All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S09E10

Narrator: Tonight...

We are going to try
something different.

- ...the top 15...
- Find a partner right away.

- Yo, guys, what's up?
- ...team up...

...for a game of chicken.

- Come on.
- A well-known ingredient.

- Whoo!
- What the hell?

I am not getting this off.

- One great partner.
- Why did you slice it that way?

- Piece of cake.
- I've seen better in "Junior MasterChef."

Who mauled this?

And then,
a grueling challenge returns.

- Contestants: Ooh!
- Oh!

A dish that strikes fear
in the heart of every home cook.

( Whistles )

- The top 15.
- ( cheers )

- Let's go, guys.
- Whoo!

Ooh!

I'm in the top 15!

Each mentor has five aprons
left in the competition.

Being one of the youngest,

like, I did not expect
to make it this far,

but I'm here for Gordon.

Welcome back. Let's go!

And I'm not going home
any time soon.

- Yeah!
- What are these?

Last month, I was in accounting,
closing the books.

Now I'm out here closing in
to this MasterChef title.

I'm looking at
the other home cooks.

These are definitely
the cream of the crop.

Okay, are all of you ready
for tonight's challenge?

All: Yes!

Tonight, you'll be working...

...in pairs.

- ( Sighs )
- ( whistles )

And guess what.

You can choose
your own partners.

- ( Whistles )
- I love it.

Please find a partner
right away.

- Be my partner? Yeah, okay.
- Yeah.

Bowen:
I want to work with Shanika,

because she has a lot
of knowledge about food.

And she's always telling
the truth.

She's not sugarcoating.

I think most of the people,
they don't like it.

Cesar.

There's one individual
in particular

that I would just be enamored to
be working with, and that's Cesar.

- Sir?
- I think there's a lot

I can learn
from somebody like him.

Oh, um, yo, what's up?
Yo, guys, what's up, dude?

All right,
everyone's got a partner.

I got left.

- Ralph, you don't have a partner.
- I got left out.

- Ralph: There is nobody left.
- Oh, my God.

I feel like I just got picked
last in dodgeball.

Like, this is
not a good feeling.

Sorry, Ralph.

Gordon: Now, tonight,
you all have to work with...

- Nice.
- Ooh!

...whole chicken, carrots,

onion, bacon, and cornmeal,

five stunning ingredients
that are really accessible

to any American home cook.

Gordon, Aarón, and I took those
five simple ingredients,

and we each made
a different dish.

- Ooh.
- Oh.

Now, when I see
ingredients like this,

my mind immediately goes
to classic Italian flavors.

So, I made...

chicken cacciatore

with polenta
and crispy pancetta.

Fantastic!

For me, when I see
these five ingredients,

the first thing I thought about

was incorporating
my Southern and Latin roots.

So, I made...

cornmeal crusted chicken thigh
with bacon jam,

carrot and chipotle puree,
and fried onions.

It doesn't get better than that.

Now, both those dishes
look amazing,

but for me, I think
of the French countryside.

So, here you have...

an amazing
pan-seared chicken breast,

spiced roasted carrots,
caramelized onions,

and a beautiful polenta cake.

- Amazing.
- Wow.

Now, for you, Ralph,
listen carefully.

- Yes, Chef.
- Since you don't have a partner,

tonight you get to cook with...

- ...your mentor, Joe Bastianich.
- ( cheering )

Ralph: Let's go, Joe!

( laughs )

Joe: Me and you, baby.
How lucky are you, bro?

Ralph: I got you, Joe.

Here's the best news.

You're also safe
from elimination.

Oh, wow!

Dude, no way.

Joe, please join
the big man Ralph.

- All right.
- Best of luck.

- Whoo!
- Let's go.

Let's go, bro. Wow.

- This is the dream team.
- Dream team right here.

All right, so,
home cooks and Joe,

tonight you will have 45 minutes
to make an exquisite dish

utilizing whole chicken, carrot,

onion, bacon, and cornmeal.

You'll also have access
to a pantry,

that features a wide array
of ingredients

that will help you personalize
all of your dishes.

- Now, everybody, ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Your 45 minutes starts...

- ...now. Let's go.
- Where we going?

- This station over here.
- Come on, come on, come on.

- What are you thinking?
- I'm thinking pakora waffle.

- Yeah. It's--
- I think that's a cool idea.

I love this.

So, we'll do this really quick.

I'm happy to work with Taylor.

We worked in
a field challenge together.

- She stepped up as captain.
- I mean, we can do--

Also do one of the onions,
but if we can do the--

And we both have a strong
respect for each other.

I know that having her
as a partner

is going to be stellar.

All right, so we have five
ingredients here, Gordon,

the chicken, the carrot,
the onion,

the bacon, and the cornmeal.

A dream list of ingredients.

You want me to do both onions?

I mean, you might as well
chop 'em up.

These amateurs tonight
should be so familiar,

but I want to see
an elevated dish,

almost like two signature dishes

combining into one unique plate.

Aarón: Absolutely.

- I got acid of the wine, acid
of the lemon. - All right.

So, tonight, working in pairs,
Cesar and Mark...

Polenta is there in two minutes.

- ...Chelsea and Samantha,
- What do you think?

- Farhan and Emily,
- You wanna try that?

- Shanika and Bowen,
- Hey, looking good, Bowen.

- Ashley and Taylor,
- I think we got it.

- Ryan and Gerron, - A little
garlic powder for sure.

- And Julia and S.J. - Do you wanna
do that thing with the crispy skin?

Yeah, sure.

- Come on, come on.
- I got you.

Joe: I'm teaching him
everything I know.

There's gonna be no secrets
left by the time this is done.

So, who do you think is
gonna shine tonight?

Aarón:
I'm looking at Gerron and Ryan.

They both have a love
for Southern flavors.

- Sure. - So, I'm looking for
them to be very successful.

This polenta is
simply corn, right?

- Corn just-- okay.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, just cornmeal.

- Okay. - But it's gonna add
kind of a more crunchy texture.

- You have measuring cups over there?
- Yeah.

Ashley and Taylor, okay,
two of my girls.

Yep. I think personally,
they're too friendly.

They might not wanna say that
tough thing to one another.

- Or correct one another.
- Exactly.

- That's what I'm worried about.
- Do you have a spoon?

- Need a spoon, need a spoon.
- This it?

- Need a spoon. Yeah, yeah.
- Let me use it.

Guys, 10 minutes gone.
35 minutes to go.

We're kinda doing, like,
our play on some Southern foods,

so we're doing
an Indian spice fried chicken,

and then we're doing a pakora
waffle to go along with it,

- with a hot lime-- - Like a
hot chili lime maple syrup.

It's like my Southern
New Orleans style

and his Indian style coming together.
It's gonna be amazing.

We're gonna do a chicken breast,

and we're gonna have, like,
a creamy onion sauce on top,

and then we're gonna do
polenta cake with that.

I'm taking lead on this,
and Samantha is here to taste

and make sure everything
is executed correctly.

We're doing a roast
chicken breast

with a polenta cake,
carrot slaw, and onion sauce.

We just collaborated
on different ideas

and we work well together,

- so it seems like it's gonna work.
- Gordon: 20 minutes gone,

25 minutes remaining. Let's go.

- Right, Cesar and Mark. Tell
me about the dish. - Yes, Chef.

- What we doing?
- We're gonna go with caramelized onion,

and bacon polenta cake, Chef.

And then what we're gonna
with the chicken,

we're gonna try
to make a roulade.

I'm gonna make a mousse
out of the white meat.

- Very complicated dish.
- It is.

- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

Hey, Ryan.

I see that flambé action, baby.

- You like that?
- I like that.

- Ryan, Gerron, what's going on?
- What's up, Chef?

All right, so talk to me
about your dish.

We're two Southern boys.

We got some good
fried chicken going on.

We got some cabbage,
we got some bacon and onion jam

with some bourbon in there.

- All right, good luck, gentlemen, okay?
- Thank you, Chef.

- Oh.
- It's looking terrible.

- It looks terrible.
- That's my bad. Sorry.

Okay. What are we gonna do?

- What do we do?
- I don't know.

Right, Ashley and Taylor.
Tell me about the dish.

We are highlighting
our Southern roots.

- Right. - So, we're making
cornbread and a carrot puree.

What's the onion shallots for?

We wanted to have
an onion petal,

and then put some
of the gravy inside.

- Petal?
- Right.

Where you brulée the onion
and then you peel--

That's normally in a cipollini

or something smaller,
less harsh.

Is it for visual
or is it for flavor?

I've never done it before, Chef.
I wanted to taste it first.

Why are you doing things,
testing them,

that you've never tasted before?

It's just sounding
all over the place.

Oh, my Lord.

Who mauled this?

Just answer me. Who mauled this?

I did, Chef. I twisted it
out of the joint.

- Do you know how to break down a chicken?
- Yes, Chef.

- Do you know how to break down--
- Yes, Chef.

You're two girls I believed in.

I mean, I've seen
better performances

in "Junior MasterChef"
with eight-year-olds.

Oh, my Lord.

( Blows raspberry )

Who mauled this?

Just answer me. Who mauled this?

I did, Chef. I twisted it
out of the joint.

I'm-- I'm just expecting
a better quality.

You're two girls I believed in.

I mean, I've seen
better performances

in "Junior MasterChef"
with eight-year-olds.

- Get it together, girls.
- Yes, Chef.

Gordon: Oh, my Lord.

Whoo, baby!

The chicken's good.
It's ready to go.

- Put it on here and then put it in the
blast chiller. - I got you. I got you.

- 11 minutes to go.
- Aarón: Let's go!

- Gordon: Speed up, guys.
- Whoo!

All right, so, Shanika, Bowen--
You're from Miami, Shanika.

- We have Bowen all the way from China.
- Yep.

How are you gonna guys
gonna incorporate both

of your particular styles
in this one dish

and make something harmonious
and delicious?

He's sweet, I'm spicy,

so we're gonna cook
sweet and spicy.

Bowen: I'm gonna make a
stuffed chicken breast

with some pork.

Shanika: We're gonna go ahead and
pair that with a polenta cake.

And then we're gonna go ahead
and do an apple-carrot salad,

doing an Asian twist on it
with some ginger, lemon,

- with, you know, some bacon.
- All right. Good luck.

Thank you.

Joe: Keep it going,
keep it going.

We wanna, like, get a nice crust on it.
Don't be afraid.

Right, Joe, what's the idea behind this?
What are you doing?

So it's a polenta cake
with a little Parmigiano,

and we're gonna do
a chicken Milanese

with an arugula salad with some
pancetta and tricolor tomatoes.

- What's in there, Ralph?
- Polenta, cream, butter.

Is everything going
according to plan, Ralph?

This is amazing. I mean,
it's turning out perfect.

- Good luck.
- Thank you, thank you.

- Beautiful, beautiful.
- Dude, Emily, I'm so excited right now.

Gordon:
Just under eight minutes to go.

What do you think about this color
I'm getting on this chicken?

- I love it, I love it.
- Loving it? Loving that color?

- Oh, yeah.
- Gordon: Fascinating.

Cesar and Mark are doing
a stuffed chicken roulade.

But here's the problem: They're
taking the breast of the chicken,

turning that into a mousse, and
stuffing that inside a thigh.

Aarón: And a chicken thigh
is hard when it's stuffed

'cause you never know
if it's cooked or not.

- So, I'm gonna do it here.
- Get that meat out.

- Yeah, get that meat out.
- Speaking of roulades,

Bowen and Shanika,
they have a chicken breast

that has pork stuffing, which
potentially could be undercooked

and the chicken breast
overcooked,

so there's that.

90 seconds remaining.
Speed up, guys.

- I like that sauce. Good job on the sauce.
- Thanks.

This is gonna be ♪ amazing !

- We gotta get that chicken on there.
- Go for it.

- I don't think we can slice it. Look, we
have 30 seconds. - We have to slice it.

- We gotta get the bacon on top.
- Bacon on top of carrots?

- In half.
- No. This way?

The bacon. Where's the bacon?

- Go, go, go, go.
- At an angle, at an angle.

- Oh, that's what I'm saying.
- Here, then you go.

- Okay.
- 20 seconds remaining.

Why did you slice it that way?

Taylor and Ashley
are flustered like anything.

- Gordon: Oh, my Lord.
- Look at how this is cut.

- It's the wrong way.
- Okay.

Gordon and Aarón:
Ten, nine, eight, seven,

- six, five, four,
- Carrots, bro.

- Three, two, one.
- Just throw it on, just throw it on.

- Gordon: And stop.
- Aarón: That's it.

- ( Applause )
- Gordon: Wow.

Well done!

- Nice.
- Let's go, Joe.

Now it's time to get
even closer to those dishes.

Please, Joe and Ralph,
step forward. Thank you.

Ralph: I'm just so happy
to have made this dish

with my mentor Joe B.

I got so much tips that somebody

would pay Joe
a lot of money for.

Definitely one of
the best days of my life.

- Gordon: Wow.
- Aarón: Unreal.

That looks delicious.

Ralph, describe
the dish, please.

Ralph: It's a chicken Milanesa
with a fried polenta cake

and a fresh arugula salad
with pickled veggies,

and a homemade balsamic
vinaigrette.

Ralph, this is a once-
in-a-lifetime experience

- to be working with a man of
Joe's caliber. - Ralph: Exactly.

What did you learn?

Definitely, number one,
the techniques.

You know,
starting out with the polenta,

how to properly
bread the chicken,

how to spread it, like,
very thin, but also even.

Chicken tastes like it's confit.

- Yep.
- It's so soft and tender.

And you used the cornmeal
correctly.

You cooked it out
and then caramelized it.

The bacon adds a beautiful
seasoning to the salad.

- Ralph: Exactly. - And that's what
it needed. It needed some salt,

it needed some love. And that
chicken, forget about it.

Outstanding job.
Seriously, delicious.

Ralph, the first one
on the balcony. Well done.

- High five, bro.
- Thanks, Joe.

- Thanks, man.
- Thanks, Chef.

Gordon: Right.

Next, we'd like to taste
Cesar and Mark.

Mark and I are proud of the work

we put into this dish.

There was teamwork,
there was communication,

and we feel we created
a successful plate.

This teacher-student team is
definitely earning an A tonight.

- Mark, Cesar.
- Yes, Chef.

Describe the dish, please.

Cesar:
So, we have a chicken roulade,

where I took the thigh,

filled it with chicken mousse
made out of the breast.

I put in bell pepper,
jalapeños,

and then the polenta cake.
We folded in bacon

and caramelized onions, and
then we roasted the carrots.

Who conceptualized this dish?

I did, Chef.

And are you proud of this dish?

- Yes, Chef.
- Absolutely.

It looks terrible.

Come on, guys.

It's like the size of a quarter.

It looks sad.
It looks unappetizing.

It's terrible!

Mark, Cesar, it looks terrible.

It looks sad.
It looks unappetizing,

and it's like the size
of a quarter.

So I've got more polenta
and carrots than I have chicken.

I've got four slices
of chicken,

and I've got raw bell pepper
in a chicken mousse.

It does not make sense.

It's just--
It's really badly executed.

It tastes terrible.
Come on, guys.

The best part of the
chicken is the thigh,

and the one that needs
all the work is the breast.

But you've pureed the breast
and put it inside a thigh.

The carrots are the most
tastiest thing on there.

I'm underwhelmed,
I'm disappointed,

and you need to step up,
both of you.

- Absolutely.
- Understood, Chef.

I was absolutely confident
in our dish,

but I couldn't have
been more wrong.

I don't know what's up,
I don't know what's down,

but I think I might be facing
my first elimination challenge.

Next up, Julia and S.J.,
please. Let's go.

I'm really proud of the way
that S.J. and I work together,

and I'm really confident
in the dish,

but the judges' expectations
are high.

So I don't know if we did
enough to be safe tonight.

S.J., describe the dish, please.

So you have a pan-seared
and roasted chicken breast,

baby carrot-pickle salad,
crispy chicken skin chicharrón,

polenta cake and a white wine
reduction cream sauce.

Who took charge of that tonight?

Julia definitely did, Chef.

- And who cooked that chicken?
- I did.

Ah, beautiful.

Wow. And delicious.

Seasoning on point,
chicken cooked beautifully,

and the crispy skin just
gives it that extra texture.

Sauce immaculate,

and the whole thing is just
restaurant quality.

Well done, both of you.

- Thank you so much.
- Gordon: Amazing.

It's really delicious.

The chicharrón is great,
the polenta cake is textbook.

And here's what I love, guys.

You put this really
beautiful smattering

of herbs and garlic
on top of the chicken.

And that right there, friends,
is the difference

between something being good
to being exceptional.

Great job.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you so much.

( Applause )

- Good job, guys.
- Joe: Okay, next, Farhan and Emily.

Tell me about the dish.

Farhan: So we did an Indian
style chicken and waffles.

Emily spearheaded the chicken
and I helped spice it up.

And I thought of doing
a pakora waffle,

and then we came together
on a slaw.

The chicken's actually
seasoned well.

It's really crispy

and this waffle is really good,

but there's a tone of sweetness
that pervades everything.

But it's a great collaboration.

Gordon: Next up, Bowen, Shanika.

Describe the dish, please.

Shanika: We have a
pork-stuffed chicken.

It has a sweet and spicy sauce,

fried polenta that's cooked
with chicken broth, butter,

and salt and pepper.

The chicken breast is
the toughest one to get right,

and it's dry quickly.

So, putting the pork through
the center is a very smart move.

The polenta is delicious

and that sauce just lifts it up.

Great job.

Aarón:
Next up, Samantha and Chelsea.

Samantha and I made
a crispy chicken breast

with caramelized onion
cream sauce,

with a Parmesan polenta cake,

and then carrots
with bacon lardons.

The chicken is cooked perfectly.

And that onion sauce,
it's beautiful,

it's soft, it's luscious.

It's giving the necessary
richness to the dish.

The texture on the polenta
cake I'm iffy about,

but the flavor's there.
Good job, ladies.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Whoo!
- Nice work, guys.

Next up, Ryan and Gerron.

I've made fried chicken
numerous of times.

I grew up, five years old
in the kitchen

making fried chicken
with my mom,

and so I'm really feeling
confident about this dish.

Gentlemen,
describe the dish, please.

Ryan: What we have is

cornmeal-crusted fried chicken

with dual-colored cabbage,

and also a bourbon, bacon,
and onion jam on the side.

This is crunchy as anything.

It sounds like I'm eating
a bag of freaking chips.

Please don't tell me

that you dredged this chicken
in that whole cornmeal.

That's what I did, Chef.

You can't take cornmeal,
crunchy cornmeal,

and then cook it by frying it.

You gotta grind this first.

I've never known that, Chef.

It's just crunch, crunch,
crunch, crunch, crunch.

However,
it's seasoned on point,

but that is
not your best effort.

Period.

There's some good elements
on this dish.

This jam is actually delicious.
It's super spicy.

Sweet. Love it.

The cabbage is fine, but, um...

the hero of your dish
is a travesty.

It's too bad, because,
like, two good guys.

Sorry, man.

- I'm not feeling too great.
- It's all good, brother.

It's not the review
that I wanted,

but I should've done something
about that cornmeal

and broken it down.

But, hey, shoulda,
coulda, woulda, right?

Next up, Ashley and Taylor.

- ( Sighs )
- ( applause )

Our final dish is completely
not what we planned on.

Ashley and I were definitely
not on the same page,

and it is completely coming
through on this plate.

I am just mortified.

Okay, describe the dish, please.

Ashley:
Pan-seared chicken breast

with sautéed carrots and bacon,
and cornbread cake.

First of all,
I have never ever seen

such a dysfunctional 45 minutes

in the history
of this competition.

- What happened?
- ( exhales )

Things went wrong quickly.

Honestly, I didn't really agree

with our concept
in the beginning.

But I asked if we can--

"Are you gonna nail
this cornbread?"

And I trusted Ashley
in nailing a carrot puree,

and she said yes
and we had nothing.

Carrot puree? Where is that?

It's-- it's not there, Chef.

Why puree baby carrots?

You could eat them freaking raw.

That was Taylor's idea.

She wanted a carrot puree
at the bottom of the plate.

- Oh, my God. - That was-- no,
we both said a carrot puree.

- Carrot puree. - And I said, "Can
you nail that?" And you said yes.

And I said, "Leave some whole so
that we can have sautéed carrots."

I don't remember
you saying that.

Ashley and Taylor,
why puree baby carrots?

- You could eat them freaking raw.
- That was Taylor's idea.

She wanted a carrot puree
at the bottom of the plate.

- Oh, my God. - That was-- no,
we both said a carrot puree.

And I said, "Can you nail
that?" And you said yes.

And I said, "Leave some whole."

I don't remember
you saying that.

( Whispers )
Take responsibility. Damn.

Watching both of you work
is like chewing gum

with a mouth full of nuts.

Two smart, talented girls,
and look at the result.

Salt on point. But seriously?

The cornbread is dry,
it's crumbly.

And out of all those carrots,
that's what I've got.

And they're bitter.

And the chicken's cut like
freaking elephant toenails.

Who cuts it like that?

I started to cut it,

and then Ashley was like,
"Don't cut it that way."

- So, she cut right into it.
- Oh, my Lord.

So you couldn't even cut
a chicken breast up together.

Nope.

Here's what pains me
more than anything.

What I saw, what I tasted,

and what I believed in
both of you

weeks ago coming
into this competition,

was nothing short of phenomenal.

But right now,

with these two guys standing
behind me like that,

I look the biggest idiot
in this kitchen.

We both have a Gordon Ramsay
pin on our aprons,

and we have dishonored him.

If he would've
just ripped it off of us,

I don't know
if I could've blamed him.

Tonight, some of you really
embraced this challenge

and shone as a team.

The winning team is...

Julia and S.J. Well done.

Whoo! I got the best dish
of the night with Julia.

You are safe from elimination.

Please, head up
to the safety of the balcony.

My hunch about Julia was right.

She is just a great cook,

and I'm just glad that I was
able to work together with her.

Now for the bad news.

Please, all the remaining teams
come down to the front.

- Ashley and Taylor,
- ( whispers ) Oh, my God.

Ryan and Gerron,

Cesar and Mark.

You six are obviously cooking
in the next challenge.

The rest of you are safe.

Head up to the balcony, please.

- Thank God.
- Well done. Great jobs.

I'm going into my first
elimination challenge.

I couldn't be more nervous.

It's very intimidating,

but I absolutely plan
to make Joe proud

and stay in this competition.

Your second and final challenge
of the night

is nothing like your first.

Tonight you'll be
replicating a dish

that strikes fear in the heart
of every home cook,

and a dish that is
just as frightening

for seasoned chefs like us.

It is of course...

...a cheese soufflé.

- Ooh, a soufflé.
- ( whispers ) Oh, my God.

Gordon: A true wonder
of the culinary world,

crisp on top, and inside?

Soft and creamy and cheesy.

Look at it.

Every mouthful is a delight.

Mmm.

Nice.

But simplicity
can be misleading.

Tonight, all of you
need to focus

and make us the best soufflé
of your lives.

Elimination is on the line,

and at least one of you
will be going home.

Joe: You'll have 40 minutes
for this challenge.

Within that 40 minutes,

you need to serve us
one perfect soufflé,

and you can serve it
any time you'd like

within that 40 minutes.

Now, if you're smart,
you'll have a strategy.

Think about it.

Three ramekins, two ovens,

one perfect soufflé.

Gordon:
This is not a race tonight,

but you must have a soufflé
on the table behind you

by the time
your 40 minutes is up.

Now, all of you,
head to your stations.

I have never made a soufflé
in my entire life,

and I am terrified

because there's no room
for error.

Aarón: In front of you,

you all have the same
exact ingredients

to make us a cheese soufflé.

Right. Your 40 minutes starts...

...now.

- Let's go, guys.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- Stay organized.
- Let's go, y'all.

Right, six talented home cooks
all fighting for their lives.

Right now, this is not
a time to be adventurous.

You need to be focused,
smart, and understand

that soufflés are chemistry.

Gerron: Make sure that I measure
my butter out correctly.

So, Gordon, give me some insight

on what the soufflé
is all about.

First of, you make the most
amazing béchamel sauce.

That's your base,
served with butter, flour.

And then you bring the milk up
to a boil.

And you season that, little bit
of onion powder, garlic powder.

You add that milk to your roux,

and that's the start
of your cheese sauce.

Gordon: Grated cheese in,
take it off the heat.

If you overcook that roux
with the cheese in there,

the fat starts to seep out,

- Mmm.
- And it's already broken.

Base is working.

Once you've got this beautiful,
light, creamy béchamel cheese sauce,

let it cool down
and fold in your egg yolks.

You then start whipping
your egg whites.

- Perfect.
- Just under 10 minutes gone.

30 minutes remaining.

- I need--
- Take your time, Ashley.

Stay organized, baby.
Stay organized.

Ashley, how you feeling?

I am feeling strong, Chef.

The first soufflé I ever had
was a cheese soufflé in France,

so I'm, like, channeling
all of these memories.

Have you ever made
a cheese soufflé before?

I've made it one time.

The first time,
I was successful.

I had eight aprons to give out,

- and you were one of them.
- Yes, Chef.

- I'm expecting big things from you.
- Absolutely.

- Let's go. Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Quarter cup, coming up.
- It looks good, Mark!

- Joe: All right, Mark.
- Yes, sir.

You're wearing my apron.
Are you worried?

I'm a little worried just
because I am in the elimination.

- It is my first time.
- Do you make a lot of soufflés at home?

I'm more of a dessert
soufflé person.

If you can make
a dessert soufflé,

you can make this, right?
Doesn't change that much.

So, three ramekins, two ovens.

Are you gonna put all three
ramekins in at the same time?

Oh, no way. Absolutely not. That's
too many eggs in one basket.

I'm gonna go one,
wait a few minutes, maybe two,

and then after the first one comes
out, I'll have the third in.

- Good luck, man.
- Thank you so much.

Shanika: You got this, Ryan.
You got this.

All right, Ryan.
How we doing, buddy?

I'm not super confident,
'cause this is a--

A little outta my territory,
but I'm trying.

I'm not psyching
myself out on this.

Those are the people
that go home.

I only had eight of those aprons

and I trusted you
with one of them.

All right, counting on you.

Go. Keep going, keep going.

Gordon: 17 minutes to go.

In three minutes from now,

you've got to start putting
soufflés in the oven.

Look. Cesar's cheese,
it looks a little bit broken.

I hope he hasn't
put the cheese in,

- cooked it out on the stove,
- Right.

And the oil's coming out of it.

- I hope not.
- Joe: It starts to break.

Guys, calm, cool, collected
Ashley's got one in the oven.

Shanika: All right, Ashley.

I'm really worried about Taylor.

- Come on.
- The one who's running behind right now

that I'm seriously
concerned about is Taylor.

S.J.: Let's go, Taylor. Come on.

Guys, look at Ryan's mix.

It doesn't look like
there's any cheese in there.

It looks like yogurt.

Gordon: Mark's going in.

- Mark's going in.
- Let's go, Cesar.

- There we go, Gerron, dude.
- Gerron's in. Gerron is in.

Shanika: You got this, Ryan.
You got this.

Taylor's the only one
with no soufflé in. Wow.

- Taylor. You've got to get a
soufflé in the oven. - Yes.

Yes, Chef.

- Work faster, work faster, come on.
- You can do it.

Let's go, Taylor!

Everybody has their soufflés
in the oven but Taylor,

and time is running out,
like, fast.

Doesn't it take 11 minutes
for a soufflé to cook?

She's done.

- Gordon: Taylor, get one in the oven now.
- I don't have it mixed.

Samantha:
Taylor, just get it in.

Gordon: 11 minutes to go.

Taylor's the only one
with no soufflé in. Wow.

Taylor, get one in the oven now.

I don't have it mixed.

Gordon: 11 minutes to go.

Taylor, everybody has their
soufflés in the oven but you.

Doesn't it take 11 minutes
for a soufflé to cook?

Let's go, Taylor!

Samantha:
Taylor, just get it in.

Taylor, you better hustle.

Minimum time for cooking
is 11 minutes.

We've got to get them in.

All right, guys,
Taylor's soufflé is finally in

at 10 minutes to go.

( Sighs )

Joe: I'm really
concerned about Taylor.

I don't know
what we're gonna taste.

I don't know if Taylor's
is gonna turn out.

Gordon: So, you can
come back from that.

With 60 seconds left to go,
crank up the heat.

- Joe: But it's a risk.
- Gordon: There is a risk.

You crank up the oven too early
and the soufflé can explode.

It'll actually pop out
of its mold.

The waiting game.

This is the worst part
of soufflé.

Eight minutes to go.

Taylor, what is happening
with you tonight?

- Where's the soufflés?
- I-- they're all in there.

When you put it
at the top of the oven,

- what happens to soufflés?
- It's closer to the heat.

And the top of the soufflé
cooks, underneath is raw.

You haven't got many
choices left now.

- So just be smart.
- Okay.

Okay? And crank that
oven up when necessary.

Don't go too early.

- Oh. Oh, yeah.
- They rising?

Uh-oh! I got a riser.

Gerron, you need the soufflé

in the middle there
so it cooks evenly.

Which one's coming out first?

I believe this one is the one

that's supposed
to be coming out first.

It's kinda tilted a little bit,

so I'm probably gonna have
to go with the other one, Chef.

You're here for a reason,
because Joe believed in you.

Be decisive. It needs to be
down there before the end.

- Okay, thank you.
- Ralph: Hey, guys,

keep a close eye
on the time, man.

Just be ready to put it out.

Right, young man.
Where we going? Tell me.

This is my first one. So far,
it's taking a rise, so...

Gordon:
What's the paper under there?

- The parchment paper, Chef.
- Why?

I should've taken it off.
I don't know why I didn't.

Sometimes when that paper blows,

- It might hit the--
- It might hit the soufflé.

Don't touch it now. Let's
just hope it doesn't blow.

- Okay.
- But you're in there.

- ( Sighs )
- This is freaking torture.

Gordon: Four minutes remaining.

Oh, my God.

- Aarón: This is intense.
- I can hear the trepidation

in their voice.
They are so nervous.

- Are they up against it? - They're
sticking them in the top of the oven.

So if they crank up the heat,
it's gonna burn on top

- and it'll be raw underneath.
- Oh, that's a problem.

Gordon: All of you remember,
when the clock is at zero,

you need to have a soufflé
down in front of us.

Three minutes to go.

( Groans )

Ashley's opened the oven door.

Soufflé out. Mark's got one out.

- Look at Mark's.
- Soufflé's going back in.

What's he doing putting it
back in the oven?

- Oh, my--
- What is he doing?

Rule number one,
you don't take a soufflé

out of the oven
and then stick it back in,

- You can't do that. - Because
the temperature difference.

- Yep, absolutely.
- It'll start deflating it.

Don't second-guess, just choose.

- Just choose.
- Oh, no.

I'm not gonna use this one.

Beautiful, Ashley. Beautiful.

I'm coming.

- Yes!
- Ashley's coming.

- ( Applause )
- There you go, Ash.

Right. Well done.

There we go, Ryan.
Get that up there.

Wow.

Let's go.

Ashley: My soufflé looks great,

but does it taste
as good as it looks?

There is no room for error.

It needs to be perfectly cooked

or I may be going home.

Oh, my God.

I know I'm not down there
cooking,

but I'm sweating like I am.

Everyone down there
is scrambling,

and on top of that,
the judges are tasting

each and every soufflé
as they come out of the oven.

I mean, this is literally
the most insane challenge

I've ever seen before.

Gordon: One minute to go.

- Keep going, guys! Keep going!
- Good job, guys. Come on.

- Work faster, work faster.
- You can do it.

- Get up there! Go!
- Gordon: 30 seconds to go.

- Joe: Let's go, guys. Come on.
- Gordon: Come on, guys.

- Let's go, Mark. Let's go.
- ( whispers ) I'm just--

- Come on.
- Aarón: Come on, guys.

- Get it up there.
- Gerron!

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

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Four, three, two, one.

- That's it.
- And stop.

Whoo!

Gordon: All of you, well done.

Wow, looks good.

I'm so glad
I'm not down there cooking,

because making a cheese soufflé

was a very difficult challenge
to pull off in 40 minutes,

and no matter who goes home,

we're definitely gonna be
losing someone strong.

Gerron: It's so quiet that
you can hear a pin drop,

and the judges
are not giving anything away.

Based on their faces,
I cannot tell

whether this is a good dish,
whether it's bad.

This is so intense.

Cesar: This is my first time
in an elimination challenge,

and, personally, I feel good.

I think, visually,
my cheese soufflé looks great.

I really like
the golden brown color

around the edges of the soufflé,

but tonight could come down
to one mistake

and I'm out the door.

Wow.

That was the toughest,
the most grueling 40 minutes

you've ever experienced
inside this kitchen.

All of you now, come around to
the front, please. Let's go.

Excuse us.

( Whispers )
This is really tough.

That was extraordinary.

- That was good.
- Jeez.

So many different factors
that are involved there.

I don't know about mine. I
didn't get a chance to taste it.

- One was just egg whites, right?
- Yeah, insufficient cheese.

Like, basically
an egg white omelet.

I hope they like
the taste of mine, man.

- The other one was undercooked, broken.
- Yeah.

Gordon: Separated, so it
didn't rise properly.

I think only one of my
corners was still custardy.

One outstanding one, by the
way, can I just say? Textbook.

- Absolutely.
- It was cheesy and creamy and good.

- It was a tough one.
- It was a diff-- definitely a tough one.

- All right, ready?
- Yeah, go, go.

All right, guys, tonight
you all performed admirably,

but we have to say goodbye

to at least one of you.

Now, there was one home cook
that brought us a soufflé

that was clearly head
and shoulders above the rest,

done by one of the home cooks
wearing my apron.

An incredible performance

from a 19-year-old dishwasher.

- Well done, Mark.
- Nice work, Mark.

Good job, buddy.

You are safe.
Head up to the balcony.

Good job!

It was my first elimination
challenge,

and I came out on top.

This is definitely something
that really shows

that I'm worth that investment
Joe put in to me.

Now, there are three home cooks

that didn't quite nail it,

nor did they do so bad

that they have to leave
this evening.

Ashley,

Gerron,

Taylor.

( Whispers ) Are you kidding me?

Please, head up to the balcony.

Now for the bad news.

Two home cooks,
both mentored by Aarón.

Cesar, you know your mixture
wasn't perfect.

There's nobody in this room that
can continue making a soufflé

with a broken cheese sauce.

Ryan,
there was excessive egg white

in lumps across your mix.

You both made some fundamental
errors this evening.

When I call your name,
please step forward.

Cesar.

Uh-oh.

Tonight...

you are safe.

- Oh, my gosh.
- Gordon: Head on upstairs.

I'm happy I'm safe,
but I'm not happy with myself.

It's a wake-up call for me.

Just like I tell my students,

I have to make sure
I bring my best effort

every single time.

Ryan, unfortunately, young man,

your soufflé tonight
tasted more of egg white

than it did of a cheese soufflé.

That's why you're leaving
this competition.

Aarón: Ryan, let me tell you,

I saw your spirit,
your unbelievable cool demeanor,

and that's why I chose
to give you one of my aprons.

You've grown
throughout this journey.

Please keep your head up.

You have a beautiful future
ahead of you.

Young man, please,
place your apron

on top of your bench.

- Thank you.
- Hey.

- Much love.
- We'll see you in Houston.

- Love you, Ryan.
- ( cheering )

Ryan:
Nobody wants to be eliminated,

but it's been a dream ride.

I came into this competition

just a drummer
from Houston, Texas,

but now I know
that I'm more than that.

Love you, bro.

I've played on some of the
greatest stages in the world,

but I definitely
found my rhythm

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Narrator: Next time,

the MasterChef restaurant
opens its doors

to the world's toughest
food critics.

- All: I want food!
- So many kids.

Welcome, welcome.
Your table is waiting.

- This is impossible.
- I need steaks over here.

- Let's go, let's go!
- Do you like New York strip?

- Uh, no thanks.
- Oh, dear.

- And a special guest...
- Whoo!

Christina Tosi,
the queen of cakes.

...with the ultimate challenge.

I don't know
if I made the right decision

investing my apron in you.