Original subtitles

- Previously on "MasterChef"... - The dreaded pressure test.

We're going to auction off all of these ingredients with time.

Sold! You are down to just 20 minutes to cook your dish.

- I trust you. - We are making shepherd's pie.

For Gordon Ramsay? Good luck, y'all.

I don't know Tonna, the sweet potatoes might be screwing us over.

- Timothy and Athena - Mine is still under.

What I will say is the orange glaze is a winner.

Tonna and Cait, you said fish sauce in the mince?

Yes.

Wow.

It's a very strange taste and potatoes are raw.

The duo leaving the MasterChef kitchen tonight is Tonna and Cait.

- Tonight... - Oh, wow.

The top seven take on one of the toughest desserts in the world.

It is the French macaron.

It's the most time-critical challenge yet...

- We got to get those in. - You go in the bottom.

That will test even the most confident of duos

This challenge has taken down some of the most prominent chefs

- in this competition. - Our jam is so runny.

- All of these are under. - - Get them on the tower.

The sheen on them is beautiful.

More than anything what you did have was a great synergy.

- This is what we're looking for. - The flavors are spot-on.

This is the level you need to be at.

- This thing is rock hard. - This is pretty terrible.

This is a difficult one tonight.

- Yeah. - The "macaroons."

- Macaron or macaroon? Yeah? - It depends where you're from.

Many a contestant have been taken down by those beautiful sweet delights.

- Oh, wow. Aah! - Oh! Oh, my goodness.

- We got macaron towers. - Whoo-hoo!

- Welcome back, everybody. - Aah!

- Baking challenge. - Yes. Looking forward...

We've been waiting for this.

- The macaron tower of power. - Wow.

- Multiple colors. - Multiple flavors.

- Multiple towers. - Oh, my God.

The technique involved in a macaron is insane.

From the precise measurements of the ingredients

to when it is time to put it in the oven.

It's a very meticulous science.

- Yowza. That's a lot. - That's a lot.

Ooh-hoo!

One wrong move and you have a complete disaster.

Welcome back, everybody.

So tonight, as you might have guessed,

you'll be facing another dessert challenge.

And it's not just any dessert tonight.

It is one of the toughest, most difficult sweet treats

to execute and make.

It is the French macaron.

They're highly technical, but when they're done right,

they are some of the prettiest, tastiest desserts you'll ever eat.

But tonight, guys, we're not just looking for a plate of macarons.

We're looking for macaron towers.

But not like these towers in front of you.

You only need to make one stunning tower just like this.

Oh, boy.

Now this may be a little bit smaller,

but make no mistake, the task is still gigantic.

There's 80 macarons here and just look at them.

The uniform, the precision, the consistency.

The level of filling, the flavor, the contrast.

And of course, that nice firm shell on the outside

and that beautiful creamy texture inside.

Okay, guys, for tonight's challenge,

we need to see at least two flavors in your tower.

- And, of course, identical in shape and color. - Yes, Chef.

You'll have everything you need in your stations to get started.

Plus, you have a limited pantry with more ingredients

to give your macarons that extra je ne sais quoi.

Tonight, guys, the duo who makes the best tower

- Will get the final advantage of this season. - Wow.

But unfortunately, the duo who makes the tower

that doesn't stand up to our scrutiny will be eliminated.

- Understood? - Yes, Chef.

Good. Right, your 90 minutes start now.

Off you go, guys.

Raspberry, maybe.

Macarons are about technique,

but I think that it's very important

to have the right mix of flavors.

- Good. - Because you can have a great macaron

but if the flavor, the filling is not there, it's gonna be bad.

Okay, got it. Let's vámonos.

So we're gonna make the cocoa macaron

filled with a chocolate amaretto ganache.

And the second one is gonna be a strawberry macaron filled with raspberry jam.

Let's go, guys. Get those meringues on, please.

Chocolate is in my DNA. It comes from Mexico. It comes from Oaxaca.

- They look identical? Yeah. - Yeah. Yep.

We eat it all the time, so I know this is something

that we can do well today.

Here we go. An exciting macaron tower challenge.

This is a challenge where the aesthetic, precision,

and the overall look of the tower is almost as important as what it tastes like.

- Sure. - Absolutely.

So we're really looking for beautiful, eye-popping macarons,

and they all need to be identical.

But, I mean, everyone's not pastry chefs.

Everyone, it's not what they do well.

- So there is a lot riding on this. - Absolutely.

- That stiff? Needs a little more. More. - A little more.

- Come on, come on. - So technically meringue is the basis.

How do you make a meringue?

You've got to get that momentum in those egg whites.

And then as that starts to whip,

then you've got to add that sugar slowly.

And then you fold in very carefully powdered sugar and that almond flour.

We're looking for a smooth, thick texture almost like wet cement.

- Here, watch this. Okay. - Yeah, it looks great.

But it's gonna be light. It's got to be fluffy and seamless.

- No grains. - Perfect. Put it in the bag.

And then the piping process starts, and you've got to be meticulous.

There's got to be at least 160 circles.

And you bang the tray to get rid of the air bubbles.

And then you've got to leave them to dry so it can form that shell,

so it stops the egg white from spreading.

But they can't carry a tiny mistake.

Ugh, my arms are gonna fall off.

This is a technical task like no other, this one, honestly.

Working the guns right now.

We're making a strawberry cheesecake macaron

and a chocolate peanut butter cup macaron.

Chocolate peanut butter cup,

- his favorite candy in the world. - Absolutely.

And my daughter loves strawberries.

We love picking them when they come in season for the early spring.

So this is kind of a little nod to her.

But we are all about consistency and precision,

so this challenge plays to our strengths of being consistent.

75 minutes. We're on track.

15 minutes gone. 75 minutes remaining.

They're doing strawberry cheesecake, too.

I think you're there almost.

Tonight, we're making a strawberry cheesecake and a pistachio macaron.

We were actually inspired by these giant macaron ice cream sandwiches

that we used to get during our travels in Spain together years ago.

The biggest thing is gonna get those shells perfect.

If you don't get the shells perfect and they're crumbly or they're undercooked,

then it doesn't matter how good your filling is.

So we'll see what happens when we pipe the macarons out.

There you go, baby.

All right, I'm about to get this one in and start piping.

- Remember, you're folding, not mixing. - All right.

- We have to make 80 macarons. - In 90 minutes?

No one in their right mind would put their marriage into so much pressure.

But I think to be in the MasterChef kitchen,

you have to be a little bit out of your mind.

- Just a little bit off your rocker. - You're doing great.

I think as newlyweds, it's brought us closer.

I'd definitely recommend this to everyone who's just getting married.

We are going to be doing peach cobbler and banana pudding.

Those are the first desserts that Timothy actually taught me how to make.

He grew up with these desserts, but instead of making it

like a traditional banana pudding though,

we're gonna do some thinly sliced bananas

and put it right on top of our vanilla banana buttercream.

Gonna take these two rustic desserts and add them to this very technical dish.

It's definitely an interesting combination.

But if you take your time, do the steps slowly, and do them right,

it's gonna turn out correctly for us.

- Does it look good? - Needs to be a bit more liquefied.

Yeah.

Baby, less of a pull-up with them, all right?

- They're getting a little nipply. - Okay.

- If it's mixed, add more. - Right, Tina and Aivan.

- Hello. - Tell me the flavors. What we doing?

We're doing a yuzu whipped ganache, and then the other,

a matcha buttercream with raspberry jam in the center.

Gotcha.

We chose those flavors because they kind of represents our heritage,

and has a little bit of Asian flair.

And we've got yellow and green, and I think they go well together.

Why has that gone grainy? It doesn't look as smooth, does it, as it should?

So we added some matcha powder in to color.

Mm-hmm.

- You gonna start piping it or not? - I'm just gonna pipe it.

- If you need to start over, now's the time. - Yes, Chef.

- Yeah? Good luck. - Thank you.

I don't know why this one's different.

So far in the competition, we've been in the top each time,

but this is our first time baking in the MasterChef kitchen.

Oh, man.

As a duo, desserts aren't our strong suit.

Too thick. Cannot. No.

I'm just... I have to pipe some.

Macaron is supposed to look very smooth.

So I want to remake the second batch because it's a little grainy.

However, with time running down and fillings to also make,

we may run out of time and not have any macarons to fill our tower with.

So we're stuck between a rock and a hard place.

- Looks like Aivan's in trouble. - I'm worried.

- Yeah. - Joe and I witnessed multiple times this challenge

taking down some of the most prominent chefs in this competition.

- Let me tell you. - Yeah, you have some real savory gunslingers

and you put them up against a macaron and they take them out.

- Okay, come on, Aivan. - This is the least

confident that we've felt this entire competition.

I'm scared. This doesn't look good at all.

Oh, my God.

30 minutes gone, 60 minutes remaining.

- One hour to go. - Wow, it's a tough one, this one. 80 macarons.

It's two different flavors. And in 90 minutes, that's a total...

- Whoo! - How you doing, babe?

Trying to make sure they're all the same size.

I had a couple of them that came out a little smaller.

In previous challenges, we've had boxes...

8, 12, 16, but we've never done a tower.

I think it's their toughest one so far.

How's the shell doing?

I don't like the way the green ones look.

So, Aivan and Tina, flavors are a yuzu with ganache.

Another one is a matcha buttercream with a raspberry jam.

I'm worried about the matcha. It looks like it's gone grainy.

It needs to be silky smooth,

and that's what helps form that really nice shell on the outside.

If it's rough, then it changes the whole texture.

I don't think we're going to have enough time to make another batch,

so I'm just working with what we have, and hopefully our flavors shine through.

- Start working on the fillings? - Yes.

- Yes? - Once the shells are piped,

it's time to focus on the fillings.

All the macarons' flavor comes from that filling,

not the shell.

Whether you're doing a curd,

a ganache, a buttercream, it's really got to taste

like the flavor they're presenting,

not just a pretty colorful macaron.

It's a complete dessert in one bite if it's done right.

Babe, you've got to be careful with your green coloring everywhere.

I look like the Wicked Witch of the West.

- Wicked! - Wicked.

All right. I got that. We need one more tray of brown.

- Yeah. - Hi, Zach and Michelle. How are y'all?

- Very focused. - What's happening? What are you making?

We're making a bourbon chocolate ganache macaron.

- Okay. - And we're making a lavender lemon.

Our kid's first food that he loved was lemon.

And at this point in the competition, we've been under it,

so the bourbon one's for us.

- So is baking normally in your wheelhouse? - Not really.

We knew macarons are a part of "MasterChef,"

so we did a little practice at home.

Well, good. I'm looking forward to trying it.

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

- Thank you, Chef. - Whoo.

Got a little sloppy on that one.

As soon as you hit that edge, you know, you're done, okay?

- Yeah? Heard me. - I heard.

- Tell me you heard me. - Concentrating.

- Tell me you heard me. - I heard you.

- Thank you. I love you. - Love you, too.

- Jesse and Jessica. - Sir!

- You got the glasses on. Things are serious here. - Yeah, yeah.

All right, so what do we got? What's the plan?

We're going for a strawberry cheesecake

and then a pistachio white chocolate ganache.

- Is this the pistachio cream? - Yes. Yes.

All right, I'm going to toast these nuts. Heard?

- Yep. - Very intense.

You should taste everything before.

Think about what you're gonna have to add to it

- to get the consistency you want. - Okay.

- Good luck. - Thank you, Joe.

We have 53 minutes left.

We should be able to get this done in three,

and then we start working on the jam, okay?

- Okay. - Start the buttercream.

- Just leave that on low. - Okay.

- Hello, Julio, Rachel. - Hey, Chef.

Tell me about the flavors here.

Chocolate, brigadeiro.

With, like, the condensed milk and chocolate?

Exactly, Chef. Usually brigadeiro is very dense.

For your brigadeiro, just remember,

we're looking for a nice smooth texture in that filling.

And then this one is what?

Passion fruit ganache with that mango jelly.

This is one of my family's favorite, Chef.

- It is, Chef. - Wow.

I'm a little out of my comfort zone right now.

- Nah. - But I've eaten it,

and I've tasted Rachel's macarons.

And we have a plan A to win, Chef.

That's right. I like it. Good luck, y'all.

Thank you.

All right, my first two trays can go in the oven.

All right. This is my last one, and then I'm done.

Perfect.

Azu and Javier, how we you doing?

- Hi, Chef. - Tell me about the flavors. What are you doing?

We're going to do here a cocoa macaron

filled with chocolate amaretto ganache.

Chocolate ganache on one. It's nice and thick.

It's not spreading too thin.

And then on the second one, what you doing?

We have more enough in this...

Don't forget, you need two flavors for that tower, yes?

- Yes, Chef. - And we need around 80 macarons.

When are you going to start the second batch?

- Very soon. - Right now.

As soon as I'm done with this, we'll start.

Okay. Don't leave it too long, please.

- Yes. Yes. - Yes?

- Let's go. - Okay.

We made a mistake.

We got so excited about doing our chocolate macaron shell

that we forgot to start the second one.

I'll prepare this one here, okay?

But that means that now we are behind,

and now we have to work very fast

with this strawberry macaron.

- Let's go, let's go. - Guys, we're halfway!

45 minutes gone, 45 minutes remaining.

- Your macarons should be in the oven by now. - All right.

- We're good. - We got to get those in. Is it up to 320 yet?

It's close enough. Put them in. You go on the bottom.

- Hold on. Wait for me, wait for me. - Bottom, go, go!

All right. Go. You work on filling.

Okay, we still have 38 minutes.

Yeah, but we have to finish.

- We're working on the fillings. - I know, I know.

You can start.

Okay. Yep.

I'm concerned about Azu and Javier.

Their first flavor, they're doing a chocolate

and amaretto macaron.

When I was there, they hadn't started

their second flavor yet, but looks like

they are piping that batch now.

- She's definitely behind. - Whoa.

- We're over halfway. - Pressure down. Pull.

They've gotta go in the oven. They've got to cool down before they can start

- putting that filling in there. - And then form them.

- Quick. - You know, Azu and Javier are the only couple

at 40 minutes left that does not have all their macarons in the oven.

- That is a very dangerous game. - That sounds like a disaster.

Oh, my goodness, me. Yeah, they could be in trouble.

We're running out of time.

Guys, 36 minutes to go! Come on!

- You only have half an hour. - Yep.

Calm down. Keep working.

35 minutes means we gotta start building soon.

- Sooner than later. - These need another minute on there.

Just put it back in.

Oh, my goodness, me. This is where it counts now.

We've got macarons starting coming out of the oven and fillings are being made.

Jesse, look at these.

Baby, we got nipples.

- What's wrong, baby? - All these are under.

- The yellow ones? - Yeah.

The secret here tonight is making sure they're cooked properly.

Some of them have taken them out too early because they're panicking.

Okay. No. No. No.

- Okay. - Go there.

Keep working with this, please.

Damn, look at that. Azu's still got a tray

of macarons that are still raw.

- They're not even in the oven yet. Oh, no, I...

We're feeling the time pressure.

We started the second flavor too late,

so, now I don't know if there's time to finish the dish.

It's stressful.

- Let me put this in the oven right away. - Perfecto.

Never gonna get this in time if we don't work together.

- Okay. Good. - Yeah?

These ones are burnt.

How's the shell doing?

They're a little bit overcooked.

- Oh, my God. - Yeah.

And they're kind of cracking in the oven.

Oh, my God. What a mess.

Gents, we good? Tell me the flavors. What are we doing?

We're making you a peanut butter dark chocolate.

Peanut butter chocolate cup.

And then we're gonna go with strawberry cheesecake.

So we're going to do a little mode of cheesecake icing

with a strawberry dollop in the middle.

You guys have yet to win a challenge, right?

We've been in the top three. We haven't come in first yet.

Tonight is anyone's game. Don't underestimate the time

it's gonna take to put these things together.

- Yes, Chef. - Thank you.

Needs a lot more orange.

Taste this for bourbon content.

More whiskey. I don't taste it at all.

- Okay. - These not ready?

No it's not. Come on, you.

- All right, so these are the ones that are good... - Timothy, Athena.

- Hi, Chef. How are you? - Hello, Chef Tiffany.

Uh-oh, what's happening, guys?

Some of them are just a little...

- Different sizes? - Yeah.

Okay, what are y'all making? What's your flavors here?

We are making peach cobbler and banana pudding.

So are you putting fresh banana?

We are putting fresh banana right on top,

and we've got a banana buttercream.

Okay, let's think this through.

You will have to put individually one banana

- on each one. - On each cookie.

You're not gonna have time.

So what would make the most sense right now?

- Chopping them up and folding them in. - Thank you.

Let's get it. Get it in. Let's go.

- We just got to finish. We got to finish strong. Yes, ma'am.

Bingo. We'll start filling.

They're too warm, so we need to wait a little bit.

We're down to our final 15 minutes to go.

Don't forget to leave yourselves at least

four or five minutes to build your tower.

It's time to start filling, guys. 15 minutes.

- Yes. - You've got to be filling them up.

- Yes, Joe. - We're trying.

You're running out of time, so if you're gonna rethink anything,

now would be the time to do it.

We need to start piping soon, babe.

- All right. - We need three bags.

We need the strawberry, we need this,

and we need the white chocolate, okay?

- These are really good. - Good.

We didn't have enough time to make another batch,

so they did blister a little bit in the oven and cracked a little bit.

But there's nothing we can do at this point.

We have to assemble our tower.

I'm just gonna pair the sizes.

Talk to me, baby. Any of your peach ones coming out nice?

They're all, like, slightly under.

I probably could have left all of them in for one more minute.

Timothy and Athena are doing the banana pudding.

They want to individually put one banana on each macaron.

It's too much... It's a bad idea.

Fold it into your mixture and just go. Or don't do it.

But at this moment, you've got to move.

Oh, my God. Our jam is so runny.

- It's not going to work. - Forget the raspberry. Go. Put them up.

Some are getting a little bit too complicated with the fillings.

- Help you out with the other one? - Yes, give me one second.

We've got 10 minutes left. Your time management is crucial in this stage.

We may be running out of time.

- Teamwork is essential now, right? - It is.

Clear off your bench and start an assembly line. One pipe, one close.

- Vamos, vamos bien. Vamos. We can do it. - Vamos, vamos, vamos.

We got to build them. We got to put them on.

So, hurry up and go faster, please.

Keep going. Push, push.

- Make the pretty ones on top. - Yes.

- Good. - Mm-hmm.

- Okay, you got it. - Okay.

Five minutes to go, guys.

Last five. You should all be stacking

your towers by now.

- We've got this, mi amor. - Let's go, Aivan.

They falling?

Yeah, the pink ones are really big, baby.

There are some people who are rushing to finish.

- Don't worry. Keep working. - It is stressful in here right now.

- I need way more green. - Need more green?

- Green, green, green, yes. - Some of them are still piping

- and putting together. - Oh, my God.

Now it should be about the assembly.

- This all we got? - Yeah.

- We're gonna have to use them all. - This is it, guys.

- Final three minutes. - We need way more.

- Jessica, Jessica, Jessica. - Go, go, go, go, go.

You've got to start dressing, Julio.

I'm not interested in two different fillings in one macaron.

- Get them on the tower now. - - You got it, Chef.

We wanted to wow the judges with this double filling,

but we haven't finished piping yet.

And some of the shells are still warm.

Keep going, keep going. Keep filling that.

Imagine doing all that work and not finishing.

- My goodness. - Faster, faster, faster.

I feel like we underestimated how short 90 minutes are for making macarons.

Wait, wait, wait.

We don't know if we're gonna finish this tower in time.

This is nerve-wracking.

We're down to our final 60 seconds, guys.

- This is nerve-wracking. - Faster, faster, faster.

- Couple more? - Yeah, hurry, hurry.

- And there's no more pink ones? - No, no more pink.

- Ten! - Oh, my God.

- Put it right here. - Eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

And stop. Hands in the air. - Whoo!

- Look at that. - Yes.

What a challenge.

I think it's one of the toughest tasks that we have had.

We had so many obstacles, but we fought like never together.

And I think that the macaron shows that. I'm proud.

Could be a lot better,

but we did it.

- Yeah. - It's okay.

That required a bunch of technique, time management,

- teamwork, not killing each other, so... - Yeah.

- I'm glad it's over. - That was a tough one.

Yeah.

Got some good ones, some not so good ones.

Yeah.

Just hope they taste better than they look, I guess.

This is definitely not the tower of macarons we envisioned from the start.

I think we wanted to get a little fancy,

but today the time got the better of us.

Seriously, well done, all of you.

Tonight proved why you are the final seven.

Now, here's the good news.

The duo with the most impressive tower

will win the final advantage in this historic season.

And sadly, for the least performing duo,

this will be the end of your "MasterChef" journey.

Tiffany, Joe, and myself will be tasting everyone's towers this evening.

Right, the first duo we'll be tasting tonight,

please come forward, Adam and Joel.

Feeling a little bit nervous, because these macarons

have to be the best the judges taste.

We have to get our hands on that advantage.

That'll allow us to put our foot on the gas

and really start showing what we can do.

Give us an insight to both the flavors.

So today we've created some of our favorite flavors growing up.

We've got a strawberry cheesecake macaron

and a chocolate peanut butter cup macaron.

- Visually, it's stunning. - Thank you.

The sheen on them is beautiful, and it's consistent.

I think more than anything, what you did have was a great synergy.

- Thank you, Chef. - Shall we?

- Gents, they're delicious. - Thank you, Chef.

The two different flavors are exceptional.

Each macaron is consistent with the right level of thickness,

more-ish, everything you want.

- They're very good. Congrats. - Wow. Thank you, Chef.

Oftentimes, people can do too much, and it becomes their downfall.

But the fact that you did the chocolate and peanut butter,

I mean, it's already a great combination,

but you did that very well.

And the cheesecake here, flavor is delicious.

I think overall, the shell, the crunch, the chew, very consistent.

- Thank you, Chef. - Technically correct, balanced, the saltiness,

really, the flavors are spot-on.

I only have one mystery on the visuals of this incredible tower.

At a certain point, you look over at your brother like,

"Dude, let's stick a strawberry in there." Whose idea was that?

Uh, this guy right here.

Nice try. I love it.

- Thank y'all. - Thanks, guys.

- That was surprising. - That is a work of art.

Okay, the next duo is Jessica and Jesse.

I'm thinking, man, don't fall, don't fall.

Don't drop any. Don't fall. Don't trip.

Our macarons definitely lack the finesse

that we strive for typically,

and we're a little worrisome that

that could get us into trouble.

We made for you a pistachio macaron

with a white chocolate pistachio ganache.

And a strawberry cheesecake macaron.

Okay, even though the color palette is nice,

the little pointy top, was that a creative add-on?

- I wish. - So it's a mistake?

- Yes. - I think these need to be tasted.

Look, the strawberry cheesecake is good.

It's got a nice creaminess to it. You can taste the strawberry.

The pistachio one I really like a lot.

It's got a very clear and intense pistachio flavor. Not bad.

- Thanks, Joe. - Thank you, Joe.

When it came to the strawberry one,

I like that it tastes like fresh strawberry.

I feel like it's difficult to get real

fresh fruit flavor into any macaron.

And for me, it comes down to not only technique, but flavor.

- It's really nice. - Okay, thank you.

Jesse and Jessica, I love the contrast.

I think the combination of what you've done here is beautiful.

The base is delicious. As for the bumps on top,

in the future, you get a little blowtorch

and just hit it for two seconds and it melts that.

- Okay. - And it just blends it back down.

It's such a shame because it's got the makings of a great stack of macarons.

It's just the finesse. But the contrast and the flavor

and the cook is exceptional. Well done.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Good job. - Good job, guys.

Thanks.

This little nipple, this thing here, it's such a shame.

- And it's on every last one of them. - It is, isn't it?

Next up, Rachel and Julio, please. Let's go.

We walked in really confident for this challenge.

But right now, we're not feeling that confident anymore.

Not at all.

This is something that I make a lot back at home.

So losing on a baking challenge, it would be devastating.

Thank you very much.

Today, we've made chocolate

and blood orange brigadeiro macarons

and a passion fruit macaron

with a white chocolate and passion fruit ganache.

Right, Julio and Rachel, the sheen looks beautiful.

But I come down to here and we're sort of hiding

the sort of little miniature ones,

- yeah, next to the big boys? - The big boys.

- Shall we? - Let's try it.

Explain the filling in here, please.

Brigadeiro is something super famous in Brazil.

And usually, it's just chocolate,

but we wanted to add the blood orange

because it gives a nice other layer of flavor.

The chocolate is delicious.

Have to be careful with the texture.

It's slightly grainy, and when you bite into that macaron,

you want the smoothness on the inside as much as the outside.

The problem I've got with this one

is it's just a little bit overcooked

because of the size difference,

and that's all to do with the piping.

Yeah, it's a shame because the flavors inside are great,

but we're looking to get the right crunch, to get the right chewiness,

and so it didn't hit the way that I would want it to hit.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Thank you.

I love you.

Next up, Tina and Aivan, let's go.

This is the least confident that we've felt

because we know there's a lot of technical flaws in our actual macaron,

but I'm hoping that our flavors really pull through for us today.

We made a macaron with a matcha buttercream.

And the other flavor is a yuzu-whipped white chocolate ganache.

So, visually, they don't look that different.

Now, above all that, the lighter shade macaron,

- they almost look like they're overcooked. - Mm-hmm.

The texture of the macaron should be a nice, light crisp on the outside,

and then this nice sort of gooey center.

Let's find out, shall we?

Oh, boy. This thing is rock hard.

That, unfortunately, is not the sound of a macaron.

Tina and Aivan, let's find out, shall we?

Oh, boy.

That, unfortunately, is not the sound of a macaron.

This thing is rock hard.

I am just surprised that this is what we're having

because it doesn't leave you wanting more.

Thank goodness for the yuzu. I do like the yuzu.

The other cookie is... it's not great.

And then when I look at the different colors and shapes,

it's not what I would expect from both of y'all.

- Sorry, Chef. - It's almost like you've lost control.

- Yes, Chef. - You can't carry a mistake

that results in a hard crunchy biscuit

that's a million miles away from a macaron.

You know, this is what happens

when you put cream cheese between two biscuits.

This is not how a macaron is supposed to behave in your hand,

even though some of the flavors are okay.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- I wasn't expecting that. - I was not expecting that either.

- No. - Even the mighty fall.

Okay, please come forward, Zach and Michelle.

That was so difficult,

but we didn't crumble under the pressure.

Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip.

And honestly, I wasn't even anticipating

having such consistency in these macarons myself.

- I wasn't either, to be honest. - So, I'm, like, surprised

that these have turned out looking really, really good.

We made a lemon lavender macaron

and a chocolate bourbon macaron.

Zach and Michelle, the cooking on these are exceptional.

The sheen is perfect, but the consistency is, I mean, top, top notch.

- Really well done. - Thank you.

Shall we?

Love the fact that they're identical in size

and different flavors right there.

Zach and Michelle, they taste delicious.

The bourbon works beautifully for me. Really smart move.

I love the zest and the lemon. Love that.

- Beautifully done. - Thank you.

Look, well-constructed, good crunch, nice chew in the middle.

But I wish that the fillings had more opinion.

Like, if these punched through with those full flavors

of rich dark chocolate bourbon,

some bitter lemon, even some lemon rind,

these would have blown me away.

- But still, very, very good. - Yeah.

I do think that the chocolate one

is a little more crunchy on the outside.

Maybe just a minute less would have really helped.

- But I like this lemon. - Thank you, Chef.

- Well done. - Good job.

- Really well done. - Good job.

- Man. - Nice job.

- That's it right there. - That's what you're looking for.

- Good job, guys. - Thanks.

Next up, Timothy and Athena, please. Let's go.

I'm not feeling too good about the tower.

Our macarons, they're all over the place.

Some are overcooked, some are undercooked, some are perfect.

We're just hoping that we've done enough today

to stay in the competition.

We have peach cobbler macarons

and banana pudding macarons,

both filled with buttercream.

So visually, it looks a little bit all over the place.

You can see I've got, like, hockey pucks on the bottom.

I've got big ones in the middle. But above all that,

I've got that and that from the same batch.

This is like... you have, like, the solar system.

Mercury, Pluto, Jupiter, planet Earth,

Mars, Uranus, and Neptune.

Like, they're just all different sizes.

Shall we get in?

Such a shame, because the medium-sized ones are delicious.

The little version of that same one

is crunchy as anything, so it's overcooked.

And I've got the peach macaron cooked beautifully.

Unfortunately, when you go into the center, it doesn't taste of peach.

- It just tastes of butter. - I agree. You know what?

The surprise here for me was the banana.

I do get the flavor of banana pudding.

The peach, it tastes almost like I just whipped butter and put it in the center.

The execution on these things is pretty terrible.

Inconsistent. It's a bit of a mess. Sorry.

Thank you, Timothy and Athena.

- Can't get too fancy with the fillings, though. - No. Nope.

All right, please come forward, Azu and Javier.

This was one of the toughest challenges.

You know, we had so many problems.

But at the end, we really worked together,

and I just hope that our macaron is perfect for the judges.

We have a cocoa macaron with a chocolate amaretto ganache.

- And? - A strawberry and raspberry macaron.

All right, the macarons are not filled as even as we would like,

but the size of each one looks nice.

- Should we try 'em? - Let's try it.

Wow.

Javier, Azu...

Javier, Azu,

what the heck?

These are delicious! I'm not even kidding!

I'm trying to understand

where have y'all been this whole time?

I am loving that one of them is chocolate and one is strawberry,

and together as you're eating them,

there is a combination.

This is what we're looking for.

Like, this is the level you need to be at.

I've never seen you like anything so much.

I'm just saying, give me good food and I'm excited.

Wow.

I am also a fan. You bite through it,

it breaks like you're biting into glass, and the inside is chewy,

the flavors are spot-on. Really good job.

- Thank you. - The tower's elegant.

Some really nice flavors. They're cooked beautifully.

I think that's what's the most important thing about tonight,

and it's consistent.

Which is surprising,

considering you started that second batch

so late in the cook.

But be very careful when you start to assemble them.

We can't have bits of chocolate on the outside

because it's just clumsiness.

The flavor profile's there.

Yeah, it's a tower of art.

Good job.

- Bloody beautiful. - Chewy on the inside.

- Oh, my God. I'm gonna have another. - Nice balance.

Right, well done.

We've tasted some exceptional macarons.

All of you, please, give us a moment.

- So who are the best? - First of all, I'm so happy to say

- Javier and Azu. - Exceptional.

- Love that chocolate. - Really good, indeed.

- Yeah, very good. - Adam and Joel, big surprise for me.

- Really good. - And then some middle of the road.

- Sure. - Definitely a couple down the bottom.

- Yeah, I think we can all agree on the bottom. - Agreed.

- We in agreeance? - Yeah.

Now, tonight there were three dynamic duos

that really did stand out from the competition.

Please come forward...

Michelle and Zach,

Azu and Javier, and Adam and Joel.

Well done. Come down.

Three outstanding duos.

The good news is all three duos

are safe from elimination.

Now, the great news is one of you duos is about to win

the last big game-changing advantage of the season.

Tonight, Tiffany, Joe, and myself felt that there

was one exceptional tower of macarons.

Congratulations goes to Adam and Joel.

Holy...

Adam and Joel, the good news is you have a huge advantage in the next challenge.

- Thank you, Chef. - All of you,

head up to the safety of the balcony.

- Congratulations. Well done. - Yes!

Finally! Finally got it.

We've been working our butt off

and we are over the moon.

Yeah, it lets us know that we are about

to take control in the competition,

and it's time to go win it.

- Can you believe that? - No.

Now, there were two duos

that did enough to keep themselves safe.

Jesse and Jessica, congratulations.

And Rachel and Julio, well done.

Head on up to the balcony.

You are safe from elimination. Well done.

Now unfortunately, if you're still down here,

it could be your last night in the MasterChef kitchen.

Please, both duos, make your way down here.

Timothy and Athena, Aivan and Tina,

we're shocked that you're both in front of us.

Tina and Aivan, unfortunately half of yours tasted great.

The sheen was there, the flavor was there.

The other half was sadly overcooked.

Timothy and Athena, we saw seven different sizes across two different flavors.

We had a tough decision to make, but Joe, Tiffany, and myself

have come to a consensus.

We are all in agreement.

Sadly, the duo leaving the MasterChef kitchen is...

Athena and Timothy.

Aivan, Tina, say goodbye to Timothy and Athena

and make your way up to the balcony, please.

Timothy and Athena, you were our newlyweds.

What you guys put yourself through has been nothing short of amazing.

In a season of dynamic duos, I think you have taught us

what the beauty of a true partnership is.

And it's just so beautiful and refreshing

to see the mutual respect, the kindness you have for each other,

so you have taught maybe a greater lesson

than anyone else will in the kitchen, and thank you for that.

- I love this woman. - We can see that, my man.

Exactly. Exactly. Come and say goodbye, love.

Come on, both of you come up here and say goodbye.

- Come on, man. - Come on, Timothy! Give me a hug.

- Good luck, man. Nice to meet you. - Very nice meeting you.

Likewise. Look after each other, will you, please?

- Come here. Come on. - Thank you.

We came here as newlyweds on our honeymoon

and being able to show the judges our love

and feel that love through our food

is more than anything we could have asked for.

- Holy guacamole, baby. - That's harmony right there.

The finesse comes from her. She's taught me everything I know.

Definitely newlyweds here. I mean, look at this.

You may kiss the bride.

It's gonna start getting spicy in here in a second.

- Talk about it. - Being able to cook in the MasterChef kitchen...

Baby.

This is the best wedding gift we could have ever gotten

and we're leaving here happier and closer than ever.

- How are your strawberries looking? - You tell me.

- Jeez, those look beautiful. - Don't they?

Oh, my gosh. All right.

I'm so happy that there's duos this year

because I wouldn't have done this by myself,

and I definitely wouldn't have done it with anybody else, so...

- Bye, guys! - Love you!

Look at that! He even opens the door for her. What a gentleman.

Next time, the heat is on

for the final team challenge of the season.

- Perfect day for a barbecue. - We're in our element now.

We've invited some of the biggest

barbecue aficionados that we can find.

Adam and Joel, since you won the last challenge, you get to pick teams.

- But they'll need to be smart. - Steaks going down.

Now we have the chance to be the big men on the grill, and we're gonna crush it.

Our diners are arriving. Let's go.

Because one small slip...

I would re-fire those grills. They're all raw.

Could cause one team to crash...

- Two minutes of pork. - - That pork should go back in the field.

- And burn. - Let me talk. Let me talk.

Azu, you stop now!