Masterchef (2010) s06e17 Episode Script

After a nationwide search for the greatest home cooks in America MasterChef! MasterChef! Just 22 earned the right to wear the coveted white apron.
Whoo! Some have risen to new culinary heights.
Red Team! While others Aghhhh! Have buckled under the pressure.
I can hold that back door open for you.
Don't be disrespectful.
Now only five remain.
Derrick I think for the first time I would change nothing.
Katrina Boom! You just keep getting better and better.
Nick You are gonna go a really long way.
I'm incredibly impressed.
- Claudia - How do I say it? You're a lady, but your balls are getting bigger by the minute in this competition.
And Stephen.
Whether you like it or not, you're this wild beast.
We've got to bring the best out of you.
Ha ha! Now only one home cook can claim the title of MasterChef.
Welcome, guys.
Come on down, please.
Magical five.
Oh, my gosh, top five is so incredibly amazing.
Please, go and stand at any station you want tonight.
Me and my daughter have watched season after season of MasterChef.
She knows how important it is to get this far.
My goal today is to make my daughter proud.
It's now time for your next mystery box challenge.
On the count of three, lift your mystery boxes.
Onetwothree, lift.
It's one pear, and that's it.
It's a Portobello mushroom.
But I look around, you know, and not everybody has a Portobello mushroom.
You all have a different single ingredient tonight, selected at random when you stood behind your station.
Katrina, you have a pear.
And then, Claudia, you have a tomato.
Stephen, a single Portobello mushroom.
Nick, you have a piece of chocolate.
And Derrick, you have a wedge of blue cheese.
It's my least favorite ingredient on the entire planet.
It tastes like Stephen smells.
Why me? This challenge, it's without doubt, the toughest, the most challenging mystery box we've ever seen.
A MasterChef-worthy dish with one simple ingredient.
Impossible, right? It would be impossible if you didn't have your staple pantry box.
Go grab it and take it to your station, please.
I've got to turn this block of dark chocolate into the most elevated dish that I can.
It may seem simple, but the simple things in this kitchen are the hardest things to execute.
It's really all about the staple pantry box tonight.
It's about what magic you can spin with the most basic of ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, herbs, spices, and heavy cream.
The basics of any pantry.
You guys ready to make the greatest dish of your lives? Yes, Chef.
Your one hour starts now.
- Go, go, go.
- Corner! Tonight, the most difficult mystery box challenge ever.
- Yeah.
- Single tomato.
Block of chocolate, blue cheese, a mushroom, and a pear.
They are the humblest and most simple of ingredients, but how do you transform that into a MasterChef-worthy dish? It's all about being, I think, clever and creative with the staple pantry box items.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Tonight they've got to use that box to show everybody else in this competition that they're diverse.
These tests are what separate the men from Derrick, right? I am making vanilla chocolate cupcakes, and then I'm gonna do a chocolate-speckled whipped cream.
You know, we're the top five best home chefs here, and it's time to show why.
Blah! All right, Derrick, you got one of the most difficult ingredients.
Yes, Chef, but my mom loves blue cheese, and we both love, like, pretzels and cheese sauce.
So I'm gonna make a thyme-flavored soft pretzel bites with a blue cheese sauce.
Pretzel and a blue cheese dipping sauce.
You know, this is about her today.
Okay, good.
Good luck.
Thank you.
I'm on it.
So, Stephen, you've got a mushroom.
So what are you making? I got roasted mushroom, sautéed with shallots and vinegar, and then I'm gonna introduce these mushrooms into my hollandaise, all on a pate a choux.
Food dream is to have The farm-driven food truck.
It's about farm, food, and people, connecting communities.
First starting in my desert, local communities, and then hopefully inspiring other people to do the same.
- Good luck.
- All right.
- Damn it! - 20 minutes to go, guys! Katrina, pear time.
Pear time! Talk to me about it.
I'm gonna make a pear Carpaccio.
- Pear Carpaccio.
- Yeah.
"Car-pear-ccio.
" "Car-pear-ccio.
" That's even better! What are the main components? Um, pears with vanilla, mint Mmm.
It smells great.
In, like, I made kind of a chutney.
All right, good luck.
Claudia, tomato.
What's the dish? I am making my take on a Napoleon.
- Wow.
- But in a savory version.
These are flour tortillas that I've fried that are going to be my layers for my Napoleon.
And then I have some roasted tomato and crispy tomato skins over there.
Wow.
Last night, I dreamt tomatoes, and it was this dish, Chef, and you said that it was beautiful.
- Was I in the dream? - Yes, you were.
Right, and what was I wearing in the dream? Uh, not what you're wearing today, Chef.
Tell me.
You were wearing jeans, which are my favorite.
I have the biggest crush on you, Chef.
- Come on, seriously? - I totally do.
And the winner is Claudia.
Come here.
Mwah.
Oh, amazing.
Congratulations.
I'm way too old for you, by the way.
I like your jeans.
Hey, behave yourself, you.
- Hey! - Please.
- Good luck.
- Yes, Chef.
Thank you.
Where's my brush? Eight minutes remaining, guys.
Incredible.
I'm worried about Katrina.
I think she may be a little bit complacent.
We are down to the top five, - so I'm expecting fireworks.
- Mm-hmm.
Those flour tortillas look nice and crisp.
Yeah, mm-hmm.
Coming up to 19 seconds to go.
[bleep.]
Come on, guys.
You really want this advantage.
Come on! Push it, guys! - I wanna see finesse! - Go, go, go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop! - Hands in the air! - Good job.
Well done.
That was a very, very difficult challenge tonight.
As you know, we watch you closely.
We taste everything across every mystery box challenge.
Tonight was no different.
There are three dishes that we are dying to take a much closer look at.
The first home cook used the main ingredients across a couple of applications.
The dish was brought together with this incredible sauce.
Congratulations, please step forward There are three dishes that we are dying to take a much closer look at.
The first home cook congratulations, please step forward Stephen.
Let's go.
Oh, man! Being called up in the top three is like looking out of my window and seeing the deer eat all the weeds in my garden.
It's unbelievable.
Wow, describe the dish, please.
I have a mushroom sandwich five ways.
I have roasted Portobello.
I reserved the mushroom au jus to create a nice sauce.
I made a mushroom milk curd cheese.
The fourth application is the mushroom hollandaise.
Mm-hmm.
The fifth application would be the sautéed mushrooms, and I used the pate a choux as my base.
I'm a garden vegetable enthusiast.
I love that earthy taste.
You know, earthy - It's real.
- Yes.
I love the fact that you had the balls tonight to make hollandaise, pate a choux, cooking mushrooms, making a cheese, and they worked.
But the cheese needs seasoning, because it's just on the verge of bland.
But great flavors.
I mean, really good flavors.
It's a contender.
Good job.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
Thank you.
- That's great.
- Thank you.
The mushrooms are nice and earthy, and all the flavors together, you know, you get a little it of each thing.
Presentation looks great.
This is you staying on track.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Good job.
- I'm impressed.
- Thank you.
You have a great balance of acidity, creaminess, richness.
The dish maybe is a little rich, but it's clear that you're still in the running in the competition.
- Thank you.
- Congratulations.
Thank you very much.
All right, the second dish that we want to examine further.
This person used bold flavors to make that dish stand out.
They didn't plate it as a classic entree.
Please step forward Derrick.
Sweet.
Wait, I really made it into the top three with blue cheese? Being recognized for something I did completely out of my comfort zone reassures why I'm top five.
So tell me what you've made.
This is thyme herb pretzels with a blue cheese dipping sauce.
- Pretzels? - Right.
Where did that come from? You know what, I went back to my childhood on this one.
Before I found drums, I loved baseball, and my mom and I would go to games and, like, we would get pretzels and cheese.
Like, we loved that, so I went there today.
Really good.
Really creative.
Thank you.
I think to have that curve ball thrown with the blue cheese and say, "You know what, I'm gonna take it and do it in this different direction," you know, throw some baking in there and show that you know how to do it.
And look at the color.
I mean, it looks great.
- Thank you.
- What would I do different? Maybe taking those herbs, chopping them up and finding a way to put them on the top - just to give some color.
- Yeah, yeah.
'Cause with this, it's just brown, brown, brown.
But it's a home run.
Good job.
Appreciate it.
It's good.
It's bloody good.
Sauce, delicious, tangy, salty, creamy.
Everything that you want.
There's only two things on the plate, and that's strong.
If anything, it's sending a message to everybody standing behind you.
- Right.
- There's great taste in there, great flavor, rustic execution.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
The third and final dish that we'd like to take a look at has a lot of complex components.
This home cook has stuck to their roots.
Visually, the plate is restaurant quality.
Please come forward Claudia.
Good job, Claudia.
I'm really happy with what I did.
It looks very close to what was in my dream, and I'm really, really thinking this could be my day.
Wow.
It's beautiful.
What did you make us? Today I made a tomato Napoleon.
I roasted tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar and some garlic.
Also made a tomato sauce and I crisped up the skins.
I really stuck to my roots by using tortilla flour to make the layers of the Napoleon and fried them.
I am impressed.
Definitely speaks to the heritage and the beauty of Mexican cuisine.
You know, making really fabulous dishes with a depth of flavor.
I think you did a great job of balancing sweetness and acidity and flavor in the tomato.
And it very well may pay off for you.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
It tastes fresh, and it's exciting on the palate.
The tomatoes taste delicious, especially the roasted.
You brought the best flavor out.
Thank you, Chef.
And I think you're starting to peak at the right moment in this competition.
Bloody good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Great.
- Yeah.
Stephen, Derrick, Claudia, three stunning dishes.
But the person that we feel made the best dish congratulations goes to Claudia.
Well done.
I win! I am so happy.
This was a huge win for me.
Claudia, please, let's go.
Dreams do come true, ladies and gentlemen.
Proven.
Welcome to the MasterChef pantry.
- Claudia.
- Yes, Chef.
It's time to focus on your dreams of becoming America's next MasterChef.
You know what comes with that victory.
A lot of money and the MasterChef trophy.
Yes.
But tonight we really want to focus and talk about that other prize.
The prize that puts your face in homes across America.
The book.
Your book, to be more precise.
Imagine seeing your own cookbook in stores all over the country.
Imagine seeing your face On the cover of the cookbook.
That's amazing.
Now, for winning that last challenge, you are safe from elimination.
Whoo! But it gets even better.
There is a second advantage.
We now want you to take this basket and fill it full of your culinary style.
They should be ingredients that could be in your cookbook if you win this whole thing.
In the kitchen, you will get to decide which of the remaining four home cooks will have to cook with your basket of ingredients.
It's time for you to take things to a whole new level.
Let's go.
All four of you, listen very carefully.
Claudia is now safe from elimination, and she is officially into the top four.
Good job, Claudia.
Head upstairs, darling.
Now, in the pantry Claudia held a cookbook with her face on the cover.
We then asked Claudia to choose 20 ingredients that could feature in her cookbook.
Claudia will select one of you to make a dish using the Mexican ingredients from this amazing basket.
But there are four of you home cooks standing in front of us.
So looks like we're gonna need some more baskets to choose from.
So we decided to invite some special guests to help us do just that.
Oh.
Ooh.
First up, somebody that has actually been in this kitchen before.
Culinary history is being made tonight.
Please welcome back Oh, my God.
Culinary history is being made tonight.
Please welcome back Last year's winner of MasterChef, Courtney.
Hi! She has her very own cookbook, Everyday Fancy: for Meals, Snacks, Sweets, and Drinks.
All of you please welcome back another MaerChef winner No way.
Luca! Hello.
Luca! When you say his name, it brings a smile to your face.
Luca is someone that I absolutely aspire to be like.
- Absolute pleasure.
- Nice to see you.
Welcome back.
He has such an amazing heart and such amazing passion for food.
So one, two phenomenal past winners.
Shall we? I think we should.
Are you ready to meet one more phenomenon? Oh, my goodness.
Her cookbook is a New York Times bestseller.
She is a global inspiration.
The amazing Christina Ha.
- You look great.
- Thank you.
Oh, my God.
It's great to be back.
Christine is an inspiration to everyone.
She is probably a better chef than people with all of their senses.
Courtney, Luca and Christine, how has it been for you so far? I've thrown myself into my cookbook.
The book is based around taking your everyday meals and elevating them.
It has been an incredible year again.
My Dinner with Luca catering business took me all over America.
I was lucky enough to cook for the First Lady, Michelle Obama.
- Wow.
- Sounds incredible.
Congratulations.
Christine, what's been some of the highlights over the last couple years? Well, besides doing guest appearances on MasterChef Vietnam, I have my own cooking show in Canada called Four Senses.
And I've also won the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award, which was also given to Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, so that was also really exciting.
Wow, come on.
- Wow.
- Amazing.
All right, all four of you, please come down to the front.
This is insane.
The three MasterChef winners of the last three seasons, they're the best, and I wanna be the best.
So I'm inspired by the best.
Now like Claudia, we asked the past winners to shop in the amazing MasterChef pantry for 20 ingredients.
Courtney, what did you choose? I chose an array of dessert ingredients.
There are things in there like panela, edible flowers.
There's champagne.
This isn't where you take the easy route.
- Do it justice.
- Luca? It's all the food that youould find in my mother and my grandmother's kitchen.
So broccoli rabe, eggplant, mozzarella, little veal, a little white wine of course.
Can do great Italian food.
Christine? I cook a lot of Asian food, so there's a lot of Asian ingredients, Cilantro, limes.
There's pork, shrimp, and of course my favorite, fish sauce.
So all sorts of things that you can do really interesting and delicious Asian dishes with.
Finally, Claudia, what did you choose? I've got shrimp, mussels, some limes, pineapple, jalapenos.
It's screaming Mexican, right? Oh, absolutely, Chef.
The Mexican basket is the only one I really don't want.
I live in San Diego.
Mexican food is everywhere, but I don't cook it.
We now have four baskets.
You, Claudia, are going to decide who takes each basket to cook with.
Let's start off with your basket.
So I'm thinking somebody that I think could potentially do well with this but could easily trip up at choosing the wrong ingredients.
I'm picking Nick.
Nick, please, come and pick up the basket.
Damn it.
I'm looking at this basket, and it might as well be filled with rocks and empty shells.
I have no idea what I'm gonna do.
Next up, Christine's Southeast Asian basket.
I haven't necessarily seen this person cook with these types of ingredients, so I'm gonna choose Stephen.
Fantabulous.
I love it.
We're down to two baskets left.
Claudia, this is a crucial moment, because you're picking for two.
Luca's basket is the easiest, because all of us have cooked Italian.
Courtney's basket is the most difficult, because it's clearly a high-end baker's basket.
So I need to make sure that I deliver hers to a big competitor.
Luca's Italian basket, who are you giving that to? Katrina.
Wow.
That means, Derrick, please come up and pick your baking basket up.
Oh, yes.
I want the hardest basket.
Give it to me.
I just have to do what I do best Good luck.
And I'll win over the judges.
You will each have one hour using only the ingredients in your basket to make us one MasterChef-worthy dish.
Is everyone ready? Yes, Chef.
Your time starts Now.
- Come on, guys! - You got this! All right.
Three amazing past winners.
I mean, what a source of inspiration.
- Incredible.
- Four home cooks.
Four different themed baskets.
We have Mexican, Southeast Asian, Italian, and a baking basket.
Courtney, what is this? That's panela.
It's pure, true sugar.
Ooh.
So the one basket you will not trip up with tonight has to be Katrina's.
Anybody could get that.
At the same time, there doesn't seem to be the same spark in Katrina.
She seems a little down.
The competition is getting to her.
[bleep.]
What is this? Claudia? Chayote.
It's a squash.
That's staying there.
I'm just hoping Nick doesn't just take it easy and go down on a taco.
Can he be inventive enough with that Mexican basket? He's amazing.
Stephen, what is that? This is red curry.
I'm gonna make a nice little rub on this pork tenderloin.
Beautiful.
All right, Derrick, how are you doing? Excellent, Chef.
- Courtney's basket.
- Yeah.
What's the dish? It's a chocolate pot de créme.
- Chocolate pot de créme.
- With a Is that good enough to get into the top four? How are you gonna elevate this thing? You can't just serve a pot de créme.
No, I'm not.
I'm gonna do the edible flowers, - mascarpone.
- Wow.
I'm here, I'm bold, I'm a rocker.
You guys are gonna love this.
Good luck.
Time flies in the MasterChef kitchen.
What is Nick making? Nick is making - Okay.
- I don't know.
Talk to me.
- Come on, Nick.
- Ugh! I don't know, I don't know.
Nick is freaking out over my basket, and has zero idea what he's going to do.
Hold on, shh, shh, shh.
He could go taco route.
He could go chips route.
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
What's he doing? Holy crap.
Mexican food is completely out of my comfort zone.
He's got shrimp, so he could make some shrimp enchiladas.
[bleep.]
I'm lost, I'm lost.
- I'm really worried about Nick.
- Sure.
I think he's definitely scared right now.
Claudia was smart here.
Nick, he's going down in a big Mexican ball of fire.
Oh, come on, buddy.
Come on, pop.
Ugh.
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
Come on, kid.
What's he doing? Mexican food is completely out of my comfort zone, and I'm stumped with this basket.
What is Nick making? I don't know.
But I'm looking up, and I'm seeing three people that have been exactly where I am right now, but they've persevered.
This is where it counts, guys.
It's just an inspiration to me, and if they did it, I can do it.
Oh, I know.
You just have but for one of you, your last 30 minutes inside the MasterChef kitchen.
All right, Katrina, you got the Italian box.
So what are you making? I'm making a veal scallopini with broccolini pasta.
Okay, how excited are you? You seem likelike - Really? - Yeah! I want the crazy, happy Katrina back.
That's what I need.
'Cause you need love when you're cooking Italian food.
- Right? - Yes.
You gonna make it? Yeah, damn straight, I'm gonna make it.
- Top four.
- Top four.
Top three, finale, win it.
Go home to Wisconsin and be like, "Look at this!" Right? Graham, I totally love you.
Do it, come on.
- Stephen's nuts.
- Stephen's nuts.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah.
Stephen, what are you making? I have some steamed rice over here.
I got a mixed grill I'm starting.
I have my pork loin marinated with red curry.
I'm gonna do shrimp with yellow curry, and I'm gonna do this tofu with maju curry.
You're making one dish, right? Yeah, is that too complicated, do you think? Because there's so many strong flavors, you have to know how to actually tone down.
A lot of people will put too much of stuff, so it's about, you know, negative space.
I appreciate that.
That is absolutely true.
I'm gonna do as much as I can, and if I can't do it, then I will check myself before I wreck myself.
Good luck.
This is usually the time when I'm finishing up everything.
- Okay, Nick.
- Yes, Chef? How are you feeling? Uh, you know, I'm against the wall right now.
- You are against it.
- Yeah.
Yep.
This is the most vulnerable I've seen you.
What are you doing? I'm gonna do a chorizo mussel in a pineapple and chile ancho, and then I'm gonna steam those.
Almost like I would with white wine with an Italian dish.
Listen, she wants you out.
- I know she does.
- Okay, you going home? - Absolutely not.
- Good luck.
All right, Luca, Katrina's got the ingredients you selected.
How's it looking from up there? She's going in a very, very rustic take.
Great, typical Italian.
Claudia, who's looking vulnerable from there? I think that Nick is definitely looking a little frazzled, but I see some definitely good techniques.
Start thinking about your plating.
- Let's go.
- Ah.
- Stephen is on fire.
- Ah! Oh, sorry.
But my fear is that he's going to just do too much.
On the surface, Derrick's looks simple, and tonight it needs to be magical.
Come on, guys! Nick, get it on the plate.
Let's go! Ten Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
Now I want you to join Christina, Graham and I in thanking these three MasterChef winners for giving up their time to be with us tonight.
Having the previous MasterChef winners up here with me on the balcony was absolutely amazing.
Good night, thanks.
- Good night.
- Thanks.
Ciao.
I'm literally in chills right now.
This is one of the best experiences I have had in the MasterChef kitchen.
Wow, what an honor.
It is now time to see which of you did those winners and their baskets of 20 ingredients justice and who has plated their last ever dish in this kitchen.
First up, Derrick.
Tonight I had the hardest basket to work with, and even though it's simple, I really think I did Courtney's basket justice in this pot de créme.
Describe the dish, please.
It's a chocolate and Darjeeling tea pot de créme with mascarpone cream and a champagne lemon toasted sabayon.
Why chocolate mousse? Previous MasterChef winners were saying play to your strengths.
Yep.
These are the kind of desserts that I like.
The flavor'sgood.
But it's so rich and heavy.
The mascarpone, I would have put inside, so it lightened up a little bit, so it's not just dense, dense, dense.
I can't give you credit for the edible flowers, 'cause you didn't make them.
And the execution's a cop out, 'cause I've seen you execute better.
I don't like mousses set in the mold, 'cause you can't do anything with them.
What a shame that it's stuck in that mold.
I want more finesse.
It's good, but it's safe.
Never, ever across any stage of this competition do you play it safe.
Play it safe, and you're on the way home.
Damn.
The flavor is nice.
Darjeeling tea leaves definitely play well with that dark chocolate.
Bitter and floral notes that tie really well, but I think the tricky thing when you torch a sabayon, because it's so heavy on the eggs, it ends up tasting like scrambled eggs or cooked eggs.
A pot de créme is usually a little bit lighter.
This is very dense, and I would have loved to see one of those flavors that Courtney brought that would help sort of lighten the dish.
It's a good dish, but it might not be good enough to take you to the final four.
It's a good dish, but it might not be good enough to take you to the final four.
Right now I'm kind of nervous.
Claudia took a shot at me, and I did something I thought was creative, but it might knock me out.
Right, next up, Nick, please.
I am extremely proud of what I was able to put together with a basket of ingredients that I've never worked with before.
I just really hope that the judges are on the same page, 'cause I am really excited about my dish.
Wow, Nick, describe the dish, please.
You have a chorizo mussel, steamed in a fresh pineapple juice with lime and cilantro rice and poblano sauce.
It looks fantastic, let me tell you.
Thank you, Chef.
I got nervous at the beginning.
You had ten minutes to go, and that sauce wasn't even ready.
Um, the first couple minutes, I was freaking out, and I was letting that get to me.
- Yep.
- And then I took a deep breath and said, "I'm not going out just because I have to cook Mexican food.
" Exactly.
Mussels, you steamed in pineapple? Yes, in the anchovies that were steeped in the fresh pineapple juice with the chorizo.
Look at the mussel.
You cooked them perfectly.
They're soft and incredibly tender and almost sort of falling out of the shell.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
Nick, it's incredible.
The flavor's there, the texture's there, the heat is there.
The cooking of the mussels is exemplary.
The rice, delicious.
The sauce, incredible.
I mean, Claudia gave you this basket to send you home, but, Nick, you've done it justice.
Thank you.
Based on what I've just tasted, you are heading definitely to the top four.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Brilliant.
Thank you.
Oh, my God.
It's beautifully sexy in the best possible way.
Thank you.
It's not often big guys like us get to, like, talk about sexy food together.
Yeah, no [bleep.]
.
I'm kind of feeling a little uncomfortable, little weird.
It's still awkward, but we can do it.
Yeah.
Charred corn gives it a beautiful smokiness, and chorizo gives it that textural contrast.
It's the best dish that you've done, and there's no better time to start doing that than right now.
- Good job.
- Thanks, Chef.
I'm on cloud nine.
I rode the middle for way too long, and I think that I'm coming out and getting in front of the pack just at the right time.
Nick's coming out of his shell, he's getting comfortable.
Watch out.
Next up, Stephen.
I was just trying so hard to impress the MasterChefs today, and I put everything into this dish.
I put my heart on this plate, and I'm just hoping it's enough to keep me here.
So, Stephen, describe your dish.
Deconstructed pho using the head-on shrimp, pork, some mustard greens, and the yellow curry on the tofu with a nice broth.
What inspired you? Christine herself and how she approaches Asian food.
Mm-hmm.
So it's up to me to match the technique.
I think that you did a really great job of honing in on those Asian flavors but also sort of leaving your own fingerprints, the creativity, the wild man with the wild mind.
Yeah.
You did a great job of reining it in.
Thank you, thank you.
- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
- Great seasoning, all around.
- Thank you.
Especially the tofu, which is so hard to make delicious, right? I mean, it does need a lot of love, and here you've got the color.
It's delicious.
Pork's delicious.
I love the greens, but the killer deal here is the broth.
If there was anything that I'd do to change it up, it is a little hard to eat.
If I had a bowl with these things all kinda in there, it's just easier for me to enjoy, but very smart cooking.
Thank you.
The judges, they like my dish, and I think I've done enough to stay here in the competition and get to the next level.
Last up, with Luca's Italian basket, Katrina.
Let's go, please.
I've never made veal scallopini before, but I'm really proud of myself.
I feel like everything came together, and I think I did a good job.
Wow.
Now that looks rustic, and that looks charming.
Describe the dish, please.
It's a veal scallopini, breaded and fried, with homemade fettuccine and broccolini and mushroom in a white wine garlic and shallot sauce.
Broccolini, how did you cook it? First, I blanched it, and then I put it in the sauce, and then I sautéed the mushrooms, garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes.
Hmm.
Pasta's delicious.
- Thank you.
- Got the heat in there.
But is this veal overcooked? No.
Good.
Damn, damn.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.
- You see that? - Yes.
That's what? It's pink.
Now that's not pink.
You know that.
That's what? Raw.
Now that's not pink.
You know that.
That's what? Raw.
Oh, dear.
I know we can eat pink veal, but that's literally minutes away from being back in the field.
The veal is so undercooked, it just tastes like any protein, because it's chewy as anything.
But pasta's delicious.
Love what you've done with the broccolini.
The chili flakes for the heat, love it.
I wish you'd left the veal off.
Damn.
So near yet so far.
Top four is on the line.
It's getting down to the wire, and it's painful to watch.
At this stage, that's how people start falling off.
I love everyone, but the fact is right now somebody's going home.
Wow.
Well done.
Could all four home cooks please step down to the front? Thank you.
Four fantastic home cooks.
Tonight, sadly, one of you will be returning home.
Three of you will be joining Claudia in the top four.
There was one truly great dish.
The home cook joining Claudia in the top four of MasterChef congratulations Nick.
Get up there with Claudia, so we can clap you out.
Thank you.
Whoo! Top dish, baby.
To cook the best dish with a basket full of Mexican ingredients shows that when I step out of my wheelhouse, I shine.
I'm safe.
I'm moving into the top four.
My mom is gonna flip out.
Stephen, tonight you took those Asian ingredients, you got carried away with your presentation.
But the strength was there.
And that final dish has put you up on the balcony.
Congratulations.
Good job.
I'm in the top four, baby.
There's only three people in front of me.
I came here to be number one, and that's what I'm gonna do.
Derrick, Katrina, this gets more and more difficult, and you know Christina, Graham and I's expectations are super high.
It comes down to the tiniest of detail.
Derrick, what you did tonight was underwhelming, and it was just badly executed.
Katrina, you cook with your heart on your sleeve every time you come to this competition.
But tonight, I think it's pretty obvious that dish was missing the mark.
Derrick you did just enough to edge into the top four.
Please say good night to Katrina and head up to the balcony.
I knew.
Stay strong.
Damn it.
Katrina, you have been an amazing student.
You cook from your heart.
And, Katrina, I would love to see you in France.
Do you know why? 'Cause I know what it did for me.
And it confirmed my calling in this industry.
I have two restaurants in France.
I can't wait for you to go and spend time in them.
When you're ready to go to France, you let me know, and I'll arrange that for you personally, as my guest.
- Wow.
- Wow.
- Wow.
- Wow.
Because I want to see what you're like when you come back from there and continue your dream.
Thank you.
You've got no reason ever, for the rest of your life, to lack in confidence, 'cause you have been a shining star.
- That's right.
- Agreed.
Please come up here and say good-bye.
Come here, you.
Come on.
You're awesome.
Thank you.
Katrina, in your mind, who is gonna become America's next MasterChef? With all my heart, Nick Nappi.
And take care.
Thank you.
You are welcome, come on.
Place your apron on your bench, my darling.
Enjoy France.
Coming into this, I didn't know what level of skill I had.
Ahhh! But I've been told over and over from the judges how good of a cook I am.
You just keep getting better and better.
This is the best dish I've tasted from you.
I am blown away.
This dish is delicious.
Thank you.
Right now I feel like Father Christmas just jumped down the chimney.
Great job.
Congratulations, Katrina.
I never thought that I could pursue my dream, but Gordon Ramsey has told me, "Yeah, you can, Katrina.
" - That's delicious.
- Oh, thank you.
I think you're talented.
Very talented.
Thank you.
I have more confidence coming out of this competition than coming in.
- Tommy, did you hear me? - Yes.
Say yes to me.
Take 'em off! I found my voice.
The Blue Team You're the best captain.
I am truly humbled that Gordon believes in me that much to send me to Paris.
- Love you, Katrina.
- Bye, Katrina.
I can't believe it.
A girl from Wisconsin Thank you.
Is going to France.
Bon voyage.
Next week Three amazing boxes.
Three judges.
Am I gonna have to step into the shoes of these MasterChefs? Oh! The final four can see the finish line - That one's burned.
- It's not burned.
- You're killing me.
- Uh, no! Don't give me problems.
Give me solutions.
Who will reach the semi-final? Puree is mind-blowing.
It's gonna be really tough to beat.
And who will fall short at the final hurdle? Seriously? This is MasterChef.
Oh, my goodness.