Masterchef (2010–…): Season 11, Episode 11 - Legends: Dominique Crenn - The Wall - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously on
"MasterChef Legends"...

You'll need to cook
an amazing dish

inspired by
your personal legend.

I'm making fried chicken wings.

It's a chicken wing.
Is that enough?

- Anne, how do you feel?
- I'm all right.

Enjoying your view?
You should be.

- [chuckles]
- Whoo!

That is exceptional.
It's beautiful.

You mummified the quail.

That doesn't scream
legendary status.



Too simple, too sweet, too bad.

The most underwhelming dish
belonged to Lexy.

Take care.

Tonight...

Please welcome the legendary
Dominique Crenn.

...the top eight home cooks

face a brand-new team challenge.

You and a partner
will cook identical dishes

on opposite sides of the wall.

- Coming in.
- Holy [bleep]!

I cannot hear you!

They need to listen
to each other.

It's all about becoming a team.

Oh.



It's going to be a tall order...

- This is hard.
- ...to avoid elimination.

It felt somewhat lacklust.

Holy [bleep]!

Pray for me.

- Tonight's the night...
- Indeed.

It's a big one, a legend,

- and challenge like no other.
- Very exciting.

- All right, let's go!
- [cheers]

- Welcome, guys.
- What is this?

- Let's go!
- Look at this.

- That's awesome.
- It's gonna be crazy.

- Now we are talking.
- This is bad-ass.

Wow.

I walk in and the entire
MasterChef kitchen

is completely different.

I'm excited and a little nervous
to see what's to come.

Right, welcome.
We good?

All: Yes, Chef.

Autumn, you good?

Uh, no.
I broke six bones.

And what was it? Vodka?
Was it Bacardi? What was that?

A little mix of everything,
you know?

Just take your time.
Slow down, okay?

Right, all of you,
so far this season,

you've all shown
incredible tenacity,

and in case this giant wall
didn't tip you off,

you're going to need it.

- Excited?
- All: Yes, Chef.

So nervous I'm gonna puke.

All right, everyone, we're gonna
talk about that wall in a second.

But more importantly, we have
another amazing legend here tonight.

She has multiple
award-winning restaurants

and is the only female chef
in America

to receive three Michelin stars.

All of you, please welcome

the legendary Dominique Crenn.

Dominique Crenn. She is dominating
this culinary industry like nobody.

So it's very inspiring
to meet this legend

and I'm feeling very honored.

Oh, my goodness me, what
a pleasure having you here

inside the MasterChef kitchen.

Three Michelin stars.
First ever female in America.

Congratulations.
How does it feel?

Amazing. If I can do
it, you guys can do it.

Uh, your journey
has been incredible,

but what got you interested
in food at the beginning?

You know, I'm self-taught.
I didn't go to school for it.

I was lucky enough to have
parents that loved fine dining,

and my mom was a great cook.

And then one day I said,
"I'm gonna become a chef."

And then I opened Atelier Crenn
10 years ago.

Amazing.
Absolutely amazing.

Suu, how does that make you
feel, standing in front of Dominique?

It feels incredible.
I'm very, very inspired, Chef.

It's an honor just to be
standing in front of you and...

hearing your story.

- Of course you can.
- Aw.

[muffled]
You're very strong, okay?

You are stronger than me.

I'll try.

So, I think it's time to address

that cookware-covered
elephant behind you guys.

Tonight, you will be
facing a team challenge.

[groans]

You will be cooking
in four teams of two.

You and a partner will have
to cook identical dishes.

The catch is,
you and your partner

have to cook on
opposite sides of the wall.

Jeez Louise.
What?

- Joe: Oh, yeah.
- Oh, God.

- Joseph: Holy crap.
- Oh, my God.

Joe: you will not be
able to see each other.

And similar to any
professional kitchen,

communication's gonna
be paramount.

You have to serve us dishes
that are delicious and identical.

Very difficult.

Trust me, every restaurant
needs great teamwork

behind the line,

and tonight we expect
all your dishes

to be Michelin-Star quality

in honor of the incredible
Dominique Crenn.

- All: Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Top eight, nothing is easy.

- Let's do it.
- So we need teams tonight.

Michael, you'll be
cooking with Autumn.

You put the two loudest
ones together, bro.

Anne, cook with Joseph.

- All right.
- Good.

Alejandro, Suu.

And, Kelsey,
that leaves you with Abe.

- Excited?
- All: Yes, Chef.

I'm so excited to cook with Suu.

Both of us bring
a lot to the table.

I think she will be able
to help me out and slow me down,

to conceive a plate
that shows finesse.

All right, guys,
you will have one hour

to cook alongside your partner,

and tonight's top team
will win dinner for two

at Dominique Crenn's amazing
restaurant in San Francisco.

[whoops]

But don't do your victory dance
in advance.

One member of the losing team
will be eliminated here tonight.

Now, each team
will go to the pantry,

where all of you
will have five minutes

to gather all your ingredients

and plan and
conceptualize your dish.

But do not forget anything,

because you will not
be allowed back in there.

- Oh.
- Oh, boy.

- Oh.
- Oh, my word.

- Are we ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Good.
Your 60 minutes starts...

- Now!
- Gordon: Let's go, guys!

- Kelsey: Oh, there they are.
- Anne: Okay.

Let's go!

- Ours are right here.
- Autumn: I just found out

that I'm partnering
with Michael.

I'm freaking out a little bit.

I know he's loud as hell. I
can hear him, like, a mile away.

But I'm definitely nervous
about him listening.

Listen, I can cook anything
as long as we talk through it.

- Salmon's right...
- In the middle?

No, just off to the right.

Sauce will be port
and cherry vinegar.

Cherry vinegar, reduced
and finished with butter,

and it's gonna be
a beautiful glaze.

Okay, what is your idea?

Lobster crepe and the carrot. So it,
like, has three different things to it.

Joseph says,
"Let's make a lobster crepe."

Honestly, though,
I don't know how to do that.

I've never made a crepe,
so it makes me nervous.

I want to make halibut over
sticky rice with a miso sauce.

I win.

We're gonna do a square fish,
cut it in half,

so it's gonna be
a perfect square,

and we're gonna
wrap it in wet seaweed.

Anne gets really high-strung
in the kitchen.

I know she's gonna want to take
the reins on this,

so I'm just gonna do
what Anne wants to do.

Put a little butter on it,
it's ready to go.

If that's what you want to do.

Two and a half minutes
to go, guys.

- Pork chop with the bone in.
- Yeah, yeah, we're gonna cut the bone off of it.

- We're not gonna do the bone.
- Okay.

We'll do, like, maybe five
or six. We'll talk about it.

Yes.

Salad.

And leave this side
completely bare.

- And it's like totally bare.
- Awesome, let's do it.

We only have five minutes

to actually be in the pantry.

So our strategy is to talk about

what our plate's gonna
look like,

to make the dish as perfect
as possible.

I got us sushi rice.

I'll just go with you, Anne.

We could put a mold on it
to make it perfectly circle.

- Okay.
- Last minute! Let's go!

What about the Dijon sauce?
Orange, we need an orange.

Let's get mushrooms, come on.

Spice, spice, spice.
Pepper where are you?

Here's the ginger.

Conceptualizing a dish
with a partner in five minutes,

and also grabbing everything
in the pantry and leaving...

does that sound kind of absurd?

- It's absurd.
- The pantry's closed.

We'll talk, we'll talk.
Get to your spot.

- Got it?
- I'm listening. Go ahead.

Do you want to start
with the parsnip puree?

- Yeah, parsnip started.
- Let's do it.

- Joseph?
- Yeah?

- The first thing you do is soak your rice.
- You got it!

Suu, let's do
the mise en placefirst, okay?

Alex, I'm only going to
do one shallot.

Yes, one shallot is enough.

- Michael: Autumn? Where you at?
- Yes? I'm gonna cut my pork now

- and then I'm gonna start my puree.
- Got it. Got it.

- We got this, Jersey.
- Wow, this is it.

One big, crazy wall.
Four incredible teams of two.

This is all
about communication, isn't it?

Right, they need
to listen to each other.

It's all about being a team.

- Just peel 'em, cut 'em.
- Okay, perfect.

And, also, you have to be
concise with your instruction.

"Do you hear me? Do
you read me? Let's go."

We're gonna put salt,
pepper, ginger, lime zest

- all over your cod.
- It's a halibut.

- Okay, halibut. Halibut.
- I think simplicity wins today.

This way you have a chance
of getting identical dishes.

Because, if not, this is very,
very difficult to do.

Let's prep everything
before we start cooking.

Yeah, I'm not going to cook

- the asparagus just yet.
- Yeah.

Suu and I are the dream team
and we're cooking in sync.

Our strategy is just
pay attention.

I'm talking, she hears me,
she yells back.

I'm doing the same thing
back to her.

- Alex? I'm going to go on...
- Yes, ma'am?

- ...to oyster, mushrooms.
- Okay.

So, the pairings,
Alejandro and Suu, for instance.

You got Alejandro
that's all over the place,

very difficult to self-edit.

Then you've got this cool,
calm perspective with Suu.

Alejandro's great
at moving fast,

having great ideas,
but Suu should drive flavor.

I think that's gonna be
key for them.

Alex, I'm salting
my asparagus now.

- I got mine in water so they stay nice and green.
- Oh!

Then you've got Joseph and Anne,

two very confident
and opinionated cooks.

So who takes the lead
role in that one?

Pat it down, Joseph!
Pat down your fish!

I think you have to go
with the boisterous Anne.

She's very feisty,
she wants this desperately.

But her home cooking,
is that enough of that finesse

and that refinement
that we're looking for?

Where I think Joseph
can bring that to the table.

Joseph, do you think
we should cut our fish in half?

It's up to you.

Um, I say cut it in half.

And then you've got
Abe and Kelsey.

Kelsey, a dominant cook
in this competition.

Abe, one of our youngest
competitors.

I think he's gonna take
a back seat tonight,

and allow Kelsey
to dictate the plan.

- Abe?
- Yeah, what's up?

Don't forget to salt and pepper
your cream and stock.

Yes, ma'am.

And then, finally,
Michael and Autumn.

- Autumn, cast iron, right? Yep, yep.
- Do a grill pan.

Michael really doesn't have
any plating skills.

He's very family style,
New Jersey, Italian-American.

Autumn's very artistic and
she creates beautiful plates.

So for Michael to keep up with
Autumn is gonna be a big challenge.

- That's a tough one.
- How you doing, Jersey?

I'm malleting my pork
a little bit.

Okay.
I'm trusting you.

Autumn: I'm trying to
channel Michael in my head,

and, oh, God, it's, like, empty.

I don't know what he's thinking.

How big is your medallion?

'Cause I pounded it out
and now it's like five inches.

- Okay, mine's a little bit smaller.
- He's a vegan,

and to have him cook pork
is a little bit risky.

If it's overcooked,
it's gonna be dry as a bone.

And if it's undercooked,
you're screwed,

because then you're
giving them raw pork.

If we don't nail the pork,

we're probably gonna
be in the bottom today.

I'm really hoping
that this partner challenge

does not give me any chance
of being down there.

- This is hard, this is hard.
- Pray for me.

Wow, one big crazy wall.
Four incredible teams of two.

Let me know when you're ready.

Sadly, one will be going home.

- Did you get it?
- Yep.

- Guys, 45 minutes remaining.
- Oh, okay.

- Let's go, guys!
- Let's go.

- So, Joseph?
- Yes?

- I'm now grating my ginger.
- I've done that already.

- How you doing, Jersey?
- Good. I got my milk going,

- thyme, garlic in it.
- And rosemary.

Yep, okay.

- Suu: Alex?
- Yes?

Because we don't
have any starch on it,

just serve oyster mushroom.

I only have one oyster mushroom.

What about I toss you half?
Let's do three.

Okay, cut it and give it to me.

In the middle.
Coming in.

No... holy... oh, boy.

- It crossed to the other side.
- So, no?

No, that's a scratch.

- Right, Suu.
- Yes, Chef.

- How's it going?
- Doing great, Chef.

We're shouting a lot,
communicating,

which is the key, I believe.

Give us an insight
to the dish, what is it?

We're going to
do crispy skin red snapper,

one mushroom, asparagus,

and then we have port
and cherry vinegar reduction.

So, how are you plating this?

We're gonna do simple,
elegant, with a lot of flair.

Yes, ma'am.
Got it.

Yes, ma'am.

Do you think it looks like
a three-Michelin Star plate?

We will make sure
it looks like it.

18 minutes gone,
42 minutes to go.

- Looks good.
- Thank you very much, Chef.

Jersey, what should we do
with the cauliflower?

You wanna roast it?
Just salt and season it nice.

Okay, okay, okay.

- All right, Joseph?
- Yes?

Grab a garlic clove and put it
right inside your miso sauce.

You got it, boss.

So, what's the plan?
What's the dish? Tell us.

We are doing
a seaweed-wrapped halibut,

and we're gonna put it
over sticky rice.

- Joseph?
- Yes, sir?

Where did the inspiration
for the dish come from?

Uh, I think she just ate it at a
Japanese restaurant recently.

- Come on, now, Joseph.
- She wants to cook it.

I want to do something that we
can communicate well together.

I gotta tell you
something, Anne.

I just got here
and I feel like your energy...

you're already controlling me,

so I can't even imagine
how Joseph feels.

- Aarón: Yeah.
- I feel like I am under your domain right now.

Listen, I cannot be
in the bottom this week

because I can't go home.

I love that.
The presentation

is probably the most
challenging element.

So it has to be identical
and it has to be delicious.

It will look like
the exact same dish.

- Ooh, big words. Okay, good luck, Anne.
- Thank you.

Okay, let's start. Let's start
with the reduction right now.

Do you want to do
the whole bottle?

Do the whole bottle of port.

Our strategy's
just pay attention,

cook with a lot of passion,
and be fearless.

I just tasted it
and it's so good.

- Crank the heat up.
- Okay.

- Right, Autumn, how are you feeling?
- Uh, good.

So, what's going on here?
What are we doing?

So, me and Jersey are gonna
do roasted cauliflower

with an herbed carrot puree,

a pork with a mustard sauce.

Yeah, I like it.
Playing safe there, right?

We're doing a lot vegetable

because I know
he's better at that.

For a vegan
to cook pork perfectly,

why would you choose
such a difficult protein?

I think he can do it.

Keep talking to him right now.

I think it will be
very important for you guys.

- Good luck.
- Thank you. Thanks.

Okay, my sauce
is somewhat glossy.

- It should be ready, taste it.
- Okay.

- Tastes great.
- Perfect.

Check your rice, Joseph.
Like, right now

- mine's getting cooked.
- I did.

- So, how does your rice look?
- It's not ready yet.

Okay, good.
You can take your lid off,

just make sure you
keep water in there.

Okay.

Abe, what's the dish?

So, we're doing a crispy-skinned
salmon with a parsnip puree.

We're gonna have a little bit of
broccolini cooked in some butter.

We wanted to do something
that we both know,

and we thought
we're both decent at fish,

and I think we're really
gonna work on the plating.

How are you gonna work on the
plating, by screaming over the wall?

We were actually in there
talking which way

we wanted to have
every component together.

So, you both have
the same thing in mind.

Yes, Chef.

But, like,
if she cuts her broccolini

smaller than yours,
then you got a problem.

- Yep.
- Kelsey?

- Yeah?
- How big are your broccolini?

The florets
with about an inch of stem.

But I'm gonna cut 'em down
when we plate.

I heard it.
You heard it.

- Yep. Thank you.
- Good luck.

- Abe?
- Yeah?

Let's portion out our salmon,

'cause I don't want it that big.

Let me see
if I can find something

that we can judge it off.

Abe is very resourceful
in this challenge.

He keeps finding things
in the kitchen

to relate the size
of our knife cuts to.

- Just the pink part. Perfect.
- Okay.

Gordon: Guys, 30 minutes gone,
30 minutes remaining. Let's go!

- Fascinating teamwork out there.
- Yep.

Alejandro and Suu...
the dish sounds good.

It's a pan-seared
crispy skin red snapper

with a port
and vinegar reduction.

- Dominique: Right.
- With asparagus and mushrooms, yes.

- Ready, one, two, three, go.
- They're just cooking the asparagus

where you can cook that
at the end, you know.

Alex, we should start
planning about the fish.

Yeah, the bottom part, we're
only gonna do salt and pepper.

- No fresh spice on the bottom.
- Suu: Got it!

Michael and Autumn, they've
decided to go for a pork chop,

roasted purple cauliflower,
and a carrot puree.

How much time? 25.

I think the key
is gonna be for Michael

to test the meat
and the pork and all that.

And the jeopardy of how he can
plate, because he can't plate properly.

- Autumn?
- Yes?

- Give me a holler when you put your pork on.
- Okay.

Okay, Joseph, are you ready?

- Are you feeling good?
- I'm living.

Anne and Joseph, they're gonna
do a steamed halibut with sticky rice,

and then they're gonna have
kind of a miso-based sauce.

Joe: Anne was at a Japanese
restaurant where she had this dish.

The question is,
can Joseph follow her lead?

All right, what's next, Anne?

- And Abe and Kelsey?
- All right, mine's good.

Okay.

They're gonna go
with a pan-seared salmon,

broccolini, parsnip puree,
and play to the simplicity,

to eliminate the possibility
of error.

Of all the teams I've seen,
probably the greatest synergy.

They seem to be communicating.
He's very young

and I think he's willing
to follow her lead.

Joseph, now we're
gonna take our fish

and we're gonna put it
on with a slow boil underneath.

Make sure you have two steamers,

so one is protecting it, right?

Anne is everything
I expected her to be.

She's driving me crazy,
always yelling at me

like I don't even know
how to cook.

Joseph has gone completely
quiet and somber,

where Anne is the one
that's taking the reins...

- Tell me when you're ready.
- ...and leading the charge.

- So he's letting her dominate.
- Yep.

And put it on... we're
gonna do it for 10 minutes,

and put it on medium so it
stays at boil, but not ferociously.

Or medium high.

There are times
that Joseph does feel distant.

Joseph?

I like to communicate.

Joseph?

And it's not a communication
when it's one-sided.

I'm being quiet in the kitchen
because I don't like this dish at all.

Watch your fish
for at least seven.

You said 10 minutes.

Anne: Yeah, I know...
well, you know what I'm saying.

Okay?

I just know that
if we don't focus,

then one of us is going home.

Joseph?
What about the one that...

it's black speckled,
little dots in it?

Because we want something
bright for the fish.

Joseph, are you listening?
I cannot hear you!

Make sure your proteins
go on at the exact same time.

Because remember, we want
identical dishes from each team.

- Come on.
- Skin side down.

Make sure you press the fish.
Don't let it go

- for, like, the first 20 seconds.
- Got it. Fish in.

We're pressing down, right?

Yep, skin side down, ready?

- Yep!
- Three, two, one.

Jersey, what are you doing now?

Um, my carrot chips are out,
my pork's going on.

Okay, we're on the same page.

- Michael.
- How are you guys doing?

What's happening?
How are you guys working?

- Are you...
- We're working very well.

Tough for you tonight being
vegan. You're cooking pork.

Now, how will you know
that pork is cooked beautifully?

I mean, just by... I'm here
in the top eight,

so I believe I'll be able
to tell, you know?

How is this gonna come
together on the plate, how?

Obviously, my plating skills
are my weakest point.

So I'm gonna let Autumn
lead the way all the way on that.

- Gotcha.
- All right, all right, keep cooking.

Thank you so much, guys.

Since I gave Autumn the lead
in the dish,

and the plating is definitely
my biggest challenge here,

I can't be nervous about
letting someone lead the way.

- Pick a plate.
- Do you see this round white one

- with the silver on the side?
- Silver, like, lines,

- like pinstripes?
- Yeah.

- Joseph!
- Yes!

Make sure you salt your rice.

- Salt the rice?
- Oh, yeah, a ton.

A ton.

Yelling through this wall

reminds me of yelling
at my kids.

Okay, Joseph, I'm getting
ready to check my halibut.

It's hard to get through,

so you just gotta raise
your voice a little bit more.

Gotta be really careful
with this fish, though,

because it falls apart easily,
and that would be a no-no.

Joseph, you've got the
formidable Anne on your team.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Are you happy to be
obsequious to Anne?

Uh, I wanted to do, like,
this lobster-stuffed crepe,

but she's never made
a crepe before.

Ooh, lobster-stuffed crepe
sounds good.

So, let's be honest.
Sticky rice.

That's a very
challenging texture

to get right if you didn't
grow up with it.

It's tough.

- Anne?
- Yeah?

How sticky is your sticky rice?

We want it medium sticky.

Medium sticky?

It's gonna take some work.

- Good luck, my friend.
- You got it.

- Kelsey, how are we doing here?
- I think we're doing okay.

Who's idea was this?

I took the lead in regards
to, like, the fine details.

I think you've got the makings
of an elegant dish there.

Just make sure you're both
on the same page.

Yes, we gotta start plating.

Good luck, good luck, good luck.

- Hey, Abe?
- Yeah?

- Are you ready to start plating?
- Yes, ma'am.

10 minutes to go,
we are starting

the hardest part
of this challenge.

How is your salmon facing?

Why don't we do it straight?

I like top, facing the left.

I think I know what you mean.

When you pour your miso
in the bowl, strain it

to get all that stuff out of it.

I don't want to strain the miso.

You sure you don't want
to strain the miso?

Joseph: Anne doesn't
want to strain the soup

because she's never had
real Japanese food in her life.

- You got it.
- Okay, cool.

Start to plate, guys, let's go!

- Are you plating yet, Autumn?
- I'm gonna plate right now.

- Okay.
- We're gonna do two schmears of sauces,

- one going each way.
- Like yin-yang.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I would normally add
a smaller thing of puree,

but I'm like,
"Think like Michael."

But make sure you dip the pork
in the gravy first.

Okay, gotcha.

Okay, Suu,
while my fish is cooking,

I'm gonna pick up a white plate.

Okay, I want the second
from the left.

Is it deep or is it flat?

- It is little deep.
- Yes, let's go.

- It's white, right? All white?
- All white.

- Alejandro?
- Chef?

How do you feel
about the consistency

between both you and Suu's dish?

I think we're gonna be
pretty close to perfect.

Do you think your dish
is good enough

to make sure you stay
in this competition?

Oh, yeah. It's gonna be
good enough to win it.

- Good luck.
- Gordon: Three minutes to go.

Sadly, for one of you,
your last three minutes

inside the MasterChef kitchen.

- We got three minutes.
- Okay.

I think Kelsey and Abe's

got the most meticulous dish,

because it looks finessed.

Why don't we put the salad
at 10:00?

10:00? No, I don't
like it on its own.

Maybe you're right. No, let's
just put it on top of the salmon.

- Yeah.
- I think Joseph and Anne are all over the place.

One's in the South Pole,
one's in the North Pole.

Joseph?

Joseph?

Alejandro: Let's do
the mushrooms facing south

and the asparagus facing east?

Okay, we don't have
south and east.

Let's just do left or right.

I mean, when it comes to Suu,
the key is,

if Alejandro can keep
his mouth shut

for a little bit
and take cues from Suu.

Absolutely.

Love the way Autumn's tasting
everything there. Lovely.

Michael cooked two bits of pork,

So I'm hoping he sliced
the other one

to check the temperature
control on the side.

- There should be, like, an inch of cauliflower...
- Right.

- ...and the pork on top of it.
- Gotcha.

- How many asparagus do you want to put?
- Five.

Five, perfect.
That's the same thing I got.

We're down
to one minute remaining.

Michael, how's your plate
looking?

I'm looking good,
I think, Autumn.

For me, definitely,
you know what I mean?

- All right, we got a dot?
- Let's go, let's go.

Hey, don't put
a lot of sauce, okay?

How do we put the sauce?

Let's just glaze
the bottom of the fish.

So, are we not
showing any sauce?

That's gonna be too much.

Okay, swirl it around the plate.

What? I don't understand.

- You hear me?
- No!

- All: Ten, nine...
- Scallion, salt, pepper!

- ...seven, six, five...
- Let's go! Let's get moving!

- And salt.
- ...two, one.

- And plate!
- Cloches on, everybody.

- Well done.
- Well done.

- Good job, Joseph!
- You got it.

- Autumn, how are you feeling?
- Fingers crossed.

I think we did a crazy good job.

Yeah, I didn't
get your sauce part, so...

I put it around the whole plate.

I didn't put it.
You said no!

- Damn it!
- Wow.

- Alex, how do you feel?
- I feel I think we did a crazy good job.

Yeah, I don't know about the
sauce. I didn't get your sauce part.

I put it around the whole plate.

I didn't put it.
You said no.

- Damn it!
- You said no!

No, I said put it
around the whole plate.

That's the reason
we made the sauce.

Abe and I worked
really well together.

He did a great job
giving me feedback

if he was confused,

so I think it went really well.

So, I'm feeling pretty good.
I feel like me and Michael

were talking to each other
a decent amount.

Especially the plating,
we talked through everything.

I'm just hoping that both
of our porks are cooked perfect.

Right now, I'm just grateful that we
get it out, but we'll see how it goes.

I believe that we're gonna have the
exact same dish and we did really well.

Right, very carefully bring your
dishes down to the front, please.

My gosh.

That was an exciting
challenge, right?

- Yes.
- It was something.

Guys, for tonight's challenge,

we asked you to cook
identical dishes

without being able to see at
all what your partner is doing.

And we won't see
how close you've all gotten

until you present
your plates to us together.

All of you, please remember,
one member from the losing team

will be going home tonight.

Right, let's start off
with Michael

and Autumn, please.
Thank you.

Autumn: Pork is, like,
automatically a really hard protein.

It's very lean, So we
took a little bit of a risk,

but I'm confident
in Michael's cooking,

and we have really
good color on our plate,

you know, with the
cauliflower and the carrot puree,

so it just really
all comes down to the pork.

So, aside from asking you
to create identical dishes,

we asked you to create dishes

that were of a Michelin-Star
quality as well.

Right.

Dominique, please
do the honors, thank you.

It's going to look the same?
It's going to taste the same?

- Um... yeah, sure.
- I... yeah. Yeah.

- All right, here we go.
- Yes, yes.

- Okay. Okay.
- All right, not bad.

Can you describe what
you made for us here?

Autumn: We made a grilled
pork with a carrot purée,

roasted cauliflower,
some carrot chips,

and a Dijon mustard sauce.

Visually,
two beautiful-looking dishes.

Sadly, two completely
different plates.

What happened there?

We really thought
we got the same plate.

I was talking, I was like, "The
white one with the silver on it."

There's a difference
in size there, Michael.

How come your chop
is half the size of Autumn's?

I, uh, actually ring-molded
mine out.

You cut cakes with ring molds,
not pieces of meat.

I just keep hearing
how big my food is,

so I'm thinking,
"How can I make it smaller?"

You just don't do that.
It's just wrong.

Gordon:
Shall we?

I'm gonna have a heart attack.

I hope that was a good look.

Autumn, I was so impressed.
I love the seasoning.

I felt that you cooked it
perfectly.

Michael, I know I made a face,

but I couldn't really
cut it at first.

I was like, "Ah, I don't know
if I want to eat it."

Then I tasted your puree
and the cauliflower

and the sauce
and it was delicious.

There is a lot of technique
on both parts,

there is good and bad,
but overall,

it is pretty good,
so, thank you.

Wow, first off, good news, because there's
perfection here, but not from both plates.

Because I want Autumn's
pork chop with Michael's puree.

Michael, your pork
is slightly over-seared,

but your finesse
with that sauce and that puree

is pretty much bang on.

Michael, I think it's safe
to say that the pork

needed a little bit more love.

But as far as identical views,

you can see
all the elements present,

and I think that means that
you definitely communicated well.

Look, these dishes
both eat well.

They're not identical twins,

but they're kissing cousins.

- Thank you guys.
- Bravo.

Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?

If I could lift that chop
and put it on there...

Dominique: Yeah, right.

Right, step forward,
Alejandro and Suu, please.

Alejandro: Walking up to the
judges, the only aspect of this dish

that I might be a little
worried is the sauce.

There was a little
miscommunication

between Suu and I
due to the wall towards the end.

So, I hope that we both
sauced the plate the same way.

- You guys ready?
- Both: Yes, Chef.

- Oh.
- Uh-oh.

Gordon: Alejandro and Suu,
please, what was the dish?

Alejandro: Suu and I
made a pan-seared snapper,

wild mushrooms, asparagus,

with a port and cherry vinegar
reduction.

So, visually, both dishes,
they look good.

But you have a problem.
Tonight's challenge

was to present us
two identical dishes.

Not only are they
different plates,

Alejandro, your dish
is sauced beautifully,

Suu, where is your sauce?

Joe:
It's a big mistake.

Suu, where is your sauce?

I put it under the fish.

So, when we come
to saucing at the end,

who was explaining what?
Because this is crucial.

I was explaining,
so it's part of my fault.

Alejandro, the sheen
and the brightness

of your sauce looks beautiful.

Suu, yours looks complete,

it's just missing that varnish
at the end with that sauce.

And then you haven't got
the same plate.

One's a bowl
and one's a flat plate.

What happened there?

In the middle of the chaos,

we just said, "Let's just
go with a white plate."

So, listen, much like
in a professional kitchen,

the challenge tonight was
all about good communication.

You clearly missed
the mark there on a few points.

All right, let's taste.

Right, Alejandro, Suu,
let's get one thing clear.

Both fish, uh,
beautifully executed.

Thank you, Chef.

Suu, your fish was seasoned
better than Alejandro's.

But it needs
more sauce on there.

Alejandro, slightly too
heavy-handed on the sauce

because it's a powerful kick,

but the proteins were
beautifully nailed.

Thank you very much, Chef.

Dominique: You know,
when I tasted your dish,

I thought you nailed it.

You have a lot of flavors,
you're very talented

on seasoning
preferably, you know.

But, you know, I didn't need
the sauce there, honestly.

Alexander, your dish
is beautiful.

But, um, I appreciate
what you did here.

It's an honor, Chef, thank you.

- Thank you very much.
- Aarón: Yeah, for me,

this seemed a little bit safe.

I expect that Latin
flavor from you.

I expect that Burmese seasoning.

I didn't see that here.

Look, at the end of the day,
we asked you together

to conceive a dish,

and then independently
go and create it.

The same dish.

A tall task by any order.

We asked you also
that the dish be of

a Michelin Star
restaurant quality

and something that would
really wow us.

So, the question really is,
what was it supposed to be,

with the sauce
abundant like that

or with no sauce visible?

Probably right in the middle.

Quite frankly, for me,
Suu's is a better executed dish.

Please step back.
Thank you.

Joseph, Anne, please
bring your dishes forward.

During the challenge,
I did more of the instructing,

and Joseph really was just like,
"Okay, you bet."

But I feel like we just made
a really amazing dish,

and I believe that our dish is
gonna look just like each other's.

Chef Dominique,
will you do us the honors?

How do you guys think
you did today?

- I feel great about it.
- I think they're gonna look very, very similar.

- Very similar or identical?
- Identical.

- Okay, let's see.
- Oh!

Well, they got...
they picked the same dish.

- Whew.
- Aarón: Anne, please describe what you made.

Anne:
A seaweed-steamed halibut

with sticky rice
and a miso broth.

Anne, whose idea was this?

- Who owns it?
- So, I own this.

We had five minutes
in that pantry to think.

And I look at this
and it's just like, man,

there's no green, there's
no vibrancy, there's no color.

There's just...
looks like lumps of snow.

In all fairness,
they look similar.

Let's hope it tastes
better than it looks.

Yeah, let's taste.

Anne, your halibut
was actually cooked nicely.

I thought it was a little bit
dry from the outside,

but it's actually quite nice.

You've turned the miso broth
into a glaze.

It's super rich.

Joseph, your fish is overcooked.

Your rice is seasoned, but
you've actually got a broth there.

And when I taste the halibut,

I thought it
was seasoned perfectly.

You know, the rice
was a little bit bland.

But I liked the fish, so...

Joseph, the halibut is a fish
that is hard to cook.

If it's not seasoned properly
and overcooked,

then I think the dish is done,
you know?

For me, Anne,
your sauce is too reduced.

It's very aggressive
with the aromatics

and it's really tough
to get through.

Joseph, you had something
that was more akin to a broth.

But it needed to be strained

and there needs
to be some vegetables.

Tonight, we asked you to create
two dishes that were identical.

And we also asked you
to create a dish

that was worthy of
a Michelin-Starred restaurant.

One of these dishes
has a full-flavored,

seasoned approach that I would
expect from a restaurant dish.

The other of these two dishes
seemed under seasoned,

watery, a total amateur show.

Thank you, Joseph, Anne, please.

Joseph: Coming out of this
tasting, I'm feeling discouraged.

I feel terrible that
I didn't speak up sooner.

I should have stepped up. I
should have voiced my opinions.

I should have told Anne that
this was a terrible idea for a dish.

I'm so sorry.

You said strain it,
and I'm so sorry, Joseph.

Okay, uh, last but not least,
Kelsey and Abe,

please bring
your dishes forward.

Kelsey: I feel good bringing
these dishes up to the judges.

I think the entire cook
went awesome.

We communicated the whole time.

I just hope that when
we take those cloches off

that the plates look identical.

- You guys ready?
- Yep.

All right.

- Aarón: Wow.
- Ooh.

Okay.
Not too bad.

We did a crispy skinned salmon
with a parsnip puree,

roasted radish,
and some sautéed broccolini.

Visually, it looks like
you were cooking side by side.

I'm impressed.

Yeah, that could be a dish
we could serve

definitely at one
of the restaurants, for sure.

Kelsey, I am slightly worried
with the density of your salmon

that it's undercooked.

Because when you're touching
an inch and a half, two inches

of depth and thickness,
it's very hard

to get that cooked
all the way through.

But, Kelsey, let's find out.
Shall we?

- Wow.
- Hmm.

[bleep]

[bleep]

Right, Kelsey,
the puree, absolutely spot-on.

Salad, delicious.
Your salmon...

...is utter perfection.

A lot of viewers tonight would look
at that and think that's undercooked.

But it's not 'cause it's just
separating layer after layer.

Both salmons were executed
beautifully,

but one was what they call
a chef's dream.

Abe, your seasoning is spot-on.

Puree's like velvet. The
crisp on the skin, beautiful.

But the last thing you ever do

is stick a wet, soggy salad
on top of it.

Abe, yeah, you're just 22,
and it's...

you cook better
than other people

that I've met in my life
who call themselves chefs,

so congratulations on this.

Kelsey, I'm blown away
with this salmon.

This is the way that I cook.
Did you read my cookbook?

Aarón: Yeah, I must
commend both of you.

To have that sort of vision
together, it's amazing.

So, the spirit of the wall is
the spirit of our restaurants,

where every night we have to create
identical dishes, sometimes 50 times a night.

You did an excellent job
and we'll leave it at that.

Good job, both of you.
Well done. Thank you.

- That's beautifully done.
- That's how you do it.

- Beautifully done.
- Good job.

- Thanks, you, too.
- Now, we've got some serious talking to do.

Please give us a moment.
Thank you.

Tonight's cook-off, you've got the top
two teams and the bottom two teams.

- Yeah, I agree.
- Yeah?

- Kelsey and Abe.
- They had a lot of high points.

- They did, didn't they?
- They did a good job.

Alejandro and Suu, that fish,
they nailed beautifully.

- Snapper's not easy.
- It's not easy.

Joseph and Anne, I mean,
they got off on the wrong foot.

The vision wasn't clear. They
didn't have a clear vision of the dish.

Gordon: And then Michael
and Autumn's pork dishes.

- It was serviceable.
- I thought Autumn's pork was delicious.

Yeah, but the vegetable
were not as...

- No.
- This is hell.

Gordon: We're clear on
the weakest performing pair

- and the winner?
- Yes, absolutely.

What a night.
That was a tough challenge.

60 minutes to execute
the same dish,

but working with a wall separating
the performances. That's no easy task.

Unfortunately, one of you
will be leaving the competition.

There were some highs and lows.

Kelsey and Abe, tonight
you proved to all four of us

that two strong heads
are actually better than one.

Congratulations, both of you.

You are the winners
of tonight's challenge.

You win an amazing dinner at
Dominique Crenn's amazing restaurant.

Head upstairs to the safety
of the balcony. Well done.

I'm so excited.

To get dinner at Dominique
Crenn's restaurant?

So, right now,
I am feeling great.

The next deserving pair that
we felt was a cut above the rest,

executed two incredible
proteins cooked beautifully.

Congratulations,
Alejandro and Suu.

Head up to the safety
of the balcony. Well done.

- Thank you very much.
- Good job, guys!

The last group that are
heading up to the balcony,

they had their ups and downs,

but nothing
that was too terrible.

Congratulations...

Autumn and Michael.
Well done.

- Good job, guys.
- As soon as Chef Ramsay says

that me and Michael are safe,
I am like, "Whew."

I'm really glad
that me and Michael

were able to communicate

and just put everything
we had on that plate.

Unfortunately, that means
you two, Anne and Joseph.

Anne, the whole character
of the dish didn't quite work.

Joseph, the fish
was sadly overcooked.

Both dishes were underwhelming.

But we thought there was
one dish that was below par.

The person leaving "MasterChef"

and not entering the top seven,

that person is...

Joseph.

Anne, please
say good-bye to Joseph

and head up to the balcony.

- I'm so sorry.
- That's all right.

Joseph, tonight I felt
you weren't present,

and I'm disappointed.

The fish was, sadly, overcooked.

I know damn well
you could've done better.

That Filipino culture
you brought in early

in this competition,
you blew us away.

Come and say good-bye.
Continue cooking.

- Yes, Chef.
- Yeah? Good man.

Thank you.
You take care, buddy.

Joseph: I'm definitely
feeling defeated.

I should've stepped up

and instead of listening
to her exact instructions,

I should have just made mine
better than hers.

You live, you learn.

Joseph.

But this has been
a great journey,

and it was a great opportunity
for me to showcase my skills.

Perfect fish. Excellent
dish. No negative comments.

Yes! Yes!

I put my career on hold to come
out here and follow my dreams.

And I came away with one
of the greatest experiences

that I'm lucky enough
to have in my life.

That is delicious, by the way.

I am glad that you guys
really like it.

Aarón: The fact that you're
able to impart so much flavor

is really a stroke of genius.

- Wow.
- To make it this far,

it gives me this feeling inside

of, like, self-worth
and accomplishment.

What you've done with that
marinade is absolutely spot on.

And I'll never forget being in the
kitchen with such amazing chefs.

Really great dish.
This is a restaurant dish.

This experience has just
been out of this world.

- Peace, Joe.
- Good-bye, Joseph.

Suu: Bye!