Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 19 - Finale Part 1 - Special Guest Graham Elliot - full transcript

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHEERING]

GORDON: Here we go.

JOE: Finale time!
Look at this.

[HOOTING]

Thank you!
Look at you guys!

Welcome back, guys.

Thank you so much!

Wow.

Welcome, everybody, to the
"MasterChef: Back to Win" finale.

This "Back to Win" season
has been absolutely incredible.



- This season...
- Oh, my gosh.

we invited some of the most
promising past home cooks...

Can you believe we're back here?

back for a second chance...

Last time I was in this kitchen,
I was 12 years old.

- We got this!
- back for redemption...

- Emily!
- I was crushed when it

slipped through
my fingers the first time.

- Shayne!
- I'm not a kid anymore.

I'm not the same junior
that was here last time.

..."Back to Win."

- You got what it takes?
- Yes, I do.

- Why come back?
- I'm back to win.

But to meet the highest
standards in "MasterChef" history...



- 1,000 layers.
- High risk, high reward.

...the journey
was far from easy.

You have to cook
an incredible vegan dish.

It's like a bad nightmare.

Hold, left to right,
right to left, half-moon shape.

- Oh, God.
- Taste that before?

Never even heard of it.

- Week after week...
- Cowboys are coming in!

...we pushed them
to their breaking point.

- Gabe, you okay?
- Check the temp, Christian.

- I've cooked a million [BLEEP] steaks.
- Ice cold.

- [BLEEP]
- That was personal.

Bowen, I'm almost
[BLEEP] ready! Calm down!

Ramsay to Coast Guard.

- How long are you blanching them?
- Don't holler at me.

- We good, we good.
- It's stressing everybody out.

Hey, it's raw. [BLEEP]!

EMILY: Use the cream
you cooked them in!

- I already strained it!
- What are they doing?

GORDON: Ladies and gentlemen,
Wolfgang Puck!

You're gonna put the reputation
of Spago on the line.

Where's the duck?

Just put it down.
Come on, Emily.

GORDON:
It's [BLEEP] freezing!

It's [BLEEP] raw.

What you trying to do,
close down Spago?

Congratulations, the red team!

But these comeback cooks
never gave up the fight...

I think we've just found
our next master baker.

It's exact replicas. Congratulations.

Absolutely exceptional.

You plate with such
beautiful finesse.

I'd serve this in
my flagship restaurant tonight.

That is redemption in a bowl
beyond belief.

AARÓN:
Award-winning stuff.

That's so clever and smart,

I might even take that from you.

...and now only three remain.

Will it be season ten's
cookbook author Michael,

the culinary grad from
"Junior" season one Dara,

or season five's Southern
private chef Christian?

Only one will become
America's next MasterChef.

- [CHEERING]
- That's right.

Three young pros
have come back to win.

Last time they were here, their
quest for victory was cut short.

Now they'll do battle
in the finale arena

right before your very eyes.

And by the end of the night,
one will be crowned

the very first "MasterChef:
Back to Win" champion.

Let's welcome
our three amazing finalists.

First up, a 34-year-old
best-selling cookbook author

from Austin, Texas,
ladies and gentlemen, Michael.

MICHAEL:
Being here in this finale,

it's like a dream
come true for me,

and I'm getting
a second chance to prove

that I have what it takes.

I can't waste it,
and I will fight to win it.

When I was here on season ten,

I certainly didn't
have the confidence.

Not nearly enough. [BLEEP].

I went home really early.
I went home in 15th place.

Michael, you've cooked
for the last time.

But I left "MasterChef" on a
mission to follow my dreams.

I walked away from my career
in real estate

and I started my own business
as a private chef.

I've written two
best-selling cookbooks,

but I felt like
I had unfinished business.

Michael. Don't burn out
to quick this time, bro.

I have clawed my way
to be at the top

of the "Back to Win" season.

That broth
is award-winning stuff.

It's just a perfect medley of balances
of richness and profound flavors.

I have really proven myself to be
skilled at creating and innovating

and taking risks
in this kitchen.

This is my passion in life.

I am not leaving here until
I go home with that trophy.

All right, everyone, next up,
a 20-year-old college student

from Culver City, California.

She was first seen
at the age of 12

here on "MasterChef Junior"
season one.

Now back to win, Dara.

Yay, Dara!

DARA: Coming back to cook in
the "MasterChef" finale

- for the second time...
- Go, Dara!

...is definitely surreal.

This moment
means everything to me.

It's a culmination
of all of my hard work,

my passion, my drive to win.

I first came
into this competition

as a 12-year-old home cook

and made it all the way
to the finale.

The winner, Alexander.

But I didn't take the loss
as a defeat.

I've gone
through culinary school,

and I've been able to have

some amazing opportunities
in this industry.

So I came back into
this MasterChef kitchen

to show my growth as a chef.

Let's go, Dara!

Being one of
the youngest competitors

put a lot of pressure on me.

I doubted myself.

[BLEEP], oh, my God.
This is not working, Fred.

- Just re-roll it. Just re-roll it.
- Re-roll it?

But week after week, I was
able to find that confidence.

Fricking buttercream!

GORDON:
Dara, it's delicious.

If anyone thinks
that you're the youngest

and the underdog,
they need to think again.

My drive and passion
came from my father.

He passed away
when I was six years old.

I know that
all my Dad wanted for me

was just to follow my dream.

I've done exactly
what he wanted me to do.

I think that's why I put a lot
of pressure on myself as well,

because I feel like
I'm a living legacy of his

and I have to make him proud.

And finally,
a 36-year-old private chef

from New Orleans, Louisiana.

This young man made his presence
felt across season five,

and he is definitely
back to win.

Please give it up for Christian.

CHRISTIAN: I would've never
thought that I would ever

have an opportunity
to come back to redeem myself.

Ha, ha! Yeah!

So to be in the finale,
it's a dream come true.

I'm coming in focused,
determined to win.

- Ha, ha! Dad.
- Whoo!

I'm ready.

When I first showed up
in the MasterChef kitchen,

I was an amateur chef.

That pork's delicious.
Cooked it beautifully.

To leave at top five,

it was an honor,
but of course I wanted to win.

I left "MasterChef"
with a purpose.

I started my catering business.

I also became a private chef.

When I left my season,
I always told myself

if I ever get a chance
to come back to "MasterChef,"

I'm gonna cook my way
to the top.

Our first apron
goes to Christian.

I was determined to knock out
the competition.

There can only be one alpha
male in this kitchen, and that's me.

I've been at the top five times.

GORDON: I think you've hit
the jackpot on there,

and I just love the sort of
fried Southern style

- 'cause it screams you.
- Thank you so much.

You know,
I come from a family of cooks.

My family is my motivation,
especially my late grandmother.

I just want to make them proud.

I've been waiting seven years

for an opportunity
to change my life.

I came back to win.

You three, a hearty congratulations
from Joe, Aarón, and myself

for making into The "MasterChef:
Back to Win" grand finale.

Christian, young man,
here to support you tonight,

you have your young son Caden,
and your mother Charlotte.

Caden, what would
it mean for you

for Dad to become
America's next MasterChef?

It would mean a lot.

I just want to go see him
do what he loves

and be the king
of "MasterChef."

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Michael, here to
cheer you on tonight,

you have your parents
and fiancé Jacob.

- How proud are you?
- I'm beyond proud of him.

I know that this means
everything to him to be back,

and I just know
when he walks out of here

he'll be walking out of here
with that trophy.

JOE: Wow.

Dara, here to support you
you have your beautiful family,

your mother Carol,
your boyfriend Marco.

- Orale.
- Yes.

Miss Carol, how excited are you

to see your daughter
after all this time?

I'm so excited
I can't even talk.

The first time she was here,
she was 12,

and now she's here as an adult.

I'm so proud. Yeah.

Your families aren't the only
VIP guests here tonight.

You also have some of your
fiercest former competitors.

Welcome back, guys.
Nice to see everyone.

Good luck.

Right, you three,
tonight is your last chance

to prove that you deserve
the grand prize...

a quarter of a million dollars,

the MasterChef trophy,

but more importantly,

the title of America's
next MasterChef.

And the winner will get
a complete kitchen makeover...

- Wow.
- ...with a state of the art Viking kitchen,

including a top of line range,
a stunning refrigerator.

And on top of that,

a full package of countertop
appliances from Revel,

and an amazing set
of kitchen tools from Oxo.

Wow.

In order to get your hands
on that prize package tonight,

you must make us
a cohesive three-course menu...

an appetizer,
an entrée, and a dessert.

Michael,
please tell us the theme

that's gonna be guiding
your three-course meal tonight.

Tonight,
I'm gonna bring you a menu

that's really inspired
by my culinary journey.

I want to bring a little bit
of my Texas roots,

and I'm gonna make a Tex Mex
inspired menu for you.

- Nice. Dara?
- My theme is an ode to my childhood.

All my dishes are inspired
by experiences

and food that influenced
my passion for cooking.

And, of course, Christian.

I came into this competition
staying true to myself.

The menu that I've created for you
guys tonight is my Southern roots,

basically where I started
and where I'm headed.

Right, shall we get started
with the appetizer round?

Yes? This is it.

You'll have 60 minutes to make
us your stunning appetizers.

The very best of luck
to all three of you.

Your 60 minutes start now!
Let's go!

Come on! Let's go!

Let's go, let's go!

Come on, come on, come on.

Tonight I'm sticking
to the flavors

- that I grew up with.
- Asparagus.

But I'm using a ton of traditional
French culinary techniques.

I just really want
to prove to everyone

that my age is nothing
but a number.

Cucumber, cucumber,
I need cucumber.

My Tex Mex menu is unlike anything the
judges have ever seen in this kitchen before.

It's bold, it's risky,

and it's gonna blow
the judges away.

GORDON: Let's go. Well
done, Christian. Well done.

Come on, sweetie! Come on!
Let's go!

- Let's go!
- Come on, come on!

- [OVERLAPPING SHOUTS]
- Go, Michael!

Let's go, Dara!

- GORDON: This is it.
- AARÓN: Yep.

"Back to Win" finale.
How exciting.

Three appetizers.
Very, very exciting.

We want dishes tonight that we would
be proud to serve in our restaurants.

- Yeah.
- The level is going to be sky high.

- Absolutely.
- Go, Christian! Yeah!

CHRISTIAN: This Southern
menu is gonna prove

to everybody
that I stayed true to myself.

But I'm going against
two amazing chefs.

- Whoo! Michael!
- It's gonna be a battle.

So I have to find a way of how
I'm gonna elevate my dishes.

Either you go big
or you go home,

and I ain't going home
without the MasterChef trophy.

- Come on, guys!
- Let's go!

GORDON: 10 minutes gone.
50 minutes remaining.

Keep it going, guys.
Come on.

Let's go, Dara!

MICHAEL: Whew. Stay calm.

Looks good, Michael!
Looks good, bud!

- Go, Michael!
- Whoo, Mikey!

CHRISTIAN: Let's get it.

- Yes, yes!
- Yes!

- Break it out.
- Let's go, guys.

Right, young man,
how you feeling?

- Feeling good, Chef.
- You good?

- Yeah, I'm feeling great.
- You got this?

- Yes, sir.
- Right, tell me about this dish.

I am making a fried green tomato
with a crawfish salad,

and then you also have
a remoulade sauce.

The green tomato,
how you gonna elevate that?

What I'ma do is I gonna
batter in a little bit of flour,

fold in a little bit of
breadcrumbs, a little cornmeal,

and then once all that is done, we're
gonna top it with a little bit of caviar.

- Yes, yes, yes!
- Ooh!

I've never seen the green tomato
and caviar together.

With this appetizer ahead of
the entrée and then the dessert,

what message
are you sending out?

CHRISTIAN: I'm a force
to be reckoned with, you know?

I stayed true to myself
throughout the whole competition,

and now it's time to elevate,

show a little bit more
what I got.

You're playing
to your strengths.

You're staying in
that wheelhouse, right?

Make sure you put it all
on that plate.

- Yes, Chef.
- Just over 45 minutes to go.

- Yes, Chef.
- Good luck, yes?

- Yes!
- Come on!

Let's go, baby.

- SHANIKA: All right, Michael.
- Ooh!

We want the smoke!

- Look at Michael there smoking away.
- There he goes.

MICHAEL: Come on, baby.

Dara, them asparagus
looking real good, baby.

- Thank you, Willie.
- AARÓN: All right, so, Dara.

- Hello, Chef.
- How's it going, young lady?

- Good, how are you?
- I'm doing good.

You feel good about
where you are right now?

I'm feeling really good.

So talk to me about some
of the elements

that you have going on
in your dish.

I'm doing
crispy skin red snapper.

I have grilled white asparagus

as well as
a sautéed green asparagus.

And then there's a miso
béarnaise sauce with those.

This whole meal
is actually inspired

by one of the last trips
I took with my father to Japan.

AARÓN: This idea
of the miso béarnaise,

is that something that you
really sort of gravitate towards,

like, mixing these different
kinds of influences...

Asian into something very
classical like a béarnaise?

Oh, 100%. I mean,
I came into this competition

showing you guys my Asian
flavors, and I've stayed true to that.

But, you know, I have that
French culinary school background.

So I want to pull that out
for you guys as well.

I got to say, Dara, you seem
very poised. It's refreshing to see.

I know at some times,
some the challenges,

you've gotten
a little bit flustered,

but I see that you have
that steely resolve right now.

I like to see that.
That shows growth.

Cool, calm, and collected.

- AARÓN: Orale.
- Yep.

Best of luck.

30 minutes remaining.
Halfway!

CHRISTIAN:
Let's go, let's go!

Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Michael, Michael, Michael.

- Yes, Chef.
- What are you making?

MICHAEL:
I'm making a cold smoked trout

with cucumber
and pomelo aguachile

and salsa macha.

- Whoo!
- Whoo, yeah!

Where's the steelhead trout?

I'm smoking it right now
in the refrigerator.

You're smoking it in
the refrigerator?

I'm smoking it 'cause
I want it to stay cold.

- Aguachile should be raw.
- Right.

So I don't want
to actually cook the fish.

So since you're not cooking,

you have basically three things
going on in this dish...

- acidity, heat, and smoke. What's the balance?
- That's right.

The balance is gonna be the
complexity of this aguachile.

I use some pomelo,
so we're getting

a little bit of sweet,
a little tart.

It's gonna hit every note.

We're gonna be really focusing
in on the minute details

- of that balance between heat, acidity.
- Right, 100%.

And smoke can be
a very tricky thing.

You're really putting yourself
under a lot of scrutiny.

And I want to show that.

I think it takes
a lot of confidence

to come in here
and do a raw dish.

- Good luck.
- Looking good, Michael!

- Looking good!
- CHRISTIAN: Let's get it.

- Got this.
- Looking good, Dara.

Three amazing
sounding appetizers.

Christian's playing to his New Orleans
roots with that fried green tomato.

What I love about the fried green
tomato, it's a beautiful canvas.

You can put just about anything
that's luxurious on top of that.

But here's the thing,
fried green tomatoes,

is it elevated enough
for the "MasterChef" finale?

GORDON: Sure.

- Looking good, Michael!
- Thank you!

Michael is not cooking.

- He's smoking a steelhead trout.
- Wow.

And he's serving it
as an aguachile.

I like the idea of an aguachile,
or in essence, ceviche,

but you definitely wouldn't
smoke an aguachile, so we'll see.

- MICHAEL: Come on, baby.
- JOE: The other thing is

- is the knife skills on this trout.
- Sure.

The most important thing about
Michael's knife cuts for me

- is taking off that bloodline.
- Yeah.

That line runs close the skin.

If any is left on, it gives
the fish a bitter taste.

He's got to remove all that.

DARA: All righty. All right.

Dara seems to be well ahead.

She's gonna make
a beautiful crispy snapper

with a miso béarnaise.

And it's very challenging to
balance the richness of the béarnaise

and also that sort of
fermented flavor of miso.

- Miso and béarnaise?
- Yes, I've never heard of it.

GORDON: The béarnaise is
derivated from a hollandaise.

- AARÓN: Yes.
- Which should be cooked over a double boiler,

and then that gives you
the stability.

When you blend it like that,
it can break.

They're almost like
a warm mayonnaise.

There's a big difference
between a warm mayonnaise

and a béarnaise.

- It's a tough one.
- Absolutely.

GORDON: Just under seven
minutes remaining. Let's go!

Ooh. Just about there.

MICHAEL: Beautiful.

Come on, you got it.
You got it.

Oh, my God.

- [BLEEP]
- GORDON: Oh, my goodness.

Look at...
Dara's sauce is broken.

She's panicking right now.

I don't know what's happening.

I'm extremely frazzled
and stressed out.

[BLEEP]

Take a deep breath.
You got this.

I'm adding the butter,
and it's not emulsifying,

and my miso béarnaise sauce
is ruined.

This is horrible.

- Hey, re-emulsify. You got it.
- I can't make the sauce again.

- I have six minutes. I can't.
- You got it.

She's in a massive
tailspin right now.

- Oh, my God.
- I'm worried.

DARA:
Ugh, what am I doing?

[CROWD CHEERING]

[BLEEP]

Dara, she's in
a massive tailspin right now.

- I'm worried.
- DARA: Ugh, what am I doing?

I have, like,
five minutes to go,

and my miso
béarnaise sauce broke.

And if it's not perfect,

it's gonna ruin the whole dish.

So I have to start
the sauce over.

Oh, my God.

SHAYNE: Breathe.
You got this.

You got it, Dara!
Let's go, Dara!

You got this!
You got this!

Come on, Dara!

This is my first dish
of the finale.

Right now I'm just pushing

and making sure that I get
everything on the plate.

- Come on.
- Keep pushing, Dara. You got it, okay?

GORDON: Four minutes to go.
Come on.

Looking good!
Let's go, Christian!

GORDON:
I've never seen Christian work

with such precision,
the way he's doing tonight.

And more importantly,
this does sound delicious.

It just needs to be elevated.
It's the finale, right?

- Absolutely.
- MICHAEL: Perfect.

Mikey, that fish looks gorgeous.

Thank you!

GORDON: 60 seconds to go!

Here we go!

Come on, you guys!

Come on, come on, come on!

Let's go, Christian!

Michael, get it all
on that plate!

Come on, Michael!

- FRED: Let's go, Dara!
- You go, Dara!

ALL:
Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

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

It's time to taste
your appetizers.

Please make your way around
to the front, thank you.

Right, well done. Michael, please
make your way down with your appetizers.

- Thank you.
- Yes, Chef.

Mmm, the dramatics. Ooh!

- Smoke it up! Smoke it up!
- Keep it steady.

I've taken so many risks
with this dish.

This is the first impression
of my finale menu,

so it really does need to sing.

Whew.

- CROWD: Ooh.
- WILLIE: All right, judges.

JOE: Ooh-la-la.

For the appetizer, I made you
a cold smoked steelhead trout

with a pomelo
and cucumber aguachile,

salsa macha,
and pickled cucumbers.

Visually, it's stunning.

The colors pop.
It's got that glamour.

You're turning the whole
aguachile culture on its head.

You definitely
wouldn't smoke an aguachile,

and I love the fact that you're
putting your little touch onto that.

It looks like something that I would be
proud to serve at a table in a restaurant.

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

Cross your fingers, boy.

Michael, what a way
to start the finale.

It's fresh, it's vibrant.

I love the freshness
of the aguachile.

Just be careful.

When you prepare trout like that
and you lift that skin,

you've got to go
over that bloodline.

I've got essence of
the bloodline left on my fish.

And also the trout needs
a touch more salt for me.

I think you did so many
different things here brilliantly.

I think the idea of the salsa
macha with its inherent smokiness

echoes the smoke that you
already introduced into it,

and they stand up to one
another, and I love that.

Yeah, you took a risk
here, Michael, and it's good.

I just feel like when you have
a void of salt in a dish like this,

it's kind of like hearing
music mono, not stereo.

- MICHAEL: Mm.
- And that hurts.

- Thank you, Michael.
- Thank you.

- Good job, Michael. Good job.
- You got it, Mike.

I think the fascinating thing
about this dish is

how is this gonna connect
with his main course?

- Are we going up or are
we gonna go down? - Exactly.

Dara, can you please bring
your appetizer forward?

Go, Dara!

- Dara!
- Go, Dara!

Even though
I got really frazzled

and had to remake my sauce,

I have to present it still
with the confidence

that I would if it was perfect.

Can you please
describe the dish?

Today I prepared
a crispy skin red snapper

with asparagus
and a miso béarnaise sauce.

Young lady, tough start.

You got frazzled there
at the last couple of minutes.

- Yes, Chef.
- But visually, yeah, it looks intriguing.

I think you got a really nice
color on the skin.

The knife cuts are
beautiful on the vegetables,

and love the idea
of this miso béarnaise.

Can't wait to dig in.

Fish are cooked beautifully,
young lady.

Crispy skin.

But I've got a big issue
with this sauce.

It's a cross between a cold
béarnaise and a warm mayonnaise.

Damn.

GORDON: Dara, I've got
a big issue with this sauce.

It's a cross between a cold
béarnaise and a warm mayonnaise.

Damn.

And you need to cook those
egg yolks to create a sabayon,

which completes a texture
to a béarnaise.

But the miso works.

And bizarrely,
it actually tastes quite nice.

Thank you, Chef.

I'm not so hung up on the
technicalities of this sauce.

Béarnaise, mayonnaise, aioli...

it doesn't make
a difference to me.

Quite frankly, what makes a
difference to me... that it's all yours.

- And it's delicious.
- Thank you, Joe.

I would imagine
that personal approach you have

to making food
comes from maybe your dad.

- Mm-hmm.
- You have a courage

to just kind of do
what's right to you,

and it worked for me.

This is damn good.

There's a lot of rich flavors
with the grilling of the leeks

and the asparagus echoing that really sort
of richness of the skin of the snapper.

The idea of having
this aggressive flavor

I think really says
a lot of boldness about you,

and I really, really
appreciate that.

GORDON: Thanks, Dara.

- Go, Dara!
- All right, Dara!

EMILY: Wow, Dara!
Good job!

- Fish cooked beautifully, by the way. Absolutely.
- JOE: Yeah, fish was good.

- And the seasoning was very
consistent throughout. - Yep.

Okay, Christian, can you please
bring your appetizers down?

Yeah, Christian!

For my appetizer, I stayed true
to myself and my Southern roots.

It's a restaurant quality dish
to me.

Okay, Christian,
what did you make us?

Tonight I prepared for you
a fried green tomato

topped with a crawfish salad,

remoulade sauce, and caviar.

Christian, I think this dish,
for me, screams you.

I think you're refusing
to become anybody different.

- Yes, Chef. - And I think it's one
of the most glamorous,

poshest green tomatoes
in America tonight anywhere,

because I've never seen
a green tomato quite like that.

- Thank you. - Yeah, Christian,
I think this is really much in line

with what's happening
right now in the South,

where chefs are interpreting
Southern traditional food

and elevating it,
and I like this.

Christian, tomato's delicious.

- I just love the crunch.
- Thank you.

I think for me the magic
is in the breading.

It's crispy and it's classy.

The green tomato
is absolutely delicious.

Everything works.

The only issue,
it's over-macerated

with the herbs,
which is distracting

from those wonderful, sweet,
salty crawfish

- with the caviar.
- Gotcha.

I've had a lot of green tomatoes
in my life,

and this one
is completely unique,

and it's so you,
and I just love that.

But at this level,
I got to take you to task

because we're talking
about tools of refinement.

How do you get it
to that next level?

Take that cornmeal and buzz it,

so you can give it
the fineness of the breading.

Maybe put some seasoning
in there.

Yes, Chef.

- But delicious stuff.
- Thank you.

I like the dish.

I liked everything about it.

I think that what
you were able to do

is put yourself
and your background

and all the things
that are important to you,

including your son
and family, on a plate.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Whoo! Yes!

Way to go, baby.

Good seasoning throughout.

This is him, man, and I love it.

So your favorite appetizer
was what?

Good question.

I don't know who has the edge

- after the first round.
- Mm-hmm.

Michael, Dara, Christian,
what a great introduction

to your menus this evening.

Well done, all of you.

Honestly, right now
it is anyone's game.

This finale is neck and neck.

The level competition
is so intense,

but my appetizer
was not perfect.

And so if I don't step up,

I could start to fall behind
in this finale.

And that is
not an option for me.

[CHEERING]

Wow, those appetizers were
definitely restaurant quality.

Now we're almost ready
to begin the entrée round.

But it wouldn't be
a "MasterChef" finale

without some
last minute surprises.

Oh, God.

We have a very special guest
joining us for the entrée round.

And he has certainly seen
his fair share of dishes

in this kitchen
over many, many years.

Everyone,
put your hands together

for an OG "MasterChef" judge...

Graham Elliot!

Yes!

- Whoo!
- Oh!

Graham Elliot here.
Come on, man, that's my boy.

Graham Elliot was on my season,
season five.

So just to have him back
in the MasterChef kitchen

is such an amazing thing.

- Welcome back, young man.
- Thank you.

You were here right at the very
beginning of this phenomenal competition.

- Are you gonna be cooking
to your strengths? - Mm-hmm.

- Or you are you gonna be cooking
to their weaknesses? - Mm-hmm.

You have every reason
to be happy.

- Thank you.
- I mean, I want to cry. It's that good.

This is one of the best
that you've put up.

- It's really, really good.
- Wow, thank you.

Good job, Christian.

...in the middle.
Oh, jeez.

- [KIDS SHOUTING]
- Oh!

- This is my appetizer.
- This dish sealed the deal

for Graham's
second Michelin star.

GRAHAM: I love the fact
that you steamed those.

That's the kind of mentality
that a chef has,

not a 12-year-old.
What's wrong with you?

Graham, how does it
feel to be back?

Amazing. Like, literally.
It's like a reunion, you know?

- We love you.
- Aw, I love you.

Willie, you know that I wear
the glasses for attention.

I'm doing the same thing. Attention.

So, Graham, what advice
would you give all three

of these talented chefs
ahead of this next big course?

This is where you just
don't want to overthink things.

You know what dish
you want to do.

Commit to that,

and really focus on
the technique and artistry.

Absolutely.
Now you'll have 60 minutes

to cook those amazing entrées.

Please tell us
what you are making

for the entrée round, Michael.

I'm gonna make a chili rubbed
loin of lamb with a corn purée,

a roasted poblano grit cake,

- and a birria jus.
- JOE: Dara.

I'll be making
Chinese style short ribs

with whipped sweet potato,
a spiced roasted carrot,

- and a carrot top gremolata.
- Wow.

- JOE: Christian.
- Tonight I'll be preparing for you guys

a Cajun rubbed filet mignon,
crab cake,

parsnip purée,
tomato cream sauce,

and of course, my late
grandmother's favorite... turnips.

JOE: Love that.

- Now are you three ready?
- ALL: Yes, Chef.

60 minutes on the clock.

Your time starts...

- Now!
- Let's go!

DARA: Sorry.

Even though
I got really frazzled

- in the appetizer round...
- Some soy sauce.

...in the past,
I've been able to bounce back.

And tonight is the night
that I have to make sure

that I come back
stronger than ever.

CHRISTIAN:
Come on, y'all! Let's go!

Let's go. Be careful.

Wow. Here we go.
So, three amazing entrées.

Which one's standing out
for you?

For me, it's gonna be Christian.

I think if he's able to pull off
that marriage of the crab cake,

have that be
a textural component,

I think we'll have a winner.

Why's it so quiet?
Let's go.

[CHEERING]

We asked for dishes that could
stand up in our restaurants.

Michael's loin of lamb
is the most restauranty dish

in its conception,
so I think Michael's got it.

Pepper.

I think that Dara's short rib
sounds really exciting.

- Yeah, Dara!
- Let's go!

Whoo, whoo, whoo!

- Right, look who's here.
- Hello, Chef.

- GRAHAM: How are you?
- Good. How are you?

Good. You should
look more stressed out.

- We're keeping cool today.
- Okay, okay, okay.

GORDON: We are gonna keep cool.

Why try and cook a short rib

in under 60 minutes
in a pressure cooker?

This is the finale.
It's not time to play it safe.

And I know I'm gonna be
pulling these short ribs out

with five, six minutes to go,

so I'm putting it all
on the line.

There's no way to kind of cheat
if they're undercooked,

so I'm really, really hoping
that you get those going.

Get that lid on there.
That's right.

What's that in there?
What are you putting in there?

DARA: This is dark soy
rice vinegar,

brown sugar, chili flakes.

The good thing that you're doing
is as that gets braised,

you have all the time to work
on the other accompaniments

- for the dish.
- Exactly, Chef.

What does this entrée
say about Dara?

This is inspired by one of
my favorite meals growing up.

My grandma and my mom,
I grew up...

I grew up eating spare ribs.

I'm actually...
I'm using short ribs today.

It's a play on your
traditional meat, potatoes,

and carrots,
but I'm elevating it, so...

Good luck, young lady.
Come on. Ten minutes gone.

- Go, Dara!
- Yeah, let's go, Dara!

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

Perfect.

CHRISTIAN: Let's go, baby.
Let's go.

MICHAEL: That's good,
that's good, that's good.

- Michael.
- Yes, Chef.

All right, so talk to me
a little bit about your dish.

What kind of lamb cut
are you using?

I'm using shanks
to drive the broth,

and then I'm gonna do
a chili rub on my loin of lamb.

So we're gonna get kind of
a lot of depth of flavor

both in the sauce
and in the lamb.

Okay, now talk to me
about the garnish.

Doing a beautiful aji amarillo
yellow pepper corn purée,

and then I'm gonna
accompany that

with a roasted
poblano grit cake.

AARÓN:
Man, you're a wacko.

- You're taking Peruvian chilies...
- Yeah.

...and mixing them
with Mexican chilies.

- Yeah.
- Have you gone mad?

- MICHAEL: Absolutely!
- Look, if I were you,

try to put some beautiful sear
on this lamb,

make sure
that the seasoning blend

kind of echoes
what you have in your jus.

- Heard.
- All right. Best of luck.

Thank you so much.

[CHEERING]

Keep cracking, Mike!
Keep cracking.

[MUTTERING]

There it goes.

MICHAEL: Perfect.

- JOE: Christian, Christian.
- Sup?

- Cajun filet, is that too much?
- Cajun rubbed filet.

You know what I mean?
This is quite different.

Out of New Orleans...
growing up, my grandmother,

she grew turnips, she grew okra,
she grew collard greens.

So, you know, I just
wanted to stay true to myself.

I know I'm taking a big risk
cooking these filets tonight.

- You've got to make four
medium rare filets. - Yes, I do.

You know,
they're all gonna be cut,

so there's nowhere to hide
today on the temperature.

- For sure.
- What do you think about Michael,

who's making this lamb?
It seems very, very restauranty.

Dara's taking a big risk
with those short ribs, right?

- How do you feel?
- Honestly, hands down,

I feel I have the most
expensive meat of the night,

- you know what I mean?
- Expensive doesn't always win.

Exactly. But, hey,
I bet you all four

of these steaks
gonna be medium rare.

[CHEERING]

Do it, baby! Do it!

- Yeah, that one in the middle.
- Mm-hmm.

CHRISTIAN:
Let's cook, baby.

GORDON: We're just
coming up to halfway.

Just over
30 minutes to go, guys.

MICHAEL: Oh, my God.

I don't have time to play.

DARA: All right, come on.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, yes.
Let's get it.

JOE:
So, Christian is very confident.

Again, he feels
he's got this in the bag.

When you cook with love,
you just know.

JOE: He's doing four filets,
12 to 14 ounce,

pan-seared, and they all
gotta be medium rare.

So, that's just a lot
of jeopardy right there.

Every single second
of this cook counts.

It's like how my mama
used to say,

"Chris, make today count."

I got to make sure all four
steaks is cooked medium rare,

and it's a big risk.

I can't mess this up.

So, Christian feels
he's got this in the bag,

but there's a lot of jeopardy in those
filet mignons and the Cajun seasoning.

Chris, you working on
your crab cake mixture?

Yes, sir. It's not
your traditional crab cake,

but you got a little bit
of New Orleans in there...

shrimp, claw meat, and crab.

- Nice.
- If the filet wasn't enough,

you have the seafood on
the dish, which also, you know,

a crab cake has to be moist,
has to be crunchy.

- There's a lot of jeopardy
in this dish.- Yeah.

Hey, Dad, make sure you make
some more of that crab cake.

Got you, baby.

Looks good, Dara.

So, Dara's on it. Thankfully those
ribs are in that pressure cooker.

Think about the jeopardy of a pressure
cooker in the "MasterChef" finale.

You put it in,
you open it up three minutes

before you have to plate,
and it's either there or it's not.

- That's right. No control.
- You have nowhere to hide.

AARÓN: Does it allot
you enough time

- to make sure your presentation
is beautiful? - GRAHAM: Right.

'Cause you're gonna be
struggling to get that meat on

- at the right time.
- BOTH: Yeah.

Wow.

Michael seems very confident.

He's gonna get a lot of flavor
out of this lamb shank

sort of braising liquid
that's gonna turn into a sauce.

I like the strategy of Michael,
very complex,

very restauranty, of creating
a sauce for a lamb loin

based on a secondary lamb cut
like the lamb shank.

But again,
too much ambition for Michael?

Come on, baby.

45 minutes gone. We're now down
to the last 15 minutes.

Come on.

- All right, Dara, you've put
the meat in there. - Yeah.

You don't get to see it until
three minutes before you plate it.

- Yes, Chef. - You're gonna
serve us those short ribs,

and I'm gonna take that meat
between my fingers

- and I'm gonna pinch it like this.
- Yes, Chef.

And if I doesn't fall apart,
it's gonna be a problem.

I know, and that's a risk
that I'm willing to take.

JOE: Well, look,
I'm very, very excited.

And just remember.

- Come on, Dara!
- What's going on, Christian?

- What's up, boss?
- Talk to me. How do you feel?

- I'm feeling great right now.
- Yeah?

It seems like
you're ahead of the game.

You've got your crab cakes
already fabricated.

They're looking good. There's
a nice little thickness to that.

- You know.
- There you go.

All right.
Now, Christian, your entrée

is sort of like
the meat and potatoes,

or in your case,
the meat and parsnips

- of this meal, right?
- Yeah. Yes.

That presentation
needs to be concise,

- it needs to be beautiful...
- Correct.

- ...whimsical, and catch the eye.
- Yes, Chef.

- You gonna be able to do that?
- I'm gonna be able to do that.

- All right, we're counting on you.
- Yes, Chef.

- Go, Christian!
- Come on, Chris.

- Right, young man.
- Michael, how we doing?

MICHAEL:
Ooh, we're doing good.

- How you feeling?
- A little bit stressed,

- but I'm having a great time.
- There's a lot going on here.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm just getting ready for
my grit cakes to come together.

I'm prepping all my "mise".

I've got my corn purée done.

My herbs are done.
My radishes are pickling.

Man, everything's happening
right now.

All the garnish has been done.
Sauce is en route.

- The lamb's still raw here.
- It's not super thick.

I need to treat it very,
very delicately.

Is this going in the oven at all
or completely done in the pan?

MICHAEL: I'm gonna just
finish it gently in the oven

'cause I don't want
to burn those spices.

- Good, so baste it. Work nice and tidy.
- Yes, Chef.

- Good luck.
- Spend an extra minute to get organized.

- You got it. Thank you.
- You got this!

- Man, he's behind.
- He's behind.

It literally looks like
he's making five dishes.

- There's stuff everywhere.
- GORDON: So he's got all the pickled vegetables,

everything else ready, but
the grit cakes need to be set

before he makes an actual cake
and fry them. That's still in the pan.

He's not gonna
get all that done.

Too many burners, too many pots,
too many unnecessary things.

I agree, but when you look
at the station, it's a mess.

There is crap everywhere.

JOE: I'm concerned
that Michael's ambition

might take him down today.

I'm nervous.

I work clean, I'll look clean.

- My plate will be clean.
- The jeopardy for Dara,

when she serves me
that short rib

and I can put my fingers in it
and squeeze it apart,

- it'll be perfect.
- GRAHAM: Yeah.

GORDON: This is gonna be
make or break.

When that lid comes off,
it could go either way.

Christian's now starting
to sear his beef.

Some are that size, some are that
size. They're not all the same size.

Four filets, medium rare,
there's nowhere for him to hide.

This is gonna be so down
to the final minute.

Everyone's really
playing it risky.

GORDON: Yeah, one wrong move
in these final moments

and their dreams of becoming
the next MasterChef

- could go up in smoke.
- [CHEERING]

- Go, Dara!
- Yeah, Dara!

Whoo!

Let's go, Chris!

Oh, boy.

Next time, the "Back to Win"
finale continues.

It's the finale now.
Everything you've done so far

in this competition,
you're not blowing it now.

Less than five minutes, and
Dara's short ribs are still in the pot.

GORDON: We are judging you
on what you serve.

Big, deep breath.
Compose yourself.

With another guest judge
to impress...

Give a big warm welcome.
Christina Tosi!

...and with just
two courses left,

it's a fierce fight
to the finish line.

This dessert is a triumph.

You're pushing the boundaries.
You're testing our palates.

It's clear that you know great
flavor. It's a beautiful dessert.

America's next MasterChef is...