Original subtitles

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.