Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 7 - Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans! - full transcript

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

- Ramsay to Coast Guard.
- The top 18 faced their first team challenge of the season.

You will be feeding the women
and men of the U.S. Coast Guard.

- Uh-oh.
- Let's get some chow, men!

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

Don't jump ship.

But under a heavy
barrage of pressure...

Where's the potatoes?

It's stressing everybody out.

On the [BLEEP] floor,

and we've just put them
back on the grill?



[BLEEPING]

...one cook fought
a losing battle.

Alejandro, hand me your apron.

Tonight...

It's a secret that's so big,

I'm almost afraid to say it
on national television.

...a shocking truth
sets the cooks on a challenge

no one saw coming.

- I actually love vegan food.
- That can't be true.

Tonight you have to cook
an incredible vegan dish.

Vegetables by themselves?
It's like a bad nightmare.

You gotta go now.

With immunity
and elimination at stake...

This is a crowd pleaser, a
money maker, and a winner.



...the proof is on the plate.

- That is not good.
- The errors are significant here.

Say goodbye.

It's an exciting
challenge tonight.

And this genre of food
is very hard to execute.

Mm. Yeah.

[CHEERING]

- Welcome back.
- Let's go!

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

Being top 17 and winning our first
team challenge, it feels amazing,

but so far I've been
right in the middle of the pack.

Good to see you all.
Line up.

I wanna show the judges that
I'm not here to just skate by.

I'm here to win.

Right, all of you, welcome
back to the MasterChef kitchen.

We just came off
a very big field challenge,

so tonight we got a clean slate.

That means the immunity pin
is up for grabs again.

- ALL: Yes, Chef.
- For tonight's challenge

we're doing another
"MasterChef" first,

not just because the challenge
has never been seen before,

but because I've been keeping
a culinary secret

I've never told any of you.

It's a secret that's so big,

I'm almost afraid to say it
on national television.

Don't worry, Gordon.
This is a safe space.

- We'll support you.
- Right?

After all these years,

I can finally admit

that I actually love vegan food.

- Wow.
- That can't be true.

Are you serious? Mr. Beef Wellington
likes vegetables by themselves?

This just sounds
like a bad nightmare.

It's taken me 20 years
to get to this point.

[BLEEP] cauliflower steak.

Should be a ribeye steak,
not a cauliflower steak.

You know I'm not a rabbit,

and yet you serve me food
that's fit for a rabbit hutch.

In fact,
I'm not even going to eat it.

Guys, honestly, if I can learn
to cook phenomenal vegan food

after all those years
hating vegan,

then you can learn too.

Anyone with a good knowledge
of flavors and techniques

is capable
of amazing vegan cooking.

ALL: Yes, Chef.

So, tonight your challenge

is cooking us
an incredible vegan dish.

When it comes to cooking
vegan food, look at me.

I'm a meat guy.

- Wow.
- This is gonna be hard.

But first, to give you all
a little inspiration,

I'm gonna show you how
to prepare a vegan version

of one of my signature dishes

and turn my famous
beef wellington...

I knew it!

...into my infamous
beet wellington.

- Oh, wow.
- Everyone, please, eyes wide open.

- Whoo!
- Being a pastry chef, I don't personally

have a ton of experience cooking
with vegan food.

I've never worked
without dairy on my side,

so it's definitely
gonna be a challenge.

GORDON: I wanna say, beets,
I mean, the most amazing beets.

I've part blanched
this beetroot here, okay?

Beautifully seasoned it,
blanched it in boiling water.

We're gonna wrap this
with a vegan beet crepe.

We've taken the tops
of the beets,

puréed them with some fresh
chives, and made a proper crepe batter.

So lightly oil the pan,
season the bottom of the pan,

get that toasting a little bit,

and this crepe in.

Now spread it throughout.

From there, release that.

A little tap, tilt that down,

around, push away, and turn over

and get a really nice color
on there.

- Stop it, Chef.
- Va-voom.

That goes onto your cling film,
okay?

From there, take your mushrooms

and literally just spread that
out nice and thinly.

I've got some chestnut mushrooms
that I've chopped, take all the water out.

Next take your beet,
stick that in the middle, okay?

So we roll that over nice and
tight like that, squeezing the ends.

And just tighten that like that.

You can now start to see
that sort of shape

of the wellington.

We set that in the fridge,
literally like that, five minutes.

Now we start
with that vegan pastry.

Lay that down.

We don't use eggs, clearly,
'cause it's vegan.

What I've got is this
incredible brine from chickpeas.

- Mmm.
- Oh!

GORDON:
So brush nicely.

Once you've set your little
cylinder in the fridge,

literally sit that on top there.

Now we're gonna roll that over
nice and tight

- and then squeeze and twist.
- Wow.

Set that again in the fridge
five minutes.

Now once that's set,

get your brush again

and lightly paste over with your
brine from your chickpeas.

And then I've got
some toasted pumpkin seeds

that sit on top,

and that goes in the oven
for 12 to 14 minutes.

As that's cooking,

we're gonna start
dressing the plate.

And this is where
the dish goes up

to a completely 'nother
level now.

Nice.

It's so incredible
watching Gordon cook...

We've got golden beet purée.

...he's like an artist bringing paints
and colors to life on a blank canvas.

Take these roasted beets
and just sit them on the plate.

You just see
all these ingredients

just magically transformed
into this beautiful vegan dish.

I'm stunned by
that transformation.

Take your pastry out.

ALL: Wow.

That is perfect.

Slice off the ends
very carefully.

You can feel how crispy
that pastry is.

Lift that up.

Nicely done.

Wow.

And look. Amazing.

- Oh, wow.
- That's perfect.

GORDON: A little touch of acidity
with a beautiful balsamic vinegar.

And then finally
going to finish that

with a nice
bright green vinaigrette.

Wow, Chef.

GORDON: And there we have a
beautiful roasted beet wellington.

And that's how a true MasterChef

executes a delicious vegan dish.

It's so gorgeous.

Now tonight you'll have one hour

to create a stunning vegan dish.

Now all of the produce will
not be found in that pantry.

It will be found in our
beautiful MasterChef garden

which is located outside.

ALL: Oh.

Out there you will find all the
freshest fruits and vegetables

that you could ever desire for
the most delicious vegan dish.

You'll have access
to a limited pantry

with even more
vegan-friendly ingredients.

Whoever cooks
the best vegan dish tonight

will earn the coveted
immunity pin.

And the cook who makes the
worst dish tonight will be eliminated.

- Is everybody to hit MasterChef garden?
- ALL: Yes, Chef.

Right.
Your 60 minutes start now.

- Let's go.
- Go, go, go, go, go.

Go, go, go, go!

- Get to the garden!
- Come on, guys. Hustle.

- Push, push, push! Let's go!
- Go, go, go, go, go.

Go, go, go, go, go.
Come on.

Let's go, let's go,
let's go, let's go.

Move it! Move it!

Pressure's on.

- Ooh, that's beautiful.
- Oh, my God.

- Okay, and this.
- Basil, I am so sorry.

Jalapenos.

The MasterChef Garden
is incredible,

but why couldn't we have
some meat on ice out there?

We couldn't have
a couple turkey legs

or some steaks out there?
Like, come on.

Ginger.

Oh, mushrooms.
More mushrooms. Sweet.

- Gabe, you good?
- Yes, Chef.

- Got a lot of stuff out here.
- Inspired?

- Oh, hell yes, Chef.
- Good man.

- Mushrooms, leeks.
- GORDON: Brandi?

- BRANDI: Yes?
- Is your garden like this at home?

I actually have a huge herb
garden at home...

- I bet you do.
- ...because there's not very many herbs

- at the grocery stores around me.
- Right.

Garlic.
No, I don't need it.

I'm so excited to be doing
this vegan challenge

because I was a vegetarian
for a good chunk of my life,

and I actually raised
my daughter as a vegetarian.

Now I'm about to do a dish
that means so much to me,

something I cook for my daughter
all the time,

so I'm really excited
to show what I can do.

Let's rock and roll, Shanika.

Look at that. Yeah.

Okay.

Ooh, this is heavy.

- Using our muscles today.
- Let's get it.

Willie:
Come on, come on, come on.

Get those flavors.

GORDON: What a beautiful garden
out there.

- AARÓN: Yeah, absolutely.
- I can see a lot of ideas flowing.

To do the kind of ambitious,
complex preparations

to get to a vegan dish
and make it flavorful

without using dairy or meat
is very difficult.

- Really have to pull out your creativity here.
- Yeah, absolutely.

Nope.

Look at this!

BOWEN: I can do this!

- There we go.
- Being Lebanese,

a lot of our food
is veggie forward,

and I'm going to use recipes

that my grandmother taught me.

I'm making Lebanese falafel,
it's what I grew up on,

with watermelon radish,
the micro cilantro, and parsley.

This challenge was made for me,

and I'm really excited,
and I hope the judges love it.

SHANIKA: All right, go-time.

DARA: Perfect.
That's awesome.

Tonight I'm making a jackfruit
Peking duck taco

with pickled vegetables and
garnished with a ton of fresh herbs.

Jackfruit is
a great meat substitute,

and it takes on whatever flavors
you put into it,

so I'm really excited
to showcase this.

There we go.

BRANDI: I don't know what
that is, but it don't look good.

Honestly, I have not tons
of knowledge with vegan food.

I'm a meat and potatoes
kind of girl,

but, you know, I wanna show
that Southern food is versatile.

So I'm gonna make
a creamy vegan cashew polenta

with crispy lemon kale
and a fresh herb oil.

Hopefully I can be able to hold
my own in the kitchen today.

Don't forget the kale.

Come on, come on.
Get it in there.

GORDON: 15 minutes gone!

We're down now to 45 minutes.

Keep it going.

Whoo! Let's go, guys.

- All right, Señor Fred, Frederico.
- FRED: Hello.

AARÓN: What do you got going
on? Talk to us about your dish.

So I'm doing a take
on mapo tofu.

I'm making mapo tofu gnudi,

and I'm gonna serve it
with a mapo sauce

which a Chinese spice sauce.

So the gnudi is an Italian pasta

where it's just the filling that's
coated in a little bit of flour.

So the flour is just a container
for usually ricotta.

So how do you transform that concept
of the Italian gnudi to the vegan gnudi?

Silken tofu has a very similar
consistency to ricotta.

But the question is ricotta,
you would bind it with eggs.

What are you
gonna bind this with?

I'm gonna bind it with flour,
salt, and chives.

I've done this technique before, and it
actually does come together very organically.

JOE: This is super ambitious.

The idea of the dish is good,

so I hope you can pull this off.

FRED: I'm taking a risk

by doing something that
no one's ever done before

or even attempted
in this kitchen.

There is definitely
a lot of pressure to succeed,

because I got my apron on
a dessert that was vegan,

but I've never done this dish
in 60 minutes.

Oh, gosh.
I need to really hustle.

And I'm hoping that it'll
work out, but I am nervous.

Oh, God.

For this vegan challenge,
the stakes are high for me

just because I got my apron
on a dessert that was vegan,

but I'm just gonna keep myself
focused and power through.

I've got this.

GORDON:
Just over 40 minutes to go.

Remember three stunning plates,
one immunity pin up for grabs.

- Let's go!
- Behind. Sorry.

Come on.

We got this.

Right, Dara, how are we feeling?

Hi, Chef. I'm feeling great.

GORDON: Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

So today I'll be doing
a jackfruit Peking duck taco.

Wow, and what are you gonna do
to that jackfruit?

I'm gonna be marinating it
in hoisin,

- sesame oil...
- Wow.

- ...a ton of Asian flavors.
- Wow.

Smart move on the jackfruit.
Love that.

Where did it come from,
this idea?

Chef, this is a dish,
Peking duck,

that I eat every Christmas Eve
with my family.

- Right.
- And it's a dish that I know

- has a ton of flavor.
- Young lady, elevate this dish.

- Good luck.
- Yes, Chef.

WILLIE: Perfect.

All right, these are done.

I'm doing
a coconut key lime panna cotta

with a passion fruit
and mango coulis

and a toasted macadamia
and pink peppercorn crumble

and vegan doughnuts.

I got an ambitious
dessert today,

but I definitely
want to stand out.

Shayne from Texas, you are
a meat man at heart, right?

- Yes, sir.
- Y'all love your beef.

Have you ever cooked
a vegan dish before?

I actually... I feel like I have
a lot to live up to.

On the last challenge I was on,
on "MasterChef Junior,"

- I won the vegan dish.
- You won?

- Wow.
- Yes, sir.

GORDON:
I never thought I'd say this,

but you've just turned me
vegan for the night.

- Do you want to turn vegan?
- No, Chef.

I'm gonna be making
a risotto arancini,

and I wanna incorporate
some fresh vegetables.

- So I'm adding pumpkin.
- AARÓN: Okay.

Now we're three challenges in,

and you're
our youngest competitor.

Do you feel like you belong here
with the adults?

SHAYNE: I definitely feel
like I belong here.

I don't think age is necessarily
a matter in the kitchen.

It's all about what you've done
and your experience,

and I feel like I definitely have
enough experience to be here.

- Good luck.
- Perfect.

And I need some tomato
in there too.

Right, Derrick,
how are you feeling?

- Hi, Chef.
- Tell me about the dish.

I'm kinda inspired by you
a little bit.

I'm taking
a classic beef tartare

- and making a beet tartare.
- Okay, nice.

So a tartare is beautifully cut
if it's a beef.

- DERRICK: Yup.
- So you're gonna finely dice?

I'm gonna pressure cook them,
chill them,

and then I'm gonna mix them
in the food processor

with capers, some balsamic,

and then I'm putting
a smashed avocado.

- Well, give one base the texture.
- Okay.

Just don't give me
two layers of purée.

'Cause if I'm gonna eat
a beetroot,

I wanna have a bit of a bite
to the beetroot, okay?

- Okay. Yup.
- Okay.

What would immunity mean
for you tonight?

DERRICK: I've been kinda
middle of the road,

and I wanna show people
that I'm stepping up,

and that I'm here
to win this thing.

- Young man, good luck.
- Yes, Chef. Heard.

FRED: Keep it together.

SHELLY: Done, done, done.

I have a full vegan menu
at my restaurant.

So it probably
is my advantage tonight.

- Bowen!
- Hi.

- How are you?
- I'm doing pretty good.

- What is this?
- BOWEN: Chickpeas and also mushrooms.

- Oh, nice, and so talk to us about your dish.
- It smells good.

I want to make cabbage roll
and also tofu scallops,

serving with mango
coconut risotto.

JOE: How are you gonna
cook the tofu?

I want to be creative,

so I'm going to marinate
with tamari

and the olive oil
and then with leeks,

so it gives a flavor.

And also I want to give
a scallop look.

JOE: Very smart.

If you can nail the flavors

and make it right and tasty,

you have a winning combination
on your hands.

- Good luck, my friend.
- Yes, thank you so much.

Okay, got 'em.

Nice.

GORDON: We're down
to 30 minutes to go.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Salt.

DARA: You got this.

- Samantha.
- Chef.

- Right, how are we feeling?
- Good, Chef.

Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing?

I am doing a stuffed
potato pancake, Chef.

- GORDON: Wow.
- Inside is going to be

a very cooked down
meaty mushroom filling.

Right.

They've got a lot of earthiness,

and it's just a great
meat substitute for vegans.

And then I'm gonna do some
caramelized onions on top,

and I'm going to attempt
at making a vegan sour cream.

Where'd the idea come from?

Living in New York,
I went to a pierogi shop a lot.

So it's kinda playing
off of that.

How are you gonna stuff
the potatoes

because that's not even
boiling yet?

You need to get these potatoes
cooked fast,

and you've got a lot of
mushrooms packed in one pan.

Get another pan on there so you
can switch them out as well

so you got two things
working at once.

- Yes, Chef.
- That way it's gonna move twice as quick,

and make sure in that mushroom,
make it flavorsome inside.

This is "Back to Win" now.
You came back for a reason, yes?

- Yes, Chef.
- Prove it. Let's go.

Yes, Chef.
Thank you, Chef.

GABRIEL: Almost there.
How you doing, Dara?

- Doing good. How are you?
- I'm doing, girl.

GORDON: I've never seen the
MasterChef kitchen as energized as this.

AMANDA: Let's go, pita.

- I am so impressed I have to say.
- Honestly.

So Derrick's doing beet tartare.

The only issue I had is he's
gonna purée the both of them,

the avocado base
and a beet purée,

so I said,
"Look, give it some texture.

Don't just stick
two purées on the plate,"

but if that comes together,
they could be stunning.

BOWEN: Perfect!

Now Bowen, gonna take these
tofu, and they're mimicking scallops.

- Really?
- AARÓN: And if Bowen can transform

those tofu cylinders

and give them any kind
of resemblance to a scallop,

- that's a stroke of genius.
- Absolutely.

- This is good.
- Now Fred is doing a version

of a very traditional Chinese
dish called mapo tofu,

which is traditionally with some
sort of ground pork or beef,

and he's gonna make these
little dumplings or gnudi.

JOE: At the end of the day,
this dish is complex.

He's got a lot of techniques
going on, but Fred,

he's the strongest vegan cook
in this competition,

so I have sky high expectations
for him.

FRED: Oh, gosh. It's salty.

- How you feeling, baby?
- I'm all right. A little rushed.

Samantha, she's doing a potato
cake, a sort of vegan inspired pierogi.

- Oh, wow, that's cool.
- JOE: Love that.

GORDON: Beautiful idea,
but she's way behind.

She still has to assemble
all the pierogi elements,

and her potatoes
aren't even cooked yet.

- That is not good at all.
- That's not a good sign.

GORDON: Guys, 25 minutes to go.
Keep it going.

I'm worried because
it took me 15 minutes

to peel and dice
all of those potatoes,

- and they're still boiling.
- Come on.

I'm a little nervous.

If I take too long,

I won't get enough components
on the plate.

- Oof.
- SAMANTHA: Oh, my goodness.

Just stay calm.
Breathe. You got it.

SAMANTHA: Oh, my goodness.
Just stay calm. Breathe. You got it.

- No.
- Time is working against me.

I have a lot of potatoes to cook

for my vegan potato pancakes,

but luckily my potatoes are
just starting to finish cooking.

Hell yes.

The priority is definitely
getting these potatoes shaped

and formed
into those potato pancakes.

In order to get that done,

unfortunately I'm sacrificing a
little bit of the other elements.

So I have to make sure that everything
that goes onto that plate is perfect.

Let's go, Samantha!
Let's go!

GORDON:
Guys, 20 minutes to go.

Keep it going.

Oh, yes.
Let's cook, baby.

I'm coming behind.
Coming behind.

SHAYNE: Perfect.

- Shelly, what's up?
- Hey, how are you?

What's happening here?
This looks like a curry.

Yep, yep.
I'm making a curry tofu

- with a vegan roti.
- I like that.

I gotta represent all my Caribbean
cooking that I grew up eating.

I'm just trying to channel
my daughter right now

- 'cause this is one of the dishes she really likes.
- Of course.

What are some of the other
vegetables you're going to put in here?

Green beans, it's gonna
have some bell peppers.

But, Shelly,
in my humble opinion,

you're using vegetables
that are easily found.

- Yes.
- You have a beautiful MasterChef garden out there.

Think about maybe some more
luxurious vegetables.

I'm gonna try to really stay true
to tradition as much as possible.

- Okay.
- 'Cause when I tend to veer from that,

that's kinda when
I screw up things.

Does the vegan challenge
intimidate you?

- No, I feel really good.
- All right, thank you very much, Shelly.

- JOE: All right, Shelly.
- SHELLY: Thank you, Chef.

This is hot, hot, hot.
Do we got some smoke?

We need all the smoke today.

All right.

WILLIE: Ooh, yes.

DARA: I'm doing good.

I'm so proud of this polenta.

BRANDI: You can't even tell
it's missing butter and cream.

- Right, Shanika.
- Yes, Chef?

- How are you feeling?
- Good.

I'm making homemade mozzarella
right now,

so I can form my balls,
get them cool.

- You're doing a homemade mozzarella?
- Yeah, vegan.

GORDON: Tell me about the dish.

So I'm doing a caprese salad.
I'm gonna use heirloom tomatoes.

- Wow.
- And I'm having a basil vinaigrette.

- You know, I love that idea.
- Check out that drip.

- I love that idea.
- Check out that drip.

How are you gonna make
vegan mozzarella?

I'm using nutritional yeast,
agar-agar, a little bit of tapioca flour.

- Yes.
- Once I'm done cooking this down,

so it gets solidified,
I'm gonna marinate them

in that olive oil
with a little bit of oregano.

Man, where are these ideas
coming from?

You know, I went vegan
for three months

after I gained 30 pounds
eating pasta

every day
in culinary art school,

and I had to make recipes
that tasted good to me.

- GORDON: Sounds amazing.
- Thanks, Chef.

That's good,
that's good, that's good.

- Hello, Amanda.
- Hi, Joe.

What are you cooking
for us today?

Oh, I'm making falafel.

AARÓN: Are you gonna do
very traditional?

Are you gonna add
your own little twist to it?

So I was inspired by the garden,

so I have some watermelon radish
which isn't traditional.

We have the micro cilantro that
I'm gonna have with my tomatoes

and dress them in a little salad,
and pickled red onions as well.

You're playing
a high risk game here,

because I have a certain opinion
on falafel.

I'm sure Aarón does,
as Gordon does.

I know the dish, and I know what
it's supposed to taste like.

Right. That's true.

So this better be top, Amanda.

- You got it.
- AARÓN: Thank you, Amanda.

GORDON: We're down to
the last ten minutes now.

Last ten minutes.
Keep it going. Come on.

- Behind.
- Keep going.

The speed in what they're
working is incredible, isn't it?

SHANIKA: Okay, that's good.

Shanika, she's doing
a homemade vegan mozzarella.

- Oh, wow.
- This dish sounds amazing.

It's gonna be cool.
That's perfect.

Amanda is making a falafel,
but it's a huge risk

because we all know what we want
our falafel to taste like.

Will hers get to the level?
I don't know.

GORDON: Last five minutes.
Keep it going.

Think about your plating, guys.
Let's go!

SHELLY: Oh, my gosh.

Everything's going good, and then I realize
there's five minutes left on the clock,

but I didn't fry my tofu.

And I am freaking out right now

because I got rotis to create

and my curry's starting
to reduce way too much.

Oh, look.
Shelly's really behind.

- She needs to hustle.
- Oh, God. Okay, here we go.

Let's go, Shelly, come on.
Finish up, finish up.

Let's go.

- Derrick, taste the textures.
- That's what I'm doing.

Come on, let's go.
Samantha, let's go.

Come on, get color.

- Let's go! Come on, guys.
- AARÓN: Let's go!

- Worried about Shelly.
- Me too.

What is she... she's rolling
more roti at two minutes left.

- Nah.
- That is not good.

You gotta go.
You with me?

Yes, Chef. Yes, yes.

Let's go! 70 seconds.

Shelly, come on, let's go.

All right, get the roti out,
and get it cut now.

- Now. Now.
- Yes, Chef.

AARÓN: One minute, everyone!

Garnish, garnish. Let's go!

Oh, gosh.

15 seconds to go! Now, Shelly!

DARA: Oh, my goodness.

JUDGES: Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six,

five, four,

three, two, one.

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

- Whoo!
- Whoo!

[SIGHS]

Yes!

You good?

SHELLY: No.

I'm emotional now because
I'm representing so many people

that I feel like I really
didn't do it justice.

I just know it could be better.

I just hope somebody
screwed up more than me.

Now we're going to take a final
look at all of your dishes,

and from there we'll determine
who's in the top three

and, sadly, who's entering
the bottom three.

Bowen, did you invent
this dish today?

Yes, I was trying to make
some Italian flavor in there.

Coconut mango risotto.

- Italian flavor?
- Italian flavor? Coconuts and mangos?

No, it's Italian risotto,

but I made my own flavors.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Thank you, Bowen.

- Shanika, what was the cooking that you did?
- Yes, Chef?

The cooking that I did
was with my mozzarella.

- GORDON: Good job.
- AARÓN: Thank you.

SHANIKA: Thank you.

And what's the cream?

- The cream is a garlic cashew aioli.
- GORDON: Beautiful.

DERRICK: I took all your
suggestions, hand-diced the beets.

Visually, it looks beautiful.
Really good.

I know some of my fellow
contestants are really nervous

about this being
a vegan challenge

because they love to eat meat.

- JOE: You taste that?
- Yes, I did.

Stick your finger in it.

A touch more salt.

AMANDA:
It's truly anyone's game.

This competition
is super fierce.

You made
the taco shell yourself?

- I did. It's a Mandarin pancake.
- Yeah.

I think some people are doing
too much conceptually.

You can do incredible things
without having such elaborate food.

JOE: All right, Fred,
this dish was really ambitious.

- Did you get it all done?
- FRED: Yes, I did.

- You tasted that, right?
- Yes, I did.

Sweet.

I feel like I stayed true
to myself in this challenge,

and can't necessarily tell that
from the other dishes.

Samantha,
it's just fried mashed potatoes.

SAMANTHA: It's a stuffed potato pancake,
so the mushroom filling is in there.

- It's inside?
- It's inside, Chef.

Mysterious.

If I mess this up, I'm gonna be
super disappointed in myself.

Amanda, do you feel that your lovely family,
would they be happy with this falafel?

- Absolutely.
- Thank you.

Were you planning on giving it
some more color or wow

or is that what
it's supposed to look like?

- I was, but I ran out of time.
- Ran out of time.

Michael, you kinda separated
yourself from the pack.

You're one of the few
that did dessert.

Do you think that decision
paid off?

- I hope so.
- GORDON: Well done.

Brandi, are you happy with the decision of
putting in some cashews into that polenta?

I am. It's super creamy.

I feel like it tastes like it has
heavy cream and butter in it.

Mm-hmm.

- Wow.
- Yeah, a lot of good stuff out there.

- GORDON: There's some great dishes out there.
- JOE: Yeah.

How many techniques did he do?
He was a busy boy.

Yeah, that's, like,
a restaurant ready dish.

Mm-hmm.
Let's go to the bottom.

Look at that garden out there
and then look at her plate.

AARÓN: There's
nothing happening.

She's usually pretty smart.
Something's not right today.

- Shall we?
- I'm ready.

Tonight the plates,
some of the most spectacular.

It really confirms how much
I've grown to love vegan food.

With that said, we've agreed
on three exceptional dishes.

Remember, one of you three

will receive
a stunning immunity pin,

and the first dish we'd like to taste
and take a much deeper look at,

we felt that this individual put
their own spin on vegan food,

and it really does
ooze such finesse.

Please come forward...

- Derrick.
- Yes.

Wow, what a relief.
Finally, I'm in the top three.

I listened to Gordon,
I took all of his advice,

and got it on the plate.

I'm stoked.

GORDON: Young man,
describe the dish.

DERRICK:
This is a beet tartare

with a smashed avocado base,
a cashew garlic aioli,

and a scratch made
sesame crostini.

This dish is flashy.
It's you.

It's just everything we want
on a plate.

Thank you, Chef.

Derrick, the beetroots
are delicious.

I'm glad you didn't
just blitz your beetroot,

so we got some texture.

But a touch of chili
running through that,

I think it would've been
a near perfect dish.

Yeah, I think the genius for me

was you were able to pair
beets with avocado,

which is hard sort of
marriage to make.

You have something that's very
creamy and fresh with avocado,

and then you have beets,
which are very earthy and dense.

The fact that you chose
those particular ingredients

to highlight the beets I think
is really smart and clever.

- Thank you.
- JOE: I think this dish is better

than versions I have of this
in my restaurants.

This is a crowd pleaser,
a money maker, and a winner.

- Great dish.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you, Derrick. Good job.
- Good job.

Wow. That's awesome.

You killed it, Derrick.

All righty, the second dish
that we would like to taste further

is from someone who has been in
the middle of the pack up to this point

but came to life by cooking
in her cultural wheelhouse.

Please come forward, Amanda.

- Yay!
- Get it, girl.

I'm so excited.

I know my family would be
so proud of this dish.

AARÓN: Amanda,
please describe your dish.

AMANDA: Today I made for you
a falafel

using cilantro, parsley,
and mint from the garden.

And I also made
a pickled watermelon radish

along with
a tomato cilantro salad

and a creamy tahini sauce
and homemade pita.

It is everything that
a falafel should be.

It is inviting.
It looks so beautiful.

This is just too good to not
want to just jump in right now.

The pita bread is thin.

It's got that toasty flavor
that you want.

But what lifts this for me
which I've never had before

is the pickling
of those radishes.

Right amount of acidity
in there. Delicious.

But then the falafel,
the crispiness,

the way you were flavoring
that chickpea,

and the cook on them
is exceptional.

So it is street food elevated
to restaurant quality.

Thank you, Chef.

I bow down to your falafel-ness.
This is unreal.

It's just everything
you expect, you know?

The creamy herbaceous interior
of the falafel is there.

You didn't over-fry the
exterior, which a lot of people do.

I love it. Beyond reproach.

- Thank you so much.
- AARÓN: Delicious.

This is a perfect falafel,

but in this level
of competition,

is a perfect falafel enough
to win immunity?

We'll find out.

- Good job.
- Thank you, Amanda.

Thank you so much.

Good job, Amanda!

Hey! Ha ha!

- Good job.
- Awesome. Good job.

Thanks.

The final vegan dish
in the top three

that we'd like to taste,
it's made by a cook

who really presented
a restaurant quality plate,

and it belongs to Bowen.

This moment is what
I've been waiting for.

The technique, the flavors,

the creations all in this dish,

I deserve to get
the immunity pin.

All right, Bowen,
tell us what you made.

BOWEN: I made a tofu scallop
Chinese cabbage roll

and a mango coconut risotto,

and then served
with Thai curry sauce.

It looks appealing.
It looks complex.

You can see the work,
you can see the thought,

and you can see the time
that went into it.

Thank you so much.

Can't wait to eat this.

Look at that.

- Tofu is exceptional.
- Thank you.

Risotto, I don't think
it needs that risotto,

and there's nowhere in Italy
that puts mango in a risotto.

But the flavors are on point,

and I think what you've done
is beautifully articulated

the fake scallops with the sear

and just the perfect color
on them. Good job, Bowen.

AARÓN: What you have here
is truly elegant.

I don't know how,
but you did it, young man.

I'm really taken back by it.

If you want vegan food
that's creative,

that's packed with flavor,

that has voice and a narrative,
this is it.

I think that dish is kind of
a triumph in textures as well.

This is real top class dish.

Thank you.
I'm really happy.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

- Good job, Bowen.
- Good job.

- Delicious.
- Come on.

- That was good.
- Great job.

Very tough. So Derrick,
the beet was delicious.

Just keep cooking like that.

- GORDON: And falafel?
- Is it good enough?

Honestly, it was delicious.

JOE: Bowen's dish?

I think it is so clever
to make those scallops.

GORDON:
Yeah, it's a tough one.

- JOE: Got it? We agreed?
- Yeah.

Derrick, Amanda, Bowen,
three amazing vegan dishes,

but only one of you
will receive the immunity pin.

The dish tonight that deserves
the immunity pin

by a fraction above
the other two,

congratulations goes to...

GORDON:
Derrick, Amanda, Bowen,

the vegan that dish that
deserves the immunity pin

by a fraction above
the other two,

congratulations goes to...

Amanda!

- Yay.
- Let's go!

- Thank you.
- Good job.

- GORDON: Please, come and get your pin.
- Thank you.

Yay! I have the immunity pin!

Yay! Thank you.
Thank you so much.

I didn't think
it was gonna happen.

I'm so proud of myself.

All three of you, please, make your
way up to the balcony. Well done.

- Great job.
- Good job, Amanda.

AMANDA:
I love the balcony!

This is amazing.

Sadly, we also noticed
a few dishes tonight

that did not meet our "MasterChef:
Back to Win" standards.

That means one of you
will be leaving.

The first dish
we must examine even further

looks slightly anemic,
a little bit unfinished,

and we were concerned

it may not be cooked
properly either.

Please come forward...

- Shelly.
- Yep.

I'm so disappointed
in myself right now.

This is a dish that
I've made on a weekly basis

for my daughter.
I should've done better.

GORDON: Please describe your dish and tell
me what you brought in from the garden.

SHELLY: It's a curry tofu topped
with a vegan sour cream

and a scratch made roti.

And from the garden, green
beans, bell peppers, and shallots.

It doesn't look like you.
It looks bare.

100%.

Shelly, oh, dear.

Watching the way
you cooked previously,

it's such a dream.

Tonight you've had a nightmare,
young lady.

The curry's just over-reduced,

and there's nowhere
near enough vegetables in there

that screams
a beautiful vegan curry.

The balance of spice
is delicious.

The rest is just...
it's not Shelly.

These dish is so warming
and emotional.

I can tell
it's emotional for you.

I think in your head,

you wanted this to be
something so grand

that you forgot to kind of put in
some of the elements of the dish.

It just needs more veggie.

You could've really realized
that garden in a different way.

- Absolutely.
- JOE: I agree with all the comments.

It seems like an unfinished
dish to me, which I think it is.

Absolutely.

- Thanks, Shelly.
- JOE: Thanks.

Okay, the next dish
comes from a cook

who made an impressive mark
in season nine,

but whose vegan cooking skills
missed the mark tonight.

Please come forward, Samantha.

Samantha: My heart is
definitely in my stomach.

Bottom three is never
an easy place to be.

My dish may look simple,

but at the end of the day,

I think the seasoning
is on point,

and I think the judges
will see that.

- JOE: Thank you.
- SAMANTHA: Mm-hmm.

Okay, Samantha,
what did you make us?

SAMANTHA: Today I have for you
a stuffed potato pancake

with a mushroom filling, and I
made a vegan sour cream to go with it.

It looks so minimalistic.

It's like we took
half your time away.

Shall we?

AARÓN: You know,
what this tastes like to me

is like a frozen pocket
of something

that you would get
in the frozen section.

It's just mashed potatoes
with mushrooms in there.

There's no heat,
there's no usage of herbs.

It's just really boring.

This seems to me like...
I'm gonna tell you straight.

It seems like one component
out of four

of a mediocre breakfast
or brunch plate.

I've got hardly any flavor
in my mushrooms.

All I've got is a really nice
crispy outside of that potato.

It's almost like I'm talking
to the wrong person

because I know what you've done,

but I'm just not tasting
it tonight. I'm sorry.

Yes, Chef. Thank you.

AARÓN: The final dish that we
would like to taste from the bottom three

is from somebody whose sauce
left a lot to be desired.

Oh, [BLEEP]. That's me.

Please come forward...

AARÓN: The final dish that we
would like to taste from the bottom three

is from Fred.

FRED: I took a huge risk
with this dish,

and the judges know I can
execute vegan food properly.

- Fred.
- But I can see there's a lot of disappointment

in the three judges' eyes.

JOE: Fred,
please describe your dish.

FRED: I have here today
a tofu gnudi

with a mapo sauce that features
the roasted garden vegetables

and some tofu crema.

Fred, you know,
you plate like an artist,

and it's like you had blindfold
on tonight.

This presentation is like we're
back to "MasterChef Junior."

It's just clumped in a bowl.

Uh, ooh, Fred,

my issue here is
you've got so much salt

it's absolutely imploding.

And the gnudi are rock hard

and so there's just no texture.

There's a richness
behind the tofu.

I love that,
but it tastes canned.

- Oh, damn.
- For me to see this and that promise of mapo tofu,

and I get this and I'm just
completely let down.

It is way over the top salty,

but the great thing that I love
is actually the eggplant.

It's perfectly cooked. It's
melting in your mouth. I dig that.

JOE: The idea
of the dish is good,

but your technique
really let you down.

The errors are significant here,

because it's difficult
to eat this.

It's hard to believe
that just last week

you were wearing an immunity pin
and standing tall

and proud in front
of the competition,

and you've fallen flat,
young man.

Thank you, Fred.

Shelly, Samantha, Fred,

Joe, Aarón, and myself have got a
very tough decision to think about.

Please excuse us. Gents.

I hate this part.

GORDON: So, Shelly's, the dish
was half-finished, wasn't it?

- Yeah. It's too bad.
- And Samantha's,

it's almost like Samantha
had checked out halfway through.

I can't believe that
that's an hour of work.

- Yeah.
- Mine was boring, you know?

- They called my canned.
- They called mine frozen.

Fred was dreaming tonight.
That's not him, is it?

- No, it's not.
- The eggplant was good.

Yes, that was
one pleasant respite.

- Are we clear?
- Yep, we're clear.

Ready?

- Good luck, guys.
- You too.

Right, this has been
a very tough decision,

but there was one dish
that we felt was way below par.

That dish belongs to...

Samantha.

Aw, Samantha.

Tonight that dish wasn't anywhere
near "MasterChef: Back to Win."

Fred, Shelly,
say goodbye to Samantha

and head back to your benches,
please.

I love you so much.

- See you in New York, okay?
- Thank you.

Young lady, tonight you may
have cooked like you'd given up,

but let me tell you something
really important.

I haven't given up on you.
Continue that journey.

- Promise me?
- Yes, I promise, Chef.

You have so much talent. You
know what's right and what's wrong.

This doesn't define you.
Hopefully it just makes you stronger.

Sam, please place the apron
on your bench and say goodbye.

- Thank you.
- Take care.

Love you, Sam!

SAMANTHA: To be back to cook for
these judges again has been amazing.

It's an amazing experience connecting
with some of these other chefs.

[MURMURING]

In past seasons, they've looked
at somebody's potential,

but we all have potential,

so that's not a factor
this season.

Season 12 is unlike
any other beast.

Damn.

See you later, girl.

But my culinary journey
is not over for me.

Bye, everyone.

The competition is just
too tough this year.

- GORDON: Next time...
- Welcome back!

the cooks take a virtual
culinary trip around the globe...

Japan!

...in a Southern inspired
fusion challenge.

Oh, great. Ethiopian Southern
fusion? That [BLEEP] crazy.

With celebrity chef
Tiffany Derry in the house...

The idea is to punch in as
much flavor as quick as you can.

I'm really scared now.

- Taste that before?
- Never even heard of it.

- GORDON: Oh, my Lord.
- Why is it dropping?

They look like they're burning.

- GORDON: Southern fusion...
- You're onto something.

JOE: It really is
a celebration of flavor.

It's called perfection.

...spirals into confusion.

- JOE: This dish was bad.
- Just bizarre.

It's kind of a disaster.

I should've paid attention
in geography.