Original subtitles

Previously on "MasterChef"...

You have to cook a restaurant-quality barbecue plate.

- Get your proteins on. - Let's go.

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

- I hope it pays off. - I'm doing a surf and turf "Mexicana."

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

You played the grill like a piano. Congratulations, Wayne.

Yes. Feels amazing to know I'm in the top eight.

Even though the immunity pin is no longer in play,

you'll still receive a game-changing advantage.

Sadly, the snapper is really overcooked.

The home cook leaving "MasterChef" is MD.

Love you, MD.

Tonight, 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...

Whoo-ee! One of my favorites.

It's a big one, this one.

- The volume is going up tonight. - Yep.

- Oh. - The wall.

- The wall. - Oh, the wall.

Not the wall. Like, come on. Anything but the wall.

Can you hear me, Reagan?

This is probably one of the scariest challenges on "MasterChef"

because it's more than just about cooking.

We're yelling across the wall.

So many other people are yelling.

This is a chaotic challenge.

- All right. - Lord.

Welcome back, everyone. Top eight. Feeling good?

- Yeah! - Good.

Tonight, you're gonna face a "MasterChef" staple.

It's eight feet tall, 55 feet long,

and it's the biggest obstacle in your way

in this whole competition.

The wall.

So, tonight, you will cook in pairs

on opposite sides of this wall.

You must create dishes

that taste and look identical.

And here's the kicker.

Both cooks from the worst performing team

will be going home.

- Wow. - Right?

Tonight is a double elimination.

Wow.

Now, this is a very daunting

challenge tonight.

Jennifer, when you see that wall,

how does it make you feel?

I'm deaf in one ear,

and so this is the challenge

I've not been looking forward to.

However, mom of six. I'm used to chaos.

So I'm just going to zone in and do my absolute best today.

Good. Wayne, nothing really intimidates you, does it?

No, Chef, that's not true. This definitely does. I'm not gonna lie.

Well, Wayne, that big win across the grilling challenge

has won you a huge advantage tonight.

You get to pick the teams.

- Ooh. Okay. - Oh, hell.

Okay.

It's always great to have power

when it comes to these challenges.

My strategy going into the picks is,

A, to make sure that I'm paired with the person

that I feel I can communicate best with,

and, B, mismatch some of the other contestants

to hopefully give them a little bit harder of a time.

Okay, Wayne, who do you think should be paired with Kennedy?

Kennedy's definitely one of the stronger cooks here,

so I'm gonna pair her with somebody

who I think has kind of floated through the middle.

I'm gonna pair Kennedy...

- ...with Sav. - It's all right, babe.

- We got it. - Okay.

Wow. Kennedy, Sav,

please place your orange aprons on.

- Kennedy, how are you feeling? - I feel good.

I think I kind of have an advantage with her accent.

She doesn't sound like anybody else here,

so I think it'll definitely be clear who's talking to me.

Good. Okay, Wayne, who are we pairing with Brynn?

I'm gonna pair Brynn with somebody who I think

has different cooking styles from what I've seen.

So I'm gonna pair Brynn with...

Kolby.

Wow.

Okay, so you are the blue team.

Give us an insight to who you're pairing with Jennifer.

Jennifer definitely has a more classically trained style of cooking.

So I'm going to pair Jennifer with someone

who is a little bit more rustic in their approach,

and hopefully make a big dent

in this Southern thing that's going on here.

So, I'm pairing Jennifer with Reagan today.

- All right. -Wow.

And who speaks Jennifer better than Reagan?

Jennifer and Reagan, the green team-- combining two assets from the South.

He's gonna see. We're gonna be just fine.

Okay, Wayne, that means you're gonna be paired with Grant.

- Yeah. - Why'd you pick Grant?

He's a good communicator and I'm confident

- we're gonna work well together. - Good.

- Grant, how are you feeling? - Being from the Midwest,

we're gonna prove Midwest is best.

We might put a dent in the Midwest, too.

- We'll see. - Ooh.

Please join Grant and put on your red aprons.

Red's our lucky color.

Right, all of you, you'll have one hour

to cook us restaurant-quality dishes,

separated by that humungous wall, of course.

Now, before you start cooking,

you will get five minutes together in the pantry

so you can strategize and gather your ingredients.

It will be your only chance to talk face-to-face

because it will be your only time in that pantry.

- Okay. - Whoo.

So think smart. Grab as much as you need.

And if I was you, I'd grab a few extras.

Now, remember, your dishes should look

and taste the exact same. Got it?

- Yes, Chef. - Your 60 minutes starts...

...now! Off you go.

Okay.

- All right, all right. - All right, what are we doing?

All right, Grant, we're Midwest,

let's do something we can't mess up.

- I absolutely agree. Yep. - Filet.

Béarnaise. You can do béarnaise.

- Okay. - I was thinking like a braised fennel.

Sort of amp up the plate without having to go outside--

I'm not familiar with fennel, but if you walk me through it--

- just, like, talk to me. - You've braised a veggie before?

- Yeah. - And then we're gonna need color.

Like a red wine and fruit demi-glace?

I like red wine. Cool. I'm with it.

We're gonna do parsnip purée with wilted greens pancetta,

with pan-seared scallops...

- Okay. - ...a circle of three on top in a diamond,

- and lemon dill sauce. - Okay.

- And then the sauce should be on the side. - Sounds good with me.

- I'm thinking scallops, simple. - Okay, I was thinking scallops!

- Yeah. Um, girl! Yes! - What about cheese grits?

- We have synergy! - We need a crunch,

so I was thinking maybe asparagus to go underneath.

- I-- you just got my same menu! - And then-- I love you so much!

- How are we-- - Okay. All right.

- And then what about beurre blanc? - Sauce.

Jennifer and I are on the same page.

We knew exactly what we wanted to do in the first 30 seconds.

Pantry closes in three minutes, guys.

Three minutes. Let's go, come on!

- Stock. We need chicken stock. - Okay.

- Okay, I got the salmon. - Let's go! Okay.

All right, I'm gonna go for the béarnaise.

Stick together, guys. 60 seconds to go.

- Wait, we need lemons. - Lemons are over here.

Go grab the asparagus.

Cut off the top, cut it in half.

Wedges, like you're cutting an apple.

- Okay. - Find us some cayenne.

Cayenne, cayenne.

Five, four, three, two...

- Let's go, Wayne! - Let's go, let's go, let's go!

- Let's go, let's go! -The pantry is closed.

- We got this, Kennedy. - We got it!

All right, unload your basket, Jennifer!

Okay, whew.

- Grant, you unloaded? - Start talking. I can hear ya.

Big night tonight. The big 55-foot wall.

The stakes don't get any higher tonight.

We go from eight to the final six.

It's a real pivotal point in the competition.

Okay, the first thing we're gonna do is we're

gonna clarify the butter. Do a full cup.

What do you think about Wayne's picks tonight? Kennedy and Sav.

Hey, Kennedy, how many parsnips are you peeling?

- I'm peeling three. - Okay!

Al right, we're gonna get started on the greens after this, okay?

- All right! - I think he's put Kennedy in a good spot

because Kennedy's gonna be vocal.

Sav is clearly gonna work under the umbrella

of Kennedy's tutorial.

And so I think this combination could work really well tonight.

I think it's a misfire from Wayne.

Okay, we're gonna get garlic chopped, shallots chopped.

Okay, I'm starting to chop up my garlic and shallots.

- Got you, babe. - I think Kolby's gonna play sous chef to this.

I think it's gonna be a conceptualized dish that's sort of spearheaded by Brynn,

similar to what Sav's doing to Kennedy.

Kolby and Brynn are the only team tonight

- that has never, ever worked together. - Wow.

My shallot is minced. Is yours?

- Say that again? - My shallot is minced. Is yours?

- Okay, almost. - Aarón: Reagan and Jennifer are good friends.

They're both from the South. And they've cooked together,

so they have all of the ingredients to be a good team.

- Similar flavor profiles as well. - Exactly.

I don't know if Wayne has made the right decision there.

Did you chop up the butter or just put them in whole, Wayne?

- Just put 'em in whole. - Okay.

And then Wayne's selection of Grant.

All right, so I think we should probably

get the filet out and salt it. What do you think?

Um, sure, yeah, let's salt the filet. Let's do that.

I'm amazed he went down that route.

Yeah, I mean, if you look at Wayne and Grant

as alpha males, and they're gonna conflict.

That would be a major shock tonight,

if Wayne takes himself and Grant

out of the top six of this competition.

Because, of course, there's no immunity pin to save them tonight.

- All right, my steak is resting. - We're gonna get to work

- on the liquid for the béarnaise. - Okay.

Oh, (bleep).

- We didn't get eggs. - No.

There's no eggs. You can't make a béarnaise without eggs.

That's the main component in the sauce.

I don't have a sauce for the steak.

Let's take a peek real quick. Let's see what we got.

I hope we can figure something out with what we have

'cause we can't go back to that pantry.

We're in big trouble.

- Where are they? - What's up?

Pull shallot, four garlic...

Oh, (bleep). We didn't get eggs.

- No. - I don't have a sauce for the steak.

We're in big trouble. You got any ideas?

I have a bunch of big portobello caps.

- Okay. - We can do a white wine portobello sauce.

Toss me one of them right now, so I can see.

Coming.

- Oh. - Got it.

- Okay. - Okay.

All right, guys, what's the most important skill set for the wall challenge?

Communication, number one.

You have to be assertive,

you have to have conviction,

and you have to take the lead at times.

You're gonna get those pears cut,

- and you're gonna start sautéing them. - Okay.

Use the biggest skillet pan you can

'cause we're gonna-- brown the pancetta first.

- In olive oil or butter? - Olive oil.

And then, of course, it's about understanding the dish.

They have to taste the same, so you have to be able

to communicate flavor with words,

- which is not easy to do. - Jennifer, one pinch of salt

- and one pinch of pepper. - Yes? Say that again.

One pinch of salt and one pinch of pepper.

- Got it. - And they gotta work in sync.

If you're gonna sear the salmon, sear it together.

Make the purée, make the purée together.

They also have to be able to pivot and evolve.

- Absolutely. -Are you on your potatoes still?

- I'm still on the potatoes. - All right, take your time.

And, sadly, two cooks get eliminated.

The worst-performing team does not make it

into the top six.

20 minutes gone, just under 40 minutes to go.

Let's go.

Kennedy, what's the dish. Where are we going with this?

So I'm gonna do scallops, parsnip purée,

with pancetta greens, and then a lemon dill sauce on top.

So is it like a beurre blanc or just a lemon butter sauce?

- It's a beurre blanc, yeah. - Okay, good.

- So make sure that doesn't break. - Yeah.

What's the jeopardy behind this dish?

Overcooking the scallop is really easy to do.

- You just to be on point on every single thing. - Good.

And has Sav cooked many scallops?

Yes, we talked about it before and we both

feel very comfortable with scallops being our protein.

Right. Whose idea was this, this dish?

This was my idea. I feel confident being a leader,

so I'm ready for it.

- Good. Good luck. - Thank you.

All right, those pears,

- we're gonna toss some raspberries in there. - Okay.

We just want to get those raspberries soft.

All right, Wayne, so talk to us about the dish.

The dish is gonna be a Midwest classic steakhouse dish.

We're gonna do a filet mignon, buffalo carrots.

We've got a pomme purée, which I need to turn down right now.

We had planned on a different sauce altogether,

but we got some of the wrong ingredients,

we didn't get them all, so we're pivoting.

- What was the original sauce? - It was a béarnaise,

and we didn't get eggs.

- Yep, that's-- - That's a problem.

So, wait, what's the sauce?

The sauce is gonna be a white wine mushroom reduction.

- Aarón: But why not red wine? - We're working with what we've got here.

You say white wine mushroom reduction--

there's so many variables in that with the mushroom,

because depending on how many of the fins you leave on,

the cream sauce can go black, brown, white.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Grant, did you take the gills off the mushrooms,

- or did you leave 'em? - I have the gills on.

It's gonna make the sauce dark.

I think-- it'll look good.

We'll offset it with some heavy cream

- to lighten it up, yeah? - If we can,

I think that'll be a beautiful mushroom cream sauce.

-Okay, great. -All right, good luck.

Right, Brynn, halfway. How are we feeling?

- I am doing okay. - Tell me about the dish,

- What are we doing? - We are making a crispy-skinned salmon

with a parsnip purée, braised fennel,

and a deep red wine raspberry and pear sauce.

I wanted to do, like, a gastrique with something bright and fruity.

And then he really wanted to do salmon, so we're working that in.

I've never seen a red wine and raspberry pear sauce with a salmon.

You conceptualized the dish, so it's pretty much on your shoulders, okay?

So, just don't throw ideas onto a plate that don't work. Make sure you taste everything.

- Yes. Thank you. Yes. - Okay? Yes? Good luck.

- Is your butter fully melted? - Yeah.

Next, you're gonna add in the white wine.

- The white wine, how much? - Half a cup.

- I got it. - Good.

All right, Reagan, what's the dish? What's going on?

We are making scallops over cheese grits, carrot purée, and beurre blanc.

This sounds like more of a Reagan dish than a Jennifer dish.

It is-- we're both from the South, sir.

Who is leading on the aesthetic, on the plating?

- Oh, definitely Jennifer. - So you're listening to what she's telling you.

- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. -Every stop of the way.

- Every detail. - If Joe and I were cooking on separate sides of the wall,

who do you think would lead, me or Joe?

- You.

- Because he's a smart guy. - I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that.

All right, good luck.

I have all of my fruit in the blender.

Okay, I'm putting my fruit in the blender now.

- I'm gonna start adding my greens to my pancetta. - Okay.

And then I'm gonna add the rest of the shallots to the butter sauce.

- All right. - So, Kennedy and Sav, first of all,

their dish sounds delicious.

Pan-seared scallops on this parsnip purée.

They've got this lovely little sautéed spinach

- with an amazing caramelized pancetta. - Oh, I like that idea.

Make sure you're seasoning as you go, Sav. Salt and pepper on the greens.

- Okay. - And Sav is so happy just to tuck under Kennedy's wing.

My big worry is when those scallops go in,

because when Kenney's scallops go in the pan,

Sav's have to go in at the exact same time.

That is crucial tonight.

Reagan, I'm grabbing a blender, okay? For the carrots.

Okay.

- Can you hear me? - Yep, I got it.

Aarón: All right, so Jennifer and Reagan,

they're gonna do scallops, grits, a beurre blanc,

and then there's also gonna be this beautiful carrot purée with asparagus.

- Can I start adding my butter to my sauce? - Yes. I just started.

You have the two probably most opposite plating styles between Jennifer and Reagan.

Reagan is going to imitate Jennifer's plating style.

- Let's see if she can do it. - We gotta get the steak started.

- Yes, sir. Grapeseed, 100%. - Grapeseed?

- Got it. Are we going in right now? - Right now.

- Beautiful sizzle over here. - Yep.

So, Wayne and Grant started off real confident, right?

Two boys from the Midwest,

they go, "Okay, filet, béarnaise sauce."

- What happens? - No eggs.

- Oh, stop. - So they can't make a béarnaise.

I want to cook the mushrooms before so they don't impart

- too much color to the sauce. - All right.

They invented a mushroom white wine reduction.

Everything that could have gone wrong in the pantry for Grant and Wayne did.

You have no eggs for béarnaise. Strike one.

No red wine for pan reduction. Strike two.

They've got one strike left and they're out.

- Wow. - Let's do the salmon real quick.

Yep, I have about two teaspoons of oil in the pan.

And make sure you press down the top.

- Oh, did you put it in already? - Yeah.

Oh, you didn't tell me. All right, give me a second.

Wow, look at Kolby and Brynn.

They failed to start cooking their salmon together.

I'm about to flip mine now.

You did one minute on the flesh side down, right?

- One minute on both sides. - Got you.

Kolby wanted salmon, but the whole concept

of the dish was driven by Brynn,

They got this pear and raspberry red wine reduction.

I've never even heard of it, forget about duplicating it

from two people who are not seeing each other make it.

Sounds really risky.

- Grab a strainer... - Okay.

...and we're gonna press the fruit mixture through.

I'm straining it now.

Great, I'm just flipping my fish.

Because the dishes not only have to be identical, they have to be delicious.

I'm straining my fruit. It's nice and thick, right?

Yeah.

Our communication was great in the beginning,

but now we're starting to kinda break down a little bit.

Brynn, do we like this sauce?

Well, I think there's gonna be a lot of good brightness

- from this raspberry and pear. - Okay. Cool.

I'm really worried about the sauce.

This is something that's supposed to bring the dish together,

and if this sauce isn't right,

then we could possibly go home today.

45 minutes gone, 15 minutes to go!

- All right, my filet, it's got color on all sides. - Yep, me, too.

All right, we're gonna put it on out cutting board,

- let it rest. - All right, my steak's out.

So now we're gonna take a tablespoon

- at a time of the wine. - Okay.

And you're gonna strain that as well

because you don't want all that shallot and garlic in here.

- So just put it right through the strainer, too? - Yep.

The beurre blanc sauce is looking a little pink.

- What am I doing wrong? - You need to add more butter if it's looking pink.

- It should be yellow. - Right now, it's not looking great to me.

This sauce? Ain't nothing good about it.

It's not working.

I do not have time to babysit no doggone sauce.

I got things to do.

Look, that beurre blanc is done. It broke.

We're not using the sauce, okay?

Yes! Don't use the sauce!

You gotta taste the grits, taste the carrot, okay?

Make sure it's seasoned well.

Tell me what you're adding, okay?

It tastes like carrots. It actually tastes pretty good.

Just over 10 minutes to go, guys. 10 minutes to go.

All right, Kennedy, it's a critical moment.

- You gonna sear the scallops? - Yep. How hot is your pan?

- Do you see that it's, like, really hot? - Yeah, it's hot.

Okay, let's put our scallops on.

Aah! (bleep). Well, that's hot.

- Go, go, go. That's good. - Cool.

- You're putting four in first, right? Okay. - Yeah.

- You just have salt on them right now? - Yes!

Are you gonna flip them at the same exact time,

- is that the idea? - Yes. absolutely, yes.

What do your scallops look like right now?

- My tips are brown. - Mine are done. I'm flipping.

- Okay, ready? - Yeah.

One, two, three.

Are yours golden brown and sexy?

- Yeah, they're sexy. They look good. - Sounds good.

- You have a plating strategy? - Yeah, we do.

- You think she understood it? - Yeah, 100%.

- Good. - All right.

I'm taking them off, Kennedy!

- All right. - They're off.

Come on, baby.

- We need to get this pan sauce going. - Okay.

Let's throw shallots in first

- and then we're gonna deglaze. - Shallots in.

I think Wayne and I are doing a great job communicating.

It's getting loud in there,

but we're able to keep our voices up.

Take these carrots, put the burner on high.

Our goal throughout this is to be just talking to each other.

We don't throw anything in a pan

without saying, "Hey, this is what I'm doing right now."

Give me two tablespoons of the sauce on the carrots now.

- Two tablespoons. - Roll it around, cover it real good.

If you're not doing things at the same time, you're gonna get really lost.

- Let's add a quarter cup of cream to it. - Great idea, great idea.

- Love it, love it. - We got seven minutes! We got seven minutes.

All right, babe, um, taste it. It needs something.

Okay, hold on, give me a second.

The sauce is put together finally,

so we can taste it in its final form.

Ah.

- Is it working for you? - It tastes okay.

I want it to taste great, though. That's the problem.

We just aren't happy with the raspberry and pear sauce,

- but it's time to plate. - I trust you. Let's do it.

All right, let's get this going and we'll just start plating.

- Okay, okay. - Last five minutes, guys.

Five minutes to go!

All right, I'm good on this cream sauce, Wayne.

- Cream sauce is good? - I think it's good.

We need a plate, baby. We need a plate. It's four minutes.

- I'm worried about Reagan and Jennifer. - Oh, no, what's happening?

So, the sauce, the beurre blanc's broken.

And then the scallops, they're not even out yet.

So I'm really worried about them.

Listen to me, Jennifer.

Yes, I'm listening.

- We need a plate. - Okay.

Let's get a plate. It's right here.

Give me just a second.

I'm doing a deli container size purée,

- perfect circle in the middle. - Yep.

Let's go a streak around the left side

- from eleven to seven o'clock. - Okay.

- We got two minutes. - Okay, now grab four pieces of fennel.

- Are they crossing over? - Yeah, like, standing up like they're crisscrossed.

Okay.

- Okay, Reagan? - Yes.

- Let's put those grits down. - What?

- The grits! - Yes.

Where are we putting the dill?

Fresh dill in the center!

- How many sprigs? - Three or four.

Where are you putting the cream sauce, Wayne? What do you think?

Three o'clock to six o'clock, right around the steak.

- Three to six? - Yeah.

Let's do the dots of this gastrique

- around the outer circle, okay? - Okay!

- 60 seconds to go! - Let's go, guys.

- Last minute, guys. Come on! - Come on!

Remember, identical plates.

What are we doing with the asparagus?

To the right of the plate,

do a large round of the grits.

Make sure you've tasted and they're salted enough.

Wait, I thought we were putting it in the middle of the plate.

No, Jennifer!

We're gonna put the mushrooms right on top of the sauce.

And put the curved end towards the curved end of the plate!

With the plate, got it.

Are we putting the microgreens in the middle?

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

I am taking a towel and dragging it around the outside

so they all have a flat line, okay?

- Oh, on all of them? - On all of them.

Okay, I'm doing five dollops of carrots.

15 seconds to go! Let's go!

Aarón: Let's go, work with two hands.

Come on, Reagan.

Seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

- That's it. - Hands in the air!

Oh, my God.

That's the hardest thing we've done.

I don't think I did it right.

It's okay. Don't worry. Mine looks like messy, too.

- Good job, hon. I'm proud. - Good job, baby.

- Mine looks really good. Does yours? - Mine looks good.

I'm worried. I'm happy with what we did,

but we didn't give ourselves enough time

- to talk about plating.

I am worried that our dishes are not gonna look alike.

I mean, I know our plates don't look the same.

Like, period. I am feeling frustrated

'cause this is not how I want to go out.

I'm just praying...

Right, very carefully cloche your dishes

and step down to the front in your pairs, please.

Good.

- Good job. I hope. - Good job.

- I hope I talked enough. - Yeah, we tried.

Well done, all of you.

Now you understand the word "communication."

Tonight, your challenge was to collaborate with your teammate

to perfect and replicate your dish.

Joe, Aarón, and myself are hoping

each team's plates are identical.

Okay, Wayne, you had the pick of the litter tonight.

You chose Grant. Make your way forward, please.

I put the team together. I've got the responsibility

for this decision working out.

But I'm confident because we communicated so well.

I'm just hoping my dish tastes and looks the same as Grant's.

- Wayne, how are you feeling? - I feel pretty good.

We started off with a blip right from the get-go.

- Mm-hmm. - The idea was to go with a béarnaise.

Because we could not go back to the pantry,

we had to pivot and work with what we had.

- Right, shall we? - Yes, let's do it.

- Aarón: Mm. - Very curious.

How many carrots did you put on the plate?

- Three carrots on the plate. - Three.

What's the temperature of your steak?

- Mid-rare. - Medium rare.

You sound confident. Shall we?

Yes, Chef.

Wow.

Looks like you guys were cooking side by side.

Right, explain the dish, please.

So we have a pan-seared filet

with a pomme purée,

buffalo carrots, and a white wine sauce with mushrooms.

Consistency's pretty impressive, I have to say.

If I had a pick one that's better than the other,

I don't know which one I'd pick.

But the cook on the steak is really gonna be

where the rubber hits the road.

- Absolutely. - Okay, Wayne.

- Oh, yeah. - Nice.

- Pretty spot-on medium rare. - Mm-hmm.

Good job. Grant?

My hope is it looks exactly like Wayne's.

All right, let's see.

- Aarón: Yup, it's there. - Mm-hmm.

Right, both filet mignons cooked beautifully.

- Really spot-on. - Thank you.

I mean, it doesn't feel that there was a wall separating you two

'cause they're identical.

Mashed potatoes, delicious. Really creamy.

Wayne, yours is a touch lumpy, a little bit grainy in there.

Not a big fan of the cream sauce. It just doesn't make sense.

But those carrots are delicious.

A really smart move, I think, with two Midwesterners, going for steak and potatoes.

Elevated, 'cause it's definitely restaurant-quality, so it's a really good effort.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, Chef.

I just love the fluffiness of the potatoes.

Yes, albeit maybe a little grainy here.

But for me, that sauce, it's a nice respite

from the richness of the steak and the potatoes.

And I love the consistency with the plating.

You guys were in tune, and that's a big part of the wall challenge.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you.

The duplicity of these dishes is top-notch.

You had a clear vision. You know, for me,

it's just a perfect béarnaise sauce would have been a grand slam.

- Yeah. - You should be very pleased. Well done.

-Thank you, Chef. - Good job, man.

I'm feel ecstatic. I don't think there's any chance

that we go home today. We nailed this.

- Wow. - Awesome.

All right, Jennifer and Reagan,

please carefully bring up your dishes.

I thought the tag-team challenge was hard.

This wall challenge was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.

So hard to communicate, and I'm so worried that our plates aren't gonna match up.

Thank you, ladies. Now, who kind of guided the ship?

You know, communication was an issue for us.

We were doing a lot of yelling,

but we did the best that we could.

Let's see. Shall we?

- How many scallops are underneath here? - Three.

- How many spears of asparagus are under here? -Four.

How many dollops of carrot purée are on here?

- Three to five. - I have two.

No, serious. It's not a giggle.

Two of you are going home tonight.

How many dollops of carrot purée are under here?

- I only have two. - I have three.

How many dollops of carrot purée are under here?

- I only have two. - I have three.

Aarón: Give us some insight on the dish.

This is seared scallops with cheese grits,

roasted asparagus, and a carrot purée.

There's something odd about this presentation

'cause there's consistencies in the imperfection.

You kinda have this carrot purée kinda jumbled about in the same way,

and I don't know whether to applaud you for that or take you to task.

What I will say is the sear on the scallops is exceptional.

- Thank you. - However I'm slightly concerned, Jennifer,

about the temperature of your scallops inside.

They look undercooked. Shall we?

- Let's take a look. - Mm-hmm.

So we'll pick one here.

So, Reagan's-- scallop, perfect.

-Beautiful. - Thank you.

Jennifer's.

- As you can see, it's undercooked. - Yes, I can see that.

What a shame.

So, Jennifer, grits were delicious.

Really creamy and well-seasoned.

Sadly, the scallops are undercooked.

Purée doesn't taste of anything

'cause it's not even seasoned.

Reagan, your scallops are cooked beautifully.

Carrot purée's bland.

There's no seasoning there whatsoever.

I thought you were gonna nail those grits,

but they're not anywhere near as tasty as they should be.

Jennifer, I love your grits. I agree, there's salt issues on both your dishes.

Reagan, you can see that Jennifer's grits are glistening and they're creamy.

Yours look dry. But I have to say

that your cook on the scallops are delicious, Reagan.

Thank you so much.

I feel like, Reagan, your dish

is a little bit more flavorful overall.

Jennifer, I feel like your dish is a little bit more timid.

Even though perhaps some of the technique and presentation may be better.

- I appreciate that. - Thank you both.

Right, next up, orange team, Kennedy and Sav,

make your way forward very carefully, please. Thank you.

Honestly, I feel like when they pull those cloches,

Sav and I are gonna have the exact same dish.

We talked to each other through the entire plating process,

so this is the most confident, honestly,

I've felt after a challenge in a long time.

Okay, Kennedy and Sav, how many scallops have we got each?

- Three. - Three.

And the sauce?

- It's in a ramekin. - In a tall, white ramekin.

Are we both confident they're gonna look the same?

Yes, Chef.

- Shall we? - Yes, Chef.

Ooh, baby. Good job.

These dishes are very, very, very similar.

The biggest difference is, Kennedy, your sauce is broken.

- Sav, your sauce looks creamy and delicious. - Thank you.

Sav, what's the dish, please?

We have seared scallops, parsnip purée,

wilted spinach with some crispy pancetta,

and a lemon dill beurre blanc.

Sav and Kennedy, the dishes look identical.

Well done. Incredible sear on the scallops.

Beautifully done. Smart amount of purée on both plates.

The colors, the spinach-- shall we?

So, we'll check the scallops.

- Beautiful. - Okay, let's take a look at Sav's.

These scallops are both pretty close to perfect.

I would say Kennedy's scallop

might be a little bit more spot-on.

Shall we?

- Sav, scallops cooked beautifully. - Thank you.

Really nice seasoning on there.

I don't get the heavy beurre blanc with the purée.

It doesn't really need it. It's counterintuitive.

Kennedy, scallops nailed beautifully.

Purée, delicious. Sauce, sadly, broken.

But aside from that, really good job.

Yeah, Sav, I mean, for me, I think the cook on your scallops are delicious.

And then, Kennedy, they're sweet, they're supple,

they're just spot-on. And that's what you want.

I think the idea of pancetta and spinach coming together

is a smart move 'cause it stands up

to the meatiness of the scallop.

So I appreciate that on both your dishes.

- Thank you. - These two dishes,

they could have come out of the same restaurant.

Kennedy's dish was cooked by a saucier,

broke a butter sauce that I would put on popcorn.

Sav's dish could have been cooked by the chef de partie,

- who doesn't work by the hour. - Wow.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Thank you. Good job, baby.

Okay, Kolby and Brynn, will you please bring your dishes up?

I'm really worried that I'm letting Brynn down with this one,

because I just feel like my plating is a mess,

and I'm not sure if the salmon was cooked properly.

I just hope that the dishes at least look similar.

So, Kolby, how long did you cook your salmon for?

Um, I cooked it for one minute on each side,

and then I let it sit on low for about 10 minutes.

Brynn, how long did you cook your salmon for?

The exact same, but I was about 30 seconds

behind him when we started.

It sat in the pan for 10 minutes.

Yeah, on low.

And how many pieces of fennel have you got?

- I have four. - Four. Two on each side.

Right, let's see.

It's gonna be okay.

No, it's not.

-These dishes look very different. - Mm-hmm.

Please tell me what you made.

We have a crispy skin salmon

with a parsnip purée braised fennel

and a raspberry pear wine reduction sauce.

So, Brynn, first off, salmon beautifully seared on top.

That skin nice and crispy. The braised fennel looks juicy, delicious.

Smart pairing with that. But the sauce on the outside just looks bizarre.

- Fair. - These sauces, both of them,

don't even look like a sauce. They look like puréed baby food.

- Okay. - Kolby, I'm gonna deal with the obvious issue.

That salmon does not look cooked.

Let's see.

Kolby, I'm gonna deal with the obvious issue.

That salmon does not look cooked.

Let's see.

- That's under. - Yeah.

This is way under.

I mean, this never saw even heat in the center.

Let's take a look at Brynn's.

Beautiful.

- Brynn's salmon is perfect. - Yep.

Glistening, moist, pink. Just how we want a salmon to be.

Brynn, your salmon's cooked beautifully.

Absolute utter perfection. Skin crispy, delicious.

The problem is that's where I want to stop.

The sauce doesn't make sense.

And you have to be careful with that parsnip purée

'cause once you've added too much cream,

it just tastes of a cream purée as opposed to parsnip.

Kolby, God, salmon hasn't even had the temperature inside.

No seasoning in the purée.

And the sauce, again, it does not make sense.

Yeah, Brynn, I think the cook, as Chef Gordon said,

is exceptional on your salmon.

But I wish you guys would've been bolder

with a little spice rub on the salmon or something.

Kolby, I'm somebody that loves salmon a little under,

but this is egregious.

Brynn's dish is a successfully cooked salmon

with a crispy skin, properly cut fennel,

braised and seasoned the right way.

And, as we can see here, on Kolby's dish,

this is a series of errors.

It's under-seasoned. The salmon is not cooked.

Everything that you see is wrong with the dish

is actually wrong on your palate as well.

Thank you.

I am confused as to how the salmon is undercooked.

If anything, I thought I was, like, 30 seconds to a minute behind Kolby on the cook.

So I am not sure what happened.

All of you, well done. That was a very tough challenge.

Please excuse us.

Wayne and Grant, the cook on the filet was exceptional, right?

Yeah, they had an idea of a béarnaise and then they shifted.

That dish with a béarnaise would have been top notch.

- Oh, all day. - Top notch without doubt. But big stand-out,

- Kennedy and Sav. - They cooked the scallops beautifully.

- Yeah, that was a nice dish. - I'm impressed more with Sav,

the fact that she produced a better dish than Kennedy.

-She produced a better dish than Kennedy. - Yes.

-Jennifer and Reagan? - They had a lot of issues, I think it's safe to say.

Jennifer's scallops were undercooked.

Show us grace in this moment. Move on our behalf.

- Amen. - Amen.

Brynn and Kolby.

I mean, let's deal with Kolby's salmon.

I mean, it was raw in the middle, wasn't it?

Kolby's dish was kind of a disaster.

Brynn's dish, minus the berry sauce,

- was actually quite good. - Yeah.

You never know with the wall.

Someone's gotta go home tonight.

Please make your way round to the front, thank you.

Now, after talking at length, we feel that two teams

really did turn in strong performances.

Kennedy and Sav, congratulations.

- Whoo!

- Good job.

And the best pairing of the night was...

Wayne and Grant. Well done, both of you.

Congratulations to all four of you.

You're now in the top six.

- Make your way up to the balcony, please. -Thank you, Chef.

I feel incredible.

It never gets old being at the top

in the MasterChef kitchen.

The advantage of me

being able to pick my partner

worked out really, really well.

Being in the top six, I'm feeling great.

I'm one step closer to that trophy.

Okay, Brynn, Kolby, Reagan, Jennifer.

We felt that your dishes did not rise to the standard of tonight's challenge.

The team of two that will be leaving the competition is...

Brynn and Kolby.

- Oh. - Oh.

Reagan, Jennifer, please say good-bye

and make your way up to the balcony.

- Wow. - My dear friend. I'm so sorry.

- It's okay. - I love you.

- It's okay. - You're so special, and I'm so sorry.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Brynn and Kolby, sadly, too many mistakes from start to finish tonight.

It just did not hit those marks to get into the top six.

Oh, this is hard. Brynn, the last surviving cook from the Northeast.

This tenacious, feisty chef that wows every time.

That's how I'm gonna remember you.

Promise me you're gonna keep your head up high and continue this dream.

Yeah, I started only cooking a couple years ago,

so being here is unbelievable.

I have every reason to keep going.

Kolby, this competition confirmed you're born to cook.

Let's get that absolutely clear.

You cook with your heart,

and that flavor profile is unique.

- We love you. - I've never felt like I belonged anywhere

until I got here.

Um, so, it's kinda tough. I'm not gonna lie.

Young man, this is just the beginning.

There is something exciting behind those doors.

Thank you, Chef.

Come and say good-bye, you two. Oh, my Lord, honestly.

- Man. Come here. We'll see you again. - Thank you so much, Chef.

This has been a really crazy journey.

I mean, how many people can say that their grandpa

got to taste the food that got them an apron

- in MasterChef kitchen? - This is damn good.

I get to go home with that memory always.

- Yes! - Come on.

I always loved cooking, but I found my happiness in the MasterChef kitchen.

- Whoo! - I found my passion that I never knew that I had.

- Wow. - Kolby, I think one of your best performances

- so far in this competition. - Yes, Kolby!

It's hard to leave the competition,

and it's hard to leave these people

who really made me feel like I belonged somewhere.

But I'm definitely ready to put all this passion

that I found into my cooking dreams.

I'm so proud of you, man.

I'm sad, but I'm so proud of myself.

- We love y'all. - You're gonna kill it. All of you.

I came in here, I was a bartender,

- pretty new to cooking.

- Yes! Yes! - But I knew that I had the passion and the drive

to show myself that I could do it all.

- It's flawless. Really delicious. - Whoo!

And now, to have made it this far...

- Amazing, seriously. - Thank you.

...means that I have what it takes.

Damn, I didn't think I'd be doing this.

I feel so ready to see where this takes me

in the restaurant industry.

-Man. - Love y'all!

Love you!

All right, guys, we love y'all!

Next time, it's the restaurant takeover.

- Hell's freaking kitchen. - It's a crossover, baby!

Tonight, you're gonna be feeding every guest inside my restaurant.

- I'm putting my reputation in your hands. - I'm petrified.

Order. One scallop, three risotto.

Three scallops, three risotto. Three filet, one salmon.

- Six minutes, Chef. - No, 90 seconds.

- , come on! - Ah, damn it!

- Are you okay? - No, Chef!

I wouldn't serve that to my (bleep) bulldog.

- This is insane. - These are done.

- raw. - You're gonna lose these people.

- Where's the risotto gone? - We don't need it.

Hey, hey, hey!

Don't ever disrespect me or my restaurant.