All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S15E04.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH[EZTVx.to]

Previously on
"MasterChef: Dynamic Duos"...

- Welcome, guys.
- This is a season of surprises.

- Let's go!
- Oh!

- We're back!
- The eliminated duos retud

for a second chance
for a pair of white aprons.

- A vegan fish and chips.
- Yeah, you heard me.

It's hard to believe
that's not fish in there.

These aprons go
to Darce and Courtney.

The dish that we made
is called chiles en nogada.

It's good. Congratulations,
Azu and Javier.

I feel like my heart
is gonna explode.

- We made shrimp and grits.
- The dish is very, very successful.

- Adam and Joel.
- Let's go!

We made a berbere-spiced
lamb lollipop.

Lamb is cooked beautifully. The final
white aprons go to Jessica and Jesse.

Yes!

Got an apron! Unh!
We got an apron!

Tonight the competition
officially kicks off...

We got to prove that we're
not a one-trick pony, okay?

Hell, naw.

As the top 12 duos compete
together for the first time...

It's gonna get spicy over here.

And try to impress with
their best dinner party dish.

- Ooh!
- There ain't no party like a pasta party!

- Oh.
- Medic!

- Someone just screamed medic.
- Oh, my God. I'm so stupid.

That's a dinner party disaster.

It's authentic.
It's charming. It's delicious.

I'm feeling that
restaurant quality dish.

This dish is an epic fail.
There's no teamwork here.

If you're gonna play it safe,
you've got one foot out the door.

- This is an exciting one tonight.
- Yes.

This is it. Our first night
as the top 12 duos compete.

- 24 cooks in the kitchen tonight.
- Wow.

- That's a lot.
- It is a lot.

12 dynamic pairs.

Let's go!

This is such a rowdy bunch.
I love it.

- Whoo!
- Let's go! Come on!

- We got this.
- Yeah, brother.

Whoo!

We feel amazing to be
in the top 12.

We're thinking intensity.
We're thinking drive.

He's definitely thinking, "I will
not mess this up for my wife."

- New stations. Yeah.
- Yes!

- Whoo!
- We are so proud that we are top 12.

This is the first time we're all kind of
measuring ourselves against each other,

and I can't wait
to see how we stack up.

Welcome back to the amazing
MasterChef kitchen, everybody. Amazing.

But more importantly,
congratulations to all of you,

'cause you are the top 12
dynamic duos.

Yeah!

That's right. This competition
has officially begun.

Oh, yes.

- Awesome.
- Yeah!

You duos have already shown us

that this year's competition
is going to be fierce.

But now that you've earned
your apron for this kitchen,

your job is to prove
that we should keep you here.

- Absolutely.
- We gonna make you proud!

- Good.
- Remember, this season,

we are not judging you guys
as individuals.

We're gonna be judging you
as a dynamic duo. Understood?

- Yes, Chef.
- Good.

That means both of you
should be cooking

at the ultimate highest standard
every single week.

- Yes, chef.
- You got it.

Listen up,
for tonight's challenge,

we are celebrating
your early success

- with a dinner party.
- Ooh!

- That's right.
- Pop the champagne. Yeah!

We want to see dishes inspired by a
dinner party that you would throw at home.

- Oh.
- I love it.

And because you're here
in the MasterChef kitchen,

your dishes need to be
restaurant quality standards.

- Yes, Chef.
- You will have one hour

to make your fantastic
dinner party dishes.

After that, we will be
tasting the top three dishes

and the bottom three dishes.

And the duo
who makes the best dish

will earn a big advantage
in the next challenge.

And one duo will be going home.

- Right. Everybody, ready?
- Yes!

Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go!

- Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
- Here we go.

Ooh! Oh, my God.
Here we go. Aah!

- Yeah, let's do corn pasta.
- I'm gonna grab all the corn.

- Corn sauce.

- Garlic. Chicken.
- Shallots, garlic. Chicken thighs.

- Just dry vinegar, okay? Okay.
- I got vinegar already. Let's go.

- I need chili.
- I got chili.

We put on dinner parties
every weekend at our family.

We find every excuse to
give us the party. Yeah, yeah.

So growing up, we all kind
of lived under the same roof.

And whether we liked it or not,

it was a dinner party
every night.

- You got lemon?
- Yes.

This is our first challenge
in the MasterChef kitchen,

so we really want to make an
impression, and not a bad one.

Auntie and niece here to win.

Coming out!

- You got it.
- Behind, behind, behind, behind, behind.

- Did you get baking soda?
- What's that? Yeah?

- Let's go.
- Okay. All right, all right.

- Can you get that off for me?
- Yeah.

- Just like the ER, okay? Nice. Calm.
- Ah, the corn.

We're cooking for our friends,
for our family.

- Yeah, it's a party.
- Where is our glass of wine?

- Okay. And my glass of wine?
- Just think about it.

So, 15 years
we have been divorced.

We have a beautiful 19-year-old
son, and we remain very good friends.

So for us dinner parties
are very common.

But the rice has to be perfect,
and Javier is an expert on that.

Guys, five minutes gone,
55 minutes remaining.

Okay, five minutes gone.

It is so fast in here.
It's crazy.

- It is nuts. It's just... time flies.
- It just flies.

This is it. Our amazing duos are
taking up their first big challenge

of this competition, and honestly
they need to bring their A-game.

All right,
I took the seeds out of one.

We're gonna leave
the seeds in the other one.

Time to bring the heat, baby.

You know, for most of these
contestants, they've been on the side of,

"Oh, that party is great!
Great food!"

Everyone's telling them
it's all amazing.

Here, we are going to be judging
on many different aspects,

and I doubt they've been to any party
where they've been judged like that.

Well, your family may forgive, but the
MasterChef judges, it's a different story.

Where's my spicy
little habanero?

I need your help on the sides
of these chicken thighs, okay?

Okay.

We're cooking
a spicy white bean ragu

with nduja, Italian sausage,
and chicken thighs.

Our first two dishes
were very refined and elegant.

This is gonna be our rustic,
homey edition.

We do not want
to let these aprons go.

We do not want to let go
of these aprons.

We're gonna put a killer dish.

We're breaking in these aprons.

- They're staying on.
- This is probably

the most stressful cook
I've ever done.

We're making a cheeseburger
with a bacon and date jam

and a spicy habanero sauce.

Burgers are one of those rustic
classic South Dakota dishes,

but we have to really elevate

because it's what would be
a simple dish.

- So we really have to bring it.
- We just need to focus on that chicken.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Ooh, I get, "Yes, ma'am"?

- Yes, ma'am.
- Mm!

- Ooh, I can't see. Glasses are fogging.
- You good?

Oh, boy. I can't wait
to smell that trinity going.

It'll feel just like New
Orleans all over again. Yeah.

Okay, gonna get the squash cut.

We're making a brown butter
and butternut squash pasta

with crispy skin chicken breast.

Kayla and I both started cooking

at a very young age on
"MasterChef Junior" season 3.

And a couple years ago, we hosted a
pasta making party, so we have experience.

There ain't no party
like a pasta party!

Ain't no party like a pasta party.
We love our carbs over here.

We are carbed up and we're
ready to give it to Gordon.

- You getting the dough working?
- Yep, I'm getting the dough working.

Oh.

- Medic!
- Medic, medic, medic!

Someone just screamed medic.
Was that Kayla?

It's two fingers.

What have you done?
What have you done, doll?

- Just a knife.
- Yeah?

I cut the whole tip
of my thumb off.

Holy.
God, that's a lot.

I'm just seeing blood drip down

and the timing of everything
to make this dish

is so important, and I just
hope I don't set us behind.

God.. And I said I wasn't gonna
cut my finger on this season.

- You're all right.
- I was on Juniors and I cut my finger.

It's go... ow!

- Medic.
- How you feeling, darling?

- What happened?
- Um, I cut myself.

- Is it deep, medic?
- It's pretty deep.

- Oh, God.
- Oh, my God. I'm so stupid.

I can't. Go, Ryan Kate.
Keep doing the dough.

- Bro, I'm sorry.
- It's okay. It's okay.

- Don't apologize.
- I feel really bad

that I have Ryan Kate
out there stranded.

She's left to kind of do everything
while I'm trying to get bandaged up.

I feel really stressed and
I hope I don't set us behind.

That's a setback early on.

I told myself
I wasn't gonna cry!

Oh, my God.
I'm so stupid. I can't.

You're good, Ryan Kate.
Keep doing the dough.

- Bro, I'm sorry.
- It's okay. It's okay.

Don't apologize. We're gonna get
back in the game and we're gonna kill it.

- Yep.
- Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.

Girl, don't worry
about it. I'll help make up.

I feel so stupid.

Why won't this oil
come out of the dang bottle?

All right, this is good.
I'm sweating my ass off already.

Oh, my goodness. These gloves
keep getting stuck in the ground beef.

Look, these are breaking down.

All right, so take them off.
Take them off. Take them off.

- Why don't you take a bite?
- Nope, they're good. They're good.

- I think they're good.
- Exciting night. Come on, dinner parties.

And we don't think of
dinner party with comfort food.

- Elevated food.
- Oh, my goodness.

- Smells good?
- You could be making pasta.

Yeah. Yes. Yes.

You could be braising.
You can be grilling.

I mean, there's a world of techniques
you can bring to a dinner party dish.

But I think a dinner party in different
areas means different things, right?

It depends on how you grew up,
what you enjoy,

and that elevation is coming
through with flavor and the care

- that you do for that dish.
- Sure.

Ten minutes gone.
50 minutes remaining.

Whew! Shaking. Shaking.

- Don't cut yourself.
- I know.

Zach and Michelle,
our married duo.

Tell me about this dish.
What is it?

It's a green curry mussel

with nori-dusted moules-frites.

Nice. That's lovely.
So it's a Thai flavored curry?

- Yes, yes.
- Love that. How we gonna elevate this?

We made a shrimp stock
from scratch.

We made a green
curry paste from scratch.

At home, we make this
for dinner parties.

Describe some of those
early dinner parties.

We would... you know,
everybody was in the kitchen.

Michelle and I both
would be there.

10, 12...
we had a lot of friends.

Then we had a baby, and life
calmed down a little bit,

and now it's about four
people at the dinner party.

I love that.
Gaining that advantage tonight

- would mean what for both of you?
- Everything.

We need to go in
feeling confident.

It would show everybody else
here that we're somebody to watch.

- They would see us how we see us.
- Gotcha.

In terms of sizing up the competition,
who's the hotspots in the room?

I think I got to say
Jess and Jesse.

I mean, we eliminated them in
audition rounds and they're back.

They came back with vengeance.
I think they're out for blood now.

I think they're watching you equally
as much as you're watching them.

Elevate this thing, yes?
Give it your all. Absolutely.

- Good luck. Let's go.
- Thank you so much.

Gonna start getting spicy
in here in a second.

- I know.
- I'm gonna make this fish stock so good

that you're gonna be so happy
and proud of me,

you're gonna stop calling
me names and bothering me.

Salt. Salt?

- I'm coming. I'm coming.
- Anyone have peeled garlic?

- We got a little bit.
- You got a little bit? Thanks, man.

What's up, guys?

Hey, what's going on?
Welcome to Taco Tuesday.

- Taco Tuesday.
- So is that real?

A dinner party at your house, it's just
Taco Tuesdays and a couple of beers?

It is recently. Out in the backyard
with a bunch of kids running around.

- What are you making?
- We're gonna make some homemade tortillas.

- We got a nice marinated skirt steak.
- Yep, so there's gonna be

a habanero hot sauce. We're
gonna do some rustic charro beans.

- You're gonna make your own tortillas?
- We are.

- Have you done that before?
- A couple times.

That can be very difficult in
"MasterChef," we've seen over the years,

- because they don't cook through.
- Yeah.

Nothing worse than getting raw dough in
a tortilla. You're taking a big risk there.

Did you guys have a lot of dinner
parties growing up in your family?

We had tons of barbecues,
grill-outs.

Daddy taught us how to grill.
Mama taught us how to host.

Do you guys take different roles
when you host people in your home?

- We do most of it at Joel's house.
- I'll be right back.

So I kind of let him take
the lead on that.

Okay. The two of us kind
of tag team a large protein

- and let people bring sides.
- This is not about potluck tonight.

- No, we're making all of it.
- This is not about dumb luck either.

You better make everything
and you better make it right.

- Good luck, guys.
- Thank you.

We got to prove that we're
not a one-trick pony, okay?

Hell, naw.

- Darce and Courtney.
- Hey! How are you?

- How's it going?
- Oh, my goodness me.

I'm excited
for this dinner party.

- I know.
- So excited.

- What is the dish?
- As the vegan team,

we're gonna be putting
plants first always.

We are doing corn four ways.
We're doing a pasta

that's going to be infused with the
corn stock that I'm making right now.

- Second way is going to be
a corn sauce.- Corn sauce.

Where I blend it all up
with that corn stock. Nice.

Are we smoking the
corn? Are we carameli...

No, we're gonna do a corn rib.

- And the fourth?
- And then a breadcrumb with corn in it.

Actually, this was one of our
first dinner parties together.

- That we did together.
- Yeah.

It looks very white, that pasta.

- Any eggs in there?
- Absolutely no.

No, no, no. We're doing it...
I use some semolina,

- some all-purpose flour.
- Right.

Tepid water. A little bit
of olive oil and salt.

- I love this vegan style by the way.
- Yeah? Thank you.

- But competition's fierce.
- Yeah.

We said we were gonna take some
risks in the MasterChef kitchen.

Let's go. Let's go.

Love that.
Ladies, the very best of luck.

30 minutes gone.
30 minutes remaining.

We are halfway, dynamic duos!

- Heard!
- Let's go!

30 minutes, everybody!

- Let's do this!
- 30 fricking minutes! Let's go!

We are doing a ribeye with
chimichurri, duck fat potatoes,

broccolini and a garlic aioli
for our potatoes.

Just gotta to make sure it's elevated
enough to present for the judges.

- We're ready for the task though.
- Yes.

- Is that good? Is that a good sign?
- Yes. Yes, yes.

- Hey, Darce? That's the olive oil?
- No darker.

These things have bigger
beards than me.

Ooh! It's looking a
little Cajun right here.

Hi, Tiffany. Yes, ma'am.

- What we got going on? Okay.
- We got a Cajun seafood pasta.

Something we picked up when we
were in New Orleans for a ball game.

We added scallops
and we added mussels as well.

How do you keep the different
seafood from overcooking?

I parcooked it,
just to get a sear on it.

- You want to be careful of not overcooking?
- Yeah, be careful.

- Yep.

- How's your pasta looking, Trey?
- It's coming out really well.

- I'm really pleased with it.
- Is that the thickness you want?

- I might go one level lighter.
- Uh-huh. Don't go too thin now.

- You make pasta often?
- Usually at home I use box pasta.

But we're in MasterChef kitchen, so I
figured I'd roll some pasta for you all.

- Is any already done?
- No, no, but I've got more dough.

- Whoa! If you need help, Kevin's here.
- Yes, Chef. I got it.

- Careful. All right.
- Ugh, yeah, it's too thin now.

- It was perfect before, yeah.
- All right.

- Oh, no!
- What do you think I should do, Chef?

- I'd reroll it over again.
- Thank you, Chef.

Okay, all right, Trey.

- Make sure you get that sear.
- I know.

- Whoo!
- She just flambéed.

Yeah, wow.
The energy is incredible.

There's a lot of passion
and activity going on out there.

Oh, yeah.

- The atmosphere is electrifying.
- The energy.

And the communication is off
the charts with the dynamic duos.

But the speed they're all
working at, it's so good to see.

- Yeah.
- I think the food could be twice as good.

Providing you have
the right partner.

- You must have the right partner.
- Okay, ready?

- I told you I was going to do basil.
- Yep.

So Darce and Courtney, they're
going down the vegan route.

- Corn four ways, okay?
- Ooh!

A corn flavored stock, a corn
puree, a corn rib, and a corn pasta.

Wait, is there any spice
or any other flavor to the corn?

- Like, there's a lot of corn.
- Sounds sweet.

- Sounds like it's gonna be sweet.
- Yeah, it feels sweet.

- I'm not too sure.
- Why isn't it boiling?

- Pasta?
- Yeah.

It's on.
It's all the way on.

All right. Come on, baby.
Come together.

Kevin and Trey are making
a Cajun seafood pasta.

Pasta is not working out right.

- It's dry.
- It's so dry.

Oh, my goodness. Joe, what
would you do if it's not working?

I would take it by hand,
cut it into small strips,

- roll it with my hands, and put it in.
- He has got to adapt.

Come on, baby.
Come on, pasta.

This is not looking great.
Without the pasta, there is no dish.

- Oh, my goodness.
- Yep, yep.

- He's got one foot out the door.
- Come on, Trey.

I don't have time
to restart the pasta.

So if I'm going
to pull this off in time,

I really got to get my hands
around this dough.

- That's a dinner party disaster.
- Oh, my gosh.

Just under 20 minutes to go.

- Let's go!
- - Where did my pans go?

Okay. Hey. Where'd you go?
Where'd you go?

- Oh, nope. Wrong person.
- Ugh. Come on, Trey.

First batch of pasta is good.
Gonna rework this second batch.

I think you're good to turn
because you've got...

- well, I don't know.
- Already?

Yeah, I think you can
flip those.

You see that brown
coming up the side?

Our dinner parties are hectic. You
know, we come from a Latino family.

So we invite five people. These
five people invite 20 more people.

Next thing you know,
the house is full,

and we don't have food
for everybody.

We're making ropa vieja
with mushroom risotto

and fried green plantain.

We want to win
that advantage right now

because that's going to be key
for whatever is coming next.

We want to be ahead
of everybody.

- Little more olive oil.
- Lemon, that's spicy.

- It's not too spicy.
- Yeah, that was a spicy chili, bud.

- Right. Aivan, Tina. How we doing?
- Hello, Gordon.

- We're doing good, sir.
- Tell me about this dinner party dish.

It's a grilled pork with noodle
and herb lettuce.

- Like a beautiful pork salad.
- Yes.

Almost every Vietnamese family
have this in their party.

Love that.
What's the sauce?

- It's got garlic, lemon, sugar.
- Mmm.

- That's delicious.
- Thank you, sir.

Make sure you've got sufficient
dressing with that,

- so it doesn't become too dry.
- Yes.

- Pork needs a sauce, yes? Good luck.
- Yes, sir.

- Thank you.
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

Tortilla, we should have
about 12 to choose from.

Tonna, they're...
they're underdone.

I don't know what to do because
you had me flip them too early.

- Tonna and Cait! Wow, that looks...
- Ooh!

Slow down, slow down, slow down.

- Sorry, you made me nervous.
- No.

I'm just here for you.
How's the cook?

- Yeah, they feel a little under.
- Yeah, they do.

- Go in the oven then.
- Yep.

So if you're gonna
serve us a burger,

that burger better be right.

- What is this?
- That is our bacon and date jam.

It's going to top the burgers
with a bit of spicy mayo.

Okay. All right.

I want you to think
about your plating

because right now it
feels a little hectic over here.

Yep, yep.

- Good luck, y'all.
- Thank you.

- I'm gonna focus on this.
- Yep.

Kayla, Ryan Kate, how we doing?

- Doing good, Chef.
- I'm doing all right. How are you?

- We okay? How's that cut?
- Um, I just don't have the tip of my thumb

- and I cut my pointer finger.
- Please be careful.

Tell me about the dish.
What we doing?

So we're doing
a brown butter pasta

- with a seared chicken breast.
- Wow.

Gonna see if I can get this
chicken breast done in time.

There's no protein
cooked already?

Why don't you sort of think
about this a little bit more simpler?

If you're going to do a little
fettuccine, cut this into nice strips.

- It would cook quicker. Yes?
- Yeah.

Nice long strips,
beautifully seasoned, and fried.

- And just like that you'll get it done.
- It'll cook faster in strips.

Listen, we adapt, we pivot.

This accident has set you
back a little bit, but we can pivot.

That's the only way you're gonna
get this chicken cooked now.

Gonna push through and get
something on the plate for you guys.

Let's go. Let's go.

- I'm just sorry.
- No, don't be sorry.

We're not gonna talk
about this now. It'll be okay.

We're gonna focus
and we're gonna keep going.

- She cut herself pretty bad, huh?
- Yeah, bad.

Top of the finger is gone.

I need to get those fries in.
One more time.

- Yes.
- So Tonna and Cait are just panicking.

Ooh. Oh, no. Oh, no.
Oh, no. Oh, no.

I mean, the burger, they took
it out. I felt it. It felt very rare.

I said, maybe we need to get
this back going in the oven.

There's just a lot
of small elements,

but I don't know if it's coming
together like they want it to.

It's a burger. That seems
more like comfort food.

I'm hoping
it's an elevated burger.

It has to be
a pretty amazing burger.

Where's that glove?
Please. Thank you.

Oh, oh, oh. Please, Lord,
let those be cooked.

Guys, four minutes to go!

- Second batch of pasta's coming now.
- Okay.

You might have to cook
this first batch of pasta.

Yep, yep, yep.

- Go ahead and put that first batch in.
- He's still rolling pasta.

- Why'd they do that?
- Oh, my goodness.

Kevin and Trey are behind.

You got to let the pasta go.
Trey, you got to move on!

That's not working, buddy.
You got to move on.

- You won't have time to cook.
- It's not working.

Okay. Is that enough?
Is that enough pasta?

Yep. It's a little light.
It's a little light.

That's a dinner party nightmare.

90 seconds to go. Come on!

Do we want to put the jam
on the burgers right now?

Aw.
I forgot about that.

Sorry. I was too focused on...

- Screaming at me.
- I'm sorry!

Cilantro, cilantro, cilantro.

Okay. I'm getting
a little bit nervous.

- We're good.
- Oh, my God.

Gonna get it nice
in the middle, right?

Baby, nice...
nice in the middle.

60 seconds to go. Let's go!

Be careful, yeah.

- All right.
- Oh, my God.

Last 30 seconds, guys.

Let's go.
Make it count. Come on!

- We got the pretty ones.
- Okay. Got 30 seconds.

Got to make sure
everything looks the same.

All the same.
Make them beautiful.

- Okay.
- Don't serve it if it's not good.

Five, four, three, two, one.

And stop.

- Hands in the air. Well done.
- Whoo!

- , yeah!
- Okay, stop.

Great job. I love you.

Whew.

That pasta machine gave me hell.

But it looks better
than I would've imagined

after the stress
we just went through.

I think the flavors are there.

And so I think we're
gonna be close to the middle,

maybe even top. Who knows?

Yeah. Okay.

- Oof, it's nerve-wracking.
- Yeah, it is.

It's even more nerve-wracking
than the audition.

- Oh, yeah.
- Looks beautiful.

I think it looks
a little bit twisted, but...

I'm concerned the burgers
are overcooked.

If the burgers are overcooked

or undercooked,
we're going home.

I would hate for this to be
the cause of us going out.

That would just be
so gut-wrenching.

Tonight, you all
had to make delicious

MasterChef-worthy
dinner party inspired dishes.

Now, the duo behind the best dish
tonight will be safe from elimination

and will earn a huge
game-changing advantage

in the next challenge.

But, sadly, whoever made
the worst dish tonight

will be going home.

But first, we need to take a
closer look at all your dishes.

Shall we?

Ryan Kate, Kayla, is
she still with the medic?

- She had to go to the ER, unfortunately.
- Oh.

- She's gonna need stitches.
- Right. Damn.

Are you happy
with the final dish?

I'm proud of us
for pulling it together

and putting a good dish
on the plate.

Gotcha. Thank you.

Adam and Joel,
did you make those tortillas?

- Absolutely, Chef.
- Thank you.

Thank you.

When the judges are snaking
around, it's pretty intense in there.

Okay. Did you get
the chicken fully cooked?

- Yes.
- Hmm.

You can't really read
their faces at all.

Wow.

I get my fingers crossed
and keep silent.

- Tina and Aivan, this is the pork?
- Yes.

And that's the cook you were
looking to get for it, that crunchiness?

- A little bit of char, yes.
- Wow. Very interesting.

Zach and Michelle,
this is the curry?

- That's the curry paste, yes.
- And you made it yourself?

I did, yes.

- Kevin and Trey, what happened?
- Yes, Chef.

Oh, yeah, just wrestling
the pasta machine, Chef.

Wow. Right.

The judges walk around
with power

and they instill that little bit
of fear in you of like,

- did we do it right?
- I'm going to throw up. Seriously.

Darce, Courtney,
did you make the pasta?

- We did.
- Did you taste that sauce?

We did.

Okay.

Tonna and Cait,
these are beef burgers?

- Correct.
- And they're medium rare?

- Yes.
- Yes.

Okay.

- Some great dishes out there.
- Yeah.

Our dish is beautiful.
It tells our story.

- We asked for a dinner party dish.
- Right.

- In agreeance? Yeah?
- Yes.

- Shall we?
- Yeah.

Right. We're gonna be tasting
the top three dishes

and the bottom three dishes.

The first top dish
we are dying to taste,

this duo has strong family ties

and really left it all out there
on the plate.

Please step forward,

Aivan and Tina! Come on!

- Whoo!
- We did it!

- Tina.
- Tina!

- Get your dish.
- And your dish, please.

You doughnut.
Let's go, girl. Come on.

She forgot the most important
part of a dinner party.

- Yes. Yes.
- Aww.

Please describe
your dinner party dish.

So we made a bún thit nuong,

which is a rice
vermicelli noodle bowl

with grilled lemongrass pork.

And we've got pickled daikon
and carrot

and a garlic vinaigrette.

Visually, it looks stunning,
and it's authentic.

I think you've played to
your strengths, which is nice.

- Well done. Shall we?
- Yeah.

- So this is meant to dress the salad?
- Yes.

- I like to drown mine.
- And the noodles as well?

- Everything. Mix it all up.
- Everything.

It's authentic. It's charming.
It's delicious.

That lovely sour, sweet note with the
heat at the end is a wonderful combination.

It tastes high caliber.

I could have done
with a touch more pork

because it's
flooded with noodles.

But the way you shredded it and
then caramelized it, it's delicious.

- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.

The rice noodles
have the perfect texture.

There was a lot of work that
was done here that is beautiful.

Thank you, Chef.

You know, the challenge tonight

was to come to your house
for a dinner party.

And this dish, I can feel
like I'm in your home

because it's authentic
with profound flavor and impact.

- Thank you for inviting me.
- Thank you!

The next dish is a couple
that really pulled off

restaurant quality food.

Please come forward,
Michelle and Zach.

- Oh, my...
- Yeah!

We're feeling relief.
That's the first feeling.

Then, "Let's go."
Then excitement. Then joy.

Then, "What if we get
this advantage?"

The feelings just build.

We made moules-frites
that consist of mussels,

green curry coconut broth,
and nori lime-dusted fries.

If I walked into your house
and this were served to me

at a dinner party,
I would be impressed.

And hopefully it will taste
just as good as it looks.

- Shall we?
- Yeah. Let's do it.

This is amazing 'cause
you don't even need a utensil.

- You can kind of just use the...
- Oh, wow.

- Never even seen that, but...
- Skill. Technique.

Wow. Love the fries.
The crispiness of it, the salt.

I even love the lime
that you have in the coconut.

Mussels, just so well cooked,

and I'm feeling
that restaurant quality dish.

Everything about this dish
is kind of perfect.

- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

I think for me, it's the effort
you put into these.

- Yeah.
- The fact you started with that paste,

that's the essence
of a great curry.

- Exceptional. Great job.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- Really good job.

Oh, my God.

Great job!

The final dish in the top three.

It's obvious that
a lot of complex technique

and cookery went
into the final product.

Please come forward,
Adam and Joel.

- Oh!
- Holy.

- Wow!
- Oh, my God!

Holy smokes, man.
Very first challenge,

we're walking up
with a top three dish.

What better way to start
this competition?

Last week,
we got a second chance,

and now this dish is gonna let
everyone know that we're here to play.

We've made marinated
skirt steak tacos,

homemade tortillas,
green tomato salsa,

peach habanero hot sauce,
and charro beans.

The tortillas,
in the history of MasterChef,

rarely, rarely done right.

But these look perfect.
Amazing job.

Delicious. Seriously, it's
authentic. It's charming.

But it's you guys on a platter,
let me tell you.

Tortillas are stunning.
Thin and beautifully toasted.

Thank you, Chef.

I love the peach hot sauce, the
salsa, freshness. Everything's there.

And the steak's cooked
beautifully.

So, yeah, you should be very
proud of yourselves. Great job.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.

When we talk about explosive
flavor? This is explosive.

You not only came
and did an incredible dish,

but you executed on a level
that is very different,

and being smart about
where you put your time.

You did so much work,
and as a Texan,

this feels right at home for me.
I like it.

Yes, ma'am.
That was the point. Tex-Mex.

Adam and Joel,
hardest-working boys in Georgia.

- That's right.
- Yes, sir.

Good job, guys.

I did not see that coming.

Right now, we need a moment.
Please excuse us.

- That was pretty awesome.
- That was awesome.

It's a tough one.
Three incredible dishes.

We did our best.
Now it's up to them.

- We in agreeance?
- Yeah.

Wow. Three amazing
dinner party dishes.

But only one duo can win tonight
and gain that huge advantage.

We talked it through
and we all agreed,

tonight's winning duo is...

Three amazing
dinner party dishes.

And tonight's winning duo is...

Michelle and Zach.

Oh, my God.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

- Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
- And you're gonna receive

- a huge advantage in the next challenge.
- All right!

Now, all three of you duos are
safe from elimination tonight.

Make your way up
to the balcony. Come on.

- Thank you. Great
job, y'all. Great job.

- Great job.
- This is a dream for us.

We've watched this show
for a very long time.

It feels like
we definitely belong.

We had auditions.
We had to earn our apron.

But now winning this,
the first challenge,

says, no, we more than belong.

We're supposed to be here.

Right. Unfortunately,
on the other side of the coin,

there were three duos tonight
whose dinner party's dishes,

sadly, left a lot to be desired.

Now, the first dish we must take a
deeper look at, please step forward...

Kevin and Trey.

Let's go.

I struggled kind of
quite a bit with the pasta.

And Tiffany was right there as I was
going through some of the worst parts,

and so I'm sure she's gonna
taste it and expect it to taste bad.

My fingers are crossed that it
tastes better than she expects.

Right, Kevin and Trey,
describe your dish, please.

We made for you
a Cajun seafood pasta

with shrimp, scallops,
and mussels.

It just feels a little
thrown together.

It's just badly executed.

And more importantly,
you never, ever, ever

serve mussels in a bowl
that have never opened.

That is a death sentence
right there.

- It's such a shame.
- Shall we?

Oh, it's so disappointing, because
this dish could have been a highlight.

The pasta's struggling here.
There's a weird texture to that.

But I'm more concerned about
the overcookedness of the scallops.

They're rubbery. They're hard.

When they reduce down
to that size, it's solid.

Just like a bar of soap.

I'm just gonna be honest.

This dish is not a dish
that I want to eat over again.

I was going to say I'm upset
that I didn't get any scallops,

because I don't have
scallops on my plate.

But now maybe I'm happy
I didn't get any,

because they're definitely
not what it needs to be.

Details matter, especially here
in the MasterChef kitchen.

- Yes, Chef.
- Thank you.

This dish is an epic fail.

One half of the team
was struggling the entire time

trying to create a product
that was substandard.

So there's no teamwork here.

If I came to your house and you
served me this at a dinner party,

I'd ask for my coat
and I'd go home.

- Yes, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.

It's okay. Chin up, guys.

Okay, second duo
in the bottom tonight

was a dish
that seemed ambitious,

but it lacked the dinner party
flair we were looking for.

Please come forward...

- Darce and Courtney.
- It's okay.

- You got it? I'm gonna take two.
- Yeah, I got it.

We just got our aprons, and
I don't want to give it back.

I don't want to go back
to the ER right now.

No, we've worked so hard
for this. We're not ready.

Today we have a corn four ways.
Pappardelle pasta.

It's got a corn stock that
we've infused into the pasta.

A corn sauce, a corn rib,
and a cornbread crumb.

It just looks clunky.

How do I navigate
around the pappardelle

and then pick up a
rib? I just don't get it.

Okay.

- Was that a sweet corn puree?
- Yep, we sautéed the corn

with a little bit of shallot and
garlic, some salt and pepper.

Put some of that corn broth in, let it
reduce a little bit, and then blended it.

One of the things I like
on the plate is the corn ribs.

They have spice.
They are exciting.

But, I mean,
if you're gonna give me corn,

and you're gonna tell me
I'm gonna to have a corn sauce,

I have a corn stock,
I should taste corn.

The one thing lacking on
the pasta is the flavor of corn.

I cross-reference
what you've done so far

and it's like I've got
a different duo tonight.

Above all else,
I think you missed the mark

on what we asked for
in this challenge.

They're dinner party dishes.

You can't just get me
over to eat just corn, okay?

- You can't do that.
- Okay.

This tastes like pasta
that was kind of sautéed

in leftover popcorn
and butter in a movie theater.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

We're good.

Okay, the final duo

unfortunately missed the mark

for what we're looking for
in this challenge.

Please come forward...

Tonna and Cait.

We're really concerned about
the temperature on our meat.

We had to put it in the oven,

- and it was just a mess.
- And we've never done burgers

- in the oven before.
- No.

If we have overcooked burgers,
we're done for,

because we told the judges
that they were medium rare.

Cheeseburger with a bacon
and date jam and a spicy mayo

with fries on the side
as well as an arugula salad.

It's pedestrian.
It's middle of the road.

It's barely a barbecue,

and I'm asking for
a dinner party delight.

- Yes.
- Okay.

So what was the temperature
supposed to be?

Medium rare.

Tonna and Cait, what was the
temperature supposed to be in the burger?

Medium rare.

Okay, so this is more
like a medium.

I hoped it would be
better than it looked.

I really... I really did.
It reads very, very sweet.

The dates are overpowering
the whole patty.

- Okay.
- It's almost like I don't have beef here,

and I just have date and bacon.

Fries...
I mean, they are fries.

They're seasoned.
They're crispy.

I mean, if I have to eat
something else on the plate,

I'm going to go back to the fry.

But it's a bit of a letdown
on the burger, for sure.

Ladies, it's such a shame,
because it just doesn't work.

If you're going to play it safe,
you've got one foot out the door.

When you go down
the burger route,

unless it's wagyu for a dinner
party special, then come on.

- I can get better through a drive-thru.
- Yes.

I love the pickle in the salad.

I actually quite like the mayo,
but the burger is wrong.

- Thank you, ladies.
- Thank you.

- It's like a meatloaf.
- Yeah.

- It's dense.
- Yeah.

Right now we need a very
serious moment. Excuse us, please.

Okay, uh...

We got this.

Some of these
dinner parties were epic fails.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Trey and Kevin, pasta.

Oof. And I warned them.
- They overcooked seafood.

I said, "If you don't stop cooking
here, it's gonna to come out...

it's not gonna
to work out for you."

It's okay.

Courtney and Darce's
vegan take on corn four ways.

- Too smart for their own good.
- Yeah.

Missed the mark completely.

And Tonna and Cait missed
the mark with that burger.

It just was
a bad idea from the beginning.

It was out of balance.
Too sweet.

My God.

- We in agreeance?
- Yes. Absolutely.

Oh, boy.

Now, after discussing
everyone's dishes at length,

we're all in agreement.

The duo leaving
"MasterChef" tonight is...

Kevin and Trey.

Aww.

Darce and Courtney,
Tonna and Cait,

head back
to your stations, please.

Kevin, Trey, I think back to the passion
at the beginning of this competition,

and tonight
we couldn't taste that, okay?

You worked with a mistake for
two-thirds of that challenge,

and then the end result,
you missed the mark.

You know, the great thing about
relationships and friendships

is that you get over whatever
hurdles that you had in this moment,

and hopefully, you'll be
cooking again together.

And the next time you make
this dish, it'll be incredible,

and you'll be like, I wish
they were here to taste this.

- Thank you.
- The very best to both of you.

Safe journey home.
Thank you, and God bless.

- Thank you. Good night, Chef.
- Thank you.

- Good night.
- Love you guys!

I'm very proud of myself for
pushing myself to get out there.

I'm proud of him sticking by me
and me trying to stick by him.

And if we go down, we go
down together, you know?

We made some fundamental
mistakes that shouldn't have happened.

And it's a lot more difficult in that
kitchen than what people think it is.

Proud of you.
Lift your heads high, yeah?

From this experience, I think we
get to take home some confidence.

Even though the whole thing
didn't go the way that we wanted it to,

we still made the top 12,
and that's no small feat.

- Love you guys.
- Bye, guys!

- Bye, guys.
- We love you!

- Next time...
- Whoo!

The first mystery box
of the season.

One box is sweet, one spicy.

Michelle and Zach, since you won
the challenge last time round,

you get to select
protein for each duo.

- Whoo!
- As a vegan, this is my worst nightmare.

Oh, let's go!

I cannot believe I'm
freaking cooking a chicken.

- Get a grip.
- I'm sweating today.

It's really clear
who they're gunning for.

- That means they're afraid of us.
- Yeah.

- Game on.
- Oh, that's good.

I think it's your
worst-performing dish.

- I'm a little scared.
- We can't digest that. You're going home.

What a shame.