Masterchef (2010) s09e20 Episode Script
Battle of the Beef
1 Narrator: Tonight on "MasterChef," only five remain.
- Ashley - Amazing.
It confirms that I was a hundred percent correct handing you that apron.
Gerron - Joe: Amazing job.
- Thank you.
No, thank you for being on my team, and coming out as a real contender.
- Bowen - Incredibly delicious.
That's what this competition is all about.
- There's no stopping you, is there? - No.
Cesar Really phenomenal job.
It gives me a lot of joy, 'cause not only do you have my pin, you're a great representative for our culture and our food.
- Samantha.
- Delicious.
You've been a perfect student.
- Now, flick your hair, - Oh.
So Joe and Aarón can see whose pin you're wearing.
- But in the end - This is it.
Semifinals, baby! just one will claim the title of MasterChef.
- Ashley: Whoo! - Gerron: Top five, baby! Welcome back, guys.
Oh, my.
I'm a 28-year-old woman from Opa-Locka, Florida, who's a professional grocery shopper.
Welcome back.
Ashley: I have worked my behind off to be top five, and now I'm going up against four other really strong cooks, so I gotta bring it.
( Softly ) Oh.
Okay.
All five of you are clearly talented.
You each have the culinary potential to take home the title of MasterChef, but only one of you can win the ultimate victory.
So tonight, we are raising the stakes.
You're about to face a series of tests, and your aim is to get yourself safe in the balcony.
Now, to survive tonight, you are gonna have to conquer a truly colossal protein.
America was built on it.
America still devours it.
And chefs still worship it.
- What is that? - Wow! Goodness.
( Whispers ) Oh, my God.
- Gordon: Beef.
- Damn, that's big.
Tonight, to make it one step closer to the "MasterChef" finale, you are gonna have to create MasterChef-worthy masterpieces using this.
Beef makes today's challenge more of a level playing field, because it's a common protein.
We've all used it in this competition, so it really is gonna come down to technique, flavor, seasoning.
A tiny detail will make some huge difference.
Aarón: Home cooks your first battle for survival will involve all five of you.
All five of you will cook at these stations.
From here, two of you will be made safe.
The other three will still be standing in the firing line Facing another challenge.
- Oh, wow.
- From the three that battle at these stations, one of you will be lucky enough to take a place safe up on the balcony.
The other two will be left staring elimination In the face.
If you still haven't made it to safety, your shot at lifting that incredible MasterChef trophy will be on the line, right here.
Two of you will go head to head in a straight all-or-nothing fight.
One will still have a shot of becoming America's next MasterChef.
The other will walk out those doors with nothing.
Now, home cooks, follow me.
I know it gets harder and harder as you get closer to the end of today.
My food dream is to go to culinary school, and that seems so close right now.
So getting up to that balcony ASAP is the first thing I need to do.
This first challenge is a great test of your beef skills.
It looks simple, but believe me, it's deceivingly difficult to get right.
Beef kabobs.
Hmm.
Aarón: The New York strip has to be cooked cleanly, cooked evenly, and seasoned to perfection.
You can add your choice of vegetables and seasoning to put your own personal touch on them.
If you get these right, it could land you up on that balcony.
But if you get these wrong, you'll have an even more difficult challenge ahead of you.
Please, all of you, head to your stations.
I make beef skewers in my backyard all the time, but the fact that I'm doing it in the MasterChef kitchen, they have to be elevated.
So, I cannot let Joe down.
And the fact that I'm the last one standing with his apron, I need to make sure I get to that balcony.
At your stations, you'll find everything you need to make us beef kabobs.
New York strip steak, peppers, button mushrooms, lemon, garlic, red wine vinegar, and limes.
You'll all have just 30 minutes to make us three perfectly cooked beef kabobs.
- Is everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 30 minutes starts now.
Kabob is the global street food.
Because really, it's about what else you put with it, how you cook it, and the seasoning.
This is all about techniques and guaranteed, - this challenge will definitely separate them.
- Mm-hmm.
Samantha: I'm a little nervous, because I don't do much grilling at home, but I think the key to my success is gonna be marinating the steak to perfection.
So, I'm hoping that with these Mediterranean flavors, I can knock it out of the park.
The most difficult part of the kabob challenge is making sure everything gets cooked and seasoned properly.
- How do you do that? - Number one, first of all, I'm looking for that level of continuity.
Match up one cube, even the peppers, even the mushrooms-- The same size.
I don't wanna see big, long strips of pepper, tiny strips of beef.
I want it all looking evenly done.
There's three.
You know, if I was at home, I would just simply chop the meat up any type of way.
But the fact that I'm in the MasterChef kitchen, 12.
I have to make sure that every size of the beef is perfect so that it cooks perfect on top of the flavor profile.
So, I'm going jerk seasoning for these skewers.
Gordon: Then from there, you marinate it all together in a bowl for at least ten minutes.
That helps to tenderize everything.
It starts to break down those peppers so they're not so crunchy.
Where's cumin powder? Cumin, cumin, cumin.
Just coming up to 15 minutes to go.
I will make a traditional Asian flavor beef skewer.
In China, we eat beef skewers all the time.
I know the flavor, but I never grill meat before.
We always cook with charcoal, so that is the challenge for me.
- Whoo-hoo! - I only have one apron left and that's Cesar.
I gotta believe that he's really gonna knock it out of the park here 'cause he has such a deft hand with seasoning, and he knows how to move fast.
Cesar: Tonight I'm going with traditional flavors.
This challenge is the best chance to be safe.
So I'm moving as fast as I've ever moved in this competition with precision, with speed.
I wanna make sure that I squeeze the most out of these 30 minutes to secure a spot in the top four.
Gordon: Ten minutes remaining.
Sam and Bowen have huge pieces.
They've cut their beef into an inch and a half length.
Yellow pepper.
Aarón: Gerron's skewers look great.
He's got the technique of a surgeon.
Joe: Uh-oh.
Bowen has made a technical error on the cut of his vegetables.
He's julienned them.
Gordon: I don't understand what he's doing there.
I know he's wearing my apron, but yet again, he's refusing to listen.
We didn't ask for strips.
Joe: How is he gonna skewer those? Has Bowen lost his mind? Uh-oh.
Bowen has made a technical error on the cut of his vegetables.
He's julienned them.
Gordon: We didn't ask for slices.
Joe: How is he gonna skewer those? Six minutes to go.
( Singing ) So, with six minutes to go, they should be cooking those, because we're looking for medium rare.
Three minutes each side, and you brush.
So it's like almost clockwork.
You turn every 30 seconds.
Brush, turn, brush, turn.
Two minutes remaining.
- Finish up.
- Aarón: Come on, everyone, let's go.
Think about your plating.
Bowen, being Chinese, is always used to cooking with super high heat.
That can be very good.
I hope it works for him today.
60 seconds remaining.
Last minute.
Cesar's plating, look.
Aarón: Gerron's skewers look great.
Samantha's just taking hers out of the oven.
Why'd she put them in the oven? Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop.
Hands in the air.
- Joe: Stop.
Gordon: Well done.
All of you, very carefully, bring your kabobs down to the front bench.
I have really big confident in myself.
They're colorful and the grill mark is really, really perfect.
I do think the flavor is there.
I just hope it will be medium rare.
Aarón: We're looking for two of you that we will save and send straight up to the balcony.
First up, Bowen.
Describe your kabob.
Beef kabob marinade with lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and garlic.
So, visually, it's definitely colorful, but why all the garnish underneath? I sauté in the pan, because I want to put the flavor underneath and then the kabob layer on there.
A kabob traditionally is eaten on the skewer, one bite.
You just changed the dish completely again, which we don't want you to.
So, the cook on the beef, beautiful.
Temperature, spot-on.
Seasoning's on point, but the peppers on the skewer are raw, and the peppers underneath are cooked.
And I want the peppers on the skewer cooked.
Thank you.
Samantha.
You've taken on a very different strategy - than everybody else.
- Mm-hmm.
You just decided to completely omit the peppers.
The flavor profile is Mediterranean.
I didn't see the peppers fitting in.
How did you cook these? I mean, you have grill marks - but they're sporadic and-- - Uh-- yeah.
I cooked most of it on the grill, but when I cut one open, it was a little underdone and I decided to put it in the oven.
- It's a little under.
- Oh, it's-- that's rare.
Okay.
The flavor of the beef is okay, but you took a strategy that was minimalistic, and I think, unfortunately, that also reflects in the way they taste.
- Okay, okay.
- Very minimal.
Okay.
- Gerron.
- Hi, Chef.
Visually they look beautiful.
- Good color.
- Thank you, Chef.
What type of marinade is in the kabob? Uh, so I tried to get close - to like a jerk marinade.
- Jerk.
Mushroom, two peppers, and the red onion.
The cook on the beef pink and beautiful.
And you really charred them.
That's the essence of that grill.
That's what the kabob stands for, right? But the bit that lifts me is that jerk seasoning, which traditionally you don't really get with a kabob.
Good job.
Ashley.
First of all, you got a beautiful marinade on the outside.
I think you were very generous with the seasoning.
I like that.
I was going for those Latin flavors.
The beef was marinated in lemon and lime juice, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, and some red chili flakes.
I got a real fatty piece.
I think you could've butchered them down a little bit better, but you did cook them well.
I like the seasoning.
Peppers and the chimichurri, you have a home run.
But just kinda shifting gears on some of the elements would've made this spot-on.
Okay.
- Cesar.
- Hi, Chef.
Visually, they look good.
Describe your kabob.
So I put both bell peppers, onion, oregano, garlic, then red wine vinegar marinade, 'cause I really wanted to pack flavor into them.
- Beautiful cook.
- Thank you.
- Medium rare.
- Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
It's cooked beautifully.
Love the marks on there.
The seasoning's on point.
Love the color.
You know your sticks are bountiful, but the one mistake you made is giving a-- An expensive cut of beef red wine vinegar.
It doesn't need that kick.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.
Colors wise, beautiful.
- It's got that char mark on there as well.
- Yeah.
That right there shows a lot of promise.
- Also, uniform, right? - Yeah.
- You know, consistent.
- That's important, absolutely.
Aarón: It affects the flavor.
They're the most street-food-looking ones.
- Absolutely.
Yeah, that does it.
- Yeah, it does.
Tough challenge.
The first person safe, heading straight into the top four of the biggest culinary competition anywhere in the world, that person is Gerron.
Congratulations.
Yes! Joe, Aarón, and myself thought it was cooked beautifully, and it was bountiful.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
The second home cook that is safe from elimination that home cook is Congrats The second home cook that is safe from elimination and from this challenge upcoming is - Cesar.
- Thank you.
You cooked everything evenly, properly, and seasoned it to perfection.
- Thank you, Chef.
- So, off you go.
Gerron and, of course, Cesar.
Thank you, Chefs.
I'm excited I was able to lift the pressure of elimination so early on tonight.
This dream, it's becoming a fairytale that I hope the ending is happily ever after, but right now I'm gonna enjoy being top four.
Joe: Unfortunately for you three, you are all in the apron of Chef Gordon Ramsay.
So, no matter what happens tonight, he'll be losing one home cook.
You three will now face another challenge.
Please, come with me.
For your second beef challenge you'll be tackling one of my most favorite things to cook and to eat.
This dish, it requires a deft hand, and a perfect cook.
Meatballs in a beautiful marinara sauce.
Soft pillows of deliciously seasoned beef with that perfect marinara, glistening light and pink.
You three have to make impeccable meatballs, or your MasterChef dreams could end here tonight.
Please head to your stations.
Ashley: I normally make meatballs with my mom, so I'm familiar with the steps to make them.
However, they normally sit in sauce for at least two hours at home.
So this is going to be a hell of a challenge.
Now, your second attempt to get up to the safety of that balcony.
You'll have 30 minutes to make us a plate of perfect meatballs.
At your stations you'll have everything that you need to make some delicious meatballs in marinara sauce.
Your 30 minutes starts now.
You know, meatballs are such a popular food.
Doesn't cost much to make, and quite frankly, it's delicious.
A to Z of a perfect meatball, Joe.
Gotta get the mix right.
The meat has to be ground right, the right blend of beef and whatever else you wanna add to it.
Then bread crumbs, milk, parsley, all important, but you have to have the egg component right.
Yeah.
Looks like Ashley's just gonna do the yolk.
You wanna keep it light and fluffy.
Those bread crumbs, you want them to create space, so working the bread too much as well can also make the meatball very, very hard.
Gordon: Down to 20 minutes.
You've got to speed up, all three of you.
Come on, guys.
So Ashley is putting milk into her toasted bread crumbs.
- Joe: That's good.
- Aarón: Yeah.
- She's focused.
- Yeah.
Joe: Bowen is rolling the meatballs in the bread crumbs.
That must be a Chinese technique.
Oh.
I don't know about that.
Gerron: ( whispers ) Oh, Bowen, no.
You have to panfry them, lightly, not too hot.
You don't wanna burn the outside, keep the inside raw, and then you wanna cook them in a tomato sauce.
That's slow and low, but it comes out great if you do it right.
Those look good, Sam.
Just coming up to 15 minutes to go.
Ashley's the only one testing it.
That's smart.
All right, Ashley, time is of the essence.
- Yes, Chef.
- You need to get these meatballs in.
At this point with 15 minutes left, I might even make them a little bit smaller.
- Heard.
- Just to get 'em cooked in time.
Have you made meatballs before? - I have made meatballs before.
- Putting a lot of bread crumbs.
They look pretty white and chewy.
That's an interesting strategy, but you've got to get them cooking now, - because your time is running out.
- Heard.
Ashley's gonna turn into the Mad Scientist in about four minutes.
- Meatballs.
- Yes.
- So you covered them with bread crumbs.
- Yes.
- And you're cooking them with herbs and garlic.
- Yes.
That's a very, very nontraditional technique you're doing here.
Sometimes they say, Bowen, that you don't listen.
I'm not telling you what to do.
I'm just saying that sometimes maybe you should listen more - and think less.
- Okay, sure.
That's a dangerous thing to do right now, 'cause it's replication.
This is where a standard meatball cook should look like to knock off.
Make sure you get enough sauce in that pan so they submerge.
- You've obviously made meatballs before.
- I have.
- I've made them-- - What was in your mix? I've got ground beef and-- - Are you sure you want to do that? - No.
- I meant to put them in here.
- Okay, just leave them.
- What are you doing? - I'm putting them in the oven, but I'd like them to be in the sauce.
- Why isn't she finishing on the stove? - I don't know.
- Oven open.
- She's gonna put it in the oven.
What's happening? I don't really understand.
Samantha was frying the meatballs, and then she took some tomato sauce and put it in the frying pan, and then she put the meatballs into the oven.
- They'll get hard.
- Hard and raw in the middle.
( Whispers ) Okay, that's it.
Ashley just put her meatballs in the pan with ten minutes to go.
I don't know if she'll get them cooked in time.
- Gordon: Wow.
- She's had time management issues throughout this competition.
It's on high.
Joe: Bowen has breaded the meatballs, so they're like meatball cutlets.
- Aarón: Mm-hmm.
- Bowen's gone rogue again.
I mean, that is gonna be that guy's downfall.
It's funny how these challenges seem easy, - but they're really are difficult.
- They are.
That's a nice one right there.
Gordon: Eight minutes to go.
- Bowen's throwing his away.
- What's he doing? - He's throwing his away.
- Throwing his away? What have you done? Have you thrown them away? - Yes.
- Oh, my Lord.
Gordon: What's he doing now? He's making more.
- No.
- Gordon: What have you done? I-- I have three without the bread crumbs.
He's trying to correct his lack of listening with less than ten minutes left in an elimination skill test.
Are you kidding me? Aarón: Come on, guys.
One perfect dish of meatballs to gain access to the safety of the balcony.
Uh, I need like 30 more seconds.
Keep them in that sauce for as long as possible.
It's looking perfect.
Last minute, please.
Come on.
Nice smell to it, too.
- Gordon: Sam's are out.
- Aarón: Okay.
Ashley's are out.
They look nice.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, - two, one.
- Gordon: And stop.
Well done.
Please, bring up your dishes.
It's time to find out whose meatballs are MasterChef worthy, and which two home cooks will immediately face one more final battle.
- First up, Samantha.
- Chef.
The ratio of beef to pork this evening was what? 60 beef, 40 pork.
You did a very bizarre thing.
- You put the frying pan into the oven.
Why? - Yeah.
Well, I wanted a more gentle cook on the meatballs after I got that sear on them.
- They need to submerge themselves in the sauce.
- Right.
Okay.
360.
So they cook evenly.
- Yeah.
- So, potentially, they could be undercooked in the center.
Let's have a look inside.
God.
Gordon: So, Samantha, potentially they could be undercooked in the center.
Let's have a look inside.
God.
Yes, that's not cooked in there.
Pink pork is a no-go, so I'm gonna have to eat around that for obvious reasons.
How many times have you made meatballs? I mean, just a few.
A couple times for my dad.
Samantha, they're under-seasoned, and then they need to be submerged in that sauce to cook the center.
Is the pressure getting to you? I didn't think it was.
I'm really disappointed in this.
You know, having three of my mentees in front of me, it's painful, 'cause right now I'd much rather have two of you up to the safety of the balcony.
But that is not a safety net, is it? - No.
- That's a danger zone.
( Whispers ) That's rough.
- Okay, Bowen.
- Hi, Joe.
Now I saw you doing something very, very unorthodox.
You were coating the meatballs in bread crumbs before you fried them in the pan.
It's Chinese thing, so-- At no point did I say cover them in bread crumbs into a meatball cutlet.
When you tell me like it's not right, I made a couple adjustments with the bread crumb.
And how much bread crumbs did you use? Uh On the interior? Any? Uh That is a massive mistake.
Yeah.
The bread in the meat mix is what gives it the lightness.
This is hard and dense.
They are in fact seasoned well.
The tomato sauce is actually quite good.
I thought it was gonna be much worse.
Somehow it came out okay.
But, Bowen, you gotta follow the rules.
You can't do whatever you want at this point in the game.
- Okay? - Yes, Joe.
( Whispers ) This is crazy.
- Ashley.
- Hi, Chef.
How did that meatball challenge go for you? Time was getting past me, but I made sure that the heat stayed within the meatballs.
I'm slightly worried that there wasn't enough time for that process to unfold.
Visually, they're a little bit uneven as far as the shape, but they are cooked through, which is nice.
I love the amount of herbs that you put in there.
The flavor of these meatballs is so divine.
You toasted the bread crumbs and you added a little bit of dairy to that.
It made this beautiful paste that you can taste all throughout the meatballs.
All this is missing is a more consistent roll and more sauce.
Give me more, more, more, 'cause this is meatballs and marinara, not a sparse amount of it.
- ( Whispers ) It's a close one.
- ( whispers ) I know.
The meatball was delicious.
- Where was the sauce? - Aarón: Yeah.
Bowen, you had top-notch sauce, - Yeah? - But the meatballs, they were hard.
- Well, Samantha's were raw, right? - Yeah.
So, first of all, Samantha, you know - there's no such thing as medium rare pork.
- No.
You made a technical error.
So unfortunately, you will be going head-to-head to keep your position in the MasterChef kitchen.
That leaves Bowen and Ashley, two meatball dishes with certain attributes and also defects.
The person joining Cesar and Gerron in the balcony is Ashley.
Congratulations.
- Your meatballs were excellent.
- Thank you.
Top four.
Yes! Well, congratulations.
Get on up to the balcony.
I am relieved, because it was this close.
I didn't want to disappoint Gordon again.
And by the grace of these meatballs, I am going up to this balcony safe from elimination.
Unfortunately, you two are not safe, and one of you will go home tonight.
Please, both of you, follow us.
For your final beef battle, you'll be making a MasterChef classic.
It is the most tender cut and expensive on the cow.
It can only be an incredible, temperamental Bowen, Samantha, for your final beef battle, you'll be making a "MasterChef" classic.
Filet mignon.
- The chef's dream.
- It's beautiful.
And we thought one isn't just enough, so tonight you'll be cooking three filet mignons.
( Whispers ) Oh.
This is a test to see if you can nail three completely different temperatures.
( Whispers ) That's crazy.
First, we have the perfect well done filet.
Look.
Evenly colored, but moist in the center, and not an ounce of blood anywhere.
Next, a medium filet mignon.
Just slightly pink in the middle, and beautifully moist throughout.
The final temperature tonight is a rare filet mignon.
Pink from top to bottom.
Juicy, tender, beautiful.
Now, you have to nail the filet mignon three ways, if you want to keep your MasterChef dream alive tonight.
- Understood? - Both: Yes, Chef.
Both of you, please, head to your stations.
Three filets, three different temperatures.
This one's almost impossible, because it's like three darts and only one chance to hit the bull's-eye and if you don't, game's over.
On your stations you'll find everything that you need to cook us three perfectly cooked filet mignons.
You'll have just 30 minutes.
When time is up, all three have to be up here on the front station.
Is everyone ready? Both: Yes, Chef.
Your 30 minutes starts - now.
- Home cooks: Come on, guys! ( Home cooks cheering ) I need to put every last bit of energy that I have into this cook, because I gave up school to win this competition, and if I go home now, that means giving up school was pointless.
Bowen: It's really hard for me, because the only way I like my steak is well done.
But the only thing I can do is focus, because either I'm going to the semifinal or going home.
Everything is on the line.
Gordon, why filet mignon? Joe, it shows a great level of skill to cook and nail those three temperatures.
- Y'all, this is crazy.
This is crazy.
- Mm-hmm.
Gordon, both of these home cooks cooking for their lives tonight are wearing your aprons.
We're asking them to do a well-done filet in a pan tonight.
- How difficult is that? - The secret is in a great sear.
Maintain that heat in the pan, add a couple of ladles of stock, then it goes into the oven.
And as it cooks in the oven, it absorbs the stock.
- Yup.
- It stays juicy, but, more importantly, it's not dry.
Joe: So after well done is medium.
A medium is a perfect balance of cooked through with a little kiss of pink on the middle.
So the secret is to make sure you baste it.
And also, a big thing here is searing all sides of the filet mignon.
Just over 21 minutes to go.
- Cesar: Come on, guys.
Good job.
- Gerron: Come on, guys.
- Good job.
- Keep pushing.
Young man, you're minutes away from getting to the top four.
- What's the most difficult for you to nail? - The medium.
Because I never cook medium before.
Are you finishing the well done in the oven or you keeping it on top of the stove? I'm gonna finish that and then in the oven for two minutes, and then I do rest, the rest on pan.
- Are you okay? - Yes, I'm okay.
Because I'm just trying to focus.
I don't want to stop my dream right here, because I all the way from China and I have a passion.
- I get that.
Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Right, young lady.
- Chef.
How you feeling right now? Um, I'm feeling okay.
I've never cooked a well done steak.
Have you cooked a medium before? - I have cooked medium and I have cooked rare.
- Right.
Which one you most worried about? The well done, because it's hard to cook it well done, and keep it moist.
You need to focus.
- Okay? - Yes, Chef.
- Step back.
- Whoo! ( Whispers ) Oh, Sam.
That's why I said step back.
Okay, look at me.
- You've got this.
Get it in the oven.
- Yes, Chef.
- Let's go.
- Thank you, Chef.
Oven open.
All right, here she goes.
- So how's it going? - Samantha looks more in control than anybody.
- She's also using the beef stock.
- That's smart.
- Bowen-- Bowen's pans are way too hot.
- Too hot.
So that sear on the outside is turning into a crust.
So whenever we're gonna be slicing that it's gonna be dry.
The good thing about Bowen's is that he's got the thyme and the garlic in there and he's basting.
We're coming down to seven minutes remaining.
- Heard, Chef.
Thank you.
- Bowen: Heard, Chef.
Bowen started his rare way too early, guys.
To nail a rare steak, you sear it, literally, with five minutes to go.
Two minutes each side and one minute rest.
Sam's got her rare on there.
Five minutes remaining.
- Gordon: Yes? - Both: Yes, Chef.
- Oven open.
- Joe: So Samantha is second-guessing her medium and she took it off the rack and put it in the oven.
No! You never stick a medium steak in the oven.
He better be praying right now.
Joe: Uh-oh! Bowen's gonna put his steak back.
Aarón: He's putting-- Oh, my God! - What's he doing? - He might be ruining a perfect medium steak right now.
Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
I wouldn't wanna be in their shoes right now.
- Gerron: It's tough.
- Gordon: I need them down in the front.
Hurry, hurry, guys.
Hurry.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
- ( Applause ) - Gerron: Wow.
Oh, man.
Well done, Bowen.
Well done, Samantha.
So, it all comes down to these three filet mignons.
We're going to begin with the well done.
- Bowen.
- Yes, Chef.
How long was it in the pan? On each side around five minutes, and I let it rest.
Your future in this competition depends on the temperature of these three steaks.
This well done steak could be worth a quarter of a million dollars.
( Sighs ) What is it gonna look like inside? It's supposed to look like little pink, but no blood.
Let's see.
Bowen, this well done steak, what is it gonna look like inside? It's supposed to look like little pink, but no blood.
( Whispers ) No.
( Sighs ) Oh, my God.
- Samantha.
- Yes, Chef.
How confident are you about the cook on that steak? 75%.
Let's find out.
- Did you introduce beef stock? - I did a little bit, about a centimeter of beef stock.
- Start with Bowen.
- It is medium rare.
But she nailed the temperature perfectly.
- It's nailed? - Absolutely.
Okay, Bowen and Samantha, I like my steak medium.
Bowen, how did you cook it? I sear them four minutes on each side.
And what should it look inside? Pink, no red.
Samantha.
When I cut this open, what should it look like? A very light pink.
Let's see.
( Whispers ) That looks under.
I think we have two versions of medium rare.
You have a medium rare to medium, and you have a medium rare to rare.
Bowen, how confident are you that it's rare? 80%.
Let's taste it.
What'd you season it with? Salt and pepper, garlic, thyme baste.
( Whispers ) She gotta get it right.
Samantha, let's get in there.
- What'd you season it with? - Salt, pepper, and then I basted with butter, thyme, and crushed garlic.
( Whispers ) This is crazy.
- I'm glad I'm not in their shoes.
- No.
Oh, my God.
They're both cooked beautifully, - but there's one there that's got the seasoning spot-on.
- Wow.
Yes, right.
Samantha and Bowen, please come around to the front.
I'm so nervous.
It could be me going home.
This decision is decide my MasterChef dream.
There's only one spot left on that balcony, and one of you will be taking the long road home.
We asked for filet mignon well done, medium, and rare.
Gordon, you were judging the rare.
Your assessment, please.
Bowen and Samantha, temperature nailed.
Let's get that right.
But one did have an advantage over the flavor, and that steak belonged to Bowen.
Joe: Wow.
Which brings me to you, Aarón.
Who absolutely nailed the well done temperature? That home cook is - Samantha.
- Gordon: Wow.
( Whispers ) Yeah.
Bowen, you were way off on the temperature of well done.
So that means it comes down to who absolutely nailed the medium filet.
So, it was a temperature challenge, and one of the two steaks was much closer to being a medium than the other.
That filet was cooked by Samantha.
Congratulations.
Please, head up to the balcony.
Bowen, tonight the MasterChef door may have closed, but I would love to have you in my brigade anywhere in the world.
- Thank you, Chef.
- That's what you mean to me.
You must've enjoyed yourself.
Like the time I in the MasterChef kitchen, it's the best moment in my life.
My dream never stop.
I go back home, work really hard, and then hope someday to open our restaurant.
This kitchen is not gonna be as bright without you, you know that.
( Voice breaking ) Yes, Chef.
Come up and say goodbye, please.
I hate to say goodbye, but I have to say goodbye.
Thank you, my friend.
Good luck to you.
It's been a pleasure.
You are a special young man, all right? Keep at it.
Oh, young man, come here.
Oh, Bowen.
I didn't think I'd be saying this, but would you be so kind to put your apron on your bench, and have a safe trip home.
- Thank you, Bowen.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Bye, Bowen.
I feeling not so well, but I'm definitely proud of myself, and I feel like I make Gordon to be proud.
- Ashley: Bowen.
- Gerron: Love, Bowen.
Ashley and Samantha: You did it with love! "MasterChef" teach me how to build up my confident to be more knowledgeable, and become a more better Bowen.
I'm born to be a chef.
So Bowen is big star in the future.
Narrator: Next time Tonight, you'll be cooking for our mentors.
three culinary legends Aarón: Jonathan Waxman.
Gordon: Daniel Boulud.
And I'm lucky enough to call her Mom, Lidia Bastianich.
This is crazy! take over the competition.
Do not overcook your proteins! Samantha: Lidia Bastianich? Our dishes better be absolutely perfect.
Narrator: The home cooks fight for a spot in the final three, and a chance to become America's next MasterChef.
- Ashley - Amazing.
It confirms that I was a hundred percent correct handing you that apron.
Gerron - Joe: Amazing job.
- Thank you.
No, thank you for being on my team, and coming out as a real contender.
- Bowen - Incredibly delicious.
That's what this competition is all about.
- There's no stopping you, is there? - No.
Cesar Really phenomenal job.
It gives me a lot of joy, 'cause not only do you have my pin, you're a great representative for our culture and our food.
- Samantha.
- Delicious.
You've been a perfect student.
- Now, flick your hair, - Oh.
So Joe and Aarón can see whose pin you're wearing.
- But in the end - This is it.
Semifinals, baby! just one will claim the title of MasterChef.
- Ashley: Whoo! - Gerron: Top five, baby! Welcome back, guys.
Oh, my.
I'm a 28-year-old woman from Opa-Locka, Florida, who's a professional grocery shopper.
Welcome back.
Ashley: I have worked my behind off to be top five, and now I'm going up against four other really strong cooks, so I gotta bring it.
( Softly ) Oh.
Okay.
All five of you are clearly talented.
You each have the culinary potential to take home the title of MasterChef, but only one of you can win the ultimate victory.
So tonight, we are raising the stakes.
You're about to face a series of tests, and your aim is to get yourself safe in the balcony.
Now, to survive tonight, you are gonna have to conquer a truly colossal protein.
America was built on it.
America still devours it.
And chefs still worship it.
- What is that? - Wow! Goodness.
( Whispers ) Oh, my God.
- Gordon: Beef.
- Damn, that's big.
Tonight, to make it one step closer to the "MasterChef" finale, you are gonna have to create MasterChef-worthy masterpieces using this.
Beef makes today's challenge more of a level playing field, because it's a common protein.
We've all used it in this competition, so it really is gonna come down to technique, flavor, seasoning.
A tiny detail will make some huge difference.
Aarón: Home cooks your first battle for survival will involve all five of you.
All five of you will cook at these stations.
From here, two of you will be made safe.
The other three will still be standing in the firing line Facing another challenge.
- Oh, wow.
- From the three that battle at these stations, one of you will be lucky enough to take a place safe up on the balcony.
The other two will be left staring elimination In the face.
If you still haven't made it to safety, your shot at lifting that incredible MasterChef trophy will be on the line, right here.
Two of you will go head to head in a straight all-or-nothing fight.
One will still have a shot of becoming America's next MasterChef.
The other will walk out those doors with nothing.
Now, home cooks, follow me.
I know it gets harder and harder as you get closer to the end of today.
My food dream is to go to culinary school, and that seems so close right now.
So getting up to that balcony ASAP is the first thing I need to do.
This first challenge is a great test of your beef skills.
It looks simple, but believe me, it's deceivingly difficult to get right.
Beef kabobs.
Hmm.
Aarón: The New York strip has to be cooked cleanly, cooked evenly, and seasoned to perfection.
You can add your choice of vegetables and seasoning to put your own personal touch on them.
If you get these right, it could land you up on that balcony.
But if you get these wrong, you'll have an even more difficult challenge ahead of you.
Please, all of you, head to your stations.
I make beef skewers in my backyard all the time, but the fact that I'm doing it in the MasterChef kitchen, they have to be elevated.
So, I cannot let Joe down.
And the fact that I'm the last one standing with his apron, I need to make sure I get to that balcony.
At your stations, you'll find everything you need to make us beef kabobs.
New York strip steak, peppers, button mushrooms, lemon, garlic, red wine vinegar, and limes.
You'll all have just 30 minutes to make us three perfectly cooked beef kabobs.
- Is everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 30 minutes starts now.
Kabob is the global street food.
Because really, it's about what else you put with it, how you cook it, and the seasoning.
This is all about techniques and guaranteed, - this challenge will definitely separate them.
- Mm-hmm.
Samantha: I'm a little nervous, because I don't do much grilling at home, but I think the key to my success is gonna be marinating the steak to perfection.
So, I'm hoping that with these Mediterranean flavors, I can knock it out of the park.
The most difficult part of the kabob challenge is making sure everything gets cooked and seasoned properly.
- How do you do that? - Number one, first of all, I'm looking for that level of continuity.
Match up one cube, even the peppers, even the mushrooms-- The same size.
I don't wanna see big, long strips of pepper, tiny strips of beef.
I want it all looking evenly done.
There's three.
You know, if I was at home, I would just simply chop the meat up any type of way.
But the fact that I'm in the MasterChef kitchen, 12.
I have to make sure that every size of the beef is perfect so that it cooks perfect on top of the flavor profile.
So, I'm going jerk seasoning for these skewers.
Gordon: Then from there, you marinate it all together in a bowl for at least ten minutes.
That helps to tenderize everything.
It starts to break down those peppers so they're not so crunchy.
Where's cumin powder? Cumin, cumin, cumin.
Just coming up to 15 minutes to go.
I will make a traditional Asian flavor beef skewer.
In China, we eat beef skewers all the time.
I know the flavor, but I never grill meat before.
We always cook with charcoal, so that is the challenge for me.
- Whoo-hoo! - I only have one apron left and that's Cesar.
I gotta believe that he's really gonna knock it out of the park here 'cause he has such a deft hand with seasoning, and he knows how to move fast.
Cesar: Tonight I'm going with traditional flavors.
This challenge is the best chance to be safe.
So I'm moving as fast as I've ever moved in this competition with precision, with speed.
I wanna make sure that I squeeze the most out of these 30 minutes to secure a spot in the top four.
Gordon: Ten minutes remaining.
Sam and Bowen have huge pieces.
They've cut their beef into an inch and a half length.
Yellow pepper.
Aarón: Gerron's skewers look great.
He's got the technique of a surgeon.
Joe: Uh-oh.
Bowen has made a technical error on the cut of his vegetables.
He's julienned them.
Gordon: I don't understand what he's doing there.
I know he's wearing my apron, but yet again, he's refusing to listen.
We didn't ask for strips.
Joe: How is he gonna skewer those? Has Bowen lost his mind? Uh-oh.
Bowen has made a technical error on the cut of his vegetables.
He's julienned them.
Gordon: We didn't ask for slices.
Joe: How is he gonna skewer those? Six minutes to go.
( Singing ) So, with six minutes to go, they should be cooking those, because we're looking for medium rare.
Three minutes each side, and you brush.
So it's like almost clockwork.
You turn every 30 seconds.
Brush, turn, brush, turn.
Two minutes remaining.
- Finish up.
- Aarón: Come on, everyone, let's go.
Think about your plating.
Bowen, being Chinese, is always used to cooking with super high heat.
That can be very good.
I hope it works for him today.
60 seconds remaining.
Last minute.
Cesar's plating, look.
Aarón: Gerron's skewers look great.
Samantha's just taking hers out of the oven.
Why'd she put them in the oven? Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop.
Hands in the air.
- Joe: Stop.
Gordon: Well done.
All of you, very carefully, bring your kabobs down to the front bench.
I have really big confident in myself.
They're colorful and the grill mark is really, really perfect.
I do think the flavor is there.
I just hope it will be medium rare.
Aarón: We're looking for two of you that we will save and send straight up to the balcony.
First up, Bowen.
Describe your kabob.
Beef kabob marinade with lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and garlic.
So, visually, it's definitely colorful, but why all the garnish underneath? I sauté in the pan, because I want to put the flavor underneath and then the kabob layer on there.
A kabob traditionally is eaten on the skewer, one bite.
You just changed the dish completely again, which we don't want you to.
So, the cook on the beef, beautiful.
Temperature, spot-on.
Seasoning's on point, but the peppers on the skewer are raw, and the peppers underneath are cooked.
And I want the peppers on the skewer cooked.
Thank you.
Samantha.
You've taken on a very different strategy - than everybody else.
- Mm-hmm.
You just decided to completely omit the peppers.
The flavor profile is Mediterranean.
I didn't see the peppers fitting in.
How did you cook these? I mean, you have grill marks - but they're sporadic and-- - Uh-- yeah.
I cooked most of it on the grill, but when I cut one open, it was a little underdone and I decided to put it in the oven.
- It's a little under.
- Oh, it's-- that's rare.
Okay.
The flavor of the beef is okay, but you took a strategy that was minimalistic, and I think, unfortunately, that also reflects in the way they taste.
- Okay, okay.
- Very minimal.
Okay.
- Gerron.
- Hi, Chef.
Visually they look beautiful.
- Good color.
- Thank you, Chef.
What type of marinade is in the kabob? Uh, so I tried to get close - to like a jerk marinade.
- Jerk.
Mushroom, two peppers, and the red onion.
The cook on the beef pink and beautiful.
And you really charred them.
That's the essence of that grill.
That's what the kabob stands for, right? But the bit that lifts me is that jerk seasoning, which traditionally you don't really get with a kabob.
Good job.
Ashley.
First of all, you got a beautiful marinade on the outside.
I think you were very generous with the seasoning.
I like that.
I was going for those Latin flavors.
The beef was marinated in lemon and lime juice, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, and some red chili flakes.
I got a real fatty piece.
I think you could've butchered them down a little bit better, but you did cook them well.
I like the seasoning.
Peppers and the chimichurri, you have a home run.
But just kinda shifting gears on some of the elements would've made this spot-on.
Okay.
- Cesar.
- Hi, Chef.
Visually, they look good.
Describe your kabob.
So I put both bell peppers, onion, oregano, garlic, then red wine vinegar marinade, 'cause I really wanted to pack flavor into them.
- Beautiful cook.
- Thank you.
- Medium rare.
- Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
It's cooked beautifully.
Love the marks on there.
The seasoning's on point.
Love the color.
You know your sticks are bountiful, but the one mistake you made is giving a-- An expensive cut of beef red wine vinegar.
It doesn't need that kick.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.
Colors wise, beautiful.
- It's got that char mark on there as well.
- Yeah.
That right there shows a lot of promise.
- Also, uniform, right? - Yeah.
- You know, consistent.
- That's important, absolutely.
Aarón: It affects the flavor.
They're the most street-food-looking ones.
- Absolutely.
Yeah, that does it.
- Yeah, it does.
Tough challenge.
The first person safe, heading straight into the top four of the biggest culinary competition anywhere in the world, that person is Gerron.
Congratulations.
Yes! Joe, Aarón, and myself thought it was cooked beautifully, and it was bountiful.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
The second home cook that is safe from elimination that home cook is Congrats The second home cook that is safe from elimination and from this challenge upcoming is - Cesar.
- Thank you.
You cooked everything evenly, properly, and seasoned it to perfection.
- Thank you, Chef.
- So, off you go.
Gerron and, of course, Cesar.
Thank you, Chefs.
I'm excited I was able to lift the pressure of elimination so early on tonight.
This dream, it's becoming a fairytale that I hope the ending is happily ever after, but right now I'm gonna enjoy being top four.
Joe: Unfortunately for you three, you are all in the apron of Chef Gordon Ramsay.
So, no matter what happens tonight, he'll be losing one home cook.
You three will now face another challenge.
Please, come with me.
For your second beef challenge you'll be tackling one of my most favorite things to cook and to eat.
This dish, it requires a deft hand, and a perfect cook.
Meatballs in a beautiful marinara sauce.
Soft pillows of deliciously seasoned beef with that perfect marinara, glistening light and pink.
You three have to make impeccable meatballs, or your MasterChef dreams could end here tonight.
Please head to your stations.
Ashley: I normally make meatballs with my mom, so I'm familiar with the steps to make them.
However, they normally sit in sauce for at least two hours at home.
So this is going to be a hell of a challenge.
Now, your second attempt to get up to the safety of that balcony.
You'll have 30 minutes to make us a plate of perfect meatballs.
At your stations you'll have everything that you need to make some delicious meatballs in marinara sauce.
Your 30 minutes starts now.
You know, meatballs are such a popular food.
Doesn't cost much to make, and quite frankly, it's delicious.
A to Z of a perfect meatball, Joe.
Gotta get the mix right.
The meat has to be ground right, the right blend of beef and whatever else you wanna add to it.
Then bread crumbs, milk, parsley, all important, but you have to have the egg component right.
Yeah.
Looks like Ashley's just gonna do the yolk.
You wanna keep it light and fluffy.
Those bread crumbs, you want them to create space, so working the bread too much as well can also make the meatball very, very hard.
Gordon: Down to 20 minutes.
You've got to speed up, all three of you.
Come on, guys.
So Ashley is putting milk into her toasted bread crumbs.
- Joe: That's good.
- Aarón: Yeah.
- She's focused.
- Yeah.
Joe: Bowen is rolling the meatballs in the bread crumbs.
That must be a Chinese technique.
Oh.
I don't know about that.
Gerron: ( whispers ) Oh, Bowen, no.
You have to panfry them, lightly, not too hot.
You don't wanna burn the outside, keep the inside raw, and then you wanna cook them in a tomato sauce.
That's slow and low, but it comes out great if you do it right.
Those look good, Sam.
Just coming up to 15 minutes to go.
Ashley's the only one testing it.
That's smart.
All right, Ashley, time is of the essence.
- Yes, Chef.
- You need to get these meatballs in.
At this point with 15 minutes left, I might even make them a little bit smaller.
- Heard.
- Just to get 'em cooked in time.
Have you made meatballs before? - I have made meatballs before.
- Putting a lot of bread crumbs.
They look pretty white and chewy.
That's an interesting strategy, but you've got to get them cooking now, - because your time is running out.
- Heard.
Ashley's gonna turn into the Mad Scientist in about four minutes.
- Meatballs.
- Yes.
- So you covered them with bread crumbs.
- Yes.
- And you're cooking them with herbs and garlic.
- Yes.
That's a very, very nontraditional technique you're doing here.
Sometimes they say, Bowen, that you don't listen.
I'm not telling you what to do.
I'm just saying that sometimes maybe you should listen more - and think less.
- Okay, sure.
That's a dangerous thing to do right now, 'cause it's replication.
This is where a standard meatball cook should look like to knock off.
Make sure you get enough sauce in that pan so they submerge.
- You've obviously made meatballs before.
- I have.
- I've made them-- - What was in your mix? I've got ground beef and-- - Are you sure you want to do that? - No.
- I meant to put them in here.
- Okay, just leave them.
- What are you doing? - I'm putting them in the oven, but I'd like them to be in the sauce.
- Why isn't she finishing on the stove? - I don't know.
- Oven open.
- She's gonna put it in the oven.
What's happening? I don't really understand.
Samantha was frying the meatballs, and then she took some tomato sauce and put it in the frying pan, and then she put the meatballs into the oven.
- They'll get hard.
- Hard and raw in the middle.
( Whispers ) Okay, that's it.
Ashley just put her meatballs in the pan with ten minutes to go.
I don't know if she'll get them cooked in time.
- Gordon: Wow.
- She's had time management issues throughout this competition.
It's on high.
Joe: Bowen has breaded the meatballs, so they're like meatball cutlets.
- Aarón: Mm-hmm.
- Bowen's gone rogue again.
I mean, that is gonna be that guy's downfall.
It's funny how these challenges seem easy, - but they're really are difficult.
- They are.
That's a nice one right there.
Gordon: Eight minutes to go.
- Bowen's throwing his away.
- What's he doing? - He's throwing his away.
- Throwing his away? What have you done? Have you thrown them away? - Yes.
- Oh, my Lord.
Gordon: What's he doing now? He's making more.
- No.
- Gordon: What have you done? I-- I have three without the bread crumbs.
He's trying to correct his lack of listening with less than ten minutes left in an elimination skill test.
Are you kidding me? Aarón: Come on, guys.
One perfect dish of meatballs to gain access to the safety of the balcony.
Uh, I need like 30 more seconds.
Keep them in that sauce for as long as possible.
It's looking perfect.
Last minute, please.
Come on.
Nice smell to it, too.
- Gordon: Sam's are out.
- Aarón: Okay.
Ashley's are out.
They look nice.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, - two, one.
- Gordon: And stop.
Well done.
Please, bring up your dishes.
It's time to find out whose meatballs are MasterChef worthy, and which two home cooks will immediately face one more final battle.
- First up, Samantha.
- Chef.
The ratio of beef to pork this evening was what? 60 beef, 40 pork.
You did a very bizarre thing.
- You put the frying pan into the oven.
Why? - Yeah.
Well, I wanted a more gentle cook on the meatballs after I got that sear on them.
- They need to submerge themselves in the sauce.
- Right.
Okay.
360.
So they cook evenly.
- Yeah.
- So, potentially, they could be undercooked in the center.
Let's have a look inside.
God.
Gordon: So, Samantha, potentially they could be undercooked in the center.
Let's have a look inside.
God.
Yes, that's not cooked in there.
Pink pork is a no-go, so I'm gonna have to eat around that for obvious reasons.
How many times have you made meatballs? I mean, just a few.
A couple times for my dad.
Samantha, they're under-seasoned, and then they need to be submerged in that sauce to cook the center.
Is the pressure getting to you? I didn't think it was.
I'm really disappointed in this.
You know, having three of my mentees in front of me, it's painful, 'cause right now I'd much rather have two of you up to the safety of the balcony.
But that is not a safety net, is it? - No.
- That's a danger zone.
( Whispers ) That's rough.
- Okay, Bowen.
- Hi, Joe.
Now I saw you doing something very, very unorthodox.
You were coating the meatballs in bread crumbs before you fried them in the pan.
It's Chinese thing, so-- At no point did I say cover them in bread crumbs into a meatball cutlet.
When you tell me like it's not right, I made a couple adjustments with the bread crumb.
And how much bread crumbs did you use? Uh On the interior? Any? Uh That is a massive mistake.
Yeah.
The bread in the meat mix is what gives it the lightness.
This is hard and dense.
They are in fact seasoned well.
The tomato sauce is actually quite good.
I thought it was gonna be much worse.
Somehow it came out okay.
But, Bowen, you gotta follow the rules.
You can't do whatever you want at this point in the game.
- Okay? - Yes, Joe.
( Whispers ) This is crazy.
- Ashley.
- Hi, Chef.
How did that meatball challenge go for you? Time was getting past me, but I made sure that the heat stayed within the meatballs.
I'm slightly worried that there wasn't enough time for that process to unfold.
Visually, they're a little bit uneven as far as the shape, but they are cooked through, which is nice.
I love the amount of herbs that you put in there.
The flavor of these meatballs is so divine.
You toasted the bread crumbs and you added a little bit of dairy to that.
It made this beautiful paste that you can taste all throughout the meatballs.
All this is missing is a more consistent roll and more sauce.
Give me more, more, more, 'cause this is meatballs and marinara, not a sparse amount of it.
- ( Whispers ) It's a close one.
- ( whispers ) I know.
The meatball was delicious.
- Where was the sauce? - Aarón: Yeah.
Bowen, you had top-notch sauce, - Yeah? - But the meatballs, they were hard.
- Well, Samantha's were raw, right? - Yeah.
So, first of all, Samantha, you know - there's no such thing as medium rare pork.
- No.
You made a technical error.
So unfortunately, you will be going head-to-head to keep your position in the MasterChef kitchen.
That leaves Bowen and Ashley, two meatball dishes with certain attributes and also defects.
The person joining Cesar and Gerron in the balcony is Ashley.
Congratulations.
- Your meatballs were excellent.
- Thank you.
Top four.
Yes! Well, congratulations.
Get on up to the balcony.
I am relieved, because it was this close.
I didn't want to disappoint Gordon again.
And by the grace of these meatballs, I am going up to this balcony safe from elimination.
Unfortunately, you two are not safe, and one of you will go home tonight.
Please, both of you, follow us.
For your final beef battle, you'll be making a MasterChef classic.
It is the most tender cut and expensive on the cow.
It can only be an incredible, temperamental Bowen, Samantha, for your final beef battle, you'll be making a "MasterChef" classic.
Filet mignon.
- The chef's dream.
- It's beautiful.
And we thought one isn't just enough, so tonight you'll be cooking three filet mignons.
( Whispers ) Oh.
This is a test to see if you can nail three completely different temperatures.
( Whispers ) That's crazy.
First, we have the perfect well done filet.
Look.
Evenly colored, but moist in the center, and not an ounce of blood anywhere.
Next, a medium filet mignon.
Just slightly pink in the middle, and beautifully moist throughout.
The final temperature tonight is a rare filet mignon.
Pink from top to bottom.
Juicy, tender, beautiful.
Now, you have to nail the filet mignon three ways, if you want to keep your MasterChef dream alive tonight.
- Understood? - Both: Yes, Chef.
Both of you, please, head to your stations.
Three filets, three different temperatures.
This one's almost impossible, because it's like three darts and only one chance to hit the bull's-eye and if you don't, game's over.
On your stations you'll find everything that you need to cook us three perfectly cooked filet mignons.
You'll have just 30 minutes.
When time is up, all three have to be up here on the front station.
Is everyone ready? Both: Yes, Chef.
Your 30 minutes starts - now.
- Home cooks: Come on, guys! ( Home cooks cheering ) I need to put every last bit of energy that I have into this cook, because I gave up school to win this competition, and if I go home now, that means giving up school was pointless.
Bowen: It's really hard for me, because the only way I like my steak is well done.
But the only thing I can do is focus, because either I'm going to the semifinal or going home.
Everything is on the line.
Gordon, why filet mignon? Joe, it shows a great level of skill to cook and nail those three temperatures.
- Y'all, this is crazy.
This is crazy.
- Mm-hmm.
Gordon, both of these home cooks cooking for their lives tonight are wearing your aprons.
We're asking them to do a well-done filet in a pan tonight.
- How difficult is that? - The secret is in a great sear.
Maintain that heat in the pan, add a couple of ladles of stock, then it goes into the oven.
And as it cooks in the oven, it absorbs the stock.
- Yup.
- It stays juicy, but, more importantly, it's not dry.
Joe: So after well done is medium.
A medium is a perfect balance of cooked through with a little kiss of pink on the middle.
So the secret is to make sure you baste it.
And also, a big thing here is searing all sides of the filet mignon.
Just over 21 minutes to go.
- Cesar: Come on, guys.
Good job.
- Gerron: Come on, guys.
- Good job.
- Keep pushing.
Young man, you're minutes away from getting to the top four.
- What's the most difficult for you to nail? - The medium.
Because I never cook medium before.
Are you finishing the well done in the oven or you keeping it on top of the stove? I'm gonna finish that and then in the oven for two minutes, and then I do rest, the rest on pan.
- Are you okay? - Yes, I'm okay.
Because I'm just trying to focus.
I don't want to stop my dream right here, because I all the way from China and I have a passion.
- I get that.
Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Right, young lady.
- Chef.
How you feeling right now? Um, I'm feeling okay.
I've never cooked a well done steak.
Have you cooked a medium before? - I have cooked medium and I have cooked rare.
- Right.
Which one you most worried about? The well done, because it's hard to cook it well done, and keep it moist.
You need to focus.
- Okay? - Yes, Chef.
- Step back.
- Whoo! ( Whispers ) Oh, Sam.
That's why I said step back.
Okay, look at me.
- You've got this.
Get it in the oven.
- Yes, Chef.
- Let's go.
- Thank you, Chef.
Oven open.
All right, here she goes.
- So how's it going? - Samantha looks more in control than anybody.
- She's also using the beef stock.
- That's smart.
- Bowen-- Bowen's pans are way too hot.
- Too hot.
So that sear on the outside is turning into a crust.
So whenever we're gonna be slicing that it's gonna be dry.
The good thing about Bowen's is that he's got the thyme and the garlic in there and he's basting.
We're coming down to seven minutes remaining.
- Heard, Chef.
Thank you.
- Bowen: Heard, Chef.
Bowen started his rare way too early, guys.
To nail a rare steak, you sear it, literally, with five minutes to go.
Two minutes each side and one minute rest.
Sam's got her rare on there.
Five minutes remaining.
- Gordon: Yes? - Both: Yes, Chef.
- Oven open.
- Joe: So Samantha is second-guessing her medium and she took it off the rack and put it in the oven.
No! You never stick a medium steak in the oven.
He better be praying right now.
Joe: Uh-oh! Bowen's gonna put his steak back.
Aarón: He's putting-- Oh, my God! - What's he doing? - He might be ruining a perfect medium steak right now.
Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
I wouldn't wanna be in their shoes right now.
- Gerron: It's tough.
- Gordon: I need them down in the front.
Hurry, hurry, guys.
Hurry.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
- ( Applause ) - Gerron: Wow.
Oh, man.
Well done, Bowen.
Well done, Samantha.
So, it all comes down to these three filet mignons.
We're going to begin with the well done.
- Bowen.
- Yes, Chef.
How long was it in the pan? On each side around five minutes, and I let it rest.
Your future in this competition depends on the temperature of these three steaks.
This well done steak could be worth a quarter of a million dollars.
( Sighs ) What is it gonna look like inside? It's supposed to look like little pink, but no blood.
Let's see.
Bowen, this well done steak, what is it gonna look like inside? It's supposed to look like little pink, but no blood.
( Whispers ) No.
( Sighs ) Oh, my God.
- Samantha.
- Yes, Chef.
How confident are you about the cook on that steak? 75%.
Let's find out.
- Did you introduce beef stock? - I did a little bit, about a centimeter of beef stock.
- Start with Bowen.
- It is medium rare.
But she nailed the temperature perfectly.
- It's nailed? - Absolutely.
Okay, Bowen and Samantha, I like my steak medium.
Bowen, how did you cook it? I sear them four minutes on each side.
And what should it look inside? Pink, no red.
Samantha.
When I cut this open, what should it look like? A very light pink.
Let's see.
( Whispers ) That looks under.
I think we have two versions of medium rare.
You have a medium rare to medium, and you have a medium rare to rare.
Bowen, how confident are you that it's rare? 80%.
Let's taste it.
What'd you season it with? Salt and pepper, garlic, thyme baste.
( Whispers ) She gotta get it right.
Samantha, let's get in there.
- What'd you season it with? - Salt, pepper, and then I basted with butter, thyme, and crushed garlic.
( Whispers ) This is crazy.
- I'm glad I'm not in their shoes.
- No.
Oh, my God.
They're both cooked beautifully, - but there's one there that's got the seasoning spot-on.
- Wow.
Yes, right.
Samantha and Bowen, please come around to the front.
I'm so nervous.
It could be me going home.
This decision is decide my MasterChef dream.
There's only one spot left on that balcony, and one of you will be taking the long road home.
We asked for filet mignon well done, medium, and rare.
Gordon, you were judging the rare.
Your assessment, please.
Bowen and Samantha, temperature nailed.
Let's get that right.
But one did have an advantage over the flavor, and that steak belonged to Bowen.
Joe: Wow.
Which brings me to you, Aarón.
Who absolutely nailed the well done temperature? That home cook is - Samantha.
- Gordon: Wow.
( Whispers ) Yeah.
Bowen, you were way off on the temperature of well done.
So that means it comes down to who absolutely nailed the medium filet.
So, it was a temperature challenge, and one of the two steaks was much closer to being a medium than the other.
That filet was cooked by Samantha.
Congratulations.
Please, head up to the balcony.
Bowen, tonight the MasterChef door may have closed, but I would love to have you in my brigade anywhere in the world.
- Thank you, Chef.
- That's what you mean to me.
You must've enjoyed yourself.
Like the time I in the MasterChef kitchen, it's the best moment in my life.
My dream never stop.
I go back home, work really hard, and then hope someday to open our restaurant.
This kitchen is not gonna be as bright without you, you know that.
( Voice breaking ) Yes, Chef.
Come up and say goodbye, please.
I hate to say goodbye, but I have to say goodbye.
Thank you, my friend.
Good luck to you.
It's been a pleasure.
You are a special young man, all right? Keep at it.
Oh, young man, come here.
Oh, Bowen.
I didn't think I'd be saying this, but would you be so kind to put your apron on your bench, and have a safe trip home.
- Thank you, Bowen.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Bye, Bowen.
I feeling not so well, but I'm definitely proud of myself, and I feel like I make Gordon to be proud.
- Ashley: Bowen.
- Gerron: Love, Bowen.
Ashley and Samantha: You did it with love! "MasterChef" teach me how to build up my confident to be more knowledgeable, and become a more better Bowen.
I'm born to be a chef.
So Bowen is big star in the future.
Narrator: Next time Tonight, you'll be cooking for our mentors.
three culinary legends Aarón: Jonathan Waxman.
Gordon: Daniel Boulud.
And I'm lucky enough to call her Mom, Lidia Bastianich.
This is crazy! take over the competition.
Do not overcook your proteins! Samantha: Lidia Bastianich? Our dishes better be absolutely perfect.
Narrator: The home cooks fight for a spot in the final three, and a chance to become America's next MasterChef.