Original subtitles

Previously on "MasterChef"...

This is "The United Tastes Of America."

So far, 15 home cooks from the Northeast...

These dumplings are delicious. It's a definite yes from me.

...the Midwest...

It's a flavor explosion.

...and the West...

It very much speaks California.

It's an absolute resounding yes.

...have earned their aprons.

- Let's go!

This is for you, Mom! You understand?

- Tonight... - Please welcome Tiffany Derry.

...it's the last night of the regional auditions.

- I've got the South in the house! - Let's go!

- It's a spicy Southern showdown. - What are you doing?

Step away!

...as the hopeful home cooks fight it out

- for the final five aprons. - Whoo!

If I overcook this steak, they might kick me out of Texas.

This dish takes me straight back to New Orleans. I'm a big yes.

This is as perfect a medium rare as we've seen on the show.

- Mm. Mm. - Hmm?

- Oh, damn. - Broke my tooth.

Oh.

Representing the South!

Gonna get some South in your mouth.

We here to have some fun, you know?

I've wanted to be a chef

since I was as young as I can remember,

and this is my chance to make it happen.

- Right now I'm a home cook.

When I leave here, I will be MasterChef.

Thank you so much, and welcome back

to the "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America."

It's the last night of the auditions. Are you guys excited?

- Hell, yeah! - Whoo!

Now, so far, 15 home cooks

have impressed us enough to earn an apron.

We've seen the West,

the Northeast,

and the Midwest,

but there's still one region to go.

The region that will be cooking tonight is a culinary goldmine.

Every dish is cooked with love, whether it's grits and greens,

catfish and cornbread, or low and slow barbeque.

Tonight's region is the South.

- Yeah!

All right, all right!

As always, you will need three yeses from the judges to earn that apron.

And if you play your cards right,

you can win over our special guest.

Representing the South tonight

is an award-winning chef and restaurateur.

And she's a James Beard Award nominee.

All of you please welcome the incredible Tiffany Derry.

Hey!

- Wow! - Good to see you.

- Welcome back. - Thank you.

- Welcome. - Hello. Good to see you.

Hey!

I got the South in the house.

At just 15 years of age,

you started cooking in the South,

And your restaurant,

Roots Southern Table,

was named of one of

the 50 best in America

from the "New York Times."

Your success literally stems from the South.

What's so special about the South?

The South is so diverse.

You have the water. You have the land.

Depending on where you're from, you may be big into seafood.

You may be big into wild meats.

And you're taught to use everything

and make it delicious.

- Absolutely. - That's right.

- Yeah!

Now, tonight you'll all have 45 minutes to cook your signature dishes.

Please do not let the South down.

- No! - Never doubt!

- We won't! - We won't!

The very best of luck from all so us,

and we'll see you in the restaurant.

Good luck.

Let's do it! Oh!

- Honestly, so nice to have you back. - Thank you.

- And repping the South as well. - I love that.

What are you looking for in these cooks tonight?

What do you wanna see out there as well?

I hope to see a little bit of some Southern roots,

some flavor profiles from the South with a little bit of spice.

- It should definitely be well-seasoned. - Absolutely.

- Hopefully they're gonna bring that tonight. - Yep.

- Let's go, let's go!

- Let it whip.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah! - Come on!

- Yes! - This dish is gonna earn me an apron

because it's full of flavor. Look, you see all this?

I do this every single time I cook.

I put my whole heart, soul, body, and spirit into my pot.

I am Reagan, and I am 44 years young

from New Orleans, Louisiana,

and I'm a paralegal by day.

I like my clients, but does it fulfill me? No.

When I start cooking, that's what brings me joy,

and to see that first bite on my friends' faces--

"Girl, this is good."

That? It makes my heart feel full.

And that's what I wanna give to others.

- I can't hear y'all. - Hey!

We are proud of you!

Say, we are proud of you!

'Ey!

- Hello, hello!

- Hello! Hello. Hi, everyone. - Hola, familia.

- How you doing, man? - Hi! Where are you from?

- New Orleans, Louisiana! 'Ey! - Ah!

- I'm home! I'm home! - You home, honey.

- What are you cooking? - I am making jerk shrimp over a roasted corn.

You have a lot of New Orleans classics in your repertoire?

I absolutely can. I can make gumbo, stuffed peppers...

- Oh. - Oh, yeah, I can stuff a pepper, baby.

- I believe you. - I can do it all.

Wow, look at the size of those shrimp.

In New Orleans, we're blessed with the best shrimp.

- We are. - So I'm happy that you're using shrimp

to represent New Orleans. I think that's beautiful.

So, I love it. So best of luck, y'all.

- Thank you! - Here you go! Thank y'all.

Let's go! We at the homestretch, baby. Two minutes. Let's go.

I'm excited for Chef Aarón to taste my dish.

I am not afraid. I'm from New Orleans, baby.

- Let's go! Let's go!

-Nine, eight... - Come on, Reagan!

- There you go. - Good job. Come on now.

- All right, Reagan! - ...four, three, two...

- It's ready. - ...one!

- Whoo!

I really, really, really want this apron,

and I would be so excited, elated, grateful,

all of the things,

when I get it, 'cause I am getting one.

- Welcome. - Hello.

I have made for you today a jerk shrimp

over a bed of roasted corn

with some roasted red peppers to give it smoky flavor.

So you're from New Orleans. Have you been to any of Aarón's restaurants?

I absolutely have. I've been to Johnny Sánchez right there on Poydras.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

- How was it? - It was-- good. It was good.

- He has really-- - Oh, oh!

- Just good? - Did you hear that?

-It was good! - It's okay. He can do better.

I have to be honest, I liked the drinks better.

- They have great margaritas. - Aarón: You know what?

We should go look at the food. This'll be great.

Yeah, yeah.

- Come on, shall we? - Okay!

- Yes. - Wow.

Visually, it looks stunning,

you know, with the bell peppers.

And the shrimp still looks plump

but still seared on the outside.

Should we dig in?

- Tiffany, what do you think? - The dish itself is very well seasoned,

but jerk typically to me means a little even more spicy.

- Okay. - So whether you're using that scotch bonnet,

a little bit of allspice, those flavors really coming through.

- Okay. - That aside, the shrimp is beautifully cooked.

- So it's a yes from me. - That the Lord. Amen.

- Thank you. Mm-hmm. - Shrimp are cooked beautifully.

Seasoned beautifully. They're succulent. They're sweet in the middle.

And this dish takes me straight back to New Orleans.

- I'm a big yes. - Oh, wow. Thank you so much.

Which means you've got two yeses.

You only need one more yes for an apron.

Here's the deal.

The corn was really delicious.

- Thank you. - And you kept it fresh,

and you didn't laden it with butter,

- and that shrimp is cooked well. - Mm-hmm.

- Thank you so much. - And I just think

all those good things

is gonna make sure that you get an apron

and a hug from me, so check it out.

- Yeah! - All right.

- You're up and down-- -Don't fall down.

That's three yeses. Amazing. Great job.

- Oh, my God. Thank you all so much. - Aarón: You deserve it.

- Beautiful. - You don't even wanna hear what I think?

I do. I wanna hear from you.

I'm like, Joe, did you like my dish?

- It's a yes. - Oh, my God.

- Take care. - Aarón: All right, we'll see you soon.

All right. Way to go.

I am so excited to be repping the South

on "MasterChef," baby!

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Hey, hey, hey!

Okay.

- Good evening. Welcome. - Hello!

- Hello. My name is Austyn. - Austyn, good to see you.

- It is such a pleasure to meet all of-- - Hey, bud. First name?

-Steve. - We're from San Antonio.

I'm so excited to be representing South Texas.

All right!

- I'm doing a bone-in ribeye. -Oh, nice.

With a creamy salsa verde.

Then I'm gonna do some Mexican street corn with that.

Love it. A little birdy told me

that you do a pretty good Gordon Ramsay.

Oh! Well, we were saving that till the five minute mark.

- Oh, no! I'm ready. You've got to start plating!

- That's good. That's good. - Well done.

- He is a little (bleep). - Oh, he is! But he's a doll.

- He's a great husband. - He's a doll. He's a doll.

Right, make sure this dish sings.

- Yes, sir. - Get your hands on the apron.

- Yes.

Just under three minutes, babe.

Steak's looking good.

If overcook this steak,

they might kick me out of Texas

and take away my cowgirl boots.

- Hello! How's it going? -Hello, hello.

Welcome. Tell us what you cooked for us today.

Today I made y'all a bone-in ribeye steak

with a creamy salsa verde and a Mexican street corn.

Let's see.

- Is it mid rare? -It should be medium rare,

- leaning more rare. - Yeah, that looks more medium than it does medium rare.

The salsa verde, it's a little acidic for the steak to me.

I just-- I'm not sure how it's all coming together.

So for me it's a no.

For me, the real huge detraction is this corn.

It's not just dry, it's also undercooked.

For me it's a no.

Ugh, that's two nos. I'm sorry.

- Thank you. -Thank you.

- I'm still proud of you, babe. - Thank you.

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

All right, Mississippi!

I'm extremely proud to represent the South.

Us barbeque cooks, we're known as low and slow guys,

and I wanna be known as more than that.

I'm Kendal, I'm 27 years old,

I'm a barbeque grand champion,

and I'm a very competitive person.

I've been doing barbeque contests since I was 12 years old,

and I've probably done 150 to 200 barbeque events

with probably 75 to 80 first place trophies

and another 25 grand champions.

See any garlic?

When people taste my barbeque, they say,

"That's the best piece of barbeque I've ever had in my life."

Tenderize, tenderize, tenderize.

I'm pretty confident that these other MasterChef competitors

have no idea what they're getting into.

They don't know what it's like to cook on a timeline

and to be absolutely perfect.

And that's why I'm here.

'Cause I cook absolutely perfectly every time.

- How are y'all doing? - Young man, how are you, bud?

- Doing well. Kendal Adair. - Kendal, good to see you.

Very nice to meet you. How you doing?

Right, what's the dish, young man? What are you doing?

Today we're gonna have a perfectly cooked filet mignon.

-Perfectly? - With a crawfish cream sauce and a creamy mashed potato.

All right, that's a lot of cream. Is it gonna balance together?

- It's gonna balance perfectly. - Mmm!

That's one thing I know in the South,

is how to balance flavors

- across the entire dish. - All right.

What's that big clunky thing over there?

May I have a look at that? What is that?

Yeah, you're more than welcome.

It's actually a barbeque championship ring.

- I was a senior in high school... - Wow.

...and we won the Memphis Barbeque Invitational

- two years in a row. - It is amazing.

- It's not about-- whoa!

- Which one is it at? - it's--

- Tongs. Tongs. - Turn it off! Turn it off!

- That's going your way. - Turn it off!

- Oh!

What are you doing?

- There you go! - Oh!

- Dude, what-- - Step away! Step away!

Oh, my God. Well, it's gonna have a lot of flavor.

- There we go. - That's right.

I want this steak in the pan though.

- Watch your time. - Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am.

- Needs to rest, right? - Like I said,

perfectly cooked steak, I promise.

Looking good.

Nice sear on that. Nice sear!

What do you got? Three minutes left.

Three minutes. Look at those potatoes.

You got this. You got this, Kendal.

Six, five, four,

three, two, one.

I can't wait for those judges to taste the best steak they've ever had.

Their eyes are gonna roll in the back of their head,

and you better get a seat behind them.

Because they're gonna hit the ground, they're gonna love it so much.

My name is Kendal, and I'm from Olive Branch, Mississippi,

and this here is a perfectly cooked filet mignon

with a crawfish cream sauce

and some creamy mashed potatoes underneath.

You've cooked tons of barbeque, right?

And that's done over three, six, nine,

12, sometimes 24 hours.

How are you convinced that going from a rib

to a filet, it's perfect?

A 2 1/2 pound rib is very delicate,

- just like this right here. - Right.

Now, I really believe that food is a science.

- So you're a perfectionist? - Yes, sir.

- Like, precision is your game? - Yes, sir. 100%.

- You ever make a mistake? - Yeah, and I'll be the first to admit it.

- Not today I didn't though. -Okay.

-No. - Let's eat.

- Oh, my God. - Yes, ma'am. Let's eat.

Okay, so, visually, you know, it's a little brown.

But at the end of the day, it's truly all about that flavor.

- Mm-hmm. - It's not the kind of steak presentation

I'm used to eating with a creamy sauce like that.

But, look, it represents something in the South,

so I'm very open to trying it.

But you put yourself in a very, very precarious

situation declaring perfection.

What does it look like inside here? Explain it to me.

It's gonna be pink to pink all the way through

with nice beautiful flavor.

I feel very confident in it, sir.

- Shall we cut it? - Shall we? Please.

Kendal, you've put yourself in a very, very precarious situation

declaring perfection in the steak.

I feel very confident in it, sir.

Let's see.

-Mmm. -Wow.

Well, all righty then.

-Okay. - I have nothing to say.

I love the confidence. Come here.

I love the confidence, man.

Not only that, I'm gonna eat my words.

I've never heard that in 14 years.

Wow.

That flavor on the sauce is nice.

You know, the crawfish is not very strong there,

but it's just a really well balanced,

seasoned, delicious sauce.

The steak itself is seasoned great.

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

I think it's super necessary in the industry

to be confident and stand behind your food.

So I have to commend you on the cook on the steak,

'cause right here that is the centerpiece.

There's enough technique that gives me promise

that you will do the right thing in this competition.

- So I'm gonna say yes, all right? - Thank you much.

Wow. Two yeses.

Steak's nailed beautifully.

Mash, crawfish, delicious.

- I'm a big yes. - Thank you.

This is about as perfect a medium rare

as we've seen in 13 years on this show.

- It's yes. - I want to give you this.

- Thank you very much. - Congratulations. Well done, bud.

- Four yeses. - Whoo!

Listen, you gonna keep the talk up, you gotta keep the food up.

100%. Look forward to it.

My steak was absolutely perfect.

Joe doubted me for a little bit, and then he sliced into it,

and I think I made him a believer

out of a small town kid from Mississippi.

I normally hate cream sauces like that.

- That one's actually good. - Yeah, delicious.

- I love that attitude. - That's two aprons down.

Only three remaining for the South. This'll be tight.

- Let's go! - Whoo!

We got this. When people think of the South, you know,

sometimes maybe Miami's not the first thing you think of.

But we are very South.

Hola, my name is Jessica, I'm 45 years old,

and I am a flamenco dancer from Miami, Florida.

Dancing has always been part of my life,

but cooking just the same.

I learned how to cook

from my great-grandmother, my grandmother.

When I'm cooking, I feel like it's a dance

between me and the kitchen.

Oh, I am sure I'm gonna make

the judges' taste buds dance today.

And if their taste buds aren't dancing,

I'm gonna get them, they're bodies dancing.

Hey!

- Hola, hola.

- What's up?

How are you doing? What are you cooking? What's your name?

- I'm doing fantastic. My name is Jessica. - Jessica.

I am a professional flamenco dancer.

- Wow. - But I also love to cook,

and I'm cooking masitas de puerco,

which is a fried pork dish.

In this case, it's pork loin.

And I'm pairing it with tostones,

which is a fried green plantain.

So, wait, so you're a flamenco dancer?

Aarón: Oh, oh! Excellent! Whoa!

Olé!

Well, look, this is a risk 'cause you're taking a very simple and popular dish.

- You have to elevate it. - Yes, sir.

- So, nail it.

Five, four, three, two, one!

All the judges are gonna love this plate

because I think they're gonna see that I'm putting my heart,

- my culture, on the plate. -Welcome.

Hello, hello. Here I am.

I have brought you today masitas de puerco fritas

with a mojo garlic citrusy herby sauce and some tostones.

And I'm putting all that on a bed of yellow vegetable rice.

I think it looks delicious.

I mean, the way that that pork is shining

- and the rice is nice. - Shall we?

Aarón: I know this dish really intimately.

The mojo, slamming.

- The arroz, on point. - Mm-hmm.

But that, the masitas de puerco is the star,

and it fell down 'cause you chose a very lean cut of pork.

It has to have fat, and it's become really chalky and very tough.

So I'm sorry. For me, I have to say no. I'm sorry.

Thank you. No, I get it. Thank you.

In this fierce competition,

this dish doesn't show enough technique

to distinguish you for a white apron.

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

- That's okay. Thank you. - Your passion is evident.

Take that and continue this journey, will you, please?

I will. Thank you so much.

- It's okay. - Aww.

It's okay. I tried.

I came in here expecting

for everybody to love my food, you know?

I'm not gold that grows on a tree,

so not everybody's gonna love me.

- But, you know, I did try. - Thank you. Thank you.

We can't overlook the fundamental mistakes.

It's frustrating for me 'cause this is a dish I wanna love more than anything.

- What a shame. - Yep.

- Come on, baby! - Perfect, Mom. Keep it going.

All right, Chelle. Bring it home, baby. Come on now.

- Let's go, whoo! - Okay, Austin! Whoo!

- This is fun. - All right.

I'm Michele, and I'm from Alexandria, Virginia,

and I consider myself a big fan of "MasterChef."

Cooking brings me so much joy and wakes up my soul,

and to be in the MasterChef kitchen

is a dream come true.

- Whoo! - Yeah!

Nothing to it.

I picture myself coming out of those doors

holding the apron and squeezing my girls.

- It means everything. - You got it, Mom.

Just getting her done.

Five, four, three, two, one.

- Welcome, welcome, welcome. - Hello.

I'm Michele, and I made a crepe cake

filled with cream cheese filling,

smoked apples, and toasted pecans.

- Why "MasterChef" now? - I have a bucket list

that I brought to you all today.

Would you like to come up

and read number one for me?

Yeah, absolutely.

Number one is to be selected

- for "MasterChef." - Yes.

I love that. So, come on, shall we?

Yes.

Shall we dig in?

- Mm. Mm. - Hmm?

- What's that? - It's a pecan shell.

- Almost broke my tooth. - Oh, damn.

Mm. Hmm. Okay.

So, the crepe itself, it actually feels a little thick.

Normally crepes, you want them really paper thin.

The apples, I'm not getting the smoky flavor of that I was promised,

and so for me, it's a no.

Look, it's so competitive this year.

I think you might've chose the wrong dessert

because it's just not showing me your ability in the kitchen.

- So for me it's a no. - The good news is you can cross off that bucket list.

You got to "MasterChef," right?

- Thank you very much. - Thank you.

It's okay. It's okay.

The level is just so high this year,

and this is just not there.

With the type of dishes that are coming in tonight,

- this dish would have to be perfect. - Aarón: I agree.

It is so important to me to represent the South.

I was born and raised in the South.

My name is Jennifer, I'm 42,

and I'm from Little Rock, Arkansas,

and I am a mother of six amazing children.

They're ages 13 to 2. I love taking care of my kids.

I'm a home chef. I cook for my children.

And they think Mama is the best chef in America.

- Good evening. - Hello!

- How are you? First name is? - My name is Jennifer.

- Jennifer, welcome. - Hi, Jennifer. Tiffany.

Give me an insight. What's the dish?

I'm making an apple blossom tart.

I have a maple crème anglaise.

I have spicy cranberry compote.

And then I'm finishing it off

- with a beautiful creamy caramel sauce. - Okay!

-And they look incredibly intricate. - Uh-huh.

I love the fact that you've rolled the pastry so thin,

- so that'll get nice and crispy. - It will.

- All the sugar in between will really caramelize. - Absolutely.

Any spice in that sugar? Do you have any, like, a nutmeg or--

So I'm saving the spice for that cranberry compote.

- Right, okay. What's the personal dream? - Mmm.

Where do you wanna go with this?

My dream is to open an elevated café,

and my ultimate dream is to achieve a Michelin star.

- Wow. - Absolutely.

Get those in the oven. Don't wait too long.

- Got a lot of work to do. - A lot of work to do.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

The more time that I spend in the kitchen,

the more that I realize this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

But cooking under a timeclock

creates a huge amount of pressure.

Seven, six, five,

- four, three, two, one. - Aah!

I'm so relieved because I got every single one of my components finished.

I got it plated.

Maybe not as perfectly as I normally would,

but the flavor is there.

Welcome.

My name is Jennifer.

I've made for you an apple blossom tart

with a maple crème anglaise,

a cranberry spicy compote,

and a beautiful caramel sauce.

I just hope you like my dish.

I wanna I like it. I hope I like it, too.

- Shall we, guys? - Yep.

Uh, oh, dear.

If you're gonna come in to the auditions, um,

and land an apron, it needs to be the wow factor.

Unfortunately, it doesn't wow me.

It looks a mess.

Plating is one of the favorite things that I do.

I'm known for that,

and I think you will see that with other dishes

if I'm able to have the opportunity to present them.

Very rushed, and as you all know,

it's difficult to bake a pastry.

I don't need the bedtime story.

Everyone's got 45 minutes tonight

to land themselves an apron.

The dish doesn't look finished.

Shall we dig in? The crème anglaise,

is it made with fresh vanilla pod?

It is, yes.

You have the apple speckled with cinnamon?

- Yes, and brown sugar. Yes. - Awesome. Gotcha.

So this dish, at the end of the day, is kinda sloppy.

It's not plated that well.

The crème anglaise is a little bit denser,

not quite as elegant.

But it's delicious. The flavors are spot on.

It's rich, it's seasoned properly.

- So, it's delicious, and I'm gonna say yes. - Thank you.

Just by the fact of how delicious those apples are

and the light cinnamon, the butter,

and the crème anglaise,

I just think those creamy kind of tart flavors

are enough for me to say yes.

- Oh, thank you. -You have two yeses.

You need three yeses to get the MasterChef apron.

Okay, there's technical flair here. I love the pastry work.

I'm not a big fan of the execution.

I'm gonna say...

Um...

Right, so, Jennifer, that's two yeses.

There's technical flair here. I love the pastry work.

I'm not a big fan of the execution.

I'm gonna say...

- yes to coming back next year... - Oh.

...and a no for this year. Sorry.

Okay.

Because I don't know if you're ready.

Thank you, Chef.

Tiffany, what do you think?

The cranberry, it's just really, really thick.

And you have the thickness of the cranberry

and also with the crème anglaise,

but when you put 'em all together...

it makes a beautiful dish.

So I have to disagree. It's a big yes for me.

- Why don't you hand that apron off to her?

- Oh, my gosh. This is for you. - I can't believe it.

This is for you. Represent the South well.

- I cannot believe it. - It's yours.

My children are going to be so proud. Thank you.

I have some bad news, you guys.

Mom's not coming home for a while because I got the white apron!

Whoo!

- We ready!

The South is everything to me.

It's my home, it's my culture, it's my food, it's my family.

- Whoo! - I picked this dish

because it represents the tastes of the South.

There's nothing more iconic

than Southern fried chicken,

and also people always like to forget

that we love vegetables, too.

My name's Sav, I'm 26 years old,

and I'm a farmer from Gadsden, Alabama.

I do everything by hand on my farm,

and I grow some of the best produce in the state.

Before I was a farmer I went to Harvard on a full ride scholarship.

Some people think I'm wasting my education,

but everybody always says they wanna quit their job

and start a farm, and I actually did it.

My true passion is in growing and cooking your own food.

That's why I'm here, to pursue becoming a chef

and prove that I made the right call

by going rogue and starting this farm.

♪ Ooh, I love to cook

I certainly feel that energy out there.

Amazing.

Hello! How are you? Nice to see you, ladies.

- Howdy. It's spicy. - How are you?

I just got some serrano on it.

- I'm Sav. S-A-V. - Sav.

What are you cooking?

So I'm doing a Southern fried chicken.

- Mmm. - 'Kay.

We're doing a pickled green tomato,

and then a stacked coleslaw.

- Okay, I like it! - Thank you.

What's the food dream?

I wanna start a pay-what-you-can

- farm-to-table restaurant. - Yes!

- But you have to make a profit to stay open. - That's right.

Hey, Gordon, once they try my food,

there's gonna be a line out the door.

I ain't gonna be worried about all that.

- I'm excited to see y'all. - Okay, good. Take care.

- Bye. - Right.

Four minutes to go.

- Chicken looks good. - It's gonna be pretty. It's gonna be pretty.

It's pretty. It's crispy.

Roll Tide, baby! We good, we good.

- Roll Tide! - That looks good, Savannah.

Not much longer.

Seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

Woohoo!

I'm feeling good.

I've made fried chicken a million times,

but I'm also pretty nervous

because this dish is gonna define my future.

Whew! I'm a little emotional.

Welcome.

Hi, my name is Savannah, but I go by Sav.

Obviously from the deep South,

so I had to make y'all a little fried chicken,

pickled green tomatoes, purple sweet potato mash,

and a green apple, purple cabbage coleslaw stack.

- Shall we take a look? - Absolutely.

Okay, visually, I like it. I think it's quirky.

I mean, are you trying to be sort of clever

with deconstructed slaw so the dressing's underneath?

Well, if you like a little sauce, get a little sauce.

And the cabbage is marinated as well,

so hopefully if you don't get enough sauce,

you'll still get that punch.

It's juicy. See that?

I tried to bring one of my chickens

on the plane with me today.

Wouldn't allow that.

Sav, you are unique.

Unique.

This whole cabbage mixture,

I liked the kind of adventure of the sauce with it,

and then you have these chilies that are coming through

that gives it a little of that spice.

I think the purple sweet potato,

a little on the dryer side,

but I could really see the South here.

Delicious.

- So for me it's a yes. -Wow.

I love this. It's just fantastic.

I love the pickled green tomato.

I love the color you got on the chicken.

It's delicious, and it's enough for me to say yes.

Thank you, Chef. - Yeah.

I gotta come clean with you. I looked at this dish and I was like,

"Oh, my God. This deconstructed coleslaw is a disaster.

What a bad idea." But after tasting the food,

and it started with the coleslaw, which I thought was amazing.

The chicken seasoning on the crust is slightly sweet.

It's interesting, it's salty, and for that,

- I'll give you a yes and an apron. - Aarón: Wow.

-That's three. -That's three.

- Awesome. -Sav, the chicken's perfect,

cooked beautifully, and the pickling on the cabbage is stunning.

So it is a very gallant yes from me as well.

-Four yeses! - Thank you so much.

- Congratulations. - Thank y'all so much. I really appreciate it.

Roll Tide.

Holy cow, y'all.

- I know. I cannot-- - Whoo!

- It's so surreal. - Mother Mary.

We're super proud of you, Savannah. You know that.

Thank you. That means the world.

So far the South is delicious. It's charming.

-I'm feeling it. - The South is permeating every pore of me right now.

- Yeah! - Yeah.

Yeah, Pawpaw!

I got my grandpa here, who is 93 years old.

I got my mom here, and I got my dad,

and I'm very excited that my grandpa has come

all the way from Houston to L. A. to watch me cook.

He's been there for all the major events in my life.

My name is Kolby, I'm 30 years old,

and I'm an entrepreneur from Houston, Texas.

I'm the youngest of four boys,

and my dad is Thornton Chandler.

He played for the Dallas Cowboys.

Growing up, I never really had the passion for sports

like my brothers and my dad did.

My brothers would be outside playing football and basketball,

and I would always stay in the kitchen with my grandpa.

He was teaching me how to make gumbo,

teaching me how to make crawfish étouffée.

What we cooking today?

I am absolutely doing this for my grandpa.

He is my biggest supporter and my inspiration.

You didn't go easy on the butter. You did that.

He wrote me a letter before I left to come here,

and he told me that the best days of his life--

Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

He told me the best times of his life

were the times when he would pick me up from school

and we would cook in the kitchen together.

And that was the best times of my life, too.

I'm here to show that everything that he's taught me,

I'm gonna put it into play, and I'm gonna be the next MasterChef.

All right, Kolby! Put that garlic in there, baby!

- Hello. - How you guys doing? How are you, sir?

- How are you, buddy? -I'm great,

and I'm making for you guys a crawfish étouffée.

All right, so tell me, what does a good étouffée have to have?

Aarón: It has to have a lot of different things.

You have to make that beautiful trinity cooked out--

the onions, the celery, and green bell pepper.

-Right. - That roux needs to cook out.

And, you know, I put the crawfish in a little bit toward the end.

- That way... - Doesn't overcook.

...I don't have to overcook them.

He's a magician in the kitchen.

Magician in the kitchen.

I got you. There you go. I love it.

- He's got a lot of opinions, Pawpaw. - Yeah, yeah.

- That's why I know all I know. - Aarón: I love that.

This dish is absolutely the most important dish I've ever made in my life

because I want this apron more than anything

I've ever wanted in this world.

- Nine, eight, seven... - All right.

...six, five, four, three, two, one.

Whoo!

My grandfather did not fly all the from Houston to L. A.

to not see me get this apron.

So I have a lot on my mind.

Let's do this.

My name is Kolby, I'm from Houston, Texas,

and I've made for you today crawfish étouffée.

This dish is a Southern comfort food

and it's the first dish that I fell in love

with cooking with my grandpa. I call him Pawpaw.

Crawfish étouffée is classic, so it has to be on point

I know. I'm a little nervous with you and Aarón,

but I hope y'all can feel my heart in this.

I hope y'all can feel Pawpaw's heart in it

because that's what I'm putting on the table for you guys.

- Shall we? Please. - Aarón: Let's do it.

Okay.

Visually, it looks great!

Crawfish itself doesn't look overcooked.

It doesn't look dry. Looks nice.

It looks good.

And I added a little red bell pepper to give it the sweetness,

so that way while you're eating it

you can taste the sweetness and let the heat build up.

Wow.

So let me ask you, do you think this is a dish

that Pawpaw would be impressed with?

- Has he tasted this yet? - No, he hasn't tasted this.

Um, give me a minute, please.

- Pawpaw.

I need you for two minutes. Would you mind?

- Okay. - Thank you, captain.

Goodness, take your time. There is no rush.

- I'm okay, I'm okay. - We good?

I'm all right. Look, man...

You can lead the band right now.

You could beat me in a 100 meter race as well.

- This way here. Please. - Oh, look at him!

- Take your time. There we are. - This handsome gentleman!

- Take your time. There we are. - There he is. Look at this guy.

This here is perfect. Thank you.

Now, sir, there's something that you need to taste.

Would you be so kind just to take a little?

Have...

...a taste, sir.

Describe the flavor.

Oh, this is, um--

He's getting there.

He-- this is damn good.

- This-- you know? It's good. - Thanks.

I'm so proud of him, I don't know what to do.

Do you think that deserves an apron?

It deserves an apron, and, uh,

if you got a gold star, you can put that on it.

Aarón: Aww!

I think I speak on behalf of all of our judges tonight,

and we agree with you, Grandpa. He is deserving of an apron.

-Ooh, yes!

Would you be so kind to do the honors, please,

and give your grandson an apron?

- Ooh, looky there. - Yes!

- All right! - Congratulations.

All right!

- Yay!

Oh, my goodness gracious.

I feel absolutely amazing.

It's one thing to get your MasterChef apron,

but to have all the people

who helped me get here also be here

and to get all four yeses from the judges,

it's just an indescribable feeling.

20 aprons. We did it.

- The good news is we got our top 20. - Yes!

-Come on. - The South, they brought it.

The South was great, but the Northeast?

- Next level stuff. - The West was way more inspirational for me

- than the Northeast, come on. - Aarón: Hold up.

Let's not sleep on the Midwest.

They're bringing a lot of those big flavors,

that sort of sincerity with the food.

I am declaring that the next MasterChef

- is gonna be from the South. - That's quite a declaration.

- That is a big statement. - I have to agree with you.

Famous last words. Famous last words.

- Wow.

Next time on "MasterChef"...

Welcome to the top 20, everyone!

- Yeah! - Buckle up.

...the competition kicks off with a big twist.

You'll cook alongside everyone else from your home region.

- All right, let's do it. - Okay!

The winner will also save

their entire team from elimination.

- The competition is on. - Let's go!

- This will be the most strategic season ever. - I'ma make sure they right.

- You're swinging for the fences. - I'm gonna win this challenge.

I like people to be a little bit afraid of me.

Not a lot, but a little bit.