All language subtitles for MasterChef.S13E05.State.Fair.Food.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H

Previously on "MasterChef"...

Let's go!

...America's best home cooks

threw down
in the regional auditions.

Hell yeah,
the best cook's from the South!

- I'm here to win.
- Y'all here for the West.

- We the best.
- And just 20 coveted aprons

were handed out.

- It is an absolute yes from me.
- Northeast, baby!

- Welcome to "MasterChef."
- Thank you so much!

- For me it's an absolute yes.
- Yeah!

- You're exactly what
we're looking for.
- I cannot believe it.

- Ha ha!
- That is one of the best
crab cakes I've ever tasted.

- This is for you, Ma!
- We did it.

- Yeah! Yeah!
- This is as perfect
as we've seen

- in 13 years on this show.
- He is deserving of an apron.

- Yes!
-20 aprons. We did it.

Tonight...

Welcome to the top 20, everyone.

- Yeah!
- Buckle up.

...the competition kicks off
with a big twist.

You'll cook alongside everyone
else from your home region.

All right. Let's do it.

The winner will
also save their entire region
from elimination.

- Whoo!
- Let's go!

- We have the Northeast.
- Let's go!

- The South.
- I'm gonna make sure
they right.

- The Midwest.
- I'm gonna win this challenge.

- And the West.
- Let's go, West.
Wild, wild West.

I want people to be
a little bit afraid of me.

- Not a lot, but a little bit.

- Here we go!
- How cool does this look?

-Yes!
- We got our top 20.

The beginning of
a phenomenal season.

Four regions, 20 contestants.

I think is gonna be
the most competitive season

- in the history
of this competition.
- Yeah.

-Let's go.

- Let's go, baby. Let's go!
- All right!

- Welcome, guys.

Let's go, state fair, baby!

- Whoo!
- This is so cool!

- Oh, my gosh!
- Wow!

Oh, it's so beautiful!

It's so incredible to be
in the top 20.

I've got my white apron.

I've worked really hard
to get here,

and I'm so proud
to be representing the West.

Line up.
Line up, line up, line up.

Being here could potentially
change my life,

and that's what I'm ready for.

This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."

Welcome to the top 20, everyone.

- All right!
- Yeah!

- Such a dream. Such a dream.
- I know, right?

How does it feel to be
representing your regions?

- It's an honor.
- Amazing.

- It feels great.
- An honor, for sure.

- Amazing.
- Well, you all planted

your regional flag
across those auditions.

And tonight, as you can see

by this amazing
MasterChef carnival...

- Yes!
- Whoo!

...the fun really begins now.

- Let's go.
- Let's go.

For tonight's challenge,
you'll need to cook us something

inspired from
a very special event--

the state fair.

- Yes. Yeah, we got this.

When I go to state fairs,
especially in Iowa,

I gotta get
that bigger than the bun

Iowa pork tenderloin.

Have to get
a foot-long corndog.

It's gonna be fried.

And I know
it's gonna be delicious
and terrible for you.

Now, all of you guys hail
from different parts

of this great nation.

But no matter where you're from,

your local state fair
is probably home

to some deliciously insane food.

Absolutely.

Now, I think
it's important to mention,

this is not an excuse
to just deep fry something

and call it a day, right?

Because whoever cooks

the worst dish tonight

will be eliminated.

You will have access
to all of the ingredients

in the beautiful
MasterChef pantry.

Everything that you will need
to cook an elevated version

of classic state fair food.

But, all of you,
before you take a trip

on this rollercoaster
of a challenge,

it's time to talk about
this season's massive twist.

- What?

- Oh.
- Huh. Okay.

We wanna learn how the place
that you call home

has really influenced your food.

So starting from tonight,
you'll cook alongside

everyone else
from your home region.

- All right, let's do it.
- Yes, dude.

This is the team
right here, okay?

- We have the Northeast.
- All right, all right.

- Here we go.
- Yeah, man.

- The South.
- Let's go!

- The Midwest.

- Yeah!
- Let's go, baby!

- And the West.
- Whoo!

- West side's the best side!

The competition is on.

- Let's go.
- Let's go.

- Come on, baby.
- Now, each night,

whoever cooks the best dish

will earn
the MasterChef immunity pin.

This means you'll be safe
from elimination

in the next challenge.

- Wow.
- Yes.

But here's the kicker.

The winner of this pin
will also save

their entire region
from elimination that night.

Whoo! Let's go, guys.

- We're taking it.
We're taking it.
- Come on, baby.

Mark my words.

This will be
the most strategic season
of "MasterChef" ever.

Oh, we got this, baby!
We got this!

Even if I'm not the one
getting the immunity pin,

that's okay because
I can still benefit from it.

We just have to have
one cook from the South
win the challenge

and save the whole region
from elimination.

- That's a big deal.
- Here's the good news.

Tonight you'll have 60 minutes
to cook an elevated dish

inspired by state fair food.
Understood?

-Yes, Chef.
- Good.

Now it's time find out
which region's

gonna start out strong
and which region

will say good-bye to their
first home cook tonight.

- No, no. No, no.
- Right. Everybody ready?

-Yes, Chef.
- Good.

- Your time starts now!

- Let's go, guys.
- Yeah!

- Whoo!
- Oh, I see how it's gonna be.
Oh, look at this.

- All right, all right.
- Let's go. Let's get it.
Let's get it.

- Okay, I got a corn.
- Parmesan, parmesan.

- Ooh, okay.
- A tomato.

I don't really do
carnival stuff.

I mean, I love a hotdog,
but I'm not trying to serve
Gordon Ramsay a hotdog.

Cayenne, cayenne, cayenne.

But I believe that the South
will succeed in this challenge

- because we know how
to bring out flavors...
- I'm good to go.

...and put things together
in a very elevated way.

Sugar. I have my vinegar.

Heck, I just don't
wanna be in the bottom.

So I gotta myself
and my region on a plate.

- Okay.
- Let's go. Come on.

- Damn, time is flying.
- Let's go, Northeast.

- You already know.
- Rich, what do you say?
What do you say, Rich?

I say Northeast is the best,
my guy.

- You already know.
- Ooh, baby.

- Let's go, Midwest.
- Go, Midwest.

- Let's go, guys!
- Breathe.

I am making
an incredible pumpkin risotto.

Where I'm from in Ohio,
we have this fair

called the Circleville
Pumpkin Festival.

It's been going on since 1903.

And I'm gonna top it
with a butter poached lobster
to elevate it.

I love this plot twist this year
with the immunity pin

because I plan to win it
for my team today.

- Whoo! Hell yeah, Wayne!
- Yeah, buddy.

I don't know about that, Wayne.

South is talking trash
already. All right.

Come on, West!

All right,
let's make the marinade.

Today I'm making
my rendition of the slopper.

Basically just a cheeseburger
that's covered in green chili,

and this is
from Pueblo State Fair.

In Colorado, we love
green chili in everything,

so hopefully it turns out
as great as I think.

A regional rumble.
How exciting is this?

What a way to kick off
season 13.

State fair food
can be interpreted
in so many different ways,

so we're gonna really see
who they are as cooks

- in the first challenge.
- Come on, man.

This is gotta be
the toughest challenge

we've ever kicked
a season off with.

- Yeah.
- You gotta take that food

and kind of use your chef mind
to reinterpret it.

Sure.
This is gonna be exciting.
Shall we, guys?

- Yeah. Let's do it.
- Let's go.

Let's go, West!

When I think of county fairs,

I think of food that
I typically would not eat.

It's not really my thing.

So today I'm gonna go
a different way

because I'm very
into eating healthy
and a healthy lifestyle.

- Hi, Amanda.
- Hello, Miss Amanda.

- Hi. How are you?
-What are you making?

Southern Californians
love Mexican food.

So I am making fish tacos.

Aarón: You know, the idea
of a taco could be something

very simple,
very straightforward.

- That's true.
- What is your approach
to the elevation factor?

-Yeah, good question.
- My approach is
I'm gonna do it two ways.

Kind of my interpretation
of that red and green sauce,

I'm going to roast the fish
and keep it nice and moist.

And I'm going to make
my own tortillas.

- Okay.
-That's impressive.

Aarón: That's very ambitious,
and I like the way that sounds.

It makes me a little nervous.

Are you out of your wheelhouse
a little bit, Amanda, with this?

Way out of my wheelhouse.
Way out.

So you're going the route
of big risk, big reward.

Exactly.
Hopefully the risk pays off.

-Good luck.
- Aarón: Exactly.

Don't make them too thick,
please, Amanda.

I'm going to try
this Mexican dish because...

- Ah, shoot.
- ...I'm not ready to go back
and be a stay-at-home mom.

I love my kids so much,
but this is everything
I've ever wanted,

and I just got my apron.

I don't wanna give it back.

Come on. Come on.

Richie, right,
tell me about the dish.

How does it relate
to that state fair?

I live in the area
right outside of DC.

- There's a lot of different
foods from a lot of places.
- Sure.

But what always stuck out to me
are the fried cheesecake bites.

So I'm gonna be doing
a deconstructed cheesecake

with a candied bacon tuile.

- So definitely elevated, right?
- Oh, yeah. For sure.

What would it mean tonight
getting out the gate strong

and landing that immunity pin

and taking the whole Northeast
up to the balcony?

It would show that
the Northeast is here to win,

the Northeast is strong,
and we have a lot more flavor
than people give us credit for.

I think sometimes
the Northeast can get
overlooked as a region.

- Sure.
- But we're gonna rock it today.

- Good luck.
- So the challenge today is
to make something as simple

as an elevated
state fair dish.

In the beginning,
you get an idea,

and you think
you know where you're going.

But you're taking fair foods
and you're trying

to elevate them to a level that
they've never been before.

Once you're in that kitchen
and the clock is running,

then you realize
it is not as easy as you
think it's gonna be.

Aww, son of a (bleep).

Being a music producer,

I have so much to prove
as a home cook.

This food dream can't happen
without "MasterChef,"

so I gotta make sure
I get everything right.

Because if anything goes wrong,
that could be your apron.

Guys, 20 minutes gone.
40 minutes remaining.

Aah! How's my team doing?
You guys good?

- Yeah, we doing good.
- I'm great.

- All right, let me know.
-The West,

the Midwest, the South,
and the Northeast,

how do you think they'll
manage region by region?

You have other four people
that are counting on everything
that you're doing.

- That's a lot of pressure.
- Let's do this, Northeast.

- That's what I like to hear.
- Let's go!

Behind every dish
you've got that chance

of actually taking you
and your region

up to safety of the balcony.

But it's still
an individual competition.

You gotta save yourself first.

Whoo! Let's go, West!

Hey, that looking like butter.

I want this aioli
to be the bomb.

This cook is gonna
show the other regions

why we the Westside
and why we the best side.

Whoo! Oh, Kennedy,
that looks so good.

Thank you.
We barbecuing today.

Kennedy is a very heavy hitter
on game meat.

- Yes.
- Lizzie is good with seafood.

- Ha!
- M. D. is bringing them
Hawaiian flavors.

- Let's get it, West.
- Amanda is bringing
a lot of healthy,

fresh California ingredients.

And me? You know what
I'm bringing for you?

Whoo!
Fresh mushrooms in here.

I've been to the Mushroom
Festival in Portland,

and I'm a mushroom jerky
manufacturer,

so I gotta show the judges
what I can do.

- James, how are you, my friend?
- I'm doing good. How you doing?

- What are you making?
- I'm making a mushroom
festival burger.

You gonna mix mushrooms
into the ground beef?

I got a little bit
of this mushroom powder.
I just grind it up.

- I'm gonna add
that to the beef.
- Dried like this,

that's very,
very strong umami.

You might wanna just
put this in some water,

let it soak, and then it's gonna
take a lot of the edge off.

It's a great strategy,
it'll elevate, but be careful.

- Got you. Thank you.
- Good luck.

How y'all feeling, Northeast?

- Good, good.
- Pretty good.

Rhode Island fair food

is all of the clam chowder
at every festival.

So today
I'm making a New England
style clam chowder.

I'm so excited
about the twist this season.

Just looking at my group,

there's so many different
styles of cooking,

which is a great microcosm
of what the Northeast is.

- Nina. How are you feeling?
- Hi.

Oh, I'm a little nervous.

I think it'll shake off,
and I'll be all right.

Give me an insight into
that state fair experience.

- What was it like?
- Anywhere you go

to a state fair
in the state of Maine,

a fried fish sandwich
is gonna be ubiquitous.

We're right on the ocean.
We get all the good seafood.

-Sure.
- So I'm doing
a fried cod sandwich.

I'm gonna do
a salt and vinegar potato chip.

Good. How are you
gonna cook the cod?

I'm gonna deep fry it,
and with some club soda mixture,

it's gets all fluffy and puffy.

What would it mean,
immunity tonight?

What would that say
about the Northeast?

I think that would set us
on the path

of being people to be feared.

I like people to be
a little bit afraid of me.

- Not a lot, but a little bit.
- Good luck.

- Elevate that plating, yes?
- Thank you. Yes.

- How you doing, hon?
-We're fine.
We're doing just fine.

- Okay, it's perfect.
- How we doing? How we doing?

- It's perfect.
- You got it, Kolby.

I am making a savory tomato pie.

We have this amazing Pink Tomato
Festival in Arkansas.

I'm a mom of six kids,

and so my kids have grown up
going to our county fair.

So I'm so excited to see
what our Southern region today

is going to pull together
for you all.

I gotta start my chicken.

- Reagan.
- Hi.

- How are you?
- Oh, wonderful.
How are you today?

Good indeed, thank you.
Right, um, take me back

to the first memory
of that state fair.

So, you know,
we live in Louisiana.

- So I'm actually doing a take
on the Fried Chicken Festival.
- Right.

And so I'm doing
a panéed chicken

with a crab lemon butter sauce
over some mashed potatoes.

You can see the competition
is gone up a notch already.

Where do you think
the South sit currently?

What we have here
is a great group of people
that know flavor.

They also know plating.
And I'ma bring it all together.

I'm gonna make sure they right.

Watch the cook on that chicken.
Good luck, yes?

Thank you so much, Chef.

We still got
33 minutes, South.

- We good. We good.
- We're good, we're good.

Come on, let me
hear you louder than that.

- How y'all doing, Northeast?
- All right, all right!

Let's get it! Yeah!

A lot of the other regions
are noisy.

They are showing off,
and they're talking a lot.

Let's go, West!
Wild, wild West.

But I think the Midwest has
an advantage in this challenge.

Hey, Midwest,
take a deep breath.
We got this.

We know how to cook fair food.

- Hey, man.
- We were born for this.

We are the king of state fairs.

We have the pigs
and the cows and the milk.

We know how to eat.

I'm so proud to be here
representing the Midwest,

and we have a super solid
team of chefs

that I think are gonna go
really far in this competition.

- Hello, Señor Kyle.
- Hey, gentlemen. How are you?

What do we got
going on here, buddy?

I am taking you guys
to Minnesota.

I am representing Kansas City,

but I work for brewery
based in Minneapolis.

I've been to the state fair
a bunch.

I think it's really cute
that a lot of the competitors

think that their hometowns
have the best state fairs.

The state fair in Minnesota is
actually the premiere culinary
event in the country.

- Said by who? Says who?
- Says who? Yeah.

- Says me! I'm gonna prove it.
- Okay.

-What's the dish?
- My favorite dish up north
is walleye fries,

so I'm trying to elevate it.

I'm gonna deep fry
some lobster,

and you're gonna get
fennel apple celery salad.

- Lobster fries basically?
- Yeah.

- In a batter?
- We call 'em fries.

It's just strips of stuff
that have been deep fried.

Have you ever
fried lobster before?

I haven't.
We're about to find out, huh?

A lot could go wrong
because this lobster
can dry out quickly.

- It could get stringy.
It could be raw.
- Aarón: Yeah.

And if you've never
done it before, do you think
it's a good idea?

I haven't ever
beer battered lobster,

but I've beer battered
a lot of fish.

I have some confidence
that you're gonna be impressed

with what happens
at the end of this cook.

- Aarón: Yeah.
-Okay, I hope so.

- Me, too, man. Me, too.
- Good luck.

Guys, coming up to halfway!

30 minutes remaining.
Let's go!

Wow, this is exciting.

Make mama proud, okay?

I love you very much.
Good job.

Ooh, a nice little acidity.

Richie representing
the Northeast,

he's done almost like
a sort of sweet and savory.

So it's a cheesecake filling
with caramelized bacon.

-Ooh, sticky.
- There's some great
flavor there,

but I'm not too sure
at this stage how it's
gonna be elevated.

- It sounds a little pedestrian.
- It needs to be flushed out
with a base.

-Yeah.
- Yep. I don't think
he has a clear idea.

-No.
- It's a little bit mixed-up.

Okay, I'm trying to get
this one to puff up.

- Come on. You're doing it.
- Amanda being from Los Angeles,

- she's doing a baked fish taco.
- Wow.

- And she's making
her own tortillas.
- And I'm concerned.

It takes years to perfect
the art of making tortillas.

- And you're just
gonna jump in there?
-Come on.

My biggest question is
how are you gonna elevate that?

Because it sounds like a sort of
taco you can get anywhere.

- It has to be perfect
at that point.
- Yep.

It is very strong, so I made it
almost like a paste. Nice.

With the West, we have James,
who's doing a mushroom burger,

so he's get porcini powder
in the meat.

- He's the mushroom man.
- Perfect.

But porcini powder
is very, very strong.

I recommended
he dilute it a little bit
to take that edge off,

so you can get that umami
from the porcini

- without all that funk.
- We'll see what happens there.

- Oh, this beer batter's
gonna be good.
- Oh, yeah.

Hey, they were questioning me.
Did you hear that?

- Have they been to Missouri?
- "Have they been to Missouri?"

So Kyle from the Midwest,
he's gonna make lobster fries.

- Wow.
- He's gonna do a beer
batter and lobster.

I told him lobster's
a big risk.

Comes out raw, stringy,
undercooked, overcooked,

I see a lot of risk
in that dish.

- Aarón: Yep.
- Okay.

Joe's concerned
about the texture.

3 1/2 minutes?

I know that there's going to be
a very small window

where the beer batter's
crispy enough

and the lobster
isn't overcooked.

I'm taking a lot of risks here,

but I think you have to
in the MasterChef kitchen.

I know I've got the Midwest
region relying on me,

and I'm relying on them.

Calm down.
Take a deep breath.

All I can do
is use my instincts

and cook it the best way
I know how.

Um...

45 minutes gone!
15 minutes remaining. Let's go!

- Let's go, baby!
- Let's go, Midwest!

- Good? We're good?
- Yes.

- All right, you guys!
- Come on, South, we got it!

At any state fair in Alabama,
you're gonna have barbeque.

So I'm doing
a barbeque sandwich

with pork tenderloin
over a Johnnycake

with a blackberry
barbeque sauce.

So I'm really taking
the simple version

of a barbeque sandwich
up to another level.

Rocking and a-rolling.

When I go to a state fair,
I'm not normally eating.
I am competing.

I've done a lot of competition
cooking and barbeques.

But I'm used to 24 hours
of cooking,

and I gotta condense it down
to 60 minutes?

It's a challenge,
that's for sure.

I really just wanna make sure

that I have enough elements
on this dish

to separate myself from
the rest of this competition.

- Right, Kendal, how we doing?
- Hello, sir.

- How are you doing?
- All good indeed.

- How are you feeling?
- I'm pretty confident.

- So back home,
we eat chicken on a stick.
- Right.

The first barbeque festival
I ever went to

that's one of the things
that we'd eat.

So how are you gonna
elevate that chicken on a stick?

We're gonna do an herby
butter chicken on a stick

with a fried potato ball with
some bacon wrapped asparagus,

and I think we're gonna take it
to the next level.

There's a lot
going on there.

The elevation, how are
we gonna plate this thing

to sort of restaurant quality?

I've got all different textures,
I've got colors,

and I feel like I've got
a balanced dish up and down.

- Good luck, yes?
- Thank you, sir.

Hey, does anybody
in the Midwest have sugar?

- I got you.
- Literally just a pinch.
Thank you.

Look at that Midwest love.

- Midwest love.
- Right.

- You good, Wayne?
- I'm good, man.

- Good.
-Hey, Wayne.

- Hey, how's it going?
- What are you making?

I am making a beautiful
roasted pumpkin risotto.

Risotto. Have you ever
watched "MasterChef" before?

Maybe once or twice.

It's one of
the most difficult dishes

because it's so hard to make
and we've very critical.

- Yeah, well, look--
- So why risotto?

- I'm a competitive
baseball player.
- Mm-hmm.

And I believe if you're
gonna step into the box,

- you try to make hard contact.
- You're swinging
for the fences.

- I'm gonna win this challenge.
- Where are you from?

Columbus, Ohio.
One the biggest fairs
we have is actually

the Circleville
Pumpkin Festival.

It's pumpkin everything.

So the risotto is gonna be
flavored with pumpkin?

- Pumpkin, yeah.
I'm gonna bring it today.
- All right.

- I look forward to it, guys.
- Good luck, Wayne.

Thank you.

My strategy in this challenge

is to win that immunity pin.

Now we just gotta let the
risotto make love to the pan.

In business,
I've always taken risks,

and I thrive
in high pressure situations.

So I don't wanna lose and
embarrass myself or my region.

Whoo-hoo.

Last five, guys.
Five minutes to go.

- Let's get it.
- Let's do this, guys!
Everybody looking good?

- We ready.
- Got it.

- How you looking, Rich?
- Waiting on this bacon
to get crispy, baby.

I'm somewhat concerned
about Richie because
with only five minutes left,

- that's as far as
he's got with that dish.
-Come on now.

Time right now
is not his friend.

Everybody,
taste your food.

Make sure everything's
seasoned properly.

Now let's talk
about the South.

So Kendal, he's gonna do
a herb butter

- roasted chicken skewers.
- Aarón: Like chicken
on a stick.

- Basically elevated.
-Yeah, exactly that.

So it's a smart idea, but
there's a lot going on there.

It's chicken on a stick,
potato croquettes,

- and bacon wrapped asparagus.
- Aarón: He seems like he has

- a lot of elements on his dish.
- What's the hero?

- Yeah.
- Come on, man.

crunch
will not come out of this.

Wayne is from Ohio,

and he went to
a pumpkin festival, basically.

So he's taken that,
and he's gonna make

an Italian style risotto
with pumpkin.

- Wow.
- And he's gonna gild it
with lobster.

Risotto is a high risk dish.

- It has to be perfect.
- Yep.

We're down to
the last two minutes!

- Start plating! Let's go!
- Start plating, everyone.

- Let's go!
- Whoo! Let's go, West!

- Let's go.
- Lizzie, let me know
if you need anything.

I'm just finishing my plate.

Hey, guys, how you feel?
Wayne, you got it.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.
It's go-time.

-60 seconds. Let's go!
- Aarón: It should look
phenomenal, everyone.

Come on, South, y'all got it!
Rally, rally, rally!

-Let's go!
- Come on, baby. Come on.

- 30 seconds to go.
- 30, you heard?

- Aarón: It has to be
on the plate, everyone.
- Jeez.

- Kolby, let's go, come on!
- Come on, Midwest, let's go!

Finesse.

Ten, nine, eight,

- seven, six, five...
- All right.

- Let's go, Northeast.
- Ay-yi-yi.

- Whew!
- ...three, two, one.

- Aarón: Hands in the air.
-Well done!

- Hands in the air!
- Whoo!

- Man.

- Let's go, West!
- South, South, South!

- Northeast, Northeast!
- Northeast, baby.

West, West,
West, West, West!

- Man, I'm proud of myself.
- That was brutal.

I wanted to do
chips on it,

but now you're making me
second-guess. Ugh.

Isn't quite what I wanted, but--

- No, no. I'm so proud of you.
- Okay.

I am nervous right now.

I'm a little concerned
that the risotto

- is still a little bit crunchy.
- Whew.

I've Joe standing up there.

The standards are super,
super high.

If I were eliminated first,
it would be soul-crushing.

I'm mortified by that prospect.

- Well, let's hope one of us
wins that pin, huh?

- I know.
- I hope so.

Right, tonight, we asked you

to make an elevated version
of a classic fair food.

Now Joe, Aarón, and myself

need to take
one last close look

at all your dishes.

Richie, plating-wise,

happy with the sort of
minimalistic part on there?

I wanted it to feel
like the fair

where it's shareable foods.

Nina, are you happy
with the color on the chips,
and they're well-seasoned?

They are well-seasoned.
Extra salt for Joe.

The right amount
is all I require.

The judges
are very intimidating.

So I'm starting
to get a little nervous.

Your heart is pounding.

You're sweating.

It's scary.

-You tasted that?
- Yes.

- Taste right to you?
- It could be better.

- Was the lobster
poached beforehand?
- It was not.

- So you cooked it from raw?
- I did, yeah.

The concern is that the judges
might think that your dish,

it's not representative
of a state fair...

Reagan, do you feel that you've
done justice to your region?

I absolutely do.

...or it's not elevated enough.

James, are you happy
with the way

that the mushroom flavor
came out?

Uh, this is good.

You have no idea
what they're thinking.

Lizzie, so these shrimps, you
cooked them in the pan, right?

- Yes, sir.
- You're just hoping
that they like it.

Do you feel that
you've elevated the taco?

I do, and I'm happy
with the tortillas.

Mmm.

Some absolutely brilliant
dishes out there.

- Aarón: Yeah, yeah.
-Yeah.

Really inspired cooking.

Some individuals really
understood the challenge,

and others missed by a mile.

Right, well done.
We're gonna be tasting the best
dish from every region.

The winning home cook

will then win
that elusive immunity pin,

which will keep them safe
from elimination next week,

and more importantly,

keep their entire region safe
from elimination tonight.

But if you're from one
of those other three regions,

buckle up,
because you may be going home.

Now Joe, Aarón, and myself
are gonna highlight the best
dish from each region.

The first dish we're really
excited to taste more of

is from the Northeast.

They did an incredible elevation
of a classic sandwich.

Please step down...

Nina.

- Good job, Nina!
- Yeah!

- Good job, girl!
-I feel super pumped.

Of course, I haven't seen the
other three amazing dishes yet,

but I think I have
a really good chance

to win the immunity pin
for the Northeast.

Nina, describe the dish, please.

You would be hard-pressed
to find a fair anywhere

in the Northeast that did not
have a fried fish sandwich.

So I made a bourbon and
hot sauce fried fish sandwich

with a garlic lemon aioli,

side of salt and vinegar
potato chips,

and a lemon tahini slaw.

Look, it looks spot on.

The balance of everything,

I mean, it's just top notch.

- Thank you.
-Shall we, guys?

- Aarón: Yes.
-Yeah.

The fish is cooked beautifully.

And even after sitting
in between those slices of bun,

it's incredibly crisp.

It is absolutely up there.
Great job.

Thank you.

It has super high marks for me.

The star is actually
the dressing of the sandwich.

It really doesn't take away
from the crispiness

of the actual fish,
and that's hard to do.

The fish sandwich has its own
level of acidity and creaminess.

It's the kind of dish I would
happily pay 24 bucks for,

and that's the biggest
compliment I can pay you.

- Very good.
- Thank you.

Thank you, guys, so much.

- Well done.
- Go, Nina!

- There you go, Nina.
- Yeah, Nina.

The second dish that we would
like to taste is from the South.

It featured absolute
perfect seasoning.

So please come forward, Reagan.

-I think the judges
are gonna say

that this dish
has plenty of flavor,

the crunch on that chicken
is perfect.

I know they're gonna love that.

I would love to get a pin,

and I think this dish
can do that.

Reagan,
please describe your dish.

We have festivals
in New Orleans,

so I chose
the Fried Chicken Festival

because it's Black-owned,

and so I wanna make sure
I highlight that.

I made a panéed chicken breast
with a lemon butter crab sauce

over garlic mashed potatoes
and a deconstructed hot sauce.

I appreciate the fact
that you were bold and said,

"You know what?
I'm gonna do that gilding
of the crab meat."

'Cause that's very
typical New Orleans.

I'm interested to see
how everything mingles.

Chicken
is cooked beautifully.

It's moist, it's juicy,
it's succulent,

but the real joy here is just
the seasoning in that panée.

And the harmony of
those flavors is beautiful,
so really good job.

- Thank you so much.
- The chicken and that sauce
and the seasoning and the fry?

- All day long.
- Thank you, sir.

Everything about this dish
is spot on,

and it's a dish
that you wanna eat all of.

- Good job.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Good job, Reagan!
- Let's go, Reagan!

Good job, girl!

The next dish we wanna taste
is from the Midwest.

It was cooked by a gentleman

who made great use of lobster.

Please come forward, Kyle.

- Let's go, Kyle.
- Let's go, Kyle.

It is an amazing feeling.

I'm just taking deep breaths.
I'm trying to control myself.

And all I can think about is

I hope they like it
as much as I do.

I made beer battered
lobster fries

with a fennel slaw

that I made a lemon tarragon
beer vinaigrette for.

I have to say, of the dishes
tonight from a state fair,

this is the dish
that most closely really gets

to a professionally prepared
restaurant dish.

Thank you, Joe.

Yeah, it looks beautiful.
Shall we?

I'm always nervous
when you cook from raw

'cause the lobster tends
to become rubbery,

but lobster's delicious.

Batter just crisp
and melts in your mouth.

I don't know
if you actually understand

how hard it is to accomplish
fried lobster,

but you've done it beautifully.

It's "MasterChef," Gordon.
I'm here to play.

Here's a subtle thing that you
did that I think is really neat.

Tarragon and lobster
go beautiful,

so when I got a little bite
of that tarragon

and that crispy
sort of rich lobster,

it just makes
for a beautiful bite.

Awesome. Thank you.

Yeah, you great seasoning
everywhere, good acidity,

good creaminess,
good contrasts.

It's about as good
as it gets.

- Thank you, Joe.
- Thanks, Kyle.

- Atta boy, Kyle.
- Kyle!

Good job, guys. Good job.

The final dish of course
hails from the West.

This dish showed
tremendous depth of flavor.

Please step forward...

James.

- Whoo!
- James!

I'm feeling
excited that I'm in
the top four right now,

that I can save my region
and get that immunity pin.

But it's nerve-wracking

standing in front
of the judges.

Anybody tells you it's
a piece of cake, it's not.

Okay, James, what's the dish?

The dish is
a mushroom festival burger

and a nice garlic aioli,

some arugula,
some wild mushrooms,

and I finished it off
with caramelized onions.

It screams,
"Dive in and eat me."

- Let's do that.
- Shall we?

Joe and Aarón: Ooh.

I don't know what to say.
Perfection.

- I have no comment.
-Wow.

It's really that good.

For me, I just think
the magic in this burger

lies in that everything
is in balance.

Mushrooms, especially
when you're using powder,

that can totally obliterate
the natural essence of the beef,

- and it didn't.
- Yes, Chef.

This burger's got attitude.
You know?

The blend of the patty
with the ratio of fat to beef?

Absolutely spot on.
The cook is exceptional, okay?

And trust me, I know
a good burger a mile away.

Well done. Step down.
Good job.

- Good job, James!

- Good job.

All of you please,
give us a moment.

Excuse us.

So, Nina, fish sandwich.
How crisp was that batter?

- Very good.
- The dressing,
it wasn't overpowering.

- It didn't dominate.
-No.

The lobster,
real restaurant dish.

I was amazed how crispy it was.

Fried chicken, top notch.

Maybe a little bit
too homey for me.

-Burger?
- Oh, the burger, come on.

-Yeah, exceptional.
- This is too much.

- So all in agreement then?
- Yeah.

- Shall we?
- All right, guys, good luck.

Good luck, guys.

Nina, Reagan,

Kyle, James, well done.

But tonight's best dish
was cooked by...

Nina, Reagan, Kyle, James,

tonight's best dish
was cooked by

and the immunity pin goes to...

- Kyle.

- Yeah!
- Kyle!

- Yeah, Midwest!
- Midwest!

Everybody else, please return
to your stations.

- Kyle, exceptional.
- Good job, guys.

- Come up here and get
your immunity pin.
- Wow.

First pin of the season.
Really well done.

- Thank you.
- Which means tonight

you and the whole of the Midwest

- are safe from elimination.
- Awesome.

All of you, make your way up
to the balcony with your team.

Look at that!
I came here to win.

I came here to prove
that I'm a great chef.

I think the other people
on the Midwest team
are pretty happy I got this.

I love the fact
that I was able to give them
immunity tonight.

Wayne, FYI,

that risotto
was not on point tonight.

It was wrong on every aspect,

and you certainly
would've been in the bottom.

So you can thank
your teammate Kyle for your
spot on the balcony.

- You got skills.
You're all right.
- Won't happen again.

- You're all right.
- There was a chance that

I could've been going home
if Kyle hadn't saved me,

and so I'm realizing that
this immunity pin

is gonna make all
the difference this season.

Now there is one dish
from each region

that really missed
the bar tonight.

First dish from Northeast,

this dish started out
as a good idea,

but the final execution
was just off balance.

Please come forward...

Richie.

I know the plating
might not be the best,

but I know those flavors
are there.

That cheesecake cream
is delicious.

The candied bacon is amazing,

and I'm hoping
that those flavors
are what save me today.

So, Richie,
describe the dish, please.

I made
a deconstructed cheesecake

with mascarpone crema,
a graham cracker crust

with a berry compote,
and a candied bacon tuile.

This is disappointing.
This is "MasterChef."

And I'm looking at this
and I just can't see
state fair realized.

I just see garnishes.
You understand what I'm saying?

- Fair.
-Shall we?

The bacon's delicious.

I love that
with that cheesecake texture.

- That is absolutely spot on.
- Thank you.

But I suppose what I wanna see
is it elevated into a dish.

Had you put a little poundcake
or something in the middle

with all of this
exterior goodness,

we wouldn't be
even talking right now.

And at this stage
in the competition,

you cannot play it safe.

I think with this dish, you're
not even playing the game.

You didn't listen to what
we asked for today.

This dish would make
an excellent ice cream topping.

It's not a dish.

- Thanks, Richie.
- Thank you.

Step back, please.
Thank you.

Okay, the second dish
we need to taste

is from the South.

It's from a cook
who concerned us

with both their seasoning
and their plating.

Kendal.

I feel like I just
got my apron.

There's no way I wanna be
the first one eliminated.

I'm just hoping that
I can survive another week

and prove myself.

All right, tell us
what this dish is.

In our local county fair,

we walk around eating
chicken on a stick.

So I made herb roasted
chicken kabob

with a potato croquette
and a bacon wrapped asparagus.

Is the proportion
of each item intentional

or is it just kinda random?

Just kinda random.

I really and truly kinda
threw it together at the end.

- You can definitely see that.
- Yes, sir.

Shall we?

The cook on the chicken
is delicious.

But, you know, when you get
a chance to make a croquette,

put some bacon and cheese
in the center so it's
an exceptional croquette.

Yes, sir.

I think those croquettes
are crispy on the outside,

but zero seasoning, which is
very un-Southernly of you.

- Uh, yes, sir.
- Yeah? I like the seasoning
on the kabobs.

That was the seasoning
that you should've applied
to the actual croquettes.

But just clunky
all the way around.

I think you lost your vision
for what it might've been.

It's not terrible.

I would eat it,
but it's lacking in opinion.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

All right, so the final dish
that we would like to taste
is from the West.

It comes from a young lady

who unfortunately
did not elevate

beyond the expectations.

Please come forward, Amanda.

I'm not surprised
that I'm in the bottom.

I went way out
of my comfort zone.

I cooked something
I've never cooked before.

Oh, no. She's serving
a taco to Aarón.

In my heart,
I knew should've just stuck
with what I know.

Amanda, can you please give us
a description of your dish?

I made roasted cod fish tacos

with homemade tortillas.

One is a very fresh green sauce,

and one is
a very spicy red sauce.

I made them because
in California

you can't go to a fair
without seeing tacos everywhere.

I appreciate the fact that you
went for the homemade tortilla
and the two different sauces,

but I can nip outside
and 300 meters down the road

I can buy one at $3
that will look better
than those.

Wow.

They just look sad.

- Amanda, they just look sad.
- Wow.

Shall we?

Amanda, just sticking the fish
in the oven and baking it

is not the smartest way
of cooking fish.

So, sadly, my tortilla
was very thick, very dry.

It needs at least
some color on there.

It's just sort of
floury and doughy.

There's no acidity,
there's no slaw,
there's no heat.

- Knowing what you stood for--
- I should have just done my--

I'll just quickly finish
my sentence, please.

I'm thinking back to
the audition and the wow factor.

I think you've gone
down a notch.

Aarón: It's just a matter
of mis-execution.

I think tacos can be elevated.
Sadly, this is not it.

And there's just pico de gallo,
which is very rudimentary.

There's crema.
The seasoning on the fish
is really well done actually.

But just hitting the mark
on multiple levels.

It's not a terrible dish.
If I came to your house,
you gave me that,

and you said you cooked tacos
for the first time,

I'd say they were good
'cause I'm polite.

This might be
"Amanda does tacos
for the first time,"

- and that's great,
but that's not what we want.
- Mm-hmm.

- I'm sorry to say
that's just the truth.
- Thank you, Amanda.

Thank you.

Richie, Kendal, Amanda,

we need
a very serious moment, please.

Excuse us.

Talking about Kendal,
I mean, look, chicken on a stick

- is something iconic
in the South.
-Not like that.

The chicken should've been
the center of the dish.

- Amanda's tacos were tough.
- You would never
bake a taco. Never.

- No. There you go.
- A lot of mistakes there.

Richie's,
was that a completed dish

- or was it a--
- No, it was just an idea.

- So we all in agreement?
- Yes.

Richie, Kendal, and Amanda,

all of three you really
disappointed us tonight,

and more importantly,
you let yourself down
and your region.

We've come to a decision.

This is never easy.

The home cook that
will be leaving

"MasterChef" tonight is...

Amanda.

Oh, my God.

Richie, Kendal,
say good-bye to Amanda

and head back
to your stations, please.

Thank you.

Amanda, tonight's objective
was to innovate and elevate,

and unfortunately that dish
really did miss the mark.

Please say good-bye
to your region's teammates

and drop your apron
on your stove, please.

Thank you, Amanda.

- We love you, Amanda!
-I'm very sad to be
the first one eliminated.

I really saw myself going
a lot farther than this.

Even though my journey
ended early,

I still know I can cook.

I still know that I have

a lot to prove the world.

- Thank you, Amanda,
- Bye, guys.

And I'm going to do that.

Next time on "MasterChef,"

the first mystery box
of the season

- is as American as...
- Apples!

And the tactics begin.

Kyle, you get to pick
what kind of dish
each region cooks.

I'm excited to make them
a little less comfortable.

- Let's go!

As the cooks battle
for their home region...

- You good?
- Definitely not
in my wheelhouse.

- Oh, great.
- Not gonna let you down again.

Did you put salt
instead of sugar on them?

The only thing worse
than the dish is lying to us.

I hate being lied to.