Original subtitles

- Previously on "MasterChef"... - Welcome, everybody.

This is the "MasterChef: Dynamic Duos" grand finale!

The top three duos began the epic battle for the title of MasterChef.

Tonight you need to make us an outstanding three course meal.

- First up appetizers. - Come on, baby.

- Don't overcook them, okay? - Julio, Rachel.

Hurry up. Get those in. Come on, let's go!

- Let's go, mi amor. - Start plating.

Go, go, go, go, go. Brussels. Get 'em on.

We've made a saffron empanada.

It's a street food phenomenon and you've elevated it into the premier league tonight.

- Thank you, Chef. - Visually, it looks beautiful.

The shrimp were delicious. The whole thing really kind of presented like

- a real restaurant dish. - Thank you, Joe.

Jesse, Jessica, it's delicious. The combinations are exquisite.

You've come out the gate strong. Well done, both of you.

- Thank you, Chef. - Next up, the entrée.

- You need some salt in the water? - Mm-hmm.

They're taking a big risk in the finale cooking lobster.

30 seconds over, there is no going back.

How come our fish has scales on it? Did you see that?

At this point, they need to start cooking the salmon.

Jesse and Jessica are making braised beef short ribs.

The big jeopardy there, when they turn that pressure cooker off,

they need to be melting in your mouth.

Is it not gonna cook?

Tonight, the grand finale continues as the three finalists

conclude the entrée and dessert rounds.

Come on, Aivan. Get that fish in.

Make sure they're really nice and closed.

Let me concentrate here, yeah?

I really hope when they hit the water,

those tortellini don't explode.

Jesse and Jessica about to open that pressure cooker.

Nothing else matters if the short ribs are not tender.

- Knife, please. - How's that knife going through?

- Smooth? - Mm.

- It's time for your final course. - Go, go, go!

There's no precedent to a dessert like this that I've ever seen.

That usually takes me two to three days at home.

- So there's a lot of risk here. - It is a lot of risk, Chef.

- Aivan's got liquid nitrogen. - This is a very unconventional technique.

We like to push our limits and this is the finale.

It looks stunning. You're cooking like pros.

I'm kind of nervous for everybody else right now. This is delicious.

Only one duo will win the title

as America's first MasterChefs.

Congratulations goes to...

- Come on, Aivan. Get that fish in. - I will.

She's got a lot of fish to cook.

Okay, I got the scales off.

Come on, come on. Come on, come on.

- Get moving. - Okay.

Get that skin crispy, baby.

Salmon's going in the pan for Tina and Aivan.

- Yeah. - Just over 12 minutes remaining.

Start closing them. Make sure that really nice and closed.

- Let me concentrate here, yeah? - Sure. Yeah, go ahead.

My big worry right now is Julio and Rachel. Their tortellinis aren't done.

They need to sort of rest a little bit before they go into that water.

I really hope those tortellini, when they hit the water, don't explode.

- Yeah. - I cut some extra just in case if something happens.

Let's go with the bigger ones first.

- The lobster looks beautiful. - Okay, I'm going into the oven.

- Okay. - Where's my timer?

The timer's right here, baby. Right here. Okay.

- Gnocchis look beautiful, Jess. - Thank you!

- Get them off, get them off, get them off, get them off. - Off? What?

Yeah, right? They're finishing. Just let them finish off the heat.

- Okay, okay, okay. - Yeah, you're good. You're good. You're good.

Hold on. Let me check the bottom. Okay, they look beautiful.

We've got five minutes remaining.

- Come on! - Here we go!

They're about to open that pressure cooker.

This is it. It all comes down to this.

That protein inside could be worth a quarter million dollars.

So you have a lot of great things all over their bench, right?

The carrots, the gnocchi, the mushrooms, the sauce.

Nothing else matters if the short ribs are not tender.

- They look good. - Knife, please. I got it. I got it.

- You all right? - Under five. Yep. Yep.

- How's that knife going through? - How we looking?

- They're all right. They're all right. - Smooth? Soft?

We've got three minutes to go! Start to plate!

When I put the rice on, I need you to pour the yellow sauce on.

- Okay. - Jess, starting plating.

- Time to go? - Go! Yes! What do you mean?

Man, Jesse and Jessica have left it for the very last minute.

They gotta move. There's so much going on.

You worry about the gnocchi. I'll do the veg.

Get it on the plate!

Make sure that sauce goes all the way around, okay?

Yeah, yeah. Yes, yeah.

- Okay, go behind me. - Going around you.

Final minute, guys! One minute to go. Come on!

We got one minute. We got one minute.

- Whoa, my God. - Help me with the flowers.

Ten, nine, eight, seven...

- Come on. Clean it! - I'm cleaning it. I'm cleaning it.

- Three, two, one! - Stop!

Come on, guys!

Whew. Again to the last minute.

That's the only way we can do it,

and we have a pretty good-looking plate in front of us.

Our biggest concerns is how tender is a short rib?

This is a three to four-hour braise on a Sunday

in New England, and we didn't have that time today,

so we'll see how tender they are.

We're happy, but we're nervous. It's the finale.

I am nervous, but I'm super happy

that I represented my culture and my family that is here.

It's me in this plate and I'm so happy about it.

Let's go, guys. Whoo!

All right, Tina and Aivan, please come forward.

I feel like our dish is packed full of flavor,

but the salmon is the hero of our dish.

So if the cook is not right, that's gonna put us in trouble.

So we made co'm ca sa ot, which is a crispy skin salmon

with lemongrass chili sauce, a garlic rice, and bok choy.

Visually, ladies, it looks beautiful.

The contrast is exceptional.

And you guys plate beautifully,

and yet again tonight, it looks stunning. Great job.

- Thank you. Chef. Thank you. - Whoo!

All right, what can I expect when I cut open this salmon?

- We're going for a medium rare. - Okay.

A little medium here.

Mine's perfectly medium rare.

Mine's nice and mid-rare.

Yeah, yours is good.

Very pink.

This is a beautiful medley of flavors.

The sauce that you made, that you did

from your grandmother and your mother

has this incredible flavor.

It is smooth, it is luscious,

- and you definitely taste Vietnam in this dish. - Thank you, Chef.

Ladies, the salmon is cooked to absolute utter perfection.

It's crispy on top, it's pink in the middle, and it's beautiful.

But be very careful about pressing that rice down.

When you compress it, it overcooks, its steams,

and then it loses its fluffiness, which is such a shame.

But, God, on a night like tonight,

I think the only one thing that's missing for me

is that grandma can't taste how good you've become.

- Aww. - It's exceptional,

and I think it's your strongest dish so far.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you. Thank you.

Look, you took a big risk taking a Vietnamese tradition

and your story and evolving it so fearlessly.

But you've succeeded in evolving your tradition into a world-class dish

- Good job. - Thank you, Joe.

- Thank you. - Thank you. Thank you, ladies.

- The cook on the salmon here is just... yeah. - I know!

It just was perfect. What a shame yours is not.

- Right, next up, Jesse and Jessica. - Whoo!

Cooking short ribs in 60 minutes is a ballsy move.

But that's why we're in the finale, because we're not afraid to push the limits.

We prepared for you a braised beef short rib

with the cacio e pepe gnocchi, baby carrots and baby fennel,

sautéed mushrooms, a parmesan frico, and veal demi-glace.

Wow. Visually, it looks beautiful. It looks unctuous.

It looks autumnal. For me it's all about that short rib.

We'll know when we cut into that thing

because it's got to be soft, more-ish.

- Shall we? - Let's do it.

So this should be... slice like butter, right?

It's a bold move tonight. It's gonna come down to this.

Jesse and Jessica, for me it's all about that short rib.

I just hope it's cooked perfectly.

And it's slicing through like butter. Beautiful.

Beautiful!

- Flavor-wise, it's delicious. - Thank you.

Mine is soft, unctuous, and everything you want.

You were under pressure tonight.

Very few professional chefs

can get short ribs cooked in six hours,

let alone in tonight's finale in 60 minutes.

- Great job. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

The gnocchi is delicious.

It's still light, but yet there's still that caramelization on the outside.

It's my favorite thing on the plate.

But my short rib is not as tender as Gordon's.

Unfortunately, there is a layer here from where the bone meets

that needed about ten more minutes of cooking.

So it's just a little difficult

to get through and it feels very chewy.

Look this dish has a lot of things going on.

So many variables, so many techniques,

and it showed during the cook.

You guys were really running frantically.

It's really all done very, very well.

Even the frico is perfectly done, which is not easy to do.

This is a nice, salty, crisp surprise.

The carrots are cooked perfectly.

- Good job. - Thank you, Joe.

Well done. Thank you, Jesse, Jessica.

- Oh, I see it. I mean, yeah, that's tender. - That's soft.

- Mine's completely different to yours. Wow. - I know.

- What a shame. Yours is soft and tender, Joe? - Absolutely.

- It's all right. It is what it is. - Hmm? Mm.

Okay, Rachel and Julio.

I'm really worried because there is a lot of things of jeopardy here in the dish.

The cook on the lobster, the cook on those tortellinis,

and the sauce and everything has to be spot-on.

We have cooked for you today

a squid ink tortellini filled with lobster mascarpone,

lobster medallion, moqueca sauce, and cilantro oil.

So the plating is beautiful. I'm looking at these tortellini

and there's a lot of intricacy in the handwork and the detail.

Lobster looks succulent and delicate.

We're really kind of dealing in true fusion.

And putting it all in one plate,

all those different nationalities,

that's a very complex thing to do.

So can't wait to try it.

Shall we?

- What do you have inside? - Yeah, it's mascarpone.

You got parsley, dill, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

The cook on the lobster is really quite good.

It's soft. It's delicate. It's seasoned.

A very kind of spicy and persistent heat. The pasta itself, great.

I love the use of squid ink. The details of the tortellini are excellent. Good job.

- Grazie mille, Joe. - Yes, guys!

I think the lobster cookery for me is right spot-on.

The moqueca is very good.

The tortellini, to me, I want a little bit of creaminess, right?

Because of the chunkiness that you're getting,

- I want just, like, something a little more... - Ricotta.

- Mm-hmm. - Creamy on the plate.

But, I mean, this is a very good fusion plate.

- Very nice. - Thank you, Chef.

This tortellini is put together with such precision.

The cook on the lobster, incredible.

Moqueca sauce, fast-track version in 60 minutes?

Unheard of, but you've done it.

There's so much love on this plate.

Well done, both of you. Thank you.

- Thank you. - Yeah! Come on! Come on!

- Thank you, guys. - Wow, you three dynamic duos,

you certainly haven't made it easy for us tonight, let me tell you.

Clear down your stations and get ready for your final course tonight.

Stay strong! Stay strong!

Wow, what an entrée.

Let's recap after those first two courses.

Tina and Aivan, they started tonight with the prawn salad

with crispy leeks and vegetables.

- Good cook on the shrimp. - Good.

The shrimp were delicious. The plating was beautiful.

But it was very simple.

And their entrée, they had that crispy salmon

with the chili and lemongrass sauce.

Delicious. I think that was their best course of the night.

- The sauce was incredible. - The sauce and the salmon was just delicious.

Honestly, I think that that entrée was a step up from that appetizer,

and I think it's keeping them in the race right now.

So, Rachel and Julio, their appetizer was that elevated empanada

that we'd never seen before with that saffron-infused dough.

- Very good. - For me, the only downside was the lack of filling.

- Yeah. - And then they had that lobster beautifully cooked in butter

- and the tortellini. - Just wanted something creamy or something else.

But I have to give them credit for the beautiful cook on that lobster.

As for Jesse and Jessica, the appetizer was that delicious seared scallop...

- Oh. Oh, yeah. - And that pork belly.

It was excellent. Perfectly cooked.

Yeah, and then on to the short rib for that entrée.

Everything was braised, roasted.

- Big risk doing low and slow in a one-hour cook. - Yeah. My God.

- A huge risk. - But when I could not chew my short rib

because of the collagen, it took the dish down.

Now that I'm looking at going into this dessert,

I don't know, It's looking like an even playing field.

Yeah. Right, you three dynamic duos,

please make your way around to the front, thank you.

Coming out of the entrée round, it's a little disappointing.

I wish that the short ribs were more tender.

We feel like we're down and now we have to claw our way back in.

So we're gonna go into this dessert round

with the same attitude that we came in with.

It's the finale, everything needs to be perfect.

- It's a lot of pressure. - True.

We're ready to battle.

Right. It's time for your final course,

the dessert course.

Okay, you'll have one hour

to make those delectable, divine desserts.

- Yes. - Tell us what you're making, Aivan and Tina.

So we're making a mango mousse with an almond crumble,

sesame tuile, and a yuzu sorbet.

Sounds good. All right, Julio, Rachel?

It's going to be a piña colada layer cake with vanilla chantilly.

We met at a restaurant. He hired me as a bartender.

So we're taking that iconic drink

and transforming them into a beautiful dessert.

Wow. All right, Jesse and Jessica.

This dessert is an homage to our family

sitting around the fireside in the summer.

So we were making a play on a s'more.

We're gonna do a dark chocolate ganache tart

topped with a whipped marshmallow meringue

and a crème fraîche ice cream.

Wow, three outstanding sounding desserts!

- Are you ready? - Yes, Chef.

Your 60 minutes starts now!

Let's go, guys!

What do we need? Looks grab... let's grab the rum.

- Here's our lime leaves. - Lime leaves.

After the entrée round, we've gained some momentum.

But going into the dessert round is a little bit nerve-wracking

because desserts aren't our strong suit.

But we're fighters.

So we're gonna have to fight if we want to win tonight.

All right, guys. Here we go.

Sugar, water, yuzu.

- I'm on crust duty, okay? - Yep.

Here we go, desserts,

the make or break of a great dinner.

Everything they've done from the appetizers to the entrée...

- Sure. - Has come down to this last moment.

- Absolutely. - So this is the time to shine.

Okay, what are you working on?

I'm working on the purées.

So, Rachel and Julio, they're taking a sort of

modern interpretation of piña colada cocktail

and evolving that into a dessert.

Transforming a concept into a dessert is a tall order.

- Yeah. - There's no precedent to a dessert like this

- that I've ever seen. - It's a lot to risk for the end.

Oven's at 350?

- Oven's at 350, Jess. - Perfect.

Jesse and Jessica, they're doing a take on a s'more.

- There you go. - Love that idea.

But that graham cracker base,

it needs enough butter in there for it to set,

otherwise you slice into it and it's gonna spread.

It also has to be crunchy and toasted. It can't be raw.

- Right. - Then there's the texture of the chocolate mousse.

And that needs to be nice and firm

before we start piping the Swiss meringue on there.

- Tart shell going in, heard? - Heard.

Clear up your spot. Almond crumble next.

So, Tina and Aivan, they're doing a mango mousse cake.

I have to be honest, though.

Mango is a very tough mousse to get right.

Sometimes it's sweet, sour,

a little bit tart.

But I think the issue for them tonight

is getting it set in time to finish it.

So that's gonna be the make or break.

15 minutes gone, 45 minutes remaining.

- There you go, Julio. - Ready for the sorbet machine?

- Yes. - Be careful.

- How's your mousse come out? - Almost there, Tina.

Taste this.

- Delicious. - Cold behind.

- All right. Want to see what you do with this. - Aivan's got liquid nitrogen.

- She's got her mango mousse inside those molds. - Ah, okay.

And that will fast track the setting of that. Very clever.

This is a very unconventional technique she's using here.

Looking good, looking good. That's my baby.

Now, here's the double-edged sword on this one.

- It can overset though, so early on. - Mm-hmm.

The other thing is that if it gets too cold,

- that whole thing can crack. - Crystallize.

- And you don't want that at all. - Behind.

- Cold behind. Cold behind. - Let's go!

All right, 35 minutes left!

- Tina, Aivan, how we doing? - We're doing good.

- We're doing great, Chef. - All right, so where are we in the process right now?

I'm working on a mango compote.

I've got the mousse in the blast chiller to set

so that I can pop it out and put a mirror glaze on top.

- Has the glaze been made yet? - I'm starting that now.

Tina's working on our sesame tuiles.

This is the moment that y'all have been waiting for.

- Yes. - Make sure every part of everything is perfect.

Ah, Tina, stop it!

- All right, good luck, y'all. - Thank you!

- We love you! - Good, good, good, good, good.

Yeah.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are halfway.

30 minutes remaining before we crown

- our dynamic duo MasterChefs. - Whoo!

- Okay, how are we doing? We good? - Doing good, Chef.

- So this is a piña colada inspired dessert, yes? - Yes, Chef.

Talk to me about the layers. Where are we going?

- Nice. - You're gonna have a pineapple and cherry jelly,

coconut mousse, mirror glaze.

I love that. Now, this sounds like a dessert I've never seen before.

But it's a new invention, right? So we're breaking ground here.

This is a dessert that usually takes me

two to three days at home because, you know,

- all of the layers, they need to set on time. - Yeah. Yes.

So the liquid nitrogen is gonna help us speed up

that process to make sure that all of the layers are nice and set.

- Smart. - So when you cut through them, you're gonna see them all.

- How are we gonna finish this, Julio? - After we de-mold it,

- we're gonna put the mirror glaze on top. - It's got to be ice cold.

Otherwise, that mirror glaze is not gonna work.

- Yes, Chef. - Wow, so there's a lot of risk here.

- It is a lot of risk, Chef. - Please be careful with that liquid nitrogen, yes?

- Good luck. Wow. - Thank you.

- How you feeling, Jesse? - Feeling solid.

This crème anglaise is getting there.

- What do you think? - Yes.

- Gorgeous, right? - Yes, yes, yes.

- Does it burn? - Hey, more rum.

Let the alcohol burn.

Okay, once the crumble is mixed, yep, put it in a bowl.

- Put it behind us. - I gonna tell my mama that you make me work so hard.

- Hey, guys. All right, what's happening? - Hi, Joe!

Jesse, I see you're in a much calmer state

than usual when you're cooking savory.

I like desserts. I like the precision of them.

I love the science behind them.

Now what's happening here? Is this your meringue?

This is our meringue that's gonna be

the toasted marshmallow to our s'more.

- What's cooking here? - This is gonna be the crème anglaise

for our crème fraîche ice cream.

So you're still boiling the crème fraîche? You only have a half hour left.

When are you gonna make the ice cream?

I'm gonna use the liquid nitrogen.

- You ever done that before? - I've never done it before,

- so we're gonna... - Are you sure this is

a good first time to try liquid nitrogen?

We like to push our limits, and this is the finale.

All right, guys. Good luck.

- Thank you, Joe. - You got it.

Woohoo!

- I'm gonna get the cake. - You get the Jell-O?

- Yep, I have gelatin here. - Just letting it bloom.

Tina and Aivan are working on their mango mousse cake.

Big one. Okay.

They've cooked everything,

and it needs to be glazed as well.

But they need everything to be ice cold

in order for that glaze to work.

- Just be careful. - Yeah, be careful. You, too.

Julio and Rachel, they're gonna actually use

the liquid nitrogen to set each individual layer.

And then once that's set, they're gonna finish it with the glaze.

- That's incredibly complicated and difficult. - Oh, my God.

I've never seen a dessert like this.

So, ready for you to go on the next layer.

The chantilly, that's the cherry.

It goes on top of the sponge.

Man, this dessert they're doing is very complicated,

- isn't it? - Yes.

Come on!

- Breathe. - Okay. Okay.

Breathe. Exactly.

- Holding over? - Yeah.

- Okay. - This is easier for me.

Oh, it's gonna be easier to pull it out, yeah.

Oh.

- Uh-oh. - Oh, jeez.

- Oh, gosh. - If it's not coming out,

pull it out with a spatula.

We can do that, mi amor.

- The pineapple layer is overset. - Yep.

Oh, my God. Oh, my goodness. That's terrible.

- Dear, oh, dear. - Oh, she's making a mess of it.

Goodness, me. Disaster for Julio and Rachel.

If it's not coming out, pull it out with a spatula. We can do that, mi amor.

- It's overset. - Yep.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Oh, gosh.

Come on.

- Nice. - Wow, look at that.

- Beautiful, Rach. - Rachel finally got the pineapple layer out.

- Beautiful. - Bravo, Rachel.

You need to go somewhere else because I'm doing liquid nitrogen.

Jesse's gonna add liquid nitrogen there

and form that crème fraîche ice cream.

Too fast, and you'll break that crème fraîche.

It needs to be nice and slow on a low mixer.

Ooh.

Yeah, baby.

We are down to our final 10 minutes to go!

10 minutes! Let's go!

- Oh, my gosh. - 10 minutes for $250,000.

No pressure, Adam. No pressure.

Try it. Come here and try it.

- Yep, yep. - That's great.

- I'm gonna smooth it out real quick. - Good job, Rachel.

Rachel and Julio are cooling every layer with the liquid nitrogen.

Okay, put the rest in there and put it in the blast chiller.

- Oh, looks beautiful, Aivan. - Thank you!

All right, I need you over here.

Jesse is working on getting that tart out.

Ooh, the tart looks beautiful.

Can you hold off for a second? This is pivotal.

- Nope. I can't. I can't. - Oh, gosh.

Jesse, put a tray over it and then flip it.

Oh, my gosh, it's gonna break. Don't...

- Don't, don't, don't, don't. - Perfect.

There you go! Looks good, Jesse!

There's a lot going on there with Tina and Aivan.

They're about to start pouring that mirror glaze over the mango mousse,

which is gonna give it a sheen like no other.

It's like a coat of varnish.

- Ooh, it looks good. - Oh, my God.

It looks good. It looks good!

- It looks good! - It looks good!

- Beautiful, Aivan! Beautiful! - Thank you.

And it looks like Rachel and Julio's cakes are out of the blast chiller.

- Nice. - Here we go.

Whew. Come on, come on.

He's using the blowtorch to release the molds.

- Oh. - Oh, my God.

- Oh! - Look at that.

Pretty.

We've got five minutes to go.

- Five minutes. - Do the gold leaf. Do the gold leaf, Jess.

I'm doing the gold leaf. I need you to take a breath!

- Yes, yes, yes. - Slowly. Beautiful.

Look at that with Rachel and Julio. Look what they're doing.

This mirror glaze is gonna coat those molds.

I'm just worried about Julio and Rachel. It's getting a little sloppy.

- Mm, dear. - Oh, shoot.

It's so sticky. It's not gonna pour.

Last three minutes to go!

Let's go! Start plating!

- Is the coulis going on? - Put it...

- if you can get it, do it. - Go faster.

Faster, faster, faster, faster.

- Crumb all the way around, okay? - Okay.

- Hurry, Julio. - I'm good. I got it.

Where's an offset spatula?

I need an offset spatula!

- Not so messy. A little less. - Okay, I got...

- There we go. - Final minute, guys.

- One minute to go. Come on. - Hold up. I need to reach over you real quick.

Vamos, Julio! Vamos, Rachel!

- Your sleeve! - Okay, okay.

- You scratch all of it. - Right here? Right here?

- Right here? - Yeah, beautiful. Just do it!

Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

- Be careful. I'm hurrying. - Julio, hurry. Hurry there.

- I'm hurrying. - Sorbet!

- You have the sorbet? - Yeah, yes.

- Do you have the sorbet? - Gentle, remember.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

- Ten, nine, eight... - Tighten this one up, too.

- Seven, six, five, four... - One more here. One here.

- Three, two... - One more on this one.

- One. - Stop!

Oh! We did it.

Beautiful! Beautiful, people!

You know, I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of my aunt.

I'm proud of what we were able to do here in the MasterChef kitchen.

I wish that I can take that trophy home and tell Mom, "Look what I did.

- Yeah. - I cooked my ass out with your recipe.

We cooked with passion, with love,

and we hope that the judges can see it.

All we want is to take that trophy home

to make this all even more worthy.

It's just been a long... it's been a long journey.

It's been a long journey.

We came in here with so much...

we came in here with so much pressure on ourselves.

We didn't get the apron at first. We came back.

And I couldn't be more proud of this beautiful woman next to me,

and she's the reason why we're here this far.

Okay, please come forward, Tina and Aivan.

Every time we go into a tasting, I feel nervous,

but I'm kind of relieved that it's over.

You know, we've done everything that we can do.

I hope that they can taste the complexities

that we put on the plate.

It looked like a million dollar dessert.

We made a mango mousse with an almond crumb,

a sesame ginger tuile, and a yuzu sorbet.

Visually, it looks beautiful. It is a show-stopper.

But it all depends on the texture.

Too much gelatin, too firm.

And if it's not set enough, then it becomes too liquid,

it spoils the contrast of that mousse.

- Yes. - Shall we?

Yes. Can't wait to taste it.

- Wow. It's perfect. - It looks stunning.

When I tell you that this is my kind of dessert,

you are hitting all of the marks,

- from the crumb... - Thank you, Chef.

The mousse.

The yuzu sorbet, it's tart.

I don't... like, man!

You are setting the bar so high,

and I'm kind of nervous for everybody else

that's coming after you right now.

- This is delicious. Wow. - Thank you, Chef.

I agree. The mango mousse is rich.

It has a great consistency.

Contrast to the crust underneath,

a nice crumble, a nice crunch.

It's a very, very professionally constructed dessert.

- Thank you, Joe. - Thank you.

Ladies, it does taste as good as it looks.

The texture on that mousse is exceptional.

The glaze is the majestic part of this dish.

Yuzu sorbet, really nice refreshing kick,

and it sort of brings down the richness.

Tonight, you're cooking like pros. Well done.

- Thanks, Chef. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

Thank you.

This is the type of dessert you want to see in a finale.

Absolutely.

Next up, Rachel and Julio, please bring your dessert.

We've taken huge risks with this dessert.

When the judges cut open all of the layers,

they need to be visually perfect.

Otherwise, our dream is just gonna crumble.

Chef, this dessert is a piña colada layer cake

with vanilla chantilly,

caramelized pineapple, and a cherry coulis.

I just... I just need to understand this again.

So it's not a pineapple upside-down cake.

It's not a shortbread cake.

So we're, like, on uncharted territory again.

- What is it? - Joe, I'm a crazy person.

I... people tell me, "Oh, this cannot be done."

I'm like, "Watch me do it."

I can't wait to see when we cut it open what we have inside.

We as well.

What are you expecting to see

when we cut into the centers?

So you should be looking at sponge in the bottom,

cherry jam, then you're going to have the pineapple jam,

and the coconut mousse covering all of them.

Oh, no.

Oh, dear.

- Is that what you wanted? - No, Chef.

Oof. Oof.

Right, Rachel, what are you expecting to see

when we cut into the centers?

Sponge in the bottom, cherry jam,

then you're going to have the pineapple jam,

and the coconut mousse covering all of them.

- Oh, no. - It's a shame.

It's okay. It's okay.

What is this?

Yeah, I guess a little too much gelatin in the mirror glaze.

Let's deal with the elephant in the room.

The actual flavor inside is delicious.

Let's get that absolutely clear, okay?

Now, I know it's not the finish you wanted

and just a little heavy on the gelatin,

but I promise you now, the sweetness, the contrast,

and the sponge?

The foundation? It's like you two.

Rock solid and full of heart.

- Aww. - Thank you, Chef.

I'm very proud of you, okay?

If I close my eyes, I feel like I'm on the beach.

I feel the intention that you were going after.

Also, when you get a bite of the rum in there?

I'm not mad at that!

Obviously, the functionality is not what you wanted,

but once you can get beyond that, the flavors are really good.

There's a lot of great technique. Good job.

- Thank you so much. - Well done.

Great job. Great job. Great job, guys.

All right, please come forward, Jesse and Jessica.

This is our last tasting in the MasterChef kitchen,

and I feel really solid about what we put on that plate.

It's showcasing the techniques we use,

the textures, the flavor profiles.

This is a perfect way for us to end this journey.

All right, please describe your dish.

What we have for you is

a dark chocolate ganache tart

topped with a toasted marshmallow meringue,

a raspberry coulis, a maple pecan brittle,

and a crème fraîche ice cream.

- It looks stunning. - Thank you.

I mean, elegant. Everything you want from a final dessert.

And I think you've just created the most glamorous s'mores

in the entire country tonight.

- Shall we? - Yes.

Wow.

It tastes superb. I mean, it's everything you want from a chocolate dessert.

Thank you, Chef.

I think the balance is the point that I want to highlight here,

because the actual texture of the ganache

is just so seductive.

And a smart move when you're starting to flake

that salt over the ganache as well

so it takes away from the richness.

- Well done. Great job. - Thank you, Chef.

All together, this is working.

The s'mores itself, that toasty flavor.

But the one thing that I didn't account for

was when you had that ice cream.

The crème fraîche in there

Really adds to the tart experience.

If not, the chocolate feels heavy, like chocolate can feel.

But with that, it lightens it up.

The raspberry coulis... like, every component

makes the other component better,

which is a hard thing to do.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, Chef.

This is one of those fortunate dishes that each component

has its own unique opinion and flavor profile,

and eaten together is interesting and interactive

and begs you for another bite,

which is the great sign of a dessert.

- Excellent job. - Thank you, Joe.

- Thank you, Joe. - Really good.

Yay!

Great job.

What an exciting finish!

Three dynamic duos, three dynamic desserts.

We couldn't be more proud right now,

and now that we've tasted all of your dishes,

we need to judge the entire meal as a whole.

And so it's now time for Tiffany, Joe, and myself

to make the hardest decision of the season,

because we need to decide which duo will make history

as America's first pair of MasterChefs.

Sit down at the lounge, and we'll see you shortly.

- Thank you. - Very nice.

How are you feeling?

- All right. - What a night.

- A night. - That was some...

some three course meal from these duos.

Incredible. Let's start off with Tina and Aivan's menu.

So Tina and Aivan wanted to bring the tradition

of their Vietnamese grandmother who immigrated to America.

They wanted to pay homage to tradition meets the new world.

For the appetizer, they made that Vietnamese prawn salad with crispy leeks.

The cook on the shrimp was good, but that was it.

- I was expecting more. - Unfortunately,

not as much elevated as we would want here.

- Yeah. - Agreed.

For the entrée, crispy skin salmon

with chili lemongrass sauce.

The salmon that I had was perfectly cooked.

Unfortunately, my salmon was overcooked.

- But that sauce? - Incredible.

It was the tradition of their grandmother, the sauce that she made,

and it ended up being my favorite part of the plate.

- Yeah. - They pulled it back on the salmon course,

and their dessert was exceptional.

Yeah, that mango mousse with the yuzu sorbet.

- Delish. - I thought the finish and the elegance of that dessert,

it was just mind-blowing.

The texture of the mousse was excellent.

Flavors were interesting.

It might have been the best dessert of the night.

Oh, my God, I'm so nervous.

We did everything that we could do,

- so, yeah, good job. - You know, we made it.

You know, Jesse and Jessica

did an homage to New England,

and they started off with the scallop and the pork belly.

- It was great. - The scallops were cooked to perfection.

The corn we felt was a little bit...

- The corn was a little thick. - It turned into a pudding.

And very starchy. Yeah, yeah.

Jesse and Jessica's entrée, exceptional.

That delicious braised short rib with cacio e pepe gnocchi.

Probably the most ambitious dish of the night.

Yeah, the gnocchi, it was great.

But the main component was the short rib,

and for me it had a little bit of that collagen that never broke down.

Such a shame. My short rib was cooked beautifully.

And the dessert was delicious.

The s'mores tart with crème fraîche ice cream,

all the elements of the dessert were executed perfectly.

The flavor, come on. The ganache.

When you got into that crème fraîche ice cream, how refreshing was that?

- Yeah, it was delicious. - I'm proud of you.

- I'm proud of you, too. - Regardless of what happens, I'm so proud of you.

- Yeah, I'm proud of you, too. - So, Rachel and Julio,

celebrating ancestry and culture.

- Yeah. - Starting with that empanada,

the dough itself was crispy, slaw was delicious.

- The fennel and apple slaw was delicious. - Yes.

My empanada was a little bit lacklust.

- It could've had more filling. - Yeah.

- Their entrée. - The squid ink lobster tortellini

with moqueca sauce, very professional execution.

Acidic, sweet, complementary of the lobster.

- Yeah. - Mm-hmm. The cook on the lobster was exceptional.

But that moqueca sauce, to get that done in 60 minutes?

That thing normally takes 8, 10 hours to cook.

There was definitely a lot of technique there.

Julio and Rachel's dessert was that piña colada-inspired coconut mousse cake.

- It's a shame, isn't it? Because the outside... - Big technical error.

- Super gluey. It looked like rubber. Gummy.

- Yeah. - The inside tasted delicious.

- It's completely different than anything you've seen. - Yeah.

There was so many other flavor profiles, and it all felt like

very much something that you would want.

I'm very proud of you. I'm very proud of us.

So for the first time ever in this competition,

we're crowning a duo.

It's a tough call.

We asked for restaurant quality,

and so which duo nailed it?

Because no one knocked every course out of the park perfectly, right?

Sure, yeah.

And so who was the best duo of the evening?

- I love you. - I love you.

Honestly, I feel like we have a very good shot of winning this.

I think Grandma's going to be proud of us.

- Are we in agreeance? - Absolutely. Yes.

- Yeah. - Wow. Here we go.

Opa!

Let's make history.

Come on!

It's insane just to think that we've come this far

and we put it all out on all three courses.

We are one judgment away from changing the rest of our lives.

Wow. That was amazing.

Now, before we announce our decision tonight,

no matter which duo leaves here tonight with the grand prize,

you should all be incredibly proud on everything you've accomplished.

- I'm very proud of you. - Great job, everybody.

Great job. Great job.

Winning "MasterChef" would be life-changing.

We've worked incredibly hard to get to this point,

and I feel like our bond and our culture and flavors,

it's gonna make us the next MasterChefs.

Now, time for the moment of truth.

Only one duo will make history

and win the title as America's first ever

pair of MasterChefs.

Just one duo will win

a quarter of a million dollars.

And just one duo will bring home

the iconic MasterChef trophy.

We're ready to be MasterChefs,

and I'm just praying that we did enough

to get that trophy.

Here we go.

America's next MasterChefs,

the most dynamic of dynamic duos...

Congratulations goes to...

Jesse and Jessica!

- Jesse! - Oh, my God!

- Jessica! - Oh, my God!

- Oh, my God. Thank you. - Really well done.

Give it up one more time for Jesse and Jessica, ladies and gentlemen!

Whoo!

You see your picture up there?

Oh, my God! Oh, my God.

I am so freaking proud of this man.

This has been such an amazing journey.

I can't tell you how much I love this woman,

how much she's means to me,

what she's done to center me in my life,

and in our cooking, and in our everyday life.

It's been amazing. I love you.

Those last two courses were the best.

- Thank you. - Come here.

Oh, my God.

Think about what you've achieved.

- You made it to the finale. - Love you.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

If that's okay with you.

We're America's MasterChefs!

Whoo!

Wow, what a night. "MasterChef" is already casting for its next season.

So if you think you have what it takes to become America's next MasterChef,

then please apply to MasterChefCasting.com.

Thank you, good luck, and good night.