All language subtitles for MasterChef.S13E02.Regional.Auditions.-.The.Midwest.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H

Previously on "MasterChef"...

Welcome to
the United Tastes of America.

...home cooks from four
regions across the nation
began the battle

to become America's
next MasterChef.

First up, the Northeast.

Please welcome Daphne Oz!

Whoo!

The Northeast
is a melting pot.

- Whoo!
- It's apron time, baby.
It's apron time.

It's another level this year.
I just don't think you're
ready for MasterChef.

It's a no from me.

It was so delicious.
I love the layering of flavors.

- Ha-ha!
- You're cooking instinctually
and with honesty.

That's a yes.

- I need to tell you
a little bit of bad news.
- Okay.

- You're not gonna see him
for a few months.
- Whoo!

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

- Oh, Lord!
- Tonight...

Welcome back, everybody,
to the United Tastes of America.

The region competing
tonight is the Midwest.

And we have another guest judge.
Graham Elliot!

Do not let the Midwest down.

...the regional audition
rounds continue...

- Pound it out, baby.
- If this dish doesn't
earn me an apron,

I'm not sure I understand
what you're looking for
on "MasterChef."

...as the Midwest cooks
compete...

- That looks like home.
- Whoo!

...for a coveted white apron.

It's symbolic of the Midwest
and the heartland.

The passion's there.
I can taste that passion.

This dish is a wow dish.

The sauce just tastes so bland.

Fingers crossed it tastes
better than it looks.

- This is gonna be fun.
- Whoo! I'm sweating.

- You are walking away with
one of those aprons, okay?
- Okay.

I hope the Midwest
is going today.

I'm ready
to show off my skills.

My dad's the best cook here, and
he's gonna get an apron today.

- Yeah!
- Represent.
You gotta represent.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa!

- Whoo!

- Yeah!
- Look at that, dude!

- Unreal!
- Oh, my God.

Welcome back, everybody,
to the season 13 auditions.

So far, we've seen some talented
home cooks from the Northeast.

- Whoo!
- Yeah.

We've already given out
five aprons.

That means there's 15 left.

Tonight the best home cooks
from another region

will show us their skills.

Only a select few of you
will earn a MasterChef apron

and stay in the running

to earn the title,
the trophy...

- Whoo!

...and the awesome grand prize

of a quarter
of a million dollars.

Whoo!

So the region
competing tonight

is truly the heart
of American cuisine.

There you'll find fresh corn,
delicious squash,

and enough casseroles to fill
any table at a potluck, right?

That region is the Midwest.

Midwest!

- Heck yeah!
- Yeah!

Yeah!

And we have yet another
guest judge joining us tonight.

He's an absolute expert
in Midwestern flavors and food.

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

He has received
two Michelin stars

and is one
of the original members

of the MasterChef family.

Please welcome
the amazing Graham Elliot.

Yeah!

Yay!

I've watched this man
for half of my life almost
on "MasterChef."

I've always wanted to go
to his restaurant.

It's only four hours away, but
it's really hard to get into.

And so for him
to be here is exciting

and makes me want to try that
much harder to impress him.

- Wow.
- Welcome back, buddy.
Good to see you.

- Thank you so much.
- Now, you've become such

a phenomenon from the Midwest,
but in your mind,

what's so special about the
ingredients from the Midwest?

I mean, we call it
the Mid-Best, right?

You're in the heartland.

You are working with ingredients

that are grown right around you,

and for me it's about bringing
it back down to basics

- and making
tasty food with that.
- Sure.

You've been here before,
you've pushed them
to the extreme,

but what do you want
to personally see tonight?

I want you guys to stand out
but still stay true to you,

your family, your story, and
especially that Midwest region.

- Whoo!
- We got you. We got you.

Right, all of you,
you'll have 45 minutes tonight

to make your signature dishes.

And don't forget, if you want to
earn one of the Midwest aprons,

three of us need to say yes
to you and your food.

Last words of advice,
do not let the Midwest down.

- Hell no!
- All right!

The very best of luck
to you all.

See you shortly.

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

How excited are we
to have Graham Elliot back?

- Yes!
- How you feeling?

I feel excited.
You know, this is great.

The Midwest isn't just
flyover country.

There's a lot
of different cultures there.

- It's not just
steak and potatoes.
- Yeah.

And I feel like the food from
the Midwest is misunderstood.

Absolutely.
There's a lot of history.

- Mmm.
- Yeah.

You are in the MasterChef
kitchen, dude.

Pretty damn cool, huh?

My name is Grant. I'm 32
years old from Altoona, Iowa.

That looks fabulous, buddy.
Love it, love it.

My love and my passion
for cooking

comes from one of the darkest
moments in my entire life.

I was going through
a divorce at the time
and I couldn't sleep.

I was 2, 3,
4 in the morning

just tossing and turning
in that bed.

You know,
I finally turned on my phone

and just watched videos
all night of different chefs,

specifically Gordon Ramsay.

I would pick one of the videos
that I watched.

The next day,
I'd go downstairs
and I'd make it.

Cooking is what kept me sane
and kept me putting Grady,

my son, at the forefront
of everything.

For my sous chef.

I'm here to show my son
that if we work hard

and if we put our minds
to something,

we can do big things.

Whoa!

Put your head down,
learn, listen,

and this is what
can come from it.

All right, buddy,
let's go out.

Me and you.

- What up? What up?
- Hey, hey!

- Hey there, big fella. Good.
- How we doing?

What are you cooking for us now?

I'm gonna do a roasted
sweet corn agnolotti

and a lemon chai butter sauce
with that.

- You know, agnolotti
is not an easy thing.
- Of course.

It's a certain kind
of a ravioli.
There's a lot of technique.

You fresh pasta sitting,
which looks good.

Pasta has the right texture.
The water has to be salted.

- There's a lot
of variables here.
- Absolutely.

The corn and the agnolotti,
is it in the filling
or outside?

- It is gonna be in the filling.
- What else is in the filling?

Right now I just have
the roasted corn,

a little bit of salt, pepper,
and smoked paprika.

- This looks really good to me.
- Aarón: Yeah, I agree.

- And this lady is who?
- This is my mother Laura.

- Hi, Mom.
Are you proud of your son?
-Very nice to meet you.

More than I could ever tell you.

- Aarón: That's awesome.
- Aw.

- He's very humble.
- Humble.

- He's very giving.
- Giving.

He's very dedicated.

Okay, so he can be a priest.
Is he a good cook though?

- Best of luck, señor.
- Thank you, Joe.
Thank you, Aarón.

- Nice, nice, nice.
- Okay.

That's beautiful.

- Nice.
- Come on, Grant!

It looks really good.

There you go.

Lemon butter, lemon butter.

Just under three.

- Oh, she's pretty!
- Gorgeous.

Yeah!

Five, four, three, two, one!

Yeah!

I think
it's finally sinking in now

that Gordon's gonna putting
a fork in my agnolotti,

and I hope he doesn't say
my food's crap.

- Welcome.
- Look at me.

I'm a big old boy.
I'm corn-fed. I'm from Iowa.

If I mess up
a corn dish, I don't know
if I can go back home.

My name is Grant.
I'm from Altoona, Iowa.

Today I've presented for you

a roasted sweet corn agnolotti

with lemon butter and chives.

Corn is a quintessential
Iowa product,

so what I wanted to do today
is really recreate

what it was like to be in
my mom's backyard shucking corn.

She'd throw it
the boiling water.

We'd take it out,
slather it in butter and salt.

So today I just wanted to
elevate that a bit for you.

And what's the personal dream?
Because obviously you've set
your sights on an apron.

The dream for this is to be able

to open my own farm to table
style restaurant

right in my hometown of Altoona.

- Shall we?
- Yeah.

Wow, okay. So, visually, I mean,
this thing's got finesse.

I love the shape
of the agnolotti.

I love the caramelized corn.
It looks beautiful.

I love it.
It's definitely got Iowa
written all over it.

Shall we?

I love the knife work
on the chives.

- Thank you very much.
- It's always the first thing
I'm looking at.

Knife work is something
I'm very proud of.

I'm tasting, like, acidity.
Is it lemon?

- Absolutely--
- Juice or rind?

- Just lemon juice...
- Where?

- ...cooked down
with that butter.
- With the butter?

- With the butter. Absolutely.
- Okay. This is wrong.

Because you broke the butter
with the acid.

So incorporating
lemon the right way
is take a microplaner,

very lightly dust the outside
when the pasta's already cooked

- because acidity's gonna
take your fat and break it.
- Sure.

This puts me in a tough spot

because I'm a stickler
for the techniques of cooking,

and someone who's gonna break
a butter sauce in a pasta dish

because they didn't know or care

- is a very, very big
technical error for me.
- I'm gonna have to say no.

Well, hey, I'm here to learn
just as much as present to you,
so I appreciate that, Joe.

Aarón: Look, there's so much
beautiful work done here, Grant.

I love the contrast
of the filling versus the corn.

This little pool of sauce
that broke,

I don't think it's
that egregious to be honest.

I think you've done
such superior work with
other elements here

that it's compelling me
to give you a yes.

Thank you, sir.
I appreciate you.

Listen, the agnolotti
are packed, which is lovely.

So, it's nonporous,
nothing seeped through,

and that burst
of flavor is there.

Technically it's beautiful,
and so for me,

it's an absolute resounding yes.

So we have two yeses, one no.

- I guess it all
comes down to Graham.
- It's great flavor.

It's symbolic of the Midwest
and the heartland.

At the same time, it is hard
to kind of look past

the fact there's
only a couple things going on
on the plate.

One of them, the technique
of making that sauce was--

- completely went pear-shaped.
- Mm-hmm.

- That's fixable.
- Yeah. These aprons are
so hard to come by.

I'm absolutely teachable.

I'm worth taking a chance on,
Graham.

- It all comes down to Graham.

It's great flavor.
It's symbolic of the Midwest.

And at the same time,
it is hard to kind of look past

the fact that
there's only a couple things
going on on the plate.

These aprons are so hard
to come by.

I'm absolutely teachable.
I'm worth taking
a chance on, Graham.

- I'm a yes.

- I think you got this.
- Thank you all.

- Congratulations.
Well done. Good job.
- Thank you so much.

Let's go!

Having my wife and my mother
here supporting,

they are the two strongest women
that I've ever met.

- We did it!
- I'm so proud of you.

He deserves this moment,
and he's worked so hard for it.

So we're gonna miss him,
but you need to stay here
for a really long time.

- We did it!
- Oh, my God.

Great start.

I'm so proud of the Midwest
right now.

- Midwest...
- Stop it.

- ...is bringing it.
- Oh, man!

- All right.
- Love you.

- I love you.
- Go get 'em.

I feel like people from the
Midwest bring a lot of heart,

and I think this dish
will earn me an apron.

It's very hometown.

My name is Sarah.

I am 32 years old from
Springfield, Missouri.

I've been a stay at home mom
for about five years.

I'm married to Jordan
and we have a son, Warner,
who's 5 1/2.

My son and my husband
are biggest encouragers

- when it comes to cooking.
- This is pretty insane.

They critique my food
on a nightly basis,

so I think anything
Gordon throws at me is gonna be
easy, you know?

- You think one more garlic?
- Yeah!

- Hi there.
- Hi!

- How are you?
- I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you.

- Nice to see you.
- Hey, how are you?

- I'm Sarah.
- Nice to meet you.

I saw your eyes light up

when the original OG
walked through the door

- in amongst that mist.
- I know! I'm excited.

Well, Midwest,
I feel like you'll get--

so I'm making Springfield-style
cashew chicken and fried rice.

- Have you had it?
- Okay, Springfield.
I know Springfield chicken.

It's a classic.
When you think of the Midwest,

a lot of people are thinking
casseroles, potlucks...

- Yeah. Which we also--
- ...those kind of foods.

But to be able to get
inspired and say, "I'm gonna
do something Chinese."

You know, it was
brought over in the '60s
and has become a staple.

- Okay, so you know
the story. Yes!
- Of course!

For you to come in and do that,
I think it's really eye-opening

for the rest of the country
and the rest of the cooks.

Sure.
How are you cooking
that chicken?

So I am going to
double bread it, fry it,

and then cover it
in the gravy.

The sauce is crucial here, right?

- Yes.
- 'Cause you need the acidity.

What's the base of this?
Where are you going?

We got chicken broth,
oyster sauce,

soy sauce,
some different spices,
a lot of ginger.

- I'm a big ginger fan.
- Mmm, likewise.

Okay, I was like,
"I hope you are, too."

- Good luck, yes?
Nice to meet you. Excellent.
- Awesome.

Coming from Springfield,
Missouri,

we don't have any
Michelin star restaurants,

so I would love
to learn those skills.

My style is more rustic
in general,

but I feel good about it

because that's very me
on a plate.

So I hope they feel that
when they taste it.

Three, two, one!

Whoo!

The judge I'm looking
to impress the most?

It's definitely Graham Elliot.

- How are you?
- Hi!

I see a lot
of the dishes he makes,

so I think it's gonna be
a hit for him.

How are y'all doing?

Doing amazing.

I made Springfield style

cashew chicken and fried rice

with a brown gravy.

Does it taste
like Chinese food?

It's kind of a fusion dish

on fried chicken and gravy.

So, it's kind of a mix.

I used soy sauce,
I used ginger.

There's green onion.

Let's check it out.

All right!

Who goes first?

Visually, you know,
the color on the fry is nice.

The fried rice,
there's not a lot you can do

- to beautify it.
- Yeah.

This is one of those that,
you know, again,

hopefully what it might lack
in visual excitement...

- Yeah.
- ...the flavor
can come through.

- Aarón: Thank you.

And what kind of oil
do you fry the rice in?

- Sesame oil and butter.
- Mmm.

- Why are you laughing?
- Just love watching you.

It's just so interesting.

The fried rice
has an awesome flavor.

I really enjoy it.
It's interesting.

I make fried rice a ton,

and I've never
done butter in it.

- Oh, really? Yeah.
- So it gives it almost

like a different texture
than I'm used to.

But what I think is awesome

is that the chicken itself
is not oily and greasy,

and it's still crispy.
It's a good interpretation

of a classic Midwestern
Springfield dish,

and I wanna see what else
you have, so I'm a yes.

Oh, my gosh.
Thank you very much.

I agree with Chef Graham.
The rice is well-seasoned.

I'm still trying to put my head
around this sauce.

I feel like it could've
benefited from more soy sauce.

- Okay. Yeah?
- But based on the rice and
the cooking of the chicken,

that gives me enough confidence
to say a yes.

- Thank you!
Thank you very much.
-That's two yeses

with two more judges
still to go. Gordon?

Yeah, the sauce
just tastes so bland.

What have you got in there?
Is it cornstarch?

Yeah, I do cornstarch
to thicken it up, yeah.

But there's no acidity,
there's no heat,

there's no glaze,
there's no soy.

It's like bland chicken stock
with cornstarch.

The one worry I've got
is underneath this chicken

seems to be a pool of sauce
that for every ounce of chicken

that you've tried
to get nice and crispy
has gotten really soggy.

So it-- oh, God.

I, uh-- I'm not a big fan
of this unfortunately.

- Okay. Okay.
- So I'm a no. Thank you.

-Thank you.
- Joe?

- So it's up to you, big timer.
- Shoot that dish down here.

- Here you go.

- Come on, come on, come on.

Whoo!

- You did--

- Oh, my gosh.

Springfield,
this is for you! Whoo!

- I think it's good.
- I mean, seriously?

- Come on!
- You didn't love it?

- I love it.
- Butter? The sauce is dreadful.

- Dreadful is not a word
that applies to this dish.
- Oh, please, Joe.

Five, four, three, two, one!

I love the Midwest a lot.

You know,
born and raised in Detroit.

I keep Detroit on my back.
Avocados.

The food scene in Detroit,
contrary to what
anybody will tell you,

is absolutely amazing.
Detroit is a cultural hub.

People come to work
in the factories and they bring
that culture with them.

We have Mexicantown,
and there's a huge Muslim
population in Michigan.

We have so much culture
and so much diversity.

There's a lot
of people's heritage

in the food that comes out
of the Midwest.

So I'm representing that
with this dish today.

- Are we good, Kev?
- Oh, we good, baby!
We good!

- Tortilla time.
- Tortilla time.

- Uh-oh. Here we go, Kev.
- Here they come.

- You good?
- Yeah!

- Holy crap.
- Hi, bud. You good?

- Good to see you, man.
First name?
- Kevin.

You've got your entourage,
young man.

Listen,
this is my team right here.

Boy, oh, boy.
What are we cooking?

Fried cauliflower taco
and avocado crema,

fire roasted tomato
romesco sauce,

- and a fresh tortilla.
- Wow.

What's this dish say about you?

This dish is kinda like
Detroit on a plate, right?

- Gotcha.
- Detroit is a cultural
mixing place.

And, you know,
my grandmother over there,

she's vegan,
but when she was vegetarian,
I came up with this dish

so she didn't miss out
on those taco nights with us.

Love that.
So you're putting cauliflower
in a taco to Aarón Sánchez.

- Yes. Yes.
- The taco king.

Which is why I'm making
my own tortilla, first of all.

FYI, if you're gonna put
cauliflower in a taco,

- make sure it's the best
taco we've ever tasted.
- I sure will.

- Excellent. Good, no?
- Love it. Yeah.

I'm in trouble
with my dough.

- What's wrong with it?
- Put too much water.

- You got 19 minutes.
- I'm gonna start over.

When you make
a homemade tortilla,

you have to have
the right ingredients

and everything has to be
in the right ratio.

- That's better.
- Come on, okay.

- That's better already.
- Okay.

Just like baking a cake,

only you're rolling it out.

And it has to be thin enough,
but not too thin

where things just
fall off the bottom.

You got 3:45.
Check those cauliflower.

-Look at that.
- Good.

Whoo! Let's get
some noise over here!

Five, four,
three, two, one.

- Whoo!
- Yeah!

This dish will make
not only the Midwest proud,

but it'll make Detroit proud

because there's love
on the plate.

And as long as the judges
are willing to be loved,

this food'll give me
an apron.

Today I've made for you

fried cauliflower tacos

with a fresh tortilla,

an avocado crema, and
a fire roasted romesco sauce.

- And what's the day job?
- I've been an insurance clerk
for almost three years now.

I've been in insurance
for almost ten,

and it's time to pivot out.

I'm turning 30 soon,

and I gotta find
a new direction.

You still look 20, young man.
I love that.

Well, shall we get
into those tacos? Let's go.

Aarón, this is
in your wheelhouse.

I'm gonna start with you.
Visually, what do you think?

Aarón: The tortilla's shape
is very interesting.

It looks like more like
a flatbread than a tortilla.

- How did you manipulate those?
- I just wanted to make them
kind of rustic, you know?

I don't wanna give them
that perfect shape.

I wanted you feel that
this is what you get at home.

-
Right, shall we dig in?
- Let's give it a try.

What's the spice and
the dredge on the cauliflower?

- What'd you put in there?
- Put a little cumin in there,
some smoked paprika,

some cayenne,
and some chili powder.

I love the adobo
and the avocado crema.

Unfortunately, the size
of the cauliflower itself,

I wish that they were
a little smaller.

That way
there's more surface area,

they, you know, get crispier.
But I do like the flavor.

Unfortunately,
the competition's
so hard right now,

- I'm gonna have to be a no.
- Okay, I can respect that.

I think you're really good
at making flavors

'cause the sauces
are delicious.

But I really am disappointed
with the manufacturing

of the tortillas.

My mom had a restaurant
for 30 years.

We had one lady
that made the tortillas.

- It's that important.
- I understand.

And tortilla sadly
is taking away

from all the other
good stuff you did.

So unfortunately, it's a no.
I'm sorry.

- Come back next year,
will you, please?
- Okay, I will.

Because the energy
is infectious,

and your attitude
is absolutely spot on.

- Thank you.
- And more importantly,
the passion's there.

- I can taste that passion.
- I appreciate that.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Oh, here he comes.

- Aww.
- Oh.

- Oh.
- Okay, okay.

You did so great.
I love you.

I probably picked
the wrong dish,

so I plan on coming back
next year stronger and better,

and then I'll be able
to give them the right dish,

and I'm gonna get me an apron.

Go, Yomira!

- Whoo!
- Let's do this!

I feel awesome
representing the Midwest

because I am
a proud Cambodian-American.

O.H.!

Let's go, sister!
Get them potatoes on.

So I'm Yomira,
and I'm really proud to be here
representing the Midwest.

I really know what I'm doing.
This is not a fling.

The Midwest is the best region

because that's where
the heart is.

You won't get better food
anywhere else

because we make our food
with love.

Let's go, Midwest.

My name is Charles,
and I'm from Columbus, Ohio.

So, I'm a hair stylist, but
cooking is what I love to do.

I am
a Cambodian-American child,

and I'm here to represent
my mom and dad

and our culture as well.

Growing up,
I watched my mom cook

and I just copied
her recipes.

And every week
I would ask her,

"Hey, does this taste right?"
And she would be like,

"I don't like it. Do again."

When she likes it,
she won't say nothing to me,

but I take that as a compliment.

Mom and dad's not here right now

due to some health conditions,
but that's okay.

They're cheering
for me from afar,

and they're right here.

Home! Home.

Come on, pasta.

Is this pressure or what?

Smelling good, looking good,
feeling good.

- You got this.
- Just clean it up.

- That looks like home.
- I mean, look at that.

Come on, Omaha!

- Welcome.
- Hello. Welcome.

I am Yomira, and today
I made homemade pasta

with fresh tomato sauce.

Um, okay,
visually it looks simple.

There's no protein,
just tomato sauce
and handmade pasta.

- Handmade pasta.
- Fingers crossed it tastes
better than it looks.

You're going with
the less is more approach,

and because of that,
everything that you do have
has to pop.

For it being so simple,
there's a lot going on

- that's sadly wrong.
- Okay.

It's a gallant effort.
Thank you.

Thanks a lot, guys.
I appreciate it.

Thank you.

My name is Marquela.
I have my heart and my home
on a plate.

I have a beautiful filet mignon,
silky potatoes,

asparagus,
and a creamy peppercorn sauce.

Shall we?

- Sorry.
- You're gonna break your
teeth with these things.

- It's dangerous.
- Listen, the big issue,

- navigating your way around
those whole peppercorns.
- Yes.

When you make
a peppercorn sauce,
the secret there

is to lightly
crush them prior,

that way it opens up
those aromas

and really becomes
a proper peppercorn sauce.

I cannot overlook
what I consider

to be egregious mistakes in how
you put a plate together.

So we can't give you
an apron right now.

- Sorry.
- Okay.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- Thank you guys so much.
- Bye.

It's been an honor.
I appreciate you.

I hate to see people like her go
on a technical mistake, but...

Yeah,
but that's what's hard when
you only have so many aprons.

Cooking is technical.

I think this dish
is gonna earn me an apron

because it's very colorful,
it's vibrant,

it represents my culture,
my family.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Welcome.

I'm Charles,
I'm from Columbus, Ohio,

and I made my family's recipe,
amok,

which is a Cambodian style
fish curry.

And it is filled with catfish,

lemongrass, curry, chilies,
and kaffir lime leaf.

Amok. Awesome.
So what do you do for
a living outside of cooking?

I am a hair stylist,
but I'm here today
to change that.

If this show was flipped around,
what would you be doing to us?

Gordon, I like your hair,
so I'd keep the color
the way it is.

- Thank you.
- But I would tone it
a little bit.

Right. And what about
the gray bits at the side?

- The gray, it's fine.
- You sure?

Everybody loves
a silver fox, so...

- You have any advice for me?
- Joe, you would be
my easiest client.

- I agree.
- I wanna taste your food, huh?

Visually, it looks beautiful.

I love the little
package that you did.

You got the little toothpicks
to kind of hold it all together.

Mom always taught me
to build a bowl
if you don't have one.

I just got back from Cambodia.
I had fantastic food
when I was there.

This dish is a wow dish.
It's something you would see
in a restaurant

- and you'd be like,
"I want one of those."
- Yes, thank you, Chef.

- Thank you, Chef.
-Graham, shall we?

- Mm-hmm.
- So the fish is what?

- Catfish.
- Catfish.

Why catfish?
Why not a saltwater fish?

It has fat in it,

and I feel like the taste
is already there.

- Whoo, that's hot.
- You like that heat?

I'm sorry. We're Cambodian.
We like spice.

Holy smokes.

- Aw, it's not that bad.
- No, it's not.

- It's beautiful.
- It's great.

- Aarón, what do you think?
- Aarón: Here's the deal.

I feel like we've all just
got back from Southeast Asia.

I just got back myself
from Thailand and Vietnam,

and these flavors,
it's fresh in my mind.

The curry paste is fermented,

which is something
so uniquely Cambodian.

- So it's a yes from me.
- Thank you so much, Chef.

For me, it's really
a flavor explosion.

The heat, the aroma that comes
from those kaffir lime leaves,

and especially
the catfish itself,

which, you know,
it's nice and it's rich.

Yeah, I love this dish.
I'm a yes.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

Gordon, what do you think?

It's, uh...

It's a no.

Now it's two yeses.

One more yes,
you've got an apron.

Gordon, what do you think?

It's, uh...

It's a no.

To letting you tone my hair.

And a yes
to giving you an apron.

- Congratulations.
Authentic, delicious.
- Thank you so much.

- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.

I thought it was fantastic.
It's a yes from me as well.

- Thank you so much.
-Yeah.

Come on over here, man.
Well done. Great job.

What a nod to Cambodia
and a cuisine

that doesn't get
the glory it deserves.

- It doesn't.
- Congratulations.

- Take care. Delicious.
- Mm-hmm.

Good job!

Charles! Yeah, brother!

I know my family's not here
with me right now,

but I know they are proud of me,

and I cannot wait
to share the news.

Thank you all so much.

All right, guys,
we gave out three aprons.

Two left.

Having been here
from episode one...

- Mm-hmm.
- ...to now a decade later,

the caliber of contestant
and home cook is amazing.

- We're living in the era
of the foodie.
- Yeah.

- And it's really evident
with their ability.
- Absolutely.

- Let's go!

Those are funny looking carrots.

- Those are not carrots, Mom.
- I know!

They are some
beautiful parsnips.

I'm making a venison filet,

and I'm here on "MasterChef"
for two reasons.

Number one, I'm here to win.

And number two, I'm here
to show that people my age,

51-- I know
I don't look it, but, uh--

that, you know, we can have
a second act in life,

and I'm ready to do mine.

I'm Wayne,
I'm from Columbus, Ohio,

and I am a very passionate,
competitive guy.

You know, you're either gonna
love me or hate me, I think.

Bull's-eye.

But I put 100%
into everything I do.

I own a media
and publishing company,

and being
a successful business guy,

I think when people look at me
they see maybe the suit--

"Ah, he can't cook."
But when they taste my food,
it's lights out.

That's why I'm here,
'cause I think I can cook
anything and I can win this.

- Good pace.
- Yeah, you're looking good.

Done this dish many, many times.

- Hello.
- How are you doing, señor?

- Great. How are you?
- I'm doing well.

- I like the suit.
-Thank you, thank you.

You look like
an accomplished man.

Why "MasterChef?" Why now?

I've loved food for decades now.

I thought my skills
got a little bit better,

and I kind of wanna trade in
the suit for a white jacket.

Really? You would do it
at this point in life?

Yes, my food dream
is to open up bougie
bed and breakfasts

in many places. I don't know,
maybe partner with you guys.

- We'll see. I don't know.
- First we got to
taste your food.

I know, I know.
Cart before the horse
and all that.

One step at a time.

- You seem calm.
What's going on over there?
- I'm calm. I'm calm.

- How much time do I have?
- 6:24.

That's (bleep) delicious.

- Yes!
- Wow.

- Whoo!
- Okay.

- Perfect!
- There you go.
That looks fantastic.

Make that plate look pretty.

- Come on. Come on.
-Ten, nine, eight...

Come on, we gotta
bring it home to Ohio.
Let's go.

...five, four,
three, two, one.

Whoo!

I feel I executed the dish
pretty close to how I wanted to.

- Let's go, Wayne!
- As a businessman,

I've been in
some pretty tough meetings,

but when the judges
taste my food, they're not
gonna say a word.

They're just gonna
hand me an apron.

My name's Wayne, I'm 51,
from Columbus,

and I've prepared for you today
a venison filet

with a blackberry
and port wine reduction,

parsnip purée, curried carrots,
and some mushrooms
of the forest.

Believe it or not, I know
I don't look like a hunter,

but I got into it
a couple years ago,

and I just love
being able to harvest it.

I learned how to butcher it,
take it from the tip
to the tail.

So, this is my favorite cut,
the backstrap.

What's what the day job?
Because you sound incredibly
passionate about food.

- I do own a media company.
- Okay.

So we publish magazines
and websites and events,

and, you know,
we've been writing about
restaurants for years.

So I've been kind of
on the outside looking in

on the food business
for so long,

and at 51 I'm kind of ready
for my second act in life,

and I want it to be in food.

Excellent.
Shall we take a look?

- Yeah.
- Let's do it.

Visually, it looks good.
Very good.

I'm glad the venison's rested.

Nice even sear on that,
because you can see

that beautiful pink
circumference, which is nice.

I wouldn't drench it
in the sauce the way you did.

When you've cooked
something perfect like that,
show it off.

- Yeah. Sure.
- Shall we, Graham?

What was the spice mix
on the outside, Wayne?

Espresso, chipotle powder,
cumin, salt, pepper.

And what did you cook
the purée in?

The purée had bay leaf
and garlic.

I think that the cook
on the venison and the rub

and the seasoning
is very, very, very good.

The only comment is the purée.

It's totally underseasoned,
it's just fat,

it's kind of annoying,
and it really brings
the dish down.

What scores high marks with me
is the cooking of the venison.

You didn't scorch
the spices on the outside,
which is very easy to do.

The mushrooms are cooked well.

I mean, look, this
is a very standard dish

you would find
in a high end restaurant,
so I'm gonna say yes.

I gotta say, I agree totally.
It's a yes for me as well.

The dish as a whole,
it's beautiful.

It is that walk in the woods,
like we're out hunting
for it and found it.

I love the sauce
and that acidity,

that sweetness that comes
from the port.

The carrots
were cooked beautifully.

They just looked big and clunky,

and I thought
they were gonna be under.

But they've got
a great spice to it.

You definitely know how to cook,

and you know how to season,
so I'm a yes.

- Congratulations, Wayne.
-Thank you, Chef.

I'm just curious, Gordon,
is it a yes from you?

- It is a definite yes
without a doubt.
- Oh, my God.

Listen, I think what
you've proven so far is that
you're meticulous.

More of that, please.
A highlight from the Midwest.

- Thank you.
-That was great.

-Great stuff, man.
-Thank you, Chef.

- Impressed.
- Don't let this go
to your head, bro.

-Thank you.
- Take it and run.
Well done, good job.

Officially trading in my suit
for this white apron.

Put it on,
put it on, put it on!

I mean, getting four yeses
from that panel of judges

really just makes me
wanna go to work
and prove them right.

- I love you.

- And I'm gonna win that trophy.
There's no doubt.
- He's gonna bring it home.

- Bringing it to Columbus, Ohio.
- Yeah, absolutely.

- That's what we're gonna do.
- Yay, Midwest.

- That there is one to watch.
- Yeah.

I think he knows how to cook.

- Let's see if he really
has the passion.
- Exactly.

All right, guys, that's
four aprons down, one to go.

The level talent here
is off the charts.

- Aarón: Yeah.
- Wow.

Five, four, three, two, one!

- You got this, Dad.
- You got this, Kyle!

- You got this.
- Pull that hair back.

- Whoo!
- Look at them locks.

- All right,
look at that pork chop.
- Pound it out, baby.

I'm Midwest born and raised.

I'm really excited to get
a chance to rep the Midwest.

So being from the Midwest,
I think of fresh vegetables,

fresh herbs, great meats,
chicken, beef, all of it.

I'm a cicerone,
so that means I've studied beer
and I'm a beer professional.

So I'm a liquor
sales rep by trade.
I have a great time.

I have so much booze at home,
and I love cooking with it.

That browning on that pork chop.
It's beautiful.

Do you smell that?
It smells so good.

This dish is gonna
earn me an apron,

and I'm gonna become
the next MasterChef.

If this dish doesn't
earn me an apron,

I'm not sure I understand
what you're looking for
on "MasterChef."

Yes!

Let's go. Right.

- How's it going? Trevor.
- Trevor, good to see you.

-
Very nice to meet you.
- You seem in control.

Tell us about the dish.
What are you doing?

I am making a chicken roulade
with an Armagnac supreme.

- So what part of the Midwest--
- What the hell is that?
Hold on a minute.

- So I'm a liquor sales rep,
so I just take...
-Right.

Gotcha.

It sorta brings
those really nice, like,

plum caramely notes
into that sauce.

- Sounds really ambitious.
- That's good.

- Yeah.
- Whoo!

I'm a little shaky just
because it's so intense.

15 minutes. Homestretch.
You got this.

Hello.
What's your name?

- I'm Kyle.
- Hi, Kyle, I'm Joe.

- Nice to meet you.
- This is my associate,
Aarón Sánchez.

- How's it going, guys?
- What are you making?

I'm making
a double cut pork chop

and I'm doing
a horsefeather applesauce here.

So the horsefeather is
the cocktail of Kansas City.

Kansas City?
Are you from Kansas City?

I'm from K. C.! When we got
married about ten years ago,

we had a whole hog,
and we served horsefeathers.

So this plate is really
a love letter to my wife.

- Aw. Good luck.
- That's lovely.

- Thanks, guys.
- Okay.

You're doing great, Dada!

- Thanks, dude!
- He is, isn't he? Mm-hmm.

You've got it, baby.
You've got 1:50.

That pork chop is perfection.

Make it beautiful, baby.

59 seconds, babe.

That's a $100 plate right there.

- It looks (bleep) great.
- Yeah.

Five, four, three, two, one.

- Beautiful job!

- You did it. Amazing.
- Finished at the last second!

- I did it, dude. I did it.
- You did it.

- All right.
- Let's go.

Welcome.

I'm Kyle.
I'm from Kansas City.

I'm a certified cicerone,

which is a beer professional,
and I sell beer for a living.

I'm Trevor,
I'm from Omaha, Nebraska,

and I'm the number one
on premise liquor sales rep
for my state.

I made a double cut pork chop
with a horsefeather applesauce.

There's a sweet potato mash
underneath,

a balsamic reduction
around the outside.

So I brought you the elevation
of basically a casserole.

So this is a chicken roulade,
accompanied by trumpet mushrooms
and Armagnac supreme.

- Shall we take a look?
- Absolutely. Thank you.

Visuals, listen,
it looks fancy.

A lot of work's gone into that.

Was it poached and then fried

or poached and sliced
and served?

So I poached and then sliced
and then I have seared.

When you do
these big cuts of meat,
you have a lot of flesh

to the ratio of rub or salt.

So I'm worried about,
is there enough seasoning?

Where's the rest of the chicken?

So I just prepared
one single serving.

This is something
that I would eat, right?

No, I appreciate that,
but you got four big boys here.

All right, so let's talk
about the cook.

So what should it look like
in the middle?

I think it should be
nice and pink.

Pink?
This is a little more white
than pink, wouldn't you say?

A little more white
than pink, but I don't think
it's overcooked,

and I think
it's gonna be plenty juicy.

I'm glad you think that.

And the base of
the sauce, Trevor, is what?

The base of the sauce
is a chicken velouté,

and then finished
with a reduced heavy cream

and then an introduction
of Armagnac.

Uh, Trevor, you know, you've got
some great technical skills.

There's no two ways about that.

The pork chop's
properly seasoned,
but it's overcooked for me.

You know, it's a little bit
mealy on the inside.

This horsefeather garnish
that you have there.
It's loaded with flavor.

The apples are not overcooked.
They're tart.

The leeks have
that butteriness to it.

I love that.
I love the mash as well.

The big issue I've got inside
is the chicken is
actually quite dry.

Yeah, I think
you would've benefited not
searing it that second time.

It doesn't need
to be cooked twice.

But the spinach
is done beautifully.

The sauce is flavored
and balanced.

There's a tough crowd
behind you out there.

- You're right.
- And the stakes are high.

Um...

Aww.

- You did your best.
- It's all good. We had fun.

- Aah!

- Daddy!
- I did it. I did it.

So, when Teddy
started kindergarten,

I actually wrote, "You can do
hard things" on a notecard,

and I told him that
it had special powers,

and if he ever
got scared at school,

that he would keep him
strong and safe.

- Aww!
- What do you think?

And so then the night
before I left,

he gave me a card
that he wrote that said,

"You can do hard things."

- So awesome.
- I'm so proud of you.

The apron's awesome.
This is awesomer.

Yeah!

Next time on "MasterChef"...

Please welcome Susan Feniger.

...the regional auditions
continue...

Everybody knows West Side's
the best side.

I like that, that sass.

...as the best from the West

battle it out
for a white apron.

I am here to fight
for that apron!

You're exactly what
we're looking for.

Absolute resounding yes.

This just very much
speaks California.

I think everyone in the West,
we're just a little weirder.

Wow.

Pretty obvious
that it's a big no.

I promise you I can do this.

I just don't think you're ready.