Original subtitles

- Previously on - Back to Win"...

I finally admit I actually love vegan food.

- Oh, no. - Oh, God.

Really, you have to pull out your creativity here.

- Absolutely. - This challenge was made for me.

The first vegan challenge saw some rise high...

- This is unreal. - Congratulations, Amanda.

Yay! I have the immunity pin.

...but one home cook fell flat.

That dish wasn't anywhere near Back to Win."

Say goodbye.

- Tonight... - Welcome back!

...the cooks take on a Southern-inspired fusion challenge.

Japan. Vietnam. Jamaica. Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Southern fusion? That crazy.

With celebrity chef Tiffany Derry in the house...

The idea is to punch in as much flavor as quick as you can.

- Let's go! - Taste that before?

- Never even heard of it. - Oh, my Lord.

- Why is it dropping? - They look like they're burning.

- Southern fusion... - You're on to something.

It really is a celebration of flavor.

- It's called perfection. - ...spirals into confusion.

- Just bizarre. - It's kind of a disaster.

I should've paid attention in Geography.

- Here we go. Yes! - Here we go.

- It's gonna be a tough one tonight, this one. - Yeah, look at that.

The United Nations of MasterChef.

Absolutely.

Welcome back!

- Whoo! - Oh, my God.

- Come on down, guys. - Look at the flags.

- It's like the U.N. - Okay.

I see all these flags everywhere.

I don't know if we're gonna be remaking a dish from one of these amazing places,

- but I'm excited. - Line up, guys.

Last challenge was not my best moment.

I do not wanna be in the bottom three again,

so whatever I need to do, I'm gonna pull it out today.

- Welcome back, everybody. We good? - Yes, Chef.

Amanda, how does it feel not to be participating in tonight's cook?

Honestly, Chef, it feels good to have immunity,

but I really wanna be in the kitchen and show everyone what I can do.

Would you like to hand that pin to somebody else tonight?

- No. Not today. - Okay. Just checking.

Right, you're probably wondering about the flags, right?

Yes, Chef.

Well, in this week's challenge,

we're going to do a bit of globetrotting.

To be a MasterChef, you have to able to cook dishes

from many different cultures, cuisines, and influences.

So tonight you're gonna be cooking fusion dishes.

- Oh, okay. Okay. - Nice.

Okay, cool.

Fusion not confusion.

Yeah.

And here to inspire you is a modern fusion pioneer.

This is so cool.

She is an award-winning chef and restaurateur.

She has wowed thousands with a combination

of international flavors and Southern comfort food.

All of you, please welcome the incredible Tiffany Derry.

- Wow. - So having Chef Tiffany here, it's amazing.

She's from Texas, so she knows about Southern roots.

She inspires me so much...

Welcome. So good to see you.

Aw. Hello, hello.

...and I hope to be just like her one day.

Wow.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

- It's an absolute honor. - Thank you.

First of all, this journey for you started

at the age of 15 in a pancake house.

Now you've become one of the best chefs in Dallas Fort Worth

running that incredible Roots Southern Table,

which is known for it's Southern fusion dishes.

What does the word fusion mean for you?

Really fusion is just blending of different types of cuisine,

but doing it to where it's just harmonious.

Absolutely.

Well, tonight, you 16 will follow in our guest's footsteps

and cook us a Southern fusion dish.

- I like that.

Now to show you the level of elevation that we're looking for

in all of your Southern fusion dishes tonight,

Tiff and I are gonna cook a dish together.

- Ooh! - That's so cool.

We're fusing traditional old English fare with a Southern twist.

We're gonna make a delicious jerked spice classic fish and chips.

- Ooh. - Wow.

- Shall we? - Let's do it.

Please.

To see Chef Gordon Ramsay

and Chef Tiffany Derry cooking in a duo?

- This is stunningly exciting. - I'll take care of the fish.

I'm gonna do the sweet potatoes,

and I'm also gonna do a little bit of maque choux, which is a corn dish

done with a little bacon, peppers, and some onions.

Love that.

So for my batter, a little bit of Cajun spice.

This is where that fusion influence is coming across now, right?

Sure. You smell that, Chef?

That smells delicious.

We're gonna start with some bacon here.

Maque choux usually has some smoky meat

because the idea is to punch in

as much flavor as quick as you can.

Sure.

Now, traditionally we'd be serving a beautiful tartar sauce.

No, we're not doing tartar. We're doing a remoulade!

Remoulade! Yes.

Watching these two legends cook right now

is like watching a ballet duet. It's just harmony.

They make fusion look easy.

So, Chef, I'm gonna go ahead and drop in the sweet potatoes here.

So I've blanched them a little bit,

and I really want them to get crispy,

- so I'm gonna double fry them. - Nice.

I've got my creole mustard, my mayonnaise,

Worcestershire sauce, and then from there,

a little bit of paprika, Cajun spice again.

Now give that a really nice mix.

Okay, so I have in my onions, my peppers, my garlic, my bacon,

and I'm gonna add a touch of vinegar because we have so much fat

that we really wanna balance that herb and that vinegar flavor.

Nice. Nice, nice, nice.

Fish coated nicely. In.

Swash it around. Let it get momentum.

How's that remoulade/tartar?

The remoulade is delicious.

Right, once that fish is out shake off the excess fat.

Now you can see how crispy that batter is.

The minute it comes out of that fryer, we season it.

We season it now when it's nice and hot,

the seasoning sticks to it, okay?

- Fries are good? - Fries are looking great.

Beautiful. That's how two MasterChefs

execute a Southern-inspired fusion twist

on a classic fish and chips.

Excellent.

That was amazing.

Okay, you will have one hour

to cook your Southern fusion dishes tonight.

But to decide which country

your fusion dish will be inspired by...

- Oh, gosh. - Oh.

There are flags randomly placed in this globe,

and the flag you pull will determine where in the world

your fusion dish is going to come from.

- Oh, damn. - Oh.

I really, really don't want India

because I am the least familiar with the cuisine.

I've cooked a curry once.

Okay, Bri.

I'm scared.

Vietnam. Wow.

Tommy, off you go, sir. Mexico.

- Ooh. - Dang it.

Dara.

Gordon and the judges tell us that we have to pick the country

we are fusing Southern food with from a globe.

This globe holds the future of what I'm gonna be making.

If you say that out loud a couple times,

it's a little crazy.

- Brandi. India. - Can we trade?

Israel.

- Ooh, Ethiopia. - Oh, great.

Greece. Yes.

Jamaica.

Japan. Nice.

Big Willie. Ah, Morocco.

Lovely.

I should've paid attention in Geography better.

- Christian. - Yes, Chef.

- Which flag did you pick? - Jamaica.

Amazing.

He got Jamaica? Come--

if you don't nail Jamaica, come on.

- Emily. - I got Thailand.

Thai flavors? If I got that flag,

like, I could be able to-- on the top three.

This really sucks for me to get Israel.

- Shayne. Wow. - Uh, Ethiopia.

I don't know anything about Ethiopian food.

I don't think Shayne knows anything about Ethiopian food.

I would feel bad for anyone who got that flag

unless they were Ethiopian.

Now, all of you remember,

whoever fuses the best Southern-inspired dish

with the cuisine from their flag

will win the coveted immunity pin and be safe

from elimination across our next challenge.

Whoever's fusion dish falls flat,

sadly, will be eliminated.

Your 60 minutes start...

- Now! - Let's go.

- Ah! - Whoo!

Good luck. Go, go, go.

Oh, my God.

- Oh! - Excuse me.

I need corn.

This challenge is probably the most difficult challenge

I've seen yet in the MasterChef kitchen.

Green peppers. Green peppers.

Especially the fact that I got Thailand.

It's difficult only because I don't cook with these flavors,

and I'm not really sure how to weave them

into a Southern dish that actually makes sense.

Coming through!

Okay.

I love the idea of fusion.

I have Italy.

I am going to be doing Cajun style salmon with shrimp,

with some herb polenta

and some country style green beans.

Everyone that I grew up looking up to cooked Southern food,

so I just wanna go ahead and get some of those flavors onto this dish

and hope that the judges appreciate it.

Behind.

Okay, I am moving.

All righty.

I got Greece. I'm doing a Greek take on shrimp and grits.

So I'm doing a shrimp saganaki, which is baked shrimp.

And I'm fusing that with the holy trinity from New Orleans,

which is onions, bell pepper, and celery.

It's gonna be creamy, comforting,

meets very fresh and vibrant.

So I'm hoping that yin-yang balance works in my favor today.

15 minutes gone. We're down to 45 minutes.

Three stunning plates with a huge fusion influence.

Now what was I doing?

Whoo! Hot.

Shayne, how you feeling?

- I'm feeling all right. - Good.

As good as you can feel cooking Ethiopian food.

I'm gonna be making a chicken fried steak marinated in coffee

with some collard greens

and turmeric-inspired potatoes and cabbage.

- Shayne at 18 years old is our youngest contestant. - Yes.

- And he picks presumably the hardest country. - Yeah, I agree.

But Ethiopian food is all about the spices, right?

Ginger, cardamon, cumin.

The dish has to be full of flavor.

And if you can tie that sort of with Southern,

I think you can make that work.

So being from Texas, I feel pretty confident

on the Southern aspect of the dish.

But when it comes to the fusion, I'm lost.

I've never been to Ethiopia.

I've never eaten Ethiopian food.

This is a cluster.

And now I've got to incorporate

an Ethiopian and Southern fusion?

That crazy.

It's gonna be really hard on my part

to fuse Ethiopian food with the Southern cuisine,

but I wanna prove in this challenge

that this young man who's traveled nowhere

can make some food from across the world.

Good job, Shayne. You got this.

So fusion is the essence tonight across that Southern-inspired dish.

What is the key element to a great fusion dish?

You know, I think it's important to, number one,

understand where both of the different types of cuisine come from, right?

You don't want to just pull something out of the air.

You really want it to be harmonious.

It's all about how smart they are

with that fusion influence so it's not overkill,

or are they over-combining where it becomes confusion.

That's too salty.

Just 40 minutes to go.

I got this.

I got Thailand, so we're gonna do a crispy chicken thigh.

It's got a fish sauce caramel which actually is more savory than sweet.

It's over a corn succotash which has coconut milk, turmeric, lemon grass.

These aren't flavors that I normally am working with in my kitchen every day.

To say I'm out of my comfort zone would be an understatement.

But I lived in New Orleans for a few years,

so I know the Southern part of this equation.

Now I just need to kind of put in the Thai spin on it.

So we'll see.

I need eggs.

Okay, the lamb is on.

- Right, Bri. - Hi.

- Give us an insight. So you got Vietnam. - Yes.

Tell us about the dish. What are you doing?

I'm doing a summer roll stuffed with some bell peppers,

some grilled corn,

some Cajun spiced grilled shrimp,

and then I'm doing a peanut butter gravy.

- So is the gravy gonna be hot? - Yes.

- Okay. - Taste that before?

Never. Never even heard of it.

No, I've never heard of that either.

Sometimes when we have these summer rolls,

the inside of the roll tends to lack flavor.

Well, I'm sure you can see

all the seasoning I have on the shrimp and the corn here.

And what is in there? Cajun seasoning or...

Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.

- Okay, good. - Taste everything.

Make sure it works together before you put it on that plate.

Definitely. Thank you so much.

- Interesting. Thank you. - Thanks, Bri.

That's a lot of spices. I like it.

Here we go.

Jambalaya's in.

- Hi, Chef. Nice meeting you. - Hello!

Very nice meeting you. What are you cooking here?

The country I got is Israel.

I'm gonna do a herb sauce with a Mediterranean flavors...

- Okay. - ...with lamb and Southern-inspired grits,

and focus on flavors and focus on the lamb

because the lamb is the main protein I'm gonna showcase.

So I want to...

- Young man. - Yes?

I see you've got the sauce ready and the lamb's still raw. Look at me.

Lamb needs to rest. That should've gone on 20 minutes ago, okay?

- Yes. Okay, Chef. - Get your lamb on first.

- Good luck. Ooh-la-la. - Thank you, thank you.

35 minutes remaining.

Slow and steady.

Mmm. Delicious.

Shelly, give us an insight to what you're doing and what country.

Spain. So I was raised down South,

so I'm taking y'all to a classic cookout.

I'm gonna be doing a fried catfish escabeche.

I'm gonna do some pickled okra, carrots, and some onions,

and then I'm gonna top it with a fried potato salad.

But I'm gonna to do it my way where you're gonna have

some condensed milk, some mayonnaise.

It's a little sweet, a little heat with the paprika.

So like a patatas bravas.

Yes, exactly. It's big in Spain,

where they do hot sauce and mayonnaise and ketchup.

Okay, now I see that coming together. Okay.

- So how are you cooking the catfish? - Fry it.

Gotta fry it cast iron. You already know.

I know you're gonna get on me and yell at me

if I don't get that cast iron on, so that's about to happen.

- I don't see it! - I know. I'm coming.

Get that cast iron, get it piping hot.

I'll take that hint. Okay.

- Good luck. - All right, thank you, Chef.

There it is. I'm gonna use this.

- Right, Dara. - Hello, Chef.

- What country? - I got Peru.

- Mmm, okay. - I'm taking inspiration from a dish that I've made

which is lomo saltado, and I'm making filets,

and I'll serve that sliced on top.

You're not using any potato. You're going straight with the rice, correct?

I'm going with the rice. I felt like with the rice and the jambalaya,

it didn't need that second starch.

Interesting. Where's the rice?

- Is it in the oven? - It is, Chef.

- Good, yeah. - Okay, whew, all right. Now I can breathe.

- I was like, "Where is it? Oh, my God." - I was looking for it.

Oh, I made sure to get that in as soon as possible.

- Okay, I like it. - Sounds good.

Smart. Make sure that wok is hot enough to get some color on there, yes?

- Yes, Chef. - Bowen, the lamb needs to go in the oven.

- Yes. - Oh, my Lord.

Heard, Chef.

Last challenge, I was in the top three

so I was feeling confident.

It's not a filet. It needs to go in the oven, young man.

Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

But I'm not familiar with Israelian flavor,

so now I messed up the time management.

30 minutes gone. 30 minutes remaining.

Halfway, guys.

30 minutes! Let's get it!

Tamarind. I know I picked up tamarind.

Shelly, she picked out Spain.

Spain would be easy. Spain has a lot of very identifiable techniques

and ingredients it would be easy to integrate.

So she's doing this beautiful marinated catfish and patatas bravas

with a huge Spanish influence, especially those smoked paprika and all that fragrance there.

And then Bri, she's got Vietnam.

She's doing a shrimp summer roll.

She's doing a peanut gravy.

That's very Vietnamese.

She's making a white gravy, and then she's adding in peanut.

Yeah, I think that could be a step too far with the gravy.

It doesn't really necessarily need that.

- Risky. - Yeah.

Yeah, really risky.

Here we go.

So Shayne, he is all over the place, unfortunately.

- Aww. - He picked out that Ethiopian flag,

so he's a little bit lost.

Bowen's doing an Israelian take on a marinated rack of lamb,

and then he's doing this Israeli herb sauce.

- Yes, and a little bit of grits. - Grits, yeah.

So no tahini, none of the obvious Israeli ingredients?

- Fattoush, tabbouleh? - No couscous?

He's all over the place.

I'm really nervous.

I started cooking the lamb late

because I'm trying to do so many different things.

I hope I have the time to make the perfect medium rare lamb.

That lamb has just gone in the oven.

It should be coming out now to rest.

Jeez.

I just do not want to go home too soon.

So...

I cannot fail

'cause my dream is on the line.

I'm really nervous.

I started cooking the lamb late

because I'm trying to do so many different things.

If this dish doesn't work tonight,

it could be my last cook in the MasterChef kitchen.

Oh, my God.

Guys, 25 minutes to go.

Ooh, it's come down to the wire.

All right, Christian, what country did you get?

Jamaica. I am making jerk fried chicken,

dark rum sweet potatoes, and also my Scotch bonnet collard greens.

- Like that. - I'm from the South, so that's something

that we grew up on, eating fried chicken.

So when I got Jamaica, I was like, "Oh, yeah, this is up my alley."

- How you gonna fry the chicken? - Oh, we gonna deep fry it.

- Just the fryer. One time. - Just the fryer. One time.

- That's risky. - Come on, Joe, I'm from the South.

Every time I try to fry it once,

it doesn't come out right.

That chicken that's going twice,

that means you're not sure.

- I'm not sure. - There you go.

Temperature control is gonna be key.

Not a problem. Yes, Chef.

If it tastes as good as it sounds,

you're gonna be in a good spot.

Thank you, Chef.

Thank you, thank you.

- Hello, Willie. - Hello, how you doing?

Who are you representing and what are you fusing?

I have Morocco, and I'm a Southern boy,

and so I'm gonna do, like, this very flavorful sweet potato

and butternut squash puree with clove and cardamom,

and then I'm gonna do, like, the spiced Swiss chard

with some fried chicken thighs.

You have a lot of spices. Is there anything to balance it out?

I'm gonna top it with a pistachio caramel

to bring in that sweetness and the spice.

Okay, wonderful.

And get that chicken very, very crispy.

- Yes, Chef. - Love that.

- Love that, love that. - Thank you.

Shoot.

All right. We're getting there.

Derrick, how are you?

What's up, Chefs? How we doing?

What country did you get, buddy?

I got China.

I was a little perplexed at the beginning,

but I'm doing a General Tso's chicken

with a five-spice Chinese waffle.

Like Chinese chicken and waffles.

Sweetness would be my fear on this dish.

I mean, if there's an answer to this riddle, it's balance and harmony.

Yes, Chef.

How about this? It's a little French.

- Looking good. - See? Thinking of the restaurant presentation.

There you go, there you go. That's thinking.

- Good job. - Thank you, Chefs.

Ooh, beautiful.

- Hi, Brandi. - Hi, Tiffany.

Where did you pick from and what are you making?

I have India. I'm feeling pretty good now. A little nervous at first.

I don't cook a lot of Indian food,

but I know the flavor profile, and I know the spices,

and I am doing a roasted rack of lamb,

it's in the oven right now. It's gonna be Indian spiced.

And then I'm doing a tamarind barbecue for it as a Southern spin on it.

And I've got a sweet potato bacon onion curry.

Are you as confused as I am?

- There's a lot going on there. - There is a lot.

But tamarind, barbecue sauce,

those are flavors that you would normally get in the South.

So if done right, it could work.

I have to run, I have to get stuff.

A lot going on. Good luck!

Come on, come on, come on.

- Shayne, they look like they're burning.

We're now down to the last 10 minutes remaining.

Last 10 minutes, guys. Three stunning plates.

Immunity up for grabs. Let's go.

I want that pin today.

So, Willie got Morocco.

He's doing a fried chicken, some sweet potatoes,

but, guys, there is so much spice going on.

He's not afraid, Big Willie, of the spice, that's for sure.

If he could really balance that,

that could be a really stellar dish.

Come on, come on, come on.

It's got to go in the oven now.

Derrick got China, so he's doing General Tso's fried chicken

with a five-spice waffle.

So chicken and waffles, except Chinese version.

- Chinese version. - Okay.

Christian, he got the beloved Jamaica.

He's gonna do a jerked spice fried chicken.

He has some beautiful braised collard greens...

- Nice. - ...and he's gonna do his famous sweet potatoes.

The key here is that the chicken has to be cooked properly.

So, we'll see.

Just under six minutes to go, guys.

Come on. Let's go.

Oh, those steaks need to rest.

Whoo.

Whoo, boy.

Oh, shoot. It's not finished.

I have to hurry up.

Oh, man.

The most crucial thing about my dish

is this fried chicken.

Why is it dropping?

So I'm a little bit nervous because the chicken

is not cooking fast enough.

This is down to the wire, and I do not want to go home on uncooked chicken.

Why is it dropping?

I'm a little bit nervous because my chicken

is not cooking fast enough.

If I go home on a Southern fusion challenge,

you might as well just hang my apron up.

60 seconds to go, guys. Come on, let's go.

Last minute, please! Come on.

- Come on, Christian.

Still hasn't got chicken on his plate.

- Oh, my God. - Still has not got it on there.

We're now down to the last 30 seconds.

Sadly, for one of you, your last 30 seconds in this kitchen. Come on.

This is easier when your hands aren't shaking.

Whew!

Right, looks good.

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

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

- Great job, guys. - Whoo!

- Holy . - Whoo!

- That is too much. - I'm feeling great.

Every time I make a dish, I'm shooting for that immunity,

and this dish very well could be the immunity dish.

I'm feeling good, since I got the lamb on the plate.

Tonight, you were asked to follow in the footsteps

of our amazing guest judge Tiffany Derry

by cooking us a Southern-inspired fusion dish.

But now, we need to take one final look at your dishes

to see who's in the running for the immunity pin

and who's in danger of being eliminated.

Are you worried about this curry right here being too spicy?

- I don't think so. - Okay.

These are the croquettes?

I actually call them croquetas.

I see the worry going over people's faces.

The biggest thing that is sticking with me

is they said make sure you're creating fusion and not confusion.

Shayne, not the easiest of combinations.

- And did you taste that gravy? - I did.

- It got a little thicker than I wanted to. - Thank you.

You gotta make sure that it's balanced and still show respect

to all of these countries and the history of the South.

Chicken and waffles is such an iconic Southern dish

and then you're putting China into the fold.

Are they gonna both meld together beautifully?

- I think so. - Good luck with that.

Bowen, do you feel happy about the influence that you have from Israel?

I think I bring the flavors on the plate.

Mm-hmm.

Christian, and you fried the chicken just once, huh?

I fried the chicken, and I threw it in the oven to finish it off.

Interesting.

Have you ever rolled these kind of summer rolls before?

I have, and to be honest, my hands were just so shaky.

Okay.

I did a sweet potato puree,

so you get, like, this soufflé kind of thing for Thanksgiving.

- Thanksgiving, Morocco. - Yes.

Shelly, you got Spain. Are you happy with the flavor?

I do wish I put a little bit more of the pickling, the escabeche.

Okay.

I hope the judges see how hard I worked,

'cause I really, really want the pin.

Well done.

That was a very tough challenge.

Now, we have three stunning dishes

that we would like to highlight as the best of the best.

The first dish we'd love to taste

comes from a woman who really understands

how to cook with her roots.

Please step forward,

from the bottom to the top, Shelly. Let's go.

I'm feeling good, but because I'm cooking

with all these strong spices, my palate is so shot.

Like, I'm worried about my balance.

Shelly, tell us what country you pulled

and describe the dish, please.

I have Spain, so I did an adobo mustard fried catfish

with escabeche, veg, and patatas bravas.

Let's get in there, shall we?

Shelly, the catfish is cooked beautifully.

It's glistening and it's moist and it's crunchy.

All those textures there. Then you come into the heat with the patatas bravas.

It's simple, but elegant enough

to understand the combination of those Spanish influences.

- Great job. - Thank you, Chef.

Shelly, as a Southern girl, I love catfish.

What you're looking for is that crunch on the outside,

that perfect moist where the fish just flakes apart.

And you did that. You really walked the line of spice.

But because the potatoes are so creamy,

it all works together, and that word that I was talking about,

harmonious, we want that when we're talking about fusion.

Thank you.

The brilliance here, I think, really lies

with the okra, the way you pickled it.

That's the attention to detail that makes food

from being okay to phenomenal.

It's everything we were looking for today.

- Good job. - Thank you.

Yeah, Shelly!

- Great start. - Okay, the second dish that we would like to taste

was cooked from someone that's already been in the top three.

Please come forward...

Emily.

Hearing my name called out for the top three

is like music to my ears.

I was prepared to be in the bottom,

But I'm still pretty nervous,

because my dish looks very simple.

Please describe your dish, and what country did you get?

I got Thailand.

I did a crispy skin boneless chicken thigh

tossed in a fish sauce caramel over a corn succotash

with a coconut creamy sauce,

and then some pickled vegetables on the side.

Emily, there is nothing dull about this dish,

and I like that your sauce looks extremely smooth,

and you just were very intentional in how you plated this.

Shall we?

You hear that crunch? - Mm-hmm.

Young lady, it tastes as good as it looks. It's exceptional.

You've absolutely nailed the fusion elements.

But the cook on the chicken? It's called perfection.

The way that that chicken is cooked, it is so tasty,

and this corn with the addition of the coconut milk

is a very smart way to blend both of those together.

- Thank you. - I hate to float your gloat,

but this is some next level .

- Good job. - Really good.

- Thank you. - Thank you, Emily.

- Thank you, Emily. - Great job.

Really good, indeed.

Okay, guys, the final dish that we would like to taste,

from a gentleman who has been wowing us week after week so far.

Please come forward...

- Christian. - Damn.

I really want to win this pin,

but the only thing that is on my mind is the chicken.

Okay, Christian, what country did you get and what did you make?

Jamaica.

I made a jerk fried chicken

topped with a ginger honey glaze,

black rum candied yams,

and habañero collard greens topped with bacon.

Yeah, it all looks really, really good.

I just have to say, let's see if it's cooked.

All right, let's see what we got.

I really want to win this pin,

but the most crucial thing

that I'm worried about is this fried chicken.

I don't know if it's cooked all the way through.

Coming from the South, that would be a bad look for me.

Unbelievable.

Yum, yum, yum.

The chicken is delicious.

It's succulent, juicy, cooked as good as Emily's.

And I just love the sort of fried Southern style

with the Jamaican influence,

- 'cause it screams you. - Thank you so much.

Christian, I really like the chicken here.

The skin, when I bit into it, I mean, it crunched.

And you're onto something with these sweet potatoes with that black rum.

- It's delicious, so well done. - Thank you, Chef.

Yeah and there's a fusion that makes complete sense. I applaud you for that.

It really is a celebration of flavor.

- Good job. - Thank you so much.

- Thanks, Christian. - Mm.

- That's good, wasn't it? - Yeah.

Really good, indeed. Give us a moment, please.

I thought all three did a really great job

of, you know, showcasing the country they chose...

- Yes. Yeah. - ...and the food, and also Southern.

- Shelly's dish. - Those patatas bravas were as good as any I've ever had.

- Emily's was really good. - I think a touch of spice,

considering Thailand, would've been nice to have.

- Yeah. - Christian's is more rustic.

Hers is, like-- the plating's very beautiful.

Yes, yeah, it's a tough one, this one.

- Guys, got it? - I think we do.

Yeah, got it.

You all cooked three exceptional dishes,

but there was one dish that confirmed their ambition.

And the best dish of the night

the winner of the coveted immunity pin,

congratulations goes to...

Christian.

- Whoo! - Yeah, Christian!

I'm just at a wow right now.

I got the pin. I'm safe.

The more and more I cook, it gives me an opportunity

to show the judges, like, this dude really knows how to cook.

That's big to me, very big.

Well done, Emily, Shelly, and Christian.

Head up to the balcony. Great job.

Now, unfortunately, there are also a few dishes

that did not meet our standards this evening.

And, sadly, that means one of you will be going home.

The first dish was made by a cook who, unfortunately,

seemed unfamiliar with the flavors

from their chosen country.

Please step forward...

Bowen.

I feel disappointed, but I hope the judges

can taste the flavor on the plate

over all the mistakes I made.

Bowen, describe the dish, please.

The country I got is Israel,

and then the dish is a rack of lamb,

and it's served with an herb sauce,

and then with a pan fried grit cake.

The gorilla in the room is the lamb, right?

The butchery on the lamb is kind of a disaster.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

So, the lamb may be cut awkwardly.

It's actually cooked quite nice.

But the dish is badly executed.

I don't ever understand why you start focusing on the garnish and ignore the protein.

I think this is more of a confused fusion

than a competent fusion.

Bowen, it looks like your dishes

lack some consistency across the board, right?

How you cut the meat, how the meat's laid,

the thickness of certain cuts of lamb.

For me, the positive note is that sauce.

The herb sauce with the pomegranate makes sense.

But I think you didn't fully understand the fusion component of it

- and it shows on the plate. - Thank you, Bowen.

- Thank you, Chef. - Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?

He's a good cook. Way better than this dish.

Okay, the second dish we need to examine further

looked a little too rustic.

Please come forward, Shayne.

No one ever wants to be in the bottom three.

It's tough, but I don't work with Ethiopian flavors,

so I was going off on a limb tonight.

So I hope what I have on the plate is enough

to get me through the competition.

Okay, Shayne, what did you make us?

I made a coffee-marinated chicken fried steak

with some cabbage and potatoes seasoned with some turmeric.

And then I made some collard greens and a pan gravy.

You know, visually, I don't eat a lot of chicken fried steak,

but I'm pretty sure you don't cut it in half, right?

When you fry food, that's something that's kind of a no-no.

Shayne, let's get one thing clear,

I think the Ethiopian influence tonight would have been difficult

for many of the contestants standing behind you.

But, young man, not your strongest plating performance so far.

Shall we?

For me, Shayne, the cook, actually, on the steak is good.

But there's a lack of seasoning.

I love the coffee reference, but none of that

is showing up on the palate.

Thank you, Chef.

Shayne, here there is just a lack of execution.

Adding more spice-- there are so many different flavors

that you could've added just to pick it up.

And, Shayne, the truth of the matter is

there's a bit of life experience missing

in the conceptualization and execution of this dish.

- Thank you. - Thank you, guys.

- Oh, Shayne. - It's okay, Shayne.

- Head up, Shayne. - Keep your head up.

All right, the final dish that we would like to taste

is from a cook who lacked the high level of finesse

that we as judges come to expect.

Please come forward, Bri.

This is my first time in the bottom three.

While I am proud of what I did initially,

looking at my dish, I know I made a big mistake.

Bri, please let us know what country you got and what you prepared.

The country that I chose was Vietnam.

And I made a summer roll that has a grilled shrimp,

grilled corn, and bell pepper filling.

And then underneath that is a peanut butter gravy.

Uh, visually, Bri, I'm gonna be honest,

it's just bizarre.

It's just too phallic to eat.

What?

Visually, Bri, I'm gonna be honest.

It's just bizarre.

And I think this is one of your weakest

performing dishes, if I'm honest.

What?

Oh, dear, Bri, the actual slaw tastes quite nice.

It's quite refreshing, but it does not go with gravy.

And there's not a chef anywhere on the planet tonight

that'll put peanut gravy on top of a fresh slaw.

Bri, one of the reasons that we don't do gravy

with any kind of roll is because you want to make sure

that it's refreshing and that it's light.

It should never feel heavy.

Yeah, Bri, I just think there's inconsistencies with this kind of dish.

But I like the usage of herbs, to be honest.

I think you did a good job. That's very Vietnamese.

Bri, you're a cook that concentrates a lot on the aesthetic of a dish,

and this dish looks bad.

It tastes like how it looks.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Bowen, Shayne, and Bri, excuse us.

And now we wait.

Bowen's, I mean, the lamb was actually cooked quite nicely.

But that dish did not make sense,

and he had no execution, no thought process.

- Not at all. - He's a way better cook than that dish.

- And Shayne's. - Oh, my God.

- All over the place. - You don't slice fried food.

Yeah. Bri's, I mean, it's a dipping sauce, right?

- Yes, yes. - With a Vietnamese influence. It's not a gravy.

A little fish sauce and it would've been nice.

- It would've been lovely. - Yeah.

- We're all in agreeance? - Yes, we are.

- Yeah? - Let's go.

You're good.

Right, we have a unanimous decision.

The individual that we feel was really at the bottom of the class

and is sadly leaving Back to Win,"

that dish belonged to...

Shayne.

Aw, I'm sorry, Shayne.

Oh!

Bowen and Bri, head back to your stations, please.

Shayne, tonight you were beaten by lack of experience.

Young man, let me tell you something.

You're only 18 years of age.

You're incredibly bright, you're very polite,

and from an early age, it was obvious that you were born to cook.

- Thank you. - Promise me you'll continue your journey.

Oh, for sure, Chef. And I'd like to thank all y'all,

just for this amazing opportunity to come back and prove to myself.

And that dish doesn't define me, and you guys will find out.

Come and say good-bye, bud.

Shayne Train, baby.

Keep in touch.

It was awesome meeting you.

My man.

The thing I've learned throughout this competition

is you can't let your losses define you.

- Thank you guys so much. - Take care, bud.

- Shayne! - Shayne the Train!

I'm proud that I was able to build up the courage to come here again.

And to compete against adults, it's a milestone in itself.

- Shayne, I'ma miss you. - For sho'.

I'm confident. I know that this industry is meant for me...

Good night, bud. Head up high.

- Love you, boy. - Gone, but not forgotten.

Shayne the Train out.

- Next time... - Welcome, top 15!

...the cooks have to replicate the perfect dessert.

- Go fast. - Ooh!

- One thousand layers. - High risk, high reward.

- You're making me nervous. - Get over it and get cooking.

But to get that immunity pin...

- It's really perfection. - Unreal.

Christina Tosi has real competition.

...you've gotta bake to win.

And right now you're in danger.

It's not coming together.

- Please get it cooked!

- Damn it. - They're gonna tear me apart, Willie.

It tastes foul. This is your worst performance in the competition so far.

Come on, man, you got two cookbooks?