All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S02E07.720p.HDTV.x264-DIMENSION

Previously on MasterChef,

the home cooks faced
their first team challenge.

You've got two hours
to serve 350 guests.

I've been cooking meat
for twice as long

as he's been alive.

Disaster!

The losing team faced
an intense pressure test,

ending another amateur
home cook's dreams.

Tony, your time's done
in MasterChef.

Tonight... Game on.

15 home cooks remain.

Show us
you mean business.

And the
competition intensifies.

Why are you crying?

Some will crack under pressure.

Complete disaster.

And the judges
take it personally.

This gives
what I do a bad name.

I would send you home now.
I feel like giving up.

At the end of the
night, a shocking elimination.

It was inedible.

Over the next eight weeks,

the remaining home cooks will
face extraordinary challenges.

My mum has flown
halfway around the world

to come here
and eat that dessert.
Aah!

For the winner, a
quarter of a million dollars...

You're unstoppable.

That's a party
in my mouth.

...And the title of...

MasterChef.

MasterChef 2x07
Top 15 Compete
Original Air Date on June 28, 2011

== sync, corrected by elderman ==

Let's go, guys.
Stand in front of your station, please.

Let's go.

Good morning.
Good morning.

Now...

In your previous challenge,
another talented contender

for the title of MasterChef
was sent home.

Look, there's just
15 of you remaining.

15.

Oh, it's awesome
to be in the top 15.

But I'm in the middle.

I don't want to be
in the middle anymore.

I want to be on top.
I need to step it up.

Today's challenge is about
inspiration and creativity--

your second
mystery-box challenge.

You'll each have to
prepare, cook, and present

one absolutely
fantastic dish.

The trick?

You're only using
the ingredients

hidden under those boxes.

We will taste

only the top-three dishes.

The person with the best dish
from that three

will have a huge,
and I mean huge, advantage

in the next challenge.

If you win this challenge,

you're going to have
a huge advantage.

I don't know what
the huge advantage is gonna be,

but whatever it is,
I want it.

Any of you ready
to go home yet?

No!

You've got one hour.

Show us
that you mean business.

On the count of three,
you'll lift those boxes

and find out
what you're up against.

I love mystery boxes.

I'm a savory cook, so I'm hoping
for a nice, savory protein.

I am so hoping
that under this box,

there are the ingredients I need
to make some sort of pastry.

Slowly.

One...

Two...

Three.

Wow! Rack of New Zealand lamb,
stunning.

Peaches, romanesco cauliflower,
fresh fava beans,

feta, white rice,
thai chili peppers,

tarragon,
creme fraiche,

pie crust, heavy cream,
and eggs.

The ingredients that you have
in front of you,

they are so diverse.

You can really go
either way, right?

Sweet, savory--
there's so many opportunities.

Make this the best
dish you've ever cooked

in this competition,

because the next stage

is an elimination test.

60 minutes.
And your time starts...

From now.
Off you go.

Ow.

Lamb is something
that I use at home,

and I'm just gonna brown it off,
and then glaze it,

cut them
into little lollipops,

and then maybe just a little
cauliflower, some fava beans.

I think I'll be
in the top three.

I have no idea
what this is.

And it's scary, and it
reminds me of a Christmas tree.

The mystery-box challenge

is where we separate the men
from the boys.
Right.

You gotta really
have the combination

of intelligence and speed.

You gotta conceptualize
and execute,

not second-guess yourself,
take it all the way

to the bottom line.
What would you do?

I'd do a roasted lamb,

and I'd do a little
fava mixed salad,

some crumbled feta with it,

and maybe
a little romesco puree.

I need to capitalize
big-time on this challenge.

I need to be at least top three
to show them exactly who I am

and just be right
in their face.

Talk to me about the dish.
What are you doing?

I'm going to poach some peaches,
maybe do a little creme fraiche

with mint
and some of the chilies,

and I did a little test run
on my lamb chop,

with pomegranate molasses.
Yes.

Coated in it, over that.
Very, very sweet.

Great for a glaze, but it
is incredibly weighted,

and it's incredibly thick
and very syrupy.
Right.

Get it together, yes?
Yes, chef.

Good luck.
Thank you.

45 minutes to go.

I'm gonna make
some lamb lollipops,

and I'm going to fry up
some of the feta cheese

and kind of do a sweet compote
on top of the feta cheese.

Derek, talk to me.
What do you got?

Uh-oh.
Wow.

He took the rack of lamb
and made hamburger out of it.

Jeez.
Are you out of your mind?

A little bit, little bit.

That's like taking a Bentley
and crashing it into a wall.

I just want to stand out
a little bit.

Don't risk everything
to distinguish yourself.

You know, a rack of lamb
is a rack of lamb.

Give it the respect
it deserves.

Wow.
A lot of butchering.

I thought they would have left
those rack of lambs whole.

Everyone's taking it apart.

That's kind of, like,
freaking me out.

To cut each one
into individual slices--

very risky.
Lamb's that thin.

It's overcooked the minute
you touch the pan.

That's the
advantage of a rack.

35 minutes to go, guys.

Ugh!

I'm a little lost right now.

Hello, Alejandra.
What are you doing?

I'm doing
a curried rack of lamb,

and it's right now
in the oven.

It's finishing up
with the roast,

and I'm gonna make a peach
chutney, mix in some mint.

One thing I'm worried about,
though,

is your rack of lamb
is in the oven

with 30 minutes
left to go.

I'm pulling it out
so it can rest,

and all the liquids
can distribute.

Okay. Perfect. Good luck.
Thank you, chef.

As far as my lamb,
I'm feeling good.

Gonna try to cook it
very quickly,

because this type of lamb
will burn

if you cook it any more
than a minute and a half.

Right, Suzy.
No lamb, no peaches,

and you're going
for a vegetarian

cauliflower,
spiced-rice dish.

It's a very big gamble.
It is, chef.

Yeah.
I'm having fun.

I'm having fun
in the kitchen.

Okay, just under
ten minutes to go.

You cooking
the rest of this, too?

Yep. I'm gonna cook
the rest of that up also.

Graham comes
over to me and says,

"Oh, you're gonna use
the full rack?"

And originally I was just gonna
stick with my lollipop chops.

They're really nicely seared.

And I was like,
"You know what?

Maybe I should try
to throw it on there."

I figured that I would have
enough time

to let it
kind of cook itself through

to a nice rare
to medium rare.

It was not my original
game plan.

Last two minutes!

Now you should be having
your meat resting

or thinking about plating it.

45 seconds to go.
Finishing touches.

Keep it going, guys.

We're only tasting
the top-three dishes.

Make sure yours is
in those top three.

Ten...
Nine...

Eight...
Seven...

Six...
Five...

Four...
Three...

Two...
One...

And stop!

Chef Ramsay yells time,

and I'm thinking, "Damn.

I should have left
that rack on my board."

Finishing touches.

In the mystery-box challenge,

the judges will taste
just three dishes.

Ten...Nine...

The winner will
receive a huge advantage

going into the next round.

Six...Five...

Four...
Three...

Two...
One...

And stop!

Chef Ramsay yells, "time,"
and I made a hasty decision,

and now I wish
I would not have plated that.

We've been watching
you all very closely...

And observing
all those techniques, studying

that level of creativity

and really seeing you take
this challenge face-on.

I'm gonna single out

one dish that stood out.

Jennifer...

Your dish
definitely stood out...

Unfortunately,
for all the wrong reasons.

Jennifer.

This I have to make
a point of,

because this is not even
about cooking, about technique.

This is a complete disaster.
This lamb is raw.

It's completely raw.

You can't--

you take this thing,
and you cut it in half,

it would be dangerous

to serve a piece of lamb
like this

to a judge.

This is raw. Raw.
Do you see this? Raw.

What are you thinking?

What are you thinking about,
trying to serve us raw food?

We're here to judge this thing.
We're watching you cook.

We're not idiots.

You know, if it were me--this
is not an elimination round--

I would send you home now.

This is a serious
cooking competition

with a serious prize.

Don't come in here
and waste our time,

because we will throw
you out of this competition

if you do something
as stupid

as to serve us
raw, unsanitary food.

I didn't trust my instinct

and tried to plate a bigger
plate than I really wanted to.

I should have stuck
with just the chops,

and I don't like
looking like a fool.

It sucks.

Three of the
dishes that stood out

for all the right reasons...

The first dish belongs to...

Alejandra.

Right, describe the dish,
please.

Okay, this
is a curried rack of lamb.

I have a cauliflower steak
that I've roasted in the oven.

I have made a chutney
with the peach

and the pomegranate
molasses,

and the rice
I've made a pilaf

with the fava beans
that I've blanched

just in salted water.

So, 60 minutes,
one stunning dish.

You've done that times four.

Four individual
tough techniques

that even a professional chef
would struggle to get done

in 60 minutes--
you've done it brilliantly.

And that's
the peach chutney?

Yes, sir.
It's delicious. Great job.

Thank you so much, chef.

This is one
of those rare occasions

that, like, you nailed it.

You nailed it, you nailed it,
you nailed it, you nailed it.

Thank you so much.

After Alejandra's chosen,

I'm like,
"Please call my name."

I'm sending,
like, little messages

to Chef Ramsay, Chef Elliot,
and Joe.

So the next dish
that we want to try

is a dish that I think
would certainly win the award

for being
the most restaurant ready.

Tracy.
Tracy.

And that dish belongs to...

Adrien,
why don't you come down here

and show us what you did?
Well done.

Tell me about the reduction,
the pomegranate reduction.

How did that come to you?

I did, like, a dummy lamb
chop with just the molasses,

but it was pretty heavy,

so I kind of put in
the blood-orange juice.

Then once I seared them,
I used that marinade

and put it
into the port reduction

that I poached
the peaches in.

It's like fireworks
on your palate.

You have heat in the back,
you have acidity in the front.

What's the heat from,
the chilies?

The thai chilies and
the creme fraiche with walnut.

I thought you were
sort of disappearing

in this competition,
but it's remarkable.

Absolutely delicious.
Good job.

I appreciate it, chef.
Well done.

Thank you.
Well done, well done, well done.

All right...

The next dish out of the three
that we are tasting,

the contestant
had some of the best,

most beautiful plating skills
that we've seen so far.

Tracy, please come forward.

All right. Walk me through it.
Okay, so basically I wanted,

not only the lamb
to be the star,

but also the feta.

So I sliced up
those blood oranges,

kind of grilled them
on the stovetop

so they were nice
and caramelized.
Mm-hmm.

Also fried up
the feta cheese

so that it would have
a crispy exterior.

The walnuts
and the feta alone

look beautiful
with the little blood orange.

I mean, you set that aside,
and that's, you know,

like its own little
vegetarian course or something.

Right, right.
It's really nice.

So this lamb, you know,
as we cut through it,

should just be that
beautiful pink, you know,

almost sensuous color.

I mean,
absolutely beautiful.

Thank you.
Right.

Thank you, chef.

Great flavor.

I really like that use
of the creme fraiche

and the balancing
of the sweetness

with adding
some of that salt and pepper

that gives it some heat
that's really needed.

Thank you very much, chef.
Thank you.

This is a well-thought-out,

intelligently constructed
entree.

I think
that the feta and lamb

is one of the winning
combinations.

Delicious, Tracy.
Thank you very much.

Congratulations.
Thank you very much.

Okay.

Three amazing,
remarkable dishes.

Tracy and
Alejandra are awesome,

but I know
my dish is spot-on.

We're definitely
on a new level here.

This is really kind of
raising the bar.

These dishes are complex,
complete, and intriguing.

I finally made it
to the front of the judges

as one of the top three.

At this point, my strategy
has to be, "Keep going up."

For us, so far,
in this contest,

the toughest decision
we've had to make.

I don't want to be
second place.

I want to be number one.

You know,
I want to be the best.

The winning dish today

from the mystery-box
challenge...

Congratulations goes to...

In the mystery-box challenge,

the top-three dishes
have been tasted by the judges.

Adrien's
farmers-market lamb,

Alejandra's
curried rack of lamb,

and Tracy's
sweet and salty feta with lamb.

For us, so far,

the toughest decision
we've had to make.

The winning dish today

from the mystery-box
challenge...

Congratulations goes to...

Adrien.

Well done.

Really good job.

Thank you, chef.
Excited?

I don't even--
I don't know what to say!

So, thank you.

I won a mystery-box challenge.
I got their attention.

I want to go celebrate.

It's completely a dream.
It's a great dream.

Are you ready to find
out what your advantage is?

Yeah.
Okay. This way.

Let's go. Congratulations.

As the winner
of the mystery box,

Adrien enters
the MasterChef pantry.

Here, he will be put
in control

of the next challenge.

In the elimination test,

at least one person
will leave the competition.

And now Adrien will be given
a huge advantage

as he gets to pick
the ingredient

everyone else
must cook with.

But the one thing
he can't control

is the theme
of the challenge.

As always, that is in the hands
of the judges.

The first bit of news is...

You could still be up

for elimination today, okay?

The theme of today's
elimination challenge

is desserts.

I'm freaking out,

just because I don't make
any desserts at home.

I never order dessert
when I go out,

but if I can come out
strong in this,

it's gonna gain some real,
real respect.

So we're about to show you

three amazing ingredients
for dessert.

But before that, let's talk
about your two huge advantages.

First of all,
from these three ingredients,

you get to choose
the ingredient

that you want...

To be the star
across your dessert.

And then
you get to choose...

A different ingredient

for your competitors.

Be clever.

Okay, so the first
ingredient today is...

Coffee.

As a component of desserts,
it's a game changer,

because inherent in coffee
comes acidity, bitterness,

things that you
have to really consider

when you create
the most sophisticated desserts.

All right, ingredient
number two...

Is pineapple.

It's both sweet
and sour, right?

There's these
different acidic notes

that can really help
set a dessert apart.

Your third ingredient...

Nuts.

So complicated to get right.

Think very, very carefully.

Remember, it is
an elimination test.

My advantage is
kind of like a catch 22,

because it doesn't matter
what I pick.

I could pick any three
of those things,

and someone
is gonna hate me.

So, which ingredient
are you choosing for you

and for your competitors?

Wow.

The theme for today's
elimination test

is...

Desserts.

I feel really
confident doing desserts.

As a chef, you need to know
how to do pastries

as well as culinary,
and I think I can do both.

When I hear I'm cooking
desserts, I'm pretty pissed off.

I don't feel comfortable
with them at all,

and I'm a little worried,
to tell you the truth.

Adrien had a choice of three
ingredients to pick from--

pineapple,
coffee, or nuts.

Adrien got to choose
the main ingredient

for his desserts,

and he got to pick
the ingredient

that the rest of you
are gonna have to cook.

Wow.

So he chose for himself,

the most diverse ingredients,

and they are...

I picked nuts.

Is there anyone who is

a little bit jealous
of Adrien's nuts?

You are going
to be using...

Don't pick coffee.

The most amazing...
Not pineapple.

Coffee.

Come on, seriously?

Yes! Coffee's something I love.
It's something I know.

I want to run over to Adrien

and just give him
a big hug right now.

Remember,
we're gonna be tasting

all of your dishes today,

including Adrien's,

and on the back of that,
one of you will be going home.

You got five
minutes in the pantry

to get your ingredients,

then 90 minutes to make
the most exquisite dessert.

Your time starts...

Now.
Off you go.

With coffee
as their main ingredient,

the contestants now have
five minutes in the pantry

to get everything they need
to create a dessert

that can keep them
in the competition.

Immediately I think

of an espresso, chocolate
flourless cake.

Part of the reason why I chose
a flourless chocolate cake

is that there's
minimal ingredients,

so I could focus
on some other flavors.

I'm making
a coffee cheesecake.

I bake a lot of dessert,

but I just bake
a lot of cookies.

This isn't cookies.
It's a lot more scientific.

Oh, come on!

Baking and pastry and desserts
are all chemistry,

and I really understand
the science of food,

so I'm hoping
that carries me through today.

In the back of my mind,
I always see myself,

at a minimum,
cooking in the finals,

if not winning
this whole competition.

Just under 60 minutes left.

Who do you think can bring
it in the baking department?

Who's shown us
some baking skills thus far?

I think Tracy is a very clever
but reserved individual.

A technical cook.

What about Alvin? We've seen him
take a molecular approach,

which means he has
some science background.

Does he apply that
to the sweet food now?

Yeah.
I mean, fingers crossed.

And I thought
it was a very smart move

for Adrien
to have chosen the nuts,

because there's
so much more diversity.

But a lot riding
on his shoulders now.

If he doesn't produce,
you know,

he's got his neck
on the chopping block

like everyone else.
Yeah.

What are you doing, Alvin?

I'm gonna do a beignet,

and I'm trying to pull off
coffee spheres

to put in the beignet--
so like a liquid center--

yeah, liquid center,
powdered sugar,

maybe a little coffee dust
on top.

Are you out of your mind?
Make us dessert!

It's not
a chemistry experiment.

You need
to convert him.

Max, what are you doing?

There's a little cream
over your nose, buddy.

You got a little bit
here as well.

There you go.
Excellent.

What are you mak-- .

What are you making?

I'm making a layer cake
with crepes

and a cream cheese
and mascarpone coffee infusion.

Good luck.

Hi, Alejandra.

Hello, chef.
What are you making?

It's a black-bottom
coffee cream tart.

Wow.
What's this?

That's like a whipped cream
with instant espresso

and a little bit of sugar,
a little bit of Brandy.

That's instant coffee
and whipped cream?

Yeah. Well--
where did you--

where did you learn that?
My mother.

That is, like, so ghetto
delicious, it's awesome.

It's like kool-aid.

Thank you so much.

Okay, guys.
30 minutes to go.

So you're doing like a--
almost like a short-crust tart.

I'm close on time,
but I'm just gonna push for it.

The pastry's still raw,

so I suggest
you get them in the oven.

Yes, chef.
Yeah.

Interesting.
Mm-hmm.

We've got
some weak desserts.

We've got some
strong desserts.

The most important thing
in this challenge is,

you don't want to be
in the bottom three.

I think Alvin
and Christine

are my potential
sort of weakest desserts.

Okay, ten minutes to go.

They're coming out perfect.

This dish is definitely
gonna be a top competitor.

I'm pulling my tart out
of the oven, and it looks like soup.

It's just not even
coming together.

So I have no clue
what I'm gonna do.

I have leftover coffee filling
that is still kind of liquid-y,

and I did make melted chocolate,
thank God.

There's six minutes left,
and I look over,

and I'm realizing

that I have all these eggs left,
and I still have sugar.

Be back.

So I'm like, "mousse, mousse,
mousse, mousse, mousse!"

I can make a mousse
in six minutes--coffee mousse.

I mean,
there's nothing else I can do.

Okay. Five minutes to go.

Make it count.

Start finishing
that amazing dessert.

I'm here for my son.

I'm here for myself,
and I'm not going home.

!

Last 60 seconds.

Put those finishing touches.

60 seconds--

screw this, screw that.
Oh, where's the chocolate chip?

15 seconds to go!

There's no chocolate chip.
There's a raspberry.

Ten...
Nine...

Eight...
Seven...

Six...
Five...

Four...
Three...

Two...
One...

And stop.

Well done,
well done, well done.

Good job.

I literally
just whipped this together.

I'm thinking I'll do great,
or I'll go home.

All right, Adrien,
let's do it.

As the winner of
the mystery-box challenge,

Adrien got to choose
his main ingredients,

as well as those
of his competitors,

but he could still face
elimination.

It's a chocolate torte,

and I have pistachio,
hazelnut inside,

and, also, I made a coulis
of raspberry, strawberry,

pomegranate,
and amaretto.

What's really odd is

it seems like you chose
chocolate as your ingredient,

and the nuts are just
kind of a garnish on top.

The sad news is
you can't really identify

what you've done different
from the nuts on top

to the nuts
inside that mixture.

How many different nuts
did you use?

All of them, sadly.
Every kind.

Is that, like, a normal thing
you've seen before--

a cake with every nut
known to humanity in it?

No.
So what were you thinking?

I think you took
an incredible advantage

and squandered it.

Christine,
please come up.

I make mousse
at my house all the time,

but I have never, ever
made mousse in six minutes.

I was trying to make
like a creamy coffee tart,

but I didn't have enough--

I didn't calculate my time
well enough.

Thanks.

The actual mousse
tastes nice.

For me, it's not
how you start.

It's how you finish,
and on the back

of a disaster
with the tarts,

I think you've done
a pretty good job

to bring that back,
to be honest.

I think you should wait
till five minutes

to go on
every challenge now,

because I think
we're seeing your strongest.

Okay.

I mean,
I feel pretty awesome

that they recognized the fact
that I didn't give up.

Max, let's go.

When I present my dish,
I'm really proud.

I like the presentation.

I think the judges
are going to find it genius.

What in the hell is that?

It's about 15 crepes...

15 crepes.
Stacked together.

15 crepes in there?
About that much.

Okay, in between
the 15 crepes, what is it?

It's a mixture
of cream cheese, mascarpone,

some espresso, a little cream,
and some sugar.

Damn.

You have to do this with me.
You have to taste that.

It's like I've just gone
to the doctor's

for a skin graft on my butt
and stuck it in caramel.

Yeah.

That is a horrible,
weird texture.

That's rancid.

That good, huh?
Wow.

You know, the fact that
it's an elimination test...

It's serious.

There's no sweetness.

I don't get a lot
of coffee flavor at all.

I don't get much of anything
aside from the weird texture.

I would be worried, actually,
with what you made here.

Alejandra, please come down
and join us.

Now, this is not
what I expected.

I thought those ingredients

were gonna be, like,
somehow cooked.

This is everything I tasted,
I think, raw.

What happened?

I am inexperienced
with desserts.

I didn't give
it the proper time

to cool in the refrigerator
before serving it.

I'm sorry.

This is a poorly executed dish.
I'm aware.

It's almost as if
you stopped halfway through

and assembled the dish
and presented it--

a little strange.

I cannot believe,

from what you've done
in this competition,

that you would come up
with something as bad as that.

It's a mess.

And it's a great shame.

Damn.

It's so hard.

It's so hard for me to hear
how disappointed he is.

I'm so disappointed
by this dish already,

and I'm just, like, crushed.

I think this is the challenge
that is gonna send me home.

Jenny Kelly, will you
join us up here?

Hi, there.
Hi. What is it?

It is a tart. I infused
the tart with coffee.

Is it supposed
to look like that?

What is that?
It's not cooked all the way through.

I put it in too late.
So it's raw.

It's not fi--

um, I don't think
it's totally raw,

but it's--
the top's edible.

Well, the opposite
of being cooked is raw, right?

So it's raw.

Blecch.

Okay.

I mean, it--
excuse me.

It's an embarrassment.

It's an embarrassment
for you,

and it's an embarrassment
for this competition.

90 minutes, Jenny.
90 minutes.

I apologize that you guys
are even trying it.

If you had any sense,
you'd stage a trip-up

and smash the plate
on the way up here,

'cause that is hideous.

It should come
with a health warning sign.

I just expected
a little bit more,

especially at this stage
of the competition.

I'm really sorry.
At this stage of the challenge,

when there's only
this many of you left,

this is just unacceptable.

This cannot fly,

and it has to end here
at this challenge.

Putting up food
that's not cooked,

that's ill-conceived,
is dangerous.

That is reckless.

I'm--Joe, I'm pissed off.

We give you every tool
that's possible

to make you guys shine.

And , I mean, we want
you to shine, I swear to God.

But when like that
hits the plate,

I feel like giving up.

I feel like giving up.

I feel like giving up.

I just expected
a little bit more,

especially at this stage
of the competition.

I'm really sorry.

When there's only
this many of you left,

this is just unacceptable.

It has to end here
at this challenge.

Tracy, will you
come join us?

After the most
disappointing day ever

in the MasterChef kitchen,

can Tracy put everything
back on track?

What do we got?

It is an espresso, chocolate
flourless cake.

It's covered
with a caramel sauce

and a very, very light dusting
of coffee beans

with a little
bitter chocolate.

Wow.
This is amazing.

You've combined
the sort of toffee

and the caramelized toffee
with the coffee,

and it really works.

That dessert
is the kind of dessert

I'd love to see on my menu
in my restaurant in London,

because it's got
that wow factor.

Delicious.
Well done.

Okay.
Esther, let's go.

After Tracy's dessert
changed the mood in the kitchen,

can the remaining home cooks
keep it that way?

What is that, please?

It's a warm coffee
cheesecake.

A coffee cheesecake.
Okay.

Here's the thing.

It actually tastes delicious.
It's got that wow factor.

It doesn't give you
the instant impression

that it's gonna bounce
off the palate, visually,

but the creamy texture
of the tart is immaculate.

That is delicious.
Great job.

Okay, Suzy,
come on up.

I've got
a chocolate coffee brownie

on chocolate
hand-rolled truffles.

Mix of cocoa powder
and ground espresso?

You get the chocolate,
the sweet, bitter,

all those kind of things.

It's super rich
and decadent.

Good job.

Jennifer,
what do you have?

I have coffee creme brulee,

with a little bit
of white chocolate in there,

and then I did a little bit
of macerated raspberries

over the top to cut
that richness of the cream.

It definitely has
a pronounced flavor

of both coffee
and white chocolate,

and, in fact, the berries do
a nice job of bringing it up.

Right.
Quite light,

and, quite frankly,
pretty good.

Thank you.

Alvin.

The final contestant

in the elimination challenge
is Alvin.

Alvin is amazing,
so intelligent.

He knows so much
about food.

I really think Alvin's
gonna be in the top five.

Inside the beignet
is coffee with chicory,

brewed pretty strong,
mixed with sodium alginate,

and that's set to cool,

and that's dropped
into a calcium chloride bath,

which sets a gel
around the sauce.

What is that?
It's the coffee sauce, chef.

It's extraordinarily bitter.

It looks like
a coffee blood clot.

I think the resting time
may have set

more of the alginate base
than I would have liked.

It's not 'cause
it's been sitting.

It's the fact that it was wrong
before it even got put in there.

At my restaurant, we use some
of these techniques, you know?

But we never go around
and try to trumpet

that we're using it,
because it works,

and it speaks for itself.

But things like this
give what I personally do

day in and day out
a bad name.

Whether it's got
a cool ingredient

or technique or not,
that's just bad food.

It's disgusting.

With all the dishes tasted,

the judges must decide
the bottom three,

one of which
will be eliminated.

First, they'll reveal
today's top-two dishes.

Okay. Across that tasting,
we had some highs and lows.

But there were
some real highs.

The top two

will become team captains

ahead of our next challenge.

Good luck.

That first dish
belongs to...

Esther.

Thank you.

Did he call my name?

Did he just say Esther?
Serious?

What?
Good job.

I'm shocked. I'll take a win.
I'll take a win.

The second dish

that was done
to perfection...

That dish belongs to Tracy.
Congratulations.

Tracy is definitely
not going home today,

not today, people.

Congratulations, Esther.
Tracy, congratulations.

Good job.

This is
a elimination test.

With that
comes a departure.

And we're gonna single out
the three dishes

that we strongly believe

deserve to be in the bottom,
and at least one of you

will be leaving MasterChef.

The first dish
that wasn't up to par...

Belongs to Jenny.

Step forward, please.

At this stage
in the competition

when there's
elimination up,

trust me, you want to cook
your ass off.

Today
you didn't do that.

The second dish was almost to
the point of being offensive.

That dish
belongs to Alvin.

Knowing when
to use restraint,

when to come back
inside the box--

important stuff.
Yes, chef.

The third dish

was poor
in its conceptualization

and really rancid
in its flavor.

And that dish belongs to...

In tonight's
elimination challenge,

the judges have already chosen
two of the worst three dishes.

Ultimately, one home cook
will be leaving the competition.

The third dish was poor
in its conceptualization

and really rancid
in its flavor.

Max, why don't you come up
and take your spot?

You succeeded in creating one
of the most disgusting things

that, perhaps,
I've ever tasted.

This is a elimination test.

With that comes a departure.

Okay.

Jenny, step forward.

You had one
of the worst dishes of the day.

But there were two dishes
worse than yours.

Back in line.

Alvin and Max...

Based on this
elimination test,

the worst dish of the day,

and that person will be leaving
MasterChef.

The inner voice in my head
is just saying,

"Please, please,
please let it be Max.

Let me stay and prove
to you guys what I can do."

Alvin is asking 100%
to be eliminated.

Even though my dessert
was flawed,

at least it was a true dish
without chemicals

and chemistry
and wizardry.

That dish belongs to...

Alvin.

Please take your apron off.

Your time is done
in MasterChef.

I think you're courageous,

but you must understand
the basics

before you become
adventurous.

Get that right,
and you could be

an exciting cook.

Thank you, chef.
Okay. Thank you.

You know, hearing
my name called, it sucked.

It's sort of instant snap
back to reality

that the dream of being
the next master chef has ended.

But it's been
an unbelievable experience,

and it's something
that I'll take with me forever,

so I thank them
for the opportunity

and walk back to my station,
take my apron off.

Bye, Alvin.

Everyone in that room
was devastated

when Alvin got sent home,
completely out of left field.

You...

Back on your station.

Thank you, chef.
You're lucky today, Max.

I think
that Alvin has more talent

in his pinkie than Max has--

like, that he'll have
in his entire life.

There's only 14 of you left.

Why are you all looking
so miserable?

Christine,
why are you crying?

I don't know.

'Cause I'm just happy
to be here, man.

Oh, good.
I want it, man.

Game on. Give yourselves a round
of applause, for God's sake.

Okay. Get some rest,
'cause you're gonna need it.

Well done.

Tomorrow night on MasterChef...
Welcome to Point Mugu.

The home cooks find
themselves in the great outdoors...

Here come the bikers.

And face off in a team
challenge of epic proportion.

Guys, guys, guys, guys!

For one team, tensions erupt.

Just keep working.

Spoken like
a true dictator.

Do we need a tutorial?

I need to prove myself,

so these other scumbags
don't discount me.

The losing team
will face the pressure test

and one home cook's
MasterChef dreams

will come to a bitter end.

== sync, corrected by elderman ==