Original subtitles

Previously on "MasterChef"...

Please welcome Kelsey Murphy!

Your challenge is to elevate stadium food.

Brynn, you're going down the lobster route.

- For sure. - Make sure it tastes good.

- Flag goes to Jennifer. - Five minute time-out!

- Stand still. - I'm gonna go for king crab hushpuppies.

One of the most expensive crab meats.

I'm hoping it pays off tonight.

Not stopping me here today!

Jen, it's delicious, I love it.

A very professional creation.

It's flawless. Congratulations, Brynn.

- Thank you. - This is huge.

-These are totally raw.

It definitely tastes better than it looks.

This is raw. You can't really even eat this.

The person leaving "MasterChef" is Lizzie.

- We love you, Lizzie! - I love you guys so much.

Tonight, the top nine face off in a smoking hot challenge.

You have to cook a restaurant-quality barbecue plate.

Brynn, you get to pick one cook

to be safe from elimination tonight.

- All right. - Let's go.

- Get your proteins on. - Holy (bleep).

You realize how close the finale is, right?

I didn't think I'd make it past auditions.

, this is not happening.

You know what you're doing over there?

Stop. She's grilling oysters?

You played the grill like a piano.

Talk about presentation. This is like, boom!

That sauce completely got lost.

It's totally amateurish.

- Man, this is one of my favorite days. - Exciting.

Take them outside the MasterChef kitchen

into this incredible outdoor barbecue.

- Come on. - It's grilling time.

- Oh, wow! We are grilling today. - Excellent.

All right, let's go.

I'm so excited to see these grills out on the patio.

I grill all the time for my wife and my son back in Iowa.

It's one of our favorite things to do during those Iowa summers,

and, like, I couldn't be more at home

with these grills in front of me.

Good to see you all. Top nine.

I'm coming off two challenges when I was in the bottom,

and so I really have to be able to show off to them today,

and show them that I do know what to do in front of this grill.

Right, all of you, welcome to your MasterChef patio.

Come on, how cool does this look?

Yeah!

Wow.

- Kennedy, how you feeling? - I feel great.

I'm super excited to be grilling. I'm a camper girl.

- So you're at home, right? - I'm right at home, baby. I love it.

Love that. Brynn, you won last time round,

so you have the immunity pin.

- I'm excited about it. - Well, here's the good news.

- You don't have to cook today. - Thank you.

And take a look at that beautiful chair over there.

- Take a seat and sit back,

relax, and enjoy the California sunshine, Brynn.

- Thank you. - Slay, queen!

Now, all of you, your challenge today

is to make an elevated version of a dish

that you'd find at any summer barbecue back home.

Today, we want to see that elevated, restaurant quality barbecue plate.

And the good news is you're going to be using

these state-of-the-art Viking grills.

- Now, they get up to 500 degrees. - Ooh!

But in case you guys haven't done the math yet,

there are eight of you who are supposed to cook today

and there are only seven grills.

- Uh-uh. - Oh! Okay.

Now, Brynn, you get to pick

one tremendous cook today

to join you and sit and contemplate the strategy

going into the top eight of this competition.

All right.

- That's game-- a game-changer. - That's crazy.

I think as we get this close to the end,

saving someone who I see as a top dog

who's been outstanding

just isn't the smart thing to do

because this might be a chance for them to slip up.

This is my one shot to use an advantage for myself,

and to knock out these other incredible chefs.

Now, Brynn, this is a massive decision, let me tell you.

Because starting today, there is no more immunity pin.

- Oh. - Oh, dang.

As we approach the finale,

there's no more room for free passes.

We want to see what you're all made of.

- Damn. - So, Brynn, tough decision.

Who is joining you into the top eight?

- Reagan. - Wow.

Reagan, go and join Brynn. Take a seat. Wow.

Right? Yes, ma'am. Whoo!

Oh, my goodness. Thank you!

Reagan, what a lovely surprise. Congratulations.

We're in the top eight! Come on!

Brynn knows that I have been kinda in the middle,

and so I think I'm not a threat to her,

but at the same time, to make it into the top eight,

I'm so honored to have this immunity right now.

My girl got me. I appreciate it.

Okay, guys, you will have one hour

to grill us an amazing elevated backyard barbecue dish.

Now, today, we'll be tasting all seven dishes,

and whoever grills the best dish

will earn an incredible advantage across the next challenge.

And, sadly, whoever cooks the worst dish today

will be leaving the competition for good.

- Right, everybody ready? - Yes, Chef.

Your one-hour starts now. Good luck.

- Come on. - Good luck.

Good luck, guys!

- Let's go. - Whoo! Ooh!

- I can't reach these. - Whoo, mercy.

- Take both of them. - Oh, my God.

Knowing I have to make a MasterChef level dish on the grill today

is making me feel a mix of emotions.

On one hand, I'm excited.

I grew up with my dad grilling every week.

But in terms of actually doing the grilling myself,

I'm definitely not as experienced as him.

But I'm ready to give it all I got today.

I'm making an Alabama-style surf and turf.

My dad is from down the Gulf Coast of Alabama,

so whenever we go down there to visit family,

we're always getting that good seafood.

So I'm grabbing that New York strip,

some oysters, and some fresh lump crab meat.

Gotta show 'em that Gulf Coast flavor, right?

And we're looking good here.

- Congratulations. To you. - Congratulations to you.

- To the top eight. - Mm!

So, 60 minutes to create a stunning

summer barbecue dish. Elevated, right?

Aarón: You are right, Chef. I'm really gonna reward the home cooks

that use the grill to their advantage.

- Yes. - And multiple elements.

I think that's gonna go really far with me.

- Whoo! - First and foremost important, the rub. The marinade, right?

Aarón: Yeah, you have to go with big, bold flavors when you're working with the grill.

'Cause you don't want your flavor profiles to be muted

- by the impact of the high-heat grill. - Get my rub on here.

Now whatever rub she's got on, it looks good.

This has to be the most relatable challenge so far.

Because there's not a region anywhere in this great country

- that doesn't grill. -Yeah.

- Jen, what do you need, darling? - The clock?

- Do we have a clock? - Ten minutes gone.

- Thank you. - Guys, just over 10 minutes gone.

Just under 50 minutes to go.

Okay. Okay, we're good. We're good.

I feel like I want it even smaller.

You know, grilling is pretty big in my family,

and my dad is the grillmaster.

So that's where we get to do our bonding time.

We definitely love to grill together.

He's not much of a chef in the kitchen,

but outside on that grill, he's the man.

I've definitely learned a lot from him,

so I'm ready to show what I learned.

I'm grilling a filet, and I'm gonna some shrimp

to make that a little bit of a surf and turf.

You know, you can overcook the steak,

so I'm gonna marinate that and cook it toward the end

to make sure that it gets that flavor in there

and make sure that I don't overcook it.

Okay, so I'm seeing a lot of surf and turf action.

A lot of surf and turf.

-Which is wild. - Yeah.

I'm gonna grill these 'cause they're pretty.

Tonight, I'm making red snapper as well as shrimp.

Hopefully we get this done right.

I think MD's going all surf, no turf.

I don't know if I should grill it with the shell.

I'm an island girl, and I actually grew up cooking with fire,

so I have to make sure that this fish is cooked perfectly

or that would be so embarrassing.

Let's see. What does this do?

Uh, Viking grill is really fancy for me.

I'm not very good with buttons.

I'm just a little bit uncomfortable because

I just don't really know how to control the heat...

- Hot. - ...as well as I normally do

cooking with the real fire or real coals.

Um...

So I'm really stressed out right now.

Holy (bleep), this is hot.

All right, get these potatoes going.

This is cooking fast as hell.

Let's see if I can melt this butter a little bit.

Guys, 15 minutes gone, 45 minutes to go.

Get your proteins on and let them rest, please.

Okay, now I need lime juice.

Today, I'm making a chipotle-rubbed New York strip steak.

I call it surf and turf "Mexicana."

I know that sounds strange coming from the Midwest,

but let me tell you, it is our number one ethnic food,

so I'm gonna elevate it today. I love that there's no more immunity, honestly.

It makes everybody have to cook and not hide up there.

But you need to get that steak on there pretty soon there, homeboy.

It's thin. It's gonna cook super fast,

- but thank you for your concern. - No problem.

Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Through the years of "MasterChef," grilling in the MasterChef terrace

has been a real high point for me. I love to come out here,

I love to get the grills going, and I love to get out of the MasterChef kitchen

- with this type of cuisine. - Yeah, right.

20 minutes gone, just under 40 minutes to go.

Right, Jennifer, how are you feeling?

Hi, Chef. You know what? I'm feeling nervous.

My husband has been the grillmaster for our entire marriage,

so this is one of the things that I'm still very new at.

But I will say, every time we get through another challenge and I'm either top

or I'm, you know, moving forward,

I just get more excited and more determined.

- You realize how close the finale is, right? - Yes, I know.

- Anyone's game right now. Tell me about the dish. - It really is.

What are you doing? What's the rub?

- How does it relate to the South? - Yes, yes.

You are going to love my rub here.

So, I have a Memphis rub that has some herbs

and also has some spice to it as well.

- Right, so it's a dry rub. - Yes, it is a dry rub.

- And you've got a double-cut pork. - Uh-huh, yes.

Yeah, so my worry is-- is making sure that that gets cooked all the way through.

I'm also making Southern style grilled mushrooms

- and grilled baby gems as well. - Sounds delicious.

Yes, I think the flavor profile all together,

I think and I hope, you will absolutely love.

Love that. Make sure you can baste this

- and brush it as well, okay? - Okay, yes.

Because you're gonna sear it beautifully, but it needs to rest.

But also as it cooks, you need to baste it because it goes dry very quickly.

- Okay, yes. Okay. - Let it rest. Good luck.

- Sounds delicious. - Thank you, Chef.

I feel a lot of pressure

to do my absolute best today

because I want to be in the top eight.

But there are so many talented cooks here

like Kennedy or Wayne or Kolby

who have been grilling a lot longer.

And so this is certainly a tough challenge.

Whoo! Lord have mercy.

That's a whole lot of blenders on a patio and not a single piña colada.

I mean, what are we here for, guys? What are we here for?

- Kennedy, hi. - Hello.

Talk to us a little bit about the dish.

- You got a lot going on. - I do got a lot going on.

So, in Colorado, we don't really do barbecues, we do campfires.

So I'm doing a coffee-rubbed elk tenderloin.

- Can we see it? - Yeah, of course. It's in here.

- Wow. - Yeah, I'm smoking it right now,

and I've got a nice coffee rub going on.

- Look, you won your apron on an elk dish. - I sure did.

So based on your earlier performance with elk then,

you're gonna set the bar very high today.

- Yeah. Absolutely. - You have to exceed that.

It's definitely a risk, but I took your feedback from last time

that it definitely just needed a fat to lay on,

so I made a beautiful carrot purée.

I have a bourbon sauce that's going with it, too,

so I feel like-- I just like standing out

and being unique in my flavors.

I don't want to do what everyone else is doing.

- Good luck. - Thank you, guys.

Sav, don't wait too long to open those oysters,

- 'cause they are tough. - I'm gonna open them on the grill...

- Oh! - ...and they'll pop.

Let them pop themselves? Okay.

- Great idea. -That is a really good idea.

Beautiful.

- Right, big man, how are you feeling? - Chef, I'm great.

- You good? - Yeah, I'm doing well. I'm doing really well.

Give us an insight to the dish.

So, this is a dish that I'm trying to do

that's really what turned me on to pork.

The first time I really enjoyed a pork chop

was at my grandmother's house, my Italian grandmother's house.

- Right. - She still grilled it,

but she cooked it in a red sauce.

So I'm trying to elevate that a little bit today,

- bring some sweetness to the party. - Love that.

Some beautiful andouille there for some smokiness.

Love that idea. It's authentic. It means a lot to you.

- Absolutely. - And where's the marinade? Where's the brush?

Where are you gonna go with it as it cooks?

This is what I'm gonna use on it, actually.

Right, and you may want to put a bit of oil on there first,

before you put that on there, 'cause that's not really a base, is it?

- Sure. No, no, no, no. Okay. - That's a sauce.

So, understand that, 'cause you want to finish it with that.

- Yes. - Otherwise, that may turn the meat gray.

Surprisingly, you've been in the bottom in the last two weeks.

I think I got a little too big for my britches there.

I was trying to do too many cute things that I thought I could pull off

that maybe I just was not successful at.

- So this is going back to my roots. - Dish sounds amazing.

- Don't leave it too late till that thing goes on. - No, absolutely not.

The secret to that thing is in the resting as well, okay?

- Good luck. Come on. - Appreciate you.

Perfect, okay.

It is pretty.

Ooh, MD's got the banana leaves out.

- Oh, yeah. - Kolby. How you doing?

- What's going on, Chef? - How you feeling?

I'm feeling good. I'm coming off of last week feeling--

I was a little down about it, just 'cause I know I messed up.

- But you beat yourself up too much. Hey. - Yes, sir?

Way too much. That's gone. How are you gonna elevate it and what's the dish?

Yes, sir, so I'm gonna do a filet,

and I'm gonna use some shrimp to make that

a bit of a surf and turf with a sweet potato casserole.

I'm gonna bake it in the grill

and then I'm gonna do something like a corn rib

since I can't make regular ribs. Just a little corn rib.

You've got a double-edged sword tonight with the filet mignon.

'Cause there's no excuses for that.

If you're gonna grill that thing, it needs to be perfect.

- Yes, sir, absolutely. - And then the shrimp.

You marinating the shrimp as well?

I'm marinating the shrimp with--

I have a Texas rub here that I created.

Big, bold flavors. So, that's what I'm going for.

- Good luck, good luck. - Thank you.

What's Kolby got there?

- What's that, nuts? - Walnuts.

- All right. - Yeah, okay.

- I'm making a sweet potato casserole. - Sweet potato...

- ...casserole? - With a walnut and brown sugar topping.

- Come on, now. - I'm excited to see how those look.

- Some great dishes going out there. - Some of them look good.

So, Jennifer, she's doing a dish

that her husband has cooked many times,

and she's doing a beautiful marinated double pork chop.

Here's the jeopardy. It's a double-cut pork chop.

- Aarón: Yeah. - And so when you start grilling this thing,

it doesn't cook it, it just marks it.

So she has to find a way now on how to get that thing cooked.

And it's just going on the grill.

She has to use the barbecue as an oven

- to get that thing done properly. - Absolutely.

Also, it needs to rest for 10 or 15 minutes, so she's up against it.

Okay, I need to work on this baby more.

So, Kennedy brought us back with the dish that won her an apron.

-Okay. - She's doing grilled elk.

She nailed the grilled elk the first time.

That got her the apron.

The bar is gonna be super high.

She cannot make a mistake today.

That's probably one of the most tempestuous proteins out there.

No fat, needs constant nurturing,

and you can't leave this thing on the grill

for any longer than two, three minutes.

You overcook it and you won't even eat it.

It's gone. It's jerky.

- Whoo! - I don't even need this. What am I doing?

Ooh, I love a corn rib. Those are so fun and pretty.

Kolby, so he's going for a surf and turf.

He's taking a filet and huge jumbo shrimp.

Big risk with a filet. I'm concerned about the lack of fat.

- Yeah, yeah. There's nowhere to hide. - Yeah.

If he can pull it off, the dish sounds amazing.

Aarón: Yep.

22 minutes to go. Come on.

Whew.

No way. Yo, this is not happening.

- What temperature it supposed to be? - Uh...

- How does it feel? -I don't know.

- Looks a little soft to me. - Just do your finger.

- She looks a little soft, still. - Yeah.

I started off strong, but right now,

if my proteins don't come out perfectly,

I'm afraid Gordon's gonna believe that I'm just

this bottom chef that I was last week.

I do not want to be in the bottom again.

I cannot get eliminated, and one thing's for sure,

I'm not going home on a grilling challenge.

- You got it. - Yeah, you got this.

Oh, my God.

We're almost there.

Those shrimp look beautiful.

- Y'all only got 20 minutes left, y'all. - 20 minutes!

- 20 minutes to go, guys. - Is this ready?

Let's go.

- Sav. - Hi, Chef, how are you?

- Very well, thank you. How are you? - I'm wonderful.

I'm pretty excited. I'm giving you a little surf and turf today.

Love that. What's the surf?

The surf is a New York strip.

The surf is grilled steak? Have you been drinking?

- I wish. - The surf is the sea.

The sea. Oh, yeah.

- I forget.

The surf is chargrilled oysters,

and the turf is a whiskey marinated New York strip.

And then we got some Pontchartrain sauce

that I'm working on here with the crab.

Nice. That's finishing the crab. Love that.

So, to get those oysters open, that grill needs to be so hot.

- Yes, absolutely. - Otherwise they'll become rubber.

- Absolutely. Yes, Chef. - And top eight looming. How are you feeling?

Whoo! I can't believe I'm here.

I mean, I didn't think I'd make it past auditions.

- Really? - Yes, Chef.

It's some incredibly talented people here, you know?

And it's hard to see myself standing up against everybody here.

- You deserve to be here, girl. - Thank you.

You've got every chance to get yourself to that top eight.

Focus, edit yourself, taste everything before you put it on a plate.

- Yes, Chef. - Yeah? Good luck.

- Thank you. Thank you so much. - Sounds amazing. Good luck.

- Let's go Sav. - How about that affirmation, huh?

- It was so sweet. - Let's go.

You got this.

We're almost there.

- Wayne, how are we doing, buddy? - Feeling good.

I'm doing a surf and turf "Mexicana."

You got the jumbo prawn. They're marinating. A bunch of great spices.

I've got my steak on right now.

What steak did you use? What cut?

- I got the New York strip-- - Can we see?

Yeah. It's a chipotle rub.

- Chipotle-rubbed New York strip? - Yep.

- Don't move it till you're ready. - Perfect. Great timing.

What else are you gonna put on the plate?

I got a spicy Mexican rice going.

Certainly the Mexican route

to taking the grill and elevating

is an interesting strategy, wouldn't you say, Aarón?

Yeah, absolutely, 'cause we have the chilies.

We have a lot of citrus.

We have flavors that are very amenable to high heat,

and also sort of aggressive cooking styles,

which the grill allows you to do.

And the fact that you're stepping out of the comfort zone and going "Mexicana,"

I really appreciate that, and I think that's what it's all about.

- Can you execute, is the question. - We're about to find out.

- Those shrimp, you gonna put them on last minute? - Yes.

They'll probably take, like, what, three minutes?

Yeah, they're not gonna take too long, so...

- Good luck, Wayne. - Thanks, guys.

- Hello, Chef. Hello, Joe. - What do you got going on?

What's the protein? What's the star?

I'm making a red snapper wrapped in banana leaves.

Also grilled shrimp.

- Can we see? - Uh, yeah.

So, do you have a marinade on the snapper, though?

Well, not quite a marinade. Um, I've got coconut--

So, normally when you do a wrapped banana fish

or anything like that, it has to have something strong--

-Acidity. - Yeah, acidity is so important.

- Yeah. - Careful, those shrimp might be cooked.

Yeah, I'm gonna finish it actually in the sauce so it's more flavorful.

So, grilling, is it something that you do often?

'Cause I know that you're known for your confections and your donuts, but--

Yeah, I actually-- I grew up--

there was no electricity where I grew up,

so we actually cooked in fire. I had to make fire

three times a day just to make our meals.

So it's kinda interesting.

I mean, this is too fancy for me.

I'm learning to use proper equipment.

Absolutely.

- What is that? - So, this is called palapa.

Palapa is almost like a curry that's popular in Mindanao,

which is a southern part of the Philippines where my mother is from.

Look, can I just tell you something?

This looks all really interesting, and really you're pushing the limits.

My concern here for you is those shrimp are already thoroughly cooked.

- Yeah. - So please be careful and don't overcook them.

- I turned off the heat. - Good luck.

- Okay. - Thank you so much.

When I was a kid, my mom would cook my lunches wrapped in banana leaves

and send me off to school with it.

So I just miss that flavor, that aroma in food.

I'm happy that I get to represent my culture and my home,

and hopefully this is elevated enough for the judges.

I like it.

How we doing, Kolby? You doing okay?

- I'm good, I'm good. - I'm so excited.

Oh! Jen, I love a grilled salad.

-Me, too. -Love you, ladies.

Welcome to the Brynn and Reagan Show.

♪ It's the Brynn and Reagan show ♪

- Y'all so cute. - You are.

- Welcome to the Brynn and... - ♪ Reagan Show

I love it. I would watch.

- With our guest today. - With our guest today, Sav.

Hey! Happy to be here.

Guys, 50 minutes gone.

We're down to our last 10 minutes.

10 minutes to go, guys.

Make sure those proteins are rested.

Don't slice too early, if you are slicing them.

It's good. Maybe a little more salt,

but that's what it's supposed to taste like.

Now, Sav's doing a whiskey marinated New York strip

and she's gonna serve that like a surf and turf with grilled oysters.

- And she's-- - Wait, wait, stop. She's grilling oysters?

- She's gonna grill-- - You put them on the grill and you steam them,

my friend, and they open. That is not grilling.

- That is like putting them in the oven. - It's a technique.

Aarón: Traditionally in New Orleans, you would put a compound butter

into the actual oyster shell as it steams-- faux grills.

- To your point. - And her sauce is following the lake,

Lake Pontchartrain, which is a white sauce finished with crab.

- Yep. - So this dish sounds incredible if she pulls it off.

Ooh, yes, Sav. Get it.

Whoo! I think that's right.

Girl, they are looking good.

They're looking so good.

MD is doing a banana leaf wrapped red snapper

with grilled shrimp in some sort of a Filipino sauce.

I was a little bit concerned because the shrimps were already grilled and cooked,

and she put them back into the sauce to cook more.

And I didn't see the snapper in the banana leaf.

- Very ambitious. - Was it marinated before it went into the banana leaf?

She said just coconut milk. Hopefully it doesn't fall flat with flavoring.

I appreciate the cultural spin with the banana leaves,

but this is a grill challenge.

She should be grilling the fish, not steaming it.

She's probably doing the most complex preparation. I hope it pays off.

Whoo, spicy. Oh, (bleep).

It's probably a little too spicy.

Gonna add more coconut.

Guys, just under five minutes to go.

All right, baby. Cook, shrimp. Cook, shrimp.

I'm really concerned about Grant's pork chop.

It might have overcooked in that hot grill.

-Damn, damn, damn. - It's gotta be done.

Taste, taste, taste, everyone.

Lemon juice, that's what I'm missing.

I knew I was missing something.

- Aarón: Seasoning, resting. - Come on, y'all, you can do this.

Oh, this is hard.

Oh, my God.

Little bit of salt.

- 90 seconds to go, come on. -Okay, okay, okay.

Plate with finesse. MasterChef restaurant quality.

Yes, Chef. We got it. We got it.

There, baby.

Aah!

Oh, God.

Okay, so I got that. I got that.

-Let's go! -Ten, nine...

- Oh, my God. - eight, seven, six...

- Shoot! -Quick, Jennifer.

- four, three... -Oh, my gosh.

- ...two, one. - That's it. Hands in the air.

Hands in the air. Well done.

- Good job. - All right.

- Whew! - Ooh, that was fun.

- Kolby. - Baby.

They said Texas, so I had to give them a lot.

- You gave it. - You have seafood Jenga over there.

- How is it, Sav? - I like it. I'm happy with it.

- Think my dad would be proud. - Yes!

I don't know. You're not gonna get much out of me right now.

I don't know. I'm pretty-- I'm annoyed. Thank you.

I'm pissed. I mean, I know how to cook elk,

and I definitely overcooked it,

and that's my main component,

which the judges are gonna notice,

so I definitely messed up.

All of you, well done. Seriously.

Watching how you really embraced the grill has been impressive.

Since there's only seven of you cooking,

Joe, Aarón, and myself are gonna taste all of your dishes today.

Whoever cooks the best dish will earn a big, big advantage across the next challenge.

Sadly, if you cooked one of the worst dishes,

it could mean the end of your MasterChef dream.

Right, the first dish we'd like to taste is from Grant.

Go, Grant.

I'm taking a real risk grilling Italian food,

but I'm hoping the judges, especially Joe,

look down and see where I was coming from today,

and that I can bounce back from not just one

but two bad cooks in a row,

and I can show them, hey, I still can do this.

I have what it takes to be the next MasterChef.

Grant, please, tell us the dish.

I made double-cut pork chops with a spicy tomato sauce,

with balsamic glaze charred broccolini over an herb polenta.

When I think Italian food, I don't necessarily think of the grill, right?

- Nope. Absolutely. - So the fact that you were hell-bent on doing that

- I think says a lot about you. - Thank you, Chef.

All right, let's see what the cook's like here.

What's the cook on there? What have you gone for?

Medium pink.

Wow, it looks good. Nice and pink.

Let's give it a try.

Pork's cooked beautifully. I mean, it's just

absolutely nailed, and that's really hard, that.

I can taste how desperate you are to win this competition in this dish.

Just edit yourself. I think this dish could do without the polenta,

'cause you've got such protein within that sauce and the blister in the tomatoes,

and so that was the liquid. That's all it needed.

- Sure. - I disagree. I love the polenta.

I love the seasoning on the outside of the pork.

- Everything's spot-on. - Thank you, Chef.

This is a in your face, full flavored dish.

Pork chop is cooked very well.

- It's quite, quite good. - Great job.

Thank you, Chef.

Good job, Grant.

- Next up, Kennedy, please.

- Thank you. - I'm annoyed right now.

My dish does not look how I want it to look.

My elk is definitely overcooked,

and it would kill me to go home over this dish.

Kennedy, describe the dish.

I made a coffee-rubbed elk tenderloin

with a mushroom medley and a carrot purée.

I can see that there's some problems with the cook on the elk.

When it gets grayish like that, it destroys the flavor of it,

and I'm not really quite sure about the plating on this carrot purée.

It's totally, totally amateurish.

- Shall we? - Yes.

Yeah, here's the thing. We've come to admire you

and you've been such an outstanding, consistent individual.

I think it's one of your most lacklust dishes in the competition,

because it's lost the excitement of the grill.

It's just sort of all aesthetic,

but it doesn't work comprehensively.

- For me, that sauce completely got lost. - Yeah.

I can't even pick up any of those flavors there, and that's disappointing.

Yeah. I understand, Chef.

Yeah, so, the overcooking of the elk

really kinda makes it taste mealy to me.

- It kinda ruins the dish. - Yeah.

It's unfortunate, because some components are good,

it's just the main principal protagonist

is miscooked for me, and that's a problem.

-Thank you. - Mm-hmm. Thank you.

The next dish that we want to taste is from MD,

so please bring your dish forward. Thank you.

Go, MD.

Thank you so much.

I'll try not to trip.

I've made steamed red snapper wrapped in banana leaves

and palapa grilled shrimp with papaya salad

and grilled sweet potato.

I'm not really quite sure what to say about this dish.

It looks a little bit sloppy

and a little bit unfocused to me.

- Shall we dig in? - Yep.

It's hard to get grill flavor

when you have it encased in banana leaf like that...

- Yes. - ...without this overcooking.

I grilled the ginger first, and I grilled the onions

before putting it in the banana leaf

to get some of that smokiness inside.

I suppose if you just grilled the fish, it'd be way better.

Aarón: Yep.

Sadly, the snapper is really overcooked.

The problem you got when you wrap it in a banana leaf, you've got no control.

And so I'd preferred you'd done half the amount on here

and done it beautifully than deliver an underwhelming dish.

This dish has a lot of problems. The red snapper's completely overcooked.

The shrimp are overcooked. We talked about elevating grill, and you missed the mark.

I'm gonna tell you, MD, I really like the flavor of the palapa shrimp,

but, to Joe's point, it's overcooked.

I'm a little disappointed, to be very honest.

Thank you, MD.

I think we were very, very vocal

about saying restaurant elevated, no?

But why not grill the snapper?

Aarón: Yeah.

All right, the next dish we would like to taste is from Wayne.

I'm feeling a little confident and a lot anxious,

because the two before me had a rough time with the judges,

so I definitely have to prove myself with this dish.

Boy, does that add a lot of extra pressure.

All right, Wayne, tell us what you got for us.

I made a chipotle dry-rubbed New York strip steak.

And then I've got two citrus-marinated jumbo prawns

sitting on a bed of spicy Mexican rice,

and I've got a salsa verde cruda.

For this dish to be a top level dish,

the seasoning, the cook has to be on point,

because you have nowhere to hide here.

- So let's see how it works out. - Shall we?

Yeah. So, what kind of a cook were you looking for on the steak?

- Medium rare. - Medium rare.

So, what kind of a cook were you looking for on the steak?

- Medium rare. - Medium rare.

- Aarón: Yeah. - That looks perfect.

All right, let's give it a try.

Wayne, you really had a lot of confidence in your technique on the grill

to do this dish, and I have to say, you nailed it.

It is perfect grilled simplicity.

- Good job. - Thank you.

What I'm most impressed is the fact that the marinades,

you had a chance to bloom them and blossom the flavor on the grill.

And right there, that for me is the most magical part of this dish.

Wayne, I think you played the grill like a piano.

'Cause you've got everything done correctly.

Today's challenge was a grilling challenge,

and so every element on this plate has been elevated from the grill.

That was the objective. I think the rice needs another 60 seconds.

It's just a touch crunchy. But it really tastes like a grill dish.

- Thank you, Chef. - Well done.

- Impressive. Thank you. - Beautiful.

Aarón: Man.

Okay, the next dish we would like to try is from Jennifer.

I am so nervous, but also I'm thankful that I had a chance

to really show my skills here and try something new.

- Ooh-la-la. - I am just praying

that it is cooked perfectly.

Jennifer, please tell us what you made.

I've made a grilled double bone-in pork chop

with a Memphis rub, an Alabama white barbecue sauce,

a grilled sweet potato purée,

and grilled baby gems and mushrooms.

It looks elegant, and I think you've endeared

the word "grill" 100% across this plate.

- Really good. Shall we? -Let's try it.

What kind of a cook we looking for on the pork?

- Medium. - Medium.

- A touch overcooked. - Aarón: Looks a little dry.

Shall we try?

Jennifer, I think the magic, really, in this dish

is the exterior of the pork. It's well seasoned.

It just has a depth of flavor that's so cool and spot-on.

I love what you've done with the sauce and the lettuce,

and that Alabama white barbecue sauce.

The thing that lets this dish down is just that purée.

- It just needs seasoning. - Okay.

It's missing a little bit of attitude,

but if this dish were properly seasoned,

it might be maybe one of the best dishes of the night.

-Thank you. - Thank you.

- Right, next up, Kolby, please make your way down. - Yes, Chef.

There was a moment where I was just kinda all over the place,

- but I came back strong. - Go, Kolby.

Everything looks great. I know the flavor is there,

and I hope I can show off to my dad a little bit.

Right, Kolby, tell us what the dish is.

I made a Texas style surf and turf

with a filet and barbecue shrimp.

I also made corn ribs and a sweet potato casserole

with a brown sugar and walnut topping.

Talk about presentation. This is like, boom!

- Very Texas. - Big, explosive, lots of colors.

- Really makes me want to eat it. - Shall we?

- Ooh. - It's a perfect medium rare.

- Yeah. - Mm-hmm.

Ooh, that's a lot of flavor. Looks good, though.

All right, Kolby, so what I love about this dish

is I'm thinking about Texas, like, elevated steakhouse.

You know? And this is what this looks like to me.

I love the idea of the shrimp being big and bold

and standing up to the filet.

I think that says a lot about your confidence.

I was worried about the cook on the steak,

but the steak's cooked beautifully,

and then you come to the baked sweet potato,

- and it's way too sweet. - Okay.

But it's a really good job.

Yeah, I think the steak was perfectly cooked,

Then I tasted the shrimp, and the shrimp are cooked

more perfectly than the steak if that's possible.

So you really nailed the grilling of those two proteins.

- Great job, thank you. - Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Aarón: All right, so the final dish

that we would like to taste is from Sav.

- Beautiful, Sav. - I'm really stoked about this dish.

My steak looks chargrilled to perfection.

The crab I got in some good brown butter,

and those oysters look pretty dang good, if I do say so myself.

All right, Sav, can you please describe your dish?

I made an Alabama surf and turf,

which is a whiskey steak with crab and mushrooms

and brown butter in Pontchartrain sauce,

wilted spinach, and chargrilled oysters.

I don't know about you, but I've never seen barbecued oysters on a composed dish.

- Yeah. - You have them by themselves.

- Okay. - And the butter on the crab

looks a little bit overbrowned.

- That's crab? - Yeah.

Oh, see, I thought that was mushrooms.

Quite frankly, that crab is probably better off raw than what you did with it.

Sav, the butter on the crab looks a little bit overbrowned.

- That's crab? - Yeah.

Oh, see, I thought that was mushrooms.

- Shall we dig in? - Yep.

What kind of a cook we looking for in the steak?

- I'm looking for medium rare. - Medium rare.

- All right, let's see. What do we have? - Aarón: A littler under.

- A little under? -Mm-hmm.

Oh, dear. So, the crab's burnt, as you can see.

It's just all dry. You have to stop the butter from overcooking,

otherwise it's just bitter.

Steak, slightly under. Seasoning is on point.

Great grill marks. Sauce, delicious.

There's something quite bold and courageous

about your attempts every time.

It's just badly finished.

I think you were being too ambitious,

and trying to grasp at all these different iconic elements,

and it's not equaling a cohesive dish.

I feel much the same way. The oysters are a categorical flop.

Steak's cooked well, but a little bit under.

So, um, bunch of mistakes here.

- Thanks, Sav. - Thanks.

- It's okay, babe. - Love you, Sav.

Hold it together.

It's a tough one, this one. Very tough.

The challenge was to grill, so if you really didn't

use the grill at all, then you had some problems.

Yeah, I need to discern what you did on the grill as it equals to flavor.

- Wayne's was outstanding. - Yeah, yeah.

- I thought he did a good job. - Kolby's was really good as well.

Kolby's was really good, too.

- Jennifer's, what do you-- - Jennifer's was good.

They're making their decisions now.

Um, all of you, well done. Even though the immunity pin is no longer in play,

the winning home cook will still receive a huge,

game-changing advantage in the next challenge.

We felt that the best dish today was cooked by...

- Wayne. Well done. - Yes.

Wayne, the dish was authentic, cooked perfectly,

but great use of the grill.

- Thank you. - Well done.

Go and head over to the veranda, please.

It feels amazing to know I'm in the top eight,

and it never gets old being at the top.

- Congratulations. - Good job.

Thanks.

I just keep inching closer and closer and closer

to the MasterChef trophy.

Right, Jennifer, Grant, Kolby,

you three cooked outstanding dishes.

Great usage of the grill.

You are safe from elimination tonight.

- Top eight. - Top eight. Well done.

-Thank you. - Head over to the veranda. Great job.

- Almost there, guys. - Good job.

Almost there, y'all.

Right, that leaves you three.

Sav, MD, and Kennedy, sadly, with underwhelming dishes.

All three of you, make your way to the steps. Thank you.

And please give us a very important minute.

- So... - To me, it boils down to

did you use the grill to your advantage?

-Kennedy's elk? - The elk was really overcooked.

It kinda ruined the whole thing, because that could have been a winning dish.

- Aarón: Yeah. - I think Sav--

Did it need the oysters, Joe? And secondly--

No, it was a bit of a mess.

It's just not done.

And then MD, I mean,

did we get the use of the grill?

- Bit of disaster, no. - Aarón: Yeah, yeah. No, no.

She was trying to fit too many elements,

too many influences into one dish.

- I don't think she listened, really. - Yeah.

- Shall we? - Yeah.

This has been a really tough decision,

but we're all in agreement.

The home cook that will be leaving "MasterChef" today is...

MD.

Sav, Kennedy, say good-bye to MD

and please join the other cooks.

MD, I love the background and the Filipino style of what you did.

But sadly the red snapper was overcooked,

and not a great usage of the grill.

MD, I think you were one of the best parts

of the United Tastes Of America, because you brought

a region of the States that we don't often see.

You brought it in your smile, in your color, in the dishes you make.

Thank you for bringing the Hawaiian sunshine to "MasterChef."

- Mahalo. - Aarón: Continue, please.

Expand that range that you have.

Absolutely. Thank you so much.

Well done. MD, come and say good-bye.

Ah!

- I'm gonna come hug you all. - You gotta do them first.

- Thank you so much. - Take care, love.

- Take care. - You should feel very proud.

- You did great, young lady. - Thank you so much.

- Thanks. I'm coming for donuts. - You better!

- I love you all. - We love you, girlfriend.

Of course! It's always disappointing

to go home earlier than planned.

But when I came into this competition,

I wanted to show that I can cook other things other than donuts.

It's time for the donut queen to leave the donuts behind

and move on to restaurant quality dishes like this.

- It's a yes. Four yeses. - Yeah. Yes.

- Congratulations. - Thank you so much. Oh, my God.

Congratulations goes to MD and Sav.

- Ah! - What?

It's beautiful. It's eye-catching. It's captivating.

They should be tears of joy, I'm hoping.

I think I was doubting myself.

Tonight you're in the top three, young lady.

I'm so glad that I was able to represent Maui

and bring color to this competition the way I have.

I never lost who I am this whole time.

-Bye! - I think in that way,

- I've won. - Love you, MD!

Next time, the top eight face their biggest challenge yet.

- The wall. - Not fun.

You will cook on opposite sides of this wall.

But you must create dishes that taste and look identical.

Tonight is a double elimination.

Wayne, you get to pick the teams.

- Oh, hell. - Can you hear me?

- Yeah! - Say that again?

- Jennifer! - You think she understood?

- Oh, my God. - I don't know if I like this sauce.

- What? - Did you put it in already?

- No! - What?

Everything that could have gone wrong...

- Jennifer! - ...did.

- We're in big trouble. - It's gonna be okay.

That tells the whole story right there.

The team leaving the competition is...