Original subtitles

Previously on "MasterChef"...

The fearsome "MasterChef" wall. We want identical plates!

Look at that. Both at the same time.

It's a tough one, especially when you can't see,

- and barely hear your partner. - I have no onion!

With only four spots in the semifinals up for grabs...

- Michelle and Zach. - You are definitely in sync.

Two duos rose to the occasion.

Jessica and Jesse, it's almost like you're side by side.

- Congratulations. - Two more locked in their place.

Rachel and Julio, it's a perfect mid-rare.

Congratulations, Tina and Aivan.

I am underwhelmed, but the beef is delicious.

- You're through to semifinals. - And one missed the mark.

Javier, your fish is overcooked. Man, it's dry.

Azu's, it is so salty. Very, very hard to eat.

What a shame. Say goodbye.

Tonight, it's the "MasterChef: Dynamic Duos" semifinal.

Look who's got the chef whites on.

The duos take on a familiar challenge...

- Keeping up with me. - But with a twist.

- Tag team style. - Uh-oh.

- Ooh, boy. - When Joe and I say "switch,"

you're gonna tag out with your partner.

Every five minutes, we'll tell you to switch.

- Boy, oh, boy. - Let's go! In to the shallots. Tilt the pan and flambé.

After that three cloves of garlic.

Tina, be careful.

- Yes, baby. - Switch!

- Hey, Tina. Go, go. - Move, move, move, move, move.

- Into the oven we go. - Fat side down, into the oven.

- Put 'em in, Tina. - I got it.

- Oh, my gosh. - You've got to be patient and support your partner.

The feelings of frustration are not with Zach.

They're more with Gordon. Slow down! Please!

- Glaze your duck. - Faster.

- Purée off. - Oh, my God!

- Uh-oh. - Get your little flowers.

- The flowers! - Just calm down. Oh, my God.

I love this setup. My favorite challenge of the season.

Think this is gonna be my favorite, too.

- Ooh! - Yo.

This feels in-freaking-credible.

- We did it. We did it. - We got into the semifinals.

Our journey started out as a bumpy one here at "MasterChef."

But we fought our way back in, and we're still fighting

until we make it into that finale.

- That's what we came here for. - Here we go.

We're at a point in our lives where we need to take the next step

- to do something that we love. - We made it this far.

All we have to do is just push a little more.

First of all, congratulations on making it into the semifinal.

- Well done. - Great job, everybody.

- Good job. - We couldn't ask for a better four dynamic duos.

Soon enough, we're gonna be crowning our first ever pair of MasterChefs.

But if you want to win the title, the trophy,

and that quarter of a million dollars,

then just four dishes stand in your way.

Three in the finale and one tonight.

Guys, pulling off tonight's dish will be the hardest one yet.

- Yeah. - Because the time has come for the most iconic,

- the most feared challenge... - Yes!

Of every "MasterChef" season.

You all know what it is, right?

Keeping up with Gordon.

- Ba-bam. - Oh, boy.

That's right. For tonight's challenge,

you're gonna have to replicate one of my signature dishes,

and you're gonna have to do that whilst I'm cooking it.

That means tonight, for the first time this season, moving at my speed.

- Mm-hmm. - I'm actually very excited because not many people

can say that they've cooked alongside Gordon Ramsay.

And he is way fast.

But my family's story comes from survival and sacrifice.

So now, with my good luck charm,

we're gonna fight for our spot in the finale.

I am ready.

- Now that's not all. - Here it comes.

Since there's two of you, there's another "MasterChef" classic

- that we haven't done this season. - Aah!

- The tag team challenge. - Yes!

- Yup. - That's right, tonight,

it's keeping up with me tag team style.

- Uh-oh. - Ooh, boy.

Here's how it's gonna work.

Only one of you will be cooking along with Gordon.

The other half of the duo will be waiting at the end of the station.

And when Joe and I say "switch,"

you're gonna tag out with your partner.

Every five minutes, we'll tell you to switch.

Now, you'll need to stay focused on my every move.

If you're not cooking, communicate and help

your partner stay on track, because you must keep up.

- Understood? - Yes, Chef.

Right. Let's do this.

It's time to find out what you guys are gonna be cooking.

Tonight, all of you will be keeping up with me as I cook...

- What is it? - A delicious

pan roasted buckwheat crusted duck breast

sat on a bed of parsnip purée,

finished with a sweet and sour endive,

garnished with pickled daikon, pickled cherries,

and glazed with an amazing port wine sauce

- Wow. - Ooh.

- Okay. - All right.

This dish is literally straight off the menu

at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, and one of the reasons

why we've held three Michelin stars for nearly 25 years.

- Boy, oh, boy. - A lot of technique.

Now, there are a lot of places tonight

where this dish could go wrong

if you're not paying attention.

First off, the cook on the duck,

it needs to be caramelized on the skin,

and the duck served mid-rare.

The texture of that smooth parsnip purée,

and then think about the symmetry in the plating.

Whoever plates this dish really needs to understand

the precision and show great finesse.

This is insane. Like, three-star Michelin plate,

and we have to replicate that?

Every piece on that plate is meticulously cooked.

Are you kidding me right now?

This is an impossible feat right here.

Guys, let me tell you how it works.

You will need to move at his speed without getting tangled up.

At the end of this challenge, if your dish doesn't look

and taste exactly like Gordon's, then this could easily be

the last night of your competition here.

Right. Once I'm done, you will have 30 seconds to finish plating your dish.

- Oh, my God. - Oh, wow.

Right, all of you head to your benches

and discuss between yourselves

who is plating and who is starting?

I think you start because you're faster with prep.

- Plating is your strength. - You want me to finish?

- I'm asking you. I'm asking you. - I'll finish.

- You sure? Okay. - I'm sure.

- Right, are we ready? - Yes, Chef.

Head to your positions, please.

- Good luck, baby. - Yup.

- We got this, yeah? - Yeah.

Right. Our time starts now.

- Gases on, all of you. - Whoo!

Put all five burners on,

because trust me, we're gonna need them.

- Come on, baby. - Let's go.

Pan for the buckwheat, pan for the duck.

Which one?

- With the lid. - Tina, top left. Top left.

Medium-sized pan on for the parsnip purée.

One for the pickling and one for your glaze. Five pans on. Let's go.

When you got five burners all on high heat with all pans going,

that's like a high wire act. No room for error.

- Small? - A couple smalls.

- The small ones right there. - What do I need?

Now sharpen your knife nicely.

The first and foremost important thing is getting that duck in, okay?

- There you go. Great job. Great job. - Sharpen your knife.

- I'm already behind. - You're okay, you're okay, you're okay.

The energy in the kitchen is tense.

- Let's go guys. - Gordon is an icon.

It's gonna be near impossible to keep up with him.

But this dish is our ticket into the finale,

so we are going to have to just stay focused.

And not make any mistakes.

From there, get your ducks out. Let's go!

- Focus. Serious. - We're scoring the duck first through the fat.

- Only the fat. - Beautiful, baby.

Criss-cross tiny squares. That will help release the fat and caramelize it.

- Tina, duck. - Same again on the other one. Let's go!

Tonight we're gonna be cooking with two duck breasts.

- Heard? - Yes, Chef.

This challenge is like stepping in a boxing ring,

and I'm just ready to dance around and...

Problem is, your opponent is Gordon Ramsay,

and this man has like eight arms attacking you at all times.

Now we nicely season the ducks. Salt, pepper.

- We with me? - Yes, Chef.

This is gonna be one for the books.

Right, next up, oil into the pan.

Okay, duck breast in. Skin side down.

That's the noise you want to hear.

Start searing those duck breasts.

- Olive oil into the middle. - Coming, coming, coming.

- Ducks in, baby. Yup. - Skin down?

What's the biggest jeopardy here in searing the duck breasts?

I mean, you know, crispy skin, the fat is rendered,

and the cook has to be medium-rare.

- That's the most important part of this. - Skin down.

- Both? - Yup.

Now get your buckwheat and lightly sprinkle that in to the pan.

Alongside that, salt and pepper,

and start toasting your buckwheat.

This one into the top left.

You can see Aivan directing Tina.

- Salt and pepper. Yup. - It's almost like Aivan's following Gordon

- and Tina's following Aivan's direction. - 100%.

- Now turn your duck breast over. Beautifully colored. - Mix the buckwheat up a little.

The super fan in me is so excited to be doing this challenge.

But we're up against some tough contenders who just whip around the kitchen.

- Next get your glaze into a pan, please. - Whoa, Tina.

- Come on, be careful. - Tina is an amazing cook,

but I'm a little bit worried that we might be a touch slower.

- Tina, go. - Hurry up. Let's go.

- Next get your pickling juice into a pan. - Picking juice.

- Bring that up to the boil, yes? - Yes, Chef.

- There you go - Watch the buckwheat.

Now once you got the color on the duck, turn it around fat side down,

- and in the oven it goes, yes? - Yes, Chef.

- Good. - Into the oven. Move it. Move it.

- One minute to go to the switch. - Go. Come on.

I'm trying to stay calm, but watching Gordon Ramsay move at his pace...

Next, we're gonna start the parsnip purée.

And then looking over at my aunt,

- I'm a little bit worried. - Come on. Just follow me.

- Okay. - Glaze into the little pan.

Too many pot, too many pan. Aivan screaming at me.

Tongs. Tongs over there. Over there. Tongs. Yep.

- This is chaos. - Hurry.

Right, parsnips. Chop off the bottom, chop off the top.

30 seconds to the switch, guys. 30 seconds.

Fat side down into the oven.

Into the oven. The duck into the oven.

- I got it. I got it. - Oh, my gosh.

- Gordon goes so fast. - Let's go guys. Hurry up. Listen to me.

- Come on, Tina. - Go. Top rack. Tina!

So an old woman like me has a tough time to catch up.

- Go. Go. Put 'em in. - Oh, my God.

Just put 'em in. Just put 'em in!

Just put 'em in, Tina!

- Hurry. - 30 seconds to the switch, guys. 30 seconds.

Fat side down into the oven. Into the oven.

The duck into the oven. Put 'em in. Just put 'em in.

Just put 'em in! Just put 'em in, Tina!

- Oh, my God. - Go, go, go, go, go.

- Go. Top rack. - Now start peeling your parsnip.

10 seconds till the switch! 10 seconds.

- 10 seconds, all right. - Trim the end.

Really important that we peel them, okay?

At the same time, I want to see you toss your buckwheat, guys.

- Multitask. Really important. - Yeah, keep an eye on that.

- Three, two, one. Switch! - Good job.

Let's go!

- Yup. Quick! Let's go! Buckwheat.

Once it's smoky and lightly brown,

- take it out into a bowl. - All right.

Jess, into a bowl. Buckwheat in a bowl. Buckwheat in a bowl.

- Oh, Jesse, I can't. - Hurry up!

He gives her orders like a quarterback in a football game.

- Hurry up. - Hello, anybody? Into a bowl.

- What? - Let's go!

Just toss it around. It's not smoky yet.

- I don't think it's there yet. - Okay, okay. Okay!

Right, listen up. Parsnip purée.

Once they're peeled, cut them in half.

- Go round the core. - Go round the core, Jess.

- Down. Hurry up. - I am.

The smaller we slice this,

the quicker the actual purée starts to cook.

- We behind. Come on, come on. - You might think the size of the cut is not important,

- but it's fundamental. - Absolutely.

- Small dice. - Like this?

- Yeah. Keep it up. Keep it up. - If you cut it too large,

- it's gonna take too long to cook. - It's gonna be lumpy.

- Smaller than that. - Smaller than what?

The parsnip needs to be smaller.

After that, little touch of oil into the pan

and start cooking that parsnip. Let's go!

- Parsnips in, guys. Yes? - Heard, Chef.

- Let's go, guys. - Get rid of the peels. Just trash it.

- Jessica, faster! - I'm trying.

Yeah, it looks like Jesse is having a hard time on the sidelines.

- He, like, wants to desperately jump in. - That's not good.

- Cut it out around the core. Around the core. - Around the core. I got it.

- Faster. - When you're doing teamwork, you really have to understand

how the other person responds to what you say.

- Come on, hurry up. Jess, all of it. - I'm trying. I'm trying.

Jesse might be counterproductive in yelling at her

- in this kind of way right now. - Salt. One turn of pepper.

Add them in there, and you're gonna be one turn of pepper.

I have a million things to do at once, and I'm trying to keep up with Gordon,

- and I'm trying to hear the next steps. - Lightly on the pepper

- because it's a nice bright white purée. - Jessica!

But then I can't hear Gordon over Jesse because he's giving me

instructions on top of Gordon's instructions.

I know that Jesse means the best,

and I know that his intentions

are coming from a place of passion right now,

but at this point, I'm wishing that the wall was back up between us.

You need the salt and you need the pepper. Faster!

After that, fresh milk. Just cover the parsnips.

- That's it, that's it, that's it. - Little more.

- No, there's enough on there. - Hurry the parsnip.

- It's got to go in the pan. - I'm getting really worked up

and frantic, and instead of yelling clear-cut directions,

which helped us in this entire competition,

I'm just screaming, "Faster, faster, faster, faster!"

- Faster. - And that's not helping.

This is not just a speed challenge. It's a precision challenge.

You have to watch every detail of what's going on

if you have any chance of duplicating the dish.

Put the rest of the parsnip in. All the parsnip. All of it.

This challenge is supposed to be keeping up with Gordon,

- not keeping up with Jesse. - Jessica, faster.

And my fear is if I can't hear him

and I can't keep up with Gordon,

- then we're going home. - All right, done.

- Get the pan. - Let's go, guys.

Right, next up, check your duck.

- Duck breast out. - Back out on the pan.

Beautiful. Look at that.

Turn that over. Get your glaze.

And this is where we start to glaze that duck.

- Duck. Duck breast out. - Put the glaze on top of the duck.

Put the glaze on. Come on. Glaze, glaze.

- And back in? - Glaze the duck and back in the pan.

- Now, fat side down. - Where's the glaze? Oh, my God.

And into the oven we go. Let's go!

Go. Go, go. You're doing good, mi amor.

You're right along with him. On the top, on the top.

Right, listen up, pickling juice on.

Parsnip purée on. Duck's in the oven.

- Buckwheat is nicely smoked, yes? - Yes, Chef.

Good, we're going to start now with a port wine sauce.

- Let's go. - Sauté pan, yes. Yeah, in the middle.

- Two shallots. - Two shallots.

- Two shallots. - Slice those shallots nice and thin.

- And this is the beginning of the sauce. - Two of them.

- Only two of them. - Baby, look it. He's julienning them.

- He's julienning them. - From there, into the pan.

- Start sweating off your shallots. - Faster, faster, yeah.

30 seconds to the next switch.

- Come on, let's go. - What am I doing?

Just keep doing that. Nice and thin. Slice.

- Come on, come on. Cut them small. - Okay.

Next up, three cloves of garlic, lightly crushed.

It's going to give some sweetness to that beautiful sauce.

- Put it in, put it in. - From there, cardamom pod,

coriander seeds, white peppercorns,

into the pestle and mortar. Let's go.

10 seconds to the next switch!

Now, crush your spices. You want that flavor out of there.

Coriander and white pepper, yeah, yeah.

And into the sauce we go. Beautiful.

All this in the pestle and mortar. All this in... this, this, this.

- Switch! - Stop, stop.

- Let's go, guys. - Move, move, move, move, move.

- Okay. - The parsnips need to stir.

- Okay. - Now that I've gone in and out,

there's a clear difference between watching and assisting

versus being in it and cooking.

You're way more frazzled when you're in it and cooking.

This is getting tougher.

- Oh, my God. - Slow down, slow down, slow down.

- It's okay. It's okay. - Right, all of you, ducks out.

- Ducks out, baby. - Duck out, duck out.

- Grab a towel. - Now, turn that over and glaze the duck.

- Heard, Chef. - Let's go.

- Glaze. - Where is the...

- Over there. - This is the most out of body,

survival mode, instinctual experience.

Let's go. Glaze the duck.

Fat side down, back in the oven.

Oh!

Be careful, babe. Careful.

- Zach just burnt himself. - On the pan?

- Yup. - Yup. They knew that was coming.

It's like I'm driving a Formula One car.

- You're good, you're good. - You're just trying not to crash.

Uh-oh.

What do I need? What do I need? What am I doing?

- Let's go, guys. - Yes, Chef.

Slow down, slow down, slow down. It's okay. It's okay.

This is crazy. Zach's smashing things.

We're going to need more milk.

But Gordon's not stopping for anyone.

Listen up! Ducks are roasting.

Purées on. Port wine sauce is moving.

- Yes? - Yes, Chef.

Careful.

Naturally, there's frustration

because everything's happening so fast.

- Flambé time. - Flambé time.

- Get your port wine. - Wine.

That's high. Shake it around.

The feelings of frustration are not with Zach,

they're more with Gordon.

Slow down! Please!

Now, in to the shallots.

Tilt the pan on flambé. Really important. Let's go!

That's gonna give sweetness and an amazing body to that beautiful sauce.

- Yeah, great job. - Yes, baby.

This is port wine and very high in alcohol,

so the flambé is not just for show.

You're burning all the alcohol and just rendering the port

- to be juicy, rich, sweet. - All of it. All of it.

- There you go. Watch out. - Ooh! Ooh!

If you don't burn off the alcohol, well, then you get a dish

that tastes like someone poured an after-dinner drink in your plate of duck.

- Very bad. - Let it burn off.

Next, take your daikon, okay?

One inch, three slices.

One inch. Just one inch. That one's fine. That one's fine.

And then from there, get your cutter and literally push through.

One minute to go till the next switch.

- Yes, Chef. - Now, mandolin.

Watch your fingers, please, and slice your daikon.

You want about eight, about half a centimeter thick.

- Use the guard. - I got it.

- Zach! - Careful, everybody. Careful, everybody.

- We only need eight. - Ten seconds till next switch.

- Careful of those fingers. - From there, into a bowl.

And your pickling juice goes over them. Half of your juice.

- Three, two, one! - Pickling juice. Half, just half.

- Switch! - Let's go!

Right, go back to the sauce now.

Cherry vinegar over the shallots.

- Cherry vinegar. - How much? Tablespoon. Let's go!

Tablespoon. Good, good, good!

After that, take your ducks out.

One more glaze, guys. Final time.

- And glaze your ducks. - Ducks out, and we're gonna glaze one more time.

Flip them and glaze. Right there.

Bring the glaze to you. Good job.

There's a big point on the variability on the cook on the duck.

And maybe you don't follow Gordon for a minute, and make sure it's cooked.

- You have to make sure. - Absolutely.

Now, I want the ducks out. Let them rest.

At this level, do you know what a perfect duck looks like?

- Well, you do, and I do. The question is, do they? - I know. I know.

As the cook goes on and more switches are happening,

there's more and more pressure and stress.

Tina, where's the brush?

- Oh, here. - Brush right there.

- Okay, okay, okay. I got it. - In there.

We want to go for that perfect medium rare.

However, we shouldn't just follow Gordon

just because he says take it out.

But with everything going on,

I'm forgetting the principles of cooking,

like checking the cook on the duck,

and that might be a costly mistake.

Next, get your purée off into the blender.

- Jessica! That's not fast enough. - I am going.

- And then purée your parsnip. - Yes, Chef.

- Everything? I think it's too much liquid. - Everything's going.

- Everything is going in. - Let's go, guys.

On with the blender. And we blend!

20 seconds. A fine purée.

Come on, come on, come on, Rach. Press start.

From there, stop, and leave it there.

Now, take a small pan and sieve your port wine sauce.

- Jess, the sieve. - Small sieve?

- No, big sieve, big sieve. - Let's go.

Yeah, push that, just to get all that juice out of there.

From there, take two knobs of butter.

- Grab two knobs of butter. - And finish the sauce with your butter.

Get the whisk. Get the whisk. Behind you.

You're doing a great job, mi amor.

Keep whisking, keep whisking.

Now, get your cherries, slice them nice and thin.

And we just go down. Slice.

- Two cherry. Get two cherry. - Let's go, guys!

10 seconds to the next switch.

Perfect. You got it. You're nailing it.

You need eight slices of cherries.

- Eight slice. - Just like you're cutting a side of an apple.

Around the pit. Down... no, no. Small pieces, babe.

- Switch! - Get out of the way. Get out of the way.

- Okay. You need two more. - No, one side and then the other. Two cheeks.

- Look at how I did it. - After that, get your pickling juice over the cherries.

- Heard? - Heard.

- Great. - Pickling juice over the cherries.

There's a bowl behind you. A bowl behind you.

Right, get your final pan on for your endives.

- Piping hot pan. Really important. - Hot pan.

- Open them up. - We need four yellow and four red, yes?

- Yes, Chef. - One apiece?

- One of each color. - Let's go, guys!

That's good. Let's go, let's go.

Salt over the endive. Pepper, yes?

- Yes, Chef. - Let's go!

- Not too much. - Okay, that's enough.

From there, powdered sugar.

Yeah, generous. That's good, that's good, that's good.

And then finally, the sour is a balsamic vinegar.

- Over the top. Let's go. - Just a little bit over top.

Just a drizzle, yeah. Over top. A little more.

Final switch, guys! Final switch, coming up.

Hey, keep it going. You're doing a great job.

Pan piping hot. Oil goes in and into the pan.

- 30 seconds, guys. Let's go! - Go, go. Put them in. Focus. Serious.

And then start rolling them around. Do not overcook these, guys.

This endive is tricky. Hot pan, caramelizing.

- Acidity. Yup. - It's sour, sweet.

- There you go. - Yup. Toss, yup.

And if that pan wasn't hot,

it didn't do what it needed to do.

If not, you're making a salad.

- We got this. - I don't see any fire really from Zach.

And then from there, out onto a tray and start the drain.

Now you want to put it on a baking rack with a lined sheet.

- Three, two, one! - There you go. Put it back on.

- Switch! - Put it down, put it down, put it down!

Right, here we go. This is it. Plating time.

A lot of pressure on the plating because

this is gonna be a complicated dish to plate.

- Oh, my God. - Let's go!

- Hurry. - Now, get your buckwheat

and generously sprinkle over the duck.

- Sprinkle the buckwheat over the duck. - Keep it up. Come on.

- Come on, come on. - Let's go, guys. Purée on.

Two nice spoons in the middle, yes?

- Yes, Chef. - Right in the middle.

All the relationships are being tested today.

Come on, come on. Get your purée.

Hurry up. Spoon, spoon. Two nice spoons.

But Rachel and I have been through so much in our lives.

Immigration, not knowing a language.

We've been through hurricanes, losing jobs.

Yet we're here. We're fighters.

We're resilient. We're strong.

After that, endive goes on.

Four yellow, four red, around the plate.

Hurry. Two nice spoons. Yep, there you go.

Right, mi amor. Yes. Keep going, keep going.

You're good, you're good, you're good.

Let's go! Move those fingers. Heard?

- Heard, Chef. - Yes, Chef.

- Come on, come on. - All the way around.

And we form this beautiful star.

Now, get your daikon and just shape a beautiful circle.

- What am I doing with the radish? - Don't worry about it now.

- Make a star. That's not a star. - What are you talking about?

- A star. - Just calm down. Oh, my God.

- Around what? - Around the top of the purée.

But it's chaotic in this kitchen.

And having the other duos yelling at each other

and too much information coming across,

- this is not helping. - After that, four slices

of cherry on top of the daikon.

Cherries around that. Cherries around that. Same thing, four.

After that, get your little flowers and start putting them on top of your duck.

- Let's go! - Four cherries on top of what?

Cherries look like they're in the middle to me.

- What? - Flowers on the daikon.

There's only three duos that are gonna be in the final.

If you don't nail every single component...

- Uh-oh. - Nope, get the flowers. Get the flowers.

- We can go home. - The duck. The duck. Right here.

Oh, my God. I think they're all behind.

Hurry up. Come on. Four. Come on. Four.

- What am I putting on the duck? - The flowers!

- How many? - - Just put the flowers on there!

- Oh, my God. - Let's go!

- More flowers. - Hold on.

Go, go, go, go, go.

- Right on top of the endive. - Four?

- Yes. - Let's go, guys!

Oh, my God. I think they're all behind.

- Oh, my God. - Hurry.

- Come on. Four. - What am I putting on the duck?

- The flowers! - More flowers.

- Hold on. - Go, go, go, go, go.

Now, lift your duck. Place on top of the cherries.

- Where do the cherries go? - On top of the daikon.

- Aivan's behind. - Duck needs to go on. Pick the best duck,

- put it on. - Where does the daikon go?

- Yes. Four! Four! - Where? In the middle?

- On top. Yeah. - Gordon's three steps ahead

- of Aivan at this point. - And then your port wine sauce.

Just gently drizzle that around. Two circles.

And remember, they only have 30 seconds after he's done.

There's very little time to finish off a dish that's this complicated.

Grab the port wine and go right around.

Grab the port wine and go around.

- Where's the port wine? - Port wine sauce around. Port.

- Oh, my God! - Get your glaze. Watch! Watch!

- Glaze goes on! - This is it. This is it.

Right in the middle. Right in the middle. In the middle.

- Jess, in the middle! - What do you mean? Right here?

- Yes, yes! - There we go!

Your 30 seconds starts now! Let's go!

- 30 seconds. Come on. - Okay. Come on.

- Get that drizzle on there. - Both of them. Let's go.

- 20 seconds to go. - You got 20 seconds, okay? Breathe.

- You're doing beautiful. - More, more, more. Here, set this down.

15 seconds to go! Come on, guys. Let's go!

- Glaze? - Yeah, just around.

Just around. Yeah, beautiful.

The flower. The flower right here!

Oh, my goodness, come on!

- Glaze. Where's the glaze going? - Around.

- Ten, nine, eight... - Port wine in the middle.

- Seven, six, five... - Come on, come on, come on!

- Wipe it off. - I'm trying.

- Two, one! - Wipe down the plate. Wipe down the plate.

- And stop! Well done. - Wow.

Fantastic, Rachel!

Amazing, mi amor. Amazing job.

Good job. Good job.

- That was hard. - I know.

- Good job. - Flower.

- Did you get flower in there? - I put it on the side, but I didn't pour the glaze.

It looks pretty. It just looks a little sloppy.

It's not Jess' fault. It's my fault.

I got frazzled and I yelled too much.

I don't know how to feel right now.

The fact that it's done, we got everything on the plate,

I'm proud of us for that.

But at this point in the competition,

there's no room for messy plates.

- Oh, my God. - I'm assuming that there's mistakes

- on every plate here tonight. - Too many flowers, man.

So it's just gonna be a matter of ranking those,

and I hope that we've made the least amount of mistakes.

What a performance. Give yourselves a round of applause.

- Seriously, well done. - Great job, everybody.

- I'm so impressed. - Good job, guys.

- Good job. - Good job, guys.

Well, Gordon's dish looks incredible,

- but we all knew that was a given, right? - Yeah.

The real question is how did everyone else's turn out?

Hmm. Okay, please come forward, Rachel and Julio.

Keeping up with Gordon, it was not easy at all,

but we're feeling confident that we have all of the elements.

However, I'm a little nervous about the cook on the duck.

Hopefully it's cooked perfectly,

and this doesn't keep us from going to the final.

Visually, it looks good. Beautiful color on the endive.

Purée looks nice and rich. Just don't drown it in sauces.

Just be very, very careful on that.

- Shall we? - Yes.

Also, we can't navigate our way around bunches of flowers.

Let's see the cook on the duck. It should be medium-rare.

Please be mid-rare.

So we're...

Who took the duck out of the oven?

I did.

Duck is glazed beautifully, seasoned beautifully.

- Sadly, overcooked. - Yeah.

Really nice sweet and sour

effect on the endive.

Flowers, what a shame,

because they're just sort of thrown on there.

I'd rather you didn't put any on there at all

than just dump them on there.

But you've nailed the purée.

- Good job. - Thank you, Chef.

One thing that I think is absolutely delicious on the plate

is the pickling of the cherries and the daikon.

You get a bite of that with the duck and the parsnips and everything together,

it is definitely a marriage.

You did a really good job in that aspect of it.

- Thank you, Chef. - The overcooking of the duck

is definitely a shot in the shin, you know?

But I think that this dish really captures the spirit

of Gordon's sweet, sour, and creamy to a T.

Had you trimmed your flowers and cooked the duck 30 seconds less,

you might have a three-star dish on your hands.

- Grazie, Joe. - Wow.

- Thank you, both. - Thank you.

- That gets it, right? That's the dish. - Yeah.

Yeah, everything's there, isn't it?

Right, please step forward, Tina and Aivan, thank you.

This is the first time in the competition that I've felt so unconfident.

I didn't pour the glaze at the end.

That would be a missing component.

But I am most worried about the cook on the duck.

And if we didn't nail the cook of the star of the dish,

we might be going home.

Purée looks a little bit wet, sauce a little heavy.

Did we get the port wine and the glaze on there

- or just the port wine? - Just the port wine.

So there's no glaze on there?

The glaze got too caramelized.

- Yeah. - Mm-hmm.

And then you're missing... the flowers have dropped off around the side.

I missed that the flowers were supposed to go on top.

Yeah. But you know it's all about the cook on the duck, right?

I've got a pit in my stomach.

And if we get sent home tonight, I would be so devastated.

We're so close. I want to be in that finale.

- I'm not ready to go home. - Yeah.

Right. Let's see how you did.

Right, let's go. Let's get in there.

Let's see how you did.

Just leaning towards medium. What a shame.

So the seasoning of the duck is delicious.

You've got a really nice color on there.

Sadly, it's just 90 seconds overcooked.

Purée, delicious. Just a little too watery.

Daikon's delicious. Nicely pickled.

Cherries, beautifully done. It's just a shame.

It's overcooked by 90 seconds.

The duck here, it is a little more than medium rare.

But I think there are so many other elements on the plate that are very nice.

I wish that I would have had a little bit of that glaze around as well

- to bring that sweetness back in. - Yes, Chef.

You can see there's not enough sauce.

So the proportion of the glaze, it's definitely missing that,

because it's already all dried up.

And the endives are not properly wilted.

After three bites, you can see that the plate

doesn't really have what it takes.

The proportions are off.

It's just missing balance.

- Thank you, Tina and Aivan. - Thank you.

- So because she wasn't right with you... - Wow.

- She missed some key elements. - Such a shame.

Please, Michelle and Zach, step forward, thank you.

I'm not feeling good about what we're presenting to them right now.

I feel that this dish was not what it needed to be

- at this level in the competition. - Thank you.

But there was no time to finesse what was in front of us.

It's just frustrating that you get one crack here,

and this is what we're bringing up.

So, visually, it looks a little bit clumsy.

I love the caramelization on the duck.

You've got that absolutely right.

But everything's in excessive abundance.

Way too much garnish, okay?

So you sort of shot yourselves in the foot a little bit there.

Shall we?

So we're more towards medium there than medium rare.

You've got too much of everything on here.

We're cutting in, and then it sort of implodes

into a bit of a mess. These are very hard.

I'd rather you just left them off.

- Yeah. - Duck, beautifully caramelized.

Seasoning on the duck, spot on.

You get down to the purée, and the purée needs lifting.

It needs more seasoning. It's a bit of a dull note.

- Yeah. - Yeah, you know because of the amount of endives here,

there's eleven of them versus the eight,

and it reads more sweet.

Having too much sauce on the plate

also read a little sweet.

What you did right

was the seasoning of the duck.

Love the glaze.

I love the stickiness

that you kind of get there.

It's just slightly out of balance.

Thank you, Chef.

So this really lacks on so many levels,

not just the aesthetic, even on the seasoning

and balance of the dish.

This seems like something that would be served

- at more of a family-style, easy-going restaurant. - Thanks, Joe.

- Damn. - Wow.

Thank you, Zach and Michelle.

- Everything feels so sweet. - You could eat that with two or three people.

- It's just too much. - Yeah.

Seems like not precise enough.

- Sorry. - It's my fault.

Jesse and Jessica, please bring your plate.

I'm feeling full of self-doubt right now

because this has been the most overwhelming challenge

throughout this entire competition.

And I'm afraid that that stress is gonna show on the plate.

I am most nervous about the plating of the dish itself

because this is not Michelin quality.

- So, visually, duck looks good. - Beautifully caramelized.

A little bit too heavy-handed on the purée.

And it could have just been done with a bit more finesse at the end.

Let's get in there.

Pink. 30 seconds over.

- What was in the purée? There seems to be... - Surprise ingredient.

- What's in there? - What is the spice?

I think it's maybe a heavy crack of pepper on there.

- Wow. - Wow.

- What is the spice? - A heavy crack of pepper on there.

- Wow. - Wow.

One tiny twist of pepper.

That's such a shame, because it's super strong.

- However, duck is beautiful. - Okay.

Really beautiful. The glaze is exceptional.

The buckwheat is tempered nicely, toasted beautifully.

- Purée is very peppery. - Whew.

Too peppery. Needs a little less sauce, a little less purée.

So it's just the finishing touches with the finesse.

It's strange because oftentimes you don't really

have black pepper that overtakes the dish quite like that.

In fact, it's competing with the parsnip,

and it's hard to even taste all the flavors that you have.

But overall, I really like the endive.

Really nicely cooked. I like the acidity I get.

- It's really coming through with the sweet and the sour. - Thank you, Chef.

Everything on this dish is very good to excellent.

And it eats well.

But the black pepper in the purée

totally changes the dynamic of the dish.

It takes it from a dish that's so elegant and so refined

to a dish that's a little bit more ruffian,

- which is very unfortunate. - Yeah.

- Thank you both. - Thank you.

It's just way too hot.

Yeah, that's coarse pepper is what's doing it.

- Yeah. - Good job.

It's down to the finest detail at this point,

and a rogue peppercorn could send us home.

I think I put the pepper in there.

Doesn't matter who did it.

We haven't been in the bottom yet in the competition,

and we're praying to God that this isn't the moment where we are.

All of you, well done. This is a very tight race.

And on that performance, you've just made it even more difficult for the three of us.

So right now, we need a very, very serious moment.

Please excuse us. Thank you.

Tough challenge, right? Semifinal night.

We've got four dynamic duos out there.

We only have room for three duos in the finale.

Tina and Aivan.

You can tell that they were definitely rushed at the end.

- Yeah. Jesse and Jessica. - Good dish.

It was a good dish. It was a very good dish.

I couldn't get past that purée though.

What was that? Zach and Michelle.

It didn't have the elegance and precision.

You're talking about a three-star Michelin restaurant.

You would never put a dish that looks like that.

No. Rachel and Julio.

- Oh! - Very elegant representation.

- Duck slightly overcooked. - Yeah.

- All agreed? Yeah? - Yes. I agree.

Here we go.

First of all, all four of you, well done.

This is by far the toughest challenge for professional chefs,

let alone amateur talented duos.

Now, after discussing everyone's dishes at length,

there was one duo that Joe, Tiff, and myself felt they stood out.

That duo lands themselves into the finale.

Congratulations goes to...

- Rachel and Julio. - Yeah!

- I love you so much! - We did it!

- You two, congratulations. - Thank you, Chef.

- Head on up to the balcony. - Congratulations.

Making it to the finals just means

that all of the sacrifices that we've been through have been worth it.

- Oh, my... - I love you so much.

- I love you. - Boy, has it been a ride.

Boy, has it been a ride, and we're here in the final now.

We're here in the finale of "MasterChef."

- And we're gonna win it. - Congratulations, Rachel and Julio.

Thank you, Chef.

Now, next duo entering into the finale,

congratulations goes to...

- Jessica and Jesse. - Oh, my God!

This is such an amazing feeling right now.

We didn't get an apron to start.

We had to claw our way back into this competition.

Head on up to the balcony.

- Good luck. Good luck, okay? - Come on.

Cook after cook, we had to prove ourselves to everyone, to the judges.

And now we have a chance to absolutely change our lives.

Which leaves Aivan and Tina, Michelle and Zach.

After studying both of your performances,

we agree the final duo heading into the finale is...

- Tina and Aivan. - Good job, guys.

Good job, guys.

- Don't be sorry. - Wow.

Tina, first time I've seen so much emotion in you.

- How are you feeling? - I feel so good.

Congratulations to both you. Head on up to the balcony.

Thank you. I love you guys.

Damn, what a bittersweet moment.

We did it.

Oh, Zach, Michelle, sadly, duck slightly overcooked.

And then on top of that, the finesse of this dish was as important as the cooking,

and sadly, it missed the mark.

But honestly, we've fallen in love with both of you.

You work in tandem like a beautiful couple.

You have each other's back. How's this journey been for you?

This has been, you know, the experience of a lifetime.

It's been great. We've been watching so long.

We never really thought we'd be here.

We're gonna have a lot of proud people back home,

and we're proud of ourselves, and thank you for what you said.

I'm glad that you see what we know about each other,

and so glad that that came through.

Come and say goodbye. Come on.

- Let's go. - It's so emotional.

I'm just so proud of what we've done.

- You guys are amazing. We love you so much. - You're awesome.

We came in as home cooks.

- That chicken is delicious. - Oh!

Everything about this dish is kind of perfect.

Thank you so much.

It's made us realize, I think, our dreams

and what we're capable of.

It's perfection. Great job. - Oh, my gosh.

Love the zest and the lemon. Love that. Beautifully done.

This dish could be served in the best Italian restaurant in Minneapolis.

We'll take it.

At the end of the day, we get to go home to our life that we love and our son.

And I think he's gonna see what mom and dad can do,

and hopefully that will inspire him someday to do the hard things, too.

- Love you guys! - You're awesome!

- Love you guys! - And that's a prize in and of itself.

Amazing!

Oh, Lord.

Rachel and Julio, Jesse and Jessica,

Tina and Aivan, we have our finalists.

Now, only one duo will become America's next MasterChefs.

Who will take home the title, the trophy,

and the life-changing quarter of a million dollars?

Can't wait to see you back here

for the most important meal of your lives.

- Well done, guys. - Whoo!

Amazing!

Whoo!

With came this far, and we're going all the way

to get that trophy home, yeah?

Next time, it's the Dynamic Duos" road to the finale.

- Where's Gordon? - We're celebrating the unforgettable moments

on the road that brought us here.

Please welcome Tiffany Derry!

We needed a female baddie up in here.

Taking a closer look at our amazing finalists.

Jesse and I have been partners for eight years.

We challenge each other. Keep it spicy.

- We keep it interesting. - Yeah.

My aunt is always trying to flirt with Gordon.

Oh, I love him.

We've been married for two years.

What bonded us together was food.

We conquered each other's belly before we conquered each other's hearts.

Plus, we're peeling back the curtain on unseen footage.

So you know what we're talking about, a reverse sear.

Are you telling me what a reverse sear is? Excuse me?

- And hilarious outtakes. - What happened there?

I tried to keep up with you, Gordon.

I hope later you can keep up with me.

Tina, my mum's watching.