Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 13 - GrubHub Challenge - full transcript

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GORDON: Previously on
"MasterChef: Back to Win"...

- Switch!
- ...the cooks faced off

in the infamous
tag-team challenge.

- Let's go.
- Tell me, tell me!

- It's going on the long side!
- There we go.

- I'll do it, I'll do it.
- Drop that damn Wellington!

- No, I won't!
- Switch!

For some, teamwork
made the dream work.

This is the best risotto
of the evening.

I'd serve this in my flagship
restaurant tonight.

Congratulations,
Shanika and Bowen.



- But for others...
- What are you... no, no, no.

They don't seem like a team
that should be together.

...it spelled disaster.

Risotto just feels ignored.

This pastry on
the top here is raw.

The person leaving "MasterChef:
Back to Win" is Gabriel.

- Tonight...
- [ENGINES REVVING]

- You hear that?
- What is that?

- [HONKING]
- What?

- the top 11 kicks off...
- Come on, man.

...and we're bringing
take-out for everyone.

- You know I'm always hungry.
- But there's a catch.

You have to cook a gourmet
version of that take-out dish.

Ooh-whee!



But for a spot in the top 10...

This is gonna come down
to the wire.

- Why?
- Your ass better cook.

- Come on.
- Nobody's safe.

...they'll have to think
outside the to-go box.

- It's definitely elevated.
- Award-winning stuff.

Or be taken out of
the competition for good.

Instead of elevating it,
you sunk it.

GORDON:
Hand me your apron.

Here we go. Another day.

Another day,
another competition.

WILLIE: Coming into the top 11,
I've experienced this before.

The first time around,
I made it to the top seven,

so I at least need to
get past that.

- The door is locked.
- What you mean it's locked?

- Did you knock?
- Yeah.

BRANDI: So what are we
supposed to do?

We're locked out.

- Where is Gordon?
- Gordon! Aarón! Joe!

Why are we locked out?
Why are we standing outside?

This is bizarre, but, of course,

there's always a reason.

Gordon always has a reason.

- [ENGINES REVVING]
- Do you hear that?

- [HORN HONKS]
- What?

- What is that?
- [HONKING]

- Yeah!
- Whoa!

- Oh!
- Oh, my God!

- All right.
- That was amazing.

BRANDI: The judges roll up
on their little mopeds.

I think it's adorable, you know?

Especially Joe on his little
moped. He looked so cute.

I definitely think the judges
have something up their sleeves.

- Come on, man.
- Ooh-whee, GrubHub!

- Oh, my God.
- What'd you guys bring us?

GORDON:
Right, as you can see,

today's challenge
has been delivered

to you all by GrubHub.

- Mm!
- Okay.

Each one of these bags contain some
of the most requested delivery items

in the entire country based on
the top food trends on GrubHub.

Tonight, your challenge
is to select one of these dishes

out of the GrubHub delivery bag

and cook a gourmet version
of that dish.

- Ah, interesting.
- AARÓN: Understood?

- Yes, Chef.
- GORDON: Now, listen carefully.

The winner
of tonight's challenge

will receive
the coveted immunity pin

and secure their spot

in the top 10 alongside
Shanika and Bowen.

- You guys excited?
- Yes, Chef.

Okay, all of you, please
come follow us in the kitchen

so you can get
to pick your dishes.

- Let's go.
- Yes, Chef.

Last challenge, Fred and I
ended up on the bottom,

and I feel like I haven't shown
the judges all I have to offer.

So tonight
I have a lot to prove.

JOE: Mm-hmm.

Now, dishes like the ones
you'll find in these bags

and many more will be
available at MasterChef Table,

a new restaurant
exclusively on GrubHub.

- Oh.
- Oh, wow.

Here's how it's gonna
work tonight.

In a moment, you're all
gonna come up here

and randomly grab a bag,
any one you wish,

and take it back
to your station.

- Got it?
- Yes, Chef.

Good. Right, all of you,
please step up

- and grab a take-out bag.
- Yes, Chef.

I'll just grab this one.

This is gonna be hard
'cause you can't just create

the literal dish
that they present you.

You have to find
a way to elevate it

and use it as inspiration.

There's a lot going on.

His bag is heavy.
Oh, my God.

Right, Big Willie,
tell us what you've got.

I got fried rice
and orange sesame chicken.

- Happy with that?
- Most definitely.

GORDON: Christian,
tell us what you got.

- Ooh, tacos.
- Mmm, that's a good one.

- Amanda, open your bag.
- I have lettuce wraps.

- Derrick?
- Ooh. Empanadas.

- Brandi, let's go.
- Chicken and waffles.

- Emily?
- Let's check it out. Hamburger.

- Dara?
- Ooh, some butter chicken.

- Oh, come on.
- Nice.

- Fred?
- Spaghetti and meatballs.

They got some good stuff.

- And, finally, Michael.
- Ramen.

- Oh.
- GORDON: Nice.

MICHAEL: Whoa. It is
very hard to make ramen.

It takes hours or days
to make the broth.

So trying to figure out
how I'm gonna elevate it

and put my twist on it,
I'm feeling pretty stumped.

JOE: And we are upping
the difficulty tonight.

For the first time
in this competition,

you will have 45 minutes

to cook us an upscale,
gourmet version

of your chosen take-out dish.

FRED: The fact that
we only have 45 minutes,

that automatically
makes me concerned,

because making pasta dough
from scratch in 45 minutes

is gonna be a very,
very tough task.

Now, if you cook
at the top of your game tonight,

you will get that very much
coveted, prized immunity pin.

But if you fall short, sadly,

your take-out
might take you out.

- JOE: Ooh.
- Right, everybody ready?

- Yes, Chef.
- Let's have 45 minutes on the clock.

Your time starts now.
Come on, guys.

- Come on, let's go.
- All right, guys. Willie, speed it up now!

- Right behind! Right behind!
- GORDON: Let's go!

Yeah, open the door.

All right. Heads up, heads up.

Slow and steady wins the race.

- DARA: I need basmati rice.
- Corn, corn, corn.

- DARA: Here we go.
- Lobster tails.

What am I gonna pickle?
What am I gonna pickle?

I'm kinda disappointed
that I got chicken and waffles.

You know, it's a delicious dish,
people probably thought

I was happy about it
'cause I'm from the South.

Garlic and onion.

This is kind of in my wheelhouse,
but I'm a little concerned,

whether this can be elevated
enough to get me into the top 10.

And so I know I've gotta impress
the judges with my flavors.

GORDON: Right, three minutes
gone. 42 minutes remaining.

All right, let's see.

- Bring this here.
- I got a chicken lettuce wrap.

And I'm gonna kinda do the
inverse and do a chicken roulade.

So, like, with the stuffing on
the inside of the chicken

instead of the chicken inside
of the greens.

And I really want it to showcase
a new technique and new skills.

This is the challenge
that can get you to the top 10.

It's one of the milestones that I
hope to reach here at MasterChef.

Yes, yes, yes.

This is a big one tonight,
because they are playing

for a spot in the top 10
along with Shanika and Bowen.

- AARÓN: Yeah.
- I love this challenge

because these are the most
popular dishes on GrubHub.

And our cooks have
to transform them

into elevated or gourmet
kind of experiences.

- Absolutely.
- So we're kind of eating

what America wants to
eat tonight. That's fantastic.

And I love to see all the
diversity that's demonstrated here.

We have food from India, Mexico,
we have stuff from the Mediterranean.

GORDON: I want to see
some real creativity on this,

but respect the base
of that dish

from that to-go item

in a way that you can recognize
an essence of the flavor

and give it a little bit
of that personality.

That's hard to pull off tonight.

45 minutes, come on,
is not long.

- No.
- This is a tall order, this one.

- I got this.
- Dara's working.

I got Indian cuisine,

so I'm making a spiced rice
with butter chicken.

I'll be making
a garlic butter chapati

and a cucumber mint raita.

This is something
that I cook and eat a ton.

It's one of my favorite dishes,

so I'm running with it
in a traditional way.

Indian cuisine
doesn't need reinventing.

It's just about making sure
that all the flavors are there.

And if this is a dish
that gets me in the top three,

I would be really, really happy.

GORDON: Seven minutes gone,
38 minutes remaining. Let's go.

Yes, Chef.

You got this.

Perfect.

I am making a take
on spaghetti and meatballs.

I'm gonna go and try and bring
some Mediterranean flair to it

with a homemade tomato harissa.

And I'm gonna take the spaghetti
and meatball inspiration

and turn it into a potsticker.

It think this is
a make or break dish for me

because I was
in the bottom last week.

I want to go and show the judges

that I can continue to fight
and push,

and I can make
really good savory dishes.

Man, I gotta get this going.

I don't really know how

I'm gonna transform this dish.

I feel like it has to be

a piece of chicken and a waffle,

so I'm gonna have to find
a way to elevate this

and just make the flavors
bigger and better

than they start with.

I'm gonna do a savory waffle

with a Cajun chicken wing.

And then I'm gonna do
a spicy honey sauce,

a Cajun butter, and some
pickled bell pepper and onion.

I think it'll give this dish
the punch that it needs,

but I got a lot of work to do.

45 minutes.

This is the shortest amount
of time we've had.

Come on.
This is taking forever.

I know that I have
to use my time wisely

to even be able
to pull this off.

You know, a lot of times
in this competition,

when someone works within their
wheelhouse, that's where they mess up.

Right there.
Burnt garlic. Man!

I can't let a Southern staple like
chicken and waffles send me home.

I can do this. I can do this.

[GROANS]

[GROANS]

We have 45 minutes. This is the
shortest amount of time we've had.

There's stress.
There's anxiety.

But I want to make the top 10.

I got this, I got this.

I've gotta get out of my head.

I've gotta strategize
really quick

and find a way to elevate this.

[SIGHS]
Everything's okay.

GORDON:
So, 10 minutes gone.

35 minutes remaining.

- You got this.
- Let's go, baby.

So, 45 minutes
for three dishes tonight,

elevated from that to-go order.

JOE: Remember,
this is "Back to Win."

Gotta make it more difficult,

raise the level
of the challenges.

- Mm-hmm.
- I got this.

- Derrick, Derrick, Derrick.
- What did you get?

What's your take-out order?
Let's see.

- I got empanadas.
- Ooh-la-la.

- You're gonna wrap it with what?
- Puff pastry.

I'm doing a cumin spiced
lobster tail en croûte,

and then it's gonna sit on
a sautéed bed of vegetables,

and then aji amarillo
hollandaise sauce.

AARÓN: The word "aji"

is the South American word
for chili.

En croûte is pretty
ambitious in 45 minutes.

- Not a lot of time.
- Yep.

You need to leave yourself
enough time to cook your lobster

- and the pastry all the way through.
- Why don't you wrap that first?

You can always do that
later, Derrick.

You have to prioritize that,
my brother.

Wrap that thing, and then you
can always come back to that.

- Heard.
- That's your star right there, young man.

- Right, right, right.
- Hey, Derrick, last week you were so close to a pin.

Very close.
Emotionally close.

I'm really struggling
with the immunity pin.

Maybe it's just 'cause I
haven't won the damn thing yet,

but I've been consistently
at the top,

and I'm ready to win.

- Well, look, you have a lot to do.
- Yeah.

You're here to impress.
You're here to elevate, right?

That's what I'm trying
to showcase today.

- All right, good luck.
- You keep going at it.

- All day. Thank you, Chefs.
- Got this.

I need my baking powder.

- Emily.
- Chef.

- Tell me about the dish, what did you get?
- I got a burger and fries.

- Okay, what's your dish?
- So, I'm taking all of those components,

but creating something
completely different.

So it's not gonna be a burger.

It's gonna be a steak tartar
with glass potato chips.

A steak tartar, wow. And how are
you gonna elevate that steak tartar?

- The cut is important, right?
- Cut is important.

- I'm using fillet. It's gonna be nice and tender.
- Smart. Good.

It's in the freezer
right now chilling,

so that I get nice cubes on it.

Okay, gotcha.

Top ten just around the corner.
How are you feeling?

My first goal is to make it
to top 10,

and then past top 10.

I was the first one
out of top 10 last time.

- How does that look?
- Not as great as it could look.

- What happened?
- My cake fell over.

GORDON:
The person leaving

the MasterChef kitchen is Emily.

I still play it back in my mind
in terms of that dreadful night.

- So do I.
- Use this to bring it out of you.

You'll surprise yourself, but
it'll give you such a position.

- Heard, Chef. Thank you.
- Good luck.

JOE: All right.
Big Willie, what do you got?

So, my take-out order was
fried rice and orange chicken.

- AARÓN: Ooh.
- JOE: I love that.

So, what I'm gonna do

is I'm gonna make
a chicken and rice meatball

with the flavors
of the orange chicken

with a garden of vegetables,

and I'm making a plum and
apricot sauce instead of orange.

So this is the chicken, the
ground chicken for the meatballs.

You put the rice
in there already?

The rice is coming off now,
and then I'm gonna form 'em,

and then I'm gonna fry them up.

- You're gonna fry them? Deep fry them?
- Yes.

Are you gonna put any
breading on them or no?

Yes, I'ma do a flour
egg breadcrumb.

JOE: I gotta say, Willie, this
is a pretty extreme departure

from the take-out dish.

I hope you've thought this one
all the way through.

You gotta be balanced

and you have to create harmony
in your flavors, right?

Most definitely.
We're gonna make it happen.

It ain't the time to play safe.

All right, Willie.
This better be top.

I got you, I got you.
Trust me, trust me.

- All right.
- Come on, man.

- Dara? Tell me, butter chicken.
- Yes, Chef.

How are you gonna elevate it?
What are you doing?

Well, to me, Chef,
this is such a classic,

and I really don't think
it needs much elevating.

I'm just gonna make sure

I'm focusing
on all of my flavors,

and developing, layering them.

I'm adding some spices
to my rice,

and then I'm also making
a chapati.

Oh, wow, so you're doing a
really nice, beautiful, thin bread.

- Yes.
- Yes? The essence of a butter chicken is in that gravy,

- that beautiful, fragrant tomato gravy.
- Yes, Chef.

So, the bread is important,
but the essence,

I promise you now, of butter
chicken is in that tomato gravy.

- Yes, Chef.
- Don't work upside down.

Get your gas on,
get your pans hot,

and get that gravy on first
and then the garnish, yes?

- Yes, Chef.
- Shift up a gear now, okay?

'Cause we're nearly halfway.
Good luck.

- Perfect.
- Come on, come on, come on.

- Michael. What did you get?
- Hello, hello.

- So I got in my GrubHub ramen.
- Ramen.

I was lucky enough to spend a
little time in Korea after college,

so I'm gonna do
a Korean style ramen

with pork belly and prawn today,

seasoning it with a some
gochugjang, a little kimchi,

like a kimchi-based broth.

I like the idea of prawns
and pork belly.

Michael, how important is for to
you personally to get into the top 10?

- This is everything.
- You went home 15.

Yeah, I didn't get to it the first
time, and it was sort of a goal of mine,

and so I think to be here
and not get to that goal

that I had the first time
is really important.

- Good luck, Michael.
- Thank you so much.

- Emily, you're still on that tartar?
- Yes, ma'am.

- All right, now. Make it good.
- Beautiful fillet.

- Some exciting dishes out there.
- Unbelievable.

Dara, she picked out
that butter chicken.

She's gonna make
a tomato curry sauce,

and on top of that,
she's making a chapati,

- a beautiful bread.
- Wow.

I'm slightly concerned about the
actual gravy not going on early enough.

She started the bread. I said, "Get
the gravy on. Let the gravy cook out."

So she's taking, like,
an Indian take-out dish

and evolved it into a
starred restaurant Indian dish.

- Absolutely.
- Ooh, yeah.

- Emily, she got the hamburger in her to-go bag.
- Those look nice.

She said, "I'm gonna do the most
amazing fillet of beef steak tartar."

- What? That takes a lot of courage.
- Hand cut?

- GORDON: Yeah.
- JOE: Tartar is high stakes

because everyone has their
preference on how you like it,

so it'll be interesting to see

if her taste matches our taste.

- Yeah.
- Derrick got the chicken empanadas

and is transforming that
into lobster tails en croûte.

AARÓN: And he's gonna have these
kind of sautéed vegetables underneath,

all within 45 minutes,
which I think is ambitious.

That's right.
Cooking lobster's hard enough,

but wrapping it
in pastry's even harder.

WILLIE: That's good.

Willie got sweet orange chicken
and fried rice.

AARÓN:
But here's what he's gonna do.

He's gonna use apricot and plum

as the basis for his sauce.

He's gonna make chicken
and rice meatballs.

He's gonna take the premise of
the orange chicken, mix the fried rice,

- and use that inside his mixture.
- Wow.

Halfway, guys.
23 minutes gone.

22 minute remaining.

It's gonna come down
to the wire.

We're halfway through,
and I am not halfway done.

If I don't get the lobster wrapped
in the pastry, egg washed,

and in the oven in enough time
for it to cook,

it's gonna be raw.

SHANIKA:
How's it going, Derrick?

What do I do?
What do I do?

He can't even hear us.
He's in the zone.

- [GROANS]
- I am freaking out.

I have probably 30 seconds

to get this lobster
into the oven

because it takes
20 minutes to cook.

This dish is all-in or bust.

He just has to wrap them things
and get him in there

- so that he has the time.
- Come on, I need you.

If I wrap this lobster
and nail it, that's a big win.

If it's raw,
I'm probably going home.

Uh, uh-oh.

- Come on.
- Damn it.

[GROANS]

Uh, uh-oh.

- Come on.
- Damn it.

[GROANS]

DERRICK:
I have probably 30 seconds

to get this lobster
into the oven,

because it takes
20 minutes to cook

and there's 21 minutes
on the clock.

I can do this. I'm right here.

I have no choice
but to push this

all the way to the last second.

- Damn it.
- He nervous.

I'm taking a big risk,

because I've never gotten
that immunity pin

and I definitely want
to get my hands on it.

Man.

I'm just hoping
that he got enough time.

Okay, now we've caught up.

GORDON:
20 minutes to go.

Three stunning portions
of elevated to-go dishes.

Ooh, I'm shaking.

FRED: Come on!

Has to rest.

- Fred, remind me about the dish.
- Yes?

- What did you get in that bag?
- I got spaghetti and meatballs and...

Spaghetti and meatballs.
Now tell me about the dish.

- What are you doing?
- I'm gonna do potstickers

- with an Italian meatball filling.
- What?

- A potsticker?
- Yeah, an Italian...

How is that related
to a meatball?

I'm gonna do
an Italian meatball stuffing.

- Okay.
- And then I'm gonna fold in

some tomato paste
and some chilies,

and I'm gonna do a charred
vegetable harissa and a parmesan crisp.

- You making your dough?
- Yes. Made dough already.

Gotcha. What's the protein?
You using pork and beef?

Pork, veal, and beef.

Shouldn't you get that on now
in that cast iron pan?

Get that at least nice and hot,

or are you putting that in raw?

Oh, so, I'm putting it in raw.

But I have the timing down,
Chef, so we're good.

Gotcha. I love
the ambitiousness,

but is that a little bit
too difficult?

You gotta roll that dough, let that
dough rest, and then shape them.

Why take on something
so difficult,

especially on a night
like tonight when you know

these challenges are formidable
and nobody's safe?

Well, I came back
to push myself.

I don't want
to take it safe, ever.

Okay, young man, good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

Looks great.

Oh, so beautiful.
So beautiful.

Gotta make this tighter,
gotta make this tighter.

All right, Christian,
what was your take-out order?

- Some type of...
- Ooh, look at that.

- Birria tacos.
- Birria taco.

Birria's a style
that you make these tacos in.

Traditionally,
it's done with goat,

but any sort of
braised cut of steer

or beef could be
utilized for this.

It really is that beautiful
mélange of dry chilies

that make this so special.

What are you doing
with that inspiration?

You know,
I'ma about to change it up.

I'm gonna go with
a little enchiladas,

a little
Creole-Cajun enchiladas.

- Ooh-la-la.
- Same ingredients.

And I'ma top it off with
a charred corn pico de gallo.

- Ooh.
- Nice! There you go.

He is not afraid
to spice things up.

- You let the spices flow, huh?
- Yes, sir.

Keep that fierce
attitude up, Christian.

- Thank you.
- Put that back in there just a second

to heat it up and salt it.

- Right. Young man, how are you feeling?
- Pretty good, Chef.

GORDON: Those vegetables
are still raw, so just be careful there.

- You gotta move.
- Yes, Chef.

- You gotta move, okay?
- Heard.

There we go. Come on, baby.

30 minutes done,
15 minutes remaining.

15 minutes. Oh, God.

So, Fred's got
the spaghetti and meatballs.

He's gonna do a meatball flavor
but inside a potsticker.

- Okay.
- Wow.

And then a beautiful roasted
vegetable harissa sauce with that.

- But, like, Italian flavors or Asian flavors?
- No. Italian flavors.

He's gonna do sort of
a light breadcrumb mix inside.

Like parmigiano
and breadcrumbs and that?

Breadcrumbs. Exactly that.
He's made his own dough.

But I just worry he's venturing a
bit too far from his take-out dish.

It'll either land him
in the top or in the bottom

depending on how all those
flavors come together.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

We're down to the last
10 minutes remaining.

- Come on, guys.
- Ah!

Beautiful. Beautiful.

Is he supposed to be still
kneading that dough like that

when he makes dumplings?

Oh, gosh.

FRED: My dough is
coming out really gummy.

That could be very problematic.

He is so nervous.
His hands are shaking.

Externally, I'm just trying
to keep it together.

I think he knows what he doing.

Internally, I'm freaking out

and I'm screaming
and I want to cry.

I'm definitely gonna be
pushing it on time.

[SIGHS]

Top 10 is around the corner,

and if I have any shot
at getting in there,

I have to save this.

[BLEEP]

Holy...

FRED:
I'm struggling to finish

making Italian meatball
stuffed potstickers.

- [GROANS] - He is so
nervous. His hands are shaking.

- Oh, gosh.
- Top 10 is around the corner,

and if I have any shot
at getting in there,

I have to save this.

Go in.

GORDON:
Five minutes remaining.

Last five.

Brandi, put more garnish.

I'm going to, I'm going to.
That's what I'm working on.

Where's my other butter?
There's my other butter.

Gotta add that butter.

- Right, young man, how are you feeling?
- Oh, a little nervous.

- Nervous about what?
- Just time.

I got my lobster en croûte in.

Good. Cooking lobster
is hard enough,

but to wrap it in pastry
on a night like tonight, why?

Go big or go home. And it's an
empanada. I mean, I gotta do it.

You've also gotta
dodge those bullets.

- Where is that lobster?
- It's right here, Chef.

- You got three tails?
- Yeah.

- Man, how you serving them?
- I'm keeping it whole for you,

with a little bit of hollandaise
and a little caviar.

Caviar, hollandaise, lobster.
We said elevated, yes?

- Yeah, that's what that is.
- Luxuriously elevated.

Right, plates out, get
them laid out, and get going.

- Let's go.
- Thank you, Chef.

Okay.

Let's go, baby.

Big worry right now is Derrick.

- AARÓN: Really?
- The three lobster tails are still in the oven.

- Wow.
- And he's not even gonna slice them.

He's gonna serve them whole.

So it will be impossible to tell

if they're cooked properly
when he plates them.

- Oh, my Lord.
- JOE: Now that's a mistake.

- Come on, I need you.
- Uh-oh.

BOWEN: He doesn't even
use the water to steam that.

You have to use the water,
steam all the way.

- I did.
- But it's not enough.

It will be dry on the edge.

- Okay.
- Cover it.

No, I did.
I literally put water in and...

Okay. Whatever.

I will leave you alone, okay?

Thank you, Bowen.

GORDON: Last minute.
60 seconds to go.

Come on, guys.

Come on, Fred. Focus.

[MUTTERING]

- Almost there.
- I'm shaking.

- AARÓN: Let's go, Willie.
- He is miles behind.

Come on, come on, come on.

GORDON:
30 seconds to go!

- Come on. Let's go.
- AARÓN: Here we go.

- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.

Derrick's lobster's out.
Amazing.

All right,
last few seconds here.

Almost finished.

Perfect.

Oh, gosh.

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one!

- GORDON: And stop!
- AARÓN: That's it. Hands in the air!

- GORDON: Well done.
- Whoo!

[BLEEP], that went fast.

Holy [BLEEP].

- That was insane.
- It was.

Well done. Tonight, you had to
cook us a gourmet version

of some of the most popular
take-out dishes across America.

And dishes like the ones
you've created

are currently available
at MasterChef Table

exclusively on GrubHub.

JOE: Now, we're gonna
take a closer look

at all of your dishes.

Emily, this is a tartar, right?

It is, yes.

So, this makes you
think of that.

- It's a different experience.
- Mm-hmm.

All right, Brandi,
waffles, chicken.

Yes, that's a Cajun
compound butter for the waffles,

- pickled peppers, and onions.
- Thank you.

Okay, Amanda, what's the dish?

So, we have chicken roulade
with bok choy.

- And what's in here?
- Miso, soy, a little bit of butter at the end.

- Mm. Is that on the plate?
- Yes.

- GORDON: Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

Getting past this part
and making it to the top 10

will be a huge milestone
not for just me,

but everybody
in this competition.

- So, you got the butter chicken, correct?
- DARA: I did, Chef.

- Do you think you elevated it?
- Yes, Chef.

Thank you.

This is the point
of the competition

that separates
the boys from the men

and the girls from the women.

Were you able to control
some of the sweetness?

I did. I think I did.

I can't be that one to go home

when I'm this close
to the top 10.

All right, Michael,
this is your soup.

Yeah, I made a broth
with shrimp heads, kimchi,

fermented chili paste.

- A little bit spicy.
- Wow.

Derrick, you selected the
empanadas, but made lobster en croûte?

Mm-hmm. And then I did
the vegetables on the side.

- Wow.
- Interesting.

- AARÓN: Yeah.
- GORDON: Thank you.

- Thank you.
- FRED: Week after week,

some of the best cooks in MasterChef
history have been getting sent home,

so the competition's only
getting tougher from here on out,

and smaller mistakes
will send people home.

So, from spaghetti and
meatballs to this. It's a long trip.

Yeah, I mean, it went through
Asia and the Mediterranean.

Hmm.

Thank you.

This 'bout to get real serious.

- Some really good dishes.
- Yeah.

The intriguing one is Derrick

because we don't know
whether that lobster's cooked.

I think we have to take
a closer look at that.

- For the first time.
- Yeah.

We can decide where he stands
once we cut it open.

He'll either rise to the top
or sink to the bottom.

Okay, we have a few dishes
that we are dying to dive into.

The first top dish
featured bolder flavors

that took it to that next level.

Please come forward, Michael.

[SIGHS]

Being in the top
feels really good,

and I've worked so hard
for this spot.

My only concern right now
is if my broth is too spicy,

it may put me in jeopardy
with the judges

and hurt my chance
of getting that immunity pin

for the second time.

Michael, tell us what
you got in that to-go bag

and describe your dish please.

I got a classic
Japanese-style ramen.

So I did a Korean-style ramyun

with grilled Korean
barbecue shrimp.

Everything looks super elevated.

- Mm.
- The presentation is clever.

You're using the crispy little rice
noodles as a textural component.

Looking forward to trying it.

Of course,
I like my ramen spicy.

- [COUGHS]
- [LAUGHS]

Michael, the dish is delicious.

Love the take on that Korean
influence, especially with the heat.

That broth
is award-winning stuff.

Wow. Thank you, Chef.

Yeah, I like
the intensity of it.

I don't know if you could eat
a whole bowl of it,

but all the components
in the dish make sense.

- It's very strong.
- It's hard to believe

you got that flavor
extracted within 45 minutes.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

The next dish in
the winner's circle tonight

featured a bold usage of spice.

Hmm.

Please come forward...

- Dara.
- [MURMURING]

Good job, Dara.

DARA: Last challenge,
I was in the bottom,

so it's a huge deal for me,

and hopefully I elevated
this dish enough.

Okay, Dara, what did you get
in your take-out bag?

So, I had butter chicken,

and I made Indian butter chicken

with spiced Basmati rice,
garlic butter chapati,

and cucumber mint raita.

So you basically took almost the
same exact dish and just upped the level.

I did. I wanted to honor
the tradition of this dish.

I wanted to elevate some
of the flavors,

- but keep it in its traditional form.
- The dish looks inviting.

Butter chicken, it's that beautiful
tomato gravy that's the hero.

I just hope it delivers
in that flavor that you expect.

Young lady,
it's absolutely delicious.

There's something quite magical
about that sauce.

But what I do love more than anything
is the spicy rice, which is lovely.

So that lifts
the heat even more.

I'm not used
to those small bits.

You lose the texture
of that beautiful brown meat

when you cut them up so small,
but it's delicious.

Thank you, Chef.

The boldness in your approach,
I just love that.

The spices in the rice
echo the spices

inside the actual gravy.
I appreciate that.

I go to Indian food once a week
and this could be served

at any one of my favorite
Indian restaurants.

Well done.

- AARÓN: Thank you.
- Thank you, Joe.

We keep being up here together.

You're such a rock star.

The next dish
that we're dying to taste,

we considered it to be
the biggest risk of the night.

But because of the way
it was prepared,

we need to take
a much closer look

to decide whether it's
actually in the top or the bottom.

Because if it's
cooked perfectly,

then it will definitely be
in the top dishes of the night.

But if it's undercooked,
it will be at the bottom.

- [BLEEP]
- Ooh.

Please step forward...

- Derrick.
- No pressure.

He better hope
that damn lobster cooked.

DERRICK: I took a
huge risk with this dish.

Now we're gonna find out
if this risk paid off

or if I'm just gonna
embarrass myself.

It's a really scary place
to be right now.

Describe your dish, please.

I got chicken tinga empanadas.

I took those flavors
and made a lobster en croûte

with a aji amarillo
hollandaise sauce.

GORDON: I'm gonna be honest
with you, young man.

I've always loved
your determination,

but only the most skilled chefs
in the world

would attempt a lobster
en croûte in 45 minutes.

If this is overcooked
or undercooked,

you're going directly
into the bottom.

The suspense.

Derrick, if this is
overcooked or undercooked,

you're going directly
into the bottom.

It'd better be cooked right.

It's gonna be cooked right?

GORDON:
Oh, my goodness me.

The lobster is cooked
beautifully.

Bowen, Shanika,
can you see that from up there?

- Yes.
- Yes, Chef. It's glistening.

- GORDON: Glistening? Wow.
- Mm-hmm.

Young man, it's definitely
in the top three,

let's get that absolutely clear.

[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Take a deep breath.

GORDON: The hollandaise is
impeccable. It's a really good dish.

I think what I'm surprised at
more than anything

is what you've got done
in 45 minutes.

- That's the exciting bit for me tonight.
- Thank you.

All I gotta say
is aji amarillo hollandaise.

That's so clever and smart.
I might even take that from you.

It's a dish that swings
for the fences.

When you make a dish like this,

you're really putting it out
there what your ambition is,

which is to win.

What is it with you
that every time you cook

you cook like
you're in the finale?

You're just so hungry to win.

That's just
the competitive nature.

I want to be in
the finale every time.

I don't know any other way.

- I admire that.
- Thank you, Chef.

[SIGHS]

- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Let's go, dude.

Michael, Dara, Derrick,

right now we need
a moment, please.

- So, uh, Michael's broth, exceptional, yeah?
- Yep.

Dara's is not quite as flashy
as Michael's, but very good.

Like, I felt I was eating in
an authentic Indian restaurant.

And then Derrick's
lobster en croûte?

- Yeah. Very good.
- Good luck, guys.

So, the good news is that all three
of you are safe from elimination.

But as far as the best dish
of the night,

it gives us great pleasure
to hand this to...

Derrick.

Exceptional.

DERRICK:
This is the first time

I've gotten the immunity pin

- this whole season.
- Well done.

- Thank you.
- JOE: Good job.

Now is the time to really show

what you can do,
what you're capable of.

Please make your way
up to the balcony.

I've got a fire lit right now,

and putting it all on the line

- and winning immunity with it...
- Well, well deserved.

...that shows everyone
I'm back to win.

Right, now for
the not so good news.

Someone is going home tonight,

and since Derrick
ended up in the top three,

we're only going to look at the
bottom two dishes of the evening.

- Wow.
- So, the first dish

we want to take
a much deeper look at

just did not make sense.

Please step forward...

Fred.

[FRED GROANS]

Being in the bottom
two weeks in a row,

it's frustrating.

The more I look at my dish,

the more I'm realizing
that stuffing meatballs

into dumpling wrappers might
not have been a good idea,

but I'm hoping that me making the
wrappers from scratch is enough to save me.

So, young man, describe
what you got in your to-go bag

and what is your dish?

I got the spaghetti
and meatballs,

so I did an Italian
meatball potsticker

with a charred tomato relish
and parmesan crisp on top.

What are you calling this sauce?

FRED: It was intended
to be a harissa,

but it came out
more like a relish.

JOE: Well, obviously
it broke on the plate.

I'm just having
a hard time understanding

what I'm gonna taste here.

I mean, spaghetti
and meatballs to here

is a long way to travel.

Fred, could you just
step forward a little bit.

It looks dry, young man,
and that's before I eat it.

You took what could be good
spaghetti and meatballs take-out

and made some sort of version
of bad Chinese food.

This is wrong on so many levels,

I'm having a hard time
processing it.

You were going down a
great direction with the harissa,

and it's actually well-seasoned.

But that filling,
there's, like, zero seasoning.

Almost like we took the salt
away from you.

That's bad.

I don't see this as an elevated
spaghetti and meatball.

It just doesn't make sense.
It doesn't taste good.

- Thank you, Fred.
- Thank you.

So the final dish
that we must taste tonight

was certainly a creative
interpretation

of a take-out dish,

but it lacked
the proper substance

that we were
desperately looking for.

Please come forward...

So, the final dish
that we must taste tonight,

please come forward...

- Willie.
- Mm.

- What?
- No.

Wow.

I'm shocked
that I am in the bottom two.

It's like a 50-50 chance that
I'm gonna be the one going home.

I just hope that
something is in my dish

that's gonna keep me around.

Willie, can you please
describe your dish?

So, I got orange chicken
and the fried rice.

And so I did a chicken
and rice meatball

with an apricot and plum sauce

with charred vegetables.

I'm completely perplexed
by this dish.

I hope that those meatballs
have flavor

and I hope that they're not dry.

All right, Willie, I'm gonna
give it to you straight.

You know what this tastes like?

You know when you have
leftover Chinese food,

two or three days passes,
and you take it out

and it's all dry and oxidized?

It's like you took that,
you put it in a blender,

bound it with egg, and fried it.

And then you took a jar
of marmalade

and put a spoon underneath it.

Instead of elevating it,
you sunk it.

AARÓN: The one thing
that is saving you here

is that the meatballs
are well-seasoned.

Seasoning is on point.
It does taste savory.

But I'm trying to identify where
we sit with this elevated idea.

What's the benchmark?
Yeah, it's... it's bizarre.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Willie.

Both of you, please give
us a moment, thank you.

Uh, Fred's first. What
was that dish, by the way?

- I...
- A meatball potsticker? It just doesn't work.

- Going in the opposite direction than what we asked.
- Yeah.

Willie's dish tasted like
Chinese leftover food to me.

- Yeah.
- Hey.

- Yeah.
- I think we're in agreeance on that one.

- Yep.
- Absolutely.

- Let's do it.
- Yeah?

Fred and Willie,

the individual that's cooked
for the very last time

In the "MasterChef: Back to Win"
kitchen is...

Fred.

Love you, Willie.

Willie, say good-bye to Fred,

head back to your station,
please.

Fred, we've absolutely loved

your baking in this competition.

Tonight, the savory edge
just got the better of you.

Throughout this competition,

you showed grace, you showed
a lot of sportsmanship.

I have an enormous amount
of respect for you.

The evolution you've had in your
style of cooking is really unique,

and it's a special gift
you have,

and go out to the world
and give it to other people.

- They deserve to see it.
- Thank you, Joe.

Come and say good-bye,
young man, please.

Well done.

Thank you again for just
taking a chance on me.

[MUTED CHATTER]

FRED:
You know, it sucks

to not make top 10,

but I'm proud
of everything I've done.

Fred, please place your apron

on your bench and say good-bye.

Despite getting sent home,

I feel happy
to have just even done this.

- Oh, my...
- [LAUGHING]

I love you, Fred.

Being invited back
from season 10,

it warms my heart and it makes
me feel loved and accepted.

- Love you, Willie.
- Love you, too.

While I'm sad that I didn't do
as well as I did last time,

I had a winning dessert,

I was able to stay true
to myself,

and the fact that the judges
acknowledged that,

it means the world.

Congratulations, top 10!

- GORDON: Next time...
- Welcome to the top 10.

...the "Back to Win" cooks
are making a pit stop.

You have to elevate
gas station snacks

- into gourmet dishes.
- Whoa.

That's the secret of any
great chef... elevation, right?

- It's about to go down.
- Get it!

I melted gummy bears down.
I poured the beer in there.

- What?
- That sounds disgusting.

I want that immunity pin back.

It's the biggest risk taken
so far in this competition.

And while some create
snack magic...

It's [BLEEP] delicious.
I couldn't be happier.

An absolute showstopper.

- ...others will be left behin.
- [BLEEP]

It tastes like chocolate
scrambled eggs.

- It's gross.
- You took a big risk today and you failed.