MasterChef Junior (2013) s07e03 Episode Script

Announcer: Previously on "MasterChef Junior" - ( screaming ) - We're just kids.
a lobster challenge Don't be scared.
broke some home cooks out of their shells.
Is it okay if I steal that idea? - If you want.
- But Thomas - I've got more jalapeño than I've got lobster.
- and Shannen - The size of those lobsters.
- No finesse.
saw their MasterChef journey come to an end.
Tonight, the top 20 step right up - Our performers are arriving! - to the biggest challenge Aarón: 51 hungry circus performers.
- There's people waiting.
- I need everything ready.
- Finish now! - of their young lives.
- Don't cut off the ends.
- They're not listening to a word the captain is saying.
Blue team.
Blue team.
Blue team! ( cheering ) - Guys! - Oh, hello, guys.
- Oh, my God! - Here are your tickets.
- Thank you.
- Please go right in.
Matthew: Back in New Jersey, I've been cooking for five straight years, and now I'm one of the best 20 home cooks in America.
Whatever this next challenge is, I am definitely ready.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
Here's your ticket.
I'm seeing these three signs.
Christina the Contortionist, Gordon the Great, and Aarón Acrobat.
- There you go, buddy.
- Thank you.
I've never been to a circus, so I'm really excited.
Ladies and "gentlemens," boys and girls, welcome to the one and only Circus Vargas! ( kids screaming ) I love the circus.
There's super cool stunts, aerialists, acrobats.
If I was back home in Rye, New York, I'd be going to math or art class.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, no! This is much more exciting than my daily routine.
Reid: I feel like I'm in heaven right now.
It's just really fun, 'cause I've never been to a circus before 'cause my brother is scared of clowns.
And I am, too.
Yeah.
( screaming ) Aaron: I see dirt bikes going around and around and around and around, and up and down, and to the side.
They're just going everywhere.
They're going everywhere! - And it's really cool.
- ( cheering ) ( revving ) - Wow.
- Christina: Whoo! - What? - Gordon: Oh, man.
- That was brilliant.
- What? Oh, my goodness! You did not just do that.
Mm-mm-mm.
You guys are crazy judges.
Ben: How'd they do that? All of you, welcome to Circus Vargas, the largest traveling circus in America.
- Oh, wow.
- Cool.
Now, as much fun as it is to come and see this incredible circus, that's not why we're here.
It's your first big team challenge.
- ( gasps ) - Today, each of you will be a vital part of the circus by making the performers and crew a dish that will fuel them through an incredibly difficult show this evening.
There are 51 hungry circus performers counting on you guys to make an amazing lunch.
But first things first, we need teams.
Well, guess what.
All: What? You're already in your teams.
If you look under your seats, you'll find your team colored aprons! - Blue! - Yes! - Blue! - Yeah! Oh, you're team captain, Che.
I grab my apron, and it says "Team Captain.
" And I am just so amazed and surprised.
Back home in New York, I'm vice president of my student council, I help lead some of my soccer teams.
I think I'm just a natural leader, so I'm really excited to be the red team's team captain.
Ooh, I'm a team captain.
I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, "Oh, no!" It's probably gonna be a little hard getting nine other kids to focus.
Evie, you gotta lead our team to victory.
I mean, I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, so I think I'm gonna bring my southern charm and I hope that's enough.
Now, the red team will be making a delicious pan-seared salmon with sautéed spinach, orzo, and a cherry tomato salad with a herb vinaigrette.
The blue team will be making a delicious grilled New York strip steak with a fantastic sweet potato mash, and an incredible sesame soy vinaigrette.
You'll have 45 minutes to prep and 60 minutes to serve your 51 amazing plates.
- Are both teams ready? - All: Yes, Chef! Your time starts - now.
Let's go.
- Go, go, go! - ( all shouting ) - Let's go, red! ( indistinct chatter ) - Whoo! - Go, go, go! Come on! All right, guys, so we have Reid on steak and sauce.
Ben on steak and sauce.
Brielle on bok choy and plating.
- Matthew on bok choy - Um, there's one thing.
- I don't really wanna do the bok choy.
- Okay.
My strategy is just trying to put people on the things that they want to be on.
Matthew's on plating.
When you're not plating - you help with the bok choy, okay? - Sure thing.
- Talulah on steak.
- Uh, can I actually start out - with the vegetables? - Sure.
'cause then everybody can be happy.
They will stay at their stations and we can pull it all together.
Does anybody not like their part? - Okay, awesome.
- So, who wants to do what? - I'll do salmon.
- Salmon, salmon, salmon.
- I'll do salmon.
- I wanna do salmon.
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Guys! Guys, not everybody can do salmon, right? I know a lot of people wanna do salmon, but that's not possible.
Okay, Aaron is scoring.
Sadie's gonna do one of the cooking.
Malia's gonna do the second cooking.
The key to being team captain is definitely being stern and demand that everybody listens to you, because if it doesn't happen, it all falls apart.
Guys, get to the station.
Orzo, get to your station.
Ivy: Che is obviously tough.
Like, "You guys gotta do this.
You guys gotta do this.
" Season and score every single one of them.
That's good for our team because if everybody is on the same page, we really have a good chance tonight.
- Che: We got this.
We got it under control.
- Potatoes? - Where is right here.
- Gordon: This is it.
The first big team challenge, - and a chance to see who are the leaders.
- Christina: Yep.
- Do a little tiny bit of pepper.
- Okay.
And you gotta do more seasoning than this.
Okay, do you know what you're starting on? Start with the potatoes.
Guys, chop.
Chop, chop, chop.
I mean, I think with each of these home cooks, we're testing leadership, we're definitely testing communication.
Does anyone wanna switch from salmon to spinach? I think I might be better on salmon.
We have too many people there.
Aarón: Teamwork is essential.
- We're doing great, Kate.
- Be selfless, put your ego aside, look at the mission at hand.
- That one should be another orzo.
- Yeah, I got this.
Now, what do you guys think about Che being the captain of the red team? He's not the oldest home cook here.
- This is going well.
- How do you think he'll do? I think Che's extremely well-spoken.
He understands how to work in the confines of a team.
Overlook the seasoning just to make sure it's good, okay? Yeah, I'm expecting great things from him today.
Anybody need help? I'm just gonna walk around and help with everything.
Come on, blue team, let's go.
Now, Evie is a team captain on the blue team.
How do you think she'll do? You know Evie's a very bright, intelligent young girl.
I know, but the longer it marinates, the better it tastes, so - Oh, that's true.
- Yeah, that's right.
All right, what should we do now? She has a younger team, the blue team.
- That's not cool enough.
You gotta keep 'em ice cold.
- Ice cold.
I think she'll be more of a coach as a opposed to a hands-on captain.
- Yeah.
- Don't cut off the ends.
- You have to get the root off.
- No, no, no, no.
But more importantly, does everybody on the blue team know how to take direction properly from their captain? Christina: These young home cooks can perform as individuals, but it's time really test how they work together as a team.
- Kyle, Kyle.
- Let me help you.
Evie: Matthew, Matthew.
Guys, what is happening? Blue team, everybody Our communication started off pretty okay, but we're losing it by the moment.
- Blue team.
- What the heck? Guys, everybody stop what you're doing and come here, please.
Look at that.
Evie's already having a meeting with the blue team.
- Blue team! - A couple more minutes.
- Guys.
- I'm doing steaks right now.
Gordon: Big problem.
They're not listening to a word the captain is saying.
Jayden, please tell the people to come.
When you're the team captain, you need to be on top of every single part of the dish.
Everybody, stop real quick.
- Evie needs us.
- For what? What are you doing? But I can't even get my team to listen to me.
I find it a little ironic, because nobody's listening to me about coming to a meeting that's about not listening to me.
It's super hard to manage all you guys.
I thought I could do it, and it's super hard.
Evie is just falling apart.
Um um I don't know what's gonna happen, but if we don't get her confidence back, trust me, it is bad.
Blue team! Guys, stop what you're - Blue team! - Gordon: Big problem.
They're not listening to a word the captain is saying.
Nobody's listening to me.
It's super hard to manage all you guys.
I thought I could do it, and it's super hard.
It's frustrating, especially when you're the team captain, that people don't listen to you.
I'm embarrassed, like, honestly.
Christina: All right, Evie, let's talk.
I feel like I didn't pull this together properly.
And I'm thinking, what am I gonna do? All right, it's okay.
You can do this.
You got this, okay? Listen, the hardest parts of life are where you grow the most.
Okay? And you wanna know what? It's okay if you have a little tear in your eye.
I know you can do it.
Christina says we learn from the worst times in our lives.
And I'm like, "You know, that's probably true.
" Let's talk about strategy.
15 minutes until service.
Start to pull people into places that you want them.
Christina's giving me great advice, and I'm like, "I'm using that.
" Ben, where are you going? Come here.
You hold it up like that, you take it off the heat.
Are you okay cooking these steaks? - No? Okay.
Evie.
- Get in there.
I haven't been taking control properly.
Stop.
I'm gonna have him finish with the steak.
- Yes, ma'am.
- My new plan is I'm actually only gonna have Reid on the steaks because, A, he's so good at it.
- It's on now! - And, B Brielle, do you need some help cutting the bok choy in half? - This is a lot.
- Yeah.
I think sides needs a lot of work.
- Should I get some more cream? - No, no, no, no.
That's the perfect consistency.
I'm gonna have a couple more people on the vegetables I can't do this! I need some help.
so that it all gets pulled together.
- Thank you, Kyle.
Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.
- Che: Beautiful, guys.
Beautiful.
- Gordon: Right, Che.
- Yes, Chef.
Six and six.
- Six by six.
Load those up.
- Is the salmon scored? - Yes.
- What about the orzo? - Orzo's being cooked right now.
- First batch is done.
- Cherry vinaigrette, what about that? - They have it done over there.
- That's the sign of a good captain.
- Thank you.
- Good boy.
Che is doing a pretty good job, but one person can't manage four stations alone.
- Okay, when did you put these ones in? - Just now.
Perfect.
Once you see a little up, flip it.
- I know that.
I know.
- I'll come back to you.
I'm trying to go around, help, not to be bossy.
- Who's on tomatoes? - Uh, it was who's Mateo? Where did he go? - Mateo, go back to the tomatoes.
Mateo.
- I'm just putting these in.
But I'm just trying to be almost like a co-captain, like a CEO of a business.
- A little more than that, okay? - I know.
Che is the team captain, I'm like the CEO.
- Make sure that you have an even amount so - I know So put, like, maybe two big spoons.
Okay.
So Mateo's walking around acting like he's the team captain, but not actually doing anything.
Okay, fine.
Whatever.
Tal: Cook it on medium, guys.
Medium heat.
But then Tal starts doing some salmon stuff.
Wait, Ashley, you're not on salmon, are you? Huh? Yeah.
And suddenly everybody is everywhere.
Our plan for who's at what station is gone.
Gordon: Come on, Red team.
Our performers are arriving.
Ben: Oh, no, here they come! Come on! Christina: The performers are here, Evie.
- Oh, gosh.
- Aarón: Reid, bring the steaks up, baby! Yes, Chef.
Steaks coming up! - Christina: Good job, Reid.
- Thank you, ma'am.
Evie: The performers are lining up.
I'm scared, but right now blue team is, like, coming back really, really strong.
We're doing good, so don't be scared.
I'm pretty happy with the dish.
Aarón: All right, Evie, explain the dish, please.
Evie: We have made a glazed steak with mashed sweet potatoes, pan-seared bok choy, and baby vegetables.
- Thank you.
- Thank you! Ooh! I like serving to them.
They're nice.
- Gordon: Che? - Is this done? - No, these need tomatoes.
- Gordon: Our guests are here.
- Where's the tomatoes? - Where's the vinaigrette, guys? - It's coming right now.
- Come on, guys.
Everything is ready.
We're doing well, but all of a sudden, we're not acting like red team.
We're like red individuals.
Why are there two vinaigrettes on one side? - Kid: Oh, my God.
- Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Che: Where's the rest of the vinaigrette? I'm a little bit worried about that, but if the flavors are there, I think we'll be fine.
- Describe the dish.
- So, it's a pan-seared salmon with orzo, tomato vinaigrette, and grilled leek.
- Enjoy.
- Here you go, guys.
- Gordon: Sorry about the wait.
- Che: There you go.
- Steak is coming in.
- There you go.
Good job, Reid.
- Here we go.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you.
- Reid: These circus performers, they did a great show, so I need to give them some great steaks.
- Service.
- Aarón: You're rocking and rolling with the steaks.
I think I made the right choice with who's cooking.
They look gorgeous.
Cooking steak and grilling, I may be the perfect man for the job.
Back home in Georgia, me and my dad, we cook a lot of steaks.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
We're doing good.
I got skill.
I got a lot of it, too.
Evie: Good job! You're cooking steak like a pro.
- How old are you? Eight? - Eight? - Get out! - I'm not out.
- Where's the fish? - Che, I need 12 finished now.
- Our guests are here.
- There's people waiting, guys.
12, finished now! The communication on the red team right now is getting worse, and it's really starting to create problems.
- How long for the salmon? - Two minutes! Tow minutes for the salmon.
- The guests are here now.
- I'm so sorry about the wait.
- Wait there, please.
- I need everything ready.
The red team is falling apart a little bit.
People are doing their own thing.
- Where's the salmon? - I just got salmon over there! Oh, guys.
This salmon's raw.
This salmon's raw.
Who's cooking the salmon? Touch that.
It's not gonna hurt.
It's cold.
Tal: Five people are cooking salmon.
- This should not be happening.
- Who's cooking the salmon? - It was Sadie and Malia.
- What? - Everyone's doing their own thing.
- The salmon's raw, guys! That salmon exploding, that is symbolic for our team right now.
We need salmon over here.
We are falling apart.
- How about the salmon? - Oh, my Lord.
Oh, guys, this salmon's raw.
- Hey, red team.
- Ivy: Who's giving raw salmon? Who's cooking the salmon? Gordon finds raw salmon.
This is what happens when we don't communicate.
This is what happens when people go to stations that you're not supposed to be on.
You, young man, come here.
Come here, come here, come here, come here.
Che, salmon.
Salmon.
- Yes.
- You four girls are cooking the salmon, that is it.
- Okay? - Che: Right now I'm pretty frustrated and I feel a little bit disappointed in myself that I didn't get people in the right positions and just called them out for not doing the right thing.
- Now, look at our formation, yes? - Yes.
- Start cooking.
Let's go, guys.
- I got some salmon! - Bring out the salmon.
- Go! Go, go, go! - Please pick up.
Thank you.
- I need to show a lot of leadership here, get people to do everything that they're told to do.
And if I just pull that off, we're gonna start putting out some amazing-looking fish.
- The salmon is very hot.
- Good.
They're looking nice.
Gordon: Now we got a system going.
All right.
I'm digging your outfit big time.
- Thank you so much.
- I wish they'd let me wear something like that every day.
So, red team, salmon, blue team, steak.
What are you impressions of each? What about you, sir? - That looks amazing.
- Yeah, it looks good.
All right, did you prefer the red team salmon or the blue team steak? What about you, ma'am? - Steaks, please.
- Steak! Beautiful color.
All right, blue team, steak, red team, salmon.
- Time to vote.
- ( honking ) Raise your hand if you preferred the red team salmon.
Okay, and if you preferred the blue team steak, raise your hand.
Okay, it's gonna be a tight one.
You've got just 15 diners to serve.
- 15 more plates! - We need 15! We need 15! - Evie: Reid, more steaks.
- There's more coming? - More steak! - Ben, go get me a bottle of water.
- Please, go get me it.
I'm about to faint.
- Are you okay? Reid, one person, he's getting these steaks done for 51 people.
- Service.
- Service! - Reid, are you okay? - We need 15 steaks now! Reid is the grill master.
You're doing good.
If we lose, you're definitely not getting out.
We're not losing.
Get them on here.
Ben: By the end of this day, Reid is gonna be pooped and fall asleep at, like, 3:00.
- You can take this.
- Yep, there we go.
- Take it, take it.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
I love your outfit! - So cute.
- Compliment them, guys.
Compliment them.
Then they'll vote for us.
Our chances of winning are probably pretty equal with blue team's.
- I love your outfit.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
Those odds aren't good enough for me.
I do not want to be in this pressure test, so you gotta do what you gotta do.
- That's a nice vest.
- Nice outfit.
One more, guys! Make this one amazing.
- Hi! - Hi.
How are you, sir? A ma'am.
Gordon: Give it to the lady, please.
- Clean service.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Please enjoy.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Did she have a beard? Thank you.
First of all, that rehearsal this morning was exceptional.
Congratulations.
You guys and girls are amazing.
Thank you.
Now, give it up for the best young cooks in the country, our red team and our blue team.
( cheering ) Red team, blue team, both teams did brilliantly.
But, you know this is a competition, and unfortunately, there can only be one winning team, and the other team will have to face the dreaded pressure test, Please, bring in the box.
Now, the winner of this extraordinary challenge lies within that box.
The team that won congratulations - the blue team! - ( cheering ) Well done! The blue team won? Like, I'm just speechless.
Oh, my God, we did it! I am the team captain of the winning team.
I'm so proud of myself.
I don't know if I deserve a standing ovation, but maybe a little golf clap.
Red team, unfortunately, you know what that means.
Now, head back to the kitchen and start clearing down.
Che: Oh, I mean, I didn't really want this to happen, my first time being team captain and we lose it? Blue team, congratulations.
Have some fun with our amazing performers.
( cheering ) The red team doesn't deserve to have to go through it, but we all know that two of us are gonna go home, and I really hope it's not me.
Gordon: Welcome back, everyone.
I do not know what this pressure test is gonna be, but I'm gonna do the best that I can do.
I did not come here for top 18.
I did not come here for top ten.
I came here to win.
Yesterday you all cooked for the most amazing circus performers.
In the end, the blue team clearly outperformed the red team.
Gordon, Christina, and I, we all agree that some of you really did rise up to the occasion.
Ivy, Malia, and team captain Che.
Because you were so good yesterday, all three of you are safe.
Up to the balcony, you three.
- Yay! - Great job, guys! Thank you.
I'm super excited that I'm going to the balcony, but I feel pretty bad for my fellow teammates.
Everyone's my friend down there.
I don't want any of them to go home.
Red team, it's time to face your first pressure test.
And at the end of this challenge tonight, we will be sending at least two of you home.
Aarón: Tonight, we wanna challenge you with something that you usually get on very special occasions.
When this hits the table, it's always the highlight of the party.
Tonight, we want all of you to make us birthday cake.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
When I was a kid, this double chocolate cake was my favorite.
Chocolate cake with a Mexican chocolate buttercream sauce, to be exact.
Look at this.
A thing of beauty.
- That looks good.
- Perfect.
Talk about transporting me to my youth.
could be better than a vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles.
- Oh.
- Oh, gosh.
I still think this is the world's greatest birthday cake.
There's two beautiful layers of sponge, and the perfect amount of classic vanilla frosting.
Come on, with that! - Mmm.
- I can never get enough of this cake.
- Mmm! - Now, for me, my birthday cake was all about football.
- Kid: Wow! - Soccer.
Look at that.
- Amazing, right? - Beautiful.
Inside, you've got that delicious lemony buttercream that is oozing deliciousness.
- Come on.
- That's a lot of green.
For me, there's nothing quite like that tang of lemon on my birthday.
Mmm.
That is delicious.
Now today, home cooks, you'll have to make a birthday cake like these to stay in the competition.
All of you, head to your stations, please.
Let's go.
I love to make cake, but baking can be difficult 'cause if you mess up one measurement, your whole cake could fall apart.
All right, home cooks, you'll have just 90 minutes to make us your signature birthday cake.
On your stations, you'll have everything that you need to make us these delicious birthday cakes.
You'll also have access to that unbelievable equipment room.
In there, you'll find everything you can imagine to make us a beautiful cake.
- Is everyone ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your time starts now.
- Let's go, guys.
Come on.
- Go, go, go! - You guys got this! - Oh, jeez.
Yes! I'm just taking this whole thing.
Birthday cakes, come on.
For me, that was one of the most exciting - moments of the year.
- Christina: Absolutely.
- Aarón: Yeah.
- Getting a workout here.
Christina, what is the DNA of a great birthday cake? First, you have to get those layers of cake made.
- Oh, lemon juice.
I got that.
- You gotta that batter going.
- Cream your butter, your sugar.
- It looks perfect.
- Add your eggs, add your milk.
- Whoo! - It's messy over here! - Add your flour.
Whoa! Very fast.
- Add your salt, and of course - Looks good.
your baking powder, otherwise the cake won't rise.
- Oh, God.
- Get those in the oven, and while that cake is baking - That doesn't look right.
- you go for the frosting.
- Frosting.
Let's do this.
- The fillings what are you gonna do to amp it up? What are you gonna do to stand out? How are you going to tell us your story? Nice, Jaala! I'm making a vanilla galaxy cake, because I love all different colors and I think the cake is colorful 'cause it all different kinds of blues and all different kinds of purples and violets.
I've been baking since I was about four years old.
So I'm not gonna go home today, because I'm a baker and I got this.
- Good job, Kate.
- Thank you.
I'm eight years old and I'm from Roanoke, Alabama.
I am a country girl.
Good girl.
My family has a farm and we have about 20 to 25 cows now.
Here you go, baby.
I love hunting and fishing, and I love cooking.
This is where all the magic happens.
This southern farm girl is definitely the next MasterChef Junior.
I love rainbows and I love tie-dye, so I am making a tie-dye cake with a raspberry frosting.
I do not bake a lot, but I think I'll be good tonight.
Looking good, Aaron.
I'm ten years old and I'm from Powder Springs, Georgia.
Come on, come inside.
I started cooking at about the age of seven.
It was me just wanting to help my mom, and then it grew into a passion for what I was doing.
My son Aaron, he's charismatic, uber competitive, and more than anything, he has a love for cooking.
Aaron: Soul food is, like, my main thing.
I like to cook chicken, waffles, collard greens, and macaroni.
The ladies of the house are never gonna go hungry when awesome Aaron is cooking.
I'm making lemon blueberry cake.
I am nervous about baking, but I think I have what it takes to get past this challenge.
Gordon: 50 minutes remaining.
Hey, Sadie.
- 12 years of age from Seattle.
- Yes.
Tell me about this birthday cake tonight.
What are you doing? So I'm making a pink champagne cake with a rose buttercream and a raspberry jam.
- Stop there.
A pink champagne? - Wow.
- Yes.
- You're not allowed to drink for another nine years yet.
Have you ever tasted champagne? I do not drink alcohol, obviously, but apparently the adults love it.
Right.
Good luck.
- All right, thank you.
Will do.
- Stick with it, Sadie.
You're doing great.
- ( sighs ) - Make those cakes! - Ooh! - Come on, Ashley.
I am nine years old, and I am in the fourth grade.
I live in Queens, New York Come on in.
so I consider myself the queen of cooking.
When I'm in the kitchen, I'm the boss.
I've been cooking for about six years and that's, like, two-thirds of my life.
It's smelling really good.
I am Jamaican and Indian, and I like to incorporate that into my dishes.
Bon appétit! And I got this in the bag.
Miss Ashley, give me the rundown on this cake.
I'm making a four berry cake with blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries - with a coconut cream cheese frosting.
- Great.
And what are you doing with these berries that you've pulsed down? It's gonna go in the cake batter.
Cake batter can be really delicate.
And berry purée, the right ratio will be magical.
The wrong ratio could really weigh the cake batter down.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good luck.
Gordon: 35 minutes remaining.
- Good job, Tal.
- You can do it! Tal, tell me about the cake.
What are you doing? I'm making a Brooklyn blackout cake.
It's a chocolate cake with chocolate espresso buttercream, and I'm adding on a layer of ganache just to make it really shiny and pretty.
My parents had their wedding in Brooklyn, and when the caterer brought them the wedding cake, they brought them the wrong cake.
So at the last minute, they had to go out and they just got - three Brooklyn blackout cakes and they loved it.
- Wow.
How cool is that? Make sure you nail this birthday cake.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
- Perfect.
- Go, Mateo! Mateo, you're eight years old, right? - Yeah.
- What flavor cake are you making? I'm just making a plain vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream and a lot of garnishes, like a cupcake, - lots of chocolates, different things.
- Okay.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Gordon: 20 minutes remaining.
Come on, bakers! You got it, guys.
We're gonna have seven birthday parties tonight.
- Smells so good! - These last minutes are crucial to the visual impact of this birthday cake.
Do you leave your frosting with some sort of waves and ripples? Do you make it nice and smooth? - Good job, Kate.
- Thank you.
This is their canvas with a piece of art now.
Christina: Elegance for me is not over-decorated.
You have to know where to draw the line, you have to have the confidence to know what it needs, - and just as much what it doesn't.
- Absolutely.
Gordon: Just under ten minutes to go, guys.
Finishing touches, let's go! Oh, God.
Tal just ran out of frosting.
- ( sighs ) - Rhashad: That's all the frosting he has left.
Oh, this is really bad.
I do not have enough frosting to reach to the edges, and it's a little bit of a mess right now.
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
- What is Tal doing? - He's making it worse.
- Tal: It is just not staying on.
- Brielle: Whoa.
Tal's thing is a mess.
Worst thing that you could do with a birthday cake is to try and hide the imperfections.
Oh, my gosh.
Tal, your cake looks like a poopy chocolatey mess.
This is a baking nightmare.
Oh, no more, no more.
No more, no more, no more.
I think he might be going home.
The worst thing that you could do with a birthday cake is to try and hide the imperfections.
Tal: I don't have enough frosting.
I have limited options.
but I am not giving up right now.
So I'm gonna solve this issue.
I'm going to cut off the edges a little bit and cover it all in ganache, and I'm just going to make it as pretty as I possibly can.
Gordon: Tal is starting to pass around the side of his.
With a ganache cake, you pour it in the center, you let it drip down the sides.
- You do not touch it.
- Aarón: Exactly.
90 seconds remain to put your finishing touches on those gorgeous birthday cakes.
Blueberries, blueberries.
- Hurry, hurry.
- Tidy up, guys.
Come on.
Make those cakes look great for a birthday celebration.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, - three, two, one.
- Awesome.
Aarón: That's it.
Hands in the air.
Gordon: And stop.
Well done.
( cheering ) Gordon: Well done.
Right, first up, Sadie.
As a 12-year-old, baking a cake that I've never baked before feels pretty accomplishing, and I'm excited to see what the judges think.
Sadie, that is a work of art.
Thank you.
Describe your cake, please.
Sadie: Today I've made a pink champagne cake with a rose buttercream and raspberry jam.
Pink champagne.
Why? Because it is a very light flavor.
Also, I know adults love alcohol.
And I knew no one else - would incorporate alcohol into their dish.
- Okay.
- Should we get in there? - Yes, Chef.
You ready? Mm-hmm.
Wow.
Wow! Beautiful! - That looks really good.
- How did you get that pink champagne in to this birthday cake? I incorporated a little bit into the batter.
Mmm.
Young lady, wow.
That's worth $25 a slice.
That pink champagne flavor is beautiful and absolutely delicious.
The sponge, super light.
Jam in the middle, delicious.
What you've got right is that ratio of butter to powdered sugar.
What would I change? A touch more jam in the middle.
- Well done.
Great job.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Amazing.
- ( cheering ) - Good job, Sadie! - Great job, Sadie.
- That looks really good.
- Good job.
Next up, Tal.
Please join us up front with your cake.
Back in Newport, Washington, I bake all the time, but I'm not feeling good about my cake.
It just looks like a disaster.
I'm just hoping the taste might be able to make up for that.
Tal, let's talk about this cake.
Tal: This is a Brooklyn blackout cake with espresso chocolate frosting covered in a chocolate ganache.
- Okay.
- My frosting didn't go to the edges.
- Mm-hmm.
- So I had to trim it a little, and so it looks a little bit raggedy.
The flavor of a great chocolate cake can heal most things.
- Yes.
- Let's have a look inside.
What do you think? I think that looks nice.
What else is in that frosting? Butter, powdered sugar, coffee extract, vanilla extract, and coconut.
What I thought would be the saving grace of this cake would be the frosting.
- Mm-hmm.
- It's actually quite dry.
From a flavor standpoint, it's okay.
It's chocolatey.
I think the question just comes down to is there a cake out there that falls below average? Because that's where I'm putting this cake in my mind.
Thank you.
Next up, Aaron.
I think this is the best cake I've ever made in my life, because I've only made one.
This cake is awesome like me.
This cake is bright like me.
This cake is me on a cake plate.
Aaron, talk to me about your cake.
Aaron: It is a blueberry lemon cake with lemon frosting and blueberries.
How does that look to you, Aaron? - It looks wonderful.
- I agree with you.
The cake, it tastes a little underdone.
- It's a little gummy.
- Oh.
But I love the frosting.
Home run.
The balance between the sweetness of the blueberries and the sourness of the lemon is spot-on.
So you made a very smart choice by pairing blueberries and lemons together.
- Good job, buddy.
- Good job! Come on down, Mateo.
Mateo: Today for you I made a vanilla sponge cake with a chocolate buttercream and a cupcake for a garnish.
What's the flavoring in the center? It's the same.
It's just a chocolate buttercream.
- Mm-mmm.
- Looks good.
- That's beautiful.
- That's nice.
Mmm.
That is delicious.
Sponge, you've absolutely nailed.
It's beautiful, nice and light.
Frosting, it's soft, it's creamy.
What does it need? You know, with something so rich like that, - lighten it up a little bit with some fruit, but great job.
- Okay.
- Good job, Mateo! - Great job, Mateo.
Next up is Kate.
Christina: Miss Kate.
Kate: I made a tie-dye cake with blue, pink, and purple, and then a raspberry frosting.
I love the tie-dye effect.
It really pulls you in.
Whoa.
Kate, it is delicious.
That raspberry frosting is perfect! It's bright, it's punchy.
Next time, give me a little bit more frosting, but very nice job.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- ( cheering ) - Yes, Kate! - Good, Kate.
- Whoo! Aarón: Next up, Jaala, please.
This cake is like me because it pops and it's colorful.
I really wanted to decorate it perfectly to show the judges that my cake is out of this world.
Jaala, wow.
Talk to me about your cake.
Jaala: What you have is a vanilla galaxy cake - with buttercream frosting.
- Awesome.
It's visually fun.
It's out there, it's wacky.
What else do you have inside? Inside is two different colors of the sponge cake - and frosting in the middle.
- Mm-hmm.
Look at that.
- ( gasping ) - Whoa.
Let's get in here, shall we? Jaala, I appreciate the aesthetic and the look of it.
- Yeah.
- I think it looks fantastic.
It's fun, it's whimsical, but I just think the problem is the cake.
It doesn't taste like any one flavor.
I'm having trouble distinguishing what you're trying to go for.
It's just a lot of sugar and coloring.
It's kind of a little bit all over the place.
Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Jaala.
- Woohoo! - Really, really good.
- Good job, Jaala.
Next up, Ashley.
Thank you.
I used to bake box cake with my mom when I was younger, but that's completely different than a cake from scratch.
But I'm feeling pretty confident that my cake is gonna taste amazing.
Young lady, describe it, please.
Ashley: So, you have a four berry cake with a coconut cream cheese frosting.
And then I got the juices from the four berries and poured that into the cake batter.
Have you ever done anything like this before? - No, Chef.
- Why tonight? I thought that it was a bold choice and that this cake could turn out really good.
- And if it doesn't? - I might be going home.
- Let's get in there, shall we? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, dear.
So, you can see the sponge is dense.
No aeration there whatsoever, so it looks like a brownie texture.
And this thing's sliding from left to right because there's way too much coconut cream in that frosting.
- How much did you put in there? - Maybe half a cup.
So, here's the good news.
What you've done with the four berries is beautiful.
I just wished that you'd put all that wonderful concentrated berry flavor in the center as a jam, and left the sponge nice and light.
- Understood? - Yes, Chef.
Thank you.
Right now, I'm not feeling happy at all.
I really want to learn more and cook more for the judges.
I'm not ready to go home.
All of you did an amazing job.
Baking a two-tiered cake in just 90 minutes, that is a lot of pressure.
But, guys, unfortunately, for tonight, we're going to have to say good-bye to two of you.
But Gordon, Christina, and I were extremely impressed by the performance of a couple young home cooks here.
Kate, Aaron, Mateo, and the best cake of the evening, Sadie.
All four of you, please head up to the balcony.
- Great job, Sadie! - ( cheering ) Being in the top of this competition, I think it's really great, because I get to show everyone else that women and girls like me can accomplish anything if we set our mind to it.
So that leaves three home cooks.
Tal, I don't think I have to tell you your cake was not perfect tonight.
You took some big risks, which I commend you for, but you didn't have the right structure of the cake.
Yes, Chef.
Jaala, your cake was inspired by the galaxy, and it was a cake like none other that I had ever seen.
But it was lacking in flavor, and it was lacking in some of that technique.
And, Ashley, I appreciate what you attempted to bring.
It was certainly different than any other cake in the kitchen tonight.
But your cake was not even in its size, and your frosting, unfortunately, just needed more powdered sugar and less of that coconut milk.
Unfortunately, two of you are leaving tonight, and only one of you is staying.
So when I call your name, please step forward.
Tal.
And Ashley.
That means, Jaala, you are safe.
Please, head up onto the balcony.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
It's all right.
Tal, tonight, unfortunately, the cake was way below the MasterChef standards.
Ashley, you need to keep your head up high.
- Yes, Chef.
- You've been an amazing little powerhouse in this competition.
I want you both to remember what you've achieved.
- Good night.
Thank you.
- Yes, Chef.
- Bye.
I love you.
- ( applause ) Tonight I'm going home with a smile on my face, with my head held high.
What other 13-year-old can say that they've gotten to the top 20 of "MasterChef Junior"? - Bye.
- Miss you.
Bye.
Even though I'm going home now, I'm gonna keep traveling, eating, learning, cooking, and doing everything I can to make myself better each and every day.
Good job, guys.
I'm just a girl from Queens, New York, and I've cooked in the MasterChef kitchen.
I mean, that's a big deal.
- Bye! - Bye! My mom always tells me that when one door closes, another one opens.
So, hopefully, this just opens up another door for me.
- Announcer: Next time - Gordon: Lift! - Oh! - ( gasps ) the top 18 face a mystery box that's off the hook.
I'm pretty sure you cannot cook a goldfish.
- And - There are fish everywhere! - when the competition - It's slippery.
is on the line, some home cooks flounder - ( shouting ) - Reid.
- while others flourish.
- That is pure genius.
Where are these ideas coming from? You're eight.
Usually, my mind.