Original subtitles

Announcer: After a nationwide search,

for the greatest home cooks in America...

( crowd chanting ) MasterChef! MasterChef!

Announcer: ...just 20 earned the right

to wear the coveted white apron.

( buzzing )

Some have risen to new culinary heights.

- Gordon: Red team! - ( group screams )

- Announcer: ...while others... - Nathan, don't freeze up on me now.

- Oh! - Oh, my God.

Announcer: ...buckled under the pressure.

- Oh ( bleep ). - Gordon: Rules are rules.

You have to leave the competition.

Bye.

Announcer: Now, just five remain--

- David... - Gordon: It's got that spiciness to it.

It's like, "Yes!" ( claps )

- ...Tanorria... - Christina: It's beautiful.

- You've arrived. - Thank you, Chef.

- ...Brandi... - Gordon: I just wish everybody could taste this,

because if they could they'd start sharpening their knives.

- ...Shaun... - This is MasterChef finale cooking.

- ...and Dan. - Christina: You gotta be proud of this dish.

- I'm not goin' anywhere. - ( clapping )

Announcer: Only one home cook can claim the title

of MasterChef.

Ooh.

Welcome back, guys.

Dan: I'm in the top five,

killin' it in the MasterChef kitchen.

- Gordon: Let's go. - I am just a surfer from North Carolina.

but now I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Only four people in my way

to get that quarter of a million dollars

and the MasterChef trophy--

tryin' to make my dream happen.

Now, throughout this competition,

you have worked with chefs,

that are the absolute top of their craft.

But we've saved a very special guest judge

for our final five.

This chef is a culinary all-star.

He's perfected his training

with some of the world's greatest restaurateurs.

He has since built and runs multiple restaurants across America.

Please welcome...

- Chef Richard Blais. - Shaun: Yeah!

What's up?

Welcome. Good to see you, my man.

Shaun: Yes!

Wow.

Shaun: Richard Blais is in the building.

Like, I am excited.

This is one of my favorite chefs on the planet.

He inspires me to be the best.

Now, your success has been phenomenal.

What's been the key to that?

Well, I mean, I think it's respecting tradition,

buy great ingredients, and then make it beautiful.

Is there a sense of authorship?

Now tonight, you need to make us

some incredible dishes

to make us all feel incredibly proud.

And make some other very important people

proud of you.

Please welcome those very important people.

( chuckles )

Shaun, your mum, Karen.

( sobs )

- Shaun: I love you. - Oh, my gosh, I love you too. Oh, my gosh.

Brandi, your son, Mikey.

Dan, it's your mother, Kim.

( laughing )

- Hey, Mama. - Hey, baby girl.

Gordon: Tanorria, your mother, Frankie.

- ( sobs ) - And David, your daughter, Liliana.

- Daddy. Daddy. - Gordon: Welcome, my darling.

Bless.

David: I've missed you.

Wow.

Shaun: I'm emotional, I'm overjoyed.

I came into this not just for me but for my mom.

I just hope I can bring it home and make her proud.

( whispering )

Having Mikey so young, you know,

I could've put life on hold,

but I wanted him to see me as a strong person

who goes after my dreams,

'cause I want him to be able to do that too.

Now, I hate to tear you apart,

but please, family members, up on the balcony

and grab a bird's-eye view.

Richard: Now let's get your heads back in the game.

Head to your stations.

Christina: It's now time

for your next Mystery Box challenge.

Gordon: One of the count of three,

very carefully lift those boxes.

One, two, three, lift.

Tanorria: Ooh!

Oh, mystery box inside a mystery box.

Christina: Now underneath your mystery boxes,

you each have a mini mystery box.

Those mini mystery boxes contain a very special

handpicked ingredient.

On my count, you'll all open

those mini mystery boxes.

In three, two, one.

Open.

( laughs )

Gordon: You all have a different single ingredient,

handpicked by the people who love you

and know you better than anyone.

Richard: Brandi, you have corn on the cob.

Shaun, you have Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Dan, you have blackberries.

David, you have cherries,

and Tanorria, you have peaches.

That is so exciting.

In Tennessee, we cook with peaches a lot.

There's so many things I can do with peaches.

Mama knows what's she's doin'.

She's givin' her baby girl an advantage.

Gordon: You'll have 60 minutes

to transform your single ingredient

into a stunning MasterChef-worthy dish.

Christina: Obviously, with one ingredient,

that staple pantry box is more vital than ever,

'cause that's all you're gonna get

to work with tonight.

The winner will receive a humongous advantage.

Now, you may have noticed

that the front station is a little empty.

Richard, it would be nice if you could show them

what you're capable of doing with one single ingredient.

- Yeah, I'd be happy to. Of course, yeah. - Thank you.

- Gordon: Are you all ready? - Cooks: Yes, Chef.

- Lili, are you ready? - Yes, Chef.

- Your 60 minutes starts... now. - ( ticks )

Corn, Mikey, corn.

- Happy, Richard? - Yes.

- Great. - Christina: What did you grab?

- I grabbed carrots. A lot of carrots. - I like that.

Top five, now all the family members came

with one stunning ingredient

so we know that that is so difficult

to make restaurant quality, MasterChef worthy.

Now we have Chef Richard Blais cooking

in the kitchen tonight.

He's gonna be a huge inspiration.

I'm really curious to see what he'll do with these carrots.

- Richard, how's it going? - Richard: Yes, Chef.

Pretty good, I have six different elements of carrots working.

Braised horse carrots,

yellow carrot and shallot soubise,

carrot top chimichurri,

pickled carrots, some charred carrots

and raw carrot top salad.

Trying to get a dish elevated with one ingredient,

that's hard to pull off, right?

It is. I mean, this is a challenging task.

This is the real deal right here.

- Liliana: Hi, Dada. - Hi, babe.

I'm feeling good, happy that my daughter's here.

I'm gonna make a cherry tart with essence of cherry,

and it's gonna have a cherry whipped cream.

The reason I came here was 'cause of my daughter.

She really said-- She thought I was MasterChef and she believed in me.

- So I want to win it for her. - ( taps )

- Right, Shaun. - Chef.

Why do you think Mum chose Parmesan cheese?

Shaun: She knows my obsession with Italy.

Karen, do you think it's more about ingredients or Italian women?

( laughing )

Ingredients, now.

Gordon: Tell me about the dish, what you're doing.

I'm gonna attempt an egg yolk ravioli,

with a homemade-fresh ricotta on the inside,

topped with a Parmesan-sage cream sauce.

Shaun, good luck.

- Tanorria. - Yes, Chef.

How is your dish coming along?

It's coming along really well.

I'm working on a grilled peach shortcake.

Peach and basil caramel sauce.

A vanilla whipped cream and a peach and basil salsa.

So I'm really comfortable with peaches

but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, bake a little bit.

- Tanorria, I can't wait to see what you come up with. - Thank you.

- Good luck. - Thank you, Chef.

Christina: Just over 15 minutes to go.

Gordon: All right, Dan, blackberries-- tough one to pull off.

- What are you doing? - Three blackberry turnovers

with blackberry whipped cream

and then a blackberry-mint salad.

You've cooked some brilliant dishes here.

Why do you think you haven't won

a Mystery Box challenge yet?

I don't know, I feel like since my mom is here cheering me on,

I'm gonna do a better job.

- All right, Dan. Good luck. - All right, thank you, Chef.

Whoo!

- All right, Miss Brandi. - Yes.

- Now what are you making? - I'm making a corn gnocchi

with a cream corn brown butter sauce

and a grilled corn salsa.

Is corn an easy ingredient for you to innovate?

Brandi: Absolutely not.

My kids love corn on the cob and that's the extent of it.

And I've got to elevate it

and make a MasterChef-worthy dish tonight.

- All right, Brandi. Good luck. - Thank you.

Five minutes to go.

Wow, exciting. I mean, really exciting, indeed.

Look at Richard.

Look at that. He's gonna smoke his dish of carrots.

So amazing.

- Daddy, 30 seconds remaining. - David: Thank you, babe.

Gordon: Your last mystery box.

And for one of you, an amazing advantage

for the best dish of the night.

Let's go.

Gordon, Christina, Liliana: Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

- And stop. Hands in the air. Well done. - Christina: Hands in the air.

- ( applauding ) - Whoo!

Richard, that looks incredible.

Please, bring that beauty up here.

Look at that.

Amazing. Wow.

Gordon: So what's under there?

All right, so we have a pot roast of horse carrots

with many textures of carrot.

- Carrots, how many ways? - Six.

So we have the braised horse carrots,

a yellow carrot soubise, charred purple carrots,

a carrot top salsa verde, pickled carrots

and a little raw carrot top salad.

Amazing. That looks great, right?

Chef Richard's dish is definitely inspirational.

It looks beautiful. The carrots in there are just gorgeous.

He used them six ways in one dish.

That's insane.

Wow. That smoke as well just lifts it.

So complex, even though the ingredient is so simple.

Gordon: Let's see if anyone came close to the bar

that Richard set tonight.

Announcer: Throughout the Mystery Box challenge,

the judges taste elements of all the home cooks' dishes as they come together.

- Think those yolks are still in there? - Shaun: I know they are.

Announcer: They now take one final look

to choose the top three standouts

and the winner of this challenge

will receive a major advantage in the next round.

All right, so the first dish we want to look at even closer.

I suspect a very special lady

must have given him the extra edge

to come out of his comfort zone.

Please, step forward...

All right, so the first dish we want to look at even closer.

Please, step forward...

- Dan. - ( cooks applauding )

- Gordon: Let's go. - Dan: I'm pumped right now.

I'm definitely makin' my mom proud,

I'm makin' my friends proud.

I'm makin' my fraternity brothers proud--

I'm makin' all of North Carolina proud right now.

You know? I'm a happy guy.

Describe the dish, please, Dan.

I have a blackberry and mint turnover

with a blackberry-mint fresh salad,

blackberry gastrique, topped off with a blackberry - vanilla whipped cream.

Visually, it looks good.

Love the color on that pastry.

What did you brush on the top, what's the glaze?

Uh, that was an egg wash made of one egg

and a little bit of heavy cream.

What did you marinate the blackberries in?

Lemon juice and sugar.

The pastry is delicious. You know, it's crisp,

it's buttery. Cream, delicious.

I think you've done the blackberries proud.

I think you've done your mother proud.

- How's that look from up there? - Yummy.

Yeah. I mean, the boy's done good.

- Great job. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

Visually, it looks like you have

a really nice seal on the turnover.

A good ratio of filling to the bread.

Again, it's really nice and brown.

This is quite delicious. I love the dough.

The texture serves you well,

because you so many things on top of it.

The berries, and the blackberry cream taste delicious.

I don't wanna stop eating.

- Good job. - Thank you, Chef.

- Shaun: Good job, Dan. - ( cooks applauding )

The second dish we want to examine further tonight

is a pretty impressive display

of many culinary techniques.

Step forward, Tanorria.

( applauding )

Yes!

This is my opportunity to win my second mystery box

and my mom is watching from the balcony.

That is like icing on the cake.

All right, Miss Tanorria. What did you make?

Tanorria: Today, I made for you a grilled peach shortcake,

with a peach caramel sauce,

a vanilla bean whipped cream,

and peach basil salsa.

That caramel sauce looks pretty darn delicious.

- Is there peach purée in it as well? - Yes.

I made the peach basil sauce

and then I folded that into the caramel sauce.

The sort of brightness and acidity

from the fresh peaches and the basil

really help compliment that caramel sauce.

The biscuit was nice and buttery, they're flaky.

I think the whipped cream was smart.

Really nice effort. And I'm glad

your mom, Frankie, chose peaches for you,

'cause I feel like we get even more personality

- from you out of this dish. - Absolutely. Thank you.

Tanorria, I love the fact that you're grilling the peaches tonight,

that's quite ambitious.

And what did you marinate the peaches in?

Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and basil.

Mm.

Delicious. Really delicious.

Shortcake needs a touch more cooking,

a bit more color on there.

Cream, delicious. Love what you've done with the peaches.

- Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

Thank you.

- David: Good job, Tanorria. - ( applauding )

Good job.

So the third dish that we wanna take a closer look at...

it's an elevated, stunning, MasterChef-worthy dish.

I believe he's become the king of plating in this competition.

Please step forward...

Shaun.

- Whew. - ( cooks applauding )

Shaun: I'm on cloud nine right now.

The first time I ever made homemade ricotta

was from a recipe from Richard Blais's book.

And right now, on Chef Blais's first night with us,

I'm gonna impress him with this one.

All right, so Shaun, what is this dish?

Shaun: An egg yolk and fresh ricotta ravioli,

with a sage cream sauce, balsamic reduction,

crispy sage leaf, and a crispy parmesan chip.

What should it look like when I cut into that ravioli?

Well, it's gonna ooze 'cause of that egg yolk.

Richard: You guarantee that I'm gonna cut into this ravioli...

- I guarantee it. - ...and it's gonna ooze this egg, ricotta mixture?

I guarantee it.

- I guess we're gonna find out. - Yes, Chef.

Whew, big moment.

- Beautiful. - ( claps )

- Well, you're an honest man, huh? - Yes, Chef.

Let's see if the taste is as good as the texture.

I love the texture of the yolk

and then the silkiness of the pasta itself.

I'm not a big fan of, you know, the fried herbs,

except when it comes to sage.

- Awesome. - I think this is just an absolute lovely dish.

Thank you very much, Chef.

- Gordon: Shaun, why raviolis? - I love raviolis,

but I've never made an egg yolk ravioli.

How long do you poach them for?

Shaun: Just about 90 seconds.

I know with egg yolk raviolis,

you're just cooking the pasta dough.

Um, you're not cooking the internal.

Yeah. Um, Shaun, it's delicious.

The ricotta is adventurous. The egg yolk, sumptuous, rich.

- It doesn't need the vinegar. - Okay.

But here's the thing,

you're just getting stronger and stronger.

If you continue cooking like this, Shaun,

- it's gonna be tough to stop you. - Thank you, Chef.

- ( applauding ) - Shaun: Whoo!

Gordon: Well done, Dan, Tanorria, Shaun.

The three of you really showed us

that you belong in the top five.

Richard: The person who made the best dish tonight,

the home cook who's going to get a huge advantage...

Congratulations...

The person who made the best dish tonight,

and the home cook who's going to get a huge advantage.

That person is...

- Shaun. - ( grunts ) Yes! Yes!

Third time's a charm. I won three mystery boxes.

Not only did I impress the judges,

including one of my culinary idols, Chef Richard Blais,

my mom got to see what I am actually made of.

Karen, you must be beaming with joy.

- I am. - Gordon: Well done.

Uh, right, we have to say goodbye

to our very special VIP guests this evening. It's been an honor.

Please come downstairs and say goodbye.

Having Mikey in the kitchen with me

gave me extra motivation

to push myself through to the finale.

Not just for me, but for my kids.

- Bye. - Bye, gorgeous. Amazing.

Shaun, head on up to the balcony.

My favorite spot in the kitchen.

Gordon: You are officially in the top four.

So Shaun is safe and sound up there on the balcony.

But the four of you

will have to cook in the next challenge

which is an elimination challenge.

That means one of you will be going home tonight.

Now, tonight, you're gonna show us what you can do

with the wealth of food at your fingertips.

Hmm.

The MasterChef pantry is packed with anything

that a chef could dream of working with.

Grab up to 20 ingredients to make anything you want.

Nice.

Richard: This competition is close to the finish line,

and I wanna see what you can do

with no constraints.

Christina: We're giving you full creative freedom tonight.

You guys need to think big.

Richard: You'll now have 60 minutes

to make us a MasterChef-worthy dish.

- Is everybody ready? - Cooks: Yes, Chef.

Your one hour...

- starts now. - ( ticks )

Gordon: 20 ingredients, not 21.

Oh, Lord. Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord.

David: To have my daughter see me lose the mystery box,

I'm really fired up.

So right now, I'm bringin' the heat.

We gotta make somethin' beautiful.

Shaun made ravioli in a previous challenge,

I just wanna show the judges that he's not the only one

that can make great handmade pasta.

- Dan: Anything we want? - This is an awesome opportunity right now.

- We can cook anything. - ( ticks )

I really wanna make an Asian-inspired dish.

There's no salmon? I need some fish.

So I just grab the first fish I see-- it's trout.

Not sure how I'm gonna make this work

but I'm gonna give it a shot.

- Gordon: David, you good? - I'm so good.

Gordon: 55 minutes remaining.

- Now, stop the clock. - ( ticks )

All of you, stop there.

Come on, we're never gonna make

an elimination challenge that easy.

- David: Oh, God. - Gordon: Come on, please.

Christina: Now, you each got to grab up to 20

of your dream ingredients,

but technically, we never said

who would be cooking with which basket.

( chuckles )

Tonight, you will each be cooking

with someone else's dream basket.

And those ingredients you just picked out

could soon be someone else's nightmare.

I'm distraught because my basket is so amazing.

It's not just gettin' a bad basket,

I'm mad that someone's gonna get mine.

And the decision of who will get which basket

is up to...

- Shaun. - ( chuckles )

- Oh. - Thank you.

- Right, Shaun, head on down, please. - Yes, Chef.

Gordon: Inspect every one of these baskets,

- then move them around. - I am pumped right now.

I am in complete control.

I get to throw everybody off their game.

This is my chance to fire some shots.

- Hi, Tanorria. - Hello, love.

What is in that basket, Tanorria?

I have some crab and shrimp

to make deconstructed jambalaya.

- Deconstructed jambalaya? Oh, my. Gettin' fancy. - Christina: Ooh.

There's some crab in there, there's shrimp in there.

- Who's got the skill? - Shaun: It's definitely gonna take some work.

I'm gonna give this one to Dan,

and see how he can finesse it.

Gordon: Right, Brandi, that basket looks exciting.

- What's in there? - A rack of lamb,

oranges, thyme, beef stock.

Wow. Beautiful basket.

This is kind of a tiny rack of lamb.

I'm wondering how they're gonna handle that.

Shaun has picked up Brandi's basket.

Where's he going?

- Shaun: There you go, Tanorria. - Tanorria, rack of lamb.

Shaun: I think that she might overcook it.

Gordon: Wow. Okay.

David. What's up, Vegas?

Got some shrimp, crab, flour,

got some parm in here? Hmm.

- This one is actually a good basket. - Obviously.

( chuckles )

Shaun: He's got the high-end stuff in here.

I'm wonderin' how this person's

gonna work out of her comfort zone.

Here you go, Brandi.

Gordon: You're in control.

- Dan, Dan, Dan... - Dan, what's in there?

Kohlrabies, I got some rice, I got some ginger,

- and a lot of other surprises. - Gordon: Right.

Is this some packaged smoked trout, Dan?

( chuckles ) This your only protein?

- Yep. - Oh, you made my job easy.

This is a pretty weak basket,

there's not a lot in there.

This one's goin' to David.

- All right. - I'm trying to figure out

why you wouldn't give it to Brandi.

I know David gets easily frustrated.

My main goal today is to throw David off his game.

Get him so flustered

that he cannot come back from it.

( chuckles )

- Christina: Shaun, what's your thinking? - I wanna win Vegas first.

That's why I gave David the toughest basket.

You don't make a lotta sense, brother.

I'm just sayin' you don't make sense.

Dude, it's a competition.

You've been playing your strategies the whole time.

You're an idiot. You're a ( bleep ) idiot.

- Oh... - Shaun: Personal attacks, David?

You're gonna get mad like that?

- I am. - That's all right.

( chuckles )

Ooh...

Rattled some cages.

No, I mean this idiot doesn't even get a ( bleep ) protein

and I get this that he ( bleep ) up? No, it's bull ( bleep ).

- David, you okay? - Not at all.

- Come on. - He's like, "Oh, smoked trout and some Asian stuff."

It's just bull ( bleep ). It's a joke.

Wow. David-- tonight,

prove that you're good enough

to cook with whatever you've got in that basket.

- Right, Shaun, head up to the balcony. - Thank you, Chef.

Shaun: I think one of the reasons David is pissed off

is 'cause I beat him at his own game.

He's a poker player, he's a strategist.

And I just beat him with strategy.

I got him frustrated, so what's gonna happen

with this smoked trout is anybody's guess.

Right, so is everybody ready?

All: Yes, Chef.

Gordon: 55 minutes remaining, guys.

Your time starts now.

- Continue. - Christina: Clock starts again, guys.

Gordon: Come on, David. You can do this.

- ( groans ) - Gordon: It's a tough one tonight.

They're shopping in the pantry

and they're picking their best sought-after ingredients

and then bang, they had to swap baskets.

- That's devastating. - David: You're so lucky he didn't give you that basket.

Christina: This is top five of MasterChef.

And part of being in this kitchen

is being up against it.

We have thrown curve balls at them

- since they started cooking in this competition. - Gordon: Yep. Yes.

What I'm looking for tonight is to see them experimenting.

Start putting together ingredients

that they've never ever put together so far in this competition.

It's just not fair. All this time I spend away from my daughter

I have this happen to me.

What is going on with David?

I mean, he is upset.

Can't function with this.

Cooking angry is not a way

- to go into this challenge here. - Christina: No.

Richard: He's in his own head.

( sighs ) Forget it.

Richard: He's takin' his apron off.

Christina: David's walking out.

Gordon: David? David?

David?

David, stay here. Come here.

- David? - Wow.

- It worked. - Bye, David. Peace out.

That is not the attitude of America's next MasterChef.

Gordon: Wait, wait, wait, wait.

- David? David? - David: It's too late now.

( sighs ) Forget it.

Where's-- where's David?

Uh, David's walkin' off.

- Gordon: David? David? - Oh...

David, come here.

David?

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

- It worked. - David: It's fine.

- David. Come here. - It's too late now.

In six years of working on this competition,

nobody has ever quit.

And I've seen it all. I've never seen anyone get the shaft like this.

- This is ( bleep ) crazy. - Okay, listen to me.

Ahem.

You are there up against one, two, three individuals.

And you are good enough to do this.

I am not gonna let you walk out of this competition like that.

You are better than that.

I've got too much respect for you,

and what you've done, where you've come from in this competition

to see you walk through that door now.

I don't have egg, I don't have any crumb--

I've got nothing, man. No idea what to do.

Stop that. Yes, it's bad.

Yes, you're down.

But you can pull this back.

And if you think you've been on your ass before,

I've been there many times.

Forget everything else now.

There's definitely something you can salvage

out of those ingredients.

Come on, you are not gonna quit.

Okay? You can do this.

Gordon: Hey, are you with me? Come on.

I have no idea. I really don't.

Shaun: I want David gone.

He has no respect for anybody except himself.

Be here to compete with integrity,

or get the hell outta the kitchen.

I would approach this, I would just start fresh and cook from instinct.

( whispers ) Yeah.

Dan: David, man, the basket's not that bad.

And honestly, throwing a temper tantrum's

not gonna help anything, dude.

I'm like, 10 years younger than you, bro.

Get your ( bleep ) together.

Just imagine this is for Liliana and you

and you had to make something for your daughter for the weekend.

I'm gonna try to make a curry-style rice

with the baby kohlrabi greens.

And the flaked trout inside the rice.

- Look at me. Come on, don't give up. - Thank you, Chef.

Come on, let's go.

We are just under halfway, guys.

That's some paper-thin pasta, Brandi. Good job.

Thank you. Last roll.

- Miss Brandi. - Yes, Chef.

You are cooking with David's basket.

Are you confident with your dish tonight?

I would have been more confident with my basket, obviously.

But it's looking pretty good.

I've got my ravioli rolled out and filled.

That's my crab ricotta filling

and I'm making a crab Alfredo sauce for it.

So I'm really tryin' to highlight the crab in this dish.

Have you made ravioli before?

It's not something that I do all the time,

but my kids love Alfredo sauce

and my son loves the stuff.

- Brandi, good luck. - Thank you, Chef.

Mm. Oh, that's good.

- Tanorria? - Yes, Chef.

- Tell me about the dish. - I got Brandi's basket.

I'm going to do a crusted rack of lamb pesto,

with the celery root tops, some rainbow carrots,

and I'm getting ready to make a celery root purée.

- Looks beautiful. - Thank you, Chef.

- You got 18 minutes to go. Good luck. - Yes, Chef.

( sizzling )

All right, Dan. You're cooking with Tanorria's basket.

You've got crab, you've got shrimp, slab bacon.

Are these flavors that you're familiar with?

- I never really cook with shrimp. - Okay.

But I'm gonna go the jambalaya route--

try and make a deconstructed jambalaya.

You're gonna just take Tanorria's idea?

Uh, I don't wanna copy Tanorria exactly.

- This'll definitely be my own version of shrimp. - Okay.

Keep in mind, we want to see all of your culinary skills

and technique across this dish.

So push your mind a lot further

than I think you're probably pushing it right now.

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

( chuckles ) Oh, Dan...

Brandi: What's our time, Shaun?

Little over five minutes left, guys.

Now, what do you guys see out there?

Well, I mean, in Shaun's private world, he's targeted David.

Gordon: But this guy can cook. And he can bring it back.

- We haven't seen a pasta from Brandi yet. - Gordon: Yeah.

I'm curious how she will infuse her personality.

Gordon: Last minute, guys.

Shaun: Go guys, finish strong.

- What's at stake is a place in the top four. - Christina: Focus.

Tidy up, finesse.

Gordon: Last little touches. Come on.

- ( ticks ) - Judges: Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one...

Gordon: And stop.

- ( cooks applauding ) - Well done.

Right. First up, David.

Tanorria: David had a temper tantrum and lost precious time.

Getting upset is absolutely gonna hurt him.

You put your emotions on the plate.

And right now, David's emotions are ugly.

Let's get straight to the point.

You were dealt a dysfunctional card.

Then you turn your back on this competition.

All those challenges, all those competitions,

and endless hours in this kitchen,

to give it up 'cause he ( bleep ) you off.

How many times have you dealt dysfunctional cards and got rid of them?

- Millions. - You do it for a living!

So to watch that take place there,

David, I'm gonna be brutally honest--

depending on what you did to that plate,

this could be the last time you cook

inside the MasterChef kitchen.

Sounds like my fate is sealed.

Let's get straight to the point.

Depending on what you did to that plate,

this could be the last time you cook

inside the MasterChef kitchen.

Whew.

Sounds like my fate is sealed.

- Describe the dish. - I have a smoked trout in endive,

with bean sprouts, and curry sauce.

sautéed kohlrabi greens,

curried rice with blood orange segments and trout skin.

Gordon: Here's the thing-- it needs a bit more acidity.

Don't be scared of using that ginger in there.

I love what you've done with the greens.

Rice, seasoned delicious, cooked properly.

But I don't know what the dish is.

It's just a bad plate from a dysfunctional basket.

I'm glad you didn't leave this competition.

And whatever the result is,

cut the crap and get in the game.

Yes, Chef.

Hmm.

There's a lot of flavor in here.

Uh, the salt from the trout is helping season the dish.

It's a little mashed up, it's a little confusing.

You wasted some time with the sort of personal meltdown

that you had over there.

I'm a little shocked, to be honest, at first impression.

Especially seeing your daughter in here earlier

which was an incredibly touching moment for me--

I got goosebumps, I was crying.

With her watching, I really wanted to impress her.

And even though she was impressed,

I didn't feel like it was enough.

I wanted to be up here and her to be proud.

So with that happening and then coming into this,

it was just like I was beaten down.

You know what? Now we're gettin' to it.

That makes sense. Now you're bein' honest.

Listen, I think you got a challenging basket.

A sign of a great chef is taking that challenge

and running with it and creating some great delicious food.

But all in all, it tastes better than it looks.

Thank you, Chef.

( cooks applauding )

David does not deserve to be here.

He has not earned my respect.

And whether he leaves or not,

which it looks like he's on his way out the door,

I definitely accomplished my mission.

He's not gonna be the same after this.

Next up, Tanorria, please. Let's go.

( cooks applauding )

Tanorria: I hope I cooked the lamb the way it needs to be cooked.

There's only four of us left right now.

And the judges are paying attention

to the smallest details.

I cannot mess this up today.

- Tanorria, describe the dish, please. - I have for you

a celery root and parsley marinated lamb chop,

brown butter celery root purée,

some roasted carrots,

and a carrot and parsley salad.

Visually, it looks beautiful. Let's get that right.

You got the Rolls-Royce cut there.

It's got that finesse.

Yep, it's cooked beautifully.

- What's in that marinade? - I did some celery root tops,

parsley, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Listen, the dish is good. The lamb tastes delicious.

And the flavor is incredible.

Your purée is smooth.

Love what you did with the celery root top.

- Really strong. Thank you. - Thank you.

Lamb is delicious. That rub that you put on the chop is great.

I love the sweetness and the earthiness

from the carrots in the salad.

I get you on this dish for sure.

- Nice job. - Thank you.

- ( cooks applauding ) - Good job, Tanorria.

So the next home cook's dish we want to try... Brandi.

Brandi: I think I've made a really good dish,

but this is the MasterChef kitchen,

and these judges might not feel the way I feel.

So on the one hand I'm confident,

but on the other hand, I'm scared to death.

Brandi: I made a ravioli stuffed with crab,

ricotta, basil,

in the Alfredo I have the parmesan cheese and cream

and then on top I made a fresh salad.

Where is this inspiration coming from?

My ten-year-old son loves crab legs

so I wanted the crab to be the star.

I wanted pasta to take the back seat,

and you to really taste the filling.

Technically, the dough should be so thin

that you could read a newspaper through that dough.

Let me see if I can see that.

Look-- uh, I can see right through the newspaper.

You know what the headline is? "Great Pasta."

Yes.

The sauce is like Morgan Freeman's voice.

- Yay! - I mean, it is rich and decadent.

I just want a jar of that sauce to take back to my room.

- Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

Visually, the dish looks stunning.

- Is there cheese in that sauce? - There is.

There's also the seafood stock,

heavy cream, butter, salt and pepper.

Wow, such delicate flavors. Brandi, it's delicious.

It's the kind of dish that you want the second,

the third, the fourth mouthful.

- Bloody good job. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

- ( cooks applauding ) - Good job, Brandi.

Christina: Last up, Dan.

( cooks applauding )

Tanorria: Oh, my gosh. Dan's deconstructed jambalaya.

Gee, I wonder where he heard that from?

Yeah, from me. Come on, Dan.

All right, Dan.

- Now, you had the basket from Tanorria. - Dan: Yes.

Christina: What did you end up making tonight?

I did a deconstructed jambalaya,

with cilantro rice, jalapeño creamed corn,

a crab, bacon, pepper jambalaya,

and Creole-seasoned shrimp, with a gremolata.

And what do you like about jambalaya?

Um, honestly, Chef, I haven't really eaten it that many times.

Okay. Why make jambalaya,

if you don't have too strong of a connection?

Is it because you heard Tanorria just say it

when she was describing her basket

and it got locked in your head?

No, honestly, this dish

I created by following my palate.

- Huh. Tanorria? - Yes, Chef.

What do you think of Dan's interpretation

of the ingredients in your basket?

That's the direction I was going in.

Um...

my dish has a lot of similarities

to what she was going for.

Okay. Let's see how it tastes.

The shrimp is pretty nice--

not overcooked, not undercooked.

The creamed corn is fine.

But overall, the flavor's just kinda "eh."

I wanted more "Dan identity" on a plate.

You know, my big concern is that

to get into the top four,

it's just not good enough.

Overall, I wanted more "Dan identity" on a plate.

And my big concern is that

to get into the top four

it's just not good enough.

Shrimp tastes good, but rice is overcooked.

It's mush, it's bland.

And gremolata doesn't go with this dish.

It just doesn't make sense. And here's the thing.

I've seen you cook dishes with less time

better than that.

Now that's what disappoints me.

I'm so frustrated. I did everything I could with these ingredients

and it was definitely not my wheelhouse.

I put my own spin on it

and I'm just hopin' it doesn't send me home.

Christina: It's an extraordinarily tough challenge.

But tonight, there was one particular home cook

that we feel really grabbed the challenge.

Congratulations...

Brandi.

- That was a stunning dish. - ( applauding )

- Nice job. - Thank you, Chef.

Well, home cooks, this is an elimination challenge

and someone is going home.

David, Dan, please come down to the front.

Gordon: Gentlemen, one of you will enter into the top four,

the other one will see their dreams end tonight.

Dan, you are one talented young man.

Unfortunately, that basket got the better of you

and the dish ended up looking confused.

David, you've done brilliantly in this competition.

But tonight, your attitude got the better of you.

David, please step forward.

David,

you are not...

going home tonight. You're into the top four.

Get back to your station.

Hey man, good job.

( sighs )

Gordon: Dan, you've done well. Keep your head up high.

- How do you feel? - Chef, it's just an honor

to learn from the greatest.

I am so much better at cooking than when I arrived here.

- You would not believe it. - Gordon: Well done.

Thank you.

Come and say goodbye, please.

It's been an honor.

Pleasure to meet you.

- Get in here. - Christina.

- You keep that sunny disposition. - I will.

- It's infectious. - I will, I will.

Stand here. One, two, three, four.

You know them. All final four.

Dan, in your mind,

who's gonna become America's next MasterChef?

If I have to choose, I gotta say Brandi.

She's come so far and she's killin' it.

But, please, take your apron off

and put it on that bench.

- Thank you. Good luck. - Dan: Thank you, guys.

- Christina: Bye, Dan. - ( cooks applauding )

Dan: I know I'm supposed to feel sad right now...

See ya.

...but dude, this has been awesome.

- Whoo-hoo! - ( cheering )

I came in here as "Dan, the frat guy."

The best way to turn your lady on

- is to turn your stove on. - ( chuckles )

Then, I was "Dan, the testicle man."

- Didn't like that one. - Dan, how do you feel?

I just got balls, Chef. It's pretty self-explanatory.

And now, I'm "Dan, the chef."

I love the color, the impact was lovely.

- It's delicious. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

- Cream cheese crust. Yes. - Yes.

I learned so much

and I made it into the top five.

I'm like a totally different Dan.

And I'm just excited to go out in the world,

get a new girlfriend,

and cook her a three-Michelin-star dish.

It's gonna be awesome.

Announcer: Coming up...

the four best home cooks in America...

Red team, blue team. Our food critics are arriving.

Announcer: ...take on the season's most intimidating challenge.

- Holy ( bleep ). - They can fill your restaurant up for six years,

and they can shut your restaurant down in six months.

These critics are gonna tear us apart.

- Underseasoned. - Stringy.

- Sloppy. - No.

- This is crazy. - Announcer: And it all ends...

- Your reviews. - Announcer: ...with a bombshell

that changes the whole competition.

For the first time in MasterChef history...

- ( gasps ) - Oh, my God.

( exhales ) Whew, God.

I cannot believe I've made it all the way

to the top four in this competition.

My plates used to look like they came out

of a little country kitchen,

and now they look like they're coming out

of five-star restaurants.

- Gordon: Well done, guys. - Shaun: All right.

As a DJ, my food dream is to combine my two passions--

high-end dining and high-energy music

to give people the time of their lives in my restaurant.

Welcome back.

I thought I was going to retire at the bank

and now my dreams are right within reach.

- This is amazing. - Congratulations.

You have all made it to the top four

of the biggest cooking competition in the entire world.

I've been fortunate to have a very successful career in poker

so I'm not here for the $250,000.

I'm here for that MasterChef title.

Listen carefully. Tonight, we have

some very, very special guests joining us for dinner

inside the amazing MasterChef restaurant.

Guests that when they come to any of our restaurants,

they terrify us.

That's right, even me.

- ( chuckles ) - Tonight, you'll be cooking

for some of America's most powerful,

most intimidating, most influential...

- food critics. - Whew.

Whew.

Christina: Tonight's food critics,

they come from the heavy hitters.

"New York Magazine," "Wall Street Journal,"

"The Washington Post," "Vogue."

And if you thought we were tough on you...

- Whew. - ...our opinions will seem like a bedtime story

compared to how these critics will review your dishes.

Wow.

But, you won't be in it alone.

Because you'll be cooking in two teams of two.

Whew.

Brandi, because you won the last challenge,

you now get the crucial advantage

of picking your teammate.

Come and stand over here, please.

Brandi: I know that if my team loses, whoever I pick,

I'm probably going to be facing this person in the pressure test.

I could give myself an awesome advantage right now,

or I could stab myself in the foot with my choice.

I want someone that's strong,

I want someone who knows flavors, who knows plating.

I want someone who's gonna help me make a phenomenal dish.

- So I'm choosing Shaun. - Richard: Wow.

( whispers ) Yeah.

Please, step up and pick up your aprons.

Tanorria: I've seen David upset in this MasterChef kitchen

more times than I want to.

I can't let that happen tonight,

because if he loses his cool, one of us will go home.

Richard: Tonight, we will have

17 of America's most powerful food critics.

And in your teams of two, you'll have 90 minutes

to prep and cook a stunning, restaurant-quality entrée

for all of them.

Then each critic will write a brief review of each team's dish.

Seriously-- if they're all coming

into my restaurant this evening,

trust me, I'll be crapping myself.

Now, at your stations, you'll find

two identical boxes of ingredients

that we personally selected

for you to work with tonight.

- Are you all ready? - Let's do this.

'Cause your 90 minutes starts...

- now. - ( ticks )

Shaun: Let's go, let's go.

Whoo, let's see what's in this box.

Oh, wow. Look at this.

- Shaun: Aw, man. - We've got some beautiful proteins in here.

I see some duck, I see some lamb, I see some halibut.

- Brandi: This halibut looks really nice. - - Yeah, I like the halibut too.

- Is there something we can crust it in? - Hazelnuts.

I love duck.

Like, duck to me is like the "pork of the sky."

Yeah, that skin has got to be on point.

I'm likin' this purple cauliflower too.

Oh, that adds so much color.

There's the purple asparagus, cauliflower.

Yeah, let's do like a little study in purple.

This is my favorite, polenta.

- Let's do a polenta cake instead of that creamy mush. - We have to it elegant.

- That way we don't want a mush on a plate. - Yeah.

- A really nice... - Take a nice polenta cake.

- Okay. - Parsnip purée, cauliflower purée.

It's gonna be so bright on a plate.

- You ready? - Both: Red team.

Let's rock this thing. Whoo!

( ticks )

Gordon: Five minutes gone.

Start working out your timing

- and making sure the execution is perfect. - Let's do this.

Tanorria: You get that reduction started,

I'm gonna get started on the polenta.

Shaun: I'm gonna do both cauliflower at the same time.

Brandi: Good, good, good. That'll save time.

Wow, the most daunting challenge.

Every table in there tonight is a critic.

You know, we always say in the restaurant,

- "Treat every plate like it's a food critic." - Yeah.

Tonight, that's literally the case.

Can you imagine food critics loving this dish?

David: That's it, that means we made it.

They can fill your restaurant up for six years,

and they can shut your restaurant down in six months.

Gordon: Both boxes have the identical ingredients.

But there's two proteins there

that I would give my right arm to cook.

- Those look nice. - Yes, they do.

- The lamb and the duck. - Uh-uh.

- Seriously? No. - Hmm-mm.

- I'm coatin' the fish in hazelnut right now. - Sounds good.

I wouldn't go anywhere near that halibut.

- The most unforgiving fish anywhere in the sea. - Beautiful.

Christina: I know what a risk halibut is,

but I think a beautifully done halibut will speak volumes.

Richard, what would you choose? What would you go for?

Yeah, listen, I think I would grab

quite honestly the rack of lamb.

The duck is challenging because a lot of young

- or novice cooks, they undercook duck. - Gordon, Christina: Yeah.

Tanorria: David, how's the duck looking?

Yeah, I gotta regulate this temperature.

Make sure you get that duck skin so incredibly crispy.

Low and slow, baby, low and slow.

- ( ticks ) - Gordon: 35 minutes gone.

55 minutes remaining, guys.

Let's go.

- Brandi, I think I'm good on this. - Yep, that's good.

I'm killing my time on these cranberries.

All right, cauliflower is in.

This polenta cooking liquid has got to come to a boil.

David: Sounds like you're movin' fast.

Almost done with these Brussels sprouts.

Whoo. I'm about to start on my purple purée.

- Duck is renderin' nicely. - Gordon: Red team, blue team.

Whatever you do, don't look up on the balcony.

Our food critics are now arriving.

Wow, wow, wow!

Gordon: Jeffrey Steingarten from "Vogue."

- Holy ( bleep ). - Beth Kracklauer from "The Wall Street Journal."

Eddie Lin from "The Los Angeles Times."

Insanity.

These food critics are spread out across the whole balcony.

Focus, Tanorria. Don't let it get you out of your zone, though.

Crap. This is a big deal.

Adam Platt from "New York Magazine."

Larry Olmsted from "USA Today" and "Forbes."

Stephanie Gordon from "The Huffington Post."

Lesley Suter from "LA Magazine."

Tim Carman from "The Washington Post."

Bethany Jean Clement from "The Seattle Times."

These critics are stone-cold killers.

That is any restaurateur's nightmare up there.

Whoo. I feel the eyes watchin'.

Brandi: I can just feel their death stares glaring at me,

watching every single move I make

and waiting for me to make a mistake.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's an absolute honor

and a pleasure to have such esteemed critics here with us today.

Would you kindly all make your way

through to the MasterChef restaurant, please?

Your table awaits you. Thank you.

( giggles ) I hate this.

- Richard: Wow. - Gordon: I mean, come on, seriously. Hey, listen.

If one's bad enough, 17?

There is a bit of good news to this this evening--

every other restaurant in the country

have got nothing else to worry about,

except the MasterChef restaurant.

I'm really excited about this home cooking.

People have written for years

about how the home cooking is dead.

And now we see MasterChef kind of reviving it.

I've reviewed all types of restaurants--

Fine dining, casual, hole-in-the-wall spots.

But this is MasterChef

On top of that, we're down to the final four.

So the food better be four times as good.

- ( ticks ) - 35 minutes to go, guys.

Ramp it up now. Start speeding up, guys, please.

- Right, Brandi. - Yes, Chef.

- Our critics are in the dining room. - Yes.

They are waiting for magic to happen.

- Confident? - They're gonna get magic tonight.

- They're gonna get magic? - Yes, I'm super confident.

Right, Shaun. Tell me about the dish.

Hazelnut-crusted halibut.

- Gordon: Halibut? - Yeah.

Why? Lamb, duck... why halibut?

If we get halibut right, it's gonna be beautiful

and these guys are gonna go crazy for it.

Okay, fine. But it's a tough fish to pull off.

We're not gonna get it wrong, Chef.

Talk me through the rest of the dish.

We're gonna do a Meyer lemon beurre blanc.

We're gonna do a play on purple

with some purple microgreens, some purple asparagus.

- A play on purple? - It's gonna be delicious.

And we got a purple purée coming out too.

It's a restaurant full of critics, not a kindergarten.

- Absolutely, and it's gonna be... - - Brandi: You're gonna love it.

- No play on purple. - It's gonna be beautiful.

You tell us to take risks and this is a risk.

- If we can nail it, then... - Yeah, but not right now.

When? When, then? If I don't take risks right now,

- when am I gonna do it? - Young lady, are you crazy?

Oh, I'm a little crazy. This competition's

- made me a little crazy. - You are, aren't you?

Yeah. I'm gonna bring it.

- You know, you all tell us to take risks. - Yeah, get him, Brandi.

If there's one night to just keep it safe

and delicious and simple,

- it would be tonight. - Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

These critics are gonna know my name

when they leave here tonight.

Right. Good luck.

- All right, Tanorria. - Yes, Chef.

What have you got goin' on?

We are making a pan-seared, Ras el hanout duck.

- Ras el hanout? - Ooh.

With a Brussels sprout salad with a beautiful vinaigrette,

polenta cake,

as well as a pomegranate - molasses port reduction.

Here's the thing about Ras el hanout, Tanorria.

- I hate to tell you this. - Mm-hmm?

- It's perfect with duck. - Thank you.

- You get me every time! Shame on you! - I do get you.

What does a girl from Tennessee know about polenta, though? Come on.

You know what? This girl knows her grits.

I know polenta, I know cream and butter,

and it's all up in there tonight.

And she knows how to get some duck fat in there.

Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited to have duck fat tonight.

- Christina: Duck is a tricky protein to cook. - Tanorria: It is.

- Especially for 17 very finicky food critics. - Absolutely.

Our goal tonight is to show off how well it's cooked.

So when they see it on the plate,

they're gonna see that it's beautifully cooked.

They're not gonna have to wait until they cut into it.

- Okay, good luck. - Thank you.

Gordon: It smells incredible.

I've never seen such great coordination from both teams.

Christina: I gotta say, they're working

like professional chefs right now.

Richard: They don't sound like home cooks.

Gordon: No, exactly right.

- Mm. - Good.

- Ms. Mudd, I love you. - Yes!

Blue team, their halibut is still out on the bench.

They're gonna plate half the ingredients,

and then cook the fish,

put the rest of the ingredients on, and fish goes on last.

This is a dangerous game, guys.

I mean, they have to cook the fish at the last second so,

- Gordon: Last second. - Christina: That's just the nature of cooking fish.

Per-fection.

Red team, they have a critic dream dish.

A duck dish.

'Cause the critics know how hard that is to pull off.

- Duck is rendering nicely. - Tanorria: Wonderful.

You know what I love about the sound

of the red team's dish? It feels like them.

- It feels homey like Tanorria... - Gordon: Yep.

it feels elegant, like David.

I think it's gonna be stunning.

- Guys, comin' up to 15 minutes to go. - Yes, Chef.

Start executing your plates, please.

All right, we gotta go, we gotta go.

Tanorria: Is it time to drop the cranberries?

- We gotta get those cranberries in there. - All right.

Brandi: Everything okay over there with plating?

Shaun: Yeah, looking beautiful.

Tanorria: David, I really need my sauce, hon.

David: Needs to reduce a tad bit more.

- David, it's gotta go fast. - Yep, I'm gonna put it on high.

Just gotta make sure we nail that duck.

Shaun: Come on, Brandi. Get that sauce over here.

I'm going, I'm going, I'm going.

Brandi and Shaun, they started to put things down

on the blue team's dishes right now.

The red team, they still have more things they need to do.

They need to sear the cake.

They need to slice the duck.

David, give me an ETA on the duck--

what's the rest time, what's the slice time?

David: First ones will be ready to get sliced

and they're all staggered

so by the time I slice them, they'll all be comin' ready.

I got 'em in order.

Christina: I'm worried that the red team's underestimating

what they can accomplish in these last 10 minutes.

- Ah, that one's a little raw. - Correct it, David.

- Brandi: Okay, where's the cauliflower? - - ( bleep ) the cauliflower.

- Get the purées on. - Okay.

Oh, my God. Not tonight.

David, how's it going back there with the duck?

Uh-hh...

Guys, you have eight minutes to go.

How many are completed, David?

David: They're all a little under.

He's served them too hot a pan

so they're all rare in the middle.

I have no idea what the ( bleep ) is happening.

Man, not tonight.

Tanorria: Just calm down.

It's ( bleep ) raw.

Oh-hh...

It's a ( bleep ) nightmare.

We are so ( bleep ).

It's ( bleep ) raw.

Tanorria: Just calm down.

Oh-hh...

I have no idea what the ( bleep ) is happening.

There's five minutes to go. There's no way on earth

they're gonna these plated on time.

It's a ( bleep ) nightmare.

David, chill out, dude.

This one might be a little underdone too.

The rest of these feel pretty good, David.

Wow.

I've got quite a few good ones.

We just need to recover on those other ones.

- ( ticks ) - Three minutes remaining.

Blue team, you've got to get your halibut on the plate.

- Yes, Chef. - Brandi, bring it.

I'm bringin' it right now. Here we come.

- Christina: Oh, my God. - Oh.

Tanorria: Right behind you with the sauce, David.

- How's the duck looking? - Duck looks good--

- Good. - --the ones we got.

Shaun: Keep going faster, go faster.

Gordon: If they don't move their ass,

at this rate, there'll be food critics

- without dishes to critique. - ( ticks )

One minute, guys. Let's go.

Finish your plates.

- Watch out, Brandi. I gotta get in here. - Okay.

- Here, trade me. - All right, David. I'm going with almonds.

- You go behind me and clean plates. - You got it.

Gordon: Come on, guys, please. Finishing touches, now!

- Here we go. Ten... - ( ticking )

Judge: Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

- Gordon: Stop. Well done. - Christina: Hands in the air!

Sorry.

Oh, Brandi Mudd.

- We did it. - ( sighs )

- You're good. You're good. - Ah, it's the duck. The duck.

You almost went there,

but I woulda knocked you out if you did.

So we're good.

Well done, guys. Waiters, please?

They look as good as we could ask for.

I'm pumped up about this dish.

It looks spectacular.

- I can't believe we pulled that one off. - They look beautiful.

Shaun: The flavor of the sauce is beautiful.

The halibut is cooked perfectly.

And those little dots of white and purple purée

are probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen on a plate.

Critic #1: Thank you. Delicious.

Critic #2: Doesn't look like home cookin' to me.

- Critic #3: Very spring. - Critic #4: I know, very springy.

Critic #3: Yes. It's beautiful.

- It's pretty good, actually. - I agree.

David and I did a really great job working together.

And we put out a beautiful, colorful, flavorful plate.

I would absolutely order this off a menu

in a fine-dining restaurant.

Chef Ramsay, stick this on your menu.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MasterChef restaurant.

I don't think across 25 years of cooking

I've ever welcomed one critic in, let alone, 17.

( laughter )

So now we'd like to introduce you

to our home cooks for the evening.

Please welcome the red team and the blue team.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Yes, these critics are intimidating

and they're powerful and I wanna impress them.

But if anything, I'm honored and humbled right now,

to be standing in front of people

that could pick my food apart.

Christina: Red team, Tanorria, David.

Please describe your dish to the food critics.

Today we have for you a pan-seared duck

finished with ras el hanout,

a Brussels sprout slaw with a grainy mustard vinaigrette,

a crispy polenta cake,

finished with a pomegranate-molasses port reduction.

And the blue team.

We have for you a hazelnut crusted halibut,

on top of a Meyer lemon beurre blanc,

and then beside it we have a play on purple--

we have a parsnip, celery root brown butter purée,

a purple cauliflower purée,

and asparagus pills marinated in a Meyer lemon vinaigrette.

To our guests of honor, as you dine,

please gather your thoughts on the notecards

that we've laid in front of you.

Once we've had a chance to read all of your reviews,

we will decide on a winning team tonight.

Red team, blue team, head on back

into the MasterChef kitchen and clean up.

Our esteemed critics, bon appétit.

Please, enjoy. Thank you.

- That was a little scary. - Yeah. No smiles whatsoever.

Yeah. Ain't nothing gonna charm them to victory.

Shaun: We definitely killed that.

I mean, we got our plates pretty much as close

as we could get 'em to the way we wanted 'em.

Gordon: Right, let's start off with the blue team's halibut.

Christina: Let's see what we've got here.

Got a nice crisp cut there.

- It's beautiful. - Gordon: Just the way you want it.

Wow.

I think the fish is cooked beautifully.

It needs a touch more seasoning.

Hazelnut's delicious, but there's a lot of 'em.

Richard: Yeah, I mean, I think the proportions are off a little bit.

More sauce, more cauliflower.

Makes me anxious to see what the critics think.

The blue team's halibut was a little overcooked,

but I loved the crust. I loved the little salad.

It's actually fancy to the point of prissiness.

Stephanie Kordan: It had just a hint of the beurre blanc

which was done with such restraint

that it really enchanted the fish,

rather than overwhelming it.

It's really easy to screw up a fish like that

so I'm actually impressed that they were able to do

as well as they did with a fish that stinky.

Eddie Lin: The purple-white dollops

belong on a nine-year-old's birthday cake

and didn't make sense.

Gordon: Now, red team's duck.

Now that duck was set up for success.

The problem they've got there, it needs another

four, five minutes in the oven.

We'll take the end of the duck there. Mmm.

I have to say, for what they lacked in execution,

they made up for in the concept of flavor profile.

Yeah. I love what they did with the polenta.

I love the fact that they laced it with duck fat.

That's a very "cheffy" thing to do.

I just wish that they'd cooked that duck

four, five minutes longer, and I'm hoping

our critics haven't got raw duck.

I love the fact that the duck

was rare and decadent and sexy.

Could they-- had they jazzed up the seasoning

perhaps a little bit.

But I have to say, this plate all came together very nicely.

Amanda Hesser: I feel like I've seen a dish like this many times.

Um, the dish completely lacks soul.

The duck breasts are seasoned well

and the fat was rendered well.

My main complaint is that they used a pomegranate sauce on it,

- which is out of season. - Overall, I actually thought

the most flavorful thing on the plate

was the polenta cake, but I wanted the supporting components

to come together and do something with the protein.

But I felt more like I was just eating

big, maybe slightly underseasoned hunks of duck.

I still think it's two very strong efforts.

I think it's still either team's game at this point.

Tonight, sadly, there can be only one winning team.

Can't wait to study those reviews

and then come to consensus and nominate our winning team

based on your feedback.

Once again, a sincere thank you.

Thank you, my darling.

Thank you. Thank you.

- Thank you, sir. - Yes. Good to see you. Thank you.

- Thank you for allowing us to serve you. - Well, I voted for you guys.

- Tanorria: Thank you, sir. - Thank you, sir.

- Steingarten: The polenta cake was delicious. - David: That's her specialty.

- Jeffrey...? - You're getting in trouble, sir.

- Jeffrey! - Hello. I'm sorry.

- Thank you. Thank you, sir. - Tanorria: Thank you.

- David: Thank you. - ( Tanorria giggles )

- Gordon: She's not single. - Yes, I am!

- ( laughing ) - Gordon: All of you, please, follow us

into the MasterChef kitchen.

Brandi: I am so full of anxiety right now.

We just had 17 food critics taste our food.

We've never been under this type of scrutiny before.

So, whoever wins, deserves a spot in the top three.

Home cooks, both teams did a remarkable job tonight.

But unfortunately, there can be only one winning team.

Whew.

Before we announce the winning team,

we have some very big news to share.

For the first time in MasterChef history,

in this year's finale...

there will be three home cooks.

- Shaun: Oh, man. - Tanorria: Oh, boy.

( David exhales ) Whew, God.

For the first time in MasterChef history,

in this year's finale...

there will be three home cooks.

- Shaun: Oh, man. - Tanorria: Oh, boy.

( exhales ) Whew, God.

Christina: One team won't just be safe tonight,

they will be guaranteed a place

in next week's MasterChef three-way finale.

Sad news is, of course, that the other team

is gonna have to fight it out head-to-head

for that final spot.

- Tonight's winning team... - ( Shaun groans )

...the team that is officially in the Master Chef finale...

- Whew. - ...is...

- the blue team. - ( gasps )

( thumps )

Christina: Brandi, Shaun...

( Shaun sobs ) Oh, my God.

- Absolutely incredible. - ( sobs )

Gordon: Brandi, how are you feeling?

I don't even know what to feel right now. I'm--

When I came into this, I never in a million years

thought I would be goin' to the finale.

And I'm so proud of myself and I'm so proud

that my students and my kids get to see this--

that, you know, dreams come true.

Shaun, how do you feel?

I am so proud right now.

Um, ahem--

I wish my dad was still here with me.

I did this for him and my mom.

Whew.

That performance was legendary.

- Whew. Thank you, Chef. - Brandi: Thank you.

So, blue team-- Shaun and Brandi,

congratulations. Please head on up to the balcony.

Shaun: Thank you, Chefs.

( Shaun sobs, chuckles )

( sighs ) I can't believe this.

David, Tanorria, you were defeated

very narrowly tonight. The critics loved the idea,

the concept of the dish.

But the quantity of sauce,

the cook on some of the duck, not all of the duck--

those were just the little details

that set you back and gave the blue team the edge tonight.

Richard: Before we go any further,

you each need one of these.

Tanorria: It's David's fault we're in this pressure test.

David's main responsibility was duck.

I mean, it hurts, bad.

In this difficult pressure test

you'll be cooking with the most widely-eaten meat in the world.

and you'll be taking this phenomenal protein

to a MasterChef level.

Not once, not twice...

- But three times. - Whew.

You're going to have to replicate three of our favorite dishes...

revolving around a classic protein

that every chef loves to work with.

Juicy, flavorful...

pork.

Underneath this cloche is the cut of pork

that I absolutely love.

Pork tenderloin.

Here we have my harissa-spiced pork tenderloin

with charred eggplant purée,

zucchini ribbons, olive petals

and a beautiful herb salad.

Richard: There is one cut of pork that chefs like me

love more than any other,

because it's a moneymaker.

Pork belly.

My signature preparation of pork is braised pork belly

with creamed onion, roasted fennel,

butternut squash and date and orange relish.

Gordon: I think there is one cut of pork

unlike any other.

- a stunning double-cut pork chop. - Looks good.

Now here we have my Chinese five-spiced grilled pork chop,

sat on a bed of bok choy

with sautéed Okinawa potatoes,

pickled shiitake,

and lightly dusted for that togarashi spice

lotus chips.

The technique on this pork chop

needs to be executed perfectly,

or your dish... will be a travesty.

Wow.

All right. You will have just 75 minutes

to complete all three of our signature pork dishes.

- The finale is this close. - Whew.

Please head to your stations.

I'm pissed right now, because I feel like it's my fault

that we're both down here. Now, me,

and someone I have respect for and view as a friend

have to battle because of my shortcomings.

Christina: At your stations, you'll find

all the ingredients you need

to make our three of our intricate pork dishes.

Gordon: Shaun and Brandi,

final words of encouragement or good luck?

- Have fun. - "Have fun"?

- Yeah. - Seriously?

It's fun down there.

Right, David, Tanorria...

your 75 minutes...

starts... now.

Here we go.

So, three difficult dishes across 75 minutes--

this is a tough one to pull off.

Christina: So, let's talk about ideal timing.

- So, the first thing you do-- pork belly. - Christina: Yes.

Gordon: Into the pressure cooker, get it going.

After that, get that pork chop seared,

rendered, and cooked just above rare

so you can reheat it with literally 10 minutes to go.

And then you'll be cooking your tenderloin

right at the very last minute. Not too early,

because that can't sit and hang around.

- Christina: No. Absolutely. - Gordon: It goes too dry.

Now, my pork tenderloin, it's a lean cut of meat.

It's not very forgiving. Gotta cook it

to a medium-medium rare.

And they shouldn't really touch that pork tenderloin

until they've got 35 minutes to go.

- ( ticks ) - But they need to char the heck outta that eggplant

to get that nice smokiness

and those zucchini should just "kiss" that sauté pan.

You don't want 'em to wilt.

- I have the beef stock reducing. - So, Christina,

- your dish is like a ballet, right? - ( chuckles )

I mean, there's just so much finesse about it.

Mine's more like a rock show.

( hissing )

Pork belly has to cook at least 30 minutes

under pressure. You want the melting fat

of the pork belly, and then this crisp exterior.

If it's not cooked, it's gonna be rubbery and chewy.

My double-cut pork chop

needs serious attention to detail.

The jeopardy there is rendering that fat down on the back

and making sure you've got that wonderful temperature

running from the beginning right through to the bone.

It needs to be medium, not rare.

- ( sizzling ) - ( ticks )

Less than 50 minutes remaining.

( bubbling )

Okay, David. How you feeling?

- ( bleep ) - What? Why?

I don't like to fail and I don't like to lose.

You're not gonna throw the towel in now?

No, I'm not gonna throw the towel in. I'm just gonna do my best.

Start believin' in yourself a little bit more.

- Can you do this? - Yes, Chef.

- Top four. - Top four is not good enough.

Well, there you go. That's the David I wanna hear.

You get your head out your ass and start coming back a little bit.

- Yes, Chef. - Good luck.

- Thank you, Chef. - Let's go.

Whiny-baby David's back.

All right, Tanorria.

How are you feeling?

I feel composed right now.

- And you look organized. - That's really, really important--

I don't wanna forget anything.

How confident are you that you can beat David?

I have no choice but to be confident.

If I wasn't confident, I would curl up in the fetal position

and hide under my station, and that's not happening today.

- That cannot happen. - Can you beat him?

You know, David is really, really strong,

but I think I'm a little bit more focused than David.

And that might be what puts me over the edge.

- ( ticks ) - Christina: Less than 30 minutes to go.

I think we're gettin' a visitor.

- Brandi: Wow. - Gordon: Uh, brilliant job.

- Shaun: Thank you, Chef. - Now, there's one more that's gonna be joining you.

Which one do you want-- Tanorria or David?

- David. - ( clatters )

I forgot that was hot.

I think he's gonna be easier to beat in the finale

because his emotions get the best of him,

like they're doin' right now.

Tsk. It's great news.

Beef stock just turned to syrup.

- Gordon: And Shaun? - I'd rather Tanorria.

- Mmm. That's good. - I don't think she'll take enough risks

to be able to pull it off. No, I think she's gotta stay

- right in her comfort zone. - Tanorria: I feel really good about that.

And you know, I said from day one I wanna be the top Vegas guy,

so the earlier Davis can go-- David can go.

- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.

- ( ticks ) - Gordon Less than 20 minutes to go, guys.

Where's Tanorria's pork tenderloin?

David's got his pork tenderloin in the pan.

Tanorria's is still out there, untouched.

( whispers ) She's gotta cook that pork tenderloin.

Tenderloin.

It looks like the pork tenderloin is not even on the map right now.

Does she not see it?

I don't know what the hell Tanorria's doin.'

Her pork tenderloin is just sitting there, raw.

She hasn't even heated up a damn pan for it yet.

- What is she doin'? - If she doesn't get this thing cooking right now,

David's takin' this one and joinin' me and Brandi in the finale.

What are you doin'?

- Gordon Less than 20 minutes to go, guys. - ( ticks )

Three stunning pork dishes...

but just one spot remaining

- in the grand finale. - ( sizzling )

Make sure it's you.

Guys, I think Tanorria has forgotten about her pork tenderloin.

Tenderloin.

It looks like the pork tenderloin is not even on the map right now.

( whispers ) She's gotta cook that pork tenderloin.

I don't know if Tanorria doesn't know where her tenderloin is

or she just forgot she has to make a tenderloin,

but it needs to rest for at least 15 minutes

and she only has 15 minutes left and she hasn't started cooking it.

She's gonna be completely screwed on this meat.

- ( sizzling ) - Finally.

Don't just stand there. She's just standin' there.

She's just standin' there holding the pork.

- 12 minutes remaining. - ( ticks )

Tanorria's pork chop, I worry, is undercooked.

The hell happened to this guy?

David's belly doesn't look like it's cooked properly.

- Six minutes, guys. - Let's go, come on. Get platin'.

( sizzling )

Christina: David's pork chop's out of the oven.

Gordon: Great sear on it.

Just get it on.

- ( ticks ) - Three minutes, guys. Here we go.

Christina: Here we go, guys. Here we go, here we go.

Let's go, Tanorria. Come on.

Tanorria's tenderloin is raw. ( sighs )

( Brandi clapping ) Let's go, guys.

Tanorria, you've got nothing down in the front.

- I need to see some food. - ( ticks )

Come on, Tanorria. Push to the end.

- Here we go. Ten, nine... - ( ticks )

...eight, seven, six,

five, four, three,

two, one, and stop! Hands in the air.

- ( clapping ) - Shaun: Good job, guys.

Yeah. Well done!

Gonna be interesting.

Christina: Tanorria and David.

Time to taste all three of your pork dishes.

I'm gonna start with the tenderloin.

As a whole, Tanorria's pork tenderloin dish

looks better, but her pork tenderloin is way raw.

Hopefully, the judges value that over some garnish.

Tanorria, what do you think of your dish?

I think it looks great.

I'm a little concerned about the cook of the pork.

The temp is a little bit under, maybe.

How'd you season this tenderloin?

Um, I rubbed it in the harissa

and a little bit of salt.

David, how do you feel your pork tenderloin dish came out?

Uh, the dish is missing the eggplant purée

and the garnish-- the chive and the other herbs.

Other than that, I'm happy with the rest of the dish.

The cook, I think, is exactly where I wanted it to be.

Tanorria, if these two dishes

landed in front of you at a restaurant,

which would you prefer?

I would not be as appetized for David's.

It doesn't look like it's a dish that I'm excited to eat.

I'm not really excited about raw pork.

Tanorria's is undercooked.

She admittedly has a beautiful dish,

but David's pork tenderloin is cooked to perfection.

All right, so next up-- the pork belly dishes.

Okay, so visually, David, give me your assessment--

one plate versus the other.

I think they're very close and similar.

I believe the color on my pork looks a little more appetizing

but mine is obviously missing the date relish.

Tanorria, what do you think about David

missing a couple elements?

I mean, you really need sweetness from the date relish

to cut the fattiness of the pork.

So, it should be disappointing to him

and maybe for your bite.

( whispers ) Oh, listen to her.

All right, so I'm gonna get in here.

Okay, so you tell me, how do you think we did

- on the cook there? - I think that cook looks really tender,

- really juicy. - David, what do you think?

Looks a little dry. You had to saw through it.

Actually, a lotta bit dry.

Wow.

( faintly ) Okay.

All right, so, David,

what am I to expect when I cut into your pork belly here?

A nice, crispy skin, and a juicy interior.

So, Tanorria, assess David's.

Not as juicy as he expected.

Juicier than hers.

( whispers ) Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. The two of them.

- It's undercooked. - What was that, Tanorria?

From my take on butternut squash,

and the beautiful, velvety texture it should have in the middle,

- that's undercooked. - Wow.

This is a pork challenge. It's all about the pork,

and when I order pork belly, I'm sure the garnish is nice,

but what I care about is the pork.

Taking a look at this pork from the side, it just looks dry--

almost like a dry pot roast.

Neither of the pork bellies are perfect.

They're both a little chewy.

David's is a little bit more crispy on top,

but David's veg is really undercooked.

Tanorria's belly is a little more tender than David's.

Next up, the double pork chop.

Whew.

Nice. Tanorria...

how long did you cook the chop for?

- Maybe seven to eight minutes in the oven. - Right.

Let's go inside.

I'm looking for a nice...

medium throughout.

But with raw fat on the back of the chop,

I'm expecting the center to be undercooked.

- Okay. - I hope it's not.

( murmurs )

- What do you think? - I do get the sense of medium.

And it's extremely juicy, Chef.

Mmm. Thank you.

David, so we're missing the bok choy.

At such a critical moment, why?

There's no reason. No excuse other than just being panicked

with everything else going on.

( sighs )

Pork.

- How's that cooked? - Perfect medium, Chef.

Gordon: So you say it's perfect?

Yes, Chef.

Because that can make the difference between joining Brandi

and Shaun in the finale, or going home.

( sighs ) Pork.

- How's that cooked? - Perfect medium, Chef.

Gordon: You confident it's cooked in the middle?

David: Yes, Chef.

David: My pork was cooked better in all three dishes,

and this pressure test was about pork.

David's sear on the pork is incredible.

There's no exposed white fat,

but it's cooked to perfection.

Tanorria's pork chop does need a touch more cooking inside.

Bok choy, delicious. Sauce, delicious.

All done beautifully.

Tanorria: There's a lot of elements missing from David's plates,

and I got every single one of them on there tonight.

I excelled compared to David.

Whew. David, Tanorria...

we've come to a consensus, but that was a very tough decision.

Christina, two well-executed

pork tenderloin dishes.

In your mind, which one had the edge?

Tanorria, your pork tenderloin

as an entire dish was more composed--

more of the elements were there.

But your pork was undercooked.

David, your dish was less complete,

but that pork tenderloin, you nailed.

So, your pork tenderloin got my vote.

Thank you, Chef.

Richard, which pork belly dish

- had the advantage? - David, Tanorria,

I mean, this one just came down to the tiniest of margins.

The dish that I preferred...

was Tanorria's.

Gordon: So, that means it comes down

to the double pork chop.

Two well-executed dishes,

and I can only go on what you give me,

not what's been left behind on the bench.

You both know that.

The dish...

that had... a slight edge...

and the final person in the MasterChef finale...

is...

David.

Congratulations. You are now in

the MasterChef finale.

Just think of the ups and downs

and what you've done in this competition.

- And now, you've got one final cook-off - Whew.

- You up for it? - I'm ready, Chefs.

Then get your ass upstairs, quickly.

- David: I'm so sorry. - No, don't apologize.

Oh, Tanorria.

You know, you introduced me

to quite possibly the best shrimp and grits

I've ever eaten in my entire life.

And no matter where I go, what restaurant I'm sat in,

no one is ever gonna come close to what you gave me.

- Thank you. - Please come up here and say goodbye.

Oh, gosh!

Good job. Oh, man.

( Tanorria chuckles )

- Bye. - Tanorria: Thank you... ( murmurs, chuckles )

- Gordon: Thank you, my darling. - Tanorria: Thank you.

Coming into this competition,

I cooked American comfort food.

That, for me, will go down in history

- as the best shrimp and grits. - No way.

- I'm tellin' you now. - Whew! Wow!

But now, I know

how to plate a restaurant-quality dish

with refinement and finesse and beauty.

Christina: You've arrived. This is it.

- It's beautiful. - Thank you.

Tanorria: I've learned how to build even more flavor,

which is something that I thought that I already had.

I might actually take a few in my pocket for later.

You take as many as you want.

There's some more at my station, You want those, too?

Blue team, congratulations!

( cheering )

Congratulations, blue team!

Yes!

Tanorria: I absolutely plan to pursue

my food dream of feeding the homeless.

- Shaun: Good job, Tanorria. - Brandi: Bye, Tanorria.

David: Love you, T.

- ( applauding ) - Tanorria: A lot of people

spend their entire lives wondering

what they're meant to do on earth.

I know, now.

Announcer: Next week...

it's the two-hour MasterChef finale.

Joining us tonight, two of the biggest names...

- Oh--! - ...in the culinary world.

Daniel Bolud and Wolfgang Puck? It's go big or go home.

Announcer: The world's biggest cooking competition...

- ( whirring ) - ...comes to an end,

as David, Shaun, and Brandi...

- Whoo! - ...face off for a quarter of a million dollars...

- Let go! - Announcer: their own cookbook,

and the MasterChef title.

- The winner of MasterChef is... - ( cheering )

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