Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 15 - Winners Mystery Box - Gerron Hurt - full transcript

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

Welcome to the top ten.

You have to elevate
gas station snacks

- into gourmet dishes.
- Wow.

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

- It's about to go down.
- Let's get it!

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

- What?
- That sounds disgusting.

I want that immunity pin back.

And while some created
snack magic...

It's [BLEEP] delicious.
It's one of the best dishes that you've cooked.



Immunity goes to Christian
and Shanika.

- ...one cook was left behind.
- [BLEEP]

- It's difficult to eat.
- The fondant is gross.

Unfortunately it does not
taste good, young lady.

Say good-bye.

- Tonight...
- Top nine.

...another winner's mystery box
reveals a familiar face.

- Gerron!
- And he's spicing things up.

Oh, my God.

- Emily, your favorite.
- This is my worst nightmare.

But if they can't stand
the heat...

- When we have too much spice, we don't want that.
- Yeah.

I'm not gonna make that mistake.

Bowen, don't use
that [BLEEP] caviar.



[BLEEP], where did
the last minute go?

...they'll have to say good-bye

to the MasterChef kitchen.

[BLEEP]

It's a little bit bizarre.

It's hard like a hockey puck.

GORDON:
You've missed the mark.

You're a much better cook
than that dish was.

I hate this part.

- All right.
- Top nine.

- It's a big one.
- Yup.

But an even bigger surprise
inside that box.

Hello? Things are gonna
get hot tonight.

Things are gonna get very hot.

- Whoo!
- Welcome back, guys.

- Mystery box.
- Oh, that's a big mystery box.

- Oh.
- This mystery box is so huge.

I'm pretty sure
there's a person inside.

- Oh, here it is.
- Here we go again.

Who's under the mystery box
this time?

- Yeah, it's a big box again.
- I know, right?

We are on top nine right now.

I've been on
the top three three times,

and I am just so close to
holding that trophy, I can even taste it.

Right, welcome back
to the top nine.

Whoo!

Shanika and Christian,

enjoy that immunity
whilst it lasts

because that last challenge
was the final time

we're giving out
the immunity pin this season.

MICHAEL: Come on!

- I knew it. I knew it had to end.
- Come on.

- You're lucky.
- Yeah!

I'm the only one
out of the top nine

who has not gotten
the immunity pin.

But, hey, I'm not here
to win that immunity pin.

- I'm back to win.
- So after tonight,

all of you must cook
in every single challenge.

Wow.

But whoever cooks
the best dish tonight

does still get a huge advantage
in the next challenge.

Ooh!

And trust me, you want that one.

But, of course,

if you're the worst cook
of the night,

you will be eliminated.

Now we've got another
exciting winner's mystery box

for all of you tonight.

Are you ready
to see who's under here

and what they've brought
for you?

ALL: Yes, Chef.

You're gonna love this one.

Let's see who's inside.

- Uh...
- Oh.

- Wait, wait.
- Ooh, there's smoke.

[GASPING]

- Oh, my God.
- Who is it?

Wow.

Who is that?

- What?
- [CHEERING]

Oh! Gerron!

Hey there!

Good to see you, man.
Welcome back.

- Hey, Chef.
- What an entrance. Man!

- That was epic.
- Good to see you, buddy.

- GERRON: Hi, Joe.
- SHANIKA: Oh, my God.

It's Gerron.

Gerron is the winner
of my season, season nine.

Gerron!

Congratulations, Gerron!

He's known for big,
bold flavors.

Big plates,
you know what I mean?

And heavy on the spice.

- Gerron, welcome back, young man.
- Thank you.

What an absolute pleasure.

And one of our
most recent winners.

How much has your life
changed since then?

Oh, my gosh, Gordon,
it's changed tremendously.

I'm working on
a family-inspired cookbook,

traveling the world
doing cooking classes.

I've opened up a restaurant.

And I'm working on my own brand
of Nashville hot sauce.

I mean, life-changing, completely.

Amazing.

How does it feel to see
some of the competitors

- you recognize?
- Oh, it feels amazing.

I mean, Bowen, Emily, Shanika.

I mean, strong, strong cooks
in the kitchen.

I'm excited to see, you know,
how they've developed

as chefs
over this period of time.

Bowen, would you like Gerron
to come and work

with Shanika in your restaurant?

Of course.

But I cannot pay you a lot.

Right, everyone,
please head to your stations

so we can see what's under your
Gerron-inspired mystery boxes.

Right, on the count of three,
lift those boxes.

- One, two, three.
- Lift.

Whoa!

- Wow.
- Oh, my gosh.

- Oh, what the hell?
- Oh!

There's all this weight
of just chilies

from all around the world.

Jalapenos, serranos, poblanos,
Thai chili peppers.

I mean, the list goes on.
I love spicy food.

I'm always cooking with chilies
and peppers, so I'm excited.

- Let's go.
- Whoo!

- Emily, your favorite.
- Yeah, my favorite.

I hate spicy food,

so this is
my nightmare challenge.

This is not even, like,
"not my favorite."

Like, "Oh, you know, I don't
love it, but I'll do it."

No. I cannot with spicy food.

I put every kind of pepper
under the sun

inside those mystery boxes.

So don't be afraid to get nice
with that spice.

Tonight you'll have to prove
that you can keep up

with his spicy palate
and cook dishes with heat.

You will have only 45 minutes
to cook a hot and spicy dish

using the peppers
under Gerron's mystery box.

- Right, you guys ready?
- ALL: Yes, Chef.

Your time starts...

- Now.
- Let's go.

- Oh, boy.
- Come on, Willie. Come on, Willie.

Wow, Willie,
you're Usain Bolt there.

Roasted red peppers.

Lemon.

Where's the plantain?

We have Japanese eggplant.

Being Lebanese,
I'm no stranger to spices

and flavor and peppers.

So I wanna take those flavors
that I learned

from my childhood,
from my grandparents,

and really bring it
to my plate today.

Oh, it's super important for me
to impress Gerron.

I watched his season and I loved
how he stayed true to his roots,

and that's what I'm gonna do.

AARÓN: There you go, Amanda.
Good job, young lady.

- Thank you.
- Need my peas.

Come on, baby.

Willie, you getting set up
for success tonight.

- Get it done.
- Heard.

Okay. Perfect.

So I'm gonna be doing
an Indian samosa today

using a ton of fresh chilies,

and I'm gonna be making
two different chutneys as well.

I absolutely love
Indian cuisine,

and my father was a huge fan
of everything spicy.

This dish is inspired
by my childhood

and my dad's love for spice.

You know,
he passed away from cancer

when I was six years old,

so this is a dish that
I'm cooking with my heart today.

Everybody's off
to a strong start.

I'm a sweet and spicy boy,

so I want to be able to be
putting myself on the plate.

I'm making a seafood
stuffed pepper,

and it's served
with spicy chili sweet sauce

and also fried plantain cake.

In China,
we always eat spicy food.

I like burning my mouth.

That's the spice level
I really like.

So the peppers for me are not
an unfamiliar ingredient.

Where's my cayenne pepper?

Okay, breadcrumbs.

Oh, so he's using those peppers.
Got it.

You know, I like spicy food,
but everyone's going savory.

Let's stand out.
Let's go sweet.

Doing dessert in 45 minutes,
there is no room for error.

But the last time I took a risk,

I won the immunity pin.

So today I'm elevating a churro

and gonna make it nice and spicy

with a spicy chocolate
dipping sauce.

Everyone can throw a chili
into something, make it hot,

but it's about that balance.

And I think that's what's really
gonna shine in my chocolate sauce

is the balance of heat,
the fat, the sweet.

It's all gonna come together.

You didn't wanna go savory
tonight, Derrick?

Christian's been slicking by
with that immunity,

but he don't got
that crutch anymore.

Ha!

'Cause there's no more immunity
to win tonight.

How many immunity wins
you got, Derrick?

I got three
'cause I got your two,

'cause I'm living in your head rent free.
Good-bye.

- Mm, he told your ass.
- Ah!

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

So, a heat-inspired
challenge tonight.

Top nine, someone is gonna win
a game-changing advantage.

Sadly, somebody
will be going home.

Gerron, so good to have you back
here, but what would you make tonight?

What would you do in 45 minutes?

Maybe a jambalaya, you know?

I would go on those traditional
New Orleans flavors.

I would do maybe
some bone marrow

and maybe create
a hot sauce on the side

to kind of cut the richness
of that bone marrow

within my jambalaya.

And that's important
to remember.

We want them to bring the heat,

but not obliterate our palates.

So that balance
is going to be key.

When we have too much spice,
the actual flavor of the food

can be drowned out by that
spice, and we don't want that.

GERRON: So I would do
some sort of cooling element,

like a yogurt sauce that will
downplay that heat a bit.

Exactly.
When you start the fire, you gotta have the water hose.

- Absolutely, absolutely.
- Absolutely.

If you can't stand the heat,
get out the kitchen.

Oh, my God.

Well, you know,
she don't like spice.

Like, she hates spice.

So, I'm a super taster,

and basically it means
you just have more taste buds.

When I eat something spicy,
it overpowers everything else.

So I'm not able to actually
taste the food that I'm eating

if there's really almost
any amount of spice to it.

So this is definitely stretching me
in terms of conceptualizing a dish

and then being able
to put that together.

So I'm basing my dish

on something
very familiar to me.

There's nothing
I like about this challenge.

I have to use chilies.

I have to make a dish
in 45 minutes.

[SIGHS]

You gotta be [BLEEP] kidding me.

This is about to be serious.

Someone's going home.

Ten minutes gone,
35 minutes remaining

in this heat-inspired
challenge tonight.

Man, that clock moves fast
in 45 minutes.

- It sure does.
- Oh, sugar.

- I don't miss that clock.
- I bet you don't.

DARA: Come on.

WILLIE:
Come on, come on, come on.

Yeah.

- Right, Emily.
- Chef.

Tell us the dish.
What are you doing?

We're making
a shrimp fra diavolo.

- So it's gonna be a nice spicy tomato sauce.
- Wow.

You're gonna have chili-dusted
fried shrimp over the top.

- What chilies are you using?
- Fresh Fresno chili.

I'm charring that right now.

We're using
some Espelette pepper.

We're using red pepper flakes.

We're gonna be using
a little bit

of Calabrian chili oil as well,

so keeping it in that
kind of European fashion.

Okay, one thing that I see
that you're doing really well

- is you're charring that chili over the heat...
- Mm-hmm.

...and I think that starts
to activate multiple levels of flavor.

- Exactly.
- So I love to see that.

You're not a big fan
of the heat, are you?

I don't love spicy food.
We're opposites.

- You're a spicy person.
- Right.

When you put down plates,
you put the M at the top,

and you plate every plate
the exact same,

because these all look
out of order now.

Tonight's about spice.

- You don't want to make
your dish overly hot, right? - Right.

You wanna find ways
to play into the flavors

of the pepper or of the heat.

- That's the goal.
- Smart move with the shrimp.

It's sweet, so that will help
cut through that spice.

- But, you know, get that balance right.
- Balance, exactly.

Remember, somebody's going home.

I'm hoping
it's not me tonight, Chef.

There is 30 minutes to go.
Good luck.

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

Thanks, Gerron. Thank you.

[COUGHS]

- How your cornbread looking, man?
- Good.

So hot.

Willie, so what are you making?

So today,
I'm gonna be making something

that you should be familiar
with, Chef,

crawfish and shrimp étouffée.

- Ooh-whee!
- Etouffée.

- What exactly is an étouffée?
- It starts with a roux.

- He's gonna get the roux nice and dark.
- JOE: It's beautiful.

AARÓN: And then cook it down
with our trinity,

which is bell peppers,
celery, and onions.

He has his roux rocking
and rolling,

and what about this basket spoke
to you and said étouffée right away?

The spice.
In New Orleans, they use spice,

and they use it really nicely.

Think about infusing those
chilies at different stages,

I used this one here for my stock.
I don't know what that's called.

- Yeah, this is called the chili manzano.
- Okay.

Which is a great chili
from Mexico,

which is mild and doesn't have
a lot of flavor, but it has...

JOE:
This is a jalapeno, right?

- AARÓN: No, that's a shishito.
- Shishito.

- This is a jalapeno.
- No, that's a chili serrano.

- Well, where's a jalapeno?
- No, here it is.

- That's a jalapeno.
- That's a jalapeno.

- Yes.
- Sí.

- It looks exactly the same as this one.
- No, they're... no.

How am I supposed to tell
the difference? They look exactly the same.

No, chili serrano is thinner
and it's actually spicier.

- Love that.
- [SIGHS]

All right, let that cook down.

MICHAEL: When I think of
spicy food, I think of Texas.

I grow peppers at home
every summer.

It's something
I truly love to do,

so this is definitely something
I'm familiar with today.

I am making a spice crusted
hanger steak

with a homemade
habanero harissa.

I have a lot of chili going on,

so I'm using a charred eggplant
and feta whip

to help balance out
all those spicy notes.

Last week,
I was almost sent home

for taking a huge risk
making dessert

when it wasn't
a dessert challenge.

This time I'm not gonna
make that mistake.

What happened last week
is not gonna faze me.

I'm coming back stronger
than ever today.

Looking good.
Look at that.

- Whew, okay.
- Hi, Bowen.

How excited were you when you
saw Gerron under that box?

Exciting, and then
to see Gerron's success,

I'm really happy because I'm trying
to see my success in that.

Seeing Gerron
to be from same season,

has his restaurant,
has his own cookbook,

I want to prove to the judges,

and especially Gerron,

I have that skill.

So I will bring all the spicy,
all the smoke

into my dish tonight.

What are we making?

I'm making a seafood stuffed
pepper mofongo.

Okay, what peppers are you using
from the mystery box?

Poblano pepper
and the Thai chili,

some cayennes,
and also the green chilies.

So how do you plan to keep
that heat at a great level

- to where it's not overly spicy?
- I have my sauce, too.

And my sauce is sweet
and will make it balance out.

- What's in the seafood here?
- Okay, it's lump crab meat,

crawfish tail, and pork,
and then some caviar.

- Did you say caviar as well?
- Yes, black caviar.

Black caviar?
And you plan to cook the caviar?

Yes.

GORDON: Really?
Is that a dish?

- Yes.
- Right.

Bowen, you got 23 minutes to go.

Okay.

Get these guys ready for frying.

DARA: Perfect.

WILLIE: We gonna try
a little hot pepper!

- Make sure you wash your hands, my G.
- Mm-hmm.

- AARÓN: Derrick. How you doing,
buddy? - What's up, Chef?

- Uh-oh. I see dessert.
- I'm doing well.

I'm making a Sichuan
peppercorn-dusted churro

with a spicy Thai chili
chocolate sauce.

- Do you feel like going the route of the churro...
- Yep.

...that you're gonna separate
yourself from the pack.

'Cause it seems that no one else
is going dessert, right, Joe?

- Right.
- No one. You're the only one.

I'm trying to show that you can
also put spicy in a dessert.

The chocolate sauce isn't outside the
box, but I'm gonna really make sure

that that heat
balances correctly.

But then I'm gonna take the churro
and I'm gonna dust it in Sichuan peppercorn,

- get a little tingle in the mouth feel.
- Excellent.

Churro is something
you have as street food,

so you gotta figure out how
to make this elevated.

- Yeah.
- So you're using the Thai chilis, right?

- Yeah.
- Cacao and chilies

is something
that's very Mesoamerican,

- very traditional.
- Okay.

So what I would do if I were you
is make your chocolate base,

- play with a couple of different flavors.
- Sure.

And you can always
put another one in there

if you feel that the chili
is not there, okay?

- You got a lot of risk involved, young man.
- Yeah.

- Good luck.
- Good luck, Derrick.

DERRICK: Thank you, Chef.

Looking good.

GORDON:
Guys, 25 minutes gone.

20 minutes remaining.

All right, let's get
these bad boys going.

Right, Emily, so you know
the heat is that Achilles' heel

and she don't wanna go
anywhere near there.

Tonight,
she's forced to go there.

- The dish sounds good.
- GERRON: Yeah, it does.

GORDON:
It's a beautiful shrimp dish

with a sort of tomato spiced
infused sauce.

I'm just excited to see how her
dish is gonna play out in the end.

Ooh, yeah. Baby!

Big Willie's going down
to my neck of the woods

with a crawfish
and shrimp étouffée.

Wow, in 45 minutes?
An étouffée?

Yeah, it's an étouffée.
Look, the key to it

is making sure that
that roux is cooked out

and really extracting the most
amount of flavor that you can.

I'm on a hot tamale train!

Derrick is gonna give us
our only dessert tonight.

- He's making churros with a spicy chocolate sauce.
- GORDON: Wow.

Whoo! It's there.

That's a spicy chocolate.

It's very street food.
It's very simple and sort of...

- How did you elevate it?
- Yeah, how do you elevate?

So we're kind of a little bit
puzzled by that.

GERRON: Derrick is piping
the churros very, very thin.

If I was him, I would for sure
go back and get a large piping tip,

make sure that those churros
were nicely sized.

JOE: Because they have to be
doughy inside, too.

- They can't be like cookies.
- And Bowen?

GERRON: I'm worried about how
great his dish will turn out.

- GORDON: Yeah.
- He's using multiple chili peppers.

He's also using that poblano.
Then with the seafood...

I just hope it's not overdone
on that spice.

- He also said he's got caviar in that mixture.
- GERRON: Yeah.

- Bowen?
- GORDON: Yeah.

Bowen, don't use
that [BLEEP] caviar.

SHANIKA: Bowen is trying
to add caviar in his dish,

and I don't think that
is a good idea

because caviar is like
a topping,

something to enhance
the flavors.

So I'm a little bit nervous
for him.

BOWEN: I'm going to show
some spiciness today.

I'm using the caviar
in the mixture,

because I just want to
bring the flavors

and give you the crunchiness
when you're tasting the food.

As long as you know
what you're doing.

You know me, Shanika.

[BLEEP]

I want to show the judges
something creative on a plate,

something you've never
tried before.

So I don't feel nervous
because I want to take a chance.

I have to show Gerron
what I got.

SHANIKA:
Let's hope it works out.

Bowen, don't use
that [BLEEP] caviar.

You know me, Shanika.

As long as you know
what you're doing.

I have to show Gerron
what I got.

SHANIKA:
But I got faith in him.

He gonna pull through.

He always does.

You got this, B.
You got it.

Half an hour gone.
15 minutes remaining.

[BLEEP]

Hi, Dara, how are you?
What are we cooking up tonight?

So today I'm going Indian,
and I'm making samosas

- with a tomato chili chutney.
- Oh, man.

Oh, man, I love a good samosa.

Listen, you are spicy right now.

I mean, you have on
these pepper earrings.

It's the only way I know.

- So you're making the dough for the samosas.
- DARA: I am, yep.

What's the chili
you're putting in the samosa?

So there's Fresno
as well as serrano

and Kashmiri chili pepper
in the filling.

I'm also using Fresno
and serrano in the chutney.

How do you plan to balance
the spiciness in the dish?

Well, this chutney
is made with brown sugar,

so I hope it will
balance out the spice.

The potato and the pea kind
of helps balance that spice as well.

The secret of samosas is
making sure we pack the filling.

- Yes, Chef.
- And so it's sort of one-third dough,

two-thirds filling. Make sure
there's no air in there...

- Yes, Chef.
- And give us that beautiful flavor.

That's my biggest goal today.

Right, young lady,
they sound amazing. Good luck.

- Thank you so much, Chef.
- Yeah, thank you.

Ooh, [BLEEP], that's good.

Oh! That's not what we want.

Amanda, you're the calmest
cook out here tonight, girl.

Hey, Amanda, what we cooking up?

So today I'm making
lamb stuffed eggplant,

and I'm making shatta sauce
with chilies and vinegar.

It's a traditional condiment
in Lebanese cuisine.

And to balance out,
I have some cooling yogurt sauce

just in case it is
a little bit too spicy.

One thing I like is that
you have a cooling agent

to counteract the spiciness of the
hot sauce if it gets too hot.

Sounds delicious.
You got used to eating,

you know, hot food
at a young age, right?

Since I was a kid, it was,
like, spicy food is a thing.

And now even my
daughter Hannah loves spicy foods.

Yeah, chilies,
which ones are you using?

So I'm using the Hungarian,
the serrano,

the jalapenos.
I'm using a variety.

- Sounds good. Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you so much.
- GERRON: Thank you.

Whoo! It's spicy, guys.

Get these in the fryers.
Get these in the fryers.

Flip over. [BLEEP]

Things are gonna be heating up
with all these damn chili peppers.

- Shanika?
- Yes, Chef.

Man, the heat is on
in this kitchen tonight.

- It is. It is.
- Extraordinary dishes.

From up there, who's
looking good? Who's looking competent?

I mean, right now,
I'm not gonna lie,

Emily looks like she's confident
in what she's doing.

I just hope
her spices are there.

- GORDON: Yeah.
- And Amanda, I'm just shocked

at how calm she is
when she cooks.

- GORDON: As you know, it's in her wheelhouse.
- Right.

So this should be
a home run for her, right?

- Right.
- Christian?

- Yes, Chef.
- Who's looking vulnerable?

I was looking
at Derrick's churros.

His churros look kind of dark.

So, we'll just see how
everything works out for him.

Interesting, indeed.

Aw, no. Is that burnt?

There's five minutes left
on the clock,

and my churros are overcooked.

I'm realizing that
I've used the wrong star tip,

so they're not puffy enough.

That's too small.

45 minutes is, like,
the bane of my existence.

I mean, at least 60 minutes
gives you wiggle room.

If you make a little error,
you can fix it.

But 45 minutes, it's, like,
you make an error

and you're kinda stuck with it.

Damn it.

Your churros are kinda dark, Derrick.

DERRICK: What do I do?
What do I do?

So there's
not enough time for me

to cook enough of them
and plate them.

I'm just left with
really crunchy churros.

I don't have time for that.

GORDON:
40 minutes gone.

We're down to the last
three and a half minutes remaining.

- Let's go.
- Let's go. Come on, Emily.

Oh, [BLEEP].

Shanika, do you know
how good is this sauce?

It looks good.

BOWEN:
It's spicy as hell.

- Let's go.
- 90 seconds to go.

- You've gotta be kidding me.
- [BLEEP], where did the last minute go?

Where that cornbread going,
Willie?

It's gonna go right on top.

Emily's just started plating.
She's gotta go.

Oh, [BLEEP],
she working like me.

She working to the last minute.

[BLEEP]

Quick, Emily.
20 seconds to go.

AARÓN: Less is more.
Let's go.

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

AARÓN: That's it.
Hands in the air.

Ooh, [BLEEP].
I feel amazing.

Uh, everything I wanted
to come out, came out.

I could honestly cry right now,

because the flavors that
I wanted, everything is there.

You know, being in the bottom
two weeks in a row,

it lit something up under me,
because I know...

I know that I'm better
than that.

DERRICK:
I took a big risk tonight,

but I'm worried because my
churros are not puffy enough.

This risk might not have been
the one to take today.

Tonight's challenge, you had to
use some of those chili peppers

inspired by our season nine
MasterChef Gerron.

Thank you so much
for putting these cooks' feet

into the fire
with that mystery box tonight.

Now because you've got a couple
of season nine friends down here,

it's only fair we have you
watch from the comfort of the balcony.

- Good job, bud.
- Whoo!

- We'll see you shortly. Thank you.
- Yes, sir.

- Excellent.
- Gerron!

It feels good to be up here
on the balcony.

- Hmm.
- Now as you know,

there's only seven of you
cooking this evening,

so we're gonna be tasting
all seven dishes

to identify who's top
and who is not,

because one of you
will be going home tonight.

Remember, guys,
there is no immunity,

but the winner will get
a huge advantage

in the next challenge.

First up, we'd like to taste Amanda's dish.
Come on down.

Yay.

This dish pays homage
to my Lebanese roots,

and I hope the judges
really get that heat,

and I hope my eggplants
are cooked perfectly.

JOE: Okay, Amanda,
tell us what dish you made

and which of the chilies
you integrated into your recipe.

I made batinjan harra.

It's a grilled eggplant dish

that's filled with lamb,

and it's spiced with Hungarian

and habanero peppers.

And I have some fresh pomegranate

and some crispy fried shallots
for textural crunch.

- It just looks beautiful.
- AMANDA: Yay.

- I'm excited.
- Thank you.

It looks amazing.

You know,
the dish is really good,

and what I really like about it

is the eggplant is so light,

but it has this braised meat
on it.

And it's kind of flavorful, intense,

and the flavors
all kind of work well.

The heat level is perfect.
Good job.

- Thank you.
- It's an exercise in texture

from the crispy shallots on top.

And each one of those chilies

are speaking in
a flavor point of view.

They're not being muddled

or kind of all mixed together
and jumbled.

- It's really smart.
- GORDON: Amanda, it's delicious.

Smart move with the pomegranates
to sort of cool down.

But when you got that
ground lamb like that,

get those pans piping hot
and caramelize it

so we've got texture on
the individual ground lamb.

- But it's good.
- Thank you.

Man, that's good. Beautiful.

- Yup.
- Come on.

[SIGHS]

The next dish that
we would like to taste,

please come down, Señor Derrick.

I'm the only person
that did dessert tonight,

and when you're taking a risk

when there's only seven cooking,

it's dangerous.

Hopefully it pays off.

AARÓN: Derrick,
what's your dish?

DERRICK:
I have a Sichuan peppercorn

cinnamon sugar-dusted churro

with a Thai chili
chocolate sauce.

Young man,
I just wanna say kudos

for having the [BLEEP]
to attempt a dessert tonight.

I think you've tried to elevate
this street food phenomenon

to a fine dining plate.

I just hope
they're not too crispy.

How did you get the Thai chili
into the chocolate?

I took about 12 Thai chilies
and steeped them in the cream

as I was heating it
with vanilla and cinnamon.

[CRUNCHING]

Oh!

[CRUNCHING]

They crispy, bro.
They are crispy.

Derrick, you can hear that, right?

- Yes, Chef.
- That's super crispy.

Okay, young man, let's deal
with the elephant in the room.

So, wrong nozzle.
It's just way too thin.

- If I can show you that there.
- I can see it. No, I...

- GORDON: You can see it's perforated.
- I know I could do it better.

- GORDON: So there's no cushion.
- Yeah.

These needs to have that
fluffy doughnut texture on the inside

and the crispiness on the
outside, but actual chocolate's delicious.

The heat, it's there.
That's the nice thing.

Is it infused enough?
I don't know.

I thought it was
a crazy bold move.

If you pulled it off, delicious.

But you missed the mark.

There's tons of flavor
in that sauce,

and that really is a
redeeming quality in this dish.

And the cinnamon
and the Sichuan peppercorn

are an interesting pairing
by the way.

- And I like that.
- The tingle is nice.

Yes, but the churros...
you know what you did wrong.

- Yeah.
- JOE: Crunchy, greasy,

cooked at too high
a temperature.

This is disappointing.

- Thank you, Derrick.
- Thank you, Chef.

Stand tall, brother.

Okay, the next dish we'd like to try is Willie.
Come on down.

I'm feeling really good
about my dish.

I love the way it came out.

I'm just hopeful
that the judges see

that I understood the task
and I delivered.

JOE: All right,
tell us what this dish is.

WILLIE: I made a crawfish
and shrimp étouffée

with a jalapeno cornbread,

and I used the jalapeno
and the manzano pepper

inside my seafood stock as well.

GORDON: Visually, Willie,
it looks plain,

but I'm dying to see
if you can get that roux

cooked out in 45 minutes.

A bold move by you tonight,
and I hope it tastes good.

The spice is delicious.

And there's no sweetness
in that cornbread,

which really does act as a
great cooling agent across the étouffée.

- It's good.
- Thank you, Chef.

The fact that you were able
to capture the essence

of an étouffée in this
abbreviated time period

was a stroke of genius.

You've got a depth
of flavor in there.

And the heat, I was concerned

that was gonna be
too abrasive, but it's not.

I think the sweetness
of the vegetables

helped you in that regard.

Willie, the dish is good.
I like the flavor a lot.

The spice is in moderation.
It's balanced.

- This is great! More like this.
- Thank you.

- Good job, Willie!
- Thank you.

- Good job, Willie!
- All right, Willie!

- Willie!
- He's arrived.

Big Willie in the kitchen.

Next up, Bowen, can you please
bring down your dishes?

WILLIE:
Come on, Bowen.

I've put in lots effort,

and also I think
I showcased my creativity,

and I'm really proud of my dish.

AARÓN: Can you please
describe your dish?

BOWEN: I made a spicy
seafood stuffed pepper

served with mofongo
mashed plantain cake.

And then the chili I used
is the banana pepper,

and also the Thai chili
and the jalapeno.

Bowen, unfortunately
it just looks weird.

- Mm.
- Can you tell me what exactly

is inside that chili?

Ground pork, crab,
crawfish tail,

and also a little bit
of black caviar.

- [GAGS]
- So you cooked the caviar?

- Yes.
- And that's where the problems begin.

I told him not to do it.

I [BLEEP] told him not to do it.

- Bowen, you cooked the caviar.
- Yes.

And that's where
the problems begin.

I told him not to do it.

I [BLEEP] told him not to do it.

GORDON:
Let's taste it, shall we?

[EXHALES]

Ooh, that's hot.

What's the sauce
around the outside?

'Cause it is so hot.

I put cayenne pepper
and also ground chili peppers.

It tastes very strange.

There's two or three things
going on here.

The actual chili
that you grilled

tastes quite nice.

It's the filling inside

that's a little bit bizarre.

Damn, Bowen.

GORDON: When you cook caviar
like that, it goes hard.

It's like little
tiny ball bearings

in your mouth.

So I'm a bit confused here.

AARÓN: This is
way too much plátano.

This is green plantain
that is thick and dense,

and it's overshadowing

any good elements
that you have here.

Yeah, I mean, it's hard

and heavy like a hockey puck.

It's way too spicy,
and cooking caviar is...

it's an amateur mistake.
You don't cook caviar.

- You should know that.
- Okay.

- Thank you, Bowen.
- AARÓN: Thank you.

Thank you, Chef.

- Man, that's way too hot.
- Yeah.

It's like the sauce is raw, no?

- Nothing's cooked out.
- AARÓN: Yeah.

Next up, Michael,

please step forward.

MICHAEL:
I feel like I really used

the peppers effectively today.

I have both fresh
and dried chilies

in almost every element
on this dish,

but I hope it wasn't too much.

So, Michael, give us
an insight into the chilies

that you selected
and describe the dish please.

MICHAEL: The dish is
a spice-rubbed hanger steak

with a spiced carrot salad,

habanero harissa sauce, feta,
and charred eggplant purée.

GORDON: Michael,
the dish looks beautiful.

It's got that nice balance
between the colors,

and I think the most important
thing tonight

alongside that heat
is the cooling element.

So smart combination
with that feta and eggplant.

It's firing on all cylinders.

It's crunchy, crispy,

spicy, cool, creamy.

It's got everything going on.
Top notch dish.

- Very good.
- Thank you so much, Joe.

I think the brilliance
lies in the fact

that you used dried chilies
and those three fresh chilies.

Because you have a beautiful
contrast of something

that's a little bit smokier
and richer and deeper in flavor.

And then also there's texture
with that rub.

It just sticks with you
in a good way.

Yeah, Michael, it's delicious.
The protein's cooked beautifully.

- Tough on this one, hanger steak.
- Yeah.

And beautiful
combination of the spice,

'cause it's not overheated because
the coolness in that feta.

But I think it needs
more feta in there,

because you've got
a lot of spice going on.

- Okay.
- But it's a really good dish.

- Wow. Thank you, Chef.
- Good job.

I mean, that boy can cook.
I ain't gonna lie.

Yeah, he can. Yeah, he can.

Right, next up, Dara, please.
Let's go.

- AMANDA: Yay, Dara.
- WILLIE: Come on, Dara.

This dish is inspired
by my dad's love for spice.

I was cooking from my heart.
I think it shows on the plate.

GORDON: Right, young lady,
describe the dish please.

DARA: The dish
is a potato and pea samosa

with a tomato chili chutney

and a serrano mint chutney.

Visually, it looks beautiful.
The sort of perfect appetizer.

The pastry's blistering nicely.

- You made that dough, right?
- I did, Chef.

Yeah. How long did
you let it rest for?

For about 15, 20 minutes.

It needed
a little bit more time,

but it's thin and it crisped up.

Great use of spice.
Great use of sauces.

Great flavor.

Just the ratio
of filling to dough

is out of balance,
but very good.

This makes my palate dance.
I love it.

I think the idea of the potato
being that perfect sponge

for all those beautiful
big bold flavors was so smart.

You stuck in that family,
the jalapeno, Fresno and serranos,

and I think that was smart
'cause they have very similar flavors

- but they don't supersede one another.
- Thank you, Chef.

I think the nice thing for me
is you've got those

chili influences across
the condiments as well.

That's nice, but the
dough needs to rest longer,

and it could be a touch thinner.

- Yeah.
- Doughy. Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Dara.

Yeah, mine's really thick here.

JOE: Everything else
is really good.

If it was just
a little bit lighter...

- It's just too thick.
- Look at the end.

Yeah.

Right, finally, Emily,

please make your way forward.

Thank you.

You know, the thing
I'm most nervous about

is just the judges
tasting the spice,

because of my lack of
experience cooking with chilies and spice

that it's gonna be a little
lacklust on the palate.

Emily, give us an insight
to the chili you used

and describe the dish please.

EMILY:
This is a chili-dusted

shrimp fra diavolo
with handmade pasta

that incorporates
that Espelette chili pepper

and a spicy
tomato sauce pancetta,

and then some Calabrian
chili oil to finish it off.

Emily, it's restaurant quality,

but I think tonight
we were concerned

about your attitude to spice
because you don't like it.

Let's hope it tastes
as good as it looks.

This dish is, uh...

Emily, this dish is, uh...

Top, top notch.

It's textbook.
I mean, the pasta's perfectly made.

It's fresh pasta, but it still
has a nice toothsome feel to it.

Tomato sauce is bright, acidic.

Chili integration is perfect.

- Great dish.
- Thank you.

Yeah, for me,
the shrimp's not greasy.

It is crunchy.
It's well-seasoned.

You used the right peppers
in this, yeah.

- Just really smart choices.
- Thank you.

I think what you've gotta understand
is that you should be using

more of these
ingredients more often.

But the dish has got finesse.

Even the chili
all around the outside

is a bright lift to that pasta.

- So, well done.
- Very good job.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- That's really good.
- Wow.

[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[SIGHS]

Okay, all of you,

Joe, Aarón, and myself
have some very,

very important
decisions to make.

Excuse us, please. Thank you.

- So, top dishes.
- Yeah.

GORDON: I have to say,
Amanda's was beautiful.

AARÓN: Think about
how many chilies she used.

- She used five different peppers.
- Five.

I hate this part.

Emily's on the other hand
was on another level, I think.

Yes, that was
restaurant quality.

- GORDON: Michael was good, the hanger steak.
- JOE: Yeah, Michael's was good.

Maybe not on the level
of the other two.

So on the negative side,
the churros were a problem.

Overcooked. Overcooked, yeah.

And Bowen was literally

grabbing everything
in that pantry.

You don't put pork with caviar,
let alone cook caviar.

No. So we all agree
on who's going home?

- JOE: Yes. Shall we?
- AARÓN: Yes, we do.

It's a shock.

These debates are never easy,
let me tell you.

But there were two dishes
tonight that really stood out

for all the right reasons.

Please come forward, Amanda...

...and Emily.

Nice! Nice job.

Right, Amanda and Emily, tonight you
cooked the best dishes by far.

Amanda, yours showed
a level of confidence.

The lamb was absolutely spot on.

Emily, you should cook
with more spice

if you can deliver a dish
that showed

restaurant quality
beyond belief.

But there was one dish
that we felt

had that slight edge.

This individual will gain
a huge advantage

across the next challenge.

Congratulations goes to...

Emily.

Great job. Congratulations.

Spicy food?
I'll cook with more spice.

I mean, I can do it,
clearly, so...

Please, both of you,
head upstairs. Well done.

Yay.

EMILY:
Shock of all shocks.

I think every single person
in this room tonight

was counting on me to be
at the bottom, if not going home.

- Congrats.
- Good job. good job, good job.

Now for the not so good news.

There were two dishes that
we felt completely missed the mark.

I think both of you
know who you are.

Why don't you both make
your way down here? Thank you.

Oh, my God. No.

This is my first time
being in the bottom.

I didn't do my best.
This risk could send me home.

Bowen, tonight's dish
completely missed the mark.

Overcomplicated, badly executed,

and not the right balance
of heat.

Derrick, we love the tenacity,

but your technique tonight
was off.

The churros
weren't made properly

and they were the star
of your dish.

But Joe, Aarón, and myself
felt there was one dish

that did miss the mark
more than the other.

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

Bowen.

Derrick, say good-bye to Bowen

and head back
to your bench please.

[SIGHS]

Bowen, I wanted this dish
to work so badly.

It just was the wrong choices
you made with those ingredients.

Bowen, I have to say you're a
much better cook than that dish was.

Young man, you know, top nine.

You've been an absolute pleasure

to mentor for the second time
in this competition.

I think you've got a very
bright, exciting future in front of you,

and I can't wait to get to
that bistro to sit down at that table

and enjoy the fruits
of your labor.

- Thank you.
- From of the bottom of my heart,

we are going to miss you,
young man.

Come and say good-bye.
Come on!

- Ah!
- You were great, Bowen.

- I'm very proud of you, okay?
- Thank you.

- We're coming for dinner. Remember.
- Thank you.

GORDON: Please place your
apron on your bench

- and say good-bye.
- AARÓN: Thank you, Bowen.

- JOE: Bye, Bowen.
- BOWEN: I'm proud of myself

because I'm taking risks.

In the competition,
I've been up, I've been down.

It's just like a rollercoaster.

- Oh, Bowen.
- WILLIE: Good-bye, Bowen.

EMILY: Gonna miss you.

I think MasterChef gave me
the explosion

to set me up for success.

- I'm going back home
to earn monies, okay? - Yes.

So I will go back to home,

be humble, be loved.

Bowen, we'll see you
on the 29th!

Joe, Aarón, and myself.

Three top, 7:30 for three.

You better come.

- GORDON: Next time...
- No.

...the top eight face

their biggest challenge yet...
the wall.

You and a partner
must create dishes

that look and taste identical,

but you won't be able
to see each other.

This is gonna be a mess.

- Salmon is in!
- Heard. Let's go!

And with double elimination
on the line...

- How that sauce looking, Willie?
- Is that Christian?

- Shanika, you there?
- it's time to get in sync...

- Got it.
- Duck's at 130! I'm pulling it!

- What are they doing?
- Use the cream you cooked them in!

- I already strained it.
- GORDON: No! Look at me.

- Ugh! - You need to
get on the same page now.

...or they'll be out
of the kitchen for good.

- It just looks bland.
- It tastes like cough syrup.

It's that disappointing.

Oof.