Masterchef (2010) s04e20 Episode Script
Top 6 Compete
- There are birds all over the place.
- Hold on! She target at Luca, Jordan - You are at big trouble.
- and Natasha.
You got me, Krissi.
Krissi hit up a bulls eye.
That's disgusting.
As Jordan Please, say good-bye.
became the latest casualty in the MasterChef kitchen.
I want do my mom proud, and i think i do my mom proud.
Tonight a team challenge elevates the contestans to new heights.
Welcome to the top of Los Angeles.
At one of the country's finest restaurants.
Keep it up, guys.
But it isn't long before the meltdowns begin.
Bri, there's nothing coming out! Now it's burning.
If you put cold water in a steamer, what happens? Start again.
The whole round.
Got it, chef.
Of course, the whole [bleep.]
table! And a pressure test It's time to take your apron off.
sends home another top contender.
The final six home cooks are in downtown Los Angeles, where their culinary skills will be put to the ultimate test in tonight's team challenge.
It looks like we are in a movie, the three judges coming out from the helicopter, all the wind.
Whatever happening today is a huge deal.
Welcome, everybody, to the top of Los Angeles.
All right, guys, top six.
I see five.
Where's Krissi? She's on the roof, but she couldn't make it up here.
She's what? She's terrified of heights.
Serious? I'm deathly afraid of heights, and I realized how high up I am.
I'm like, "I am gonna pass out up here, and I'm probably gonna die.
" Well, MasterChef waits for nobody.
As you can probably guess, we didn't just bring you here for the view.
Directly beneath our feet sits WP 24.
It's a stunning fine dining restaurant with a very modern take on Chinese cuisine.
That's where you're going to face one of the most grueling challenges we do in this entire competition: The restaurant takeover.
Natasha and Bri, since you had the winning dishes from the last challenge, you will be the captains in this team challenge.
Please step forward.
The last challenge that Bri and I went up against each other as team captains I won, so hopefully, I can keep that streak running.
Natasha, since you had the best dish, you get to pick first.
I need a co-captain, and Jessie puts out beautiful plates, and she's got finesse, so Jessie.
Wow.
I obviously want to be on Natasha's team.
Didn't work out so well with Bri being the captain last time.
Can't trust a vegetarian, because she can't eat the food that's being sent out.
Bri, captain of the blue team, We still have Krissi downstairs Don't forget about Krissi James, and Luca.
I'm choosing this person because I know they'll be comfortable with the cuisine we're working with today.
James.
Wow, good choice.
Natasha, this next pick, you're picking for both teams, so you have a big advantage here.
I would like someone who has been around the restaurant business before and still in it, so Luca to be my pick.
So that means, by default, Krissi is in the blue team.
Krissi has a record of zero wins in team challenges, which is impressive in the worst way possible.
Are you guys ready? - Absolutely.
- Yes, chef.
Let's get it on.
Krissi, you okay, darling? We missed you up there.
Let's let's head back down.
I didn't know you were scared of heights.
Guys, come down, please.
I want to introduce you to a very special man.
Executive chef John Lechleidner.
So John is gonna give you the most amazing demonstration, and then, you are gonna replicate those dishes.
- Are you ready? - Yes, chef.
Let's head over to the wok.
Our home cooks will now have to learn the 4 top-selling signature dishes of WP 24.
Appetizers, steamed scallop-shrimp sui mai and crisp lettuce cups with tempura sweet maine lobster, along with entrees, Singapore style chili prawns and stir-fry wagyu beef with chili garlic and sweet bean sauce.
This is gonna be for the sui mai.
It's oyster sauce, shaoxing, stock, slurry, salt, sugar.
Get it going.
Drizzle in your egg.
Let the egg cook all the way through, throw in your crab.
I gotta cook four-star chinese food, and I hate Asian food, and I've never cooked it before.
Put your scallop on top, and then you go around and you start pinching around, and then put the whole plate just right in the steamer like that.
Seven minutes in the steamer.
Based on feedback from the diners and performance in the kitchen, the judges will decide the winning team.
So next, we have the lobster.
Take your lobster, drop 'em in one at a time.
The losing team will face the dreaded pressure test.
Little bit of cilantro.
So John, entrees please.
Uh, chili prawns.
Chili prawns.
Everything that is being produced tonight is being produced on a wok, and getting the technique down of working on a wok, that takes years of practice.
You can't overcook your shrimp.
I'm going slow so I can show you guys, but ideally, you want to go faster.
That man is a magician.
I didn't even know you could cook that fast, and it looked that good.
there's that, one more.
Stir-fry beef.
You have chinese flat chives, budding chives, snap peas, snow peas.
There's like 37 ingredients in here.
It's quick.
Start to finish, and I was taking my time.
It's a ton of info to take in at once.
It's gonna be intense.
Okay, guys, each team will have to serve of this fantastic restaurant.
And there's one more very important part of this challenge.
I will be expediting.
There's no way on Earth that I am leaving that to any of you.
Chef Ramsay is going to be expediting, which already freaks me out.
I just hope we don't lose our focus when he's screaming at us.
One hour of prep, and you've got two hours of dinner service.
Are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts Now.
Off you go, guys.
Okay, guys.
Okay, this is what I think we should do.
The home cooks must get organized quickly to prep for these highly complex dishes.
You're comfortable with frying the lobster off? I feel 100% okay with that.
I can do the sui mai.
Then I'll be plating everything, putting it out in the window.
Come on, let's do this.
For the appetizers, captain Natasha has assigned Jessie to the lobster lettuce cups and Luca to the scallop-shrimp sui mai while she will handle all the final plating.
So for both the appetizers and the entrees, I'm gonna be on the end at plating, Finishing all the garnishes.
Like captain Natasha, captain Bri will be overseeing the final dishes, and has assigned Krissi to the lobster lettuce cups and James to the sui mai.
This is a nightmare scenario.
I've got a vegetarian and a girl who won't eat Asian food.
How the hell am I supposed to prepare modern Asian cuisine with those two? Bri, you gotta cut a little faster than that, honey.
Okay.
Good, good, good.
Keep it up, guys, keep it up.
This is as hard as it gets.
They're gonna cook Asian food in woks.
I wouldn't know how to cook in a wok.
And don't forget, it's three versus three.
I mean, this isn't like the wedding where it was double that amount.
This is a really small kitchen crew.
Team effort is crucial.
The timing is paramount.
They have to taste what they're cooking and be quick.
As night falls, WP 24 is open for business And the pressure is on for our home cooks.
Just under ten minutes until our first tables sit down and order.
Yes, chef.
Let's go, guys.
You know, the prep part was pretty easy, but steaming these guys and having a sauce ready for them right away is not the easy part.
All right, James.
Here we go, baby.
First table, blue team.
Two couples, table 15.
One sui mai, one lobster.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you.
This is it.
- Okay, on order, red team.
- Yes, chef.
Two couples, table 52.
One sui mai, one lobster.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you.
Let's go, guys.
Is that steamer on full? Yes, it is.
It should be.
No, it's not.
Oh, wow.
Now it's on full.
- Krissi? - Yes? If the steamers not steaming, slow down on the salad.
By the time in seven minutes time, - What's gonna happen to them? - They're gonna get soft.
Yeah, it'd be like eating a soggy blanket.
- Okay.
- Start again.
Okay.
Where's the lobster? Right here, chef.
Lovely, very nice.
Service, please, pick up.
Chef, order up.
Service, please.
Red team, 33.
When I think about how hectic it can be in the MasterChef kitchen, now that I'm in a real kitchen, this is crazy.
This is insane.
Two sui mai, two lobster, blue team.
- Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef.
Nice.
Nice, nice, nice.
We're soaring.
Krissi's moving quickly, Bri is garnishing, dressing, and calling out orders like a madwoman.
One sui mai, one lobster, followed by one sui mai, three lobster.
Sui mai's coming off my station perfectly.
That's brilliant.
- Krissi? - Yes, chef? Keep it going.
- Yes, chef.
- Keep it going.
Service, please.
While the blue team is rapidly sending out their appetizers, the red team is falling behind as Luca is struggling with the steaming of the sui mai.
We're dragging on the appetizers a little.
- Sure.
- We need to pick up the speed.
Come on, Luca.
I have no idea what's going on.
This supposed to be "put the dumplings in the steamer.
" The steamer cooks them for you.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
Luca! - Yes, chef.
- Come on, guys.
In the dining room, things are about to go from bad to worse for the red team as Joe is summoned by a very angry customer.
What happened? A raw scallop sui mai? Oh, my god.
Completely raw.
Guys, red team, I got freakin' completely raw You guys gotta steam these things.
Red team, come here.
What is that? Not done, raw.
What is going on? Chef, we need to turn it up more.
They were there for seven minutes.
- Is the steamer up? - Yes, chef.
Is there any water in the bottom? Yes, chef, just put it in.
- Who put it in? - Yes, chef.
Cold water, or hot water? I think it was cold.
So you put cold water into a - I didn't - If you put cold water in a steamer, what happens? It's gonna bring down the temperature.
There you go, guys.
This is a disaster.
For [bleep.]
sake.
At this point, I'm just wondering, "how are we gonna come back from this?" Unbelievable.
Un-[bleep.]
-believable.
Our six home cooks have taken over the upscale, modern Asian restaurant WP 24.
Tonight's diners have a choice of two appetizers: Scallop-shrimp sui mai or crispy lobster rolls.
The blue team is off to a great start.
What do you think so far? Oh, my god, the sui mai is unbelievable.
Really? While the red team continues to have problems with Luca's sui mai.
It's embarrassing that we've been putting these plates out, but I'm not willing to give up, and I know that we can fix this.
Red team captain Natasha decides it's time to take over for Luca on the sui mai appetizer.
Come on, guys, let's focus and regroup here, okay? - Chef, order up.
- Nice.
The winner of this challenge will be decided by the judges based on team performance in the kitchen and feedback from the customers.
Last two tables.
Let's go.
Whoo! Get fired up, blue! Yes, there you go, chef.
Service up.
Nice.
Blue team, really well done on the appetizers.
- Thank you, chef.
- You do that for the entrees, it's a home run.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you, chef.
- Up top, guys.
- Whoo! - Chef, order up.
- Excellent.
Excellent.
Table 43, thank you.
Right, red team, that was a bad start.
We can pull it back for the entree.
- Yes, chef, yes, chef.
- Okay? We really messed up the appetizer, so right now, we just need to keep on going and make sure that the main course will be perfect.
On order, red team.
Three beef, one prawns, yes? - Yes, chef.
- Good.
There we go.
There we go.
For the entrees, red team captain Natasha will continue to plate and has assigned Luca to the wagyu beef stir fry and Jessie to the singapore-style prawns.
Two beef, two prawns.
Yes, chef.
On the blue team, captain Bri will plate and has assigned James to the beef and Krissi to the prawns.
I'm looking at the notes that I have taken when I'm like, "oh, my god," I'm like, "I'm lost.
" Um, wait, should I oh, you know what? I can't remember what the plate's supposed to look like.
Krissi, does that look right to you? Um It doesn't look right to me, and I'm like, "I don't know what I did wrong.
" - You putall at once.
- Should I refire? Keep it moving.
Krissi is handling that wok with the finesse of 27 drunk bulls in a very, very small china shop.
Order up, chef.
Make some space here.
Is everything okay, chef? No, it's not okay.
No, it's not.
Come round.
Krissi, James, come here.
- Krissi.
- Yes, chef.
The shrimp are cold and the shrimp are raw.
Who's cooking the shrimp? Krissi.
You can see they're raw, right? - Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef.
- Start again.
- Yes, chef.
- The whole round, got it, chef.
- Yes.
What do you mean, "the whole round"? What did you think I'm gonna do, send half the table? Of course the whole [bleep.]
table.
[bleep.]
While the blue team struggles with their entrees, the red team has finally started to find their groove Chef, order up.
and dishes are flying out of the kitchen.
Natasha, great start, yes? Yes, chef.
- Keep it going, let's go.
- Thank you.
Keep it up, guys.
Keep it up.
Our service for entrees is just flying by.
We have plates going left, right, left, right.
Jess and Luca are totally rocking the block.
Come on, guys, come on, come on! We got this.
Dai, dai, dai, dai, guys, dai! I had the red team's prawns.
The spiciness was exactly what I was looking for.
It actually wowed my expectation.
Let's go, let's go, guys, let's go! While the red team is finally seeing some success, the blue team is falling even further behind.
All right, how long is it gonna take you to get those prawns ready? I don't know.
I-I-I-I Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come on, bring it back.
Krissi, what's wrong? I-I-I-I'm I don't know what I'm doing.
I am literally ruining everything for this team, and I'm not doing it on purpose.
Is this is this on? Look, it's not on, so - Oh, my god.
- I'm gonna crank up the heat.
There you go.
This isn't my thing.
Just might as well can send me home now.
While the blue team struggles in the kitchen, Joe is busy fielding angry complaints from the diners.
I know, and I apologize.
I know it doesn't help, and I know it's late.
I know you've been waiting a long time.
I'm gonna go back and check on them again, and I do apologize.
Everything's burned on this wok.
I gotta [bleep.]
start over.
Krissi? I got some blue team tables who are ready to walk.
They've been waiting an hour and a half for entrees.
I'm disgusted with the performance of our team Right now.
I don't know what to do.
I can't do the job of a leader and do the job of the line cook at the same time.
Bri needs to step in and save this.
Bri! Blue team customers have started to walk out.
They're starting to walk out.
Okay, I don't know what's going on, but there's nothing coming out! Dinner service is in full swing at the prestigious WP 24 restaurant in downtown L.
A.
While the red team is quickly getting entrees out to diners, the blue team is at a standstill as Krissi struggles with the Singapore-style chili prawns.
Joe's dying in the dining room.
Customers are complaining.
We have customers that are leaving, guys, walking out.
What am I doing? Please tell me what I'm doing with this.
This is the complete opposite of how it was going with the appetizers.
The appetizers were absolutely perfect, and the entree round is a disaster.
Now now, it's burning.
I'm literally broken at this point, and I don't know what else to do.
You gotta get that flame up.
Flame up, flame up.
It is a completely relief to see Graham step in.
So get it hot, and then start working it.
There you go.
Three beef, three prawns, how long? I got two minutes.
Okay, you'll be done in two minutes, good.
Get your sauce, right? Now you're going to warm it up, and you can finish your prawns in there.
As bad as I'm feeling, there's people out in that dining room that want their food, and I've gotta suck it up.
Come on, Krissi, fight back.
I-I got it, I got it.
Here, Bri, behind you.
With Graham's help, the blue team is finally getting entrees out to the customers, and Joe checks in to see how they rate the dishes.
So, sir, what did you think of the red team's entree? - Well, I had the chili prawns - The chili prawns.
- And flavor was unbelievable.
- Wow.
I had the blue team's prawn, and it was chewy, it was It was not very good tasting.
Don't worry, we're catching up, we're catching up.
Yes, we are.
We're fine.
keep up the pace, guys, We're doing okay.
I had the beef dish from the red team.
It was fabulous.
I think it had great flavor.
It had a good pop.
I had the blue team's wagyu beef.
I've eaten at a bunch of different high quality Asian restaurants around the country, and this one by far, right up there.
Last two tables, guys.
Last two tables, pick it up.
Let's go.
Let's go, guys, let's go.
How far are you from being done? You ready? All right, we're ready.
Order up.
Very nice.
Putting up the last plate, it's amazing.
We did a good job.
Good job.
Doing great.
I'm extremely proud of my team because we were able to work together and overcome the fact that we didn't have such a good start.
Thank god you worked as a team for the entree.
Great job.
Blue team, red team are finished.
Two beefs, two prawns.
Krissi, yes? Yes, chef.
I definitely have a much bigger appreciation for anybody who cooks at this level.
This was intense.
Come on, guys.
Last table, come on.
Come on, guys.
Okay, Krissi, I need prawns right now.
Here you go, Bri.
Two prawns behind you.
There you go, chef.
- Service, 41 and 42, please.
- Yes? Krissi, you okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Krissi, James, Bri, well done.
Look at me.
- That was a slow finish.
- Yeah.
It's about the flavor, okay? With dinner service completed, the diners complete their comment cards.
The winner of tonight's challenge will be decided by the judges based on this feedback and the team's overall performance in the kitchen.
The losing team will face a pressure test.
I-I was, like, beating myself up big time.
Like, I really was.
I know it's frustrating, but, like, if we really think about it, Three home cooks with no experience working in a professional kitchen come in and bang out a dinner service.
Although our food was slower getting out, I'm really hoping that the quality of our food is better, because I know that the red team had more dishes sent back.
You know, maybe they can overlook the fact that the appetizers didn't come out the way that they should have.
Both teams had ups and downs.
The stupid dumplings, overcooked, raw, cold inside.
Even if we did a great main course service, I don't have any excuses to how bad I perform in my appetizer.
Red team, blue team, seriously, all of you should be incredibly proud of what you accomplished tonight.
You ran the kitchen of one of the best restaurants in this country.
There's something that I think all of you deserve.
Come on.
Now, we listened to all the diners' feedback, we watched every dish leave the hot plate, we dissected everything you cooked, and we will decide which team is heading to the dreaded pressure test.
and that team is Going to be decided Overnight.
What? What? We've got some serious thinking to do.
Good night.
The judges are not going to tell us tonight.
Now is a time to relax.
I think we did an amazing job, but tomorrow is another day.
Anybody can go home at this point.
The final six contestants return to the MasterChef kitchen to find out who won yesterday's restaurant takeover challenge and to discover who will face tonight's dreaded pressure test.
The last supper table.
I look at it this way: Entrees, we were ten minutes behind.
Apps, they were ten minutes behind.
At the end, I still think we did a good job.
The only problem was those dumplings.
The dumplings were just, like, a hiccup.
I don't want to go in a pressure test with Jessie and Natasha.
I don't even want to think about it, because the risk to be eliminated right now is too high.
Last night, you ran the kitchen of one of the finest restaurants in the entire country.
You guys each had your ups and downs, but overall, the three of us were extremely proud of what you were able to accomplish.
But There has to be a winning team and, as always, a losing team.
We watched you cook, we spoke to all of the customers, and we tasted everything you made.
One team will head up into the gallery and straight into the top five of this competition.
The other team will shortly face one of the most dreaded pressure tests so far.
The winning team Congratulations Red team.
Yes! We always tell you it's not how you start, it's how you finish, and you finished strong.
Head up to the gallery.
Well done.
I don't want to be in another pressure test.
I've been in every pressure test, and I'm sick of it.
Well done.
Wow, wow.
Let's switch these out.
So, blue team, you know what this means.
One of you will be walking out of those doors when this pressure test is over.
Bri, based on yesterday's performance, who out of the three of you, including yourself, should be safe from elimination? Looking back into what was done in the kitchen, the attitudes of my teammates, I would choose myself.
You think that you had performed the best? Yes.
Krissi, what do you think about that decision? She knows that that's [bleep.]
.
Bri, fortunately for you, you do not have to make such a difficult decision, because tonight, all three of you will be cooking in the pressure test.
Are you three ready to find out what you have to cook in order to stay in this competition? Yes.
It's one of the most common menu items across America.
It's a dish that will test your knife skills, your prep work, your sauce work, and especially your frying technique.
I grew up eating this, along with most of America.
Calamari.
A plate of fried calamari with flavorful marinara sauce.
We want the most perfectly crisp, perfectly seasoned calamari.
We want a marinara sauce that perfectly compliments the calamari.
Have you had calamari? Yes.
- Love it.
- Grew up on it.
All of you are gonna have to start with six whole, stunning squid.
You'll have to clean and prepare yourselves.
Head to your stations.
On your stations, you all have identical ingredients: Six fresh squid, a.
p.
flour, corn meal, breadcrumbs, eggs, buttermilk, tomatoes, garlic, lemon, parsley, and seasoning.
You have to know exactly what you're doing, and during the preparation, you have to navigate that ink sac very carefully as not to puncture it and spoil that calamari.
It may look like an easy plate, but let me tell you, this is a very difficult challenge.
Your 45 minutes starts Now.
Calamari, something that seems super basic, but technically difficult to master.
What makes it so great? What are the steps? First and foremost important, the preparation.
so you take out that spine at the back that you pull out, take off the tentacles, remove the skin, and then, fingers in, and start removing out all the guts.
If you gently grab a quill from the calamari, you can remove the whole interior in one shot.
Gets everything out.
If you start destroying it, then you're in trouble.
right, absolutely.
It's a tough one, this one.
Bah.
I quite like it once it's been cleaned, sliced, and then into some form of milk or buttermilk to tenderize it in the batter.
Right, it also helps to keep that batter on it.
Mm-hmm, what would you dredge them in, Graham? I would make a really seasoned flour with maybe some of the Italian seasoning, a lot of salt and pepper, just get 'em dusted in that, and then you get 'em into oil that's at about 350.
The oil temperature is the single biggest point of jeopardy in this competition.
The idea is to fry a little bit at a time so the oil doesn't change temperature too much.
They never get soggy.
Let 'em get crisp, and then you can gather together a portion.
It's very technical.
So marinara.
You're gonna know this.
So the marinara is classic.
Extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, whole plump tomatoes break 'em up with my hands Italian spices, that's it.
It's the acidity that really juxtaposes the sweetness - of the fried calamari.
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
I've already achieved one dream, and that was becoming top six.
Now, top five's the next, so I'm gonna push and make the best possible calamari I can.
I think that James has a real leg up over the other two.
I mean, he's done it before, he's cleaned the squid.
That's a big part of this challenge.
Gotta be careful.
My money's on Bri.
She's smart, she's very clever, she thinks a lot, so I'm hoping tonight she shines.
But I think Krissi, she's gonna be able to nail it.
Marinara sauce, it's, like, her favorite thing in the world, so she has to find a way to get in the zone, get that calamari clean.
But the only problem is, she's cooking angry.
She is pissed.
How the [bleep.]
do you get this out? I have no idea.
This is painful.
What is she doing? I don't know, can you shut the [bleep.]
up up there? I might not be an expert at breaking down squid, but, damn it, I'm gonna try.
Please go home.
Go [bleep.]
yourself, Luca.
I love you too.
- Oops.
- Jeez.
Keep it up.
That's messed up.
Wow.
In this pressure test, Bri, James, and Krissi have just 45 minutes to make a perfect portion of fried calamari in marinara sauce from fresh squid they must butcher and clean themselves.
That's gross.
It's all right, Bri, you got it.
Whew, damn near got the ink sac on that.
Just under 20 minutes to go.
All right, Bri, are you confident? Definitely, chef, I have to be confident.
You're a vegetarian, and the big question for me is are you tasting it tonight? I taste my flour before I season it.
- So you do eat the flour.
- Yes.
And you're not gonna taste the squid.
- Correct.
- Right.
Who's going home tonight? - Uh, Krissi.
- Whatever.
Good luck.
I want to stay in this competition more than anything.
I have a fire that no one else has, because this is my second chance, and I can't let the judges down.
Hi, Krissi.
You seem like you're frustrated, or cooking angry - Mm-hmm.
- and now, you've got these three ten feet above you watching your every move.
- Mm-hmm.
- and they want you out.
They're scared of me, that's why they want me to leave.
I've dominated every - Luca, are you scared? - Every pressure test.
I'm not scared of Krissi at all.
No? Natasha? Who's going home today? - They all point to you.
- Mm-hmm.
I just may go home, and they might get their wish, but if I don't, they better know that I'm coming for them, and I'm coming for them hard.
I know they only hate me because they fear me, but they're too stubborn to admit it.
'Cause you can kick me, you can stomp me, you can [bleep.]
beat me with a bat.
I'm gonna keep gettin' up, and I'm gonna win this whole competition.
You've got five minutes to go.
Speed up, guys.
Come on.
What is she doing? Why would you put lemon in the marinara sauce? I thought this challenge was difficult, but attainable.
- Sure.
- From what I'm seeing now, this may have been more difficult than we thought.
James's are completely bready, overwhelming.
How's that sauce looking? There's no seasoning in there.
You can't ignore the marinara on this dish.
Absolutely.
Krissi looks slightly disappointed and she's not cleaned the squid properly.
However, I like the way that she's slicing it Nice and thinly, so she's going for an ultra crisp squid.
She may have pulled this off again.
I don't want to see her in the top five.
My big worry right now is Bri's pan is about to explode in fire.
That burnt oil is gonna impart a horrible flavor into each piece.
Yeah.
She has the oil way too hot.
They're not cooking inside.
She's gonna get burned if she doesn't be careful.
They're screaming.
Come on.
Taste everything, guys.
Think smartly and do not underestimate the power of your sauce.
Come on, guys.
Come on, finishing touches.
Season everything.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
Please bring your calamari down to the front bench.
Thank you.
I've struggled with this challenge, but, you know, in the end, I came back and turned it around, so I'm feeling good.
Bri, we'll start with you.
Visually, they're very thick, those rings.
How do I know they're cooked? I cut one open and tested it.
- Did you eat it? - No, chef.
How did you test it? I opened it up and see what the consistency was, and make sure it looked like it was cooked.
Yours look heavily coated in flour.
It's all clumped together, where - Yeah.
- You haven't - dusted them down properly.
- Okay.
Normally, when you have excess flour that hits the fryer, it burns instantly, and so You can just you can just smell that plate.
Okay? It smells slightly burnt, Even though it's not burned.
So you've got that sort of perfumed, burned smell.
Okay.
I wish you could've tasted them, because you would've put less flour on there.
I want the calamari to be the hero - Okay.
- Not what you dredge them in.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
All right.
That one that I just tried was definitely undercooked.
Let's take a look.
I mean, you can see that the breading is fried.
- Right.
- But this inside is complete squid tartar, so Thanks.
Okay, tell me about your marinara.
So my marinara was garlic, tomatoes, a little bit of Italian seasoning, and lemon juice.
Why do you put lemon juice in tomato sauce? Because in this particular dish, it was complimenting the seafood.
Bri, you're a smart girl.
That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Tomatoes are inherently so acidic, that adding acidity, I mean, it's just unheard of.
Okay.
It's too raw.
Krissi.
So, visually, I mean, to me, it looks like a plate of onion rings.
Marinara sauce, how have you made that? Just tomatoes I crushed 'em up with my hand Olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and just some fresh parsley in there.
Mm-hmm, how many times did you egg wash this? Just once.
Can you see what I'm saying? It's just, like, this sponge texture.
How did you cook them? Um, I just I fried them.
I had the The oil was way too hot, so I brought it down a little bit.
How do you cool down oil fast? Add cold oil.
Are you done? Absolutely not.
So how do you think that's gonna keep you in the competition? Because I didn't put lemon juice in my marinara and it's not raw.
Damn.
Tell me about the marinara.
I just crush up my tomatoes.
I usually put fresh basil, a little bit of olive oil Garlic? Yeah, I put, like, three cloves in.
You know, your marinara is garlicky, it's rich.
The calamari is sweet, it's cooked through.
The batter is a little, like, fried like funnel cake.
Like fried dough in a street fair.
Krissi, could you imagine going home on fried calamari, you? What are they gonna say? They'll probably laugh at me and break my balls forever.
Might not be that funny, because you could've just walked away from being very close to winning $1/4 million.
Yep.
I'm a little worried about my marinara.
I kinda forgot about it, so I'm hoping they don't notice that, but they will.
- James.
- Hello.
So they're all pretty much uniform in size.
Feeling 'em, you can tell right now that they are cooked just the way you want 'em.
What about your frying technique? I was kinda thinking that, instead of leaving 'em in for over a minute, if they were sliced thinner and the batter wasn't as super, super heavy, everything would get done at the same time.
All right, how 'bout the sauce? Smells like canned tomato juice, you know, like on an airplane.
Yeah, that tastes like the tin can.
I thought you were, like, the sauce guy.
Uh, apparently not.
It's too bad.
James.
Visually, it's the perfect size.
It really is the perfect size.
I love it.
I love the precision, the way you're working so thinly.
What have you done to the sauce? It's just garlic, pressured pepper, and sea salt with the tomatoes.
It's got a very funny aftertaste.
I don't know what it is.
No olive oil in there? Uh, no olive oil.
No olive oil at all in the tomato sauce? No olive oil in marinara? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
It's got that horrible taste.
You need - that olive oil.
- Yeah.
And you know, I think it's I was expecting better.
Yeah, I'm just disappointed.
Way too close to call.
And you just made it a lot more difficult than it had to be.
So maybe all three of you should go home.
That would be nice.
This is too close to call, and you just made it a lot more difficult than it had to be.
So maybe all three of you should go home.
We need some time.
If I go home on calamari, I will be the laughing stock of the neighborhood.
My credibility as an Italian, ruined.
It's a very difficult challenge, this one.
Very tough.
James, I was disappointed with.
I was surprised by Krissi.
Krissi.
Can you believe that? Bri as well.
She was scared.
I've never seen her slightly this petrified.
I like my marinara.
It's hard.
Very, very difficult.
James, please step forward.
Joe, Graham, and myself felt that your calamari was The best performance of this evening.
Please, take your apron off and make your way up to the gallery.
You're now in the top five of MasterChef.
James is safe.
Now, I'm not even religious, but I'm praying to god that Krissi goes home.
Nice of you to join us.
Bri, Krissi One of you will be leaving MasterChef tonight.
One of you will be entering the top five of this competition.
If I lose to a vegetarian, I will literally go home and give up cooking.
Bri, tonight, this calamari pressure test got the better of you.
- You know that.
- Yes, chef.
Could you cope with leaving this competition twice? Probably would never forgive myself for it.
Krissi, please step forward.
You have come so far but It's time to take your apron off.
And head on upstairs to the gallery.
You are safe.
Aw, man.
Bri, you know what this means.
You are leaving the competition once more.
I've never known a tenacious vegetarian to cook meat the way you do.
You're going places, let me tell you.
Gordon wanted to bring you back.
He was right.
You have a big heart, and I think you have a big future in whatever you want to do.
You should be very proud, because we are.
Follow that dream.
Get yourself into a kitchen.
Come here, you.
Ohh.
Amazing job.
Now Look, who is gonna win MasterChef? I'm still confident it's gonna be James.
James.
If there's any parting advice you could give to Krissi now, what would it be? Be nice, please.
Try to be nice.
- Well done.
- Thanks.
Get out of here.
Please put your apron on your bench.
Bye, guys.
- Bye, Bri.
- Bye, Bri.
Coming back into this competition was everything to me.
Please welcome back Bri! I've never been given a second chance before in my life.
Even though I was only here for a short time, I learned so much.
It's delicious.
Good job.
You really nailed it.
Well done, Bri.
Thank you.
I will take every single thing I've ever learned from the judges, because they are the three greatest teachers I've ever had.
Next time on MasterChef The judges switch places with some very special guests.
Our sons.
As the heirs to the MasterChef throne - How 'bout some ketchup? - Peanut butter.
take charge of the mystery box.
Do you have a boyfriend? I do have a boyfriend.
Damn! And then, it's a showdown for a spot in the final four.
What's the matter with you? I'm in big trouble.
And a MasterChef moment you don't want to miss.
Krissi sync: Ajvngou.
cz
- Hold on! She target at Luca, Jordan - You are at big trouble.
- and Natasha.
You got me, Krissi.
Krissi hit up a bulls eye.
That's disgusting.
As Jordan Please, say good-bye.
became the latest casualty in the MasterChef kitchen.
I want do my mom proud, and i think i do my mom proud.
Tonight a team challenge elevates the contestans to new heights.
Welcome to the top of Los Angeles.
At one of the country's finest restaurants.
Keep it up, guys.
But it isn't long before the meltdowns begin.
Bri, there's nothing coming out! Now it's burning.
If you put cold water in a steamer, what happens? Start again.
The whole round.
Got it, chef.
Of course, the whole [bleep.]
table! And a pressure test It's time to take your apron off.
sends home another top contender.
The final six home cooks are in downtown Los Angeles, where their culinary skills will be put to the ultimate test in tonight's team challenge.
It looks like we are in a movie, the three judges coming out from the helicopter, all the wind.
Whatever happening today is a huge deal.
Welcome, everybody, to the top of Los Angeles.
All right, guys, top six.
I see five.
Where's Krissi? She's on the roof, but she couldn't make it up here.
She's what? She's terrified of heights.
Serious? I'm deathly afraid of heights, and I realized how high up I am.
I'm like, "I am gonna pass out up here, and I'm probably gonna die.
" Well, MasterChef waits for nobody.
As you can probably guess, we didn't just bring you here for the view.
Directly beneath our feet sits WP 24.
It's a stunning fine dining restaurant with a very modern take on Chinese cuisine.
That's where you're going to face one of the most grueling challenges we do in this entire competition: The restaurant takeover.
Natasha and Bri, since you had the winning dishes from the last challenge, you will be the captains in this team challenge.
Please step forward.
The last challenge that Bri and I went up against each other as team captains I won, so hopefully, I can keep that streak running.
Natasha, since you had the best dish, you get to pick first.
I need a co-captain, and Jessie puts out beautiful plates, and she's got finesse, so Jessie.
Wow.
I obviously want to be on Natasha's team.
Didn't work out so well with Bri being the captain last time.
Can't trust a vegetarian, because she can't eat the food that's being sent out.
Bri, captain of the blue team, We still have Krissi downstairs Don't forget about Krissi James, and Luca.
I'm choosing this person because I know they'll be comfortable with the cuisine we're working with today.
James.
Wow, good choice.
Natasha, this next pick, you're picking for both teams, so you have a big advantage here.
I would like someone who has been around the restaurant business before and still in it, so Luca to be my pick.
So that means, by default, Krissi is in the blue team.
Krissi has a record of zero wins in team challenges, which is impressive in the worst way possible.
Are you guys ready? - Absolutely.
- Yes, chef.
Let's get it on.
Krissi, you okay, darling? We missed you up there.
Let's let's head back down.
I didn't know you were scared of heights.
Guys, come down, please.
I want to introduce you to a very special man.
Executive chef John Lechleidner.
So John is gonna give you the most amazing demonstration, and then, you are gonna replicate those dishes.
- Are you ready? - Yes, chef.
Let's head over to the wok.
Our home cooks will now have to learn the 4 top-selling signature dishes of WP 24.
Appetizers, steamed scallop-shrimp sui mai and crisp lettuce cups with tempura sweet maine lobster, along with entrees, Singapore style chili prawns and stir-fry wagyu beef with chili garlic and sweet bean sauce.
This is gonna be for the sui mai.
It's oyster sauce, shaoxing, stock, slurry, salt, sugar.
Get it going.
Drizzle in your egg.
Let the egg cook all the way through, throw in your crab.
I gotta cook four-star chinese food, and I hate Asian food, and I've never cooked it before.
Put your scallop on top, and then you go around and you start pinching around, and then put the whole plate just right in the steamer like that.
Seven minutes in the steamer.
Based on feedback from the diners and performance in the kitchen, the judges will decide the winning team.
So next, we have the lobster.
Take your lobster, drop 'em in one at a time.
The losing team will face the dreaded pressure test.
Little bit of cilantro.
So John, entrees please.
Uh, chili prawns.
Chili prawns.
Everything that is being produced tonight is being produced on a wok, and getting the technique down of working on a wok, that takes years of practice.
You can't overcook your shrimp.
I'm going slow so I can show you guys, but ideally, you want to go faster.
That man is a magician.
I didn't even know you could cook that fast, and it looked that good.
there's that, one more.
Stir-fry beef.
You have chinese flat chives, budding chives, snap peas, snow peas.
There's like 37 ingredients in here.
It's quick.
Start to finish, and I was taking my time.
It's a ton of info to take in at once.
It's gonna be intense.
Okay, guys, each team will have to serve of this fantastic restaurant.
And there's one more very important part of this challenge.
I will be expediting.
There's no way on Earth that I am leaving that to any of you.
Chef Ramsay is going to be expediting, which already freaks me out.
I just hope we don't lose our focus when he's screaming at us.
One hour of prep, and you've got two hours of dinner service.
Are you ready? Yes, chef.
Your time starts Now.
Off you go, guys.
Okay, guys.
Okay, this is what I think we should do.
The home cooks must get organized quickly to prep for these highly complex dishes.
You're comfortable with frying the lobster off? I feel 100% okay with that.
I can do the sui mai.
Then I'll be plating everything, putting it out in the window.
Come on, let's do this.
For the appetizers, captain Natasha has assigned Jessie to the lobster lettuce cups and Luca to the scallop-shrimp sui mai while she will handle all the final plating.
So for both the appetizers and the entrees, I'm gonna be on the end at plating, Finishing all the garnishes.
Like captain Natasha, captain Bri will be overseeing the final dishes, and has assigned Krissi to the lobster lettuce cups and James to the sui mai.
This is a nightmare scenario.
I've got a vegetarian and a girl who won't eat Asian food.
How the hell am I supposed to prepare modern Asian cuisine with those two? Bri, you gotta cut a little faster than that, honey.
Okay.
Good, good, good.
Keep it up, guys, keep it up.
This is as hard as it gets.
They're gonna cook Asian food in woks.
I wouldn't know how to cook in a wok.
And don't forget, it's three versus three.
I mean, this isn't like the wedding where it was double that amount.
This is a really small kitchen crew.
Team effort is crucial.
The timing is paramount.
They have to taste what they're cooking and be quick.
As night falls, WP 24 is open for business And the pressure is on for our home cooks.
Just under ten minutes until our first tables sit down and order.
Yes, chef.
Let's go, guys.
You know, the prep part was pretty easy, but steaming these guys and having a sauce ready for them right away is not the easy part.
All right, James.
Here we go, baby.
First table, blue team.
Two couples, table 15.
One sui mai, one lobster.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you.
This is it.
- Okay, on order, red team.
- Yes, chef.
Two couples, table 52.
One sui mai, one lobster.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you.
Let's go, guys.
Is that steamer on full? Yes, it is.
It should be.
No, it's not.
Oh, wow.
Now it's on full.
- Krissi? - Yes? If the steamers not steaming, slow down on the salad.
By the time in seven minutes time, - What's gonna happen to them? - They're gonna get soft.
Yeah, it'd be like eating a soggy blanket.
- Okay.
- Start again.
Okay.
Where's the lobster? Right here, chef.
Lovely, very nice.
Service, please, pick up.
Chef, order up.
Service, please.
Red team, 33.
When I think about how hectic it can be in the MasterChef kitchen, now that I'm in a real kitchen, this is crazy.
This is insane.
Two sui mai, two lobster, blue team.
- Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef.
Nice.
Nice, nice, nice.
We're soaring.
Krissi's moving quickly, Bri is garnishing, dressing, and calling out orders like a madwoman.
One sui mai, one lobster, followed by one sui mai, three lobster.
Sui mai's coming off my station perfectly.
That's brilliant.
- Krissi? - Yes, chef? Keep it going.
- Yes, chef.
- Keep it going.
Service, please.
While the blue team is rapidly sending out their appetizers, the red team is falling behind as Luca is struggling with the steaming of the sui mai.
We're dragging on the appetizers a little.
- Sure.
- We need to pick up the speed.
Come on, Luca.
I have no idea what's going on.
This supposed to be "put the dumplings in the steamer.
" The steamer cooks them for you.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
Luca! - Yes, chef.
- Come on, guys.
In the dining room, things are about to go from bad to worse for the red team as Joe is summoned by a very angry customer.
What happened? A raw scallop sui mai? Oh, my god.
Completely raw.
Guys, red team, I got freakin' completely raw You guys gotta steam these things.
Red team, come here.
What is that? Not done, raw.
What is going on? Chef, we need to turn it up more.
They were there for seven minutes.
- Is the steamer up? - Yes, chef.
Is there any water in the bottom? Yes, chef, just put it in.
- Who put it in? - Yes, chef.
Cold water, or hot water? I think it was cold.
So you put cold water into a - I didn't - If you put cold water in a steamer, what happens? It's gonna bring down the temperature.
There you go, guys.
This is a disaster.
For [bleep.]
sake.
At this point, I'm just wondering, "how are we gonna come back from this?" Unbelievable.
Un-[bleep.]
-believable.
Our six home cooks have taken over the upscale, modern Asian restaurant WP 24.
Tonight's diners have a choice of two appetizers: Scallop-shrimp sui mai or crispy lobster rolls.
The blue team is off to a great start.
What do you think so far? Oh, my god, the sui mai is unbelievable.
Really? While the red team continues to have problems with Luca's sui mai.
It's embarrassing that we've been putting these plates out, but I'm not willing to give up, and I know that we can fix this.
Red team captain Natasha decides it's time to take over for Luca on the sui mai appetizer.
Come on, guys, let's focus and regroup here, okay? - Chef, order up.
- Nice.
The winner of this challenge will be decided by the judges based on team performance in the kitchen and feedback from the customers.
Last two tables.
Let's go.
Whoo! Get fired up, blue! Yes, there you go, chef.
Service up.
Nice.
Blue team, really well done on the appetizers.
- Thank you, chef.
- You do that for the entrees, it's a home run.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you, chef.
- Up top, guys.
- Whoo! - Chef, order up.
- Excellent.
Excellent.
Table 43, thank you.
Right, red team, that was a bad start.
We can pull it back for the entree.
- Yes, chef, yes, chef.
- Okay? We really messed up the appetizer, so right now, we just need to keep on going and make sure that the main course will be perfect.
On order, red team.
Three beef, one prawns, yes? - Yes, chef.
- Good.
There we go.
There we go.
For the entrees, red team captain Natasha will continue to plate and has assigned Luca to the wagyu beef stir fry and Jessie to the singapore-style prawns.
Two beef, two prawns.
Yes, chef.
On the blue team, captain Bri will plate and has assigned James to the beef and Krissi to the prawns.
I'm looking at the notes that I have taken when I'm like, "oh, my god," I'm like, "I'm lost.
" Um, wait, should I oh, you know what? I can't remember what the plate's supposed to look like.
Krissi, does that look right to you? Um It doesn't look right to me, and I'm like, "I don't know what I did wrong.
" - You putall at once.
- Should I refire? Keep it moving.
Krissi is handling that wok with the finesse of 27 drunk bulls in a very, very small china shop.
Order up, chef.
Make some space here.
Is everything okay, chef? No, it's not okay.
No, it's not.
Come round.
Krissi, James, come here.
- Krissi.
- Yes, chef.
The shrimp are cold and the shrimp are raw.
Who's cooking the shrimp? Krissi.
You can see they're raw, right? - Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef.
- Start again.
- Yes, chef.
- The whole round, got it, chef.
- Yes.
What do you mean, "the whole round"? What did you think I'm gonna do, send half the table? Of course the whole [bleep.]
table.
[bleep.]
While the blue team struggles with their entrees, the red team has finally started to find their groove Chef, order up.
and dishes are flying out of the kitchen.
Natasha, great start, yes? Yes, chef.
- Keep it going, let's go.
- Thank you.
Keep it up, guys.
Keep it up.
Our service for entrees is just flying by.
We have plates going left, right, left, right.
Jess and Luca are totally rocking the block.
Come on, guys, come on, come on! We got this.
Dai, dai, dai, dai, guys, dai! I had the red team's prawns.
The spiciness was exactly what I was looking for.
It actually wowed my expectation.
Let's go, let's go, guys, let's go! While the red team is finally seeing some success, the blue team is falling even further behind.
All right, how long is it gonna take you to get those prawns ready? I don't know.
I-I-I-I Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come on, bring it back.
Krissi, what's wrong? I-I-I-I'm I don't know what I'm doing.
I am literally ruining everything for this team, and I'm not doing it on purpose.
Is this is this on? Look, it's not on, so - Oh, my god.
- I'm gonna crank up the heat.
There you go.
This isn't my thing.
Just might as well can send me home now.
While the blue team struggles in the kitchen, Joe is busy fielding angry complaints from the diners.
I know, and I apologize.
I know it doesn't help, and I know it's late.
I know you've been waiting a long time.
I'm gonna go back and check on them again, and I do apologize.
Everything's burned on this wok.
I gotta [bleep.]
start over.
Krissi? I got some blue team tables who are ready to walk.
They've been waiting an hour and a half for entrees.
I'm disgusted with the performance of our team Right now.
I don't know what to do.
I can't do the job of a leader and do the job of the line cook at the same time.
Bri needs to step in and save this.
Bri! Blue team customers have started to walk out.
They're starting to walk out.
Okay, I don't know what's going on, but there's nothing coming out! Dinner service is in full swing at the prestigious WP 24 restaurant in downtown L.
A.
While the red team is quickly getting entrees out to diners, the blue team is at a standstill as Krissi struggles with the Singapore-style chili prawns.
Joe's dying in the dining room.
Customers are complaining.
We have customers that are leaving, guys, walking out.
What am I doing? Please tell me what I'm doing with this.
This is the complete opposite of how it was going with the appetizers.
The appetizers were absolutely perfect, and the entree round is a disaster.
Now now, it's burning.
I'm literally broken at this point, and I don't know what else to do.
You gotta get that flame up.
Flame up, flame up.
It is a completely relief to see Graham step in.
So get it hot, and then start working it.
There you go.
Three beef, three prawns, how long? I got two minutes.
Okay, you'll be done in two minutes, good.
Get your sauce, right? Now you're going to warm it up, and you can finish your prawns in there.
As bad as I'm feeling, there's people out in that dining room that want their food, and I've gotta suck it up.
Come on, Krissi, fight back.
I-I got it, I got it.
Here, Bri, behind you.
With Graham's help, the blue team is finally getting entrees out to the customers, and Joe checks in to see how they rate the dishes.
So, sir, what did you think of the red team's entree? - Well, I had the chili prawns - The chili prawns.
- And flavor was unbelievable.
- Wow.
I had the blue team's prawn, and it was chewy, it was It was not very good tasting.
Don't worry, we're catching up, we're catching up.
Yes, we are.
We're fine.
keep up the pace, guys, We're doing okay.
I had the beef dish from the red team.
It was fabulous.
I think it had great flavor.
It had a good pop.
I had the blue team's wagyu beef.
I've eaten at a bunch of different high quality Asian restaurants around the country, and this one by far, right up there.
Last two tables, guys.
Last two tables, pick it up.
Let's go.
Let's go, guys, let's go.
How far are you from being done? You ready? All right, we're ready.
Order up.
Very nice.
Putting up the last plate, it's amazing.
We did a good job.
Good job.
Doing great.
I'm extremely proud of my team because we were able to work together and overcome the fact that we didn't have such a good start.
Thank god you worked as a team for the entree.
Great job.
Blue team, red team are finished.
Two beefs, two prawns.
Krissi, yes? Yes, chef.
I definitely have a much bigger appreciation for anybody who cooks at this level.
This was intense.
Come on, guys.
Last table, come on.
Come on, guys.
Okay, Krissi, I need prawns right now.
Here you go, Bri.
Two prawns behind you.
There you go, chef.
- Service, 41 and 42, please.
- Yes? Krissi, you okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Krissi, James, Bri, well done.
Look at me.
- That was a slow finish.
- Yeah.
It's about the flavor, okay? With dinner service completed, the diners complete their comment cards.
The winner of tonight's challenge will be decided by the judges based on this feedback and the team's overall performance in the kitchen.
The losing team will face a pressure test.
I-I was, like, beating myself up big time.
Like, I really was.
I know it's frustrating, but, like, if we really think about it, Three home cooks with no experience working in a professional kitchen come in and bang out a dinner service.
Although our food was slower getting out, I'm really hoping that the quality of our food is better, because I know that the red team had more dishes sent back.
You know, maybe they can overlook the fact that the appetizers didn't come out the way that they should have.
Both teams had ups and downs.
The stupid dumplings, overcooked, raw, cold inside.
Even if we did a great main course service, I don't have any excuses to how bad I perform in my appetizer.
Red team, blue team, seriously, all of you should be incredibly proud of what you accomplished tonight.
You ran the kitchen of one of the best restaurants in this country.
There's something that I think all of you deserve.
Come on.
Now, we listened to all the diners' feedback, we watched every dish leave the hot plate, we dissected everything you cooked, and we will decide which team is heading to the dreaded pressure test.
and that team is Going to be decided Overnight.
What? What? We've got some serious thinking to do.
Good night.
The judges are not going to tell us tonight.
Now is a time to relax.
I think we did an amazing job, but tomorrow is another day.
Anybody can go home at this point.
The final six contestants return to the MasterChef kitchen to find out who won yesterday's restaurant takeover challenge and to discover who will face tonight's dreaded pressure test.
The last supper table.
I look at it this way: Entrees, we were ten minutes behind.
Apps, they were ten minutes behind.
At the end, I still think we did a good job.
The only problem was those dumplings.
The dumplings were just, like, a hiccup.
I don't want to go in a pressure test with Jessie and Natasha.
I don't even want to think about it, because the risk to be eliminated right now is too high.
Last night, you ran the kitchen of one of the finest restaurants in the entire country.
You guys each had your ups and downs, but overall, the three of us were extremely proud of what you were able to accomplish.
But There has to be a winning team and, as always, a losing team.
We watched you cook, we spoke to all of the customers, and we tasted everything you made.
One team will head up into the gallery and straight into the top five of this competition.
The other team will shortly face one of the most dreaded pressure tests so far.
The winning team Congratulations Red team.
Yes! We always tell you it's not how you start, it's how you finish, and you finished strong.
Head up to the gallery.
Well done.
I don't want to be in another pressure test.
I've been in every pressure test, and I'm sick of it.
Well done.
Wow, wow.
Let's switch these out.
So, blue team, you know what this means.
One of you will be walking out of those doors when this pressure test is over.
Bri, based on yesterday's performance, who out of the three of you, including yourself, should be safe from elimination? Looking back into what was done in the kitchen, the attitudes of my teammates, I would choose myself.
You think that you had performed the best? Yes.
Krissi, what do you think about that decision? She knows that that's [bleep.]
.
Bri, fortunately for you, you do not have to make such a difficult decision, because tonight, all three of you will be cooking in the pressure test.
Are you three ready to find out what you have to cook in order to stay in this competition? Yes.
It's one of the most common menu items across America.
It's a dish that will test your knife skills, your prep work, your sauce work, and especially your frying technique.
I grew up eating this, along with most of America.
Calamari.
A plate of fried calamari with flavorful marinara sauce.
We want the most perfectly crisp, perfectly seasoned calamari.
We want a marinara sauce that perfectly compliments the calamari.
Have you had calamari? Yes.
- Love it.
- Grew up on it.
All of you are gonna have to start with six whole, stunning squid.
You'll have to clean and prepare yourselves.
Head to your stations.
On your stations, you all have identical ingredients: Six fresh squid, a.
p.
flour, corn meal, breadcrumbs, eggs, buttermilk, tomatoes, garlic, lemon, parsley, and seasoning.
You have to know exactly what you're doing, and during the preparation, you have to navigate that ink sac very carefully as not to puncture it and spoil that calamari.
It may look like an easy plate, but let me tell you, this is a very difficult challenge.
Your 45 minutes starts Now.
Calamari, something that seems super basic, but technically difficult to master.
What makes it so great? What are the steps? First and foremost important, the preparation.
so you take out that spine at the back that you pull out, take off the tentacles, remove the skin, and then, fingers in, and start removing out all the guts.
If you gently grab a quill from the calamari, you can remove the whole interior in one shot.
Gets everything out.
If you start destroying it, then you're in trouble.
right, absolutely.
It's a tough one, this one.
Bah.
I quite like it once it's been cleaned, sliced, and then into some form of milk or buttermilk to tenderize it in the batter.
Right, it also helps to keep that batter on it.
Mm-hmm, what would you dredge them in, Graham? I would make a really seasoned flour with maybe some of the Italian seasoning, a lot of salt and pepper, just get 'em dusted in that, and then you get 'em into oil that's at about 350.
The oil temperature is the single biggest point of jeopardy in this competition.
The idea is to fry a little bit at a time so the oil doesn't change temperature too much.
They never get soggy.
Let 'em get crisp, and then you can gather together a portion.
It's very technical.
So marinara.
You're gonna know this.
So the marinara is classic.
Extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, whole plump tomatoes break 'em up with my hands Italian spices, that's it.
It's the acidity that really juxtaposes the sweetness - of the fried calamari.
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
I've already achieved one dream, and that was becoming top six.
Now, top five's the next, so I'm gonna push and make the best possible calamari I can.
I think that James has a real leg up over the other two.
I mean, he's done it before, he's cleaned the squid.
That's a big part of this challenge.
Gotta be careful.
My money's on Bri.
She's smart, she's very clever, she thinks a lot, so I'm hoping tonight she shines.
But I think Krissi, she's gonna be able to nail it.
Marinara sauce, it's, like, her favorite thing in the world, so she has to find a way to get in the zone, get that calamari clean.
But the only problem is, she's cooking angry.
She is pissed.
How the [bleep.]
do you get this out? I have no idea.
This is painful.
What is she doing? I don't know, can you shut the [bleep.]
up up there? I might not be an expert at breaking down squid, but, damn it, I'm gonna try.
Please go home.
Go [bleep.]
yourself, Luca.
I love you too.
- Oops.
- Jeez.
Keep it up.
That's messed up.
Wow.
In this pressure test, Bri, James, and Krissi have just 45 minutes to make a perfect portion of fried calamari in marinara sauce from fresh squid they must butcher and clean themselves.
That's gross.
It's all right, Bri, you got it.
Whew, damn near got the ink sac on that.
Just under 20 minutes to go.
All right, Bri, are you confident? Definitely, chef, I have to be confident.
You're a vegetarian, and the big question for me is are you tasting it tonight? I taste my flour before I season it.
- So you do eat the flour.
- Yes.
And you're not gonna taste the squid.
- Correct.
- Right.
Who's going home tonight? - Uh, Krissi.
- Whatever.
Good luck.
I want to stay in this competition more than anything.
I have a fire that no one else has, because this is my second chance, and I can't let the judges down.
Hi, Krissi.
You seem like you're frustrated, or cooking angry - Mm-hmm.
- and now, you've got these three ten feet above you watching your every move.
- Mm-hmm.
- and they want you out.
They're scared of me, that's why they want me to leave.
I've dominated every - Luca, are you scared? - Every pressure test.
I'm not scared of Krissi at all.
No? Natasha? Who's going home today? - They all point to you.
- Mm-hmm.
I just may go home, and they might get their wish, but if I don't, they better know that I'm coming for them, and I'm coming for them hard.
I know they only hate me because they fear me, but they're too stubborn to admit it.
'Cause you can kick me, you can stomp me, you can [bleep.]
beat me with a bat.
I'm gonna keep gettin' up, and I'm gonna win this whole competition.
You've got five minutes to go.
Speed up, guys.
Come on.
What is she doing? Why would you put lemon in the marinara sauce? I thought this challenge was difficult, but attainable.
- Sure.
- From what I'm seeing now, this may have been more difficult than we thought.
James's are completely bready, overwhelming.
How's that sauce looking? There's no seasoning in there.
You can't ignore the marinara on this dish.
Absolutely.
Krissi looks slightly disappointed and she's not cleaned the squid properly.
However, I like the way that she's slicing it Nice and thinly, so she's going for an ultra crisp squid.
She may have pulled this off again.
I don't want to see her in the top five.
My big worry right now is Bri's pan is about to explode in fire.
That burnt oil is gonna impart a horrible flavor into each piece.
Yeah.
She has the oil way too hot.
They're not cooking inside.
She's gonna get burned if she doesn't be careful.
They're screaming.
Come on.
Taste everything, guys.
Think smartly and do not underestimate the power of your sauce.
Come on, guys.
Come on, finishing touches.
Season everything.
Five, four, three, two, one, and stop.
Hands in the air.
Well done.
Please bring your calamari down to the front bench.
Thank you.
I've struggled with this challenge, but, you know, in the end, I came back and turned it around, so I'm feeling good.
Bri, we'll start with you.
Visually, they're very thick, those rings.
How do I know they're cooked? I cut one open and tested it.
- Did you eat it? - No, chef.
How did you test it? I opened it up and see what the consistency was, and make sure it looked like it was cooked.
Yours look heavily coated in flour.
It's all clumped together, where - Yeah.
- You haven't - dusted them down properly.
- Okay.
Normally, when you have excess flour that hits the fryer, it burns instantly, and so You can just you can just smell that plate.
Okay? It smells slightly burnt, Even though it's not burned.
So you've got that sort of perfumed, burned smell.
Okay.
I wish you could've tasted them, because you would've put less flour on there.
I want the calamari to be the hero - Okay.
- Not what you dredge them in.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.
All right.
That one that I just tried was definitely undercooked.
Let's take a look.
I mean, you can see that the breading is fried.
- Right.
- But this inside is complete squid tartar, so Thanks.
Okay, tell me about your marinara.
So my marinara was garlic, tomatoes, a little bit of Italian seasoning, and lemon juice.
Why do you put lemon juice in tomato sauce? Because in this particular dish, it was complimenting the seafood.
Bri, you're a smart girl.
That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Tomatoes are inherently so acidic, that adding acidity, I mean, it's just unheard of.
Okay.
It's too raw.
Krissi.
So, visually, I mean, to me, it looks like a plate of onion rings.
Marinara sauce, how have you made that? Just tomatoes I crushed 'em up with my hand Olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and just some fresh parsley in there.
Mm-hmm, how many times did you egg wash this? Just once.
Can you see what I'm saying? It's just, like, this sponge texture.
How did you cook them? Um, I just I fried them.
I had the The oil was way too hot, so I brought it down a little bit.
How do you cool down oil fast? Add cold oil.
Are you done? Absolutely not.
So how do you think that's gonna keep you in the competition? Because I didn't put lemon juice in my marinara and it's not raw.
Damn.
Tell me about the marinara.
I just crush up my tomatoes.
I usually put fresh basil, a little bit of olive oil Garlic? Yeah, I put, like, three cloves in.
You know, your marinara is garlicky, it's rich.
The calamari is sweet, it's cooked through.
The batter is a little, like, fried like funnel cake.
Like fried dough in a street fair.
Krissi, could you imagine going home on fried calamari, you? What are they gonna say? They'll probably laugh at me and break my balls forever.
Might not be that funny, because you could've just walked away from being very close to winning $1/4 million.
Yep.
I'm a little worried about my marinara.
I kinda forgot about it, so I'm hoping they don't notice that, but they will.
- James.
- Hello.
So they're all pretty much uniform in size.
Feeling 'em, you can tell right now that they are cooked just the way you want 'em.
What about your frying technique? I was kinda thinking that, instead of leaving 'em in for over a minute, if they were sliced thinner and the batter wasn't as super, super heavy, everything would get done at the same time.
All right, how 'bout the sauce? Smells like canned tomato juice, you know, like on an airplane.
Yeah, that tastes like the tin can.
I thought you were, like, the sauce guy.
Uh, apparently not.
It's too bad.
James.
Visually, it's the perfect size.
It really is the perfect size.
I love it.
I love the precision, the way you're working so thinly.
What have you done to the sauce? It's just garlic, pressured pepper, and sea salt with the tomatoes.
It's got a very funny aftertaste.
I don't know what it is.
No olive oil in there? Uh, no olive oil.
No olive oil at all in the tomato sauce? No olive oil in marinara? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
It's got that horrible taste.
You need - that olive oil.
- Yeah.
And you know, I think it's I was expecting better.
Yeah, I'm just disappointed.
Way too close to call.
And you just made it a lot more difficult than it had to be.
So maybe all three of you should go home.
That would be nice.
This is too close to call, and you just made it a lot more difficult than it had to be.
So maybe all three of you should go home.
We need some time.
If I go home on calamari, I will be the laughing stock of the neighborhood.
My credibility as an Italian, ruined.
It's a very difficult challenge, this one.
Very tough.
James, I was disappointed with.
I was surprised by Krissi.
Krissi.
Can you believe that? Bri as well.
She was scared.
I've never seen her slightly this petrified.
I like my marinara.
It's hard.
Very, very difficult.
James, please step forward.
Joe, Graham, and myself felt that your calamari was The best performance of this evening.
Please, take your apron off and make your way up to the gallery.
You're now in the top five of MasterChef.
James is safe.
Now, I'm not even religious, but I'm praying to god that Krissi goes home.
Nice of you to join us.
Bri, Krissi One of you will be leaving MasterChef tonight.
One of you will be entering the top five of this competition.
If I lose to a vegetarian, I will literally go home and give up cooking.
Bri, tonight, this calamari pressure test got the better of you.
- You know that.
- Yes, chef.
Could you cope with leaving this competition twice? Probably would never forgive myself for it.
Krissi, please step forward.
You have come so far but It's time to take your apron off.
And head on upstairs to the gallery.
You are safe.
Aw, man.
Bri, you know what this means.
You are leaving the competition once more.
I've never known a tenacious vegetarian to cook meat the way you do.
You're going places, let me tell you.
Gordon wanted to bring you back.
He was right.
You have a big heart, and I think you have a big future in whatever you want to do.
You should be very proud, because we are.
Follow that dream.
Get yourself into a kitchen.
Come here, you.
Ohh.
Amazing job.
Now Look, who is gonna win MasterChef? I'm still confident it's gonna be James.
James.
If there's any parting advice you could give to Krissi now, what would it be? Be nice, please.
Try to be nice.
- Well done.
- Thanks.
Get out of here.
Please put your apron on your bench.
Bye, guys.
- Bye, Bri.
- Bye, Bri.
Coming back into this competition was everything to me.
Please welcome back Bri! I've never been given a second chance before in my life.
Even though I was only here for a short time, I learned so much.
It's delicious.
Good job.
You really nailed it.
Well done, Bri.
Thank you.
I will take every single thing I've ever learned from the judges, because they are the three greatest teachers I've ever had.
Next time on MasterChef The judges switch places with some very special guests.
Our sons.
As the heirs to the MasterChef throne - How 'bout some ketchup? - Peanut butter.
take charge of the mystery box.
Do you have a boyfriend? I do have a boyfriend.
Damn! And then, it's a showdown for a spot in the final four.
What's the matter with you? I'm in big trouble.
And a MasterChef moment you don't want to miss.
Krissi sync: Ajvngou.
cz