All language subtitles for MasterChef.US.S09E22.WEB.x264-TBS

Welcome to the grand finale

of the world's biggest
cooking competition.

This season for the first time
ever in "MasterChef" history,

we are battling each other

to find the greatest
home cook in America.

And now it's down to just three.

Buckle up.
It's starting right now.

[ Cheers and applause ]

All: MasterChef! MasterChef!

Gordon: The search for
the next MasterChef

started with thousands
of hopeful home cooks

from all across the country.

Each judge had just eight aprons

to hand out
to the hopeful home cooks.

Boy, do I see potential.

And we each battled it out
to have the opportunity

to mentor the best of the best.

When you have talent like this,

you can't let it
walk out the door.

- Once one of our white aprons
- Yes!

- Was in their hands...
- Let's go!

...the home cooks began

the journey of a lifetime.

- [ Cheering ]
- Ashley: This is so beautiful.

This season, the challenges were
more difficult than ever before.

- Judges: Switch!
- The contestants survived

intense MasterChef
team challenges.

- Ashley: Oh, my God!
- Whoa!

Ashley:
They're landing for dinner.

As the competition got
tougher...

- I got tables that are ready to walk out.
- I need the food!

...we sometimes had to send home
our own home cooks.

I gave you both aprons because
I believed in both of you.

Please, place your apron
on your bench.

Now only three home cooks remain

and each judge finds themselves

with one home cook
in the finale.

So, the stakes
are just as high for us,

because only one home cook

will become
America's MasterChef.

[ Cheers, applause ]

Now, last week
the contestants were sent home

to prepare for the finale,

and we went to surprise them
in their hometowns

to make sure
that they were on track

to take home the trophy.

- [ Phone line ringing ]
- [ humming ]

- Aarón: Hello?
- Hello.

- Joe: Hey. Hey, Gordon.
- Are you both there?

Joe: I'm just rolling
through downtown Nashville.

- What's happening with you all?
- Aarón: Hey, Joe.

How's Music City, my friend?

What's that noise in the background?
Where are you?

- [ Horns honking ]
- Yeah, I'm kind of in

the swanky downtown part
of Houston.

- I think you're lost.
- No, no, no.

I should be
at Cesar's house shortly.

This is why
we never let you drive.

Because you're always
getting lost.

Aarón, pull it together
and get to where you're going.

Looks like I'm here, guys. About to
visit America's next MasterChef.

Joe: Talk to you later. Bye.

Are you guys still there?

- [ Line beeping ]
- Hello? Hello?

[ Doorbell chimes ]

- Hello!
- Oh, my God. What--

This is unreal.

Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad.

[ Screaming ]

I had to move back home
after I left

my career as a teacher.

Oh, my God!

I mean, it's embarrassing
living with my parents

- at 28 years old...
- Sit down.

...but I have to do
whatever it takes

to pursue this culinary dream.

Here we are.

- The young lady is back at home...
- Ashley: Back home.

...because she wants to follow
this food dream.

When she called me and said
she was gonna quit her job

to be a chef,
I was like, "What?"

- [ laughs ]
- I was nuts!

When Ashley started
actually cooking here...

- Yes.
- ...we doubted it.

For a while,
we got a little nervous.

[ laughing ]

But we made sure
she had everything she needed.

Trust me, food is
definitely her calling.

If she wins,

it's gonna be one
of my proudest moments ever.

Ashley: I want this for myself,
but I want this for them.

They have literally--

Damn.

[ Crying ] Even though
they didn't agree with me,

they have never turned
their back on me.

So how do you repay them?

I don't know.
You know, just like every--

You become America's
next MasterChef.

- [ laughing ]
- Yes!

Absolutely.

Seeing Gordon is just
invigorating...

Seat belts on, please.

...because I get
to share with him

who I am and where I come from.

It's very important for Gordon
to understand how I operate

and why I operate the way I do.

I have not come
all the way to Opa-Locka

without going
to the farmer's market.

- See?
- Oh, my goodness.

Getting to show him
all of the exotic fruit

that I've grown up with,

I couldn't have asked
for a better moment.

- So this is where you shop.
- This is where I shop.

- What an oasis!
- I know!

- Give me a little insight...
- Yes.

- ...just a little snippet of the menu.
- Yes.

- Where we going?
- We're in it.

- Yes. Yes.
- Miami, Opa-Locka flavors.

- Citrus, seafood.
- Good.

I am mixing my Southern roots
with French cuisine,

and hopefully give you
a feel of, like,

that Michelin star flair.

I am going to wow you.

Forget everybody around you,

- and focus on three things.
- Okay.

- The appetizer, the entrée,
and the dessert. - Yes. Yes.

- Ignore everything else.
- Everything else.

Steely focus, that's what you
need to bring to the finale.

- Okay?
- Yes. Yes.

I am ready to kick some butt.

- Good luck. You can do this.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you. Oh!

I cannot wait for this finale.

[ School bell rings ]

Gerron: Today, I want you
to write about a story

that you plan to tell
your children someday.

Being back home has
been amazing.

To see my kids' faces
for the first time in months,

it means the world to me.

Something
that you've experienced.

- Okay?
- [ knocking on door ]

Mr. Hurt,
can I interrupt your class?

- Oh, my goodness!
- How are you?

With the finale right
around the corner,

I've been cooking
every single day.

What's going on, guys?

I've really been pushing myself
to focus on plating,

so that I can bring
that MasterChef trophy home.

So, I invested one
of my eight aprons in him,

'cause I believed that he had the
passion, and he had the skills,

and I think the greatest thing

is he is an incredible student.

So, I'd love to hear from

some of you guys
the impact that Mr. Hurt

has had on you and your lives
in this classroom.

Like, when he came, I just thought he
was gonna be like another teacher,

but he actually was
connecting with students.

Like, he actually came
to the basketball games.

He'll leave his door open
for students

to come in during lunch
and stuff like that.

We don't really have that many
male figures in this school.

We can really relate
to Mr. Hurt.

His background
is similar to mine.

Just knowing how far he's come,

I feel like I can achieve
the same-- the same thing.

My students, they grow up in these rough
neighborhoods and rough communities.

- [ School bell rings ] - Well, guys,
thanks for sharing your stories.

I know where they come from.

I've been there
and I've done that.

And so if I win
the MasterChef title,

I'm taking that money back

and I'm going to open up
a culinary institute

to make sure that I give
my students a chance

so that they can better
themselves.

So you've been here
in Nashville two years now.

You know, you came in
with Southern flavors.

I'm sure that has its roots here
in Nashville. Tell me about that.

The food scene here is amazing.

Hot chicken is something that I
experienced when I first got here,

and I got into the MasterChef
kitchen on hot chicken.

Speaking of that,
finale's coming.

- What are you thinking?
- Southern. Southern.

You know, any time
I can stay true to my roots,

it's gave me positive results.

But I tell you what,
it's gotta be elevated, though.

- It-- it does.
- So I'm gonna give you some advice.

Think like you're in, like,
a really luxurious restaurant

in a city
like New York or Paris.

Flavor, presentation,
sophistication.

As much as I think sticking
to your roots is fundamental,

make sure you bring the level.

Yeah, I've done so much
to get here at this point,

- and I am ready.
- You gotta win

for those kids I met
in the classroom.

You got a lot riding
on this, Gerron.

I got you, Joe.

It's game time.

My eye is on the prize...

All right, Gerron,
I'm counting on ya.

...and I can see
that MasterChef trophy

sitting in my living room.

Finale, I'm coming for you.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Boom. Boom.

Food plays such a big role
in my family,

and my mom is the greatest
source of inspiration

in my culinary journey.

- [ Knocking on door ]
- Come in.

Hola!

- [ laughs ]
- [ screaming ]

I know my mom is beaming
and excited to have our food

and our culture represented
in the finale.

He has beat out thousands
of people in this country.

- Yes.
- How proud are you guys of him?

Oh, my God.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

She was a teacher in Mexico and she
couldn't continue that career here

because she stayed home
to take care of us,

which was the most
important thing.

She practically gave up her life

to make sure we had a life.

- That's a huge deal.
- That's an honor

and a huge deal,
and I take it very seriously.

That's why I want to
make the best menu

I can put together
for that finale.

So what are some
of the thoughts?

So I've been thinking
something with duck.

- Patomaybe as my entrée.
- Mm-hmm?

Chocolate definitely
in the dessert,

'cause, you know,
Mexico, Aztecs, chocolate.

It's the appetizer
where I'm still a little iffy.

Well, think about what
is the basis of Mexican food.

- Yes, Chef.
- And hopefully being home will allow you

to get inspiration and love

from the people that care
about you the most, okay?

[ Speaking Spanish ]

It's so refreshing
to have my mentor here.

I definitely needed
that guidance.

Thank you very much, everybody.

I appreciate you guys so much.

I only have one shot
to get this right,

so I'm focused, I'm determined.

Bye, Chef!

I have to bring
everything I have

to take that trophy home.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Up first in this three-way
culinary battle,

a young man in my apron.

Cesar.

[ Cheers and applause ]

A 33-year-old high school
English teacher

from Houston, Texas.

The first hurdle
that stands in Cesar's way

is a home cook
that took my apron.

My protégé, Ashley.

[ Cheers and applause ]

A 28-year-old professional
grocery shopper

from Opa-Locka, Florida.

And our final home cook,
a young man

that I have mentored through
the entire competition,

Gerron.

[ Cheers and applause ]

A 25-year-old English teacher

from Louisville, Kentucky.

[ Cheers and applause ]

[ Crowd laughs ]

Now, throughout this competition

you've had a lot of obstacles
thrown your way,

including extremely
talented opponents.

But tonight, they've all
returned to cheer you on.

[ Cheering ]

Much love.

Thank you.

Shanika: Yes! Yes! Get it!

And then of course,
your family are here

in the MasterChef kitchen
to support all of you.

Cesar, you have your mom Maria

and your sisters Elda and Diana.

Ashley, here to support you
is your boyfriend Damien,

your father Henry,
and your mother Aletha.

Gerron, here
supporting you tonight

is your fiancée Brandi,

your father Christopher,

and your grandma Elizabeth.

It's now time to put together
the best three-course dinner

you could ever dream of.

One incredible appetizer,
one stunning entrée,

and one delicious dessert.

Your reputations and ours
are on the line.

This time, there are three
judges that want to win,

and that means we expect
a three-course masterpiece.

You'll each have ten minutes
in the pantry

to collect everything
that you need to cook us

the best three-course dinner
of your lives.

Your time in the pantry
starts...

...now. Let's go.

- [ Cheering ]
- Let's go, baby!

- Let's go!
- [ cheering ]

This is the battle
of the century...

Raspberries.

...and my money is
all on Gerron at this point.

Smoked paprika.

Ralph: He's been the
underdog since day one,

but his passion and drive
for how he cooks

is the reason why he's here.

I have no doubt in my mind that Gerron
is gonna be the next MasterChef.

Gotcha, thank you.

Emily: There's only one person
that is gonna win it all.

I think it's Cesar.

He's got the knife skills
and the food knowledge.

He has experience.

Under this pressure,
he's gonna be focused

and he's gonna get it done,

and hopefully come out on top.

Shanika: I want Ashley to win.

Come on, I'm from Miami.
If I couldn't take it,

somebody from South Florida
needs to bring this home.

Collard greens.

Shanika: Ashley is a powerhouse.

She has become so fierce
in this kitchen,

and that is the attitude
that you need

to take this trophy home.

[ Cheers and applause ]

- Let's go!
- Come on, Cesar!

Let's go!

- Let's go, Gerron!
- Whoo!

Cesar, Ashley, and Gerron,

the grand finale is
about to begin.

And, of course, it all starts
with the appetizers.

Cesar, what will you be making
for your appetizer?

I'll be preparing a squid ink
infladita with lobster,

dragon fruit salsa,
and a roasted poblano sauce.

Ashley, what will you be making
for your appetizer?

Tonight, I'm preparing
a pan-seared red snapper

with spicy conch salad,
malanga fritters,

and an ají coconut sauce.

Gerron, what are you gonna be
making for your first course?

Tonight, I'll be making
a Nashville hot quail

with a fingerling potato salad
and poached quail eggs.

This is it.

You'll have just one hour

to make us
your amazing appetizers.

Three plates of each.
Are you ready?

- Yeah!
- Yes, Joe!

Don't let us down.

Your time starts...

- ...now.
- [ cheers and applause ]

This is it! Let's go!

- You got this, Gerron!
- Go, Ashley! Whoo!

- [ Cheering ]
- Come on, Cesar!

This is it.
I mean, one of the most

important nights
of their culinary career.

Also, a big night for us.

For the first time, we are
competing against each other.

- May the best judge win.
- We lit, baby. We lit.

Ashley: We gotta move
fast, baby, tonight.

- Come on, Gerron!
- Let's go! Come on!

[ Cheers and applause ]

- Come on, guys!
- Let's go!

This is it.
The MasterChef grand finale.

Whoop, whoop, baby,
whoop, whoop.

- Whoop, whoop!
- Heard that.

This year we're mentoring
individual talent.

- Go, Ashley!
- Yes, we're highly competitive,

but we're gonna be judges to all
three of them this evening.

If your contestant
or your contestant

gives me the best dishes
of the night,

- Yes.
- I'm gonna be with you in crowning them

- Sure.
- As America's next MasterChef.

Gerron, he's doing
Nashville hot quail.

It's his audition dish.

He's taken it
from a chicken to a quail.

Does he know how to cook
a quail properly?

He's never cooked
a quail before.

Gerron: There we go.

30 seconds over on the quail,

it's gonna be a dry quail.

It's a big risk, but that's
the kind of guy he is.

He's taken the tradition,
he's evolved it.

The guy's honest,
he cooks with a lot of heart,

- Sure.
- And everything tells a story.

The way that Gerron could fall down
is that his dish is too simple,

- the flavors are not elevated.
- Gordon: Yeah.

Gordon: Fingerling
potatoes and quail's eggs,

I don't know
if you can elevate that.

There's only so far you can go
with that stuff.

What worries me a little
bit is his plating.

He's made a lot of progress.

It's still a concern.

Where that Team Ashley at?

[ Cheering ]

So, Ashley's appetizer.

That pan-seared red snapper
with a Floridian salsa

with conch in there.
She's playing to her strengths.

She's cooking food
from her back garden.

Aaron: But the idea of conch,

it's a sea snail
from the Caribbean.

It's a very difficult
shellfish to nail.

Listen, if there's one person
in this competition

who can nail it, it's Ashley.

Another habanero, some mango.

You know what?
Ashley using so much fruit,

are you concerned
that sometimes managing

the sweetness
and the acidity of fruit,

whether it be citrus,
mangos, pineapple?

That is a good question, but
she's got two proteins there--

The pan-fried red snapper
and, of course, the conch.

So, you know, you need
to balance that up

with the heat, the sweet,
and that level of acidity.

- You got this, Cesar!
- Sorry, little guy.

- Oh.
- Oh, gosh.

I apologized before doing it,
all right?

- [ laughter ]
- Cesar's taken a very humble

ingredient like
the corn tortilla,

elevating it by putting
squid ink into it, frying it,

so it can puff up and house
all this beautiful lobster

and different elements in there.

Whoo!

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Aarón: There's a lot
riding on the execution

of that little
puffed up tortilla.

But why take a risk just
as a shell to put lobster in?

It's texture, it's flavor,

and it's a striking
presentation.

Joe: It's made with squid ink.

That seems kind of, like,
really off the rails for me.

Aarón: Well, do they make
squid ink pasta in Italy?

They do, but they've done it
for centuries.

Have they made squid ink tortillas
in Mexico for centuries?

- They have not.
- Okay.

We are 15 minutes down.

We have 45 minutes to go, guys.
Come on.

- Whoo!
- Come on, Gerron! Come on, Gerron!

Okay, Gerron, tell me
about your appetizer.

What I wanna do tonight

is to elevate
my Nashville hot chicken

by doing it with a quail.

Quail is much bonier,
much smaller.

- Gerron: It is.
- The meat's dark, not white.

Will it take the spice?
Will it take the heat?

Does it translate?

Are you taking such a big risk

with swapping out quail
for chicken?

- Can you make it work?
- I can definitely make it work,

and I'll let you
be the judge of that.

[ Cheering ]

Eye on the prize, baby.

I'm bringing it home
for us, you know?

- We can go to Italy.
- You wanna go to Italy with me?

I do. I wanna go and you gotta
make sure your mother's there.

If we go to Italy to meet
my mama, you have to pay,

because you'll be a quarter of a
million dollars richer, I think.

I'll pay for you.

- You'll pay for me?
- I'll pay for you.

- Do you speak Italian, Gerron?
- I don't, but you know what?

- I'm a quick learner.
- I'm gonna leave you one word.

Buona fortuna, my friend.
Good luck.

Thank you! Thank you, Joe.

Yeah!

Gordon: 30 minutes remaining.

- 30, heard.
- Let's go, Ash!

- Right, young lady.
- Yes, Chef.

- Give us an insight into the dish.
- Living in Opa-Locka,

you live around so many
different cultures.

My grandfather
has roots in Bahamas.

- Wow. - So that's where the
conch salad representation is.

I have an aunt who's Peruvian,

- so that's why the sauce has that theme.
- Love it.

And then, you know, in Miami you
can get locally caught seafood

- all day, every day. So,
it's a representation - Yeah.

Of my childhood
and my foundation in culinary.

That skin on that snapper is delicious
when it gets nice and crispy.

- How you gonna cook it?
- I'm pan-searing it in some oil,

and then afterwards,
I'm gonna rotate it over

- and baste it in a lot of butter.
- Yeah.

Put everything you know, live
for, breathe for, on that plate.

- Yes, Chef. Thank you.
- Good luck, Ashley.

She ready.

Gordon: 20 minutes remaining.

Come on!

- Go, Cesar!
- Come on, Cesar!

- Cesar!
- Chef Aarón, how are you?

- How are you, my man?
- I'm doing great, Chef.

- You doing good?
- Yes, Chef.

So, talk to me
about your appetizer.

I'm doing an infladita,

which is corn dough that you
part cook on the griddle

and then you throw it
in the deep fryer,

so they puff up,
make a hollow shell.

And then I'm gonna fill it in
with this lobster

that's gonna get tossed
in this tomato sauce, Chef.

Cesar, a lot
can go wrong with that.

What happens if
the infladitas don't puff up?

Well, then I might have to
change the shape of my dough

and call it
something else, Chef.

- I got you.
- [ laughter ]

So, this might be a taco
by the end of the day, huh?

- Exactly, pretty much.
- All right, Cesar,

- keep your eye on the prize, mijo.
- Yes, Chef.

All right? You're almost there.

- Almost there.
- Come on.

- Go, Cesar!
- Bring it home!

We are coming down
to ten minutes to go.

Come on, guys, pick it up.

Ten minutes, baby, ten minutes.

With minutes to go, Cesar, he
may have to change direction,

because once they are toasted,

he puts them
in the fryer to blister.

It's that blister
that puffs them, right?

- Yeah, absolutely.
- Almost like a soufflé potato.

- Exactly.
- If it doesn't puff up, where do you go?

- He's gonna be in trouble.
- He's doing them now.

- Yeah, he's actually doing it right now.
- So, he's doing them now.

He's giving me a heart attack.

It's hot.

Cesar, are they puffing up?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

[ Groans ]

If it doesn't puff up,
where do you go?

- He's gonna be in trouble.
- It's hot.

Cesar, are they puffing up?

Oh, my God.

- Oh, my God.
- [ groans ]

Gordon: Cesar.

[ Sighing ]

[ Speaking Spanish ]

That's puffed, right?
You all see it?

- Oh, my God.
- Come on, mijo, you got it!

- Do they collapse?
- Aarón: No, not at all.

As long as they have
enough time to rest--

Gordon: Wow.

Quail eggs, quail eggs,
quail eggs, quail eggs.

Where are they?
There they're going.

Joe, here's a $250,000 question.

How is Gerron's
big fingers and hands

gonna peel a quail egg?

Yes, he does have big hands,
but I told him

think small, think dainty,

and I think he's gonna make it.

Come on, gotta speed it up.

We're down
to five minutes to go.

- This is it, guys.
- Cesar!

- Gerron!
- Go!

- Ashley!
- Gordon: Ashley.

She's learned so much from the competition.
She's tasting everything.

Joe: All that sweetness and acidity,
she'd better taste everything,

because she's walking
a high wire.

Is she gonna
overcook her snapper?

No, definitely not
overcooking the snapper.

90% of that cooking
will take place in that skin.

So you'll see that crispness,

and that'll protect the fish
and keep it moist.

That snapper is so difficult
to cook right.

You have to get it just right.

It could be too dry.
I'm nervous.

Gordon: My one concern
with Gerron right now?

He's spendt so long on those quail eggs.
It's insignificant.

Now he's putting dots on the
plate, fingerling potatoes.

- The hero is the quail.
- Yeah.

Focus on the quail,
get it on the plate first,

and then put all
your little extras on.

Cesar has so much he has to do.

He has to break
those little infladas,

stuff them with
his lobster mixture, plate,

and he's been known to do
very elaborate plating.

Joe:
So with three minutes to go,

- Cesar has nothing on the plate yet.
- Nothing.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Woman: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Start plating, start plating.

Whoo! Let's go!

I just don't think he's gonna
finish in time.

Not only that,
his tortilla shell is hot,

his lobster mixture's hot.

- Is that gonna break the integrity of it?
- Yeah.

Last minute!

60 seconds to go! Come on, guys.

- 60 seconds, Cesar!
- One minute, Cesar!

Pressure ain't nothing
to you, Gerron!

- Gordon: Come on, Gerron!
- Let's go!

- [ Cheering ]
- Let's go, Ash! Let's go!

- Come on, Ash!
- 30 seconds to go!

- Come on!
- Come on! Whoo!

- Let's go!
- You got it, you got it! Yes!

- Come on, come on! Go, go, go!
- You got it! Whoo!

- Let's go, come on! - Aarón: Come
on, Gerron. Let's go! Garnish!

- Gerron: There you go! That's right!
- Go, Ashley.

- Go, Ash!
- That's right!

10 seconds to go.

All: Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four, three,

- two, one!
- Stop!

- Well done!
- [ cheers and applause ]

- [ Muttering ]
- Oh, man.

- Well done.
- Oh, my God!

Now, all the three of you,
please very carefully

bring your appetizers
down to the front.

[ Cheering ]

Yeah!

Cesar, Ashley, Gerron,
these dishes look phenomenal.

They're so unique and distinct.

You have done us proud,

and you have done
yourselves proud.

Please bring
those stunning appetizers

into the MasterChef restaurant.

Ashley: The appetizer
round sets the bar

for my three-course meal,

and that's why I wanted
to deliver on all cylinders.

I'm representing
Chef Gordon in this,

and I didn't come
to play it safe tonight.

I really am going in

with a lot of technique
and a lot of skill set

that I want the judges
to see with this appetizer.

Right. Ashley, please
present us your appetizer.

Ashley, please describe
this dish.

Tonight, I have prepared for you

a pan-seared red snapper
with spicy conch salad,

malanga fritters,
and an ají coconut sauce.

This plate has a lot going on.

So the first thing
we need to see

is obviously the star protein
of the dish, your snapper.

When I cut it open,
it should glisten,

it should be moist,
it should be flaky.

- We don't want it to be dry.
- Yes, Joe.

If you have not cooked
the snapper properly,

that would put you significantly
behind in this competition.

- I'm ready.
- Let's take a look.

I have to say, Ashley,
this snapper, for me, is...

Ashley...

I have to say, Ashley, this--

Snapper, for me, is...

overcooked and dry.

That's a pretty novice
mistake to make

at this point
in the competition.

There's an incredible
heat component in the fritter.

- What is that?
- Scotch bonnet.

The heat is
very, very aggressive.

- Okay.
- You took a big risk,

but the dish as a whole

just reeked
of too much ambition.

Ashley, I love your
courageous nature of cooking,

and I'm sorry my colleagues
have very European palates.

That spice is perfect.
It tastes like the sun.

It's warm. And the cook on the
snapper, for me, is good.

It's right there. It's textbook.

- Really great job.
- Thank you.

- Ashley?
- Yes, Chef?

Um, my fish
was cooked beautifully.

The seasoning's on point.
Fritters, delicious.

But there's one issue with this.

This coconut sauce, it broke.

When you stick
that amount of heat

on top of a sauce like that,
it'll break.

So you need to be smart
in emulsifying that

and don't let that residual
heat from the snapper spoil it.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

Next up, the young
home cook that I chose

to give my apron to, Cesar.

So I have a squid ink infladita,

which means "puffed one,"

filled with lobster.

Then I have a dragon fruit pico
on the outside,

caviar, and a roasted
poblano sauce.

I'm always marveled by you.

I'm inspired by the way

that you view Mexican food
in particular.

My concern, very simply,

is that did you
put one element too much

to overpower
all these different flavors?

Uh, no. I think
everything I chose

to go on there
complements everything else,

and I think I found
balance in that plate.

Aarón: Cesar, that corn
flavor of the inflada

comes out beautifully,

and it kind of becomes
this little sponge

for all that wonderful flavor of
the lobster I just dig so much.

What I don't like,
dragon fruit's

a very difficult fruit
to master,

and I think it doesn't
belong on this dish.

Okay.

- But really impressive.
- Thank you.

I have to say, Cesar,

this dish hits the standard
of excellence in the plating.

Thank you, Joe.

Joe: The poblano has
a nice smoky richness.

What really kind of
makes this dish sing

is that the lobster
is cooked very well

and seasoned really well.

- Excellent job. Very impressive.
- Thank you.

I think "MasterChef" has just
had their first "UFL" landing.

- Unidentified Flying Lobster.
- [ chuckles ]

I mean, it looks
like a spaceship.

A very posh spaceship.

But I love the ambition.
You've nailed the lobster.

Lobster's cooked
beautifully, sweet.

The roasted poblano sauce,

the heat is just
beautifully done.

Caviar, big no-no.

When you've got that heat,
the last thing you want to go

is that salty, expensive caviar.

Okay, Chef.

But that squid ink
in that tortilla?

Love the flavor,
that saltiness from the sea.

Absolutely incredible.

And you've taken it down a route

that very few
Mexican chefs would.

- Great job.
- Thank you.

- Good job, Ces.
- Thank you.

Next up, Gerron.

Thank you.

You have a Nashville hot quail

with a fingerling potato salad
and poached quail eggs.

The dish is beautiful.
It shows your journey.

Gerron: You know, my inspiration
for tonight is family.

The frying technique is something
that my mom taught me,

but I wanted to find a way to
elevate that to restaurant quality.

Joe: Gerron, I'm gonna
take a bite of that quail.

It needs to be moist,
it needs to be spicy,

it needs to be crispy.

If all that happens
on my palate,

you have a dish that could win.

Gerron, I've never
tasted anything

quite like that before.

Gerron, I've never
tasted anything

quite like that before.

This is kind of like...

perfection.

The quail meat is flavorful.

The batter is well-seasoned.

The spiciness of the Nashville
hot sauce is spot-on. Perfect.

And there's so many
different things

going on on this dish,

and they're all really
well done.

My criticism would be perhaps
it lacks the cohesiveness

of one conceptualized appetizer.

If you go down south and
you have Nashville hot chicken,

your options are a coleslaw
or a potato salad.

That's exactly what
I wanted to provide you guys,

- a taste of me on a plate.
- You know, Gerron, I appreciate that,

and you are so bound
to that tradition

that it's been great,
and it's got you to here.

But now, not everything
has to be a strict reference

to where you come from anymore.

- It's time for you to fly.
- I disagree with you, Joe.

I think this is exactly what
"MasterChef" is intended to do:

To bring out the best in you

with us helping you
with technique.

So this says so much
about your evolution.

I think frying is the lost art
in the kitchen,

and it's a true art,
and I think you've done that.

- Fantastic job.
- Thank you, Chef.

Gerron, I think
you've done a great job.

Quail's slightly gamy.

The coating, delicious.

You've elevated a fast food,

and you paid respect
to your upbringing.

I love the dish. Good job.

Thank you.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

- Good job, G.
- Thank you.

So, guys, an amazing start.

Please, head back
to the kitchen.

Entrées are up next.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Wow. Come on,
what an amazing start.

Three stunning appetizers.

- Whose appetizer had the edge?
- Cesar's plate had it for me.

He took the most risks and
it paid the biggest dividends.

I agree. I think that's one of his
best dishes he's ever cooked.

Aarón: It pains me to say this,

but I think Gerron
had the dish for me.

Gerron was so masterful
with frying that quail.

But I feel that he was
just always in his box,

and the finale would be the perfect
moment for him to take off.

Now, Ashley, she may have
fell short on the appetizers,

but this is a marathon,
and it's not all on one course.

Two more courses to go.
Let's go get our entrées.

Yeah!

Aarón: All three of you
did an incredible job,

but that was just
the first course.

It is time for your entrées!

Are you three ready?

- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef!

Your 60 minutes starts now.

- Let's go.
- [ clock beeping ]

[ Crowd cheering ]

- Gordon: Right, this is it. Come on.
- Joe: Amazing.

Gordon: Three of the best
appetizers we've ever seen

in the history
of this competition.

Now we gotta follow suit
with incredible entrées.

- Come on, Gerron!
- Let's go! Whoo!

I'm really interested to see,
not only the dishes,

but the progression
of the menu at this point.

- Gordon: Sure.
- You don't want to make lateral movements.

Each course,
take it up another level.

Let's do it, Ashley!

For my entrée, I'm making
a pan-seared guinea hen breast,

black-eyed peas,
and collard green ragout

- with a quince cognac sauce.
- Let's go, babe.

I really am focusing on using
every part of the guinea hen.

I have some ground to make up
in this entrée round,

but what I'm doing is a whole
other level of difficult.

So if I pull this off,
I'm right back in this game.

- Oven open.
- Samantha: Smells good!

Let's go, Cesar!

For my entrée, I'm making
pan-seared duck breast,

charcoal grilled vegetables,
and an almond mole.

Besides getting the temperature
correct on the duck,

to try to accomplish
mole in 60 minutes

is gonna be ludicrous.

Done correctly, it's a beautiful
texture and flavor profile.

- Look at what Cesar's doing.
- A mole normally takes all day!

- Gordon: Yeah.
- Joe: In one hour-- too ambitious.

The thing that could go wrong

is that it's not enough time

to fully develop
all the components.

But I'm doing something
completely different,

and I hope
that bodes well for me.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Gerron is cruising! I love it!

I am making Carabinero prawns
with heirloom grits,

shellfish jus,
and crispy shallots.

So, pretty much
a shrimp and grits.

Mmm. Perfect.

That was one of my mom's
absolute favorite dishes.

What I'm doing tonight
is in memory of her.

Gordon: 45 minutes to go, guys.
Come on.

- Stay focused, Gerron.
- Whoo!

Young man, question. How
does it feel to be mentored

by one of the best restaurateurs
anywhere on the planet?

- You know what? Everybody knows I
love Joe. - We don't, by the way.

- Okay? We don't.
- So that makes one of us.

But you both have
one big thing in common.

Joe's mum was
a massive influence on him.

Your mum was a huge
influence on you.

Always. You know,
when my mom passed away,

in the last supper
that I had with her,

she ordered shrimp and grits.

And so, you know,
it's only right for me

to elevate
a shrimp and grits dish.

I live in the South,
so I know it.

How are you gonna elevate
to make it something beautiful?

You know what, Chef? My
presentation has been something

that I've worked on constantly
in this competition.

And so I'm ready to show
you guys how much I've grown,

and how much flavor I can put into a
shrimp and grits in such little time.

- All right. - Good luck, young
man. You got this, come on.

- Well done.
- Come on, Gerron!

- All right, Ash.
- Yeah!

- Go, Ashley!
- All right, so, Ashley,

you know, you having arguably
the best chef in the world

- Yes. - Mentor you,
that's a huge honor.

- Of course!
- How has he guided you

- through this whole competition?
- He makes me fearless.

I feel like I've tried so many
new things because of him,

and guinea hen,
I've never done before.

But I'm using every part--

The heart to the thigh
to the breast,

and my collard greens are cooking down.
I'm going for it.

Joe: You picked
one of the leanest

and most difficult
birds to cook.

- That guinea hen, when I cut it open,
- Yes, Chef.

And I see a red blood line?
It's undercooked.

If I cut the center of it,

and it's mealy, grainy,
and dry, it's overcooked.

You are walking on
a very, very high wire.

- Aarón: Yep.
- High wire. Highest, baby. Highest!

- Joe: Good luck.
- Ashley: Thank you.

- [ Cheering ]
- [ clock beeping ]

25 minutes remaining.

- Whoo! Cesar!
- Come on, Cesar!

You got this! You got this!

- Right, young man.
- Yes, Chef.

Give me an insight to the dish.
What are you cooking?

Cesar: I'm making a
pan-seared duck breast,

charcoal roasted vegetables,
and an almond mole.

- Gordon: Wow.
- He's crazy. Loco.

You have a recipe
for a 60-minute mole?

- Cesar: Working on it.
- Joe: How do you do a mole in an hour?

- We're-- we're baffled.
- I couldn't go

with the traditional mole
from Puebla,

so I had to pick
a different mole

based on guajillo peppers
and almonds.

Gordon: You have a mentor

who's one of the best Mexican
chefs anywhere the planet.

He knows you can't fast-track
a mole in 60 minutes.

What are you doing?

I chose mole for my entrée

because doing something
this difficult

is one way to prove
that I'm worthy

of the title of
America's next MasterChef.

Gordon: There's chefs in Mexico

- that spend a year making a mole.
- I know.

You're doing it
in 60 freaking minutes.

I knew going into it
it was a gamble, and, I mean,

right now I'm feeling
like I might've made a mistake.

60-minute mole.
It better be freaking good.

Cesar, there's chefs in Mexico
that spend a year making a mole.

- I know.
- You're doing it in 60 freaking minutes.

Cesar: 60 minutes. It's ambitious,
but if I want this title,

- those are the kind of moves that I have
to make, Chef. - Mama, what is he doing?

[ Speaking Spanish ]

- That's how good he is.
- You can do it.

Hearing my mom and my sisters
cry out from the balcony

reminds me of why
I chose mole to begin with.

- [ Cheering ]
- [ speaking Spanish ]

I'm here to make my family proud

and make myself proud,
and showcase dishes

that represent me
and my upbringing,

- and my roots and my home.
- Good luck, Cesar.

- It sounds amazing.
- Thank you. Thank you, guys.

- Good luck.
- You got it!

Let's go, Gerron!

- Let's go, babe.
- Let's go, girlie!

Gordon: We are down to
the last ten minutes.

- Let's go!
- Shanika: Y'all got this!

Joe:
There's at lot at stake here.

Three really ambitious entrées.

Gerron is doing basically
elevated shrimp and grits, right?

- Ralph: Dude, those prawns look amazing.
- The color's gorgeous.

My big question
about Gerron's entrée

- is can you elevate it?
- Aarón: Yup.

Gordon:
Very few chefs in this country

have taken that
to the premiere league.

But, come on, the last meal with his
mum, the dish that she ordered,

he's replicating that dish
out of respect for her.

Aarón: Talk about somebody that's
working with lots of heart.

So, Ashley's making
a pan-seared guinea hen,

and that's gonna be sat
on a puree of black-eyed peas

with those incredible
collard greens.

So she's bringing that French
influence into the deep South.

- Yeah.
- But guinea hen are wild birds.

It's a little bit gamy,
a little richer, less fat.

So, difficult protein to cook.

Come on, Cesar!
That manic mailman speed.

Gordon: My big worry tonight with
the entrées has to be Cesar.

I don't know if
that rich, gamy duck breast

can be cooked perfectly

with a mole that can be done
in 60 minutes.

Maria: Amazing!

I believe in him.
If there's one guy

that moves fast enough
to get a mole done,

it's that crazy locoman
right there.

And that mole right now,
from here, has the right color.

I like the consistency.
It looks great.

- That looks amazing!
- Amazing!

You fly, mijo!

Five and a half minutes to go.

- Let's go, Gerron!
- Ooh, it looks so good.

Whoo! Go, Ash!

- Yes!
- Looks good, Ash.

I'm smelling a burning smell

and I'm not sure
where it's coming from.

[ Groans ]

I peek into my collard greens,

and they are burnt.

I'm having a panic attack.

I can't have any mistakes
on the plate

like I did
in my appetizer round.

We're down to four minutes
to go, guys.

Ashley might be a little behind.

- Is she redoing them?
- I think so. It looks like it.

- Come on. Come on, come on. - Gordon:
She's cooking collard greens twice.

- Oh, my Lord.
- Come on, Ashley, let's go.

- You can do it.
- Bowen: She's crazy.

Shanika: That's Ashley for you.

- Oh, my God.
- Gordon: Three minutes to go.

- Whoo!
- This is it, guys. Start plating, come on.

Gerron: Plating. Come on, baby.

- Here we go.
- Ash, you gotta start plating, darling.

- Ashley, come on, girl.
- Oh, my gosh.

Coming! I'm coming, I'm coming.

Girl, what are you doing?
We don't have time for this.

Forget about the greens.
Start plating.

Guys, I don't think Ashley's
gonna make it.

Minutes to go, and she hasn't
even finished cooking.

- Narrator: Next time...
- Gordon: This is it.

The world's biggest cooking
competition continues...

- Come on, Cesar!
- Come on, baby!

As the three best
home cooks in America...

You got it, Gerron! Let's go!

- Battle it out...
- Go, Ashley!

- You got it, girl!
- ...over the final two courses.

Come on!

- Only one...
- It's exceptional.

- Will walk away...
- I love it.

With a quarter
of a million dollars...

My God. Perfection.

...and the MasterChef title.

The winner is...