Masterchef (2010–…): Season 9, Episode 8 - A Gordon Ramsay Wedding - full transcript
The contestants head to Malibu, California, and cook for Season 7 winner Shaun O'Neale's wedding with Gordon Ramsay officiating! After splitting into 2 teams, the home cooks have limited ...
Are you wondering how healthy the food you are eating is? Check it - foodval.com
---
Narrator: Previously...
Please welcome one of America's
greatest soccer players.
Alexi Lalas?
Are we playing soccer or
are we cooking over here?
Narrator: A world-class challenge....
Gordon: Churros.
...meant sweet success...
- These are kinda sexy.
- ...for some...
That's textbook, spot-on.
- ...but...
- This is your worst performance.
...it was the end of the road...
Please, place your apron on your bench.
...for Alecia.
- Tonight...
- Please welcome Shaun O'Neale.
a champion returns for
a MasterChef wedding.
It is my honor to declare
you husband and wife.
( cheers and applause )
- But...
- Imagine if it was your wedding day.
- That's how we gotta work.
- ...when the top 18 join together
- for better or worse...
- Beautiful.
- You wanna serve this ( bleep ).
- the celebration...
- MasterChef mashed potatoes.
- ...ends in heartbreak.
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
I'm gonna run it.
- Whoo!
- This is so beautiful!
Oh, my God!
Top 18!
I am hyped right now.
We are riding in a safari truck
and I don't know what we're doing,
- I don't know where we're going.
- How amazing is he?
His name is Stanley.
He's nine years old.
Aarón: Come on, Stanley.
You got all dressed up
for the party. Look at him.
There's obviously vineyards here,
but then I look to my
left and there's a zebra,
and then I look to my
right and there's a giraffe.
- Good morning!
- Good morning, good morning.
We see the arch,
we see tents,
we see flowers everywhere.
So an environment
reminiscent of an outdoor wedding.
Welcome to Saddlerock Ranch.
- Are you excited?
- All: Yes, Chef.
As you can see, you are at a wedding!
- ( all cheer )
- Right?
And can you guess who today's cooks are?
- Us.
- Us.
Yes, you got it.
It is all of you guys.
Today's not just anyone's wedding.
It's somebody that's very important
to our MasterChef family.
Gordon: All of you, please welcome
the winner of "MasterChef"
season seven, Shaun O'Neale,
and his fiancée Katie.
( cheers and applause )
What's up, guys?
Yeah!
Being able to cook at Shaun's wedding
is an incredible honor.
- Chef Ramsay, great to see you.
- Welcome back.
But I also know how
great of a chef he is
and I know what kind
of expectations he has,
so this is gonna be hardcore.
- Shaun, welcome back to the MasterChef family.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
Give us an insight to
what you've been up to.
I've been cooking at some of the biggest
food festivals in the country,
but the biggest change in my life
has been finding my future wife.
All right, guys, you're
gonna be working in two teams.
Both teams will be making
a stunning appetizer,
followed by an incredible entrée.
But the proteins they'll be cooking with
will be up to both of you.
So, Shaun, Katie,
give us an insight to
what you'd love to see.
For the appetizer, we
would really like scallops
to be featured.
For our very first date,
Shaun made me scallops.
- How good were they?
- Katie: Amazing.
- Amazing.
- We're here now.
- ( all laugh )
- That's why.
And what will the entrée protein be?
Duck breast.
- Duck. Yes.
- Wow!
Shaun: It's a tricky
ingredient, but if made right,
there is truly nothing else like it.
Don't mess this up.
I expect perfection.
It's an absolute pleasure, and for me,
seeing where you started standing there,
to be hosting your wedding today,
I can't think of a better way
to put these guys to the test.
Now go and get ready.
Next time we see you,
- you'll be husband and wife.
- Thank you, Chef.
We'll see you guys soon. Bye, guys.
Kick some ass.
Julia: This is a pretty big
deal right now, you know.
This isn't about just cooking a
kitchen and winning a competition.
This is somebody's
getting married over here.
Like, this stuff has
got to be good today.
Today we're gonna elect two home cooks
that have been flying under the radar.
We wanna see what you can do
in a position of leadership.
Juni. Come on up here.
You'll be the red team captain.
( cheers and applause )
The blue team captain
today will be Julia.
- Oh, nice!
- Come on, Julia!
Lindsay: Juni and Julia.
You couldn't ask for two
different personalities.
I mean, Juni's a little bit all
over the place, pretty young,
and I think a little bit flighty.
And Julia's got a very
loud and strong voice.
I mean, she knows what she
wants and she's gonna get it.
Joe: Okay, Julia, first pick.
Okay.
This person to me is just very strong,
and they work really
well under pressure.
That person is Lindsay.
Gordon: Lindsay. Wow.
Old ladies gotta stick together.
- Uh, Juni.
- This home cook,
I believe that their execution of
their dishes has been phenomenal
and so I am choosing Cesar.
Gordon: Cesar. Wow.
Thank you.
S.J.
My strategy with picking my team,
is first of all, no drama.
Taylor.
Secondly, they need to be a team player.
Ashley.
Juni: I want a strong team
that's going to be
able to work together.
Mark.
Somebody that's going to be able
to really step up to the plate.
Farhan.
They can't buckle under pressure.
I don't want no freaking crying.
- Ralph.
- Let's go, Julia!
- Gerron.
- Gerron.
Julia: I do pay attention
to people's strengths,
and I want that strength in my team.
Bowen.
- Juni. Three left.
- Yes. Three left.
Gordon: Think about this one carefully.
Who don't you want?
- Who don't I want?
- Yeah.
Uh, Miss Shanika.
- ( chuckles )
- Why?
I don't like her in the kitchen.
- I like her outside of the kitchen.
- Ooh.
Really, Juni?
I'm choosing Samantha.
Gordon: Samantha. Wow.
Shanika: You're gonna eat those words,
because when you see me in action,
you'll see exactly what
I'm capable of doing.
I would love to have Shanika.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- The red team's going down today.
- Yes.
- Okay.
- I have the dream team.
I have everybody that
I wanted to work with.
I have confidence that
they'll be able to knock
this out of the park.
Juni, are you happy with your team?
- I'm excited. Yes, we are.
- You're gonna win this today.
- Julia.
- I am feeling wonderful about my team.
Honestly, I think I have
the most mature team.
- Right.
- And those are people that I prefer to work with.
All right, so everybody's
happy on both teams.
A hundred percent happy,
that's an amazing thing,
but... too bad.
Told ya.
Because right now,
I would like the team captains...
- to switch aprons.
- Oh!
Hell nah.
Joe: So, Juni, you will
captain the blue team.
( sighs ) I knew it!
And, Julia, you will
captain the red team.
Oh, my God!
A great chef and a great leader
should be able to work with anyone.
Today we'll be judging
based upon guest feedback,
obviously how well you
work in the kitchen,
and of course, the dishes you plate,
to determine who wins
and which team faces elimination.
- Are you both ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.
Your time starts now!
- Let's go, guys!
- Go! Go! Go!
- Come on, guys.
- Let's go, guys. Let's go.
- Team blue.
- Let's go! Let's go!
Okay, listen.
For the scallops, I think
we should do three of them.
- Are we all in agreement?
- Yeah. Absolutely, yes.
I think underneath we should
probably do some lentils,
lke something in like a
really nice vinaigrette.
I was just going in a
complete other direction,
but like a watercress
salad, blood orange supremes,
- some crispy sprouts on top, basil oil.
- But all those components,
I don't know if we're gonna have time.
I'm a little worried. I got this team,
that I didn't even pick.
They're really, really young,
and they all think they know everything.
I don't wanna be told
this is how we're supposed
to do it. I'm in charge.
As far as the duck, I
wanna do something classic
like a red wine reduction.
I mean, we're in a vineyard.
- Gerron: I like that. I like that.
- All right.
- Everybody knows what they're doing?
- Yes.
- We can do this.
- All right, let's go, guys.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
I need everybody up here
who's gonna be doing scallops.
I've decided that we're
gonna do seared scallops
over a bed of lentils with bacon,
and nice little salad on top.
Snap peas with some red radishes
in a nice champagne vinaigrette.
So the duck, we decided on
just nice roasted potatoes,
putting some mushrooms in there.
We're gonna do a cherry red wine sauce.
Cherries and duck, it's classic.
So we're gonna pan sear the scallops.
Do you guys think that we
should pan sear them in duck fat,
- to kinda tie the two dishes
together or... - All: No.
- Okay, okay.
- They're too delicate.
As a vegetarian of over ten years,
I don't cook with scallops,
I don't cook with duck,
but I'm confident in my ability
to cook anything that's
put in front of me.
Got it, okay. So,
pan-seared scallops, uh,
- with some farro.
- I think we probably should go with duck.
Yeah, I think we probably
should go with the duck.
Taylor: Right off the
bat I'm a little worried.
If this were my
wedding, I would not want
to eat farro with scallops.
I just know I don't want
to eat a kind of grain.
I think for the entrée,
I am thinking of doing a
pan-seared duck breast...
- Yes.
- ...with orange zest, mashed potatoes.
Mm... mm-mm.
Juni, you're not making sense right now.
Freaking orange mashed potatoes?
Who does that?
- Everybody got it? All right.
- Are we ready?
One, two, three.
- Blue team!
- Whoo!
Let's go!
Juni: So for the appetizer,
we're gonna be doing
a pan-seared scallop
with some farro, blood orange
gastrique, and orange supremes.
For the entrée, we're gonna go
with the pan-seared duck breast
with orange zest mash,
and we're gonna do a
cherry red wine reduction
and some charred Romanesco.
I'm confident that we
can execute some dishes
to perfection today.
Shanika: We got this, y'all.
We got this.
( music playing )
Gordon: Red team, blue team,
our guests are arriving.
I'm looking forward to the food,
because I...
I'm praying
that it's gonna be delicious.
It better be delicious!
Imagine if it was your wedding day.
That's how we gotta work.
I have the highest expectations,
because Gordon Ramsay is over there,
and I know he is making
sure everything is perfect.
Right, blue team.
Juni, tell me about the
dish. What are you doing?
So we're gonna do some
pan-seared scallops
with
farro and...
- Farro?
- Yes.
- We need... -
Guys. Yeah, hold on.
Farro is a tough grain.
It's wintery.
We're in spring. We're
in the Malibu hills.
Has anyone questioned this?
- Yes.
- Yes, Chef.
- It's a wedding. It's not a winter banquet.
- Yes.
- We have that celery
root. Let's use it.
So, I can do a celery root purée.
Okay. Tell me about the duck.
For the duck, we're gonna
be doing a pan-seared duck
with an orange zested mash,
- and then we're gonna do...
- An orange zested mash?
Yes.
Hey, blue team. Blue
team, just... just stop.
An orange zested mash.
Put your hands in the air
if you've ever seen
an orange zested mash
in any restaurant anywhere in the world.
What are we thinking?
- Meet, discuss, move.
- All: Yes, Chef.
Juni, get everybody you can on
that damn celery root purée.
Juni: Yes, Chef.
Phew! Thank you, Jesus,
Gordon, for doing that.
Juni, your ideas sucked,
and Gordon got your ass.
All right, guys, come on.
- How are we doing?
- Good, we're doing good.
Scallops are almost prepped.
Julia: Guys, be
consistent with everything.
- Captain Julia.
- Yes.
Come over, please. Thank you.
Oh, ( bleep )!
( bleep )!
Stop!
- Who seasoned these?
- We all did, Chef.
What happens to them when you
season them before you cook them?
- The moisture leaks out.
- That's right.
You never season until you cook them,
'cause when you hit the
pan it's gonna be watery.
Come on, guys.
Look at the water running
out of them already.
Mark: That's a cardinal sin.
You season right before
they go in the pan.
Julia, she obviously doesn't
know what she's doing.
We're cooking for a
winner of "MasterChef."
- Yes. I understand.
- Get a cloth and dry them.
Get rid of the seasoning quickly.
Get a cloth, dry 'em.
Cesar: We started out
strong, but that one mistake
could send service
into a downward spiral.
Come on, guys. Please.
Julia: Chelsea, are you
taking the pepper off of this?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Okay.
Emily: We seasoned the
scallops way too early,
and now everyone's
scrambling to dry 'em off
and to get all the salt and the pepper
and the oil off of the scallops.
All right, come on, guys. Let's go.
It's not in my DNA
that I'm gonna be the
captain of a losing team.
Are you serious?
No. It's not gonna happen.
Come on, guys. We can do this.
( music playing )
Shaun: As you guys know,
"MasterChef" has changed my life.
It's changed everything about my life.
( clears throat ) Since
I lost my dad there's...
( clears throat ) There's only
been like one main role model,
and,
uh... God.
( Shaun clears throat )
Everybody, Gordon
Ramsay is gonna come out,
and he's gonna finish this off for us.
So, I'd like to introduce
you all right now
to Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Yeah. Okay.
Right.
I'm really honored
to be part of this very special day,
and I hope that you remember
this for the rest of your lives.
- Absolutely.
- Katie: We will.
- Are we ready?
- Both: Yes.
( all laugh )
All right, guys, 15 minutes
and I need to see a dish.
Juni, make sure you start delegating.
- Oh, yeah. For sure.
- All right? Let's go.
Just let me know that
the scallops are good.
- Right? Okay.
- Yes, these are patted dry.
By the power vested in me,
it's my honor to declare
you both husband and wife.
And now you may seal this
declaration with a huge kiss.
( cheers and applause )
Your wedding ceremony is over.
Now it's time to celebrate,
and I've got to get to the kitchen.
- Yeah. Get in there. Get in there.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
- You're welcome.
Here it is. I need a VIP.
- Two top, for the bride and the groom.
- Yes, Chef.
After that, I need a six and a five top.
- Yes, Chef.
- Let's go.
Julia: I want them perfect!
Perfectly seared.
- Do not overcook them.
- No.
- We won't.
- Julia: All right, pass me up the dishes.
Man: Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. and Mrs. O'Neale.
( cheers and applause )
- How long, Julia?
- 30 seconds.
- Scallops, I need 'em now!
- Scallops up.
I'm excited to eat.
Shaun: I'm hoping these guys
can pull off an amazing meal.
We're expecting excellence.
Matt, how is the first
batch of purée coming?
- Is it done? - Purée's
coming. It's still...
Still breaking down.
It needs a lot of time.
Juni, I need a time.
- How long?
- So it is gonna be like another ten minutes.
- Another ten minutes.
- Yeah.
- No. No.
- No.
- Gordon: Where's the purée?
- Juni: It's cooking right now.
Juni, I need to have one
portion of purée made
for at least some tables. Let's go.
- What are we doing?
- Look at this.
- Juni: It's still too hard.
- Gordon: Stop, stop.
- Juni: Is it done? - Matt:
It's too thick, yeah, but...
- ( bleep )!
Oh, I... - No.
Hey, hey, hey, blue team.
- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
Listen carefully.
The party has sat down
and the purée's raw.
Already, blue team,
you're all over the place.
And do you know why?
No one's communicating
and the captain's disappeared.
You need to get on the same page.
- Is that clear?
- All: Yes, Chef.
I'm telling you now,
you drop the purée.
- Yes.
- Five minutes.
- So no purée? Got it.
- Seven covers. Let's go.
Shanika: We have to
completely change our menu.
We don't have any time.
We gotta figure something
out, like, quick.
We need to do something light,
like a pickled carrot.
Should we do that?
Okay. We can do that.
Thank, God, Taylor steps up.
- We're doing the carrots.
- All right.
I'm just grabbing a whole bunch of them.
Sorry, Juni, you suck as a captain.
We need you to lead.
You gotta think on your toes.
Step up! Everybody step up!
S.J.: We got this.
Let's go! Let's go! Push!
All right, perfect.
There you go. Good.
Servers, please. First table.
Bride and groom, sir.
Aarón: Garnish, Juni. Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Juni: I really need to nail this
because I wanna impress Chef Aarón.
He gave me this apron,
and hopefully the dish is perfect,
because it's going out
to the bride and groom.
All right, let's go.
All right, Shaun, Katie. First opinions.
- So... Yeah? - They're
both really good.
Joe: So, the red team,
you have seared scallops
with braised lentils and snap pea salad.
And for the blue team,
we have seared scallops
with pickled carrots
and blood orange gastrique.
This has a nice peppery tone to it.
- It's delicious.
- So, the red team, lentils, peppery.
It's nice... nice
peppery tone.
They did a really good
job pickling those carrots
in a short amount of time.
Flavor's better here,
sear's better here.
If you had to give me a vote
right now. red team, blue team...
- Red team.
- Red team.
Red team, red team. Great. Enjoy.
Yeah. Thank you, Chef.
- Gordon: Remind me what's going.
A six... - A six and an eight.
- Talk to them.
- I just did.
- You, focus.
- Yes, Chef.
Table 14, please. Thank you.
Go!
The way these are cooked is so perfect,
and the flavor's so great.
Aarón: Come on! This
is somebody's wedding.
Finish me off. Give me beautiful.
Give me beautiful.
So the blue team's
scallops freaking rock,
and they're seared perfectly.
Let's go! Con ganas. Muevete!
Allí. Finish the garnish. Let's go.
Undercooked or overcooked?
This one looks like a...
this one looks like a potato chip.
Come on, come on. What the
hell are you looking at?
- I didn't wanna put it
down... - Yeah, don't worry.
By the time you get over
here, it's gonna be done.
Sounds good.
Tell me. You guys have refined palates.
You've been through the
"MasterChef" circuit.
- Yeah.
- How did they do?
I just wish that
some of the...
some of the cooked on
things like the bacon,
and some of the flavors were
a little bit more developed...
- Right.
- ...but I think it was a great move
- for an appetizer.
- Excellent. What do you think?
I felt the flavor
combination was great, Joe.
I just want a little
more sear on that scallop.
Got it. Enjoy the rest
of the wedding, guys.
- Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
Look at these. I mean,
they're overcooked.
Hey, you two. You two, come here.
Just ask yourself. Would you eat those?
- No, I wouldn't.
- No, Chef.
We have a former winner,
and you wanna serve this ( bleep ).
And this is what bugs me.
No one's giving me standards.
And none of you'd eat that,
but you're happy to
serve it to a winner.
Julia: He's right.
This is somebody's freaking wedding.
Like, I don't wanna ruin it.
We gotta get this together.
Enough's enough!
Red team, last table.
Six scallops away. Let's go.
Yes, Chef. 18 scallops!
- Now!
- They're coming out in just a second.
Juni, let's go. Finish these up.
Let's go. The last push.
Come on, Juni. Get in
there, finish strong.
- Are these good to go, Juni Captain?
- Yes, those two are good to go.
All right. Let's go, table seven.
Juni: We're done,
we're done. We're good.
Matt: Now that appetizers are done,
all I know is with this entrée round,
we have to do a way better job
if we wanna win this team challenge.
Lentils. Come on!
- Come on.
- Plate down, please.
- Nice cut on the scallops.
- Thank you.
- Come on, guys.
- Service, please.
- Gordon: Table 18. Let's go.
- Julia: That's it.
- Let's regroup.
- Let's regroup, guys. Come on.
Chelsea: I actually think
the red team did great.
I mean, under the circumstances.
Scallops is not an easy protein.
I feel great and I know
that we just have to keep up
the momentum for the entrée,
and we cannot slow down.
Cheers to the red team!
- They did good.
- Go, red!
Yes!
Red team had a really slow start,
but they've actually stepped up.
- Come on, guys.
- On the blue team,
Juni has completely lost his voice.
He was not leading, not delegating.
Juni needs to step back up,
delegate and make sure
that we can execute
the way it should be to our standards.
- Bounce back.
- Bounce back. That's right.
I know the apps are important,
but the star today
is gonna be that duck.
Joe: The cook has to be perfect.
We need fat rendered,
we need crispy skin.
If we don't have those
elements, we got nothing.
Next course is make or break
for the red and the blue team.
I want these all scored
exactly the same...
- Okay, I got you.
- ...and I want 'em perfect.
Julia, I need you right now.
- Yes.
- Talk to me quickly. What are you making?
We're gonna sear the duck breast.
We're gonna do some tri-color potatoes,
and then we're doing some mushrooms,
that we're just gonna
sauté in some butter,
and then a red wine cherry sauce.
Julia, if this duck is
messed up, it's all on you.
Julia: I'm the team captain,
so anything that goes wrong,
of course they're gonna blame me.
So just pay attention,
listen to what I'm saying,
and we're gonna be fine.
Dry 'em, score 'em. Salt and pepper.
Let's get 'em on the
side. Let's get 'em ready.
- Captain. Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
- Yes.
We're gonna do a pan-seared duck,
and we're changing the mash...
- Okay, love it.
- ...to a garlic herb mashed potato
- and then we're gonna do some charred Romanesco.
- Okay.
- How are you gonna make that mash wonderful?
- Uh, yes.
Gordon: I mean garlic
mash is so simple. It's...
The garlic is going to be roasted
before it's put into the mash.
Thank you, Chef.
- Shanika: So you're not gonna do the fondant potatoes?
- No.
Come over here, please.
Garlic mash is not
sexy, it's not elegant.
We can do the fondant
potatoes a little bit smaller.
It'll be easier for us to cook 'em,
because we can do 'em
on top of the stove,
baste 'em with some butter.
Garlic mashed potatoes. Come on.
How simple can you get?
We already have the mash going
- in the pots right now.
- I know,
but I don't think it's
better than a fondant potato.
For somebody's wedding?
We're doing the mash in the piping bag
so that we can make sure
that we have consistency
- and it doesn't look bad.
- All right. You're the captain.
Go with the little funky
mashed potatoes then.
In the piping bag.
- You guys good on potatoes then?
- Yeah.
- You're not peeling?
- Oh, we are peeling,
but by cutting them first like this.
Juni: Got it, got it, got it.
Of course, like, a little bit of skin
won't make too much of a difference.
Juni: Yeah, that's fine.
Okay, we need to get
some garlic roasted.
- It's in the oven, Juni.
- It's in the oven. Ah, you're the best.
Shaun: Entrée round
I'm terrified about.
Duck breast is a hard protein to cook.
Hopefully there's somebody
that knows how to render fat
and knows how to appropriately cook
a nice, beautiful, pink-
all-the-way-through duck.
- How we doing on this?
- We're looking really good.
I'm just making sure that they render
perfectly and I don't burn any of them.
Guys, those mushrooms should be done!
Gordon: What are you
doing? What's in there?
Does it need more salt?
There's no salt in there.
- Did you taste the water?
- No, Chef.
I am starting to lose confidence.
Things are just falling apart.
Blue team, charred Romanesco
is on a charcoal grill.
So what are we charring it on?
Lindsay: Are we getting
'em in cast-iron?
I was thinking the broiler.
That's not charred, is it?
- That's roasted.
- I think they were gonna do it
over the open flame.
That's what I thought.
- Open flame? Open flame?
- Yes. That's what I thought.
Oh, my God! Speak up!
Taylor: I am so frustrated,
because we have lost our
captain at this point.
- Who's on the mash?
- We are here, sir.
They're going to be working on it.
They're preparing the
potatoes right now, Chef.
- Good.
- Ralph: Blue team's ship is sinking.
Our confidence level is so down.
Somebody needs to step up ASAP.
The MasterChef mashed potatoes.
Holy ( bleep )!
- Hey, you two, come here.
- Hey.
Hey, come here, you two.
We came in to this competition
with ambition to win.
We're making mashed potatoes.
We go there, down to there.
We've got skin on.
Black eyes here.
Now, when I said to you all,
"Set yourselves up for success,"
you're ( bleep ) even before
you come out of the gate.
Look.
Mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes.
Someone came up with a
smart idea of fondants.
- Who was that earlier?
- Shanika.
So it's one fondant per person.
Half a potato, cut, ring in, done.
But, look.
How does that become a stunning mash?
It doesn't, Chef.
Let me tell you something.
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
Have a meeting,
and somebody step up and run this team.
If not, I'm gonna run it.
All: Yes, Chef.
Now!
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
Have a meeting, and somebody
step up and run this team.
If not, I'm gonna run it.
All: Yes, Chef.
Now!
I'm totally okay with, like,
stepping in and doing this.
Are you okay with that?
Are you all okay with that?
- Right.
- Yep. Okay, let's go.
Who am I to fight this?
Juni, who is the captain?
Taylor's stepping in.
Taylor is brave enough to step in
and say that she wants to be captain.
I'm okay with the decision.
- Everyone good to go?
- Yes.
I'm not, the only reason I'm
not is because of the potatoes.
We can do one fondant potato
per person. You cut 'em in half.
- Okay. Then, yes, let's do it.
- Come here, Taylor.
- Let's do it.
- Yeah, let's do it.
Phew! Thank you, Taylor.
Sorry, Juni.
Your voice wasn't loud
enough, your ideas sucked.
We need leadership.
Gordon: Young man, I
know you can do better.
Now you may not be the
captain of blue team,
but it doesn't mean to
say you have to give up.
Understood.
- Taylor.
- Yes, Chef.
- We need to get this thing moving.
- Got it.
I am not going to let
Gordon Ramsay down.
Now it's my time to just
bring it and prove to him
that he made a right
decision giving me that apron.
It's a little bit thick. We need
to lighten it up a little bit.
Aarón: Red team, listen up.
Five minutes. It's go time.
Chelsea, get the sauce down.
Julia is loud in the kitchen,
but she's not just yelling at us.
She's leading the team.
Let's go! Come on, Chelsea.
We're on a roll. The
red team's doing great.
Keep it up, guys.
Who's on the red wine sauce?
Ashley has it reducing right now.
How many portions are here?
That's...
- Come on! Taylor.
- ...maybe 12, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
- Five portions of sauce there
and barely ten there.
And all you've been making,
young lady, is the sauce.
- Yes, Chef.
- And yet you've got 35 portions not done.
I gave you a pin, I believe you,
but you just... you're
just not with it.
- Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
- You've gotta help me.
We got this. No, no,
it's okay. Deep breath.
- You got this, you got this.
- Hey, you're just wasting time.
- Yes, Chef.
- Taylor: I'm honestly shocked
to see Ashley kind of
breaking down a little bit.
I do feel bad that she's so upset,
but we don't have time for that.
You've got nothing done.
Just get your act together.
That's enough.
Get a grip, 50 portions.
Deep breath. We got it, girl.
- Let's go.
- ( Ashley groans )
I need a beautiful duck
dish for the bride and groom,
and then I need a six
top following that.
Julia: I want these all out together.
Let's go.
Get those potatoes right now, guys.
Don't just sit around.
Come on. Quicker, Ryan.
Shanika, let's get
all those potatoes on.
They're coming.
We're gonna break it
down into two teams.
I'm gonna be right here,
and we're gonna have Juni
and Matt helping me.
Get ready for game time.
Okay, Aarón,
which one is the bride and groom's dish?
- It's right here, my friend.
- All right, beautiful.
- Looks good.
- Gerron, I've got 12 ducks coming up.
- Hot plate right now, come on.
- Hey. Psst!
Yeah?
- Potatoes.
- Potatoes.
We need the potatoes.
Oh, we need the potatoes.
Yes. Yes, potatoes.
Oh, my God almighty.
- Yes, Chef.
- Hey, Clark Kent.
- Wake up.
- Yes, Chef.
Okay, we're ready for
the bride and groom dish.
We're working on 'em right here.
Let's go. Two more
minutes to go. Right here.
Sauce, potato.
Potato!
- Potato. Yes, Chef.
- ( bleep ) potato head!
Are you serious?
Bride and groom. Thank you.
Gordon: Get it together.
- All right, Chef.
- Or ( bleep ) off and feed the giraffe.
Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Oh, my Lord.
- ( cheers and applause )
- Are you ready?
- Yes, sir.
For the blue team, we have a
cherry and red wine reduction,
potato fondant, Romanesco,
and here we have a wine reduction sauce
with mushrooms and roasted potatoes.
- What do you think?
- The blue team's duck is cooked perfect for me.
Perfect? Wow! How's that sauce?
- Looks a little
over-reduced, maybe? - It is,
but I could care less about that.
The duck is cooked
pretty much perfectly.
- Red team? Hmm.
- This is a little sloppy.
Potatoes and mushrooms are great
but the duck is a little under...
- Yeah.
- ...which is a bummer,
'cause they had such a strong
showing on the appetizer.
Okay.
Well, let's hope they did better
for the rest of your guests.
I hope so, too. I hope so, too.
Aarón: All right, guys, let's go.
- Six top.
- I got two ducks ready to fly.
Julia: Let's go! Get me
the mushrooms out here now!
Six and a five coming
up. All right, servers.
Woman: The red team's duck was great.
They had amazing vegetables.
The potatoes were amazing.
The mushrooms were cooked very well.
My duck was cooked great.
I ate all of it.
Guys, we need to get
those plates up here.
Warm plates, right now.
Gordon: I need a six and a
one. Come on, come on, come on.
I had the blue team's duck tonight.
It was pretty good.
There were a couple pieces
that were a little bit
rarer than I would prefer,
but the flavor was good
and the sauce was good.
All right, guys, I'm
gonna fire three six tops.
- Smarty-pants, how
many is that? - 18.
I wanna go to the college y'all went to.
Dan: I'd like a little
more sear on the duck,
but overall, pretty damn good dish.
- Move your ass!
- Yes, Chef.
The flavor was excellent,
but the meat was a
little cool in the middle.
- Last six. Let's go!
- All right, y'all,
this is our last table right here.
We need perfect ducks going out.
The very last. Come on, y'all,
this is it. Let's go, let's go.
Aarón: This is the last
six top. I need it now.
I need duck on a plate, garnish last.
Gerron: I got four sitting ducks.
- Let's go!
- I got it. No problem. Ain't no thing.
Coming around, coming around.
Take it, take it, take it.
There you go.
That's what we're talking about.
- We got it.
- We got it.
Hey, come here, y'all. We did our best.
We didn't have that much organization,
but we served them.
Even though it was
chaotic in our kitchen,
we did get all the dishes out.
I really hope that we can pull this off,
but I don't know if it was enough.
We should hold our heads
up. Let's break this down,
but good job.
- Go for it.
- We're done.
- Way to pull it together, guys.
- Great job, great job.
Finally service is over,
and everybody was working together
as a really good cohesive team.
I gotta be honest,
I'm feeling pretty confident right now.
Joe: Hello, everybody.
Enjoying the lovely
wedding? Everything good?
- The wedding is amazing.
- Did you enjoy your duck?
- We did not enjoy our duck, no.
- No one?
- So... - It was
literally blood red.
This was the duck from the red team.
Everything looks really good.
- Clean up.
- So undercooked you think?
Raw?
I'll have them make 'em all
again. I'll be right back.
Julia: Where are you putting
these dishes, back there?
- Do we have scrubbies?
- Can you put some soap in here, please?
Should we just throw this stuff out?
- Yeah.
- So this is just garbage?
- ( grunts )
- Guys.
We got an issue.
They're clearing out tables.
These people pulled me aside.
They refuse to eat
this. They say it's raw
and disgusting. We need
more plates on the fly.
- Oh, God.
- What happened?
- We're wrapped up.
- Four new plates?
- Mushrooms are in the garbage.
- I know. I threw 'em out.
Mushrooms are thrown out.
We don't have mushrooms,
we don't have sauce.
Oh, my God. The duck is raw.
We have to remake the plates,
but we've thrown away
all of our ingredients.
Can you get the
mushrooms in the pan now?
- What can I do?
- Farhan: The team is freaking out.
We thought we had nailed it
and now I'm hoping it's not
enough to make us lose tonight.
Service isn't over till it's over.
Farhan: Oh, my God.
Guys.
These people are not eating.
They refuse to eat this.
They say it's raw and disgusting.
We need four plates on the fly.
- Oh, my God.
- Let's go!
We got, like, two minutes
to make this happen.
- Mushrooms are in the garbage.
- Cesar, where's the sauce?
It got thrown out.
It got thrown out!
Everything got thrown out!
Gerron: Come on, we need to
make something real quick.
Julia: We should've known better.
Service isn't over until the last person
walks out of the reception.
- Come on, guys. Let's go!
- Four portions, let's go.
Aarón: I need potatoes
hot. I need that sauce sexy.
Come on, guys. We can do this.
We made a mistake,
and I really hope this
doesn't affect our chances.
You know what? It would really
suck if we did not win today.
Bring out the mushrooms when
they're done, family-style,
because if not, these
people are gonna walk on me.
- Okay?
- Aarón: Plate 'em right now.
Let's go. Put the duck
on. Let's go, come on.
Come with the third. Let's go.
Never throw anything away.
- Totally, no.
- Lesson learned.
Okay, re-plated, redone.
The only problem is
we don't have mushrooms
because they're re-cooking 'em again.
They're gonna come out and
serve 'em to you family-style.
They're very sorry. Bon appétit.
Thank you.
We got the plates out that we needed to.
We re-fired what was raw,
and we made as many
people happy as we could.
That's really the name of the game.
Job well done.
Team red, love it. Thank you.
Emily: I was on the losing
team last team challenge,
and that's not a good feeling.
I don't know what happened on
the other side of that wall,
but if the blue team did even
a slightly better cook of their duck,
they could pull out a win.
( music playing )
Ladies and gentlemen, please,
welcome our talented home cooks
that were up against it today.
Welcome our red team and our blue
team, ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
( cheers and applause )
Now for the important part.
Are the lovely couple ready to announce
which team served the best meal
across this incredible lunch?
Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Good.
Please pick up the champagne.
The winning team...
- is...
- One, two, three.
- ...red team.
- ( cheers and applause )
Julia: The red team won!
Bravissimo! This is perfection!
Forget about it. I
knew we were gonna win.
You're amazing!
Team captain! She's the best!
I know that we had some
snags along the way,
but I feel in the end
we had a great system going.
I'm so proud of my team.
Congratulations, red team.
You're safe from elimination, and guys,
you really, really earned it.
Thank you!
And you know what that means, blue team.
Please head to the kitchen and clean up.
Thank you.
Just... very disappointing.
I thought that I could step
up and be a team captain,
and turn this whole thing around,
but it just wasn't enough.
And it just really sucks.
I think once we got the hang
of everything toward the end,
everything was starting
to get a little stronger.
- We finished stronger than we started.
- Yeah, definitely.
It really sucks to be
on the losing team again.
I chose the people on the red team
because I wanted to be with those
people and I know how they work,
but you just gotta play with
the cards that you're dealt with.
Joe: Guys, come on over, please.
Line up here. Come on.
Quick, quick, quick.
That was not a good performance.
My saving grace was when
we switched captains,
finally we had a
little bit of authority.
We got it together.
Yes, it wasn't smooth,
but I'm not expecting it to be smooth.
You made it hard for yourselves.
You do deserve to lose.
However, there were a few
individuals that did shine,
let me tell you.
So, we decided
that we're gonna save two
cooks from elimination.
And that's Shanika and...
Taylor.
Lindsay: I'm thrilled for Taylor.
I mean, I think she's done a great job.
I mean, she walked in
in chaos and managed
to turn that around.
I think she absolutely deserves it.
Congratulations, Taylor, Shanika.
You are safe from elimination.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
A couple of bright spots
in an otherwise dismal team.
The rest of you will be
facing elimination tomorrow.
Now, all of you, clean
this mess quickly,
and I'll see you back in
the MasterChef kitchen.
Not good.
We have two people we know are gonna go
straight up to the balcony,
and the seven of us
are up for elimination,
'cause no one is safe.
That's a terrible feeling to have.
I can't go home right now.
I can't go home.
Come on down, guys. Please.
Ashley: It feels terrible
going into the pressure test.
I am wearing Gordon's pin.
If I don't make it up to that balcony,
he is going to be so disappointed.
All of you, welcome back
to the MasterChef kitchen.
Yesterday was challenging.
Trust me.
That was the idea.
There could only be one winning team,
and red team, that was you.
Congratulations.
You are all safe from elimination.
Gordon: Blue team, as you know,
we decided to save Taylor and Shanika.
Congratulations.
You're both safe. Head
up onto the balcony.
Thank you, Chef.
When deciding exactly
what this pressure test would be,
we decided...
there is no pressure test.
No pressure test.
I mean, this is concerning.
Usually you can come in here
and show 'em that you have what
it takes to still go farther
in this competition.
I'm running through
everything I did in my head
and trying to think, did
I do enough to get through?
We are sending one of you home.
Ralph, Bowen,
Lindsay, Matt, S.J.,
the five of you...
you're safe.
( whispering ) Oh, my God.
Head up onto the balcony.
Juni, possibly one of the
worst performing captains
I've ever witnessed. Ever.
You let go of your responsibilities.
Ashley, you cracked under pressure.
Like I've never expected.
You're standing there
with tears in your eyes
about a sauce.
- Ashley...
- Yes, Chef.
...you are staying.
Congrats.
Good luck.
Thank you, Chef. Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Joe.
Juni, unfortunately,
your journey ends tonight.
You know, young man,
you came in with a spark
and the charisma and
we loved that attitude.
But, unfortunately, your team was doomed
before they started yesterday.
The menu was badly conceptualized,
and you lost complete
direction of your team.
We wish you all the best.
Thank you.
Please take the apron off
and leave the MasterChef kitchen.
I thank you for everything
that you have taught me,
and I thank you all for
the lovely friendships,
and I wish you all the best of luck.
- Bye, Juni.
- May the next MasterChef win.
See you in Carolina!
Juni: It's sad that my
journey's ending so soon,
but the fact that I've been able
to cook great dishes,
and I have even stepped
into the MasterChef kitchen,
Gordon Ramsay has tasted my food.
How many people can say
that they have done that?
Not many.
I think that when my mom sees this,
she's going to be even more proud of me.
She's gonna see that, you know,
I've really ignited the
fire to keep it going.
The competition's
getting harder every day.
Taylor: It's getting
real in this kitchen.
People are going like that.
Aarón just lost
another member of his team.
He's down to six aprons.
Joe is at six, and
Gordon's still at five.
I just gotta stay strong,
stay positive and focus,
and really, really continue
to earn my spot here.
You've got to keep your sights
set on that MasterChef trophy.
Get some rest.
Good night.
Narrator: Next time...
Tonight, cooking alongside
you, Aarón Sánchez.
- Yes!
- Whoo!
...a MasterChef...
This is like Christmas, baby.
- ...brings gifts...
- Oh, my gosh.
...from the Bayou.
- This sucks.
- ( screams )
And when big Cajun
flavors turn up the heat...
- I got a live one.
- ( laughs )
Cooking next to Aarón
is absolutely terrifying.
- ...the top 17...
- Look at me.
...face the shock of the season.
There's more on the
line than you thought.
Oh, Lord.
GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay,
and I'm hitting the road.
(blues rock music)
(truck horn honks)
I'm heading to restaurants
all across America...
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink...
MAN: [bleep] you!
GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting
for, a [bleep] death?
GORDON: But having endured
so many kitchen disasters
over the years...
There's a [bleep] mouse in here.
I know that I need to do something
I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save each
of these restaurants...
in just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
(snoring)
GORDON: Because in this
age of social media,
where every customer is a critic...
If you want fast service and
good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star, the food looks gross
when it comes out of the kitchen.
(whispers) Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can
succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know I'm coming,
they tend to hide
what's really going on.
So, this time, I'll need to be covert,
hiding cameras in the restaurants
and myself in plain sight...
-Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
-(laughs)
GORDON: To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you from eating in there,
and this is the reason why.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no!
GORDON: If I have any
hope of saving them...
Bless thy soul, may I
come out in one piece.
I'll have to go to hell and back...
GORDON: Oh, my God.
-(coughs)
GORDON: In 24 hours.
(coughs)
(beeping)
(slow blues-rock music)
♪
I've just arrived in
Greenville, Mississippi.
Now, this place is known
not only as the birthplace of the blues,
but also for its world famous catfish.
Look at it.
It's almost like going back in time.
-(car honking)
-Oh, you from "Hell's Kitchen"!
-(screams)
-How you doing?
-You good?
-Oh, my God!
Come over, darling.
Hair looks great, by
the way. You take care.
-Bye-bye! -Bye-bye
now. Bye-bye.
GORDON: Like many
small towns in America,
this once vibrant town now sits desolate
and in desperate need of help,
much like the family-run
restaurant, Sherman's.
I'm really hoping that saving
an important small
business like Sherman's
can get that energy
back around the town.
The problem is that Sherman's
is run by the Nimrod family.
That's right, this
restaurant is owned...
by a pair of Nimrods.
♪
ALLISON: My name is Allison Nimrod,
and I am the owner of
Sherman's Restaurant.
PETER: A man named Charles
Sherman, he decided to make this
into a fine dining restaurant in 1985.
We bought the restaurant in 2012.
We kept the name Sherman's,
because Nimrod's is probably
not a good name for a restaurant.
"Nimrod's." Right. It's funny.
ALLISON: I decided to buy Sherman's,
because I just saw such
a great hustle and bustle
of customers come and go.
I just knew that all this needed
was a little touch of Nimrod.
It's gonna be $7.20...
oh, that's not right.
I'm so sorry.
I had very much underestimated
the amount of work that it would take
to be the owner of a restaurant.
-This is for Davis.
-Davis who?
-I'm not sure.
-Okay.
It could be their first name.
It could be their last name.
Allison pays close attention
to the reviews we get.
She'll know exactly
what table they were at,
who was their server.
It was your lady that
wrote us a bad review.
She said, "Bland and overcooked."
"Was very disappointed with my steak.
It was not good at all."
Oh, shut up.
VICTORIA: Allison needs
to believe those reviews,
because we've lost a lot of customers.
(soft percussive music)
-Mm-hmm. -Customers
stopped coming in,
because of the food pretty much.
Let me see your ticket.
Confused right now.
Child, spaghetti please.
The cooks are fine...
except Steve. (shushes)
STEVE: I've worked at Sherman's
Restaurant for 32 years.
I was the head chef
from the beginning here.
I mean, Steve's part of the
foundation of this restaurant.
NICOLE: Steve done been
here for some years,
and, you know,
some peop...they say,
sometimes, you get burned out.
Is there a difference between
loin back ribs and baby back ribs?
Steve will kill me, but
if I'm ordering a steak,
I wanna make sure Nicole's cooking it.
I think I could put a little
bit more seasoning on there.
I have worked at Sherman's 25 years.
I love working here.
We are family.
ALLISON: We've had a
decline in customers
and an increase in expenses.
PETER: Cost of kitchen staff goes up.
Food prices go up.
We're out of money. We have none.
PETER: If Sherman's were to close,
the bank would repossess our house
and repossess our cars
and take away all of
our material possessions.
Like, our whole... our
everything is on the line.
(solemn music)
(upbeat blues-rock music)
GORDON: It's obvious, without help,
that Sherman's, it will be
closing its doors shortly.
With only 24 hours to
turn this place around,
I needed to know the issues
before I even stepped foot inside.
---
Narrator: Previously...
Please welcome one of America's
greatest soccer players.
Alexi Lalas?
Are we playing soccer or
are we cooking over here?
Narrator: A world-class challenge....
Gordon: Churros.
...meant sweet success...
- These are kinda sexy.
- ...for some...
That's textbook, spot-on.
- ...but...
- This is your worst performance.
...it was the end of the road...
Please, place your apron on your bench.
...for Alecia.
- Tonight...
- Please welcome Shaun O'Neale.
a champion returns for
a MasterChef wedding.
It is my honor to declare
you husband and wife.
( cheers and applause )
- But...
- Imagine if it was your wedding day.
- That's how we gotta work.
- ...when the top 18 join together
- for better or worse...
- Beautiful.
- You wanna serve this ( bleep ).
- the celebration...
- MasterChef mashed potatoes.
- ...ends in heartbreak.
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
I'm gonna run it.
- Whoo!
- This is so beautiful!
Oh, my God!
Top 18!
I am hyped right now.
We are riding in a safari truck
and I don't know what we're doing,
- I don't know where we're going.
- How amazing is he?
His name is Stanley.
He's nine years old.
Aarón: Come on, Stanley.
You got all dressed up
for the party. Look at him.
There's obviously vineyards here,
but then I look to my
left and there's a zebra,
and then I look to my
right and there's a giraffe.
- Good morning!
- Good morning, good morning.
We see the arch,
we see tents,
we see flowers everywhere.
So an environment
reminiscent of an outdoor wedding.
Welcome to Saddlerock Ranch.
- Are you excited?
- All: Yes, Chef.
As you can see, you are at a wedding!
- ( all cheer )
- Right?
And can you guess who today's cooks are?
- Us.
- Us.
Yes, you got it.
It is all of you guys.
Today's not just anyone's wedding.
It's somebody that's very important
to our MasterChef family.
Gordon: All of you, please welcome
the winner of "MasterChef"
season seven, Shaun O'Neale,
and his fiancée Katie.
( cheers and applause )
What's up, guys?
Yeah!
Being able to cook at Shaun's wedding
is an incredible honor.
- Chef Ramsay, great to see you.
- Welcome back.
But I also know how
great of a chef he is
and I know what kind
of expectations he has,
so this is gonna be hardcore.
- Shaun, welcome back to the MasterChef family.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
Give us an insight to
what you've been up to.
I've been cooking at some of the biggest
food festivals in the country,
but the biggest change in my life
has been finding my future wife.
All right, guys, you're
gonna be working in two teams.
Both teams will be making
a stunning appetizer,
followed by an incredible entrée.
But the proteins they'll be cooking with
will be up to both of you.
So, Shaun, Katie,
give us an insight to
what you'd love to see.
For the appetizer, we
would really like scallops
to be featured.
For our very first date,
Shaun made me scallops.
- How good were they?
- Katie: Amazing.
- Amazing.
- We're here now.
- ( all laugh )
- That's why.
And what will the entrée protein be?
Duck breast.
- Duck. Yes.
- Wow!
Shaun: It's a tricky
ingredient, but if made right,
there is truly nothing else like it.
Don't mess this up.
I expect perfection.
It's an absolute pleasure, and for me,
seeing where you started standing there,
to be hosting your wedding today,
I can't think of a better way
to put these guys to the test.
Now go and get ready.
Next time we see you,
- you'll be husband and wife.
- Thank you, Chef.
We'll see you guys soon. Bye, guys.
Kick some ass.
Julia: This is a pretty big
deal right now, you know.
This isn't about just cooking a
kitchen and winning a competition.
This is somebody's
getting married over here.
Like, this stuff has
got to be good today.
Today we're gonna elect two home cooks
that have been flying under the radar.
We wanna see what you can do
in a position of leadership.
Juni. Come on up here.
You'll be the red team captain.
( cheers and applause )
The blue team captain
today will be Julia.
- Oh, nice!
- Come on, Julia!
Lindsay: Juni and Julia.
You couldn't ask for two
different personalities.
I mean, Juni's a little bit all
over the place, pretty young,
and I think a little bit flighty.
And Julia's got a very
loud and strong voice.
I mean, she knows what she
wants and she's gonna get it.
Joe: Okay, Julia, first pick.
Okay.
This person to me is just very strong,
and they work really
well under pressure.
That person is Lindsay.
Gordon: Lindsay. Wow.
Old ladies gotta stick together.
- Uh, Juni.
- This home cook,
I believe that their execution of
their dishes has been phenomenal
and so I am choosing Cesar.
Gordon: Cesar. Wow.
Thank you.
S.J.
My strategy with picking my team,
is first of all, no drama.
Taylor.
Secondly, they need to be a team player.
Ashley.
Juni: I want a strong team
that's going to be
able to work together.
Mark.
Somebody that's going to be able
to really step up to the plate.
Farhan.
They can't buckle under pressure.
I don't want no freaking crying.
- Ralph.
- Let's go, Julia!
- Gerron.
- Gerron.
Julia: I do pay attention
to people's strengths,
and I want that strength in my team.
Bowen.
- Juni. Three left.
- Yes. Three left.
Gordon: Think about this one carefully.
Who don't you want?
- Who don't I want?
- Yeah.
Uh, Miss Shanika.
- ( chuckles )
- Why?
I don't like her in the kitchen.
- I like her outside of the kitchen.
- Ooh.
Really, Juni?
I'm choosing Samantha.
Gordon: Samantha. Wow.
Shanika: You're gonna eat those words,
because when you see me in action,
you'll see exactly what
I'm capable of doing.
I would love to have Shanika.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- The red team's going down today.
- Yes.
- Okay.
- I have the dream team.
I have everybody that
I wanted to work with.
I have confidence that
they'll be able to knock
this out of the park.
Juni, are you happy with your team?
- I'm excited. Yes, we are.
- You're gonna win this today.
- Julia.
- I am feeling wonderful about my team.
Honestly, I think I have
the most mature team.
- Right.
- And those are people that I prefer to work with.
All right, so everybody's
happy on both teams.
A hundred percent happy,
that's an amazing thing,
but... too bad.
Told ya.
Because right now,
I would like the team captains...
- to switch aprons.
- Oh!
Hell nah.
Joe: So, Juni, you will
captain the blue team.
( sighs ) I knew it!
And, Julia, you will
captain the red team.
Oh, my God!
A great chef and a great leader
should be able to work with anyone.
Today we'll be judging
based upon guest feedback,
obviously how well you
work in the kitchen,
and of course, the dishes you plate,
to determine who wins
and which team faces elimination.
- Are you both ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.
Your time starts now!
- Let's go, guys!
- Go! Go! Go!
- Come on, guys.
- Let's go, guys. Let's go.
- Team blue.
- Let's go! Let's go!
Okay, listen.
For the scallops, I think
we should do three of them.
- Are we all in agreement?
- Yeah. Absolutely, yes.
I think underneath we should
probably do some lentils,
lke something in like a
really nice vinaigrette.
I was just going in a
complete other direction,
but like a watercress
salad, blood orange supremes,
- some crispy sprouts on top, basil oil.
- But all those components,
I don't know if we're gonna have time.
I'm a little worried. I got this team,
that I didn't even pick.
They're really, really young,
and they all think they know everything.
I don't wanna be told
this is how we're supposed
to do it. I'm in charge.
As far as the duck, I
wanna do something classic
like a red wine reduction.
I mean, we're in a vineyard.
- Gerron: I like that. I like that.
- All right.
- Everybody knows what they're doing?
- Yes.
- We can do this.
- All right, let's go, guys.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
I need everybody up here
who's gonna be doing scallops.
I've decided that we're
gonna do seared scallops
over a bed of lentils with bacon,
and nice little salad on top.
Snap peas with some red radishes
in a nice champagne vinaigrette.
So the duck, we decided on
just nice roasted potatoes,
putting some mushrooms in there.
We're gonna do a cherry red wine sauce.
Cherries and duck, it's classic.
So we're gonna pan sear the scallops.
Do you guys think that we
should pan sear them in duck fat,
- to kinda tie the two dishes
together or... - All: No.
- Okay, okay.
- They're too delicate.
As a vegetarian of over ten years,
I don't cook with scallops,
I don't cook with duck,
but I'm confident in my ability
to cook anything that's
put in front of me.
Got it, okay. So,
pan-seared scallops, uh,
- with some farro.
- I think we probably should go with duck.
Yeah, I think we probably
should go with the duck.
Taylor: Right off the
bat I'm a little worried.
If this were my
wedding, I would not want
to eat farro with scallops.
I just know I don't want
to eat a kind of grain.
I think for the entrée,
I am thinking of doing a
pan-seared duck breast...
- Yes.
- ...with orange zest, mashed potatoes.
Mm... mm-mm.
Juni, you're not making sense right now.
Freaking orange mashed potatoes?
Who does that?
- Everybody got it? All right.
- Are we ready?
One, two, three.
- Blue team!
- Whoo!
Let's go!
Juni: So for the appetizer,
we're gonna be doing
a pan-seared scallop
with some farro, blood orange
gastrique, and orange supremes.
For the entrée, we're gonna go
with the pan-seared duck breast
with orange zest mash,
and we're gonna do a
cherry red wine reduction
and some charred Romanesco.
I'm confident that we
can execute some dishes
to perfection today.
Shanika: We got this, y'all.
We got this.
( music playing )
Gordon: Red team, blue team,
our guests are arriving.
I'm looking forward to the food,
because I...
I'm praying
that it's gonna be delicious.
It better be delicious!
Imagine if it was your wedding day.
That's how we gotta work.
I have the highest expectations,
because Gordon Ramsay is over there,
and I know he is making
sure everything is perfect.
Right, blue team.
Juni, tell me about the
dish. What are you doing?
So we're gonna do some
pan-seared scallops
with
farro and...
- Farro?
- Yes.
- We need... -
Guys. Yeah, hold on.
Farro is a tough grain.
It's wintery.
We're in spring. We're
in the Malibu hills.
Has anyone questioned this?
- Yes.
- Yes, Chef.
- It's a wedding. It's not a winter banquet.
- Yes.
- We have that celery
root. Let's use it.
So, I can do a celery root purée.
Okay. Tell me about the duck.
For the duck, we're gonna
be doing a pan-seared duck
with an orange zested mash,
- and then we're gonna do...
- An orange zested mash?
Yes.
Hey, blue team. Blue
team, just... just stop.
An orange zested mash.
Put your hands in the air
if you've ever seen
an orange zested mash
in any restaurant anywhere in the world.
What are we thinking?
- Meet, discuss, move.
- All: Yes, Chef.
Juni, get everybody you can on
that damn celery root purée.
Juni: Yes, Chef.
Phew! Thank you, Jesus,
Gordon, for doing that.
Juni, your ideas sucked,
and Gordon got your ass.
All right, guys, come on.
- How are we doing?
- Good, we're doing good.
Scallops are almost prepped.
Julia: Guys, be
consistent with everything.
- Captain Julia.
- Yes.
Come over, please. Thank you.
Oh, ( bleep )!
( bleep )!
Stop!
- Who seasoned these?
- We all did, Chef.
What happens to them when you
season them before you cook them?
- The moisture leaks out.
- That's right.
You never season until you cook them,
'cause when you hit the
pan it's gonna be watery.
Come on, guys.
Look at the water running
out of them already.
Mark: That's a cardinal sin.
You season right before
they go in the pan.
Julia, she obviously doesn't
know what she's doing.
We're cooking for a
winner of "MasterChef."
- Yes. I understand.
- Get a cloth and dry them.
Get rid of the seasoning quickly.
Get a cloth, dry 'em.
Cesar: We started out
strong, but that one mistake
could send service
into a downward spiral.
Come on, guys. Please.
Julia: Chelsea, are you
taking the pepper off of this?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Okay.
Emily: We seasoned the
scallops way too early,
and now everyone's
scrambling to dry 'em off
and to get all the salt and the pepper
and the oil off of the scallops.
All right, come on, guys. Let's go.
It's not in my DNA
that I'm gonna be the
captain of a losing team.
Are you serious?
No. It's not gonna happen.
Come on, guys. We can do this.
( music playing )
Shaun: As you guys know,
"MasterChef" has changed my life.
It's changed everything about my life.
( clears throat ) Since
I lost my dad there's...
( clears throat ) There's only
been like one main role model,
and,
uh... God.
( Shaun clears throat )
Everybody, Gordon
Ramsay is gonna come out,
and he's gonna finish this off for us.
So, I'd like to introduce
you all right now
to Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Yeah. Okay.
Right.
I'm really honored
to be part of this very special day,
and I hope that you remember
this for the rest of your lives.
- Absolutely.
- Katie: We will.
- Are we ready?
- Both: Yes.
( all laugh )
All right, guys, 15 minutes
and I need to see a dish.
Juni, make sure you start delegating.
- Oh, yeah. For sure.
- All right? Let's go.
Just let me know that
the scallops are good.
- Right? Okay.
- Yes, these are patted dry.
By the power vested in me,
it's my honor to declare
you both husband and wife.
And now you may seal this
declaration with a huge kiss.
( cheers and applause )
Your wedding ceremony is over.
Now it's time to celebrate,
and I've got to get to the kitchen.
- Yeah. Get in there. Get in there.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
- You're welcome.
Here it is. I need a VIP.
- Two top, for the bride and the groom.
- Yes, Chef.
After that, I need a six and a five top.
- Yes, Chef.
- Let's go.
Julia: I want them perfect!
Perfectly seared.
- Do not overcook them.
- No.
- We won't.
- Julia: All right, pass me up the dishes.
Man: Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. and Mrs. O'Neale.
( cheers and applause )
- How long, Julia?
- 30 seconds.
- Scallops, I need 'em now!
- Scallops up.
I'm excited to eat.
Shaun: I'm hoping these guys
can pull off an amazing meal.
We're expecting excellence.
Matt, how is the first
batch of purée coming?
- Is it done? - Purée's
coming. It's still...
Still breaking down.
It needs a lot of time.
Juni, I need a time.
- How long?
- So it is gonna be like another ten minutes.
- Another ten minutes.
- Yeah.
- No. No.
- No.
- Gordon: Where's the purée?
- Juni: It's cooking right now.
Juni, I need to have one
portion of purée made
for at least some tables. Let's go.
- What are we doing?
- Look at this.
- Juni: It's still too hard.
- Gordon: Stop, stop.
- Juni: Is it done? - Matt:
It's too thick, yeah, but...
- ( bleep )!
Oh, I... - No.
Hey, hey, hey, blue team.
- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
Listen carefully.
The party has sat down
and the purée's raw.
Already, blue team,
you're all over the place.
And do you know why?
No one's communicating
and the captain's disappeared.
You need to get on the same page.
- Is that clear?
- All: Yes, Chef.
I'm telling you now,
you drop the purée.
- Yes.
- Five minutes.
- So no purée? Got it.
- Seven covers. Let's go.
Shanika: We have to
completely change our menu.
We don't have any time.
We gotta figure something
out, like, quick.
We need to do something light,
like a pickled carrot.
Should we do that?
Okay. We can do that.
Thank, God, Taylor steps up.
- We're doing the carrots.
- All right.
I'm just grabbing a whole bunch of them.
Sorry, Juni, you suck as a captain.
We need you to lead.
You gotta think on your toes.
Step up! Everybody step up!
S.J.: We got this.
Let's go! Let's go! Push!
All right, perfect.
There you go. Good.
Servers, please. First table.
Bride and groom, sir.
Aarón: Garnish, Juni. Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Juni: I really need to nail this
because I wanna impress Chef Aarón.
He gave me this apron,
and hopefully the dish is perfect,
because it's going out
to the bride and groom.
All right, let's go.
All right, Shaun, Katie. First opinions.
- So... Yeah? - They're
both really good.
Joe: So, the red team,
you have seared scallops
with braised lentils and snap pea salad.
And for the blue team,
we have seared scallops
with pickled carrots
and blood orange gastrique.
This has a nice peppery tone to it.
- It's delicious.
- So, the red team, lentils, peppery.
It's nice... nice
peppery tone.
They did a really good
job pickling those carrots
in a short amount of time.
Flavor's better here,
sear's better here.
If you had to give me a vote
right now. red team, blue team...
- Red team.
- Red team.
Red team, red team. Great. Enjoy.
Yeah. Thank you, Chef.
- Gordon: Remind me what's going.
A six... - A six and an eight.
- Talk to them.
- I just did.
- You, focus.
- Yes, Chef.
Table 14, please. Thank you.
Go!
The way these are cooked is so perfect,
and the flavor's so great.
Aarón: Come on! This
is somebody's wedding.
Finish me off. Give me beautiful.
Give me beautiful.
So the blue team's
scallops freaking rock,
and they're seared perfectly.
Let's go! Con ganas. Muevete!
Allí. Finish the garnish. Let's go.
Undercooked or overcooked?
This one looks like a...
this one looks like a potato chip.
Come on, come on. What the
hell are you looking at?
- I didn't wanna put it
down... - Yeah, don't worry.
By the time you get over
here, it's gonna be done.
Sounds good.
Tell me. You guys have refined palates.
You've been through the
"MasterChef" circuit.
- Yeah.
- How did they do?
I just wish that
some of the...
some of the cooked on
things like the bacon,
and some of the flavors were
a little bit more developed...
- Right.
- ...but I think it was a great move
- for an appetizer.
- Excellent. What do you think?
I felt the flavor
combination was great, Joe.
I just want a little
more sear on that scallop.
Got it. Enjoy the rest
of the wedding, guys.
- Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
Look at these. I mean,
they're overcooked.
Hey, you two. You two, come here.
Just ask yourself. Would you eat those?
- No, I wouldn't.
- No, Chef.
We have a former winner,
and you wanna serve this ( bleep ).
And this is what bugs me.
No one's giving me standards.
And none of you'd eat that,
but you're happy to
serve it to a winner.
Julia: He's right.
This is somebody's freaking wedding.
Like, I don't wanna ruin it.
We gotta get this together.
Enough's enough!
Red team, last table.
Six scallops away. Let's go.
Yes, Chef. 18 scallops!
- Now!
- They're coming out in just a second.
Juni, let's go. Finish these up.
Let's go. The last push.
Come on, Juni. Get in
there, finish strong.
- Are these good to go, Juni Captain?
- Yes, those two are good to go.
All right. Let's go, table seven.
Juni: We're done,
we're done. We're good.
Matt: Now that appetizers are done,
all I know is with this entrée round,
we have to do a way better job
if we wanna win this team challenge.
Lentils. Come on!
- Come on.
- Plate down, please.
- Nice cut on the scallops.
- Thank you.
- Come on, guys.
- Service, please.
- Gordon: Table 18. Let's go.
- Julia: That's it.
- Let's regroup.
- Let's regroup, guys. Come on.
Chelsea: I actually think
the red team did great.
I mean, under the circumstances.
Scallops is not an easy protein.
I feel great and I know
that we just have to keep up
the momentum for the entrée,
and we cannot slow down.
Cheers to the red team!
- They did good.
- Go, red!
Yes!
Red team had a really slow start,
but they've actually stepped up.
- Come on, guys.
- On the blue team,
Juni has completely lost his voice.
He was not leading, not delegating.
Juni needs to step back up,
delegate and make sure
that we can execute
the way it should be to our standards.
- Bounce back.
- Bounce back. That's right.
I know the apps are important,
but the star today
is gonna be that duck.
Joe: The cook has to be perfect.
We need fat rendered,
we need crispy skin.
If we don't have those
elements, we got nothing.
Next course is make or break
for the red and the blue team.
I want these all scored
exactly the same...
- Okay, I got you.
- ...and I want 'em perfect.
Julia, I need you right now.
- Yes.
- Talk to me quickly. What are you making?
We're gonna sear the duck breast.
We're gonna do some tri-color potatoes,
and then we're doing some mushrooms,
that we're just gonna
sauté in some butter,
and then a red wine cherry sauce.
Julia, if this duck is
messed up, it's all on you.
Julia: I'm the team captain,
so anything that goes wrong,
of course they're gonna blame me.
So just pay attention,
listen to what I'm saying,
and we're gonna be fine.
Dry 'em, score 'em. Salt and pepper.
Let's get 'em on the
side. Let's get 'em ready.
- Captain. Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
- Yes.
We're gonna do a pan-seared duck,
and we're changing the mash...
- Okay, love it.
- ...to a garlic herb mashed potato
- and then we're gonna do some charred Romanesco.
- Okay.
- How are you gonna make that mash wonderful?
- Uh, yes.
Gordon: I mean garlic
mash is so simple. It's...
The garlic is going to be roasted
before it's put into the mash.
Thank you, Chef.
- Shanika: So you're not gonna do the fondant potatoes?
- No.
Come over here, please.
Garlic mash is not
sexy, it's not elegant.
We can do the fondant
potatoes a little bit smaller.
It'll be easier for us to cook 'em,
because we can do 'em
on top of the stove,
baste 'em with some butter.
Garlic mashed potatoes. Come on.
How simple can you get?
We already have the mash going
- in the pots right now.
- I know,
but I don't think it's
better than a fondant potato.
For somebody's wedding?
We're doing the mash in the piping bag
so that we can make sure
that we have consistency
- and it doesn't look bad.
- All right. You're the captain.
Go with the little funky
mashed potatoes then.
In the piping bag.
- You guys good on potatoes then?
- Yeah.
- You're not peeling?
- Oh, we are peeling,
but by cutting them first like this.
Juni: Got it, got it, got it.
Of course, like, a little bit of skin
won't make too much of a difference.
Juni: Yeah, that's fine.
Okay, we need to get
some garlic roasted.
- It's in the oven, Juni.
- It's in the oven. Ah, you're the best.
Shaun: Entrée round
I'm terrified about.
Duck breast is a hard protein to cook.
Hopefully there's somebody
that knows how to render fat
and knows how to appropriately cook
a nice, beautiful, pink-
all-the-way-through duck.
- How we doing on this?
- We're looking really good.
I'm just making sure that they render
perfectly and I don't burn any of them.
Guys, those mushrooms should be done!
Gordon: What are you
doing? What's in there?
Does it need more salt?
There's no salt in there.
- Did you taste the water?
- No, Chef.
I am starting to lose confidence.
Things are just falling apart.
Blue team, charred Romanesco
is on a charcoal grill.
So what are we charring it on?
Lindsay: Are we getting
'em in cast-iron?
I was thinking the broiler.
That's not charred, is it?
- That's roasted.
- I think they were gonna do it
over the open flame.
That's what I thought.
- Open flame? Open flame?
- Yes. That's what I thought.
Oh, my God! Speak up!
Taylor: I am so frustrated,
because we have lost our
captain at this point.
- Who's on the mash?
- We are here, sir.
They're going to be working on it.
They're preparing the
potatoes right now, Chef.
- Good.
- Ralph: Blue team's ship is sinking.
Our confidence level is so down.
Somebody needs to step up ASAP.
The MasterChef mashed potatoes.
Holy ( bleep )!
- Hey, you two, come here.
- Hey.
Hey, come here, you two.
We came in to this competition
with ambition to win.
We're making mashed potatoes.
We go there, down to there.
We've got skin on.
Black eyes here.
Now, when I said to you all,
"Set yourselves up for success,"
you're ( bleep ) even before
you come out of the gate.
Look.
Mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes.
Someone came up with a
smart idea of fondants.
- Who was that earlier?
- Shanika.
So it's one fondant per person.
Half a potato, cut, ring in, done.
But, look.
How does that become a stunning mash?
It doesn't, Chef.
Let me tell you something.
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
Have a meeting,
and somebody step up and run this team.
If not, I'm gonna run it.
All: Yes, Chef.
Now!
You are not gonna captain
this team any longer.
Have a meeting, and somebody
step up and run this team.
If not, I'm gonna run it.
All: Yes, Chef.
Now!
I'm totally okay with, like,
stepping in and doing this.
Are you okay with that?
Are you all okay with that?
- Right.
- Yep. Okay, let's go.
Who am I to fight this?
Juni, who is the captain?
Taylor's stepping in.
Taylor is brave enough to step in
and say that she wants to be captain.
I'm okay with the decision.
- Everyone good to go?
- Yes.
I'm not, the only reason I'm
not is because of the potatoes.
We can do one fondant potato
per person. You cut 'em in half.
- Okay. Then, yes, let's do it.
- Come here, Taylor.
- Let's do it.
- Yeah, let's do it.
Phew! Thank you, Taylor.
Sorry, Juni.
Your voice wasn't loud
enough, your ideas sucked.
We need leadership.
Gordon: Young man, I
know you can do better.
Now you may not be the
captain of blue team,
but it doesn't mean to
say you have to give up.
Understood.
- Taylor.
- Yes, Chef.
- We need to get this thing moving.
- Got it.
I am not going to let
Gordon Ramsay down.
Now it's my time to just
bring it and prove to him
that he made a right
decision giving me that apron.
It's a little bit thick. We need
to lighten it up a little bit.
Aarón: Red team, listen up.
Five minutes. It's go time.
Chelsea, get the sauce down.
Julia is loud in the kitchen,
but she's not just yelling at us.
She's leading the team.
Let's go! Come on, Chelsea.
We're on a roll. The
red team's doing great.
Keep it up, guys.
Who's on the red wine sauce?
Ashley has it reducing right now.
How many portions are here?
That's...
- Come on! Taylor.
- ...maybe 12, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
- Five portions of sauce there
and barely ten there.
And all you've been making,
young lady, is the sauce.
- Yes, Chef.
- And yet you've got 35 portions not done.
I gave you a pin, I believe you,
but you just... you're
just not with it.
- Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
- You've gotta help me.
We got this. No, no,
it's okay. Deep breath.
- You got this, you got this.
- Hey, you're just wasting time.
- Yes, Chef.
- Taylor: I'm honestly shocked
to see Ashley kind of
breaking down a little bit.
I do feel bad that she's so upset,
but we don't have time for that.
You've got nothing done.
Just get your act together.
That's enough.
Get a grip, 50 portions.
Deep breath. We got it, girl.
- Let's go.
- ( Ashley groans )
I need a beautiful duck
dish for the bride and groom,
and then I need a six
top following that.
Julia: I want these all out together.
Let's go.
Get those potatoes right now, guys.
Don't just sit around.
Come on. Quicker, Ryan.
Shanika, let's get
all those potatoes on.
They're coming.
We're gonna break it
down into two teams.
I'm gonna be right here,
and we're gonna have Juni
and Matt helping me.
Get ready for game time.
Okay, Aarón,
which one is the bride and groom's dish?
- It's right here, my friend.
- All right, beautiful.
- Looks good.
- Gerron, I've got 12 ducks coming up.
- Hot plate right now, come on.
- Hey. Psst!
Yeah?
- Potatoes.
- Potatoes.
We need the potatoes.
Oh, we need the potatoes.
Yes. Yes, potatoes.
Oh, my God almighty.
- Yes, Chef.
- Hey, Clark Kent.
- Wake up.
- Yes, Chef.
Okay, we're ready for
the bride and groom dish.
We're working on 'em right here.
Let's go. Two more
minutes to go. Right here.
Sauce, potato.
Potato!
- Potato. Yes, Chef.
- ( bleep ) potato head!
Are you serious?
Bride and groom. Thank you.
Gordon: Get it together.
- All right, Chef.
- Or ( bleep ) off and feed the giraffe.
Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Oh, my Lord.
- ( cheers and applause )
- Are you ready?
- Yes, sir.
For the blue team, we have a
cherry and red wine reduction,
potato fondant, Romanesco,
and here we have a wine reduction sauce
with mushrooms and roasted potatoes.
- What do you think?
- The blue team's duck is cooked perfect for me.
Perfect? Wow! How's that sauce?
- Looks a little
over-reduced, maybe? - It is,
but I could care less about that.
The duck is cooked
pretty much perfectly.
- Red team? Hmm.
- This is a little sloppy.
Potatoes and mushrooms are great
but the duck is a little under...
- Yeah.
- ...which is a bummer,
'cause they had such a strong
showing on the appetizer.
Okay.
Well, let's hope they did better
for the rest of your guests.
I hope so, too. I hope so, too.
Aarón: All right, guys, let's go.
- Six top.
- I got two ducks ready to fly.
Julia: Let's go! Get me
the mushrooms out here now!
Six and a five coming
up. All right, servers.
Woman: The red team's duck was great.
They had amazing vegetables.
The potatoes were amazing.
The mushrooms were cooked very well.
My duck was cooked great.
I ate all of it.
Guys, we need to get
those plates up here.
Warm plates, right now.
Gordon: I need a six and a
one. Come on, come on, come on.
I had the blue team's duck tonight.
It was pretty good.
There were a couple pieces
that were a little bit
rarer than I would prefer,
but the flavor was good
and the sauce was good.
All right, guys, I'm
gonna fire three six tops.
- Smarty-pants, how
many is that? - 18.
I wanna go to the college y'all went to.
Dan: I'd like a little
more sear on the duck,
but overall, pretty damn good dish.
- Move your ass!
- Yes, Chef.
The flavor was excellent,
but the meat was a
little cool in the middle.
- Last six. Let's go!
- All right, y'all,
this is our last table right here.
We need perfect ducks going out.
The very last. Come on, y'all,
this is it. Let's go, let's go.
Aarón: This is the last
six top. I need it now.
I need duck on a plate, garnish last.
Gerron: I got four sitting ducks.
- Let's go!
- I got it. No problem. Ain't no thing.
Coming around, coming around.
Take it, take it, take it.
There you go.
That's what we're talking about.
- We got it.
- We got it.
Hey, come here, y'all. We did our best.
We didn't have that much organization,
but we served them.
Even though it was
chaotic in our kitchen,
we did get all the dishes out.
I really hope that we can pull this off,
but I don't know if it was enough.
We should hold our heads
up. Let's break this down,
but good job.
- Go for it.
- We're done.
- Way to pull it together, guys.
- Great job, great job.
Finally service is over,
and everybody was working together
as a really good cohesive team.
I gotta be honest,
I'm feeling pretty confident right now.
Joe: Hello, everybody.
Enjoying the lovely
wedding? Everything good?
- The wedding is amazing.
- Did you enjoy your duck?
- We did not enjoy our duck, no.
- No one?
- So... - It was
literally blood red.
This was the duck from the red team.
Everything looks really good.
- Clean up.
- So undercooked you think?
Raw?
I'll have them make 'em all
again. I'll be right back.
Julia: Where are you putting
these dishes, back there?
- Do we have scrubbies?
- Can you put some soap in here, please?
Should we just throw this stuff out?
- Yeah.
- So this is just garbage?
- ( grunts )
- Guys.
We got an issue.
They're clearing out tables.
These people pulled me aside.
They refuse to eat
this. They say it's raw
and disgusting. We need
more plates on the fly.
- Oh, God.
- What happened?
- We're wrapped up.
- Four new plates?
- Mushrooms are in the garbage.
- I know. I threw 'em out.
Mushrooms are thrown out.
We don't have mushrooms,
we don't have sauce.
Oh, my God. The duck is raw.
We have to remake the plates,
but we've thrown away
all of our ingredients.
Can you get the
mushrooms in the pan now?
- What can I do?
- Farhan: The team is freaking out.
We thought we had nailed it
and now I'm hoping it's not
enough to make us lose tonight.
Service isn't over till it's over.
Farhan: Oh, my God.
Guys.
These people are not eating.
They refuse to eat this.
They say it's raw and disgusting.
We need four plates on the fly.
- Oh, my God.
- Let's go!
We got, like, two minutes
to make this happen.
- Mushrooms are in the garbage.
- Cesar, where's the sauce?
It got thrown out.
It got thrown out!
Everything got thrown out!
Gerron: Come on, we need to
make something real quick.
Julia: We should've known better.
Service isn't over until the last person
walks out of the reception.
- Come on, guys. Let's go!
- Four portions, let's go.
Aarón: I need potatoes
hot. I need that sauce sexy.
Come on, guys. We can do this.
We made a mistake,
and I really hope this
doesn't affect our chances.
You know what? It would really
suck if we did not win today.
Bring out the mushrooms when
they're done, family-style,
because if not, these
people are gonna walk on me.
- Okay?
- Aarón: Plate 'em right now.
Let's go. Put the duck
on. Let's go, come on.
Come with the third. Let's go.
Never throw anything away.
- Totally, no.
- Lesson learned.
Okay, re-plated, redone.
The only problem is
we don't have mushrooms
because they're re-cooking 'em again.
They're gonna come out and
serve 'em to you family-style.
They're very sorry. Bon appétit.
Thank you.
We got the plates out that we needed to.
We re-fired what was raw,
and we made as many
people happy as we could.
That's really the name of the game.
Job well done.
Team red, love it. Thank you.
Emily: I was on the losing
team last team challenge,
and that's not a good feeling.
I don't know what happened on
the other side of that wall,
but if the blue team did even
a slightly better cook of their duck,
they could pull out a win.
( music playing )
Ladies and gentlemen, please,
welcome our talented home cooks
that were up against it today.
Welcome our red team and our blue
team, ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
( cheers and applause )
Now for the important part.
Are the lovely couple ready to announce
which team served the best meal
across this incredible lunch?
Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Good.
Please pick up the champagne.
The winning team...
- is...
- One, two, three.
- ...red team.
- ( cheers and applause )
Julia: The red team won!
Bravissimo! This is perfection!
Forget about it. I
knew we were gonna win.
You're amazing!
Team captain! She's the best!
I know that we had some
snags along the way,
but I feel in the end
we had a great system going.
I'm so proud of my team.
Congratulations, red team.
You're safe from elimination, and guys,
you really, really earned it.
Thank you!
And you know what that means, blue team.
Please head to the kitchen and clean up.
Thank you.
Just... very disappointing.
I thought that I could step
up and be a team captain,
and turn this whole thing around,
but it just wasn't enough.
And it just really sucks.
I think once we got the hang
of everything toward the end,
everything was starting
to get a little stronger.
- We finished stronger than we started.
- Yeah, definitely.
It really sucks to be
on the losing team again.
I chose the people on the red team
because I wanted to be with those
people and I know how they work,
but you just gotta play with
the cards that you're dealt with.
Joe: Guys, come on over, please.
Line up here. Come on.
Quick, quick, quick.
That was not a good performance.
My saving grace was when
we switched captains,
finally we had a
little bit of authority.
We got it together.
Yes, it wasn't smooth,
but I'm not expecting it to be smooth.
You made it hard for yourselves.
You do deserve to lose.
However, there were a few
individuals that did shine,
let me tell you.
So, we decided
that we're gonna save two
cooks from elimination.
And that's Shanika and...
Taylor.
Lindsay: I'm thrilled for Taylor.
I mean, I think she's done a great job.
I mean, she walked in
in chaos and managed
to turn that around.
I think she absolutely deserves it.
Congratulations, Taylor, Shanika.
You are safe from elimination.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
A couple of bright spots
in an otherwise dismal team.
The rest of you will be
facing elimination tomorrow.
Now, all of you, clean
this mess quickly,
and I'll see you back in
the MasterChef kitchen.
Not good.
We have two people we know are gonna go
straight up to the balcony,
and the seven of us
are up for elimination,
'cause no one is safe.
That's a terrible feeling to have.
I can't go home right now.
I can't go home.
Come on down, guys. Please.
Ashley: It feels terrible
going into the pressure test.
I am wearing Gordon's pin.
If I don't make it up to that balcony,
he is going to be so disappointed.
All of you, welcome back
to the MasterChef kitchen.
Yesterday was challenging.
Trust me.
That was the idea.
There could only be one winning team,
and red team, that was you.
Congratulations.
You are all safe from elimination.
Gordon: Blue team, as you know,
we decided to save Taylor and Shanika.
Congratulations.
You're both safe. Head
up onto the balcony.
Thank you, Chef.
When deciding exactly
what this pressure test would be,
we decided...
there is no pressure test.
No pressure test.
I mean, this is concerning.
Usually you can come in here
and show 'em that you have what
it takes to still go farther
in this competition.
I'm running through
everything I did in my head
and trying to think, did
I do enough to get through?
We are sending one of you home.
Ralph, Bowen,
Lindsay, Matt, S.J.,
the five of you...
you're safe.
( whispering ) Oh, my God.
Head up onto the balcony.
Juni, possibly one of the
worst performing captains
I've ever witnessed. Ever.
You let go of your responsibilities.
Ashley, you cracked under pressure.
Like I've never expected.
You're standing there
with tears in your eyes
about a sauce.
- Ashley...
- Yes, Chef.
...you are staying.
Congrats.
Good luck.
Thank you, Chef. Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Joe.
Juni, unfortunately,
your journey ends tonight.
You know, young man,
you came in with a spark
and the charisma and
we loved that attitude.
But, unfortunately, your team was doomed
before they started yesterday.
The menu was badly conceptualized,
and you lost complete
direction of your team.
We wish you all the best.
Thank you.
Please take the apron off
and leave the MasterChef kitchen.
I thank you for everything
that you have taught me,
and I thank you all for
the lovely friendships,
and I wish you all the best of luck.
- Bye, Juni.
- May the next MasterChef win.
See you in Carolina!
Juni: It's sad that my
journey's ending so soon,
but the fact that I've been able
to cook great dishes,
and I have even stepped
into the MasterChef kitchen,
Gordon Ramsay has tasted my food.
How many people can say
that they have done that?
Not many.
I think that when my mom sees this,
she's going to be even more proud of me.
She's gonna see that, you know,
I've really ignited the
fire to keep it going.
The competition's
getting harder every day.
Taylor: It's getting
real in this kitchen.
People are going like that.
Aarón just lost
another member of his team.
He's down to six aprons.
Joe is at six, and
Gordon's still at five.
I just gotta stay strong,
stay positive and focus,
and really, really continue
to earn my spot here.
You've got to keep your sights
set on that MasterChef trophy.
Get some rest.
Good night.
Narrator: Next time...
Tonight, cooking alongside
you, Aarón Sánchez.
- Yes!
- Whoo!
...a MasterChef...
This is like Christmas, baby.
- ...brings gifts...
- Oh, my gosh.
...from the Bayou.
- This sucks.
- ( screams )
And when big Cajun
flavors turn up the heat...
- I got a live one.
- ( laughs )
Cooking next to Aarón
is absolutely terrifying.
- ...the top 17...
- Look at me.
...face the shock of the season.
There's more on the
line than you thought.
Oh, Lord.
GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay,
and I'm hitting the road.
(blues rock music)
(truck horn honks)
I'm heading to restaurants
all across America...
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink...
MAN: [bleep] you!
GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting
for, a [bleep] death?
GORDON: But having endured
so many kitchen disasters
over the years...
There's a [bleep] mouse in here.
I know that I need to do something
I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save each
of these restaurants...
in just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
(snoring)
GORDON: Because in this
age of social media,
where every customer is a critic...
If you want fast service and
good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star, the food looks gross
when it comes out of the kitchen.
(whispers) Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can
succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know I'm coming,
they tend to hide
what's really going on.
So, this time, I'll need to be covert,
hiding cameras in the restaurants
and myself in plain sight...
-Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
-(laughs)
GORDON: To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you from eating in there,
and this is the reason why.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no!
GORDON: If I have any
hope of saving them...
Bless thy soul, may I
come out in one piece.
I'll have to go to hell and back...
GORDON: Oh, my God.
-(coughs)
GORDON: In 24 hours.
(coughs)
(beeping)
(slow blues-rock music)
♪
I've just arrived in
Greenville, Mississippi.
Now, this place is known
not only as the birthplace of the blues,
but also for its world famous catfish.
Look at it.
It's almost like going back in time.
-(car honking)
-Oh, you from "Hell's Kitchen"!
-(screams)
-How you doing?
-You good?
-Oh, my God!
Come over, darling.
Hair looks great, by
the way. You take care.
-Bye-bye! -Bye-bye
now. Bye-bye.
GORDON: Like many
small towns in America,
this once vibrant town now sits desolate
and in desperate need of help,
much like the family-run
restaurant, Sherman's.
I'm really hoping that saving
an important small
business like Sherman's
can get that energy
back around the town.
The problem is that Sherman's
is run by the Nimrod family.
That's right, this
restaurant is owned...
by a pair of Nimrods.
♪
ALLISON: My name is Allison Nimrod,
and I am the owner of
Sherman's Restaurant.
PETER: A man named Charles
Sherman, he decided to make this
into a fine dining restaurant in 1985.
We bought the restaurant in 2012.
We kept the name Sherman's,
because Nimrod's is probably
not a good name for a restaurant.
"Nimrod's." Right. It's funny.
ALLISON: I decided to buy Sherman's,
because I just saw such
a great hustle and bustle
of customers come and go.
I just knew that all this needed
was a little touch of Nimrod.
It's gonna be $7.20...
oh, that's not right.
I'm so sorry.
I had very much underestimated
the amount of work that it would take
to be the owner of a restaurant.
-This is for Davis.
-Davis who?
-I'm not sure.
-Okay.
It could be their first name.
It could be their last name.
Allison pays close attention
to the reviews we get.
She'll know exactly
what table they were at,
who was their server.
It was your lady that
wrote us a bad review.
She said, "Bland and overcooked."
"Was very disappointed with my steak.
It was not good at all."
Oh, shut up.
VICTORIA: Allison needs
to believe those reviews,
because we've lost a lot of customers.
(soft percussive music)
-Mm-hmm. -Customers
stopped coming in,
because of the food pretty much.
Let me see your ticket.
Confused right now.
Child, spaghetti please.
The cooks are fine...
except Steve. (shushes)
STEVE: I've worked at Sherman's
Restaurant for 32 years.
I was the head chef
from the beginning here.
I mean, Steve's part of the
foundation of this restaurant.
NICOLE: Steve done been
here for some years,
and, you know,
some peop...they say,
sometimes, you get burned out.
Is there a difference between
loin back ribs and baby back ribs?
Steve will kill me, but
if I'm ordering a steak,
I wanna make sure Nicole's cooking it.
I think I could put a little
bit more seasoning on there.
I have worked at Sherman's 25 years.
I love working here.
We are family.
ALLISON: We've had a
decline in customers
and an increase in expenses.
PETER: Cost of kitchen staff goes up.
Food prices go up.
We're out of money. We have none.
PETER: If Sherman's were to close,
the bank would repossess our house
and repossess our cars
and take away all of
our material possessions.
Like, our whole... our
everything is on the line.
(solemn music)
(upbeat blues-rock music)
GORDON: It's obvious, without help,
that Sherman's, it will be
closing its doors shortly.
With only 24 hours to
turn this place around,
I needed to know the issues
before I even stepped foot inside.