Masterchef (2010–…): Season 10, Episode 12 - King of The Crabs - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously
on "masterchef"...

Let's go, people! Let's go!

- I'm freaking out.
- Stop the clock!

Your main course isn't enough.

We want to see a dessert!

Is this a joke?

Dorian, you bring home
cooking to another level.

- Thank you.
- Sarah, it's fireworks.

- Perfection.
- Thank you so much.

Wuta, this does not
look appealing.

A little disappointing,
I have to say.



For the first time,
I feel embarrassed.

Keturah, it reminds me of season
one of "masterchef junior."

the person leaving "masterchef"

is keturah.

- Bye!
- Bye, keturah.

Tonight, the home cooks take on

an immunity challenge
fit for a king.

Gordon: Humongous
alaskan king crab.

And the pressure is on to
impress a legendary guest.

- Gordon: Chef morimoto!
- Oh, my gosh.

It's definitely intimidating a
little bit, cooking for morimoto.

- Here we go.
- Joe: Where's the rest of the pasta?

- I threw it away. I was pissed.
- Only the top cooks

will claw their way
to the balcony...



One of your best dishes ever.

...And be safe
from elimination.

We are handing out
immunity to not one,

but three of you.

The home cook who made
this winning dish

will receive a special surprise.

Fred: Oh, lord.

( music playing )

whoo!

Please make your way down.

Wuta: I'm still here.

As a struggling reader,

I was told that I wouldn't
be good at anything.

But I used that as fuel.

Each day I come in
this kitchen to learn.

- Here we go, top 13.
- There's nothing in front of us...

Top 13, and I'm feeling good.

Another chance to fight for
immunity, and I want it.

Immunity is the first step
to getting me to top ten.

Welcome. We are halfway
to the finale.

- All: Yes, chef.
- You should feel lucky

to have made it this far

because this has been
the most exciting,

the most unpredictable, and
the most epic season ever.

Sarah, top 13, where do
you see yourself going?

Next step is top 10 and all
the way to the finale.

Mm-hmm.

Fred, because you've
gained immunity

across the last few weeks,

it's almost like we haven't
seen you cook enough.

- Yes, chef.
- You ready to get your hands dirty?

I'm absolutely ready.

I'm excited for
whatever today holds.

I can't wait to show you
guys more of my story

and who I am on a plate.

Everybody ready to find out

what's in store tonight?

All: Yes, chef.

This next challenge
is a true monster.

I'm scared.

Tonight is all about immunity.

Win this upcoming challenge,

and you'll be safe from
tomorrow's elimination.

Gordon: Let's get this going.

Tonight, we have a huge guest.

This guy's a multi michelin
star restaurateur,

an expert in japanese cuisine...

- ( gasps )
- whoa.

And one of the most
exciting chefs

to grace any kitchen
on the planet.

Oh, my god.

Please welcome chef morimoto.

- ( music playing )
- ( screaming, cheering )

oh, my god!

- Wow!
- Oh, my gosh.

- Yes!
- Oh, my god!

Oh, my gosh!

Morimoto, the iron chef,

one of the titans in
the culinary world.

I'm completely starstruck.

I'm a huge fan
of morimoto-sama.

I can't even believe he's
standing in front of me right now.

It's-- it's insane.

- Amazing. Good job.
- Oh, my god.

Chef, welcome to the
masterchef kitchen.

It's taken us ten years to get
you here, but thankfully,

- you're here now. Ten years.
- Ten years?

- Congratulations on all the success.
- Thank you, thank you.

Guess what. Chef morimoto has brought
in these beautiful, humongous--

king crab. Alaskan king crab.

Now, these crabs
have been plucked

out of that pristine water
across alaska and flown here.

And tonight all of you

are gonna have to turn
this alaskan king crab

into something truly magical

and break them down yourselves.

Oh, lord, if I mess this up

in front of chef morimoto,
that's embarrassing.

Now, the good news is chef morimoto
and I are gonna show you how.

- Oh, wow.
- Unreal. Thank you. Wow.

Why am I crying?

Being blessed to be in
the presence of somebody

you look up to like
that is overwhelming.

It's unbelievable. It's unreal.

Gordon: Right. First things
first, alaskan king crab,

it is the rolls-royce
of the sea.

But the most important thing

is to make sure we
get a maximum yield

on all the crab coming out.

How old do you think this is?

15 years old, guys, okay?

Pull off the legs first.

One, two, and you pull
and twist as well.

- Yeah.
- Three, and one big claw.

Good.

And twist. Beautiful.

Wow.

Twist and pull.

- Bri: Wow.
- And be careful,

so you do not tug it too hard.

Just twist and pull.

And then from there, you
just slide that off.

This filament there, we
do not want to see that.

- All right?
- You see, this is easy.

I think you can use anything.
Don't hesitate there.

Gordon: Take the scissors
as well, both sides.

Take this. It's easier.

A crab like this, we're
looking at around $500 cost.

- Wow.
- Whoa.

So think of the yield, okay?

- I'm gonna use a knife, first
move, like this. - Gotcha.

This is easy.

- And then take, open it.
- Nice.

Then, easy.

- Anyone dive for crabs? - I catch
them every day, but not like this.

And we use them for bait, which
you wouldn't do for this either.

I'm making sure that I can do
everything exactly like he does it

and exactly like he does it.

I'm stoked to be watching,
but at the same time,

I gotta focus on
what they're doing.

Never smash the shell.

What happens when you
smash the shell?

- Get the shell in meat.
- You get bits of shell

throughout the crab.

Open up, thumb underneath
again, and lift.

- Look at that.
- Wow.

Okay? Now, let's be honest,

it's the kind of crab
that's almost like caviar.

It's for finishing dishes.

You don't put this
in a crab cake.

- Understood? Never.
- All: Yes, chef.

So understand what you're
dealing with here.

And then you slice the claw.

- On, twist, and snap.
- Wow.

- It pops off.
- All: Wow.

- Finger comes in underneath.
- ( whistles )

- wow.
- Come in, then you come down.

Now for the exciting part,

putting the most amazing
jigsaw together.

It's like pablo
picasso painting.

There's so much mess, yet
there's so much beauty,

and you start to see this
picture being formed.

And at the end, you have this

perfectly broke down,
beautiful king crab.

- ( applause )
- that is how two master chefs

break down an alaskan king crab.

- Oh, my gosh.
- Amazing. Amazing.

Outstanding. Thank
y'all so much.

This protein that I
know so little about--

because being deathly allergic,

I stay away from it like
the bubonic plague.

All right, everyone, please
come and grab a crab

and head to your stations.

Come on.

- Ooh, they're heavy.
- Be careful.

Be careful. They'll poke you.

I'm highly allergic to crustaceans.
All of them.

It's especially dangerous
to work with king crab

because they have so
many prickly bits.

I could puncture my hand

and I'll start to break out
in hives, I'll swell up.

I just need to stay calm,

because if I get nervous,
if I get scared,

I'll fall to pieces,
and I can't do that.

Now, tonight, you'll
have 60 minutes

to take your crab and turn
it into a stunning dish.

We wanna see you honor
that king crab.

We want to honor morimoto.

Immunity from elimination
is on the line.

Right, your 60 minutes start...

- Now!
- Aarón: Yeah.

( muttering )

what should I do?

There's no real way you
can mess up king crab

except for trying to
do too much to it.

So, I decide on
making some king crab

and butternut squash
stuffed raviolis.

Flour, flour, flour.

I've actually never
made raviolis before.

I tried one time at home.
Failed miserably.

I don't want them to think
I'm just a fish guy.

I want them to see
me making something

that they haven't
seen me make yet.

Ha-ha! They got squid ink, baby!

I really wanna show the judges

that even though I
can't eat crustaceans,

I can create a
restaurant level dish

that they would love to serve
in their own restaurants.

Extract that crab, everyone.

Unbelievable.

I know it's crazy with
chef morimoto here,

but I might try to pull off
a king crab sushi burger.

It's kind of like a craze
right now in the us,

and if chef morimoto likes it,

then I think it's
probably a done deal.

I'm making a king
crab saffron risotto.

It's definitely
intimidating a little bit,

cooking for morimoto.

They're taking it up a
few notches this season.

I've never seen these
contestants so excited.

There's no better
crab in the world.

You don't see it in
restaurants very much

because you have to
charge so much for it.

We don't wanna see crab cakes.

- Deep-fried.
- We don't wanna see fried.

You know, we wanna keep
it simple and pure.

What's the one big mistake

you think they could make
tonight with those crabs?

Aarón: The idea is that
we wanna push them, chef.

We want them to feature the crab

and really lift up the
creativity level.

Guys, we've got 10 minutes
gone, 15 minutes remaining.

So, I'm cooking a
japanese style entrée.

Really ambitious. There's
a lot of components.

I'm not technically
cooking anything

aside from my pickles,
so, we'll see.

This is a risk, but if
morimoto loves this dish,

I think I can die happy.

Give a little insight
to what you're doing.

I'm trying to push
myself, gordon.

You know I cook
mostly indian food.

- Yes.
- And so I'm gonna go japanese inspired.

Like, a really simple
crab-- like a salad almost.

Yeah.

It's gonna be beautiful.

Yes.

Oh, my gosh, I have no idea
how I would highlight that.

Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.

That's-- I cannot say.

Yeah.

It's gonna be beautiful.

Yes.

Oh, my gosh, I have no idea
how I would highlight that.

I don't know.

That's-- I cannot say.

- Yeah. Thank you.
- Good luck.

I am making a pappardelle
pasta with king crab.

I make homemade pasta
once in a blue moon

just for special occasions only.

And being on "masterchef"
is a special occasion,

so everyone's gonna enjoy.

- Fred, tonight is the night to shine.
- Fred: Absolutely, chef.

I want to make sure that this
dish speaks true to who I am

and my taiwanese
roots and traditions,

because if I don't
start showing them

that I am telling my story through
my food, they're gonna cut me.

Give us an insight to the dish.
What you doing?

I'm making crab and crème
fraîche stuffed lanterns,

which are gonna be
my little raviolo.

So this is the meat
from which part?

I'm using the knuckle meat
and some of the leg meat

from the smaller
portions of the leg.

- Gordon: So you're making a pasta.
- Yes, I am.

- And that's the lantern.
- Yes.

So it's almost like
your take on a ravioli.

- Oh! - Yes, I'm actually
gonna take an asian concept

- of a wonton soup...
- Gordon: Yes.

...And turn it european.

How are you gonna combine
that inside that ravioli?

What are you gonna use
to bring it together?

I'm gonna use a tiny
bit crème fraîche.

I'm gonna season it
with lemon zest,

salt, pepper, and fennel pollen.

Oh, you're not using
this one a little more?

So maybe you don't need this one, this one.
Put them in there.

You want that flavor coming
out of those knuckles.

- Absolutely, chef.
- Sounds amazing.

- Good luck, okay?
- Thank you, chef.

Cooking for one of my idols.

I think morimoto is in
a league of his own,

but I relish in pressure.

To be able to give him a
dish, let him taste it.

I mean, are we kidding?
It's season ten.

I mean, it doesn't-- it
doesn't get better than this.

Oh, boy, here we go.

Wuta: Back home in new york,

I love eating chinese food
from around the block

or going to fine dining
restaurants in chinatown

and tasting these
asian cuisines.

I'm excited because this is
where I'm the most comfortable.

Aarón: So what you got
going on here, buddy?

So I'm gonna do a
kimchi fried rice.

I'm gonna fold the crab in

and then also top it with crab.

What is gonna give that
fried rice some flavor

and some unique elements?

That's the green
apple and lemon.

I'm gonna fold
that into the end.

I'm gonna play with the
toasted peppercorn,

and even with the kimchi, I'm using rice
wine vinegar to elevate the kimchi.

The one thing I'm concerned about is
you have very aggressive flavors,

fermented flavors like
oyster sauce, kimchi.

- Strong.
- Big flavors,

and crab is very
delicate and sweet.

So just be mindful on how you
add and season your rice.

I don't really eat crab anymore,
but what I do know is rice.

And I'm really excited
to show the judges

that I have grown from my
first dish of rice till now.

This is season ten
of "masterchef,"

we're expecting nothing but
the best from you, okay?

- All right, good luck, wuta.
- Thank you, gentlemen.

Hi, chef.

What an honor. Thank you
so much for being here.

I've been watching you with
my family, man, for 20 years.

I mean, what a crazy show,
but I'm just speechless.

- What's the dish? - Okay, so we're
going to be doing a gazpacho

- with summer orange tomatoes.
- This one?

I thought the color was beautiful,
so I did a lot of the orange.

Put some cucumber, cayenne, salt,
pepper, apple cider vinegar.

And I puréed-- what, sir?

- No crab in there.
- No crab. No, sir.

- Noah's allergic to crab.
- Deathly allergic to shellfish.

Yeah, I can't taste it at all.
I don't--

oh, absolutely. This is one
of the greatest ingredients,

if not the greatest
ingredients I've ever had.

You put that stock
in there at the end,

it's gonna be almost
like a sauce.

Otherwise you don't-- it's
gonna water that down.

I'll see. If it's not good
enough, I'll leave it off,

'cause that's one thing
you've taught me.

If it's not good enough,
definitely leave it off.

I am feeling so good.

This is one of my favorite dish.

This is a simple
cajun crab omelet

with a cajun crawfish
étouffée sauce.

I'm gonna show them how an omelet
can be very, very elevated as well.

Gordon: An amazing bunch
of exciting dishes.

Looks like renee's making the
most amazing pasta there.

Aarón: You know, and that's a
traditional avenue to take,

so we'll see how it comes out.

Wuta, fried rice.

- He's a vegetarian, wuta.
- Ah!

He's gonna put the crab
in the fried rice.

Yeah.

It's salty already.
Sweet and salty,

so they need to taste it
before they start cooking.

Fred, yeah, he's taking a turn

on almost like a
taiwanese lantern.

The flavor of that broth
already looks amazing.

30 minutes gone, 30
minutes to go, guys.

One stunning portion.

Oh, no.

( groan )

it didn't work.

Nick: The sushi burger
isn't gonna work.

The rice is too flimsy.

I look over at the clock,
it's 30 minutes left.

I need to win immunity

and this sushi burger
idea is too big a risk.

I need to scrap it and move on.

If I waver any more, I'm
gonna run out of time.

I have no idea.

- Gordon: 30 minutes to go, guys.
- ( nick groans )

nick: The sushi burger
isn't gonna work.

If I waver any more, I'm
gonna run out of time.

No idea.

I've essentially put
myself at a disadvantage

by starting over.

I'm normally more composed.
I'm calm.

I come in with a
really strong plan.

So, I'm a bit all
over the place,

but, you know, I
just keep pushing.

- Chef, joe.
- What do you got, nick?

I started off trying to make
a king crab sushi burger,

but now I'm making basically
butter poached king crab

with lightly smoked sunchokes.

You have good components here.
This has good flavor.

- Thank you.
- That has good flavor.

- Had to pivot a little bit,
but-- - here's the deal, nick.

In order to be a masterchef,
how you rebound

and how you excel in these
very difficult situations

- is gonna speak volumes of you, okay?
- Yes.

So look at this as
an opportunity,

- not an obstacle.
- I will.

- All right? - Thank you, chef.
Thank you very much, chef.

I know if I set my mind to this,

I'll finish all the components,
I'll make a beautiful dish.

But I'm a little worried that
I might not finish in time.

Gordon: 25 minutes to go, guys.

Jamie: What I'm
concerned about,

what I need to
take my time doing

is making a dish with finesse

and making sure that what
I present is something

that chef morimoto is
gonna look at and say,

"this guy's respecting
this crab."

- hey there.
- Thanks for coming.

Gives us an insight to the dish.
What are you doing?

So I am doing a kind of
rustic cut butternut squash.

I'm trying to utilize this
little reproductive flat meat.

I know it's rich and it's a
little bit different taste.

So, what do you think of that,

the muscle going in
the butternut squash?

Yeah?

- No.
- Okay, so let's switch up.

No, you can put them in.

- Maybe a knuckle piece.
- A knuckle piece.

But just-- you flake it out.

- And so you stick that inside.
- Yes!

Now I can taste the crab.
Do you see what I'm saying?

- Absolutely.
- Yeah? Don't forget,

a touch of citron, a
little bit of tarragon.

Yeah, I'm actually gonna do
blood orange and lemon zest.

Boiling water?

For the raviolis.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

- Well thought of.
- Thank you, chef.

- Remember, think in front.
- ( laughs )

I want to continue to
put myself on a plate

and the things that
I grew up with,

and I want to
represent my family

and I want to
represent my roots.

- All right, so, dorian.
- Whatever it is, it's beautiful.

- What are those?
- Those are fried green--

- fried green tomatoes.
- Love it.

- "tomaytas."
- "tomaytas." tomatoes.

My mom used to make
these all the time,

and as a mom myself, I've
made them for my children.

So what else do you have
going on in your dish here?

Light crab salad.

I wanna keep the
integrity of the crab.

I don't wanna do too much to it.

This is really good.
Acidity, acidity.

- Thank you. - Do you have something
base or something creamy...

- Yes, I do. - ...To moderate it?
What are you gonna do?

- Yeah, there you go. She's already on it.
- Ah!

- Look, don't even--
- yeah, there you are.

- What is this, spicy mayo?
- It is.

Dorian, out there in georgia, do
you have a chance to get with--

hey, take it "eash."
you have a chance--

you can eat all you want. Here.

You want me to feed it to you?
You can have all you want.

Do you work with a lot
of king crab back home?

No, I do not.

My husband and I go to a
restaurant that serves king crab,

and I was pregnant and I sat down
and ate, like, six whole legs.

But, I mean, other
than that, no.

- It's a delicacy. I mean, it's expensive.
- Yeah.

- It's not-- - for someone
who's never cooked it,

this is a really great
interpretation of the delicacy,

really with balanced acidity.

- Love it!
- Oh! Thank you.

- Gordon: Sam.
- Chef morimoto, it's an honor.

So I'm doing a crab
and corn chowder.

This is a fish stock, chef, that
I cooked down with some fennel

- this?
- And some--

- some king crab legs.
- Great. It tastes okay,

- but it doesn't taste like king crab.
- Morimoto: Not much.

You need to strengthen that.
All these little bits here,

- you get it in there.
- Understood, chef.

- I really wanna prove myself.
- On a night like tonight

- in front of chef here.
- Absolutely.

This is a dream for me. I
really want this, chef.

You've got 15 minutes to go.
Flavor, please.

Thank you so much, chef.
Absolutely, chef.

Micah: This is my most
challenging one yet

because I don't know how
a king crab tastes.

I don't know how
any crab tastes.

So I really need to use
my knowledge of flavors

and herbs and really put together
something that's gonna work.

I just wanna say this
is mind-blowing.

- Standing in front of you and gordon
at the same time? - No, no, thank you.

I couldn't have imagined
anything crazier.

- Give us an insight into the dish.
- Oh!

- Oh, wow.
- This is squid ink tarragon risotto,

and I'm gonna be doing my
crab in a beurre monte sauce.

And I have over here my lemon
saffron aioli over top.

It's very rare you finish
a risotto with aioli.

- Why are you going there?
- It brings-- it has lemon,

it has the brightness
of the saffron.

- It adds color to the plate.
- But you can pour that into risotto.

Just drizzled lightly
over top, chef,

just to bring some flavor
to the crab as well.

But make sure the risotto
is rich, buttery.

- Nothing crab meat?
- No, sir, I'm also--

I'm allergic to shellfish.

I cannot taste it.

You should be flaking all
those little knuckles

in there so you got
crab in there as well.

- Crab in there as well.
- Okay.

- That would taste delicious.
- Thank you, chef.

Gordon: Guys, just under
seven minutes to go.

Dang it.

My pasta is sticking
to the roller,

and I can't find a
pasta cutter anywhere.

So, I hand cut with a knife
and they are wretched.

I am feeling really
frustrated right now.

I'm a huge perfectionist and
if it's not gonna work out,

then I just throw it away.

So this is gonna be
your white wine sauce?

- Yes, sir.
- Where are the pappardelle?

- Those are the ones I'm gonna cook.
- These?

This is not pasta.
This is, like, scraps.

Where's the rest of the pasta?

I threw it away. I was pissed.

You can't make a
pasta with this.

I'm going to.
Please, let me try.

I just don't understand, though.

Like, why did you
throw the pasta away?

Because it got stuck in here.

You should've
called me for help.

I would've helped. Let's see.
Where is it?

It's still clean. It's on top.
It's not dirty.

I'm having issues with my
dough, trying to roll it out.

You can't let the kitchen get
the better of you like that.

Just put this through
here and make fettuccini.

Just get 'em long enough, cut 'em,
flour 'em, leave 'em in a nice pile,

let 'em aerate, and
then boil them.

Yes, sir. Thank you.
Oh, my goodness.

Thank god for joe. He
helped me and he saved me.

But there's five minutes left

and immunity is on the line.

Come on, are you kidding me?
Where's the basil?

Four minutes to go. Come on.

Don't plate too early, fred.

Aarón: Let's go, subha.
Let's go to the plate.

Love the taste of micah's
squid ink risotto.

Putting some of the crab in there as
well, fold in some of those knuckles.

- Joe: Renee, those are done.
- ( screams )

nick, he has a lot
of great components.

He has a little butter sauce.
He has some toasted farro.

He has a little corn purée.

- But I don't know what the essence
of the dish is. - Yeah, he's behind.

90 seconds to go, guys. Come on.

Start plating, let's go!

This is going everywhere.

Come on, guys.
Presentation is key.

- Crab has to be the hero.
- Where are the green onions?

50 seconds to go.

( bleep ). Are you kidding me?

Does anybody have green onion?

Aarón: Here we go. Homestretch.

Oh, my god.

All: Five, four,
three, two, one.

- That's it.
- And stop. Hands in the air.

- Well done.
- ( dorian sighs )

so simple, but yet so difficult.
Jeez.

That was excellent.

With that impression tonight,
you raised the bar again.

Chef, they are on form.

That means you have to
come back next week.

- Anything you need.
- There you go.

Now, as you work across
those 60 minutes,

we study, we taste as you cook.

There were plenty
standout dishes tonight.

And with that said,
we've decided tonight

there are six dishes
that we'd love

to take a much closer look at.

The first dish
showed great flair,

and it was so nice
to see that flair

based on the rough week that
individual had last week.

Please, step forward, wuta.

- Whoo!
- Let's go, wu!

Morimoto's about to eat my food!

This legendary chef is going
to really give me feedback

on how to be better, but
I'm a little nervous.

Young man, describe
your dish, please.

So what we have here
is a kimchi fried rice

with a fried egg

and on top we have
the king crab.

- Wuta: Oh.
- ...Like this.

There we go. Thank you.

This reminds me of
you conjuring up

a chinese spot
there in the bronx

and then letting the masterchef
kitchen influence that food memory.

- Thank you.
- There's no bronx in that.

The crab meat and the fried
rice is smart, spicy.

- It's the full deal.
- Thank you.

- Chef.
- Hmm.

Yeah.

...And any things.

- Good.
- Yeah.

I would've taken those
knuckles and claws,

reduced them down, made a
little-- little bisque

and brushed the varnish.

But if you'd asked
me two months ago,

can a vegetarian cook this good?

Never. Tonight, you
proved us wrong.

- Well done. Good job.
- Thank you very much, all of you guys.

- Good job, wuta.
- Thank you.

Way to go, wuta.

So the next home cook,
they impressed us

with their plating skills and
their attention to detail.

They have been at the top of
multiple immunity challenges.

Please, bring your
dish forward, nick.

Yes.

Nick: I'm feeling
really nervous.

I put myself at a disadvantage
giving myself 30 minutes

by deciding to nix the
sushi burger idea.

Joe: Uh-oh.

Now I hope that
wasn't a huge mistake.

You were a little bit uncertain

at the beginning of the
concept of your dish.

You kind of zigged and zagged.

Are you happy with the result?

Uh, I tried with a
different dish,

- sort of a sushi burger. But I'm really
happy with it. - Aarón: So let's see.

Morimoto: Hmm.

So... Yeah.

So...

I-- I tried, chef.

Nicholas, please,
describe your dish.

So I have a butter
poached king crab

with crispy smoked sunchokes,

and a creamy corn purée
with a fennel salad.

The fact that you got that done

after that first one going
off-piece is amazing.

I think the lumps of crab at the
end shows a lack of maturity.

- Yes, chef.
- You don't serve that much crab anywhere

unless it's for two
or three guests.

That's probably a hundred
dollars worth of crab on there.

Again, it's all
about the flavor.

Gents, shall we?

All right.

I really enjoy the way that
this dish came together

considering that you
were up against it.

I just think you have
so many rich components

that you need acid. I
think it needs lemon.

- Thank you, chef. - I think the
whole dish really is quite good.

For me, the crust on the
sunchokes is so strong.

And I love it, don't
get me wrong.

But they dominate.

On a crab, I was looking
for more delicate flavors.

So, you used a lot of crab meat.

- A little too much.
- Yes, chef.

That's a really great job.

Thank you, chef.

The sunchokes are the star,

'cause you haven't done
much for the crab.

You've taken the crab out
and stuck it on top.

But here's the fascinating
thing about you.

You're like this rough
diamond that's come to life

in this competition.

What you've done
with those sunchokes

is mind-blowing. I
think it works,

just cut back on that
rolls-royce of crab.

- Yes, chef.
- Well done.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

- Good job, buddy.
- Good job, nick.

Okay, guys, we are
very intrigued

to taste a little bit more
of this asian-inspired dish.

Please, bring your
dish forward, shari.

- All right, shari.
- Great, shari. Great job.

I can't even contain myself.
I just love morimoto

and I really wanna impress him.

I hope that my crab salad is
good enough to get immunity.

Mmm. So, shari,
what is the dish?

I have in front of you
a yuzu vinaigrette,

a green apple pickle,

and a crab salad with
an avocado mousseline.

- Shall we?
- Yes.

Mm-hmm.

I just gotta say, it is just
spot-on on multiple levels.

It has texture, you
manipulated the crab.

Man, it is just hitting on
all facets of deliciousness.

- Thank you, chef.
- Bright, clean.

- Mmm.
- Focused.

- Three star dish.
- Oh, my god.

You should have your indian
mother-in-law taste this.

It'll turn her hair blonde.

- Morimoto: Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

The evolution of your start
of cooking is extraordinary.

You're not playing safe.

You're out of that comfort zone.

It's good to see you shine.

- Great job.
- Joe: Great job, shari.

- Shari!
- Good job, shari.

- Delicious.
- That's what we're talking about here.

Thank you.

The next home cook,
their dish told

a compelling personal story.

- Fred, please step forward.
- Go, fred!

Thank you, chef.

- Ooh-la-la.
- Please describe the dish, fred.

It's called "welcome to
the lantern festival."

I have crab and crème
fraîche stuffed lanterns

in a crab and fennel broth.

Welcome to the bri
standard of plating.

- Thank you. - Finally, somebody
else is popping with such finesse.

Thank you.

So the idea is to hit the broth

- over the lanterns?
- Yep.

Did you make pasta or
was it a wonton paste?

I made my own pasta dough.

Joe: Very nice.

Gordon: Chef?

From the heart.

This is kind of asian stuff.

- So, thank you. Good job.
- Thank you, chef.

I love everything
about this dish.

I think it's very personal

and you can taste
it on the plate.

Today dishes need to be subtle,

sweet, elegant, refined.

This dish is all of that.

- Good job, fred.
- Thank you, joe.

There's an amazing
feel good factor

after eating this dish,
'cause it's you.

It's light, it's sophisticated.

It's, I think, one of
your best dishes ever

- in this competition.
- Thank you.

And the nice thing for
me, it's not a dessert.

That's a nice thing.
Great job, well done.

- Thank you, chef.
- Amazing.

Chef morimoto, he's
a huge influence

on the asian food
scene in america.

I have been struggling so
much with my own identity,

so for him to go and like
my dish, it's incredible.

- Amazing.
- I can't believe this happened.

The next home cook
really did a great job.

Please, bring your
dish forward, dorian.

- Let's go, dorian. Let's go!
- Way to go, dorian.

I would've never thought
in a million years

that chef morimoto would
be tasting any of my food.

- Yes!
- But here we are.

I'm standing on the
masterchef stage

handing chef morimoto
my plate to taste,

and I am floating on cloud nine.

Dorian, you just gave yourself
a fist bump internally.

- Yes.
- What is that about?

I'm very excited for
you guys to taste it

because it's my
family on the plate.

Please, describe your dish.

I have a light herb and
citrus king crab salad

and fried green tomatoes
and the aioli underneath

just to add a
little bit of heat.

It's very, very satisfying,
and again, dorian,

you are able to put yourself
on the plate every time,

but you do it in
a thoughtful way

of someone who really
knows how to cook.

And that's really
an important factor

- in your success.
- Thank you, joe.

I think structurally there could
have been some differences here.

I think you could've cut the fried
green tomatoes a little thinner.

But that's just a minor point,

'cause all the elements
are so well done.

Thank you, chef.

Mmm, yeah.

- Thank you, chef.
- Gordon: Everything's there.

Let me tell you, I would
love to have spent

the last two minutes
with you dressing that,

put it on the plate and
just elevating it.

But when you have
an aioli like that,

that delicious, you
don't hide it.

That should be over the top almost
like icing on top of that crab.

- Okay.
- That dish has got heart.

- Brilliantly done.
- Thank you.

Amazing.

- Good job, dorian!
- Noah: Great job.

Thank you, sweetie.

And the final home cook
we'd love to bring up

had a very colorful
and elegant dish.

Micah.

Great job, micah.

Micah: I'm super nervous.

I can't taste a single component
of my dish except my aioli.

But aioli doesn't
win challenges.

The entire complete dish does,

and I don't know how it tastes.

I'm just praying
that it's perfect.

Please, what is the dish?

This is a squid ink risotto
with knuckle meat flaked in,

a saffron lemon aioli
served with crab

tossed in a tarragon
beurre monte sauce.

- Wow. - Micah, you've done the
most courageous thing tonight,

taking squid ink and
trying to get that

combined with alaskan king crab.

It's so dangerous.

Squid ink, it's super
powerful, it tastes of zinc,

and really dense
and really heavy.

- Shall we?
- Yes.

It's just a dangerous
thing to do.

Super dangerous.

Micah, you've done the most
courageous thing tonight,

taking squid ink and
trying to get that

combined with alaskan king crab.

Squid ink, it's super
powerful, it tastes of zinc,

and really dense
and really heavy.

It's so dangerous.

The aioli, what's in here?

I have saffron, lemon
juice, dijon, and eggs.

Here's what you did that's so
brilliant about this dish,

is that you used a lemon aioli

as you would finish a
risotto with butter.

It's diffusing that iron-y,

deep, rich flavor of
the the squid ink.

Your choices have made

for a very delicious,
well-balanced bite

that celebrates crab.

Joe: The risotto is perfect.

You nailed the risotto.

- Right.
- Aarón: More crab flavor.

Here's the thing, risotto
is nailed beautifully.

You took 27 minutes making that risotto.
I watched you.

I felt that across
the 27 minutes,

you were so close
to your risotto

you were almost
making love to it.

- What?
- You wouldn't let it go.

Yeah.

Okay.

I've been told I'm a
little clingy, chef.

- So...
- Nothing wrong with that.

- Continue being clingy.
- Especially with your rice.

Here's the shock.

You're allergic to shellfish.

- You can't even taste it.
- No, chef.

And I wish that you
weren't allergic

because it tastes phenomenal.

And so it's very rare
to get that on point

when you can't taste
where you are.

- Well done.
- Thank you, chefs.

- Thank you, thank you.
- Good job, micah.

Great job, micah.
Really great job.

Morimoto just ate my food.

- Right. So crazy.
- That's all I can say that's in my head.

Guys, there were some great
dishes out there tonight, really.

We now need a moment to discuss

and evaluate these dishes.

- Thank you.
- Please.

Noah: I'm really upset.

I've never tried harder
than I've tried tonight.

I wanted the opportunity
to present a plate

in front of morimoto and, uh,

and I didn't get to do that.

- Happy with the three?
- Yes, sir.

- Happy? Excellent. Let's go.
- Yeah.

- All right.
- Please.

Tonight's dishes were so good

that we've decided that we
are handing out immunity

to not one, not two,
but three of you.

That's right, half
of you will be safe

and half of you, along with
everybody else standing behind you,

will be facing
elimination tomorrow.

I just want to say well done.

For me, the most exciting
challenge to date.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, chef.

Right, the first
talented home cook

heading up to the
safety of the balcony

who will not face elimination,

that home cook is...

...Shari. Well done.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Great job, shari.

Shari: I cannot get on
that balcony fast enough.

I need to get up there before
they decide they made a mistake

and keep me back down.

Gordon: You are safe from
tomorrow's elimination.

I think that I've proven that
I can cook other cuisines,

and I'm feeling good.

The next home cook heading up
to the safety of the balcony

that will not face elimination
also was a bit of a shock.

Pretty adventurous, somewhat
daring, but it worked.

Congratulations, micah.

Maybe one of the best risottos

in the ten year history
of "masterchef." spot-on.

That doesn't come lightly. That
was excellent, excellent rice.

Thank you, joe.

Micah: It means a lot to me

to win immunity in
front of morimoto.

I'm the youngest competitor,
and for him to see that

and to reward it with immunity,

I know that I'm
on the right path

and this is what I'm
supposed to be doing.

An amazing job. How do you feel?

I have no words, but thank
you all for the praise.

It means a lot to me.

Three of you will be entering

tomorrow's elimination
challenge.

Just one more spot left
up on the balcony.

That spot goes to the very
best dish of the night.

The home cook who made
this winning dish

will receive an incredible

once in a lifetime
special surprise.

An invitation from chef morimoto

to come and dine
as a table of four

as his guest in one
of his restaurants

- anywhere in the world.
- Wow.

That's amazing.

Congratulations goes to...

- Fred.
- Oh, my god!

Oh, my-- can I-- can
I shake his hand?

Can I shake your hand, chef?

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

- Yay, fred.
- Thank you.

- Good job, fred.
- Thank you so much, everyone.

Fred: I'm on cloud nine.

I can't believe I just won.

This dish represents who I am,

and knowing that
they love who I am

strikes a very personal
chord in a good way.

- Well done.
- Thank you, chef.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

Dish of the night, and
now a special guest

in chef morimoto's restaurants
anywhere on the planet.

- Fred: Thank you.
- On the planet, yes.

So, it's a four top,

so, joe, aarón, and myself
can't wait to join you.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

You guys can be my
plus three anytime.

Wuta, nick, dorian,
great job, but, please,

all three of you, head
back to your stations.

- Fred: Good job.
- Thank you, chefs.

Good job, buddy.

Now, elimination
challenge is now set.

We know all the players.

The question is
who will survive?

Trust me, the next
time we see you,

there is a lot of
dough on the line.

- Okay.
- Good night.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, chef.

- Thank you, chef.
- Bye, morimoto!

Thank you.

- ( laughs )
- yes.

- Thank you, joe.
- Thank you, buddy.

( music playing )