Original subtitles

Previously on "MasterChef,"

the competition kicked off with a big twist.

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

Whoever cooks the best dish will also save

their entire region from elimination that night.

Oh, (bleep).

- Yeah! - Come on, South! Y'all got it!

- Taste right to you? - Could be better.

- Have you ever fried lobster before? - I haven't.

- We're about to find out. You've done it beautifully. - Congratulations, Kyle.

- Ah! Look at that! - Yeah, Midwest!

This regional immunity pin makes all the difference.

You certainly would have been in the bottom.

With this dish, you're not even playing the game.

I just see garnishes. It's just clunky.

- They just look sad. - I'm so sorry.

Say good-bye.

Tonight, the first mystery box of the season

- is as American as... - Apples!

And the tactics begin...

Kyle, you get to pick what kind of dish

each region cooks.

I'm excited to make them a little less comfortable.

- Let's go!

...as the cooks battle for their home region.

- You good? - Definitely not in my wheelhouse.

- Oh, great. - Not gonna let you down again.

Did you put salt instead of sugar on them?

The only thing worse than the dish is lying to us. I hate being lied to.

- First big mystery box challenge, guys. - Yep.

- Love the mystery box. This is old school. - Exciting. I love it.

- Oh, my God! - Oh!

- Oh, no. - What do we got?

- I told you. - Oh, mystery box, baby!

Okay.

It's the first mystery box challenge.

I'm thinking, "Okay, here we go.

What are they gonna throw at us?"

Okay, mystery box.

Welcome back, guys!

I'm excited, though,

because I thrive on being

a little bit uncomfortable, and the unknown.

Welcome back to "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America."

I'm sure you can all see how focusing on regions

is already making this season tougher than ever.

Now, tonight is your first mystery box challenge.

On the count of three, lift your boxes.

One, two, three, lift!

- Yeah! - Not what I was expecting.

- That's right. Apples. - They're so tiny.

Now, America's one of the biggest apple-growers anywhere in the world.

And there are all sorts of amazing apples in those boxes,

like the Honeycrisp, the Fuji, the Gala,

and of course, the classic Granny Smith.

Now, everyone thinks sweet, but there are loads

and loads of savory dishes you can make with apples.

- I'm ready for this. - James, give us an insight tonight,

what you'd love to make. Where are we going? We going sweet or savory?

- I'm going savory. - Love it. What kind of dish?

- A pork chop. - Jennifer, you came into this competition

- with a sweet apple dish. - Yes.

So, tonight, where are you going?

I want to show you savory today,

so I'm thinking some lamb.

Wayne, what are we thinking?

Apple tarte tatin. Take it sweet.

I love that. Richie, what we thinking?

The second I saw these apples, I thought some sort of hickory smoked barbecue sauce,

so I want to do some savory with it.

Love that. Now, Kyle,

as the winner of the immunity pin,

tonight you've got a big advantage.

You heard all those amazing ideas.

Well, it doesn't really matter what they're thinking,

because two regions will make savory dishes.

The other two regions will make sweet dishes.

And you get to pick what kind of dish each region cooks.

I'm powerful. This is amazing.

- So I'd like you to come on down... - Okay.

...join your region, and have a confab.

Strategize smartly.

I really hope Kyle chooses savory for the Northeast

because it is a little bit easier to master.

When it comes to dessert, baking's a bit more of a science,

there's not as much room for flexibility.

There's a little bit more wiggle room

when it comes to cooking a savory dish.

So, can I presume we would like savory? Yes?

So then the question is, who's the second savory?

- He's going to pick us for sweets. - I think he probably will.

- Yeah. - Yeah. Love it.

Let's go, Midwest.

Okay, Kyle, let's start with your home region.

Will the Midwest be cooking savory or sweet?

They're gonna be cooking savory tonight, Joe.

- Yeah! We got this. - Talk me through that.

You know, I think that savory

is going to be an easier play today,

and that the sweet is really gonna handicap the other regions.

Okay, so let's move on to the Northeast, Kyle.

What are your thoughts? What will they be cooking?

So, I think they're gonna be cooking sweet tonight.

Aw, let's go. Let's go. Come on, Northeast!

- Okay. - We got this.

Why the Northeast? Do you have, like, a vendetta

against that part of the country or what?

I'm excited to make them a little less comfortable.

I think that the Northeast is a bigger danger to the Midwest region.

- Okay, so, one savory, one sweet. - How about the South?

So, they're gonna be cooking sweets as well.

- Let's go!

- We got you. - Let's get it.

Also excited to make them

a little less comfortable tonight.

I'm a little intimidated by the South.

- Aarón: Got you. - And that means you're

- giving the West savory. - Whoo! West.

That's what I'm talking about.

- Let's do it! - Thank you, bruh.

I'm not gonna say anything ill about the West,

but I think we're most afraid of these Northeast

and Southern regions right now.

- That was cold. - Rude.

- Ouch. - I like being underestimated.

Well, I can't wait to see how these picks play out.

- Let's do it! - Now, all of you, remember,

tonight we'll be tasting the top dish from each region.

Whoever cooks the best dish overall will win the immunity pin.

They'll be safe from elimination across the next challenge,

and keep their entire region safe from elimination tonight.

We'll also taste the bottom dishes from the remaining three regions,

and whoever cooks the worst dish from there,

sadly, will be leaving the competition.

- Fight for your region, fight for your team. -Yes, Chef.

All right, you'll have one hour to cook your apple dishes.

60 minutes starts now! Good luck.

- Let's go, guys. - Let's go.

- Come on, guys. - Don't waste too much time in that pantry, please.

Yeah, Midwest. Represent.

- Ooh, sorry. - Excuse me.

- Let me have it. Excuse me, hon. - Celery root.

- Sugar, guys. Sugar, sugar, sugar. - Vanilla.

- Butter, butter, butter. - Ooh, nice.

Coming right behind you here, Grant.

I'm feeling good about cooking a savory apple dish.

I am more of a savory guy than a baking guy.

We have so many wonderful apple orchards

in the central Iowa area,

so, you know, I think everybody in the Midwest

is gonna be pretty good on these savory apple dishes.

But I'm a little worried about Wayne.

What else do I need? What else do I need?

Oh, my God, I'm blanking right now.

Wayne was looking for something on the sweeter side.

I think he might need some help today,

so hopefully the rest of us can put something on the plate

that gets everybody safe from elimination.

Guys, that's four minutes gone. Let's go!

- All right, James, let's do it. - Team, let's go.

- All right, let's go. - Go, Midwest!

I really am proud to represent the South.

We really know how to do dessert,

so I think we're gonna be fine.

Beautiful. Let's go, West.

Looking good. Y'all ready to take this challenge?

100%. We don't have beautiful apple orchards in Alaska

like the rest of the West does.

But we do have crabapples there.

Kyle gave the West savory, so I am doing some scallops,

green apple and celery root purée, apple chutney, and a crabapple salad.

The scallops are not the star of this dish,

and it would be easy for that to become the focus.

I definitely feel like I'm pushing myself using a few new ingredients,

but I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Anybody need cider, I got it, Northeast.

- Thank you. - We're good, thanks, Ryan.

Our man up there picked sweet for the Northeast,

so I am making a ricotta donut.

Apple everywhere.

And then I have a cream cheese whipped cream icing.

Ricotta donut is Italian dessert,

so it's something that I'm comfortable with.

Apples are one of the few fruits

that we actually can grow in the Northeast.

And, uh, we're taking that pin and we're safe tonight.

Guys, 10 minutes gone, 50 minutes to go.

Big night. First big mystery box challenge, and a big advantage

from that immunity pin winner last week.

Midwest, looking good. You're 10 minutes in.

- Great start. - Thank you, Kyle.

And Kyle's nominated Midwest, his region, and the West doing savory,

followed by Northeast and South doing the dessert. That's a tough call, right?

Kyle's really keeping the South and the Northeast on their toes.

90% of them were leaning towards a savory

because that is the easiest option. Let's be honest.

It's so much more difficult to pull of the dessert in 60 minutes.

- For sure. - That's up for debate.

I think there's so many classical apple desserts

that should be coming to play, whether it's a tarte tatin,

whether it's some apple churros.

Many different things you can do.

But I still think it's way easier

to do a delicious savory dish than a dessert tonight.

I think the Northeast and the South are in for some trouble.

Right, Nina, tell me, what are you doing?

I am calling this Sam and Mom's apple crumble.

Sam is my 10-year-old and he is a budding foodie,

and apple crumble is his favorite dessert in the world.

But it's also Mom's, and I'm gonna put some thyme in the crumble

for a little bit of an adult flavor, and a little bit of bourbon as well.

So you're making a crème fresh? A custard? Where are we going with this?

I am going to do a stabilized maple whipped cream,

and I'm also going to do a little bit of a fresh fruit salad on top of that.

Kyle seems to be slightly intimidated with the strength of the Northeast.

What does that say about your region?

There's a lot of apples that grow in the Northeast,

and so we all know what we're doing with them.

I'm not worried about us at all.

- Good luck, yes? - Thank you.

Ah, Midwest, it's smelling good. We got this.

Apples coming out of my ears.

- Hello, Wayne. - Hey, guys.

You're not making risotto again, are you? That was enough.

That risotto would have taken you straight home.

Well, I'm gonna make up for it today, guys, I promise.

- So, what's the dish? - It's harissa rubbed scallops.

And we're gonna have an apple and fennel purée,

and it's gonna have an Israeli couscous with apples, fig,

and just lightly dusted with a harissa spice that I have yet to make.

You don't have to have apples everywhere.

Make sure it's balanced and it makes sense.

'Cause we have to eat the dish, too.

Is that Israeli couscous you're cooking from dry?

I'm toasting it right now.

You know, the process with couscous

is not so different than risotto.

- Oh, great. - Good luck.

Got dinged last week for bad technique,

so I need to prove

that my cooking skills are good enough to be here.

As a business guy, sometimes you take some fails,

but I can't make the same mistake twice

or I could be leaving this kitchen today.

Oh, man.

- I love my apples! - Come on.

First mystery box of the season. Apples!

Someone's winning the immunity pin and saving their region.

I feel like the Midwest is under control.

I like this. We look like master chefs.

- Thank you, Kyle. - Kyle's team, they're doing what they wanted to do,

which is savory, because it's a little bit easier.

He also gave the West savory.

I think in his mind, the West is a weaker team.

There's only four of them. He really wants to challenge

and put to the test the South and the Northeast,

- giving them sweet because it's very difficult to do. - Yeah.

Guys, 40 minutes to go. Let's go!

Where'd my salt go? Where'd my salt go?

- No? I'll grab one. - No.

- Can you grab one for me, too, please? - Yeah, babe.

I'm glad I got sweet because I want to open up my dessert shop,

which is going to be all different type of desserts from all over the world.

I'm making rice pudding with cardamom and rose with apple in it.

I got a little hiccup here because my milk curdled twice,

so I'm a little behind on my rice.

So if it doesn't come out, the rice might be uncooked.

- Richie. - Talk to me.

What's the dish and what apple are you using?

I'm using the Black Arkansas apple

and I'm doing a honey spice cupcake

with an apple filling on top

and a tarragon whipped cream.

- That's a tall order. - It is.

How are you gonna get the batter done? Have you started the batter?

I've just started. I got my butter melting right now.

Batter won't take me too long. It's just letting it sit in that oven.

Last time round, with the dessert, it was very disappointing.

I'm hoping you climb that ladder tonight, yes?

That's my goal, Chef. That's my goal.

Get those cupcakes in the oven, yes?

- Thank you so much. - Good luck.

- Apples are in. - How's those knife cuts, James?

- You know, looking pretty good. - I love it.

You guys are all cooking bacon back here

and it smells really good.

- You know you want it. - I do.

Make sure y'all salt and taste everything,

- and make sure y'all get y'all plates. - Yes, thank you.

- Oh, (bleep). - Get y'all plates.

- Thank you, James. - You're welcome.

- Kennedy. How are you? - Hello!

-Pork loin. - Aarón: Yes.

- Pork tenderloin, sure. - Kennedy, do you feel

like you got a bye with the savory designation?

I definitely think that I got a bye.

I cook savory a lot more than I cook sweet,

and I know pork like the back of my hand.

My mom used to cook pork in, like, the crock-pot,

so this is an homage to my mother today.

So I'm gonna do a pork tenderloin with apple two ways.

I'm gonna do an apple butter gravy

and then a pickled green apple, fennel,

- and red onion salad to top. - I love a pork tenderloin.

- Very underappreciated. - Only if it's done right.

- Has to be done right. - But it's a beautiful canvas.

- Yeah. All right, good luck. - Thank you so much.

Mm.

- How you doing over there, Sav? - I'm all right.

That don't sound convincing. What's going on?

I was talking, my caramel's got too dark, but that's okay.

- All right. - Uh, Reagan, how we doing?

- Hi! I'm well. How are you? - Tell me about the dish. What are we doing?

I am making flambéed apples over a shortcake.

- A shortcake, like a tower? - Yes, like a tower.

What does that say that Kyle wants you to do a dessert?

He's very afraid, as he should be. The South, we are a threat.

We know flavor better than any other, and we're gonna bring it today.

- Ain't that right, guys? - That's right!

And put Kyle back in his box, yes?

We gonna put him right back

where he belongs-- down there.

- Good luck. - Yes, sir.

- I love you, Reagan. - Ha!

- Kendal, you good? - I got an idea.

If I can pull it off, I think I might be all right.

- Kendal, how are you feeling? - Well, this is definitely not in my wheelhouse.

Right. Do you think Kyle's dealt you a dysfunctional card?

'Cause I don't think you have many exciting desserts up your sleeve.

I do not. That is my wife's wheelhouse.

I don't have her here today, so I'm gonna do a churro.

I'm put some apple through the food processor

to substitute for some of the sugar.

Churros, with Aarón Sánchez in the house tonight?

I'm hoping he doesn't fry me, that's for sure.

Well, he will take you to task.

I hope I can put something on the plate that y'all like.

But where's the dough? Where's the churro dough?

Well, I'm just getting it boiling here,

and then I'm gonna put that to work.

There's 25 minutes gone, and that's all you've done is--

I'm actually working on some garnish stuff as well.

I'm hoping to try to do an apple--

the duck where you have the apple coming out?

- An apple what? - An apple duck.

Where you slice the sides and you pull out the sides

like they do in Chinese restaurants.

Yes, sir, I'm hoping to just

give me some kind of a pop on my plate.

- Apple duck? - Is that no good, you think?

Listen, (bleep) the duck. Just concentrate on the churros, okay? Please.

- Come on, Kendal. Yes. - Jennifer, push him, please, yes?

- Are you doing okay? - Yeah

Thankfully, it did not curdle this time. It looks good.

Oh, baby!

So, the Northeast, they're going down the sweet route.

- Northeast, are we all good? - All good, my guy, all good.

Richie, he's gonna kick off

with a cinnamon and apple cupcake.

But the cupcake batter is not in the oven yet.

- That's a bit of a problem. - Yeah.

So right now he's backed up.

And on the heels of Richie's dessert from last week,

man, he's got some redemption to do.

He may be in a real bad position.

Yeah, I'm worried. Richie, is that batter in the oven?

- It is in the oven? Let's go. Good. - Yes.

I'm on top of it, guys. I got you, I got you.

I promise. Not gonna let you down again.

Hey, friend? Kendal, how you doing?

- Uh, we're coming along. - Okay, good.

Get it in your piping bag and let's get it in your grease, okay?

- I know you can do this. - Yep, yep.

Kendal, from the South,

he's doing a churro,

but he is so unfamiliar with desserts,

he looks so vulnerable.

Aarón: And the whole thing with a churro,

it's something that you get typically in a paper bag,

just, like, with cinnamon sugar,

so where's the elevation happening?

Maybe he can pipe something in there and take it to that next level,

but apple needs to be present throughout the churro.

Right now, uh, the guy is in trouble.

30 minutes gone. Halfway, guys! Halfway!

Forgot white wine. Anybody got white wine?

- Oh, no, but I'll use some, too, if you get it. - I'll get it.

- How's it going, Richie? - My cupcakes are in now.

I'm gonna check 'em with the light. Oh, damn it.

I'm a little nervous right now. Every single time I look,

the cupcakes are in the same place when they should be rising,

and I'm not quite sure what it is at this point,

but I can tell something's not right.

I'm gonna need every minute.

Last week, I was in the bottom three, and I don't want that to happen again.

So, I'm slightly concerned about Richie's cupcakes.

He is really struggling.

They look like they need a little more time.

He's very lost, isn't he?

There's a real chance he might not do this.

- Yeah, yeah.

Come on! 25 minutes remaining.

- Let's go. - Oh, man.

Please make sure the apple's incorporated.

Let's go, Midwest. Smelling good back here.

We got white wine. Let me know when you need it, Sarah.

All right, thank you. I'll need it at the end, really.

Charles, all you gotta do is ask the Midwestern mom to open your wine for you.

Pour that in my mouth when you're done.

Oh, I got you. I got you.

How's your pasta, Grant? It looks beautiful.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I had to switch up the shape a little bit.

That's gorgeous, that's gorgeous.

All right, Charles, what's the dish?

I'm going to do a red snapper with fish scales,

but I'm gonna replicate it with these Crimson Gold apples

with white wine applesauce.

Are you making reference to the famous dish

where they make potato scales on the fish, right?

- Is that your reference? - Uh, never seen that.

Have you ever done anything like that before?

I'm gonna give it a try today.

It's gonna be pretty concentrated and sweet

- on top the fish, all that apple. - Yeah.

What if you got a potato and have, like, 60% potato

and 40% apples in the structure of scales?

- Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. - On an edibility basis, it's gonna be much better.

- And more balanced. Yeah. - Okay, that sounds more doable.

But you've got a lot to do. This is a complicated dish.

Good luck.

Oh, damn it.

That's the better color I'm looking for.

Sav, you good over there? Kendal, you good?

I don't know, we're still-- we're making the first batch.

- So we at least gonna try-- - Make sure that it's hot,

- and don't overcrowd them. - Yeah, I got four in there.

Right, Jennifer, tell me about the dish. What are you doing?

I am making a spiced apple cake

with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

I've got a caramel drizzle that I'm going to add in.

A spicy apple cake is very Southern,

and so I absolutely hope that this can get me at the front.

- Kyle's put the target on your backs for a reason. - I know, I know.

So you have to get this dish to immunity pin level.

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

We're down to the last 15 minutes to go.

Last 15, guys. Let's go!

We got this, guys. Let's go, let's go!

All right, come on.

- Lizzie, how are you, young lady? - Hello there.

- I'm good. How are you? - What are you making?

I am doing pan-seared scallops

with a green apple and celery root purée,

a Honeycrisp chutney, and a crabapple salad.

- So the apple is present three different ways? - Yes.

I want to make sure the apples are the star and not my scallops.

- Pretty impressive if it all works. - Yes. Thank you, Chef.

11 minutes?

-Smelling good in here, Midwest.

- Smelling good! - So, in the Midwest, they're doing savory.

- That's good. - Charles was quite concerning to Joe and I.

He wants to do a red snapper and using the apple

as sort of a faux scale on top of the fish skin.

- That will not work. - Yes, I know.

Secondly, the skin on the snapper's delicious.

Why try to replace that with something that won't work?

I told him to consider

more potatoes than apples as the skin?

It's a super risky dish. I'm kinda concerned about that.

We're down to the last five minutes.

Whew. Okay.

It's looking good, it's looking good.

Whoo, child.

Anyone have cinnamon on their station?

- Yeah. - Thank you, love.

Whew.

Come on, man.

-Ryan, I want those donuts. - Yeah, right?

You want to toss one up here?

I'll catch it in my mouth, I promise.

Oh, bro. Moist. I said apple cider donuts are my favorite.

- You killed it. - Give me that damn pin. Give me that pin, baby

I'm glad I made you guys do a dessert.

90 seconds to go, guys. Let's go!

Get ready to plate, guys. Get ready to plate.

Uh, Richie's cupcakes, they're not even full.

- They didn't rise. - They didn't rise at all.

- So they're gonna be dense. - Yep.

Oh, damn it.

My cupcakes didn't rise.

I'm running out of time, and there's not much I can do

to save them at this point.

And then I realize

I'm missing baking powder.

I don't know how I made this mistake.

It's not a mistake I normally make...

- ...but I don't have time to fix it now

and I gotta get something on the plate.

Shoot, shoot.

I know my ass is on the line,

and I'm probably on that bottom three,

so I don't know what to do.

I'm hoping that someone in the Northeast

can pull it through for me.

Coming down to the last

30 seconds remaining.

- Let's go!

Have confidence, Kendal. You're a dessert man now.

- Ten, nine... - Whew! Okay.

- There we go. - ...seven, six, five,

- four, three, two, one. - Oh, my God.

-And hands in the air! - Whoo!

- Whoo! - Go!

- Well done. - You got it, my love. You got it.

- Yours looks beautiful. - Oh, you got it.

- Good job, guys. - What's that? Couscous?

- Israeli couscous. - Oh, my gosh.

It is what it is.

I've got my bags packed.

I am extremely concerned.

I don't feel like this dish is elevated enough to stay,

and I definitely do not feel like it's worthy enough to reach the top.

In the last two weeks, I've been the weak link.

I'm just trying to survive at this point.

Kyle's decision definitely screwed me, that's for sure.

Right, tonight, you had to use the apples

from your mystery boxes to create incredible dishes.

Some were sweet and some were savory,

based on Kyle's input.

Okay, Kyle, it is time to hand over that immunity pin to someone else.

- So, come on down, Kyle. - So, my strategy tonight

was to levy a penalty against the Northeast and the South

and see if we can send somebody home.

I think it worked, but we'll see.

Right, now, Joe, Aarón, and myself want to take

one last close look at your dishes.

- Wayne? - Yes, sir.

This is a very challenging kind of couscous.

- You think you cooked it through? - Yes, I do.

- Uh, Charles, what is this? - This is a white wine sauce.

Did you burn the alcohol out of the wine?

- I blended it in there. No. - Did you burn it?

So you have raw alcohol in the sauce.

- Yes. -Thank you.

Looking around at the other dishes in my region,

I think we all did a fantastic job.

It makes me angry that Kyle

doesn't see the West as a threat.

We have some phenomenal cooks on our team.

- All right, Kennedy. You did justice to the pork loin? - I sure did.

I do get intimidated by the judges when they walk around,

but I know the insight they have to offer is just invaluable.

Right, Lizzie, you happy with that color on those scallops?

- Yes. - Okay.

A little overcooked, maybe?

- No. - Interesting. Okay.

This challenge was definitely harder than I thought I was gonna be.

- Did you taste it? - Yeah, I did.

- Taste right to you? - It was a little bit extra sugar, I felt.

You lift a mystery box

and see something as simple as apples

and you're like, "I'm gonna knock this out of the park."

Then you get to cooking and realize

it is not as easy as you think it's gonna be.

I'm definitely not happy with the texture of these cupcakes.

It's just missing baking powder,

but they don't seem too happy with me,

and I'm probably gonna be in the bottom three,

and I am terrified.

Jennifer, in terms of the layers,

- is that what you wanted? - Yes.

Thank you.

- This is the whole dish? - Yes, sir.

I'm gonna call this Kyle's Churros

'cause my good friend Kyle

had to throw me a nice curveball.

- Did you taste this? - The seasoning.

Did you put salt instead of sugar on them?

No, sir, I put sugar and cinnamon and, um...

- There's salt in there. - There's salt, buddy.

Salty like French fries. There's no sugar on these.

Okay. Well, maybe I made a mistake there.

Salty churros. You ever heard of such?

Baby? Mm.

It's a disaster.

Oh, man.

Sometimes you (bleep) up, and I (bleep) up.

I went from one of the best dishes

a couple weeks ago in audition

to one of the absolute worst in a couple of weeks.

So, I'm praying for the South

to pull through with immunity today.

Now, we'll be tasting the best dish from every region,

and the winning home cook will earn the immunity pin,

which will keep them safe from elimination next week,

and more importantly, keep their entire region safe from elimination tonight.

The first dish we'd like to taste is from the Northeast.

It paid homage to their region

and really did elevate the apples.

Please come forward...

Nina.

- All right, Nina. - Go, Nina. Go, Nina.

Let's go, Nina.

I made bourbon apple crumble

with oat pecan topping, a maple whipped cream,

and a raw apple salad as a garnish.

I love the fact that the crumble's peaking out of the cream,

and I see that you wanted to show off your knife work with that little garnish.

I can't wait to taste it.

For a simple dessert, there's a lot of technique.

Each component has its reason for being there,

and that cooking technique

contributes to a great flavor implosion

and contrast on my palate. I liked it very much.

Aarón: This has a tendency to go dry quick, and it didn't.

So I really appreciate the way you cooked on the apples 'cause it's adding moisture.

- All right. -The dish is good.

I'm gonna commend you on the ratio. It's perfectly done.

One third crumble, two thirds apple, so apples are in abundance.

You just want to go back in for the second, third spoonful. Really good. Well done.

Thank you very much, guys. Appreciate it.

- Go, Nina. - Go, Nina!

- Good job, Nina. - Woohoo!

- Atta girl. - Good job.

The next dish that we would like to taste is from the South.

Please come forward...

- Jennifer. - Jennifer!

- Let's go, South, baby! - There we go.

I am so proud of this dish.

Everything came together so nicely, right on time.

Desserts are my sweet spot,

so I feel an immense amount of pressure to save the South.

I made an apple spice cake with a brown sugar

cream cheese frosting and a caramel drizzle.

Aarón: Jennifer, I really appreciate the apples.

You can see them kind of speckled throughout the actual cake.

Yeah. It's rustic, it's charming.

- Mm-hmm. - Shall we?

The cake's delicious. I can feel those textures of apple caramelized.

It's light, it's fluffy, but it's got apple in abundance.

- Great job. Really good job. - Thank you. Thank you.

This is a well-seasoned dessert.

The beautiful cinnamon that's throughout the cake

goes so perfectly with apple,

and then the frosting is bringing it all home.

- Thank you. -It's really quite good.

For elevating a home dessert, it's about as good as it can be.

- Thank you.

- Whoo! - Good job, honey!

- All right, Jen! - Mm.

Okay, the next dish we want to see more of is from the Midwest.

Please come forward...

- Wayne. - Whoo!

- All right. - Atta boy, Wayne!

I'm feeling relieved, redeemed, exhilarated.

- Keep the immunity in the Midwest. - Got it.

I want the immunity pin,

and when the Midwest wins twice in a row,

I'm gonna show those other regions that we're here to play.

All right, Wayne, tell us about the dish.

So I made a harissa spiced scallop

with an apple fennel purée, spiced apples,

and a beautiful Israeli couscous.

The couscous looks properly cooked.

The purée looks smooth and velvety.

- I like the plating. - Top-notch presentation.

Thank you.

Uh, Wayne, this is a great performance.

The purée works beautifully with the scallops.

- Absolutely spot-on. Really good job. - Thank you.

You did an excellent job in riding that fine, fine line

- in balancing a sweet, savory dish. - Thank you.

For me, double up on the harissa.

It needs that little bit of heat

to kind of cut down that sweetness.

- But other than that? On-point. - Thanks.

- Nice. - Great job, Wayne!

- Yeah, Wayne! - Way to represent the Midwest.

Heck, yeah.

Right, the final dish, representing the West,

really made smart use of those apples tonight.

Please step forward, Kennedy.

- Eee! - Whoo!

- Kennedy. - That's our girl!

- Whoo! - That's what I'm talking about.

- Go, Kennedy! - Yay!

Today, I made a pork tenderloin

over a parsnip purée with an apple butter gravy

and picked green apple salad on top.

Presentation is off the charts. It's beautiful.

And it's apparent the apples are in abundance.

- I can't wait to dive in. - Thank you, Chef.

Dish is delicious. Purée's spot-on. Silky smooth.

Everything you want from a parsnip purée.

I think the refreshing thing for me is to taste food

this elegant so early on in the competition.

- Thank you, Chef. - You're at home here.

- I can taste it. Good job. - Thank you so much, Chef.

Pork tenderloin is underappreciated.

You celebrated it. You cooked it perfectly.

For me, I just would maybe like to see a little bit of heat.

Just hit it with a little bit of chili, a little chipotle.

- Just 'cause I like spice. - Thank you, Chef.

It's kind of like a textbook example

of home cooking or comfort food.

A very, very well thought out, balanced dish.

- Thank you so much. - Whoo!

- That's what I'm talking about. - Yeah, Kennedy!

- Yeah! - Good job, Kennedy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

You four, give us a moment, please. Excuse us.

So, it's a tough one, this one, to have four extraordinary dishes.

No matter who wins, it's nice being up here.

- Isn't it? - For sure. What a gift.

But I think one dish stood out the most, no?

Oh, for sure. It's a winner.

- I'm down. - You agree?

- Yeah. We're in agreeance? - I'm with you. Yeah.

- Happy? - Yeah.

Four amazing dishes tonight.

The creative energy was there,

and the execution was second to none.

But unfortunately, there's only one immunity pin

and one winner tonight.

Congratulations goes to...

Four amazing dishes tonight,

But unfortunately, there's only one immunity pin

and one winner tonight.

Congratulations goes to...

- Jennifer. - Oh!

- Oh, wow. - Yes, baby!

Yeah, Jen!

- Oh, thank you. Thank you. - Congratulations.

- Kendal must be really excited. - Yeah.

Oh, my God.

There was a lot of pressure on me today,

but I got the pin!

This feels amazing.

You win the immunity pin,

you're gonna be safe in the next challenge,

and you've also saved your entire region tonight.

- Go, Jen! - Yeah! Good job.

Grab your team and head up to the balcony.

- Well done, South. - Thank you again.

- Saved by the bell. - All right, bud.

I a hundred percent owe Jennifer one.

The Southern gods have blessed me today.

Now, Kendal, you didn't just cook the worst dish of the South,

those were one of the worst churros

we've ever tasted in the MasterChef kitchen.

If it wasn't for Jennifer,

you would definitely be the one going home tonight.

A hundred percent.

Now, there is one dish from each region

that we felt really missed the mark tonight.

The first dish we'd like to investigate further, from the Northeast,

this individual just did not get their timing on point.

Please step forward...

Richie.

- Sorry, Rich. - It's okay.

I wanted to make cupcakes,

but they didn't rise on time.

- Oh, Richie. - So, I'm switching it up

and calling it a homecake instead of a cupcake.

I don't want the judges to have to eat this, but I have no choice.

Right, young man, what's the dish?

So, this was a nod to my grandmother.

She used to make homecakes with no leavening.

They were meant to be placed underneath the sauce

and then the sauce would soak it up.

I made spiced homecakes with an apple compote on top,

with a tarragon whipped cream on the side.

- What are you calling them? - Homecakes.

- Who? Homecakes. - Homecakes.

Didn't you start calling them cupcakes?

Did they become homecakes as they lost their leveantation?

No. They-- they are a play

- on my grandmother's recipe-- - Well, why did you change

from where you started to where you ended?

What would you call them?

I just wanted to call them what they are.

You wanted to call them what they became?

Apples look like a bit of an afterthought.

Are there apples included in the batter as well?

No, so, I wanted the apples to sit on top.

- Gotcha. - How long did you bake the homecakes for, please?

For about 20 minutes.

And is that the texture you wanted in the middle?

Yeah, so that they could soak up that sauce.

I didn't want them to be too soft

and get a little mushy.

Um, so, there's an issue, I think, with the ratio

of how you weighed out those ingredients.

And the recipe doesn't seem like it's on point.

The actual apples caramelized, yeah, that's the kind of thing

I'd love to see inside those homecakes.

So, it's missed the mark.

Aarón: You kept talking about the sauce being soaked into them.

You'd need a bowl of that stuff to make these have moisture.

The cream is the only saving grace on this whole dish,

and it has nothing to do with apples.

Just to give you an idea, these things have, like,

the density and the weight of a rock.

It's a fossil. Cupcakes, homecakes, call them what you want.

- They're no good. - I respect that.

-Thanks, Richie. - Thank you.

So intense.

All right, Richie Rich.

Okay, the next dish we need to investigate,

from the Midwest,

please come forward...

- Charles. - You're all right.

- You got it, buddy. - Charles.

To hear that I am in the bottom three

is very disappointing.

I didn't know that it was wrong for me

to put raw white wine in my dish.

But I must own up to it and learn from my mistakes.

Today, I made a pan-seared red snapper with apple and potato scales

and a white wine applesauce.

And then I put some jalapenos in there for color.

This looks all kind of wrong, all right?

The idea of white wine, apple, and jalapeno,

and then you just told me jalapeno is for color.

- Think about how that sounds. - Right.

More than that, the only place for unrendered white wine

is in your glass while you're drinking and cooking.

This is like the basics.

These are the mistakes that when you come

and present yourself at "MasterChef," you can't make.

Charles, these are the mistakes that when you come

and present yourself at "MasterChef," you can't make.

- Gotcha. -Shall we?

Here's the good news, the fish is cooked beautifully.

But the purée does not work.

It's a shame, 'cause you've got the technical flair,

- but you just didn't execute it properly. - Thank you, Chef.

It's almost like a tale of two dishes,

because the potato-crusted fish is actually quite good.

But you committed some major errors in technique,

and the basic principles and rules of cooking.

- Thanks. -Thank you, Charles.

- Let's go, Charles. - You're all right, Charles.

So, the final dish that we need to see more of,

from the West, comes from a cook who definitely had confidence,

but seemed more concerned with adding an abundance of apples than cooking their protein.

Please come forward, Lizzie.

- Love you, Lizzie. - All right, Lizzie.

Go, Lizzie.

Aarón: Lizzie, can you please describe your dish?

I made pan-seared scallops

and a green apple and celery root purée

with a crabapple salad and a sweet apple chutney.

Visually, it doesn't look right. The scallops are hammered.

They're just way too severe.

- Yeah. - I hope that's a nervous smile,

'cause you made a lot of mistakes here, Lizzie.

Let's get in there, shall we?

So, you can see right there, you've absolutely cremated the scallops.

The actual apple purée tastes good.

It's just the composition of the dish,

- it's just way off. - Yes, Chef.

Yeah, and Lizzie, don't get enamored with too many techniques.

- You gotta get the basics right. - Yes.

Actually, the purée, the bacon, and a little bit of that scallop

that's not overcooked is a pleasant bite.

Thank you.

At this point, the level is so high,

I want to have food that's thought out,

I want to have food that has a narrative.

- Give me some thought behind the dish. - Mm-hmm.

- Thank you, Lizzie. - Thank you.

Right, so, Richie, Charles, Lizzie, give us a moment, please.

'Cause right now we've got a very difficult decision to make.

Excuse us.

So, um, Richie's.

I'd prefer he'd owned it in a way that,

"Look, I didn't pivot. I got the batter wrong."

- Aarón: Yeah. - The only thing that worse than his dish is his lying to us.

- I hate being lied to. - So, Lizzie.

It was a pleasant bite once you got it all together.

Fennel, apple, scallops. Great choice.

Yeah, the scallops were just overcooked.

Aarón: And then, of course, Charles, I mean,

there was fundamental issues from the jump.

But the one thing that saved him is he cooked that fish well.

Beautifully done. The big question is who did the worst job

celebrating the apple tonight?

This is so crazy.

- We agreed? - Yeah.

You both got this.

Richie, Charles, and Lizzie,

sadly, you cooked the worst dishes across your regions tonight.

And one of you just cooked for the last time inside the MasterChef kitchen.

After discussing everyone's dishes,

the home cook that will be leaving

the MasterChef kitchen tonight is...

Richie.

Charles, Lizzie, say good-bye to Richie.

Head back to your stations, please.

It's okay. It's okay.

- Walk with me. Walk with me. - I love you, man.

Richie, uh, tonight was a bit of a mess, young man.

You missed the mark, and whilst you tried

to pay homage to Grandma, the dish was just

- nowhere near MasterChef standards. - I understand.

Right, young man, come on and say good-bye.

- Come on. An absolute pleasure. - Thank you for everything.

- Good luck, bud. - I'm not done cooking.

- Please continue. - I love you guys.

- Good luck to you, my friend. - Thank you so much, guys.

It was an honor. Absolute honor.

I know that I messed up today,

but I'm super proud of the things that I've done.

This has been the craziest experience.

When I first came to the MasterChef kitchen,

I was overly confident.

And being thrown in that kitchen,

you find out very, very quickly

what your weaknesses are.

So it's just motivation for me.

Time for me to go back home, study up,

and become a better chef.

- Rock the Northeast for me. - Love you, Richie.

- Love you, Richie! - Bye, Richie.

Next time on "MasterChef"...

- Oh! - ...the first team challenge of the season

kicks off with a bang.

Today, all of you will cook for firefighters.

And, you, Jennifer, will decide which regions are teaming up.

I want to pair up with the Midwest.

Do you think that's a good decision?

We're two people down, so we gotta communicate.

- Here they come, guys. - How long? Tell me how long?

- Two minutes. - We don't have two minutes.

- Everything cooked to your liking? - It's completely raw.

That's terrible. I want them done perfectly.

- Okay. - Raw New York strip.

- We're out of potatoes. - We're gonna burn 'em.

How is this still happening? This is the first time

we've never served an entire dining room.

- This is embarrassing. - I want to die.