All language subtitles for MasterChef -S09E09 - The Big Not Easy.TBS. No Hi English

Tonight...

Cooking alongside
you, Aar�n S�nchez.

- Yes!
- Whoo!

- ...a MasterChef...
- This is like Christmas, baby.

- ...brings gifts...
- Oh, my gosh!

- ...from the Bayou.
- This...

...sucks.

And when big Cajun
flavors turn up the heat...

I got a live one.

Cooking next to Aar�n
is absolutely terrifying.

- ...the top 17...
- Look at me.

...face the shock of the season.

- There's more on the line than you thought.
- Oh, Lord.

- Hey!
- Yes!

- Yeah!
- Welcome back.

Top 17, baby!

I'm very excited right now to still
be here in the MasterChef kitchen.

The judges have given aprons
to all of us for a reason,

and I'm gonna do what I can

to make sure that I
get to that finale

not only for myself,

but I need to make
Joe Bastianich proud.

And now it's time for your
next big mystery box challenge.

Tonight's mystery box
has been curated by a chef

that really knows a thing or two

about great American regional dishes.

Who is it, Aar�n?

- It's me.
- Yes!

All right, guys,
on the count of three

we're gonna lift those boxes.

One, two, three.

Oh!

- Oh!
- They are alive.

Oh, wow!

In front of you, you
have live crawfish, oysters,

catfish, shrimp, and of course,
one of my favorites, redfish,

a bounty of delicious
morsels from my backyard.

I don't really
recognize these ingredients.

I know what they are,

but in Iowa we don't get fresh
ingredients like this very often.

I'm a little worried at this
point that I'm not gonna know

- what to do with this.
- Right, listen carefully.

make a delicious dish

featuring at least two items

from that incredible
oasis of magical product.

You also have an amazing
pantry in the equipment room,

but what's in that net needs
to be the star of that dish.

Now, tonight, you're not only cooking

with some of the best
seafood in all the country,

you're also cooking with one
of the best chefs in America

right alongside you.

- Whoo!
- Yes.

Chef Aar�n S�nchez.

This is like Christmas,
baby. Look at that.

You have 60 minutes to make
us one spectacular dish.

- Is everybody ready?
- Yes, Chef.

Your 60 minutes starts...

...now.

Whoa!

Need some mushroom.

- Carrots.
- Behind you, kiddos.

- Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, these are perfect!

Coming from Iowa,

I'm not familiar with the crawfish,

but they look like little lobsters,

so I'm just gonna treat
'em like little lobsters.

Is there pepper?

So I'm gonna make shrimp
and crawfish ravioli

with a tomato basil marinara,

and I'm hoping that
I can elevate that

to the next level and
really wow the judges.

I'm going to be doing a
crispy pan-seared redfish

with fingerling
potatoes and pancetta.

Chef Aar�n,
he's right here, you know.

I'm just so happy

that I have the opportunity
to cook alongside him.

Come on, guys! Keep hustlin'.

I'm gonna try to
recreate a seafood boil

that we have down in the South.

I'm gonna attempt to make
shrimp and crawfish dumplings.

It's a risk, but if you're
gonna stay in this competition

you gotta take risks.

What an amazing lucky bag,

a bag full of fresh
shellfish, fresh fish.

Oh! I got a live one.

- Oysters...
- There you go.

- Catfish, redfish...
- Come on!

- Oh, sorry.
- Crawfish...

- Beautiful crawfish.
- ...and shrimp.

Let's talk about crawfish.
What are the ups and downs?

So, they take literally
30 seconds to cook,

- so they're easy to overcook.
- Yes!

- Let's talk about redfish.
- The skin is a difficult one.

- Very tough skin.
- Come on, Chelsea.

- So, they gotta be able to fillet, de-scale.
- Yep.

- Pinbone.
- To pinbone it.

- That is a very complicated thing.
- It's a tough one.

And shrimp, obviously the
most commonly-known ingredient.

Whoo-hoo!

- I'm back at it, baby.
- Aar�n is super focused.

He seems like he's having real fun.

How exciting and inspirational
for all our contestants tonight

to cook in amongst him
and use the ingredients

- from his backyard.
- Right.

- You know what you're making, Aar�n?
- Yep.

Making some �touff�e, baby.

I'm gonna make a fish stew

with a nice fillet of
whitefish and some shrimp.

I'm Italian. We cook
with fish all the time.

It's not a big deal for me.

- Aar�n.
- Yes, sir.

This smells incredible.
Seriously. What are you cooking?

So, I'm gonna make a crawfish
and shrimp �touff�e.

This needs to cook down,
Joe, so, give it a second.

- Aar�n. Give me an S.
- Yes?

- Really? I'm not even messing with you.
- Oh, my God.

- We can help you here a little bit.
- Really? There you go.

Joe, if this goes south,
bro, it's your ass.

- It's fine. It's fine.
- All right, that's all I'm saying.

That is delicious.
Utilizing the head,

the tails, the broth, the seasoning.

- That has a ton of flavor in it.
- That is amazing.

It'd be nice if you
work a little bit tidy.

How about that?

- Come on. Good luck.
- Come on, leave him alone.

- Taylor.
- Yes, Chef.

Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

I'm making a fresh
homemade pasta.

- And what kind of protein are you using?
- I'm using the shrimp,

the beautiful shrimp and
I'm using the redfish,

because this is something
that I cook at home

with my mom and my stepdad.
I love pasta and shrimp.

- Taylor, the heat is on.
- Yes, Chef.

I gave you that apron.

I believed in you weeks
ago, I still believe in you.

- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Fresh herbs.
- All right, Gerron.

- Yes, Chef. What's up?
- What's going on? You got a lot of action here.

- Tell me what the dish is.
- I do. I got a lot of action.

I'm doing a pan-seared redfish,

but I'm also going to do
scalloped potatoes with shrimp.

You're putting cooked shrimp in
with raw potatoes into the oven.

- I hope it comes out all right.
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

All right, Gerron,
you're wearing my pin.

- Don't let me down.
- Execution, baby. I got you.

Less than 25 minutes
to go, guys. Come on.

One stunning portion.

- Right. Matthew.
- Yes.

You're here because
Joe believes in you.

- Yes.
- Tell me, what's the dish?

I'm gonna do a pan-seared redfish,

and then I'm also gonna do some
fried oysters with the braised leeks.

But there's nothing cooked.

Yeah, I'm cooking it right now.
That's what I'm getting on to.

- But there's nothing cooked. Raw, raw, raw, raw.
- Getting the fish...

I have oysters in
the fryer right now.

So we're frying a freaking oyster.

- Frying an oyster, yeah.
- Just look at me.

Look. Oysters take 30 seconds.

- Yes.
- You're cooking the fish last.

- What are you doing?
- I'm going right now.

- I'm a little bit behind and...
- You see. I... I...

Just spin around for me.

'Cause I was hoping
you'd turn into Superman.

- Yeah.
- And it's not happening.

- Clark, look.
- Yes, Chef.

Spin around again then come
back to me as a talented cook.

- Yes. I'm going, Chef.
- Wake up.

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

Chelsea from Houston.
What are you making there?

I'm doing a corn cake
and then I've got shrimp

and fish with an ancho chili sauce.

You're wearing
Aar�n's apron, too.

You looking out for any tips?

I mean, he's so organized,

and to see him do it right
there, it's unbelievable.

- Good luck to you.
- Thank you, Joe.

Guys, we're down
to eight minutes remaining.

Some amazing dishes out there,

but a lot of them aren't sticking

to the roots of that bag.

They're coming up with
some ridiculous ideas.

So, Julia, she's taking the redfish,

she's finishing, she's
cooking in butter,

and she's using a creamed polenta
cake as well, at the same time.

So she's playing to her strengths,

but trying to modernize it,

but totally doesn't understand
the sort of New Orleans style.

Gerron's doing kind
of like an au gratin potato

with shrimp inside of it.

Something's not 100%.

But he had cooked the shrimp

and then put it in
with the raw potatoes.

Unbelievable.

Matt's doing this sort
of seafood saut� dish.

I think he's a little bit frazzled.

Are they taking too many risks?

I don't think they're focused enough.

90 seconds remaining.

Good. Beautiful.

One stunning portion. Let's go, guys.

That's hot.

I'm really excited to
taste a bite of New Orleans.

60 seconds to
go. Please, start plating.

Is Ryan gonna
present the whole fish?

That's so unorthodox
for "MasterChef."

30 seconds to go.

Let's go, guys, come on.

Aar�n S�nchez, you done?

- Yes, sir.
- Let's go, guys.

This is it. This is where it counts.

- 10...
- Nine, eight, seven...

six, five, four,

three, two, one. And, stop.

Hands in the air. Well done.

Good job, guys.

Oh, my God.

Okay, attention, everyone.
Look at me for one minute.

I have a super
important announcement.

This wasn't a regular
mystery box challenge.

There's more on the line with
this mystery box than you thought.

Tonight, the cook that
made the worst dish

will be going home.

- Oh, God.
- Just like that.

Nowhere to hide.

Tonight, there's more on the line

with this mystery
box than you thought.

The cook that made the worst dish

- will be going home.
- Oh, God.

Just like that. Nowhere to hide.

This makes me question every
decision I had made up to this point.

I have never made this dish before.

Why did I take a risk on a new dish

when this could be the
dish that sends me home?

Right, let's start off with the man

that puts big flavors at
the heart of all his dishes.

Aar�n S�nchez, please
bring your dish up.

Whoo!

Holy crap, my mentor,
Chef Aar�n, is incredible.

- His dish looks beautiful.
- What is the dish?

I made a shrimp
and crawfish �touff�e.

Made a beautiful roux, nice and dark,

and I cooked it down
with our trinity,

which is bell peppers,
celery, and onion,

and then folded in some
beautiful crawfish at the end.

It smells incredible.

He's got this great technique,

and so many big, bold flavors.

The depth of
flavor, it feels like

you've been cooking for
three hours. Amazing job.

- Thank you very much.
- Delicious.

It's unreal how creative he is,

and to have cooked with Chef
Aar�n, it's unbelievable.

The amazing Aar�n S�nchez, come on.

Now, as you know,
we've had the chance

to watch and taste
everything you are doing.

And we want to take
a much closer look

at three dishes that
completely missed the mark.

The first dish we want to examine

is the dish that featured pasta,

but not in a good way.

Taylor.

I feel like I keep
disappointing my mentor.

And now a dish that I
make at home all the time

could be sending me home.

Okay, Taylor, can you
explain the dish to me?

I have a spicy
garlic tomato sauce

with a fresh fettuccini,
spiced shrimp,

and a fillet of redfish.

Did you just cook the
tomatoes with olive oil?

No, I was really trying to focus

on what I really
love to cook at home,

and I always love to
make tomato sauces.

That's not a tomato sauce.

That's more like a soup of some sort,

- as far as I'm concerned.
- Okay.

The shrimps are a separate dish.

They have nothing to do with
the concept of the pasta dish.

The pasta itself is okay.

But I don't know what this
piece of seared fish on top

has to do with anything else.

It shows me a cook who's
maybe trying to avoid

dealing with fish,

which was the point
of today's mystery box.

How'd you cook the fish?

Uh, I pan-seared it, Chef.

You're here because
I believed in you,

but you missed the mark.

Fish cooked okay, but
I'm concerned, Taylor,

that you're buckling
under the pressure.

The next dish that
we want to examine further

featured shrimp and totally failed

on multiple levels to showcase it.

That home cook is...

Gerron.

on:
I do not want to let Joe down,

but I messed up.

So I'm hoping that there
are some good qualities

of my dish to keep me here.

All right, so, Gerron,
explain to me the dish, please.

Today you have
a pan-seared redfish

with a shrimp and au gratin potato,

with sugar snap peas and carrots

and then a white wine sauce.

Error number one: that's
the intestinal tract

where the shrimp actually
processes everything it eats.

I'm not gonna eat that
'cause that's disgusting.

So, Louisville, Kentucky,
do you cook seafood?

I don't use the fresh ingredients

'cause it's hard to get
in Louisville, Kentucky.

You made a huge error by
serving the fish skin side down.

You have this flabby, flaccid skin.

But you over-peppered them as well.

No bueno.

Gerron, where'd you get the idea

of the potatoes and the shrimp?

That was something that just
popped into my mind, actually.

- I mean...
- Well, pop it out of your mind.

Au gratin potato needs
to overcook to taste good.

Putting shrimp in the middle
of the potatoes to overcook it,

all of a sudden,
you've got a freaking

golf ball in your
mouth from the shrimp.

And there you are with a bag
of goodies and you give me this.

And the third and final dish

that, sadly, missed the mark tonight

belongs to a person that
has a lot of great ideas,

but sometimes fails in execution.

Please bring up your dish...

Matt.

I might be able to be
saved because of my strong plating

and my different techniques
that I use on the dish.

So, hopefully this is
enough for the judges

because I am not ready
to go back to Iowa.

Matt, description of the dish,
please.

It's a pan-seared
redfish with some fried oysters

some braised leeks, carrot puree,

roasted cauliflower,

and a orange fennel reduction.

Here's the deal.

You would've had something
very appealing with that fish

had you not put the
fried oysters on top,

'cause it rendered that
skin extremely flabby.

The puree is probably the
shining star of this dish,

but, unfortunately, your choices,

it's what's having
this dish fall short.

Matt, here's the problem.

A dish, at this point in
"MasterChef," has to have an idea.

Like, what's the idea of this dish?

You haven't explained...
sell it to me now.

I wanted to try to bring that
leek and that fennel flavor in,

and, you know, the fennel flavor

didn't really come
through in the sauce.

You want to play, you can play,

but you need to do
it with intelligence.

Yes, Chef.

Braised leeks, which are fine,

that's not enough
to win "MasterChef."

Sorry, Matt. I'm disappointed.

I'm a little bit
concerned right now.

Frustrating.

You gotta step up when we
give you those treasures.

Sorry, Joe. Looks like you're
about to lose another home cook.

But compared to Taylor's
dish and Gerron's dish,

I have a little bit
more flair on my plate

and I think I have a little
bit more potential there.

Your three dishes this
evening were way off,

but the reality is that only one
home cook is going home this evening.

Taylor, please step forward.

- You are spared, but never put a dish like that
- Oh, thank God.

In front of us again.

Please go to your station.

Thank you, Chefs.

Gordon, if you don't mind,

I think this decision
should be rendered by Joe.

Yep.

Gerron, Matt, I gave you both aprons

because I believed in both of you.

Only one of you will survive.

With a heavy heart, I have to say

the person leaving tonight is...

The person leaving tonight...

with a heavy heart,
I have to say is...

Matt.

Gerron, please.

Return to your station, Gerron.
Get your head in this game.

Thank you, Chef.

Matt, you're a smart guy.
Tonight you missed it.

I just want to thank you,
judges, thank "MasterChef."

You know, I've only
been cooking two years,

so there's a lot to learn, still,

and this has been an
incredible journey.

Two years is not a
long time to be cooking,

and if you're cooking at
this level in two years,

there's a lot more great
food gonna come from you.

Thank you, Chef.

Matt, please put your
apron at your station

and leave the MasterChef kitchen.

- Thank you, guys.
- Good night.

Good night.

Okay, Matt.

Only cooking for
two years and to make it

into the top 17 of "MasterChef,"

I think I'm really proud of it.

I think it should also be a message

to the people out there that
are just starting to cook.

If you're truly passionate,
follow your passions.

Bye.

You're a great guy.

Right, all of you, let that
exit be a stern reminder,

every time you cook in this
kitchen, you bring your A game.

Let's get back to some good news.

Right now, Joe, Aar�n, and myself

are gonna choose two dishes each.

These six do not have
to compete tonight

in a very tough pressure test.

I'm very pleased with the
performance of two of my mentees...

...in particular, for their drive

and their understanding
of the ingredients.

Congratulations...

Bryan and Cesar.

You are safe from
the elimination test.

So, there are two of my mentees

that I'm also equally
proud of tonight.

You got the theme,

you delivered big, bold flavors

very, very satisfying to eat.

Congratulations to...

Ralph and Mark.

Let's go, Mark.

The top two for me tonight,

the dishes were amazing.

Samantha and Bowen.

Please come up here and join us.

More of that, young man.

Line up, please.

- Amazing.
- Thank you.

Now, the rest of you,
listen carefully.

Many Americans don't have
time, energy, or interest

- to cook every day, right?
- Right.

- Aar�n?
- Yeah.

Uh-oh.

Uh oh.

Frozen dinners.

Now, tonight we have
chosen one of America's

most popular frozen dinners...

Salisbury steak.

- It's not actually a steak.
- What?

Mmm.

You have a frozen Salisbury steak

covered in a mushroom gravy,

served with roasted
red bliss potatoes,

finished with some green beans...

from 2004.

This iconic American frozen dinner

takes 45 minutes to
heat up in the oven,

but some of you will
have even less time.

You six will not be cooking,

but your night is not quite over yet.

Here's the deal, guys.
In the equipment room,

there are 10 boxes of that
Salisbury steak dinner.

Seven of them have 45 minute
cook times on the boxes.

One has 40 minutes on the box,

one has 35 minutes.

And, yes, one home cook

will only get 30 minutes
to complete their dish.

Wow!

Inside the equipment room,

on the refrigerator, you'll
find some lovely fridge magnets.

Those magnets contain the faces
of all of these home cooks.

You will take those and
place them on the box.

You're effectively
assigning cook time

to each of these home cooks.

You'll have just three
minutes to decide.

Your time starts now.

- Go, Bowen.
- Go! Go! Go!

- Grab those magnets, Cesar.
- Got 'em, got 'em.

What are y'all thinking?
What are y'all thinking?

Let's go! Let's go!

All right,
who is for sure 30 minutes?

- I say Shanika 30.
- No, Shanika 40. No. No.

- I'm thinking Emily for 30.
- I think Emily for 30.

- No. 45.
- No. No. No. No.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.
I say challenge her with 40.

- No. No. No. No.
- No, 35. 35. 35.

- 35.
- I think Julia 30 minutes and Shanika 35.

- Why?
- Julia has been baking really well.

We have not seen Julia
really cook savory.

We have not seen Julia cook savory.

Why y'all giving
Shanika so much time?

- I know she's good.
- I think Shanika should have 40.

- Shanika has 40.
- That I can live with.

- That's it right there, guys.
- There we go. Everyone else has 45 minutes.

We decide to give Shanika 40 minutes,

Emily 35 minutes,
and Julia 30 minutes.

- Time's up. Let's go.
- Go! Go! Go! Get outta here.

We are targeting the people
we feel are the strongest

or that rub the other
contestants the wrong way,

like Shanika.

So, did you all have an input
across those three minutes?

- Yes.
- Just as a stern reminder,

at least one of you will
be eliminated tonight.

Your 45 minutes starts...

...now.

Let's go, guys!

Come on, guys!

Boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes.

- 35 minutes.
- 40 minutes.

30? I knew it. I knew it.

Wouldn't you know it?
I'm the 30 minute girl.

- You're 30?
- Yeah.

- You can't get it yet.
- Oh no, I can't get it yet.

I had a feeling this was coming,

because there's a lot of people
that are threatened by me.

Man, that's gotta suck.

But I'm not worried about it.

I'm definitely gonna use
this time to strategize

what I'm gonna do and
just get this done.

Come on, y'all. Get it in.

Shanika, how much time
have they allotted?

- 40 minutes.
- 40 minutes. Wow!

- Julia?
- 30.

- Emily. 35 minutes.
- 35 minutes, Chef.

You ladies got your work cut out.

So, if you've been dealt the five,

the 10 minute, the 15-minute penalty,

is it make-or-break?
How hard is it?

Salisbury steak is basically
almost like a fast-track meatloaf

with a beautiful glaze on there.

You need time to do this.

Shanika, 15 seconds, stand by.

This is her time to step up.

Shanika, 40 minutes. If she's smart,

she'll take those five minutes
and absolutely categorize

what she needs to do
over the next 40 minutes.

Shanika, three, two, one. Start.

Everybody up there on that balcony,

trying to throw me off my game by
taking five minutes away from me,

but it's just not gonna stop
me. I'm gonna make small pieces

so the Salisbury steak
cooks a lot faster,

get my gravy on, cook my veggies
last, make sure my potato's in.

I got this.

So, my spin on Salisbury steak today,

I just plan on adding
a little bit of bacon

and a little white
cheddar to elevate that.

I actually cooked
Salisbury steak before.

Where I come from,
it's a poor man's meal.

So, I'm feeling really good

because I've done this before.

Emily, stand by.

Three, two, one. Start.

35 minutes might seem like a
challenge to a lot of people...

Parsley.

...but I know that I have
the skills and ability

to adjust to any
situation that I'm given.

Having that 10 extra
minutes to kind of game plan

is an advantage to me.

I had time to actually
fully concept my dish.

Emily's wearing my apron,
and the reason

that I picked her primarily
is 'cause she's smart.

I think that her intelligence will
get her through this challenge.

No problem.

Nice moves, S.J. Stay focused, Ash.

- Stay focused.
- I have made Salisbury steak before.

To me, it's kind of
like upscale meatloaf.

Before I came to this
competition, my dad told me

not to overcomplicate
everything and just do the best,

and today I want the
ingredients to shine.

So I'm trying not to
overcomplicate anything today.

- I do like seeing Julia struggle like this.
- Yeah.

15 seconds, Julia. Stand by.

So Julia only has 30 minutes.

Like, she could be screwed.

Half hour is not enough.

Julia, three, two, one. Start.

- Go, Julia!
- Let's go, Julia.

Julia has what it takes.

She grew up in a restaurant
family, her family owned diners.

I believe that she
can turn this around

and make something great.

Plantains, potatoes.

Aar�n, I feel that Julia's
challenge tonight is insurmountable.

You will be losing an apron,
my friend.

25 minutes to go, guys.

- Come on.
- Yes.

Get it going, G. Get it going.

Get it going, bro.

- Right, Emily.
- Yes, Chef.

- You had 10 minutes less than everybody else.
- Yes, I did.

Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

I'm doing some crispy diced
potatoes with Salisbury steak,

Hen of the Woods
mushroom cream sauce,

then I've got green beans, a little
bit of lemon zest and some almond.

You actually enjoy
being under pressure

- more than anybody, don't you?
- I do. I'm a procrastinator

and I wouldn't write a
paper until the night before,

so I work best under pressure.

- Young lady, good luck.
- Thank you.

- I see you, Emily.
- All right, Shanika.

- You were penalized by five minutes.
- Yeah.

So talk to me a little bit about
your experience with Salisbury steak.

I grew up eating it in Miami.

My mom actually used
to cook it all the time,

but I personally don't
cook Salisbury steaks.

They had three bullets to give,

so they shot one at you.

I need to understand why
they would target you.

I honestly believe they know
that I'm the next MasterChef.

- That's a good answer.
- Keep going, Shanika.

We are down to 20 minutes remaining.

- You've got to speed up.
- Mushroom, steak. Okay.

Hey, is S.J. gonna do some cooking?

- Yeah.
- I don't know what S.J. is doing.

It's crazy. What are you doing?

- So, S.J., tell me what you're doing.
- Yes, Chef?

I'm going to be doing
a Salisbury steak

with a mushroom gravy,
with caramelized shallots,

- mushrooms with...
- Stop.

- Yes, Chef.
- There's nothing cooked.

Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.

- Get your together.
- Yes, Chef.

Hey, young man, and
it would help immensely

to turn the gas on.

My God.

Mushroom, steak. Okay.

- So, S.J.
- Yes, Chef?

- Stop.
- Yes, Chef.

There's nothing cooked.

- Oh, my God.
- Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.

It would help immensely to
turn the gas on.

Should've been on.

S.J.

- Yes, Chef. Yes.
- I believed in you.

Focus, rein it in.

- Absolutely.
- Good luck.

Yes, Chef.

- Lindsay.
- How you doing, Chef?

Talk to me a little bit about
your version of Salisbury steak.

Got a lamb and beef Salisbury steak

with some roasted
fingerling potatoes,

fortified beef stock,

and I put just about every
mushroom in there to use

- as the basis for my gravy.
- That's good flavor.

I'm gonna make a little fresh
green bean salad for the side,

give it a little freshness, 'cause the
Salisbury steak is a little bit heavy.

You're an attorney now,
you work long hours.

A frozen meal is something that
happens in the life of a busy person.

Before I left and came here,

I froze lasagnas and I
froze soups and everything,

so my wife could eat
while I was away.

- Good luck.
- Less than five minutes remaining.

- Julia. I mean, seriously, young lady.
- Yes.

- 30 minutes.
- I know.

Tell me about the shortcuts.

How are you saving that 15 minutes?

I'm gonna use the same pan
to put the mushrooms in,

make the gravy in the same pan.

So you're making all in one.
So you're making the gravy...

so that's a smart move.

They can test me all they want.

This Italian girl is
not gonna go home tonight

or any other night. I'm here to win.

Young lady, taste everything
and give us your best shot.

- I will. Thank you.
- Good luck.

Wow!

I mean, first of all,
these smells are incredible.

- Whoo!
- Pretty good, yeah.

We are down to our last minute.

All right.

Bring all your
elements to the plate.

A little bit of salt.

Come on, Gerron. You gotta plate.

Salt, salt, salt. Where's my salt?

- There we go.
- Come on, Gerron.

Think about plating, y'all.

Consistency of gravies and sauces.

Taste everything.

Get it on a plate, guys.

15 seconds remaining.

Come on, get going! Get going!

- Get it on a plate!
- Come on, S.J.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

And stop.

Hands in the air.

Good job, guys.

Okay, home cooks, you all just
had to make a fresh version

of this Salisbury steak.

Now, at the end of tonight,

at least one of you
will be going home.

Let's see how you did.

First up, a home
cook that has Joe's apron.

Please step forward, Shanika.

These people
obviously don't know

what I've been through in life.

Taking five minutes away from me,

it's just not gonna stop me.

I know that I nailed this
freaking Salisbury steak.

All right, Shanika. You were deprived

- of five minutes.
- Five minutes.

I mean, guys, what was your thinking?

I just seem to keep rubbing
people the wrong way.

Might be too outspoken.

Visually, it does make a statement.

I think the color arrangement,

the blue potatoes,
the green, the red.

- Describe the dish, please.
- The sauce,

I made it with the beef broth.

I cooked it down with pancetta,
little bit of olive oil.

The beans were blanched with salt,

and I roasted the potatoes
with some rosemary, thyme,

salt and pepper.

The Salisbury steak and the gravy,

that right there is amazing.

But everything else on that plate
is really rough to get through.

These potatoes are a
real rough proposition,

'cause they're not really
fried, but not really roasted.

They're kinda living in this limbo.

The green beans are real
mundane and very ordinary.

But let me tell you, the
Salisbury steak's there.

It's seared, it's
delicious, it's earthy,

but everything else
is so rough and so bad.

It takes away from all the magic

that you did on that damn steak,

and that can literally be
enough to send you home.

The five minutes would've
been welcome for you,

'cause it would've allowed you to
finish these ideas a little bit better.

- Gotcha. Thank you.
- Thank you.

I am tired of seeing that
disappointment in Joe's eyes,

but although I made
these horrible mistakes,

I cooked that Salisbury
steak properly.

I don't feel like this
is my time to leave.

Next up, the home cook Joe
gave an apron to, Emily.

I had 10 minutes
less than everyone else

and I'm a little bit nervous.

I know it looks a bit of a mess,

but I'm just hoping and praying
that my flavors pull through.

If not, then I could
be the one going home.

Emily, the six up on the balcony

gave you a 35-minute cook tonight.

- What was going through your mind?
- I'm a person

that they might feel threatened by.

Honestly, I was expecting 30 minutes.

Emily, describe the dish, please.

I have dried porcini mushrooms,
little Worcestershire sauce,

and grated shallot, and
then gravy is a brandy,

Matsutake mushroom gravy.

And then I roasted
off my green beans,

some almonds and lemon zest.

Mm.

It is seriously delicious.

Great seasoning, great color,
great sear on the steak.

Beans got a lot of flavor.

Potatoes, nice.

Visually,
it looks a little bit clumpy.

Just give it a bit more finesse.

But, you know, 35.

I think you could've nailed
this in 25, to be honest.

Good job. Thank you.

The next home cook
wearing Aar�n's apron,

she had just 30 minutes to cook,
Julia.

Julia;This was one of the most
stressful 30 minutes of my life.

You know, a lot of other
people had a lot more time

to incorporate more
flavors into their dish

that I just didn't have the time for.

So, I just hope I don't
disappoint Chef Aar�n.

Tell me about the dish.

I put some garlic, shallots, an egg,

a little salt and pepper, oregano,

and a little bit of bread crumb.

So, this is like an Italian meatloaf

with all that kind
of seasoning in there.

You added these tomatoes,
which I think are irrelevant.

Why'd you add the tomatoes?

I just tomatoes and green
beans together in a salad.

But you sliced it. Why'd you do that?

You understood that the idea
was to mimic this, right?

- Um...
- You understood that?

Yeah.

Julia, your Salisbury steak,

you sliced it. Why'd you do that?

You understood that the idea
was to mimic this, right?

Yeah.

I have to say...

it's one of the best flavored
dishes I've tried so far.

The potatoes are perfectly cooked.

Your mushroom sauce is profound.

You kind of used all your
time to your advantage.

- Great dish.
- Thank you.

Next up, from the home cook
that Aar�n gave an apron to,

Lindsay, please. Let's go.

Having had a lot of Salisbury
steak TV dinners growing up,

I'm gonna show that you can take
those flavors of your childhood,

and do something fresh with it,

and the judges are gonna love it.

- Right, Lindsay.
- Yes.

Describe the dish here.

So I have a lamb and
beef Salisbury steak

with a porcini mushroom crust.

It's got some roasted
mushrooms on top,

and fresh salad on the side
with the blanched green beans.

You know...

that meat is...

disgusting.

It's dry and then I've
got dried mushrooms.

They were just stuck in the oven.

There's no color on those things.

Linds, when the best thing of
your dish is a green bean salad,

that upsets me. Thank you, Lindsay.

Thank you, Chef.

The next home cook
has Gordon's apron.

S.J., let's see what you got.

- S.J., explain your Salisbury steak.
- How are you, Chef?

A Salisbury steak
with fondant potatoes,

mushroom gravy, and
saut�ed green beans.

I love the gravy. I think
it's extremely well-balanced.

If I had to take you
to task on something,

it's a lot of potato
for very little protein.

- Right.
- The star is the Salisbury steak,

and let me tell you,
you knocked it out.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Right. Next
up, wearing Joe's apron,

Gerron.

It is a Salisbury steak stuffed
with bacon and white cheddar,

pan-seared green beans in bacon fat.

I then also added a layer
of fried onions on top.

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

I love the cheese and
the bacon element.

And the pât�, just so
soft and delicious and rich.

You just wanna dive
back in there for more.

- Amazing.
- Thank you, Chef.

The next home cook,

wearing Gordon Ramsay's apron,
Ashley.

So this looks very much in the
spirit of the original dish.

What seasoning did you put in here?

Greek oregano, smoked paprika,

and then I made fondant potatoes,

string beans almondine,

in a red wine mushroom gravy.

So the potatoes are
perfectly cooked.

- Thank you.
- Really soft, well seasoned.

The meat's a little bit bland.

The best thing about this dish is
your sauce. It's really on point.

Thanks, Joe.

Finally, the home cook that
Aar�n gave an apron to.

Chelsea, please. Let's go.

I think I did a really good job.

I mean, I don't eat frozen meals,

but this seems like something
I can make for my dad.

He loves fresh green beans.

I think I should do really well,

and I just really hope
the judges like it.

Chelsea, how many times have
you eaten a frozen dinner?

I don't think I ever have.

- Never?
- No.

Living in the Middle East and
growing up everywhere I lived,

we didn't really eat that kinda food.

Well, you cooked with
45 minutes tonight.

You know there's three
individuals behind you

that have been dealt a
dysfunctional card tonight.

So, visually, yours
looks worse than theirs.

- If I take that away, holy sugar!
- Yeah.

It's like a vegetarian buffet.

I just put too much on the plate.

- And you know how to plate well, right?
- Yes.

Describe the dish, please.

I made Salisbury steak

with mushroom and pearl onion gravy,

garlic green beans with salt,

and the roasted potatoes, I
parboiled them really quickly

and then I finished them in the oven.

Quite rare there.

So, sort of medium muddy.

Potatoes actually taste
better than they look.

Look at that.

I can't distinguish
which one looks better.

At this stage in the competition,

I just want to see a
little bit more finesse.

I look at that and it's like
somebody can't be bothered.

- Thank you.
- I'm just disappointed.

I usually plate so
perfectly and with finesse.

I think that maybe
I was just making it

for my family and not for the judges.

- A no-brainer, right?
- Yeah, missed the mark.

I might be losing
one of my strongest cooks.

They were really upset
with what I produced today

and I hate that I disappointed Aar�n.

Everyone, I think it's safe to say

that that was a tough challenge.

Yes, Chef.

Now, at least one home cook

is leaving tonight.

Can you all please
come down to the front?

I'm shocked that I
messed up so badly.

This is a hard competition
and I never give up,

but, I mean, I didn't do my best.

So, I'm just hoping that they
know that I'll learn from this

and they should give
me another chance.

So,
before we move on to the bad news,

we want to celebrate and
recognize great performances.

Four of you excelled and
knocked it out of the park.

Congratulations...

S.J., Emily, Gerron,

- Thank you.
- And one more home cook

that had just 30 minutes.

Julia, do you have anything
to say to those people

that gave you limited
time and that doubted you?

I'm here to stay. I'm
not going anywhere.

So, the bad news,

Chelsea, Lindsay,

and...

Shanika.

One of you will be
heading home tonight.

Can everybody else please
head to the balcony?

I am so proud
walking up to this balcony.

I was given the least amount of time,

and I completely excelled.
I gotta let 'em know.

You better move the hell over
and make some space for me

because I'm not going anywhere.

We have three very
talented, amazing home cooks.

One's wearing Joe's apron,

and two are wearing
aprons from Aar�n,

but only one will be leaving tonight.

And that person tonight overreached.

They over-thought, and
ultimately, they under-delivered.

The person leaving the
MasterChef kitchen is...

...Lindsay.

Oh, my God.

Shanika, Chelsea, head up to the
safety of the balcony, please.

Wow!

Lindsay, I think the idea
of something so simple

like a Salisbury steak
tripped you up a little bit,

but I gave you my apron for a reason.

You have such a fighting spirit.

You're resilient.

I think that dream of a B&B

with your wife is
well within your grasp,

and I want you to please
continue to do that.

- Tonight wasn't your night.
- No.

Please, place your apron
on your bench and good night.

- Thank you.
- Bye, Lindsay.

I think I'm a true
testament to the fact

that you're never too old to
start following a new dream.

I'm a successful trial attorney.

And you know what? I was successful
in making it to "MasterChef."

So,
I'm going home to my beautiful wife

and we're gonna continue
with our culinary dream

of having that bed and breakfast

and fine dining
restaurant on Cape Cod.

So, just 15 home cooks remain.

You know, with Matt and
Lindsay going home this week,

each judge has five aprons left.

I think the competition is just
gonna get stiffer from here.

From now on, it gets
more and more intense.

The heat is really
gonna get turned up.

So, I am gonna make sure that
the next person to go is not me.

- Good night.
- Good night.

- Next week...
- We are going to try something different.

- ...the top 15...
- Find a partner right away.

- Yo, guys. What's up?
- ...team up...

for a game of Chicken.

- Come on.
- Five well-known ingredients.

I am not having a good
time getting this off.

- Whoo!
- What the hell?

Who mauled this?

I've seen better at
"Junior MasterChef."

Piece of cake.

And then,
a grueling challenge returns.

- Ooh!
- Oh!

A dish that strikes fear

in the heart of every home cook.