01x06 - A Taste of Mexico

[bunniefuu]

[theme music plays]

[Jordan Andino] Do luxury ingredients
always make the best dishes,

or can humble items be transformed
into a recipe for success?

This is Cook at all Costs.

I need something. I need something.

[Jordan] With $25,000 in their bank,

three home cooks will have
to bid on all their ingredients...

I'm ready.

...in a high-stakes auction-packed cook-off.

-Five thousand dollars.
-Sold!

[Jordan] The home cooks
can spend big for the best ingredients,

save their money for the basics,
or gamble on a surprise.

Chicken hearts. [laughs]

[Jordan] In the end, the winner

will go home
with all the cash left in their bank.

[laughs] Oh, man!

[Jordan] The back pantry
is home to the hottest names

in today's culinary world.

Surprise!

[Jordan] These celebrity chefs
will prepare the mystery boxes,

ingredient temptations,
and judge the dishes.

You gotta make Mama happy.

All right, Chef. Send out those boxes.

[music continues]

It's the ultimate cooking competition,
where skill meets strategy.

Let me get my buzzer fingers ready.

[Jordan] This is Cook at all Costs.

[laughs]

-Y'all ready?
-Yeah!

-Let's go, Jordan. Let's go!
-Let's do it. Let's go!

Danica, Seth, Matt,
welcome to Cook at all Costs.

Whoo!

Let's get started
with your first challenge. In this round,

you'll be creating dishes
in any style you like,

using ingredients
that are being prepared behind us

in the back pantry
by today's guest chef and judge.

He's a James Beard-nominated food writer
and cookbook author,

whose cooking celebrates
the best in Mexican culture and cuisine.

Chef Rick Martinez.

-[all applaud]
-Let's go!

Chef Rick is Mexican food.

He's an icon.

I've been a fan of his for a long time,
so it's an honor to cook for him today.

Chef Martinez, please send out
those ingredient boxes.

[energetic electronic music plays]

[Jordan] Using your bank of $25,000,

you will blind bid
on these three ingredient boxes.

Whoever bids the highest

gets the Spend Box,

which has premium ingredients
that can be turned into premium dishes.

The home cook with the lowest bid
gets the Save Box,

which has common ingredients
that you'll need to get creative with

and turn into amazing dishes.

And the other cook gets a surprise.

The Surprise Box contains
more exotic items,

and it will force you
to think outside of the box.

And that's where the strategy comes in.
Because, in the end,

the winning cook gets to keep
whatever cash is left in your bank.

The minimum bid is $2,500.

Please, put your bids in now.

[tense music plays]

[Danica] I am super competitive.

My strategy is to bid high.

I don't care how much money I leave with.

I want the best possible ingredients.

I'm a budget guy in life,
but I really want the Spend Box.

I really want to make my mark.
I've got to risk it to get the biscuit.

[tablet chimes]

All right, let's reveal
those bids. Danica.

Five thousand dollars.
Someone's trying to spend.

Here to win.

-That's a lot of rent.
-Right? That's a mortgage payment.

Seth, your bid was...

[Jordan] $2,700.

I'll make miracles
with any of those boxes.

I like that confidence, Seth.

And Matt, let's take a look
at your bid, $3,801.

Danica, you have the highest bid,
which means you get the Spend Box.

Seth, you get the lowest bid,
which means you get the Save Box.

And Matt, seems like
you're in for a surprise.

-I love surprises.
-I hope so.

Bring it on. Let's go.

You have 45 minutes
to make your best out-of-the-box dish

in any style you like.

Okay.

[Jordan] And be ready,
because Chef Martinez has

plenty of ingredients
to send down the line

to help upgrade your dishes.

Danica, Seth, Matt,

are you ready to cook at all costs?

-[all cheer]
-Yes!

-Let's do it!
-Let's go!

Good. 'Cause your time starts... now!

[propulsive music plays]

[Danica] Excuse me.

-This is my workout for the day.
-[Danica] Okay, this is heavy.

I get the Save Box. Tilapia fillets, mayo.

We got cream of mushroom,
pickled asparagus.

I'm here to cook.
I'm here to play the game,

but more so than anything,
I'm here to be creative.

Where are we gonna start?

[Seth] But this box is
like from when I was broke in my 20s

and I first started cooking
with ingredients from the dollar store.

I got tilapia, white potatoes,
canned cream of mushroom.

What am I supposed to do
with cream of mushroom soup?

[Danica] I have the Spend Box.

Potatoes. Oh my God, bluefin tuna. Wow.

Asparagus.

Ooh, mushrooms!

I have shiitake mushrooms,
Fresno chilies, shallots.

There are some
really great ingredients in here.

Oh, wow! It's really pretty.

I see the tuna,
and right away I am pumped.

It's a perfect thing to eat raw.

You can't cook
such a beautiful fish like that.

You have to leave it as is.

So, I'm thinking a crudo,

but I need citrus.
I need lemon, I need lime,

something to make the crudo pop.

Skate wing, frozen hash brown patties,

some mushrooms,

white asparagus and hot sauce.

What in the world am I gonna do with this?

This Surprise Box is a k*ller.

Skate wing.

Skate wing?

I like buffalo wings. This could work.

Okay, it's fish.

Did not know that. [laughs]

It's fish that I don't know
how to break down.

There's like a fiber
or something in there.

I really don't know what to do with this,

so I put it to the side
and start working on other stuff.

I got nothing going on right now.

Home cooks, we've seen
all of your ingredients,

and you all have fish.

There's bluefin tuna in the Spend Box,
skate wing in the Surprise Box,

and tilapia in the Save Box.

Now, what are you going to do with it?

-Jordan, what would you do?
-[laughs] Nice try.

I'm a strategist, man. Come on.

[Seth] I'm a culinary entertainer.

I have hosted
a laundry list of digital series,

but I'm self-taught.
I don't have any training whatsoever.

I'm here
because I wanna show off what I got.

I have this cream of mushroom soup,
so I'm thinking, "I can make a sauce,"

you know, to smother the fish.

I also have white potatoes,

I gotta roast 'em off,
and I'm going to mash 'em.

I'm gonna fold in some
of that Japanese mayo.

Try to get creative as possible.

There we go.

-[sighs] Chef.
-Jordan!

-How's it going?
-Good. Good to see you.

Good to see you too.
Those boxes are intense.

I'm really excited to see
what they do to those boxes.

There's a lot of stuff in there
you can have fun with.

So, I saw in the Save Box,
there's, like, cream of mushroom.

Yeah, I think you have to, like,
just recognize that it's not a soup.

You need to turn it into a condiment...

-Mm-hmm.
-...or a sauce, or something else.

-I wanna see creativity. Sky's the limit.
-Of course. Of course.

I... So, I saw skate out there.

-Love skate. Oh, my God.
-I love skate, but... Okay.

You and I both know, not necessarily
the easiest fish to prepare.

No, it's thin,
so it doesn't take a lot of cook time,

but the texture is
so beautifully smooth and buttery.

-I was just gonna say, buttery.
-Exactly.

It definitely is a delicate fish.

You don't wanna apply
too much heat, or if you do,

hit hard, sear,
really get that nice caramelization.

All right, what are you
preparing right now?

So, this is salmon
which I've just portioned out.

-[Jordan] I love a good salmon.
-Definitely.

Chef, this all looks great.
I'm gonna go check in with the home cooks.

[funky music playing]

We got some plans going now.
Into the fryer, let's go.

I have a YouTube channel
called "Balding on a Budget."

Aptly named, obviously.

I like to explore recipes

and see, "What ingredients
can I replace with something cheaper?"

My secret weapon
in the kitchen is my creativity

when it comes to ingredients.

From the start,
looking at the Surprise Box,

I know that I'm making vegetable hash.

We are chopping you up.

[Matt] I have potato product
and white asparagus,

things that can take a lot of cooking,
and soften up and mesh well together.

So I know that's gonna be my base.

The problem is
what am I gonna put on top of it?

I don't have a protein that I understand,

so I need something else
and I need it now.

[lively music plays]

Something's coming out. Got action.

[Jordan] Red light is flashing.

-What we got, Jordan?
-That means we got an auction coming.

What are we going to get?
I need something. Come on, Jordan.

My box sucks.

Did I... Did I mention that?

I see those golden cloches
coming down the line.

It's time to elevate my dish.

This is your chance
to upgrade your dishes.

Give me a protein I recognize.

[all laugh]

Home cooks, let's get it started.

First auction item up for bid
will remain a secret till after you bid.

Blind bid.

Home cooks, this I guarantee
can elevate any dish.

I'm going to start
the opening bid at $800.

-[bell chimes]
-$800.

We all love a little bit of mystery.

Do I have $1,000
for this secret ingredient?

-[chimes]
-Seth, $1,000.

-Do I have $1,200?
-$1,200.

$1,200 to Matt. Do I have $1,500?

-$1,500?
-$1,500.

Do I have $1,800?

It's all Seth's.

Sold! Seth, you don't know what you got.

I don't. Let's see it.

[Jordan] A tapenade.

Tapenade? Jordan, tapenade?

Olives, bro. Thanks.

-Jordan, I'm never trusting you again.
-[laughs]

I love tapenade,
but it's not gonna help me here.

-Seth, you can have it.
-Tapenade.

[laughs]

Home cooks, the next item up for bid,

I believe, is something
you're really going to want.

-Lemons.
-[Danica] Oh!

Interesting, 'cause you all have fish.

So, a perfect little hit of acid.

I don't care how much the lemons are.
I need the lemons.

I'm gonna buy the lemons.

-Opening bid's $1,000. Danica.
-[chimes]

-$1,000.
-[Danica] One thousand.

-Do I have $1,500?
-[chimes]

-You have $1,500.
-$1,500 from Matt.

-Do I have $2,000?
-Two thousand, two thousand.

$2,000 is going to Danica
for three lemons.

[Danica] I play competitive dodgeball.
I like to get all the boys out,

and I'm really good,
so sorry, Matt, these lemons are mine.

-Sold. Three lemons for $2,000.
-Thank you.

Those better be some good lemons.

Lemon juice on my crudo,
it will make all the difference.

Most expensive lemons
in the history of the world.

-[Seth] Right.
-[Jordan laughs]

Stop making fun of me and my lemons!

The last item up for auction is...

[intense percussive music plays]

...three salmon fillets.

-[angelic music plays]
-Praising the salmon gods right now.

-The opening bid is $1,500.
-[chimes]

-$1,500.
-$1,500 going to Matt. $1,500 going twice.

Sold to Matt.

This skate can skate off.

[Jordan laughs] There you go.
Grab your salmon. Great job.

[Matt] Skate wing, I'm sure
it's a beautiful protein.

It's not showing up on my plate.

[laughs snarkily]

Danica, your dish is a total of $7,000.

-[laughs]
-So...

I hope this... this food is tasty!

Me too. Me too.

So with the Spend Box,
there's a lot more pressure.

You're expected to make excellence
with these excellent ingredients.

I've got Fresno chilies,
mangoes, and shallots.

Figured I'd make a salsa with them.

Mix it all together, add some lemon,
season. That's my salsa.

Seth and Matt should be scared.
I'm going to beat 'em.

Mm, that's spicy.

[Seth] Sear, sear, sear.

I'm looking at this tapenade
like a tape-nah.

But I remember I have pickled asparagus,
that has some briney flavor,

the tapenade has some briney flavor,
so I'm doing a pickle relish.

See how it complements my fish.

I can make this work.

It's actually really good.

[mellow groovy music plays]

My plan with the salmon is
to take some more hash browns...

There we go.

[taps]

...turn them into a breading,
and pan fry the salmon.

[funky music plays]

Rick gets that one. The nice one.

[upbeat music plays]

-Five minutes left, home cooks.
-sh**t.

[Jordan] Ticktock. Let's go.

Mmm, that's actually really good. [laughs]

Danica, I sure wish
I had some of your lemon.

Oh, yeah? Snooze, you lose, buddy.

[Seth] I'm looking at my dish,

and I'm like, "What more could I have done

with this mushroom soup
and the ingredients?"

Again, did I mention that I hate this box?

[exclaims]

[tense music plays]

One minute left. Home cooks, one minute.

[Danica] I spent
a lot of money on this dish,

and I'm hoping it's worth it
because I want to win.

I always want to be the best of the best,
so winning is super important.

Oh, that's a lot of lemon.

[Jordan] Home cooks,
you have ten seconds. Let's go!

Get those plates on the line.

-Seven, six...
-[bell chimes]

-[Jordan] ...five, four...
-[bell chimes]

-[Seth] Got it!
-...three, two, one.

[bell chimes]

-Time's up.
-[Danica claps]

Good job, home cooks. Good job.

This is hard. [laughs]

[Jordan] It's time to send those plates
down the line for Chef Martinez.

[bold music plays]

Knowing that Chef Martinez
is about to taste my food

definitely adds to the nerves.

Rick is an icon, he's incredible.

[groovy music plays]

-What up, Chef?
-I'm ready. I'm hungry.

So first up, we have
a hash brown-crusted salmon

on a vegetable hash.

[Rick] Ooh.

I'm very curious about this.

Very well done.

Mmm.

I think this is probably
a little bit over.

It's pretty dry. I will say,
though, that the... the crust

is actually really pleasant.

The home cook gave me
a crispy exterior with the hash browns.

-So points for that.
-Okay.

I really like the seasoning in the medley.
I can taste the asparagus.

I think what I really need is a sauce.

I think if there had been
some kind of a bright sauce,

I wouldn't have noticed as much
the overcooking of the fish.

Yeah, one of the surprise cloches
you sent out was lemon.

-Right.
-They bid on the lemon.

But they didn't get it.

The hash browns, kind of heavy.

It needs some acid
to like to cut through it,

so that would have helped.

All right, so next up...

we have a cream of mushroom tilapia

with a Japanese mayo mashed potatoes.

[Rick] I like this presentation.

I'm seeing different colors,
different textures,

lots of different ingredients.

-All good things.
-Yeah.

[driving sparse music plays]

Mmm. I like the mashed potatoes.

Very umami. That's really good.

The cook on the, uh, tilapia is nice.

It's still juicy.

In terms of the sauce, I wish

that there had been
a little bit more transformation.

I'm aware that there's
a can of soup as a sauce.

The asparagus and the tapenade,
I think if some of those flavors

had been incorporated into the sauce,
maybe thinned it a little bit,

maybe used a little bit of the brine,
I think that might have helped.

-Mm-hmm.
-But I think it's a very successful dish.

-Last but not least.
-All right.

So, this right here, tuna crudo,

mango salsa, and crispy shiitake.

[Rick] I like this presentation.

[funky music plays]

Something to keep in mind, this home cook
purchased the lemons for $2,000.

[Rick] Wow.

Well, the cook is definitely
getting their money's worth

'cause that zest lifts it up.

This was a very sophisticated dish
with a lot of layered flavors.

You've got so much brightness
from the lemon.

You have a little pop
of sweetness from the mango.

You have really nice heat from the Fresno.

This person really respected this protein,
which I'm very happy about.

I would have wanted
the shiitake to be a little bit smaller.

They're too big for the bite.

But I think
this was a very successful dish.

-So, Chef, have you come to a decision?
-I have.

[suspenseful music plays]

Let's go.

-[Danica] Whoo!
-All right, cooks. It's judgment day.

Danica, Seth, Matt,

the home cook
with the best out-of-the-box dish is...

-Danica.
-[triumphant music plays]

-[all applaud]
-Yay!

Oh, awesome.

It was the most expensive tuna crudo
I've ever had,

but it was completely worth it.

The final challenge
is called Chef's Choice

and we'll be celebrating
Chef Martinez's culinary passion

with a taste of Mexico.

All right.

[Jordan] Chef Martinez
is preparing ingredient boxes

to help you make
your best Mexican-inspired dish.

[Seth] I was born and raised in LA,
so Mexican food is second nature to me.

I am as ready as ready can be.

Okay, Chef Martinez,
whenever you're ready.

[driving rock music plays]

[Jordan] In this round,
the boxes have set prices.

The Spend Box is going to cost you $8,000.

The Save Box is priced at $4,000.

And the Surprise Box will run you $6,000.

Danica, since you've won
the first challenge,

you've earned the power to assign
each box to whichever cook you like.

-[all laugh]
-[Matt] Oh, come on.

[Danica] Whoo-hoo!

-Wow.
-I like that.

Danica, we're friends.
We're... We're good friends.

Where am I in this equation?
We've been bonding.

Danica, which box would you like to buy?

-I'd like the Spend, Jordan.
-[groans]

-[Jordan] The Spend Box.
-Yeah. Playing to win.

[Jordan] Eight big ones.

I'd rather spend all my money and win
than save it and lose.

How would you like
to assign the other two boxes?

[intriguing music plays]

The Save is going to go to my buddy Seth.

Oh, wow! All right.

I want some more dynamic ingredients.

I got cream of mushroom
and tilapia last time.

You'll have
a dynamic bank account when you win.

I like that "when." When I win. Let's go.

Seth, you were gifted
the Save Box for $4,000.

And finally, Matt,

you got the Surprise Box

at a cost of $6,000.

I can take it.

I don't think I can be more surprised
than getting a skate wing,

so it's all uphill from here.

The home cook
with the best Mexican-inspired dish

will win whatever cash you
have left in your bank.

You have 60 minutes on the clock,

and the time has come again to...

cook at all costs!

[Danica exclaims]

[Danica grunts]

[bold music plays]

[Matt] Not even looking yet.
Let's find out. Okay, instant cornbread.

[Matt] I open the Surprise Box,

and I've got poblano peppers,
jicama, and canned pork.

More ingredients
that I don't know how to cook.

I have to find out what this is.

Oh, it's like that.

I was thinking more like pulled pork.

[laughs]

At this moment, I'm without a road map.
It's all question marks in front of me.

What am I going to do?
Okay, so I really don't know.

Masa, yes!

Oh, these beans.

Chipotle peppers, pork tenderloin.

I see this pork loin,
and my eyes light up. I'm happy.

It's a product I'm very familiar with,
cooked it plenty of times.

I also have masa
and I know how to make my own tortillas,

so I'm making pork tacos.

[driving music plays]

Okay, we got brown rice,
refried beans, jalapeños, ground pork.

I'm not liking having the Save Box again.
I want some premium ingredients.

There's not a lot of sexy things
you can do with ground pork.

I don't necessarily have a plan yet.

Round two! And the proteins are revealed.

We have some ground pork in the Save Box,
pork tenderloin in the Spend Box,

and canned pork in the Surprise Box.

Good luck.

Hmm, we're just going right in.

Right now, I'm thinking enchiladas.

I'm going to use the shredded pork
in my filling, but I need tortillas.

This is an experiment.

I'm trying to make tortillas
out of this cornbread mix,

and every time I press it, it splits
between the two pieces of parchment.

And if I don't have tortillas,
I can't make enchiladas.

This is not working,
so we're done with that.

[brash instrumental hip-hop music plays]

I'm going with the strategy
of just making what I know first.

So, I'm making flour tortillas,
and I'm sautéing that ground pork off,

but I don't have any flavors in my box
that are inherently Mexican.

I really, really need some seasonings.

[Jordan] Home cooks,
the line is moving, red light flashing.

You know what that means.
Time to spend some money.

[lively music plays]

Yeah, I'm ready to place some bids.

[Seth] I've got the most money
in my account

so now it's time for me to strategize
and spend some myself.

For the first item...

[funky electronic music plays]

...garlic and onions.

We are offering these essentials
to any cook who wants to buy in

at the very reasonable price of $1,000.

Onions and garlic, that is like a staple
in Mexican cuisine. Need it.

All three of you can have it.

-[chimes]
-I'm in.

-[chimes]
-[chimes]

Come grab it. One onion, one garlic.

There you go.
One and one, and then one and one.

That will cost you each $1,000.

[laughs] I love this show.

The next item up for auction is...

Oh, wow. Tortillas.

Tortillas!

This is salmon round two.

This is exactly what I need
after my cornbread m*ssacre.

I'm pushing all the chips in for these.

I'll start it at $1,000.

[chimes]

$1,000. All right.

-Do I have $1,200?
-[chimes]

$1,200, even though she has masa harina.

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] $1,400.

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] $1,600. Do I have 18?

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] $1,800. $2,000?

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] Danica!

[Danica] Kind of messing
with Matt a little bit here.

Planning on making my own tortillas.
I have masa. I know what to do.

Matt, that's 25.

-I'll take 25.
-[chimes]

-[Jordan] 28. Danica?
-[chimes]

-$3,200?
-[chimes]

[excitedly] $3,200!

Do I have 3,500?

3,200 going once,

-3,200 going twice.
-You don't, you don't.

-Sold! The most expensive tortillas ever!
-Oh!

Matt, go ahead.

These tortillas are worth
every single penny.

My instant cornbread
was not gonna make the grade.

Now I can make enchiladas.

The next item up for bid
is taco seasonings.

We have cumin, paprika,
cayenne, and chili powder.

These four spices are the foundation
for so many great Mexican dishes.

This is the one thing I need
to, like, really save my dish.

I don't have any inherent Mexican flavors.

I need these flavors.

And I'll start the bidding at $1,200.

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] $1,200 going to Seth.

Do I have $1,500?

$1,200 going once, going twice.

Sold to Seth.

Thank you both.

$1,200 for taco seasoning? Sold.

Last item up for auction is...

Wow! A guacamole kit.

This has avocados,
lime, and fresh cilantro.

[longingly] Oh!

Love cilantro on top of my tacos.

[Seth] I hear the words guac kit,

I need it to add, like,
some more texture to my dish.

I will stop at nothing.

You hear me? Nothing.

Opening bid, $1,500.

-[chimes]
-Do I have $1,800?

[chimes]

-[Jordan] $2,200?
-[chimes]

-[Jordan] $2,500?
-[chimes]

-Do I have $2,800?
-[chimes]

-[Danica laughs]
-$2,800 going to Seth.

We got a full-on guac-off going.

[epic cinematic Western music plays]

Do I have $3,200?

-[chimes]
-$3,200 going to Danica.

Do I have $3,500?

-[chimes]
-We're going to four.

-[chimes]
-$4,500.

-[both buzzers chime]
-[Jordan] $5,000, Danica.

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] My goodness!

$5,500 going once, going twice.

Sold! To Seth.

Oh, man.

This lime costs $1,000.

I just paid $5,500 for a guacamole kit.

Guac is gonna add some dynamics
to this dish that I really need.

I mean, the old saying is true.
You gotta spend money to make money.

[bouncy electronic music plays]

[Seth] I season my pork
with this taco seasoning

and the aroma, the flavor,
everything changed.

Smells right.

And I take this Save Box to a suave box.

-Danica, how you looking over there?
-So far, so good.

What are you making?

None of your beeswax.

-How about... [laughs]
-Hey!

[Seth] So, I'm making pork and yam tacos
with Spanish rice, garlic refried beans,

and spicy guacamole.

Now I have a dish.

This is perfect.

[Matt] Mmm.

Danica.

What's up?

These taste so sweet.

-[laughs] Oh, yeah?
-Mmm!

You should enjoy 'em.

-Mmm! Worth every penny.
-They were a gift.

[light-hearted music plays]

[Matt] The shredded pork filling
is cooking with onions,

and the tortillas are the cornerstone
that's bringing these enchiladas together.

And I finally figured out
what I'm going to use this jicama for,

and I'm going to make some jicama fries.

I think this is a huge risk
because you don't normally see fries

served with enchiladas.

Eh, could have enchiladas
and fries. [laughs]

Why not?

[upbeat music plays]

-What's up, Chef?
-[Rick] Jordan.

-You sent some tortillas out for auction.
-Yes.

What do you hope
the home cooks do with that?

Like, give me like a nice hard toast.

Anybody can just warm it up.

Can you transform it?

Uh, so there are lots of different things
that you can do with it

beyond just, like, heating it up
and just making a taco.

Also, I'm really excited

because everybody's got
a version of the jalapeño.

So, either chipotle in adobo,

dried chipotle,

or fresh jalapeños.

I want you to tell them,
they need to make it super spicy for me.

Yes. I'mma go check on the home cooks.
I'll catch you later.

Cool.

[propulsive electronic music plays]

Home cooks, I have
a little message from Chef Martinez.

-Lay it on us.
-He likes things spicy.

All right.

Bring the capsaicin.
Bring the heat. Bring the fire!

Can't relate, but going
to make it happen. [chuckles]

[Matt] Mexican is really not something
I'm used to cooking.

If I come within a quarter-mile of spice,
I start getting a sunburn.

I should try what one of these taste like
before I throw a million in there.

[exhales heavily]

It's... It's really spicy. [laughing]

What you doing over there, Matt?

[Matt] Right now, I'm blending
my thousand-dollar garlic and onion,

roasted poblanos, roasted tomatillos,

smoky dried jalapeños
that have been soaking,

and I'm making a salsa verde out of it.

-[whirring]
-[claps hands] Good enough for me.

He likes it spicy, I'mma make it spicy.

Every good taco needs a salsa.

I'm roasting the red peppers and tomatoes
with the chipotle and onion.

I'm trying to make this salsa extra spicy.

[whirring]

[bold percussive music playing]

[Seth] So, I've got my guacamole.

I add some additional jalapeños.

Oh, this is the worst plating
that I've done in years,

Chef Rick might not
like my plating at all,

but once he tastes that $5,500 guacamole,

I think appearances won't matter too much.

Home cooks, sesenta segundos.

That's "60 seconds" in Spanish.

Yikes.

Remember you need
to place your plates on the line,

then hit your buzzer before time runs out.

[Danica] This is not good.

I don't think the dish
is gonna be hot enough for Chef Rick.

I don't know if there is enough chipotle,
but I'm hoping I get that W.

I'm really excited
for Chef Martinez to taste my dish.

I think I really packed
a lot of heat and a lot of flavor into it.

And I hope he loves it.

[Jordan] Ten...

I'm almost there.

...nine, eight, seven, six...

-[chimes]
-...five...

-[chimes]
-...four...

-[Seth] Got it!
-[Jordan] ...three, two...

-one.
-[chimes]

[cheering and laughing]

-[Seth] There we go!
-You did it. Yay!

-[Jordan laughing]
-[sighs]

Time's up. We're going to send
these plates back to Chef Martinez.

[upbeat electronic music plays]

I am feeling nervous.

I want to win so bad.

So, it's all in God
and Chef Rick's hands now at this point.

[suspenseful music plays]

All right, Chef.

Are you ready for a taste of Mexico?

-Bring it.
-[laughs]

-This looks so good, doesn't it?
-It looks so good.

I'm so impressed
with the plating of all three.

First up,
you have a shredded pork enchilada

with jicama fries and a poblano
and roasted tomatillo salsa verde.

I'm slightly nervous
about the canned pork.

We'll see how it was transformed.

It's a really flavorful filling.

I'm not aware that I'm eating
a canned pork product.

The star of this dish
is definitely this person's salsa.

-This is a flavor b*mb with a lot of heat.
-Wow!

But I'd probably want
something a little creamy.

You've got something
really intensely spicy.

-It kind of counteracts that.
-Tempers it.

[Rick] I am super excited
about this jicama.

It's like crispy but still tender.

It's so good.

All right, Chef.

Next up is a pork and yam taco
on a homemade tortilla,

with Spanish rice, garlic refried beans,
and spicy guacamole.

[driving bouncy music plays]

The instant brown rice,
it's just a little dry.

But the guacamole helps a lot.

-So the guac kit that you put out there...
-Mm-hmm.

[Jordan] ...went for $5,500.

I really like it.
It's got like a really nice level of acid.

I'm glad that they also included
these sliced jalapeños, for my added kick.

So, the same cook also purchased
taco seasoning for $1,200.

I think this was a good purchase.

Ground pork particularly can be very dry.

Usually it's a leaner cut of pork
that they grind up.

There's not a lot of fat, which of course
means there's not a lot of flavor.

So those spices
really pull out a lot of flavor.

I think this is a very successful dish.

This dish consists of pork tacos
with a tomato and red pepper salsa,

and fried black beans,
and a little bit of queso.

This looks
like a restaurant presentation to me.

We're gonna do this the way that we do it.
Never tilt the taco.

-Always tilt your head.
-[Jordan] Yep.

Mmm.

That is a very good taco.

These tortillas are handmade,
they taste delicious.

You know, one of the concerns
that I had with the tenderloin

is if you overcook it, it's like leather.

-Yeah.
-If you under-season it, it's...

-So bland. Yeah.
-...boring.

But this is seasoned well,
it's still juicy,

it's got some really nice flavor.

That's actually a really nice salsa
and it's sweet.

-How's the spice level?
-The heat is there.

Not my level there, but...

Chef, it may be a tough decision,
but do you think you have your winner?

They all brought their A-game,
but I think I've made my decision.

[triumphant music plays]

This is it.

It's time to find out
who won the competition

and all that cash in their bank.

But first, I'd like to introduce you

to our guest judge and the chef
behind all of those amazing ingredients.

The one, the only, Chef Rick Martinez.

[all cheering]

Rick!

-[Matt] Hey.
-Hey!

Hello.

[Danica] So cool.

Let's get to the results.

[intriguing music plays]

So, I want to start by saying

all three of these dishes were incredible.

Which of you made
the shredded pork enchilada?

That would be me, Chef.

[Rick] Your enchilada
was perfectly ex*cuted

and I really enjoyed your jicama fries.
Well done, Matt.

Who made the pork and yam tacos?

I did, Chef.

Seth, you brought great flavor
to ground pork,

which is not an easy accomplishment.

It was incredibly delicious.

Thank you so much, Chef.

So, Danica...

that leaves you with those pork tacos.

Yup.

Your dish looked
like it came right out of a restaurant.

Every component was delicious,
and I was really impressed by the salsa.

Home cooks, it's now time
to find out who will be going home

with all the money left in their bank.

Danica, you have $9,000 remaining.

Seth, you have $9,100.

And Matt, you have
the largest amount with $9,499.

The cook with the winning dish

who proved that they could
cook at all costs is...

-Danica!
-Oh my God!

[all applaud]

Oh my God! Thanks!

Whoo!

Oh my God. Yay!

Congratulations, Danica.
All of the cash in your bank is yours.

Whoo-hoo! Yay!

[Danica] I did not care
about the money at all.

I just wanted to win

and now I have the added bonus of $9,000.

That's not just pocket money.

Congratulations, Danica, you've proven
that you can cook at all costs.

-Whoo!
-[all applaud]

[Matt] Hearing Chef Martinez say
those things about my dish

showed me that I made it work,

and anyone can make cooking work for them.

Whether that's about budget
or culture or flavor,

all it takes is effort and time.

I am beyond excited that I pushed myself
to do this competition.

And I've arrived. I'm on Netflix now.

Like, y'all can't
tell me nothing. [laughs]

I think I learned today
I am a really good cook. I can do this.

[pulsing electronic music plays]