13x12 - Tag Team

[bunniefuu]

Gordon: Previously
on "MasterChef"...

Starting right now,

you'll no longer be
cooking in regional groups.

- Wow.
- Please welcome Chef Andre Rush.

They gotta make
the rations the star.

The fish is flaky,
and that gnocchi is out of this world.

The immunity pin goes to Grant.

- I got it, baby.
- This is too acidic for me.

It's just not a good
use of the rations.

This looks like something I'd
find in my kid's undershorts.

Strawberry jam noodles?
What were you thinking?

The home cook that
will be leaving is Nina.

Tonight,
it's a MasterChef classic.

- The tag team challenge.
- You have to cook dishes

you could find in some of
the world's best restaurants.

Grant, for winning last time,
you get to pick the teams.

- What's your strategy?
- I'm here today to tell you that nice guy's gone.

Let's go,
Charles. We've gotta do this.

- Switch!
- Gordon: Let's go!

- No, no! Put that down.
- No, it's an ice cream scoop!

- You can't just say, "I got you." You gotta talk to me.
- James: I got you.

- Switch!
- Mix it, mix it.

- Kennedy: Oh, my God.
- We burned this..

MD, Jennifer, don't cheat!

- Oh, my Lord.
- It's "DisasterChef."

- It's is so terrible.
- Let's just hope someone did worse than us.

- Ah.
- Here we go.

- Big one tonight.
- All-righty.

Love this challenge.
It's my favorite.

This one needs
teamwork like no other.

It's a tough one. Very tough.

- Whoo!
- Hello.

Welcome back, guys. Come on.

- Okay.
- Let's go.

- Oh, all right.
- Uh, what is happening?

- What's going on here?
- I'm seeing colors,

and I immediately know
what we're about to do.

This is the tag team challenge.

I'm a lifelong fan,

but it's also a little terrifying,
too.

Welcome back, everybody. Top 12.

Guys,
tonight's challenge is a familiar standby

in the MasterChef kitchen,
the tag team challenge.

Oh, my goodness.

- Grant.
- Yes, Chef?

Tonight, young man,
you've got the immunity pin.

- You're not going home.
- No, sir.

But there are only


So you will be cooking
in the tag team challenge.

- Awesome.
- Please make your way down.

Grant: This challenge
really brings out

the best and the
worst in people,

but the fact that I get to
experience this challenge

with really no
risk of going home

is gonna be really,
really fun for me.

Now, tonight this is a luxurious
fine dining tag team challenge.

- Whoo!
- Each of these dishes are ones that you could find

in some of the world's best restaurants,
including mine.

To start,
a delicious fresh tagliatelle

with a lemon cream sauce,
finished with sautéed shrimp.

- That's gorgeous.
- For the main course,

we have a delicious
pepper crusted filet mignon

served with a truffle mashed
potato and steak au poivre sauce.

Oh, wow.

Gordon: And finally,
for the dessert,

a delicious sticky
toffee pudding

with a pistachio mascarpone

finished with beautiful
caramel sauce.

- Oh, my goodness.
- Man.

That's gorgeous.

Gordon: Now, Grant,
for winning last time around,

- tonight you get to pick the teams.
- Fantastic, Chef.

Come on up here, please.

All of a sudden
you've got 11 BFFs.

- You look good up there, Grant.
- Yeah!

- Let's go, Grant.
- Gordon: What's your overall strategy?

Well,
throughout this entire competition,

my niceness has been
brought into question.

I think during the auditions,
Joe told my mom

I was nice enough
to be a priest.

That's pretty nice.

I'm here today to tell
you that nice guy's gone.

Ooh-hoo-hoo!

So the first team I
am gonna put together

are two incredibly strong chefs.

They have very
big personalities.

- Wayne with Reagan.
- Reagan: I knew it.

Gordon: Wow, wow.

Two strong characters.
Two formidable chefs.

My goodness me. Aprons on. Great,
okay. Next pairing?

So these two chefs,
one of them I see

as one of the strongest
competitors left.

The other, we were able to
recently see their leadership style,

and I don't know how these two
home cooks are gonna work together.

- Kennedy and James.
- All right.

Excellent. Next pairing,
who are they?

They're standing right next to each
other. It's gonna be Sav and MD.

- Let's get it.
- Gordon: Wow, wow.

These two home cooks have run
right in the middle of the pack thus far.

Grant,
there's only two more pairings to go.

The next strategic choice?

That's gonna be
Jennifer and Charles.

- Wow. Okay.
- Okay.

This pairing is a perfect
idea of what my strategy is

in pairing a weak
cook like Charles

with a strong cook like Jen
and ensuing chaos there.

I'm not gonna be nice about
it. I'm gonna do what I think

is gonna give me the best
opportunity to move forward.

Gordon: So, Grant, next pairing?

This last pairing I thought is
gonna be an interesting mix.

They're very strong
cooks in their own right.

- Kolby and Lizzie.
- Wow, wow.

- Yeah.
- Grant, picked Brynn?

Yeah, Chef. I'd say especially
at this point in the competition,

keep your friends close
and your competition closer.

- Thank you.
- I am ecstatic that Grant has chosen me.

- Thanks, Grant.
- Mm-hmm.

- Wow.
- He's exactly who I'd want to cook with tonight.

I'm not gonna have to
micromanage him or yell at him.

We know our skills,
and we're gonna look out for each other.

Okay, tonight you will take turns
preparing this three-course meal.

When we call "switch,"
you'll switch places.

Aarón: So remember,
whoever's cooking,

listen up for your
teammate's guidance.

Right, all of you,
listen up. Here's the good news.

For the first time
in this competition,

the two home cooks who make
the best three-course meal tonight

will both earn immunity pins.

- No way!
- Oh, my gosh.

- Okay.
- Yes!

- Nice.
- That comes with a guaranteed spot

in the top ten.

However, at least one cook from the
worst team tonight will be going home.

Right, all of you,
head to your stations. Let's go.

Match your apron with
your benches. Here we go.

We got this.

Okay, guys,
you will have 75 minutes

to complete these three dishes.

Right, all of you,
please take your positions.

- I think I'd like you to go first.
- Okay.

- Have you kneaded the pasta before?
- Yes, I have.

- Okay, I'm relying on you to do that first.
- Right, everybody ready?

All: Yes, Chef.

Your 75 minutes
starts now! Let's go.

Let's go,
Charles! Let's get that pasta going!

Get everything ready for
the cake to go into the oven.

- Yep, I got you.
- First, let's start with potatoes.

Thought you wanted me to start here,
no?

- Yeah, let's start with the potatoes.
- All right.

The challenging part about Wayne

is that he's going to try to
be in control of every area.

Wayne: Make them equal
size so they'll all cook the same.

I don't feel like the potatoes
need to be done first,

but I just let it be. I'm
not gonna argue with you.

So once you get those diced,
you can slice some shallots.

Reagan: No, no,
I was trying to get the pasta done.

Charles: I should add four more eggs,
correct? But just the yolk.

Jennifer: You need a
bowl to divide that up.

There you go. That'll work. Well,
you might wanna save that.

Get a-- okay. Go
ahead. Just go ahead.

I'm very concerned about
being paired with Charles

because he has been at
the bottom of this competition.

So I do think Grant targeted me.

- Looking good.
- But if he can stay focused

and not get overwhelmed
and not get flustered,

maybe we can be
successful today.

Tell me when to stop. More?

- Jennifer: You're good.
- I love your calmness.

- Perfect. Yeah, we got this.
- Sav: It's good. We got this.

We know our method. We
know what we have to do.

- Correct.
- Grant has paired me with MD.

He's thinking two average people
will make a below average team,

but we are really
hungry to be in the top

because we haven't
been there yet.

- Boom, done.
- Okay, perfect.

- Come on, James.
- Where is the-- hold on.

- Fast, baby, come on.
- I got you, I got you.

I'm a little bit worried about
being partnered with James

only because I like doing
four or five things at once,

and James really just
focuses on one thing.

Maybe you should get the butter ready--
going while you're doing that, babe.

- I got you. I got you.
- You can do two things at once.

- Come on, James, we're gonna have to pick up some speed.
- I got you.

The tag team challenge is all
about strategy tonight, isn't it?

You need to be on the same
page every step of the way.

It's gonna expose your
communication skills,

how fast and diligent you move,
and how you organize.

I think our key is to just maintain
a good rhythm and not rush.

- Yeah, exactly.
- We got time.

Now three courses,
how do you break it down? What's the plan?

Tonight is in reverse order.
That sticky toffee pudding

takes at least 18 to 20
minutes to cook in the oven.

You've got to start
on that dessert first.

- Or you can blow the whole thing.
- Exactly that.

And number two is
to get that pasta done.

- Brynn: Is it looking right?
- Grant: We're looking great.

Great. Mister pasta man.

And then third,
that filet mignon.

- Aarón: Yep.
- Let's go, Charles.

Charles: I need to
put more olive oil.

- A little bit more.
- Uh, no.

Come on, put some muscle in it.

- What's the time looking like?
- Don't worry about the time. I got you.


our first switch. 2 1/2 minutes.

Kolby: You hop in,
we can just cover it,

- and then you can start working on that cake.
- Lizzie: Yep.

Brynn: All right,
we got one of the big ones done.

Grant: I'm gonna get
pudding batter in right away,

and then hopefully,
my goal is to definitely have that

in the oven before the
next ten minutes is up.

- Brynn: Love it.
- You making the cake next?

Guys, prioritize. You should
be getting that batter on

for the sticky toffee pudding.


before our first switch.

- Stand by!
- Kennedy: Is there anything else

you need to working
on for the cake?

- Uh, yeah, I know. I got you.
- I know.

Baby, you can't just say,
"I got you." You gotta talk to me.

Um, yes,
there is. Hold on a second.

James is working
like a turtle right now.

And I really wanted the cake in
the oven in the first ten minutes,

and he's just gracefully
taking his time.

- 30 seconds!
- Zest it directly into it, baby.

You're just wasting
time right now.

I am getting so frustrated. We have so
many other things we have to get ready,

and I feel like it's
starting to fall apart.

- Listen to what I'm saying!
- You trust me or no?

- I do trust you, James.
- You trust me?

Kennedy: If we don't speed up,
it'll be a disaster.

- Come on, James.
- Okay, come on, James.

James: I got you, I got you.


till switch. Stand by!

All right, let's go,
Charles. This is so important.

- We've gotta do this.
- Yes. We gotta.

Do you need four
eggs? Full? Full eggs?

- Yeah.
- Let's work a little bit faster though, James.

- Okay, I got you.
- When I come in, I'm gonna start the pasta and stuff,

- so I'm not gonna be focused on the cake.
- Don't focus on the cake.

I'm looking good to
have it done next time.

Judges: Five, four,
three, two, one.

- You got it.
- Judges: Switch!

- All right, James!
- Good job.

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

Sav: All right,
MD, you got this.

- We're working on the cake.
- Yep, we're gonna work on this cake.

- Kolby: Eggs going.
- Add a little water. There you go.

Right, Reagan, what's going on with
these potatoes here? What happened there?

Reagan: We didn't need all those
because we're making one plate.

What do you think takes
the longest to get ready?

- The pasta. Oh, the cake?
- The cake.

Making mashed potatoes
across 75 minutes

should be a number four
or five item down the list.

Now smart move getting the pasta on,
which is really important,

but start getting that dessert underway,
please.

- Yes, Chef.
- Good.

- Hi, Chefs.
- Joe: Hi.

How is the dynamic so
far? Do you guys feel like

- you're working well together?
- Yes, we really are.

- Charles: Yes, we are.
- Joe: Who made the pasta dough?

- Charles: I did.
- How did it come out?

I feel like it could
be a little bit better.

Don't you think it should
be formed into a ball

- and wrapped in plastic wrap?
- Charles: Yes.

You have to communicate that,
Charles, okay?

Jennifer: Joe,
can I get some advice on this pasta?

- Yeah.
- I think we have way too much olive oil.

Yeah,
too much oil. This is never gonna work.

I can totally feel
it is all wrong.

There's olive oil everywhere.
I only have one choice,

and that's to try to add
a little bit more flour.

But now we are going to
be behind on everything else.

- We gotta measure ingredients exactly.
- Charles: Gotcha.

- Sav: You added the sugar?
- I'm gonna keep adding it little by little.

All right,
we got it. Let's do this.

- Sav, what is MD doing now?
- MD is working on the cake batter.

- Right, is the pasta made?
- The pasta is resting right now.

Gordon: Really good indeed.
When's that going to go in the oven?

- As soon as she done.
- That's a big weight off your shoulders.

- Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
- A big one, yes? Good luck.

- Thank you.
- You're doing good, Lizzie.

- You're doing good.
- Thanks, Kolby.

Gordon: 60 seconds
to go till switch!

- . No.
- Do you feel like it's coming together?

Kennedy: I don't know if
we're gonna be able to fix it.

James: Oh, it's breaking.

It is totally my
fault with this pasta.

I completely put way
too much oil into it.

I know how to do these things,

and I'm just under
so much pressure

that everything just
went out the window.

James: Put it aside.
Don't worry about it.

I feel like if it's not working,
we might as well

just get focused on
the other two dishes.

Gordon: Just seconds
away until we switch.

Let's go. We're about to switch.

Judges: Three, two, one, switch!

- Aarón: Let's go! Come on, MD!
- Got you.

So I'm alternating these?
- Yeah.

MD, don't cheat!

- Lizzie: Look at you, Kolby, making some pudding.
- Kolby: All right.

- Kennedy: It's ready to go in the pans?
- James: Yep.

- That looking good to me.
- It looks like it's all coming together.

James: That looking good to me.

Guys,
at this point we're 25 minutes gone.

They should have the sticky
toffee pudding batter done

- and into the oven.
- Aarón: Yep.

All right,
these are in the oven.

It is the essence of this
challenge that one cook

cannot prepare all three dishes.

It should be about
three scoops. Beautiful.

Joe: Grant came in with
some strong strategy.

He really identified who he
thinks the frontrunners are,

who he wants to eliminate,

and he made some
strategic decisions.

- Grant and Brynn: Perfect.
- How much time?

- Grant: 30 minutes on that one.
- Brynn: 30.

He made a good choice
with Brynn. They're in sync.

I think he's gonna take
control and she's gonna listen.

- Interesting.
- Sav: What do you think? About 2/3 full?

- Yes. No more than that.
- Sav and MD,

they've been coasting
in the competition so far,

so they really need to
push each other tonight.

Fingers crossed
they can work it out.


these will come out.

Keep going with those eggs
'cause we gotta get them in,

- get that cake in soon.
- Reagan and Wayne, upside down.

- Really? What?
- Guess what they started off with first.

Mashed potato. And they haven't even
got the sticky toffee pudding done yet.

- Joe: Yeah, they're behind.
- Yep.

Gordon: They are really behind.

Lizzie: We're gonna
do it for 30 minutes.

Kolby: Okay,
I'm gonna set a timer,

and I'm gonna start
working on the potatoes.

- Yep, perfect.
- Keep it in a pot, not a bowl, baby.

- James: Got you.
- I'm scared we're not gonna have pasta, James.

Don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it.

Looks like James and Kennedy

have a bit of problem
with their pasta dough.

Jennifer and Charles
have the same issue.

It was completely
saturated in oil.

And Charles is not
communicating at all.

Is it feeling dryer? All right,
Charles.

- It's playing out just as Grant envisioned it.
- Gordon: Wow.

Put them on tray and
get them in the oven.

- Salt those potatoes!
- How's the potatoes?

Sav: They're good. I'm just gonna
start on that sauce and then the steak.

Okay, we need to have the
black peppercorn crushed first.

Hand on either side of the pan.

Brynn: I might break this pan.

Grant: No,
you're not. That's a strong pan.

Brynn: Okay.

- Is there a faster setting?
- Charles: No, not at all.


until switch! Stand by!

Kennedy: James,
they're falling into the pot!

They have to all
go through the ricer.

It's not quite sticking
as much as I'd want it to.

Are you supposed to
have oil on it already?

Grant: Well,
I would say yes at this point.

Brynn: Yeah,
let's just toss some of that in there.

Judges: Three, two, one, switch!

- Perfect.
- All right.

- Sav: Is that well covered?
- Yeah, it's fine.

Sav: We just wanna
make sure it's all the way.

- Yeah, it's gonna be fine.
- Blue Team.

- Yes, sir.
- Where are we?

We got the cakes in the oven.
We got the potatoes boiling.

We're chopping up some of our
vegetables to get the sauces going.

And we're gonna start rolling
out our pasta when I hop in there.

Good, you've got the right order
of getting the heavy work done first.

Now bring it home
with the finesse.

- Kolby: Yes, sir. Thank you.
- Yes?

Charles: Come on,
Jen. Let's go, let's go, let's go!

What have we done so
far here on the Red Team?

- The steak.
- We have the pasta.

The steak? What about
the sticky toffee pudding?

The steak is
irrelevant right now.

- Okay.
- Sticky toffee pudding

gets in the oven immediately,
okay?

- Yes.
- Man!

Oh,
boy. Jennifer and Charles are in trouble.

- Wow.
- The sticky toffee pudding is still not done.

- Oh, my Lord.
- Literally, my dream at stake here.

This is not "MasterChef"
for them. It's "DisasterChef."

Gordon: Jennifer and
Charles are in trouble.

- Wow.
- The sticky toffee pudding is still not done.

I tend to get overwhelmed a lot.

Jen keeps yelling at me,
Gordon keeps yelling at me,

and I am in panic mode.

My mind is just
shutting down right now.

It's too important to me not
to get all this on the plate.

Let's get it going,
Jen. We're in this together.

Gordon: Just under


Pasta needs to
start getting rolled,

and start thinking
about your sauces.

- Now we need to kind of start working on sauces, too.
- Okay.

So we gonna get the shallots
and the garlic chopped up.

Oh,. This reduced again.

- Sav: Just add a little more lemon.
- Yes.

- I'm gonna just roll it right through.
- There we go, Wayne.

Let's just get that outta
there so it's not laying in it.

Get this outta my way 'cause
I don't need this right now.

- Yeah.
- All right, James,

I wanna make sure
this steak's good.

I feel like we
started too early.

That looks good right there.

I wanna get this pasta going.

We can't not have
pasta on the plate.

The pasta right
now is way too oily,

and I feel like we can't
just leave it off completely.

I know that I have
a little bit of flour left,

and it should balance
out the oil in the pasta.

James: Yep,
roll it out some more.

Kennedy: We're back in the business,
baby. Let's go!

- James: That's amazing.
- Now that we got our pasta,

we can really get going.

Gordon: 15 seconds
until we switch.

- You've gotta start both dessert sauces, got it?
- Yep.

- And then after this, I can do the pasta.
- Perfect.

Judges: Five, four, three,

- two, one, switch!
- Gordon: Let's go!

- ...with the flour, okay?
- Okay.

Mix it, mix it, mix it.

- Jennifer!
- Let's go.

I need to get these potatoes in.

Uh-uh! Get that
cake in right now.

- Oh, you got it. You got it.
- Okay, now get the scoop.

Yeah, no,
it's an ice cream scoop

- like you scoop it in a bowl!
- Got you.

One scoop. Come on, get it in.

- I wanna get the steak on now, okay?
- Reagan: Ready?

- Wayne: There we go. Nice.
- Now in the oven.

- Kennedy: It needs to be in the oven longer.
- Okay.

- Okay, it's in there.
- Lizzie: Pop it in the oven.

I am glad our water's boil-- oh,
oh, got a little fire.

- Wayne: I gonna need you to watch that steak.
- Reagan: I'm watching.

Wayne: Get it on the
side. Get it on the side.

The water can
wait. There you go.

- I think it's going the opposite way.
- Sav: It's not working.

I think it's going
the opposite way.

Sav:

I'm just gonna roll
it up and slice it.

- We gotta start the steak.
- Yes.

Wayne: Reagan,
check the steak for me right now.

- Pinch it, pinch it. How's it feel?
- All right, that's done.

No. The steak needs
a little bit of love.

- Let it go for a little bit.
- You sure about that?

- Yes. Good job.
- Okay.

Good job,
good job. Atta girl, atta girl.

Sticky toffee pudding should
be coming out of the oven now.

- The cakes look amazing.
- I do you to grab up your paring knife

and run it around the cake,
or else it's not gonna pop out.

- All right, good job on the cakes.
- Thank you, thank you.

Yeah, let those cool down.
We're looking good, James.

Everything's coming together.
We can make it happen, okay?

I know,
I know. I need an offset spatula.

- I'm just going around 'em real quick.
- Okay.

Oh,
and then make sure to check on the cake.

- They need probably five more minutes.
- All right.

Where are we? Where are we?

Potatoes? Focus now.

- Potatoes out, drain them, incorporate the cream, yes?
- Yes.

- Let's go.
- Charles, what are you doing?

- You're draining the potatoes.
- What are you doing?

You gotta drain them,
young man. Talk to me.

- Trying to find a-- yes.
- You need to drain them, right?

Why are you putting them
in there with the water on?

Hold up the ricer. Come on,
let's go.

- My brain is shutting down.
- Come on, don't give up, young man.

Please start ricing. Let's go.

So there you go,
nice fluffy mash.

Let's go. Simple as that.

We still have to
do the mascarpone.

We still have to make
the caramel sauce.

We still have to finish
the cook on the entrée.

I'm just afraid we're not gonna
have anything on the plate.

You gotta go like this. Clap,
okay? You can do this.

- Let's go, Charles.
- Beef stock for the sauce?

- Yes, please. In the original pan.
- I'm sorry, Jen.

- Jen, breathe.
- No, it's okay.

Gordon: Just under three
minutes away from your final switch.

Wayne: I need you
to start the sauces.

Front left. Front-- no, no!

No! No, put that down!

Put that down! The large cream.

- Okay.
- Sorry. Quarter cup.

- Less than a quarter cup.
- Joe: What is she making, the caramel now?

Yeah, this is caramel. Now we need
the mascarpone cream sauce to start.

- I gotta use the whip on top.
- Joe: Good luck.

Gordon: 30 seconds,
guys! Last switch standing by.

Add a little salt to it.
Continue to let it reduce.

- Okay, cool.
- How's the steak?

Just pull it out 'cause it
will need to rest anyway.

- Sav: I think it's good.
- Okay.

Judges: Five, four,
three, two, one, switch!

- The final time, let's go!
- Go, go, go!

- Get the mascarpone.
- Go, go, go.

- All right, buddy.
- You got it.

- Let's go, Jen.
- Swap those.

Aarón: Start searing
your little shrimp.

- Start getting everything together.
- Let it reduce.

That's probably gonna
get hot for the shrimp.

- Kennedy: Yep.
- There we go.

Sav: We do need to
start a pan for the shrimp.

- Yes.
- The shrimp are gonna get sautéed in this pan.

- Yep.
- Got it. Let me check that steak.

It's done.

- Reagan: All right, that's done.
- Easily enough.

I started the steak.
Wayne finished the steak.

But I think it was
in the oven too long,

and I just hope
it's not overcooked.

I'm gonna let that rest.
No touching my steak.

- Let's get her.
- Oh, yeah.

- Brynn: Yes.
- Oh, yeah, bud.

Brynn: What's the story
with the white wine sauce?

- Oh, my God. We burned this.
- Grant: Oh, sh**t.

If we don't fix this sauce,
this dish is nothing.

It's just noodles on
a plate with caviar.

This is gonna be
down to the wire now.

This is not gonna be the
sauce that we hope it is.

I don't know.
Maybe-- there you go.

Just pour it right
on top I guess.

- Kolby: Focus on plating.
- Okay.

- Is that enough?
- Keep going, keep going.

- Reagan: Lift the sauce, baby.
- Relax, I got it, I got it.

- Okay.
- Gordon: Two minutes, guys! Start plating, let's go!

This is literally the biggest
nightmare of my life.

Okay, get the cake. Put it in the
middle. Put some of the sauce on it.

Real quick. All right.

- Wayne: Is this mascarpone any good?
- On the-- oh, gosh.

- No?
- No! Move on, move on!

We don't have the mascarpone for
that. We don't have the mascarpone.

The tongs are right here
and the shrimp are here.

Kolby: Put a little-- yeah,
do that. Make it look right.

- Get at least something on there.
- Reagan: Okay, that's done.

- Move that out your way.
- Brynn: I think the broccolini

is supposed to go
under the steak. Beautiful!

James: And then get
your steak. Plate it on top.

- Boom. Sauce is looking good.
- Gordon: 30 seconds to go.

We did not do a sauce. We don't
have time for nothing else, really. Um...

Sav: Come on, MD. You can do it.

We shouldn't need all that.

Let's just get
it right on there.

That's a hot mess.
I love it. It's fine.

- Where's the caviar? Ah.
- It's right here, right here.

Reagan: Okay. That's good.

And put the sauce all around.

Judges: Five, four,
three, two, one.

Hands in the air!

Let's go!

Kolby!

- It's not perfect but...
- We did it though!

The only thing we didn't
make was the mascarpone.

- Facts. Yeah.
- At least we got something on a plate.

Let's just hope maybe
someone did worse than us.

- I don't know.
- Yeah.

It's okay.

It's so terrible.

Charles: Don't worry about it.

I'm not used to getting yelled at,
so--

Jennifer: That was so hard.

What a tag team challenge.

Now time to taste
all of your dishes

to see who's gunning
towards the top ten

and which cook from the worst
team tonight will be going home.

Let's start off with
Kolby and Lizzie.

Please bring your
three dishes down.

I am thrilled about
these dishes.

We communicated, we did good,
they were plated well.

I'm truly hoping that
we get the immunity pin.

That is a straight
line to top ten,

and that's where I've
always wanted to be!

Let's taste it,
shall we, gentlemen?

Shrimp slightly overcooked.
Pasta needs more seasoning.

It's a shame, 'cause the actual
density of the pasta is good,

but there's just no
seasoning there.

Okay,
the steak looks like a good dose of pepper.

Got a nice sear on
it. Potatoes look good.

The sauce,
not quite as creamy and rich.

- How's the steak cooked?
- Should be medium rare.

Joe: All right. So that's a
perfect medium rare. Nice crust.

- Shall we try it?
- Aarón: Yeah.

Mashed potatoes could
be a little bit more creamy,

but whoever controlled
that steak absolutely nailed it.

- Beautiful. Really good.
- Thank you.

Yeah, the amount of the black
pepper was the perfect amount.

Had this dish been
sauced properly,

it would've been
a nine out of ten.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Visually,
the sticky toffee pudding looks great.

Perfect filling of the mold. But
it's missing the mascarpone.

- Let's see the sauce.
- That looks good.

Gordon: Lovely consistency.
Sauce is beautiful.

Aarón: Yep.

Gordon: The sticky
toffee is delicious.

The sauce, absolutely spot on,
right consistency.

Gotta take you to task,
it needs a touch more aeration.

It's a little bit doughy. Apart from that,
great job.

I love how sticky and just
over the top yummy this is.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Joe: Yeah, really quite good.

I don't mind the
density of it either.

I like sticky toffee
when it's dense like that.

It's quite good.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Good job.
- Good job.

Right, next up, Grant and Brynn.

I am a little worried.
Grant has immunity here,

so if we are the
worst two cooks,

he's safe. I have to go home.

Visually, on the pasta,

shrimp look a little
bit undercooked.

Sauce, a little bit wishy-washy.

- Yes, Chef.
- Shall we?

Joe: The pasta itself is okay.

The sauce is just
a little bit sour.

It tastes like a
melted cream cheese.

The sauce is bizarre.
It's a bad execution.

- What a shame.
- Yes, Chef.

Okay, filet looks properly
seared. How's the steak cooked?

Grant: The steak
should be a medium rare.

All right, let's take a look.

So the steak is a pretty
classic medium rare.

The dish overall looks good,

but the amount of
pepper you put on here

is-- holy smokes.

Look, the dish good.

It's just that the
amount of pepper

really is,
uh-- kind of sets your mouth on fire

and it's kind of tough to
get through anything else.

Gordon: Mash, exceptional,
but less peppercorns.

- Edit yourselves.
- Yes, Chef.

Dessert looks good. The
orange segments are missing.

- You just didn't get to them?
- We chose to omit them

to make sure we could complete
other parts of the other dishes.

It would take 20 seconds to
cut three orange segments.

Gordon: Sauce, a little bit clunky.
Slightly separated and broken.

- Joe: Shall we try it?
- Aarón: Yeah.

Gordon: Sticky toffee pudding,
delicious,

and I think what I
want to highlight here

is the volume in those
molds shows great confidence.

- It's aerated, it's light.
- Aarón: 'Cause you let it rest,

all that beautiful date flavor
had a chance to sit there

and permeate all those
nooks and crannies,

and that is what makes
this so special of a dessert.

And the mascarpone cream,
I'm happy you didn't over-whip it.

- Thank you.
- It's pretty spot on.

Thank you.

Good job.

All right, the next team is
Reagan and Wayne. Come on up.

Reagan: Wayne and I
worked together pretty well,

but I did the
seasoning of the steak.

I just wanna make
sure that it's done

and it's not overcooked,
but we'll see how it goes.

The pasta looks good.

Shrimp look seasoned
and well cooked.

Shall we?

Yeah, I mean,
listen, first of all,

the actual seasoning
of this dish is beautiful.

- Sauce is delicious. It tastes really good.
- Thank you.

For me,
the sauce is the real hero.

- It's the right consistency. Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.

Filet mignon, visually,

it looks scorched as
opposed to being seared.

Do you think it's overcooked?

Uh, probably, but I hope not.

Joe: All right,
let's take a look.

It's a-- it's kind of, um...

Gordon: Oh, dear.

Do you think it's overcooked?

Uh, probably, but I hope not.

Joe: All right,
let's take a look.

It's kind of, um--

it's a medium.

Overcooked by one grade.

- Shall we try it?
- Yep.

- Gordon: Joe?
- Joe: Um, the sauce is

for the first time the
real highlight of the dish.

It's rich,
it's creamy. Mashed potatoes are spot on.

- Reagan: Thank you.
- Gordon: Mash is delicious.

Truffle in abundance.
Everything you want.

But the cook on the filet
is the Achilles heel tonight.

Visually, the dessert,
great height.

- No cream?
- No. It wasn't right.

It's sticky, it's delicious,
but it does need a touch of the cream

- to cut down the richness.
- Yeah.

Absolutely delicious. And
as we say in New Orleans,

- as you know, "Cher bébé!"
- Oh! Cher bébé!

This dish kind of enlightened me

to what Gordon's
been talking about,

the aerated quality of
the sticky toffee pudding.

Now I understand
why it's so important.

- Good job.
- Both: Thank you.

Right, next up,
James and Kennedy,

please make your
way down. Thank you.

I feel like teamwork isn't
necessarily evident on these plates.

It was chaotic.

I hope the judges are
just gonna recognize

that we tried our hardest
and that the flavors are there.

Sometimes a thicker,
chewier pasta I like.

Maybe a little bit sauce-y,

but it looks tasty and
makes me wanna eat it.

Gordon: Okay.

I tell you,
it's quite good. Very creamy.

Taste the wine,
taste all the components.

You have the best
sauce hands down by far.

The actual flavor is good.
It's just the pasta's too chewy.

- Okay.
- But shrimp, cooked beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Entrée, lovely sear.

The filet looks slightly
overcooked from here.

Joe: So the steak's more
medium than medium rare.

- Who finished the mash?
- I did, Chef.

Um, actual mash is delicious.

And the seasoning on the
steak is absolutely spot on.

But when you can
see how gray that is,

- cooking it too early was the big faux pas here.
- Both: Yes, Chef.

Aarón: Filet mignon,
it has to be just kissed on all sides.

You don't hit it hard like that.
But your potatoes are fantastic.

They're creamy.
They're delicious.

Joe: Yeah,
it's too bad the steak is overcooked.

If not,
it might've been the best filet entrée

- of the evening for me.
- Gordon: I agree.

Who filled up the mold of
the sticky toffee pudding?

- James: I did, Chef.
- Spot on.

- I mean, just absolutely nailed it right there.
- Thank you.

- Joe: Ooh.
- Aarón: Nice.

- Gordon: Beautiful. Wow.
- Yes.

Gordon: What a lovely consistency. Wow,
look at that.

Aarón: Mmm.

That sticky toffee pudding,
it is delicious.

Sauce,
just the right consistency,

and, yeah, beautiful.

- One of the best of the night.
- Good job.

- Thank you so much.
- Well done. Thank you.

- Thank you. Yes!
- Yes. You know?

Right, Sav, MD,
please make your way down. Thank you.

I'm feeling like MD
and I did pretty good.

I think we're one
of the only teams

that got the
components on the plate.

And even though
they're not perfect,

we communicated well,
we were a great team,

and I know the
flavors are there.

Visually, on the pasta,

it looks way too thick.

I gotta say, ladies,
the sauce is really the hero here.

The shrimp, it's just nice and
caramelized on the outside.

- Taste-wise, delicious. Good job.
- Thank you.

So, filet looks properly seared.
The pepper dosage looks good.

- How is the steak cooked?
- Should be medium rare.

Joe: And it's a
perfect medium rare.

The steak you've
absolutely nailed beautifully.

I mean,
really. Just master-class right there.

Needs a touch more sauce,
but flawless, the filet mignon.

It really is the
hero. Great job.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Joe: In this dish,

what I really taste
and see is teamwork,

because you would
have to work as a team

to execute this at
the level you did.

Okay. Dessert, visually,

cream looks a little
bit over-whipped,

but the sticky toffee
looks delicious.

- Joe: Wow, nice.
- Aarón: Yeah.

Gordon: Beautiful.

So, sticky toffee pudding is,
yeah, flawless.

- Absolutely nailed. Good job.
- Yeah, this is phenomenal.

I love how over the
top ooey-gooey it is.

Gordon: Exceptional. Great job.

- Thank you, y'all.
- Thank you so much.

Last team we'd like to
taste is Charles and Jennifer.

Please bring your dishes down.

I'm so disappointed with
the way our dishes look.

I tried my best to be a partner,

but I feel like at some point

there's only so much you can do.

It makes me so nervous.

So, visually, appetizer,
that looks embarrassing.

- Very embarrassing.
- Very.

- Oh, my God.
- Where's the sauce?

The sauce did not get complete.

So the shrimp,
are those cooked? Should we eat them?

I-- I don't think you should.

Joe: So the shrimp,
are those cooked?

- Should we eat them?
- I-- I don't think you should.

Uh, oh, dear.

This pasta's raw, too.

We'll taste what we can of it.

- So who made the pasta?
- I made the pasta.

Aarón: There are certain
things that you can freestyle.

Pasta recipes are
not one of those.

- Yes, sir.
- I agree. I'm so sorry.

Joe: So the steak,
is there a sauce on there, or what is that?

Uh, it was the attempt of the sauce,
yes.

- Joe: How is the steak cooked?
- Both: Medium rare.

Joe: Steak is a pretty
good medium rare,

although the peppering of
the steak is very inconsistent.

Shall we try it?

I mean,
the steak is actually cooked well.

It's just way under-seasoned.

The only thing that's a
positive note are those potatoes.

What happened with the
sticky toffee pudding here?

It's like a hockey puck.

I was listening to
Jen to put one scoop.

Jen told you to put
one scoop in there?

- Yes.
- Wow.

And then who finished the sau--

I'd rather you didn't put this on
the plate if there's no sauce in there.

- Where is the sauce?
- Nowhere.

- Did we make a sauce?
- No, we didn't.

Gordon: Wow.

It's a shame 'cause there's
insufficient filling in your mold,

so therefore it's crystallized and sort
of overcooked. And it needs a sauce.

That's why it's called
sticky toffee pudding,

- not hockey puck pudding.
- Yes, sir.

Joe: You know, Jennifer,
I've seen you cook and you can cook.

Why didn't you just intervene?

I tried to give very
specific instructions.

I coached as much as I could,
and I feel like

I could've done
this if it were just me.

So you're saying you
didn't even need a partner?

You could've done
better by yourself.

No, no, no, I completely own

that I made mistakes as well.

The best thing about
these three dishes

is Grant putting
you two together

because it did not work.

- Gordon and Joe: Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

Very disappointing.

Charles: I feel
really bad because

I let my emotions get to me,

and this disaster
can potentially

send one of us home today.

Oh, man.

Right now we need a
moment. Please excuse us.

Let's be honest,
this was a very difficult challenge.

Yeah. Visually,
Lizzie and Kolby, I mean,

- it looked textbook, didn't it?
- The pasta was identical.

Identical. Wayne and Reagan's
flavor profile was exceptional.

Really good. Too bad the
steak was a little bit overcooked.

- Gordon: Sav and MD.
- Amazing.

- Perfect cook on the steak.
- Absolutely, yeah.

- Joe: Worst dish?
- It's obvious.

- All in agreement?
- Yep.

Absolutely. All of you,
well done.

One of the toughest challenges
so far in this competition.

Communication was key tonight,

and some of you
really found your voices.

Joe, Aarón, and myself feel two teams
really did turn in strong performances.

We would like Sav and
MD and Kolby and Lizzie,

please make your way down here,
thank you.

I am so proud of Kolby and I.

We are a top dish,
but I want immunity,

and we are so close.

Great teamwork tonight.

All in all,
you four cooked the top dishes,

but only one team cooked the
best three-course meal of the night.

That team is...

- MD and Sav.
- What?

- I'm really happy for them.
- Absolutely. Very happy for them.

Lizzie, Kolby, it was a very,
very close second, let me tell you.

- You should be very proud.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you. Good job.
- Head back to your station.

Sav and MD,
you both win immunity

from elimination in
the next challenge,

and the first home cooks
to make it into the top ten.

- Yeah. It's crazy.
- Both of you, please come over,

pick up your pins.

That's it. Got it?

Oh,
my gosh! I got the immunity pin!

It feels so good!

Good job, girls!

No more floating in the middle.

MD and I have shown that we
are forces to be reckoned with.

Great job. Well
done. Let's be honest,

all the other teams
tonight had some problems,

let me tell you.

But one team undeniably

produced three
underwhelming dishes.

Do the honorable thing and
both of you step down here.

Jennifer: This is the
biggest nightmare of my life.

There's still so much
more that I wanna do,

and I am not ready
to say goodbye.

Charles, Jennifer, both of you
tonight were responsible for this loss.

- Yes.
- Yes, Chef.

But ultimately we believe
that one individual deserves

more of the blame
than the other.

Jennifer,
if you were expediting behind the line

in one of my
restaurants tonight,

I would fire you on the spot.

Yes, Chef.

But we feel that

you did just enough

to stay in the competition.

Say goodbye to Charles

and head back to your station.

I'm so sorry.

Gordon: Charles,
tonight wasn't your night,

but get that head up high,
continue that climb.

Absolutely. I promise.

Come over,
bud. Come and say goodbye.

I'm disappointed because I let
all the pressure get the best of me,

and it won.

- Good luck.
- I'm so sorry.

You got this. No,
you got this. I love you.

I'm so proud of myself
because I got to showcase

- my heritage and my culture.
- Love you, Charles!

I learned a lot,
and I can't wait to take it

back home to Ohio and work
on my own Cambodian cookbook.

Good luck, everyone.

I'm very honored and proud

to have this experience

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Gordon: Next time,
a familiar challenge...

- Oh, h*!
- ...but with a big catch.

Under each mystery
box is a different fish.

What the am I gonna do?

MD and Sav get to choose
two cooks who must swap fish.

Your target is getting bigger than
the MasterChef logo on the doors.

If you can't handle it,
you're not supposed to be here.

- This is not easy. Damn.
- Is this your filet?

- It could be.
- I hope not.

- What did you do in an hour?
- I know that I'm in trouble.

- His overconfidence got the best of him.
- Somebody's going home.

You've got one
foot out the door.