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00:03Previously on MasterChef, the competition for the title heated up.
00:07This could be a dessert that you could put in a restaurant.
00:10That cupcake is horrible.
00:1328-year-old financial advisor, Sharon, shocked the judges.
00:17Sharon, well done.
00:18By baking the perfect cupcake.
00:20Absolutely phenomenal.
00:22After a rocky start.
00:23It's looking a little bit embarrassing.
00:24We're burning buns and we're not even cooking burgers.
00:26Butter, lettuce.
00:27Butter?
00:27What the hell are you asking for?
00:29The red team turned it around.
00:37College student Slim fell short of the judges' expectations.
00:41I'm not going to even eat the sauce because I don't eat garlic boiled and cream.
00:45And for Tony and Baruch, the consequences were devastating.
00:49Take over your apron.
00:51Time is done in MasterChef.
00:53Tonight, some will make the best dishes yet.
00:56Do not just challenge out of the park.
00:58This is the most unique dish we've seen in the history of MasterChef.
01:02But what's under this mystery box will bring one competitor to tears.
01:08I don't want to be on the camera.
01:10Don't worry about the camera.
01:11What's the matter?
01:12And it may cost her the MasterChef crown.
01:16Now, nine amateur cooks remain.
01:19The last contestant standing will receive $250,000, a cookbook publishing deal, and become the first American MasterChef.
01:46Good morning.
01:48Good morning.
01:49Good morning.
01:49Good morning.
01:51There's nine of you left.
01:53And the standard is going up from here.
01:56We're going to really, really expect you to put professional-level food on the plate today.
02:01As the competition intensifies, we need to be spot on with our dishes, really thinking about plate presentation, flavor profiles,
02:11especially when, oh, let me check that, we're down to the final nine.
02:14As always, the day begins with another mystery box challenge.
02:22The contestants will have only 60 minutes to create a glorious dish using a surprise mystery box ingredient.
02:29Only the top three most tantalizing dishes will be tasted by the judges.
02:36Now, in every mystery box challenge, usually the ingredients are underneath the box.
02:43Today, all the ingredients, bar one, are outside the box.
02:48Cucumber, apple, tomatoes, prosciutto, peanuts, asparagus.
02:53There is one mystery ingredient underneath that box.
02:58Oh, my goodness.
02:59Like, what could possibly be under the box?
03:02Right.
03:02On the count of three, slowly lift the box.
03:07One.
03:09Your adrenaline's pumping.
03:11Your heart's racing.
03:12Your eyes are open.
03:14And you're just like, what the heck is in this mystery box?
03:17Two.
03:19I wouldn't even begin to guess what the mystery box challenge is going to be today.
03:25I mean, monkey ninjas could fly out of the sky and show us knife techniques.
03:30So, who really knows?
03:33Three.
03:36Awesome.
03:38I about backed up and fell over because it scared me so much.
03:41I wasn't expecting to see a lob crab in front of me.
03:45There it is.
03:45The most amazing Dungeness crab.
03:47It's alive and kicking.
03:49Now come alive in the challenge.
03:51Put your best dish forward.
03:53To become a master chef, you must work with the freshest ingredients.
03:58But this ingredient is fresher than one competitor can handle.
04:06I'm a Hindu.
04:07I was raised Hindu.
04:08And we don't believe in taking the life of an animal.
04:11I grew up in a vegetarian home.
04:14I've never gone hunting, fishing.
04:16I've never killed anything before.
04:20Excited?
04:21Yes, Chef.
04:22One hour to cook the most amazing Dungeness crab dish.
04:27Starting from now.
04:30Off you go.
04:33Sheetal, you okay?
04:35What's wrong?
04:36Tell me.
04:37Two seconds.
04:37What's wrong?
04:38Sheetal, come here.
04:39Two seconds.
04:39I don't want to be on the camera.
04:40Don't worry about the camera.
04:41What's the matter?
04:42I've never killed anything in my life.
04:44You never was?
04:45I don't think I can kill the crab.
04:47It's a cool concept.
04:50Don't get upset.
04:50Come on.
04:52You've never killed a crab or lobster?
04:55Fish?
04:56Never.
04:57No?
04:58Okay.
04:58What do you want to do with the dish?
04:59I have to grow up a little bit.
05:01No, you tell me what you want to do with it, and I can help.
05:04The hardest thing is just put it into the water.
05:09Moving around.
05:10He's moving around.
05:12Okay.
05:12It's fine.
05:13Why don't I just drop it in the water for you?
05:15I'll do it.
05:16You sure?
05:17Yes.
05:17That'd be great if you could.
05:18Do you know that?
05:19Yes.
05:20You can do it.
05:21You're here to win.
05:22Yeah.
05:22Yeah.
05:24Do it.
05:25Okay?
05:26Come on.
05:27You'll be fine.
05:27Come on, you can do it.
05:28Come on, come on, come on.
05:29You can do it.
05:30Okay.
05:31Good luck.
05:34While Sheetal wrestles with the thought of killing a crab,
05:37others have no problem at all.
05:42Bye-bye.
05:47It smells amazing.
05:48Incredible.
05:49We are super excited to try these dishes.
05:52Light years away from where you guys started.
05:57I'm gonna make a roll of my crab wrapped in fresh cucumber, and that's gonna be wrapped
06:04again in prosciutto to add some saltiness into it.
06:07I wanna utilize every bit of the ingredients that I've been given.
06:10But that's dangerous because I can make it too complicated.
06:13I can completely lose my sense of direction with it.
06:16So that was what I was a bit nervous about.
06:22What do you got, Mike?
06:23What's going on?
06:23I'm doing crab kind of two ways, a little east-west kind of deal.
06:27When I finish off the Asian sauce, I'm gonna try to use some of that crab butter in there
06:31to kind of finish off with that.
06:32It's a little, it's definitely a risk.
06:34Fusion equals confusion sometimes, right?
06:36Yeah, absolutely.
06:36We talked about that.
06:37I agree with you.
06:39What I'm gonna do is create some kind of like crab, like a warm crab salad,
06:43and I will serve that with like a spicy gazpacho sauce.
06:48I'm trying to just go all out with something that's, you know, extremely flavorful and fun to look at as
06:55well.
06:55That's my strategy right now.
07:00Getting a lot of technique going out there.
07:02I think they've got the idea and they're pushing the box a little bit.
07:05We're gonna get some restaurant-quality dishes, hopefully.
07:07Lee, I believe, is making a gazpacho, and that's what I would have done with this challenge.
07:11So I'm really excited to try that one.
07:12They have to respect this ingredient.
07:14Absolutely.
07:14They have to really respect it.
07:15Even the most seasoned chefs can have difficulties preparing a crab dish.
07:23Just stop for two seconds.
07:24That needs to be cooked.
07:25Otherwise it would be flavorless.
07:26You'll have a dried crab.
07:28The minute you separate it-
07:29You wanna cook it first?
07:30I'm sorry.
07:31The crab's live.
07:32Yes, sir.
07:32Right?
07:33So you're torturing it now.
07:34So not only is it inhumane, but you're gonna ruin the flavor.
07:37See all that there?
07:38Yes, sir.
07:39That's the goodness gone.
07:40But the minute you start doing that, you've left the flavor on the chopping board.
07:44The flavor needs to stay in the crab.
07:45So if I was you, I'd get that.
07:47Yes, sir.
07:47Cooked.
07:48As soon as it's passed, yeah?
07:50Sorry about that.
07:52You can't separate, pull it apart in an inhumane way.
07:55Absolutely.
07:55And all the goodness is on the board.
07:56So I'm expecting a very dry crab there.
08:04In our faith, every living thing has a soul, so...
08:11That's it.
08:12So it's tough.
08:15The clock is ticking.
08:17I have to kill this animal.
08:20I don't think I'm gonna be able to do it, to be honest.
08:32Today's mystery box challenge is not for the weak of heart.
08:36And one contestant's beliefs are clashing with the competition.
08:42I've never killed anything before, so seeing that little live creature and knowing that
08:47if I'm here to compete, I am gonna have to take the soul of this crab.
09:17Sorry.
09:18Sorry.
09:21If I'm gonna kill an animal, I better do something really, really amazing with it.
09:27Good.
09:27Well done.
09:28Big deep breath.
09:28Excellent.
09:30Okay, great.
09:30Yeah.
09:30You're over the hurdle now.
09:31Yeah.
09:32Okay, good.
09:32And what are you making?
09:33What are you gonna be doing?
09:33I'm just making a simple Thai crab curry.
09:36So it'll be like a nice, light, sweet crab curry.
09:38Yeah.
09:39Good.
09:39Yeah.
09:39Keep going.
09:43Just under ten minutes to go, guys.
09:46What do you got, Sharon?
09:47I'm going outside the box.
09:48I just really try to impress you guys with some sort of gourmet tartan.
09:52What could go wrong with this dish?
09:55Nothing could completely fall apart on me and not work out that way.
09:58Do you have a plan B in case that happens?
10:00Uh, no.
10:01This is the first time I think I've ever seen you actually look nervous.
10:05Well, I got...
10:06You know, I just gotta knock this out, man.
10:08Who's your biggest competition here?
10:10I think he and I both come from the same place.
10:13We got similar passions.
10:14We cook with the same style.
10:16And that makes me a bit nervous because I got some tricks under my sleeve that I think
10:19he does as well.
10:24But I don't believe that he cooks from the heart.
10:27I really don't.
10:28I don't believe that he has the passion that I have.
10:31And that is the main difference between us.
10:36Five minutes to go.
10:37We should now start thinking about plating it up and putting those finishing touches to
10:42that Dungeness crowd.
10:44How are we looking, Lee?
10:45We're looking fantastic.
10:47I'm, uh...
10:47Ah, he's got the ring out.
10:48He's a PVC boy.
10:49Ingredients are coming together.
10:51Everything's, uh, flavored up.
10:52It's all about the plating.
10:53Some, uh, gazpacho andaloo.
10:55It smells and looks amazing.
10:59Absolutely phenomenal.
11:00Keep it going, guys.
11:01Yes?
11:03I have a career in finance that I've done very, very well at.
11:07But there's a burning desire in my heart to do something else.
11:10I want to be a chef.
11:12F*** it.
11:13I'm going all out without holding anything back.
11:16And a quarter of a million dollars is no joke.
11:19Keep it going, guys.
11:20Yes?
11:21Ten.
11:22Nine.
11:23Eight.
11:24Seven.
11:25Six.
11:26Five.
11:28Four.
11:29Three.
11:30Two.
11:31One.
11:32And stop.
11:33F***ing well done.
11:35Everybody step away from there.
11:37Dish, please.
11:38I didn't finish my plate.
11:40Once again, I failed at time management.
11:43And, uh, it was not pretty whatsoever.
11:45It looked like a pile of crap on Fred.
11:48Chetel.
11:49How are you feeling?
11:50Awesome.
11:51Yay!
11:53You can do it.
11:54I finished.
11:55Good.
11:55Well done.
11:56I'm feeling extremely proud of myself for having gotten through it without completely falling
12:02apart.
12:03Having scrutinized all nine dishes, the judges are ready to pick the three most mouthwatering
12:09for tasting.
12:10Whoever creates the winning dish will then be in control of the next stage of the competition.
12:16Look at my dish and go, that's a pretty good looking dish, man.
12:18Like, good job.
12:19I was hoping that I could get that win for sure.
12:23First one.
12:25Having watched the way you executed the dish, we're excited to taste it.
12:30I'm looking at the plate and the plate's smiling at me.
12:33Today I'm going to be in the top three and I have no doubt about that.
12:37That dish belongs to...
12:47Sharon.
12:49Let's go, big boy.
12:50My eyes lit up.
12:52I was like, yes.
12:54I felt great because I really put my heart into that plate.
12:57This dish has visual impact.
13:00Very intricate.
13:01Dangerous thing, wrapping the crab with a prosciutto.
13:06The actual shape of the raw, we're looking for a texture of a crunch,
13:10a vibrant citrus flavor with a delicate sweetness of the crab.
13:14Delicate sweetness, right.
13:15And the citrus will be in the apple reduction with the ginger.
13:18So make sure you incorporate that in there too, chef.
13:21I love the fact you're now telling me how to eat.
13:22Thank you so much.
13:23At the age of 43, I know how to eat properly, but great gracious of you.
13:27Should I put a bib on or...?
13:28No, no.
13:43The problem with that dish is automatically I want more.
13:51It is delicious, fresh, vibrant.
13:54You've respected the ingredients, but you've been very clever and very, very creative.
14:00Love it.
14:02The second dish that we think is going to taste delicious belongs to...
14:18Lee.
14:24So basically it's Dungeness crab salad with some fresh avocado and then gazpacho Andaluz as the sauce.
14:31Your dishes haven't been the worst.
14:33They haven't been the greatest.
14:34They've just kind of, kind of been in the middle somewhere.
14:36This one just screamed at me right away.
14:39And I'm so excited to try it because this is exactly what I would have been making with this challenge.
14:52Mmm.
14:54You knocked this challenge out of the park.
14:56Thank you very much, Chef.
14:57This is awesome.
14:58You have gone from down here to jumping up to the top, and now you're forced to be reckoned with.
15:03So keep on that track, okay?
15:05Thank you very much, Chef.
15:07The third dish.
15:08The third dish.
15:09They're excited about tasting.
15:12And I can't believe I'm saying this.
15:16She's out.
15:17Nice!
15:21I'm shocked when they call my name.
15:23I thought that the third person would be Mike.
15:26That would make sense, you know?
15:28I was feeling pretty bad.
15:29I was like, because I wanted to be up there.
15:31I'm thinking my dish.
15:32What could I have done?
15:33What could I have done to have made it a top three dish?
15:36The first two minutes into the challenge, it looked like you were done, beat, defeated.
15:42The smell, the excitement from the sauce, the aroma, and the delicacy in terms of the way you cook the
15:48crab is what we're dying to taste.
16:01Considering what we had asked you to do, you might criticize this dish perhaps for being too simple, but I
16:08think that it excels in its simplicity.
16:11Congratulations.
16:12I'm sure that crab is very, very happy to give his life for this dish.
16:17Good show.
16:18Good show.
16:19Three stunning dishes.
16:20Now we have to select one winner from those three.
16:24Tough one.
16:26Very tough.
16:32That was a very difficult choice, but the reason why we chose this individual is because all three of us
16:38believe this is the best and the most unique dish we've seen so far in the history of MasterChef.
16:45And that dish belongs to...
16:50And that dish belongs to...
16:55The top three dishes have been tasted.
16:59Charon's Crab Cucumber Rolls.
17:07But only one can win this mystery box challenge.
17:13I think I brought in a lot of passion and a lot of heart and that shows in the amount
17:19of flavor that was in that dish.
17:21I think the flavors of my dish were well balanced, rustic, and I think that that's what would win for
17:27this challenge.
17:29I don't want to lose.
17:33This is the best dish we've seen so far in the history of MasterChef.
17:39Congratulations.
17:43Lee.
17:44Well done.
17:49Look out.
17:51Easy count.
17:52You've really proven to yourself and us today that you are a force to be reckoned with.
17:58I was pissed.
18:00I could make a gazpacho with my eyes closed and it doesn't feel good not being in first place.
18:05Lee, ready for your next challenge?
18:07Absolutely.
18:08Let's go.
18:12Lee now gets to choose the main ingredient for the invention test.
18:16Whatever he selects, everybody else must cook with.
18:19Whoever makes the worst dish will be eliminated from MasterChef.
18:24As always, the theme of this challenge is in the hands of the judges.
18:28The theme of today is romance.
18:33Now, listen to me.
18:34You're tall.
18:34You're good looking.
18:35You know how to woo a lady, right?
18:38You know how to seduce a lady.
18:40Yes or no?
18:41Well, that's how I got my girlfriend, so yeah.
18:43If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here today and I cook for her every day.
18:48Now, you're faced with a huge advantage right now because of what you select, everybody else cooks with.
18:53Yeah?
18:54What don't you want under these cloths?
18:57One ingredient I don't want is any kind of chocolate.
19:00My girlfriend hates chocolate.
19:02I'm not a huge chocolate fan.
19:07It doesn't get any more romantic than that.
19:09Ready?
19:09Yep.
19:11Passion fruit.
19:13I lived in Hawaii where these grew wild all over.
19:16And they are intoxicating.
19:18And from the land where love was invented, we have the finest Italian burrata.
19:25Burrata.
19:26One of the most unique milk products perhaps in the entire world.
19:29Burrata.
19:30It's mozzarella with ricotta and buttermilk on the inside.
19:35Amazing.
19:36Out of these three ingredients, the one ingredient you choose, everybody else cooks with.
19:41So, be very clever.
19:44Ah, it's a tough choice.
19:51I am going to go with...
20:01Okay, good.
20:02Lee, excited?
20:03Very excited, Chef.
20:05Okay.
20:06The theme across today's challenge is romance.
20:13Lee had three stunning ingredients to choose from.
20:17The first ingredient was the most amazing array of chocolates.
20:22The second ingredient, passion fruit.
20:29Oh, boy.
20:31How do you put together flavors when you don't know what an ingredient even tastes like?
20:36And the third ingredient, burrata.
20:39Burrata cheese is delicious stuff, but I couldn't think of a romantic dish to do with it.
20:45Lee chose...
20:54Passion fruit.
20:59Fragrant, stunning passion fruit.
21:01Don't even go anywhere near playing safe.
21:05One of you will be leaving MasterChef.
21:07You've all got two and a half minutes in that pantry.
21:10Starting from now.
21:12Off you go, guys.
21:19For the two youngest competitors, a romantic theme challenge may be a big problem.
21:25I don't have a boyfriend, and I haven't really dated him, so I just feel like I'm going in totally
21:30blind.
21:31I've never cooked for a guy or made a romantic dinner for a guy, but I'm going to try to
21:36do the best I can if it's passionate.
21:38I suck at romance.
21:40I absolutely do.
21:41It's...
21:42It's horrible.
21:43It's difficult for me to be like, oh, hi, honey.
21:46How are you?
21:47This is my gift to you.
21:48I can't do that.
21:54One hour to seduce us with your dishes.
21:57Starting from now.
22:02I like to play to my strengths.
22:04And I know passion fruit real well.
22:06I grew up with it.
22:07I have some ideas up my sleeve.
22:09The judges are going to be blown away.
22:11It's not bad.
22:12I mean, it's just so natural.
22:14Pungent.
22:15Yeah.
22:15And incredibly aromatic.
22:16Yeah, I think that it's one of those things that you don't really want to cook because
22:19it starts separating everything.
22:20Once you go over 212 degrees and bring it to a boil, it starts to kind of coagulate.
22:24You start cooking this, and you reduce it down, it becomes bitter.
22:26Mm-hmm.
22:27You don't think it would go with lamb?
22:28Probably not.
22:29Not at all.
22:29No.
22:29Too delicate.
22:31Pork would go pretty well.
22:32Mm-hmm.
22:32Well, I mean, certainly for creating a romantic dish, there couldn't be a more intriguing
22:36ingredient.
22:37Young Whitney.
22:39What do we got going on?
22:40I am going to...
22:41Sear your scalp.
22:42Okay.
22:43What's that?
22:44And this is my passion fruit glaze.
22:47So passion fruit glaze and a balsamic reduction?
22:50Yes.
22:51Now, if you were on a first date with a guy that you were into, tell me about the dinner
22:55you would cook for him.
22:56This looks sexy to me.
22:57So now what are you going to do with it?
22:59I'm going to make it as sexy as I can, so it'll be a romantic dish that you'll remember.
23:04Right, Mike, what are you doing?
23:05I'm going to do, like, kind of a Japanese-inspired sort of dish pizza tucky.
23:09Where's the passion fruit?
23:10Here.
23:10I'm going to infuse that in the ponzu.
23:11It's going to be a passion fruit ponzu.
23:12Okay, great.
23:13Thank you, chef.
23:14Right, David, what is that?
23:15It's a spicy saffron shrimp.
23:17I'm making a passion fruit mango.
23:21Looks like a fruit salad there.
23:22More of a salsa, so I'm going to have some acid and vinegar in there as well.
23:26Proves in the taste.
23:26Good luck, David.
23:28I hope there's a lot of romance being created out there.
23:31We want to be wooed and seduced by your dishes.
23:34I want to taste sexiness, sassiness, passion, romance.
23:38All of that should come through in what you're cooking.
23:44You're doing lamb chops and shrimp.
23:47And I'm actually going to do it on skewers, so, like, little smaller skewers and have, like, a little fruit
23:51fondue in the middle.
23:52So, like, because that's why I think of romance.
23:54You take things, you dip it in, you feed it to each other.
23:56Right.
23:56What a fondue?
23:56You think a fondue you get to dessert?
23:58A fondue with a protein?
23:59Yes.
24:00Yes.
24:04You have David, who's kind of been in the middle recently, so it'd be interesting to see if he can
24:08actually pull something together, because God knows what kind of a twisted view on romance that he has.
24:15Slim is putting together what seems to be some sort of a family-style platter.
24:18Now, I don't know what kind of passion is in that, but...
24:20No.
24:20No, no, no, no.
24:21Maybe she missed the mark.
24:22Not much passion there.
24:24Maybe it's going to be a celebration of her going home.
24:26She's going to share it with everybody.
24:29I'm steaming that I didn't win this last challenge.
24:32In order for me to get back on top, I need to push it.
24:35I decide to cook my dish sous vide.
24:38Sous vide literally means in vacuum.
24:40It doesn't allow any juice to evaporate.
24:43And if executed well, will provide you with an absolutely stunning piece of meat.
24:48I go and try to vacuum seal my bag with my filet.
24:54Push the button.
24:59Okay, what is going on here?
25:05Sharon, what are you doing?
25:07Let's do these.
25:08I'm trying to, but this damn thing is, like, more complicated than any woman ever.
25:14Vacuum seal, right, Sharon?
25:15Yeah, that's it.
25:16It's going to be straight.
25:18But it's not.
25:19It's not.
25:19It's not.
25:19It's sucking, but it doesn't seal it.
25:22Have you done this before?
25:23No.
25:24No.
25:24I'm here to push it.
25:26I'm here to push it.
25:27Sharon, it's a very adventurous thing to be doing, having never used a machine, yeah?
25:31On the verge of absolute stupidity or an absolute genius.
25:36All right, guys, less than 30 minutes.
25:38Half of your time is up.
25:42I'm going to have to cancel this.
25:43This is a great.
25:44It's almost up here on time.
25:45I'm not sure what's going on over here.
25:47I may not finish this dish in time.
25:58This damn thing is more complicated than any woman I've ever met.
26:03I'm going to have to cancel this.
26:05This is, I'm not sure what's going on over here.
26:07Damn.
26:07The thing is not working.
26:08I may not finish this dish in time.
26:12Let's try a fresh one.
26:16There you go.
26:17Let's hope.
26:19Wow.
26:19There you go.
26:20There you go.
26:20It's done.
26:21Fantastic.
26:22Really, really appreciate it.
26:23Yeah.
26:23I'm supposed to have my meat done, move on to the other stuff.
26:27Okay, 20 minutes left, folks.
26:2920 minutes to create the romance of your life.
26:35I can't believe he's done that.
26:37You know he's a sous vide machine, basically he's boiling in a bag.
26:39Right.
26:39In an elimination round.
26:41Yeah.
26:41I mean, it could cost him his place at MasterChef.
26:43The sous vide is very, very, very risky stuff.
26:45Yeah, well, I mean, if Sharon pulls this off, it could be the best dish ever.
26:48Right.
26:49In MasterChef.
26:49Right.
26:55My collard greens start to crisp up.
26:58And I thought, oh man, I'm in trouble.
27:01This is MasterChef.
27:02You know, you're not at home cooking for your mom.
27:06Lee, what do you got going on for us?
27:07The idea behind this dish is romance and relationships, they don't always come from where you would
27:13expect them.
27:14And that's the whole idea behind it, that things can work together.
27:18So I have the beef tenderloin, which is going to be a simple saute, sear on the pan, finish
27:23in the oven.
27:23And I have my prawns working on over here with the marinade that I made with the passion fruit
27:28juice.
27:29And I'm just going to have fun with it, like I have fun with my girlfriend, you know,
27:32when I cook for her.
27:33And then that's my whole inspiration behind this.
27:36All right.
27:37Make it lovely.
27:38Okay, guys, coming up to the last minute.
27:41Let's hope that it tastes as good as it smells.
27:45I don't have love in my heart.
27:47You know, I have, I don't have this wonderful romantic love life happening that I can tap
27:51into and then figure out how to plate that and create this romantic dish.
27:55I just don't have that.
27:56Stop putting those finishing touches on that romantic, delicious dish.
28:00Let the passion fruit shine.
28:02Come on.
28:03There's so much at stake today.
28:05If I got eliminated, I would feel like I let myself down.
28:10Romance.
28:11My fiance will tell you that I'm, I'm a romantic kind of guy.
28:14Everything that I am is on that plate.
28:17It's going to be magic.
28:19Come on, make it count.
28:24Five, four, three, two, one.
28:28Stop.
28:29Well done.
28:30Well done.
28:32Well done.
28:35Unreal.
28:37The anxiety escalates in the MasterChef kitchen as the judges prepare to taste all nine dishes.
28:44The contestant with the worst dish will be leaving MasterChef.
28:49Let's start off with the most ambitious use of machinery ever in MasterChef.
28:55That's you, Sharon, our sous vide machine.
28:58Let's go.
29:01Are you mad?
29:02A sous vide machine to vacuum pack your beef?
29:05Why now when one of you is going home tonight?
29:08Because I have to step it up.
29:10I'm here to learn.
29:11I'm here to grow.
29:11And I'm here to not look back and doubt myself.
29:15Okay.
29:16Tell me how you incorporated passion fruit.
29:18So the first step was a demi infused with passion fruit.
29:22Then I did a champagne vinaigrette with the seeds and the pulp of the passion fruit.
29:28Here's the thing.
29:29When you're using a sous vide machine, there's a huge chance for you to kind of do the exact opposite
29:36of what you're looking to do.
29:38Instead of imparting more flavor into the beef, it just leaves it as a dull, gray, boring piece of flabby
29:44protein.
30:03The beef is sublime.
30:05It literally does melt in your mouth.
30:07It's like butter.
30:08You do pick up a lot of that sear flavor, some of the butter, the thyme that you were basing
30:12it on.
30:12I saw all that in your pan.
30:13Great stuff.
30:17Okay.
30:18Jake, let's go, please.
30:20I think I put a lot of romance on my plate.
30:23My dish oozed sexuality and romance.
30:26What is that, please?
30:27It's a sexy, seared piece of filet.
30:30And then I used the passion fruit as a vinaigrette.
30:34So you mentioned the passion fruit as a vinaigrette.
30:37Yes.
30:38And that's it.
30:47The problem here with this dish, Jake, is you've missed the point.
30:51The passion fruit didn't have to be the hero of the dish, but the passion fruit's been underused.
30:56Truthfully, it's one of your weakest dishes.
30:59You know, I thought the plate was very romantic and had a lot of passion in it and visually pleasing.
31:04You know, maybe it was a little too subtle for him.
31:06I mean, maybe Gordon likes it rough.
31:08After Jake's disappointing dish, can the ladies bring romance back into the room?
31:14Whitney!
31:17What is that?
31:18Passion fruit glazed shrimp and frizzy salad.
31:24I think the shrimp are...
31:27They're overcooked.
31:29And I think the passion fruit doesn't really come through.
31:32It seems very amateur.
31:35You know, I know at the beginning I was the one that had to make the choice about you being
31:38here.
31:39You know, and I put my neck out on the line.
31:40And I hope that this isn't the dish that gets you sent home.
31:47Tracy, let's go, please.
31:51Okay, gentlemen.
31:53This is a beef tenderloin over fingerling potatoes.
31:57It's like something out of a sci-fi movie.
32:01Oh, God.
32:07I will confirm that it's 90% unedible.
32:15Sheetal, describe the romance in your dish.
32:19I have a very sweet and savory sauce.
32:22I used some cayenne pepper to just give it a bit of kick.
32:32What I can say that's good is that you chose a nice plate to put it in.
32:41Next up, Slim, please. Thank you.
32:43With a series of unsuccessful dishes, it's up to Slim to turn things around.
32:49Going into this challenge, I...
32:51Oh, my God, I need to win.
32:52I gave up graduating at Loyola University, New Orleans.
32:55Before coming out here, I only had two more months.
32:58So there's so much at stake for me.
33:01This is actually a sweet and savory dish
33:03with lamb, shrimp, and fresh fruit.
33:05And this is a passion fruit ginger sauce.
33:12Oh, .
33:16When you put lamb on a stick,
33:18you've got to at least cut the fat off.
33:25There's a lot of ginger in the sauce, right?
33:26Yes, sir.
33:27If we're on a date, and you cook that dish for me,
33:30I'd go to the bathroom, and you'd never see me again.
33:34I'd bolt out the door.
33:38Damn.
33:40You've got to be kidding me.
33:42Slim, this is like a buffet gone bad.
33:45Go back to your station. I'm not tasting this crap.
33:48You guys have to, at this point in the competition,
33:51you need to be listening to what we're telling you
33:53about what we're producing, because...
33:55This is ridiculous.
34:08A buffet gone bad.
34:09I'm not tasting this crap.
34:12This is ridiculous.
34:24That was horrible.
34:25That was absolutely the worst thing you can possibly do
34:28to somebody's dish is, without even tasting it,
34:31throwing it away.
34:35Wow.
34:36This is serious.
34:37I could not believe that level of emotion came out of Joe.
34:41Joe threw it in the trash, like slammed it in the trash.
34:45After that, I was like, she's out of here.
34:47She is going home today.
34:50Mike, let's go.
34:52When Joe came over and slammed Slim's dish into the trash can,
34:56it definitely got my attention, because I was thinking,
34:58oh, my God.
34:59I don't want my dish to be going to the dumps like that.
35:02I hope it's good enough.
35:03Wow, look at those colors.
35:05What I have here is a beef tataki sort of lotus flower
35:08with a passion fruit ponzu.
35:18I mean, the beef is raw.
35:24And absolutely delicious.
35:27We've got several fruits going on.
35:30Grapes, kumkrat, strawberries, passion fruit.
35:32And it's almost like you've sort of enhanced the flavor of the beef,
35:35because you've managed to take the density out of the rawness
35:38of the beef in a really clever way.
35:41Well done.
35:43David, let's go, please.
35:46Okay.
35:47Describe it, please.
35:48On your left-hand side, we have me with the arrow through the heart,
35:53spicy, savory side.
35:55And on the left, you have the delicate, gorgeous sweetness
35:57of my fiancé.
35:59So I think together, you know, they make a perfect marriage.
36:10I want to keep on eating this.
36:11Please feel free.
36:12Amazing.
36:14It's not fruit salad and shrimp.
36:16It's effectively a very intellectual dish that kind of plays off.
36:19You've got heat and you've got the sweetness of the fruit.
36:21A very tricky and complex dish in its simplicity, but you nailed it, buddy.
36:27Thank you, sir.
36:30Next up, Lee, please.
36:32Winning the crab challenge and going into the invention test, I'm extremely happy.
36:36I'm extremely confident, but I'm still humble.
36:40What is that, please?
36:41The inspiration behind this plate is the imperfections of relationships and things that are not supposed to go together that
36:50actually do go very well together.
37:05All of you should come up here and try this.
37:08This is really propelling Lee to MasterChef levels.
37:12Experience what we're experiencing, will you?
37:13All the knife and forks are in here.
37:15Run up.
37:15Have a taste.
37:16Quick as you can.
37:18What an honor.
37:19I mean, to be a model to follow for the rest.
37:23It's overwhelming, but at the same time, it proves that I am going all the way.
37:31I'm not going to taste Lee's dish.
37:33The way I look at it is I'm not here to just tag along.
37:37I'm here to win.
37:39Lee, pretty good job.
37:41Really good job, indeed.
37:43Thank you very much, Chef.
37:45After tasting all nine dishes, the judges confer on which dish won their hearts and which ones were lacking the
37:52passion.
37:52The cook with the worst dish will be leaving MasterChef.
37:56Let's get to our winner.
37:58Today, we were looking for the best dish.
38:01A dish that oozed passion.
38:03And there was one individual that did that.
38:09For the second time.
38:12Lee, congratulations.
38:17Well done.
38:18It's only less than a year ago that I started getting into this elevated level of cooking.
38:25World-renowned chefs and restauranteurs are tasting something that I produce, and I'm getting these praises and these compliments.
38:33You've set the pace in MasterChef.
38:38Normally, we'll call up the worst three dishes out of the nine.
38:44Tonight, we're going for four.
38:46This has taken us by somewhat of a surprise because they are individuals we thought would deliver romance.
38:54I want all four of you to come forward right now.
38:58They are...
39:03The girls.
39:05That's right.
39:06All four of you.
39:07Please, step forward.
39:09My immediate thought was, that sucks, because it's the women who were cooking for male judges.
39:16And apparently, we suck at wooing.
39:18If there was ever a time for all four of you to shine that would deliver romance, oozing off that
39:25plate, it would have been today.
39:27And sadly, we delivered the opposite.
39:30I just felt like, how is it possible that four vibrant, wonderful women have no concept how to fight?
39:41It was not doing what we asked, and the food was not tasty.
39:46Like, nothing good about it.
39:47I don't know what you guys were thinking.
39:48I definitely felt like, this isn't something I want the judges to remember me by, because this is not me.
39:53This is not my kind of cooking that I do on a regular basis.
39:57I mean, I don't make food that sucks, and that's basically what I gave them today.
40:01For you four ladies to put forth food that seemed very heavy-handed, very truck stop style, you know, just
40:08very heavy stuff.
40:09It's almost like we're in the wrong competition.
40:15Shitel.
40:20Go back to your station, please.
40:27Shitel, we know you can do better.
40:30It's not a proud feeling to know that the only reason I'm safe is because the other three dishes in
40:36the judges' opinions were worse than mine.
40:39Tracy.
40:44Do not take your apron off. Get back on your station.
40:51We expect to see a lot more out of you next time.
40:56Yes, Chef.
40:59Slim, Whitney, your experience, or lack of experience, has caught up with you both.
41:05Whitney, a couple of weeks ago you were blowing the competition out of the water.
41:09Now, you're struggling to keep your neck above the water.
41:13The competition has taken on a completely different pace, and unfortunately, you're getting weaker.
41:18A strawberry that looks half-eaten, stuck on a bed of soggy salad, with a semi-decent cooked shrimp,
41:27right now doesn't bear the title of the first ever MasterChef American.
41:35I don't even want to think about being eliminated.
41:38I know I really need to step up my game.
41:40I really want to stand out and show that, you know, I have what it takes to be here to
41:44the end.
41:44Slim, you presented a dish today that was almost like a welcome plate in a senior home before they go
41:52off in the box.
41:54And I know you think it's funny, but I don't find it funny because I've seen you cook really good.
42:01And a lot of us stuck our neck out on the line for you.
42:05Today, you made us look stupid.
42:08I've been having such a crappy past few challenges.
42:12I've been ending up at the bottom every single time, and I have to redeem myself.
42:16I hope this isn't going to be the end of the line for me.
42:18Everyone's progressing because they're listening and getting better and better and better.
42:22And you've stumbled on a T-junction where you're not getting better.
42:25If I had to give you another hour, what would you make?
42:28I would actually make the same sauce but with much less ginger than I did before.
42:33But overall, I actually would have kept it the same.
42:35You don't get it. You should have changed it completely.
42:38There was no fixing that dish.
42:39The fact that you would recreate and modify that same dish instills no confidence in us.
42:44I mean, that is really not the answer we were looking for.
42:48Okay.
42:53Slim.
43:07I just want to say that I thank the three of you chefs for actually being here and nurturing me.
43:12This is absolutely a wonderful opportunity to have been here and to have learned from you.
43:18I'm sorry if I haven't learned as much as you thought I would have, but I actually do appreciate it
43:24very much.
43:25You're young. You're tenacious.
43:27If there's one small piece of advice, next five years act like a sponge and just absorb, absorb, absorb.
43:33You'll surprise yourself in two years, let alone five years.
43:36Mm-hmm. Thank you.
43:36Good luck to you.
43:39I accept that I'm leaving MasterChef.
43:42I like what I've learned. I like what's gone on, good and bad, because that's made me who I am
43:48today.
43:50Honestly, with this experience, I'm going to go work in a kitchen, and that's going to keep me from being
43:55an amateur cook.
44:02Next time on MasterChef, the remaining eight are about to be split into opposing teams for a challenge to cater
44:10the most important day of one couple's lives.
44:14Sharon, what in the are you doing?
44:16Oh, my God.
44:17But to avoid disaster...
44:19Someone get the fire extinguisher.
44:21Gordon has to take control.
44:23What's going on, guys? You need an intervention?
44:25I've got no choice.
44:26Put it on with some finesse! It's a wedding!
44:30The team that loses will face the dreaded pressure test, where one more contestant's dream of becoming America's first MasterChef
44:38will come to a bitter end.