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00:03This season on MasterChef, thousands auditioned.
00:07You move like a chef, and clearly, you cook like a chef.
00:11But only the best survived.
00:13It's a bad dish. You know it. I know it.
00:15That has to be the most disgusting soup I've ever f***ing tasted.
00:18Chef Farouk seems like a fairy tale.
00:21Once upon a time starts right now.
00:23Now, the final 14 amateur cooks face the toughest culinary challenges of their lives.
00:28Ow!
00:30Every challenge will get tougher.
00:33Who's sourcing the plates?
00:34Put it on with some finesse!
00:36You've still got food in the oven!
00:37I can't look!
00:38Oh, my God.
00:39A f***ing nightmare.
00:41Oh, by the way, it's cooked perfectly.
00:43My cupcake gets horrible.
00:45It looks like a walk through a crime scene.
00:48If that's raw, we cannot taste this dish.
00:51And eliminations will begin.
00:53Please take off your apron. Please take off your apron.
00:56Your time is done.
00:57The time at MasterChef is done.
01:00To survive, they will have to battle through blood, sweat, and tears.
01:06You've never killed a crab or lobster?
01:09This is the problem.
01:12While others will triumph with phenomenal dishes.
01:15It's cooked perfectly.
01:16Yeah!
01:17Yeah!
01:18This is really MasterChef level.
01:20These talented home cooks risked it all to pursue their passion.
01:25I've always had this killer passion for cooking.
01:27This is my dream, and I'm not letting anybody stand in my way.
01:30I want this title of America's first MasterChef.
01:34Who gives up their life as a doctor?
01:37I walked away from a six-figure salary in finance for this opportunity.
01:41I had to leave behind my three beautiful babies to come out here.
01:44They'll have to face three of the toughest figures in the culinary world.
01:49I'm Graham Elliott from Chicago.
01:51At 27, I became America's youngest four-star chef.
01:54Believe me, I know a thing or two about cooking and eating.
01:58My name is Joe Bastianich.
02:00I own 20 of America's best restaurants and three award-winning Italian wineries.
02:04And of course, there's me, Gordon Ramsay.
02:07I have 28 restaurants worldwide, and no one knows more about food than I do.
02:12You guys pulled it off.
02:14Well done.
02:14Thank you, sir.
02:15One of these amateur cooks will take home $250,000.
02:20A cookbook deal.
02:23Ten.
02:23We gotta put it in.
02:24Nine.
02:24Eight.
02:25Seven.
02:26Seven.
02:27Six.
02:28Five.
02:29Two.
02:30Three.
02:31Two.
02:32One.
02:33And stop.
02:35Three.
02:50Yeah!
02:51After three grueling weeks, 14 of the best amateur cooks in the country are about to discover the difference between
02:58cooking at home and competing on the highest culinary stage.
03:06as they enter the master chef kitchen for the very first time walking into your master chef
03:13kitchen was amazing when we walk into that fully stocked professional kitchen it was incredible
03:27i was like oh i'm in heaven
03:35i mean i'm just a small town girl and when we first got in the kitchen definitely from thinking of
03:41my
03:41kitchen at home i mean it was amazing welcome to the master chef kitchen the crown of america's
03:48first ever master chef plus a quarter million dollars and your very own cookbook will be won
03:54or lost inside here find your stations quickly let's go
04:02clearly there's an apron behind each station with your names on it when i get to my station i'm
04:07thinking to myself wow this is nuts i've arrived i'm in my element you've got the state-of-the-art
04:13kitchen a viking range but let's be honest it's not the tools that are going to make america's
04:19first ever master chef is how you use them now we have an amazing test in front of you all
04:25is
04:27the mystery box in this challenge the contestants have to prepare cook and present one stunning dish
04:36using nothing more than the ingredients hidden inside the box they can use as many or as few
04:42ingredients as they wish but they must present it to the judges in just 45 minutes now we'll select
04:49three stunning dishes out of those three dishes we'll nominate one winning dish now the person with
04:55the best dish out of those three will get to pick the main ingredient in our next test later today
05:02now here's the bad news all of you listen make this count because the eliminations are just around the
05:09corner oh on the count of three lift those boxes one two three oh nice now you have a double
05:29cut pork chop
05:32wonderful bunch of flat leaf parsley cabbage the most amazing chip out of bread a delicious granny smith
05:39apple beautiful lemon beautiful vine tomatoes and then alongside that you have a little bottle of
05:47and just for that sweet tooth cinnamon and chocolate you've all got 45 minutes
05:5514 ingredients use as many or as little as you wish your time starts now
06:11if there's one ingredient you wouldn't use in there what would it be it would be the chocolate
06:14the chocolate for sure but chocolate is the devil of the box it'll tempt you take you down the wrong
06:20path
06:22right i'm making a sort of a rustic kind of pork chop uh that we're going to uh sear off
06:28and uh fry
06:29in the pan plate it over some wilted cabbage and a little apple compote on the side yeah i'm making
06:34a
06:36sweet pork chop uh with a cognac flambe uh and a side of cabbage slaw and tomato concassé my biggest
06:45concern i think though is overcooking a pork i'm making a bread pudding a 21st century bread pudding
06:51a 21st century bread pudding yeah so you're doing a chocolate bread pudding yes i am okay and i'm
06:56excited because it's really coming out and what i'm gonna do is i'm gonna make a sauce to go with
07:02right the secret behind a really good chocolate bread pudding pudding is the texture in the side not
07:07allowing it to become too dry that's right it'll be nice and moist that's it has to be moist yes
07:16i mean amazing list of ingredients there what would you do i think the first thing i do is kind
07:20of break down mentally the time i have i'd spend 20 minutes on prep 20 minutes on cooking and five
07:25minutes on plating this type of a challenge they really have to be think about what they're going
07:28to put on the plate what's going to catch our eye because it's not just about flavor now it's also
07:32about
07:32what what really delivers the message of the plate
07:39sheena what exactly are you making i'm making a chocolate mousse that has a little bit of brandy in
07:43it i'm going to top it with some candied lemon peel and i'm thinking of making a caramel if i
07:49have
07:49time just a little drizzle a little bit of that okay great you know what chocolate mousse is uh is
07:54one of my favorites so looking forward to trying it when i discovered cooking i found that there is
07:58something that i do have a passion for the ultimate goal is to not feel like i'm going to work
08:03every day
08:03to feel like i'm doing what i want to do
08:08i don't want to boost your confidence here irrationally but those look like pretty
08:13good pork chops i've never cooked this before and i really wanted to try to make sure that
08:17you've never cooked a pork chop in your entire life where are you from from mississippi but we don't
08:22do pork i don't do pork well why did you go with that why didn't you do something that you
08:27know because
08:27i really want to challenge myself and that's what this whole competition is about is using the skills you
08:31have and do it with anything that you're given okay first off my scariest dish uh jenna's she's
08:40making a sandwich you do a sandwich with leftover pork yeah i heard her say that she's doing a ham
08:44sandwich there's no ham anywhere in there just because it's pork it's not ham no nothing yeah nothing
08:48i have to say whitney her having never cooked a pork chop has some excellent technique and the pork
08:53chops look really good yeah david miller i mean he's looking calm composed yes he's got more confident
08:58less arrogant right and what he's done is caramelized these apples in with the pork he's making a light
09:03sauce uh he's born a cabbage frying the cabbage clever she is working on a chocolate mousse and then
09:09you've got uh ava's making a bread pudding so i'm really interested in people that decided to
09:13leave the savory world and start working on some sweets all right guys less than 15 minutes left
09:37i've never been classically trained this is this is just raw talent
09:43this is my dream this is something i've always wanted to do and i'm not letting anybody stand in my
09:48way
09:50whatever my hands touch will win me this competition i will be the first master chef in the united states
10:02i think that when you get people in the room that are just super passionate like i am and super
10:07intense and ready to go it elevates everybody's game you know last two minutes the judges will only taste
10:15the three most enticing dishes so these final seconds of plating and presentation are crucial
10:2310 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and stop
10:44in each mystery box challenge the judges will taste just three dishes
10:50the winner of this challenge will have a huge advantage going into the next round
10:55the first dish that we're gonna taste that is in the top three
11:14sheena
11:15sheena a cognac-flavored chocolate mousse
11:20The pork chop is obviously the most important thing in the box.
11:23It's the protein.
11:24So I kind of knew that everyone else was going to use it,
11:26and I was taking a huge risk by deciding not to.
11:28Why a dessert?
11:30I thought that you'd be eating a lot of pork,
11:31and you might want to take a little break from the saltiness
11:34with a little bit of sweet.
11:35A cognac-flavored chocolate mousse
11:37finished with candied lemon peel.
11:51The texture's amazing.
11:53Smooth, creamy, sumptuous,
11:55but more importantly, incredibly daring.
11:58And this time, it worked.
11:59Good job.
12:09You followed the devil in the box,
12:13except you achieved redemption.
12:15But this is a dish that I would be proud and happy
12:18to charge $10 for.
12:19Congratulations.
12:20Thank you, sir.
12:22So the second contestant,
12:25who's going to be one of our top three,
12:31utilized not just the pork,
12:33but kept it in its natural state as the double pork chop.
12:39And that person is...
12:48Jake.
12:48Hot damn.
12:49Well done.
12:50Good job.
12:52At some point, you've got to wake up and do something exciting
12:54that you're really passionate about.
12:56Make no mistake, I am here to become a chef.
12:59I'm here to be the master chef.
13:02Thanks, Karim.
13:02Way to go, boss.
13:03I think that, you know, you look at this, this pork,
13:06it is gorgeous.
13:08The bones are nice and clean.
13:09It's beautifully cooked.
13:10You can just tell by feeling it with a touch.
13:26The cabbage almost has a melting texture to it, you know?
13:29It's got a great consistency.
13:31There's some good flavor there.
13:33Really a hard thing to do with 45 minutes
13:35not to want to butterfly that pork.
13:38It's very risky.
13:40I mean, it's one of the first things that you have to get going right away.
13:42You did it really well.
13:46Okay.
13:47Sure.
13:47There's something really nice about the way you work.
13:50I expect you to be clumsy.
13:52You build office blocks.
13:55You're on construction sites, for God's sake.
13:56So you walk around a kitchen with great finesse.
13:59It's like watching a swan glide across a pond.
14:02It's unique.
14:03A big swan.
14:04Yes.
14:10It's seasoned beautifully.
14:13Yeah, my big question, is it good enough to win today's challenge?
14:17However, job well done.
14:21The last dish was a dish that was minimalistic.
14:25Put, instead of three or four or five different ingredients on the plate,
14:29only two elements were in this plate.
14:32My dish, I think as a whole, really plays to what these guys are looking for.
14:37It's better than a one in five chance that I'm going to be in the top three.
14:41But I think that you are on to something.
14:48Whitney, congratulations.
14:51Please bring it up.
14:53Flavor-wise, yes, I knew I was spot on.
14:56I'm definitely ready, and I'm here to prove to them that, you know, I could do this.
15:00I could be master chef.
15:10You've never cooked pork before, is that correct?
15:12Yes.
15:13Yeah.
15:14Can Whitney's first-ever pork dish impress a master chef judge?
15:23You've nailed it.
15:24It's a gorgeous, moist pink color inside.
15:28The slaw is more of a southern style, where it's a little sweeter.
15:31And they just balance so well that this dish is something I'd love to serve in a restaurant.
15:43There's not a lot on this plate.
15:45So if you're going to put two or three things on there, it has to be absolutely on the money.
15:57It's cooked perfectly.
15:59There are chefs that spend years trying to get a natural feel.
16:03So are you instinctive, or are you just a lucky young girl?
16:07That's what I cannot determine right now.
16:12I know I'm not just lucky because I cook all the time, and so I definitely know I have what
16:18it takes.
16:19You go for the rustic charm, you go for the finesse, you go for the sweet tooth.
16:22It's a tough call.
16:26Okay.
16:28And now, from 14 dishes, we've got these three stunning dishes.
16:34Are we going for a sweet tooth with a chocolate mousse?
16:37Are we going for the sort of rustic charm, playing to your strengths, and building an amazing dish?
16:44Or are we going for something that you'd imagine that would fit comfortably in any restaurant outside of this room?
16:53And the winning dish!
16:56Congratulations!
17:05We've narrowed it down to three stunning dishes.
17:10Are we going for a sweet tooth with a chocolate mousse?
17:13My presentation was elegant.
17:16I'm feeling pretty good.
17:17Are we going for the rustic charm, playing to your strengths, and building an amazing dish?
17:22I want to win every challenge, every time we step up and defeat against each other.
17:27Or are we going for something that would fit comfortably in any restaurant?
17:31In my mind, there was no way it was not going to win.
17:35Sheena, Whitney, Jake, congratulations.
17:41Whitney, well done.
17:43Good job!
17:44I won this challenge.
17:47This means the world.
17:49I was speechless.
17:50Right now, I think everybody's kind of looking at her like, watch out.
17:54Watch out.
17:55Because Whitney's coming.
17:56Whitney's weaknesses is that she's young.
17:59She hasn't been outside of her hometown, and I think that's going to hurt her in the end.
18:05So, congratulations, Whitney.
18:07Not only are you going to pick the ingredient for the next challenge, you are going to have
18:10the luxury of spending five minutes by yourself in the pantry.
18:15Everybody else gets half that time, and you're going to be in there as the entire group.
18:22This next challenge, there will be an elimination at stake.
18:26Whitney, let's go.
18:27Let's go.
18:28Yeah, Whitney!
18:29Whitney now has a huge advantage as she gets to pick the main ingredient that everybody
18:35else must cook with.
18:36What she cannot control is the theme of the challenge.
18:39That is in the hands of the judges.
18:42The most amazing herbs.
18:43The most amazing vegetables.
18:45Once she selected her main ingredient, Whitney will have five minutes alone in the master
18:50chef pantry.
18:51The remaining contestants will only have half that time.
18:55The theme of today's invention test, Chinese.
19:00Ever cooked Chinese food before?
19:02No.
19:03Growing up in South Mississippi, I don't make Chinese.
19:07I mean, I don't even really know what ingredients, what oils to use, so I was clearly, like, lost.
19:13We have three stunning ingredients.
19:16The first ingredient is...
19:21The most amazing Chinese mushrooms.
19:24From shiitake to oyster, enoki.
19:27They are phenomenal.
19:30Let's see what's under number two.
19:36Mandarin oranges.
19:39They're sweet, they're sour, they're delicious.
19:42Delicious product.
19:44The last ingredient is...
19:49...duck.
19:52Are you kidding me?
19:53Like, I haven't even had a Chinese dish that had duck in it.
19:57So it definitely threw me for a loop.
19:59Bear in mind, you select one ingredient, everybody else follows.
20:04Mm-hmm.
20:04So are you going to be cooking to your strengths, or are you going to be cooking to their weaknesses?
20:09Mm-hmm.
20:09You've got to start thinking smart, playing strategic.
20:15I'm going to let go with.
20:21Oh, boy.
20:24The main ingredient...
20:28...that Whitney's chosen...
20:33...is...
20:34...mandarin oranges.
20:36Yes!
20:37Woo!
20:38That's right.
20:38Mandarin oranges.
20:40The theme...
20:42...is Chinese.
20:45Everything you pick up and put in that basket, think Chinese.
20:48Through and through.
20:50I was very excited.
20:51I know I have an advantage over the other contestants, who've probably had only, like, fast food Chinese.
20:56The extent of my knowledge of Chinese food is, like, bell peppers and onions, soy sauce.
21:01Yeah, I find out it's Chinese, and I'm actually excited. I'm happy. I'm really happy.
21:06The problem is, I don't know how to make the perfect Chinese dish.
21:11Two and a half minutes starts from now. Off you go.
21:15With Chinese cuisine as the theme of this invention test, many contestants find themselves in foreign territory.
21:22I am totally out of my element. I don't even eat Chinese food that often.
21:25But I'm kind of excited about that, because it's a chance for me to try out some new ingredients, take
21:29some risks, and kind of step out of my comfort zone.
21:34Now, really, seriously, push it to the extreme. The challenge is all about Chinese. I want to see these across
21:40the dish.
21:42You've got one hour.
21:46Starting from now. Off you go.
21:49Get in the tighties ball, baby. Come on.
21:51There is going to be elimination on the back of this dish.
21:54Oh, my God.
21:55You got it.
21:55A lot of sizzle, Jenna. What's going on?
21:57Uh, Asian orange stir-fry.
21:59Chicken breast with eggplant bok choy and mandarin oranges.
22:03I'm going to do a kind of a ginger orange chicken in a hoisin sauce.
22:08I'm going to do that with some Chinese vegetables, and I'm going to put that over a little vermicelli noodle.
22:14Uh, survival is the key. I mean, right now I'm focused on just not having the worst dish.
22:19I've decided to cook a mandarin Chinese salad.
22:23Looking around, I see that everyone is sort of doing the exact same sort of cliché stir-fry with some
22:29mandarin oranges on top.
22:30And I'm feeling kind of good about my red.
22:35There's no confidence.
22:36Nobody is in there saying, this dish is going to rule.
22:39This is incredible.
22:40They're saying, I hope it's not in the bottom three.
22:42The attitude that I surveyed is just one of survival.
22:45I don't think anyone is using this challenge really as an opportunity to rise to the top or try to
22:49win.
22:50That smells right. That's good.
22:52It'd be interesting to see what the people who are not familiar with this cuisine, how they will interpret it.
22:59Let's go.
23:02Whitney, what are you cooking?
23:03I'm cooking a mandarin chicken and a vegetable stir-fry.
23:07Have a look around.
23:09Yeah.
23:09In front and behind, everyone's cooking mandarin orange because you chose that.
23:13You put everyone on the back foot with these mandarin oranges, yeah?
23:15And are you feeling confident this stage that you're going to win this one?
23:19I'm not feeling as confident as I was in the last challenge.
23:23We've got some star anise, some cloves, some fennel seed, some allspice, some mustard seed.
23:28It's all about the sauce.
23:29The sauce is going to make me a breather.
23:31Right, Mike, what are you doing?
23:33We've got tinfoil underneath the chicken.
23:34Yeah, it's just to kind of lift up the breast, just to get the skin side touching the oil a
23:39little bit.
23:39I've never done it, but I'm going to try it out, Chef.
23:41Why would you want to try it out on a day like today in amongst this kind of competition?
23:45Well, it's about getting better, and I don't want to just do the same old thing, so.
23:48So it's to get the skin.
23:50Yeah, just skin and skin without having all that weight on there.
23:52And then, of course, I'll take it off later and then finish it up.
23:54How are you incorporating the mandarin oranges across this dish?
23:57I'm going to make a sauce, basically, from it.
23:59Okay.
23:59And have it glazed over it all.
24:02Right, Slim.
24:02Yes, Chef.
24:03What are you doing?
24:04I am doing Chinese herbs boiled chicken with some ginger anise.
24:09Yeah.
24:09Is he poaching the chicken in the broth?
24:11Yes.
24:12Haruk, you've got a lot of stuff going on here.
24:13Do you feel confident?
24:15I'm starting to lose confidence a little bit because things aren't coming together the way I wanted to.
24:19We know people are going to be eliminated with this challenge, so.
24:22Yes, yes, Chef.
24:22It's got to be Chinese, it's got to be delicious, and most importantly, it's got to be done.
24:26This is my carrots, I'm going to go ahead on and just, you know, cook my...
24:32Boiled carrots?
24:33Doesn't sound very Chinese.
24:34No, I'm going to take and stir-fry my carrots.
24:37Stir-fry the carrots.
24:37And I don't want them to be too hard, so I want to make sure they're the right texture.
24:45Hey, woo, okay.
24:48Sharon had some heat in his dish, that was the only one that I really tasted.
24:52Slim has a lot of very, very different.
24:54Slim smells like you stepped into an Asian household.
24:57Close your eyes and, wow, a great vapor.
24:59The weak ones for me so far, Avis looks like she's panicking, and it shows in terms of what she's
25:05putting together.
25:06Big trouble in little China.
25:09Mmm, wonderful.
25:11Whitney's disintegrating in terms of conference.
25:14The dish doesn't look that comprehensive.
25:17It doesn't strike me as Chinese, and this was her competition.
25:20She put everyone on the back foot, so she should be in front.
25:22Jenna's already plated with 20 minutes left to cook.
25:25That's crazy.
25:26So there's a lot going on here.
25:27There's some people going home today.
25:28This is high stakes, so it will be very interesting to see what happens.
25:35Not having the opportunity to choose the main ingredient, it's nerve-wracking because it's not in your hands, and you
25:40don't know what to do.
25:40And it's even crazier, I think.
25:42It's, I think it's crazier than the first challenge because this is an elimination.
25:48I want it so bad now.
25:51I want it so bad.
25:52This thing is, it's real.
25:53This is not a game.
25:55Ten minutes left.
25:58Nobody can hide in this challenge because we're tasting everybody's dish.
26:02Taste, taste, taste.
26:04Once I got here, it was a dream come true, and I'm not about to let that dream die.
26:11It's really heartbreaking to see somebody go home, but at the end of the day, this is a competition, and
26:16I need to see every single person go home and be the last man standing.
26:25I definitely don't feel like I have an advantage at this point.
26:29This dish could definitely be something that could send me home.
26:33Ten, nine, eight, seven.
26:36I love you, Whitney, but you better go down.
26:39It's my turn to shine.
26:39Six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
26:46Stand back from your station.
26:54Five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
27:00Stand back from your station.
27:03Well done.
27:05Understand what's at stake here, guys, yeah?
27:07After we've tasted all these 14 dishes, we'll then select the bottom three, then the elimination, and start.
27:15Let's go, Whitney.
27:17As the winner of the mystery box, Whitney's reward was to choose the main ingredient for this second challenge.
27:23With that huge advantage, Whitney is under added pressure to deliver.
27:27I was the one that got to have five minutes in the pantry, get to choose the main ingredient.
27:33To be in the bottom three would just be devastating to me.
27:42Wow.
27:43Is that it?
27:45Appetizer or entree or a little in-between thing?
27:47I guess just a small portion entree.
27:50It's a mandarin orange chicken with stir-fried vegetables.
28:09It's a little TV dinner stir-fry with bits of chicken that the dog didn't want to eat.
28:28I just hope that the person who picked the key ingredient of the day doesn't wind up in the bottom
28:35three.
28:39This girl had an advantage over me.
28:41She had extra time.
28:42She got to choose the ingredient.
28:44And I was just like, wow, she really doesn't know what she's doing right now.
28:48I'm totally better than Whitney at this point.
28:52Next up, Slim.
28:54Let's go.
28:57Explain the dish.
28:58This is Chinese spiced chicken with mandarin orange sauce.
29:16You've done this dish an injustice.
29:22Where's that delicious broth that you cooked the chicken in?
29:25It's still in the pot.
29:27Bring me a cup of broth now.
29:30Yes, Chef.
29:30Quickly.
29:31Oh, man, I screwed up.
29:35I went for the rice, and I screwed up.
29:42In my kitchen, we would spend six to eight hours trying to get us stuck like that.
29:47You've done it in one hour, and you didn't serve it.
29:50Are you crazy?
29:52Thank you, Chefs.
29:53Slim and I are the same age, and we're pretty much on the same playing field.
29:59I mean, I think my food is probably tastes better than hers, but that's just my opinion.
30:05Avis, let's go.
30:09All right, Chef.
30:10Is that a dish to be proud of in the 21st century?
30:15Yes, it is.
30:16Orange chicken, and then underneath the chicken, we have some Chinese noodles under there.
30:29It looks like a sort of little chicken noodle vegetable dinner from a gas station.
30:37I don't see the authenticity of a unique Chinese delicious dish.
30:45My heart just fell, because I had a gut feeling that that dish had put me off the competition.
30:53Next up, Tony.
30:55So far, the dishes have failed to impress.
30:57Can things get better from here?
31:00It's a wok fried chicken with some stir-fried broccoli.
31:04I don't know.
31:05It doesn't look like a Chinese dish to me.
31:07It's like kid food.
31:13It tastes like chicken nuggets soaked in orange juice.
31:18David!
31:21Spicy orange chicken with steamed vegetables and rice.
31:25David, is that how you wanted the plate to come out?
31:27Uh, I'm not disappointed with the way it looks.
31:31I'm not impressed visually.
31:33I think it looks almost kind of cartoonish.
31:39Shit out, please.
31:40Let's go.
31:41Pan-fried chicken and bok choy egg rolls.
31:46So, I think that the colors is really kind of a little bit unappealing.
31:50And then you go, uh-oh.
31:53Knock, knock.
31:54Nobody's home.
31:55Empty.
31:58Right.
31:59Jenna, let's go.
32:04The big question I want to ask you is, you place it up with 20 minutes to go.
32:10Right.
32:10And food dies as it sits in the window, clearly.
32:15And that had better taste phenomenal to put it up with 20 minutes to go.
32:22Basically an orange chicken with the snap peas with the orange-infused rice.
32:41This is the problem with this whole round.
32:47It's boring.
32:48It's-it's-it's not the spirit of what we came here to do.
32:52And if you don't want to deliver on the highest level, if you want to play the game and be
32:55safe,
32:56you're not going to win this thing.
33:00This is MasterChef.
33:02We're trying to find the best amateur chef in America.
33:05Who's here to do that?
33:07The challenges are not going to get easier.
33:10So, get ready to bring it.
33:11Bring it 100%.
33:12And if you're not, you should probably just leave your apron and check yourself out right now,
33:16because this is getting frustrating.
33:24This is the problem with this whole round.
33:30It's boring.
33:31It's-it's-it's not the spirit of what we came here to do.
33:34And if you don't want to deliver on the highest level, if you want to play the game and be
33:38safe,
33:39you're not going to win this thing.
33:42Once my Chinese dish didn't impress, I was definitely questioning my ability in the kitchen.
33:50I have three beautiful children that are missing me, and I miss them, and it's killing me to be away.
33:57Is this what I want?
33:58Why am I here?
33:59Why am I doing this?
34:01Tracy, bring us something to at least make us feel good.
34:07Please.
34:08Right.
34:10It's a mandarin and orange glazed chicken with Chinese vegetables over the vermicelli egg noodle.
34:23Can Tracy change the mood in the kitchen?
34:28I love the fact that the vegetables seem as important as the chicken.
34:34All those things seem like they're equal.
34:42And it's a good tasting dish.
34:45I'm really happy.
34:52Looks authentic.
34:54The vegetables are cooked with care, and they taste delicious.
34:57Good job.
34:57If I hear Chef Ramsay say, well done, then to me, that's good.
35:04That was a great sign.
35:06Really good.
35:07So I was like, yes.
35:09Sharon, let's go, please.
35:13It's crispy mandarin sesame chicken, and then the fresh mandarin to go along with the vegetables.
35:19So it's a very bold move to slice a chicken breast, and then encrust it, and then cook it again.
35:24It could be overcooked.
35:27Dangerous game?
35:27Especially when you slice chicken so thinly.
35:29Yeah.
35:44You've been daring.
35:46The chicken is cooked absolutely perfectly.
35:54Really good.
35:57That's nowhere near the bottom three.
35:59That's heading towards the top three.
36:02Good job.
36:03Really good job.
36:07Okay, Sheena, let's go.
36:10In our last challenge, you were so courageous.
36:12You made the most amazing chocolate mousse.
36:14This time, have you played safe, or have you played dangerous?
36:17I think pretty bold.
36:19Pretty bold.
36:20Yes.
36:20Other times when I've walked up with my plate, I've been a little bit, like, timid.
36:24But this time, I have taken some chances.
36:27It's bold.
36:28It's amazing.
36:29I wanted to do a salad, and then I finished it with a sauce that features a mandarin orange
36:35as well.
36:36So from here, visually, it looks like a fruit salad.
36:51That can be put together domestically in five minutes.
36:59What were you doing for the other 55 minutes of the challenge?
37:05The sweetness of the leeks.
37:06You caramelize the leeks in sugar?
37:08Because it's like they've been dipped in honey.
37:12The jewelry's out on this one.
37:14I, I, I, I, for the first time in a long time, I'm shocked.
37:20Let's go.
37:22Farouk.
37:23After Sheena's bad dish, can Farouk's plate take him to safety?
37:29We have stuffed chicken with Chinese vegetables, bok choy, up through the mandarin, our engineer.
37:34Also with mandarin hoisin sauce.
37:49Well, you just turned my mouth into a desert.
37:52It's dry.
37:55That is about as Chinese as my mom, and she's from Glasgow in Scotland.
38:01In my mind, it's definitely in the bottom three.
38:06After I heard you definitely in the bottom three.
38:08I mean, it's almost like somebody telling you, you got 24 hours to live.
38:16Right, last but not least, Mike, let's go.
38:20What I have here is a nutty orange chicken breast with, um, peanuts and cashews, green bell pepper, yellow bell
38:26pepper, and onion.
38:28So we've got crispy skin inside, a succulent, moist, hopefully, chicken.
38:47I have one huge problem with this dish.
38:58I don't want to stop eating it.
39:00It's delicious.
39:01Well done.
39:05I'm on the top of the world.
39:07I'm just, I'm like, oh my God.
39:10Like, really?
39:11Really?
39:13Amazing.
39:16You agree?
39:17Uh-huh.
39:18Okay.
39:20We've deliberated.
39:22Joe, Graham, and myself, we did see some stunning dishes,
39:26but there was one dish across the 14 that was head and shoulders above everybody else's.
39:34And that individual managed to take it to an extraordinary level.
39:39I look at my plate, and I'm more than happy with it.
39:41I'm proud of it.
39:42There is no way that I'm not going to win this thing.
39:44I was standing there with my fingers crossed behind my back, like, pick me, pick me.
39:49And that person is Mike.
39:58Well done.
40:01Come here.
40:02Come here.
40:03Come over.
40:04This can't be happening.
40:05It's just too sweet, too juicy, too, you know, succulent to be happening right now.
40:13Right.
40:15Time for the first elimination inside our kitchen.
40:21We're going to take the bottom three dishes.
40:26The first worst dish of the Chinese challenge, Farouk.
40:32Let's go.
40:35I'm 43 years of age.
40:36I've been cooking for 25 of those years.
40:39I've never been to any Chinese restaurant with a pounded chicken breast,
40:43stuffed, rolled, boiled, dried, and dumped on top of a plate.
40:48The second person, up for elimination.
40:52Sheetan.
40:55Although I appreciate the thought that went into what you tried to achieve,
40:59it was kind of like a salad gone bad.
41:03Third person.
41:05Joining Farouk and Sheena.
41:09There was me one more person.
41:10I could just see my name being called.
41:12And I was just praying, don't let me be in the bottom three.
41:16Avis, please, step forward.
41:21There was a lack of integrity across the dish.
41:24Nothing authentic whatsoever.
41:27Right.
41:29The person leaving MasterChef is...
41:38In my head, I'm praying and I'm saying, God, please, let me be given one more chance.
41:51Avis, you've got such heart and soul that you put into your food, which is inherent in cooking.
42:01Please stay with it and please stay on the path.
42:03This experience has been like none other.
42:09It's seasoned beautifully and I want more.
42:12My cooking dream is still alive.
42:15It's not dead.
42:16This competition has ended for me, but it hasn't ended my dream.
42:22Sheena, Farouk, here's the bad news.
42:25We're not done yet.
42:29One more of you will be leaving.
42:34Twist, twist, twist, twist.
42:36The judges say, oh, we're going to eliminate somebody else.
42:40And I'm like, what?
42:43Then the judges say they're cutting one more.
42:45That's when I knew I was toast.
42:47It was a wrap for me.
42:48I was not going to be able to move on.
42:50We're judging you both entirely on this last round.
42:56I was worried again.
42:58Extremely worried, actually.
43:01The next person leaving the MasterChef kitchen is Sheena.
43:12Please take over your apron and leave the MasterChef kitchen.
43:15What?
43:16What?
43:19You, young lady, are a shiny example to everybody else in this competition.
43:25Your chocolate mousse was outstanding.
43:27But keep cooking, keep learning.
43:30You're a smart cookie.
43:31Bright girl.
43:32And you'll go a long way.
43:33Good luck to you.
43:35Thanks, Sheena.
43:36Best of luck.
43:39I don't think that it was the right decision to let me go so fast.
43:44Especially on that challenge.
43:49If I were able to stay, I would have done some really cool things.
43:58What?
43:59When I heard them call Sheena's name, I couldn't believe it.
44:02I probably should be going home right now.
44:05Farouk, Farouk, you were so close to leaving MasterChef this evening because it was substandard.
44:15And there is something inside you that we all see.
44:21Now, continue taking the risks, but tread cautiously, because we're watching you like a hawk.
44:30It really struck a chord when Gordon said, we all see something in you.
44:38This is definitely a wake-up call.
44:40I got so close to losing, and I don't ever want to be in that position again.
44:46Let's go!
44:53Next time, with two more cooks out of the competition, the remaining 12 are about to be split into opposing
44:59teams.
45:01Come on, guys. Blue team, let's go!
45:03There must be 150 Marines in that queue.
45:07For a challenge on a scale they've never known.
45:10Oh, my gosh.
45:11From the bottom of all of our hearts, we apologize.
45:15The team who loses will face an elimination taste test, where one more contestant's dream of becoming America's first MasterChef
45:25will come to a bitter end.