All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S12E16.The.Wall.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb

Previously on
"MasterChef: Back to Win"...

- Top nine.
- ...another winner's mystery box

revealed a familiar face...

Gerron!

...and he brought the heat.

- Oh, my--
- Wow.

This is my worst nightmare.

While some conquered
spice mountain...

- The heat level is perfect.
- It just looks beautiful.

Congratulations, Emily.

...others hit rock bottom.

- Crunchy, greasy.
- You've missed the mark.

- That's a little bit bizarre.
- You don't cook caviar.

The person leaving is Bowen.

- Tonight...
- No.

...the top eight face
their biggest challenge yet.

- The wall.
- You and a partner

must create dishes that look
and taste identical,

but you won't be able
to see each other.

This is gonna be a mess.

- Salmon is in!
- Heard. Let's go!

And it's a double elimination.

- How that sauce looking,
Willie? - Is that Christian?

- Shanika, you there? - The
team that can't get in sync...

- Got it! - Duck's
at 130! I'm pulling it!

- What are they doing? -
Use the cream you cooked them in!

- I already strained it.
- No! Look at me.

- You need to get on the same page now.
- Yes, Chef.

...will be leaving
the kitchen for good.

- It just looks bland.
- It tastes like cough syrup.

- It's that disappointing.
- Oof.

Top eight.

- It's a big one tonight.
- The wall.

- This is my favorite.
- Absolutely.

One of the most
exciting challenges across this season.

This is it.

- No!
- Uh...

It's the wall.

I watched season 11,

and I know
what's about to happen.

This is gonna be a mess.

- Welcome back.
- What is this?

No, not the wall.

The wall doesn't care
how good of a chef you are.

The wall will take anyone
down today.

Y'all set up the kitchen wrong.

Welcome back, everyone.
Top eight.

Tonight you will face a challenge
that's new to all of you.

The wall. The ultimate test
of communication.

You and a partner will cook
on opposite sides of this very wall,

and you must create dishes
that look and taste identical.

You'll be able
to hear each other,

- but you won't be able to see each other.
- Well.

And I don't know have
to tell you guys

that there's no immunity pin
to save you guys this evening.

And trust me, you do not want
to be in the bottom,

because tonight both cooks
from the losing team

- will be going home.
- Ooh.

That's right, tonight
is a double elimination.

so 25% percent chance
you're going home today.

And I'd love to be on a
team with Christian because we've worked great together,

and I definitely wouldn't
want to be paired with Derrick.

I think sometimes his ego
gets the best of him.

So I think it would be a
real challenge to be on his team.

And, Emily, even though
you won the last challenge,

there is no immunity pin
to protect you tonight.

- No, there's not.
- But you do have a huge advantage.

You get to pick the teams
for this challenge.

I am very afraid
of Emily's power right now,

because on season nine I
knocked Emily out of the competition.

So I'm wondering,
is she gonna use her advantage

to get me out of the kitchen?

Now, Emily,
let's start with your pick.

With a wall in between you,

communication is
of the utmost importance,

but I also want someone that,
you know,

we're on the same level
when it comes to skills.

So I am going to choose Michael.

- Wow. Michael.
- Mm.

Yeah.

Who are you gonna pair
with Dara?

I know she's a very strong cook.

It's just that stress level
that I think in the kitchen

sometimes gets to her, and that can
negatively impact a team member as well.

So you're putting this person with
her because it's gonna keep her calm?

No. I'm putting
this person with her

because I think that might drive
this person a little insane.

So with Dara,
I would like to pair Shanika.

- Ha.
- Shanika. Wow.

- All right.
- Ooh.

- Man.
- Right, Emily, we're gonna talk about Christian now.

The person that I'm
going to pair with Christian,

ironically, I think they
have very different communication styles.

I'm going to pair Christian
with Willie.

- Mm.
- Wow.

- Oh, wow.
- Interesting.

Big Willie, how does that
make you feel?

Actually,
what Emily don't know

is me and Christian was on
the same season together

and we actually worked
in the tag team together.

And so I know how he works,
so it most definitely could come together.

Emily, by default, you've also
chosen Amanda and Derrick,

so give me an insight to that.
Why?

I know that Derrick
is a strong personality.

He's definitely a top threat.

But Amanda's voice is so soft.

I don't know how well
they're gonna be able to communicate.

Emily and Michael,
please join the line,

and everybody put your team colored aprons on.
Thank you.

Emily showed that
I'm her biggest threat

sticking me with Amanda.

I'm gonna go off.

everybody.

- Except me.
- Except Derrick.

Because she put
Christian with Willie.

They, like, cook the same food.

And then Dara and Shanika,
girl power.

They're gonna work it out.

And then she took a really
great chef for herself.

I mean, if she wanted to win,
she needed to pick me,

but she doesn't want
the win right now.

She wants to get rid of me.
But I'm not going anywhere.

Right, tonight
you'll have one hour

to cook us
three amazing dishes each.

But your dishes must look
and taste identical tonight.

- Yes, Chef.
- We are expecting fully plated,

Michelin star entrées
from everyone.

Aarón:
But before you start cooking,

you'll get five minutes in
that beautifully stocked pantry.

There you can conceptualize,
strategize, and gather your ingredients.

And it will be your only time in the pantry as well.
Five minutes.

And remember,
tonight two of you,

for the first time this season,
are going home.

Your 60 minutes start now.

- Let's go.
- We got this. We got this. We got this.

Come on, Willie.
Come on, Willie.

- Come on.
Right away. - I'm thinking seafood. You wanna do seafood?

Seafood is good.
Seafood is fast. Type of fish?

- Salmon's my favorite.
- Salmon? Crispy skin salmon.

- Crispy?
- Crispy skin salmon.

Thank goodness me and Emily
are instantly in alignment.

- We could do a lemony tarragon pea purée.
- Purée.

At this point, we haven't
really picked a leader out.

I think we're gonna try
and just work collaboratively.

- I was thinking about a preserved lemon vinaigrette.
- Yeah.

- Small potatoes.
- No, let's do the potatoes,

and then let's do a Swiss chard,
like, just quick, sautéed, salt and pepper.

- Let's do it.
- So with the salsa verde,

basically
we could grill jalapenos,

tomatillos, garlic,
a little bit of ginger.

- Okay, okay.
- Get that all on the grill.

- This is difficult.
- Wow, it's intense.

I was thinking Moroccan style couscous
because you can cook it like pasta.

We're gonna boil,
we're gonna put it in.

We're gonna cook it 10,
12 minutes.

- We're gonna test it.
- Emily thinks if I take the lead

I'm gonna overcomplicate
the situation,

and that's just a recipe
for disaster.

So let me let Amanda
take the lead.

I know I can cook anything
that she throws at me.

Three minutes till these doors close.
Three minutes!

- All right, let's get our couscous.
- Okay.

- Onions.
- Let's get the seasoning, seasoning!

- You need a little cayenne.
- We've got shallots,

we've got garlic,
we've got peas.

- What protein is that? Duck.
- Duck, yes, Chef.

- Duck's risky.
- It's very hard to get that cooked properly.

- Let's grab a preserved lemon.
- Do we need wine? Wine? Wine?

Shallots.
White wine and shallots.

Look, those baskets
look identical.

- Our duck, salt, pepper...
- Yep.

...and then we're gonna pour
our sauce in it.

- We got the pork chop?
- Yeah.

- Get your milk.
- 30 seconds left!

- Here's some cayenne.
- What else?

- Garlic.
- Bam. Let's go, Willie!

All right, let's go, Shanika.

- Five, four, three...
- Come on, Michael!

- ...two, one.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go!

- Aarón: Come on!
- The pantry is closed.

I'ma walk you through
the sauce.

- We're gonna start the sauce first.
- All right.

We're gonna score seven
at an angle,

- six at an angle.
- Seven, six. Heard.

We just need to talk.
We're gonna use the clock system.

- Do you wanna cook the filets
of salmon into squares? - Michael: Yes.

- That's intense.
- Shanika, you there?

- I'm here!
- All right.

Get the tomatillos, garlic,

and onions on the grill pan, okay?

- Heard!
- Perfect.

What are we
doing first, the pea purée?

Pea purée needs
to get started first, yes.

So team selection, Emily
had a huge advantage tonight.

Her first pick was Michael.
Was that a smart move?

- Defensive.
- Defensive.

She feels he's the best cook.
She doesn't wanna go home.

We're gonna need some cream
to finish,

so don't use all your cream, Emily.

Heard, heard!

- Derrick!
- Yeah?

Are we doing them
in the cast iron?

Come to the wall.
I can't hear.

- Cast iron?
- What?

Derrick and Amanda,
I feel it's either

gonna go really great
and they'll be the best,

or it'll go really bad
and they'll be the worst.

There's no middle ground
for them.

Aarón: I think Amanda
took it personally

when Emily called her
a soft voice

and doesn't have that big
outgoing personality in the kitchen.

So I think Amanda's gonna
show her that she has that.

All right, I'm gonna
start scoring now!

Okay. Let's not drop our duck
until it's the same time.

Yes, we'll drop them
at the same time.

Make sure we're gonna skin
those potatoes, too, okay?

- Leave the skin on? -
No, we taking it off.

- All right.
- Yes, sir.

Big Willie and Christian,
I think that was a silly move

because those are from
the same neck of the woods,

and they share the same
big bold flavor profile.

I'm seasoning
my pork chop now, bro.

Okay, what you want me
to season it with?

Salt, pepper, and all those
additional seasonings

- that we grabbed.
- All right, the Cajun?

Yes, sir.
We gonna keep it South.

All right, I'm showing
I have two tomatillos here.

- You only have two?
- Yes.

Okay, I'll throw you some more.
Shanika, are you ready?

- Yes.
- They're coming over now.

All right. Got it!

Perfect!
Get those on.

I think that the surprise
success team of the night

is gonna be Dara and Shanika.

Yeah, but Dara does
tend to get flustered,

so that might trip up Shanika.

I wanna see Dara less panicked
for those last five minutes to go.

- Are we peeling the ginger?
- Cut the skin off

- and get it onto the grill.
- Heard!

But communication's
gonna have to be key.

Derrick, talk to me.
Where you at?

- I'm opening my third duck!
- Okay.

These are so thick, Amanda.
We gotta start right away.

Yes, heard.
Yeah, 'cause we have to baste them.

- Onion powder on the pork chop.
- Yes, sir.

We want all that flavor.
All bold flavors.

You know what's up, baby boy.
Is that cool with you, bro?

- That's cool.
- Let's work.

Six, seven...

Every step
from serving the protein

to making the sauce
to the garnish to the seasoning,

you need to be in sync.

- Amanda?
- Yes?

For the couscous,
do we boil the water first?

Yes, like pasta.

Good Lord,
it is loud in here, huh?

Look at this.
Michael's doing his vegetable prep

and Emily's cutting her salmon.

So, already they're not even
on the same page.

- Emily? - Yeah, heard.
Hold on. I'm starting a fire over here.

What?
I can't hear you. What?

Oh, shoot.
All right, I got boil. I got boil.

- I am not at a boil!
- What?

- I don't have a whole clove.
- You don't have an onion?

Smoked paprika?

Hell yeah, man!
It's blackened.

Oh, my God. It's so loud!

- I'm not at a boil yet.
- What?

I'm talking to Michael,
and Michael is like, "What?"

- What?
- "Huh?"

- What?
- "What?"

- What?
- It's insanity.

We need to what?

At this point, I'm feeling a little
nervous about taking Michael on as my teammate.

Emily, I need you!

Oh, my gosh.
I didn't realize that you were deaf.

- What?
- I hate this challenge so much.

- What?
- I hate this challenge.

Wow, one big crazy wall,

four incredible teams of two.

- You ready?
- Yep, I'm ready!

- Oh!
- Sorry.

Sadly, both cooks from the
losing team will be going home.

Man, there's some jeopardy
out there tonight.

Guys, 15 minutes gone.
45 minutes remaining.

Let's go.

Let's do 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

1/4 teaspoon of salt!

Oh, my goodness me. Oh, boy.

Right, young lady,
tell me about the dish.

So we're doing
a crispy skin salmon filet

over a tarragon pea purée
with white asparagus

- and a preserved lemon vinaigrette.
- Wow.

- Who's leading this?
- We're taking turns leading,

because I'm not familiar
with the vinaigrette.

He's less familiar
with the pea purée,

- and so we're handing off.
- Okay.

- Hopefully it'll work.
- Right.

Just over 40 minutes to go.
Good luck.

- Yes, Chef.
- Hey, Shanika.

- What's the dish? -
We're making blackened steel trout.

We're doing this
with sautéed mushrooms,

and we're doing a salsa verde,

so we're going a little,
you know, español style today.

I like that.
Now, were you excited to get the pairing of Dara?

Yeah, I think Dara is a really,
really strong cook,

and she's actually
a great leader as well

because she's walking me
through a lot of this.

- Wait, stop the press.
You're following? - Dara is taking the lead.

Have you ever followed anyone
in your life?

Yes, I have, because my job is
to be able to lead and to listen.

- You can't be a chef if you can't do both.
- Wow.

You think Emily should've picked
Dara instead of Michael?

You know what? She messed up
when she put me and Dara together.

- Ooh! Messed up.
- Did you put your salt in already?

- No, I didn't.
Heard! - Salt the fish, okay?

- I like the communication here, Joe.
- Yeah, it's good. Strong.

- All right, good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

37 minutes, guys.
37 minutes.

- Derrick?
- Yeah?

- Are you juicing?
- I'm getting there.

Right, young man,
how are you feeling?

- I'm feeling great, Chef.
- Good.

Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

So we're gonna put couscous
with some shallots

and some dried apricots.

We're doing a sliced duck on top

and then an orange reduction,

almost like duck à l'orange
with a Moroccan flair.

Wow, so duck breast
are we serving them pink?

- Um, yeah, medium.
- Medium, above.

- And is hers gonna
be medium as well? - Yes.

You're a big risk-taker,
young man.

So this sounds like an Amanda
profile dish that you're following suit.

Yeah, if she feels
comfortable with this,

she communicates to me,
I tell her what I'm doing,

- our vision comes to life.
- The pairings, you and Amanda,

what does that say about Emily?

I think she thought picking
Michael was the best move,

and she didn't think about someone
like Amanda and I being together.

We're from season six.
We've been in a kitchen together before.

I've been on every winning team.
Why would you not pick me?

- Yeah.
- My communication is amazing.

- Stay on the same page.
Good luck. - Yep.

- Christian?
- Yes, sir.

I only have four potatoes.

- You only got four?
- Yeah.

I'm 'bout to throw them over.

Go ahead and throw.

- Aw, [ bleep ].
- You got it?

- It's okay, we got a--
- I got it.

Now come on.
Is that enough?

- That's it. That's it.
- Okay.

What's the dish?
What did you decide on?

We are making a seven blackened
Cajun double cut pork chop

with a white wine
blood orange sauce.

We gonna serve it with some
mashed potatoes and rainbow Swiss chard.

How happy are you about the
pairing? You happy to be with Willie?

I'm happy.
Last time we worked together on season five, he left.

We're not going home tonight.

The person leaving
"MasterChef" tonight is Willie.

I'm sorry.
Your journey ends tonight.

No hard feelings.

You know, this is like
a redemption for us.

How can you ensure
that the level of seasoning

on Willie's pork chop-- yours are very heavily seasoned.
How can communicate that to him?

- Willie's from the South.
- Aarón: He understands heavy duty seasoning?

- Yes! - So, Willie,
if you laid a pork chop

in the sand on the beach,
is that what your seasoning looks like?

Baby, it's covered
and covered and covered!

- Aarón: All right, good luck.
- All right!

- Shall we do the peas?
- Yes, let's do the peas.

Are we gonna
strain them first?

- Yes!
- I need you to talk louder.

Yes, strain first!

Peas are strained.
Going into blender.

Heard.
Everybody would be able to hear a lot better if everybody stopped screaming.

- I can't hear you. What?
- Hold on.

Hold on,
I'm straining my peas.

And let's add a splash
of heavy cream so it blends.

Use the cream
you cooked them in!

- I already strained it.
- Did you throw it away?

Yeah,
you told me to strain it.

Well, yeah, but you don't
ever lose your liquid.

Okay, I only have the cream.
It doesn't matter.

So let's just both do
the same thing.

Let's try two tablespoons
of cream to start.

Heard. Let's go!

- There is a lot going on.
- Wow.

Let me tell you about
Emily and Michael.

They're doing
a crispy skin salmon

with a grilled asparagus

and then a preserved
lemon vinaigrette

with a fresh mint pea purée.

Salmon with asparagus
and pea purée,

- they're playing it safe.
- Absolutely.

- Very, very safe.
And maybe too safe. - Right.

My couscous is done!

It's got a little
firmness to it.

- Can I strain it?
- Um, yes.

And then you're gonna toss it

with some olive oil,
salt, pepper.

- Olive oil, salt, and pepper?
- Yes.

Now, Derrick and Amanda,
they're doing almost like

a Moroccan couscous
inspired dish.

They're using a duck breast.

Duck breast is the biggest
variable in this whole kitchen.

Because, you know, you score
a duck breast and you render it,

it could come out
completely different.

Make sure you've seasoned
your water for the potatoes!

Come on, brother,
I'm doing that right now.

You know we from the South.
We like flavor, brother.

Christian and Willie are doing
pork chops Southern style.

Aarón: Yeah, they're doing
a Cajun broth on the outside.

They're heavily seasoned,

and they're gonna do
some sort of potato garnish

as well as Swiss chard
and a blood orange sauce.

- How that sauce looking,
Willie? - Willie: It's boiling.

- I'm about to add the stock in now.
- Ooh-whee!

- Okay, Shanika.
- Yes, ma'am?

Tell me when
you're ready to blend.

Let's get this mix on, and then
we'll start those mushrooms.

- Dara with Shanika, how's that
working out? - So here's the deal.

They're gonna do a crispy
skin trout with a salsa verde.

But over trout, that
seems weird, that salsa verde.

- Yeah.
- It's so powerful, and trout's so sweet and delicate.

That thing's spicy, girl!

We're bringing the heat today!

But check this,
Dara's leading.

Shanika says
she's willing to be led.

- Wow.
- I don't quite believe it.

My duck's at 130!
I'm pulling it!

Derrick, I'm at 132.
I'm pulling them.

- Perfect!
- Just over 15 minutes to go.

- Derrick, where you at?
- I'm just slicing duck.

- Hold on.
- Are Amanda and Derrick slicing the duck

- with 15 minutes to go?
- Yeah, they're slicing.

- Aarón: What is he doing?
- What are they doing?

- It's gonna oxidize.
- And all the juice hasn't rested properly.

- I can't believe it.
- I'm at a really nice medium.

- Me, too.
- That is all kinds of wrong.

So the goodness is gonna be
on the board, not on the plate.

What is he doing?
Oh, my goodness me.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

Hold on.

Are Amanda and Derrick
slicing the duck

with 15 minutes to go?

It's gonna oxidize.

That is all kinds of wrong.

Oh, my goodness me.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

- I'm at a really nice medium.
- Me too!

Maybe that's
just their tester.

- No.
- No, they're cutting them all.

You see all that juice
from Derrick's duck from here?

- Aarón: Yes.
- Shanika, put oil on the pan.

Olive oil. No, grapeseed.

- We're blackening this dish.
- Heard.

Emily, when you drop
your salmon,

keep your fingers on them
so it gets a nice flat sear.

Heard. We're pressing.
Yes, heard.

First piece going in the middle!
You ready?

- Yes!
- Go!

Make sure you press
it down so that skin sears!

I'm pushing it down!

- And go!
- Go!

I'm holding
for 30 seconds.

- Heard.
- All right.

How's your sauce, Derrick?

Mine's a little reduced.
I'm gonna add some more chicken stock.

Okay, mine's still very thin,

so I'm gonna let it
reduce some more.

Salmon is in!

Let's go back
to the vinaigrette.

Can you add a teaspoon
of the juice?

One teaspoon of the juice.

Look at the synchronization now
between Emily and Michael.

Well, let's see what
the juice-- wait, wait, wait!

- Michael, that's really salty.
- Yeah, I know.

Do we need salt in there?
There's a lot of acid.

If anything,
we need something sweet.

Okay, well,
we don't have anything sweet.

Exactly, so let's not
add anything salty.

But you did you
add it? I already added it.

Okay, I'm gonna add
a little bit.

Okay.

One, two, three, four, five.

- Come on, Amanda!
- Come on, Willie!

Remember, we want
identical dishes from each team.

Let's go!

Willie, what plate
do you wanna plate on?

There is a white plate
right here with silver rims.

Okay.

Oh, yeah! We gonna set that
to the side, brother.

Yelling through the wall
is like your mama yelling at you

down the street
to bring your ass home.

How you feel, Willie?

- I'm feeling really good.
- Let's go then, baby!

Christian's voice keeps
going to this high octave.

Willie, did you--
are you glazing your pork chop?

- I'm glazing.
- Let's work it, my man.

Is that Christian?

- Willie!
- Christian, is that you?

Willie, we got ten minutes.
You ready to plate?

- I'ma be ready.
- We gotta get ready for plating, Derrick, okay?

Yep. Heard.

Shanika, I'm gonna flip my fish!

Okay, I can't flip mine yet.
It's not ready to flip.

- Okay, my skin is gonna burn, so I'm flipping it.
- Heard.

- Michael.
- Michael, so how we feeling, buddy?

Do you think Emily burnt
the salmon like that?

No, no, no,
that was my test one.

- I hope not.
- Maybe flip some of them.

- I think they're good to go, buddy.
- Ooh.

- Aarón: Hurry up.
Flip them, flip them. - How well do you know Emily?

Look, we've been here
for so many weeks together.

- I know she's a solid cook.
- I have to leave you with one question.

- Yes? - Do you
think that Emily would brown salmon

- to that level?
- Uh, I hope so.

Emily, what kind of color
are you getting on your salmon?

Good. Nice deep,
dark golden brown.

Yeah, mine are definitely
well crisped.

Shanika, we need to start
plating in three minutes, okay?

Heard.
The fish ain't ready though.

Okay, Shanika,
I'm taking my fish off.

Okay, my fish isn't ready
to come off.

Amanda, where's
the Romanesco going?

On the left side of
the couscous.

Willie, I'm plating already.

I am too!

Set out our plates.

Plating is going to be where
I have the most nerves.

Plating three
Michelin star dishes

on the opposite side of a wall
is my worst nightmare.

Spoon swipe from ten o'clock
to five o'clock on the plate.

I'm getting nervous
about the spoon swipes,

that they're not gonna
be identical.

Okay,
then let's just do a circle,

but let's do
a five inch circle.

Hold on, let's pick an object
and match it.

Let's do that.
Cutters. Circle cutters right here, yeah?

- Wait, do the size of the deli.
- Size of the deli! Heard.

Size of the deli right in
the middle of the plate, yeah?

- Right in the middle.
- Heard.

- Christian?
- Yes?

I'm putting this Swiss chard
a little bit off of the potato

- on the right.
- All right.

Bone towards 12 o'clock.

Yes, sir, we gonna sit it
nice and hot.

- Make sure we plate together.
- Yes, Chef.

You've got literally
just over 3 1/2 minutes.

- Yes, Chef.
- Don't leave it too late, please.

- Heard, Chef. Heard, Chef.
- Please.

- Dara, she hasn't even started plating yet.
- I know. We're gonna--

- No, no, look at me.
- She hasn't even started plating yet.

- You need to get on the same page now.
- Yes, Chef.

- Is your fish done?
- Fish is done.

- We don't have enough--
- Synchronization, I beg you.

- Yes, Chef.
- You're already plated.

- She's got nothing on the plate.
- I know. I wanted to plate.

- Look at me.
- Yes, Chef.

- Teamwork.
- Yes, Chef.

Dara, you need to get
on the same page now. Now.

- Is your fish done?
- Fish is done.

You're already plated.
She's got nothing on the plate.

- I know. Yes, Chef.
- Look at me.

- Teamwork.
- Yes, Chef.

We have two minutes, Shanika.
Let's go!

Emily, what are we doing
with the asparagus?

Five pieces of asparagus,
tips to the northeast.

Yes, let's do exactly
45 degrees.

Willie, go ahead and drizzle
a little more sauce

and hit it with
the microgreens, brother.

Heard!

- Amanda!
- Talk to me. Hurry.

So I did the sauce
around the duck,

around the outside of
the couscous, nice and tight.

- All right.
- 90 seconds to go.

Aarón: Let's go, Shanika.

- Shanika.
- Yes?

You're fish is on
the left side, yes?

- Yes.
- Okay, on the right side

you're gonna do
one whole mushroom.

Upside down? Face down?

Upside down in the middle,
and then two halves--

one at the top of the fish,
one at the bottom.

- Come on, Shanika! - Emily: Herb salad is on.
We need our sauce.

What are we doing? Drizzle
around the outside of the plate?

Yeah, just drizzle
the full circle, I think, right?

- Full circle.
Heard, yes. - In this moment, Emily and Michael

look like
they're cooking side by side.

- Aarón: Yeah.
- Remarkable consistency.

- Give me a measurement.
- I got a ring around.

There's a good inch and a half
from the edge to everything.

- Heard.
- Come on, Amanda.

My microgreens are going
on top of the pork chop.

That is correct.
I'm doing the same thing, brother.

Shanika, put a spoonful
of the tomatillo in the middle.

Shanika, we need to get
some garnish on there as well.

- Slow down.
- Come on, Shanika!

Maldon salt to finish or no?

Yes, just a little tiny bit
on top of the skin.

We got ten seconds.

Shanika, do you have any
micro parsley or cilantro?

- No.
- Amanda, wipe your plate!

- Five, four, three, two, one.
- Ugh!

- Aarón: That's it.
- Stop!

- Whoo! - Good job, Michael.
Good job.

- I don't think it's the same.
- I'm sorry.

- Don't beat yourself up about
nothing, all right? - Dara: I won't.

I'm just putting a lot of pressure
on myself because this is my dish

and there's
a double elimination tonight.

But I'm gonna hold my head high

when I get in front
of the judges because...

...I'm proud of this
and hopefully--

and I hope they can see that.

- Yay.
- That's a hard challenge.

Today I didn't want
to complicate things too much.

I wanted to just
let Amanda drive.

I think it was a good team effort.
We'll see.

It's time for
the moment of truth.

Please bring your cloched dishes
to the front.

Right, let's start off
with Christian and Willie.

Head on up with your dishes.
Thank you.

- You confident these are
gonna look identical? - Yeah.

We communicated very well today.

All right, let's take a look.

- Bingo, bingo.
- Ooh.

Ooh. Amazing.

- Thank you.
- Wow.

- That looks good.
- Okay, what did you make?

We prepared for you
a Southern Cajun blackened pork chop

served with a blood orange
white wine sauce,

with a buttery cream potato
and Swiss chard.

Visually, for me, it looks like
there was no wall tonight.

It's exact replicas--

the depth of the sauce,
the mash, the amount.

But aesthetically,
one issue with these two dishes.

Different plates.

Oh, yeah. What?
That's the easiest thing, guys.

- Yes, Chef.
- And also we're gonna take a knife

and cut each
of these pork chops open

and lots of things
will come to light.

Don't think you got this
in the bag yet.

- Yes.
- All right.

So the temp
on Christian's is...

- ...beautiful.
- Aarón: Nice.

And the temp on Willie's?

Slightly over.

Christian, this pork chop
is cooked beautifully.

- The sear's incredible.
- Thank you, Chef.

There's no exposed fat.

Big Willie, your pork
is 60 seconds cooked too long,

but the mashed potatoes taste like
these come from the same pan.

- Yep.
- I think what's remarkable

is how accurate both of you guys
got the seasoning.

Southern synergy happening
right there.

But, Christian, your sauce
is a little bit more developed.

It's a little bit more caramely.

Yours needed to cook
a little bit more, Willie,

but other than that,
great job on the replication

and very familiar big flavor.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Yeah, guys, it's really good.
Emily, what were you thinking

about putting these two together
from the South?

I knew that they had
similar styles of cooking,

but it was about the communication
that I thought might trip them up.

Is your strategy victorious
or have you failed?

Oh, no, I failed on this team.
They definitely pulled it off.

- Thank you.
- It's a good job, both of you.

Thank you.

and we damn sure
proved Emily wrong.

So, thank you, Emily.

You really dropped
the ball this time.

Next up, Dara and Shanika,

make your way down please.
Thank you.

We started off good,

but we got a little bit

of miscommunication going on,

and I'm just scared that my dish

is not going to look
like Dara's.

Right, are we both confident
they're gonna look the same?

No, Chef, they are
not going to look the same,

and I take full responsibility
for that.

- Uh-oh.
- Right. Let's have a look, shall we?

I think I fumbled the ball
on the plating.

- Oh, boy.

Are we both confident
they're gonna look the same?

No, Chef, they are not
going to look the same,

and I take full responsibility
for that.

- Uh-oh.
- Right. Let's have a look, shall we?

The good news is
they look very similar.

The bad news is
it reminds me of a dish

that's sort of straight out
of week one of culinary school.

It's not Michelin level.
Describe the dish, please.

So today we have
a blackened trout,

salsa verde, roasted corn,
and sautéed mushrooms.

Blackened catfish I get,
but blackened trout?

Don't know why we need
blackened season on a steelhead trout.

Who decided to serve
the shiitake mushrooms this way?

I don't think I've ever seen
a shiitake mushroom

left entirely
with the stem on.

The scoring of the fish
is obviously a difference,

so that's a mistake too.

But, look, we'll taste it.

Right.

An amazing duplication in flavor

because they really taste
exactly the same

in their attributes
and their defects.

The trout is
both perfectly cooked,

but the seasoning
is aggressive.

The dish is very, very hot

with the salsa,
the blackened seasoning.

And then you dive into the corn
for some cooling agent.

You have to run away
from the mushrooms

because they're just
badly thrown in there.

You leave the stems
on a chanterelle.

You leave your stems
on a cremini.

Not on a shiitake. Never.

I just expect more
from both of you

because it just is not you
at your best.

The cook on the trout
is absolutely spot on.

Everything else around it,
including the seasoning,

it's just obliterating.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

Dara took the lead
on this challenge,

and I agreed to the dish,

so I'm not gonna say that
I blame Dara for this,

but this is all her idea.

- Right, Michael and Emily, please.
- Oh, God.

Head on up with your dishes.
Thank you.

Except for when
I couldn't hear her,

we did follow
each other's directions.

This is scary.

All I know is I am terrified

about the moment
these judges lift those domes.

The moment of truth.

So close.

- Wow.
- What kind of face is that, Emily?

The salmons are turned 90
degrees opposite of one another.

Michael, describe the dish please.
What do you make?

We did a crispy skin salmon
with an English pea purée,

grilled white asparagus
finished with grilled lemon,

and a preserved
lemon vinaigrette.

Look, it looks beautiful.
Let's get that absolutely clear.

Purée looks nice and fine.
Asparagus beautifully grilled.

Slightly concerned about
the lemon preserve sauce.

It is powerful, that stuff.

I think the lemon preserve
sauce, you can even see visually,

is the thing that has the
greatest amount of variance in it.

But let's taste it.

They look good, yeah?
They look good. They look good.

Who knows?

Emily and Michael, overall your dishes
are similar in appearance and taste.

But, Emily, your salmon
is cooked beautifully.

- Michael, yours is medium.
- Okay.

Especially
when you see that white

bursting out of the side--
identifies.

But both purées
taste of so much cream.

If it's a pea purée, then it
needs to taste of peas, peas and mint.

But you have to be careful
with that preserved lemon 'cause so powerful

it actually just creates
a bitter flavor.

Aarón: Yeah, Michael, Emily,
I appreciate the concept

without that
off-putting vinaigrette.

- That vinaigrette's a misfire.
- Okay, yeah.

Here's what happened
on the sauces.

Michael, this one is bitter

and almost kind of assaulting
on your palate.

Emily, yours is
perfectly integrated.

So, I'm sorry,
it's a fail on that aspect.

- Thank you both.
- Thank you, Chefs.

Derrick, Amanda, please
bring up your dishes, please.

Amanda and I did pretty well
considering the circumstances.

So I'm confident that our plates
are gonna look the same

and taste the same.

But we're about to find out.

Amanda, Derrick,
how accurate do you both feel

that you got
on these executions?

I feel pretty confident.

I feel really good.
All there.

Let's see how you did.

- Are they both--
- Yeah.

Good job.

Aarón:
Please describe your dish.

- Go ahead.
- Today we made for you a crispy skin duck

with a Moroccan style couscous,

with some Romanesco
and a blood orange gastrique.

So the issue for me is
it's the wrong color of sauce.

Gastrique is all wrong.
You would never put anything

of that color on a plate
with red meat.

It looks like
the duck is bleeding.

It just does not work.

So the issue for me is
it's the wrong color of sauce.

It looks like the duck
is bleeding.

Aarón: But you guys both did a
good job of making them very similar.

I think there is a lot of
commonality in the presentation.

Yeah, I just don't know if
it's the right protein with the couscous.

- Shall we?
- Yes.

Well, first off,
from a flavor standpoint

the duck is well-seasoned.

But, Amanda, your dish
has inconsistent cuts.

Yours has a really big,
kind of awkward cut right here.

Your couscous is seasoned,

and, Derrick,
yours has zero salt.

This sauce on both,
it tastes like cough syrup.

- Ooh.
- There's nothing interesting behind it.

It's that disappointing.

The minute you start cooking
that Israeli couscous in water,

it's game over,
because it's something

that should be cooked
and stewed in stock.

The problem with this dish
is not the invitation,

it's the conceptualization
of the dish.

There's nothing that would
interest me to eat this.

Now, both of you got
some great color on the duck,

but when we have a delicate
protein like a duck,

that's sliced at
the very last moment,

because the goodness stays
in the duck when we slice it,

not on the board.

When you slice duck like that,
it becomes quite bland,

so that's a bit
of a rookie mistake.

It's like
a put together in a rush dish

as opposed to a Michelin starred
restaurant quality dish.

- Thank you both.
- Yep.

I was feeling
really confident,

but right now
I'm kind of regretting

letting Amanda take the lead
on this dish.

It just didn't go well.

Two people are going home,
and for me right now,

that could be a big problem.

Bloody hell.

Right, Joe, Aarón, and myself
need a very serious moment.

Excuse us.

Oh, man.

Two of them
are going home tonight,

so this is a tough one.

For me, there's a top half
and a bottom half.

- Yeah, I agree.
- Derrick and Amanda,

that couscous did not work.

The duck was cooked right,
but it wasn't interesting to me.

The sauce tastes
like cough syrup.

Shanika and Dara's dish,
it had some problems.

- Yeah.
- The shiitakes were a big mistake,

- but the trout was cooked properly.
- Yeah.

- Mm. Head up, girl.
- What's worse?

Um, oh, goodness me.

There were some really big
issues, not only with the duplication,

- but just flavors that were skewed and off.
- Yeah.

- I hate this part.
- I know.

- All right. We agreed?
- We're good. Yeah.

Unfortunately, for one of you teams
tonight, it's your last time cooking

in the "MasterChef:
Back to Win" season,

because tonight both members
of that team will be eliminated.

But first, we feel there are
two teams who are definitely safe

from elimination this evening.

Christian and Willie,
congratulations on having

the best dish of the night,
both of you.

- Thank you.
- Top six.

Head up to the balcony.
Well done.

- Yes! - We won, and
I'm sure a lot of people

thought that we were
not gonna work well together.

So it feels good
to prove people wrong,

especially Emily.

Next time you wanna get

Christian out the kitchen,
go do your homework.

Great job.
Well done, both of you.

Emily and Michael,
not the best performance,

but good enough to be safe
from elimination tonight.

Congratulations to you both.
Top six. Head up.

- Well done.
- Let's go. Thank you, Chefs.

Shanika, Dara,
Derrick and Amanda,

both teams' dishes
were somewhat lacklust.

But we did come to a consensus,

and feel that one team's
execution was underwhelming.

The team leaving
the competition tonight...

I'm sad to say...

is Derrick and Amanda.

Shanika and Dara,
make your way upstairs.

I love you so much.

It's okay.

Derrick and Amanda,
the dish wasn't an idea

that came out of the pantry
with confidence.

Some real basic mistakes.

Tonight you were taken down
by the wrong dish.

Um, yes, it is.

I put them together.

Amanda, we've come
to absolutely admire

your composure
in this competition.

You need to continue climbing
that culinary ladder.

- You're good enough.
- Thank you.

Derrick, I know how much
this competition means to you,

I know how strong
and determined you've been.

You know I got a lot of ideas
and so much more to show.

Promise me you'll continue.

Good. Come and say good-bye.

- Oh, Amanda, I'm gonna miss you.
- I'm gonna miss you, too.

I'm gonna miss you so much.

So, my journey in
the MasterChef kitchen is over

too soon once again.

But I'm really proud of myself.

I came back to prove
that I can absolutely bake.

To come in
"Back to Win" with a cake,

it's a very courageous move.

I cooked with integrity
and love.

I stayed true to my culture,
to my roots.

- It looks absolutely gorgeous.
- Yay.

Aarón: I'm just blown away.
It just makes you wanna smile.

I picked this dish
for my daughter Hannah.

The one issue I have is
that Hannah's not here to taste it.

- Continue your path.
- Good luck.

- Thank you so much.
- Sometimes you set a goal, you don't reach it.

You just have to find
an alternative path,

and that's what
I hope to teach Hannah.

Oh, man.

It was not the way
this was supposed to go.

Don't you dare give up.

I was here to get that trophy,

but the challenge beat us.

I'm not gonna get a chance
to come back and do this again.

This is just the end
of the road.

When I walked in to
the MasterChef kitchen this season,

I had a lot of new techniques
that I've learned

and mastered over the years.

Beautiful. Look at that.

I think I showed the judges
I'm more comfortable

taking risks
because I can back them up.

The lobster
is cooked beautifully.

Rock on, man.

But, look, I'm disappointed

'cause I had
so much more to show.

That's the hard part.

Season six, I made it
all the way to the finale,

and I really wanted to come
back to win "MasterChef."

- See you later,
Derrick! - Willie: Love y'all.

- Bye.
- And even though it's leaving

in a different way
than I imagined,

it's not the end,
and I'm not going to give up.

Next time,
it's restaurant takeover...

You have to run
the world famous Spago.

...with a MasterChef legend.

Wolfgang Puck!

You're going to put the
reputation of Spago on the line.

Feeling the pressure.

But with the semifinals
up for grabs...

- Where's the duck?
- Getting that skin crispy.

...the top six face a challenge
of epic proportions.

- Somebody help her!
- Just put it down.

- Come on, Emily.
- Get your [ bleep ] together!

Willie, I need to know
what you're doing.

- Willie, please!
- It's [ bleep ] freezing!

This is much harder
than you could ever imagine.

- Stop plating [ bleep ].
- Yes, Chef.

- This is not right, it's on you.
- Shut it.

It's [ bleep ] raw.

What are you trying to do,
close down Spago?