All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S09E17.WEB.x264-TBS

Narrator: Tonight...

Ladies and gentlemen...

...the one and only, Gordon Ramsay.

- I see you, Chef.
- Want a picture?

- ...a culinary legend...
- That's my mentor.

...joins the top seven as
they attempt to turn trash...

There's carcasses. What
am I gonna do with this?

- ...into treasure.
- This is a real showstopper.

- Excuse me, look away.
- Whoa!

( whistles )

Mmm.

That's America's next
MasterChef right there.

Competition over.

( music playing )

- Gordon: Welcome back.
- Aarón: Gerron!

- Head to your stations, please.
- Farhan: Top seven.

I came into "MasterChef"
wanting to show America

what Indian food is all about.

Now it's time to show my versatility.

Hello, hello.

I'm learning so much from
Aarón and him mentoring me

that I'm beginning to see

that I have the chops to
be the next MasterChef,

and the light at the end of
the tunnel is getting closer.

Good to see you all.

We're down to seven super
talented amateur cooks.

Very soon, one of you will win

a quarter of a million dollars,

and walk out of here with...

the MasterChef trophy.

Let's get right into our
next mystery box challenge.

On the count of three, lift those boxes.

One, two, three!

Lift them.

Oh!

Cesar: Okay.

Is that chicken livers?

- ( sniffs )
- Hmm.

Whoa, wait a minute.

I see a bunch of trash,

a bunch of groceries
that have been used.

There's carcasses. What
am I gonna do with this?

These are ingredients
that are mostly discarded

by home cooks and chefs alike.

What you see are

- carrot tops, beet tops,
- Ashley: Yeah.

chicken livers, beef
trimmings and bits of fat,

fish roe, hamachi collar,

chicken carcasses, juice pulp,

and stems of cauliflower and broccoli.

Nice.

According to the Food and
Agricultural Organization

of the United Nations,

1.3 billion tons of food

ends up in the trash every year.

In the last few years,

there's been a huge movement
to reducing food waste

and it's an important mission
for us here at "MasterChef."

For sure.

Along with those often
wasted ingredients,

you'll only have access to
the MasterChef staple pantry.

Use that staple pantry box wisely.

- Okay.
- Gordon: And guess what?

The winner of tonight's challenge

will get a critical advantage

in the upcoming elimination.

Very cool.

Tonight, we have invited a special guest

- to cook with you all.
- Nice!

To show you what they can
do with discarded ingredients

- like the ones you have in front of you.
- Oh, wow.

Please, face the door and welcome...

...the one and only...

- Julia: Are you kidding me?
- ...Chef Gordon Ramsay.

Bowen: Oh, my God!

( laughs ) It's my mentor!

- Yes!
- Joe: Gordon, please take your station.

Oh, I'm so excited.

I can always learn a thing or
two or five from Chef Ramsay.

- Wow!
- I feel so honored.

Like, Gordon Ramsay
is about to throw down.

All right, home cooks and Chef Ramsay,

you'll have just 45 minutes

to turn this trash into
a MasterChef-worthy dish.

- Okay.
- Are you ready?

I was born ready.

Your 45 minutes start...

...now.

Ashley: Chef, do you
know what you're doing?

That's a really good question.

- Ask me that again in ten minutes time, please.
- Okay, perfect.

My dad's a butcher,

and it really makes you think

about where your food comes from,

and honoring the ingredients.

Well, I'm really excited about
doing a fresh pappardelle,

and I'm gonna do an
oven-roasted hamachi collar.

And then I'm doing a green curry sauce

using the pulp to go along with it.

Julia: I'm making some pastry dough,

because I'm thinking
of a chicken pot pie,

but I'm doing it upscale
with the mushrooms

and the chicken being a
little bit more refined.

It's hard for me to keep focused,

because it's really hard
not to watch Gordon cook.

( laughs )

Aarón: Unbelievable.

We're down to the top seven
home cooks in all of America.

And Gordon's cooking with them.

This is the first time in
the history of "MasterChef"

we've ever dedicated the mystery box

completely to waste in the kitchen.

And this is such a difficult challenge,

'cause you have this open canvas.

Joe: Very tricky, but they
entered here weeks ago.

They've lived in this
MasterChef kitchen.

So, I wanna see a dish from them

that I could put on my
restaurant menu tonight.

Dear, oh, dear.

In China, we always eat
different part of animals,

because good chef never wastes nothing.

So today I will do a fried chicken liver

with a sautéed mushroom cream sauce,

on top of Italian pasta
with caviar for the garnish,

because I want to redeem
myself from the last challenge.

Nice.

Joe: 34 minutes left, guys.

All right, Gerron. I had eight aprons.

You're my only shot left.

- I know this.
- It's just you.

- What are you making today?
- Me and my fiancée, Brandi,

we eat Italian food
a couple times a week,

and so I'm gonna make a fresh pasta.

I'm gonna toss the roe
and the lemon cream sauce,

but I also have some homemade stock

- that I'm tossing in to give it that fishy flavor.
- Okay.

Then I have some of the...
like, the cheeks from the fish

- that I'm gonna put inside the pasta.
- That sounds really good.

Make sure your pasta's like silk.

I got a lot riding on you, Gerron.

- I got you. I won't let you down. Yup.
- Thanks, bro.

All right, so, Samantha,
what do you got going on?

It's gonna be kind of like a soup.

I have the chicken carcass
to make a bone broth.

I'm gonna really utilize
that juice pulp here,

- Yeah.
- 'cause this has, like, kale,

and ginger, and all those
wonderful flavors in there.

Something I have learned
from my mom is to make stock,

and I use that all the time in college.

- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

All right, Ashley, what
do you got going on?

I'm really excited about this challenge.

You know, Grandma never
threw anything away,

- so I'm really channeling her right now.
- What is the dish?

I'm going for a stuffed agnolotti.

- You made fresh pasta already?
- Yes, it's resting,

and I used some of the juice puree.

It's going to be filled
with the chicken livers,

and I also have some chicken
skin in the oven right now.

- That's great.
- Careful.

- Well, good luck, Ashley.
- Thank you.

Aarón: All right, so
just over 15 minutes, guys.

Cesar: Gotta do something
with that hamachi.

- All right, Cesar. Talk to me about your dish.
- Hi, Chef.

I have never cooked with
waste, so it's really cool.

I'm gonna be making grilled
chicken liver skewers

with sautéed beet tops, with
some roasted mushrooms in there,

and a little bit of pickled
broccoli and cauliflower stems.

And I wanna use that guy, hamachi,

maybe make a surf and turf idea.

Chicken livers are a
very hard proposition

- to make look good.
- Yes. Right.

And I need you, 'cause
you have my apron on,

you're one of my three,

- to put your idea together and make a cohesive dish.
- Okay.

- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

All right, Chef. What's going on?

I'm gonna do an appetizer,
an entrée and a dessert.

You're gonna do an entire three
course dinner in 45 minutes.

I'm trying.

So I've blitzed the
chicken liver parfait.

It's in the fridge setting.

This is the hamachi collar braised
with a carrot top chimichurri,

with roasted stems from the mushroom.

How you gonna make a
dessert with scraps?

So, beetroots can be
caramelized into a dessert,

so it's a salty caramel.

- Have you tested these yet? Yeah.
- The chimichurri? Yes.

Might need a little
seasoning, a little salt there.

Thank you for that.

See this ingredient? It's
the mystery ingredient today.

- It's called salt.
- Come on, Joe.

Please, I'm busy.

Man!

Joe: Guys, just nine minutes left.

Aarón: We all gave out aprons.

Right now, currently,
I have three out there.

Gordon has three aprons.

More salt.

I have one. I have
Gerron as my last hope,

but his dish sounds amazing.

You know, I'm very, very impressed.

90 seconds left.

Final push.

All right, come on,
Gerron, you got this.

Aarón: Start thinking about plating.

Let's go, Cesar. Come on!

Joe: Put it in the plate, guys.

We want beautiful dishes.

Aarón: Here we go.

Aarón and Joe: Ten,
nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

- Joe: Stop.
- Aarón: That's it. Hands in the air.

That was a very difficult
mystery box challenge

using kitchen waste.

Chef Ramsay, please bring your
appetizer, entrée and dessert

so we can taste them.

- Mm-hmm!
- Wow!

Unbelievable. Look at that.

- Whoa!
- Wow!

Please, Chef, tell us what you've made.

For appetizer this evening,

we have chicken liver mousse parfait,

topped with a rendered fat finished
with the caramelized citrus salt,

next to a chive blini.

Entrée tonight, we've got that
whole hamachi collar braised

in the roasted vegetable pulp,

topped with a carrot top chimichurri,

finished with a salad of pickled
stems of broccoli and cauliflower.

And then our dessert this evening

is a salted caramel beetroot stem,

sandwiched in between
vanilla shortbread.

- Very nice.
- Ashley: Gordon, my mentor.

He did three dishes in
45 minutes with scraps.

- Mmm.
- That texture is silky.

- It's smooth.
- And the mushroom stems have this umami flavor,

that just completes the dish.

You wouldn't have even expected

that these would be the
throwaway ingredients,

and that's what makes
him such an inspiration.

That beetroot has a savoriness
to it that's beautiful.

- Fantastic. Good job.
- Yeah. Really great.

Now, while you worked at your stations,

Aarón and I watched your every move,

and we've tasted elements
of every single dish.

We will now take a closer
look at three dishes

that made excellent use of
those wasted ingredients.

The first dish was made
using the chicken skin.

Please step forward, Samantha.

Samantha: I am just blown
away that as a college student

learning to stretch my budget
and stretch every ingredient

would get me in the top
three for the challenge.

I really think this was the
perfect mystery box for me.

Okay, Samantha.

What's the dish?

Chicken bone broth

infused with that beautiful juice pulp

and some thinly sliced
cauliflower stems,

and crispy chicken skin on top.

So it's basically like
a green chicken soup.

Yeah. Exactly. I incorporated a lot

of that juice pulp to
really enrich this broth.

I wanted to show that you can make
a healthy dish out of those scraps.

Considering 45 minutes, it has
an incredible depth of flavor.

- You taste certainly the ginger
and the kale. - Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Great use of the pulp.

And I really think
combining the chicken broth

with that green pulp was probably one

of the smartest things
anyone did out there.

- Thank you.
- Because it doesn't taste like leftover

- or waste to me
at all. - Mm-mm.

This tastes like a dish that you
would pay money for in a restaurant.

- Really, really good, Samantha.
- Thank you.

Wow!

- Excuse me, look away.
- ( laughs )

Mmm. I mean, it's delicious.

Hearty, packed with
flavor. What would I change?

Maybe flash-fry some of those livers.

- Okay.
- Chop them up and run the liver through,

so you got sort of
that Vietnamese style.

- Sure.
- But if this is what you can do

with bits that are unwanted,

heaven knows what you can do

- with a box full of magical perfect ingredients.
- Okay.

Great job.

- Nice job, Sam.
- Thanks.

The second dish that
we would like to examine

is from a home cook that used
the staple box and made a pasta.

Please, bring your dish
forward, Miss Ashley.

I couldn't be more excited!

Top three!

And I am just glad that
with these ingredients

I was able to honor my
grandmother's favorite meal.

Describe the dish, please.

Juice pulp herb agnolotti

stuffed with chicken livers,
some crispy chicken skin,

and sautéed mushroom
brown butter sauce.

So, you're a personal grocery shopper.

This theme of utilizing
waste, did it speak to you?

It absolutely spoke to me.

When I get to tell the client
how to stretch their dollar

and use every aspect of an
ingredient that they buy,

it just gets me excited.
It makes me happy.

What I really love about the taste

is you brought the best elements
of chicken liver out for me.

- Awesome. - Which is
iron-y, creamy, rich,

and the herbs in that juice pulp

really help lift up
the actual pasta itself.

Yes.

And then of course the chicken skin

is a little bit of a respite
from the richness of the pasta

- and it's a textural
note. - Mm-hmm.

If I were to do this differently,

I would just give me a
bit little more mushrooms.

- I think they're a little dainty.
- Okay.

But this is a real
showstopper of a dish.

- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.

This dish respects the
traditions of the pasta norm.

The agnolotti are great.

The texture of the pasta is spot-on.

If I had to change one thing,
you know what it would be?

- See that
pin. - Mm-hmm.

It'd say "JB."

Yes! I gotcha, Joe.

Thank you.

Good job!

The third and final
dish we'd like to examine

made expert use of both
the fish and the meat.

Please, bring up your dish, Cesar.

- Yes.
- Let's go, young man.

It's been a long time since I've been
part of the top three in a mystery box,

and although I've never
worked with scraps before,

I just made a beautiful dish with them.

Cesar, describe the dish, please.

Today I made grilled
chicken liver skewers

with braised beet tops,
roasted mushrooms stems,

and underneath it, pickled
broccoli and cauliflower stems.

It looks breathtaking.

What was going through your
thoughts when you unveiled that box?

I thought about the
conversation my dad had with me,

how when he first came to this country,

it was difficult for him to find a job

and he would go dumpster diving

behind grocery stores and eat with that.

And because of all
those sacrifices he made,

I could stand here and cook with scraps.

- So, it was an inspiration.
- What an amazing story to bring that on the plate.

Who would've thought ten years
ago you'd be standing here

and evolving a dish based
on what Dad stood for?

I just wish he was here right now to taste
that, because it was cooked with heart.

- Let's get that right.
- Yeah.

Liver's cooked beautifully.

But then you got that pickling.

That just lifts it
to restaurant quality.

And underneath it, you got the
mushroom sauce finessed beyond belief.

It's delicious.

I'm so happy that something
can taste so beautiful

from a box of leftovers.

- Great job.
- Thank you.

It's rich, it's homey.

It's well-seasoned.

And I just love that you chose the
mushroom stems as the base of it,

'cause they are meaty and they
stand up to the chicken livers.

It gives me a lot of
joy to see you grow,

'cause not only do you have my pin,

you're a great representative
for our culture and our food.

- Great job.
- Thank you.

- Three amazing dishes.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I agree.

( indistinct chatter )

Three incredible dishes, but as always,

only one of you is the winner.

The person who won tonight's
mystery box challenge,

the home cook that will
take a big advantage

into the next round
of this competition...

Congratulations...

The person who won tonight's
mystery box challenge,

and the home cook that
will take a big advantage

into the next round
of this competition...

- ...Cesar.
- ( whispers ) Yes.

You made a fantastic
dish. Congratulations.

- Thank you, Joe.
- And you made Aarón very proud.

Please head to the
balcony. Enjoy your success.

Cesar: I win again! Second mystery box.

I'm so proud of my dish,

and it's amazing and rewarding

to have the judges
validate that feeling.

There's no other place
in the MasterChef kitchen

that I'd rather be than
watching from that beautiful view

up in the balcony.

Cesar, congratulations.

- Thank you.
- Your first advantage is

that you are now safe and
you will not be cooking

in tonight's tough
elimination challenge.

You'll learn about your next
advantage a little later tonight.

- All right.
- As for the rest of you,

all of you will be cooking
in the elimination challenge.

And at least one of you will be
cooking in here for the very last time.

Please, come to the front.

This next challenge is quite a departure

from your first earlier this evening.

- These are the complete, whole, untouched ingredients
- Oh, wow!

you cooked with earlier.

So we've gone from the unwanted scraps

to the Rolls-Royce ingredients.

Wow!

Here we have an amazing whole chicken,

rib eye steak, hamachi fillet,

beautiful beets, fresh kale,

broccoli, whole
cauliflower, fresh ginger.

Top seven. There are no excuses.

All of you please head to your stations.

There's so much more pressure
when you have a perfect ingredient

and you have to elevate it.

But I have no idea what
I'm cooking tonight.

Along with these incredible
ingredients, once again,

you will have access to the
incredible MasterChef staple box.

You'll have 45 minutes

to make us the best dish of your lives.

Your time starts...

...now.

- Aarón: Come on, guys, let's go.
- Go, go, go!

Coming from Kentucky, you know,
I love those Southern flavors.

So I'm making braised chicken
thighs with sautéed kale.

I feel the pressure being the
only person with Joe's pin.

I don't wanna let Joe down, you know.

Tunnel vision, baby.
I'm going to the finale.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous.

I was in the top three with the
scraps of all of these ingredients,

so I think there's a lot
of pressure on me tonight

to really create an amazing dish.

So I'm making a pan-seared rib eye

with a mushroom cream sauce

on a bed of a carrot vinaigrette slaw.

I really want to do all
these ingredients justice

and get a great dish out tonight.

All right, guys, when you do
like a perfect shop like this

and bring home the best
ingredients you can find,

your expectation level both as a cook

and us as judges goes to the roof.

What are we looking for tonight?

For the six now cooking, we're
looking for great finesse,

- great flavor profile.
- Season it.

And not just MasterChef quality,
restaurant quality-plating.

Absolutely. I want a
balance of color and texture.

I wanna make sure that there's
flavors that are memorable.

Nice.

I'm looking to see the journey.

They entered here weeks and weeks ago.

They're the top seven now.

I wanna see a dish from them

that I could put on my
restaurant menu tonight.

Come on, baby. I just need you to
get a little bit more browner for me.

Smells really good, guys.

Coming up to 30 minutes to go.

Heard, Chef.

Hurry, hurry, guys.

( sighs ) I don't know what I'm doing.

- Julia.
- Yes, Joe.

So, is this kind of familiar
turf for you, these ingredients?

The previous box was
probably a little bit easier,

just because there was only
so many things that you can do.

With something like this, it's confusing

because the options
are just pretty endless.

What's the idea? What are you doing?

I'm gonna do a roasted chicken breast.

I have roasted beets
and carrots in the oven.

I might turn it into a puree.

I'm thinking a sauce
maybe with the mushrooms,

but I'm not exactly sure.

- You know someone's going home, Julia.
- I do, Joe.

- Time to get sure.
- I will.

- Who do you think might be going home today?
- I'm thinking Bowen.

He's done a lot of the same cuisine,

- so he might just not have anything else to do.
- All right.

Get everything done on time.
Keep your eye on the clock.

- I will.
- Ashley, what you doing?

A pan-seared hamachi
with a cauliflower puree

- and pickled carrots.
- There's somebody going home.

- Yes, Chef.
- Who do you think's losing their edge right now?

I think Bowen started off really strong,

but I just think he's
not learning anymore.

Well, you're wearing my apron.

- Don't let me down.
- Yes, Chef.

- Okay? Good luck.
- Yes, Chef. Thank you.

Cesar: Hurry, hurry, guys.

Less than 15.

- So, Farhan.
- Chef.

All right, so talk to me a
little bit about your dish.

I'm gonna try working
with the hamachi today.

You know, I worked with it earlier.

To go along with it I'm gonna
do a crispy kale fritter,

a carrot and cucumber slaw,

and then some sort of beet puree.

And for me, this has
been a lifelong dream

to bring Indian food up just like
how you brought Mexican food up.

You know, being able to work
with you has been such a blessing.

Those beets, 'cause
they're so bright in color,

looks like you have
lipstick on right now.

- I'm just throwing that out there, okay?
- Oh, does it? Okay.

- I love that color of lipstick on you.
- Thank you.

- Thanks, Chef.
- All right, come on. Let's go.

Bowen, how we doing?

- I'm doing great.
- Give me an insight to the dish.

- What you cooking? - The
dish is pan-seared hamachi

with kale salad and a cauliflower puree.

Top seven, top five around the corner.

Finale, where you sitting?

Do you feel you're getting stronger?

- Um... - Everybody
else thinks you're done,

- and it's time for you to go home.
- I'm not going home.

I'm not base my destiny based
on their opinions. I'm not.

That'll be a great upset
for me to see you go home.

I'm not going home,

because I need "MasterChef"
to change my life.

I want to have my own restaurant,

because everybody think I
cannot be a really good chef.

Even my dad, even my mom.

Hey, come on.

( crying )

I'm not going home,

because I need "MasterChef"
to change my life.

I want to have my own restaurant,

because everybody think I
cannot be a really good chef.

Even my dad, even my mom.
They don't supporting me.

Hey, come on.

- You could do this.
- Yes.

Come on, I don't want you
getting upset like that.

- Hey, hey. I know you can.
- ( crying ) I can do it.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, come on. Hey. Let's not worry about Mum.

- Yes. Yes.
- Let's not worry about Dad.

I'm here to support you,
okay? I think you can do it.

Yes, thank you, Chef.

Just worry about staying
in the competition.

- Okay, Chef.
- Good man.

Nine minutes left to go.

What's happening with Bowen?

He looks like he's totally deflated.

I think the pressure is getting to him.

But also here's the thing:

his parents never wanted him to cook.

So this guy's on this journey
and he feels he's on his own now.

Hustle, hustle, Bowen.

I'll try my best.

- Yes, sir, do it.
- Thank you, Cesar.

Julia also seems like
she's just in a daze.

She's not in a rhythm.
She's kind of in a funk.

- Wow.
- That is extremely surprising

considering she's wearing my apron.

I might be losing one
of my strongest cooks.

90 seconds to go.

- Final push.
- Heard, Chef. Thank you.

Home stretch. Y'all gotta hustle up.

Come on, you got this.

30 seconds remaining. Come on.

Come on, guys. Make sure you
get everything on the plate.

Joe: Let's go, guys.
Put it on the plate.

- Push!
- Cesar: Looking good, Farhan.

- Very nice.
- Judges: Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

- Gordon: And stop, hands in the air.
- Aarón: That's it. Hands up.

( applause )

Wow! Well done.

Now, it's time to see how you did.

But before we make any big decisions...

Cesar, you have one huge advantage

that you don't even know about yet.

Dying to know, Chef.

Tonight, you will get to save
one person from elimination.

Whoa.

So I hope you were
observing, paying attention,

and assessing their performances.

Joe: It is time to choose

who you will be saving from elimination.

I'm gonna save this home cook,

because we have common goals.

We have a same mission when it
comes to our food and our cultures.

and I think that would be
an ideal battle at the end.

So I'm gonna save Gerron.

Gerron, how you feeling, buddy?

To be saved right now
is a complete blessing.

Like, I don't even
know what's happening.

You saved my pin?

Saved your pin, Joe.

What'd I tell ya? Me and you.

Take the rest of these guys out.

Okay, Gerron, head up to the balcony.

- I just like you, buddy.
- Yeah.

Gordon: Gerron, congratulations.

- Top six!
- Thank you, Chef.

And now it's our turn to make
some very important decisions.

First up, Bowen.

Tonight, is kind of
really rough night for me.

I had to refocus, bring myself together,

and find my confident in
the MasterChef kitchen.

I want to show the judges

that I didn't need
Cesar to save me tonight.

Bowen, how would you describe this dish?

I made a pan-seared hamachi

with a sweet and sour kale salad,

with cauliflower puree for the garnish.

And what kind of seasoning do you
have on the outside of that hamachi?

Salt and pepper, and then I
don't want to my fish to be dry.

I drizzle a little bit lemon
juice to give extra moist.

They look beautiful.

You can see it's glistening.

It has a beautiful opaque color to it.

It doesn't look dry or brittle.

- All right?
- Thank you, Chef.

Mmm.

Thank you for paying
respect to the noble hamachi.

- Thank you.
- You did a great job.

First of all, you were
aggressive with that seasoning.

Hamachi is a steak fish.

It needs a lot of aggressive seasoning.

And then
your greens...

They're crunchy, they're not overcooked.

They have a beautiful
bite and snap to them.

If I had to take you
to task on one thing,

a little citrus vinaigrette.

If you had that right on top,

( snaps fingers ) home run.

But well done, young man.

Mmm.

This is delicious. I'm
seriously impressed.

You know, hamachi's cooked beautifully.

Great finesse, lovely seasoning.

Puree, you know, it's soft, it's creamy.

What would I put in there?

I'd put shards of pickled ginger in

with those vegetables
so it just lifts that.

- Hamachi, ginger, you know it's like tomato, basil.
- Yes.

The irony of this dish is that
everybody standing behind you

thinks that you're going home tonight.

I'm gonna guarantee you

that dish will not send you home.

Thank you, Chef.

Bowen: I feel great.

I feel like I'm back on track,

and I focus on Bowen in the finale.

Bowen is back.

Next up, Julia.

Nothing really went
as I expected tonight.

I struggled to come up with a recipe.

It took me a while to get it,

but I've been in more
pressure tests than anyone,

and I've always survived,
I've always come on top,

and I intend to still do it today.

Okay, Julia, please,
tell me what the dish is.

It is a roasted chicken breast,

sitting on top of cauliflower
couscous with mushrooms,

a roasted beet and carrot puree,

and some crispy greens.

How did you cook the chicken breast?

I pan-seared it, finished
it off in the oven,

and then I basted it with butter

that I infused with
some garlic and sage.

All right, let's see
how the chicken's cooked.

So it's got some decent
color on the outside.

And inside...

Hmm.

All right, let's see
how the chicken's cooked.

So it's got some decent
color on the outside.

And inside...

Hmm.

- How's that look?
- Looks perfect.

I will be the judge of that.

The chicken's actually cooked fine,

but there's very little seasoning.

Kind of bland.

And this puree's supposed
to be like a silky puree?

No, it's a little bit more coarse.

I like the chunkiness of it.

I didn't wanna thin it out too much.

I thought purees were only smooth.

I think when you roast the vegetables,

- I think it's a nice texture.
- Let me check with my colleagues.

Is there such a thing as a grainy puree?

It's called "puree" for a reason
'cause it's a smooth puree.

- That's what "puree" means. Yeah.
- Right? By definition.

- So, calling a puree grainy
- It's a mash.

is like admitting there's
a defect in your plate.

Okay. So it's a mash?

Chunky mash? I'm not sure.

- What's in the middle here?
- It's a cauliflower couscous

- with some mushrooms.
- Mmm.

This is good, this is terrible,

and the
chicken's...

it's kinda like a chicken breast
that you can get on an airline.

You know, just kinda
seasoned, cooked okay.

Julia, I'm surprised.

You cooked dishes in the first few
weeks that were way more sophisticated.

We're looking for top six.

Not sure.

Chicken breast is boring.

It needs butter, it
needs fat, it needs herbs.

The puree's grainy.

It's visually off-putting.

The couscous is watery.

This looks like something
that you would get

like on a buffet platter somewhere.

You know you're here
for a reason, right?

- Mm-hmm. - You
have my pin on.

But this dish is so bad that
I can't make any guarantees,

and that's a shame.

I understand.

If I had some technical errors tonight,

I just don't think it's
enough to send me home.

There really isn't anybody
else in this competition

that has more passion
than I do about cooking.

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

Ashley: I have never
cooked with hamachi before,

but I wanna show the judges

that even if I'm
introduced to a new protein,

that I can handle it.

This is top seven.

You cannot be fearful.

Like, you have to be an A-plus
student in that moment and bring it.

Ashley, describe the dish, please.

We have a pan-seared hamachi

with roasted beets,

a cauliflower puree, sautéed mushrooms,

and lemon Swiss chard.

How long did you cook it for?

I cooked it for about 40 seconds

on the flatter sides and
then 20 on the shorter side.

Beautiful. Seared beautifully.

- What is the seasoning?
- Salt and paprika.

And what have you done
with the mushrooms?

I sautéed them with some
chili flakes, salt, pepper,

and then there's lemon juice
in the sautéed Swiss chard.

- You know, I'm gonna be honest with you.
- Okay.

I said to you earlier

the tiniest mistakes
tonight could send you home.

- Mm-hmm. - You've taken the most
dangerous protein of the night

and elevated it.

Really, really delicious.
Hamachi served beautifully

like a nice wedge of tuna.

Lovely seasoning, puree refined.

Smooth and looks beautiful like a
coat of varnish on those black plates.

Great job, great finesse.

- Well done.
- Yes, Chef. Thank you.

Beautiful sear and
flavor on this hamachi.

Very difficult fish to cook.
These vegetables are fantastic.

They're super crunchy.

All the flavors come through.

Very impressive.

Obviously this dish in the
beginning of the competition

- is not something you could've made.
- No.

- This is a result of your journey here in "MasterChef."
- Absolutely.

Gordon certainly has himself
an excellent student in you.

- Thank you.
- Nice job, Ashley.

Thanks.

So the next home cook's dish
that we'd like to taste, Farhan.

Farhan: I'm really
proud of my dish tonight.

I think this is probably one of my
most beautiful plates I've put together.

I've never cooked with hamachi,

but it's one of my favorite fishes.

I wanna show the judges

that I'm not gonna be
intimidated by new ingredients.

Describe the dish, please.

So it's a spice-crusted
pan-seared hamachi

with a beet puree, a kale fritter,

and then some sautéed mushrooms.

The hamachi, how do you
think it should be cooked?

Like a tuna, rare to medium rare.

So you did crisp up the skin separately

or just kinda fell off
on its own like that?

No, no, no. I crisped it up separately,

just so it gives that little
bit of texture element.

So, you're confident it's gonna
be rare when I cut this open?

Yes.

It's cooked okay.

The biggest thing that you have
going for you on this is texture.

You have it here by way of this fritter,

and then you have it by way of the skin.

But here's the deal with the flaws.

That beet puree is so off-putting,

it's marring any of the other
positive attributes that this dish has.

It's muddy.

It's earthy in a bad way.

It's just falling flat.

You have my pin and that right
there is a disappointment.

I understand, Chef.

He said it was cooked okay.

I disagree. I think this
is overcooked for me.

There are rules in the kitchen,

and there are standards
that we all live by

as professionals in this business.

When we're down to seven
cooks on "MasterChef,"

we expect you guys to be
playing by those rules.

And there's a couple of
cardinal rules that you broke.

Number one, 8 million
different ways to make beets.

Pureeing them is not one.

It's fibrous, it will never be smooth.

It will never be
pleasing on your palate.

Secondly, hamachi is to be
treated exactly like tuna is.

Seasoned on the outside,
seared, served rare.

When's the last time you got a medium

or medium-well-cooked
tuna?

Never.

Man, I'm feeling really
defeated right now.

I felt so confident about
my dish when I finished,

and to be so far off the
mark, it's disappointing.

Last up, Samantha.

The sear on my steak looks amazing,

but the temperature needs to be perfect.

We are the top seven,

and I'm up against
some tough competition,

so if I screw this up,

- I could be going home tonigh.
- Describe the dish, please.

Today I have a pan-seared rib eye

with a mushroom cream sauce
and a carrot vinaigrette slaw.

- Why rib eye?
- I don't cook steak like this often,

because a college
student... I can't afford it.

So, I wanted to push myself out of my
comfort zone with the rib eye tonight.

- Temperature, what we got in there?
- I'm hoping medium rare.

Let's get in there, shall we?

So you said medium rare.

I'm hoping.

And...

Oh, my Lord.

- Temperature, what we got in there?
- I'm hoping medium rare.

Let's get in there, shall we?

And...

Oh, my Lord.

That is a perfect medium rare.

- ( exhales )
- ( whistles )

- Samantha: It's beautiful.
- Gerron, come on.

It's glistening. I can see it from here.

Great sear. What was the
rub? What was the seasoning?

Just salt and pepper, and then I
used the drippings from the rib eye,

heavy cream, and those
beautiful mushrooms

to give that earthiness.

- Delicious. Let's get that right.
- Thank you.

You absolutely nailed the temperature.

- Sauce is delicious. Just be careful.
- Thank you.

- You got that amount of acidity with the cream.
- Yeah.

It just separates immediately.

- Mm-hmm. Yes, Chef. - Now,
will you just do me a favor?

- Flick your hair. So Joe and Aarón can see
- Oh.

- whose pin you're wearing.
- ( laughs )

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

I am bounding with joy right now.

I'm proving a lot even
being in this competition,

but to make it to the top seven

and then perform that well
under that much pressure.

Yeah, I'll be on that balcony tonight.

( whispers ) Oh, wow!

This challenge was all
about celebrating the beauty

of great ingredients.

And, unfortunately,

one of you will be
going home this evening.

Let's get one thing clear.

Three of you tonight definitely
made restaurant-worthy dishes.

Samantha,

- Bowen, and Ashley.
- Thank you, Chef.

Join those two up on the balcony.

Thank you.

Whenever I'm fighting for my life

or it's a pressure
filled challenge, I shine.

I feed off of it.

I am here in the top six.

- Ooh, goodness!
- Julia and Farhan,

please, both of you, make
your way down to the front.

Thank you.

Farhan, Julia,

you know, two home cooks from Chicago,

both mentored by Aarón.

- ( Julia exhales )
- I'm invested in both of you.

I'm trying to impart my
sensibility, my experience,

my way of viewing ingredients
and treating them with respect,

and the obvious is that this evening

was a rough ride for both of you.

Unfortunately, the time has
come and somebody has to go home.

When I call your name,
please, take a step forward.

Farhan.

You know that performance
was not your finest hour.

- No, it wasn't.
- Farhan...

...undo your apron.

And, Farhan, do it up tighter,

and get your act together.

Your time is not done here.

You, young man, were
literally a millimeter

from leaving the competition.

Head upstairs.

I'm feeling so relieved.

I can't believe I'm staying.

I'm gonna really step
it up and show the judges

that I can learn from
my mistakes, adapt,

and be a better chef because of it.

Oh, Julia, your chicken looking bland

and uncared for was
the big shock for me.

I've admired what you've done.

I loved the way you've
stood out in team challenges,

but continue that journey.

Please do not stop.

Yes, Chef.

Promise.

Julia, I want you to know I
do not regret giving you a pin.

You showed such courage
through this process.

People look up to you.

So, please keep your head up high,

and go back to Chicago and kick ass.

- Okay.
- Come on up.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Thank you.

Good luck, Julia.

Gordon: Thank you, my darling.

Please, place your apron on your bench,

and have a safe journey home.

Julia.

Farhan: Love you, Julia.

My MasterChef journey
has been so amazing.

I found my voice in
the MasterChef kitchen.

I mean, come on, I won five
team challenges out of five.

This Italian girl from Chicago,

she's gonna be around
for a really long time.

You think that just because I got
eliminated, I'm gonna stop cooking?

Forget about it. You're crazy.

Take a look at each other.

There's only six of you left.

With Julia being eliminated,

Gordon has three, Aarón has two,

and Joe has one apron left.

It feels amazing to
be in the final three

of Gordon's mentees.

We have got to stay strong,

because it could be all
three of us in that finale.

Gordon: Get some sleep.

You're gonna need it.

Good night.

Home cooks: Good night, Chef.

Narrator: Next time on "MasterChef"...

Four covers, table one. Two
New York strip, two duck.

Home cooks: Yes, Chef.

...the top six take over
a world-class restaurant.

- Can you do these? I'm shaking too much.
- Oh, dear.

- Home cooks...
- Touch that scallop. It's ice cold!

...working a two
Michelin-star restaurant.

The duck is overcooked! This is a joke!

- What could go wrong?
- I got tables that are ready to walk out.

- I need plates!
- I need the scallops!

- Speed it up, okay?
- I'm speeding it up.

- Come on, season it!
- Come on!

I need the food! Come on!

Sync: Ajvngou www.addic7ed.com

I am a mutant. And so were you.

REED: Dad?

We need to talk to you
about your work. At Trask.

They're experimenting on mutants.

My own best friend was turned.

He's working for Sentinel Services.

OTTO: A research project
to eliminate the X-Gene

in you... that was what
brought me to Trask.

REED: When I was sick?

Dad, I nearly died.

ESME: I'm a telepath

and I've been getting some very weird

thoughts from one of the others.

Hey.

CAITLIN: You don't have
to talk. Just think.

Who did this to you? Where are they?

I can see it.

It's a building.

Some kind of lab.

North of here.

OTTO: My father and his sister Andrea

were known as Fenris. The Wolf.

They had the same
abilities as your children.

Have they held hands?

Shoot him!

SS AGENT: Don't worry, Dr. Campbell,

we're going to get you to a hospital.

Gus. I'm gonna make them
pay for what they did to you.

-LAUREN: What happened with your dad?
-REED: He died today.

Oh, babe.

(birds singing, children chattering)

Andy!

CAITLIN: Nice. I didn't
know you could do that.

I have all kinds of secret talents.

(Caitlin laughs)

REED: Hey... This is good, right?

Well, don't get cocky, but yeah.

It's really good.

It's been too long
since we've done this.

-I'm sorry work's been so crazy.
-Don't.

We understand.

What you do, it's important.

It's just, I've missed you.

The kids, too.

Well, I'm here now.

-(laughs softly)
-They doing all right?

CAITLIN: Yeah.

I mean, Lauren's been
a little distant lately,

but I think it's just
normal teenager stuff.

It's nice to see them
not bickering for once.

Wanna try that?

No, I'm not gonna do that.

What do you mean?

I don't skateboard.

Yeah, you can. Here.

Back foot on the tail,

front foot halfway up the deck.

It's fine, it's easy.

Pop and flick... like
a karate kick, okay?

-Halfway up...
-I'm gonna fall, no.

No, you... Trust me.

I'm... I'll be here. I can catch you.

-Promise?
-Yeah.

Help me up.

Okay.

-Ready?
-Yeah.

LAUREN: Okay.

(Lauren gasps)

Hey!

You guys all right over there?

Yeah.

Messing around.

♪ ♪

(birds singing faintly)

♪ ♪

ELLEN: Reed, don't.
Your father's working.

ELLEN: But you're leaving
me to do this all on my own.

He needs you.

He's your son.

What do you mean, you
can't come to see him?

(exhales)

Hey, you.

(Caitlin exhales)

I woke up and you were gone.

I'm sorry.

Couldn't sleep.

Thinking about your dad?

I hadn't spoken to the
man in 20 years. I...

...didn't think losing
him would make me...

(sighs)

I get it.

My mom and I couldn't be
in the same room without her

bringing up every screwup
of my teenage years

to remind me how perfect
Jenny and Danny were.