Original subtitles

Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Global Gauntlet"...

This is a royal wedding. You may kiss the bride.

Jesse and Jessica, everybody!

Each team today will be cooking for half of the wedding guests.

Blue Team, keep it up. Well done. Let's go. Let's go.

Man, the polenta, it tastes like someone took cream of wheat

- and just stuck it on a plate. - Aghata, did you score these?

- Yes, Chef. - ( bleeping )

I need to chill.

The winning team is the Blue Team.

Congratulations.

The home cook leaving the competition is Aghata.

Tonight on "MasterChef: Global Gauntlet"...

- Lift! - Yeah!

...it's a social media inspired mystery box challenge

-with a very special guest. - Nick DiGiovanni!

I'd like to offer the winner of tonight's challenge

- a collaboration with me. - Oh, man.

But to create the most viral dish...

A churro bowl. Have you ever heard of that?

- You don't like it? - I need some water.

- ( bleep ) -...not every risk is worth taking.

I'm ready to ride for it or die for it.

Gordon: The only chance this dish has got at going viral

is if I was blind.

( music playing )

Tonight, we go viral.

- Joe: Yes. - Tiffany: Whoo!

- Oh, my gosh! - Welcome back, everybody.

- Mystery boxes! - What?

- Oh, no. - Can we get a break?

Walking in after a team challenge victory feels great,

but last mystery box challenge, I was in the bottom three.

When does it end?

So this mystery box, I got to lock in,

and I cannot finish in the bottom.

Tonight, it's time for another

incredible mystery box challenge.

And trust me, this one will get everyone talking.

Oh, man.

Now, if you cooked the best dish tonight,

you and everyone from your territory

will officially be in the top ten!

- Gordon: Let's go! - That's epic.

But starting tonight, there is no more immunity pin.

So even if you cook the best dish,

you're not safe next time.

- Oh. - Oof.

Right. Let's get to the mystery box, shall we?

The contents underneath your boxes

are something every modern chef on the planet utilizes.

Use it wisely and you will be adored!

Use it poorly, trust me, you'll never live it down.

- Mm. - Oh, gosh.

Right. On the count of three, lift your boxes.

Please be good to me.

One, two, three, lift!

- Yeah! - Oh, my gosh!

- I have a phone. - That's right.

Phones and tablets.

I don't know what this could be for.

- This is a selfie! - She's very familiar.

Not her first time doing that.

No, it's not a typewriter, Foo.

It's a tablet, Foo.

What am I supposed to do with this tablet?

Am I supposed to baste it? Am I butterflying it?

I'm completely clueless.

Guys, in today's world,

everyone knows that the phone eats first.

- Yep. - That's why tonight you'll be cooking dishes

inspired by your culture with social media in mind.

Ooh!

- ( ringing ) - Oh!

Gordon: Jaime, is that your phone?

- Who is that? - It's Nick DiGiovanni.

- What? - What?

- I'm shaking. I'm shaking. - Is it?

- I literally love him. - Nick!

- ( all cheering ) - Gordon.

Oh, my goodness! Everybody, come on down.

- Yeah! - This is exciting.

Honestly, perfect timing. How have you been?

I've been good. I've been travelling around.

I've been cooking, making videos. I'm loving life.

Oh, man, then you were making a video

with my dear friend David Beckham.

Dude, you are killing it.

Thank you, Gordon.

This is crazy timing.

We're about to do a social media challenge.

Honestly, man, I wish you were here.

Uh, wait, wait.

Gordon, did they not tell you?

- What? - ( gasping )

- ( overlapping shouting ) - What?

- Where is he? - I am here.

- Nick DiGiovanni! - ( cheering )

( cheering, laughing )

Oh, my God. Nick is a viral sensation.

- What's up, bro? How are you? - Loving it right now.

- Gordon. -When I'm on social media,

80% of the time, it's Nick's videos.

- Come on over. Come on. - Hi, guys.

So I am just in awe in this moment.

Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen, by the way.

I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back here.

Now all of you, listen up.

This is a man that really understands the word viral

because he used the "MasterChef" platform

to launch a massive career online

with over 50 million followers...

- That's wild. - ...and 20 billion viewers.

- What? - Okay.

- Oh, my God. - Crazy.

Jaime, you were excited.

You were desperate to swipe that,

answer that phone with Nick, right?

I'm just a big fan, and I do content creation, too,

- so I know how hard the game is. - Thank you.

Amazing. Now, what's been some of the most exciting dishes

that you've created that's gone viral?

It's a wide range of things.

I mean, we've got things like the world's largest sushi roll.

Also, I don't want to forget about our video.

- This is true. Yes. - We made the world's largest beef Wellington.

- I got the Welly. You got the sauce? - Holy ( bleep ).

Look at the size of that ( bleep ) thing!

- How did that do? - Over 50 million views as well.

- Wow. - Oh, my goodness me.

What does it take for a dish to go viral, Nick?

You need visuals that stop people.

Then you need flavor that makes it worth staying.

And then it needs to be accessible

so that someone at home actually feels like they can try it.

Think about how you can take ingredients,

techniques, or flavors from your culture

that can hook the social media generation.

This is as much a plating challenge

as it is a cooking challenge, okay?

And one more thing.

Tonight, there's a special prize.

I'd like to offer the winner of tonight's challenge

a collaboration with me.

- Oh! - Wow.

Right, listen. The flip side of that

is someone is leaving the competition

and will not be entering the top ten.

- Make sure that is not you. - Yes, Chef.

- Heard, Chef. - Both: Yes, Chef.

You will have one hour

to cook your viral cultural dishes.

Gordon: Right!

Your 60 minutes start now!

- Let's go! - Whoo! Let's go!

- Let's go, Afro! - Let's go!

Dave:As a digital content creator,

it is a lot harder than people think

to continuously show up online, come up with ideas.

Nutmeg, cinnamon.

Cinnamon's over here, you guys.

The dishes that always go viral

are the ones that show someone a new cooking technique,

and a new dish that people look at

and just think, like, "What is that?"

Doing well tonight is insanely important.

The opportunity to partner with Nick

would mean so much for my channels.

We got this.

I am making a bobotie bomb.

So, bobotie is a very traditional South African dish.

It's ground meat, fragrant spices.

I think this dish is viral

because it's all going in a little bomb.

So you're going to have the rice inside there.

You're going to have all the beautiful meat and the egg.

And it's going to be popping in your mouth

and everyone's going to love it.

Viral sensations. It's about the aesthetics, right?

We see them on the phone. They pop up, they look incredible.

Then you watch it for the second, third time,

all of a sudden it's got half a million views.

- Oh, boy. - Nick: I think this is harder

than most challenges they've probably faced so far

because we're going to be looking

just as hard at the visuals as we are at the flavor.

- Gordon: Yeah. - ( exhales )

Are we going to go sweet or savory? What is the best?

I feel like there's no right or wrong answer for this.

Tiffany: Yeah, you have so much room to play

- and really have some adventure. - Mm-hmm.

- Okay. - But think about it, they only have 60 minutes.

- True. - Even our pastry challenges

usually have 75 minutes or 90 minutes.

- Yeah. - So the time issue is very significant for desserts.

Yeah. Guys, we are 10 minutes down. 50 minutes remaining.

- Oh, my God. - Shall we?

- Let's go. - Let's go.

Ay-yi-yi. Ow.

- Already out of breath. - Jaime!

- Hi, Chef! How are you, Nick? - You're active on social media, on those platforms.

- Yes, I am. - How many followers do you have altogether?

Jaime: I have two million across all my social media.

- Nick: Wow. Two million? - Gordon: It's incredible!

- Thank you. - I did not have anywhere close

to two million when I was standing right where you are.

- Yeah. - I actually remember being on this exact station before

and getting yelled at by you.

Hey, Nick, you've got to start plating your entr\e.

- Speed up. Come on! - Oh, my God.

- No, that's not-- - And I had zero followers.

- So imagine how that felt. - Tell us about the dish.

What are you doing and how's it going to go viral?

I'm doing a pandan surprise in a coconut cup,

so it's going to be five layers of pandan,

and it's going to be served in the coconut.

- I love pandan, first of all. - Really?

I feel like not that many people understand.

Describe the flavor of pandan to people that don't know.

Pandan, it's like a grounded vanilla,

and it's more subtle and earthy.

Gordon: How you going to elevate this thing?

I'm going to serve it on top of some dry ice

to really get that viral effect,

and that way the dessert will stay cold as well.

- Good luck, yes? Good luck. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

Jake: Wow, that's beautiful. Okay.

All right, Jake, what's up, buddy?

How's it going today, guys?

I'm going to be making you guys a horchata crème brûl\e

- inside of a churro bowl. - Ooh!

- Have you ever heard of that? - Where did you think of this?

Well, I've been wanting to fill a churro bowl with something.

A churro by nature is usually hot when you have them fresh.

Then a custard, which is usually cold--

- Yep. - Like, how does that set?

I'm also making a quick white chocolate ganache,

so I can sort of waterproof the bottom of that churro,

so the custard doesn't leach out into it.

You're going to waterproof with white chocolate.

Yeah, yeah.

Jake, you have not had a win yet,

but you've been really close.

I think this is absolutely the dish that I could get my win on.

Remember, what goes on in your head,

- you have to put it on the plate. - Yes. Understood.

- Top ten on the line. Good luck. - Thank you very much.

I came to "MasterChef" to push my limits as a cook,

so I'm feeling like this is just an opportunity

for me to impress them not only with my flavors,

but with a concept that they've never seen before.

The big risk with making this dish

is that I need to get that custard to set up firm.

If my custard doesn't fully set,

that breaks down the entire concept of my dish.

This close to the top ten,

I don't want to give up my apron

because I served the judges a bowl of churro custard soup.

( groans )

- Ahh, ahh! - You got this, Jaime!

So tonight we've got a social media mystery box challenge.

Now, not only does this dish need to look exciting and potentially go viral,

but it's got to taste incredible.

There's no immunity pin. However, a big bonus for the winner,

they get to collab with you on a incredible dish.

Maybe just a little bit more flour.

Gordon: 20 minutes down, 40 minutes remaining.

- Yes, Chef! - Let's go, let's go!

Top ten around the corner. Let's go.

- All-purpose flour. - Tkaiya, how are you?

- Hi, Joe. Hi, Chef. I'm good. - So what are you making?

So it's going to be almost like a hyper-realistic coconut.

It's going to have a coconut lime mousse, a coconut dacquoise.

Then I'm also doing tempered chocolate,

- and I'm doing a spiced mango compote. - Ooh.

Well, it sounds delicious. It also sounds very, very complicated.

- Yeah. - So hopefully you can get it all done.

- Okay. Thank you. - Good luck, Tkaiya.

- Thank you, Chef. Thank you. - Basia: Bacon, onions.

- Basia. - Yes, hello, Chef.

- How are you, Basia? - Very well.

I'm actually making caramelized onions,

- and I watched it on your social media platform. - Okay.

I am making a smash burger pierogi style.

The burger is going to be inside the pierogi

with some special sauce on the bottom.

- What's the special sauce? - I actually got it from you.

- Oh, you do use my platform. - Whoa.

- Yes, I do. - Thank you!

So, wait, you're using a combination of our recipes...

- Combination. - ...to make this dish.

A little bit of Chef Ramsay's and yours.

Wow. What are you doing with these?

Is this for a snack? Are you hungry?

Yeah, I'm going to add it to the top of my pierogi.

- This is going to go on top? - A spicy cheese puff?

- Yeah, let's see. Come on. - Stop it. Seriously?

It's a cheeseburger!

- You don't like it? - No, no, don't change the recipe for that.

- Keep it. I like it. - Basia: Keep it?

- Thank you very much! Exactly. - Focus up. Good luck.

- Thank you so much. - I need some water.

- Peter, Peter. - Hello, Joe. Hello, Chef.

- What are you making? - I'm going to make a plantain funnel cake

with a strawberry coulis.

But I'm also going to do, for the virality,

a flamb\ed plantain with rum.

- Rum. - Like a banana foster.

Exactly, exactly.

I legitimately love a funnel cake.

No way. Okay, cool.

So I don't know if that's a good thing for you.

Uh, neither do I. Neither do I.

- How does this dish go viral? - It has that nostalgia of funnel cakes.

People go to state fairs. And they also have the ability to be recreated.

- We all have that ability. - Right, it has to be accessible.

- Exactly. - All right.

Top ten on the line. Good luck.

- Thank you. - I do love a funnel cake.

- Need a little longer. - Julia: You're good, Basia.

- Let's go. Julia. - Hey, Julia.

Right, tell us about the dish.

I'm going to be making a squid ink ravioli

filled with an anchovy and tomato paste.

- Wow. - I'm going to put two egg yolks,

if I can, with volcanic ash breadcrumbs.

It's inspired by Mount Etna, the volcano in Sicily.

I want to get the real, like, volcanic explosion.

There's something here, for sure.

Yeah. Tell me about how excited would you be

with a collab with Nick in Boston?

That would be insane.

I mean, I really am not big on social media,

but that is one of my goals,

is to start establishing a presence

because I really want to open up a bakery,

get some traction, so I feel like that would be huge.

I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, right? We both know that.

That is true. We love humble beginnings.

- Yeah. - Love that. Sounds good.

- Thank you. - Guys, halfway!

30 minutes gone, 30 minutes remaining. Let's go!

Yes! Thank you, Chef.

- So, Basia. - She's taken a recipe from me and a recipe from you,

and she's putting it all into one.

I gotta put the bacon in.

She's basically stuffing a smash burger into a pierogi.

Gonna do a little salt.

Sometimes the crazy foods are exactly what goes viral,

and that could be a dish that could go viral.

- Yep. - ( humming )

Jake is doing a churro bowl

- with an horchata custard in the center. - Joe: Horchata?

Horchata is basically a cinnamon rice milk.

Nick: Horchata is one of the best things of all time.

I love making this at home, but you have to soak that rice

- overnight in the fridge. - We will see how much of that rice flavor

- gets picked up in the custard. - Okay.

And, I mean, that's the challenge here.

- Gordon: Yeah. - This has viral potential.

- There you go. - All right.

So, Peter is doing a plantain funnel cake

with flamb\ed bananas.

Flamb\ is one of the best things you can use

- in the kitchen as a tool to go viral. - Yeah.

I work a flamb\ into videos that don't even need a flamb\.

- Love that. - If he has any trouble,

that's one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen.

- Set stuff on fire? - So I'll run over there and help him.

Oh, my gosh, are you kidding me?

Oh, my gosh. Okay.

- There's the flamb\. - Both: Flamb\!

- There he goes. - Ooh, I'm firing with it now.

Oh, wow. Ooh. Okay, bet.

Oh, gosh, my hands are killing me.

Tkaiya is making a coconut lime mousse.

She is going to temper the chocolate,

make this sort of beautiful shell, fill it in there.

She has a lot to do in 60 minutes. Let's see if she gets it done.

I don't know if she's going to have enough time for that to set.

Guys, we've got 20 minutes remaining.

- Let's go! - Okay, perfect.

All the components are coming together,

and everything is just in harmony.

Okay, okay, let's see.

My mousse is done.

Now all I need to do is pipe it into my molds.

Oh, my gosh!

But then I taste it,

and I forgot the sugar in the mousse.

Bruh, I forgot sugar.

Not having sugar in this mousse,

it's just gonna taste like straight up cream and coconut

and no sweetness to it.

This is so bad. I forgot the damn sugar.

I forgot the damn sugar.

I was making my hyper-realistic coconut

that's made out of chocolate,

and I forgot the sugar in the mousse.

- This is so bad. -So I added powdered sugar,

and I'm hoping that there's just something to save this dish.

Pop in the blast chiller. Okay, okay, okay.

Guys, 45, gone. 15 minutes to go.

- Hello, Dave. - Hi, Joe. How are you?

Excellent. What is going on here?

This is some strange looking stuff.

- What do you have? Vermicelli? - Exactly.

Yeah, so it's broken vermicelli, and I am steaming it,

because in Morocco they do not boil pasta.

And then the dish itself is going to be a spiced chicken

buried under a dome with sweetened vermicelli.

- Wow! - Yeah.

Right there, it already feels viral to me.

I do have a content platform of my own

where I share traditional North African recipes,

and I know that people always like seeing something new.

You're playing with an advantage here today.

Yeah, a little bit of an advantage, yes.

- How are you going to plate it? - So I'm actually going to

plate it inside of a tagine.

We'll have, like, the reveal

and the chicken's even more of a reveal.

Ah! Dave, good luck. That sounds amazing.

- Thank you both. Thank you. - Anyone have a chopstick?

- No. They're in the back row. - No.

Okay.

Beautiful, beautiful.

- Foo. - Chef.

Tell us about the dish and how is this going to go viral?

Today I am making a Vietnamese sizzling taco.

A play on b*nh xèo. It's a Vietnamese crepe.

- Love that. - I'm making it viral

because I currently live in SoCal California.

Lot of delicious taco food trucks there.

So I'm fusing the taco essence to the Vietnamese dish.

Have you ever gone viral in your life, Foo?

I have two little kids. They're my only followers.

Maybe I got to follow Foo. He'll get three.

That'd be fantastic. Please. Thank you very much.

- Both: Good luck. - Thank you, Nick. Nice to meet you.

Gordon: Guys, six minutes to go.

- Mm. I need salt. - Hello!

- Hello, Maria. - What's going on, Maria?

I'm making octopus rice.

- It's very popular in Brazil. - What makes this dish viral?

I'm going to chop some of the mini octopus and put it in with the rice.

And then I'm going to save the mini whole octopus to put on top of the rice.

Tiffany: So it's mostly just the visuals that make it viral?

Yes, absolutely. A lot of people have never seen mini octopus before.

They see that on a plate, they're going to think, "What is this?"

How much experience do you have with viral videos?

- Well, I'm a food content creator. - Okay.

Maria: I create my own videos.

If I have an idea in my head,

I go and make something, I post it.

Then sometimes random stuff goes viral.

So it feels like random things go viral.

It's a random thing. I'm the type of person,

- I like to make random things. - Joe: Good luck.

Ah! Thank you.

Coming up to three minutes to go!

Okay. Cook, cook, cook, cook, cook, cook, cook.

( bleep ) I wish I had more oil.

- Oh, boy. - Let's go, gang.

Come on, Basia.

Gordon: Guys, last 60 seconds. Come on, let's go.

- Last minute! - ( bleep )

A spot in the top ten, guys. Come on.

- It's a little under. - All right, let's put one.

- Please, God. - Ugh, this is terrible.

It's, like, leaking. Ugh, Tkaiya.

Gordon: Quick, Jaime, you've got to go.

- My hands were always shaking right now. - Likewise.

- This is brutal. - Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

- three, two, one. - And stop.

- Hands in the air! - Whoo!

- Wow. - Well done.

- Okay. - Oh, my gosh.

Peter: Well done, team.

Heidi: Is it hot in here or is it me?

- Uh, all of the above. - Basia: Beautiful.

When I was putting the caviar on top, you could feel the yolk just...

- Good job, yeah. - I finished my dish.

I got everything on the plate,

but I just feel like forgetting to add sugar

and adding it at the last minute,

it's very frustrating, you know?

- Did you finish it? Good, good, good. - I did finish it.

But I forgot, like, the orange zest.

Four out of five of my components went well,

but my cake is a little under,

so I'm a little worried for sure.

Foo:The benefit of me being one of the oldest cooks

in the competition is that I've had life experiences.

But I'm not familiar with social media.

I felt like it is a viral dish,

but now I'm not pleased with the plating.

It feels like this could be the last chapter

in my "MasterChef" journey.

Right, now it's time to come around

and take one final look at everyone's dishes

and see whose turn is it to go viral.

- Shall we, guys? - Yeah.

- Hello, Chefs. - Hello, Jake.

You got your churro done. It definitely looks like a bowl.

- Yeah. - Was there any issues along the way?

A little bit. I decided not to include the white chocolate ganache.

But it was your barrier. Now is it going to be soggy in the center?

Um, I really hope not.

Gordon: Maria, give us an insight to why you think this could go viral.

It's very rare to see mini octopus in general.

Tkaiya, are you happy with the plating?

Honestly, Chef, I think timing got the best of me.

It made me forget a few key elements to the dish.

Looking around, I'm feeling not 100% confident.

So, Dave, you're going for the sweet and savory right here.

Yeah, sweet and savory. It's a very iconic Moroccan pairing.

- Very interesting. Wow. - Thank you. Thank you, guys.

There are some pretty interesting dishes out there.

Some different stuff, which that's what the whole viral thing is.

Gordon: Peter, presentation-wise, you happy with that?

- Yes, Chef, I am. - Right.

But the judges are looking for something

that's going to get a lot of views.

Millions and billions.

Joe: Heidi, you got, like, a lot of brown balls there.

- Yes, I do. - You happy with it?

I think I could have worked on my presentation a little bit better,

but overall, I think the flavors are there.

And Nick, he knows how to make viral dishes

that will catch the audience's attention.

- Never seen this before. - Never seen anything like these.

This is either viral or insane. It's a fine line.

I know, and I'm praying.

And so we have that added pressure with that extra fourth judge.

I think it's going to erupt just like a volcano.

Tiffany: And what's going to erupt, exactly?

The ricotta filling. And then I put two egg yolks in there,

because I really want it to scream that it's lava.

- All right. - So I'm really hoping I'm not in the bottom.

Tiffany: So the viral here is you're going to mix it in the moment.

- Aishu: Yes. - And then this is going to be

- part of the dipping sauce. - The dipping sauce.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Jaime, what happened here? - I accidentally swapped the bowls.

- Like, the dry ice is supposed to be in here. - Tiffany: Oh.

Foo, there are the crepes. Where's the pork gone?

- Pork sliced in there, as well as some shrimp. - Gotcha. Okay.

Whew. Some great dishes out there.

- Tiffany: Yeah. - Absolutely.

- Yes. - It's a great viral moment.

- Oh, my God. I'm scared. - What? Don't be.

- Gordon: It's good. - Tiffany: Okay.

- Joe: Ready? - Gordon: Yeah.

Right, let's get down to the top four dishes.

The first dish, from Team Asia-Pacific,

please step forward,

- Jaime. - Yeah!

- Yeah, baby! - Good job, Jaime.

With this top dish, I'm officially in the top ten!

It's really heavy. Sorry.

I really want that collab with Nick.

- I really hope I get it. - Gordon: Right.

- Oh! - ( bleep )

- Ooh! - Close call.

Close call. All good.

- Tiffany: Ooh. - Joe: Ahh.

- Oh! - Peter: Very nice, Jaime!

Jaime: Tonight, I made a pandan surprise with five layers--

a pandan cake, a coconut cream, toasted coconut crumble,

a coconut pudding, and coconut jelly.

Visually, it definitely has that wow factor.

I like the coconut plating.

It leaves some mystery, which for social media

and for virality is actually really nice,

'cause it makes you want to watch to the end.

- So I love it. - Thank you, Nick.

- Gordon: Shall we? - Joe: Let's try it.

I love it. I think the visuals were there. It has that viral potential.

I want to go back in for a second and third and fourth bite.

- I love it. - Thank you, Nick.

The combination of the flavors, it tastes delicious.

There's no two ways about that. Then you've got that nice little breakaway

of that soft fragrant jelly, which is lovely.

Yeah, beautiful presentation. It feels like an adventure.

It feels like every bite could be slightly different.

Flavor-wise, it's delicious and fun.

- Thank you, Chef. - A nice dessert. Really good.

Great job. Well done, Jaime. Thank you.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Good job, Jaime! - Jaime!

- ( cheering ) - Good job, Jaime!

The next top dish, from Team Europe,

please come forward,

- Julia. - Joe: Wow.

- All right! - Way to go, Julia!

I feel so excited and so blessed

to be the top dish in my territory.

I'm just praying to God that these yolks burst.

This is a dish that I'm calling Mount Etna raviolo,

which is a squid ink pasta.

And it is filled with ricotta, egg yolk, anchovy paste,

and tomato, sitting on a bed of homemade breadcrumbs

with some charcoal to represent that volcanic ash.

Looking at this dish, I'm not totally sure yet if I get volcano.

For me, the big thing is going to be cutting into this.

If it doesn't lava, it's not so much of a volcano.

Right. Correct.

- Let's see, shall we? - Oh, God.

For me, the big thing is going to be cutting into this.

If it doesn't lava, it's not so much of a volcano.

- Let's see, shall we? - Oh, God.

- Wow. - Wow.

Yeah. I can breathe. I was a little worried.

Go, Julia.

Julia, you come up with great ideas,

you communicate the territory, and then you make delicious food.

And this, quite frankly, is delicious.

Yeah, I love the little note of anchovy that's in there.

It's not in your face. And the texture of all the soil

- is really nice with the dish. - Thank you, Chef.

You know, I was skeptical about this dish.

Its entire potential rested on the fact

that it would actually erupt, and it delivered on that.

This is a very difficult thing to make, and you nailed it.

Julia, tonight, you're cooking like a pro

and shining like a star. Well done.

- Thank you, Chef. Thank you, guys. - Thank you. Wow.

- Go, Julia! - Julia!

- Go, Julia! - Whoo!

( ding )

Okay, the top dish from Team Africa tonight,

please come forward, Dave.

( cheering )

For the first time to be at the top of Team Africa,

it feels amazing to be recognized

because I'm a content creator.

So to have that validation, it feels good.

- Ooh. - Ahh.

- That looks beautiful. - I have made for you a Moroccan dish called seffa medfouna

"Medfouna" means buried, and refers to the savory chicken

that is buried under a mound of sweetened

steamed vermicelli noodles.

This is something that I've never seen before,

and so that gets me excited.

And I think the idea of pulling it up

and an interaction that happens,

it's a dish that, to me, I think definitely could go viral.

- Gordon: Shall we? - Let's do it.

- Mmm. - This whole challenge

was about making something that could go viral,

and this makes me want to go to Morocco.

- Awesome. - This is a beautiful dish,

both in terms of flavor and looks.

- Thank you. Thank you. - Nice job.

Yeah, Dave, congratulations. It's delicious.

The fragrance coming off that chicken is incredible.

- Yeah, exceptional. - Thank you. Thank you so much.

I love the idea of, like, the sweetness and the crunch, and it's just very playful.

Thank you so much, Chef. Thank you.

I think there is something to be said about going viral

with deep steeped traditions that are authentic,

nostalgic, and properly done, which is what this is.

- Good job. - Thank you. Thank you, Joe.

- Thank you, Dave. - Thank you.

- It's really good. Really good. - Way to go, Dave!

Good job, Dave. Good job.

Finally, the top dish from Team Americas.

Please step forward, Jake!

- Let's go! - ( cheering )

Jake:This dessert was a huge gamble.

I'm just feeling so good,

because not only did I execute it well,

but I had a lot of fun while making it.

And isn't that what being viral is all about?

And I think I kind of nailed that today.

Today, I made a horchata crème brûl\e in a churro bowl.

I think at the very heart of virality is seeing things put together

in ways you've never seen before.

As for the flavors, horchata is one of those first things

I fell in love with when I was learning about my culture.

You know, being adopted, not growing up in a Mexican household.

- Gordon: Love it. - It looks like something

you would go to a bakery and buy.

- It looks professional. - Thank you.

- Gordon: Shall we? - Tiffany: Yes.

Nick: The bottom looks so cool.

What did you flavor the custard with?

I boiled the cream and milk with long grain rice,

blended and strained it to get that rice flavor in,

and then finished it off with Ceylon and traditional cinnamon.

Jake, it's delicious.

I'm getting that nice balance of cinnamon and sugar.

The flavor gets me just excited as the visual.

Gordon: Jake, it's exceptional.

Maybe a little hint of spice rolled around in that sugar

just to cut the sweetness, but it's delicious.

Love, love, love that classic churro texture on top.

But I also love that you were able to get that custard set in time.

I can really taste the horchata coming through in there.

- This is really delicious. - Yes, Chef.

Well done. Thank you, Jake. Excellent.

- Jake! - Yeah, whoo!

- Good job, Jake! - ( cheering )

Very good.

( muted chatter )

Incredible dishes. Absolutely incredible.

Joe: Yeah, they're all great.

( imitates heart thumping )

- In agreeance? Okay. - Think so. Yeah.

Jaime, Julia, Dave, and Jake,

congratulations getting yourselves in the top ten.

- Well done. - ( cheering )

Peter: Go top ten!

Now, as far as the best dish of the night,

congratulations goes to...

Julia. Congratulations. Well done.

- ( cheering ) - Awesome job.

Julia!

Jaime, Dave, and Jake, great work.

Please head back to your bench.

- Great job, y'all. - Well done. Well done.

Julia, make your way up to the balcony

and take Basia with you.

Thank you, guys. Thank you!

- Good job, Julia! - ( squealing, laughing )

I made it. I'm in the top ten of "MasterChef."

I'm so pumped. I cannot believe it.

- ( squeals ) - Julia, congratulations.

- Thank you, Chef. - And remember, you now have

that unique opportunity to go to work with Nick.

Yeah, she mentioned when we were over there

that she doesn't have much of a social media presence yet.

But hopefully, that'll change after we work together, so...

I feel like I might pass out. I'm so excited and so blessed.

Love that. Basia, we'll be honest,

uh, you dodged a bullet.

Because I don't think you actually

- thought that one through. - Right.

That definitely wasn't a viral sensation, okay?

Got it. Thank you, Chef.

Right, now for the not so good news,

the three worst performing dishes.

The bottom dish from Team Asia-Pacific,

please make your way down,

Foo.

Foo:I'm a little bit bummed.

Clearly, I have not done enough

with the plating on this dish.

You're okay, Foo.

In regards to viral dishes,

I'm not even sure if my daughters

would like this dish.

They might quite possibly

unfollow me on this one.

I made a Vietnamese sizzling crepe taco

with marinated shrimp, pork, traditional Mexican spices,

and Vietnamese herbs.

The reason I felt that it would go viral

is because the fusion of taco

and my Vietnamese culture in this dish.

Foo, I'll tell you this, we're looking for both

that visual that's going to pull you in

when you're watching it, and also the flavor.

And without having tasted it yet, I can tell you

it really doesn't have that virality factor to it.

Gordon: Yeah, listen, visually, it looks a little bit messy.

We're trying to eat with our eyes, right?

It does sort of read slightly confusing.

- So we'll swipe quickly on that one, trust me. - Yes, Chef.

- Shall we? - Yep.

Gordon: And what do you you suggest?

Building one out in the lettuce cup?

It gives you two options. You could either pick it up

or cut it in half if you're splitting it, and then eat it.

This tastes better than it looks.

I get sweet. I get sour.

It's fragrant with all those different herbs.

- And I really like the flavors here. - Thank you, Nick.

I think it's more confused than viral.

But those tones of your cooking ability is there,

but it's not shining because there's too much going on.

I mean, the only chance this dish has got of going viral

- is if I was blind. - Yes, Chef.

It's just kind of put together in a way

that's difficult to eat.

Some of the flavors here are really good.

It's just, I have to find that bite, you know?

- And, like, it doesn't just come together for us. - Yes, Chef.

I get it with you, because you're going to deliver the flavor.

But what I'm reading here is you're throwing in

everything but the kitchen sink in here.

And sometimes these dishes need to be a little bit more focused.

- Thanks, Foo. - Understood. Thank you. Thank you.

The bottom dish from Team Africa, please come forward...

Peter.

Peter:Back in the bottom, so close to top ten,

it just doesn't feel great.

I put myself on my plate tonight,

I stand behind my dish, and I'm ready to ride for it or die for it.

Today we have a plantain funnel cake,

flamb\ed plantains, puff puff, coconut chantilly cream,

and a strawberry coulis. When I think of viral dishes,

you have the experience of going to state fairs and getting funnel cakes,

humble ingredients that you can grab from your home or anywhere you need.

Um, it's able to be used by anybody.

The plantain funnel cake, smart idea.

But it does not look attractive. That's the issue.

- Yes, Chef. - Shall we?

You caramelized the plantains.

- Was it rum? - Yes, Chef.

So, Peter, I mean, as a simple dish, it's a little bit greasy.

The difference between the puff puff and the funnel cake,

I have a hard time distinguishing on my palate.

It's kind of like the same thing.

Tiffany: If you're going to flamb\

and you're going to have something go viral,

I almost wish you would have just lit that sucker on fire for us,

and we enjoy the sauce from the plantains

and the rum, and, you know, threw some cinnamon on top of the sparks

to see all of that kind of happening in the flamb\,

and then we would have had more of a viral sensation.

- But here it feels a bit flat. - Thank you, Chef.

There are elements on here that could work.

Let's get that absolutely clear.

It just needs to be rethought out.

Nick: I like the funnel cake, but if you were to redo it,

I would tell you, make some sort of, like, banana cream,

put it through the funnel cake, and highlight

- the plantains themselves. - Thank you, judges.

- Thanks, Peter. - Thank you.

Okay, finally, the bottom dish from Team Americas.

Looking around at all the dishes tonight,

this one clearly didn't have the viral potential

that we were looking for, unfortunately.

Please come forward...

Okay, finally, the bottom dish from Team Americas.

Please come forward, Maria.

I am really disappointed right now.

I know my plate looks beautiful, but at the same time,

I'm concerned about the texture of this octopus.

Okay, Maria, tell us what you made.

Maria: I made baby octopus rice.

It has bell peppers, onions, garlic,

and it's very popular in the coast of Bahia, where I'm from.

I thought it would be really cute

with the little octopus on top of the rice.

Well, I'll tell you on a positive note that it looks like a dish

that I would want to sit down and have for dinner.

- Mm-hmm. - But I do fear that it misses that wow factor

that you're looking for in something that you want to be visual and viral.

- I understand. - Let's taste it.

- Why did you put them in the pressure cooker, Maria? - I thought it would be tender.

When I do them in a regular pan on top of the stove,

- it doesn't get the texture I want. - Tiffany: Okay.

I think that what's going on here is the rice component

has really nothing to do with the rest of the seafood component of the dish,

- and it just doesn't come together. - Thank you.

- I just wish you would have done more. - Mm-hmm.

I know that you made rice.

I understand that you braised

and pressure cooked the octopus,

but even getting some crispy bits on the octopus,

finishing it with some type of sauce

to beef up the whole dish,

it just feels a bit lackluster.

- Appreciate that. - These octopus on a skewer,

grilled for 30 seconds each side,

would be so much more attractive.

Sadly, this octopus, because it's been

in the pressure cooker, is so overcooked.

But the rice is delicious. There's no two ways about that.

It did miss the mark on that viral aspect,

but on a different night in a totally different challenge,

I could see it doing very well.

- I understand. - Thank you, Maria.

- Thank you. - Thank you so much.

Foo, Peter, and Maria,

unfortunately, now we must decide

which one of you, sadly, is leaving the competition.

Thank you.

Maria's, I'm trying to salvage something.

- Not much to salvage. - And honestly,

I don't feel like Maria did enough work in 60 minutes.

I think it's a very hard dish to defend.

Oh, boy, Peter's. Why so much fried food on there?

- Which is the biggest turn-off. - It's too much.

- It didn't feel viral enough. - Joe: He didn't do enough.

Peter's a smart guy. He's a better cook than that dish.

Gordon: So, Foo, in terms of presentation, I was confused.

Where were we going with that?

Tiffany: I'm not really sure he knew where he was going.

Yeah. I mean, listen, let's be honest.

There's no way that dish is getting viral, is there?

Mm-mm.

- Joe: Yes, I agree. - Gordon: We agree? Shall we?

- Let's go. - ( exhales )

Foo, Peter, Maria,

after discussing all of your dishes together,

we are all in agreement.

The home cook that will be leaving

the MasterChef kitchen tonight, sadly is...

- Maria. - Sorry.

Foo, Peter, head back to your stations, please.

Thank you, you guys. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you.

Maria, you came in to this competition dancing.

You lit up the room, and we've loved your spirit

and the attitude ever since.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

- Thank you. - Come and say goodbye. Come on.

- Thank you. I appreciate you so much. - All right, Maria!

- Thank you, Tiffany. - Oh, my God.

Maria: I appreciate you. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Chef Gordon.

Wait, wait, wait. Come here, girl.

You've been amazing.

This is not the last of Maria, okay?

- Yeah! - Maria!

Maria:I'm feeling a little sad that I'm going home,

but at the same time, I'm just beyond proud

of everything I've accomplished here on "MasterChef."

- Hello. - Gordon: I can't change anything here.

- Resounding yes. - Oh, my God! Aah!

I am so proud to have represented Brazil.

To show my culture, my flavors, it means the whole world to me.

It's humble cooking at its best.

You took one of the biggest risks, and it came out perfect.

Thank you.

This opportunity, it's just incredible.

I can walk with my head held high.

- Thank you, Maria! Come on. - Aww, yeah!

- Whoo! - Whoo!

Maria!

- Gordon:Next time... - Oh!

- This is crazy. -...the top ten kicks off

with a "MasterChef" classic.

- The tag team! - Oh, my.

You will be cooking dishes based on our fondest food memories.

But there's a twist.

You get to choose your own partner,

because tonight is a double elimination.

Dave: I am starting to panic.

- Switch! - Foo, worry about the shepherd's pie!

They must succeed as one...

I need to slice two lemons how?

I don't give a ( bleep ). Just slice one.

- That is not the way. - It's horrible.

-...or the pressure could break them both. - ( bleep )

- It's a little burned. - ( Peter groans )

- What is Aishu doing? - Leave it, leave it, leave it!

- Switch! - Oh, my God!