Original subtitles

Previously on MasterChef...

Two home cooks, one apron.

Ahh!

40 best home cooks in America...

Come on, speed up.

...have battled it out...

Nice flavor. I feel the love.

I'm gonna be honest... this is one of the best things

that we've had so far.

And 11 earned their place in the MasterChef kitchen.

I did it, honey. I love you.

Tonight, search for American next MasterChef continues...

A single mom turns her cooking battle...

I'm making $10 an hour. This is gonna change everything.

...into the showdown for the judges.

Give it to her, Graham.

And later...

This is your competition.

And final battle ends with shocking eliminations.

Por diu, sadly, you are going home.

The best home cooks in America

have been invited to MasterChef kitchen

to compete in the head-to-head all-or-nothing battle.

All these people are so amazing.

You are amazing too.

No matter what happens, no matter what...

be yourself, your truly self.

I'm always saying, "If you can dreaming, you can do it."

So this is my dream. So i am gonna do it.

But if I win, I win for you.

They have just 30 minutes to make their signature dish

to prove they deserve one of the nine remaining aprons

and the place in the MasterChef kitchen.

First up is Hetal...

I'm ready to impress.

A 27-year-old startup developer

who's hoping to bring some added spice to the competition.

My parents came to New Jersey from being farmers in India.

That's where my love of food came.

My mom sends me spices

that every Indian household should have.

I also have a degree in biochemistry,

and that is kind of what started my love for baking.

Baking's a science. I got it down pat.

- I'm ready to beat Jill. - Yeah?

I'm ready to put my plate against hers

and, you know, battle of the fruit dessert.

I'm Jill. I'm 32.

I'm a stay-at-home mom of four boys.

You guys are farting? Ew.

So it's a full-time job.

I cook three meals a day for them, and it's nonstop.

I just haven't really had the opportunity

to go to culinary school,

but I'm at a point in my life where that is my passion.

That is my goal.

I am here to finally serve myself

and give myself the opportunity to fulfill my dreams.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

This is a battle of the fruit desserts.

Two talented home cooks, one apron.

Your 30 minutes to change your life starts...

now.

Hetal, tell us about your dish.

I am making a puff pastry cup filled with the apple,

toasted pecans, and a cardamom whipped cream.

It's me on a plate.

It's something classical that's very American,

you know, apple pie kind of with an Indian twist.

Love it.

Jill, what's the dish you're cooking for us tonight?

It's a Danish ebelskiver with a peach compote.

We actually make this every Christmas Eve.

I do it, normally, with just lemon and powdered sugar,

but I'm doing it a little different this time

with extra flair with a raspberry coulis.

Two completely different-sounding dishes.

I've never seen what Hetal's doing.

Cardamom and apple is really cool.

I think, from a technical standpoint,

Jill definitely takes the cake.

She really has to know what she's doing

with that cast iron pan to cook them perfectly.

All right, ladies, we have just under five minutes.

Make sure those pastries are well-baked,

those fruit components are well-seasoned.

Jill, when are they going in the oven?

They don't go in the oven.

Oh, you don't finish in the oven?

No, I don't.

20 seconds to go.

Come on, ladies, please.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

Hands in the air. Great job.

Please bring your dishes to the front.

So, Hetal, what do we have here?

A puff pastry cup with a caramel apple inside

and a cardamom whipped cream.

Let's see.

Good tap, good noise on that puff pastry.

I love the use of spice.

I think your cardamom whipped cream

is really, really soothing.

I was expecting it to be punchy in a way,

but I really love the use of the cardamom,

the intention there, and I really do get that.

Thank you.

Apples are nice, nice caramelize,

but I am gonna disagree with Christina.

She's an expert, but it's good, it's safe,

I just don't think it's you.

I like the spice element.

I like the perfume that the vanilla

and the cardamom give off.

- The apples, nice, tart. - Thanks.

I think it's a really good dish.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Jill, please, describe your dish.

It's a Danish ebelskiver with a peach compote

and a raspberry coulis.

Oh, they are really like pillows.

Look at that.

It looks like it's nice and eggy.

That "appleskiver" is awesome.

Thank you.

It's a little sweet for me.

Okay.

But really unique, different.

I haven't seen anything like that.

It's almost like a spherical pancake.

- Yeah, it is. - Very fun.

- It's you on a plate... - I agree.

And I think that that's cool, to stay true to that.

- Thank you. - Thanks.

Are you Danish?

I am, I'm Danish-Irish, actually.

Delicious.

Love the batter, coulis, give a little dimension to that.

- Very good. - Thank you.

I mean, really delicious.

Two technical dishes,

and yet only one of you are gonna get an apron.

Well done, both of you. Two very strong efforts.

Who's got the biggest potential for me?

Jill has got my vote.

Graham?

Comes down to flavor, presentation, skill set.

For me, that's...

gonna be Hetal.

I want to see what else you can do.

It looks like it comes right back down to me.

The signature dessert that deserves this apron...

Hetal.

Congratulations.

Great use of spices,

but I just want to be super clear as well,

Jill, man, you impressed me.

Congratulations. You have a lucky family.

Thank you so much.

Oh, my God.

Unfortunately, I didn't win that apron,

but getting that recognition from Christina,

that means the world to me.

In the Indian culture, your parents kind of give you

three options: engineer, doctor, business person,

and I completely strayed off that path.

I want to follow my passion,

and winning that apron today really represents that to me.

Coming up...

That's the guy you're going against?

You got this in the bag.

When family pride is on the line...

Passions erupt...

Being a first-generation American,

this is gonna change everything.

I'm here to achieve the American dream too.

Leaving the MasterChef kitchen divided.

I think we've made a major mistake.

This year...

Aw!

The competition to claim a coveted white apron

has been tougher than ever before.

Jonathan, do not let this be the end of your food journey.

Thank you, sir.

But with the battles drawing to a close...

The apron belongs to...

Darah.

Well done.

Seven more talented home cooks...

Olivia.

Managed to find a recipe for success.

The apron goes to Sara.

- Charlie. - Thank you, ma'am.

- Justin. - Thank you.

Jesse, congratulations. Crabs are delicious.

I'm gonna keep coming back for more.

Brianna, you have made it into the MasterChef kitchen.

In total, 19 home cooks have walked out with a white apron...

Leaving just one place left in the MasterChef kitchen.

Fighting for the final apron is Shelly,

a 32-year-old from Brooklyn

who's come in search of a life-changing moment.

I'm a single mom,

and I got a nine-year-old who's my everything.

She's my biggest cheerleader, so me being on MasterChef,

I'm doing this for her.

I'm doing this for us.

My style of cooking is Third World fusion,

so I like to take those cheap, inexpensive ingredients

and make something amazing.

What's today?

Taco Tuesday!

You know, being a single mom, I have to make a dollar stretch.

You'll be the best cook that they have all day, okay?

Don't cry.

I'm not gonna cry.

She's so supportive, so supportive.

She wants me to do so good,

'cause she know we don't always win.

You know, it's hard, it's so hard.

We're the only family we got,

so this'll change our life forever.

Being a part of something like this is huge for us.

We need this.

That's the guy you're going against?

Yeah.

Gonna win today, almost every day.

You got this in the bag.

My name is Christopher Lu.

I'm from Los Angeles, California,

and I'm a restaurant manager.

Oh, man, the judges are gonna love me.

What I do for a living is I sell happiness.

When I see guests come in, they're looking for perfection.

It's not just the plate on the food,

but it's the service, it's the whole experience.

I've got a great palate. You know, I understand flavors.

I understand ingredients very well,

so I think I'm gonna wow them today.

Cooking is a profession in Asian culture

is considered very lowbrow,

and I want to prove to my parents that, no,

this is a profession.

This is my passion. This is a dream of mine.

And after seeing the competition,

I think I could win MasterChef.

No, let me take that back. I know I could win MasterChef.

Best of luck.

I'll see you.

All right, Chris, it's chicken versus chicken,

and I got this.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

Right, Shelly, Christopher,

this battle is for the final apron.

It all comes down to this, your signature chicken dishes.

Your 30 minutes starts now.

Shelly, what do you got going on over there?

I'm first-generation American from a huge Jamaican family,

so I'm taking you on a trip to Jamaica.

We're gonna get some escovitch.

What I do is I pan-sear it first,

get that nice crust, that nice color on it,

and you know you can't have chicken with all that flavor

without a little sweet plantain.

It's gonna be me on a plate,

so you're gonna see a lot of color.

All right.

Christopher, describe your dish.

My signature dish is a chicken scallopini

with a strawberry agrodolce and rosemary parsnips,

you know, sweet and sour.

The whole idea is hopefully

that all the flavors meld like a symphony.

You know, you don't want just the horn section to play.

You want the strings and everything else.

Right.

Just under 12 minutes to go.

What do you guys think at this point?

I definitely think there's, like, almost like

a rock star quality going on with Shelly right now.

You can almost feel the passion

coming off of Shelly's bench over there.

I don't know, I think Christopher will pull it out.

He's got a lot of flavors.

He's got a lot of knowledge and a lot of pride.

All right, guys, if you came in here to change your life,

you have five minutes to do so.

Uh-oh. What is she doing?

She's slicing it piping hot.

60 seconds to go.

Christopher, I would get some food on the plate

if I was you.

Yes, Chef.

Come on. Oop.

Taste and season everything.

Here we go.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one,

and stop.

Hands in the air.

Well done.

All right.

Shelly, Christopher, please bring your dishes up front.

Wow, what an exciting final battle.

Describe the dish, please.

Escovitch chicken with a sweet plantain mofongo.

Talk to me about the plantain. How'd you cook them?

I did a light fry, so just to make them golden,

and then let them rest for a little bit,

added some minced garlic and just mash it.

Mm-hmm. I got a little bit nervous

when you pulled the chicken out of the oven

and it was piping hot and you started slicing it.

- Is it juicy? - It could have been juicier.

Juicier, I agree.

However, you know, it was a strong effort.

Seasoning's good.

Plantain, you've sort of overdone it on that,

but I think that's you.

I think deep down inside

you've got a little bit of a generous spirit.

Thank you.

Looking at it, it looks like a mofongo

garnished with a piece of chicken on top,

and this isn't the star of the dish, right?

The chicken's definitely the star, definitely.

It's got a great spice, good heat.

Thank you.

But the sear on the outside,

I think it could have gotten some more color.

There's not, like, a gorgeous crispy skin.

All in all, you know, it's a tasty, tasty dish.

I have to be honest.

It's just a little underwhelming.

All right, what do you have here?

My signature dish is a chicken scallopini

with a strawberry agrodolce and rosemary parsnips.

Chicken should be the hero, but it's skin off.

There's not a lot to it.

But the parsnips are delicious.

That's really, really tasty,

and the sauce is really unique, different.

I haven't seen anything like that.

Not bad.

Chicken's delicious, crispy, nicely seasoned.

Little bit too heavy on the pepper,

but you can't just dump rocket salad on top of that

and expect it to be delicious.

Damn.

The flavors that you were putting together

I was so curious about.

I love having a point of inspiration

like sweet and sour chicken

and then really trying to figure out

what boundaries you can push that inspiration to.

It just comes down to whether or not

you pushed it too far out of the boundaries today

to walk out with one of those aprons.

Well done, both of you.

This is tough, very tough.

We only have just one final apron.

Christina, is it Shelly or Christopher, please?

For me, there is something about the inspiration

behind Christopher's dish that I see the potential.

For me, it's Christopher.

I've got to go with the person I think I can develop

into, potentially, America's next MasterChef,

and Shelly is my girl.

Last apron, guys.

I don't know which way to go.

I mean, usually I'm pretty decisive.

I know the deal, but why do you think you deserve it?

When you come to this country,

you don't always win.

That American Dream, they say it a lot,

but people come here, and they're dishwashers,

they clean hotels,

and being a first-generation American is hard.

I have Bachelor's Degree, and I'm making $10 an hour.

If you give me that apron, I will work my ass off

because this is gonna change everything

if this happens for me.

Give it to her, Graham.

Christopher, same question.

I know I made some mistakes,

but if you can trust in me, I'm going to do my very best.

You know, just like Shelly, I'm here to achieve

the American dream too.

Both of you are so passionate,

but when it comes down to what dish I want to eat...

Shelly's.

I think we've made a major mistake.

I will never forget the words

that came from Gordon Ramsay's mouth,

and this is a man that knows me from nothing,

but he saw something.

He saw potential in me,

and that meant the world.

Coming up...

The last two MasterChef aprons.

Some home cooks get a second chance...

Just get it on the plate!

In one final battle.

This apron belongs to...

This is the most amazing feeling.

I'm on the biggest stage of my life,

and I'm gonna let them know that a rock and roll drummer

can be the next MasterChef.

Congratulations to all of you.

You have now officially earned your spot

in the biggest culinary competition in the world.

Brilliant.

To win those aprons,

you had to beat out these 20 amazing individuals.

We are looking for the very best home cook in America.

You guys gave it a great shot,

and you did yourselves proud.

We didn't agree on every apron,

but we had to reach a verdict, however close it was.

I know I deserve an apron,

but I can walk away knowing that I tried my best,

and I'm proud of myself.

Some of you standing in front of us...

are about to get another shot at winning a MasterChef apron.

I'm shocked.

I can't believe I'm getting another chance

to cook in the kitchen.

I'm gonna stick to my roots and cook as best as I can.

I know that I can actually get an apron.

But not all of you are gonna get another chance.

Just six of you are.

Six home cooks fighting for...

The last two MasterChef aprons.

Each one of us will get to pick two home cooks

that we think should get one last chance

to win a MasterChef apron.

Nate is amazing. I battled next to him.

I was watching him work, so I'm a little nervous

that he could come back with vengeance.

Graham?

The first home cook that I would like to give

another shot to is somebody

that has a real burning competitive fire.

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin,

I'm giving another shot to Taylor.

- Taylor! - Whoo! Let's go, baby!

The battle of Taylor and I was really close,

and I feel like if Taylor wins an apron,

he will be tough to beat down the line.

My second pick, they are one of the most

passionate home cooks

that we've seen in any of the battles.

That person...

is Stephen.

Christina, which two home cooks do you strongly believe in?

There's one home cook that really impressed me.

From Charleston, South Carolina,

I want to give Andrew another chance.

Yeah!

Thank you so much.

My final choice goes to...

from Atlanta, Georgia, Demetria.

Just two left to pick, and it's on me.

The first home cook that I strongly believe

deserves a second chance,

Jill.

Oh, my God, are you kidding me right now?

Yeah, Jill!

This is a very difficult last choice.

I've chosen someone that really cooks from the heart,

and that person is...

Shelly.

Shelly!

- Shelly! - Wow!

Way to go, Shelly!

Welcome back. Welcome back.

You can do this.

Darling, you can do this.

Come on.

Yeah, Shelly! Whoo!

Gordon Ramsay picked me to have a second chance

in the MasterChef kitchen.

It's incredible.

I have no other option but to get that apron

for me and my daughter, 'cause it's gonna change our life.

I want to say congratulations to everyone

standing in front of us, but I'm sorry to say,

tonight's where your MasterChef journey ends.

Keep on cooking.

For now, it's time to say good-bye.

Way to go, guys.

Right, all six of you, please, go and stand behind a station.

Andrew, Demetria, Taylor, Jill, Stephen, and Shelly,

there are just two more aprons,

and this is the last opportunity

for two of you to get back in the competition.

We have to give you a challenge

where you can prove to us that you have the potential

to become America's next MasterChef.

So the biggest challenge in your culinary lives

will be all about...

my basics.

To me, this competition's about potential,

finding great home cooks that can take

everyday ingredients and turn them into a dish

that belongs here in the MasterChef kitchen,

staples I always want to have at home

because of their versatility.

Chicken, tomatoes on the vine,

bacon, kale, heirloom carrots,

mushrooms, blueberries, cheese,

and every girl's best friend, chocolate,

basics I can't live without.

Underneath your stations you're gonna each find a bag

with those ingredients in them.

You're also going to find a staple pantry box,

and in there you're gonna find things like flour,

sugar, butter, even heavy cream.

Now, you're gonna each have an hour to use

as many of Christina's favorite ingredients

as you want to make us a MasterChef-worthy dish,

one that's going to earn you an apron

and a place in the competition.

Now, is everybody ready?

- Ready. - Yes, Chef.

Your 60 minutes starts...

now.

So first time we've ever done this, right?

- Yes. - We've got six people in.

We've given them a second chance.

This is huge.

I'm looking to be impressed

by how you respect those very basic ingredients.

- Graham, you saved Stephen. - Yeah.

What are you expecting from him?

I am hoping that he can do something vegetable-focused,

the kale, the mushrooms, the tomatoes.

I think he wants to redeem himself.

Shelly is on a mission.

I think she has the ability

to really succeed because she does know

how to work with those really basic vegetable ingredients

and turn them into a dish for her and her daughter.

- Yup. Absolutely. - Yup.

Guys, 38 minutes left.

All right, Taylor.

What's up, Chef? What's going on, Chef?

So I gave you a second chance, right?

- You did. - So tell us what you have.

We have a smoked chicken.

I have some smoked seasonings, some cayenne,

because growing up and having Southern roots,

my mother and my grandmother

actually cooked a lot of chicken.

Mm-hmm.

That's something that is reminiscent of my childhood.

So what are you doing with this now?

- This is like a little bouquet? - So this is just...

- Little herbs? - Yeah.

After I deglaze... I'm gonna deglaze it with some white wine.

So it's gonna perfume some of that oil,

- some of that wine? - It's gonna perfume...

Give it some aromatics...

- Right. - You know, smell good.

- Good job. Good job. - Thank you, Chef.

- Demetria, how we doing? - What's going on, Chef?

I'm doing, man, I'm doing.

What's the dish that's gonna keep you in the competition?

Making this roulade, man, a chicken roulade.

I've actually stuffed it with a little bit of bacon,

I saut�ed a little kale.

Right. What's the sauce?

This is mole. It's got chocolate.

Little bit of chicken stock.

So a stuffed chicken drum with a chocolate sauce?

Yup. I'm gonna top it also with the cheddar.

With cheddar? This is serious, right?

Yes, sir.

Chicken, cheddar, and chocolate.

It sounds like a disaster. Are you mad?

- I like you a lot, right? - Yes, sir.

Chicken, cheddar, and chocolate doesn't work.

It sounds like you're all over the place, okay?

- 'Cause this is serious, right? - Yes, sir.

And there's nothing else after this.

- Yes, sir. - Work it out.

- I will. - Good luck.

There's only two aprons left. Girl, are you crazy?

Chocolate and chicken? I'd never do it.

All right, guys, 30 minutes down,

just over halfway there.

Hi, Andrew. I gave you that second chance.

What are you gonna do to redeem yourself?

I've got a chicken thigh stuffed with d'uxelles.

- I've got some frenched drums. - Okay.

And I'm going to do a kale and cream puree

and a puree of heirloom carrots.

Okay.

In the South we know chicken,

so if I screw up chicken as a Southern boy,

I'm gonna be real embarrassed to get home.

Hi, Jill. What are we getting an apron with?

I'm making a blueberry barbecue chicken

with a scalloped carrot/potato dish.

Blueberry barbecue sauce,

something I've never seen before.

Where did the idea come from then?

I saw the tomatoes and the chicken,

and we're big barbecuers at home.

My father taught me how to barbecue chicken,

so I'm kind of doing it as an homage to him.

Guys, just under ten minutes left.

Shelly, how's it going?

I'm doing okay.

So, fellow Brooklyn lady, what are you making?

I'm going for something fried.

I'm gonna make a fritter,

so I'm calling it a mushroom cheese puff,

and I'm gonna serve it with some nice tomato gravy.

I always have to sneak in vegetables

into my daughter's food,

so that was the whole premise of this meal today,

is just doing something my daughter would love

and I know you guys will love too.

All right, girl, do it for Brooklyn.

All righty, BK represent.

Right, Stephen, tell me about the dish.

Pappardelle pasta with mushroom sauce,

and we have grilled chicken with roasted vegetables.

I love the idea of the fact you're making fresh pasta.

- Thank you. - Please tell me.

- Look me in the eyes. - What? What?

- Look me in the eyes. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You're not gonna be serving me raw vegetables?

No. Here, pinkie swear.

Pinkie swear. No more raw vegetables.

You're a [bleep] funny guy.

I'm [bleep] serious.

I got a little bit of [bleep] juice

I'm gonna squeeze on here like so.

I got my white pasta.

So you're rolling the pasta really thin,

so it's gonna take literally seconds to cook,

so make sure you don't put that in there too early.

You're the [bleep] man.

Okay, and FYI, your language is terrible.

Uh, sorry about that.

Just under five minutes to go.

Stephen is on it.

I've never seen a chef multitask

in this competition as much as he has.

I see three pans on...

He's got seven different things going on.

Come on, come on, come on.

The person that is absolutely blowing me away

- is Taylor. - Whoo!

He's got two chicken thighs completely seasoned,

basted, and baking.

He's got a big herb bouquet garni

he created to kind of infuse it.

- Wow. - What about Jill?

The blueberry barbecue sauce,

I know, it sounds off-putting,

but I thought it was tasty.

However, think about this... cheddar, chocolate,

bacon, and chicken.

- No, no. - Demetria.

- No way. - No.

She's adamant of the fact that it works,

but more importantly, there's no rehearsal.

This is it.

If you don't make it now, you're not gonna make it.

60 seconds to go!

Let's go!

I want to see some stunning dishes.

Two aprons up for grabs. This is tense.

Look at the focus on those faces.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...

Just get it on the plate!

Four, three, two, one.

And stop. Hands in the air.

Way to go, guys, whoo!

That's one of the most energized 60 minutes

we've ever experienced.

It is time to taste those phenomenal dishes.

First up, we'd like to try Andrew's dish, please.

Politics is about beating the other guy or girl,

so it's just like when the polls are about to close.

The next few minutes are gonna determine my future

in the MasterChef kitchen.

What's the dish?

A chicken thigh that's been stuffed with mushroom d'uxelles.

It is over a puree of creamed kale and heirloom carrots,

and I finished it with a tomato salad

dressed with a bacon vinaigrette.

Nice and juicy.

The chicken is delicious.

You definitely know how to make some creamed greens.

Mushroom d'uxelles, delicious.

However,

between the creamed kale and the heirloom carrot mash,

they're both nice,

but there's one too many things sort of going on,

and I'm starting to lose your vision

and your perspective on a plate.

Talk to me about the d'uxelles. What's in there?

Mushrooms, shallots, thyme, a little parsley,

a little bit of garlic.

Chicken, delicious.

- Thank you. - Seasoned nicely.

D'uxelles, nice, but you've pureed it.

- You pureed the carrots. - I did.

- And you pureed the kale. - I did.

And you put them both together.

I did.

So there's three purees on the plate, right?

I would argue that a d'uxelles is not strictly a puree.

But, Andrew, you've pureed it.

If you... if you... no, if you...

If you're here to learn, then your answer is,

"Yes, Chef."

Yes, Chef.

There's three purees on the plate, right?

I would argue that a d'uxelles is not strictly a puree.

- But you've pureed it. - No, if you...

If you're here to learn, then your answer is, "Yes, Chef."

Yes, Chef.

Without jacket!

Come over here.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

And just go and stand over there next to Graham, please.

Go and stand over there. Go on. Excellent.

Chef Graham, how many purees are on that plate?

I see three, Chef.

I see kale, carrot, and mushroom.

Chef Andrew, how many purees are on your plate?

I've recently learned that there are three, Chef.

Now give me my [bleep] jacket back.

- Thank you. - Thanks, Gordon.

Dear, oh, dear.

Young man, my idea is to help you get better.

A d'uxelles is a fine dice of mushrooms, not a puree.

Oui, Chef.

Listen, you've nailed the chicken.

Let's get that right.

It's the combination and how you've executed

that dish that's wrong.

Thank you.

All right, next up, please, Taylor.

All right.

Tell us what you have.

It's a pan-seared chicken as well as some wilted kale

and a carrot/potato mash.

We also did a little bit of deglaze,

an herb tie that had some sage, basil, thyme.

Those herbs come straight up, come right out.

Great, great flavor,

the spice, the seasoning on the actual chicken.

Kale's nice, but the puree, I think it's really gummy,

but I think your flavors are fantastic.

- Good job. - Thank you, Chef.

Next up, Jill.

So what's the dish?

I've got a blueberry barbecue chicken,

a carrot and potato scallop,

and then a kale salad with an apple cider vinaigrette.

I'm curious about the blueberry barbecue sauce.

I've never had anything quite like that before.

It looks like a proper barbecue sauce.

I was worried you were gonna get, like,

- a Smurf-blue chicken drum... - Yeah.

But it looks really nice.

Have to say, you really got a lot of flavor in that chicken.

I think your choice of using

some of those staple pantry herbs and spices,

I think, really helped bring that flavor in.

Your gratin is delicious,

but there's so much heavy cream and milk and rosemary

that the beauty and simplicity of an heirloom carrot is lost,

but great effort.

Thank you.

Next up, Stephen.

Right.

Stephen, describe the dish, please.

So we have grilled chicken, and we have pappardelle pasta

with mushrooms with roasted vegetables and kale.

It's a humungous portion.

Look, it's Christina's dish there, Graham's dish there,

and my dish there.

- One dish cohesively... - Hmm.

Not three independent dishes on one plate.

Walter White Heisenberg...

Less is more.

What I think you're saying is slow down and try and, like,

bring your food together in an organized way.

Yes!

All right, I got it.

Yeah, finally!

Right, how did you cook the chicken?

- On the grill. - You boned it out?

Yes.

Okay, chicken cooked nicely,

salsa verde, spicy, delicious, rich.

Forget the cream sauce, 'cause you got the salsa verde there,

so you just need one or the other.

Yeah.

However, there's something quite energetic

about the amount of effort you put into it,

so rein it in, decisive refinement.

I got it.

Thank you.

Next up, Shelly.

So what's the dish?

A mushroom and kale fritter,

a light kale salad with a deep-fried chicken skin,

and I did a roasted tomato with balsamic sauce.

No chicken?

I thought it was different.

I knew everyone was gonna do chicken,

and I didn't want to do that.

And how can I better understand you

through this dish?

I feel like I went to mom training school,

so it's... that's how I learned to cook,

and when I saw those ingredients, I'm like,

"How would my daughter like them?"

So I said, "You know what, I'm gonna go

off the reservation a little bit,

and I'm gonna put everything in one bite,

so they get every bit of texture and taste and flavor."

I got to say, really delicious.

I love your editing process.

I love that you didn't use everything in the bag.

I do think, however, that crunchy chicken skin,

how are we supposed to enjoy it?

Do you crumple it up?

Is it meant to be texture in the salad?

Is it meant to be part of the coating on the fritter?

It's just not awesome.

But overall, great job.

Thank you, Chef.

All right, last up, Demetria.

Explain the dish to me.

I went with a chicken roulade stuffed with kale, bacon,

shallots, and mushrooms,

and I did just a simple saut�ed potato

with a dark mole sauce.

What's this thing?

It's a Hail Mary attempt at a mole.

I wanted to pick a sauce that would kind of represent me.

It's a little chocolate and a little spice.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get me an apron.

No, to escape that [bleep] stain on the plate.

- Oh. - Oh.

That looks so unappetizing.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get me an apron.

No, to escape that [bleep] stain on the plate.

Ouch.

That looks so unappetizing.

Honestly, you scrape this aside,

and it looks like the chicken's plated on a diaper.

Good flavor. I mean, you cooked it properly.

Thank you.

But I mean, you had to bone it out.

You had to cook the kale, you had to stuff it,

and it's like... you know what I mean?

doesn't need to be there.

Thanks.

I think the bacon's a really nice touch.

Really smart to put it inside the chicken.

I think the mole, I want to understand

what you were going for,

but I don't understand what you were going for.

I'm just looking at it and going like, "Oh, my God,

did she take this second chance and throw it away?"

Oh.

Well done, guys. That was intense.

Please, all six of you,

step down to the front.

Clearly, we have a lot to discuss.

Give us a minute.

This is intense.

Ugh!

Let's start with Andrew.

He knows technique, the cook on the chicken...

But for me, the purees were terrible.

- Right. - And Taylor's was nice.

The flavor of the meat was delicious.

- He left the bone in. - Yes.

What'd you think of Jill?

Yeah, the drum was delicious.

She was so subtle about the composition,

about the visual nature of it.

Yeah, it looked like the family reunion

Southern-style kind of deal.

Yeah, it was...

You guys got such good critique.

Everybody did something right,

and everybody did something wrong, though, so...

Shelly... that, for me, is a dish

- that's true to her heart. - Yeah.

The only thing I found a bit weird was

- the chicken skin at the end. - Mm-hmm.

Let's talk about Stephen's buffet.

The salsa was incredible. His basting.

Everything was delicious.

Can we mold him, though?

- I don't know. - Can we teach him?

You know, less is more.

I think... I think we know.

- Are you happy? - I am.

- Are you happy? - Yeah.

- Let's go. - Yeah.

Oh, God, here we go. Oh, my God.

So the question is what we do with these two aprons.

Please step forward, Demetria.

Demetria, I'm afraid your second gamble didn't pay off.

For now, we'll say good-bye and thank you.

I came here to take risks,

to put myself out there, to show who I was,

and I did just that, and it got me this far,

so I'm going home today,

but it's definitely, like, not with a bowed head.

Can the following two home cooks

please step forward?

Taylor...

and Shelly?

I have two aprons.

One of you will be wearing one of these aprons.

The other we'll be saying good-bye to.

The one home cook that we think

deserves to wear this MasterChef apron...

Shelly.

Shelly!

Whoo, Shelly!

This apron makes me feel like I can do anything.

I'm just happy that I believed enough to get here

'cause I'm not fighting for me anymore.

I'm fighting for my baby.

Love you guys.

Three remain, and I have just one final apron.

Jill, you know,

there's something exciting about the flavor profile

that you're prepared to risk.

Even though it may not sound like it's gonna work,

you bring it together.

Thank you.

Andrew, tonight you demonstrated

a proper technique with your ballotine,

and you put love into everything you do.

Stephen, you're like a whirlwind.

You wear your heart on your sleeve,

and it's tough to slow you down.

Stephen, Christina, Graham, and I...

We feel that you could go a long way in this competition.

Congratulations.

Yes! I'm so excited I won the last apron!

Hard work opened the door for me,

and it's gonna be the continuous hard work

that just keeps the door open

to give me the opportunity to win it all.

Andrew, Jill, a very gallant, bold effort.

Unfortunately, not good enough second time round.

Thank you both. Thank you.

- Way to go, guys. - Good job, guys.

- Good job, guys. - Good job.

Guess what, big man.

You are allowed to smile.

Ah!

Well done. Head up to the balcony.

Congratulations.

- You made it. - We're very happy.

We knew it. We knew it.

Take a good look around you

because this is your competition.

My question is, who's gonna be America's next MasterChef?

Good night.

Next time on MasterChef,

they won their battle for an apron...

It's time for the world's biggest

culinary competition to begin.

Whoo!

But now it's an all-out war

to win the ultimate prize.

Intensity, that's me.

The pressure rises...

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

As the competition to stay in the kitchen heats up...

Stop! Stop what you're doing.

Ah!

Did you honestly think we were gonna make it that easy?

All ending in a double elimination.

You just sort of crashed to the bottom.

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