NARRATOR: Gordon's back, and he's brought the world's best.
GORDAN RAMSEY: This is "Masterchef Legends."
NARRATOR: All new Wednesdays.
And watch other Fox shows like, "Crime Scene Kitchen."
JOEL MCHALE: Did you make the right dessert?
NARRATOR: "Hell's Kitchen" and "Lego Masters" on Fox.
Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef Legends"...
Welcome back. Top 10!
I can't believe I'm in the top 10 of "MasterChef."
Please welcome the godfather of California cuisine, Jonathan Waxman.
- Lift. - a Californian-inspired mystery box...
- Go, go, go, go. - This is gonna get you in the bottom three, for sure.
Does anyone have any extra prawns?
Saw some home cooks keep their cool...
The cooking of the prawn is spot-on.
The presentation raised the bar.
Thank you very much.
Tonight's winner is Suu.
...while others felt the heat in a shocking elimination.
It looks like a dump bucket. What a waste.
Joseph, you dodged a bullet.
Tay, it breaks my heart to send you home.
- Tay: Yes, Chef. - Tonight...
Please welcome the savant of street food, Roy Choi.
- Lexy: He's a huge inspiration to me. - Buckle up.
It's a street food challenge...
- Let's do this [bleep]. - Okay.
...that has the home cooks battling it out
for a single safe spot on the balcony.
Last week, I was in the bottom, so my ass is on the line.
- Crap. - Roy: He's leaving his station.
- How you doing, Kelsey? - Not good.
- You're making me nervous. - My whole dish doesn't work.
Gordon: You need to listen.
There can only be one winning dish.
Restaurant quality beyond belief.
This is an excellent dish.
- Gordon: Exquisite. - [crunching]
Please tell me you took the skin off.
- It's un-edible. - Okay.
- Best plate's clear to me. - God, it's a tough one.
- Here are are, gents. - All right.
- What a guest we have today. - Today is good.
Top nine. A true legend tonight. Excited?
- Absolutely. - Whoo, let's go!
Welcome back, everybody.
Kelsey: I made it to the top nine. I'm ecstatic.
And it's a huge accomplishment in itself that I've made it this far,
but I really just want to show my kids
that I can pursue my dream and I can accomplish it.
Now, all of you, take one very big, deep breath.
Because you are the top nine on "MasterChef Legends."
And if you thought this competition was tough already,
all of you, buckle up,
because we are kicking into a higher gear.
Joseph, last week's challenge, you know, was rough for you.
Does that give you a bigger focus now?
Definitely. 100%. This is the challenge of redemption.
Good. Alejandro, we say every week, you move like a chef,
and yet you're always in this bottom three.
What do you need from us
to get you up into that top tier?
When you see me going crazy, just slow me down,
because I think my speed is what kills me.
You need to listen. You know, we have to listen
on a daily basis in our businesses.
That's what we need to do. Open up those ears.
Yeah.
We're now in the second half
of the season of "MasterChef Legends."
If you want to make it to the finale,
if you want to win it all, it's time to focus
and cook like a MasterChef legend.
- Yes. - Speaking of legends,
the guest visiting us tonight is so big, we had to get
a special parking permit to fit him in here.
Our guest is a classically trained chef
whose style is distinctly modern.
He's won incredible awards
including "Food & Wine's" Best New Chef
and was named one of the "Time Magazine's"
100 Most Influential People,
all because he took the humble food truck
and elevated it to a total culinary experience.
Please welcome the savant of street food,
the legendary Roy Choi!
Lexy: It's insane to have Roy Choi here.
He is a legend.
He took something really simple
like food truck cuisine and has elevated it
and made a name for himself because of it.
So he's a huge inspiration to me.
Roy, welcome to the incredible "MasterChef Legends" kitchen.
- Oh, yeah, this is exciting. - So exciting.
It's taken us 10 years to get him here, so...
- I'm shy. - Now, take us back to the beginning.
How did this journey start for you?
Uh, I was a chef, and then I got fired.
I lost my job, and I was broke.
And I couldn't get another job
and I started selling tacos on the street.
That's amazing. How did you get that truck, first off?
It was free. My partner, we both worked at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,
and one of our clients owned the truck lot here in LA.
And he gave us a truck for three months for free,
and he's like, "If you don't make it
by three months, give the truck back."
And so it happened.
- That's a great story. - Joseph, question?
Not a question, but I have so many friends and family
that have you to thank to be the OG, the king of the food truck.
- What you've done for my friends is amazing. - Thank you.
Anne, you got super excited when you saw Roy.
- Question for Roy? - You're such an inspiration to me.
I love your story. I relate to it.
I love that you got kicked down
and you just had to make a choice in life.
And I look at you and I just hope
that someday I can somehow make something beautiful like you have.
Thank you.
So, tonight, in honor of Roy's visit,
we want all of you to take a traditional street food item
and elevate it into a restaurant-quality dish.
Follow in this legend's tire treads
and give us some insight into your hometown heritage.
Now, whoever cooks the best dish will win a great prize.
From the legend himself, Roy Choi, dinner for two
at his hot spot Las Vegas restaurant, Best Friend.
Gordon: And more importantly, that winner is the only cook
who will earn immunity in the upcoming challenge.
Which means no one is going home tonight.
So take some risks, guys.
Now, as always, the pantry will be open,
so take advantage of that.
Make it work, okay? Everybody ready?
- All: Yes, Chef. - Your 60 minutes start...
- Now! - Let's go!
Aarón: Come on!
Kelsey: Autumn!
Let's... cheddar. Here we go!
- English mustard. - Papaya.
Pomegranate. Whoa!
Um, crema, crema, crema.
Vanilla, cooking spray.
Joseph: I want this immunity so bad.
Last challenge was a very low point for me.
And I'm going to perform on a level
that not many people have seen in this competition.
I really need to succeed and get my confidence back
by putting it on the plate today.
- Whoo-whoo. - Okay, let's go.
- Let's go, Kelsey. - Got it.
I'm all the way in the back. This is far!
- Oops. - [squeals]
Here we go.
So, growing up in Boston,
every summer there's lobster bakes,
and lobster rolls are a big street food over there,
so I'm making a deconstructed lobster roll
with butter and tarragon-poached lobster,
some celery root puree,
and some pickled pearl red onions.
I've never cooked lobster before,
but I want to push myself a little bit.
You know, everyone's expecting something big from me today
because I've been on top before,
so I'm just trying not to let anybody down right now.
You can do this, girl. Okay.
I'm doing a take on a Philly cheese steak.
I haven't been to Philly,
but I go to Greek Town in Chicago all the time,
so that's where I've gotten these from,
and I love them so much.
It's literally my favorite thing to eat.
So, I've got some New York strips
and I'm going to put some shaved bell peppers,
onions, and mushrooms on top, with cheese sauce on the side.
I have to be really resourceful.
We don't have a lot of money to spend on groceries each week,
which means that I need to be creative.
I feel like all of my food is just things that I enjoy
and done really well.
And so hopefully the judges see that, appreciate that.
Lemons.
So, I'm making a tantalizing take on a fish taco
with a crab hash and a spicy slaw.
I used to love fish tacos before I went vegan,
so I figured I'm gonna go to my roots
and what I loved, and that's why I'm making it.
- Doing good, Abe. - You, too, you, too. You got this.
Now, Roy, what are you looking for this evening,
street food phenomenon into that elevated restaurant style?
Yeah, I'm excited to see what their food tastes like.
With street food, it comes down to the first bite.
You have one chance to really connect with your guest,
because if you don't get someone in there first bite,
they're gonna walk to the next truck or they'll walk somewhere else.
- Absolutely. - And also when you devise dishes,
you have to think about what are those bites?
How is it gonna progress the whole experience?
When I go to a food truck, the food needs to be
- a little bit punchier, spicier. - Roy: Yeah.
It needs to be 30% more than restaurant food in its impact.
Tonight, without elimination on the line, they can risk a lot more.
So we expect to see dishes that are on the edge, really punchy food.
Whoo, that's hot.
Ten minutes gone, 50 minutes remaining.
- Come on, guys. - Okay.
Anne, focus.
Mm, so good.
- Kelsey, how are you feeling? - Hello.
- I'm doing okay. - All right.
It is such an honor to have you here.
I'm a "Chef Show" superfan, so...
- Oh, nice. - Gordon: Ever been to Vegas?
It's been a while, since I've had kids,
but I have a couple memories
or non-memories from being in Vegas.
- Non-memories. - Things that I forget.
- Tell us, what's the dish? - I am making kind of a riff
on those old strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.
That was my first memory of getting something from a truck.
- Okay. - So I am doing a buttermilk and white chocolate cake
with a strawberry coulis, macerated strawberries,
and then a pistachio brittle.
Why are you making a dessert?
I knew everyone was gonna do tacos
or a play on, you know, all the usual street foods.
- I don't want to do that. - No ice cream?
No, I'm not doing ice cream. With 60 minutes, to make a cake and ice cream?
You can make an ice cream in 15 minutes.
Yes, you could, but I want to make sure
that I get something plated that's wonderful for you guys.
I don't want to mess this one up.
It's gonna be tough because you're giving us
the memory of an ice cream bar,
but you're not making ice cream,
so it's gonna be a lot on your shoulders.
Yes, I'm gonna get all of the flavors in there for you guys.
- Good luck. - Yep, cake's gotta be in in three minutes.
Gordon: Oh, boy.
Gotta move fast. I gotta move faster. Get in there.
Right, Alejandro, tell us what you're doing.
Chefs, I'm doing an upscale version of loaded potatoes.
- Like a... - Half-baked potato?
- Like a poutine type style... - Poutine, okay.
...like we have in Georgia on a food truck.
- Okay. - I'm parboiling them,
cutting them to medium dice,
then I want to make one in the oven
so it's a little bit mushy and soft.
And the ones on top are gonna be fried and crispy
so we have two different textures.
- They're gonna be seasoned... - But they're not fries.
- You said they're diced. - They're not fries, yeah.
Poutine is a dirty fry. Finish with goose fat there.
- Cheese curds with gravy. - There you go.
Yes, this is gonna be like that, but instead of using gravy,
I'm gonna do a hollandaise sauce with a poached egg on top.
You're making it more difficult for yourself.
Do you hear what Roy said? You need to listen.
Alejandro: The judges think that I put too many elements in the dish.
I hope my ambition doesn't backfire on me.
Edit yourself, okay? Don't over complicate it.
But if you pull it off, you've done something spectacular.
- Yes. - But your margin of error is very small.
Chefs, I'm doing an upscale version of loaded potatoes.
- Half-baked potato? - Like a poutine.
You're making it more difficult for yourself.
Gordon: You need to listen. Don't over complicate it.
But if you pull it off, you've done something spectacular.
- Yes. - But your margin of error is very small.
There's a lot going on here. Edit yourself, okay?
- Good luck. Get that in marinade. - Thank you.
Anne, what do we have going on here, young lady?
What I'm making today is a shrimp spring roll
and fried rice noodles. It's gonna be delicious.
My inspiration is a restaurant by me up in Michigan
that I literally get these for lunch three times a week.
- It's like Asian fusion. - Have you ever tried this dish before?
It sounds a little bit challenging.
You know what? I need to challenge myself some more.
So I'm elevating them and I'm gonna make it
into a fine dining experience for you guys.
So, Anne, you've told us that you actually aspire to own a food truck.
Yeah, so in Kalamazoo, we have, like, food trucks that have burgers.
And I want... the Asian fusion style...
like, what I'm doing today is what I want to have.
So, to win this would be a big thing for you, right?
Really huge. And, I mean, it would mean everything to me.
- You think you can do it? - I'm gonna do it today.
- Joe: Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: 40 minutes remaining.
And remember, immunity on the line,
and an amazing dinner for the best dish this evening.
Aarón: Come on, guys.
- Abe, you doing great? - Yeah, you?
- Awesome! - Hello, Miss Suu.
- Talk to us about your dish. - I'm making a New York strip
marinated in a kabob-style marinade.
So you're capturing the spirit of the kabob.
Yes, when I came to the United States,
there's kabobs on the streets of New York.
I love that aromatic spices that will tantalize your tongue.
You've had success cooking outside of your traditional Burmese culture.
Yes, Chef. Thank you, Joe.
I think today what we're really looking for is punchy flavors.
It has to be like love at first bite.
- Yes. - Is this love at first bite?
It is going to be a love at first bite and every bite.
And how good would it feel, Suu, to be up on that balcony?
Oh, so right now, I'm eyeing that immunity prize.
I want to be at the front and on the top.
- Nice! - Yes.
- Good luck, Suu. - Thank you so much, Joe.
Slaw. Slaw, hash. I'm good.
This challenge is my life. I love street food.
I am a street food connoisseur.
I could tell you every block, every food truck,
where they're at, and the best ones.
And all I want to do is make the judges proud
and show them why I'm here.
Here we go. About to sear.
Joseph, how are you doing? What's the dish?
Great, Chef. Deconstructed bánh mi thit nguoi,
which is a chargrilled pork inside a Vietnamese sandwich.
Street food. Growing up, popular in your end?
Bánh mi. I mean, Houston has the biggest Vietnamese population.
I grew up eating them, especially this one.
I think this pork chop could be really good if done correctly.
Now, Joseph had a tough week last week,
literally on the verge of leaving the competition.
However, tonight we're hoping, not just redemption,
- but bounce back beyond belief. - Yes, Chef.
Today is my day of redemption.
I am 100% ready to win immunity.
Good, good, good. So, I like the idea of a deconstructed bánh mi.
- Just think of fragrance. - Yeah.
Think of help that is needed there. It's very dry in there, okay?
Use that marinade to the effect.
Get the marinade, maybe even chop up some more
lemongrass and garlic, crush it.
- Yes, Chef. - Yeah, good luck.
Lexy: It's a lot of pressure to know
that you're cooking for immunity.
And I feel like, of all the cooks,
I'm the one that has, like, the least experience,
the least amount of knowledge of just food in general.
And so it's definitely more stressful,
but my family is definitely pushing me to be my best.
That's what my brains look like after this challenge.
Now I gotta cut his body in half.
Oh, gross!
Just don't look at it, dude.
Ooh! I did it, I did it!
- Good job, girl. - [laughs]
Made this lobster my [bleep], dude.
All right, Autumn.
Working with lobster for the first time. Look at me.
You're in Boston and you've never worked with a lobster before?
No, I don't like working with anything that has an eyeball.
You have been very adamant about not liking seafood.
- Yes. - And why choose this dish
if it's something that you have an aversion to?
Being from Boston,
everybody eats lobster rolls all the time,
so I just wanted to do something that represents my home.
You are in very good shape here to do a good dish.
- I need to impress you guys. - Good luck.
[whispering] Sugar and lime juice.
- Alejandro? - Chef?
You feeling good about what you're doing, buddy?
Yes, Chef, 100%.
So, Alejandro, he's doing a classic take on a poutine,
which as we all know is French fries
topped with cheese curds and gravy.
But he's doing like a dice of potato.
- That's not a poutine then. - That's what Roy said.
On top of that, he's doing the potato two ways.
He's doing the mash underneath as well.
Joe: It's a lot to do in an hour.
Aarón: I think that's a huge risk.
It'll be interesting to see if he can pull it off.
Now, Kelsey's doing a cake on a strawberry shortcake,
- based on that... - Strawberry ice cream bar.
Gordon: And she's the only one attempting a dessert in just one hour.
Like, everyone who's eaten a strawberry shortcake bar knows that flavor.
- But there's no ice cream. - Even more difficult then...
- Even more difficult. - ...to try to get that flavor.
Damn it.
Guys, 30 minutes gone, 30 minutes remaining.
Halfway, guys. Come on.
Speed up, all of you. Let's move.
I gotta start this over.
Oh, my God, I can't believe I completely burned my caramel.
- How you doing, Kelsey? - Not good.
I am very stressed that I have to restart my caramel sauce.
The cake I'm making is super complicated.
There's a lot of different components.
I have a ton of stuff still to do.
I am making the biggest mess today.
This is definitely a setback.
I'm really worried that I'm not gonna get
my whole composed dish on the plate.
Damn.
- How you doing, Kelsey? - Not good.
I burnt my caramel sauce and I had to start that over.
And that definitely throws me off my game.
Damn it.
I really have to buckle down and just focus
because there's so much on the line.
Immunity is everything to me.
I'm doing this for my kids,
so I need to win this challenge.
Let's do this [bleep].
Sorry. [laughs]
Gordon: Guys, we're coming down to just under 20 minutes to go,
elevating street food for an amazing immunity.
I gotta move faster.
Whew.
I was fortunate enough to actually move around
all throughout Eastern Europe with my family,
so I'm making this Eastern European street food.
I'm hoping that I can stay true to the culture
that is formed around this dish.
- Gordon: Abe? - Yes, Chef?
- Right, how are you doing? - Good, Chef.
Tell us about the dish. What are you doing?
So, here I'm doing an Eastern European cevapi,
or in Romania, we call them mici.
And then I'm gonna have the two mici
in between these two brioche buns and coleslaw.
Nice, and this is a street food phenomenon in Eastern Europe.
Yes, it is. I used to eat this when I lived in Romania
with my family. It's awesome.
I'm not familiar with this. How do you normally eat it?
So, normally, it's just mustard
and then you have some bread to go with it,
or some French fries, depending on what you want.
I'm excited for this because I've never had it before.
- Oh, very excited. - I'm really excited.
- Good luck, bud. - Thank you, thank you.
Oh, jeez.
Michael: My biggest food inspiration comes from my family.
Growing up in Jersey, my father and I,
we'd go fishing when I was younger.
So I'm hoping this dish
could take my game to another level
- and get that immunity. - Michael!
- How are you doing? - What's going on, buddy?
Talk to us about your dish.
We got a tantalizing fish taco going here,
with a harmonious crab hash and a sexy slaw.
- Okay. - He's doing double duty.
I want to kick it up a notch for you guys.
It's time, you know what I mean?
You gotta bring my flavor to this game.
So, what is that flavor that you're doing, buddy?
I'm going with spice, you know?
- What's the protein? - Cod.
- You gonna fry it? - Yeah, deep fry it with some panko.
You already battered them?
I had them soaking in buttermilk.
All right, so we're in the top nine.
- Yes. - Where do you see yourself in the pack?
Um, I see myself flowing through the middle,
but now it's time to kick up my game,
and show you guys what I really got,
- know what I mean? - Good luck.
Thank you, gentlemen.
It is smoking in here.
Lexy, tell us about the dish. What are you doing?
It's my version of a Chicago Philly cheese steak.
How are you gonna modernize this? How are you gonna elevate it?
So, these are my typical toppings
to go on the cheese steak.
I'm gonna sauté them in a little bit of butter,
just place them on top.
This is my cheese sauce I'm working on,
and then I have some smashed potatoes
that I'm gonna put underneath.
- Nice. - This is your cheese sauce?
- Yeah. - It seems a little thin.
- Okay. - Because that's your glue, right?
That's the bit that needs to be nice, thick, and rich.
Yes, yes.
Lexy: I'm a little bit nervous about my sauce.
Roy Choi told me it's just too runny.
I need to make sure that the cheese can be more incorporated.
Immunity is on the line,
and so I really hope it doesn't hurt me in the end.
- Lexy, good luck. - Thank you.
Good luck.
All right.
Back on track, guys. Back on track.
Fire.
Gordon: Just under 10 minutes remaining.
- Start thinking about your execution, guys. - Oh, this is great.
- Are you surprised at the standards? - I am.
I don't know what I was expecting,
but I wasn't expecting this level of cooking.
I know a lot of them aren't trained chefs, so it's amazing.
Yeah, there's an immunity on the line,
so therefore no one's leaving.
But there's jeopardy there because whoever wins this
will be safe from elimination in the next challenge.
So, Joseph's deconstructed bánh mi, it looks great.
The flavors are incredible. Lot of intensity.
Yeah, as long as he's marinating, he chops it up,
and it's incorporated within the bite.
Joe: And he needs redemption,
so let's see if he can nail the flavor.
Yep.
Yeah, buddy. All right, that's perfect.
Aarón: Anne is conjuring up this restaurant
that she loves in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
It's an Asian restaurant, so she's gonna take some shrimp,
marinate them in some strong aromatics,
and then she's gonna skewer them with lemongrass.
But the end product that she wants to make is a Vietnamese spring roll.
I love the idea of spearing those shrimp with that lemongrass.
Yay! It's coming together.
Kelsey's sponge mix has just come out there. It looks beautiful, doesn't it?
- Oh, yeah. - Oh, my goodness, me.
Perfect.
Michael, he's doing this fish taco-inspired dish.
Michael has a nice big chunk of cod
that he's marinated in buttermilk
with a very seasoned flour and breadcrumb mixture.
Yeah, I was anxious to see the frying
because a lot of fried fish, we don't use breadcrumbs on.
The risk of that, it becomes too clunky...
- Yes. - ...and I think he might be there already.
- Aarón: We'll see. - We're coming down for the last five minutes.
You've got to start plating. Here we go.
Oh, my gosh.
- Whoo-hoo! - Okay, I think this is done.
- Crap. - Gordon: Lexy is super worried
about the consistency of that cheese sauce.
- It needs a bit more depth. - It was too thin, yeah.
- It hadn't cooked out properly. - Lexy: I'm kind of stressed.
I put a little bit too much cheese in my sauce
- and now it's way too thick. - Oh, my gosh.
And I'm trying to, like, incorporate more milk into it to kind of loosen it up,
but the texture is not what I would like.
- I feel like a mess. - Look at that.
Yeah. Oh.
We're coming down for the last five minutes.
You've got to start plating! Here we go.
My sauce is a little thick and runny at the same time.
And I feel like if the sauce doesn't work,
then my whole dish doesn't work,
so I kind of need it to work out.
- Yeah. - Come on, Alejandro.
Alejandro, start thinking about what could be taken off if you don't make it.
Everything's gonna be done, Chef.
Two minutes! Finishing touches. Let's go.
Come on, Anne.
Good, Michael. Give it precision.
- Here we go. - Come on, Lexy.
Wow, it really does come down to the final seconds.
- Oh, down to the wire. - Yes.
- Man, I'm worried about Alejandro. - Need some acid in there.
He's leaving his station! Oh, my gosh.
We're coming down to one minute to go. Come on!
- Come on, open up! - Let's go, Alejandro.
Let's go, Alejandro. You're making me nervous.
Lord, help me out here.
- Whoa. Beautiful! - Butter, Autumn.
- Roy: Come on, Alejandro. - Oh, no!
- Gordon: Ten. - Judges: Nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four,
three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop. Well done! - Aarón: Hands in the air.
Roy: Wow.
Gordon: Unbelievable.
- How'd you do? - I feel good.
- Good job. - Good job, good job.
I got all my components on the plate,
but I didn't get it plated as beautifully as I wanted to.
But I think the judges will appreciate my craziness
and the flavor the my cooking and...
fingers crossed now.
That looks really good, Abe.
- Thank you. - It looks freaking amazing!
I look at everybody else's dishes, I'm like,
"Man, you guys are putting out really, really great stuff."
- Are you happy? - No.
- Why? What's wrong? - My sauce is too runny.
- Everything I have is runny. - When I look down at my plate,
I'm thinking of all these different ways that I could have made it better.
Now, tonight we asked you all to elevate that street food
into a restaurant-quality dish.
Ultimately, as you know, it all comes down to flavor.
So, tonight we're gonna taste every single one of your dishes
before deciding who gets immunity out of the next elimination challenge,
and of course, an amazing dinner
from the beautiful restaurant of Roy Choi's.
Let's start off with Kelsey. Thank you.
- Whoo-hoo! Come on, Kelsey! - Go, Kelsey.
I am a huge fan of Roy Choi. I'm, like, the superfan.
So to be able to go to Roy Choi's restaurant in Vegas would be awesome.
- Aarón: Kelsey, please describe your dish. - Kelsey: All right.
So it is a white chocolate and buttermilk cake
with a strawberry coulis, some whipped cream,
macerated strawberries, and then a pistachio brittle on top.
This is all inspired by those old school
strawberry shortcake bars that you used to eat on a stick.
- And what's in the cream? - So the cream actually is just a little vanilla
and a touch of sugar.
Again, everything else on the plate is very sweet,
so I wanted the cream to kind of step back a little bit from that.
Kelsey, it's delicious.
The texture on the sponge is absolutely spot-on.
Love the pistachios. I think of fresh mint running through the middle there,
lemongrass scented flavor, so that's how you just take that a little notch further.
- But it's delicious. - Thank you.
This is an excellent dish.
The only issue I have is some of the proportions.
- Okay. - The sponges are a little too thick.
- Okay. - But each component themselves is amazing.
- Okay, okay. - Look, trying to replicate nostalgic flavors
is a very difficult thing to do.
Chefs know that. And you nailed that.
Yeah, I love the way you were able to lighten this up.
I think that's the most impressive part of it.
- Good job. Thank you. - Thank you, thank you.
Right, next up, Lexy, please. Let's go.
Come on, Lexy-loo!
As I'm walking up to the judges with this plate of food,
I hope that they appreciate it, but everything in my head is saying that they won't.
It's my take on a Philly cheesesteak.
I've got a New York strip with bell pepper, onion, mushroom on top
and a cheese sauce on the side.
I will say before you eat it,
I'm not proud of this dish at all.
I was having some difficulties with my sauce.
At first it was too thin, and then it was, like, way too thick.
- It looks good though. - I don't know what you're beating yourself up for.
- Oh, I just don't like it. - I mean, this looks like
any steak dish at any great steak house, so it looks wonderful.
- And what cheese did you use for that? - Lexy: Mozzarella.
- Why is it so lumpy? - Probably the cheese didn't melt in all the way.
- Okay, now, the temperature on the steak? - Medium rare. Should be pink.
- My lord. That's cooked beautifully. - Wow.
- Whoa. - That for me is absolute utter perfection.
So, let's get one thing clear.
Steak nailed beautifully. I mean, really beautifully.
Potatoes, crisp, delicious, starchy.
Green peppers, onions, actually delicious.
The letdown here is the sauce.
But the actual Parmesan tuile and that salty crispiness
goes so well with the steak.
- Delicious. - Thank you.
Man, you... can you sell those tuiles in a bag?
Because those are delicious. It's a really great dish.
I understand you wanting to be hard on yourself,
but you gotta have confidence in your food.
Especially when you cook it like this, so great job.
- Thank you. - You know, for me, I just think the potatoes
are kind of out of place, but everything else is delicious.
I would say my compliments are the contrary to your criticisms,
so be confident about what you cook. You do it well.
You have every reason to want to own it and to sell it.
- Good job. - Thank you, guys.
- Gordon: Well done. - Whoo!
It's an incredible feeling to have Roy Choi tell me that I need to have more confidence.
I am going to start believing in myself more.
The next dish that we would like to taste
is from Anne.
Go, Anne! Go, girl.
Good job, Anne.
Go up there and kill it, girl.
So I gave you guys my version of a shrimp spring roll
elevated to an Asian-fusion style.
- Did you eat those fried glass noodles? - I did.
And was it like eating a Brillo pad when you ate it?
- Did you eat those fried glass noodles? - I did.
And was it like eating a Brillo pad when you ate it?
- No, Joe. - Well, it's unedible.
- Okay. - Which is always a difficult thing when you present
something that you literally want to spit out. So, difficult.
- Fair. - The technique on the shrimp was good...
the lemongrass, the char, it had good flavor.
- But it's just not enough. Not enough. - Okay. Understand.
So, let's make one thing clear. Shrimp cooked beautifully.
It goes deliciously well with that cucumber, that papaya.
- You've got the cooking techniques right. - Okay.
But you've destroyed it with the textures of the garnish,
- especially that fried stuff. - Roy: Yeah, I agree.
If I could merge the two ideas of a lettuce cup with a sauce
with an extra dipping sauce to pour in.
Crunch all the stuff in the middle, roll it up, and pop it in my mouth...
- Smart. - ...it would have been amazing.
Right now, the dish is just a little too hard to eat.
- Okay. - Thank you, Anne.
- Thank you. - All right, thank you.
Next up, Alejandro, please bring your dish forward.
- Let's go, Alejandro! - Alejandro: I've been in the bottom three three times.
I don't want to be at the bottom again,
so once I present this, I hope they love it.
Young man, describe the dish please.
Chefs, today I present to you a take on street loaded fries.
They're cooked two ways, comes with a poached egg,
hollandaise sauce, and a hanger steak,
and couple of slices of truffle on top, Chef.
- How did you cook this steak? - Pan sear, Chef.
- And what was the temperature on there? - Should be medium.
That's mid-rare, but it's cooked beautifully.
Alejandro, it's delicious.
Yeah, it definitely is elevated.
I love what you've done with the steak.
Hollandaise needs a touch more acid at the end.
Fresh tarragon goes beautifully well in that hollandaise.
- Tarragon, okay. - Fries could have been a little bit crispier.
- Okay. - But this has been one of your best creations.
Because I had the poutine stuck in my mind,
I didn't think that it would eat well together like that,
but you proved me wrong, actually.
- Great job. - Thank you, Chef.
Alejandro, I think for the first time we see you
coming through in a plate, and your skills are up to speed
with the food that you're presenting, finally.
- It's been a long road. - Thank you.
- Good job. - Thank you.
Good job.
Next up, Autumn, please. Let's go.
Go, Autumn. Come on, girl!
Autumn: Walking up to the judges, I want immunity
and this prize for winning the challenge
going to Roy Choi's restaurant in Vegas,
so I hope that I can win this thing.
So I did my take on a New England lobster roll.
So I did a butter and tarragon poached lobster
with some celery root puree, lemon zest croutons and pearl onions.
How long did you cook the lobster for?
So I blanched it for three minutes,
and then I poached it in the butter for about maybe another three minutes.
So you can see there it needs at least another minute and a half to two minutes.
Okay. It's my first time cooking lobster, so I was a little nervous.
The claw that I ate was delicious.
I love that acidity with the onions and the tarragon.
It's like this elevated lobster roll.
Just a few techniques we need to hone in on.
- Okay. - It eats so beautifully in the dish.
Yeah, just some technique things, small things,
and a little pepper goes a long way, too.
So you took a risk, didn't nail it.
It's slightly undercooked, but the flavor is really good.
- Excellent. - Thank you.
Good job, Autumn.
The next dish we'd like to taste is from Abe.
Whoo! Come on, Abe!
So this is something I like to call the Balkan Delight,
and it's three different types of meat with beer, panko crumbs,
and a coleslaw vinaigrette with that.
Gordon: What's the drizzle on the end?
Abe: That's an English mustard with a little bit of honey.
And then underneath, I have roasted red peppers,
eggplant, and some olive oil.
The flavors pop, let me tell you. I love the seasoning.
That eggplant underneath, I want more of that.
- Yes, Chef. - The Balkan Delight, right?
- Yes, Chef. - Delicious.
I'm delighted, I'm delighted.
You eat with your eyes, too, so the beauty of the dish
made the flavors taste even better.
- Thank you, Chef. - It was a little dense on the meat,
- but the dish is amazing. - Thank you.
I think maybe take that brioche, soak it in a little bit of milk,
and throw that into your mix, and that would have lightened it up a little bit.
- Mm-hmm. Yeah. - But the sauce and the slaw is just delicious.
- Good dish. - Gordon: Well done.
Thank you, Chefs. Thank you.
- Good job, Abe. - Way to go, kid.
Next dish we want to try is from Suu.
Come on, Suu!
So this is my take on kabobs.
So it is a New York strip steak in kabob marinade
with pan seared mushrooms, asparagus, onions,
and mint cucumber chutney.
- Joe: What is a kabob marinade? - So it has yogurt in it.
It has honey. It has cilantro, cumin, coriander.
Aarón: When people put spices in marinades, a lot of times they don't toast them prior.
But the fact that you put in the marinade, then you seared it really hard,
that allowed those spices to really impart their flavor.
- So I loved that part of it. - Thank you very much, Chef.
I really love this dish. It makes me feel as good as it looks when I eat it.
I would have loved to see a little more of the marinade.
And each element is beautiful, but still looking for the spine
that pulls it together as one dish.
- Yes, Chef. Thank you very much. - Well done.
- [cheering] - Yeah, Suu!
- Yeah, girl. - The next dish we want to try is Michael's.
- Come on, Mike. - Jersey style.
Let's do this. I feel like my plate looks really good.
I believe this is an immunity-winning dish.
- I just hope that they feel the same way. - Joe: All right, Michael,
- tell us about this dish. - So I have a tantalizing take
on a fish taco with a lump crab hash and a spicy slaw.
So, you marinated for how long?
- About 20 minutes. - And then you deep fried it?
Yes. Bread crumbs also have the same seasonings as the marinade.
Please tell me you took the skin off.
Oh, my goodness, me. Aah!
- So, you deep fried it? - Yes.
Please tell me you took the skin off.
Oh, my goodness, me. Aah!
I did not take the skin off, Chef. I'll tell you why.
- Okay. - Growing up, my father would take me fishing all the time.
We would catch fish, and we would deep fry it with the skin on.
I appreciate that, but Dad didn't just have a bag
of panko crumbs then, probably. He was frying it in the skin.
It's easy to take off,
and hard to get crispy when you coat it
because it holds so much fat.
So this whole side is gonna be soggy
- because that skin's left on. - Right.
But, as always, let's get in there.
- I want to see how the... Oh, look at that. - Joe: Beautiful. Wow.
It's glistening. So, skin on or skin off,
the fish is cooked beautifully, let's understand that.
Thank you.
Getting fish glistening like that, that thick,
cooked beautifully is a tall order.
That's not a fluke. So you've nailed that,
because it's just brimming with juice and flavor.
Really good indeed. Good job.
I could see myself sitting in shorts and slippers
by the ocean eating this dish.
I just didn't understand the crab...
- Okay. Gotcha. - ...in the whole composition of this dish.
- But it's delicious. - You were not afraid to kick the spice up and the acid,
but take that crab meat and take some of that aioli and dress it,
- put tons of herbs in there. - Yeah.
Yeah, I agree. It's like a beautiful upscale taco.
- The potatoes and crab are superfluous. - Thank you, Michael.
Pretty good.
The next dish we want to try is Joseph's.
- Come on, Joseph! - Yeah, Joseph!
- Go, Joe. - Joseph: I really need to win today's challenge.
Last week I was in the bottom. I should have been eliminated.
So my ass is on the line.
I just pray and hope that this dish is gonna be my redemption.
Okay, Joseph, tell us about this dish.
This is my take on a bánh mi, deconstructed and elevated.
So I did a pork chop, pickled some vegetables, fried onions,
and the cilantro, jalapeño, and mayo, I turned into an aioli.
So, what temp have you gone for in the middle?
- Medium. - Medium?
- Yeah? - Mmm. Looks good.
Yeah. Done beautifully. Really beautifully.
- What did you marinate it in? - Oyster sauce, soy sauce,
brown sugar, and lemongrass and garlic powder.
What you've done with that marinade and that caramelization
is absolutely spot-on.
I love what you've done with the onions.
That crunchy texture is beautiful.
I think what this dish needs just for me
is some shredded Napa cabbage
with some Granny Smith apples in there.
And all of a sudden, you've got those wonderful contrast.
- But well done. - Thank you, Chef.
Really great dish. This is a restaurant dish.
The onions were just as good as I wanted them to be, so great job.
- Only criticism I may have is more sauce. - Got it.
Aarón: I love the fact that that marinade made a statement.
Just more chile. It just needs that heat.
- But you should feel good about yourself. - Thank you, Chef.
I'm gonna give a compliment I rarely give, and it's rarely given in "MasterChef."
This is very clean. It's very precise in its flavor.
- An excellent dish. - Thank you all.
Thank you, Joseph. Welcome back.
Good job, Joseph!
What a night, and a perfect night to shine
in front of this incredible legend.
We need a moment because
we got some serious discussing to do.
Please excuse us.
- Okay. - God, it's a tough one.
- Yeah. - We have three good ones.
- Joe: Yep. - Who's your favorite dish?
- [Roy groans] - Aarón: Just the layering and the acid.
- Yeah. - Just a lot of lightness.
- Best plate's clear to me. - Me, too.
Joe: Let's go.
Right, first of all, all of you, well done.
Now, there were three dishes that really stood out
a slight cut above the rest.
First, this dish belongs to...
- Kelsey. - Oh!
The sponge was exquisite,
and the macerated strawberries were beautiful.
Restaurant quality beyond belief. Well done.
The second dish belonged to...
Joseph.
The execution across that pork chop was exquisite.
Well done. The third and final dish,
that dish belongs to...
Lexy. Well done.
Yeah, girl! Lexy!
However, there can only be one winning dish,
and that individual will get immunity,
and of course, an amazing dinner
from the beautiful restaurant of Roy Choi's,
Best Friend in Las Vegas.
Congratulations...
- Joseph. Well done. - [cheering]
- Good job, Joseph. - Way to go, Joseph.
- How do you feel? - Amazing.
After what happened last challenge,
this is a breath of fresh air that I really needed.
Joseph, head up to the safety of the balcony.
- Well done. - Bye, Joseph.
Joseph: Coming off of the worst challenge of my life,
I can't believe I turned it around 180 degrees
and I pulled this off.
Winning this immunity puts me in the top eight,
so I'm going all the way and win this thing.
Now, this season of "MasterChef Legends"
can only come alive because of this example,
tonight's legend, Roy Choi.
- Thank you. - If there's any advice you'd like to give
to these amateur cooks tonight, what would it be?
Wow, I learned so much from you guys.
So just remember, believe in yourself
and cooking is about technique,
but it's also about your own confidence.
Gordon: The amazing Roy Choi. God bless, sir.
- Thank you. - I'll see you soon, bud.
- Thank you. Bye, guys! - Thank you, Roy.
Gordon: Take care. What an amazing man.
Now, I hope you eight are ready for your next big challenge.
And, Joseph, enjoy the safety of the balcony from up there.
Everyone, the next time we see you,
you will be wearing those notorious black aprons,
and someone will be eliminated.
Gordon: Next time on "MasterChef Legends"...
You'll need to cook an amazing dish inspired by your personal legend.
- Go! - Who's your legend?
- My grandmother. - My husband.
Gordon Ramsay, and I hope I don't mess it up.
Well, that's what he's doing.
It's an elimination challenge...
- This is go time! - Whoo!
- Pray for me that it sets. - What are you gonna do?
- [bleep] - ...that will be the last
- for one home cook. - Make sure it's not you.
- Both: Michael. - It's right on the edge.
- Oh, boy. - That is exceptional.
Professionally executed.
I think this is your worst dish.
It's kind of a mess. The worst one was obvious.
- I'm going home. - I agree.
"MasterChef" is back with the season of legends.
Wednesdays on Fox.