Original subtitles

So far 15 home cooks...

Francis, Ahran, Christine.

...have left the kitchen.

I'm sorry, your journey ends tonight.

And last week, Daniel became the latest...

Never lose that attitude.

...to see his MasterChef dream disapear.

Tonight, emotional words from home...

Who's the letter from?

It's from my mom.

...brings the home cooks together...

Switch!

...for a frenetic tag team challenge...

Get your pot stickers on the pan.

...which has the home cooks on the run.

- Push it! - Let's do this!

Go, go, go!

Who will win the race?

Set your partner up for success.

Way to go!

And who will fall short

of the finish line?

It's breaking on me.

Man, come on, Willie! Go!

Find out right now...

- Get them on the tray! - Three...

...on MasterChef.

- Two. - Lids on!

One.

Is she okay?

You walk into the kitchen,

and it feels bigger

because there's less people in it.

Welcome, guys. Come on down.

Walking into the MasterChef kitchen today...

It's a bittersweet moment.

Honestly, I'm missing all my family.

However, I'm excited, because I'm still here,

and that even gives me a chance to even become better.

Welcome back, everyone.

There are just seven of you left in this competition.

You beat out thousands of other home cooks

to get into the kitchen,

and you are still here standing.

That journey continues now

with your next mystery box challenge.

Before we find out what's under your mystery boxes,

we have a small surprise in store.

In each of your drawers,

you will find something to remind you

why you are here.

Open up your drawers

at your station.

Oh.

I open the drawer, and I see a letter

from my husband, Ross.

"Hi, sweetie. I've been thinking about you.

A lot. No, a ton."

This letter's from my mom.

She is the reason why I'm here.

"Courtney, I am so, so proud of you

and not one bit surprised.

Your never-give-up attitude

has worked for you in everything you have done,

and your grateful and thoughtful heart

to go along with that is such a blessing."

"Cutter, this is a big challenge,

but I know you will see this through to the end.

Take this time to live with a calm spirit,

because at this point, you're already a winner.

can't wait for a big ol' bear hug.

Dad."

"We miss your food in the morning

and your complaining at night,

but we are not ready for you to come home.

We know you can win.

It is your turn to shine,

so shine like a diamond... the diamond you are."

"I am so proud of you.

remember what I've always told you...

Your attitude determines your altitude.

Love, grandma."

This is my boost that I needed to win this competition.

With home on your mind and in your hearts,

it's time to find out

what is under your mystery boxes.

Are you ready?

- Yes, chef. - Yes, sir.

One...

Two...

Three, Lift.

Whoa!

Nothing says "home" in this country

like the humble apple.

The first thing

that pops into my mind is apple pie.

It's the most american thing.

And it's, like, the best food ever.

Maybe not apple pie. Apple crisp.

Or maybe not apple crisp. Maybe a apple tart.

I make a mean-ass cinnamon apple cookie.

You'll each have 60 minutes to make us a stunning apple dish

using those apples and whatever other ingredients

you want from a limited pantry.

Show us your journey.

Prove how far you've come in this competition tonight.

The only thing you can't do is...

Dessert.

That's right.

You cannot make us a dessert.

I'm like, "What?

No dessert?

Damn."

Now, everybody ready?

Yes, chef.

Your 60 minutes starts...

Now.

My passion is in baking,

so when they tell us to do a savory dish,

I don't know what to do.

I need to channel my grandma.

That's all I can do at this point.

I know exactly what I want to do.

So I go and grab the philips air fryer.

I've used it back at home,

and I know that it's gonna cook my dish perfectly,

and I know that it's gonna keep it

exactly the way I want it

without using a lot of oil

and without losing a lot of moisture.

Apples.

Now, they were excited for a split second

thinking they were gonna go down that dessert route.

- Oh, dessert would be too easy. - Too easy.

At this point, seven left, we can expect

high-level restaurant dishes with apples today.

A mystery box is always based on creativity.

It's your time to shine.

And now, with apples as a savory dish,

we should see that.

Apples, apples, apples.

Everything is turning up apples.

When I got those letters,

it really took me back home.

My passion for food comes from my grandmother.

His mama got her skills from me.

At sundays we have big family meal.

We cook. We share stories.

And that's just something that is rewarding.

Today I'm going to make a pork tenderloin.

And I'm gonna make a stuffing-stuffed mushroom.

My grandma only eats pork chops.

So this is the Loretta special.

It's game time, man.

I mean, it's only seven of us left.

My dad and my mom sent me a letter,

and it's influencing because me and my dad duck hunt

and bird hunt, so I'm gonna do

a wild rice and apple-stuffed squab

with a butter and apple cider vinegar reduction

with some sugared apple crisp chips

in the philips air fryer.

I'm used to being away, but I like...

You know, I kind of... I miss the comforts of home.

Right, Courtney.

How you feeling?

I'm feeling really good.

How homesick are you?

I've never felt homesickness

Until I've been here.

What's the one thing you miss most?

Being with my family.

Seeing my little brother. He's six years old.

Wow, and you haven't seen him for a while?

I haven't seen him in almost a year.

You must be a big influence in his life.

I want to share this with him so much.

This is a huge event,

and this is the chance for me

to kind of change my life.

What's the dish?

I'm making a apple,

prosciutto, and cheese-stuffed pork tenderloin

crusted in the peel of the Granny Smith apple.

Why the peel?

I wanted to be able to use the whole apple.

Good luck.

Thank you, chef.

Hello, Elizabeth. What are you making?

I'm making savory apple, pork, and cheddar hand pies

in a flaky sage pie crust.

I've never seen a hand pie on a menu.

- Do you serve hand pies in your restaurants? - I do not, no.

So you're going into uncharted waters.

Yes.

So you only use Granny Smith

across the whole dish?

- I just use Granny Smith. - How come?

Honestly, Granny Smith, to me,

they just hold up best in savory preparations.

Good luck.

Thank you, chef.

Leslie, what's the dish?

I'm making a stuffed pork tenderloin

with apples, cheese, wrapped in bacon.

What an amazing lady Paula sounds.

She is an amazing lady. That's why I married her.

Come on, what woman has seven kids,

let alone a dynamite husband like me?

You are right. You damn right. You is a dynamite.

Are you listening, Christian?

Yeah, I'm hearing him.

You want some apples?

No, thank you.

Oh, delish.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

- What I always eat for breakfast: Oatmeal. - Oatmeal.

Keeps me regular.

Leslie!

Keeps me regular, my brother.

Hey, mr. Viagra, 13 minutes to go.

That's all right.

As long as my meat's cooking, I'm happy.

That's what she said. Whoa.

- Christian. - Yes, sir.

So you got a letter from who? From your fiancee?

- From my fiancee, yes. - Does she miss you?

- Definitely, hands down. - Does she miss you or your cooking more?

She miss both, me and my cooking.

You cook for her every day?

- Yes, I do. - What are you making?

I'm gonna make a stuffed pork chop.

What'd you stuff in there?

Bread crumbs, celery, carrots, apples.

- Hands down, it looks legit. - Thank you.

What other apples are you using... Red Delicious?

Yeah, I'm gonna throw those with the vegetables

that I got over here... brussels sprouts, zucchini.

- Can't wait to taste that pork chop. - Thank you.

Looks great.

So a lot of great smells out there.

It smells and looks incredible.

I think we're really getting, like, a taste of home.

I mean, certainly some of these cooks

were inspired by those letters.

Absolutely.

They're cooking dishes that remind them of home.

And we're gonna get some good food today.

Leslie, he is in the zone.

He has a delicious caramelized tenderloin of pork.

Wrapping it in some smoked bacon.

Nice.

Stuffing it with apples.

- He's on it, big-time. - Yeah.

Christian's stuffed pork chop looks awesome.

Elizabeth's sounds like a appetizer.

She has, like, some sauces that are really good flavors.

I just... I think hand pie might not be a great strategy.

What about Courtney?

Nice taste and sort of... quite intriguing.

But she's got that acidity right

between the sweetness and the sourness of the apples.

One minute remaining.

Come on, cook.

Let's go, guys.

We want to see beautiful plates.

Remember, there is a huge advantage

for tonight's mystery box winner.

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

and stop.

Hands in the air.

MasterChef season four winner

Luca manfe's cookbook, My Italian kitchen,

brings you his very best family recipes

with the warm, rustic flavors of Italy.

Order today at fox.com

Or wherever books are sold.

Let's go, guys.

We want to see beautiful plates.

Five, four, three, two, one.

and stop.

Hands in the air.

Throughout the mystery box challenge,

the judges taste elements of all the home cooks' dishes

as they come together.

They now take one last look

to choose the top three standouts.

And the winner of this challenge

will receive a major advantage in the next round.

The first dish smartly used the apples with the pork.

The plate looks beautiful.

Please step forward...

Christian.

Tsh, word.

Christian's dish looks like a really big piece of meat.

I'm curious if it's cooked all the way through.

Wow.

Describe the dish, please.

This is a stuffed pork chop.

In the stuffing, there's celery, carrots,

onions, diced apples.

On the bottom, you have seared zucchini,

brussels sprouts, bacon, and also red apples.

Visually, it looks stunning.

Thank you.

My concern is,

when you cook a double pork chop, it's hard enough.

Yes.

Stuffing it, ten times harder.

Are you confident that it's cooked in the middle?

I'm confident that it's cooked in the middle.

Wow, yeah.

That looks moist.

You've nailed it.

What did you season the pork with inside?

A little cinnamon, salt and pepper,

and a little cajun seasoning.

Why cajun?

Bringing it back to New Orleans.

That pork's delicious. Cooked it beautifully.

Thank you.

Well done.

Now, apple.

Got some in the little saute here.

Also a apple filling on top as well.

I mean, this look like a restaurant dish,

and it shows the arc of your journey,

where you're at now.

I'm excited to see what else you can bring.

- Thank you, chef. - Good job.

Double cut pork chop perfectly cooked

is not easy to do.

I got to say, you consistently impress me.

Just the minute I'm ready to write you off,

You come back with a dish like this.

- Formidable. - Thank you.

The second dish that we'd like to examine further

really incorporated the apple in a smart way.

They also used the pork.

Please step forward...

Leslie.

Leslie is really putting out some amazing dishes.

He's really somebody to look at

as far as winning the whole competition.

All right, Leslie, tell me what we have.

A stuffed pork tenderloin

with honeycrisp apples, gruyere cheese,

wrapped in bacon,

and a side of apple mashed potatoes.

That's perfectly seasoned. Great balance.

Sweet, sour, saltiness from the bacon.

What's the mash underneath?

That's fingerling potatoes.

Run 'em through a ricer with some apple in it.

So it's like an apple-potato mash.

Yes, it's an apple-potato mash.

Then you got apple going through the pork.

Yes.

I think it shows a lot of technique and your journey

and everything that you've been learning so far.

- Thank you very much. - It's been fun to see.

- Leslie. - Yes.

Who would have thought one little letter like that

from your dear lady, that would put a spark up your ass?

Yeah, she can usually light my fire.

Listen, at the beginning of this competition,

you were like the appendix.

Everybody wanted you out.

Continue cooking dishes like this,

and it'll be hard to put you down.

Well done.

- Thank you, chef. - Thank you.

The third dish that we want to take a closer look at...

this dish had bold flavors.

A lot of technique shined in this dish.

It was quite aesthetically beautiful as well.

Please step forward...

Courtney.

Yes.

If Courtney wins this mystery box challenge,

I'm going to stab kittens,

because I can't take it anymore.

Explain your dish to me.

It is a pork tenderloin stuffed with apple, pancetta,

and swiss chard

with pink lady apple jus sauce at the bottom

and then sliced raw apple and celeriac salad on the side.

So you used apple in, like...

In every component.

Like, every... like, six, seven ways?

Yep.

Wow.

This is a smart dish, because you used

not just the sweetness of the apple

but also the acidity.

Thank you.

Every time we raise the stakes, you double down.

Getting better and better.

Thank you.

What was the inspiration for this?

Something that you've cooked

for your mom or your little brother?

I just thought of back at home

and the apple orchards that are all around where I live

and the things we would find at the farmers' market.

Technique is there.

The cookery, the colors...

This is you at your best right now.

You're just getting better and better.

- Good job. - Thank you, chef.

Three amazing dishes.

As we know, only one can be the winner.

The person who is going to join us in the pantry...

and get a huge advantage

in the upcoming elimination challenge...

The home cook with the winning mystery box dish is...

Three amazing dishes.

The winning home cook...

The person who is going to join us in the pantry

and get a huge advantage

in the upcoming elimination challenge...

Is...

Courtney.

Congratulations.

Amazing technique, plating.

Great job.

Thank you, chef.

Congratulations. Let's go. Well done.

Courtney is now in control of the elimination test,

where at least one person will leave the competition.

Courtney, things are gonna work somewhat differently tonight.

You don't get to choose what everyone will have to cook,

but you alone will be making pivotal decisions

that could get your toughest competition sent home.

Ready to see what everyone's gonna be cooking

in tonight's elimination challenge?

Yes, chef.

Dim sum.

Small edible treasures bursting with flavor.

It's something that families love.

Comforting, delicious,

and very, very challenging to make.

You have har gow, which are shrimp dumplings

in a rice wrapper.

Shumai, shrimp and pork dumplings.

Steamed buns with delicious short rib inside them.

Cabbage roll with minced pork in it.

And pot stickers, dumplings filled with vegetables.

For your first advantage,

because you won the mystery box challenge,

you will not have to cook in tonight's elimination challenge.

Now, you know your competitors are gonna have to cook

all this dim sum.

Imagine how hard it would be

to do it with somebody that you don't work well with.

You see where we're going?

Oh, yeah.

The remaining six cooks out there tonight

are gonna have to replicate

all this delicious dim sum in pairs.

- Awesome. - And guess what.

The person picking those teams is...

Me.

I'm definitely nervous

about Courtney having the advantage in this challenge

because I think that she definitely has

her sights set on me

and will probably try to target me in some way.

Back in the pantry, Courtney did not get to choose

what kind of food all of you will be cooking.

We did that for her.

It's dim sum.

Every one of these dishes are so intricate

and so technical to make.

The fillings in each and every one of them

have to be flavorful and perfectly balanced.

Honestly, all of you,

it is nearly impossible to pull off alone.

But don't worry, because...

You'll be in teams of two.

And Courtney chose the teams.

I want to be on Christian's team

because he's also been known as his flavor profiles,

and I could see us really working well together.

Courtney, we want to know who you will be pairing

with Christian.

Christian is a very fast-paced and efficient cook,

so I'm going to partner him with somebody

that moves at a different pace....

Big Willie.

Oh, Big Willie,

Go join Christian.

How do you guys feel?

- I'm excited. - I'm good.

Wow.

Next team. Cutter.

Courtney, tell us what you're thinking.

I know that there's a lot of intricacy needed

for dim sum, and sometimes

Cutter has a difficult time with that.

so I want to put him with somebody

that might have to help him along the way.

I'm putting him with Elizabeth.

Hell yeah.

The last thing I want is to reveal

any sort of weakness to Courtney, so I'm just like,

"Yeah, of course I want to be with Cutter."

Like, "Fine."

Elizabeth, how are you feeling?

I feel great.

You know, Cutter and I don't agree on much,

but we do agree on one very important thing,

which is that we want Courtney to go away.

So we're gonna work very hard today.

And finally, the team that got picked by default,

Leslie and Jaimee.

My new friend.

Leslie, how are you feeling?

I'm feeling great.

She's got perfect fingers for making dim sum.

There is, however,

one more twist in tonight's challenge.

You may be working as a team,

but you won't be working together

at the same time.

Tonight's challenge is

the formidable tag team challenge.

One of you will cook first, and when we shout,

"Switch," you will trade positions instantly.

Now, before you head back to your stations,

I'd like all of you to come up and have a little taste

of these amazing dim sums.

We don't have any dim sum in Beaumont,

but I went to Hong Kong when I was in the navy.

I've never really made it,

but I've eaten them enough

that I can hopefully pull this off.

I've tried making dim sum,

but it's a lot easier to just go to the Chinese restaurant.

All of you please head back to your stations.

Every ingredient and every tool that you need

to create this incredible dim sum tray

has been placed on your stations behind you.

At least one of you is going home today.

Maybe an entire team.

Everyone ready?

Yes, chef.

Your 60 minutes starts...

Now.

Get the pressure cooker hot, okay?

Pork belly first or the short rib first?

Short rib first.

Season that meat with salt, pepper, garlic.

Don't put too much salt. You don't want it too salty.

A lot of these people have never even had dim sum.

Where do you even begin?

Move it. Let's go. Come on.

First of all, short ribs on.

Put them in the pan straightaway.

Get that good sear on every side.

After that, you got to blanch your cabbage.

The cabbage rolls are also very difficult,

because the cabbage is fibrous.

- Yeah. - It has to steam for a while.

The biggest thing you got to do is slice out

some of that rib so that it rolls easier.

The pot stickers, you know, we're cooking twice.

You're steaming, then frying them.

The shumai take ten minutes to steam, so they got to be in.

Got about one more minute

and we can start putting liquids in.

Okay, perfect.

Communication is key.

Got to work and talk at the same time.

The minute they're silent, they're in trouble.

Leslie, you have to tell me what you're doing.

Say what?

Let's go. You got...

Move that knife faster than that... let's go.

I'm just gonna put it all in one bowl for now.

No, no, no, I think we need to start separating the proteins

Right now.

Don't throw all of that, 'cause that's a lot.

I would use it all.

Trust me.

The vulnerable pair for me tonight...

Oh, my god.

Jaimee and Leslie,

it's like oil and water.

I have never felt so stressed out in my life.

30 seconds until we switch.

Come on, let's go.

Set your partner up for success.

Come on.

- Leslie. - Yes.

Worry about that later.

Just get those burners on. The burners are on.

- Well, then move on. - You guys should stop arguing and cook.

Oh, my god, I can't...

You spend more time yelling at each other

Than you do cooking.

Ten seconds till we switch.

What would you like me to do?

Finish doing the prep work.

Switch! Quickly.

Go. Go. Go.

Let's go. Come on.

What the hell happened over here?

Well, you got the vegetables right there.

Finish off the vegetable.

Oh, god.

I don't know what's going on here at all.

- You got pork in there. - Yeah.

Where's the vegetable dumpling?

He said it had to be pork in there too.

That makes no sense.

I could have sworn it was just vegetable.

Well, then we will do it however you want.

That's fine. Let's just...

Because you already screwed it anyway.

Stop pointing fingers.

Just cut.

Switch!

In this tag team challenge,

the home cooks are cooking an array of complex dim sum dishes

for the right to stay in the MasterChef kitchen.

I thought that that dumpling was just a vegetable dumpling.

I don't know what to do.

Jaimee's given up.

Thanks, Courtney.

This is a fine mess you've created.

Yeah, I know.

Let's just regroup

and figure out what we got to do.

But I could have sworn it was a vegetable dumpling.

One minute until the next switch.

What do you need me to do when I get in?

We just need to finish the vegetables,

and we need to go ahead and get the wok started.

Okay.

15 seconds until the next switch.

Push it, Christian!

You just threw the rest of the carrots out

that I need to finish the vegetables.

Well, then there's no carrots.

Switch! Quickly.

Go. Get in there. Go.

Let's go.

Come on. Come on, boy. Let's go.

So just keep cooking it.

- How's this going? - Pretty well.

I got to jump in,

finish the vegetable pot sticker filling,

and then I'm gonna jump over

and finish seasoning all our proteins.

Okay, and then you got that all set

for him to start filling in the next one?

- Yes. Yes. - Okay.

Working in advertising

helps me work really well under pressure,

so I'm not worried about this challenge.

Cutter, grab that napa cabbage and cut the butt off.

I feel like I'm the person that can bring it all together

in the end and get everything on the plate.

And then just leave the leaves whole.

Yeah. Perfect. Thank you. Throw that away.

Make sure you trim the stems.

- Let me just do what I do. - Okay. I won't talk.

Okay, thank you.

- You gonna make it? - No.

He just basically asked me to stop talking...

- Stop talking. - So he can do what he has to do.

But the whole point of this thing is,

you have to communicate.

I realize that.

In one minute, we're swapping again.

Let's go, Leslie. Come on.

My hands are going as fast as I can.

I'm looking good over here on these pot stickers.

They better look good.

I'm looking at one right now that's not sealed.

Pinch 'em together, man. Let's go.

Too much egg wash. You're doing too much egg wash.

Let's go!

What's that for, the pot stickers?

- Yes. - Don't steam 'em now.

- I don't want 'em steamed. - I'm not steaming 'em.

He's lost.

It's hard for me to work

in this environment.

What you doing now?

Come on, Willie.

I don't like to be yelled at.

And Christian's way of communicating is yelling.

What you doing?

I'm getting the pot ready.

Let's go, then.

Man, come on, Willie!

Ten seconds till we switch.

You hear that? Ten seconds, man. Let's go.

Okay, ten seconds, Cutter.

Get ready. Get ready.

- Ready? - No.

Switch, everybody!

Let's go.

- You okay? - Yeah.

- Huh? - My mouth is dry, like...

- I know. I know. I know. - I'm okay. I'm okay.

Look at me. Lips are white as anything.

I'm okay.

Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.

- You okay? - Yeah.

You just shut down there.

I just don't like a lot of yelling and stuff,

so I got to get used to that.

Sometimes you have to get your voice across.

- Don't let me down. - Okay.

- Come on. - Yes, chef.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

I'm feeling for big Willie

because he's really, really struggling.

I think this challenge is just

too far outside of his comfort zone.

Sorry about that, Christian.

It's all right. Come on, man.

So what did you just get done?

Okay, the pot stickers are ready to go.

- Okay. - Cabbage is ready for her to season.

- Okay. - All we've got left to do is press out the shrimp.

- The har gow? - The har gow. - Okay.

And then she needs to check her beef

whenever she gets a chance.

All right, so you've got a real plan, okay.

Two minutes till we switch.

Jaimee, that low burner's no good.

- Move that pot. - Move what one?

The pot, the back pot.

This one?

- Yes, that's a bigger burner. - Okay.

Look at the size of the burner.

Good lord.

All right, Leslie, what the hell is going on here?

Nothing. We're doing fine.

She's taking care of the pot stickers right now.

She's gonna do the dumplings.

Jaimee, make sure you don't put

too much of the stuffing in there.

- I can do those. - Okay.

Guys, less than ten seconds till we switch.

I'll just go ahead and start

getting the cabbage rolls filled.

Okay.

This is your party right here.

Switch! Now!

Done!

I got it.

It's okay. It's just really wet.

Come on, Willie. Roll, baby, roll.

You can use that for the cabbage as well, okay?

No? Okay.

There might be a little chance that Jaimee and Leslie

don't get any food on the plate.

They don't really communicate well.

Leslie's a one-man band.

Okay, okay, do the shumai.

- Okay. - Yeah, there you go.

Fill it up.

Look at Cutter's big, fat, sausage fingers.

And he's actually going a good job on those shumai.

I never thought...

There you go.

Willie, take two of those pot stickers,

put it on one side, and take the rest

and put it on the opposite side.

I got you.

Big Willie's kind of regained his composure.

He's back. We're looking good.

- We're looking good. - Good job, Willie.

We're not gonna get the steam buns.

Stop saying that.

When Gordon tells you to switch,

that will be your last switch.

Oh, my god. It's breaking on me.

Don't freak out. Just egg wash it.

Come on, Leslie. Get steaming.

Come on, finish those off for me.

Not coming out right, man.

They're not round.

Ten seconds till we switch.

Set your partner up for success.

- Do you want to go home, Willie? - Nope.

Show me you don't want to go home.

Three, two, one.

Switch! Let's go. Last one.

- Go, go, go, go! - Last switch. Let's go.

Let's do this, Jaimee.

Let's go, Elizabeth. Get the meat shredded.

Hey, Christian, are you happy with the cook on that braise?

- Hell, no. - Okay, well, put it back in.

- Get it back on the fire. - Put it back in.

Final push.

Come on, Jaimee, dig in.

Just get the meat in it. Just get the meat in it.

Get your pot stickers on the pan.

Get your pot stickers on the pan.

Let's go, guys. Two minutes left.

Nice, Jaimee. Keep up the good work.

Come on.

Come get these shumai right here.

Oh!

Come on, Christian. Come on.

Put it in the middle. Put it in the middle.

Come on, Jaimee, you got one minute left.

Get these buns!

Let's go. Jaimee, get them on the tray.

Let's go, girl. Let's do this!

Come on, put it on there. Put it on there.

- 30 seconds to go! - Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!

Is she okay?

I'm okay! I'm fine.

Lids on! Put the lids on!

Christian, these lids!

Get your lid on!

Lids on, Jaimee! Lids on!

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four...

Lids on!

Three, two, one, stop!

Hands in the air.

Whoo!

Let's do this, Jaimee.

- Let's go. - Get them on the tray!

Put 'em in there. Put 'em in there.

Put 'em in there.

Lids on, Jaimee! Lids on!

Christian, these lids!

Five, four...

Leave it alone, Elizabeth.

- These lids! - Lids on!

Three, two, one, stop!

Hands in the air.

Whoo!

Way to go!

Well done.

Good job, boy.

I'm gonna cry.

Tonight, six of you entered this challenge.

Soon there'll be one less home cook,

'cause after tonight, at least one of you

will be leaving this competition.

Let's start off with Jaimee and Leslie.

Let's go.

This is going to be so hard to watch,

because everything that happened with Leslie and Jaimee

over the past 60 minutes was a disaster.

Okay.

I saw and witnessed pandemonium.

What in the hell happened?

You know, at just times we broke down

and lost communication and started

screaming and yelling, you know?

And you can't do that.

Sorry.

Visually, they look good.

They look very good, despite the animosity.

I am frickin' amazed.

The actual rib's shredded beautifully.

Short rib's really delicious.

And the pot stickers...

Taste quite nice.

The tray could have been a near perfect tray

Had you two focused on each other.

Yes.

How long did you steam the cabbage rolls?

- I want to say a good ten minutes. - Yeah.

You think they're cooked all the way through?

I would like to think so.

Pray to god.

Good job on the cabbage.

Thank you.

I was expecting, with the kind of discord

that you guys had between you,

to have dim sum that was more reflective

of that animosity.

Instead, they seem to be very harmonious

in their aesthetic.

The flavor's good.

I'm pleasantly surprised.

Thank you.

Despite our roller coaster of differences,

we wound up pulling it together in the end.

So now, at this point, I'm just hoping

that Cutter, you know, with his big texas hands

and Willie with those little chubby fingers of his,

you know, can't roll dumplings.

Okay, next up, please, Christian and Big Willie.

Watching you guys... you've got finesse.

I've seen you make beautiful tiny little things.

You coaching kind of like a cheerleader.

I was getting inspired by watching you run.

And then this is what we get.

I just expected there to be

more finesse and touch, I guess, with these.

What do you see?

Psh, I burnt one of my pot stickers.

The dough on the har gow... too thick.

Steaming is a slow process.

It's a moist cooking method.

And it appears much easier than it actually is.

I mean, the temp that you cooked these,

they become like rubber balls.

Wow.

I mean, no sauce, no garnish.

Look at that. You guys are better than that.

It's just sad.

Who seasoned the cabbage?

- I did. - Mm-hmm.

Take a bite, please.

And then pass the other end to Big Willie.

What's the first thing that that needs?

- Seasoning. - Seasoning.

Disgusting.

Willie, flavor profile,

nowhere to be seen tonight.

Are you serious about winning this competition?

I am serious.

I think I've performed tremendously

as far as the roll, the tightness,

having big fingers and getting this stuff done.

Based on this performance,

you both don't deserve to be in this competition.

Elizabeth and Cutter.

This is, without question,

the worst thing I've brought to the judges

in the MasterChef kitchen, and I'm feeling terrible,

and I'm dreading him opening the boxes.

It looks horrendous.

Those buns?

That looks like a basket full of canned dog food.

It doesn't look appetizing.

Everything's oversized, clumsy,

and just badly thought-out.

Even the pot stickers.

Look, there's hardly any filling in there.

It's all greasy.

Who filled them?

I started filling 'em,

and she closed 'em up.

Lack of seasoning. Nothing in there.

And the pork and cabbage rolls...

The size of that.

Way too much cabbage.

And look.

I saw those. I knew they looked horrible.

- And I should never have put them in.- No.

I am so confused, because how can a pairing

that was great with the communication

produce something so bad?

I have no idea.

I didn't realize it was that bad.

What a shame.

This, quite frankly, is very disappointing.

I mean, look at this.

Courtney put you here to sink Elizabeth.

You could sink her with the size

of these cabbage rolls.

I don't even want to eat this.

Who did this meat like this?

I cooked it. She cut it.

Well, if you cooked it right,

she wouldn't need to cut it,

because you could spoon it apart.

I don't know what went wrong. I really don't.

It's very rare when we see a direct strike

in one of these advantages hit so hard, Elizabeth.

You are in a very, very vulnerable position right now.

Are you the next MasterChef?

We'll be coming to a city near you soon.

Go to fox.com and apply for season six now.

It's very rare when we see a direct strike

in one of these advantages hit so hard, Elizabeth.

You are in a very, very vulnerable position right now.

Going home in one of Courtney's craftily strategized plots

is the worst possible thing I could think of.

Not to mention we're so close to being top five.

Let's get one thing right.

Tonight was a very tough challenge.

You know damn well, at this stage of the competition,

it's never gonna be easy.

The winning team,

against all odds...

and despite their performance...

but the team that we felt put together

the best tray of dim sum...

Congratulations,

Leslie and Jaimee.

Go... go to the balcony.

Good job.

Thank you.

Elizabeth and Cutter.

Throughout the whole 60 minutes tonight,

you looked like you were

really owning this challenge.

However, the final results were so underwhelming.

The whole tray lacked finesse.

Christian and Willie.

Team spirit fragmented.

Coached by Christian.

Christian continued to make mistakes.

Big Willie in a tizz.

Courtney mentioned putting you two together

would screw both of you up.

One was ultrafast. One was ultraslow.

She was absolutely right.

The team safe from elimination tonight...

By a fraction of a hair...

Cutter and Elizabeth.

You are safe from elimination.

Join Courtney, Leslie, and Jaimee on the balcony.

Christian and Willie, please, both of you,

step round to the front.

Two of you on the losing team.

Both contributed heavily to the loss.

At least one of you

will be leaving this competition shortly.

It's a tough decision.

Here we got one vocal, ambitious,

rough-around-the-edges amateur cook

in Christian that gives it his all

against a passionate, kind-hearted gourmet

that has a flavor profile beyond belief.

This is very, very difficult.

The person leaving MasterChef tonight...

That person is...

Willie.

I'm sorry.

Your journey ends tonight

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Please say good night to Christian.

Give me a hug, dude.

No hard feelings.

Big Willie, every time you cooked,

you showed the love,

and you put that love on the plate.

Tonight was the first time that I didn't taste the love.

Willie, you got a heart as big as Texas.

and I think that you have a natural ability...

Sweet, savory, everything in between...

and you know that you belong in a kitchen.

Thank you.

Come say good-bye, bud.

- Be well. - Thank you.

Good job, bud.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you.

Turn around, big man.

All right, Big Willie.

Who's gonna win MasterChef?

I've always said this,

and I still believe in it.

And I think Christian is gonna take it home.

Wow.

Please put your apron on your bench.

Have a safe trip home. Good night, sir.

Love you, Big Willie.

You know what, America?

Yes, y'all are going to miss all of this.

Yes, it's not gonna be as bright in the kitchen.

But I was able to do some amazing things.

Big Willie.

Yeah!

Well done, big man.

I've always been passionate about food...

Ooh, that is good.

As far as eating it and cooking it.

That is amazing.

It's a party in my mouth, Willie.

Good job.

Thanks, chef.

But this experience

has really taken my passion for food to another level.

It's moist, pretty near perfect.

I think, more than anything,

you've put your heart and soul on the plate.

Yeah!

Aah!

You're exactly what we're looking for

here in the MasterChef kitchen.

Oh!

And, in the words of my fantabulous grandmother,

"Your attitude will always determine your altitude."

Next week...

I need you to look at me!

Tempers erupt...

You need to chill out.

Quit doing everything.

... as the home cooks take over

an iconic a-list restaurant.

We are about to get our asses handed to us.

Let's go.

Yes, chef.

I am terrified.

Whoa!

And the heat of the kitchen...

I hope you're joking.

... serves up MasterChef's

biggest-ever meltdown.

I know how to run a restaurant.

All you're doing is yelling at me.

- He won't listen to me. - You two. You two, come here.

- Shut up. - You two!

Come here!

Sync & corrections: Ajvngou www.addic7ed.com