Masterchef (2010) s04e08 Episode Script
Top 16 Compete, Part 2
Previously on MasterChef, a five-alarm team challenge saw our home cooks serve America's finest.
Move your ass and make another plate.
Come on.
And the results were explosive.
It'll be winter by the time you get it out here.
- You never call food disgusting.
- This is ridiculous.
Resulting in a blue team victory.
Then what began as a classic pressure test This looks like eggs vomit.
turned into a MasterChef first.
All four of you will be walking out those doors and into an even greater challenge.
Now the pressure test continues.
This isn't just any Vegas restaurant.
It's mine.
As the competition doubles down for a battle royale in Las Vegas.
It's still moving, it's that raw.
Oe of these four home cooks will be eliminated tonight.
They're good.
They're good.
And it all comes down to a showdown on top of the Las Vegas strip.
The stakes don't get any higher than this.
Natasha, Luca, Kathy, and I all failed at the Eggs Benedict pressure test.
So we're in Vegas to fight it out, just the four of us.
One of us is going home.
I'm a restaurant manager.
Winning MasterChef is about achieving my dream to put my name as an executive chef to have people to come eat my food at my restaurant.
I am a stay-at-home mom.
I'm here to prove to everyone out there that I can cook and that I can do whatever I want to put my heart to.
And my heart is in food.
Welcome to Las Vegas, one of the greatest culinary cities anywhere in the world.
Now, we're not here to enjoy the bright lights or to take in a show.
Oh, no.
You four were at the bottom of the last pressure test.
One of you is leaving MasterChef tonight.
And to decide which one of you is eliminated from the biggest culinary competition in America, we have brought you into the real culinary world for a unique challenge.
Tonight we will test you in a real restaurant, but this isn't just any Vegas restaurant.
It's mine.
This is Burgr.
At planet hollywood resort.
We make stunning gourmet burgers for the high rollers of Vegas.
We average about 860 burgers a night.
Usually that's achieved with one executive chef, three sous chefs, and nine cooks.
But they're not working tonight.
You are.
I've never cooked in a professional restaurant, So I don't know how to work a professional kitchen.
I'm scared.
Don't worry, because you won't be cooking alone.
You'll be split into two teams of two.
Your challenge tonight will be to serve the diners of Las Vegas a signature burger that you create.
Each diner will eat both of your burgers, and they'll have a red and blue chip.
Once they've eaten, they'll use these chips to bet on their favorite burger.
The team with the lowest number of chips loses this challenge.
Those two people will then go head to head in one last battle to decide, which one has no future in this competition.
We can also tell you that, at some point during tonight's service, we've invited some high-rolling Vegas VIPs to taste your burgers.
When I hear VIP, it has to be somebody famous, and it just puts more pressure on our shoulders than we already have.
You'll have just one hour to prep and 75 minutes of continuous service.
There's no team pick.
We decide the teams.
Beth, you're cooking with Natasha.
Luca, you're cooking with Kathy.
When it comes, you know, to cooking skills and creativity, I think I would have liked to have somebody else on my team.
Beth has a little bit of a mouth, and I think that this last challenge that we did as a group, she learned to keep it quiet.
So the fact that her and I are gonna be together, I think she's gonna be smarter about the words that are coming out of her mouth.
Blue team, who's the leader? I'll give that to you.
I'll take it.
Beth is the leader fo the blue team.
Luca, who's gonna lead? I am.
You're gonna lead? Yes, chef.
A key position in any successful restaurant is the expediter.
Gordon, who's gonna be the expediter tonight? I'm expediting.
I'll be running things, and I will not let anything substandard leave my kitchen.
Chef Ramsay is gonna be the expediter, and, you know, it's gonna be a lot of pressure because he doesn't play around.
Are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes prep Starts now.
Let's go.
Good luck.
- I tell you my idea.
- Okay.
- The patty, all-beef.
- Okay.
- Everybody loves beef.
- Yeah, of course.
We caramelize the onions on top.
Caramelized onion need to have some sauce, okay? I don't think you need the cheese.
Luca doesn't want to do cheese on the burgers.
I don't agree, because I feel every burger in town should be with cheese.
I hope he's right with this one.
- Let's go.
- As Luca and Kathy begin preparing their minimalist burger, the blue team's Beth and Natasha are still figuring out ingredients for theirs.
Do, like, a hangover burger.
We'll get some gruyere, some crispy prosciutto, and a sunnyside-up egg with, like, a truffle aioli.
Can we get eggs done in 60 minutes? You know, it's just sunnyside-up.
Beth has a lot of opinions, and some of 'em I don't agree with, but, you know, if there was anything to be at fault later in this competition, she's gonna take the blame, because I'm just going along with what she thinks.
If you were in this kitchen and you had all these beautiful products to work with, what burger would you make? Me, personally, I'd do a beautiful, seasoned cheeseburger with a bit of heat in there.
If you start putting egg in there - and bread crumbs - Then it's meatloaf.
All of a sudden you're making a meatloaf.
We want a burger.
Nobody wants that.
You want to taste the flavor of the meat.
Right, Beth, what kind of burger are you doing? We're gonna do something that really, I think, will play to a hangover well.
It's Vegas, right? What's the seasoning inside the pate? It's gonna have mustard, a little egg to make it moist.
Why would you need to put egg in the burger when you've got those two blends? I do it all the time, and it makes it so moist.
I mean, you're using an amazing cut there.
I never put eggs and bind 'em.
All right.
Good luck.
- Got it? - Yeah, we're good.
Kathy, Luca, what are you working on? I'm working on some caramelized onions.
Luca, what are you rocking on? The pate.
You have one going right now? Yup, that's our test burger.
Remember, it's not just how it tastes.
it's how thick it is or how thin it is.
If it overcooks, undercooks.
- We got this.
- Okay.
Just under 30 minutes to go.
While Luca seems to have the red team on track, the blue team is struggling to find the best way to cook their eggs.
It's not gonna work.
It's gonna take too long.
Beth, you tell me what you want to do.
Throw ideas at me.
You tell me.
Part of me thinks that she's deferring to me on everything because she's setting it up So that, if we lose, she can throw me under the bus.
It's sticking.
You need a lot more butter on there.
Like a lot more.
If that is her strategy, she's handicapping the team she's on, and it's a very dumb move.
As the blue team continues to struggle, Kathy is having her own problems in the kitchen.
We need a lot of onions.
Do I cut 'em bigger or No, no, no, go, go, go, go.
Or bigger, whatever, but just I mean, listen.
You cut one onion, and I'm freaking out.
It took Kathy too long to prepare the caramelized onions.
I don't have time for the sauce.
The burger's gonna go out like this.
There's nothing else I can do.
You need to start to work on the buns, huh? No problem.
Guys, 13 minutes left until we open those doors.
At this point, there should be no stone left unturned with that burger.
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
All right, ladies.
What is happening to those? Beth, Natasha, you're frying eggs before you actually nail the pate.
If there's one thing you gotta nail first, it's the pate, right? This is pressure.
We're trying to figure out our components, 'cause we're not 100% yet on our burger.
Stop.
You dressed that? We put a little bit of lemon.
You're dressing salad, and we haven't got the burger pate done.
Get that pate nailed now before you do anything.
Both of you, someone's going home tonight.
And right now, at this stage, it's one of you.
- Yes, chef.
- Think.
Come on, guys.
[bleep.]
.
Here they come.
Hello, ladies.
Welcome.
As the doors of Gordon Ramsay's Burgr restaurant open for service First customers are arriving, guys.
Luca and Kathy are battling Beth and Natasha in a gourmet burger challenge.
Three minutes to go.
With service about to start, the blue team is still undecided on whether to serve a fried egg on top of their burger or not.
Beth gets a little overwhelmed, and, you know, the egg's not looking so pretty.
And that, it's not a good decision.
And I knew it in my mind already.
I was just going along with what the captain said, so, as much as I don't like her, I really do not want to lose this challenge.
So it's time to fix this burger.
I think we should try to focus on doing a cheese on it.
Just scratch the egg, do the goat cheese, arugula.
- And then the prosciutto.
- Exactly.
Then I can focus more on the prosciutto - and have it crispy.
- Sounds good.
When service begins, every customer will get one burger from each team.
The blue team will be serving a beef burger with crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula, and an aioli sauce.
While the red team will be serving a beef burger with caramelized onions and arugula.
Let's go, guys.
Gordon, what do you need from them as an expediter? We're serving the red team and the blue team's burgers at the same time.
If they say it's two minutes in the window for table 25, It has to be literally two minutes in the window, both teams.
How long are you gonna drag food for? you gonna hold it back? They've got a 60-second Maximum time, otherwise And they start losing votes.
They start losing votes.
You have now got 75 minutes of service.
Yes, chef! Right.
on order, blue team, Two covers, table 31, two gourmet burgers.
Yes, chef.
You got this? Red team, on order, two gourmet burgers.
Yes, chef.
All right, red team, how long? First order.
one minute, chef.
One minute.
Let's go, guys.
Two stunning burgers, Beth.
Let's go.
- You got this? - They're good.
They're good.
Two orders up, chef.
Red team's in the window.
Blue team, Blue team, two gourmet burgers here.
Service, pick up.
Table 24, please.
Let's go, guys.
Stunning burgers.
Do not stop working.
Welcome to my world.
Let's go.
The kitchen during service is just fire and noise and the voice of Gordon Ramsay screaming.
- Watch those temperatures please.
- Yes, chef.
Am I talking to myself here? Service on order, red team, two gourmet burgers, table 25.
Blue team, two gourmet burgers.
I'm usually pretty fast with working in the kitchen, but this is completely different.
I mean, this is pressure.
Burgers in the window, red team.
Let's go.
They're ready, chef.
Yeah, well, if they're ready, get them up here.
Let's go.
Here you go, chef.
Pick up, please.
Service, let's go.
Timing is extremely important, and we're doing really good from the get-go.
I mean, we've got everything organized.
Got enough stuff prepped.
We're good.
Which one do you like better? I'm leaning more towards the blue team thus far.
Why? More savory flavor.
Like the bacon.
You like the bacon.
You like the cheese, the arugula.
Very juicy.
Enjoyed the red one.
I'm a big fan of caramelized onions.
Plus, it was cooked perfectly.
On order, red team, How long? I have two minutes at least.
Let's go.
I've got burgers in the windows, guys.
Luca, we got one minute to get the burgers up.
We're behind.
I don't have we're behind.
Chef Ramsay calls an order of two.
The blue team puts up two burgers.
I look around, I don't have burgers ready.
I need this next table, chef.
Coming now, Joe.
Red team, you're falling behind, guys.
Come on, Luca.
We need them patties.
Yeah, but if they're not ready, they're not ready.
What do you want me to do? - Luca.
- Yes, chef? Get two burgers in the window, or it's gone! Put the onion in.
Put the onion in.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Luca, what's the temperatures in there? Medium, chef.
- Luca.
- Yes, chef? Kathy! Yes, chef? Come here, both of you.
- It's raw.
- I knew it.
No, no, just touch it! It's raw.
Look at it.
It's still moving, It's that [bleep.]
raw.
We've gone from a gourmet burger to a [bleep.]
steak tartare.
- Yes, chef.
- Stop.
You've lost it.
Time up.
Table 23? No red for 23.
- Where's the red burgers? - Raw.
- Raw in the middle.
- All right.
Let's go.
Take that back.
and wake up.
As the red team tries to correct their mistakes on the grill, Beth, the captain of the blue team, is having a problem preparing the buns for their burger.
Hey, young lady.
Give me that bun.
- Hey, hey, hey, you two.
- Yeah.
When you two start [bleep.]
around like this, do you know what that tells me? You're out of control.
Sorry, chef.
You're way out of control.
Sorry, chef.
Sorry, chef.
Come on, guys.
Please.
As the home cooks try to get back on track in the kitchen Some of the diners are beginning to cast votes for their favorite gourmet burger.
While back in the dining room, the tasting continues.
How are the burgers, folks? I like the blue one.
you like the blue one? - Blue one's delicious.
- It was good? - Oh, great.
And the red one? I think it's undercooked.
Oh, my god.
- It's raw.
- I don't want to eat any more.
Let me go show the kitchen.
Let me come back.
Chef.
These burgers - Oh, no.
- Are completely raw.
Raw again? This is embarrassing.
- Red team.
- Yes, chef? A raw burger.
Look at me.
They're coming back now.
You've got to stop, rethink, and get a grip.
Yes, chef.
Luca said he knew what he was doing, so then, if you know what you're doing, the burgers should be medium-rare, and you should know how to cook it, so I'm kind of pissed off right now, but I can't think about that.
He better get his [bleep.]
together and get it going.
Red team, blue team.
- Yes, chef.
- Look at me.
Look at me.
The VIPs are just about to arrive.
All of you, take your aprons off and cook without your aprons.
I want the best burger you've ever cooked.
- Yes? - Yes, chef.
Okay, Gordon, the VIPs are in the house.
- How are you? - Welcome.
Nice hair.
it's all the other contestants.
Nice to see you, guys.
No, it's not really nice to see you, 'cause I know you're not gonna be nice with my burgers.
The teams will perform the remainder of the challenge without aprons to ensure their anonymity and guarantee a fair vote.
So they are gonna be tasting your burgers.
They've got no idea who's cooking what.
Look at me.
The best 12 burgers you've ever cooked in your entire lives.
Yes, chef.
This is a huge deal.
The fate of our fellow competitors in our hands is a little bit intense of a responsibility.
all four of you, let's go.
Yes, chef.
Order up, chef.
Thank you.
With the two teams now well into service Ready.
Order up.
Luca decides to push the pace in the kitchen with the hope of gaining an advantage.
At this point, I start working well in the grill, and I have a little bit of a strategy.
I'm going to try to send the burgers out as fast as possible after chef Ramsay calls it to try to catch Natasha and Beth behind so they can lose votes.
Next four, how long? Now.
Up now, chef.
One minute.
Let's go, Natasha.
Things on the other side are going a lot faster.
Here you go, chef.
Beth, come on.
Natasha, come on.
Come on.
We are just blowing through this service for these last 12 burgers.
Let's go.
As the service winds down, 8 of the 12 fellow contestants have burgers from each team.
Natasha, Beth, last four.
How long, please? - Two minutes.
- Two minutes.
Let's go.
- Luca, how long? - Now.
Now.
Let's go.
Stunning burgers.
Let's go.
Oh.
She's burning buns again.
How can you stand in front of a grill and burn [bleep.]
buns? Sorry, chef.
I didn't put 'em in.
I didn't know they were in, chef.
- But you're in front of them.
- I know.
Even if you were blind, you'd smell they're [bleep.]
burned.
I did.
Sorry, chef.
Man! Order up, chef.
Order up, chef.
Blue team, 60 seconds from now.
Luca rushes the last four burgers up, and they're just sitting in the window, and I know, if we don't get our burgers up, Gordon's just gonna take the plates, and we're gonna lose those votes.
Let's go, guys.
We're coming.
Beth and Natasha now are struggling.
They are very, very, very frenetic, and that's where they gonna fall down.
Come on, blue team.
I need these burgers.
I got burgers dying in the window here.
- Let's go.
- Blue team! As service at Gordon Ramsay's Burgr restaurant races towards a finish Order up, chef.
red team has rushed their final four burgers to the service window, despite being reprimanded twice for serving raw meat.
Come on, blue team.
I need these burgers.
Let's go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up.
- Come on.
- Yes! I'm not gonna let their burgers die in the window because you burnt your buns, and more importantly you're not even communicating as a team.
Having not plated four burgers and knowing that four of the competitors didn't get one, it pisses me off beyond belief because we made such a stupid mistake.
If we lose, it's gonna be because of burnt buns.
Numerous burnt buns.
Okay, guys, I'm sorry to inform you, but there will be no burger from the blue team.
And, everyone else, please, you can begin eating your burgers.
Enjoy.
As the safe contestants chow down, they'll have to choose between the blue team's burger with crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula, and an aioli sauce, or the red team's burger topped with caramelized onions and arugula.
You had two burgers on your plate, one of which is gone now.
- It wasn't even close for me.
- Really? Yeah, the red burger was way overcooked.
Whose do you like the best? That goat cheese killed me.
Who's your chip going to? I think they both missed the mark in seasoning.
As the 12 safe MasterChef contestants finish sampling their burgers, the restaurant customers finish casting their votes.
Their blind votes will determine the two fellow competitors, who will return to the MasterChef kitchen and the two who will face one final extraordinary Vegas head-to-head challenge.
If we lose, it's because our burger was just not good enough.
But I know that, out of 12, I got 4 already because of my strategy.
I'm seriously sick of being in the bottom.
I'm sick of losing.
So I'm just really hoping right now that those four burgers that we were not able to get out isn't the thing that's gonna make us go home.
V-VIPs, you all know why you're here.
One of these four is leaving the MasterChef competition tonight.
Everybody else that has eaten in my restaurant tonight, they've already placed their votes.
And now yours will have a major impact on this competition.
Let's start the votes with Eddie.
Watching all the competitors vote is nerve-racking.
I wish they would have done it before we got up here, you know.
I don't want to see them voting, Especially when they're not voting for our team.
I'm not impressed with the red team.
It's a mediocre burger.
But I have to vote for this burger because it's the only one that was put in front of me.
At first I'm feeling good, but then we get down to the people who did not receive our burger.
and it's obviously red, red, and I start to get nervous again.
Last but not least.
I had to scrape an overwhelming amount of goat cheese off of my burger to be able to even taste the meat.
This was a blind tasting.
We're about to find out which persons are on the red team, and which persons are on the blue team.
Please come and take your aprons from Graham.
Put them on.
Stand in your teams.
When I see the teams, it shocked me.
I expected a lot more out of Luca and Kathy.
Sometimes simple isn't gonna win.
Come on, Luca.
Where's the cheese? I was not expecting it to be a one-two, Natasha-Beth combo, especially since they almost killed each other just a few days ago.
Now that you've voted, it's time to find out who won the overall votes.
The losing team will go head to head in the next challenge, and one of you will be going home.
I really, really, really, really want to win.
This has been, emotionally, a roller coaster.
And I want it to be worth it.
This was way harder than I thought it was gonna be.
I'll be really bummed out if we lose.
The most popular burger tonight is Whoa.
It was close, but the blue team won.
Beth and Natasha, you are both safe and remain in the MasterChef competition.
of course I'm happy for the both of us or whatever.
I'm more happy for myself.
I'm here for a competition, not to make up and make a friend, so Beth is still a competitor, and she's still a target.
Uh, blue team, congratulations.
Thank you, chef.
Kathy and Luca will go head to head in one more extraordinary challenge.
We failed.
Now my place in the MasterChef kitchen is seriously on the line.
Now I got to go head to head with the Italian stallion, and Luca's very versatile with his food.
I'm not.
So it's really nerve-racking.
The rest of you, I'll see you back in the MasterChef kitchen.
Luca and Kathy, come with us.
Let's go.
MasterChef is in Las Vegas where Kathy and Luca have lost their last challenge.
Luca and Kathy, come with us.
Now to find out who will be sent home, they'll face off against each other on the top of caesars palace, which has been transformed into the MasterChef kitchen.
It is like we're back in L.
A.
all over again, but we're not, we're in Vegas under these lights and the billboard behind us, it says MasterChef.
Right now, I'm pretty damn nervous.
It's incredible how they just brought the entire MasterChef kitchen station in this beautiful rooftop in Las Vegas.
It's too bad I don't have that much time to enjoy it, because maybe in less than an hour I'll be going home.
Kathy and Luca, welcome to pure nightclub at the legendary Saesars palace.
You're here right in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.
You two teamed up to cook a signature burger at my restaurant.
And, sadly, you failed.
Now you have to face the consequences in this head-to-head pressure test.
So you'll be needing these.
One of you will be going home tonight.
The stakes don't get any higher than this.
Tonight, you're gonna have to cook one of the most expensive, luxurious ingredients in the entire world.
One dish is gonna determine your fate in this competition.
Butter-poached lobster.
A true Vegas classic.
In fact, every year, 6 million of these are consumed in Vegas alone.
Tender, delicate, expensive.
And that stunning salad is a perfect accompaniment to counteract the richness from the lobster.
You two, please come and enjoy what a perfect butter-poached lobster should taste like.
It's delicious.
It's one of the most delicious thing I ever tasted in my life.
I think I have the advantage on this, because I don't see Kathy very organized to work on a very technical dish like this one.
You'll have just 45 minutes to replicate a stunning butter-poached lobster.
The loser will be eliminated.
Kathy, Luca, are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts now.
My kids is what motivate and push me.
They're the ones that keep me truckin'.
So I'm a fighter.
I've proven Joe wrong once before.
I'm not ready to leave.
It's not my time to go yet.
I came here again for the second year, because I know I can do it.
I need this apron.
I'm not ready to give up.
Lobster is Vegas.
It represents the food in this town.
What is really gonna trip them up in a butter-poached lobster? This is about a procedure.
You have to follow it step by step.
Get your butter on first.
Then boil your water.
Get that beautifully seasoned.
You should be cooking it in almost, like, salty water.
- Just like the ocean.
- Just like the ocean.
The boiling in the water is just to get it out of the shell.
Exactly that.
The longer they cook the lobster in the boiling water and not poach it in the butter, the tougher it's gonna be.
Is that the jeopardy here, you think? That's the jeopardy.
Two seconds under, It's sushi.
Ten seconds over, and it's rubber.
So you've got to be very, very careful.
Right.
Kathy, how you feeling? I'm feeling good, chef.
How are you gonna make sure your lobster beats Luca's? I'm gonna take my time with it, chef.
We've seen you survive under pressure very well in the past.
Can you do this? Yes, I can, chef.
My journey's just begun here on MasterChef.
You think you got what it takes to stay in? Yes, I do, chef.
All right, Luca.
You don't look very happy.
I don't want to be here.
Why should I be happy? I'm at risk to go home tonight.
Are you ready to leave the competition? I'll be ready when I get my title.
That is the only time when I can say I'm ready to go home.
Can you produce a lobster better than Kathy's? Absolutely.
I'm gonna be I'm gonna produce the best lobster ever.
Kathy is in the zone.
The level of concentration on her right now is incredible.
She has an amazing fighting spirit.
I think she's at her best in this competition when she's under the most pressure, you know that? We'll see it today, but I just don't know if she's got what it takes to make this butter-poached lobster.
She looks more composed than Luca.
Luca looks nervous.
If they haven't started work on the lobsters in the next two or three minutes, they're in trouble.
I think they're risking too much, because one of these two home cooks might not even put up a dish.
Here goes Luca.
Here goes Luca.
- There goes Luca.
- Okay.
So Luca went first.
lobster's crawling on the board.
Let's see what he does.
- I'm sorry, baby.
- Excellent technique.
Yep.
I just can't believe Kathy If she doesn't go get a lobster in the next minute or two, I am worried that she won't even be able to put up a plate.
But I think it's 'cause she's so focused on what she's doing, but she really needs to understand how much time she has.
She's really getting into the danger zone now.
Look, Luca already has the thing torn apart.
He's really operating with a lot of skill.
- Oh, that's a mistake.
- Why is he cutting that Why did he cut it? Twist and pull.
So he just left a large part of that tail when he cut it, put it through the knife.
You have to crack, tear, and slowly ease all the meat that's in the body out.
That is the essence of the lobster.
He's left it on the cutting board.
When he put that knife to that lobster, that could have been the moment that Luca said good-bye to the MasterChef kitchen forever.
Oh, that's a mistake.
Why did he cut it? He just left a large part of that tail meat when he cut it and put it through the knife.
That is the essence of the lobster.
He's left it on the cutting board.
That might have been the end of the competition for Luca.
Yeah, absolutely.
He's looking nervous.
- I'm telling you.
- He's now putting salt in the water.
Why put salt in the water after the lobster's in it? Adding salt before raises that boiling temperature.
- His head is not in the game.
- Right, right.
I never cooked lobster before.
It's a very, very, very, very particular technique.
I just hope that I can do it.
I can't believe that Kathy hasn't got her lobster yet.
I'm so worried we're not gonna get a dish, and then Luca's gonna win with a default.
So I'm a little behind on the timing on my lobster, but I know I can still pull it off.
It doesn't take that long to cook the lobster, so I'll be good.
Twist, pull.
Twist and pull.
Twist and pull.
Come on.
There you go.
Slowly pull it out.
Good job.
By not using a knife, she already set herself above Luca.
That was excellent technique.
She struggled a little bit, but she got all the extra tail meat.
Yes.
The minute she's killing that lobster, She's cooking it straight away.
So she's kept all the goodness inside the lobster.
If she could actually pull this off, It could be perfect.
Miracle.
So we're just boiling it to detach the membrane from the shell.
Then we want to cook it in the butter.
Exactly.
You don't get that lobster so melt-in-your-mouth by just boiling it.
The longer the lobster poaches in the butter, the more tender it's gonna be.
You've got ten minutes to keep yourself in the competition.
Come on.
The dish is coming together.
I'm very happy, but you never know until you have the final result.
Just got to take my time getting it out of here, and I'll be good.
I got what it takes.
I know I can do what I have to do to kick his ass.
You've got to start poaching your lobster.
Get your tails in.
I think that Kathy's in trouble.
She's got to get all that lobster meat out of those shells and still butter-poach it.
I think she's out.
I know the clock is ticking.
I'm struggling to get the meat out.
The tail is not that bad.
I got it out.
It's in the butter, poaching.
What I'm having problems with is the freaking claws and the knuckles, and I know, if I don't get all these components on the plate, I'm going home.
Let's go.
This is when you got to dig in, guys.
Luca, Kathy, come on.
Start plating.
I hope Kathy can pull the plate together.
Let's go.
Finish strong.
Luca's getting something on the plate.
Kathy, you've got to get your lobster on the plate.
- Yes, chef.
- She's in a tailspin.
- Tailspin.
- She's in a tailspin.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
I see Kathy's dish, and, as always, it looks a little bit messy.
My lobster looks beautiful.
I'm very, very happy.
But, until the judges cut inside, you never know.
I didn't think I can pull it off, but the flavor in the lobster, I know I pulled it off better than he did.
Kathy, Luca, bring your dishes down to the front.
Now the moment of truth.
Okay, Kathy, please bring up your dish.
So I'm gonna slice the tail in half, so it should be bright white, shiny lobster.
The lobster should be clean and sort of shimmering.
Glistening inside.
And it is.
That's cooked perfectly.
Thank you, chef.
Let me tell you.
Knuckles slightly exploded.
That butter is seasoned beautifully.
Honestly, for a dish you've never done before, I can't quite believe it.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Great job.
Well done.
So you've never done this before? Nope.
It's cooked to perfection.
- It's delicious.
- Thank you.
- But as far as the plating - Of course.
It looks like another two or three minutes and you probably would have been a lot happier.
- Yes.
- So the lobster is where it needs to be, but, again, that's not the only thing That we're judging on here.
That's that's really acidic.
A lot of lemon juice.
The salad is nowhere near as good as the lobster.
Seasoned beautifully.
Perfectly cooked.
Kathy, did you ever think you'd get this far in this competition? No, I didn't, and, actually, that I have, I'm proud of myself, So I just want to keep fighting and keep trucking.
You have one of the biggest hearts we've ever seen in this competition, and that means a lot.
Thank you.
Now for your lobster.
So close.
The tail was perfect.
You really hurt yourself by not giving yourself the time to properly extract all the meat.
We all see something in you.
Tonight, it's all down to this.
Okay, Luca.
Let's go, please.
Wow.
You see, it doesn't have I like that Kathy's had more - more of the red? - Which I liked.
But it's it's a good-looking dish.
It just didn't get all the meat out.
The plating of it looks just like what we tried.
Yup.
Presentation-wise, it looks beautiful.
Claws, knuckles, tails.
Perfect.
Slightly on the bland-looking, anemic side, because it's lacking color.
I'm gonna slice this down the middle.
It should cut like a stick of butter.
And it should be just glistening.
For me, it's 30 seconds off the perfect lobster.
When you killed the lobster, you didn't cook it immediately.
it sat on your bench for a good 90 seconds, so all the goodness had run out of it.
So salad.
Delicious, crisp, beautifully seasoned.
The butter, seasoned beautifully.
Presentation, nicely done.
It's a very good effort.
Good job.
Thank you.
Seasoned perfectly.
The lobster tastes like, you know, you just harvested it out of the ocean, cooked it with some drawn butter that you traditionally get on the side.
You know, that's the flavors I'm getting.
The only thing I would change is having that temperature be a little higher to get that color.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
Luca Luca, what happens if we leave you here in Vegas and you have to go home tonight? It is not on my plans.
Boy, it's tough on this one.
Very, very tough indeed.
I'm scared and nervous all at once.
It can go either way.
I think I have a better dish than Kathy, but I can't be 100% sure.
Kathy's didn't look anywhere near as nice as Luca's.
No.
Yeah, but her taste and the color on that thing was just - It is borderline.
- It's tough.
There's one dish that clearly gave us more of what we were asking.
Yeah, but it's not a easy decision.
One tasted almost better than the other one.
- It's borderline.
- It is borderline.
It's tough.
Being here on MasterChef is a better life for me and a better life for my kids.
Hopefully Luca's the one that's going home, and I'm going back to the MasterChef kitchen.
It would be heartbreaking if I go home now.
I need this win for myself, for my wife, to open my own restaurant.
I deserve to be in the MasterChef kitchen.
One of you is coming back with us to the MasterChef kitchen.
And for one of you, your MasterChef journey ends here.
The person coming back with us and the winner of this challenge By the narrowest of margins is Luca.
Kathy, I am so sorry, but your journey in MasterChef is ending in Vegas.
Kathy I didn't believe in you and in the weeks since I first met you, you've proved that I was wrong.
And if you can prove me wrong, you'll get there.
Keep climbing, kid.
It's a long way from the Bronx, but you can get to the top.
Kathy, let me say something really important.
You have a fighting willpower like I've never seen before.
You are going places.
You've got to keep your head up high.
Look after your children, and continue to follow your dreams.
And do you know what? If you want to continue and climb that ladder, come and see me in New York.
I would love for you to walk through into my kitchen and start learning in the real world.
Thank you.
Come here.
Come here.
Good night.
Good luck, Kathy.
Good night, Kathy.
Good night.
Luca, let's go.
I'm a fighter, and I'll get back on my feet.
The Kathy that came here was tough.
Didn't care who got in her way, and now the Kathy leaving here Good job, girls.
She's grown.
Being here on MasterChef Has given me the confidence that I will get my dream.
Chiquita, you're back.
I'm proud of myself.
And I know when my kids see this, they'll be they'll be proud of me too.
Next time on MasterChef It's a mystery box from another world.
I have no idea what any of these ingredients are.
Oh, they're so bad.
This may be the most difficult mystery box in the history of MasterChef.
The guest judge in the elimination challenge is an American food legend.
- My mama.
- Oh, my god! And the only person who can put Joe - in his place.
- Put that down.
No, I'm gonna put the sauce.
Lydia Bastianich I worship her.
And one more MasterChef contender Thank you for nothing.
sees their dream come to an end.
Get your fiscal House in order, or someone Else will do it for you.
That's the Stern warning the memphis City council got from the State of tennessee.
Good evening and thanks for joining us.
I'm mearl Purvis and I'm Darrell greene.
The State comptroller sent the City council a letter today urging them to make Some tough decisions to Some tough decisions to Bring the budget into
Move your ass and make another plate.
Come on.
And the results were explosive.
It'll be winter by the time you get it out here.
- You never call food disgusting.
- This is ridiculous.
Resulting in a blue team victory.
Then what began as a classic pressure test This looks like eggs vomit.
turned into a MasterChef first.
All four of you will be walking out those doors and into an even greater challenge.
Now the pressure test continues.
This isn't just any Vegas restaurant.
It's mine.
As the competition doubles down for a battle royale in Las Vegas.
It's still moving, it's that raw.
Oe of these four home cooks will be eliminated tonight.
They're good.
They're good.
And it all comes down to a showdown on top of the Las Vegas strip.
The stakes don't get any higher than this.
Natasha, Luca, Kathy, and I all failed at the Eggs Benedict pressure test.
So we're in Vegas to fight it out, just the four of us.
One of us is going home.
I'm a restaurant manager.
Winning MasterChef is about achieving my dream to put my name as an executive chef to have people to come eat my food at my restaurant.
I am a stay-at-home mom.
I'm here to prove to everyone out there that I can cook and that I can do whatever I want to put my heart to.
And my heart is in food.
Welcome to Las Vegas, one of the greatest culinary cities anywhere in the world.
Now, we're not here to enjoy the bright lights or to take in a show.
Oh, no.
You four were at the bottom of the last pressure test.
One of you is leaving MasterChef tonight.
And to decide which one of you is eliminated from the biggest culinary competition in America, we have brought you into the real culinary world for a unique challenge.
Tonight we will test you in a real restaurant, but this isn't just any Vegas restaurant.
It's mine.
This is Burgr.
At planet hollywood resort.
We make stunning gourmet burgers for the high rollers of Vegas.
We average about 860 burgers a night.
Usually that's achieved with one executive chef, three sous chefs, and nine cooks.
But they're not working tonight.
You are.
I've never cooked in a professional restaurant, So I don't know how to work a professional kitchen.
I'm scared.
Don't worry, because you won't be cooking alone.
You'll be split into two teams of two.
Your challenge tonight will be to serve the diners of Las Vegas a signature burger that you create.
Each diner will eat both of your burgers, and they'll have a red and blue chip.
Once they've eaten, they'll use these chips to bet on their favorite burger.
The team with the lowest number of chips loses this challenge.
Those two people will then go head to head in one last battle to decide, which one has no future in this competition.
We can also tell you that, at some point during tonight's service, we've invited some high-rolling Vegas VIPs to taste your burgers.
When I hear VIP, it has to be somebody famous, and it just puts more pressure on our shoulders than we already have.
You'll have just one hour to prep and 75 minutes of continuous service.
There's no team pick.
We decide the teams.
Beth, you're cooking with Natasha.
Luca, you're cooking with Kathy.
When it comes, you know, to cooking skills and creativity, I think I would have liked to have somebody else on my team.
Beth has a little bit of a mouth, and I think that this last challenge that we did as a group, she learned to keep it quiet.
So the fact that her and I are gonna be together, I think she's gonna be smarter about the words that are coming out of her mouth.
Blue team, who's the leader? I'll give that to you.
I'll take it.
Beth is the leader fo the blue team.
Luca, who's gonna lead? I am.
You're gonna lead? Yes, chef.
A key position in any successful restaurant is the expediter.
Gordon, who's gonna be the expediter tonight? I'm expediting.
I'll be running things, and I will not let anything substandard leave my kitchen.
Chef Ramsay is gonna be the expediter, and, you know, it's gonna be a lot of pressure because he doesn't play around.
Are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your 60 minutes prep Starts now.
Let's go.
Good luck.
- I tell you my idea.
- Okay.
- The patty, all-beef.
- Okay.
- Everybody loves beef.
- Yeah, of course.
We caramelize the onions on top.
Caramelized onion need to have some sauce, okay? I don't think you need the cheese.
Luca doesn't want to do cheese on the burgers.
I don't agree, because I feel every burger in town should be with cheese.
I hope he's right with this one.
- Let's go.
- As Luca and Kathy begin preparing their minimalist burger, the blue team's Beth and Natasha are still figuring out ingredients for theirs.
Do, like, a hangover burger.
We'll get some gruyere, some crispy prosciutto, and a sunnyside-up egg with, like, a truffle aioli.
Can we get eggs done in 60 minutes? You know, it's just sunnyside-up.
Beth has a lot of opinions, and some of 'em I don't agree with, but, you know, if there was anything to be at fault later in this competition, she's gonna take the blame, because I'm just going along with what she thinks.
If you were in this kitchen and you had all these beautiful products to work with, what burger would you make? Me, personally, I'd do a beautiful, seasoned cheeseburger with a bit of heat in there.
If you start putting egg in there - and bread crumbs - Then it's meatloaf.
All of a sudden you're making a meatloaf.
We want a burger.
Nobody wants that.
You want to taste the flavor of the meat.
Right, Beth, what kind of burger are you doing? We're gonna do something that really, I think, will play to a hangover well.
It's Vegas, right? What's the seasoning inside the pate? It's gonna have mustard, a little egg to make it moist.
Why would you need to put egg in the burger when you've got those two blends? I do it all the time, and it makes it so moist.
I mean, you're using an amazing cut there.
I never put eggs and bind 'em.
All right.
Good luck.
- Got it? - Yeah, we're good.
Kathy, Luca, what are you working on? I'm working on some caramelized onions.
Luca, what are you rocking on? The pate.
You have one going right now? Yup, that's our test burger.
Remember, it's not just how it tastes.
it's how thick it is or how thin it is.
If it overcooks, undercooks.
- We got this.
- Okay.
Just under 30 minutes to go.
While Luca seems to have the red team on track, the blue team is struggling to find the best way to cook their eggs.
It's not gonna work.
It's gonna take too long.
Beth, you tell me what you want to do.
Throw ideas at me.
You tell me.
Part of me thinks that she's deferring to me on everything because she's setting it up So that, if we lose, she can throw me under the bus.
It's sticking.
You need a lot more butter on there.
Like a lot more.
If that is her strategy, she's handicapping the team she's on, and it's a very dumb move.
As the blue team continues to struggle, Kathy is having her own problems in the kitchen.
We need a lot of onions.
Do I cut 'em bigger or No, no, no, go, go, go, go.
Or bigger, whatever, but just I mean, listen.
You cut one onion, and I'm freaking out.
It took Kathy too long to prepare the caramelized onions.
I don't have time for the sauce.
The burger's gonna go out like this.
There's nothing else I can do.
You need to start to work on the buns, huh? No problem.
Guys, 13 minutes left until we open those doors.
At this point, there should be no stone left unturned with that burger.
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
All right, ladies.
What is happening to those? Beth, Natasha, you're frying eggs before you actually nail the pate.
If there's one thing you gotta nail first, it's the pate, right? This is pressure.
We're trying to figure out our components, 'cause we're not 100% yet on our burger.
Stop.
You dressed that? We put a little bit of lemon.
You're dressing salad, and we haven't got the burger pate done.
Get that pate nailed now before you do anything.
Both of you, someone's going home tonight.
And right now, at this stage, it's one of you.
- Yes, chef.
- Think.
Come on, guys.
[bleep.]
.
Here they come.
Hello, ladies.
Welcome.
As the doors of Gordon Ramsay's Burgr restaurant open for service First customers are arriving, guys.
Luca and Kathy are battling Beth and Natasha in a gourmet burger challenge.
Three minutes to go.
With service about to start, the blue team is still undecided on whether to serve a fried egg on top of their burger or not.
Beth gets a little overwhelmed, and, you know, the egg's not looking so pretty.
And that, it's not a good decision.
And I knew it in my mind already.
I was just going along with what the captain said, so, as much as I don't like her, I really do not want to lose this challenge.
So it's time to fix this burger.
I think we should try to focus on doing a cheese on it.
Just scratch the egg, do the goat cheese, arugula.
- And then the prosciutto.
- Exactly.
Then I can focus more on the prosciutto - and have it crispy.
- Sounds good.
When service begins, every customer will get one burger from each team.
The blue team will be serving a beef burger with crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula, and an aioli sauce.
While the red team will be serving a beef burger with caramelized onions and arugula.
Let's go, guys.
Gordon, what do you need from them as an expediter? We're serving the red team and the blue team's burgers at the same time.
If they say it's two minutes in the window for table 25, It has to be literally two minutes in the window, both teams.
How long are you gonna drag food for? you gonna hold it back? They've got a 60-second Maximum time, otherwise And they start losing votes.
They start losing votes.
You have now got 75 minutes of service.
Yes, chef! Right.
on order, blue team, Two covers, table 31, two gourmet burgers.
Yes, chef.
You got this? Red team, on order, two gourmet burgers.
Yes, chef.
All right, red team, how long? First order.
one minute, chef.
One minute.
Let's go, guys.
Two stunning burgers, Beth.
Let's go.
- You got this? - They're good.
They're good.
Two orders up, chef.
Red team's in the window.
Blue team, Blue team, two gourmet burgers here.
Service, pick up.
Table 24, please.
Let's go, guys.
Stunning burgers.
Do not stop working.
Welcome to my world.
Let's go.
The kitchen during service is just fire and noise and the voice of Gordon Ramsay screaming.
- Watch those temperatures please.
- Yes, chef.
Am I talking to myself here? Service on order, red team, two gourmet burgers, table 25.
Blue team, two gourmet burgers.
I'm usually pretty fast with working in the kitchen, but this is completely different.
I mean, this is pressure.
Burgers in the window, red team.
Let's go.
They're ready, chef.
Yeah, well, if they're ready, get them up here.
Let's go.
Here you go, chef.
Pick up, please.
Service, let's go.
Timing is extremely important, and we're doing really good from the get-go.
I mean, we've got everything organized.
Got enough stuff prepped.
We're good.
Which one do you like better? I'm leaning more towards the blue team thus far.
Why? More savory flavor.
Like the bacon.
You like the bacon.
You like the cheese, the arugula.
Very juicy.
Enjoyed the red one.
I'm a big fan of caramelized onions.
Plus, it was cooked perfectly.
On order, red team, How long? I have two minutes at least.
Let's go.
I've got burgers in the windows, guys.
Luca, we got one minute to get the burgers up.
We're behind.
I don't have we're behind.
Chef Ramsay calls an order of two.
The blue team puts up two burgers.
I look around, I don't have burgers ready.
I need this next table, chef.
Coming now, Joe.
Red team, you're falling behind, guys.
Come on, Luca.
We need them patties.
Yeah, but if they're not ready, they're not ready.
What do you want me to do? - Luca.
- Yes, chef? Get two burgers in the window, or it's gone! Put the onion in.
Put the onion in.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Luca, what's the temperatures in there? Medium, chef.
- Luca.
- Yes, chef? Kathy! Yes, chef? Come here, both of you.
- It's raw.
- I knew it.
No, no, just touch it! It's raw.
Look at it.
It's still moving, It's that [bleep.]
raw.
We've gone from a gourmet burger to a [bleep.]
steak tartare.
- Yes, chef.
- Stop.
You've lost it.
Time up.
Table 23? No red for 23.
- Where's the red burgers? - Raw.
- Raw in the middle.
- All right.
Let's go.
Take that back.
and wake up.
As the red team tries to correct their mistakes on the grill, Beth, the captain of the blue team, is having a problem preparing the buns for their burger.
Hey, young lady.
Give me that bun.
- Hey, hey, hey, you two.
- Yeah.
When you two start [bleep.]
around like this, do you know what that tells me? You're out of control.
Sorry, chef.
You're way out of control.
Sorry, chef.
Sorry, chef.
Come on, guys.
Please.
As the home cooks try to get back on track in the kitchen Some of the diners are beginning to cast votes for their favorite gourmet burger.
While back in the dining room, the tasting continues.
How are the burgers, folks? I like the blue one.
you like the blue one? - Blue one's delicious.
- It was good? - Oh, great.
And the red one? I think it's undercooked.
Oh, my god.
- It's raw.
- I don't want to eat any more.
Let me go show the kitchen.
Let me come back.
Chef.
These burgers - Oh, no.
- Are completely raw.
Raw again? This is embarrassing.
- Red team.
- Yes, chef? A raw burger.
Look at me.
They're coming back now.
You've got to stop, rethink, and get a grip.
Yes, chef.
Luca said he knew what he was doing, so then, if you know what you're doing, the burgers should be medium-rare, and you should know how to cook it, so I'm kind of pissed off right now, but I can't think about that.
He better get his [bleep.]
together and get it going.
Red team, blue team.
- Yes, chef.
- Look at me.
Look at me.
The VIPs are just about to arrive.
All of you, take your aprons off and cook without your aprons.
I want the best burger you've ever cooked.
- Yes? - Yes, chef.
Okay, Gordon, the VIPs are in the house.
- How are you? - Welcome.
Nice hair.
it's all the other contestants.
Nice to see you, guys.
No, it's not really nice to see you, 'cause I know you're not gonna be nice with my burgers.
The teams will perform the remainder of the challenge without aprons to ensure their anonymity and guarantee a fair vote.
So they are gonna be tasting your burgers.
They've got no idea who's cooking what.
Look at me.
The best 12 burgers you've ever cooked in your entire lives.
Yes, chef.
This is a huge deal.
The fate of our fellow competitors in our hands is a little bit intense of a responsibility.
all four of you, let's go.
Yes, chef.
Order up, chef.
Thank you.
With the two teams now well into service Ready.
Order up.
Luca decides to push the pace in the kitchen with the hope of gaining an advantage.
At this point, I start working well in the grill, and I have a little bit of a strategy.
I'm going to try to send the burgers out as fast as possible after chef Ramsay calls it to try to catch Natasha and Beth behind so they can lose votes.
Next four, how long? Now.
Up now, chef.
One minute.
Let's go, Natasha.
Things on the other side are going a lot faster.
Here you go, chef.
Beth, come on.
Natasha, come on.
Come on.
We are just blowing through this service for these last 12 burgers.
Let's go.
As the service winds down, 8 of the 12 fellow contestants have burgers from each team.
Natasha, Beth, last four.
How long, please? - Two minutes.
- Two minutes.
Let's go.
- Luca, how long? - Now.
Now.
Let's go.
Stunning burgers.
Let's go.
Oh.
She's burning buns again.
How can you stand in front of a grill and burn [bleep.]
buns? Sorry, chef.
I didn't put 'em in.
I didn't know they were in, chef.
- But you're in front of them.
- I know.
Even if you were blind, you'd smell they're [bleep.]
burned.
I did.
Sorry, chef.
Man! Order up, chef.
Order up, chef.
Blue team, 60 seconds from now.
Luca rushes the last four burgers up, and they're just sitting in the window, and I know, if we don't get our burgers up, Gordon's just gonna take the plates, and we're gonna lose those votes.
Let's go, guys.
We're coming.
Beth and Natasha now are struggling.
They are very, very, very frenetic, and that's where they gonna fall down.
Come on, blue team.
I need these burgers.
I got burgers dying in the window here.
- Let's go.
- Blue team! As service at Gordon Ramsay's Burgr restaurant races towards a finish Order up, chef.
red team has rushed their final four burgers to the service window, despite being reprimanded twice for serving raw meat.
Come on, blue team.
I need these burgers.
Let's go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up.
- Come on.
- Yes! I'm not gonna let their burgers die in the window because you burnt your buns, and more importantly you're not even communicating as a team.
Having not plated four burgers and knowing that four of the competitors didn't get one, it pisses me off beyond belief because we made such a stupid mistake.
If we lose, it's gonna be because of burnt buns.
Numerous burnt buns.
Okay, guys, I'm sorry to inform you, but there will be no burger from the blue team.
And, everyone else, please, you can begin eating your burgers.
Enjoy.
As the safe contestants chow down, they'll have to choose between the blue team's burger with crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula, and an aioli sauce, or the red team's burger topped with caramelized onions and arugula.
You had two burgers on your plate, one of which is gone now.
- It wasn't even close for me.
- Really? Yeah, the red burger was way overcooked.
Whose do you like the best? That goat cheese killed me.
Who's your chip going to? I think they both missed the mark in seasoning.
As the 12 safe MasterChef contestants finish sampling their burgers, the restaurant customers finish casting their votes.
Their blind votes will determine the two fellow competitors, who will return to the MasterChef kitchen and the two who will face one final extraordinary Vegas head-to-head challenge.
If we lose, it's because our burger was just not good enough.
But I know that, out of 12, I got 4 already because of my strategy.
I'm seriously sick of being in the bottom.
I'm sick of losing.
So I'm just really hoping right now that those four burgers that we were not able to get out isn't the thing that's gonna make us go home.
V-VIPs, you all know why you're here.
One of these four is leaving the MasterChef competition tonight.
Everybody else that has eaten in my restaurant tonight, they've already placed their votes.
And now yours will have a major impact on this competition.
Let's start the votes with Eddie.
Watching all the competitors vote is nerve-racking.
I wish they would have done it before we got up here, you know.
I don't want to see them voting, Especially when they're not voting for our team.
I'm not impressed with the red team.
It's a mediocre burger.
But I have to vote for this burger because it's the only one that was put in front of me.
At first I'm feeling good, but then we get down to the people who did not receive our burger.
and it's obviously red, red, and I start to get nervous again.
Last but not least.
I had to scrape an overwhelming amount of goat cheese off of my burger to be able to even taste the meat.
This was a blind tasting.
We're about to find out which persons are on the red team, and which persons are on the blue team.
Please come and take your aprons from Graham.
Put them on.
Stand in your teams.
When I see the teams, it shocked me.
I expected a lot more out of Luca and Kathy.
Sometimes simple isn't gonna win.
Come on, Luca.
Where's the cheese? I was not expecting it to be a one-two, Natasha-Beth combo, especially since they almost killed each other just a few days ago.
Now that you've voted, it's time to find out who won the overall votes.
The losing team will go head to head in the next challenge, and one of you will be going home.
I really, really, really, really want to win.
This has been, emotionally, a roller coaster.
And I want it to be worth it.
This was way harder than I thought it was gonna be.
I'll be really bummed out if we lose.
The most popular burger tonight is Whoa.
It was close, but the blue team won.
Beth and Natasha, you are both safe and remain in the MasterChef competition.
of course I'm happy for the both of us or whatever.
I'm more happy for myself.
I'm here for a competition, not to make up and make a friend, so Beth is still a competitor, and she's still a target.
Uh, blue team, congratulations.
Thank you, chef.
Kathy and Luca will go head to head in one more extraordinary challenge.
We failed.
Now my place in the MasterChef kitchen is seriously on the line.
Now I got to go head to head with the Italian stallion, and Luca's very versatile with his food.
I'm not.
So it's really nerve-racking.
The rest of you, I'll see you back in the MasterChef kitchen.
Luca and Kathy, come with us.
Let's go.
MasterChef is in Las Vegas where Kathy and Luca have lost their last challenge.
Luca and Kathy, come with us.
Now to find out who will be sent home, they'll face off against each other on the top of caesars palace, which has been transformed into the MasterChef kitchen.
It is like we're back in L.
A.
all over again, but we're not, we're in Vegas under these lights and the billboard behind us, it says MasterChef.
Right now, I'm pretty damn nervous.
It's incredible how they just brought the entire MasterChef kitchen station in this beautiful rooftop in Las Vegas.
It's too bad I don't have that much time to enjoy it, because maybe in less than an hour I'll be going home.
Kathy and Luca, welcome to pure nightclub at the legendary Saesars palace.
You're here right in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.
You two teamed up to cook a signature burger at my restaurant.
And, sadly, you failed.
Now you have to face the consequences in this head-to-head pressure test.
So you'll be needing these.
One of you will be going home tonight.
The stakes don't get any higher than this.
Tonight, you're gonna have to cook one of the most expensive, luxurious ingredients in the entire world.
One dish is gonna determine your fate in this competition.
Butter-poached lobster.
A true Vegas classic.
In fact, every year, 6 million of these are consumed in Vegas alone.
Tender, delicate, expensive.
And that stunning salad is a perfect accompaniment to counteract the richness from the lobster.
You two, please come and enjoy what a perfect butter-poached lobster should taste like.
It's delicious.
It's one of the most delicious thing I ever tasted in my life.
I think I have the advantage on this, because I don't see Kathy very organized to work on a very technical dish like this one.
You'll have just 45 minutes to replicate a stunning butter-poached lobster.
The loser will be eliminated.
Kathy, Luca, are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts now.
My kids is what motivate and push me.
They're the ones that keep me truckin'.
So I'm a fighter.
I've proven Joe wrong once before.
I'm not ready to leave.
It's not my time to go yet.
I came here again for the second year, because I know I can do it.
I need this apron.
I'm not ready to give up.
Lobster is Vegas.
It represents the food in this town.
What is really gonna trip them up in a butter-poached lobster? This is about a procedure.
You have to follow it step by step.
Get your butter on first.
Then boil your water.
Get that beautifully seasoned.
You should be cooking it in almost, like, salty water.
- Just like the ocean.
- Just like the ocean.
The boiling in the water is just to get it out of the shell.
Exactly that.
The longer they cook the lobster in the boiling water and not poach it in the butter, the tougher it's gonna be.
Is that the jeopardy here, you think? That's the jeopardy.
Two seconds under, It's sushi.
Ten seconds over, and it's rubber.
So you've got to be very, very careful.
Right.
Kathy, how you feeling? I'm feeling good, chef.
How are you gonna make sure your lobster beats Luca's? I'm gonna take my time with it, chef.
We've seen you survive under pressure very well in the past.
Can you do this? Yes, I can, chef.
My journey's just begun here on MasterChef.
You think you got what it takes to stay in? Yes, I do, chef.
All right, Luca.
You don't look very happy.
I don't want to be here.
Why should I be happy? I'm at risk to go home tonight.
Are you ready to leave the competition? I'll be ready when I get my title.
That is the only time when I can say I'm ready to go home.
Can you produce a lobster better than Kathy's? Absolutely.
I'm gonna be I'm gonna produce the best lobster ever.
Kathy is in the zone.
The level of concentration on her right now is incredible.
She has an amazing fighting spirit.
I think she's at her best in this competition when she's under the most pressure, you know that? We'll see it today, but I just don't know if she's got what it takes to make this butter-poached lobster.
She looks more composed than Luca.
Luca looks nervous.
If they haven't started work on the lobsters in the next two or three minutes, they're in trouble.
I think they're risking too much, because one of these two home cooks might not even put up a dish.
Here goes Luca.
Here goes Luca.
- There goes Luca.
- Okay.
So Luca went first.
lobster's crawling on the board.
Let's see what he does.
- I'm sorry, baby.
- Excellent technique.
Yep.
I just can't believe Kathy If she doesn't go get a lobster in the next minute or two, I am worried that she won't even be able to put up a plate.
But I think it's 'cause she's so focused on what she's doing, but she really needs to understand how much time she has.
She's really getting into the danger zone now.
Look, Luca already has the thing torn apart.
He's really operating with a lot of skill.
- Oh, that's a mistake.
- Why is he cutting that Why did he cut it? Twist and pull.
So he just left a large part of that tail when he cut it, put it through the knife.
You have to crack, tear, and slowly ease all the meat that's in the body out.
That is the essence of the lobster.
He's left it on the cutting board.
When he put that knife to that lobster, that could have been the moment that Luca said good-bye to the MasterChef kitchen forever.
Oh, that's a mistake.
Why did he cut it? He just left a large part of that tail meat when he cut it and put it through the knife.
That is the essence of the lobster.
He's left it on the cutting board.
That might have been the end of the competition for Luca.
Yeah, absolutely.
He's looking nervous.
- I'm telling you.
- He's now putting salt in the water.
Why put salt in the water after the lobster's in it? Adding salt before raises that boiling temperature.
- His head is not in the game.
- Right, right.
I never cooked lobster before.
It's a very, very, very, very particular technique.
I just hope that I can do it.
I can't believe that Kathy hasn't got her lobster yet.
I'm so worried we're not gonna get a dish, and then Luca's gonna win with a default.
So I'm a little behind on the timing on my lobster, but I know I can still pull it off.
It doesn't take that long to cook the lobster, so I'll be good.
Twist, pull.
Twist and pull.
Twist and pull.
Come on.
There you go.
Slowly pull it out.
Good job.
By not using a knife, she already set herself above Luca.
That was excellent technique.
She struggled a little bit, but she got all the extra tail meat.
Yes.
The minute she's killing that lobster, She's cooking it straight away.
So she's kept all the goodness inside the lobster.
If she could actually pull this off, It could be perfect.
Miracle.
So we're just boiling it to detach the membrane from the shell.
Then we want to cook it in the butter.
Exactly.
You don't get that lobster so melt-in-your-mouth by just boiling it.
The longer the lobster poaches in the butter, the more tender it's gonna be.
You've got ten minutes to keep yourself in the competition.
Come on.
The dish is coming together.
I'm very happy, but you never know until you have the final result.
Just got to take my time getting it out of here, and I'll be good.
I got what it takes.
I know I can do what I have to do to kick his ass.
You've got to start poaching your lobster.
Get your tails in.
I think that Kathy's in trouble.
She's got to get all that lobster meat out of those shells and still butter-poach it.
I think she's out.
I know the clock is ticking.
I'm struggling to get the meat out.
The tail is not that bad.
I got it out.
It's in the butter, poaching.
What I'm having problems with is the freaking claws and the knuckles, and I know, if I don't get all these components on the plate, I'm going home.
Let's go.
This is when you got to dig in, guys.
Luca, Kathy, come on.
Start plating.
I hope Kathy can pull the plate together.
Let's go.
Finish strong.
Luca's getting something on the plate.
Kathy, you've got to get your lobster on the plate.
- Yes, chef.
- She's in a tailspin.
- Tailspin.
- She's in a tailspin.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
I see Kathy's dish, and, as always, it looks a little bit messy.
My lobster looks beautiful.
I'm very, very happy.
But, until the judges cut inside, you never know.
I didn't think I can pull it off, but the flavor in the lobster, I know I pulled it off better than he did.
Kathy, Luca, bring your dishes down to the front.
Now the moment of truth.
Okay, Kathy, please bring up your dish.
So I'm gonna slice the tail in half, so it should be bright white, shiny lobster.
The lobster should be clean and sort of shimmering.
Glistening inside.
And it is.
That's cooked perfectly.
Thank you, chef.
Let me tell you.
Knuckles slightly exploded.
That butter is seasoned beautifully.
Honestly, for a dish you've never done before, I can't quite believe it.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Great job.
Well done.
So you've never done this before? Nope.
It's cooked to perfection.
- It's delicious.
- Thank you.
- But as far as the plating - Of course.
It looks like another two or three minutes and you probably would have been a lot happier.
- Yes.
- So the lobster is where it needs to be, but, again, that's not the only thing That we're judging on here.
That's that's really acidic.
A lot of lemon juice.
The salad is nowhere near as good as the lobster.
Seasoned beautifully.
Perfectly cooked.
Kathy, did you ever think you'd get this far in this competition? No, I didn't, and, actually, that I have, I'm proud of myself, So I just want to keep fighting and keep trucking.
You have one of the biggest hearts we've ever seen in this competition, and that means a lot.
Thank you.
Now for your lobster.
So close.
The tail was perfect.
You really hurt yourself by not giving yourself the time to properly extract all the meat.
We all see something in you.
Tonight, it's all down to this.
Okay, Luca.
Let's go, please.
Wow.
You see, it doesn't have I like that Kathy's had more - more of the red? - Which I liked.
But it's it's a good-looking dish.
It just didn't get all the meat out.
The plating of it looks just like what we tried.
Yup.
Presentation-wise, it looks beautiful.
Claws, knuckles, tails.
Perfect.
Slightly on the bland-looking, anemic side, because it's lacking color.
I'm gonna slice this down the middle.
It should cut like a stick of butter.
And it should be just glistening.
For me, it's 30 seconds off the perfect lobster.
When you killed the lobster, you didn't cook it immediately.
it sat on your bench for a good 90 seconds, so all the goodness had run out of it.
So salad.
Delicious, crisp, beautifully seasoned.
The butter, seasoned beautifully.
Presentation, nicely done.
It's a very good effort.
Good job.
Thank you.
Seasoned perfectly.
The lobster tastes like, you know, you just harvested it out of the ocean, cooked it with some drawn butter that you traditionally get on the side.
You know, that's the flavors I'm getting.
The only thing I would change is having that temperature be a little higher to get that color.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
Luca Luca, what happens if we leave you here in Vegas and you have to go home tonight? It is not on my plans.
Boy, it's tough on this one.
Very, very tough indeed.
I'm scared and nervous all at once.
It can go either way.
I think I have a better dish than Kathy, but I can't be 100% sure.
Kathy's didn't look anywhere near as nice as Luca's.
No.
Yeah, but her taste and the color on that thing was just - It is borderline.
- It's tough.
There's one dish that clearly gave us more of what we were asking.
Yeah, but it's not a easy decision.
One tasted almost better than the other one.
- It's borderline.
- It is borderline.
It's tough.
Being here on MasterChef is a better life for me and a better life for my kids.
Hopefully Luca's the one that's going home, and I'm going back to the MasterChef kitchen.
It would be heartbreaking if I go home now.
I need this win for myself, for my wife, to open my own restaurant.
I deserve to be in the MasterChef kitchen.
One of you is coming back with us to the MasterChef kitchen.
And for one of you, your MasterChef journey ends here.
The person coming back with us and the winner of this challenge By the narrowest of margins is Luca.
Kathy, I am so sorry, but your journey in MasterChef is ending in Vegas.
Kathy I didn't believe in you and in the weeks since I first met you, you've proved that I was wrong.
And if you can prove me wrong, you'll get there.
Keep climbing, kid.
It's a long way from the Bronx, but you can get to the top.
Kathy, let me say something really important.
You have a fighting willpower like I've never seen before.
You are going places.
You've got to keep your head up high.
Look after your children, and continue to follow your dreams.
And do you know what? If you want to continue and climb that ladder, come and see me in New York.
I would love for you to walk through into my kitchen and start learning in the real world.
Thank you.
Come here.
Come here.
Good night.
Good luck, Kathy.
Good night, Kathy.
Good night.
Luca, let's go.
I'm a fighter, and I'll get back on my feet.
The Kathy that came here was tough.
Didn't care who got in her way, and now the Kathy leaving here Good job, girls.
She's grown.
Being here on MasterChef Has given me the confidence that I will get my dream.
Chiquita, you're back.
I'm proud of myself.
And I know when my kids see this, they'll be they'll be proud of me too.
Next time on MasterChef It's a mystery box from another world.
I have no idea what any of these ingredients are.
Oh, they're so bad.
This may be the most difficult mystery box in the history of MasterChef.
The guest judge in the elimination challenge is an American food legend.
- My mama.
- Oh, my god! And the only person who can put Joe - in his place.
- Put that down.
No, I'm gonna put the sauce.
Lydia Bastianich I worship her.
And one more MasterChef contender Thank you for nothing.
sees their dream come to an end.
Get your fiscal House in order, or someone Else will do it for you.
That's the Stern warning the memphis City council got from the State of tennessee.
Good evening and thanks for joining us.
I'm mearl Purvis and I'm Darrell greene.
The State comptroller sent the City council a letter today urging them to make Some tough decisions to Some tough decisions to Bring the budget into