Masterchef (2010–…): Season 9, Episode 5 - Gordon Ramsay Masterclass - full transcript

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Narrator: Previously on MasterChef...

Oohh!

You all will have ingridients
from your home states.

The first mystery box of the season...

sent three home cooks...

Syd, you didn't
use your time wisely.

Sal, it was inedible.

Alecia, totally failed.

into a high-stakes
elimination test...

- Whoo!
- Go, guys. Let's go!

where Sal...



Too bad
you cooked it medium

instead of medium-rare.

and Syd...

It's lacking seasoning.

The sauce is broke.

...saw their MasterChef dream

come to an end.

Tonight...

- Crabs!
- ( cheering )

a Gordon Ramsay
master class...

Oh, my gosh. Wow.

I have no idea
how I'm gonna do this.

leaves the top 22...

- Oh!
- ( squeals )



...shell-shocked.
And...

The is the reason
I gave you the pin.

while some home cooks
break out of their shell...

- Pop! There we go.
- others...

- Feel like I'm gonna faint.
- ...crack under the pressure.

We hate to see people in our own
apron walking out the door.

( cheering )

Hey! Hey!
Yeah, we here, baby!

- Whoo!
- We here!

I'm one of the top 22
home cooks in America.

I'm on cloud nine.
I cannot be taken down.

Yeah! We here!

Something that I tell
my students every single day,

is that if you put your mind
to it, you can achieve it.

I'm really feeling
that statement

in the MasterChef kitchen
tonight.

Welcome back, everybody.

You are the best
22 home cooks in America.

- Whoo!
- All right, guys,

your next challenge is
what we call a skills test.

- ( sighs )
- ( murmuring )

Oh, no.

Tonight is all
about one ingredient,

and it's best
when it's 100% fresh.

Tonight, you will all
have to work with...

- ...crabs!
- ( cheering )

Oh, my God,
it's freaking crabs.

- I'm allergic
to all shellfish...
- There you go.

...but I'm gonna put
all this fear behind me,

and take
this challenge head on.

Tonight, each of you will take
one of these Dungeness crabs,

boil it, shuck it,
and break it down.

- Oh, Lord.
- And if you've never
done it before,

don't worry, because
I'm about to show you how.

Being from Arizona, man,
we don't get crab very often.

I'm a little scared,

but Gordon fricking Ramsay
is gonna show us

how to completely break down
a Dungeness crab.

I'm beyond honored.

First off, salt the water.

Bring that up to a boil,
grab the crab, and in she goes.

- 15 minutes.
- Okay.

Undercooked, we're in trouble.

You're not gonna release that
incredible meat from the shell.

Once it's done,
hold it nice and firmly,

and straight in to ice water.

Submerge it in there,
and from there we take it out,

and we start breaking it down.

Take off the legs,
pull and twist.

Twist off.

Now, open up the purse.
Thumbs underneath.

Lift that purse up there.

- Wow.
- And then the body.

Knife in.

Now, over a tray,

you get your thumb and you
flush out all this amazing crab,

every little ounce of it.

Now, for the legs.

First cut here,

and then open up the top
and the bottom.

And then literally
slide your finger through.

Beautiful. The secret is to get
these out nice and whole.

Now, the claws--
twist, pull out the blade.

Really important.
Then from there, knife.

- Twist.
- Wow.

Finger in, pop out
that beautiful claw.

- Damn.
- And now we start
to present it.

Get a touch of olive oil
and lightly brush your shell,

and gently
go over those claws.

The olive oil protects it
and stops it from going dry.

Now, take your sweet meat.

It is super delicious.

The crab sits on top.

Then start putting
the crab back together.

Come around.
Finally, back legs on.

And that is how a true
MasterChef dresses a crab.

( cheers, applause )

- You guys ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Good. Let's go.

Aarón: All right, guys,
so now it's your turn.

So, please, reach in,

grab a crab out of that tank,
and head back to your stations.

- Okay.
- Come on up.

- Get 'er done!
- Go, guys!

Come on.

( clamoring )

- Oh, my God.
- ( cheering )

- ( screaming )
- Okay. All right. All right.

Oh. Damn, I gotta do it.

All right,
this my boy right here.

Indian Cuisine,
in terms of the region
my parents are from,

we're not really near
any bodies of water.

So I never really had the chance
to experience crab.

It always kind of
freaked me out.

So today's skills test

is really gonna
be a challenge for me.

All right, guys, so you have
30 minutes to cook,

get that crab meat out,
and displayed on that slate

just like Gordon did.

When your time is up,
if you got even close to Gordon,

you will immediately move up
to the safety of the balcony.

But if we decide you haven't

removed enough meat
from the crab,

or if we find shell
in amongst your crab meat,

you will immediately
face elimination

in the next challenge.

- Aarón: Is everyone ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Your 30 minutes start...

...now.

Gotta get that water salty.

- Make it taste
like the sea, Gerron.
- I know.

This is a super restaurant-y,
professional skill set.

- Yes.
- Are we asking too much
of these 22 contestants

at this point
in the competition?

( screeching )

The level this year
already is up there.

In order to test
their ability,

- this is a great skills test.
- ( screaming )

- ( laughing )
- What are we looking for
in our next MasterChef?

Gordon:
We're looking for a quick
learner tonight.

We're looking for someone who's
got great attention to detail,

and also who's
respecting the product.

This whole competition
is about confidence,

learning things that might be
a little bit scary to you,

and adapting and overcoming.

Hey. You got this.

As a vegetarian
of over 10 years,

I really wanted to show
that regardless of never
having eaten crab or meat,

I can do just as well
as anybody else in here.

So, I'm gonna get up on that
balcony today. You'll see.

Come on.

- Olusola,
how you doing, sweetie?
- I'm doing great.

I don't have experience
cooking a crab live,

but I'm gonna take
delicate care with the crab.

I'm gonna do everything
that Chef Gordon Ramsay has
presented to me today.

Everything is at stake.
I am not going back home
to drive a bus.

Guys, we're halfway, okay?
15 minutes remaining.

You should all be getting
your crabs out.

Oh, he's fat.

( sighs )

Should be good,
should be good.

Ooh, the ice!

( groaning )

Okay. I did it.

Pop! There we go, baby.

Tonight, the objective is
to maximize the yield

in that amazing crab,

and more importantly,
no shell across that meat.

Come on.
No shell, no shell.

I feel really good.
I'm from Iowa.

So, it's not very common
that we have fresh crab,

but watching Gordon, I think
he explained it really well.

And I'm still in school.
I'm used to learning every day.

So, I think that's definitely
an advantage.

I'm trying to work clean
like Chef said,

and just get it done.

Last 10 minutes.
Here we go.

Come out of there
for big papa.

Come on. Work quickly.

Faster, just faster.

Come on, Ralph.
Pick it up.

I'm feeling pretty confident.

I've done a good job of,
I think,

paying attention
to what Gordon said.

I really made sure
there was no shells.

The big thing in dentistry
is clean as you go,

so we really wanna make sure
that we have a clean workspace.

So, I really apply
the same skills to cooking

when it comes to
cross-contamination,
being organized,

and, you know, if you have
everything in place,

and have a plan together,
you should succeed.

I'm extremely comfortable
with crabs.

At my mom's restaurant,

we have a crab
and lobster bisque,

so I'm breaking 'em
down every day.

You know, I've worked
with shellfish,

oysters, clams, lobster.

I'm from Maine, so I'm not
gonna be eliminated today.

I'm very comfortable
with this animal.

- Gordon:
Five minutes remaining.
- ( groans )

You've got less
than three minutes
to continue extracting,

and spend the last
90 seconds on plating.

Plenty of time. We good.

Ryan's doing this
like a pro.

Aarón:
We're he's from in Houston,

there's a lot of crab shacks

all up the Gulf Coast
of Mexico.

You gotta believe that
he's been exposed to this.

- Oh, God.
- Shanika is absolutely
trembling.

( sighs ) Open that up.

She's talking to herself.
You know, a nervous mumble.

Whoo!
I feel like I'm gonna faint.

- Get that meat out.
- Joe: Shanika is wearing
my apron,

but she's not working
confidently.

Show him why
you deserve to be here.

Farhan is finished.
He's standing by.
Look at that.

- Wow.
- I got a lot of damn meat
in that.

Gordon:
60 seconds remaining.

Let's go, guys.
Come on.

All right, face that way.

Aarón:
Immaculate presentations.

Here we go.
Ten.

Judges:
Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four, three,

- two, one.
- Gordon: And stop!

Hands in the air.
Well done.

Well done, everyone.
Tonight you all had 30 minutes

to break down that crab
just like Gordon did.

Now, to find out
who rises up to safety

and who will have to compete
for survival tonight.

Let's take a closer look.

All right, Mark.
You're wearing Joe's apron.

- How do you feel you did?
- I feel I did great.

I think I got more than enough
crab out of the shell.

- Have you done this before?
- I have.

Okay. The front claw--

this one's a little
bit chewed up, sadly.

Knife might've
gotten a little further

into the claw
than necessary.

Okay.
Let's take a look underneath.

The good news is
all the pieces are intact.

They've held their shape,
they're beautiful in color.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- And you got
a very generous yield.

- You are safe.
Please go up to the balcony.
- Thank you. Thank you.

It couldn't be more
of a validating sentence

for Chef Aarón to tell me
that I did a good job.

- Pretty incredible.
- All that experience paid off,

and balcony, here I come.

Doing pretty good for
a 19-year-old from Maine.

Aarón: So, Alecia,
you have my pin.

I saw you get
a little squeamish

when you took that
crab out of the water.

- What was that all about?
- I don't do live things.

- You eat crab often?
- I do.

- Do you have a new
appreciation for crab now?
- Yes, I do.

I gotta say, right off the bat,
I think it looks beautiful.

I can't find one flaw
in those claws or legs,

but let's see under the body.

Well, the crab meat
is beautiful.

It's glistening.
It's moist.

So, you are out of
your comfort zone tonight,

- Yes, Chef.
- and knocked out a crab

that, I gotta say,
is pretty spectacular.

- You're safe. So please
go up to the balcony.
- Thank you. Thank you.

Oh, my goodness, it feels so
good to not be in elimination.

Thank you.

Even though crabs scare
the hell out of me,

I was able to conquer
this challenge.

This girl's on fire.

Cesar, how many times
you done this before?

- First time, Chef.
- Visually it looks beautiful.

Love the fact
that it's all intact.

You've got the knuckles out
of the claws as well.

I didn't expect anyone to get
the knuckles out tonight
with such little time.

And the yield underneath,
it's glistening,

and it's quite bright
and it's white,

so it means it's
cooked beautifully.

Make your way up to the top.
Well done.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job.

I'm grateful
for my photographic memory.

That is incredible.

I've always been
an avid reader,

and that's why
I teach English.

It is easy for me
to remember plots, characters,

and I was able to apply that
skill in today's challenge.

- Farhan.
- Hello, Chefs.

So, first of all,
five minutes to go,

you were done,
standing there like that.

- Yes, Chef.
- We never stand still
in any kitchen.

As a future dentist,
that's one of the things

that we really harp on,
is efficiency.

- I love you finishing on time,
but not five minutes early.
- Yes, Chef.

Let's have a closer look.
So, the claws,

little bit chewed up
at the end there.
What happened there?

I think I just got in there
with my scissors

and I ended up stabbing it
a little bit.

Underneath,
let's check it.

Wait. What is that?

Lights down, please.

So the black light
will identify every
tiny fragment of shell.

- This is what?
- A shell.

A shell.
Just touch how sharp that is.

- Like a razor blade.
- Do you know what that means
in our world?

- A lawsuit.
- A lawsuit.

You are not safe.
And a word of warning:

when you have time
on your hands,
double check,

- double check,
double check again.
- Yes, Chef.

Oh, Farhan.

Gordon pulls out
this black light,

my heart sinks to my stomach.

As a medical professional,

I'm trying to make
people healthy.

So for him to tell me

that this potentially
could harm someone

or send them to the hospital,

is just terrifying to me.

- All right, Gerron.
- What's up, Chef?

First things first.
You are wearing my pin.

- Yeah.
- How was this challenge
for you?

My first time working
with live crab.

I just got in there
and just did my best at it.

Looks pretty good.
The pieces are very, very big.

Good yield.

- I'm very impressed.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Wait. What's this?

I'm unsure.
My crab was missing one leg,

and I didn't wanna put
that one on the plate

and make it look
unappetizing.

Oh, my dear.

Do you think that
that was a good decision?

Um...

I think that it was a great
decision for presentation.

Yes, presentation is
all very important.

The most important theme here
is that every speck

of this crab is utilized.

That kinda just shows me
where your head's at,

maybe not completely
in the game.

Gerron, for that reason,
you're not safe.

Please stay
at your station.

I mean, it looks horrible.
To be very honest,

it's like a slap
in the face to the crab.

This is absolutely terrifying.

Lights down, please.

- ( exhales )
- Joe: Ooh.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

- That's a big one.
- Now we got freaking
black lights?

- What's next? X-rays?
- Do you have any idea

what would happen
to an individual's throat
if they swallowed that?

It's just slashed.

Ralph, the yield's off
and that's chewed up.

That is riddled
with little bits of shell.

Stephanie,
you are not going up
to the balcony.

Darrick: I'm getting
a little nervous here,

'cause I think I've got
all the shells out.

Joe: That's a piece
of hard shell. Uh-oh.

- Oh, come on.
- I checked with my hands.

I didn't hear any shell,
I didn't feel any shell,

I didn't see any shell.

Aarón:
Oh, man.

Did you hide some
in your pocket or what?

- No, Chef.
- Darrick.

So, hey! We're gonna see
how I'm gonna do here,

and it's a little
nerve-racking.

Can you lower the lights,
please?

- Oh, no.
- Oh, wow.

That's a big one.
That's like a razor blade.

Darrick, I think you know
where you're heading.

- Nowhere.
- Thank you, sir.

That's a mistake
that is very costly.

It could've cost me $250,000.
I don't know yet.

But some of my competition is
rising up to the next level.

Juni,
you're a great student,

and that's why
I gave you that pin,

and that's exactly
what we're looking for.

Chelsea, that is
a near-perfect execution.

Congrats to Aarón
and congrats to you.

- Good job. Head up.
- Thank you.

- Ashley, you are safe.
- Get up those stairs,

and reaffirm
why I gave you an apron.

Joe: Shanika, how was
this challenge for you?

It was really, really tough,
'cause I'm allergic to crabs.

- You're allergic to crabs?
- And lobster.

- You did all this while
you're allergic to crabs?
- That's why I was shaking.

So that's what all the
hyperventilating was about.

We were concerned.

But I have to judge you
for what you did.

You're absolutely right.

I'm praying that there's
no shells in there.

Oh, dear.
( sighs )

- Ooh.
- Oh, no.

Um...

- You did all this while
you're allergic to crabs?
- That's why I was shaking.

So that's what all the
hyperventilating was about.

We were concerned.

But I have to judge you
for what you did.

You're absolutely right.

I'm praying that there's
no shells in there.

Oh, wow.

That's not so bad.

So you got some good yield.

Nice and lumpy
on the crab meat.

Shanika, I know you were
out of your comfort zone,

and it's very apparent to us
and to me that you struggled.

But the good news is
you did a good job.

This is the reason
I gave you the pin,

is this kind of resilience.

You're safe.
Head up to the balcony.

Whoo!

I literally risked
my life today.

My competitors know now that
I'm willing to risk anything

to get that title.

I didn't come to play.

I came to slay.

And I slayed that crab.

Poor crab.

To all of you up there
on the balcony,

what an amazing job.
Well done.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.

But there was someone that had
an edge over everybody,

and nailed every section,

someone that was so meticulous,

it was a dream performance.

Congratulations, Chelsea.

( cheers, applause )

- Thank you.
- A perfect performance.

You are a talent to watch,
young lady.

- Great job.
- Thank you.

For those of you still standing
behind your stations,

your night is about
to get even tougher

because your elimination
challenge starts right now.

Everyone, please,
come on down.

Going into this elimination
challenge, it sucks.

- Let's go.
- This is a tough competition,

but only the strong survive.

Home cooks, tonight
you'll be replicating

a version of a crab dish
prepared by

one of the greatest
chefs that I know.

Gordon Ramsay.

Gordon: Tonight,
you're going to have to use

the crab meat that
you extracted earlier,

and turn it into
a faultless replication

of my amazing crab Benedict.

You all have to recreate
this exact masterpiece.

Now, I'm gonna show you
how it's done.

Buns, cast-iron pan,
lightly buttered,

and get them in there
so they're nice and toasted.

Right, hollandaise.
First off, water,
up to a rolling boil.

Bowl in, egg yolks in.

Now, we start whisking.
On the heat, 15 seconds.

Off the heat.

Next step, on.

A little teaspoon
of your tarragon reduction in.

And keep whisking,
really important.

Now, slowly add your butter.

One, two, three, stop.

You can see the sauce
starting to thicken up.

Now we start to season.

Salt.

From there, a little touch
of fresh lemon juice.

Just squeeze
that lemon in there,

and then pour that delicious,
rich hollandaise

- into your ramekin.
- Wow.

Now, poaching an egg.

First of all, a touch of salt
into the water,

and then a teaspoon
of vinegar.

From there, crack the egg,
open it up into a cup.

What we're gonna do now
is create a bit of a vortex.

Spin the water round,

and then
we drop the egg in there

so it swirls round gently.

It should take on average
90 seconds to two minutes

to poach that egg beautifully.

Now, the crab.
Salt and pepper.

Drizzle of olive oil,
just a touch.

From there, lemon zest.

This is going to make it
really nice and vibrant.

And then squeeze
your lemon juice in there.

From there,
your fresh chives.

Roll that around.
Don't overwork the crab.

Now, we're ready for eggs.

Lift up and then gently
place them on the towel.

While it's just sitting there,
a light seasoning.

- Beautiful poached eggs.
- Okay.

Now, our muffins.
Beautifully toasted,

and then
take your crab onto the bun.

Now, very carefully,

roll the egg into the spoon

and sit it gently
onto the crab.

Now, you take your hollandaise
and you coat it,

almost like a nice brush
of varnish.

No drips. Again,

take your time, careful of
the pressure on the egg.

And then finally,
a light dusting of paprika.

And that's how you make
a delicious crab Benedict.

But when we go in...

...that is what
we're looking for.

That's sexy.

This is a deceptively
difficult dish,

and a lot of components
that can go wrong.

Please,
head to your stations.

So I've never made
a crab Benedict before.

I don't even think
I've ever eaten one.

I've had an eggs Benedict
after work

at two in the morning
at the diner.

And now I have to recreate

Gordon Ramsay's crab Benedict.

Awesome. Not really.

Aarón:
You have in front of you
everything that you need

to perfectly replicate
Chef Ramsay's crab Benedict.

Joe:
Oh, and one more thing.

If you think the odds
of going home tonight
are one in nine,

you're wrong.

- Two of you
are going home tonight.
- Oh, my God.

Your odds of survival
just got worse.

Your 30 minutes starts... now.
Let's go.

Let's get it, let's get it.

Aarón:
Remember how Chef Ramsay
did it, guys. Come on.

In general,
everybody did a great job.
Let's get that right.

- Yeah.
- Those up on the balcony?
Spectacular.

- The nine down here,
not so good.
- Oh, my God.

Look, I don't know how
to poach no egg, but I'm finna
make it happen today.

So what is the difficulty
in assembling this
crab hollandaise?

- Where can you go wrong?
- There's three big components.

The first one, of course,
is the hollandaise,
the mother of all sauces.

That is a delicate, difficult,
dainty sauce to make.

The second big one is
the seasoning on that crab.

- Just a little bit.
- And then, of course,

the third one
is the poaching of the egg.

Seven minutes gone.
23 minutes remaining.

We had just thought one was
going home at first, but then
they kinda surprised us.

I haven't felt this much
pressure since I've taken
boards for optometry school.

Whoa.

I've never made eggs Benedict
before in my life.

In Arizona, my wife likes
her eggs scrambled.

She doesn't like yolks.
So these are definitely

the most important eggs
I've ever cooked.

With two people going home,
I gotta make sure
that I nail this.

I ain't going home.

- Whip it, Ralph. Whip it.
- Got this, yo.

- Ralph. How you doing?
- How's it going, Chef?

I'm doing great.
We're getting this
hollandaise going.

- Have you ever made
hollandaise before?
- I made it once,

- but I know how good
hollandaise tastes, so--
- Good.

Have you toasted
the muffin yet?

Oh, of course, yes, sir.
Not yet.

Now-- multitask.
You're standing
in front of the pan.

Slice that in half,
get it in there.

- Yes, sir.
- You are here for a reason,

because Joe believed in you.

Snap into it
and get a grip a little bit.

- Okay?
- Yes, sir.

Just over 20 minutes
remaining.

Hollandaise should
be halfway made.

Ryan, first of all,
how you feeling?

Pretty good, Chef.
I'm definitely trying
to redeem myself

- from that last mistake.
- Yeah.

- What are you worried
about with this one?
- Nothing.

Hollandaise is a classic
staple in our brunch.

We actually do a brunch
at the spot I play at
on Sundays.

- So you know this inside out?
- Yes, sir.

- Are you staying
or you going?
- I'm staying, Chef.

- Let's go.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Samantha.
- Yes?

So, you pick up a lot
of your sorority sisters

- after long nights out, right?
- Yes.

Do you guys have
eggs Benedict late at night?

Have you made this before?

I have not made it
for my sorority sisters.

It's not something really
that sorority sisters
ask for at 2 AM.

- Usually they want nachos.
- Yeah, of course.

But I feel confident
in my ability

to make a hollandaise
and poaching eggs.

- All right.
- Good luck.

- Thank you.
- Gordon: We are halfway.

15 minutes remaining.

Just get that
on that warm water.

There we go, there we go.

- Gerron, how you feeling?
- Yes, Chef.

- I'm good, Chef. I'm good.
- Have you made
hollandaise before?

I have never made
hollandaise sauce.

Have you poached eggs before?

I have never
poached eggs before.

- Really?
- Chef, I'm from the hood.

We don't really do
the poached eggs in the hood.

How do you do 'em
in the hood?

We fry 'em hard.
We fry 'em hard.

Were you watching
carefully?

- I was.
- Good. Poach those eggs
beautifully.

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

- Farhan. So, eggs Benedict is
something that's very classic.
- Sir.

- Have you made
and had this dish before?
- No.

Growing up
traditional Indian,

we don't eat food
like this at home.

Benedict is usually made
with bacon and ham.

I don't eat any pork.

Two people are going home
tonight.

- Are you gonna be one of them?
- No, Chef.

- You've picked me
to be on your--
- Got your apron on.

on your team,
and I wanna make you proud.

- All right. Good luck.
- Thank you.

Gordon:
10 minutes remaining.

Hollandaise should be finished,
crab beautifully seasoned.

I like the way
this one looks, man.

That ain't right.
That ain't right.

- I gotta do another one.
- You got it, Lulu.

- ( bleep ) up one egg.
- Olusola's eggs are
all over the place.

- Aarón: You can see the
pressure is getting to her.
- ( Olusola groans )

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

- Oh, my God.
- ( groans )

- Egg keeps splitting, man.
- What is she doing?

- She's on her fifth egg.
- I don't know about this one.

Shanika:
Olusola, come on.

I have to get a perfect egg
or I'm going home.

Olusola, like,
what are you doing?

Use the egg that you have and
get that hollandaise finished.

She might not get it done.

It does not look good
for Olusola right now.

My eggs ain't right.

Gordon:
Hollandaise should
be finished.

Shanika:
Olusola, come on.

I have to get a perfect egg
or I'm going home.

Gordon:
What is she doing?

She's on her fifth egg.

- Right, young lady,
how you feeling?
- Nervous as hell.

I tried several eggs
and I couldn't get it right,

- but I'm gonna get it.
- Good.

Make sure
you poach those eggs

- perfectly, okay?
- Yes, Chef.

- Now, hollandaise,
have you made it before?
- Yes, Chef, I have.

Just gotta get
these eggs together.

You only need
enough hollandaise

- to cover two eggs.
- Okay.

So don't spend
too long making it.

- You got this?
- I got this.

- Let's go.
- Thank you.

- Go, go, go.
- Come on, "Chef-phanie!"

So, Stephanie, you're
a bartender from New Jersey.

- Yes. Yes.
- Work late nights.

Are you a brunch gal
that goes out that next day?

I'm absolutely a brunch gal,
sometimes after work.

- Oh, really? Cool.
- Yes.

So have you made this dish
for friends and family before?

I've never made
an eggs Benedict before.

- Really?
- This is my first time.

- You're on Gordon's team.
- I am.

I'm a little nervous,
but I think I'm gonna
pull it through.

- So, hollandaise.
That's it all right there?
- Yes.

- Seems a little light,
isn't it?
- Yeah.

- Make sure you have
the right consistency.
- Yes, Chef.

Good luck.

Gordon:
Eight minutes remaining.
Eggs should be poached.

This is like a proper
restaurant pick up.

I mean, we're really
raising the level.

So who's looking
good out there
that we've talked to?

Ryan's looking super nice.

I mean, that guy's cooking
with a vengeance.

- You got it, Ryan.
- No doubt. No doubt, baby.

Who really worries you
out there?

- Gerron and Ralph.
- Oh, my God.

I think they're gonna be
in the danger zone.

Seriously, I don't think
it's in their wheelhouse.

Two minutes remaining.
You've got to start finishing.

- Crunch time, y'all.
- Taste everything, y'all.

Just keep moving.

60 seconds remaining.

Hollandaise should be
going on now.

- Keep moving.
- Let's go, guys.

Come on! Don't give up.

Judges:
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six.

- Beautiful.
- Five, four, three, two, one.

Gordon:
And stop, hands in the air.
Oh, man, what a night.

- Great job, guys.
- Well done, all of you.

It's time to see who has cooked
for their last time

inside this
incredible kitchen.

Joe:
Remember, two of you
will be going home tonight.

Gordon:
First up, it's from
the home cook

that Joe gave an apron to.

Ralph, let's go, please.

This dish was
definitely harder than
I thought it was gonna be.

I'm feeling nervous
about my hollandaise,

because if you mess up
hollandaise

on an eggs Benedict,

you might as well not call it
an eggs Benedict.

Okay.

How many times
you poached eggs before?

I poached it,
like, two or three times.

You know,
in the Filipino culture,

usually they come
a little hard.

But I made sure it was, like,
two minutes and it was out,

so the thing's gonna be runny.

Let's find out.

- Come on, Ralph.
- They are.

- Beautiful.
- Yes. Yes.

Second one.

Again, beautiful.

Ralphie boy.

A thin lining
of the egg white set,

encasing that amazing eruption

of glossy, delicious,
warm egg yolk.

Now, how did you
toast the muffin?

I toasted it with just
a little bit of butter
in the cast-iron.

It's delicious.

Crab's seasoned beautifully,
eggs cooked lovely.

Great toast on the muffin.

Hollandaise is absolutely
spot-on.

I'm seriously impressed.

Thank you.

- Good job, Ralph.
- Good, Ralph.

Joe:
The home cook Gordon Ramsay
gave an apron to,

Stephanie, please,
bring your dish up.

My experience with eggs
is very limited,

because, unfortunately,
my son A.J. is allergic.

But I feel like
I did a pretty good job
on my crab Benedict.

I got every element
on the dish,

so I feel like
I have a fighting chance.

Talk to me.

- Was this a difficult
challenge for you?
- Yes.

Considering that
Chef Gordon is the person
that gave me my apron,

I wanted to make sure
that I executed properly.

Let's see how
the eggs are cooked.

All right, so it seems you
cooked your eggs properly.

The crab is flavorful,
but...

it's not a sauce.

The problem here,
this is not a hollandaise.

That's clarified butter,

so your hollandaise
is broke.

- You didn't bind it.
- Damn.

You work as a bartender,
so as you know,

someone who's
involved in mixology,
every component matters.

Here we're missing one
of the three major components.

Sorry, Stephanie.

Head up, head up, head up.

Next up, Farhan, please.
Let's go.

For me, this is a shot
at redemption.

I'm representing
Aarón Sánchez on my apron,

and I really wanna show him

that I can redeem myself,

learn from my mistakes,

and be a good student
along the way.

It was good to see you
maximizing across
the 30 minutes,

not standing there
with a cup of tea
with five minutes to go.

I was really
embarrassed earlier

that I didn't pay
attention to detail,

especially
when I had extra time.

Okay, young man. Eggs.

- Confident?
- I feel pretty good.

I actually made a third egg.
So I picked the best.

Let's get in there.

Let's get in there.

Eggs are poached
beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Nice job.

Little heavy-handed
on the old paprika there.

Yeah,
I was running out of time

and I wanted to make sure
I got it on there,

but I was a little
heavy-handed.

Eggs are delicious.

Crab, seasoned, fragrant
with the lemon zest.

Hollandaise, rich.
You've nailed that.

So, you got all the basics
done beautifully,

but the simplest thing
you've done wrong.

Too heavy-handed
on the spice.

I know you're a spice boy,
and I get all that,

but, you know,
you're cooking for the judges,

- and you're cooking
for survival.
- Yes, Chef.

So it's just a tap.
I'd rather have less than more.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

The next home cook,
please step up, Gerron.

I am a nervous wreck.

I feel like I'm going
for a final exam.

My presentation is not there,

but I'm hoping that the taste
of my crab Benedict

will carry me to the balcony.

Gerron, Joe gave you
that apron for a reason.

Are you 100% content
with this presentation?

Not 100%, Chef.

Well, let's take a look.

( sighs )

You see
how it's set in there?

That's an indication
that it's poached too hard.

Okay?

This is a bit better,

but this presentation
is not consistent.

Let's see if the flavor
can somehow rescue

the uneven cooking
of the eggs.

Here's what I'm tasting.

The flavor of
the hollandaise, delicious.

Crab needs more lemon,
and then the bun needs
to be pressed down,

toasted more consistently.

So, I really need
to think about this

to make sure
that there's enough here

to keep you
in this competition.

And right now, I'm not sure.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Head up, Gerron.
- Let's go, Gerron.

The next home cook
we'd like up here, please,

Samantha.

I'm feeling pretty anxious.

I know I got all
the components on the plate,

but my Benedict looks
a little rough.

I just hope
my flavors are there,

and I hope I did enough
to do Gordon proud.

Samantha, crab Benedict.
You ever heard of it?

No, and I've never had it,
either.

I live in Iowa, so fresh crab
is hard to come by.

You feel the weight
of the Gordon Ramsay apron?

Definitely.

The seasoning
on the crab is good.

Lemony, zesty.
Your hollandaise sauce,
properly salted, tart.

The muffin's toasted well.

- Good dish.
Thank you, Samantha.
- Thank you.

Aarón:
The next home cook
that Joe brought

into this kitchen, Matt.

Matt, you slice that open,
what's it gonna look like?

It's gonna run nice and clear.

The white's are gonna
be cooked all the way.

That is perfectly cooked.

Thank you, Chef.

- Delicious.
- Thank you.

Hollandaise, beautiful balance
of acidity and richness,

but the crab meat needs
a little bit more seasoning.

Gordon:
Next up, a home cook
that Aarón gave an apron to.

Ryan, please, come up.
Let's go.

Let's get in there, shall we?

You poached those eggs
to perfection.

The actual hollandaise sauce
is bloody delicious.

- The problem is
there's not enough of it.
- Right.

Had you put one more spoon
of that hollandaise on there,

then that would be a
near-perfect crab Benedict.

- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.

The next home cook we'd like
up here, please, Darrick.

So, Arizona guy.

Never poached an egg,

never worked
with crab like this,

and my plate looks beautiful.

So I have a feeling I'm gonna
be sitting on the balcony

at the end of the night.

Darrick, what does it mean
to you to be standing here

- wearing Gordon's apron?
- Sir, it means everything.

You know,
for all of us judges,

we hate to see people
in our own aprons

walking out the door.

Right now,
Gordon's probably praying

that these eggs
are cooked to perfection.

Are they?

They are cooked
to perfection, sir.

Let's find out.

- Ready, Gordon?
- Yup.

- Nervous?
- Let it run.

- Nice egg.
- Thank you, sir.

Oh, even better
than the first one.

Very nice.
So, your toast looks good.

The crab's a little bit
all over the place.

Not much of it.

Your hollandaise is good.
It's acidic.

The crab
is seasoned pretty well,

just needs
some more of it.

Gordon,
they're all right.

- Good.
- Thank you.

Good job, Darrick.

Olusola,
please come forward.

I feel like
I'm going to fail Joe,

the one who gave me my apron.

My frustrations
took the best of me

and I did not
execute my time wisely,

so at this point,
I'd rather be sitting

in South Carolina traffic

than present what I have
to the judges.

Damn.

I already know.

Olusola...

we gave everyone the same
amount of ingredients,

the same amount of plates.

Correct.

This beautiful black plate.

And then I see this.

Where is that black plate?

Olusola, we gave everyone

the same amount of ingredients,

this beautiful black plate.

Where is that black plate?

My black plate
is still at the station.

Once I started
poaching the eggs,

being that this
is my first time,

I just panicked.

All right, so we didn't get
the beautiful black plate,

and then we're also missing
a Benedict as well.

All right,
so I should cut this open,

that beautiful yolk
is gonna run off

and cascade over all that
beautiful crab, right?

That's what
I'm expecting, so, yes.

( groans ) Here we go.

Guess what, Olusola?

That's what's
going on right now.

Look at that.

- Oh, nice. Nice.
- ( murmuring )

( sighs )
Let's see how we did here.

Here's the deal, Olusola.

The crab meat is spot on.

You toasted that
English muffin to perfection.

But your hollandaise
needs more seasoning,

so it's safe to say
that time got away from you.

- It did.
- But please keep your head up.

- Okay.
- All right?

Everybody has a fight
in them, right?

- Yes.
- Do you have a fight in you?

Of course. All the time.

Thank you.

Head up, Lulu.

Nine home cooks
with varying degrees
of success tonight.

Now, not one,

but two home cooks
are leaving us tonight.

Please come down
to the front,
all nine of you.

- It's tough.
- Yeah.

It's that feeling
of doing something bad

and you know
you're in trouble,

and you have to take
that long walk

to the principal's office.

I'm doing all that I can
on the outside

not to show how nervous I am,

but my head is hot
and my ears are sweating.

That was an extremely
difficult challenge.

As you all know,
we're gonna lose
two home cooks tonight.

Please step forward...

Ryan.

Ralph.

Matt.

Samantha, please.

Farhan.

Darrick.

Head up to the balcony.

Darrick:
As an engineer,
I put in the work

when the work
needs to be done.

So here I am,
never poached an egg

never worked
with crab like this,

safe from elimination.

Whew.

Right. That leaves
three talented home cooks.

The big question for all of us

is who do we keep?

We need to see
that individual with...

potential, passion, hunger.

Gerron...

You are not...

going home.

Get upstairs.

( cheering )

Yes. Yes.

I cannot believe
that I am safe.

Like, I passed by
the skin of my teeth.

I am still in it,

and I know moving forward,

I gotta bring my A game.

Ladies, listen carefully.

Sending anybody home,
having invested in all of you,

it's not easy.
First of all, Olusola,

the dish was half-completed

and it was nowhere near
the standard of "MasterChef."

Stephanie, eggs Benedict
needs a hollandaise.

It's fundamental.
You presented a poached egg

on crab tonight
with no hollandaise.

So, ladies, unfortunately,
tonight is the last time

you've cooked
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Please,
take your aprons off

and place them on your bench.

- Good night.
- Good night.

- Thank you.
- Joe: Bye.

- ( applause )
- Love you, Olusola.

Olusola:
I'm proud of myself.

Not too many people can say

they made it here
to the MasterChef kitchen

and wore a white apron

from Joe Bastianich.

I'm gonna go back
and drive that bus

with my head held high,

thinking about
different recipes

and master my craft
even more.

A poached egg gonna stop me?
Yeah, right.

Never give up, girl.

Stephanie:
I feel like
I've let myself down.

I feel like
I let Gordon down,

but I'm owning my mistakes.

I'm gonna learn from it.
I'm gonna excel from it.

So, for single moms
especially,

don't let your circumstances
define you.

I beat out so many thousands
of people to be here,

and you can rise above
whatever is going on.

You can do this, too.

Announcer:
Next time...

We're at
the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

- ( honking )
- ( cheering )

Ryan: Chef Ramsey
drives forklifts, too?

Leave something
for somebody else.

Announcer:
For the top 20...

It's your first
team challenge!

( bell ringing )

...a storm is brewing.

- We hungry?
- ( all shouting )

Oh, my God.

All these hungry brewers

are like a swarm of bees.

Announcer:
Who will rise to the top?

And whose MasterChef dream...

Look at this.

...will fizzle out?