All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S08E03.Americas.Grocery.Bag

Previously on "MasterChef."

The 40 best
home cooks in America

faced off
in the culinary challenges...

Watch very carefully.

I'm only doing this once.

...of their lives.

This is the battle
of the tacos.

‐ Salmon...
‐ Cupcakes.

Oh, lord.

‐ In the end...
‐ That is remarkable.

‐ only the very best...
‐ It's delicious.

...claim the coveted
white apron

and a place
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Tonight...

‐ Gordon: A grocery bag.
‐ Christina: You couldn't level
the playing field

anymore than
we have tonight.

The top 20 take on their first
mystery box challenge.

‐ This is pretty terrifying.
‐ Steady hand, Sam.

‐ They've won their aprons...
‐ Why kebab?

‐ Now they fight...
‐ Heather, just do what I do
and ignore them.

‐ ...to keep them.
‐ Is this a joke for you?

Take it serious...
or take your apron off.

Welcome, guys.
Come on down, please.
Let's go.

It is amazing to be
in the top 20.

Just last week I was
preaching in Detroit,

and today I'm in
the MasterChef kitchen.

Yes! Let's go!

I'm here to change my life.

I'm 43 years old.

I've raised my children.
I've been married before.

I'm ready to do me now.
It's my turn.

I thought I had a nice kitchen
back in Brooklyn.

But walking into this
MasterChef kitchen,

it makes mine look
like a hot dog stand.

It's beautiful,
it's elaborate, it's detailed.

There's pretty much
every piece of equipment
you could ever need.

I want to go
"Edward Scissorhands" on it

and go crazy with everything
on my fingers.

There's just so much things
I want to use in here.

Welcome to the one and only
MasterChef kitchen.

You are the top 20 home cooks
in all of America.

America's next master chef
is standing in front of us
right now.

And with that title
comes incredible prizes.

For starters,
a quarter of a million
dollars.

‐ And a guaranteed spot
on the next MasterChef cruise.
‐ Yes!

And of course,
there's the greatest
prize of all‐‐

the MasterChef trophy.

‐ Christina: Yes.

Beautiful. Whoo!

All right, home cooks,
there's only one way

to kick off
this competition.

The iconic
mystery box challenge.

All of you,
at the count of three,

lift your boxes.

Whoo!

One, two...

three. Lift.

‐ Grocery bag.

All right.

A brown grocery bag.

Why don't you go ahead and see
what's inside your bags?

‐ Ooh.
‐ Ooh la la.

Broccoli...

I imagine everything looks
pretty familiar.

Oh, yeah.

And that's because these are
12 of the most common items

found on any American
home cook's shopping list.

Bananas...

Your ingredients include
chicken breast, ground beef,

‐ Rice...
‐ potatoes, canned tomatoes,

‐ Bacon.
‐ Carrots, white cheddar cheese,

green apples, and chocolate.

You'll also have access
to the standard MasterChef
staple pantry box.

Tonight, you'll have
just one hour

to take the most
popular ingredients
across all of America,

and make us
a phenomenal dish.

Win this challenge,
and you will get

a huge advantage
moving forward.

Your 60 minutes starts now!

Go!

Larger measuring cups,
larger measuring cups...

All right.
Let's get it going here.

Right, tonight's first
mystery box challenge.

A grocery bag. I mean,
some of the most incredible
products

anywhere in America that
every home can recognize.

I mean, those are the basics.

You couldn't level
the playing field any more
than we have tonight.

This is so cool.

So I'm doing
five things today.

I'm making
the ultimate breakfast.

Chicken apple sausage,
buttermilk biscuits and gravy,

soft scrambled egg,
and a little hash browns.

My grandmother always made
a really big breakfast

every single solitary
time and so...

I like the extra elements
so you're full.

Never know how long
it's gonna be till lunch.

I am making
a crispy‐skin, oil‐poached,
bacon chicken breast

with broccoli
and an apple slaw.

This is me paying homage
to my parents.

They had this amazing
ability to feed four kids
within 20 minutes

because they're doctors
and they got home very late.

And they used to make this
all the time.

I'm gonna make something
my kids love a lot.

I'm gonna do
a curry chicken breast
over a bed of rice,

and I'm gonna fry some
banana down in some flour.

My husband's Indian,
so this is something

that's traditional to him
that I make all the time.

So I'm making this recipe
with love.

Just under 40 minutes
to go, guys.

Okay, so, Brien,
what is about your experience

that makes you
such a competitor?

I grew up
in Northern California,
a town called Redding,

and we'd go fly fishing.

My father, he'd
take me out fly fishing
almost every weekend.

And we'd stop by
the local deli

and get whatever we wanted.

So I'm gonna be making
a deli‐inspired broccoli
and bacon slaw,

with a little fried chicken

and some fried potatoes
we have back home
called "jo jos."

So it's gonna be an ode
to the fishing trip
with my father.

I love it.
Keep your eye
on the prize.

‐ Keep your eye
on that clock. Good luck.
‐ Thank you so much, chefs.

‐ Right, Sam.
‐ Yes.

Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

I'm making meatloaf
and mashed potatoes.

I'm a creative
writing teacher,

and this is one
of the things

that they're always
serving in the lunch room,
and‐‐

‐ Yes.
‐ The kids think
it's sort of icky,

so I'm taking it up
like three notches.

I'm also Jewish, and so we do
a lot of fried chicken skin.
We call it gribenes.

And so I'm doing
some of that action too.

Where's the skin going?

I'm gonna use the skin
to garnish the mashed potatoes.

‐ Very posh.
‐ Well...

Yeah?

Can't wait to taste
that crispy chicken skin.
Good luck.

So, Heather,
talk to me about
your dish.

Uh, my mom's Peruvian,
so I'm making some
Peruvian rice

and, like, a Latin‐inspired
chimichurri sauce
for my chicken.

And then
I'm gonna fry it up.

‐ All right, I love it.
‐ Great. So what do you think

about this idea
of this grocery bag?

Well, we didn't have
a lot of money growing up.

So my mom would try to make
whatever she could

using the ingredients
that she had.

And so it's gonna be
an ode to my mother.

Outstanding.
Keep your eye on the prize.

Absolutely.
Thank you guys so much.

‐ Of course.
‐ Good luck.

Thank you.

Right, Mark.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

So I'm a powerhouse guy,
so I need to start

with a good breakfast
in the morning.

‐ So it's gonna be
pancakes, eggs, bacon.
‐ Breakfast.

I'm gonna do
a caramel sauce,

and then I'm gonna
do a potato latke.

Right. Do you not get
intimidated with all this
talent around here?

I feel incredibly ready
to win this whole thing.

‐ The whole competition, Mark?
‐ I didn't come here
to lose.

‐ Make this breakfast
a breakfast to remember.
‐ I will, sir.

‐ Good luck.
‐ Thank you.

‐ Hey, Jennifer.
‐ How's it going today?

Jennifer, Louisiana's
in the house with you, right?

Yes, yes,
it definitely it is today.

I'm actually doing
a blackened chicken
with étouffée sauce

with a vegetable medley.

So I'm kind of doing,
like, something salty

and some sweet.

All right, so what makes you
such a fierce competitor

that's gonna beat all these
other 19 home cooks?

I think it has to do
with since I was a kid

I learned from
the best people,

and then the people
in my family.

You can't make up soul,
so...

‐ That's true.
‐ Put it on a plate, girl.

Yeah, I will.
I promise y'all.

Thank y'all.

Just over
five minutes to go.

Let's get it on.

Baby doll.

Wow, I mean, first of all,
this is incredible

because I've never seen
such intensity

across the first
mystery box challenge.

‐ Oops.
‐ Mark is doing his take
on an American breakfast,

but he wants to sort
of elevate that take.

‐ Okay.
‐ Ooh.

Yachecia, she is doing
biscuits and gravy.

But hold on,
she's gonna do

a cheddar scrambled eggs
as well.

You know, she just keeps on
giving and giving and giving
just to finish it.

Jennifer is doing
a roast chicken breast

‐ with a little Louisiana twist.
‐ Love it.

Sam's attempting a meatloaf
across 60 minutes.

Incredible.

60 seconds remaining.

Yeah. What?

‐ Christina: Come on, guys.
‐ Come on guys, final minute.

You got this,
you got this.

You want to get your hands
on that huge advantage.

‐ Ten...
‐ Judges: Nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

‐ Gordon: And stop. Well done.
‐ Christina: Hands in the air.

Yeah! Nailed that!

‐ Christina: All right.
‐ Well done.

Now, tonight,
you were all given

12 of the most popular items
on everyone's shopping list.

As you know, we have
studied and tasted

everything you've done
across the 60 minutes.

Tonight, there were

three dishes that stood out.

‐ Sam,
‐ Good job, Sam.

Heather and Mark.

Head on up here,
let's go.

I'm in a complete loss
for words.

I feel like Aladdin
on the carpet

just floating
by my competitors.

I've got this.

I'm gonna be getting
the advantage.

Mark, Heather and Sam

tonight,
you three stood out

for all
the wrong reasons.

All three of us
were hugely disappointed.

Because all three
of your dishes were a mess.

Mark, Heather and Sam.

Tonight, you three

stood out for

all the wrong reasons.

Because all three
of your dishes were a mess.

Mark, Heather, Sam,

you bottom three,
please head into
the wine room.

This is pretty terrifying.

I feel like I'm waiting
in the chairs outside
the principal's office.

My goose might be cooked.
It might be over already.

They might just come,
pull us out, chew us out,

and send us home.

All right, well now,
on to better news.

Three home cooks
in particular

really impressed us.

The first dish
that really caught our eye,

this dish had great
finesse around it.

Showcasing those ingredients,
more importantly,

MasterChef‐worthy.

Please come down...

Yachecia.

Yeah, mama.
You go, Yachecia.

The first name called
is Yachecia!

Yay! Hallelujah!

Thank you, Jesus.

I spent my childhood
making biscuits with
my grandmother,

so I know I am making
Grammy proud.

Right, describe
the dish, please.

It is biscuits and gravy,

with homemade chicken
and apple sausage,

homemade buttermilk
pepper biscuit,

crispy home fries underneath,

and a soft scrambled
egg on top.

So you do all that
and then three minutes to go

decide to make
scrambled egg on the side.

Is this what you're like
in general?

Absolutely, because sometimes
I have to preach the sermons,

sing the songs
and be the janitor.

So we got to put it
all in there.

Let's talk
about the biscuits.

We couldn't believe how light
and exciting they were.

Well, cold butter is my key.

And then I didn't
have buttermilk,
so I had to make it.

And added buttermilk to it.

Really high temperature
for a short amount of time.

‐ Wow, I mean, it's delicious.
‐ Thank you, sir.

It tastes expensive,
yet it was made with
the staple ingredients.

The biscuits are incredible.

The potato underneath,
cooked beautifully,

You know, but what
would I change?

‐ Just a touch less cream
in the sausage.
‐ Okay.

It's very rich.

But the flavor's there.

And if that's what you do
for breakfast,

God knows what you do
for dinner.

‐ Great job. Thank you.
‐ Thank you, Chef.

Hallelujah, right?

Well, well, done.

A lot of big flavor there
but none of those spices are
overpowering one another.

I think your idea
of making buttermilk

and enriching that dough
for the biscuits

is really exceptional.

If there's such a thing
tasting like 60 minutes,

that's what it tastes like.

‐ Excellent job.
‐ Thank you, Chef.

I mean, we didn't give you
chicken apple sausage.

Talk me through
that sausage.

I took the chicken breast

and ground it up
with some spices,

fresh dill, apples,

and flavored it up
with a little bit
of cayenne,

give it a little kick,
a little heat.

That dish is delicious.

The eggs add a great
light, fluffy richness

to an otherwise rather dense
sausage gravy there.

But you took the most basic
grocery store ingredients

and you literally
churched them up.

Yes.

You knocked it out
of the park.

‐ Thank you, Chef.
‐ Nice job.

Nice job, Yachecia.

Thank you.

The second dish
that we would like
to examine further

is from a home cook
who really stayed true
to their home roots.

This person made
Louisiana proud,

come on down,
Jennifer.

Who would ever think
that a debt collector
from Louisiana would be

part of the top three
of the first mystery box
challenge.

Really?

I'm so excited,
it's just a dream
come true for me.

Jennifer, talk to me
about your dish.

It's a blackened
chicken breast,

with étouffée sauce,
runny egg

with cinnamon potatoes.

Where do you learn
to present food this way?

Make carrot ribbons
and garnish with such
sophistication.

Every day I come home
and my husband and I,

I'll look at the refrigerator
and I'll try to make something
with what I have.

So I feel like that this
is my art on a plate.

I'm able to express myself
when I cook.

That is truly a blackened
piece of chicken breast.

All the specks
of the wonderful dried herbs

and the spices kind of
just be part of that crust.

Look at that chicken cook.
Like, that's perfect.

‐ Oh, that looks good.
‐ It's cooked...

‐ Yeah, that looks good.
‐ It does look good, right?

‐ That's what's up.
‐ That's what's up, dude.

Like they say in Louisiana,

"That ain't
nothing nice, baby."

All right? Yeah, you right.

The sauce is rich.

When it blends
with the yolk of the egg

it's really
something special.

The carrots, they have a little
bit of the acidic vinegar to it.

Parsley, great choice of herb.

Man, keep cooking like that

‐ you're gonna go far.
‐ Thank you, I appreciate that
so much.

‐ That chicken's
cooked beautifully.
‐ Thank you.

‐ I appreciate that.
‐ Crisp, fragrant.

All those wonderful herbs
that you want from down south.

It's you on a plate.

And it's so nice to see
that level of finesse

so early on
in the competition
which we're not used to.

‐ Great job.
‐ Thank you.

Is this real?
Thank you.

Good job, Jennifer.

‐ Good job.
‐ Thank you.

The third dish
that we want to taste

is from a home cook
who kept it simple

but delicious.

So good,
they named him twice.

Brien O'Brien,
please step forward.

Good job, Brien.

This dish doesn't just represent
Northern California,

it also represents my father,

my Irish heritage,

everything that
I grew up with,

this is me on a plate.

My father would be proud,

and I know
I got a winning dish.

All right, Brien O'Brien
what did you make?

Well, today,
I made a fried chicken

with a broccoli
and bacon slaw,

and fried potatoes
I like to call "jo jos."

What did you season
that chicken with?

Um, the flour had
salt, pepper.

There was some smoked paprika

and some cayenne
for a little kick.

What did you do
with the French fries‐‐

‐ or the Jimmys, Johnnys.
‐ Jo jos.

‐ Jo jos.

I also gave those
a quick dredge

just to give them
a a little crunch.

Threw those in
the fryer as well

and ended it
with a little salt.

Talk to me about
that broccoli slaw.

Started off with the bacon,
then I made my own aioli

turned that into a dressing
with a little vinegar
and some sugar

I threw some
Granny Smith apples in there

and of course
the broccoli.

I can't get over
the crispiness

of that dredge.

The way that you
perfectly have every bit

of that chicken breast
covered.

It's crunchy, it's crispy,
it's flavorful.

I think that your french fries,
or your jo jos,

are smart,
they're rustic.

The acidity from
this broccoli slaw

is a really smart
counterbalance.

Would have loved for you
to slice those shallots down
a little bit more.

Like show off
the knife work

if you're going to keep it
somewhat simple.

But all in all,

it's a pretty
untouchable dish.

‐ Nice job.
‐ Appreciate it.

Chicken's delicious.
Got it evenly coated.

Got it evenly colored
as well.

You sort of clogged
my arteries up with
the fried chicken

and then opened my veins up
with the slaw.

I love what you've done
with that rustic charm.

It needs a bit of color.

'Cause you've got
that fried chicken, fries,

it's all the same
sort of coat of paint.

But you delivered something
that has got great flavor.

And you've shown
great skill.

‐ Great job.
‐ Thank you.

Good job, Brien.

‐ Bring it in, buddy.
‐ Thanks guys.

Three outstanding dishes,
let's get that right.

But tonight,
there can only be
one winner

of this first
mystery box challenge.

The dish of the night...

Congratulations...

The dish of the night

was cooked by...

Congratulations...

Brien O'Brien.
Well done.

Nice job, B. O. B.

Winning the first
mystery box solidified

my number one ranking
in this competition.

Nice job, Brien.

Those other competitors can
throw a target on my back

'cause all I gotta say is,

"winner, winner,
chicken dinner."

Uh, Brien, you're now safe
from elimination.

‐ Great start.
‐ Thank you.

All three of your
dishes tonight

displayed some
serious skills.

We're not ready to risk
losing any of you three yet.

All three of you are safe
from elimination.

‐ Yes! Woo!

‐ Come here, guys.

Oh.

Oh, thank you, Lord.

Actually, tonight,
for the first time ever,

there was so much talent
across all of those dishes

that all of you are safe.

That's right,
the entire kitchen,
minus the wine cellar,

are safe from elimination.

That's not good for us.

All 17 of you,
head on up to the balcony,

‐ let's go.
‐ Yes!

I was on cloud nine
just a few days ago.

when I found out
I got that white apron.

Oh, no.

I've worked
really hard to be here.

And it all might be
taken away right now.

It's a pretty rough
feeling down here.

All right, right now,
it's time to learn the fate

of our bottom three
home cooks.

Please come on out.

Let's go.

Okay. Mark, Heather, Sam.

Each of these dishes
are way off.

60 minutes to come up
with something

with ingredients
that you know

on a daily basis.

Right now we're concerned.

These do not
show us potential,

skill, technique.

You can't be happy
with them, can you?

No.

Mark...

let's talk.

The pancake, it just,
it has problems.

It's undercooked.

Seeing raw apple and raw banana
just stuck on the plate

is like the finesse
isn't there.

The hash brown,
it almost looks like
a piece of meat.

I know what you can do.

I watched you make
the most beautiful,
delicious ravioli

that won you that apron.

And it feels like
a completely different
home cook made this dish.

I feel like it was
the fourth quarter
with two minutes left

and I ran out on the field
without my helmet

or my jockstrap.

And I left both
my proteins my table.

It's underwhelming
and disappointing
to say the least.

Heather, I'm just,
I'm baffled.

Describe to me
what happened here.

Um, I tried to work
with all the flavors

that my mother
cooked with from Peru,

with a lot of the herbs
and a lot of the spices.

It didn't turn out
the way that I wanted.

I just think, for me,

it came down
to the fundamentals.

You cooked it meat side down,
instead of skin side down.

It's dry as a bone.

You have no sauce.
You didn't peel the carrots.

So they're completely
muddy and dirty.

You know, you mentioned your mom
and you mentioned Peru,

and when you say that
with such conviction,

then you serve me that,

it's a complete travesty

to all the great
Peruvian cooks

that I call friends
and colleagues.

‐ Sam, you look pissed.
‐ I don't like the way
my dish looks.

That doesn't look anywhere
near like a meatloaf.

Just bland, horrible.

But the one issue
I have with you is,

you need to pay attention.

A meatloaf needs time
to cook, right?

That's an insipid burger.

But above all that,

that sauce was disgusting.

You're blowtorching
a can of tomatoes.

Young man, you gotta stop
getting carried away

with all of the frills.

I don't give a rat's ass

about the chicken skin
on top of the mashed potatoes.

‐ What was the hero tonight?
‐ It was supposed to be
the meatloaf.

Well, it wasn't.

And you gotta start
taking this seriously.
Got me?

Yes, chef.

Uh, all three of you
are now staring elimination
in the face,

and all three of you
need to prove

that you are good enough
to stay in this competition,

because these three dishes
have no place

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Now, if you were given
the chance to start
this challenge over,

you think you could
do it better?

‐ Yes.
‐ Without a doubt.

Do those bags look familiar?

‐ Yes, they do.
‐ Yes, Chef.

All three of you,
pick up your bag

and head back
to your station.

Let's go.

Yes.

You got it.

Oh, boy. Here we go.

All of a sudden
the adrenaline starts pumping,

and it's like
I'm back in high school

getting ready to, like,
hit the wrestling mat,

and I'm ready to wrestle
for my redemption.

Let's see what's inside
those grocery bags, guys.

That's right.

You have the exact same
ingredients as you did earlier,

as well as a fresh
staple pantry box.

We're giving you a chance
for culinary redemption.

Elimination is on the line,

and you need to prove
you listened

and that you can act
on the feedback

that we just gave you.

It can be an entirely
new dish

or a much,
much better version

of the dish that
landed you in this mess
in the first place.

Because you've already
had one attempt at this,

we're gonna ramp
things up a little.

Last time, you had one hour.

This time you'll only
have 45 minutes.

Let us down again
and you will be going home.

That could mean one of you,
two of you,

or all of you.

‐ Wow.
‐ Wow.

In front of you, you have
the exact same ingredients

as you did during tonight's
mystery box challenge.

Let us down and you
will be going home.

That could mean
one of you, two of you,

or all of you.

‐ Wow.
‐ Wow.

Ready?

‐ I'm ready.
‐ Ready.

Born ready.

Your 45 minutes starts...

now.

‐ All right, guys.
‐ Come on.

Guys, this is
a "MasterChef" first.

We've never given
home cooks

the same ingredients
to work with again.

Whether they make
the same dish

or whether they make
a brand new dish,

what we're
really testing here

is can they learn
from their mistakes?

This is so nerve‐racking.

‐ Way to go.
‐ Yeah, keep it up.

Keep it up.

Being a nurse, I do well
under pressure.

I'm showing the judges
that I'm a fighter,

I don't give up easy,
and that I really wanna win
this competition.

If I were Heather,

maybe come back and attack
that chicken breast
in a different way.

The other element
of Heather's dish

that was lacking
was a sauce,

something to kind of
bring it all together.

I would try
to really show us

that I took complete notice

of what your comments
had to bear.

Where is it,
getting more‐‐ ugh!

Come on, Mark.
Pick it up.

Um, I've been in this position
in my life before.

Pressure is my...
middle name.

Mark's dish was just such
a poor showing of 60 minutes.

A flabby pancake?

This is an elimination
challenge.

If you aren't
pushing yourself,

I'm not interested
in having you

in this kitchen any longer.

Agreed.

This is where I prove that
I learn from my mistakes.

That's what separates
good students from bad students.

I'm a creative writing
teacher from Washington, DC,

and that's what I ask from
my students in the classroom,

and that's what I need
to give today.

Sam, big letdown for me.

I mean, anyone
that starts a meatloaf

with 20 minutes to go,

having cooked the potatoes
and the garnish, crazy.

If I was Sam, I would not
be going back to meatloaf.

If he his, then it needs
to be in the oven now.

All right, guys.
Nearly 30 minutes to go.

Keep hustling.

Right.

Sam,
tell me about the dish.

Um, I'm making the same dish,

but I'm trying
to solve the problems
that you asked me to do.

‐ Meatloaf in the oven?
‐ Uh, not yet.

So you've started
the sauce again.

‐ Well, that's the glaze.
‐ But stop.

What takes
the longest to cook?

Uh, the meatloaf,
but the meatloaf and the glaze

go in at the same time, no?

But get the meatloaf in
and glaze it as it cooks

so you kill two birds
with one stone.

Yes, chef.

Are you okay?

I'm doing the best
I can.

Then move your ass.

I'm working, Chef.
I'm working.

‐ Heather.
‐ Yes?

Here you are for redemption.
Talk to me about your dish.

I'm making a chicken kabob

with a little vinaigrette

with broccoli slaw
and carrot slaw,

and I'm gonna grill the chicken
on little wooden skewers,

but I'm brining it first.

Okay, this is all or nothing
for you, Heather.

Absolutely.
I will not let you
down, sir.

He moving in slo‐mo.

He is moving slow‐mo.

‐ All right, Mark.
‐ Hello, Christina.

So what are you making?

Because I didn't execute
the pancake properly,

basically totally boned it,

I'm gonna go back
to the 28 sweep and nail that,

execute the pancake,
put chocolate chips
in it instead,

and I'm gonna do baked eggs
in the oven this time.

If you don't execute
the basic play first,

then why try to do
the flea flicker?

What's with all these
football analogies?

Uh, I was an athlete
back in the day,

and that's how I deal
with this.

All right.
Keep your eye on the clock.
You got this.

All right, thanks,
Christina.

What in the hell
is he doing?

Why would you do that?

15 minutes remaining.
Come on.

‐ Get it, girlfriend.
‐ Thanks, guys.

Right. So Sam's gone
for the meatloaf again.

First thing he started
was the glaze.

I've got no idea how
he's gonna pull this off.

Ooh.

I'm looking at Heather,

and, you know, if Heather
really nails that chicken

by brining it

and that chimichurri
really has a chance
to bloom,

I think she has a chance
to kind of get over that hump.

Mark is also
remaking his dish.

He's making chocolate‐chip
pancake instead

of the pancake that he made
earlier with the caramel sauce.

I don't know
if you guys feel this way,

but for me, it looks like
Mark doesn't care.

I might wanna
switch up here...

I'm not saying
he's checked out,

but I don't look at him
and think that,

"Wow, this guy's desperate."

Oh, this is so hard to watch.

It is. Really, it is.

Just over
ten minutes remaining.

Starting to smell good
in here.

Right, Heather,
how are we doing?

Doing all right, sir.

We brine chicken
to impart flavor,

and it normally takes
sort of 24 hours

to brine a chicken.

Why would you attempt
to do it in 45 minutes?

Because I wanna try
to get it nice and moist.

You're grilling it now
with no fat on there.

It's gonna get even drier.

Brush the chimichurri
onto the chicken

as you're cooking it,

therefore it stays
a little bit moist.

‐ Okay, will do.
‐ Yeah?

You still got
eight minutes to go,
and you can bring this back.

I'm trying. I'm trying.

You know what
you can do, Heather?

Just do what I do
and ignore them.

Somehow I don't think
that's the best strategy,
Mark.

‐ Young man, is this
a joke for you?
‐ No.

‐ Is this just a big show off
for your mates?
‐ No.

No, well, take it serious,
or take your apron off.

I am taking it seriously.

Take it serious
or take your apron off.

What is going on here?

What is Mark doing?

Brush the chimichurri
onto the chicken

as you're cooking it.

Will do. I'm trying.

You know what you can do,
Heather?

Just do what I do
and ignore them.

Somehow I don't think
that's the best strategy,
Mark.

‐ Young man,
is this a joke for you?
‐ No.

‐ Is this just a big show off
for your mates?
‐ No.

No, well, take it serious,
or take your apron off.

I am taking it seriously.

Take it serious
or take your apron off.

What is going on here?

What is Mark doing?

This is embarrassing.

Are you serious?

Mark does not care about
this competition whatsoever.

Mark thinks the world
stops for him.

Not today, baby.
Hmm‐mm.

Two minutes to go.

All of you, you need
to have your dish completed

down on the front,
under the two minutes.

Those fries look good.

75 seconds to go.

‐ Let's go, let's go.
‐ Strong finish.

Wow,
Mark's down already.

Now he doesn't have
anything to do.

Mark, you still
got one minute.

‐ Mark.
‐ I'm‐‐ I'm working on it.

Come on, guys.

‐ Raw banana.
‐ Oh, God, don't do
the raw banana.

20 seconds remaining.

‐ Christina: Steady hand, Sam.
‐ Come on, Sam.

Come on, now.

Come on, Heather, let's go.
Finishing touches.

Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six,

five, four, three,

two, one, and stop.

‐ Well done.
‐ All right!

Sam and Heather are phenomenal,
top‐notch chefs,

but I'm here to compete.

I'm here to win this,
and I wanna prove

I have every right
to be here.

Let's start with Sam.

So earlier you cooked
a meatloaf.

You got a mashed potato
topped with crispy skin

and then
there was carrot slice.

‐ Yes.
‐ Um, describe
the dish, please.

Um, meatloaf,
mashed potatoes, and carrots.

The meatloaf has ground bacon,
smoked paprika,

and homemade ketchup.

Mashed potatoes have corn,
bacon grease,

and some cheddar cheese
in it,

and then carrots with sugar,
apple cider vinegar,

then I finished it
with some dill.

Visually, it's not
the prettiest meatloaf.

I was running out of time,

and I figured having it
on the plate a little messy

was better than not having it
on the plate at all.

A meatloaf in 45 minutes

is virtually impossible
to get it done correctly.

Did you not think about just
completely changing the dish?

You know,
like I ask of my students,

I wanna learn
from what I did.

If I made something new,

I might make a whole bunch
of brand new mistakes.

Okay, let's taste it.

You try some of the meatloaf
off before you...

Yes, I did.

I thought it needed
a little more salt,

and I thought it needed
a little more pepper.

Um, so here's the thing.

A, does it taste better
than the meatloaf earlier?

Yes.

B, the sides,
does that taste better?

Yes.

I think with you
it's about prioritizing.

Teach yourself
a little bit of discipline

by pacing yourself.

‐ It needs some work, right?
‐ Yes, chef.

Thank you.

All right, Sam,

so think about
teaching creative writing,

you think about the formation
of a story, right?

Yeah.

How do you think about
composing that first dish,

and how did you think about
composing this dish?

Um, with the first dish,

I think I had, like,
middle, beginning, end

all mixed together,

so I knew that,
if nothing else,

I wanted to get my beginning,
my middle, and my end in there.

I think there might still be
one or two spelling mistakes,

but I'm hoping that I, like,

went up
at least one grade here.

So visually it doesn't look
like a MasterChef‐worthy

piece of meatloaf,
but it tastes delicious.

You hit all the points.

That ground bacon in there
is smart.

The mashed potatoes
are a drastic improvement.

I don't know about
the dill and the carrots

with the other flavors
you brought in.

It's definitely
a better‐written story.

Is it good enough to keep you
in this kitchen?

‐ We'll have to see.
‐ Thank you.

All right.

Heather,
remind me what was that
first dish you made for us?

I initially made
a pan‐seared chicken breast

with chimichurri.

How did you change it?

Talk to me a little bit
about the dish.

I made a chimichurri
chicken kabob

with some cilantro,
a vinaigrette,

and I made french fries
to go with the kabob.

This, for me, looks more
like that Peru

that you were talking about,
the anticuchos.

and automatically it looks
like it's a lot moister.

You can see
some of that juice
kinda running off.

Look. Night and day.

‐ This is delicious.
‐ Thank you.

There's a great
amount of crunch.

The vinaigrette
is very well‐balanced.

Your chimichurri,
great flavor.

Next time you do it,
don't throw your herbs
in there.

Chop your herbs
so you have bigger chunks

and more of the perfume
of the herbs.

Okay.

But well done. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, Heather.

Now you took some risks
by choosing to take
a chicken breast

and turn it into a kabob.

Most people leave it whole
for a reason.

It's lean, it doesn't
have a lot of fat,

and the kabob
is sort of like,

you know,
it's a cheaper way

to eat an off‐cut
of the chicken,

so why choose
to skewer it?

Having it on the kabob
with the sauce on the side

just seemed like an easier
thing for you to eat.

There's heat, there's flavor.

Visually, the dish
is far more appealing.

Flavor of the chicken
is definitely an improvement.

Is it enough to keep you
in this competition?

‐ We'll have to see.
‐ Thank you.

Mark.

Big question, do you feel
you've done better

than you did earlier?

Yes, in all aspects of it.

Right.
Describe the dish please.

I've got
a chocolate‐chip pancake

dusted with powdered sugar.

I've got baked eggs
with heavy cream
on the bottom,

bacon, cheddar cheese,

parsley, and cilantro.

The combination
of the chocolate pancake

with the coddled eggs
with the bacon,

how does that work?

I've got sweet and savory,

so I've got
salt from the bacon.

I've got the salt
that I added to the baked egg.

It blends.

That is tough
to look at.

No.

Mark, are you just going
through the motions?

Is this the best breakfast
you've ever cooked?

Yes.

I successfully completed
the 28 sweep,

and I think
I scored a touchdown.

Oh, no.

Mark...

That is tough to look at.

Are you just going
through the motions?

Is this the best breakfast
you've ever cooked?

Yes. I successfully
completed the 28 sweep,

and I think
I scored a touchdown.

What a douche.

Oh, no.

Here's the thing, Mark.

You know‐‐
tastes quite nice.

They're cooked beautifully.

But my big question
is did you maximize
those 45 minutes?

Yes.

But with 90 seconds left,

you just waltzed up,
put your plate down.

So are you hungry enough
to become America's
next MasterChef?

I'm starving.

All right, Mark, how long
did you bake these eggs?

Uh, 15 minutes.

And then that bacon
you put in uncooked.

Correct.

Why not sear the bacon
off beforehand?

The amount of time
that it's in there for

with the heavy cream,

it should cook the meat
fully through

in that period of time.

The pancake
is cooked properly,

which was a big point
of contention previously.

You got rid
of the poorly‐made
caramel sauce.

You got rid
of the hash browns.

It's really just a matter

of whether a chocolate‐chip
pancake and baked eggs

is worthy
of this competition.

Mark, Heather, Sam,

all three of you,
please come 'round
to the front

and give us
a moment to discuss
those in more detail.

So, listen, I mean,
there was a vast improvement.

You have Mark, you have Sam,

both chose to kinda
go in a similar route

and make improvements
to their dish.

‐ Gordon: Very smart.
‐ Christina: All right, Sam.

It looked mediocre,
but it was better.

He just needs
more confidence.

Now, Mark, I just can't
help but look and say,

"This dish for 45 minutes?"

Heather,
I'm slightly nervous about.

You don't put a breast
on a kabob,

however the chicken
did taste better.

‐ Aarón: Yes.
‐ Chimichurri was delicious.

We can send one home,
we can send two home,

or we can send
all three home.

Now you all won
those white aprons

and a place
in this competition,

but not everyone can stay
in this kitchen forever.

We're looking for one
American MasterChef.

Tonight,
Mark, Heather, and Sam,

we wanted to see an improvement
across those dishes.

Some of you stuck to your guns,
some of you changed your ways.

So who's going home tonight?

Sam.

And Heather.

Make your way
to the balcony.

Off you go.

You showed us enough.

‐ Good job, guys.
‐ Yes, good job.

Congratulations.

What a relief.

I've been waiting to walk
up those balcony stairs

for what feels like
about seven semesters.

I'm gonna continue
to improve,

and my next dish is gonna be
better than my last one.

I've just gotten started.

I've got a lot of great food
left to show everybody.

Mark, tonight's second attempt
of your American breakfast

wasn't good enough.

We felt that you hadn't
utilized the time properly.

We didn't feel that hunger.

And, more importantly,

I personally don't think
you are quite ready

to become America's
next MasterChef.

Thank you,
all three of you.

I appreciate
the time and energy

and the investment
that you put in me,

and I'm sorry that the return
wasn't there for you both.

Mark, please take your apron
to your station and go home.

Good night.

‐ Good luck, Mark.
‐ Good luck, Mark.

As a competitor, it totally
sucks that I'm leaving,

but I'm not leaving
something behind.

This has given me a whole new
love and passion for cooking,

and I get to share it
with my wife and my kids

and my loved ones,
and that means a lot to me.

I'm so proud of myself
right now

that if I had two arms
attached to my back,

I'd be patting myself
on the back.

I mean,
I'd be hugging myself.

And that's truth.
Straight up.

Next week...

Whoo‐hoo!

I think that may
be David Hasselhoff.

The competition
kicks into high gear...

Our lifeguards are arriving.

Whoo!

And it's sink or swim...

Don't fall apart now.

As the top 19...

Let's go.
Red team, blue team.

...face their first
team challenge of the season.

Beautiful.

‐ Who will save the day?
‐ Yay!

We got the best fish
over here!

And who will be
lost at sea?

What have they done?
It's not even cooked.

You might as well
take your aprons off

and go home now.

Congratulations,
blue team.