Masterchef (2010–…): Season 13, Episode 1 - Regional Auditions - The Northeast - full transcript
Daphne Oz guest judges; chefs from the Northeast prepare their signature dishes.
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
Wow. Seriously,
are you two food snobs?
Gordon, you don't even live
in America. What do you know?
Look, here's the question
for the table.
Which region has the best cooks?
Take it from a Southerner,
the South has
the best chili around.
- We know that, okay?
- Okay, I agree.
Let me tell you chili.
I had the bison chili... Montana.
- Bison? - What are you
doing in Montana anyway?
- I was fishing.
- Fishing?
- AARÓN: Fishing.
- Nice.
Fishing for compliments.
- Fishing for...
- [LAUGHING]
- There you go. - So honestly,
my vote is going to the West.
No, the question is have you
ever had Cincinnati chili?
I've never even been
to Cincinnati.
Well, you're missing out, okay?
'Cause it's a fantastic place.
Why? It's a fly-over place.
No, it's not. I think you're
selling people short.
The cooks in the Midwest have
some tricks up their sleeve, trust me.
I heard the best hamburger
comes from California.
- Says who?
- Me.
What do you mean?
It has avocado on it?
Or it has, like, a soy protein?
They don't even use meat when
they make hamburgers in California.
- I'd take a hard pass on that.
- I know a bunch of great cooks
in the East Coast who would beg
to differ. Can I have a French fry?
Look, if you're interested in
spending 25 bucks for a burger,
which is basically
ground beef in buns, but...
- You're killing me.
- What did I say?
- No. I say no.
- Seriously? It's good.
- I say no. Time out.
- All right, guys.
Let's settle it
once and for all.
Northeast cooks are the best,
end of story.
- No!
- I don't know about that,
but we're about to find out.
This season on "MasterChef,"
we're celebrating America's
culinary diversity...
The Northeast is bringing it.
What's up, Brooklyn?
Westside is the best side.
Hell yeah, the best cooks
are from the South!
The Midwest is best!
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
- Come on! - ...as cooks
from across the nation...
- Let's go, baby! - ...compete to
bring the MasterChef trophy
back to their home turf.
I am here to win "MasterChef!"
- It's a regional rumble...
- Come on, South! Y'all got it!
Midwest are owning it tonight.
I think they're
a little scared of us.
...between the best home cooks
from all over the U.S.A.
- Look at that technique. - I can throw
down in the kitchen right here.
- That does not taste good.
- So terrible.
You really wanna lose
this thing, huh?
- I messed up.
- It's Disaster Chef!
[AS GORDON]
You've got to start plating!
- [LAUGHTER]
- Nailed it!
- This year...
- Turn that over.
- Wow. - ...where there is
more strategy than ever...
- Let's go!
- Everybody's out to get you.
It's not all fun
and games anymore.
So I'm gonna screw 'em
over today.
...it's anyone's ballgame.
- Welcome to Dodger Stadium.
- Who's ready to eat?
Table burgers and finish 'em.
Where? Where? Where are the burgers?
- Yo, y'all heard me?
- In what world was that helpful?
- ALL: Switch! - But they'll
need to work together...
No, not that cream!
Put that down.
- Remember, identical plates!
- Oh, my God.
- You gotta let me know, okay?
- I said it!
- Holy [BLEEP].
- ...if they don't want
to go down in flames...
[YELPS]
Whomp, whomp, whomp!
ALL: Oh!
- Whoo! All right!
- All right!
GORDON:
These are firefighters.
Do not bring me an under steak.
Come on, speed up!
So, everyone,
all happy customers?
- No.
- Raw steak.
Does anyone care in here?
Welcome to Hell's Kitchen Restaurant.
Ice cold in the middle,
and it's [BLEEP] raw.
- [BLEEP]
- Don't ever disrespect me.
- That was insane.
- I just don't think you're ready.
- I'm so sorry. - That's the weirdest
thing I've ever tasted.
- I think I was doubting myself.
- I know you can do better.
It's kind of tough,
not gonna lie.
Only one home cook
will rise to the top...
- Yeah! - You could serve it in a
two star Michelin restaurant.
- Thank you.
- GORDON: It's flawless.
You got a home run there.
...and claim the title
of America's next MasterChef.
- You cook like a dream.
- Thank you.
- This is your moment.
- Wow.
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
- [CHEERING]
- Oh, my goodness!
Oh, my gosh.
This is so beautiful!
- "MasterChef!"
- All right. Midwest.
- Oh! South!
- Whoa, what is this?
We got Iowa, baby!
Check it out!
- We made it! - Oh, my
goodness. This is amazing.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- We here! We here!
- This is crazy.
- This is insane!
- Yeah!
- Nice to meet you.
- How you doing?
- Nice to meet you.
What I bring from New Orleans
is culture, dance,
food, flavor, baby!
- Where you guys from?
- Brooklyn, New York.
- You live in Los Angles?
- L.A. local.
I live in Woolwich, Maine.
All of these other contestants
should watch out for me
because I wanna show people
that we are about more
than just "lobsta"
and blueberries.
- Get her going. Yes.
- It's apron time.
Where's the judges?
Where's Gordon?
Give me my apron. Gordon?
- [LAUGHTER]
- Gordon!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
GORDON: Let's go.
Thank you so much! Welcome to
the amazing MasterChef kitchen.
- Yes! Thank you, thank you!
- Yeah! Yeah!
Now, tonight starts
with the MasterChef auditions.
Yes!
The one thing I've always
loved about "MasterChef"
is the way that it shows off
how diverse
American cuisine can be.
But this season is about
more than just finding
the best home cook in America.
We wanna find out
once and for all
- where in America do the best
cooks come from? - Oh, baby.
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
Yeah!
I know you're all extremely
proud to be American,
but, come on, let's be honest,
you're just as proud
to be from the West...
...from the Midwest...
Whoo!
...from the South...
...and the Northeast.
Come on!
- Yes!
- We are looking for home cooks
that can represent your region
with style and skill,
but that's not all.
On each night of the auditions,
you'll compete to earn an apron
against other cooks
from your region.
[MURMURING]
Now is your big chance
to become a hometown hero
and earn the beautiful
MasterChef trophy.
[CHEERING]
GORDON: Plus,
you'll win the grand prize...
a complete kitchen from Viking,
new tools and bakeware from OXO,
and a quarter
of a million dollars.
Now it's time to prove that
you truly deserve one of these.
[CHEERING]
The iconic MasterChef apron.
Your task in the auditions
is very simple.
Make us your signature dish
inspired by the culture,
the cuisine, and perhaps
the heritage of your region.
Tonight we're
gonna start with...
...the Northeast!
Now, each night
we'll be bringing in
a very special guest judge
who knows that region's cuisine
better than anyone.
- Ooh, okay. - Here to
represent the Northeast,
we have a prolific
cookbook author,
a culinary expert,
and a beloved member
of the MasterChef family.
Please welcome back
the amazing Daphne Oz!
Hey!
- [OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
- Oh!
I'm missing the party out here.
Oh, my God.
Welcome back!
Wow. The Northeast is near
and dear to your heart.
- Yes. - It's really helped
shape your career,
but what's so special about it?
I mean, the Northeast
is a melting pot.
That is one of the most beautiful
pieces of being in the Northeast
is you walk four blocks in any
direction and you can taste the world.
I think it does keep Northeast
cooks trying new things,
but holding onto heritage
really tightly, too.
And what do you want to see
from these contestants tonight?
The food that excites me
the most is family food.
What did your family
pass onto you?
What gets you excited
in the kitchen?
I get goosebumps
thinking about it.
- All right!
- So good to have you back.
Right, you guys ready?
- ALL: Yeah!
- Good.
Tonight you'll all
have 45 minutes
to cook your delicious
signature dishes.
Now to get your hands
on those white aprons,
you'll need at least
three yeses from the judges.
Your time starts
when that clock starts.
Give it your best, okay?
We'll see you in the restaurant.
- Good luck. Come on.
- Good luck, guys!
Season 13.
Welcome back, by the way.
- Thank you.
- We have missed you, girl.
I mean, what a way to kick off
tonight. Northeast.
You know, I have to ask,
season 13, you have seen it all.
What are you looking
for this season
that's going to set
these competitors apart
that you think is really
gonna take it to the next level?
Repping the region is huge here.
How's that reflected to what
they put on the plate?
I've always said that
the Northeast is the heartbeat
of the restaurant world
in America,
and the level
should be super high.
It'll be the fastest 45 minutes
of their entire culinary career.
Three, two, one!
- Get it, Carla. Get it, Carla.
- Whoo!
- Come on, y'all! Let's go!
- Let's go, Buffalo!
- Let's go, Buffalo!
- You got this, Carla.
Northeast got the best
Italian, hands down.
I mean, you're not gonna get good
Italian anywhere else but the Northeast.
- Oh, yeah, lots of cheese.
- Lots of cheese.
So the recipe that I'm doing
is a homemade manicotti.
What's really special
about my recipe
is that I'm making it
with a homemade crepe.
I can't believe I'm cooking
Italian food for Joe.
It's really nerve-wracking,
but at the same time,
I'm cooking from the heart.
- Final countdown.
- ...seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one.
I'm Carla.
This dish is so special to me.
This is my grandma's
homemade manicotti.
- So normally manicotti are made
with lasagna sheets. - Yes.
- You roll them up. You're
not doing that. - Correct.
- No, I'm doing a
homemade crepe. - Wow.
- It's so much better.
- JOE: All right, we'll see if it works.
- Interesting. - Carla, you need
three yeses for an apron tonight.
- Shall we?
- DAPHNE: All right.
Did you drain the ricotta?
I did not.
Bold move substituting
the pasta for the crepe,
but if you're gonna do that then
get some herbs in those crepes.
Just make them stand out.
That's supposed to be the star
of this dish.
Unfortunately,
you overcooked the crawfish.
You have to treat them
very gently.
For me, that is such
a glaring issue
that for me it's a no.
I'm sorry.
There's series of technical
issues with this dish
from the ricotta being
not drained properly,
from the consistency
of the crepe,
from the tomato sauce
not integrating
with the rest of the dish.
It's a no for me.
Unfortunately, that's two nos,
so no apron. I'm sorry.
- Aww!
- It's okay.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Aww.
- Joe ripped me a new one.
- Did he?
This is the typical
MasterChef entree dish
that's created
to fool the judges,
and with the level of talent
we have out there,
we cannot afford to do that.
You know it.
It's apron time, baby.
It's apron time.
Usually I'm in
a recording studio,
and you would think that
would be more peaceful than this,
but to be honest, I find my peace
in the kitchen. This is my sanctuary.
I'm Richie, I'm 28 years old,
I'm from Silver Spring, Maryland,
and I'm a musician
and a songwriter.
- Maryland is in the house.
- I am such a proud Northeast rep.
Maryland is so rich in culture and
food, so being able to put it on the map,
- that's what I'm here for, baby.
- We ready for salmon time.
- You know what time it is. - All right,
it's killing me just sitting in this room.
- I need to go and see what's happening
in this kitchen. - Let's go.
All right,
the door's opening! Whoo!
Whoo!
DAPHNE:
Whoo! It smells good.
- Young man...
- Richie.
Richie, good to see you, bud. Tell
me about the dish. What are you doing?
So I'm doing a crispy skin
salmon with spinach,
and then I'm gonna do some
parmesan crusted potatoes.
- It smells delicious.
- Thank you so much.
How are you gonna make sure
this is not overcooked?
'Cause that's the one thing
that could sink this whole dish.
Right now we're focusing
on the skin.
I'm gonna flip it, let it get
a nice sear on the top.
And while it's resting,
it'll bring itself up to temp.
- Perfect. - Then it's out
of my hands, you know?
Love it. Listen, bring the
magic through there, yes?
- That's my plan.
- Good luck.
- Some magic. You know it.
- Five minutes! Five minutes!
I know that cheese and fish
is sometimes a big no-no,
but I think the flavor of these
parmesan potatoes are so good,
maybe it'll be a first
and they'll think,
"Oh, maybe I should try
more cheese and seafood."
CROWD: Five, four,
three, two, one.
There's a lot
I had to leave behind
to come here and make
this dream a reality.
It can't all be for nothing.
- Welcome.
- Here he comes.
I'm Richie. I'm a music producer
from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Today I've made crispy skin
salmon with sweet habanero glaze,
spinach with furikake butter,
and parmesan roasted potatoes.
Shall we have a look? Yeah?
- Visually, great sear on the
salmon. Love that. - Thank you.
- It looks well-executed.
- So this is the moment.
Obviously, cooking fish to the
right temperature is super important.
- Looks good.
- Looks beautiful.
- I like it.
- JOE: Let's try this out.
So, first of all,
perfectly cooked salmon.
- I mean, really, you nailed it.
- Thank you.
It was so delicious.
I love the layering of flavors.
The only question mark for me
is the parmesan cheese,
but because it was still crispy
and the texture was there
and the flavor was there,
it's a yes from me.
You have a lot of beautiful
flavors happening here.
I think the idea
of having the chili habanero
was so necessary
'cause the salmon is fatty.
It kinda cuts that,
so it's a yes from me, too.
- DAPHNE: Ooh.
- All right, this dish
has a lot of
good components to it.
Potatoes and the parmesan cheese
are very well seasoned.
They're crispy, they're gooey,
they're good.
The problem with this dish
is it's like a simple dish,
and it puts me in a tough spot.
So here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna say no...
and I'm gonna pass it
to my associate, Gordon,
who will decide your fate.
GORDON: Well,
you have two yeses, one no.
You need three for an apron.
GORDON: Well,
you have two yeses, one no.
You need three for an apron.
First of all, the salmon's
cooked beautifully.
And the habanero glaze
at the end? Beautiful.
But spinach is watery, so it
just takes all the flavoring down.
- Tough one.
- Can he be crafted?
Uh...
I'm gonna say no...
...to the music studio
and yes to "MasterChef."
- Congratulations, young man.
- Yes!
Congratulations.
Come here, bud.
What's your heart doing
right now?
- Are you losing your mind?
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- Thank you, guys.
- Good luck, man.
- Well done. - So honored
to cook for you guys.
- Prove me wrong, baby.
- And I will.
Welcome to "MasterChef."
- [CROWD CHEERING]
- Let's go!
I got myself a MasterChef apron!
I'm so excited!
- Yes!
- I'm pumped!
Northeast, baby! Let's go!
Sacrificing the music career
for this? Come on.
- That's huge.
- That's huge.
I hope it's the right move.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
What a flip! What a flip!
What a flip!
Meat! Is it time for the meat?
It's time for... nope,
it's time for the dough.
- Yeah, dough.
- I am from Woolwich, Maine,
and I am very, very proud
to represent that town
because we know how to work
with what we have around us.
We don't have
a Whole Foods in my area.
We are very resourceful.
- This is you on a plate.
- Seriously.
- You on a plate.
- My name is Nina,
I'm a rock and roll
marketing manager from Maine,
and my favorite thing
in the whole world to do
is go out the woods
and hunt and forage
and finding amazing
wild food to eat.
For me, cooking starts outside
because that's where I get all
the ingredients that inspire me.
That's where I hang out
with all my animals
and hang out with all the trees.
[CROWD CHEERING]
- Hello. Hi!
- How are you?
Hi! What's up, guys?
My name is Nina.
- Ooh, we got some dumplings.
- Yes.
- AARÓN: Those look fantastic.
- Thanks.
Kinda pretty straightforward.
Just a beef dumpling for...
It's not beef. It's venison,
thank you very much.
- Venison? Did you pork
fat in it? - I did not,
'cause that's what
we do in Maine.
We use what we have sometimes.
We don't have pork fat.
Sometimes we have squirrel fat.
We use that instead.
- I like squirrel fat.
- Squirrels have fat?
- AARÓN: Yeah.
- See? He knows.
We fighting them in the trees.
They're always there, okay?
JOE: This is gonna be
very interesting.
I think it's a super risky
thing you're doing,
but you know what?
It could work.
- I look forward to tasting it.
- Yeah. Thank you.
WOMAN: All right, Nina,
you got about 11 minutes.
My passion has been to get
people excited about wild food,
and I hope that the judges
are gonna taste the passion
that I have for
my foraged ingredients.
Those look gorgeous.
Oh, I'm getting hungry
just looking at them!
Five, four, three, two, one!
I'm done!
There's only one thing
I need to know.
Does that apron come in camo?
- JOE: Hello. Welcome.
- Hi, guys. I'm Nina.
I'm from Woolwich, Maine.
I made dumplings filled
with venison and bok choy,
and that is served
with a cucumber salad
with cilantro, peanuts,
and chili.
Dumplings are typically
made with pork.
I chose to put venison in them
because I am representing
my home state of Maine.
GORDON AND JOE:
Shall we?
Okay, visually, Daphne,
what do you think?
You give a nice portion
of the dumplings,
a lovely dipping sauce
in the center.
Honestly, I'm most excited
about this cucumber salad.
- It looks so delicious.
- I agree, but I'm more concerned about
the lack of fat inside
with the venison.
That's the bit's that's gonna
be the telling point for me.
- So, shall we? Daphne, please.
- DAPHNE: Let's go.
All right.
And what's in the dipping sauce?
NINA: That is soy,
apple cider vinegar,
a little chili garlic paste,
and some chives.
First of all,
it doesn't need the pork.
If I'm honest,
I can't taste it's venison
because it's not as gamey.
But it's the technical flair
I'm in love with,
- and it's an absolute definite
yes for me. - Oh!
- JOE: Ooh, one yes.
- GORDON: I wanna see more.
DAPHNE: These dumplings
are light and tender, delicious.
The meat is juicy. That cucumber
salad is a shocker. Out of control.
Spicy, delicious,
it's a definite yes from me.
- Oh, thank you. Okay.
- JOE: That's two yeses.
But I'm not gonna be so quick
to drink the Kool-Aid here.
Hmm.
I don't know what
these two were tasting...
- That's two yeses.
- Okay.
But for me, the seasoning
is completely off.
It's way too spicy.
It's totally,
totally amateurish,
- so for me it's a no.
- Two yeses, one no.
Right now your fate lies in
the hands of Aarón Sánchez.
There is some technical flaws for me
personally with some of the dumplings.
The filling
is a little bit meek.
It's a lot of wrapper
for the filling.
But what I love
is your boldness, okay?
There's freshness, and it
highlights all the ingredients.
I don't know.
[CROWD GROANS]
- Ha, ha!
- Yeah! Yeah!
NINA: Even though Joe called
my flavor balances amateurish,
it's okay.
I need somebody to push me.
I don't need everybody to tell
me I'm awesome all the time.
- Absolutely.
- Very good point.
Guys, look out,
my competitive juices
are flowing for sure.
- Rock and roll! Yes!
- Yeah! Yes!
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
- That salad is awesome.
- Well, I hope I'm wrong.
- GORDON: Delicious. Really good.
DAPHNE: Two aprons down,
three to go.
- Standards are high.
- Whew!
ALL: Purvi, Purvi, Purvi,
Purvi, Purvi!
I'm happy and excited
to be here.
It's an American dream
which is coming true.
I'm Purvi from
East Windsor, New Jersey.
My husband and I moved
to the U.S. 21 years ago.
My specialty is American
and Indian fusion cooking.
I wanna follow my passion
and my dreams.
I would like to open up a café
called Purvi's Delight,
and I would like to serve
desserts of all over the world.
The Indian community in
New Jersey is really, really big,
and I feel so proud
to represent them.
I'm making bundt cake
with Indian flavors.
The only thing that can go wrong
is if the cakes
don't bake properly.
But I am very confident.
I've been doing this
for the last 21 years.
I can do this in my sleep.
CROWD:
Five, four, three, two, one!
PURVI: Just a little bit scared
that if they cut the cakes
and if it's not fully baked,
that can definitely
bring me down.
Hi, my name is Purvi,
and I'm from New Jersey.
This dish is
a vanilla bundt cake
infused with four different
Indian flavors
which is gulab jamun, rose,
cardamom, saffron, and paan.
- JOE AND DAPHNE: Wow.
- Right.
I love it. It reminds me of
an Indian festival, you know?
- And a wedding when there's just color...
- Yes. Thank you so much.
...and there's
vibrance everywhere.
It looks stunning.
I'm dying to get in there.
- JOE: Great.
- Shall we?
- JOE: Let's try it.
- DAPHNE: Yeah.
- Beautiful.
- Oh, look how moist it is.
- JOE: These are really good.
- Thank you, Joe.
I just got back from India.
The most incredible flavors.
It gives me a new appreciation
of tasting your dish.
It's a yes from me.
I really liked it.
Thank you so much.
It means a lot.
- This bite, it is so moist and fluffy!
- Thank you so much.
Like, it has levity and balance.
- Yes. Definite yes from me.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
You have very strong flavors,
and you balance them so beautifully.
But I'm not gonna say yes
just yet, okay?
'Cause I have to think
about this for a little bit.
What?
- I'm like...
- Aarón! You love it. Say yes.
All right, all right, all right, all
right. For me it's an absolute yes!
- It's a resounding yes.
- Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- That's four yeses.
- Yes. - DAPHNE AND
AARÓN: Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Well done. Great job.
PURVI: I got four yeses.
I am so proud to represent
the Northeast.
This is my American dream.
I'm living it right now.
Hey, judges, there's a lot of
good Indian flavors coming for you.
- Delicious. Brilliant. Yeah. - Really good.
The cinnamon plus cardamom combo? Wow.
- Those are strong flavors.
- I know.
You weren't gonna vote yes
for her? What's wrong with you?
- I thought you were
gonna say no. - What?
I had to do
a little drama there, bud.
Hey, y'all better get loud,
baby! Y'all better get loud!
- [CHEERING] - Hey, I'm from
Brooklyn, New York.
We loud and proud.
My name is Eddie,
I'm 31 years old,
I'm from Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, New York,
and I'm a party promoter.
Big man baking a cake!
[CROWD CHEERING]
- Aarón.
- What's going on, señor?
- Getting it done.
- You're making a dessert?
Yes, sir. You look at me
and don't think dessert.
You just think a whole bunch
of food, right?
AARÓN: Yeah.
I'm doing a pistachio cake with
a tres leches crème anglaise,
a raspberry sauce that
I got going right there
- that I'm actually gonna
strain right now. - Yep.
So you're gonna use the tres
leches as the format, right?
- Yes. - You seem like
a very passionate guy.
- You have a lot of passion for
cooking? - Yeah, I definitely do.
The first thing I learned how to make
was actually pancakes with my mother.
I gotta make sure I impress her.
- Well, the dish looks really great.
- AARÓN: Yeah.
- Good luck. Nice to meet you.
- Thank you. Thank you, guys.
My love for cooking honestly
came from my mom.
Just learning different recipes
from her and just experimenting,
that love
and passion just came on.
It never stopped since, so...
You got this. You got this.
Don't worry about it.
Five, four, three, two, one!
Let's go, baby! Let's go!
It's super huge to just come out here
from Brooklyn and take a chance on myself.
But it's Brooklyn,
the home Biggie, home of Jay-Z,
and the home
of the next MasterChef.
That apron's gonna
look good on me, baby.
Welcome.
So my name is Eddie,
I'm from Brooklyn, New York,
and I actually made
my take on a tres leches.
I did a pistachio cake
with tres leches crème anglaise,
a raspberry sauce,
and a pistachio crumble.
So traditionally a tres leches is
a soaked cake with three milks.
- Yes. - So you decided to
take the actual elements
- of the tres leches and put
them in the sauce? - Yes.
So how do you think that this
dessert represents the Northeast?
Well, I'm very Dominican.
I grew up
in a single mom household,
super humble beginnings.
I've always wanted to go
to culinary school.
- Can't afford it. - Tres
leches means a lot to me.
So I wanted to bring a piece of
my Dominican heritage with me
and put that on a plate
for you guys.
- Shall we?
- Let's take a look.
GORDON: Visually, Joe,
what do you think?
You know, look, I grew up
in New York myself.
I understand those flavors,
those memories.
This dish
is very nontraditional,
but I love the way
the dish looks,
so I'm looking forward
to trying it.
That means the world.
Thank you so much.
I hope there's
enough moisture here,
'cause there's a lot of cake
and not a lot of sauce.
- Shall we? - Tell us the
two sauces. What are they?
EDDIE: So the yellow sauce
is a tres leches crème anglaise.
Then I did a raspberry sauce to
get a little tartness on the plate.
Okay, young man,
you need three yeses
to get your hands on an apron.
Joe, how was that for you?
What I see in front of me
I like a lot.
But it's not the dish.
So I'm gonna make
a big investment,
and I hope you have
what it takes to take this
- to the next level.
- I do, sir.
JOE: And I believe
that you are a great guy,
and for that I'm gonna say yes.
I think you needed more sauce.
I think you need half
the amount of pistachios.
This is not a tres leches,
but I believe
that you wanna do something
that represents you,
and I applaud that.
So for that reason,
that's a yes.
I have no doubt about
your potential in the kitchen,
but my job is to judge the food.
And because there wasn't quite
the balance of sauce to cake
that I would've liked to
have seen, it's a no for me.
Young man, you clearly
were born to cook,
and it means so much to you.
I get that.
Coulis, delicious.
Crème anglaise, delicious.
Um...
...but it's another level
this year.
I just don't think
you're ready for "MasterChef."
For me, it's a no.
I'm sorry.
Come here, bro.
I gotta tell you something.
Look at me.
This was tough.
Great food and great restaurants
are made by great people,
and what I'm gonna do
when you go back to New York,
I'll take you in,
you tour my restaurants.
We can put you on the path
to the culinary career
that you really deserve.
I promise that, bro.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
- [CROWD GROANS]
- Oh.
That's okay.
That's okay, mijo.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
It hurt getting the nos.
Joe said he'd train me
in New York though.
- So, you win.
- Joe saw something in me,
so even though I didn't get an
apron, that's a win in my book.
JOE: I really liked him
and who he was
and what his passion was.
But it's
an unfortunate situation
when the dishes
that people present
do not reflect
their talent as cooks.
And to find this nice little
side of you is very refreshing.
- It's heartwarming. - Oh, you've
never seen it before?
It's like the eclipse.
Once every ten years.
[DAPHNE LAUGHS]
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, all the way!
Let's go!
You gotta do this.
- Looking good, Ross.
- Looking good, Ross.
Oh, man!
That looks so good.
Today I'm making chocolate
molten lava cake.
This cake has to be
super lava-y on the inside,
otherwise there's no chance
I'm getting an apron.
I need to have my lava flowing.
It's gonna happen.
- My hands are shaking.
- You can do it, Ross.
You're almost done.
CROWD:
Three, two, one.
- GORDON: Let's go.
- I'm Ross.
I live in New York City.
I'm a bartender.
I made a chocolate
molten lava cake.
Oh!
So this is a standard
in the MasterChef kitchen,
the molten lava, so we gotta
make sure that it's running.
Oh. Uh-oh.
- Damn.
- DAPHNE: Uh-oh.
- Okay.
- JOE: All right, let's taste it.
Love the dark chocolate use.
It's the most beautiful balance
of sweet and bitter,
but missing the molten on molten
chocolate cake is, like, a crime.
- It's a no from me.
- Yeah.
It needs lava, right?
It needs liquid.
When you say stuff like "molten,"
you're making a promise to us.
And when that doesn't happen,
it's disappointing.
[CROWD GROANS]
- Oh!
- Oh, man.
The bar of entry is high,
and this is just not there.
GORDON: No.
MAN: Let's go, Brynn!
Let's go, baby!
Let's go, Brynn!
Way to go!
Cooking like
we're cooking at home.
Yeah, but with makeup on.
I'm Brynn, I'm 33 years old,
I live in Providence,
Rhode Island,
and I'm a bartender.
Do the shaky-shaky
and a little turn.
I have bartending for 14 years,
but I started cooking
a couple years ago
and I realized there was
so much more to explore
and that I loved doing it.
Babe, you're killing it,
killing it.
- I feel like I'm killing it.
- Let's get it.
[CROWD CHEERING]
- It smells good.
- It smells really... always!
- Always in this kitchen.
- It smells very good.
- Good evening!
- Hello! How are you?
- Are we good?
- Yeah, I'm good.
- First name and where
you're from. - I am Brynn,
and I'm from Providence,
Rhode Island.
- And what are you making?
- Love that.
I am making a crispy
black sea bass
with a little bit
of harissa seasoning.
I'm working a pear
and dry cherry chutney.
Mmm. I love that.
I think of Rhode Island,
- I think of lobster rolls,
clam chowder. - Yeah!
- Well, we have great food.
- Why chutney with bass?
BRYNN: I wanted
to do something fruity
and I think it really highlights
what I like to do with flavors.
The bass, you're gonna be
cooking skin side down, right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Be careful with the skin.
- Get it crispy.
- Yeah.
And harissa,
bringing a little heat.
It's just little bit of heat
and smoke on the fish.
- Good luck, yes?
- Good luck. Keep it cooking!
Do I have all my things?
Does this look like everything?
I feel like in the past
I've been a little bit reserved,
so getting the apron
would mean that I was right
to keep dreaming
and not limit myself.
CROWD:
Five, four, three, two, one!
[CHEERING]
Oh, my God. You did it!
I am so much more than just a
girl who works behind the bar.
I would love to be a real chef,
and I am going
to make this happen.
I am Brynn. I am from
Providence, Rhode Island.
I'm a bartender.
The dish I have
made for you today
is a black sea bass
with a little bit
of a harissa spice.
I've topped it with a pear
and dried cherry chutney,
and roasted fennel,
and blanched green bean salad.
Love that.
And what's the food dream?
BRYNN: I've only been
cooking for about 2 1/2 years,
but I've always wanted
my own bar and restaurant.
- Shall we have a look?
- Let's go.
GORDON: Okay,
first impressions. Aarón?
I'm so proud
that you took fennel
along the theme of seasonality
and let that really be
the catalyst here for flavor.
- I just love the imagination...
- Thank you.
...and there's clearly a lot of
thought process gone into this.
I've never doused the top
of a crispy skin with chutney.
- However, let's get in,
shall we? - All right.
Let me see if this chutney's
undoing your crispy skin efforts.
And the harissa,
where did you end up using that?
So I brushed it
on the base of the fish.
Just trying to keep it
nice and crisp.
The fish, I think, is...
...cooked beautifully.
I think this chutney does
make it a little less crisp,
but the chutney itself is
so delicious, you don't care.
- So it's a yes from me.
- Thank you.
It's fresh, it's vibrant.
You have a lot going on here
that is so yummy.
- Thank you.
- And for that, I say yes.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much.
- GORDON: Two yeses.
- Oh, my God.
Three for an apron. Joe?
There's a lot of naiveness
in this dish.
But for an amateur cook,
it's quite astonishing.
You're cooking instinctually
and with honesty,
and that's really,
really important.
- That's a yes. Amazing.
- Thank you.
- Three yeses.
- Thank you so much.
The skin has gotten soggy. So next
time, chutney underneath the fish.
- Heard.
- But everything's there.
If that's the beginning,
cooking for a couple years,
it may be the loss for the
mixologist side, but congratulations.
- AARÓN: Wow!
- Thank you so much.
- GORDON: Great job.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Really good job.
- [CHEERING]
- Aah!
- Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah!
- I got four yeses.
It means that I was right to
trust myself, to follow my instincts.
This is the beginning
of something new,
and exciting,
and a new chapter for who I am,
and I can't wait to keep going.
You don't really see chutney with
fish, and she's just broken the rules.
See, you never know in life.
At 30 years old, you figure out
- that your real talent
is cooking. - Absolutely.
How much time you need
for them steaks?
RYAN: Not a lot.
Putting them on now.
So, New Jersey,
a lot of people think
it's some sort
of industrial wasteland.
It's the Garden State.
We got the best produce.
Northeast is the top dog,
and you're gonna see that.
I'm Ryan. I'm a construction
superintendent from New Jersey.
I'm good at my job,
I like to do it,
but my true passion is food.
It means everything to me
because food saved my life.
I battled addiction
for about ten years.
I didn't take care of myself
in any way.
- Ryan!
- I was overweight, depresse.
All right, Ryan, this is it.
So proud of you, buddy.
- So proud.
- Burnt a lot of bridges,
but my dad never gave up on me.
And, um, can't thank him
enough for it.
After ten years of living
like that, I got sober.
I wanted to get healthy. I wanted to
become the best version of myself.
I completely obsessed
with the art of cooking.
It's healthy outlet to
put that addictive nature into.
Come on, Ryan.
You've got this, man.
- Hands down.
- RYAN: Thanks.
Dish I'm making
is steak and eggs,
but this is a samurai egg.
I'm gonna separate
the whites and the yolks.
I'm gonna do a Gruyère
and caramelized onion
inside with the yolk
and then fold it over.
I made it up,
and it's delicious.
MAN: Come on, Ryan!
Let's go, baby!
So the steak's gotta be perfect.
Luckily for me,
I've cooked filet mignons blindfolded.
But this egg is gonna be the most
important egg I've ever cooked.
- Good.
- Perfect.
- Yep.
- All right.
This is it, Ry.
You've come so far, man.
- I love you, man. I owe it
all to you. - Love you, too.
CROWD: Five, four,
three, two, one!
[CHEERING]
RYAN: It's definitely
a risk to cook simple
steak and eggs for "MasterChef,"
but they've never seen
steak and eggs like this.
Welcome.
Tell us about the dish, please.
RYAN: I made a beautifully
cooked filet mignon
with samurai egg on top,
and an avocado snake.
GORDON:
Why steak and eggs?
This dish, you know,
saved my life.
Wow.
I was a heroin addict
for ten years.
- GORDON: Wow.
- My goodness.
I have a brother, sadly, still
to this day that is an addict.
It's very rare you bounce back.
When I look back,
you know, my dad...
...you know, he was... he...
- Sorry.
- No. Come on, you're fine.
Yup. You know, he was watching
his son that he loves
slowly kill himself.
One day, I just said
enough was enough.
One day at a time,
one dish at a time.
Yes.
- Shall we?
- AARÓN: Yeah.
Let's check it out.
GORDON:
Visually, it looks clean.
I mean, it's the weirdest
looking egg,
but I just love
how creative it is.
So when you cook a steak,
a filet like this,
- how do you cook it?
- Medium rare.
Let's see.
The egg is nice and runny.
- Oh, yeah.
- JOE: Excellent.
It's really a different
experience of steak and eggs.
The steak is properly cooked.
The samurai egg is kind of
whimsical and interesting.
Yeah, I'm a yes.
I think what we saw here
is genuinely
an extremely
thoughtful preparation
of an extremely simple dish.
And at its core,
beautiful cooking is that.
It is simple things
done perfectly.
So for me, it's a yes.
- Ooh-la-la.
- Thank you.
Look, I love food
that's stripped down,
but for me
it's missing something.
You put a lot of time
and effort in the egg,
but other than that,
I don't see a lot more there.
So for me it's a no.
Ryan, you have two yeses,
one no,
and you have one judge left
to cast his vote.
Steak's nailed beautifully.
But I think
what you need to know
is that we see so many filets.
Um, I dunno.
- Here we go.
- Oh, my...
Hey, guys.
That's intense in there.
- Oh, yeah. I, uh...
- Good to see you.
- First name is?
- Scott.
Scott, I just wanna take
a moment and just say
well done bringing him back.
- Thank you.
- Okay?
Now I need to tell you
a little bit of bad news.
- Okay.
- Unfortunately,
you're not gonna see him
for a few months.
- Whoo! Yeah!
- [CHEERING]
Yeah!
Oh!
This moment just proves that he
was so much more than his addiction,
and, you know, he was destined
for much greater things.
Thank you.
Whoo!
- Let's go, baby!
- Whoo!
RYAN: Getting this apron
definitely feels
like a turning point in my life.
It took a lot to get here,
and I am not looking back.
GORDON: Next time
on "MasterChef"...
Welcome back, everybody,
to the United Tastes Of America.
The region competing tonight
is the Midwest!
And we have another guest judge.
- Graham Elliot!
- Do not let the Midwest down.
The regional audition
rounds continue...
- Pound it out, baby. - If this
dish doesn't earn me an apron,
I'm not sure I understand what
you're looking for on "MasterChef."
as the Midwest cooks compete...
- That looks like home.
- Whoo!
...for a coveted white apron.
It's symbolic of the Midwest
and the heartland.
The passion's there.
I can taste that passion.
This dish is a wow dish.
The sauce just tastes so bland.
Fingers crossed it tastes
better than it looks.
---
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Wow. Seriously,
are you two food snobs?
Gordon, you don't even live
in America. What do you know?
Look, here's the question
for the table.
Which region has the best cooks?
Take it from a Southerner,
the South has
the best chili around.
- We know that, okay?
- Okay, I agree.
Let me tell you chili.
I had the bison chili... Montana.
- Bison? - What are you
doing in Montana anyway?
- I was fishing.
- Fishing?
- AARÓN: Fishing.
- Nice.
Fishing for compliments.
- Fishing for...
- [LAUGHING]
- There you go. - So honestly,
my vote is going to the West.
No, the question is have you
ever had Cincinnati chili?
I've never even been
to Cincinnati.
Well, you're missing out, okay?
'Cause it's a fantastic place.
Why? It's a fly-over place.
No, it's not. I think you're
selling people short.
The cooks in the Midwest have
some tricks up their sleeve, trust me.
I heard the best hamburger
comes from California.
- Says who?
- Me.
What do you mean?
It has avocado on it?
Or it has, like, a soy protein?
They don't even use meat when
they make hamburgers in California.
- I'd take a hard pass on that.
- I know a bunch of great cooks
in the East Coast who would beg
to differ. Can I have a French fry?
Look, if you're interested in
spending 25 bucks for a burger,
which is basically
ground beef in buns, but...
- You're killing me.
- What did I say?
- No. I say no.
- Seriously? It's good.
- I say no. Time out.
- All right, guys.
Let's settle it
once and for all.
Northeast cooks are the best,
end of story.
- No!
- I don't know about that,
but we're about to find out.
This season on "MasterChef,"
we're celebrating America's
culinary diversity...
The Northeast is bringing it.
What's up, Brooklyn?
Westside is the best side.
Hell yeah, the best cooks
are from the South!
The Midwest is best!
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
- Come on! - ...as cooks
from across the nation...
- Let's go, baby! - ...compete to
bring the MasterChef trophy
back to their home turf.
I am here to win "MasterChef!"
- It's a regional rumble...
- Come on, South! Y'all got it!
Midwest are owning it tonight.
I think they're
a little scared of us.
...between the best home cooks
from all over the U.S.A.
- Look at that technique. - I can throw
down in the kitchen right here.
- That does not taste good.
- So terrible.
You really wanna lose
this thing, huh?
- I messed up.
- It's Disaster Chef!
[AS GORDON]
You've got to start plating!
- [LAUGHTER]
- Nailed it!
- This year...
- Turn that over.
- Wow. - ...where there is
more strategy than ever...
- Let's go!
- Everybody's out to get you.
It's not all fun
and games anymore.
So I'm gonna screw 'em
over today.
...it's anyone's ballgame.
- Welcome to Dodger Stadium.
- Who's ready to eat?
Table burgers and finish 'em.
Where? Where? Where are the burgers?
- Yo, y'all heard me?
- In what world was that helpful?
- ALL: Switch! - But they'll
need to work together...
No, not that cream!
Put that down.
- Remember, identical plates!
- Oh, my God.
- You gotta let me know, okay?
- I said it!
- Holy [BLEEP].
- ...if they don't want
to go down in flames...
[YELPS]
Whomp, whomp, whomp!
ALL: Oh!
- Whoo! All right!
- All right!
GORDON:
These are firefighters.
Do not bring me an under steak.
Come on, speed up!
So, everyone,
all happy customers?
- No.
- Raw steak.
Does anyone care in here?
Welcome to Hell's Kitchen Restaurant.
Ice cold in the middle,
and it's [BLEEP] raw.
- [BLEEP]
- Don't ever disrespect me.
- That was insane.
- I just don't think you're ready.
- I'm so sorry. - That's the weirdest
thing I've ever tasted.
- I think I was doubting myself.
- I know you can do better.
It's kind of tough,
not gonna lie.
Only one home cook
will rise to the top...
- Yeah! - You could serve it in a
two star Michelin restaurant.
- Thank you.
- GORDON: It's flawless.
You got a home run there.
...and claim the title
of America's next MasterChef.
- You cook like a dream.
- Thank you.
- This is your moment.
- Wow.
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
- [CHEERING]
- Oh, my goodness!
Oh, my gosh.
This is so beautiful!
- "MasterChef!"
- All right. Midwest.
- Oh! South!
- Whoa, what is this?
We got Iowa, baby!
Check it out!
- We made it! - Oh, my
goodness. This is amazing.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- We here! We here!
- This is crazy.
- This is insane!
- Yeah!
- Nice to meet you.
- How you doing?
- Nice to meet you.
What I bring from New Orleans
is culture, dance,
food, flavor, baby!
- Where you guys from?
- Brooklyn, New York.
- You live in Los Angles?
- L.A. local.
I live in Woolwich, Maine.
All of these other contestants
should watch out for me
because I wanna show people
that we are about more
than just "lobsta"
and blueberries.
- Get her going. Yes.
- It's apron time.
Where's the judges?
Where's Gordon?
Give me my apron. Gordon?
- [LAUGHTER]
- Gordon!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
GORDON: Let's go.
Thank you so much! Welcome to
the amazing MasterChef kitchen.
- Yes! Thank you, thank you!
- Yeah! Yeah!
Now, tonight starts
with the MasterChef auditions.
Yes!
The one thing I've always
loved about "MasterChef"
is the way that it shows off
how diverse
American cuisine can be.
But this season is about
more than just finding
the best home cook in America.
We wanna find out
once and for all
- where in America do the best
cooks come from? - Oh, baby.
This is "MasterChef:
United Tastes Of America."
Yeah!
I know you're all extremely
proud to be American,
but, come on, let's be honest,
you're just as proud
to be from the West...
...from the Midwest...
Whoo!
...from the South...
...and the Northeast.
Come on!
- Yes!
- We are looking for home cooks
that can represent your region
with style and skill,
but that's not all.
On each night of the auditions,
you'll compete to earn an apron
against other cooks
from your region.
[MURMURING]
Now is your big chance
to become a hometown hero
and earn the beautiful
MasterChef trophy.
[CHEERING]
GORDON: Plus,
you'll win the grand prize...
a complete kitchen from Viking,
new tools and bakeware from OXO,
and a quarter
of a million dollars.
Now it's time to prove that
you truly deserve one of these.
[CHEERING]
The iconic MasterChef apron.
Your task in the auditions
is very simple.
Make us your signature dish
inspired by the culture,
the cuisine, and perhaps
the heritage of your region.
Tonight we're
gonna start with...
...the Northeast!
Now, each night
we'll be bringing in
a very special guest judge
who knows that region's cuisine
better than anyone.
- Ooh, okay. - Here to
represent the Northeast,
we have a prolific
cookbook author,
a culinary expert,
and a beloved member
of the MasterChef family.
Please welcome back
the amazing Daphne Oz!
Hey!
- [OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
- Oh!
I'm missing the party out here.
Oh, my God.
Welcome back!
Wow. The Northeast is near
and dear to your heart.
- Yes. - It's really helped
shape your career,
but what's so special about it?
I mean, the Northeast
is a melting pot.
That is one of the most beautiful
pieces of being in the Northeast
is you walk four blocks in any
direction and you can taste the world.
I think it does keep Northeast
cooks trying new things,
but holding onto heritage
really tightly, too.
And what do you want to see
from these contestants tonight?
The food that excites me
the most is family food.
What did your family
pass onto you?
What gets you excited
in the kitchen?
I get goosebumps
thinking about it.
- All right!
- So good to have you back.
Right, you guys ready?
- ALL: Yeah!
- Good.
Tonight you'll all
have 45 minutes
to cook your delicious
signature dishes.
Now to get your hands
on those white aprons,
you'll need at least
three yeses from the judges.
Your time starts
when that clock starts.
Give it your best, okay?
We'll see you in the restaurant.
- Good luck. Come on.
- Good luck, guys!
Season 13.
Welcome back, by the way.
- Thank you.
- We have missed you, girl.
I mean, what a way to kick off
tonight. Northeast.
You know, I have to ask,
season 13, you have seen it all.
What are you looking
for this season
that's going to set
these competitors apart
that you think is really
gonna take it to the next level?
Repping the region is huge here.
How's that reflected to what
they put on the plate?
I've always said that
the Northeast is the heartbeat
of the restaurant world
in America,
and the level
should be super high.
It'll be the fastest 45 minutes
of their entire culinary career.
Three, two, one!
- Get it, Carla. Get it, Carla.
- Whoo!
- Come on, y'all! Let's go!
- Let's go, Buffalo!
- Let's go, Buffalo!
- You got this, Carla.
Northeast got the best
Italian, hands down.
I mean, you're not gonna get good
Italian anywhere else but the Northeast.
- Oh, yeah, lots of cheese.
- Lots of cheese.
So the recipe that I'm doing
is a homemade manicotti.
What's really special
about my recipe
is that I'm making it
with a homemade crepe.
I can't believe I'm cooking
Italian food for Joe.
It's really nerve-wracking,
but at the same time,
I'm cooking from the heart.
- Final countdown.
- ...seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one.
I'm Carla.
This dish is so special to me.
This is my grandma's
homemade manicotti.
- So normally manicotti are made
with lasagna sheets. - Yes.
- You roll them up. You're
not doing that. - Correct.
- No, I'm doing a
homemade crepe. - Wow.
- It's so much better.
- JOE: All right, we'll see if it works.
- Interesting. - Carla, you need
three yeses for an apron tonight.
- Shall we?
- DAPHNE: All right.
Did you drain the ricotta?
I did not.
Bold move substituting
the pasta for the crepe,
but if you're gonna do that then
get some herbs in those crepes.
Just make them stand out.
That's supposed to be the star
of this dish.
Unfortunately,
you overcooked the crawfish.
You have to treat them
very gently.
For me, that is such
a glaring issue
that for me it's a no.
I'm sorry.
There's series of technical
issues with this dish
from the ricotta being
not drained properly,
from the consistency
of the crepe,
from the tomato sauce
not integrating
with the rest of the dish.
It's a no for me.
Unfortunately, that's two nos,
so no apron. I'm sorry.
- Aww!
- It's okay.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Aww.
- Joe ripped me a new one.
- Did he?
This is the typical
MasterChef entree dish
that's created
to fool the judges,
and with the level of talent
we have out there,
we cannot afford to do that.
You know it.
It's apron time, baby.
It's apron time.
Usually I'm in
a recording studio,
and you would think that
would be more peaceful than this,
but to be honest, I find my peace
in the kitchen. This is my sanctuary.
I'm Richie, I'm 28 years old,
I'm from Silver Spring, Maryland,
and I'm a musician
and a songwriter.
- Maryland is in the house.
- I am such a proud Northeast rep.
Maryland is so rich in culture and
food, so being able to put it on the map,
- that's what I'm here for, baby.
- We ready for salmon time.
- You know what time it is. - All right,
it's killing me just sitting in this room.
- I need to go and see what's happening
in this kitchen. - Let's go.
All right,
the door's opening! Whoo!
Whoo!
DAPHNE:
Whoo! It smells good.
- Young man...
- Richie.
Richie, good to see you, bud. Tell
me about the dish. What are you doing?
So I'm doing a crispy skin
salmon with spinach,
and then I'm gonna do some
parmesan crusted potatoes.
- It smells delicious.
- Thank you so much.
How are you gonna make sure
this is not overcooked?
'Cause that's the one thing
that could sink this whole dish.
Right now we're focusing
on the skin.
I'm gonna flip it, let it get
a nice sear on the top.
And while it's resting,
it'll bring itself up to temp.
- Perfect. - Then it's out
of my hands, you know?
Love it. Listen, bring the
magic through there, yes?
- That's my plan.
- Good luck.
- Some magic. You know it.
- Five minutes! Five minutes!
I know that cheese and fish
is sometimes a big no-no,
but I think the flavor of these
parmesan potatoes are so good,
maybe it'll be a first
and they'll think,
"Oh, maybe I should try
more cheese and seafood."
CROWD: Five, four,
three, two, one.
There's a lot
I had to leave behind
to come here and make
this dream a reality.
It can't all be for nothing.
- Welcome.
- Here he comes.
I'm Richie. I'm a music producer
from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Today I've made crispy skin
salmon with sweet habanero glaze,
spinach with furikake butter,
and parmesan roasted potatoes.
Shall we have a look? Yeah?
- Visually, great sear on the
salmon. Love that. - Thank you.
- It looks well-executed.
- So this is the moment.
Obviously, cooking fish to the
right temperature is super important.
- Looks good.
- Looks beautiful.
- I like it.
- JOE: Let's try this out.
So, first of all,
perfectly cooked salmon.
- I mean, really, you nailed it.
- Thank you.
It was so delicious.
I love the layering of flavors.
The only question mark for me
is the parmesan cheese,
but because it was still crispy
and the texture was there
and the flavor was there,
it's a yes from me.
You have a lot of beautiful
flavors happening here.
I think the idea
of having the chili habanero
was so necessary
'cause the salmon is fatty.
It kinda cuts that,
so it's a yes from me, too.
- DAPHNE: Ooh.
- All right, this dish
has a lot of
good components to it.
Potatoes and the parmesan cheese
are very well seasoned.
They're crispy, they're gooey,
they're good.
The problem with this dish
is it's like a simple dish,
and it puts me in a tough spot.
So here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna say no...
and I'm gonna pass it
to my associate, Gordon,
who will decide your fate.
GORDON: Well,
you have two yeses, one no.
You need three for an apron.
GORDON: Well,
you have two yeses, one no.
You need three for an apron.
First of all, the salmon's
cooked beautifully.
And the habanero glaze
at the end? Beautiful.
But spinach is watery, so it
just takes all the flavoring down.
- Tough one.
- Can he be crafted?
Uh...
I'm gonna say no...
...to the music studio
and yes to "MasterChef."
- Congratulations, young man.
- Yes!
Congratulations.
Come here, bud.
What's your heart doing
right now?
- Are you losing your mind?
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- Thank you, guys.
- Good luck, man.
- Well done. - So honored
to cook for you guys.
- Prove me wrong, baby.
- And I will.
Welcome to "MasterChef."
- [CROWD CHEERING]
- Let's go!
I got myself a MasterChef apron!
I'm so excited!
- Yes!
- I'm pumped!
Northeast, baby! Let's go!
Sacrificing the music career
for this? Come on.
- That's huge.
- That's huge.
I hope it's the right move.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
What a flip! What a flip!
What a flip!
Meat! Is it time for the meat?
It's time for... nope,
it's time for the dough.
- Yeah, dough.
- I am from Woolwich, Maine,
and I am very, very proud
to represent that town
because we know how to work
with what we have around us.
We don't have
a Whole Foods in my area.
We are very resourceful.
- This is you on a plate.
- Seriously.
- You on a plate.
- My name is Nina,
I'm a rock and roll
marketing manager from Maine,
and my favorite thing
in the whole world to do
is go out the woods
and hunt and forage
and finding amazing
wild food to eat.
For me, cooking starts outside
because that's where I get all
the ingredients that inspire me.
That's where I hang out
with all my animals
and hang out with all the trees.
[CROWD CHEERING]
- Hello. Hi!
- How are you?
Hi! What's up, guys?
My name is Nina.
- Ooh, we got some dumplings.
- Yes.
- AARÓN: Those look fantastic.
- Thanks.
Kinda pretty straightforward.
Just a beef dumpling for...
It's not beef. It's venison,
thank you very much.
- Venison? Did you pork
fat in it? - I did not,
'cause that's what
we do in Maine.
We use what we have sometimes.
We don't have pork fat.
Sometimes we have squirrel fat.
We use that instead.
- I like squirrel fat.
- Squirrels have fat?
- AARÓN: Yeah.
- See? He knows.
We fighting them in the trees.
They're always there, okay?
JOE: This is gonna be
very interesting.
I think it's a super risky
thing you're doing,
but you know what?
It could work.
- I look forward to tasting it.
- Yeah. Thank you.
WOMAN: All right, Nina,
you got about 11 minutes.
My passion has been to get
people excited about wild food,
and I hope that the judges
are gonna taste the passion
that I have for
my foraged ingredients.
Those look gorgeous.
Oh, I'm getting hungry
just looking at them!
Five, four, three, two, one!
I'm done!
There's only one thing
I need to know.
Does that apron come in camo?
- JOE: Hello. Welcome.
- Hi, guys. I'm Nina.
I'm from Woolwich, Maine.
I made dumplings filled
with venison and bok choy,
and that is served
with a cucumber salad
with cilantro, peanuts,
and chili.
Dumplings are typically
made with pork.
I chose to put venison in them
because I am representing
my home state of Maine.
GORDON AND JOE:
Shall we?
Okay, visually, Daphne,
what do you think?
You give a nice portion
of the dumplings,
a lovely dipping sauce
in the center.
Honestly, I'm most excited
about this cucumber salad.
- It looks so delicious.
- I agree, but I'm more concerned about
the lack of fat inside
with the venison.
That's the bit's that's gonna
be the telling point for me.
- So, shall we? Daphne, please.
- DAPHNE: Let's go.
All right.
And what's in the dipping sauce?
NINA: That is soy,
apple cider vinegar,
a little chili garlic paste,
and some chives.
First of all,
it doesn't need the pork.
If I'm honest,
I can't taste it's venison
because it's not as gamey.
But it's the technical flair
I'm in love with,
- and it's an absolute definite
yes for me. - Oh!
- JOE: Ooh, one yes.
- GORDON: I wanna see more.
DAPHNE: These dumplings
are light and tender, delicious.
The meat is juicy. That cucumber
salad is a shocker. Out of control.
Spicy, delicious,
it's a definite yes from me.
- Oh, thank you. Okay.
- JOE: That's two yeses.
But I'm not gonna be so quick
to drink the Kool-Aid here.
Hmm.
I don't know what
these two were tasting...
- That's two yeses.
- Okay.
But for me, the seasoning
is completely off.
It's way too spicy.
It's totally,
totally amateurish,
- so for me it's a no.
- Two yeses, one no.
Right now your fate lies in
the hands of Aarón Sánchez.
There is some technical flaws for me
personally with some of the dumplings.
The filling
is a little bit meek.
It's a lot of wrapper
for the filling.
But what I love
is your boldness, okay?
There's freshness, and it
highlights all the ingredients.
I don't know.
[CROWD GROANS]
- Ha, ha!
- Yeah! Yeah!
NINA: Even though Joe called
my flavor balances amateurish,
it's okay.
I need somebody to push me.
I don't need everybody to tell
me I'm awesome all the time.
- Absolutely.
- Very good point.
Guys, look out,
my competitive juices
are flowing for sure.
- Rock and roll! Yes!
- Yeah! Yes!
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
- That salad is awesome.
- Well, I hope I'm wrong.
- GORDON: Delicious. Really good.
DAPHNE: Two aprons down,
three to go.
- Standards are high.
- Whew!
ALL: Purvi, Purvi, Purvi,
Purvi, Purvi!
I'm happy and excited
to be here.
It's an American dream
which is coming true.
I'm Purvi from
East Windsor, New Jersey.
My husband and I moved
to the U.S. 21 years ago.
My specialty is American
and Indian fusion cooking.
I wanna follow my passion
and my dreams.
I would like to open up a café
called Purvi's Delight,
and I would like to serve
desserts of all over the world.
The Indian community in
New Jersey is really, really big,
and I feel so proud
to represent them.
I'm making bundt cake
with Indian flavors.
The only thing that can go wrong
is if the cakes
don't bake properly.
But I am very confident.
I've been doing this
for the last 21 years.
I can do this in my sleep.
CROWD:
Five, four, three, two, one!
PURVI: Just a little bit scared
that if they cut the cakes
and if it's not fully baked,
that can definitely
bring me down.
Hi, my name is Purvi,
and I'm from New Jersey.
This dish is
a vanilla bundt cake
infused with four different
Indian flavors
which is gulab jamun, rose,
cardamom, saffron, and paan.
- JOE AND DAPHNE: Wow.
- Right.
I love it. It reminds me of
an Indian festival, you know?
- And a wedding when there's just color...
- Yes. Thank you so much.
...and there's
vibrance everywhere.
It looks stunning.
I'm dying to get in there.
- JOE: Great.
- Shall we?
- JOE: Let's try it.
- DAPHNE: Yeah.
- Beautiful.
- Oh, look how moist it is.
- JOE: These are really good.
- Thank you, Joe.
I just got back from India.
The most incredible flavors.
It gives me a new appreciation
of tasting your dish.
It's a yes from me.
I really liked it.
Thank you so much.
It means a lot.
- This bite, it is so moist and fluffy!
- Thank you so much.
Like, it has levity and balance.
- Yes. Definite yes from me.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
You have very strong flavors,
and you balance them so beautifully.
But I'm not gonna say yes
just yet, okay?
'Cause I have to think
about this for a little bit.
What?
- I'm like...
- Aarón! You love it. Say yes.
All right, all right, all right, all
right. For me it's an absolute yes!
- It's a resounding yes.
- Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- That's four yeses.
- Yes. - DAPHNE AND
AARÓN: Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Well done. Great job.
PURVI: I got four yeses.
I am so proud to represent
the Northeast.
This is my American dream.
I'm living it right now.
Hey, judges, there's a lot of
good Indian flavors coming for you.
- Delicious. Brilliant. Yeah. - Really good.
The cinnamon plus cardamom combo? Wow.
- Those are strong flavors.
- I know.
You weren't gonna vote yes
for her? What's wrong with you?
- I thought you were
gonna say no. - What?
I had to do
a little drama there, bud.
Hey, y'all better get loud,
baby! Y'all better get loud!
- [CHEERING] - Hey, I'm from
Brooklyn, New York.
We loud and proud.
My name is Eddie,
I'm 31 years old,
I'm from Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, New York,
and I'm a party promoter.
Big man baking a cake!
[CROWD CHEERING]
- Aarón.
- What's going on, señor?
- Getting it done.
- You're making a dessert?
Yes, sir. You look at me
and don't think dessert.
You just think a whole bunch
of food, right?
AARÓN: Yeah.
I'm doing a pistachio cake with
a tres leches crème anglaise,
a raspberry sauce that
I got going right there
- that I'm actually gonna
strain right now. - Yep.
So you're gonna use the tres
leches as the format, right?
- Yes. - You seem like
a very passionate guy.
- You have a lot of passion for
cooking? - Yeah, I definitely do.
The first thing I learned how to make
was actually pancakes with my mother.
I gotta make sure I impress her.
- Well, the dish looks really great.
- AARÓN: Yeah.
- Good luck. Nice to meet you.
- Thank you. Thank you, guys.
My love for cooking honestly
came from my mom.
Just learning different recipes
from her and just experimenting,
that love
and passion just came on.
It never stopped since, so...
You got this. You got this.
Don't worry about it.
Five, four, three, two, one!
Let's go, baby! Let's go!
It's super huge to just come out here
from Brooklyn and take a chance on myself.
But it's Brooklyn,
the home Biggie, home of Jay-Z,
and the home
of the next MasterChef.
That apron's gonna
look good on me, baby.
Welcome.
So my name is Eddie,
I'm from Brooklyn, New York,
and I actually made
my take on a tres leches.
I did a pistachio cake
with tres leches crème anglaise,
a raspberry sauce,
and a pistachio crumble.
So traditionally a tres leches is
a soaked cake with three milks.
- Yes. - So you decided to
take the actual elements
- of the tres leches and put
them in the sauce? - Yes.
So how do you think that this
dessert represents the Northeast?
Well, I'm very Dominican.
I grew up
in a single mom household,
super humble beginnings.
I've always wanted to go
to culinary school.
- Can't afford it. - Tres
leches means a lot to me.
So I wanted to bring a piece of
my Dominican heritage with me
and put that on a plate
for you guys.
- Shall we?
- Let's take a look.
GORDON: Visually, Joe,
what do you think?
You know, look, I grew up
in New York myself.
I understand those flavors,
those memories.
This dish
is very nontraditional,
but I love the way
the dish looks,
so I'm looking forward
to trying it.
That means the world.
Thank you so much.
I hope there's
enough moisture here,
'cause there's a lot of cake
and not a lot of sauce.
- Shall we? - Tell us the
two sauces. What are they?
EDDIE: So the yellow sauce
is a tres leches crème anglaise.
Then I did a raspberry sauce to
get a little tartness on the plate.
Okay, young man,
you need three yeses
to get your hands on an apron.
Joe, how was that for you?
What I see in front of me
I like a lot.
But it's not the dish.
So I'm gonna make
a big investment,
and I hope you have
what it takes to take this
- to the next level.
- I do, sir.
JOE: And I believe
that you are a great guy,
and for that I'm gonna say yes.
I think you needed more sauce.
I think you need half
the amount of pistachios.
This is not a tres leches,
but I believe
that you wanna do something
that represents you,
and I applaud that.
So for that reason,
that's a yes.
I have no doubt about
your potential in the kitchen,
but my job is to judge the food.
And because there wasn't quite
the balance of sauce to cake
that I would've liked to
have seen, it's a no for me.
Young man, you clearly
were born to cook,
and it means so much to you.
I get that.
Coulis, delicious.
Crème anglaise, delicious.
Um...
...but it's another level
this year.
I just don't think
you're ready for "MasterChef."
For me, it's a no.
I'm sorry.
Come here, bro.
I gotta tell you something.
Look at me.
This was tough.
Great food and great restaurants
are made by great people,
and what I'm gonna do
when you go back to New York,
I'll take you in,
you tour my restaurants.
We can put you on the path
to the culinary career
that you really deserve.
I promise that, bro.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
- [CROWD GROANS]
- Oh.
That's okay.
That's okay, mijo.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
It hurt getting the nos.
Joe said he'd train me
in New York though.
- So, you win.
- Joe saw something in me,
so even though I didn't get an
apron, that's a win in my book.
JOE: I really liked him
and who he was
and what his passion was.
But it's
an unfortunate situation
when the dishes
that people present
do not reflect
their talent as cooks.
And to find this nice little
side of you is very refreshing.
- It's heartwarming. - Oh, you've
never seen it before?
It's like the eclipse.
Once every ten years.
[DAPHNE LAUGHS]
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, all the way!
Let's go!
You gotta do this.
- Looking good, Ross.
- Looking good, Ross.
Oh, man!
That looks so good.
Today I'm making chocolate
molten lava cake.
This cake has to be
super lava-y on the inside,
otherwise there's no chance
I'm getting an apron.
I need to have my lava flowing.
It's gonna happen.
- My hands are shaking.
- You can do it, Ross.
You're almost done.
CROWD:
Three, two, one.
- GORDON: Let's go.
- I'm Ross.
I live in New York City.
I'm a bartender.
I made a chocolate
molten lava cake.
Oh!
So this is a standard
in the MasterChef kitchen,
the molten lava, so we gotta
make sure that it's running.
Oh. Uh-oh.
- Damn.
- DAPHNE: Uh-oh.
- Okay.
- JOE: All right, let's taste it.
Love the dark chocolate use.
It's the most beautiful balance
of sweet and bitter,
but missing the molten on molten
chocolate cake is, like, a crime.
- It's a no from me.
- Yeah.
It needs lava, right?
It needs liquid.
When you say stuff like "molten,"
you're making a promise to us.
And when that doesn't happen,
it's disappointing.
[CROWD GROANS]
- Oh!
- Oh, man.
The bar of entry is high,
and this is just not there.
GORDON: No.
MAN: Let's go, Brynn!
Let's go, baby!
Let's go, Brynn!
Way to go!
Cooking like
we're cooking at home.
Yeah, but with makeup on.
I'm Brynn, I'm 33 years old,
I live in Providence,
Rhode Island,
and I'm a bartender.
Do the shaky-shaky
and a little turn.
I have bartending for 14 years,
but I started cooking
a couple years ago
and I realized there was
so much more to explore
and that I loved doing it.
Babe, you're killing it,
killing it.
- I feel like I'm killing it.
- Let's get it.
[CROWD CHEERING]
- It smells good.
- It smells really... always!
- Always in this kitchen.
- It smells very good.
- Good evening!
- Hello! How are you?
- Are we good?
- Yeah, I'm good.
- First name and where
you're from. - I am Brynn,
and I'm from Providence,
Rhode Island.
- And what are you making?
- Love that.
I am making a crispy
black sea bass
with a little bit
of harissa seasoning.
I'm working a pear
and dry cherry chutney.
Mmm. I love that.
I think of Rhode Island,
- I think of lobster rolls,
clam chowder. - Yeah!
- Well, we have great food.
- Why chutney with bass?
BRYNN: I wanted
to do something fruity
and I think it really highlights
what I like to do with flavors.
The bass, you're gonna be
cooking skin side down, right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Be careful with the skin.
- Get it crispy.
- Yeah.
And harissa,
bringing a little heat.
It's just little bit of heat
and smoke on the fish.
- Good luck, yes?
- Good luck. Keep it cooking!
Do I have all my things?
Does this look like everything?
I feel like in the past
I've been a little bit reserved,
so getting the apron
would mean that I was right
to keep dreaming
and not limit myself.
CROWD:
Five, four, three, two, one!
[CHEERING]
Oh, my God. You did it!
I am so much more than just a
girl who works behind the bar.
I would love to be a real chef,
and I am going
to make this happen.
I am Brynn. I am from
Providence, Rhode Island.
I'm a bartender.
The dish I have
made for you today
is a black sea bass
with a little bit
of a harissa spice.
I've topped it with a pear
and dried cherry chutney,
and roasted fennel,
and blanched green bean salad.
Love that.
And what's the food dream?
BRYNN: I've only been
cooking for about 2 1/2 years,
but I've always wanted
my own bar and restaurant.
- Shall we have a look?
- Let's go.
GORDON: Okay,
first impressions. Aarón?
I'm so proud
that you took fennel
along the theme of seasonality
and let that really be
the catalyst here for flavor.
- I just love the imagination...
- Thank you.
...and there's clearly a lot of
thought process gone into this.
I've never doused the top
of a crispy skin with chutney.
- However, let's get in,
shall we? - All right.
Let me see if this chutney's
undoing your crispy skin efforts.
And the harissa,
where did you end up using that?
So I brushed it
on the base of the fish.
Just trying to keep it
nice and crisp.
The fish, I think, is...
...cooked beautifully.
I think this chutney does
make it a little less crisp,
but the chutney itself is
so delicious, you don't care.
- So it's a yes from me.
- Thank you.
It's fresh, it's vibrant.
You have a lot going on here
that is so yummy.
- Thank you.
- And for that, I say yes.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much.
- GORDON: Two yeses.
- Oh, my God.
Three for an apron. Joe?
There's a lot of naiveness
in this dish.
But for an amateur cook,
it's quite astonishing.
You're cooking instinctually
and with honesty,
and that's really,
really important.
- That's a yes. Amazing.
- Thank you.
- Three yeses.
- Thank you so much.
The skin has gotten soggy. So next
time, chutney underneath the fish.
- Heard.
- But everything's there.
If that's the beginning,
cooking for a couple years,
it may be the loss for the
mixologist side, but congratulations.
- AARÓN: Wow!
- Thank you so much.
- GORDON: Great job.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Really good job.
- [CHEERING]
- Aah!
- Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah!
- I got four yeses.
It means that I was right to
trust myself, to follow my instincts.
This is the beginning
of something new,
and exciting,
and a new chapter for who I am,
and I can't wait to keep going.
You don't really see chutney with
fish, and she's just broken the rules.
See, you never know in life.
At 30 years old, you figure out
- that your real talent
is cooking. - Absolutely.
How much time you need
for them steaks?
RYAN: Not a lot.
Putting them on now.
So, New Jersey,
a lot of people think
it's some sort
of industrial wasteland.
It's the Garden State.
We got the best produce.
Northeast is the top dog,
and you're gonna see that.
I'm Ryan. I'm a construction
superintendent from New Jersey.
I'm good at my job,
I like to do it,
but my true passion is food.
It means everything to me
because food saved my life.
I battled addiction
for about ten years.
I didn't take care of myself
in any way.
- Ryan!
- I was overweight, depresse.
All right, Ryan, this is it.
So proud of you, buddy.
- So proud.
- Burnt a lot of bridges,
but my dad never gave up on me.
And, um, can't thank him
enough for it.
After ten years of living
like that, I got sober.
I wanted to get healthy. I wanted to
become the best version of myself.
I completely obsessed
with the art of cooking.
It's healthy outlet to
put that addictive nature into.
Come on, Ryan.
You've got this, man.
- Hands down.
- RYAN: Thanks.
Dish I'm making
is steak and eggs,
but this is a samurai egg.
I'm gonna separate
the whites and the yolks.
I'm gonna do a Gruyère
and caramelized onion
inside with the yolk
and then fold it over.
I made it up,
and it's delicious.
MAN: Come on, Ryan!
Let's go, baby!
So the steak's gotta be perfect.
Luckily for me,
I've cooked filet mignons blindfolded.
But this egg is gonna be the most
important egg I've ever cooked.
- Good.
- Perfect.
- Yep.
- All right.
This is it, Ry.
You've come so far, man.
- I love you, man. I owe it
all to you. - Love you, too.
CROWD: Five, four,
three, two, one!
[CHEERING]
RYAN: It's definitely
a risk to cook simple
steak and eggs for "MasterChef,"
but they've never seen
steak and eggs like this.
Welcome.
Tell us about the dish, please.
RYAN: I made a beautifully
cooked filet mignon
with samurai egg on top,
and an avocado snake.
GORDON:
Why steak and eggs?
This dish, you know,
saved my life.
Wow.
I was a heroin addict
for ten years.
- GORDON: Wow.
- My goodness.
I have a brother, sadly, still
to this day that is an addict.
It's very rare you bounce back.
When I look back,
you know, my dad...
...you know, he was... he...
- Sorry.
- No. Come on, you're fine.
Yup. You know, he was watching
his son that he loves
slowly kill himself.
One day, I just said
enough was enough.
One day at a time,
one dish at a time.
Yes.
- Shall we?
- AARÓN: Yeah.
Let's check it out.
GORDON:
Visually, it looks clean.
I mean, it's the weirdest
looking egg,
but I just love
how creative it is.
So when you cook a steak,
a filet like this,
- how do you cook it?
- Medium rare.
Let's see.
The egg is nice and runny.
- Oh, yeah.
- JOE: Excellent.
It's really a different
experience of steak and eggs.
The steak is properly cooked.
The samurai egg is kind of
whimsical and interesting.
Yeah, I'm a yes.
I think what we saw here
is genuinely
an extremely
thoughtful preparation
of an extremely simple dish.
And at its core,
beautiful cooking is that.
It is simple things
done perfectly.
So for me, it's a yes.
- Ooh-la-la.
- Thank you.
Look, I love food
that's stripped down,
but for me
it's missing something.
You put a lot of time
and effort in the egg,
but other than that,
I don't see a lot more there.
So for me it's a no.
Ryan, you have two yeses,
one no,
and you have one judge left
to cast his vote.
Steak's nailed beautifully.
But I think
what you need to know
is that we see so many filets.
Um, I dunno.
- Here we go.
- Oh, my...
Hey, guys.
That's intense in there.
- Oh, yeah. I, uh...
- Good to see you.
- First name is?
- Scott.
Scott, I just wanna take
a moment and just say
well done bringing him back.
- Thank you.
- Okay?
Now I need to tell you
a little bit of bad news.
- Okay.
- Unfortunately,
you're not gonna see him
for a few months.
- Whoo! Yeah!
- [CHEERING]
Yeah!
Oh!
This moment just proves that he
was so much more than his addiction,
and, you know, he was destined
for much greater things.
Thank you.
Whoo!
- Let's go, baby!
- Whoo!
RYAN: Getting this apron
definitely feels
like a turning point in my life.
It took a lot to get here,
and I am not looking back.
GORDON: Next time
on "MasterChef"...
Welcome back, everybody,
to the United Tastes Of America.
The region competing tonight
is the Midwest!
And we have another guest judge.
- Graham Elliot!
- Do not let the Midwest down.
The regional audition
rounds continue...
- Pound it out, baby. - If this
dish doesn't earn me an apron,
I'm not sure I understand what
you're looking for on "MasterChef."
as the Midwest cooks compete...
- That looks like home.
- Whoo!
...for a coveted white apron.
It's symbolic of the Midwest
and the heartland.
The passion's there.
I can taste that passion.
This dish is a wow dish.
The sauce just tastes so bland.
Fingers crossed it tastes
better than it looks.