All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S15E11.1080p.HEVC.x265-MeGusta[EZTVx.to]

- 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!