Original subtitles

Wow. Seriously, are you two food snobs?

Gordon, you don't even live in America. What do you know?

Look, here's the question for the table.

Which region has the best cooks?

Take it from a Southerner,

the South has the best chili around.

- We know that, okay? - Okay, I agree.

Let me tell you chili. I had the bison chili-- Montana.

- Bison? - What are you doing in Montana anyway?

- I was fishing. - Fishing?

- Aarón: Fishing. - Nice.

Fishing for compliments.

- Fishing for--

- There you go. - So honestly, my vote is going to the West.

No, the question is have you ever had Cincinnati chili?

I've never even been to Cincinnati.

Well, you're missing out, okay? 'Cause it's a fantastic place.

Why? It's a fly-over place.

No, it's not. I think you're selling people short.

The cooks in the Midwest have some tricks up their sleeve, trust me.

I heard the best hamburger comes from California.

- Says who? - Me.

What do you mean? It has avocado on it?

Or it has, like, a soy protein?

They don't even use meat when they make hamburgers in California.

- I'd take a hard pass on that. - I know a bunch of great cooks

in the East Coast who would beg to differ. Can I have a French fry?

Look, if you're interested in spending 25 bucks for a burger,

which is basically ground beef in buns, but...

- You're killing me. - What did I say?

- No. I say no. - Seriously? It's good.

- I say no. Time out. - All right, guys.

Let's settle it once and for all.

Northeast cooks are the best, end of story.

- No! - I don't know about that,

but we're about to find out.

This season on "MasterChef,"

we're celebrating America's culinary diversity...

The Northeast is bringing it. What's up, Brooklyn?

Westside is the best side.

Hell yeah, the best cooks are from the South!

The Midwest is best!

This is "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America."

- Come on! - ...as cooks from across the nation...

- Let's go, baby! - ...compete to bring the MasterChef trophy

back to their home turf.

I am here to win "MasterChef!"

- It's a regional rumble... - Come on, South! Y'all got it!

Midwest are owning it tonight.

I think they're a little scared of us.

...between the best home cooks from all over the U. S. A.

- Look at that technique. - I can throw down in the kitchen right here.

- That does not taste good. - So terrible.

You really wanna lose this thing, huh?

- I messed up. - It's Disaster Chef!

You've got to start plating!

- Nailed it!

- This year... - Turn that over.

- Wow. - ...where there is more strategy than ever...

- Let's go! - Everybody's out to get you.

It's not all fun and games anymore.

So I'm gonna screw 'em over today.

...it's anyone's ballgame.

- Welcome to Dodger Stadium. - Who's ready to eat?

Table burgers and finish 'em. Where? Where? Where are the burgers?

- Yo, y'all heard me? - In what world was that helpful?

-Switch! - But they'll need to work together...

No, not that cream! Put that down.

- Remember, identical plates! - Oh, my God.

- You gotta let me know, okay? - I said it!

- Holy (bleep). - ...if they don't want

to go down in flames...

Whomp, whomp, whomp!

Oh!

- Whoo! All right! - All right!

These are firefighters.

Do not bring me an under steak.

Come on, speed up!

So, everyone, all happy customers?

- No. - Raw steak.

Does anyone care in here?

Welcome to Hell's Kitchen Restaurant.

Ice cold in the middle, and it's (bleep) raw.

- Don't ever disrespect me.

- That was insane. - I just don't think you're ready.

- I'm so sorry. - That's the weirdest thing I've ever tasted.

- I think I was doubting myself. - I know you can do better.

It's kind of tough, not gonna lie.

Only one home cook will rise to the top...

- Yeah! - You could serve it in a two star Michelin restaurant.

- Thank you. -It's flawless.

You got a home run there.

...and claim the title

of America's next MasterChef.

- You cook like a dream. - Thank you.

- This is your moment. - Wow.

This is "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America."

- Oh, my goodness!

Oh, my gosh. This is so beautiful!

- "MasterChef!" - All right. Midwest.

- Oh! South! - Whoa, what is this?

We got Iowa, baby! Check it out!

- We made it! - Oh, my goodness. This is amazing.

- We here! We here!

- This is crazy. - This is insane!

- Yeah! - Nice to meet you.

- How you doing? - Nice to meet you.

What I bring from New Orleans

is culture, dance, food, flavor, baby!

- Where you guys from? - Brooklyn, New York.

- You live in Los Angles? - L. A. local.

I live in Woolwich, Maine.

All of these other contestants should watch out for me

because I wanna show people that we are about more

than just "lobsta" and blueberries.

- Get her going. Yes. - It's apron time.

Where's the judges? Where's Gordon?

Give me my apron. Gordon?

- Gordon!

Let's go.

Thank you so much! Welcome to the amazing MasterChef kitchen.

- Yes! Thank you, thank you! - Yeah! Yeah!

Now, tonight starts with the MasterChef auditions.

Yes!

The one thing I've always loved about "MasterChef"

is the way that it shows off

how diverse American cuisine can be.

But this season is about more than just finding

the best home cook in America.

We wanna find out once and for all

- where in America do the best cooks come from? - Oh, baby.

This is "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America."

Yeah!

I know you're all extremely proud to be American,

but, come on, let's be honest,

you're just as proud to be from the West...

...from the Midwest...

Whoo!

...from the South...

...and the Northeast.

Come on!

- Yes! - We are looking for home cooks

that can represent your region

with style and skill, but that's not all.

On each night of the auditions,

you'll compete to earn an apron

against other cooks from your region.

Now is your big chance to become a hometown hero

and earn the beautiful MasterChef trophy.

Plus, you'll win the grand prize--

a complete kitchen from Viking,

new tools and bakeware from OXO,

and a quarter of a million dollars.

Now it's time to prove that you truly deserve one of these.

The iconic MasterChef apron.

Your task in the auditions is very simple.

Make us your signature dish inspired by the culture,

the cuisine, and perhaps the heritage of your region.

Tonight we're gonna start with...

...the Northeast!

Now, each night we'll be bringing in

a very special guest judge

who knows that region's cuisine better than anyone.

- Ooh, okay. - Here to represent the Northeast,

we have a prolific cookbook author,

a culinary expert,

and a beloved member of the MasterChef family.

Please welcome back the amazing Daphne Oz!

Hey!

- Oh!

I'm missing the party out here. Oh, my God.

Welcome back!

Wow. The Northeast is near and dear to your heart.

- Yes. - It's really helped shape your career,

but what's so special about it?

I mean, the Northeast is a melting pot.

That is one of the most beautiful pieces of being in the Northeast

is you walk four blocks in any direction and you can taste the world.

I think it does keep Northeast cooks trying new things,

but holding onto heritage really tightly, too.

And what do you want to see from these contestants tonight?

The food that excites me the most is family food.

What did your family pass onto you?

What gets you excited in the kitchen?

I get goosebumps thinking about it.

- All right! - So good to have you back.

Right, you guys ready?

-Yeah! - Good.

Tonight you'll all have 45 minutes

to cook your delicious signature dishes.

Now to get your hands on those white aprons,

you'll need at least three yeses from the judges.

Your time starts when that clock starts.

Give it your best, okay? We'll see you in the restaurant.

- Good luck. Come on. - Good luck, guys!

Season 13. Welcome back, by the way.

- Thank you. - We have missed you, girl.

I mean, what a way to kick off tonight. Northeast.

You know, I have to ask, season 13, you have seen it all.

What are you looking for this season

that's going to set these competitors apart

that you think is really gonna take it to the next level?

Repping the region is huge here.

How's that reflected to what they put on the plate?

I've always said that the Northeast is the heartbeat

of the restaurant world in America,

and the level should be super high.

It'll be the fastest 45 minutes

of their entire culinary career.

Three, two, one!

- Get it, Carla. Get it, Carla. - Whoo!

- Come on, y'all! Let's go! - Let's go, Buffalo!

- Let's go, Buffalo! - You got this, Carla.

Northeast got the best Italian, hands down.

I mean, you're not gonna get good Italian anywhere else but the Northeast.

- Oh, yeah, lots of cheese. - Lots of cheese.

So the recipe that I'm doing is a homemade manicotti.

What's really special about my recipe

is that I'm making it with a homemade crepe.

I can't believe I'm cooking Italian food for Joe.

It's really nerve-wracking, but at the same time,

I'm cooking from the heart.

- Final countdown. - ...seven, six, five, four,

three, two, one.

I'm Carla. This dish is so special to me.

This is my grandma's homemade manicotti.

- So normally manicotti are made with lasagna sheets. - Yes.

- You roll them up. You're not doing that. - Correct.

- No, I'm doing a homemade crepe. - Wow.

- It's so much better. -All right, we'll see if it works.

- Interesting. - Carla, you need three yeses for an apron tonight.

- Shall we? -All right.

Did you drain the ricotta?

I did not.

Bold move substituting the pasta for the crepe,

but if you're gonna do that then get some herbs in those crepes.

Just make them stand out.

That's supposed to be the star of this dish.

Unfortunately, you overcooked the crawfish.

You have to treat them very gently.

For me, that is such a glaring issue

that for me it's a no. I'm sorry.

There's series of technical issues with this dish

from the ricotta being not drained properly,

from the consistency of the crepe,

from the tomato sauce not integrating

with the rest of the dish. It's a no for me.

Unfortunately, that's two nos, so no apron. I'm sorry.

- Aww! - It's okay.

- Aww.

- Joe ripped me a new one. - Did he?

This is the typical MasterChef entree dish

that's created to fool the judges,

and with the level of talent we have out there,

we cannot afford to do that.

You know it. It's apron time, baby.

It's apron time.

Usually I'm in a recording studio,

and you would think that would be more peaceful than this,

but to be honest, I find my peace in the kitchen. This is my sanctuary.

I'm Richie, I'm 28 years old, I'm from Silver Spring, Maryland,

and I'm a musician and a songwriter.

- Maryland is in the house. - I am such a proud Northeast rep.

Maryland is so rich in culture and food, so being able to put it on the map,

- that's what I'm here for, baby. - We ready for salmon time.

- You know what time it is. - All right, it's killing me just sitting in this room.

- I need to go and see what's happening in this kitchen. - Let's go.

All right, the door's opening! Whoo!

Whoo!

Whoo! It smells good.

- Young man... - Richie.

Richie, good to see you, bud. Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?

So I'm doing a crispy skin salmon with spinach,

and then I'm gonna do some parmesan crusted potatoes.

- It smells delicious. - Thank you so much.

How are you gonna make sure this is not overcooked?

'Cause that's the one thing that could sink this whole dish.

Right now we're focusing on the skin.

I'm gonna flip it, let it get a nice sear on the top.

And while it's resting, it'll bring itself up to temp.

- Perfect. - Then it's out of my hands, you know?

Love it. Listen, bring the magic through there, yes?

- That's my plan. - Good luck.

- Some magic. You know it. - Five minutes! Five minutes!

I know that cheese and fish is sometimes a big no-no,

but I think the flavor of these parmesan potatoes are so good,

maybe it'll be a first and they'll think,

"Oh, maybe I should try more cheese and seafood."

Five, four, three, two, one.

There's a lot I had to leave behind

to come here and make this dream a reality.

It can't all be for nothing.

- Welcome. - Here he comes.

I'm Richie. I'm a music producer from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Today I've made crispy skin salmon with sweet habanero glaze,

spinach with furikake butter, and parmesan roasted potatoes.

Shall we have a look? Yeah?

- Visually, great sear on the salmon. Love that. - Thank you.

- It looks well-executed. - So this is the moment.

Obviously, cooking fish to the right temperature is super important.

- Looks good. - Looks beautiful.

- I like it. -Let's try this out.

So, first of all, perfectly cooked salmon.

- I mean, really, you nailed it. - Thank you.

It was so delicious. I love the layering of flavors.

The only question mark for me is the parmesan cheese,

but because it was still crispy and the texture was there

and the flavor was there, it's a yes from me.

You have a lot of beautiful flavors happening here.

I think the idea of having the chili habanero

was so necessary 'cause the salmon is fatty.

It kinda cuts that, so it's a yes from me, too.

-Ooh. - All right, this dish

has a lot of good components to it.

Potatoes and the parmesan cheese are very well seasoned.

They're crispy, they're gooey, they're good.

The problem with this dish is it's like a simple dish,

and it puts me in a tough spot.

So here's what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna say no...

and I'm gonna pass it to my associate, Gordon,

who will decide your fate.

Well, you have two yeses, one no.

You need three for an apron.

Well, you have two yeses, one no.

You need three for an apron.

First of all, the salmon's cooked beautifully.

And the habanero glaze at the end? Beautiful.

But spinach is watery, so it just takes all the flavoring down.

- Tough one. - Can he be crafted?

Uh...

I'm gonna say no...

...to the music studio and yes to "MasterChef."

- Congratulations, young man. - Yes!

Congratulations. Come here, bud.

What's your heart doing right now?

- Are you losing your mind? - Congratulations.

- Thank you. - Well done.

- Thank you, guys. - Good luck, man.

- Well done. - So honored to cook for you guys.

- Prove me wrong, baby. - And I will.

Welcome to "MasterChef."

- Let's go!

I got myself a MasterChef apron! I'm so excited!

- Yes! - I'm pumped!

Northeast, baby! Let's go!

Sacrificing the music career for this? Come on.

- That's huge. - That's huge.

I hope it's the right move.

What a flip! What a flip!

What a flip!

Meat! Is it time for the meat?

It's time for-- nope, it's time for the dough.

- Yeah, dough. - I am from Woolwich, Maine,

and I am very, very proud to represent that town

because we know how to work with what we have around us.

We don't have a Whole Foods in my area.

We are very resourceful.

- This is you on a plate. - Seriously.

- You on a plate. - My name is Nina,

I'm a rock and roll marketing manager from Maine,

and my favorite thing in the whole world to do

is go out the woods and hunt and forage

and finding amazing wild food to eat.

For me, cooking starts outside

because that's where I get all the ingredients that inspire me.

That's where I hang out with all my animals

and hang out with all the trees.

- Hello. Hi! - How are you?

Hi! What's up, guys? My name is Nina.

- Ooh, we got some dumplings. - Yes.

- Aarón: Those look fantastic. - Thanks.

Kinda pretty straightforward. Just a beef dumpling for--

It's not beef. It's venison, thank you very much.

- Venison? Did you pork fat in it? - I did not,

'cause that's what we do in Maine.

We use what we have sometimes. We don't have pork fat.

Sometimes we have squirrel fat. We use that instead.

- I like squirrel fat. - Squirrels have fat?

- Aarón: Yeah. - See? He knows.

We fighting them in the trees. They're always there, okay?

This is gonna be very interesting.

I think it's a super risky thing you're doing,

but you know what? It could work.

- I look forward to tasting it. - Yeah. Thank you.

All right, Nina, you got about 11 minutes.

My passion has been to get people excited about wild food,

and I hope that the judges are gonna taste the passion

that I have for my foraged ingredients.

Those look gorgeous.

Oh, I'm getting hungry just looking at them!

Five, four, three, two, one!

I'm done!

There's only one thing I need to know.

Does that apron come in camo?

-Hello. Welcome. - Hi, guys. I'm Nina.

I'm from Woolwich, Maine.

I made dumplings filled with venison and bok choy,

and that is served with a cucumber salad

with cilantro, peanuts, and chili.

Dumplings are typically made with pork.

I chose to put venison in them

because I am representing my home state of Maine.

Gordon and Joe: Shall we?

Okay, visually, Daphne, what do you think?

You give a nice portion of the dumplings,

a lovely dipping sauce in the center.

Honestly, I'm most excited about this cucumber salad.

- It looks so delicious. - I agree, but I'm more concerned about

the lack of fat inside with the venison.

That's the bit's that's gonna be the telling point for me.

- So, shall we? Daphne, please. -Let's go.

All right. And what's in the dipping sauce?

That is soy, apple cider vinegar,

a little chili garlic paste, and some chives.

First of all, it doesn't need the pork.

If I'm honest, I can't taste it's venison

because it's not as gamey.

But it's the technical flair

I'm in love with,

- and it's an absolute definite yes for me. - Oh!

-Ooh, one yes. -I wanna see more.

These dumplings are light and tender, delicious.

The meat is juicy. That cucumber salad is a shocker. Out of control.

Spicy, delicious, it's a definite yes from me.

- Oh, thank you. Okay. -That's two yeses.

But I'm not gonna be so quick to drink the Kool-Aid here.

Hmm.

I don't know what these two were tasting...

- That's two yeses. - Okay.

But for me, the seasoning is completely off.

It's way too spicy.

It's totally, totally amateurish,

- so for me it's a no. - Two yeses, one no.

Right now your fate lies in the hands of Aarón Sánchez.

There is some technical flaws for me personally with some of the dumplings.

The filling is a little bit meek.

It's a lot of wrapper for the filling.

But what I love is your boldness, okay?

There's freshness, and it highlights all the ingredients.

I don't know.

- Ha, ha! - Yeah! Yeah!

Even though Joe called my flavor balances amateurish,

it's okay. I need somebody to push me.

I don't need everybody to tell me I'm awesome all the time.

- Absolutely. - Very good point.

Guys, look out,

my competitive juices are flowing for sure.

- Rock and roll! Yes! - Yeah! Yes!

- Whoo! - Yeah!

- Yeah! - That salad is awesome.

- Well, I hope I'm wrong. -Delicious. Really good.

Two aprons down, three to go.

- Standards are high. - Whew!

Purvi, Purvi, Purvi, Purvi, Purvi!

I'm happy and excited to be here.

It's an American dream which is coming true.

I'm Purvi from East Windsor, New Jersey.

My husband and I moved to the U. S. 21 years ago.

My specialty is American and Indian fusion cooking.

I wanna follow my passion and my dreams.

I would like to open up a café called Purvi's Delight,

and I would like to serve desserts of all over the world.

The Indian community in New Jersey is really, really big,

and I feel so proud to represent them.

I'm making bundt cake with Indian flavors.

The only thing that can go wrong

is if the cakes don't bake properly.

But I am very confident.

I've been doing this for the last 21 years.

I can do this in my sleep.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Just a little bit scared that if they cut the cakes

and if it's not fully baked,

that can definitely bring me down.

Hi, my name is Purvi, and I'm from New Jersey.

This dish is a vanilla bundt cake

infused with four different Indian flavors

which is gulab jamun, rose,

cardamom, saffron, and paan.

- Joe and Daphne: Wow. - Right.

I love it. It reminds me of an Indian festival, you know?

- And a wedding when there's just color... - Yes. Thank you so much.

...and there's vibrance everywhere.

It looks stunning. I'm dying to get in there.

-Great. - Shall we?

-Let's try it. -Yeah.

- Beautiful. - Oh, look how moist it is.

-These are really good. - Thank you, Joe.

I just got back from India. The most incredible flavors.

It gives me a new appreciation of tasting your dish.

It's a yes from me. I really liked it.

Thank you so much. It means a lot.

- This bite, it is so moist and fluffy! - Thank you so much.

Like, it has levity and balance.

- Yes. Definite yes from me. - Thank you so much. Thank you.

You have very strong flavors, and you balance them so beautifully.

But I'm not gonna say yes just yet, okay?

'Cause I have to think about this for a little bit.

What?

- I'm like-- - Aarón! You love it. Say yes.

All right, all right, all right, all right. For me it's an absolute yes!

- It's a resounding yes. - Thank you, thank you, thank you.

- Thank you so much. - That's four yeses.

- Yes. - Daphne and Aarón: Congratulations.

- Thank you. - Well done. Great job.

I got four yeses.

I am so proud to represent the Northeast.

This is my American dream. I'm living it right now.

Hey, judges, there's a lot of good Indian flavors coming for you.

- Delicious. Brilliant. Yeah. - Really good. The cinnamon plus cardamom combo? Wow.

- Those are strong flavors. - I know.

You weren't gonna vote yes for her? What's wrong with you?

- I thought you were gonna say no. - What?

I had to do a little drama there, bud.

Hey, y'all better get loud, baby! Y'all better get loud!

- Hey, I'm from Brooklyn, New York.

We loud and proud.

My name is Eddie, I'm 31 years old,

I'm from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York,

and I'm a party promoter.

Big man baking a cake!

- Aarón. - What's going on, señor?

- Getting it done. - You're making a dessert?

Yes, sir. You look at me and don't think dessert.

You just think a whole bunch of food, right?

Aarón: Yeah.

I'm doing a pistachio cake with a tres leches crème anglaise,

a raspberry sauce that I got going right there

- that I'm actually gonna strain right now. - Yep.

So you're gonna use the tres leches as the format, right?

- Yes. - You seem like a very passionate guy.

- You have a lot of passion for cooking? - Yeah, I definitely do.

The first thing I learned how to make was actually pancakes with my mother.

I gotta make sure I impress her.

- Well, the dish looks really great. - Aarón: Yeah.

- Good luck. Nice to meet you. - Thank you. Thank you, guys.

My love for cooking honestly came from my mom.

Just learning different recipes from her and just experimenting,

that love and passion just came on.

It never stopped since, so...

You got this. You got this. Don't worry about it.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Let's go, baby! Let's go!

It's super huge to just come out here from Brooklyn and take a chance on myself.

But it's Brooklyn, the home Biggie, home of Jay-Z,

and the home of the next MasterChef.

That apron's gonna look good on me, baby.

Welcome.

So my name is Eddie, I'm from Brooklyn, New York,

and I actually made my take on a tres leches.

I did a pistachio cake with tres leches crème anglaise,

a raspberry sauce, and a pistachio crumble.

So traditionally a tres leches is a soaked cake with three milks.

- Yes. - So you decided to take the actual elements

- of the tres leches and put them in the sauce? - Yes.

So how do you think that this dessert represents the Northeast?

Well, I'm very Dominican.

I grew up in a single mom household,

super humble beginnings.

I've always wanted to go to culinary school.

- Can't afford it. - Tres leches means a lot to me.

So I wanted to bring a piece of my Dominican heritage with me

and put that on a plate for you guys.

- Shall we? - Let's take a look.

Visually, Joe, what do you think?

You know, look, I grew up in New York myself.

I understand those flavors, those memories.

This dish is very nontraditional,

but I love the way the dish looks,

so I'm looking forward to trying it.

That means the world. Thank you so much.

I hope there's enough moisture here,

'cause there's a lot of cake and not a lot of sauce.

- Shall we? - Tell us the two sauces. What are they?

So the yellow sauce is a tres leches crème anglaise.

Then I did a raspberry sauce to get a little tartness on the plate.

Okay, young man, you need three yeses

to get your hands on an apron.

Joe, how was that for you?

What I see in front of me

I like a lot. But it's not the dish.

So I'm gonna make a big investment,

and I hope you have what it takes to take this

- to the next level. - I do, sir.

And I believe that you are a great guy,

and for that I'm gonna say yes.

I think you needed more sauce.

I think you need half the amount of pistachios.

This is not a tres leches,

but I believe that you wanna do something

that represents you, and I applaud that.

So for that reason, that's a yes.

I have no doubt about your potential in the kitchen,

but my job is to judge the food.

And because there wasn't quite the balance of sauce to cake

that I would've liked to have seen, it's a no for me.

Young man, you clearly were born to cook,

and it means so much to you. I get that.

Coulis, delicious. Crème anglaise, delicious.

Um...

...but it's another level this year.

I just don't think you're ready for "MasterChef."

For me, it's a no. I'm sorry.

Come here, bro. I gotta tell you something.

Look at me. This was tough.

Great food and great restaurants are made by great people,

and what I'm gonna do when you go back to New York,

I'll take you in, you tour my restaurants.

We can put you on the path to the culinary career

that you really deserve.

I promise that, bro.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

- Oh.

That's okay. That's okay, mijo.

It hurt getting the nos.

Joe said he'd train me in New York though.

- So, you win. - Joe saw something in me,

so even though I didn't get an apron, that's a win in my book.

I really liked him and who he was

and what his passion was.

But it's an unfortunate situation

when the dishes that people present

do not reflect their talent as cooks.

And to find this nice little side of you is very refreshing.

- It's heartwarming. - Oh, you've never seen it before?

It's like the eclipse. Once every ten years.

Brooklyn, Brooklyn, all the way!

Let's go! You gotta do this.

- Looking good, Ross. - Looking good, Ross.

Oh, man! That looks so good.

Today I'm making chocolate molten lava cake.

This cake has to be super lava-y on the inside,

otherwise there's no chance I'm getting an apron.

I need to have my lava flowing. It's gonna happen.

- My hands are shaking. - You can do it, Ross.

You're almost done.

Three, two, one.

-Let's go. - I'm Ross.

I live in New York City. I'm a bartender.

I made a chocolate molten lava cake.

Oh!

So this is a standard in the MasterChef kitchen,

the molten lava, so we gotta make sure that it's running.

Oh. Uh-oh.

- Damn. -Uh-oh.

- Okay. -All right, let's taste it.

Love the dark chocolate use.

It's the most beautiful balance of sweet and bitter,

but missing the molten on molten chocolate cake is, like, a crime.

- It's a no from me. - Yeah.

It needs lava, right? It needs liquid.

When you say stuff like "molten," you're making a promise to us.

and when that doesn't happen, it's disappointing.

- Oh! - Oh, man.

The bar of entry is high, and this is just not there.

No.

Let's go, Brynn! Let's go, baby!

Let's go, Brynn! Way to go!

Cooking like we're cooking at home.

Yeah, but with makeup on.

I'm Brynn, I'm 33 years old,

I live in Providence, Rhode Island,

and I'm a bartender.

Do the shaky-shaky and a little turn.

I have bartending for 14 years,

but I started cooking a couple years ago

and I realized there was so much more to explore

and that I loved doing it.

Babe, you're killing it, killing it.

- I feel like I'm killing it. - Let's get it.

- It smells good. - It smells really-- always!

- Always in this kitchen. - It smells very good.

- Good evening! - Hello! How are you?

- Are we good? - Yeah, I'm good.

- First name and where you're from. - I am Brynn,

and I'm from Providence, Rhode Island.

- And what are you making? - Love that.

I am making a crispy black sea bass

with a little bit of harissa seasoning.

I'm working a pear and dry cherry chutney.

Mmm. I love that. I think of Rhode Island,

- I think of lobster rolls, clam chowder. - Yeah!

- Well, we have great food. - Why chutney with bass?

I wanted to do something fruity

and I think it really highlights what I like to do with flavors.

The bass, you're gonna be cooking skin side down, right?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Be careful with the skin.

- Get it crispy. - Yeah.

And harissa, bringing a little heat.

It's just little bit of heat and smoke on the fish.

- Good luck, yes? - Good luck. Keep it cooking!

Do I have all my things? Does this look like everything?

I feel like in the past I've been a little bit reserved,

so getting the apron would mean that I was right

to keep dreaming and not limit myself.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Oh, my God. You did it!

I am so much more than just a girl who works behind the bar.

I would love to be a real chef,

and I am going to make this happen.

I am Brynn. I am from Providence, Rhode Island.

I'm a bartender.

The dish I have made for you today

is a black sea bass

with a little bit of a harissa spice.

I've topped it with a pear and dried cherry chutney,

and roasted fennel, and blanched green bean salad.

Love that. And what's the food dream?

I've only been cooking for about 2 1/2 years,

but I've always wanted my own bar and restaurant.

- Shall we have a look? - Let's go.

Okay, first impressions. Aarón?

I'm so proud that you took fennel

along the theme of seasonality

and let that really be the catalyst here for flavor.

- I just love the imagination... - Thank you.

...and there's clearly a lot of thought process gone into this.

I've never doused the top of a crispy skin with chutney.

- However, let's get in, shall we? - All right.

Let me see if this chutney's undoing your crispy skin efforts.

And the harissa, where did you end up using that?

So I brushed it on the base of the fish.

Just trying to keep it nice and crisp.

The fish, I think, is...

...cooked beautifully.

I think this chutney does make it a little less crisp,

but the chutney itself is so delicious, you don't care.

- So it's a yes from me. - Thank you.

It's fresh, it's vibrant.

You have a lot going on here that is so yummy.

- Thank you. - And for that, I say yes.

Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much.

-Two yeses. - Oh, my God.

Three for an apron. Joe?

There's a lot of naiveness in this dish.

But for an amateur cook, it's quite astonishing.

You're cooking instinctually and with honesty,

and that's really, really important.

- That's a yes. Amazing. - Thank you.

- Three yeses. - Thank you so much.

The skin has gotten soggy. So next time, chutney underneath the fish.

- Heard. - But everything's there.

If that's the beginning, cooking for a couple years,

it may be the loss for the mixologist side, but congratulations.

- Aarón: Wow! - Thank you so much.

-Great job. - Thank you. Thank you so much.

Really good job.

- Aah!

- Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! - I got four yeses.

It means that I was right to trust myself, to follow my instincts.

This is the beginning of something new,

and exciting, and a new chapter for who I am,

and I can't wait to keep going.

You don't really see chutney with fish, and she's just broken the rules.

See, you never know in life. At 30 years old, you figure out

- that your real talent is cooking. - Absolutely.

How much time you need for them steaks?

Not a lot. Putting them on now.

So, New Jersey, a lot of people think

it's some sort of industrial wasteland.

It's the Garden State. We got the best produce.

Northeast is the top dog, and you're gonna see that.

I'm Ryan. I'm a construction superintendent from New Jersey.

I'm good at my job, I like to do it,

but my true passion is food.

It means everything to me because food saved my life.

I battled addiction for about ten years.

I didn't take care of myself in any way.

- Ryan! - I was overweight, depressed.

All right, Ryan, this is it. So proud of you, buddy.

- So proud. - Burnt a lot of bridges,

but my dad never gave up on me.

And, um, can't thank him enough for it.

After ten years of living like that, I got sober.

I wanted to get healthy. I wanted to become the best version of myself.

I completely obsessed with the art of cooking.

It's healthy outlet to put that addictive nature into.

Come on, Ryan. You've got this, man.

- Hands down. -Thanks.

Dish I'm making is steak and eggs,

but this is a samurai egg.

I'm gonna separate the whites and the yolks.

I'm gonna do a Gruyère and caramelized onion

inside with the yolk and then fold it over.

I made it up, and it's delicious.

Come on, Ryan! Let's go, baby!

So the steak's gotta be perfect.

Luckily for me, I've cooked filet mignons blindfolded.

But this egg is gonna be the most important egg I've ever cooked.

- Good. - Perfect.

- Yep. - All right.

This is it, Ry. You've come so far, man.

- I love you, man. I owe it all to you. - Love you, too.

Five, four, three, two, one!

It's definitely a risk to cook simple

steak and eggs for "MasterChef,"

but they've never seen steak and eggs like this.

Welcome.

Tell us about the dish, please.

I made a beautifully cooked filet mignon

with samurai egg on top, and an avocado snake.

Why steak and eggs?

This dish, you know, saved my life.

Wow.

I was a heroin addict for ten years.

-Wow. - My goodness.

I have a brother, sadly, still to this day that is an addict.

It's very rare you bounce back.

When I look back, you know, my dad...

...you know, he was-- he--

- Sorry. - No. Come on, you're fine.

Yup. You know, he was watching his son that he loves

slowly kill himself.

One day, I just said enough was enough.

One day at a time, one dish at a time.

Yes.

- Shall we? - Aarón: Yeah.

Let's check it out.

Visually, it looks clean.

I mean, it's the weirdest looking egg,

but I just love how creative it is.

So when you cook a steak, a filet like this,

- how do you cook it? - Medium rare.

Let's see. The egg is nice and runny.

- Oh, yeah. -Excellent.

It's really a different experience of steak and eggs.

The steak is properly cooked.

The samurai egg is kind of whimsical and interesting.

Yeah, I'm a yes.

I think what we saw here is genuinely

an extremely thoughtful preparation

of an extremely simple dish.

And at its core, beautiful cooking is that.

It is simple things done perfectly.

So for me, it's a yes.

- Ooh-la-la. - Thank you.

Look, I love food that's stripped down,

but for me it's missing something.

You put a lot of time and effort in the egg,

but other than that, I don't see a lot more there.

So for me it's a no.

Ryan, you have two yeses, one no,

and you have one judge left to cast his vote.

Steak's nailed beautifully.

But I think what you need to know

is that we see so many filets.

Um, I dunno.

- Here we go. - Oh, my...

Hey, guys. That's intense in there.

- Oh, yeah. I, uh-- - Good to see you.

- First name is? - Scott.

Scott, I just wanna take a moment and just say

well done bringing him back.

- Thank you. - Okay?

Now I need to tell you a little bit of bad news.

- Okay. - Unfortunately,

you're not gonna see him for a few months.

- Whoo! Yeah!

Yeah!

Oh!

This moment just proves that he was so much more than his addiction,

and, you know, he was destined for much greater things.

Thank you.

Whoo!

- Let's go, baby! - Whoo!

Getting this apron definitely feels

like a turning point in my life.

It took a lot to get here,

and I am not looking back.

Next time on "MasterChef"...

Welcome back, everybody, to the United Tastes Of America.

The region competing tonight is the Midwest!

And we have another guest judge.

- Graham Elliot! - Do not let the Midwest down.

the regional audition rounds continue...

- Pound it out, baby. - If this dish doesn't earn me an apron,

I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for on "MasterChef."

as the Midwest cooks compete...

- That looks like home. - Whoo!

...for a coveted white apron.

It's symbolic of the Midwest and the heartland.

The passion's there. I can taste that passion.

This dish is a wow dish.

The sauce just tastes so bland.

Fingers crossed it tastes better than it looks.