dish.
It's a New Orleans gumbo.
There's some crawfish in there, some crab in there, some Andouille sausage, and I made my own seafood stock.
It'sit's like taking a big drink from the ocean, except it's flavored beyond belief.
That umami, that meatiness that comes out with it, the right level of salt, seasoning.
Everything.
I mean, it's showing how far you've come - to be able to rock it out that quick - Mm-hmm.
to be able to really showcase the techniques, getting that shellfish cooked off and a stock made from it.
- Yes.
- That's a dish that anybody would want to just sit down and keep eating.
- Wow.
- It's great.
One of your best.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
This is, you know, taking us right back to New Orleans.
Definitely, without a doubt.
It tastes delicious.
I mean, right combination of heat, and I think there's a lot of professional chefs out there tonight who would struggle to get that done within 60 minutes.
What would I do differently? Less rice, sausage a little bit finer.
However, the more pressure we put you under, the better you perform.
Jasmine, you should come back more often because I think she's got the best out of you.
- Wow.
- Good job.
Well done.
Thank you, chef.
The third dish we wanted to take a closer look at had a lot of difficult components.
It seems to all come together on this plate.
This home cook took a rustic dish and definitely elevated it.
Please step forward Elizabeth.
So what's the dish? This is an herb grits with sauteed broccoli rabe, roasted fennel, and a five-meat meatball in a simple tomato sauce.
They look nice.
They're, like, a very course cut.
- Mm-hmm.
- This seems very loose.
I did add a little bit of Italian bread soaked in milk to kind of try to bring it together and give it that lightness.
The meatballs are really, really good.
They got a little bit of crispiness on the outside, nice and moist on the inside.
It's butiful collection of flavors.
Your tomato sauce is good.
It's got good acidity.
Broccoli's delicious.
A very strong dish.
Thank you.
Wow.
The meatballs taste like they've been cooked for hours, but they haven't.
Grits I absolutely love.
They've been elevated into something luxurious.
Saucerich in flavor.
Fennel.
- Meatballs have all gone posh now, right? - Yes.
- Really good job.
- Thank you, chef.
Delicious.
Really good, indeed.
Of course I want to win, and I want Ross to see me win.
But more importantly, winning this mystery box is gonna put me in front of Courtney in the competition.
GumboI can't believe he pulled that off.
Yeah, how'd you get that in 60 minutes? I've only won the mystery box once before, and just to win this mystery box in front of my fiance would mean the world to me.
Courtney's mac and cheese I mean, really, she got the whole thing.
I just want to win this for my little brother.
I want to make him proud.
Three amazing dishes, but, as we know, only one can be the winner.
The person who did their loved one's favorite dish justice That home cook is Three amazing dishes, but, as we know, only one can be the winner.
That person that took it and elevated it to a MasterChef level This home cook will now join us in the pantry and get a huge advantage in the upcoming elimination challenge.
Congratulations Elizabeth.
You are officially in the top four.
Yay.
It's like winning two times over, 'cause I win the challenge and I win in front of my husband.
That's, like, the best thing ever.
Ross, how are you feeling? It's amazing.
I'm so proud of her.
Aw.
Brilliant.
Good job.
Please, I'd like to invite all our family members to come down the stairs carefully and say good-bye to your loved ones.
You know, give a big hug.
Say good-bye, bud.
I love you.
Whoever your loved one is.
- I love you too.
- I love you.
- Love you.
- Okay.
Love you too.
I love you.
You did a beautiful job.
Thank you, families, for joining us on this fantastic challenge tonight.
Safe trip back.
Dave, take care.
- Bye-bye.
- We enjoyed it.
Good night, darling.
Wow.
How exciting is that? Elizabeth, let's go.
Good job, by the way.
- Thank you.
- Amazing.
Elizabeth, congratulations on winning the mystery box challenge tonight.
Weeks ago, this kind of advantage was big.
Now it's ten times bigger.
There's only five of you left.
Here you have four faces on a plate: Christian, Cutter, Courtney, and then finally, Leslie.
I'm about to present you with four very different, somewhat unique protein.
All you need to do tonight, Elizabeth, is put one protein on each plate.
Yes, chef.
First, you have something that, honestly, I love to cook.
An ox heart.
- Wow.
- It's 100% muscle.
Very difficult, very demanding, very challenging.
When it's right, it melts in your mouth.
The next choice is an ingredient that you're gonna actually have to use in making these decisions.
Brains.
Veal brains, to be precise.
Very, very delicate.
These will overcook in a second.
They take so much finesse.
You need just the right balance of flavors to get this right.
So the next choice is the tongue.
Lamb's tongue, to be more specific.
Tongue can be very rich, but very difficult to cook, and if it's not cooked properly, it becomes sinewy and almost un-edible.
So the final choice is Oh, god.
This is a delicacy beyond belief.
Ooh-wee.
Do you have any idea what these are? Those are balls, chef.
- These are buffalo testicles.
- Wow.
These are very difficult to cook.
The texture can be so chewy.
If you don't have the proper technique, this can become a mouthful nobody wants to eat.
Four challenging proteins.
Four home cooks.
It's time to put one protein on each face.
You must be happy.
Yeah.
Heck, yeah.
Well done.
Now, back in the pantry, Elizabeth got some huge advantages.
She does not have to cook in tonight's elimination challenge.
In the pantry, we asked Elizabeth to select a different protein for each of you.
Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth.
Yes.
Elizabeth got to choose between: Heart, brains, tongue, and testicles.
Ew.
- Are you excited? - Yes, chef.
- No, chef.
- No? I ain't never cooked that before, chef.
But you know what? I'm gonna do what I got to do.
Good.
Glad to hear it.
Are you ready to find out what Elizabeth has chosen for you? Yes, chef! The answer is in the pantry, along with finding everything else you need to make us one stunning dish.
Your one hour starts Now.
Oh, I got the brains.
Oh, Christian For all his tough guy demeanor He's squeamish, but he's a super strong competitor and I want him out because he keeps cooking well.
So, Christian, you get the veal brains.
- Oh, my god.
- Oh, tongue.
Oh, nice.
Heart as big as Texas, right? I got the balls.
I save the buffalo testicles for my biggest competition, which is Courtney.
This is my chance to serve her back a little bit and get revenge because if there's one thing that can trip anybody up testicles.
Great.
Let's, uh, go shopping.
What am I gonna do? Let's I'm taking this dish and I'm gonna flip this around.
This is going to be the fanciest bull testicle anyone has ever seen in their life.
Nice, Cutter.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Never made brains a day in my life.
But at the end of the day, I mean, [bleep.]
, it's top five, so you never know what they're gonna throw at you.
Thank you for the brains, Elizabeth! Sorry.
All right, so we have heart, testicles, brains, and tongue.
What do you think the hardest to work with? The brains.
Christian has really got his work cut out there because they're so delicate.
Poach them one minute too long, it turns into mush.
It's like cooking custard.
In my opinion, the most difficult protein tonight is the testicles, and giving them to Courtney was a real hard hit.
If you decide to cut 'em when they're still raw, it's like popping a water balloon.
They ooze out.
Exactly.
Just under 40 minutes to go! Christian, you've got brains.
How's it going? - It's going all right.
- Pasta.
Pasta sauce.
- It's going okay.
- Where are your brains? My brains are right there.
I boiled them.
Boiled them, like, cooked? - That's a little, like, hot.
- Like, over a little bit.
You want to do a low temperature.
They're gonna be very mealy, I think, - where they should be creamy.
- Uh-huh, like that.
What do you plan to do with it now? I'm gonna stuff it in a pasta.
Do you have ricotta? I didn't grab my ricotta or my mozzarella.
- Wow.
- What's gonna be your filling? - Just brains? - That's too rich.
- Nothing else with it? - Probably put some vegetables in there.
I have never heard of anything like your dish before.
Cooking some lamb tongue, so hopefully it'll get tender, and then I'm gonna sear it and see what happens.
I think Christian has a tough one.
He has the brains.
And those can go South real quick.
I'd be nervous if I had brains.
I had to restart this pasta, so it's not going good right now.
Come on, Christian.
As I'm watching the cook go down, Christian is really, really frantic.
Just looking at his face, he looks scared.
Christian's in a complete tailspin.
She dealt him a direct and severe blow with the brains, because she might send him home.
Oh, my god.
- Wow.
- Wow.
This is like a dream come true.
I think Christian is going home on this one.
Christian's in a complete tailspin.
She dealt him a direct and severe blow with the brains, because she might send him home.
I had to restart this pasta, so it's not going good right now.
Come on, Christian.
[bleep.]
.
It's not time to go home.
I'm not ready to give my apron up.
And at the end of the day, I have to elevate this dish, I decided to do what I know, and I'm gonna bread my brains, make a brain parmesan pasta and see how far these brains take me.
Hopefully they don't take me back to New Orleans.
Under 30 minutes to go.
Oh, stock is beautiful.
Right, Courtney.
- How are you feeling? - Very good, chef.
You have a tough one tonight.
Testicles.
Not the kind of thing you eat every weekend.
Come on.
Yeah, but I'm not afraid of it.
- So what's the dish? - I'm doing a pot-au-feu.
What's the base of the pot-au-feu? It's gonna be a vegetable stock.
- On buffalo testicles? - Wow, okay.
- Yeah.
And then I'm going to slice them into little medallions, - which I'm going to fry.
- Wow.
I think that Elizabeth found it irresistible to give me testicles.
Trust me, she knew that was one of the most difficult proteins to pull off.
- Good luck.
- Yes.
Thank you, chef.
All right, Cutter, so ox heart.
What did you decide to go with this? I'm gonna do a stuffed poblano pepper with an ox heart filleted on top.
How are you gonna cook the ox heart? I'm gonna cook it like a fillet.
Like a steak.
Which piece are you cooking? I'm gonna cook this one first.
You're cooking this? - I was gonna - That? - That whole thing? - That'll take hours.
I mean, that's, like, four times thicker.
This is something that you should be comfortable with, right? I feel comfortable with it, but it's the pressure of knowing that I could go home tonight if I don't get it right.
- All right, good luck.
- Thanks.
- Appreciate it.
- Taste that.
- Young man, how are you feeling? - Feeling good.
There's a lot going on here.
What's in there? Carrots, celery, onions Tongue? Is the tongue in there? Yes, the tongue is definitely in there.
Okay, good.
So you're braising it.
Yes, and then I'm also gonna put the bok choy - and some spinach on top.
- Sounds delicious.
- Confident you can get into top four? - Definitely top four.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, chef.
Guys, 15 minutes to go.
- Fascinating.
- Wow.
I mean, "a," it smells incredible.
It does smell really good in here.
So Courtney's doing A pot-au-feu of buffalo testicles.
Pot-au-feu, right, pot on fire? That's the ideayou're taking rough cuts and stewing it.
If you cut it the right way and cook it down, - yeah, could be good.
- Exactly.
Cutter? Cutter is taking heart he cut a piece about that thick and said he was gonna cook it like a fillet.
- It's, like, completely rare.
- It's got a long way to go.
Christian is hitting an all-time low - for the MasterChef kitchen.
- What is he doing? He's putting pasta in ice water.
- I've never seen that before.
- Never.
This is the most disorganized I've seen him.
- He's in trouble.
- Yeah.
- Wow.
- Leslie, on the other hand the actual dish sounds incredible.
- The tongue's being braised with red wine.
- Nice.
If I don't make the final four, they got no taste buds.
Oh, my god, come on.
This has got to cook.
A little bit more.
I've kicked this challenge in its testicles, that's for certain.
Last two minutes.
And for one of you, your last two minutes in the MasterChef kitchen.
Come on.
Gorgeoeous.
Taste everything.
Remember what's at stake.
- Come on, Christian.
- Oh, my god, Christian.
It'sit's a mess.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop! Hands in the air.
Tough challenge.
Let's start with Christian.
I am very upset at myself.
Walking up to the judges, I feel that my plating is not to what they're looking for, but my only hope is that it tastes delicious.
Describe your dish.
Brain parmesan pasta.
I didn't get an opportunity to put the parmesan on it, so it's really a brain tomato pasta.
What happed to you today? I don't know.
I didn't maintain my time.
I mean, I never worked with brain before.
I never had brain, so - Let's start with the pasta.
- Yeah.
So you did things to pasta that I've never seen done.
You didn't roll it out.
You didn't work it.
And then you put it in ice water? Well, I put it in ice water to cool, but Why did you put the pasta - I should've put it in the hot skillet.
- What - Not using my brain.
- Mm.
I know you're a better cook than this.
Damn right.
I mean, 'cause the pasta itself, considering you put it in ice, it's not even terrible.
Tell me about the tomato sauce.
Bell peppers, oregano How much oregano? A wholewell, a stem in there, yeah.
You just put raw oregano in tomatoes? All right, tell me about the brains.
So you fried them? Yeah, I friedI breaded them in the grape seed oil.
- The brains are delicious.
- Wow.
It's everything else that pulled you down.
- Tomato sauce is terrible.
- Yes, sir.
- We're in the final five.
- Yes, sir.
- It's elimination.
- Yes, sir.
Just cutting it open like that, the brains They're cooked perfectly.
And then the browning on 'em spot-on.
Yes, chef.
- Tastes awesome.
- They do taste good.
But I mean, what's going on with the rest of the dish? Clumsy mistakes, like I said before.
The biggest mistake for you was in the pantry itself when you were conceptualizing your dish and you somehow decided you were gonna do pasta and tomato sauce.
It doesn't make any sense to me.
I think that Elizabeth, when she had her choice back there, she put a target on your back and it ended up being like a head shot because this I mean, this is probably the worst dish that you have ever presented us.
And it's at the time that you need to give us your best.
I think that Elizabeth, when she had her choice back there, she put a target on your back and it ended up being like a head shot - because this - Wow.
This is probably the worst dish that you have ever presented us.
And it's at the time that you need to give us your best.
All right, thanks.
I am pissed right now.
That dish is not me.
The pasta and that sauce was not where it needed to be.
But at the end of the day, they said that the brains was good.
So I'm hoping that my protein just gets me through this.
Right, Courtney, let's go.
Describe the dish, please.
Today I made fried herb de provence testicle over a pot-au-feu.
Visually, it looks gorgeous.
I've never quite, in the history of my cooking career, seen a testicle so glamorous as that.
Pretty impressive.
And the coating on the outside? Some cornmeal, herb de provence, salt, pepper.
Mm-hmm, and how did you cook these vegetables? I braised them in the broth.
Delicious.
Refined.
And the proteinthe bit that we're all focused on tonight Nailed.
- Thank you.
- I mean, really good indeed.
Finesse.
You've managed to give a difficult protein A little bit of glamour.
Good job.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
That's really delicious.
The fact that you can take something that's really rustic and cheap and turn 'em into something delicious If you served that to someone, didn't tell 'em what it was, they would be asking for seconds and thirds.
They are awesome.
I think you just really took this as an opportunity to intimidate your tough competitor and show everyone else behind you how badass you are.
- Good job.
- Thank you, thank you.
I've absolutely proven to Elizabeth that it doesn't matter what you throw at me.
I'm going to send it back to you singing.
- Good job, Cot.
- Thank you.
Next up, Leslie.
Describe the dish, please.
It's a braised lamb tongue over Yukon gold and parsnip puree with some spinach and some bok choy.
Visually, it's not your best-looking plate.
That's for sure.
It's somewhat clumsy.
There's the back part of the tongue connected to the throat that you didn't cut off.
So you didn't clean any of that out, so I got a little bit of I didn't Almost like cartilage at the back.
I took the skin off, but I didn't realize - that needed to be cleaned.
- Yeah.
It's a shame, 'cause the actual flavor is delicious.
Braised beautifully, and it's sort of rustic.
Doesn't need spinach and bok choy.
I expect you to nail those little components of the dish at this stage in the game.
Someone's going home tonight.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
Gordon's right.
You didn't clean it very well.
Okay.
You put an incredible amount of garlic in here.
What, did you have garlic in the bok choy? Yeah, there's a touch.
You know, we're at the top four now, so were scrutinizing even the smallest little mistake.
- I understand.
- You think you're gonna play another day with this? Yes, I think I'll play another day.
I mean, there's one thing to have a certain swagger about your ability and you've done very well, but sometimes great cooks get sent home on one mistake, one missed step.
It's not great.
All right, last up: Cutter.
Please describe your dish.
I have a ox heart Topped with a mushroom ancho chili sauce on top of a chorizo and cheese stuffed poblano with a Mexican corn salad underneath.
This is the first time that I have ever truly seen you on a plate.
- Thank you.
- I hope you enjoy it.
It's the best plate that you've ever put up as far as the presentation, and when you look at the cook that you got on the top and bottom, I think youyou did it right where it needs to be.
Thank you.
It's cooked beautifully.
Using what you know down in the Southwest and being able to put that on a plate, it's like, finally, you're arriving.
You know? I'm excited.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
This is delicious.
You cooked this heart about as good as it could be cooked.
Thank you.
It's crunchy on the outside.
What did you season it with? I made my own little rub of chili powder, paprika, things like that.
That rub is some recipe you should keep in your pocket, - 'cause it is right on.
- Thank you.
Contrasts perfectly the richness.
That makes the dish.
That rub, the way you cooked it.
Very, very impressive.
- Good job, Cutter.
- Thank you.
I impressed Joe.
How cool is that? Finally, the old Texas boy impresses the Yankee.
Well done, all of you.
Some great-tasting dishes.
Can all four of you please come down to the front? Thank you.
Tough night.
Very tough indeed.
There were two great dishes tonight.
The first dish Congratulations, Cutter.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
It was a great dish.
It was really imaginative.
However, the best dish of the night belongs to Courtney.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
- Congrats.
- Thank you.
You are both safe from elimination.
Please join Elizabeth up on the balcony.
Good job, guys.
Good job, man.
They sent Cutter up to the balcony before me, and I'm thinking, okay, I'm not liking this.
I could be going home, you know? - Good job.
- Thanks.
That leaves us Christian and Leslie.
We have to lose one of you tonight.
The person going home is Christian and Leslie.
We have to lose one of you tonight.
The person going home is Joe, wait a minute.
Do we have to send one of them home? Christian man, he's a talented guy.
I mean, he's my dirty South brother, man.
I mean, me and him, Texas, Louisiana.
We stick by each other's side.
The guy is an amazing cook.
- The tongue wasn't clean.
- Right.
We weren't judging on the pasta.
We were judging on the brain.
But it's part of the dish, though.
Leslie has this crazy will and determination, so I have a lot of respect for him.
He's really proven himself.
There's highs and lows, but What's the hero? - The protein.
- Yeah.
This is the toughest decision that we've made so far.
Christian and Leslie, whatever the result is tonight, it hurts us to say good-bye.
The person leaving MasterChef tonight, not advancing to the final four, that person is Christian.
Leslie, please say good-bye to Christian and head upstairs.
- Good luck, bro.
- Wish you the best.
Christian, you are one of the best cooks that we've ever had in here, and that pasta and the brains might have slipped you up, but you know that you belong in a kitchen.
Young man, my only hope is that you continue to follow that dream.
And if you're looking for an investor across your food truck launch, then call me.
- Wow, that's nice.
- Wow.
'Cause I know you've got it.
Yes, chef.
Come and say good-bye.
- Peace, bro.
- Thank you, brother.
- Good luck.
- Good job.
Ah, yeah, yeah.
Well done, bud.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
Now, one, two, three, four Can't quite believe we're asking you this However, who's gonna win MasterChef? I'm sorry, Cutter.
I'm sorry, Leslie.
I'm sorry, Courtney, but, hands down, Elizabeth.
Go on, big man.
- Thank you.
- Take care, man.
I am very thankful to go that far in this competition, and chef Ramsay, he's willing to offer me help me get my own food truck.
That means so much to me, because I came in this competition with nothing and I gave it everything that I got.
Christian.
These culinary experts They see something in me.
That's a great, great dish, and it shows the arc of your journey, where you're at now.
Thank you, chef.
Tonight's king of the kitchen Christian.
Get outta here.
Wow.
I'm proud of myself, and at the end of the day, I made my family proud.
I made my son proud.
I'm sure I made New Orleans proud.
Turn it up, you guys! High five.
Red team.
I can't wait to get that food truck.
I can't wait to follow the dream I came here to do.
Yeah, baby!