Masterchef (2010) s09e09 Episode Script
The Big Not Easy
1 Narrator: Tonight Joe: Cooking alongside you, Aarón Sánchez.
- Yes! - Whoo! - a MasterChef - This is like Christmas, baby.
-brings gifts - Oh, my gosh! -from the Bayou.
- Shanika:This - ( squeals ) - sucks.
And when big Cajun flavors turn up the heat I got a live one.
Cooking next to Aarón is absolutely terrifying.
-the top 17 - Look at me.
face the shock of the season.
- There's more on the line than you thought.
- Oh, Lord.
- Hey! - Yes! - Yeah! - Welcome back.
Top 17, baby! I'm very excited right now to still be here in the MasterChef kitchen.
The judges have given aprons to all of us for a reason, and I'm gonna do what I can to make sure that I get to that finale not only for myself, but I need to make Joe Bastianich proud.
And now it's time for your next big mystery box challenge.
Tonight's mystery box has been curated by a chef that really knows a thing or two about great American regional dishes.
Who is it, Aarón? - It's me.
- Yes! All right, guys, on the count of three we're gonna lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
- Oh! - ( screams ) - Oh! - They are alive.
( whispers ) Oh, wow! Aarón: In front of you, you have live crawfish, oysters, catfish, shrimp, and of course, one of my favorites, redfish, a bounty of delicious morsels from my backyard.
Matt:I don't really recognize these ingredients.
I know what they are, but in Iowa we don't get fresh ingredients like this very often.
I'm a little worried at this point that I'm not gonna know -what to do with this.
- Right, listen carefully.
Your challenge tonight: make a delicious dish featuring at least two items from that incredible oasis of magical product.
You also have an amazing pantry in the equipment room, but what's in that net needs to be the star of that dish.
Now, tonight, you're not only cooking with some of the best seafood in all the country, you're also cooking with one of the best chefs in America right alongside you.
- Whoo! - Yes.
Chef Aarón Sánchez.
This is like Christmas, baby.
Look at that.
You have 60 minutes to make us one spectacular dish.
- Is everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 60 minutes starts now.
Whoa! Need some mushroom.
- Carrots.
- Aarón: Behind you, kiddos.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, these are perfect! Samantha: Coming from Iowa, I'm not familiar with the crawfish, but they look like little lobsters, so I'm just gonna treat 'em like little lobsters.
Is there pepper? So I'm gonna make shrimp and crawfish ravioli with a tomato basil marinara, and I'm hoping that I can elevate that to the next level and really wow the judges.
I'm going to be doing a crispy pan-seared redfish with fingerling potatoes and pancetta.
Chef Aarón, he's right here, you know.
I'm just so happy that I have the opportunity to cook alongside him.
Come on, guys! Keep hustlin'.
I'm gonna try to recreate a seafood boil that we have down in the South.
I'm gonna attempt to make shrimp and crawfish dumplings.
It's a risk, but if you're gonna stay in this competition you gotta take risks.
What an amazing lucky bag, a bag full of fresh shellfish, fresh fish.
Oh! I got a live one.
- Joe: Oysters - There you go.
- catfish, redfish - Come on! - Oh, sorry.
- crawfish - Beautiful crawfish.
- and shrimp.
Joe: Let's talk about crawfish.
What are the ups and downs? So, they take literally 30 seconds to cook, - so they're easy to overcook.
- Yes! - Let's talk about redfish.
- The skin is a difficult one.
- Very tough skin.
- Come on, Chelsea.
- Joe: So, they gotta be able to fillet, de-scale.
- Gordon: Yep.
- Gordon: Pinbone.
- Joe: To pinbone it.
- That is a very complicated thing.
- It's a tough one.
And shrimp, obviously the most commonly-known ingredient.
Whoo-hoo! - I'm back at it, baby.
- Aarón is super focused.
He seems like he's having real fun.
How exciting and inspirational for all our contestants tonight to cook in amongst him and use the ingredients - from his backyard.
- Right.
- You know what you're making, Aarón? - Yep.
Making some étouffée, baby.
I'm gonna make a fish stew with a nice fillet of whitefish and some shrimp.
I'm Italian.
We cook with fish all the time.
It's not a big deal for me.
- Aarón.
- Yes, sir.
This smells incredible.
Seriously.
What are you cooking? So, I'm gonna make a crawfish and shrimp étouffée.
This needs to cook down, Joe, so, give it a second.
- Aarón.
Give me an S.
- Yes? - Really? I'm not even messing with you.
- Oh, my God.
- We can help you here a little bit.
- Really? There you go.
Joe, if this goes south, bro, it's your ass.
- It's fine.
It's fine.
- All right, that's all I'm saying.
That is delicious.
Utilizing the head, the tails, the broth, the seasoning.
- That has a ton of flavor in it.
- That is amazing.
It'd be nice if you work a little bit tidy.
How about that? - Come on.
Good luck.
- Come on, leave him alone.
- Taylor.
- Yes, Chef.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I'm making a fresh homemade pasta.
- And what kind of protein are you using? - I'm using the shrimp, the beautiful shrimp and I'm using the redfish, because this is something that I cook at home with my mom and my stepdad.
I love pasta and shrimp.
- Taylor, the heat is on.
- Yes, Chef.
I gave you that apron.
I believed in you weeks ago, I still believe in you.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Fresh herbs.
- All right, Gerron.
- Yes, Chef.
What's up? - What's going on? You got a lot of action here.
- Tell me what the dish is.
- I do.
I got a lot of action.
I'm doing a pan-seared redfish, but I'm also going to do scalloped potatoes with shrimp.
You're putting cooked shrimp in with raw potatoes into the oven.
- I hope it comes out all right.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
All right, Gerron, you're wearing my pin.
- Don't let me down.
- Execution, baby.
I got you.
Less than 25 minutes to go, guys.
Come on.
One stunning portion.
- Right.
Matthew.
- Yes.
You're here because Joe believes in you.
- Yes.
- Tell me, what's the dish? I'm gonna do a pan-seared redfish, and then I'm also gonna do some fried oysters with the braised leeks.
But there's nothing cooked.
Yeah, I'm cooking it right now.
That's what I'm getting on to.
- But there's nothing cooked.
Raw, raw, raw, raw.
- Getting the fish I have oysters in the fryer right now.
So we're frying a freaking oyster.
- Frying an oyster, yeah.
- Just look at me.
Look.
Oysters take 30 seconds.
- Yes.
- You're cooking the fish last.
- What are you doing? - I'm going right now.
- I'm a little bit behind and - You see.
I I Just spin around for me.
'Cause I was hoping you'd turn into Superman.
- Yeah.
- And it's not happening.
- Clark, look.
- Yes, Chef.
Spin around again then come back to me as a talented cook.
- Yes.
I'm going, Chef.
- Wake up.
- Let's go.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
Chelsea from Houston.
What are you making there? I'm doing a corn cake and then I've got shrimp and fish with an ancho chili sauce.
You're wearing Aarón's apron, too.
You looking out for any tips? I mean, he's so organized, and to see him do it right there, it's unbelievable.
- Good luck to you.
- Thank you, Joe.
Gordon: Guys, we're down to eight minutes remaining.
Some amazing dishes out there, but a lot of them aren't sticking to the roots of that bag.
They're coming up with some ridiculous ideas.
So, Julia, she's taking the redfish, she's finishing, she's cooking in butter, and she's using a creamed polenta cake as well, at the same time.
So she's playing to her strengths, but trying to modernize it, but totally doesn't understand the sort of New Orleans style.
Joe: Gerron's doing kind of like an au gratin potato with shrimp inside of it.
Gerron: Something's not 100%.
Joe: But he had cooked the shrimp and then put it in with the raw potatoes.
- Unbelievable.
- ( groans ) Matt's doing this sort of seafood sauté dish.
I think he's a little bit frazzled.
Joe: Are they taking too many risks? I don't think they're focused enough.
90 seconds remaining.
( whistles ) Good.
Beautiful.
One stunning portion.
Let's go, guys.
That's hot.
I'm really excited to taste a bite of New Orleans.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go.
Please, start plating.
Joe: Is Ryan gonna present the whole fish? That's so unorthodox for "MasterChef.
" Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
Joe: Let's go, guys, come on.
Aarón Sánchez, you done? - Aarón: Yes, sir.
- Gordon: Let's go, guys.
This is it.
This is where it counts.
- 10 - Both: Nine, eight, seven six, five, four, three, two, one.
And, stop.
Gordon: Hands in the air.
Well done.
Joe: Good job, guys.
Oh, my God.
Okay, attention, everyone.
Look at me for one minute.
I have a super important announcement.
This wasn't a regular mystery box challenge.
There's more on the line with this mystery box than you thought.
Tonight, the cook that made the worst dish will be going home.
- Oh, God.
- Just like that.
Nowhere to hide.
Tonight, there's more on the line with this mystery box than you thought.
The cook that made the worst dish - will be going home.
- Oh, God.
Joe: Just like that.
Nowhere to hide.
This makes me question every decision I had made up to this point.
I have never made this dish before.
Why did I take a risk on a new dish when this could be the dish that sends me home? Right, let's start off with the man that puts big flavors at the heart of all his dishes.
Aarón Sánchez, please bring your dish up.
Whoo! Holy crap, my mentor, Chef Aarón, is incredible.
-His dish looks beautiful.
- What is the dish? Aarón: I made a shrimp and crawfish étouffée.
Made a beautiful roux, nice and dark, and I cooked it down with our trinity, which is bell peppers, celery, and onion, and then folded in some beautiful crawfish at the end.
Gordon: It smells incredible.
Julia: He's got this great technique, and so many big, bold flavors.
Gordon: The depth of flavor, it feels like you've been cooking for three hours.
Amazing job.
- Thank you very much.
- Delicious.
It's unreal how creative he is, and to have cooked with Chef Aarón, it's unbelievable.
The amazing Aarón Sánchez, come on.
( applause ) Now, as you know, we've had the chance to watch and taste everything you are doing.
And we want to take a much closer look at three dishes that completely missed the mark.
Joe: The first dish we want to examine is the dish that featured pasta, but not in a good way.
- Taylor.
- ( sighs deeply ) Taylor: I feel like I keep disappointing my mentor.
And now a dish that I make at home all the time could be sending me home.
Okay, Taylor, can you explain the dish to me? Taylor: I have a spicy garlic tomato sauce with a fresh fettuccini, spiced shrimp, and a fillet of redfish.
Did you just cook the tomatoes with olive oil? No, I was really trying to focus on what I really love to cook at home, and I always love to make tomato sauces.
That's not a tomato sauce.
That's more like a soup of some sort, - as far as I'm concerned.
- Okay.
The shrimps are a separate dish.
They have nothing to do with the concept of the pasta dish.
The pasta itself is okay.
But I don't know what this piece of seared fish on top has to do with anything else.
It shows me a cook who's maybe trying to avoid dealing with fish, which was the point of today's mystery box.
Gordon: How'd you cook the fish? Uh, I pan-seared it, Chef.
You're here because I believed in you, but you missed the mark.
Fish cooked okay, but I'm concerned, Taylor, that you're buckling under the pressure.
Aarón: The next dish that we want to examine further featured shrimp and totally failed on multiple levels to showcase it.
That home cook is Gerron.
Gerron: I do not want to let Joe down, but I messed up.
So I'm hoping that there are some good qualities of my dish to keep me here.
All right, so, Gerron, explain to me the dish, please.
Gerron: Today you have a pan-seared redfish with a shrimp and au gratin potato, with sugar snap peas and carrots and then a white wine sauce.
Error number one: that's the intestinal tract where the shrimp actually processes everything it eats.
I'm not gonna eat that 'cause that's disgusting.
So, Louisville, Kentucky, do you cook seafood? I don't use the fresh ingredients 'cause it's hard to get in Louisville, Kentucky.
You made a huge error by serving the fish skin side down.
You have this flabby, flaccid skin.
But you over-peppered them as well.
No bueno.
Gordon: Gerron, where'd you get the idea of the potatoes and the shrimp? That was something that just popped into my mind, actually.
- I mean - Well, pop it out of your mind.
Au gratin potato needs to overcook to taste good.
Putting shrimp in the middle of the potatoes to overcook it, all of a sudden, you've got a freaking golf ball in your mouth from the shrimp.
And there you are with a bag of goodies and you give me this.
And the third and final dish that, sadly, missed the mark tonight belongs to a person that has a lot of great ideas, but sometimes fails in execution.
Please bring up your dish Matt.
Matt: I might be able to be saved because of my strong plating and my different techniques that I use on the dish.
So, hopefully this is enough for the judges because I am not ready to go back to Iowa.
Matt, description of the dish, please.
Matt: It's a pan-seared redfish with some fried oysters some braised leeks, carrot puree, roasted cauliflower, and a orange fennel reduction.
Here's the deal.
You would've had something very appealing with that fish had you not put the fried oysters on top, 'cause it rendered that skin extremely flabby.
The puree is probably the shining star of this dish, but, unfortunately, your choices, it's what's having this dish fall short.
Matt, here's the problem.
A dish, at this point in "MasterChef," has to have an idea.
Like, what's the idea of this dish? You haven't explained sell it to me now.
I wanted to try to bring that leek and that fennel flavor in, and, you know, the fennel flavor didn't really come through in the sauce.
You want to play, you can play, but you need to do it with intelligence.
Yes, Chef.
Braised leeks, which are fine, that's not enough to win "MasterChef.
" Sorry, Matt.
I'm disappointed.
Matt: I'm a little bit concerned right now.
Frustrating.
You gotta step up when we give you those treasures.
Sorry, Joe.
Looks like you're about to lose another home cook.
But compared to Taylor's dish and Gerron's dish, I have a little bit more flair on my plate and I think I have a little bit more potential there.
Your three dishes this evening were way off, but the reality is that only one home cook is going home this evening.
Taylor, please step forward.
- You are spared, but never put a dish like that - Oh, thank God.
in front of us again.
Please go to your station.
Thank you, Chefs.
Gordon, if you don't mind, I think this decision should be rendered by Joe.
Yep.
Gerron, Matt, I gave you both aprons because I believed in both of you.
Only one of you will survive.
With a heavy heart, I have to say the person leaving tonight is The person leaving tonight with a heavy heart, I have to say is Matt.
Gerron, please.
Return to your station, Gerron.
Get your head in this game.
Thank you, Chef.
Matt, you're a smart guy.
Tonight you missed it.
I just want to thank you, judges, thank "MasterChef.
" You know, I've only been cooking two years, so there's a lot to learn, still, and this has been an incredible journey.
Two years is not a long time to be cooking, and if you're cooking at this level in two years, there's a lot more great food gonna come from you.
Thank you, Chef.
Matt, please put your apron at your station and leave the MasterChef kitchen.
- Thank you, guys.
- Good night.
Good night.
Okay, Matt.
Matt: Only cooking for two years and to make it into the top 17 of "MasterChef," I think I'm really proud of it.
I think it should also be a message to the people out there that are just starting to cook.
If you're truly passionate, follow your passions.
Bye.
You're a great guy.
Right, all of you, let that exit be a stern reminder, every time you cook in this kitchen, you bring your A game.
Let's get back to some good news.
Right now, Joe, Aarón, and myself are gonna choose two dishes each.
These six do not have to compete tonight in a very tough pressure test.
I'm very pleased with the performance of two of my mentees in particular, for their drive and their understanding of the ingredients.
Congratulations Bryan and Cesar.
You are safe from the elimination test.
So, there are two of my mentees that I'm also equally proud of tonight.
You got the theme, you delivered big, bold flavors very, very satisfying to eat.
Congratulations to Ralph and Mark.
Let's go, Mark.
The top two for me tonight, the dishes were amazing.
Samantha and Bowen.
Please come up here and join us.
More of that, young man.
Line up, please.
- Amazing.
- Thank you.
Now, the rest of you, listen carefully.
Many Americans don't have time, energy, or interest - to cook every day, right? - Right.
- Aarón? - Yeah.
Uh-oh.
Uh oh.
( all groan ) Frozen dinners.
Now, tonight we have chosen one of America's most popular frozen dinners Salisbury steak.
- It's not actually a steak.
- What? - Mmm.
- ( chuckles ) You have a frozen Salisbury steak covered in a mushroom gravy, served with roasted red bliss potatoes, finished with some green beans from 2004.
This iconic American frozen dinner takes 45 minutes to heat up in the oven, but some of you will have even less time.
You six will not be cooking, but your night is not quite over yet.
Here's the deal, guys.
In the equipment room, there are 10 boxes of that Salisbury steak dinner.
Seven of them have 45 minute cook times on the boxes.
One has 40 minutes on the box, one has 35 minutes.
And, yes, one home cook will only get 30 minutes to complete their dish.
Wow! Inside the equipment room, on the refrigerator, you'll find some lovely fridge magnets.
Those magnets contain the faces of all of these home cooks.
You will take those and place them on the box.
You're effectively assigning cook time to each of these home cooks.
You'll have just three minutes to decide.
Your time starts now.
- Go, Bowen.
- Go! Go! Go! - Grab those magnets, Cesar.
- Got 'em, got 'em.
What are y'all thinking? What are y'all thinking? Let's go! Let's go! All right, who is for sure 30 minutes? - I say Shanika 30.
- No, Shanika 40.
No.
No.
- I'm thinking Emily for 30.
- I think Emily for 30.
- No.
45.
- No.
No.
No.
No.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
I say challenge her with 40.
- No.
No.
No.
No.
- No, 35.
35.
35.
- 35.
- I think Julia 30 minutes and Shanika 35.
- Why? - Julia has been baking really well.
We have not seen Julia really cook savory.
We have not seen Julia cook savory.
Why y'all giving Shanika so much time? - I know she's good.
- I think Shanika should have 40.
- Shanika has 40.
- That I can live with.
- That's it right there, guys.
- There we go.
Everyone else has 45 minutes.
We decide to give Shanika 40 minutes, Emily 35 minutes, and Julia 30 minutes.
- Time's up.
Let's go.
- Go! Go! Go! Get outta here.
We are targeting the people we feel are the strongest or that rub the other contestants the wrong way, like Shanika.
So, did you all have an input across those three minutes? - Yes.
- Just as a stern reminder, at least one of you will be eliminated tonight.
Your 45 minutes starts now.
Ralph: Let's go, guys! Cesar: Come on, guys! Boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes.
- 35 minutes.
- 40 minutes.
30? I knew it.
I knew it.
Wouldn't you know it? I'm the 30 minute girl.
- You're 30? - Yeah.
- You can't get it yet.
- Oh no, I can't get it yet.
I had a feeling this was coming, because there's a lot of people that are threatened by me.
Man, that's gotta suck.
But I'm not worried about it.
I'm definitely gonna use this time to strategize what I'm gonna do and just get this done.
Come on, y'all.
Get it in.
Shanika, how much time have they allotted? - 40 minutes.
- 40 minutes.
Wow! - Julia? - 30.
- Emily.
35 minutes.
- 35 minutes, Chef.
You ladies got your work cut out.
Joe: So, if you've been dealt the five, the 10 minute, the 15-minute penalty, is it make-or-break? How hard is it? Salisbury steak is basically almost like a fast-track meatloaf with a beautiful glaze on there.
You need time to do this.
Shanika, 15 seconds, stand by.
This is her time to step up.
Shanika, 40 minutes.
If she's smart, she'll take those five minutes and absolutely categorize what she needs to do over the next 40 minutes.
Shanika, three, two, one.
Start.
Everybody up there on that balcony, trying to throw me off my game by taking five minutes away from me, but it's just not gonna stop me.
I'm gonna make small pieces so the Salisbury steak cooks a lot faster, get my gravy on, cook my veggies last, make sure my potato's in.
I got this.
So, my spin on Salisbury steak today, I just plan on adding a little bit of bacon and a little white cheddar to elevate that.
I actually cooked Salisbury steak before.
Where I come from, it's a poor man's meal.
So, I'm feeling really good because I've done this before.
Emily, stand by.
Three, two, one.
Start.
35 minutes might seem like a challenge to a lot of people Parsley.
but I know that I have the skills and ability to adjust to any situation that I'm given.
Having that 10 extra minutes to kind of game plan is an advantage to me.
I had time to actually fully concept my dish.
Emily's wearing my apron, and the reason that I picked her primarily is 'cause she's smart.
I think that her intelligence will get her through this challenge.
No problem.
Nice moves, S.
J.
Stay focused, Ash.
- Stay focused.
- I have made Salisbury steak before.
To me, it's kind of like upscale meatloaf.
Before I came to this competition, my dad told me not to overcomplicate everything and just do the best, and today I want the ingredients to shine.
So I'm trying not to overcomplicate anything today.
- I do like seeing Julia struggle like this.
- Yeah.
15 seconds, Julia.
Stand by.
So Julia only has 30 minutes.
Like, she could be screwed.
Half hour is not enough.
Julia, three, two, one.
Start.
- Go, Julia! - Let's go, Julia.
Aarón: Julia has what it takes.
She grew up in a restaurant family, her family owned diners.
I believe that she can turn this around and make something great.
Plantains, potatoes.
Aarón, I feel that Julia's challenge tonight is insurmountable.
You will be losing an apron, my friend.
Gordon: 25 minutes to go, guys.
- Come on.
- Yes.
Get it going, G.
Get it going.
Get it going, bro.
- Right, Emily.
- Yes, Chef.
- You had 10 minutes less than everybody else.
- Yes, I did.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I'm doing some crispy diced potatoes with Salisbury steak, Hen of the Woods mushroom cream sauce, then I've got green beans, a little bit of lemon zest and some almond.
You actually enjoy being under pressure - more than anybody, don't you? - I do.
I'm a procrastinator and I wouldn't write a paper until the night before, so I work best under pressure.
- Young lady, good luck.
- Thank you.
- I see you, Emily.
- Joe: All right, Shanika.
- You were penalized by five minutes.
- Yeah.
So talk to me a little bit about your experience with Salisbury steak.
I grew up eating it in Miami.
My mom actually used to cook it all the time, but I personally don't cook Salisbury steaks.
They had three bullets to give, so they shot one at you.
I need to understand why they would target you.
I honestly believe they know that I'm the next MasterChef.
- That's a good answer.
- Keep going, Shanika.
We are down to 20 minutes remaining.
- You've got to speed up.
- Mushroom, steak.
Okay.
Hey, is S.
J.
gonna do some cooking? - Yeah.
- Mark: I don't know what S.
J.
is doing.
It's crazy.
What are you doing? - So, S.
J.
, tell me what you're doing.
- Yes, Chef? I'm going to be doing a Salisbury steak with a mushroom gravy, with caramelized shallots, - mushrooms with - Stop.
- Yes, Chef.
- There's nothing cooked.
Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.
- Get your ( bleep ) together.
- Yes, Chef.
Hey, young man, and it would help immensely to turn the ( bleep ) gas on.
My God.
Mushroom, steak.
Okay.
- So, S.
J.
- Yes, Chef? - Stop.
- Yes, Chef.
There's nothing cooked.
- Oh, my God.
- Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.
It would help immensely to turn the ( bleep ) gas on.
Should've been on.
S.
J.
- Yes, Chef.
Yes.
- I believed in you.
Focus, rein it in.
- Absolutely.
- Good luck.
Yes, Chef.
- Lindsay.
- How you doing, Chef? Talk to me a little bit about your version of Salisbury steak.
Got a lamb and beef Salisbury steak with some roasted fingerling potatoes, fortified beef stock, and I put just about every mushroom in there to use - as the basis for my gravy.
- That's good flavor.
I'm gonna make a little fresh green bean salad for the side, give it a little freshness, 'cause the Salisbury steak is a little bit heavy.
You're an attorney now, you work long hours.
A frozen meal is something that happens in the life of a busy person.
Before I left and came here, I froze lasagnas and I froze soups and everything, so my wife could eat while I was away.
- Good luck.
- Gordon: Less than five minutes remaining.
- Julia.
I mean, seriously, young lady.
- Yes.
- 30 minutes.
- I know.
Tell me about the shortcuts.
How are you saving that 15 minutes? I'm gonna use the same pan to put the mushrooms in, make the gravy in the same pan.
So you're making all in one.
So you're making the gravy so that's a smart move.
They can test me all they want.
This Italian girl is not gonna go home tonight or any other night.
I'm here to win.
Young lady, taste everything and give us your best shot.
- I will.
Thank you.
- Good luck.
Wow! I mean, first of all, these smells are incredible.
- Whoo! - Pretty good, yeah.
Gordon: We are down to our last minute.
All right.
Aarón: Bring all your elements to the plate.
Gerron: A little bit of salt.
Come on, Gerron.
You gotta plate.
Salt, salt, salt.
Where's my salt? - There we go.
- Come on, Gerron.
Aarón: Think about plating, y'all.
Consistency of gravies and sauces.
Gordon: Taste everything.
Ralph: Get it on a plate, guys.
Gordon: 15 seconds remaining.
Ryan: Come on, get going! Get going! - Get it on a plate! - Mark: Come on, S.
J.
Chefs: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop.
Hands in the air.
Ralph: Good job, guys.
Okay, home cooks, you all just had to make a fresh version of this Salisbury steak.
Now, at the end of tonight, at least one of you will be going home.
Let's see how you did.
Aarón: First up, a home cook that has Joe's apron.
Please step forward, Shanika.
Shanika:These people obviously don't know what I've been through in life.
Taking five minutes away from me, it's just not gonna stop me.
I know that I nailed this freaking Salisbury steak.
All right, Shanika.
You were deprived - of five minutes.
- Five minutes.
I mean, guys, what was your thinking? I just seem to keep rubbing people the wrong way.
Might be too outspoken.
Visually, it does make a statement.
I think the color arrangement, the blue potatoes, the green, the red.
- Describe the dish, please.
- The sauce, I made it with the beef broth.
I cooked it down with pancetta, little bit of olive oil.
The beans were blanched with salt, and I roasted the potatoes with some rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
The Salisbury steak and the gravy, that right there is amazing.
But everything else on that plate is really rough to get through.
These potatoes are a real rough proposition, 'cause they're not really fried, but not really roasted.
They're kinda living in this limbo.
The green beans are real mundane and very ordinary.
But let me tell you, the Salisbury steak's there.
It's seared, it's delicious, it's earthy, but everything else is so rough and so bad.
It takes away from all the magic that you did on that damn steak, and that can literally be enough to send you home.
The five minutes would've been welcome for you, 'cause it would've allowed you to finish these ideas a little bit better.
- Gotcha.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
I am tired of seeing that disappointment in Joe's eyes, but although I made these horrible mistakes, I cooked that Salisbury steak properly.
I don't feel like this is my time to leave.
Next up, the home cook Joe gave an apron to, Emily.
Emily:I had 10 minutes less than everyone else and I'm a little bit nervous.
I know it looks a bit of a mess, but I'm just hoping and praying that my flavors pull through.
If not, then I could be the one going home.
Emily, the six up on the balcony gave you a 35-minute cook tonight.
- What was going through your mind? - I'm a person that they might feel threatened by.
Honestly, I was expecting 30 minutes.
Emily, describe the dish, please.
I have dried porcini mushrooms, little Worcestershire sauce, and grated shallot, and then gravy is a brandy, Matsutake mushroom gravy.
And then I roasted off my green beans, some almonds and lemon zest.
Mm.
It is seriously delicious.
Great seasoning, great color, great sear on the steak.
Beans got a lot of flavor.
Potatoes, nice.
Visually, it looks a little bit clumpy.
Just give it a bit more finesse.
But, you know, 35.
I think you could've nailed this in 25, to be honest.
Good job.
Thank you.
The next home cook wearing Aarón's apron, she had just 30 minutes to cook, Julia.
Julia;This was one of the most stressful 30 minutes of my life.
You know, a lot of other people had a lot more time to incorporate more flavors into their dish that I just didn't have the time for.
So, I just hope I don't disappoint Chef Aarón.
Tell me about the dish.
I put some garlic, shallots, an egg, a little salt and pepper, oregano, and a little bit of bread crumb.
So, this is like an Italian meatloaf with all that kind of seasoning in there.
You added these tomatoes, which I think are irrelevant.
Why'd you add the tomatoes? I just tomatoes and green beans together in a salad.
But you sliced it.
Why'd you do that? You understood that the idea was to mimic this, right? - Um - You understood that? Yeah.
Joe: Julia, your Salisbury steak, you sliced it.
Why'd you do that? You understood that the idea was to mimic this, right? Yeah.
I have to say it's one of the best flavored dishes I've tried so far.
The potatoes are perfectly cooked.
Your mushroom sauce is profound.
You kind of used all your time to your advantage.
- Great dish.
- Thank you.
Next up, from the home cook that Aarón gave an apron to, Lindsay, please.
Let's go.
Having had a lot of Salisbury steak TV dinners growing up, I'm gonna show that you can take those flavors of your childhood, and do something fresh with it, and the judges are gonna love it.
- Right, Lindsay.
- Yes.
Describe the dish here.
So I have a lamb and beef Salisbury steak with a porcini mushroom crust.
It's got some roasted mushrooms on top, and fresh salad on the side with the blanched green beans.
You know that meat is disgusting.
( gasps, stifled laughter ) It's dry and then I've got dried mushrooms.
They were just stuck in the oven.
There's no color on those things.
Linds, when the best thing of your dish is a green bean salad, that upsets me.
Thank you, Lindsay.
Thank you, Chef.
The next home cook has Gordon's apron.
S.
J.
, let's see what you got.
- S.
J.
, explain your Salisbury steak.
- How are you, Chef? A Salisbury steak with fondant potatoes, mushroom gravy, and sautéed green beans.
I love the gravy.
I think it's extremely well-balanced.
If I had to take you to task on something, it's a lot of potato for very little protein.
- Right.
- The star is the Salisbury steak, and let me tell you, you knocked it out.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Gordon: Right.
Next up, wearing Joe's apron, Gerron.
It is a Salisbury steak stuffed with bacon and white cheddar, pan-seared green beans in bacon fat.
I then also added a layer of fried onions on top.
- It's delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
I love the cheese and the bacon element.
And the pâté, just so soft and delicious and rich.
You just wanna dive back in there for more.
- Amazing.
- Thank you, Chef.
Joe: The next home cook, wearing Gordon Ramsay's apron, Ashley.
So this looks very much in the spirit of the original dish.
What seasoning did you put in here? Greek oregano, smoked paprika, and then I made fondant potatoes, string beans almondine, in a red wine mushroom gravy.
So the potatoes are perfectly cooked.
- Thank you.
- Really soft, well seasoned.
The meat's a little bit bland.
The best thing about this dish is your sauce.
It's really on point.
Thanks, Joe.
Finally, the home cook that Aarón gave an apron to.
Chelsea, please.
Let's go.
Chelsea:I think I did a really good job.
I mean, I don't eat frozen meals, but this seems like something I can make for my dad.
He loves fresh green beans.
I think I should do really well, and I just really hope the judges like it.
Chelsea, how many times have you eaten a frozen dinner? I don't think I ever have.
- Never? - No.
Living in the Middle East and growing up everywhere I lived, we didn't really eat that kinda food.
Well, you cooked with 45 minutes tonight.
You know there's three individuals behind you that have been dealt a dysfunctional card tonight.
So, visually, yours looks worse than theirs.
- If I take that away, holy sugar! - Yeah.
It's like a vegetarian buffet.
I just put too much on the plate.
- And you know how to plate well, right? - Yes.
Describe the dish, please.
I made Salisbury steak with mushroom and pearl onion gravy, garlic green beans with salt, and the roasted potatoes, I parboiled them really quickly and then I finished them in the oven.
Quite rare there.
So, sort of medium muddy.
Potatoes actually taste better than they look.
Look at that.
I can't distinguish which one looks better.
At this stage in the competition, I just want to see a little bit more finesse.
I look at that and it's like somebody can't be bothered.
- Thank you.
- I'm just disappointed.
I usually plate so perfectly and with finesse.
I think that maybe I was just making it for my family and not for the judges.
- A no-brainer, right? - Yeah, missed the mark.
Aarón: I might be losing one of my strongest cooks.
They were really upset with what I produced today and I hate that I disappointed Aarón.
Everyone, I think it's safe to say that that was a tough challenge.
Yes, Chef.
Aarón: Now, at least one home cook is leaving tonight.
Can you all please come down to the front? I'm shocked that I messed up so badly.
This is a hard competition and I never give up, but, I mean, I didn't do my best.
So, I'm just hoping that they know that I'll learn from this and they should give me another chance.
So, before we move on to the bad news, we want to celebrate and recognize great performances.
Four of you excelled and knocked it out of the park.
Congratulations S.
J.
, Emily, Gerron, - Thank you.
- and one more home cook that had just 30 minutes.
Julia, do you have anything to say to those people that gave you limited time and that doubted you? I'm here to stay.
I'm not going anywhere.
So, the bad news, Chelsea, Lindsay, and Shanika.
One of you will be heading home tonight.
Can everybody else please head to the balcony? Julia:I am so proud walking up to this balcony.
I was given the least amount of time, and I completely excelled.
I gotta let 'em know.
You better move the hell over and make some space for me because I'm not going anywhere.
Gordon: We have three very talented, amazing home cooks.
One's wearing Joe's apron, and two are wearing aprons from Aarón, but only one will be leaving tonight.
And that person tonight overreached.
They over-thought, and ultimately, they under-delivered.
The person leaving the MasterChef kitchen is Lindsay.
( whispers ) Oh, my God.
Shanika, Chelsea, head up to the safety of the balcony, please.
Wow! Lindsay, I think the idea of something so simple like a Salisbury steak tripped you up a little bit, but I gave you my apron for a reason.
You have such a fighting spirit.
You're resilient.
I think that dream of a B&B with your wife is well within your grasp, and I want you to please continue to do that.
- Tonight wasn't your night.
- No.
Gordon: Please, place your apron on your bench and good night.
- Thank you.
- Bye, Lindsay.
I think I'm a true testament to the fact that you're never too old to start following a new dream.
I'm a successful trial attorney.
And you know what? I was successful in making it to "MasterChef.
" So, I'm going home to my beautiful wife and we're gonna continue with our culinary dream of having that bed and breakfast and fine dining restaurant on Cape Cod.
Joe: So, just 15 home cooks remain.
You know, with Matt and Lindsay going home this week, each judge has five aprons left.
I think the competition is just gonna get stiffer from here.
From now on, it gets more and more intense.
The heat is really gonna get turned up.
So, I am gonna make sure that the next person to go is not me.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Narrator:Next week - We are going to try something different.
-the top 15 - Joe: Find a partner right away.
- Yo, guys.
What's up? -team up for a game of Chicken.
- Come on.
- Five well-known ingredients.
I am not having a good time getting this off.
- Whoo! - What the hell? Who mauled this? I've seen better at "Junior MasterChef.
" Piece of cake.
And then, a grueling challenge returns.
- Contestants: Ooh! - Oh! A dish that strikes fear in the heart of every home cook.
( whistles ) GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay, and I'm hitting the road.
(blues rock music) (truck horn honks) I'm heading to restaurants all across America WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink MAN: [bleep.]
you! GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting for, a [bleep.]
death? But having endured so many kitchen disasters over the years There's a [bleep.]
mouse in here.
I know that I need to do something I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save each of these restaurants in just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared we're not gonna finish.
(snoring) GORDON: Because in this age of social media, where every customer is a critic If you want fast service and good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star, the food looks gross when it comes out of the kitchen.
(whispers) Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know I'm coming, they tend to hide what's really going on.
So, this time, I'll need to be covert, hiding cameras in the restaurants and myself in plain sight -Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
-(laughs) GORDON: To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you from eating in there, and this is the reason why.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no! GORDON: If I have any hope of saving them Bless thy soul, may I come out in one piece.
I'll have to go to hell and back GORDON: Oh, my God.
-(coughs) GORDON: In 24 hours.
(coughs) (beeping) (rock music) GORDON: This week is a big one.
I'm in the heart of Los Angeles, California, home to the once-renowned restaurant La Serenata.
With only 24 hours to turn this place around, I needed to know the issues before I even stepped foot inside.
So my team told the restaurant that they were casting for an upcoming renovation series.
While they're being interviewed, we installed hidden cameras throughout the restaurant and have been secretly recording surveillance footage since we left.
(rock music) Now, with several movie studios nearby, this is an incredible neighborhood for big celebrities and big businesses.
For any restaurateur, with all that on your doorstep, La Serenata should be thriving.
(Latin music) I'm Marco, and I manage the restaurant here at La Serenata.
My father, Jose, and my mother, Aurora, met 57 years ago in Mexico.
My first boyfriend.
Not another one, only him.
MARCO: They moved to Los Angeles.
He opened his first restaurant in 1984, and we got super popular.
So we opened two more locations.
(bell rings) You know, Don Jose, he was the man, you know? He was like a legend.
MARCO: My father, he had issues with his heart.
One day, my mother calls me on the phone, and she's hysterical.
She goes, "Your father's gonna die, your father's gonna die.
" (voice breaking) I took him down the stairs.
(somber music) II could tell he was scared.
And my father, he passed away.
It affected my family badly, by splitting us.
MARCO: I have tried to take the reins, but my mother, she does get in the way.
You're not running the restaurant the way you should be.
Okay? (speaking Spanish) You always say, "Yo soy la patrona.
" -Hey? -(speaks Spanish) You just show up, eat, drink coffee.
They always bicker and fight with each other.
They're both hotheads, and it just kind of puts everyone in a bad mood.
(speaks Spanish) The mom, she wants to control everything.
And Marco, he don't want to be controlled from his mom.
(dramatic music) Whywhy are you waiting? (both speaking indistinctly) MARCO: We had to sell two restaurants in order to keep one restaurant which was here at Pico.
This final location, we are probably in our last few months.
(speaking Spanish) My mother had to sell her home.
Now she's living with me, my wife, and my three kids.
We live together, and then we work together.
It's not a great recipe.
[bleep.]
.
(speaking English) Never.
JUNIOR: We didn't fight when my grandfather was alive.
You know, it sucks, because it's not a loving feeling that we had.
I worked too much for this.
I don't want to lose him.
Now, the family know there's help on the way,
- Yes! - Whoo! - a MasterChef - This is like Christmas, baby.
-brings gifts - Oh, my gosh! -from the Bayou.
- Shanika:This - ( squeals ) - sucks.
And when big Cajun flavors turn up the heat I got a live one.
Cooking next to Aarón is absolutely terrifying.
-the top 17 - Look at me.
face the shock of the season.
- There's more on the line than you thought.
- Oh, Lord.
- Hey! - Yes! - Yeah! - Welcome back.
Top 17, baby! I'm very excited right now to still be here in the MasterChef kitchen.
The judges have given aprons to all of us for a reason, and I'm gonna do what I can to make sure that I get to that finale not only for myself, but I need to make Joe Bastianich proud.
And now it's time for your next big mystery box challenge.
Tonight's mystery box has been curated by a chef that really knows a thing or two about great American regional dishes.
Who is it, Aarón? - It's me.
- Yes! All right, guys, on the count of three we're gonna lift those boxes.
One, two, three.
- Oh! - ( screams ) - Oh! - They are alive.
( whispers ) Oh, wow! Aarón: In front of you, you have live crawfish, oysters, catfish, shrimp, and of course, one of my favorites, redfish, a bounty of delicious morsels from my backyard.
Matt:I don't really recognize these ingredients.
I know what they are, but in Iowa we don't get fresh ingredients like this very often.
I'm a little worried at this point that I'm not gonna know -what to do with this.
- Right, listen carefully.
Your challenge tonight: make a delicious dish featuring at least two items from that incredible oasis of magical product.
You also have an amazing pantry in the equipment room, but what's in that net needs to be the star of that dish.
Now, tonight, you're not only cooking with some of the best seafood in all the country, you're also cooking with one of the best chefs in America right alongside you.
- Whoo! - Yes.
Chef Aarón Sánchez.
This is like Christmas, baby.
Look at that.
You have 60 minutes to make us one spectacular dish.
- Is everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your 60 minutes starts now.
Whoa! Need some mushroom.
- Carrots.
- Aarón: Behind you, kiddos.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, these are perfect! Samantha: Coming from Iowa, I'm not familiar with the crawfish, but they look like little lobsters, so I'm just gonna treat 'em like little lobsters.
Is there pepper? So I'm gonna make shrimp and crawfish ravioli with a tomato basil marinara, and I'm hoping that I can elevate that to the next level and really wow the judges.
I'm going to be doing a crispy pan-seared redfish with fingerling potatoes and pancetta.
Chef Aarón, he's right here, you know.
I'm just so happy that I have the opportunity to cook alongside him.
Come on, guys! Keep hustlin'.
I'm gonna try to recreate a seafood boil that we have down in the South.
I'm gonna attempt to make shrimp and crawfish dumplings.
It's a risk, but if you're gonna stay in this competition you gotta take risks.
What an amazing lucky bag, a bag full of fresh shellfish, fresh fish.
Oh! I got a live one.
- Joe: Oysters - There you go.
- catfish, redfish - Come on! - Oh, sorry.
- crawfish - Beautiful crawfish.
- and shrimp.
Joe: Let's talk about crawfish.
What are the ups and downs? So, they take literally 30 seconds to cook, - so they're easy to overcook.
- Yes! - Let's talk about redfish.
- The skin is a difficult one.
- Very tough skin.
- Come on, Chelsea.
- Joe: So, they gotta be able to fillet, de-scale.
- Gordon: Yep.
- Gordon: Pinbone.
- Joe: To pinbone it.
- That is a very complicated thing.
- It's a tough one.
And shrimp, obviously the most commonly-known ingredient.
Whoo-hoo! - I'm back at it, baby.
- Aarón is super focused.
He seems like he's having real fun.
How exciting and inspirational for all our contestants tonight to cook in amongst him and use the ingredients - from his backyard.
- Right.
- You know what you're making, Aarón? - Yep.
Making some étouffée, baby.
I'm gonna make a fish stew with a nice fillet of whitefish and some shrimp.
I'm Italian.
We cook with fish all the time.
It's not a big deal for me.
- Aarón.
- Yes, sir.
This smells incredible.
Seriously.
What are you cooking? So, I'm gonna make a crawfish and shrimp étouffée.
This needs to cook down, Joe, so, give it a second.
- Aarón.
Give me an S.
- Yes? - Really? I'm not even messing with you.
- Oh, my God.
- We can help you here a little bit.
- Really? There you go.
Joe, if this goes south, bro, it's your ass.
- It's fine.
It's fine.
- All right, that's all I'm saying.
That is delicious.
Utilizing the head, the tails, the broth, the seasoning.
- That has a ton of flavor in it.
- That is amazing.
It'd be nice if you work a little bit tidy.
How about that? - Come on.
Good luck.
- Come on, leave him alone.
- Taylor.
- Yes, Chef.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I'm making a fresh homemade pasta.
- And what kind of protein are you using? - I'm using the shrimp, the beautiful shrimp and I'm using the redfish, because this is something that I cook at home with my mom and my stepdad.
I love pasta and shrimp.
- Taylor, the heat is on.
- Yes, Chef.
I gave you that apron.
I believed in you weeks ago, I still believe in you.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Fresh herbs.
- All right, Gerron.
- Yes, Chef.
What's up? - What's going on? You got a lot of action here.
- Tell me what the dish is.
- I do.
I got a lot of action.
I'm doing a pan-seared redfish, but I'm also going to do scalloped potatoes with shrimp.
You're putting cooked shrimp in with raw potatoes into the oven.
- I hope it comes out all right.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
All right, Gerron, you're wearing my pin.
- Don't let me down.
- Execution, baby.
I got you.
Less than 25 minutes to go, guys.
Come on.
One stunning portion.
- Right.
Matthew.
- Yes.
You're here because Joe believes in you.
- Yes.
- Tell me, what's the dish? I'm gonna do a pan-seared redfish, and then I'm also gonna do some fried oysters with the braised leeks.
But there's nothing cooked.
Yeah, I'm cooking it right now.
That's what I'm getting on to.
- But there's nothing cooked.
Raw, raw, raw, raw.
- Getting the fish I have oysters in the fryer right now.
So we're frying a freaking oyster.
- Frying an oyster, yeah.
- Just look at me.
Look.
Oysters take 30 seconds.
- Yes.
- You're cooking the fish last.
- What are you doing? - I'm going right now.
- I'm a little bit behind and - You see.
I I Just spin around for me.
'Cause I was hoping you'd turn into Superman.
- Yeah.
- And it's not happening.
- Clark, look.
- Yes, Chef.
Spin around again then come back to me as a talented cook.
- Yes.
I'm going, Chef.
- Wake up.
- Let's go.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
Chelsea from Houston.
What are you making there? I'm doing a corn cake and then I've got shrimp and fish with an ancho chili sauce.
You're wearing Aarón's apron, too.
You looking out for any tips? I mean, he's so organized, and to see him do it right there, it's unbelievable.
- Good luck to you.
- Thank you, Joe.
Gordon: Guys, we're down to eight minutes remaining.
Some amazing dishes out there, but a lot of them aren't sticking to the roots of that bag.
They're coming up with some ridiculous ideas.
So, Julia, she's taking the redfish, she's finishing, she's cooking in butter, and she's using a creamed polenta cake as well, at the same time.
So she's playing to her strengths, but trying to modernize it, but totally doesn't understand the sort of New Orleans style.
Joe: Gerron's doing kind of like an au gratin potato with shrimp inside of it.
Gerron: Something's not 100%.
Joe: But he had cooked the shrimp and then put it in with the raw potatoes.
- Unbelievable.
- ( groans ) Matt's doing this sort of seafood sauté dish.
I think he's a little bit frazzled.
Joe: Are they taking too many risks? I don't think they're focused enough.
90 seconds remaining.
( whistles ) Good.
Beautiful.
One stunning portion.
Let's go, guys.
That's hot.
I'm really excited to taste a bite of New Orleans.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go.
Please, start plating.
Joe: Is Ryan gonna present the whole fish? That's so unorthodox for "MasterChef.
" Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
Joe: Let's go, guys, come on.
Aarón Sánchez, you done? - Aarón: Yes, sir.
- Gordon: Let's go, guys.
This is it.
This is where it counts.
- 10 - Both: Nine, eight, seven six, five, four, three, two, one.
And, stop.
Gordon: Hands in the air.
Well done.
Joe: Good job, guys.
Oh, my God.
Okay, attention, everyone.
Look at me for one minute.
I have a super important announcement.
This wasn't a regular mystery box challenge.
There's more on the line with this mystery box than you thought.
Tonight, the cook that made the worst dish will be going home.
- Oh, God.
- Just like that.
Nowhere to hide.
Tonight, there's more on the line with this mystery box than you thought.
The cook that made the worst dish - will be going home.
- Oh, God.
Joe: Just like that.
Nowhere to hide.
This makes me question every decision I had made up to this point.
I have never made this dish before.
Why did I take a risk on a new dish when this could be the dish that sends me home? Right, let's start off with the man that puts big flavors at the heart of all his dishes.
Aarón Sánchez, please bring your dish up.
Whoo! Holy crap, my mentor, Chef Aarón, is incredible.
-His dish looks beautiful.
- What is the dish? Aarón: I made a shrimp and crawfish étouffée.
Made a beautiful roux, nice and dark, and I cooked it down with our trinity, which is bell peppers, celery, and onion, and then folded in some beautiful crawfish at the end.
Gordon: It smells incredible.
Julia: He's got this great technique, and so many big, bold flavors.
Gordon: The depth of flavor, it feels like you've been cooking for three hours.
Amazing job.
- Thank you very much.
- Delicious.
It's unreal how creative he is, and to have cooked with Chef Aarón, it's unbelievable.
The amazing Aarón Sánchez, come on.
( applause ) Now, as you know, we've had the chance to watch and taste everything you are doing.
And we want to take a much closer look at three dishes that completely missed the mark.
Joe: The first dish we want to examine is the dish that featured pasta, but not in a good way.
- Taylor.
- ( sighs deeply ) Taylor: I feel like I keep disappointing my mentor.
And now a dish that I make at home all the time could be sending me home.
Okay, Taylor, can you explain the dish to me? Taylor: I have a spicy garlic tomato sauce with a fresh fettuccini, spiced shrimp, and a fillet of redfish.
Did you just cook the tomatoes with olive oil? No, I was really trying to focus on what I really love to cook at home, and I always love to make tomato sauces.
That's not a tomato sauce.
That's more like a soup of some sort, - as far as I'm concerned.
- Okay.
The shrimps are a separate dish.
They have nothing to do with the concept of the pasta dish.
The pasta itself is okay.
But I don't know what this piece of seared fish on top has to do with anything else.
It shows me a cook who's maybe trying to avoid dealing with fish, which was the point of today's mystery box.
Gordon: How'd you cook the fish? Uh, I pan-seared it, Chef.
You're here because I believed in you, but you missed the mark.
Fish cooked okay, but I'm concerned, Taylor, that you're buckling under the pressure.
Aarón: The next dish that we want to examine further featured shrimp and totally failed on multiple levels to showcase it.
That home cook is Gerron.
Gerron: I do not want to let Joe down, but I messed up.
So I'm hoping that there are some good qualities of my dish to keep me here.
All right, so, Gerron, explain to me the dish, please.
Gerron: Today you have a pan-seared redfish with a shrimp and au gratin potato, with sugar snap peas and carrots and then a white wine sauce.
Error number one: that's the intestinal tract where the shrimp actually processes everything it eats.
I'm not gonna eat that 'cause that's disgusting.
So, Louisville, Kentucky, do you cook seafood? I don't use the fresh ingredients 'cause it's hard to get in Louisville, Kentucky.
You made a huge error by serving the fish skin side down.
You have this flabby, flaccid skin.
But you over-peppered them as well.
No bueno.
Gordon: Gerron, where'd you get the idea of the potatoes and the shrimp? That was something that just popped into my mind, actually.
- I mean - Well, pop it out of your mind.
Au gratin potato needs to overcook to taste good.
Putting shrimp in the middle of the potatoes to overcook it, all of a sudden, you've got a freaking golf ball in your mouth from the shrimp.
And there you are with a bag of goodies and you give me this.
And the third and final dish that, sadly, missed the mark tonight belongs to a person that has a lot of great ideas, but sometimes fails in execution.
Please bring up your dish Matt.
Matt: I might be able to be saved because of my strong plating and my different techniques that I use on the dish.
So, hopefully this is enough for the judges because I am not ready to go back to Iowa.
Matt, description of the dish, please.
Matt: It's a pan-seared redfish with some fried oysters some braised leeks, carrot puree, roasted cauliflower, and a orange fennel reduction.
Here's the deal.
You would've had something very appealing with that fish had you not put the fried oysters on top, 'cause it rendered that skin extremely flabby.
The puree is probably the shining star of this dish, but, unfortunately, your choices, it's what's having this dish fall short.
Matt, here's the problem.
A dish, at this point in "MasterChef," has to have an idea.
Like, what's the idea of this dish? You haven't explained sell it to me now.
I wanted to try to bring that leek and that fennel flavor in, and, you know, the fennel flavor didn't really come through in the sauce.
You want to play, you can play, but you need to do it with intelligence.
Yes, Chef.
Braised leeks, which are fine, that's not enough to win "MasterChef.
" Sorry, Matt.
I'm disappointed.
Matt: I'm a little bit concerned right now.
Frustrating.
You gotta step up when we give you those treasures.
Sorry, Joe.
Looks like you're about to lose another home cook.
But compared to Taylor's dish and Gerron's dish, I have a little bit more flair on my plate and I think I have a little bit more potential there.
Your three dishes this evening were way off, but the reality is that only one home cook is going home this evening.
Taylor, please step forward.
- You are spared, but never put a dish like that - Oh, thank God.
in front of us again.
Please go to your station.
Thank you, Chefs.
Gordon, if you don't mind, I think this decision should be rendered by Joe.
Yep.
Gerron, Matt, I gave you both aprons because I believed in both of you.
Only one of you will survive.
With a heavy heart, I have to say the person leaving tonight is The person leaving tonight with a heavy heart, I have to say is Matt.
Gerron, please.
Return to your station, Gerron.
Get your head in this game.
Thank you, Chef.
Matt, you're a smart guy.
Tonight you missed it.
I just want to thank you, judges, thank "MasterChef.
" You know, I've only been cooking two years, so there's a lot to learn, still, and this has been an incredible journey.
Two years is not a long time to be cooking, and if you're cooking at this level in two years, there's a lot more great food gonna come from you.
Thank you, Chef.
Matt, please put your apron at your station and leave the MasterChef kitchen.
- Thank you, guys.
- Good night.
Good night.
Okay, Matt.
Matt: Only cooking for two years and to make it into the top 17 of "MasterChef," I think I'm really proud of it.
I think it should also be a message to the people out there that are just starting to cook.
If you're truly passionate, follow your passions.
Bye.
You're a great guy.
Right, all of you, let that exit be a stern reminder, every time you cook in this kitchen, you bring your A game.
Let's get back to some good news.
Right now, Joe, Aarón, and myself are gonna choose two dishes each.
These six do not have to compete tonight in a very tough pressure test.
I'm very pleased with the performance of two of my mentees in particular, for their drive and their understanding of the ingredients.
Congratulations Bryan and Cesar.
You are safe from the elimination test.
So, there are two of my mentees that I'm also equally proud of tonight.
You got the theme, you delivered big, bold flavors very, very satisfying to eat.
Congratulations to Ralph and Mark.
Let's go, Mark.
The top two for me tonight, the dishes were amazing.
Samantha and Bowen.
Please come up here and join us.
More of that, young man.
Line up, please.
- Amazing.
- Thank you.
Now, the rest of you, listen carefully.
Many Americans don't have time, energy, or interest - to cook every day, right? - Right.
- Aarón? - Yeah.
Uh-oh.
Uh oh.
( all groan ) Frozen dinners.
Now, tonight we have chosen one of America's most popular frozen dinners Salisbury steak.
- It's not actually a steak.
- What? - Mmm.
- ( chuckles ) You have a frozen Salisbury steak covered in a mushroom gravy, served with roasted red bliss potatoes, finished with some green beans from 2004.
This iconic American frozen dinner takes 45 minutes to heat up in the oven, but some of you will have even less time.
You six will not be cooking, but your night is not quite over yet.
Here's the deal, guys.
In the equipment room, there are 10 boxes of that Salisbury steak dinner.
Seven of them have 45 minute cook times on the boxes.
One has 40 minutes on the box, one has 35 minutes.
And, yes, one home cook will only get 30 minutes to complete their dish.
Wow! Inside the equipment room, on the refrigerator, you'll find some lovely fridge magnets.
Those magnets contain the faces of all of these home cooks.
You will take those and place them on the box.
You're effectively assigning cook time to each of these home cooks.
You'll have just three minutes to decide.
Your time starts now.
- Go, Bowen.
- Go! Go! Go! - Grab those magnets, Cesar.
- Got 'em, got 'em.
What are y'all thinking? What are y'all thinking? Let's go! Let's go! All right, who is for sure 30 minutes? - I say Shanika 30.
- No, Shanika 40.
No.
No.
- I'm thinking Emily for 30.
- I think Emily for 30.
- No.
45.
- No.
No.
No.
No.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
I say challenge her with 40.
- No.
No.
No.
No.
- No, 35.
35.
35.
- 35.
- I think Julia 30 minutes and Shanika 35.
- Why? - Julia has been baking really well.
We have not seen Julia really cook savory.
We have not seen Julia cook savory.
Why y'all giving Shanika so much time? - I know she's good.
- I think Shanika should have 40.
- Shanika has 40.
- That I can live with.
- That's it right there, guys.
- There we go.
Everyone else has 45 minutes.
We decide to give Shanika 40 minutes, Emily 35 minutes, and Julia 30 minutes.
- Time's up.
Let's go.
- Go! Go! Go! Get outta here.
We are targeting the people we feel are the strongest or that rub the other contestants the wrong way, like Shanika.
So, did you all have an input across those three minutes? - Yes.
- Just as a stern reminder, at least one of you will be eliminated tonight.
Your 45 minutes starts now.
Ralph: Let's go, guys! Cesar: Come on, guys! Boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes.
- 35 minutes.
- 40 minutes.
30? I knew it.
I knew it.
Wouldn't you know it? I'm the 30 minute girl.
- You're 30? - Yeah.
- You can't get it yet.
- Oh no, I can't get it yet.
I had a feeling this was coming, because there's a lot of people that are threatened by me.
Man, that's gotta suck.
But I'm not worried about it.
I'm definitely gonna use this time to strategize what I'm gonna do and just get this done.
Come on, y'all.
Get it in.
Shanika, how much time have they allotted? - 40 minutes.
- 40 minutes.
Wow! - Julia? - 30.
- Emily.
35 minutes.
- 35 minutes, Chef.
You ladies got your work cut out.
Joe: So, if you've been dealt the five, the 10 minute, the 15-minute penalty, is it make-or-break? How hard is it? Salisbury steak is basically almost like a fast-track meatloaf with a beautiful glaze on there.
You need time to do this.
Shanika, 15 seconds, stand by.
This is her time to step up.
Shanika, 40 minutes.
If she's smart, she'll take those five minutes and absolutely categorize what she needs to do over the next 40 minutes.
Shanika, three, two, one.
Start.
Everybody up there on that balcony, trying to throw me off my game by taking five minutes away from me, but it's just not gonna stop me.
I'm gonna make small pieces so the Salisbury steak cooks a lot faster, get my gravy on, cook my veggies last, make sure my potato's in.
I got this.
So, my spin on Salisbury steak today, I just plan on adding a little bit of bacon and a little white cheddar to elevate that.
I actually cooked Salisbury steak before.
Where I come from, it's a poor man's meal.
So, I'm feeling really good because I've done this before.
Emily, stand by.
Three, two, one.
Start.
35 minutes might seem like a challenge to a lot of people Parsley.
but I know that I have the skills and ability to adjust to any situation that I'm given.
Having that 10 extra minutes to kind of game plan is an advantage to me.
I had time to actually fully concept my dish.
Emily's wearing my apron, and the reason that I picked her primarily is 'cause she's smart.
I think that her intelligence will get her through this challenge.
No problem.
Nice moves, S.
J.
Stay focused, Ash.
- Stay focused.
- I have made Salisbury steak before.
To me, it's kind of like upscale meatloaf.
Before I came to this competition, my dad told me not to overcomplicate everything and just do the best, and today I want the ingredients to shine.
So I'm trying not to overcomplicate anything today.
- I do like seeing Julia struggle like this.
- Yeah.
15 seconds, Julia.
Stand by.
So Julia only has 30 minutes.
Like, she could be screwed.
Half hour is not enough.
Julia, three, two, one.
Start.
- Go, Julia! - Let's go, Julia.
Aarón: Julia has what it takes.
She grew up in a restaurant family, her family owned diners.
I believe that she can turn this around and make something great.
Plantains, potatoes.
Aarón, I feel that Julia's challenge tonight is insurmountable.
You will be losing an apron, my friend.
Gordon: 25 minutes to go, guys.
- Come on.
- Yes.
Get it going, G.
Get it going.
Get it going, bro.
- Right, Emily.
- Yes, Chef.
- You had 10 minutes less than everybody else.
- Yes, I did.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I'm doing some crispy diced potatoes with Salisbury steak, Hen of the Woods mushroom cream sauce, then I've got green beans, a little bit of lemon zest and some almond.
You actually enjoy being under pressure - more than anybody, don't you? - I do.
I'm a procrastinator and I wouldn't write a paper until the night before, so I work best under pressure.
- Young lady, good luck.
- Thank you.
- I see you, Emily.
- Joe: All right, Shanika.
- You were penalized by five minutes.
- Yeah.
So talk to me a little bit about your experience with Salisbury steak.
I grew up eating it in Miami.
My mom actually used to cook it all the time, but I personally don't cook Salisbury steaks.
They had three bullets to give, so they shot one at you.
I need to understand why they would target you.
I honestly believe they know that I'm the next MasterChef.
- That's a good answer.
- Keep going, Shanika.
We are down to 20 minutes remaining.
- You've got to speed up.
- Mushroom, steak.
Okay.
Hey, is S.
J.
gonna do some cooking? - Yeah.
- Mark: I don't know what S.
J.
is doing.
It's crazy.
What are you doing? - So, S.
J.
, tell me what you're doing.
- Yes, Chef? I'm going to be doing a Salisbury steak with a mushroom gravy, with caramelized shallots, - mushrooms with - Stop.
- Yes, Chef.
- There's nothing cooked.
Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.
- Get your ( bleep ) together.
- Yes, Chef.
Hey, young man, and it would help immensely to turn the ( bleep ) gas on.
My God.
Mushroom, steak.
Okay.
- So, S.
J.
- Yes, Chef? - Stop.
- Yes, Chef.
There's nothing cooked.
- Oh, my God.
- Yes, it's what I'm doing right now.
It would help immensely to turn the ( bleep ) gas on.
Should've been on.
S.
J.
- Yes, Chef.
Yes.
- I believed in you.
Focus, rein it in.
- Absolutely.
- Good luck.
Yes, Chef.
- Lindsay.
- How you doing, Chef? Talk to me a little bit about your version of Salisbury steak.
Got a lamb and beef Salisbury steak with some roasted fingerling potatoes, fortified beef stock, and I put just about every mushroom in there to use - as the basis for my gravy.
- That's good flavor.
I'm gonna make a little fresh green bean salad for the side, give it a little freshness, 'cause the Salisbury steak is a little bit heavy.
You're an attorney now, you work long hours.
A frozen meal is something that happens in the life of a busy person.
Before I left and came here, I froze lasagnas and I froze soups and everything, so my wife could eat while I was away.
- Good luck.
- Gordon: Less than five minutes remaining.
- Julia.
I mean, seriously, young lady.
- Yes.
- 30 minutes.
- I know.
Tell me about the shortcuts.
How are you saving that 15 minutes? I'm gonna use the same pan to put the mushrooms in, make the gravy in the same pan.
So you're making all in one.
So you're making the gravy so that's a smart move.
They can test me all they want.
This Italian girl is not gonna go home tonight or any other night.
I'm here to win.
Young lady, taste everything and give us your best shot.
- I will.
Thank you.
- Good luck.
Wow! I mean, first of all, these smells are incredible.
- Whoo! - Pretty good, yeah.
Gordon: We are down to our last minute.
All right.
Aarón: Bring all your elements to the plate.
Gerron: A little bit of salt.
Come on, Gerron.
You gotta plate.
Salt, salt, salt.
Where's my salt? - There we go.
- Come on, Gerron.
Aarón: Think about plating, y'all.
Consistency of gravies and sauces.
Gordon: Taste everything.
Ralph: Get it on a plate, guys.
Gordon: 15 seconds remaining.
Ryan: Come on, get going! Get going! - Get it on a plate! - Mark: Come on, S.
J.
Chefs: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And stop.
Hands in the air.
Ralph: Good job, guys.
Okay, home cooks, you all just had to make a fresh version of this Salisbury steak.
Now, at the end of tonight, at least one of you will be going home.
Let's see how you did.
Aarón: First up, a home cook that has Joe's apron.
Please step forward, Shanika.
Shanika:These people obviously don't know what I've been through in life.
Taking five minutes away from me, it's just not gonna stop me.
I know that I nailed this freaking Salisbury steak.
All right, Shanika.
You were deprived - of five minutes.
- Five minutes.
I mean, guys, what was your thinking? I just seem to keep rubbing people the wrong way.
Might be too outspoken.
Visually, it does make a statement.
I think the color arrangement, the blue potatoes, the green, the red.
- Describe the dish, please.
- The sauce, I made it with the beef broth.
I cooked it down with pancetta, little bit of olive oil.
The beans were blanched with salt, and I roasted the potatoes with some rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
The Salisbury steak and the gravy, that right there is amazing.
But everything else on that plate is really rough to get through.
These potatoes are a real rough proposition, 'cause they're not really fried, but not really roasted.
They're kinda living in this limbo.
The green beans are real mundane and very ordinary.
But let me tell you, the Salisbury steak's there.
It's seared, it's delicious, it's earthy, but everything else is so rough and so bad.
It takes away from all the magic that you did on that damn steak, and that can literally be enough to send you home.
The five minutes would've been welcome for you, 'cause it would've allowed you to finish these ideas a little bit better.
- Gotcha.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
I am tired of seeing that disappointment in Joe's eyes, but although I made these horrible mistakes, I cooked that Salisbury steak properly.
I don't feel like this is my time to leave.
Next up, the home cook Joe gave an apron to, Emily.
Emily:I had 10 minutes less than everyone else and I'm a little bit nervous.
I know it looks a bit of a mess, but I'm just hoping and praying that my flavors pull through.
If not, then I could be the one going home.
Emily, the six up on the balcony gave you a 35-minute cook tonight.
- What was going through your mind? - I'm a person that they might feel threatened by.
Honestly, I was expecting 30 minutes.
Emily, describe the dish, please.
I have dried porcini mushrooms, little Worcestershire sauce, and grated shallot, and then gravy is a brandy, Matsutake mushroom gravy.
And then I roasted off my green beans, some almonds and lemon zest.
Mm.
It is seriously delicious.
Great seasoning, great color, great sear on the steak.
Beans got a lot of flavor.
Potatoes, nice.
Visually, it looks a little bit clumpy.
Just give it a bit more finesse.
But, you know, 35.
I think you could've nailed this in 25, to be honest.
Good job.
Thank you.
The next home cook wearing Aarón's apron, she had just 30 minutes to cook, Julia.
Julia;This was one of the most stressful 30 minutes of my life.
You know, a lot of other people had a lot more time to incorporate more flavors into their dish that I just didn't have the time for.
So, I just hope I don't disappoint Chef Aarón.
Tell me about the dish.
I put some garlic, shallots, an egg, a little salt and pepper, oregano, and a little bit of bread crumb.
So, this is like an Italian meatloaf with all that kind of seasoning in there.
You added these tomatoes, which I think are irrelevant.
Why'd you add the tomatoes? I just tomatoes and green beans together in a salad.
But you sliced it.
Why'd you do that? You understood that the idea was to mimic this, right? - Um - You understood that? Yeah.
Joe: Julia, your Salisbury steak, you sliced it.
Why'd you do that? You understood that the idea was to mimic this, right? Yeah.
I have to say it's one of the best flavored dishes I've tried so far.
The potatoes are perfectly cooked.
Your mushroom sauce is profound.
You kind of used all your time to your advantage.
- Great dish.
- Thank you.
Next up, from the home cook that Aarón gave an apron to, Lindsay, please.
Let's go.
Having had a lot of Salisbury steak TV dinners growing up, I'm gonna show that you can take those flavors of your childhood, and do something fresh with it, and the judges are gonna love it.
- Right, Lindsay.
- Yes.
Describe the dish here.
So I have a lamb and beef Salisbury steak with a porcini mushroom crust.
It's got some roasted mushrooms on top, and fresh salad on the side with the blanched green beans.
You know that meat is disgusting.
( gasps, stifled laughter ) It's dry and then I've got dried mushrooms.
They were just stuck in the oven.
There's no color on those things.
Linds, when the best thing of your dish is a green bean salad, that upsets me.
Thank you, Lindsay.
Thank you, Chef.
The next home cook has Gordon's apron.
S.
J.
, let's see what you got.
- S.
J.
, explain your Salisbury steak.
- How are you, Chef? A Salisbury steak with fondant potatoes, mushroom gravy, and sautéed green beans.
I love the gravy.
I think it's extremely well-balanced.
If I had to take you to task on something, it's a lot of potato for very little protein.
- Right.
- The star is the Salisbury steak, and let me tell you, you knocked it out.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Gordon: Right.
Next up, wearing Joe's apron, Gerron.
It is a Salisbury steak stuffed with bacon and white cheddar, pan-seared green beans in bacon fat.
I then also added a layer of fried onions on top.
- It's delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
I love the cheese and the bacon element.
And the pâté, just so soft and delicious and rich.
You just wanna dive back in there for more.
- Amazing.
- Thank you, Chef.
Joe: The next home cook, wearing Gordon Ramsay's apron, Ashley.
So this looks very much in the spirit of the original dish.
What seasoning did you put in here? Greek oregano, smoked paprika, and then I made fondant potatoes, string beans almondine, in a red wine mushroom gravy.
So the potatoes are perfectly cooked.
- Thank you.
- Really soft, well seasoned.
The meat's a little bit bland.
The best thing about this dish is your sauce.
It's really on point.
Thanks, Joe.
Finally, the home cook that Aarón gave an apron to.
Chelsea, please.
Let's go.
Chelsea:I think I did a really good job.
I mean, I don't eat frozen meals, but this seems like something I can make for my dad.
He loves fresh green beans.
I think I should do really well, and I just really hope the judges like it.
Chelsea, how many times have you eaten a frozen dinner? I don't think I ever have.
- Never? - No.
Living in the Middle East and growing up everywhere I lived, we didn't really eat that kinda food.
Well, you cooked with 45 minutes tonight.
You know there's three individuals behind you that have been dealt a dysfunctional card tonight.
So, visually, yours looks worse than theirs.
- If I take that away, holy sugar! - Yeah.
It's like a vegetarian buffet.
I just put too much on the plate.
- And you know how to plate well, right? - Yes.
Describe the dish, please.
I made Salisbury steak with mushroom and pearl onion gravy, garlic green beans with salt, and the roasted potatoes, I parboiled them really quickly and then I finished them in the oven.
Quite rare there.
So, sort of medium muddy.
Potatoes actually taste better than they look.
Look at that.
I can't distinguish which one looks better.
At this stage in the competition, I just want to see a little bit more finesse.
I look at that and it's like somebody can't be bothered.
- Thank you.
- I'm just disappointed.
I usually plate so perfectly and with finesse.
I think that maybe I was just making it for my family and not for the judges.
- A no-brainer, right? - Yeah, missed the mark.
Aarón: I might be losing one of my strongest cooks.
They were really upset with what I produced today and I hate that I disappointed Aarón.
Everyone, I think it's safe to say that that was a tough challenge.
Yes, Chef.
Aarón: Now, at least one home cook is leaving tonight.
Can you all please come down to the front? I'm shocked that I messed up so badly.
This is a hard competition and I never give up, but, I mean, I didn't do my best.
So, I'm just hoping that they know that I'll learn from this and they should give me another chance.
So, before we move on to the bad news, we want to celebrate and recognize great performances.
Four of you excelled and knocked it out of the park.
Congratulations S.
J.
, Emily, Gerron, - Thank you.
- and one more home cook that had just 30 minutes.
Julia, do you have anything to say to those people that gave you limited time and that doubted you? I'm here to stay.
I'm not going anywhere.
So, the bad news, Chelsea, Lindsay, and Shanika.
One of you will be heading home tonight.
Can everybody else please head to the balcony? Julia:I am so proud walking up to this balcony.
I was given the least amount of time, and I completely excelled.
I gotta let 'em know.
You better move the hell over and make some space for me because I'm not going anywhere.
Gordon: We have three very talented, amazing home cooks.
One's wearing Joe's apron, and two are wearing aprons from Aarón, but only one will be leaving tonight.
And that person tonight overreached.
They over-thought, and ultimately, they under-delivered.
The person leaving the MasterChef kitchen is Lindsay.
( whispers ) Oh, my God.
Shanika, Chelsea, head up to the safety of the balcony, please.
Wow! Lindsay, I think the idea of something so simple like a Salisbury steak tripped you up a little bit, but I gave you my apron for a reason.
You have such a fighting spirit.
You're resilient.
I think that dream of a B&B with your wife is well within your grasp, and I want you to please continue to do that.
- Tonight wasn't your night.
- No.
Gordon: Please, place your apron on your bench and good night.
- Thank you.
- Bye, Lindsay.
I think I'm a true testament to the fact that you're never too old to start following a new dream.
I'm a successful trial attorney.
And you know what? I was successful in making it to "MasterChef.
" So, I'm going home to my beautiful wife and we're gonna continue with our culinary dream of having that bed and breakfast and fine dining restaurant on Cape Cod.
Joe: So, just 15 home cooks remain.
You know, with Matt and Lindsay going home this week, each judge has five aprons left.
I think the competition is just gonna get stiffer from here.
From now on, it gets more and more intense.
The heat is really gonna get turned up.
So, I am gonna make sure that the next person to go is not me.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Narrator:Next week - We are going to try something different.
-the top 15 - Joe: Find a partner right away.
- Yo, guys.
What's up? -team up for a game of Chicken.
- Come on.
- Five well-known ingredients.
I am not having a good time getting this off.
- Whoo! - What the hell? Who mauled this? I've seen better at "Junior MasterChef.
" Piece of cake.
And then, a grueling challenge returns.
- Contestants: Ooh! - Oh! A dish that strikes fear in the heart of every home cook.
( whistles ) GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay, and I'm hitting the road.
(blues rock music) (truck horn honks) I'm heading to restaurants all across America WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink MAN: [bleep.]
you! GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting for, a [bleep.]
death? But having endured so many kitchen disasters over the years There's a [bleep.]
mouse in here.
I know that I need to do something I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save each of these restaurants in just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared we're not gonna finish.
(snoring) GORDON: Because in this age of social media, where every customer is a critic If you want fast service and good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star, the food looks gross when it comes out of the kitchen.
(whispers) Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know I'm coming, they tend to hide what's really going on.
So, this time, I'll need to be covert, hiding cameras in the restaurants and myself in plain sight -Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
-(laughs) GORDON: To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you from eating in there, and this is the reason why.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no! GORDON: If I have any hope of saving them Bless thy soul, may I come out in one piece.
I'll have to go to hell and back GORDON: Oh, my God.
-(coughs) GORDON: In 24 hours.
(coughs) (beeping) (rock music) GORDON: This week is a big one.
I'm in the heart of Los Angeles, California, home to the once-renowned restaurant La Serenata.
With only 24 hours to turn this place around, I needed to know the issues before I even stepped foot inside.
So my team told the restaurant that they were casting for an upcoming renovation series.
While they're being interviewed, we installed hidden cameras throughout the restaurant and have been secretly recording surveillance footage since we left.
(rock music) Now, with several movie studios nearby, this is an incredible neighborhood for big celebrities and big businesses.
For any restaurateur, with all that on your doorstep, La Serenata should be thriving.
(Latin music) I'm Marco, and I manage the restaurant here at La Serenata.
My father, Jose, and my mother, Aurora, met 57 years ago in Mexico.
My first boyfriend.
Not another one, only him.
MARCO: They moved to Los Angeles.
He opened his first restaurant in 1984, and we got super popular.
So we opened two more locations.
(bell rings) You know, Don Jose, he was the man, you know? He was like a legend.
MARCO: My father, he had issues with his heart.
One day, my mother calls me on the phone, and she's hysterical.
She goes, "Your father's gonna die, your father's gonna die.
" (voice breaking) I took him down the stairs.
(somber music) II could tell he was scared.
And my father, he passed away.
It affected my family badly, by splitting us.
MARCO: I have tried to take the reins, but my mother, she does get in the way.
You're not running the restaurant the way you should be.
Okay? (speaking Spanish) You always say, "Yo soy la patrona.
" -Hey? -(speaks Spanish) You just show up, eat, drink coffee.
They always bicker and fight with each other.
They're both hotheads, and it just kind of puts everyone in a bad mood.
(speaks Spanish) The mom, she wants to control everything.
And Marco, he don't want to be controlled from his mom.
(dramatic music) Whywhy are you waiting? (both speaking indistinctly) MARCO: We had to sell two restaurants in order to keep one restaurant which was here at Pico.
This final location, we are probably in our last few months.
(speaking Spanish) My mother had to sell her home.
Now she's living with me, my wife, and my three kids.
We live together, and then we work together.
It's not a great recipe.
[bleep.]
.
(speaking English) Never.
JUNIOR: We didn't fight when my grandfather was alive.
You know, it sucks, because it's not a loving feeling that we had.
I worked too much for this.
I don't want to lose him.
Now, the family know there's help on the way,