Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 9 - Bake to Win - full transcript

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

- Welcome back!
- ...the cooks took a virtual culinary trip

around the globe in a
Southern-inspired fusion challenge.

Oh, great. I've never eaten or cooked
Ethiopian food. That [BLEEP] crazy.

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

- I'm really scared now.
- AARÓN: Let's go!

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

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

AMANDA: They look like
they're burning.

One cook rose to the top...

It really is a celebration
of flavor.



Congratulations
goes to Christian.

...while others
missed the mark.

This dish looks bad.

Shayne, your dish was at
the bottom of the class.

- Say goodbye.
- Tonight...

Welcome, top 15.

...the cooks have to replicate
the perfect dessert.

- So fast.
- Ooh.

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

- You're making me nervous.
- Get over it and get cooking.

But to get that immunity pin...

It's really perfection.

- AARÓN: Unreal.
- Absolutely exceptional.

...you've got to bake to win.



And right now you're in danger.

- It's not coming together.
- Please get it cooked!

FRED: Her parchment's on fire.

JOE: It's totally raw.

This is the worst performance
in the competition so far.

Come on, man.
You got two cookbooks?

- They look beautiful.
- Wow, look at this.

Look at that.
Fit for a queen.

- [CHEERING]
- Yes.

Welcome back.
Line up, please.

- Oh, what is that?
- Cake, cake, cake. Desserts.

Dessert challenge! I have never seen
a display of such beautiful desserts,

but baking challenges
are infamous in this kitchen.

It will send home
even the best cooks.

Oh, the napoleons, gorgeous.

Welcome to the top 15. Give
yourselves a round of applause.

Come on.

And as you can probably guess,

tonight is "Bake To Win."

Christian, do you wish
you were competing tonight?

- Hell no.
- No.

AARÓN: All right, guys, all of
these pastries and sweet treats,

they are some of the most difficult
desserts to cook from around the world.

Tonight your challenge
will be to choose

one of these incredible desserts
and replicate it perfectly.

I'm afraid of those difficult
ones like the Paris-Brest

or those layer cakes

because they take so many
different techniques

to roll into one confection.

The cooks who come closest
to nailing these desserts

will have a shot at getting
the coveted immunity pin.

But if your flavors fail
to impress us,

then you'll be eliminated.

Now, Christian,
tonight that immunity pin,

it comes with a huge advantage.

Here's how it's gonna work.

You get to decide
the picking order.

- Damn.
- Oh, the order?

- Sweet.
- Make your way down here please, young man.

Let's get it!

Christian, he gets to pick

the order that
we choose our dessert.

If you get to go first,
that's a pretty sweet advantage.

GORDON: Christian,
what's your strategy?

Do you give your friend
the first pick?

Do you leave the person
that you are desperate

to take out of this competition
to the very end

with the Paris-Brest, napoleon?

There's a lot of factors to
consider, so choose wisely.

Okay, Christian,
it's time for you to announce

who gets first pick
of the desserts.

This first person
I'm gonna choose,

we had a great relationship
my season.

Willie's gonna be my first pick.

- Wow.
- Oh, Willie.

Willie, pick of the litter.

Going with
the chocolate mousse cake.

- Nice.
- Not the easiest, but it's not the most difficult, is it?

JOE:
Yeah, it's pretty standard.

All right, this person,
I feel she has a lot to show

and I wanna see her shine.

Shelly.

Christian called me second.
I'm so hyped.

And I think he wants me
to take something

that's a little more easy,
but I'm gonna take a risk.

- Ooh!
- GORDON: Shelly, wow. Napoleon.

That's a tough one, that one.

She picked
the most difficult one.

- My strategy was...
- The lemon meringue tart.

...pick people
I'm less threatened by first.

Passionfruit coconut cake.

- Wow, wow.
- Also not easy.

GORDON:
Dara, where are we going?

Right for this cake, Chef.

- Ooh, the chiffon cake.
- Again!

She just picked that up,
like, with ease.

- GORDON: What?
- JOE: Ooh.

- AARÓN: Wow.
- Macarons.

They're picking some of
the most difficult desserts.

I'm surprised, too.
Hopefully they nail them.

I wanted my biggest competition
to get the hardest dessert,

but my strategy
may have backfired.

CHRISTIAN:
All right, this next person,

you studied with Tosi
for a while now, right?

Do what you do. Show me. Fred.

- [GASPING]
- Whoa!

- No!
- Paris-Brests.

You better bring your Christina Tosi
magic to that choux pastry tonight.

Absolutely, Chef.
I'll make her proud.

Now, Derrick, Michael,

I think it's absolutely clear
you pose a threat to Christian.

So who's going next?

Come on, man,
you got two cookbooks?

- Right?
- That's right.

- So I'm going with Mike.
- Wow, Michael.

Which one you leaving
for Derrick?

Hazelnut ricotta cake
or sticky toffee pudding?

This is the winner.

This is
the hazelnut ricotta cake.

GORDON: Derrick,
Derrick, Derrick. Last pick.

You're not used to being
the last pick anywhere.

The good news
is you're a wanted man,

which should make you feel
a lot stronger.

I was trying to avoid
this target on my back.

You already know, when we
step in here, this is competition.

- You talk a lot of [BLEEP].
- DERRICK: You've been talking [BLEEP].

You're lucky right now.
You're lucky you're over there.

- Ooh.
- There can only be one alpha male in this kitchen,

- and that's me.
- Okay. We'll see.

Please pick up
those sticky toffee puddings.

That's a beautiful dessert.

Christian, well done.
Please, head on back upstairs.

- Right, everybody ready?
- ALL: Yes, Chef.

GORDON: 90 minutes to replicate
that stunning dessert.

Your time starts now.
Let's go.

Sugar, sugar, sugar.

Does anyone know
where the cornstarch is?

- It's down here.
- Golden kiwis, passionfruits.

I don't know how much
strawberries I need.

I need some eggs.

I love baking.
Blueberries.

I've gone through
culinary school

as a baking and pastry major,

so this my comfort zone.

However that first dessert
I put forward

a few weeks ago landed me
in the bottom three.

It's not what a cake looks like.
It looks like pancakes.

But I'm determined
to get redemption,

so I have to take my deep
breaths and just stay focused.

All right.

I chose the Paris-Brests today.

It is a French dessert that
is very similar to an éclair,

but it's ring shaped.

Baking is my favorite thing
in the world,

but that's what puts so much
more pressure on me to succeed,

because if I screw up
on a baking challenge,

that's just humiliating.

TOMMY: Come on.

I have macarons.

I think the macarons are one
of the hardest things up here.

So when I was chosen
and it was still left,

I figured I'd just go ahead
and do it.

It's "Back To Win," y'all.

You know, it's not
"Back To Get The Easiest Dessert

And Hang On
By The Skin Of Your Teeth."

Some people probably got their feelings
hurt over Christian's choices today,

but you know,
we're here to cook.

And if you wanna be MasterChef,

then really you should be able
to cook anything up there,

so get over it and get cooking.

- Hey, uh, Derrick?
- DERRICK: Yeah?

You ever had
an immunity pin? No?

- Excuse me, I'm baking.
- Come on, man.

- Derrick. Derrick, Derrick, Derrick.
- Yes, Chef.

Just turn around a minute. I just
wanna see that target on your back.

Thank you. It's big.

Why does Christian
want to send you home?

Maybe he sees me as a threat,
and he should.

You've got
the sticky toffee pudding.

Which did dessert
didn't you want tonight?

I didn't want this one,

because you're known
for making this one amazing,

and so not only do I have to
show out and be the best tonight,

but I also have
to make you happy.

Sure. You look inside, it's
all about that batter, right?

- DERRICK: Right.
- That is it.

Once you've got
that batter made,

everything else is history.

- Thank you. Yes, Chef.
- Focus, okay?

- You good, Derrick?
- Messed with the wrong dude.

I think that's enough of those.

Ooh, it's starting
to smell sweet in here.

- Yes!
- I want some dessert.

You wanna come down and cook?

Nah, I don't want
to mess up my boots.

This is it, "Back To Win."
"Bake To Win."

These are some of the most
technically advanced desserts

that most pastry chefs
spend years perfecting.

Yeah, in order
to be a MasterChef,

you have to be well-versed
in all aspects of the kitchen,

and pastry is
definitely one of them.

If you can shine in this particular
challenge, you're one to watch.

GORDON: The name of the
game here is perfect replication.

So our cooks should be tasting
their example desserts

in order to perfectly replicate
those flavors.

So if you had the pick of
the litter of all these cakes,

Chefs, what cake
would you pick tonight?

I would love that passionfruit
and coconut cake.

Being able to balance
the acidity of the passionfruit

with the sweetness
and lusciousness of the coconut,

- that would be my jam.
- I think that napoleon.

There's something
quite beautiful

about those three layer
mille-feuille short crusts,

the pastry cream, berries,

and then that
white chocolate frosting on top

with the feathering.

That is immaculate.

Very difficult though.

So Shelly, she's a food truck
gal from Brooklyn,

and she had the second pick.

I don't understand why she
would've picked something so difficult.

Come on, I need you to set.

I don't bake a lot,

and my history with baking
challenges, it's embarrassing.

Unfortunately your sponge
is undercooked.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH] Shelly, wow.
- Hey, how are you?

- It makes me nervous just looking at these things.
- AARÓN: I know.

- Are you crazy?
- Nah, I mean, it's a biscuit method.

So, I know how to make biscuits.
They're layered and flaky.

I mean, biscuit is a strong
word, 'cause it's actually...

Because the real word
is mille-feuille in Italian,

and mille-feuille
means 1,000 layers.

Yeah, I know. It's really just
everything chilling and setting

and letting that butter come
together so it melts out slowly

and I get those layers in there.

So these are kind of me
against the elements.

I can only control so much,

so I'm doing my best to make
sure what I can control, I do.

- There's a lot going on here.
- JOE: Good luck.

All right, thank you so
much, Chef. I appreciate you.

I love baking,
but I like to take my time

in the solemnity and calmness
of my kitchen at home.

And this is not a calm kitchen.

Right, Tommy,
a lemon meringue tart.

Yes, this is my husband
Roger's favorite dessert,

so I know what
it's supposed to taste like

and I know what
it's supposed to look like.

Have you got
a beautiful pâte sucrée,

the sugar paste at the bottom?
Have you made the pastry?

- Yes, it's chilling off.
- Right.

I'm gonna blind bake it in a
tart shell and make it really nice.

Do you see the thickness
of this? How perfect that is?

Yes, it's nice 3/8ths
of an inch thick.

That's right. Replicate
that, please, Tommy, yes?

Yes, sir. I will.

Good luck. Good luck.

Come on, come on, come on.

There we go.

We've just come up
to 15 minutes gone,

and we're down
to 75 minutes remaining.

Okay, cake is going.

This dough,
it's not coming together.

Working with the napoleon,
the crust...

you can't manipulate it.
You can't touch it too much.

Because if you touch it too much,
your butter's going to start to melt,

and you want your butter
only to melt while it bakes.

But it's not doing
what it's supposed to do.

The dough has to still bake,

and it still has to cool,
and it's not even in yet.

I am...
I'm freaking out right now.

Okay.

Come on, Shelly.
Let's get it.

Hindsight's starting
to hit me right now, like,

"This is why everybody
was looking at me crazy

when I chose this dish."
What did I just get myself into?

Come on, Shelly,
you gotta get that in the oven.

SHELLY:
I know, I know, I know.

Let's go, Shelly. You gotta
move. There's a lot to be done.

I know, I know, I know.

I've already spent a big chunk
of time working on this dough,

and then on top of that, I still
have to make a pastry cream,

and also I need to do
a white fondant on top.

- Come on.
- With this napoleon,

it's a lot of intricate steps
that have to occur

in order to go to the next step,

so I cannot skip
any steps right now.

CHRISTIAN: Shelly, you
got your dough in the oven?

No, it's about to go in.

You need to go now.
You need to get that in there.

SHELLY: I know.
Two more minutes.

JOE: Christian's picking order
was intended to target

his biggest competition,
but I think Christian's strategy

might've been derailed by
the ambition of our home cooks.

SHELLY: Oh, my God.

Think of the irony of this.
Shelly, she has every advantage.

She picks the most difficult dessert,
the napoleon, and goes home on it.

[BLEEP]

GORDON:
Just over half an hour gone.

55 minutes remaining. Remember,
we want exact replications.

Gotta go fast.

JOE: Willie, Willie, Willie,
you were the first pick.

- What a gift.
- This was amazing.

AARÓN:
So why chocolate mousse cake?

A lot of people don't understand
when I first came into this game,

I was a baker.

Watch out for Willie.
He's here to bake.

And so I feel like
this is my opportunity

to show that, "Hey, I can cook,
and I can also bake."

I think this is gonna give me
the immunity pin, honestly.

- Do your thing, Willie.
- Good luck, Willie.

Fricking butter cream!

I picked
a strawberry pistachio tart

because I wanted
to redeem myself

for the knife work that the judges
weren't a big fan of in the last challenge.

Last week
I was in the bottom three.

So this time around,
I really wanna show the judges

how precise I can be.

I've never made anything
like this before,

but I'm hoping that
I can replicate it exactly.

I'm most worried about
just finishing on time,

because there are multiple
different techniques

that go into the dessert
that I've chosen.

So that's my enemy today,
is the clock.

Okay, syrup is done.

SHELLY: Ooh, baby.

GABRIEL: Gotta move, gotta move,
gotta move, gotta move.

- Young lady.
- Yes, Chef?

The berry chiffon cake,
quite honestly,

one of the most
difficult ones tonight.

Sad to see Shayne go last week.
You're now the youngest,

the one with a huge amount
of pressure on your shoulders.

- Yes, Chef.
- How do you fare in amongst that?

Chef, age is just a number.

When it comes to baking,

this is where
I know I can shine.

- How's the batter?
- It's in the oven, Chef.

- Good. Aerated properly?
- Yes, Chef.

Because you can see
those layers there,

and if they're uneven,
your cake's uneven.

- Yes, Chef.
- Good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

Just over 45 minutes remaining.
Let's go. Come on, guys.

Cake bakers, those layers should
be coming out and cooling.

So, Dara, she went straight
for that chiffon cake,

one of the most
complex desserts tonight.

She seems super confident,

but that's a tough one
to nail tonight

because not only does she have
to decorate it beautifully,

it's gotta be cooked
beautifully inside.

It's four layers.

If they're not cooked evenly,

it's gonna be
put together unevenly,

and then you've got
this awkward looking cake.

DARA: We're good.

TOMMY: Ay-yi-yi.

Hey, Tommy, did you do
your crust already?

TOMMY: It's chilling.

GORDON: Tommy for went for the
easy one, the lemon meringue tart.

That base needs to be
nice and crisp.

But here's my worry with Tommy.

Everybody else
has got their tarts in,

but Tommy's dough
is still in the fridge.

TOMMY:
Oh, it's taking forever.

GORDON: If he doesn't get that
in the oven soon,

he's gonna be in real trouble.

Okay.

Gorgeous.

Oh, my gosh, Fred,

I still have so much to do.

FRED: You got it, Brandi.
You got it.

My first batch of macarons

does not look
the way I want it to.

They're too small, they're
too tall, they look grainy.

Oh, my gosh.

I don't just have to make
40 macaron sandwiches.

I have to replicate
this elegant, beautiful tower.

There's about 40 minutes left
of the cook,

but I decide that
I'm going to make,

pipe, and bake 80 new cookies.

I can do this. I can
do this. I can do this.

DERRICK: Perfect.

- You got this.
- Come on, baby, come on.

I got the hazelnut ricotta cake.

I have absolutely
no baking training,

but on season ten
I won a baking challenge.

This individual executed
a delicious tarte tatin.

Michael.

But top 15 is where
I got sent home on season ten.

So I feel the pressure
right now.

I gotta make it further
than I did last time.

All right, Michael,
so how do you feel?

I feel pretty good. I got my
cakes cooling in the fridge,

so I'm getting ready
to assemble.

I need that cake to cool before
I can get it out of the mold.

Yeah, there's such a thing as
overcooling, you know what I'm saying?

Yeah, I just checked.
They were still warm.

I'm gonna pull them
in about one minute.

- This is your ganache?
- That's my ganache.

It might get a little grainy.
I'm gonna have two options.

I wanna make sure I give you
a beautiful, smooth ganache.

One thing can
sink you here, okay?

I won't let you down.

AMANDA: Curd, come on, curd.

BRI: This is a workout.

Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

- Right.
- Hey, Chef.

Young lady, you came out of
the gate early, picked third,

and you go for one of the most complicated
desserts, a coconut passionfruit cake.

- Why?
- High risk, high reward.

So if I nail this, I think that
means I get the immunity pin.

The yellow stood out to me... a ray
of sunshine like my daughter Hannah.

So I wanted to bake this
for her.

This time in
the MasterChef kitchen,

it's so much bigger
than just me.

I have my daughter Hannah
to think about.

Baking is how we bond,
so I want to make her proud.

I know she means
the world to you,

and she's with you
every step of the way.

- She is.
- Good luck.

Thank you so much.

EMILY: Ooh, baby.

WILLIE: Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

Let's go, Tommy.
What's going on, man?

You're making me nervous.

Tommy, is that tart in yet?

No, it's not in yet.

Oh, my goodness me. Tommy...

TOMMY: I'm just getting ready
for my meringue.

Don't worry about the meringue.
Please get the tart in the oven.

- I am getting it in, Chef.
- Tommy.

- Yes, Chef? I know it.
- The pastry's frozen.

- No, it's frozen.
- It's rock hard, but I'm gonna get it in.

I made the mistake
of putting my tart dough

into the blast chiller
instead of the refrigerator.

- It's as hard as a rock.
- Okay.

- It's gonna get there.
- Tommy.

- I can get it back together.
- Tommy, Tommy.

It's a very forgiving
tart shell.

It's got more cracks in it
than the Nevada Desert.

I'm gonna get the cracks out.

This is an absolute disaster.

If I don't fix this crust,

it's definitely
not gonna have time to bake.

- Ay-yi-yi.
- Oh, my God, Tommy.

Oh, God.

You're like your tart shell.
You're cracking under pressure.

You can still get this done
if you reshape that dough,

roll it out,
and get it in that tart shell.

That's what I'd be doing
if I was in your shoes, yeah?

Yes, Chef.

GORDON: We're down to half an
hour remaining, guys. Half an hour.

We should start thinking about
the assembly now, yes?

DERRICK: Yes, Chef.

Sticky toffee pudding
coming out.

Beautiful! My guy! Whoo!

- CHRISTIAN: Looks good, dude.
- Thank you.

Tommy, once it's baked,
we can trim it after.

He's not listening
to anything I'm telling him.

You can bring a horse to water.

- Can't make him drink.
- Oh, my God, Tommy.

Tommy, the tart's
gotta go in the oven!

It's going in right now.

Please get it cooked!

Bri, do you have
your strawberries cut yet?

Not cut yet. I'm gonna do it
while this bakes.

This strawberry pistachio tart,

it is a little bit intimidating.

There's layers,
and those layers have to cook

and cool and set before you
can move on to the next layer.

So if one thing messes up,

it's just a bad snowball effect.

Let's go, Bri.
Come on.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.

DARA: Are you okay, Bri? It's
okay. Just breathe. Just breathe.

- Yeah, shoot. Thank you.
- DARA: You're good.

You've gotta be kidding me.

I almost dropped my tart.

This is my worst nightmare

because the dough
is way underdone,

but I have no choice
but to pull it out

so I can put the next layer on
and get that in the oven.

Okay, carefully.
Homestretch.

Bri, you're in a bit
of a tailspin.

- Are you okay here?
- I'm okay. I saved it.

I almost dropped it,
but saved it.

Bri, out of all
of your fellow competitors,

you have a lot
to prove this week.

I heard your feedback
last time around

with the knife cuts
in my summer rolls.

And I am a precise person
and I wanna show that,

- so that's why I picked this.
- JOE: This is precision.

- BRI: It is.
- Do you have your pistachios

already crisped up?

Not yet.
That's kind of the final thing.

The little things
are going to matter.

Oh, I know.

Shelly, can we start assembling?

Not yet, Chef.

FRED: Oh, my, uh, is that...
her parchment's on fire.

JOE: Uh-oh, Brandi's got
something on fire.

- AARÓN: Be careful.
- What is she doing?

GORDON: Watch out.
Stand back. Stand back.

- Stand back.
- Sorry about that.

I don't know where my head
is right now.

I am in such a frenzy.

Sorry about that, Chef.

I have the kitchen on fire
right now

and it's not the worst thing
happening at my station.

Brandi, we need to start
thinking about our assembly.

- Yes, Chef, I know.
- Okay, I know they don't look perfect on the outside.

I get that, but look at me.
You can start assembling.

Is the buttercream ready for the
center? What have you got to do?

I'm doing
the buttercream right now.

I've got the strawberry
filling ready.

I've got some beautiful new
macarons in the oven right now.

GORDON: Sure, but I'd
rather get a tower finished

with not the most
perfect macaron...

- Than nothing.
- ...than nothing at all.

And right now you're in danger
of not assembling them, okay?

BRANDI: Yes, Chef.

- You almost burned down the kitchen, Brandi?
- Going down in flames.

GORDON:
Christian, what a night.

Yes, it is, Chef.

Great strategy.
Has it paid off?

Derrick seemed very composed,
but I was surprised, honestly,

for the people who had first
pick, they're [BLEEP] up.

The biggest surprise for me
is Shelly.

She chose that napoleon, and
she's struggling now to execute that.

Yes, and she grabbed it
with a lot of confidence too.

Freaking damn it. I'm so
vexed with myself right now.

I don't know about Bri. I mean, it took
her forever to get her crust in the oven.

So hopefully we'll see
how it comes out.

But now she's started her
strawberries.

GORDON: Yeah, the cut on those
strawberries is crucial.

Very crucial. And Brandi.

GORDON: She's nowhere near
80 pieces of macarons.

- BRANDI: This is all I can do.
- GORDON: She's way behind.

I've never seen her
this stressed out before.

Last ten minutes, guys.
Come on, please. Let's go.

- FRED: Just keep going. Just keep going. Trust your gut.
- BRANDI: I am.

Let's go, Bri. Come on.

It's gonna take longer
than you think

to put those strawberries on.

BRI: I know.

Shelly, make sure you have all
of your elements ready to pipe.

Whoo! Hot.

AARÓN: Five minutes.
Five minutes remaining.

Try and use both hands
and just... first of all...

- I'm shaking so bad.
- Yep, look at me.

Hands, on top, on top,
and then...

'cause you're doing it
the long way around.

There you go. Two hands.

You got another tray after that
or is that it?

No, this is 40.
I gotta get them all done.

Okay, keep it together, okay?

Hey, come on.
Don't give up.

90 seconds to go.
Come on, Bri!

AARÓN: Here we go.

Let's go, you guys!
Come on, let's go!

30 seconds!
Come on, Brandi, please!

[GROANS]

JUDGES:
Five, four, three, two, one.

- And stop. Oh, my goodness me.
- AARÓN: That's it.

- Whew.
- Dara, it looks the same.

- Like, come on, baby.
- Thank you.

- I'm not proud of this at all.
- Don't feel bad.

- You got 40 [BLEEP] macarons on there.
- You did it.

There is something about baking
in the MasterChef kitchen,

you know, that just brings
everyone to their knees.

- Wow.
- I messed up.

Yeah, I messed up.

Come here. Stop. Stop.

Tonight we asked you all
to pull off a replication

of one the world's
most difficult desserts.

Now we're gonna take a look
at who is in the running

for that coveted immunity pin

and who is in danger
of being eliminated.

Derrick,
being the last one picked,

that's a lot of emotion
going in there.

You know, the bummer about being
last is it's not my choice.

Everyone else
got to pick something.

- Looks like it worked out okay for you.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Shelly picked the iconic napoleon.
- SHELLY: Correct.

- JOE: You had some problems.
- SHELLY: A lot.

AARÓN:
It just, it looks a mess.

I don't think most people
understand how hard it is

to bake these dishes
in 90 minutes.

So we had some issues tonight,
didn't we?

- Yes, I did, sir.
- Mm, okay.

Baking is really a science.

You have to be precise
and you have to be careful.

Why does this look different
from that?

WILLIE: Oh, the garnish?

I tried to temper the chocolate

and put it on the board,
but it was hot,

and so it wasn't
setting properly.

It's a shame
you put those store bought

chocolate bits at the end there.

- I'd rather you just use nothing.
- Yes, Chef.

I definitely think this is one of the
hardest challenges we've had so far.

Texture's gotta be right,
your flavor's gotta be right.

There is no room for error.

- Are you satisfied?
- I am.

Do you think we're happy?

I hope so.

Brandi, that was
a pretty frenetic cook, no?

Yes, Chef. I'm proud that I
even got anything on here.

I didn't think I was going to
for a minute.

Okay, Bri,
it's a little bit undercooked.

BRI: It is.

- GORDON: So, Michael, you happy with those?
- Yeah.

I was worried about my ganache, but was
able to fix it and get it nice and glossy.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

There a lot of amazing desserts
out there,

but unfortunately, we had
to cram that down to just three

of the best dishes.

The first dessert
we'd like to taste,

baked with such finesse

despite being one of
the last cooks to go and select.

Please step forward, Michael.

Finally! I am here.

Ah, this feels so good.

GORDON: Right, Michael,
tell us about the dish.

MICHAEL:
This is a hazelnut ricotta cake

with a chocolate ganache
and candied hazelnuts.

GORDON:
Visually, um, stunning.

We asked for a replication,

and you've done just that.

Great height, great technique,
and they look delicious.

Michael, the ricotta cakes
are delicious.

It's nice and crisp
on the outside,

and then you go into this nice,
sweet, savory filling.

It's hard doing six
perfectly right,

- and you've nailed it.
- Thank you.

I'm excited because I can taste
90 minutes of work here.

The ganache is tasty.

I think that really helps
reinforce all the flavor of the cake.

I think that you were spot on
in replicating it visually,

but I think if it were a little bit
moister, they would've been identical.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

The second dessert
we want to dig into and try

was baked by a young cook

who's previously landed
in the bottom three

but shined tonight.

Please come forward, Dara.

Yeah, Dara!

I'm really happy because
the last dessert I made

put me in the bottom,

and this time
it's like redemption.

My only worry with this cake

is that you don't know

what it looks like
on the inside.

So I'm praying
that my layers are even.

Okay, Dara,
tell us what you made.

DARA: So today I made
a berry chiffon cake

with a blueberry
Swiss buttercream.

Of the two, which
is more beautiful to you?

I think that mine may have
some straighter edges

and may be a little smoother.

- You know what, Dara?
- [DARA LAUGHS]

- I agree.
- AARÓN: I think you actually

counted the blueberries.

- I mean, that's...
- Of course, she did.

That's how close you are.

JOE: It's almost too bad we have
to taste this. I wish we could sell it.

The most difficult part
of this tonight was what?

Making sure
that my layers were even.

Yeah, that is crucial.
Let's find out.

[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

So, Dara, the most difficult
part of this tonight was what?

Making sure
that my layers were even.

- Ooh, la, la.
- Man.

GORDON:
Really beautiful.

CHRISTIAN: Good job, Dara.

- JOE: It's excellent.
- GORDON: Textbook.

It's delicious. The sponge is just
airy, light. The frosting is wonderful.

I think the balance between
the acidity

of those blueberries
and the compote, spot on.

Very hard to get that right.
I'm just so happy for you, girl.

- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.

The frosting is in balance.
It's nothing overly sweet.

Just a little touch
of savory-ness in there.

I mean, just unreal.

Thank you, Chef.

It's really perfection.
Bravo.

- Well done.
- Thank you so much.

- She deserved that.
- Good job, Dara.

To turn around and say that the
edges are straighter than ours?

- AARÓN: I love that.
- That shows gumption.

- They are.
- Beautiful.

AARÓN: The last dessert
that we wanna highlight tonight,

this season six chef
really showed

why they deserve
another top three finish.

Please come down, Amanda.

Yeah, Amanda!

I picked this dish
for my daughter Hannah,

and I know she'd be
so proud of me.

Amanda, please describe
the cake that you received.

AMANDA: So, I got the coconut
passionfruit cake.

It has Swiss buttercream,
passionfruit curd,

and a passionfruit soak.

Amanda, it's textbook.
It looks absolutely gorgeous.

It's just...
it's got that dive-in texture

that you can't wait to eat.

AARÓN:
I'm just blown away.

This is the cake that
you have with your family

at a birthday in Tulum.

You just get really happy
when you eat this cake.

It just makes you want to smile.

It's a delicious cake.
It's well-constructed.

It's very, very close
to the original one.

The one issue I have...

...is that Hannah's not here
to taste it.

Exceptional.

Well done.

My baking queen.

Now give us a moment,
would you please?

- Thank you. Aw.
- Amanda's.

- Was captivating.
- That was an amazing review.

Michael's ganache was delicious.

JOE: Very technical.

Dara's, flawless.

I'll be happy if you win.

- Ready? You got it?
- Yeah.

Congratulations, because you're
all safe from elimination.

But there is only one
amazing immunity pin,

and pin is going to...

Dara.

Good job, Dara.

- GORDON: Amazing, seriously.
- Thank you.

I got the immunity pin!

I'm the final Junior
in this competition,

- and that's a little scary.
- I'm so proud of you.

But I'm here to stay.

All three of you, please head
up to the balcony. Well done.

- It's nice up here.
- Right, now,

sadly, tonight somebody is
leaving the MasterChef kitchen.

The first dish, frustratingly,

they didn't take our advice on
how to salvage their mistakes.

Please step forward...

Tommy.

I'm in the bottom three again.

I cannot believe I chose one
of the simplest desserts

and I messed it up.

GORDON: Tommy,
describe the dish please.

TOMMY: I chose
the lemon meringue tart

with a pâte sucrée crust,

lemon curd, and Swiss meringue.

The tart crust looks cracked,
as you can see.

It's got a big crack
all the way through here.

And it looks under-baked.

Also with the garnishes,
there's miscues

as far as you piping
the meringue in.

Yours are very thick.

These are very thin and precise
in their placement.

Here we go. Oh, dear.

Ay-yi.

Tommy, as you can see,
it's totally raw.

Oh, God.

AARÓN: Your meringue
is over-whipped. It's watery.

- I think it's clear time was a big issue for you.
- Yes, it was, Chef.

GORDON: It's just really important
for you to see what we're tasting.

We've got more pastry
than we have curd.

That's just pure pastry.

- And it's raw.
- You missed the mark.

- GORDON: Thank you, Tommy.
- AARÓN: Thank you, Tommy.

Too bad.

- Man.
- Tommy.

Okay, the next dish
that we have to take a look at

was absolutely one of the most
difficult desserts of the evening.

Please bring
your dessert forward, Shelly.

SHELLY:
This is tough.

Last challenge
I was in the top three,

and to go from there to here
is just... [GROANS]

This is embarrassing.

Aesthetic wise, no.

Shelly, what dessert
did you choose?

SHELLY: I chose a napoleon
with layers of pastry cream,

fresh raspberries,
and a white chocolate glaze.

GORDON: You can't be happy
with this dish, right?

- Not at all.
- I don't know what to say.

I have to judge it on what you've
just given us, and they look a mess.

Shelly, this dish prides itself on
presentation, which you've got nothing of,

but pastry's
actually cooked quite nice.

You have to close your eyes and
forget that it's an ugly looking dessert.

AARÓN: Shelly, mine's dry because
I don't have enough of the cream.

There's nothing really
that I can grasp for

- to make me happy.
- Yeah, the cream was okay.

I'm just trying to understand
what you made pick

the most difficult dessert.

Why did you want
to hurt yourself like that?

Um, I don't bake at all.

I shot way too high on something
I wasn't familiar with at all.

Life is hard enough.
Don't hurt yourself.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Yeah, why push
that self-destruct button?

What a shame.

Okay, the final dessert
in the bottom three

was baked by someone
we had high hopes for.

But their panicky rush
raised some red flags for us.

- Please come forward...
- Oh, my God.

The final dessert
in the bottom three,

please come forward, Bri.

Oh, my God.

This is back to back
bottom three for me.

It's disappointing because
I really wanted do well.

Bri, tell us what dessert
you selected.

BRI: I selected
the strawberry pistachio tart

with pastry cream
and then strawberries on top.

Young lady, visually
I'm in a little bit of a shock.

You pride yourself
on appearance,

and this looks so amateurish

because it's so pale
and under-baked.

If I asked you to describe it,
describe it.

It looks underdone.

It looks sloppy.

I'm not proud of it
by any means.

Ditto.

Tastes better than it looks.

AARÓN: Bri, it's raw.

I mean, yes, there is parts
of it you can have,

but what I can tell you is
that the cream is delicious.

Bri, I have to say it's undercooked,
but you can actually eat it.

It's creamy, rich, and it
tastes better than it looks.

I disagree with Joe.
I disagree with Aarón.

It's not edible. It is raw.

I do think this is your worst
performance in the competition so far.

- Would you agree?
- I do agree.

- Thank you, Bri.
- Thank you.

- It's okay.
- Thanks.

Tommy, Shelly, and Bri,
we need a moment please.

All three of you, excuse us.
Oh, boy.

It was a tough challenge,
for sure.

- It was hard as hell.
- Whose tasted the best?

- For me, it was Shelly's.
- AARÓN: There was nothing to grab onto.

- Yeah.
- Visually, no, but she did take the biggest risk

out of the three.

That was freaking embarrassing.

At least yours is standing up.

- GORDON: And Bri's...
- JOE: It was raw.

- Jeez, I know.
- JOE: At least with Bri's

the cream wasn't actually
that bad.

- Tommy's was raw.
- JOE: Yeah.

It was watery, over-whipped.

Right, every element
of his were wrong.

- Ready?
- Ready.

Tommy, Shelly, and Bri,
three disappointing desserts

that each had technical flaws.

But there was one dish
that we felt

was really at the bottom
of the class.

And so the person leaving
"MasterChef: Back To Win" is...

Tommy.

Shelly and Bri,
say goodbye to Tommy.

Head back to your stations,
please.

I'm sorry, Tommy.

- It was my pleasure.
- BRI: Thank you.

Tommy, tonight
you forgot the basics.

Your dessert had mistakes
from the start to the end.

AARÓN:
And that's a shame, Tommy,

because that dessert right there

- I know meant a lot to you.
- It is a shame.

Please put your apron on
your bench and say good night.

Today I had an absolute
cascade of disaster,

but every tough lesson
is a life lesson.

I'm gonna miss you, man.

I was really glad to be here
with the most talented people.

It's the best of the best,
and I didn't do my best tonight,

so I'm going home.

GORDON: Next time, the
top 14 face a team challenge

in the American West.

You'll be feeding
101 cowboys and cowgirls.

And we're cranking up the heat.

We're talking 1,500 degrees.

We're one minute away!
Come on!

- You okay? Gabe?
- [GRUNTS]

Who will rise from the ashes...

This looks phenomenal.
The steak was great.

- Amazing.
- This is country.

- and who will ride...
- Dara, I need yams!

- Oh, my God.
- ...into the sunset?

- Ice cold. [BLEEP]
- That was personal.

- Check the temp, Christian.
- I've cooked a million [BLEEP] steaks.

- This is not good enough.
- This one is completely raw.

- Moo.
- GORDON: Hand me your apron.