Announcer: Previously on "MasterChef Junior"...
Aaron: Three Michelin star dish...
- Pan-seared scallop. - This is gonna be hard.
Announcer: ...in a Gordon Ramsay master class...
It's gonna be down to the finest of details.
- ...Jaala earned high marks. - Well done. Phenomenal job.
- Thank you. - But it was the end of the line
for Ben and Rhashad.
- What an amazing journey. - Bye!
Well done, gentlemen.
- Tonight... - Switch!
- Go, go, go! - The race to be the next
MasterChef Junior shifts into high gear...
- ( gasps ) - This is a very tough challenge.
...as the top eight pair up
in the most intense challenge of the season.
- You've gotta start plating. - Make it perfect.
- Judges: Three... - Come on, come on, come on!
- Plate, plate, plate. - Judges: Two...
Chop faster than you ever did in your life!
- Come on! - Judges: ...one!
Oh, God. What should I do?
- What is she doing? - Let's go, let's go.
- Oh! - Both: Whoo!
It feels so great to be in the top eight
of the best junior home cooks in America.
- Here we go. - Whoo!
Ivy: Honestly, I think I'm kind of the top of the top eight,
so you guys just gotta watch out for Ivy.
- Whoo! - What, what?
Che: Everyone in the top eight has really earned their place.
They're such great and talented chefs,
but I have to win "MasterChef Junior"
because I want to do it for my family.
I want to do it for myself.
Line up, please. Good to see you guys.
I'm trying to prove that I'm a great, well-rounded home cook
because in the future, I want to be known
as one of the best chefs that ever lived.
Gordon: Welcome back, everybody.
Each time we come back to the MasterChef kitchen,
I am one step closer to the finale.
It's so close, I can almost taste it.
Who is ready for their next big challenge?
- Kids: Me! - The first MasterChef Junior challenge tonight
is the iconic mystery box challenge.
But first, I have a little joke for you.
You know me, I'm the comedian of the group.
What did the baby corn say to the mama corn?
"Where's Pop corn?"
- Oh, no. - Uh-oh.
- Aarón? - Yeah?
That joke was corny.
And this is even cornier.
( screaming )
- What the heck is this? - Judges: Corn!
Aaron: I guess we're corny now.
( laughs )
Gordon: Corn is an incredibly versatile ingredient,
so we know tonight you can pull something off
highly creative and seriously delicious.
But before you do, I think you may need to clean up.
Aarón: Let's go get clean. Come on.
Christina: Ooh, you guys are dirty, and your sticky hands...
- Clean you up. - Let's go. Now, that's what I call clean.
- All right. - Off you go. Back to your stations.
Despite being just covered in corn, I feel pretty good.
I love corn, I love to eat it, I love to cook it,
and I can do so many different things with corn.
On the count of three, please, all of you, lift those boxes.
One, two, three. Lift those boxes.
- Whoa. - This looks nice.
In your mystery box, you'll find lots of different kinds of corn.
You have yellow corn, fresh baby corn, cornmeal,
huitelacoche, fresh masa, heirloom popcorn,
corn flakes, and even freeze-dried corn.
All of you will have just one hour to make us a stunning corn dish.
Gordon: And to help you make the best corn dishes,
you'll also have access into that incredible MasterChef pantry.
And trust me, you really want to win this challenge
and get an amazing advantage.
- Is everyone ready? - Kids: Yes, Chef!
All right.
Your 60 minutes start...
now.
I've never seen so much corn. Look at all that corn!
I've never seen so much corn!
There's so many different types of corn.
- These are so cute. - Aaron: They have black corn,
they have white corn, they have cornmeal.
The MasterChef kitchen is about to get corny.
- Well done. - Clock's started, don't forget. Get cooking.
- Here we go. - Go, go, go.
Make me proud, buddy.
Tonight, our expectations are exceptionally high.
- Top eight. Expecting fireworks, right? - Aarón: Absolutely.
Corn, it's delicious in so many different dishes,
whether it's tamales into corn hash and succotash,
and all the way into desserts, and I'm so happy that we're featuring it this evening.
I think what's interesting about tonight is corn
is an ingredient that all these home cooks know.
- Aarón: Yep. - Christina: But making corn the star of a dish
is actually a much more difficult feat than you'd imagine.
Christina: I definitely think one of the secrets tonight
is using corn in more than one way.
I think that's going to show the breadth
and the range of this grain,
which is really what we're looking for tonight,
to really make it the star.
You got this!
- There we go. - Back home in Georgia,
Cajun seasonings are really popular.
So I'm making a Cajun steak with a tomato corn relish
and a jalapeño cornbread with a whipped honey bun.
Ooh-kay.
I'm making a corn pudding pie with a corn flakes crust
and a corn-infused whipped cream.
I'm making this because my nana loves pies,
and because I'm a baker. Mmm.
Back in Powder Springs, Georgia, we cook corn a lot,
so I'm making a corn succotash with a corn puree
and a New York strip steak.
I'm going to make this corn succotash
the best corn that these judges
have ever tasted in their lives.
And Gordon's really old, so that means a lot.
Gordon: Guys, 22 minutes gone. 38 minutes remaining.
- It smells good. - Right, Ivy.
- Hello. - What are you doing?
'Cause there's a steamer going on, onions going on.
My mother's side of the family is Latin,
so I'm making corn tamales with fresh yellow corn
and fermented corn with corn elote.
- Do you ever eat tamales? - I've never eaten a tamale.
- But you're making one. - Of course.
- In 60 minutes? - Oh, yeah.
How are you getting tamales done in 60 minutes?
Um, well, I'm gonna do this pretty fast.
Good luck.
Ivy: I feel so confident.
22 minutes remaining.
- Matthew. - Hello.
Tell me your dish, Matthew.
I am making for you guys
a blue corn crusted tuna loin
with corn and pepper salsa, avocado,
and furikake-spiced baby corn.
So where are you drawing inspiration from this dish, mijo?
My culture, 'cause my mom, she is from Vietnam,
so that is where I get my Asian influence from.
Let me tell you, Matthew, you're doing fantastic.
Do you want me to get out of here?
- Yes. - All right, talk to you later.
Okay, bye.
- Wonderful. - Home cooks, just over ten minutes to go.
Make sure you give yourself enough time to plate
these gorgeous corn dishes.
Ooh-kay.
- Che. - Yes?
Tell me what you're doing. What's the dish?
Today, it's gonna be a corn and shrimp sope.
What is that?
A sope is like a thick tortilla, almost.
And then it's gonna have, a street corn pico de gallo,
and chipotle corn, and then queso fresco.
- Gordon: Wow. - I've been to Mexico,
and I experienced a lot of great food and flavors.
- Mm-hmm. - Like sopes, and late at night, there'd be taco stands...
- Yes. - ...with pork all laid up, roasted over fire,
and they'd slice it off, and it was delicious.
- How cool was that? - It was really cool.
Now, show it some finesse, and present it beautifully.
- Yes, Chef. - Good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
- It's getting there. - Yes, it works.
Malia, what is it about this dish
that is gonna be the dish that steals our hearts tonight?
Well, I love to make stuff from my culture, but today
I really want to show you guys that I can do different things.
- Hmm. - So, I'm making sweet corn ravioli
with a brown butter sage sauce.
I love the idea of this dish.
It sounds elegant, refined.
- Yes. - Malia, good luck.
- Thank you. - Ah.
- It's no fun and games now. - Yay.
- Whoa. - ( gasps )
Gordon: Coming up to 90 seconds to go.
- Oh, my gosh! - Let's go.
- Come on! - Christina: Use these last 90 seconds
to make every single detail count.
- Go, go, go! - Okay.
- That's good. - Come on, guys.
Aarón: Here we go, guys. Come on. Finishing touches.
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four...
- Got it. - three, two, one.
- Oh, God. - Gordon: And, stop.
- Hands in the air. Well done. - Good job!
Now, we've watched you cook,
and we've tasted elements of every single dish.
Three home cooks this evening really impressed us,
and we would love to take a closer look at those three dishes.
Christina: This first dish we'd like to call up here,
it used corn in at least three ways.
Bring that dish forward, please...
- Che. - Good job, Che.
Corn is an ingredient I've been working with almost my whole life.
So I chose a lot of inspiration from my trip to Mexico
and what I like to eat, what I like to cook.
This second time being in top three
is gonna get me my win. I really hope so.
So, Che, what did you make tonight?
Today I have for you shrimp marinated with lime juice
and cumin and cilantro on a corn sope.
My heritage is mainly Italian,
but I recently got inspired when I went to Mexico,
and I loved the culture, I loved the food.
What is this salsa underneath?
- It's a street corn pico de gallo. - Mmm.
So it has chipotle, corn, and then it has a little bit of queso fresco.
Wow!
You managed to take something that is very well-known in Mexican cooking,
but also give it this color and this elegance
and this freshness and this edge.
I think you've done a beautiful job in presentation.
You've made it your own. I love that you incorporated corn in three different ways,
and I think this idea of a spiced popcorn
for added texture and freshness and whim is brilliant.
- Nice job. - Thank you.
Mmm.
So, Che, as a proud Mexican,
I can tell you that that right there is spot on.
This dish is so delicious, I want to adopt a version of this
on my own menus at my restaurants.
I think this dish encapsulates all the best parts
of where Mexican food is now.
Very impressive. I got space in my house for you.
- Come on over, mijo. - Great job, Che.
The second dish that we would like to examine a lot closer,
this young home cook took a huge risk.
They made something they have never made before.
Please step down here, Matthew. Please come up.
I'm in the top three. Yes!
Matthew: I don't really cook with corn a lot in Jersey,
so I'm very proud of myself.
Mystery boxes are the key to success,
so I'm really hoping that I win this one.
Matthew, describe the dish, please.
Today I have prepared for you a blue corn crusted tuna loin
with corn and roasted pepper salsa,
avocado, and furikake-spiced baby corn.
Let's get one thing clear. Tuna, cooked beautifully.
You coated it in cornmeal.
You've gone for something with corn
that I didn't expect to see this evening.
Avocado goes beautifully well with that tuna.
The one thing that needs to be elevated is that salad.
When you cook tuna that perfectly,
then that garnish, you've got to elevate as well.
- Okay. - But, young man,
- the dish is amazing. - Thank you.
Matthew, this dish has a little bit
of an Asian flair to it. Where does that come from?
I thought I should go down the Asian route
'cause I've never done that before with you guys.
So I thought maybe I should show you different things that I know how to cook.
Well, Matthew, that is a beautifully cooked piece of tuna.
You have the sear on both sides,
and then that gorgeous pink color running through.
I love the furikake, I love the lemongrass,
and I liked that you approached the mystery box different
in terms of using cornmeal and baby corn, 'cause that's a different approach.
And you're in the top three of mystery box challenge again, bro.
- Nice job. Thank you. - Thank you.
- Good job, Matthew. - You did a good job, Che.
Back at you.
The third dish that we would like to examine further
was made by a young home cook
that made expert use of the cornmeal.
Ivy, please bring us your dish.
I can't believe that something that I've never made before
is getting the judges' recognition right now.
I think I made my Latin grandparents really proud.
Ivy, describe the dish, please.
Today, I've made for you a corn tamale
with baby corn elote.
And I have the fermented corn... the huitlacoche.
I heard stories from my mom that my grandma and her
had a tradition where they would eat tamales on certain holidays,
so I feel that this is honoring them.
You took on a very difficult dish to nail.
Sometimes the masa doesn't cook sufficiently. It doesn't set.
You did not do that.
You cooked it for the right period of time.
You stuffed it, which I love,
and then all of the garnishes reconnect with the filling
- and celebrate corn. Great job. - Yes. Thank you.
So, tamale, delicious in terms of seasoning.
For me, it needs a little bit more heat in there,
so you gotta get a little bit more adventurous with that.
But here's the thing, you're growing masterfully in this competition.
Every time you turn that stove on,
you're getting more and more confidence.
- I love that. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
- Good job. - Thank you.
- Good job, Ivy. - Oh, my gosh.
- I think the confidence across all three was incredible. - Yeah.
So this is gonna come down to the finest details, I think.
Right. Let's get one thing clear,
there can only be one of you that will win
this mystery box challenge, and that young home cook
will receive a game-changing advantage.
Congratulations goes to...
( exhales deeply )
The winner of this mystery box challenge
is...
- Che. Well done. - Yes!
- Great job. - Finally!
This was amazing. Finally, a mystery box win.
- Christina: Come and join us up here. - Good job, Che.
I've been waiting for so long for this, and I finally got one.
Everyone else please come down to the front.
I think that I can definitely use this momentum
to push me all the way to the finale.
Che, that was an incredible dish.
- Thank you. - And with that win
comes a huge advantage in the next challenge.
Please step on the sideline for me.
Gordon: Listen up. The big news is
you'll be working in four teams of two.
- Yay! - Whoo!
But this is no regular team challenge.
Uh-oh.
It's the one and only tag team challenge.
- What? - And who do you think
is gonna be picking all four teams?
- Che! - Oh, jeez.
I feel great that I can choose the teams,
but at the same time,
it makes me feel a little nervous,
because everyone's my friend,
but I also understand that it's a competition,
so I have to be strategic about my decisions.
Now, Che, you have to pick, one talented young home cook
that you want on your team.
I'm picking this person
because they're a really amazing chef,
and I think I can definitely win with this person.
- Aaron. - Gordon: Wow.
Aaron, please, go stand next to Che.
All right, next up,
which home cook are you pairing with Reid?
- Ivy. - Interesting.
I put Reid and Ivy together
because they haven't really worked well together before
and they kind of have different cooking styles,
so they may butt heads.
Gordon: Right, onto the next team.
Who are you pairing with Jaala?
Matthew.
Both: Yes, yes, yes!
I put Jaala and Matthew together
because Matthew's a little bit younger,
so they may have some miscommunications
and Jaala may get frustrated.
So we have Malia and Sadie, you are our final team.
Aaron and Che, join in the middle, please. Thank you.
Christina: Now, we're gonna show all of you
what you will all have to make
in order to stay in the competition.
Tonight, you'll be working with a classic cuisine.
A group of small delicious plates,
offering a little something for everyone.
I'm talking about...
...tapas, all the way from Spain
right here to the MasterChef kitchen.
Aarón: Guys, we have an array of delicious tapas.
Right here, we have some beef empanadas
with a little aioli on the top.
And then right next to that we have pan con tomate.
This is actually just grilled bread
with a little bit of garlic and crushed tomato.
And then right here we have some shrimp with some chorizo,
and then we have a little spicy garlic bay sauce.
Here we have beautiful cheese croquetas,
which are in essence little fritters
that have cheese and potato inside of them.
Right next to that, we have a pulpo a la parrilla...
octopus served over a romanesco sauce.
And then, of course, one of my favorites,
churros with chocolate sauce.
I have never been to Spain,
but I've a couple of the tapas that are on that platter,
so I have confidence in my ability to do well.
Now, in a tag team challenge, you work in pairs,
but only one of you can cook at a time.
When we call "switch," you will tag out your partner
and you'll switch places, so strategy is key.
Because the home cook that starts this tag team challenge
will not be the one finishing the platter.
So, you need to decide who's gonna start your team off strong,
and who is going to bring home the victory.
Right, all of you, head to your stations. Let's go.
- Whoo. - Sadie!
- Team gal squad! - Yes, girl!
Tag team challenges are so chaotic and so hard.
Luckily, me and Sadie have more experience than others.
And also, we're the only girl team.
- Women unite. - Gal squad!
So, I feel really confident.
All right, everyone, at the stations behind you,
you will have everything that you need
to replicate our tapas platter.
Now, there's no doubt that this is a very tough challenge.
So, communicate,
because, sadly,
we will be saying good-bye
to both members of the losing team.
Christina: You will all have just one hour to replicate
the incredible tapas that we have presented to you.
All right, guys, will the home cook
that will finish the tapas platter stand to the side?
- You got this. - Thank you.
- Is everyone ready? - Kids: Yes, Chef!
Your 60 minutes start...
- ...now. - Let's go, guys!
- Come on! - Let's go! Go, go!
Okay, Sadie, get your pan hot!
- Malia... - Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
- I won't. - Let's go, let's go.
Reid: Come on, Ivy, you've got this.
We cannot go back to Georgia tonight.
- Reid! I totally agree. - Come on, Matthew, let's go!
- Are those too big? - I don't know.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Aaron: Che, you gotta keep mixing it.
- Yup. Aaron, we got this. - Looking nice.
Now, tapas may look rustic and charming,
but my goodness me, is it full of intricacies.
- Yeah. - You gotta prioritize
what's the most important thing.
So, first thing, empanadas.
They're the longest. They're baked in the oven.
Make sure that it's even on all sides.
- Don't let anything burn! - Matthew: Jaala, I know!
Gordon: First of all, cooking that ground beef filling,
bringing it together with a fresh tomato puree...
- that's a tall order. - Come on, Ivy.
Start mixing. Break it up,
- Break, break, break! - Okay!
Gordon: Croquettes from there.
Jaala: All right, Matthew, get three perfect shapes.
Jaala, I know, I know, I know!
And making that cylinder shape is instrumental.
Aaron, all right, first brush the octopus with the olive oil.
You're doing really good. We got this.
Next, that pulpo, right? That grilled octopus.
It needs to be seasoned properly.
Malia, pepper or...
- Salt. Yeah, just salt. - Just salt.
And then grilled to perfection.
And then the churros.
Aaron: Che, get that in there.
That doughy batter needs to be mixed properly,
given enough time to rest,
or it won't come together at all.
- Aaron: That looks beautiful. - Aarón: Next is pan con tomates.
Jaala: Matthew, make sure you're being smart on how you're cutting it.
I am, I am, I am!
You gotta add a puree of crushed tomatoes,
and that will give this beautiful pop of flavor.
Reid, should I get the shrimp on now?
No, just worry about the bread.
As far as gambas al ajillo, which is sautéed shrimp...
Sadie: Malia, I should do the shrimp, right?
Yeah, yeah. You got this, Sadie.
( high-pitched ) So I'm gonna get the shrimp.
- My voice cracked. - Add them all in.
Aarón: The logical thinking
would be to save that till the end.
Okay, I'm gonna flip the shrimp.
- Come on, come on! - Gordon: Absolutely.
Shrimps take two minutes to cook.
- Aarón: Exactly. - Now, a tag team,
the secret of this one is the communication.
Aaron, what else goes in here? I'm confused.
Um, what happened?
And, for me, delegation, time management,
organizational skills are needed
to succeed in a tag team challenge.
- Absolutely. - Tough one, this one.
There you go, Ivy. Come on, you got this.
- Ivy: We got this. - Yeah, we got this!
One minute to go before our first swap.
- Come on! - And make sure you're talking with one another.
Come on, Matthew. We don't have that much time
until we have to switch, okay?
- Focus. - Matthew: Okay!
Malia: Sadie, your shrimp is almost burning!
- Sadie: Oh! - You got it, you got it.
Go, go, go!
Hope I didn't burn this.
You're good, you're good, you're good.
Gordon: Right, Malia, what are we doing next?
Well, we just finished our shrimp and chorizo...
Gordon: So, stop. Stop. Why you are cooking the shrimp now?
Young lady, what about the croquettes?
The croquettes? Should I start on the croquettes?
Oh, man, are they the best you can do?
- Sadie: No, Chef. - That looks terrible.
The croquettes aren't even made,
and you're cooking the shrimp with 50 minutes to go.
If we start cooking too early, it's gonna be dry.
- Sadie: Yes, Chef. - I do not understand this.
You're smart girls, but you two are working backwards.
This is crazy. You're cooking like you've given up.
If you want to go home, take your aprons off now.
The croquettes aren't even made,
and you're cooking the shrimp with 50 minutes to go.
This is crazy. You're cooking like you've given up.
If you want to go home, take your aprons off now.
It's so nerve-wracking to have Gordon criticize you.
- Get it together. - Both: Yes, Chef.
Okay, croquettes.
And I don't know if we're gonna have enough time
to re-cook the shrimp.
All right, Malia, so, croquettes!
Come on, Matthew.
If you want to win this challenge,
you have to bring up your game.
I know! I'm trying my best!
- 15 seconds to switch. - What else goes in here?
Uh...
- Aaron, Aaron, Aaron! - Come on, Ivy!
Yeah, there you go, even coat.
Just like you're painting a car.
- Right. - ( Reid laughs )
Christina: Here we go!
Gordon: Five, four...
Judges: ...three, two, one.
- Switch! Let's go! - Go, switch!
- Go, go, go! - Check the meat!
Check the meat right now!
Come on, come on, come on. We got this!
Sadie: We're not going home, Malia. We can do this.
- Okay. - Go, Aaron, go, go, go!
So, Che had the huge advantage of being able to choose teams
- in this competition. - Gordon: Absolutely.
And because of that, he sets the tone for tonight's challenge.
No, Aaron, you add the flour!
Well, then where's the flour that I need to add?
Tomato puree for "romesco."
Sadie: No, no, no. The "romesco's" a different thing.
- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. - First of all, Sadie and Malia are upside down.
And you know what to do for the "romesco" sauce, right?
- Malia: I have no idea. - Christina: I gotta be honest,
I thought they for sure would be a dream team.
And Malia's just kind of disappeared a little bit.
What do I add into my "romesco" sauce?
- Nuts? - I believe so, yeah.
Gordon: And Sadie seems to be losing confidence.
Christina: I'm worried that the pressure is getting to them.
No! Mince them.
Yeah, that's what I'm doing.
Che chose Reid and Ivy to be paired together.
Why do you think he did that?
Gordon: If he pairs one the strongest
with another strong individual,
those two could clash big time.
- Um, more. Into a fine paste! - I know.
Che: Aaron, you know which onions go in what, right?
Yeah, these onions go in here, these onions go in here.
- Che: I think. - Aarón: You look at Che,
and then his decision-making is questionable
because Aaron has tended to freeze up.
Wait, yeah, wait, wait. Wait, be sure and...
Christina: No one is leading that duo.
It's not going well.
Hustle, Jaala!
We don't have all day.
Yeah, I know we don't.
But there was barely anything done
- when I was on the side. - I know. My bad, my bad.
Come on, come on, Jaala. Come on.
Two minutes before the switch! Let's go! Speed up!
Okay, wait, wait. The smaller bit of onions go to the shrimp and chorizo.
- Aaron: Yes. - The bigger bit of onions goes for the empanadas.
- Yes. - Che, how's it going?
Che: Pretty good, I think.
We have the empanadas starting.
Um, I think that's it.
There's nothing else that you feel like
you could be doing right now?
Well, we thought that the other elements
take a very short amount of time.
That's not good time management.
You have six different tapas to go, right?
- Both: Yes, Chef. - Lift up your voice, you start helping Aaron,
- see what he needs to be doing. - Yes, Chef.
And you gotta be checking each other.
- Okay, Chef. - Good luck.
Thank you. We can bounce back.
15 seconds to go.
- Malia: Oh, my gosh. - Get it in.
- Gordon: Come on, guys! - Aarón: Let's go, everyone!
- Reid: Beautiful. - Ivy: Come on, come on.
Jaala, hustle up! Don't forget to fork it.
- Yeah, I know. - Faster, come on!
Che: Aaron, now add your panko.
Try to get them all done, okay?
Try to get them all done.
Judges: Five, four, three...
two, one, switch!
- Okay! - Go, Matthew! Go, go, go!
- Go, go, go! - Um, wooden spoon.
Malia: That was so quick.
Breadcrumbs, panko. Do this thing.
- Come on! Come on! - Okay, okay, okay.
There you go.
Jaala: Pay attention to that.
How's it looking, Matthew, right now?
- Matthew: It's burning. - No! Oh, Matthew.
You have to pay attention to everything.
I will, I will, I will!
Aarón: What do you think about Jaala and Matthew?
I think there's such a disparity in experience level
and I think that distance has a lot of pitfalls.
Let's go, Matthew! Get your head in the game.
Che, make sure you get just the right amount of meat in there.
- Yep. - Christina: Home cooks!
Two minutes till the switch!
- Oh, God. - Come on, let's go!
It's okay, Sadie. We got this.
- What should I do? - Just try...
to get the panacotta done, maybe.
- Okay. - You can do it. You can do it.
Come on, Ivy, come on, come on, come on.
- You can finish this, okay? - Yeah, okay. I got it.
Aaron, when you come in, you gotta grill the octopus, okay?
- Aaron: Okay. - We got it under control.
Christina: 20 seconds till the switch!
Let's go. You need to open your eyes, Aaron.
Jaala: Matthew, get the flour panko next.
- Come on, there's no time to waste. - I'm almost done.
Just let me do my job, please.
- Judges: Five, four... - Come on, Matthew!
- Come on, Matthew. - ...three, two, one.
- Switch! - Switch!
Aarón: Switch, guys, come on!
Dear, oh, dear, what did you do there?
- I was forming those. - Empanadas, how long?
- Um... - Ask her.
- How much more on the empanadas? - Um, I don't know.
- Where'd you put the timer? - The timer's up front!
- Where? - What is happening between you two?
- I don't know. - Hey.
- We have to stay strong. - Yes, Chef.
- We're a team, right? - Yes, Chef.
- So dry your eyes. - Yes, Chef.
Come back together as a team.
- Yes, Chef. - Delegate. Get it together.
Okay. Jaala, it doesn't matter how we start.
It matters how we finish, come on!
- Reid, flour and then eggs, and then the breadcrumbs. - Okay.
All right, Ivy, where are we right now?
So what did you just finish doing?
I just finished the batter for the croquettes.
Okay, so now you're leaving that to Reid,
- and he's gonna start forming the croquettes. - Yes.
Obviously, you guys are communicating well.
- What's next? - The shrimp.
Yeah, and then maybe the octopus as well.
- All right? - Okay.
- Keep talking, let's go. - Okay, Reid,
the shrimp, put it on now!
I know. I'm doing that right now.
- Great. - 40 seconds to switch.
- Come on, guys. - Let's go, everyone.
Aaron, come on. Make sure they're evenly cut. Gotta get it all done.
Guys, Che and Aaron are turning it around a little bit.
Che: Okay, Aaron, I think we're doing pretty good.
We got it under control. We can pull ahead, okay?
Che seems to be stepping up.
He's delegating what needs to be done.
- Mix, mix. Okay. - Che.
- Incredible. - That's great.
Come on, we're gonna stay in this competition.
Come on, come on, come on!
Okay.
Make sure that bread's nice and grilled.
- Okay. - Let's go!
Judges: Five, four, three, two, one.
- Switch! - Ivy, come on!
Ten minutes to go. Let's go!
- Squeeze! - Aaron: Cook the shrimp.
Make sure that shrimp is cooked!
Come on, Sadie, we're not going home.
Malia, the scissors are stuck.
Check on the croquettes right now, right now,
'cause they're gonna burn. Come on, Matthew!
- It's okay, I think. - Reid: There you go, Ivy.
- Remember, make sure they're golden brown. - Okay.
Gordon: Wow, look at the dynamic between Ivy and Reid.
It is the duo that I never saw being the powerhouse,
but they really are jiving with each other.
- Don't let the bread burn. - Got it.
- Come on, Ivy, you got this. - I'm gonna slice this octopus.
No, no, no. We should redo our shrimp. Come on, Sadie, come on!
- ( pants) - Just go, go!
- Okay, I will. Just a sec. - You okay, Sadie?
Yeah, I'm good. Sorry, I'm kind of flustered right now.
Christina: I am worried about Sadie and Malia.
As individual home cooks, they are both
such stellar competitors.
- As a team, they're an absolute mess. - Dear, oh, dear.
- Uh, okay. - Let's get it together! Let's go!
One minute to go before our final switch.
Get your shrimp on the plate!
Get the heavy cream! Come on, come on, come on!
Make all the sauces before I go, okay, Matthew? Okay, hurry up! Hurry up!
- I'm hustling, I'm hustling. - Malia: Sadie, Sadie, you need to hurry!
- I'm gonna put the shrimp in. - Salt and pepper it! Salt and pepper it!
Judges: Five, four, three,
- two, one, switch! - Gordon: For the last time, let's go!
- Christina: Here we go! - Salt them, salt them!
Aaron, plate that, plate that.
Go, go, go, come on, come on.
Come on, Jaala, start plating!
Come on!
Ivy: Reid, put the tomato on the toast!
- Okay! - Come on!
Sadie: Malia, check the shrimp.
- Okay. - Come on, come on.
This is your last chance, so make it count. Let's go!
Get the octopus on a plate! Jaala, listen to me!
- Get it on the plate, now! - Look at Jaala and Matthew.
- They're working against each other. - Jaala!
Okay! I have to get everything on a plate, Matthew.
- No, no. - Calm down.
They're not even on the same page.
They're ignoring each other.
60 seconds to go, guys. Let's go!
Plate, plate, plate. Come on, come on, come on.
- Malia, you got to start plating. - Oh, my gosh.
Put a little of the parsley on the octopus! We got this, Reid!
20 seconds to go!
Aarón: Come on! Last minute touches!
Chop faster than you ever did in your life!
Sadie: Final stretch! You've got this girl!
- Oh, my gosh. - We got it, Aaron. Make it look beautiful!
Come on! Make it perfect!
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one!
Hands in the air. Oh, my Lord.
Christina: Home cooks, that was pretty intense.
We now need to take a closer look.
First up, Che and Aaron.
Good job, Aaron.
In the beginning of the cook,
Aaron and I were not working well together.
But in the end, we completely stepped it up.
We got everything plated, everything looks great.
Fingers crossed, we did enough to get up to the balcony.
Gentlemen, how was communicating as a team tonight?
Miscommunication in the beginning,
and we noticed that and we got our mistakes cleared up.
I don't think we were thinking on the right track,
and we had to get it together.
And I definitely think we did when we came out with this plate.
Christina: Visually, it all looks like
pretty solid execution.
- I'm pretty impressed. - Thank you.
- All right, who cooked these shrimp? - Um, that was me, mainly.
- It's cooked beautifully. - Thank you.
It's translucent, but not dry.
It's got great heat to it. Very impressive.
- Thank you, Chef. - All right, who made the croquetas?
Aaron, you did all the croquettes.
Nice and golden brown there. How much cheese is in here?
There is about one cup of cheese.
Don't love the size and shape from a finesse standpoint,
but the croqueta itself is delicious,
and they're seasoned beautifully on the outside.
- Who made the empanadas? - Che: Both of us.
Aaron started it, I finished it.
They're delicious, well-seasoned.
- Thank you. - Would have loved a little bit more color
- on the pastry. Who grilled this octopus? - Me, and Aaron finished it.
Gorgeous grill marks there. Really impressive.
- Thank you. - And the sauce is complementing
the octopus really nicely.
Your pan con tomate,
that tomato on top is well-seasoned.
It's about the simple effort
of beautifully grilling that bread.
Now, churros... beautifully fried,
beautifully coated in that cinnamon sugar,
but the churros are too short.
It's not the most perfect tag team platter,
but I'm impressed by the way the two of you worked together.
The effort is on this platter.
- Thank you, Chef. - Good job, guys.
All right, please step forward very carefully,
- Jaala and Matthew. - Matthew: Jaala and I,
we weren't communicating that well,
but luckily our tapas platter looks pretty good.
Now it just comes down to how it tastes.
The start of tonight's performance was dreadful.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
You ignored each other. Matthew, what happened?
I think she underestimated me.
That might have been part of it.
I've never worked with him
or been on a team with him, like, one on one.
I never got to really see how he works.
Yeah, I think we just were not on the same page.
If you are not on the same page,
how can the tapas taste as good as they should do?
Who made the empanadas?
Matthew: I got everything prepared and she did it.
It's missing that nice, sweet tomato.
- Who forgot to put that in there? - She did.
He was telling me to put it in, but I didn't.
Okay, now, when you look at the shrimp,
- what's happened to them? - Burned?
- Burnt. - Yeah.
Right, moving on. Who piped the churros?
- Me. - Great size,
but just a little bit too dark.
Moving on, the octopus, who grilled that?
- I did. - Jaala: He started it off and then I finished it.
Nicely cooked. And what about the romanesco sauce?
Matthew: I got everything prepared, and then she did it.
It's missing the acidity.
- The vinegar's still on the table? - Yes.
So you forgot the vinegar in there as well?
- It's okay. - Hey.
Hey, everybody had a hard time tonight.
The tag team challenge in "MasterChef Junior"
is one of the toughest challenges.
- Yeah. - Yes, Chef.
You both got through that, okay?
- Yes, Chef. - When I got into this pan con tomate,
you grilled it with olive oil?
Well, he put grape seed on it,
and then we brushed it with olive oil.
Mmm, that's delicious.
- That was really good. - Thank you.
- I think you did really good on that. - Thank you.
- And croqueta. - Jaala: Matthew, he formed them.
Mmm. Nice and crispy. Really good.
- Good job. - Now, nobody's been perfect tonight.
You may not have been in the same page
- for the first 30 minutes. - Yeah.
But I guarantee, that last 25, 30 minutes,
it came together as a team.
- Good job. - Good job.
Thank you.
Next up, Reid and Ivy.
Reid and I do have some differences,
but that did not stop us from being a great team.
So, hopefully this platter really pays off.
All right, so how did it feel when you guys were in there
- working together as a team? - Ivy was a great teammate.
Like, we can really communicate good,
so I really think we're not gonna go home tonight.
Here's the deal, I'm looking at the overall platter.
What's most inviting is the golden brown colors
that you were able to achieve, so I appreciate that.
I think I'm gonna start with that shrimp.
- Who did this? - Reid: I did.
That shrimp is good. It's textbook.
- Thank you, Chef. - And the seasoning,
the paprika, the pimentón,
everything is really beautiful in there.
I'm gonna go in with the croquettes.
I love the golden brown, and then you also have
some herbs specked in there, so that's a good thing.
It's tasty in execution, beautifully creamy, soft,
- you seasoned the outside perfectly. - Thank you, Chef.
All right, let's go with the churros.
They're nice and creamy, they're cooked well.
You can see how airy they are. They're not doughy.
The empanadas, as far as the amount
of filling versus dough, I like that.
They're a little bit under-seasoned,
but I do love the way that you cooked them.
- Thank you. - Now, let's do the pulpo a la parrilla.
That romanesco is beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, Chef.
And the octopus is cooked perfectly.
Let's go to the pan con tomate.
Great flavor on the bread itself,
- and nice grill marks. - Thank you, Chef.
Overall, very strong effort. Good job.
Both: Thank you, Chef.
- Great job, guys. - Thanks.
Next up, Malia and Sadie.
Malia and I did start off a little bit rocky
cooking the shrimp too early,
but we really pulled ourselves together,
and we definitely redeemed ourselves.
First of all, not the most dynamic performance, I'm gonna be honest.
No communication, and we're cooking shrimp first?
- Who's idea was that? - Mine, Chef.
Actually, I think I have to take some of the credit as well.
Credit? There's no credit there.
- Bad credit. - Gordon: Man.
Right, visually, it looks a little rushed.
- Yes, Chef. - What happened here?
These look a little bit weird in terms of shape.
They're like bars of soap my grandma has hanging off her taps in the bathroom.
- Yeah. - Who shaped them?
I did, Chef.
Nice and crispy, but they need more seasoning.
- Yes, Chef. - Churros, who coated them?
Malia: I did, Chef.
Unfortunately, you saturated them in sugar.
- Way too much. - Yes, Chef.
Next, empanadas. Who made that?
- We both did. - The filling, there's way too much here.
So you need to grind that up a little bit so it's not lumpy.
- Mm-hmm. - Grilled octopus. It's dry.
Next, the shrimps. Nice color.
Mmm. Much better second time around.
- Thank you. - Yeah?
The pan con tomate,
you need more seasoning on that.
I'm just disappointed. What I saw wasn't brilliant.
- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
I think you were a little bit too cocky tonight,
and let's just hope that cockiness
doesn't send you home.
Thank you.
Malia: I feel a little bummed
because we just didn't live up to everyone's expectations.
The pressure just got to us.
We might actually, like, go home.
This was an extremely difficult challenge tonight.
But tonight, we have to lose two home cooks.
Tapas is not easy to nail,
but there was one team tonight
that literally blew us away.
And because of that,
that team is straight through to the top six.
Congrats...
Reid and Ivy.
- Oh! - Good job, guys.
Head up to the balcony.
We got down to the top six, baby, yeah!
It wasn't perfect, but we pulled it off.
We may be an odd couple, but we sure can be a good team.
The next team joining Reid and Ivy
up there on the balcony...
Che and Aaron.
- Please, up to the balcony. - Thank you.
You guys did really good.
Gordon: Matthew, Jaala, Malia, Sadie,
both teams didn't have a great platter.
It's all right, Matthew.
Gordon: And both teams were somewhat fragmented.
But one team did just enough
to get themselves into the top six.
The team going up to the balcony is...
Congratulations...
Malia and Sadie.
Please say good-bye to Matthew and Jaala.
Oh, my God.
Gordon: Matthew and Jaala, what an amazing journey.
Listen, promise me you're gonna continue cooking.
- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
Right. Do you want to come up and give us a big group hug?
- Come here. - ( Matthew crying )
I'm gonna miss you.
I've grown up so much since I've been in
the MasterChef kitchen.
You did so great, okay?
When I first came here,
I was mostly a baker,
but now I can cook anything.
It's not really about winning.
It's about the experience,
and having fun, and meeting new people.
- Bye, guys. - Good-bye, guys.
So I feel like I've won "MasterChef Junior"
just by being in the top eight.
- Bye, guys. - Bye, guys.
For the eight years that I have been on this planet,
this has been the best time in my life.
We miss you already.
I have so many memories to take with me.
So, kids, if you ever want to be part of something,
follow your dreams, 'cause it's gonna happen.
- Bye! - Bye, Matthew! Bye, Jaala!
Announcer: Next time...
Full service. Table one, one lamb, three fillet.
- All: Yes, Chef! - ...the top six...
- Come on, guys. - Move, move!
...tackle the most daunting challenge
in "MasterChef Junior" history...
- Why is there no oil in there? - I'm just nervous.
...as they take over one of the country's
most sophisticated restaurants.
Service, please.
A two Michelin star restaurant?
Who cooked these? Why do we do this to ourselves?
Ivy: This is really intense.
Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh.
- Are you okay, Reid? - Aarón: You okay, buddy?
Sync: Ajvngou www.addic7ed.com