Announcer: Tonight...
on a two-hour "MasterChef,"
only the six most talented home cooks remain--
Jeff...
That is delicious.
There's no stopping you right now, is there?
- Dino... - Christina: You've got this
incredible expression of food as art.
Eboni...
I'm blown away.
You just cook like a chef's dream.
Cate...
Continue cooking like this and you could be in the finale.
Yachecia...
Aarón: You're someone to fear when it comes to savory and sweet.
You're gonna go far.
...and Jason.
This is one of the most beautiful dishes
- in "MasterChef" history. - Thank you, Chef.
- But in the end... - Gordon: This is it.
just one will claim the title of...
...MasterChef.
- Hi! - Aarón: Welcome, everyone.
- Yachecia: Thank you! - Cate: Great to be back.
The competition is getting so intense,
and it's definitely hard
because we've been here for a long time,
so I miss my family.
But they're my strength
and the reason that I'm still here.
And every time I'm cooking, I'm channeling them.
Tonight it is time for your final mystery box challenge.
- Whoo! - Eboni: Whoa.
On the count of three, lift those boxes.
One...
two...
three, lift!
Yachecia: Oh! ( laughs )
Cate: Oh, my God!
Eboni: This is my baby handwriting.
This is my dad.
Christina: Tonight, there are no ingredients
under your mystery boxes,
but there is a little taste of home.
( crying )
Please, open those letters.
"Jeffrey, Holden and I are so proud of you for following your dreams.
We both miss you terribly.
I can't wait to be a family again.
Now finish this up with a win.
Love, Beth and Holden."
That's my little boy right there.
And the last I saw him, they were a lot smaller.
Yachecia: "Hey, Mommy.
I miss you so very much.
We are all so proud of you for following your dreams.
Your whole life is about feeding people.
Now is your time to shine.
Love always, Treasure."
Dino: "Dear, Dino. Hi, son.
I want to begin by telling you how proud Dad and I are of you.
From the struggles you endured growing up
to now being able to express your artistic talents and succeed,
you have proven that you can do anything you put your heart into.
I love you, Mom."
( sniffles, clears throat )
Gordon: Incredible.
Tonight we want to see each of you make
an extraordinary dish inspired from the love
and the people that placed those letters under your mystery box.
You got it.
Now you'll all have five minutes
to shop in that extraordinary pantry
for everything you need.
The winner of tonight's mystery box challenge
- gets a game-changing advantage. - Yes.
Gordon: Now, is everybody ready?
All: Yes, Chef.
Your five minutes starts...
...now.
Where is it?
Dried apricots.
My partner has always been so supportive of me,
so I'm thinking about how I can tie together
what I know are flavors that my partner Nathan loves to eat,
paired with techniques that I've learned
in the MasterChef kitchen to elevate the dish.
Man, there's only six of us in here. It feels so empty!
You guys excited?
Oh, man, they've got no idea.
- Boom, boom, boom. I like this. - Ready?
Holy Santa Claus. ( bleep )
What?
Gordon: Jeff, that is your amazing fiancée,
and your baby, Holden.
Hey, buddy!
Gordon: Yachecia, it's your daughter, Treasure.
( laughing )
I missed you!
Gordon: Jason, look! Your partner Nathan.
Aah ha!
Hi!
Gordon: Dino, look who's here. Your mum, Susan.
Oh, my God!
( Susan crying )
- I love you. - I love you, too.
Daddy!
Punkin!
- Hi, Daddy! How are you? - How are you, kid?
I missed you!
Gordon: Eboni, your daughter Symphony.
( squeals )
Hey, my baby!
I had my daughter Symphony when I was 16 years old
and me and my husband and her were living in a car
in a Chicago winter.
So my daughter Symphony is the reason why I have survived.
Oh, my goodness, baby.
This is so much motivation,
because she's never seen Mommy give up,
and I will not do it today.
Well, there's not a dry eye in this kitchen.
But in a moment, seriously, y'all have to get cooking.
So, families, we're gonna invite you
to take a front-row seat up there on the balcony.
- I love you. Have fun. - I know you do, baby.
I love you.
Have fun up there. It's a good view.
- Jason: Bye! - Gordon: Now...
I don't think anyone needs any more motivation, do they?
All: No!
Now, tonight, you've all got 60 minutes
to make a dish inspired by your incredible family members
up there on the balcony.
I won't let you down.
Your 60 minutes...
starts... now.
Come on, it doesn't get any more exciting than this.
This is emotion on a plate.
My baby girl's watching me, so I gotta win this.
I know how much it means to me to cook for my family.
- Gordon: Yes. - The fact that they're watching
in the biggest culinary competition in the world,
vying for a coveted spot in the top five.
Christina: Yeah, but beyond that, guys,
they haven't seen their families for three months.
- I love you. - Love you, too.
Aarón: Wait till they see how far they've progressed,
how much more ability and technique they have now.
- How you doing, Mommy? - You got this, son.
Back home in Tampa, Beth and I,
we love having salmon at the house,
so I'm going to be doing a soy curd salmon
that's going to be over a ginger-spiced crème fraîche
with pickled Asian pears.
- Is the oven on? - The oven's on, yes.
I'm making a Brooklyn-style tagliatelle
with a tomato cream sauce, and a Sicilian meatball
filled with a mozzarella.
- You got this, Dino. - I can't screw this up.
I definitely cannot screw this one up.
- Yachecia! - Yes, Chef!
- Oh, that looks like a gazpacho! - Yes, Chef!
I'm making a white gazpacho with white grapes,
and spicy grilled shrimp.
- Okay, cool. - This came to me in a dream!
And I've always told my children to live our their dreams,
go big or go home, and so this is my opportunity to live my dream,
and that's what this dish is all about.
Treasure, what do you think
of your mom's performance so far?
I am so proud of my mama,
just for even taking a chance.
That's what life is all about.
Aarón: Stay on the course, make yourself proud,
and most importantly, Treasure, all right?
- Thank you, Chef. - All right, darlin'.
33 minutes, everyone.
- Jason. - Yes, Chef.
- Tell us about the dish. - We're actually going sweet,
because Nathan loves sweets,
so I'm gonna make my version of a religieuse.
I'm using a Meyer lemon pastry cream filling,
I'm gonna melt some white chocolate,
do a little white chocolate whipped cream.
So it's like a profiterole
- Yes. - with another one on top.
- Yes. - What was the last words,
Nathan, of advice you gave Jason before he departed?
- Watch the clock. - Watch the clock.
- 25 minutes to get yourself
in the top three. Good luck.
Thank you very much, Chef. Thank you.
- All right, Cate. - Hi, Chef.
Now, you've talked a lot about your dad,
- Yes. - what an important role he's played
- in your life. - Definitely.
What are you cooking tonight?
I'm making venison, which we go hunting.
I'm doing some fondant butternut squash,
and then I'm doing a wild mushroom sauté
with some morels, that we also go hunting for.
- Oh, yeah. - And then to finish it off,
a sour cherry compote that I'm gonna smoke.
- All right, Cate. - I'm running. I'm running!
- Let's go! - Bye! Thank you!
Hot. You want it hot, hot, hot?
Ten minutes remaining.
You got a boyfriend yet?
No.
I'ma beat his ass if you do.
- Miss Eboni. - Hey, Chef.
I remember early on in this competition
you talked about how much your husband loves lamb chops.
- Right? - Lamb. Yep, yep.
I'm doing herb-crusted lamb,
with sweet potato fondant,
and then I'm doing Swiss chard underneath.
Okay, so here's the deal.
Symphony, your mom's never won a mystery box challenge.
- Is tonight her night? - She's very comfortable with lamb,
so, yes, I think so.
Miss Eboni, stick with it, all right?
- Make your family proud. - Yes, Chef.
Two minutes remaining.
- That's it. - Some incredibly inspired dishes.
When you think about the first
mystery box challenge in this competition,
and look at where we are now,
the difference is incredible.
It's unbelievable. You can see how much they're progressing,
how much they're learning, and they don't want to let
any of their family members down.
Looks good.
Gordon: Guys, you're down to the last minute.
Show off to those family members up on the balcony,
and give those heartfelt, inspired ideas
a MasterChef-worthy finish.
20 seconds to go.
Come on, Mommy.
- Gordon: Ten... - Judges: Nine,
eight, seven, six,
five, four, three,
- two, one! - And stop! Hands in the air!
( cheers, applause )
Christina: In tonight's challenge,
we asked all of you to create a beautiful dish
that reminds you of your family.
Now, while you worked at your stations,
we had a chance to watch you cook,
and taste elements from each of your dishes as you put them together.
Aarón: There are three dishes that we'd like to take a closer look at.
The first dish that we would like to taste,
it's visually stunning, and it's a very balanced plate.
It has all the elements working in unison.
Let's see if she can make her daughter proud
and get her first mystery box win.
( laughs )
Please step forward, Eboni!
- ( cheers, applause ) - Get it, girl!
( squeals )
Eboni: Having my daughter here
is just what I needed to get me motivated.
I put so much love into this dish,
and now I'm in the top three for the mystery box.
Oh, no, you better get 'em, girl,
'cause I showed up to work, baby. Mm-hmm.
I'm not cooking no more. I'm cheffing it.
Miss Eboni, talk to me a little bit about your dish.
I did a nine-herb-encrusted rack of lamb
with gruyere, sweet potato fondant,
Swiss chard and a red wine reduction.
This right here looks incredible.
Oh, my lord.
I don't know how you like your lamb, Symphony,
but that's how I like my lamb.
You go, Mom.
Beautiful medium rare. Look at that, guys.
- Beautiful. - I mean, come on.
Mmm.
The gruyere is giving a beautiful seasoning to the outside of the lamb.
The flavor of the herb crust,
it still has that freshness, that herbaceous punch, which I just love.
The fondant potatoes, I don't know what y'all are doing for Thanksgiving,
but you need to have that part of your menu.
- 'Cause that's the real deal. - Thank you, Chef.
If I had to do something different and tweak it a little bit,
maybe a tad more little salt on the top part of the lamb,
but amazing, amazing stuff.
- I hope you bring this home to your family, your husband. - I will.
- Great job. - Thank you, Chef.
- Nice job, Eboni. - Cate: Good job, baby.
The second dish that we are dying
to take a much closer look at,
the plating is bright, it's vibrant.
This dish was cooked by another mum in the kitchen tonight.
Step forward, Yachecia.
- ( cheers, applause ) - Get it, Mommy!
This is the most beautiful plate I have ever done in my life.
And my daughter's here? Oh, my gosh.
Get the smelling salts, call the nurse,
because I might go down.
Medic!
- That looks beautiful. Describe the dish. - Thank you, Chef.
So, what we have here is a white grape gazpacho.
I've used some almonds and pine nuts,
garnished it with a spicy grilled shrimp,
and finished it off with some micro greens,
chilis and celery leaves.
Let's get in there. Tell me about that shrimp. How'd you cook the shrimp?
So the shrimp, I have Himalayan salt,
lots of paprika, lemon zest,
and then just grilled that.
- It's delicious. - Thank you, Chef.
You know, gazpachos can be sort of plain Jane, somewhat boring,
but it tastes expensive.
Cook on the shrimp is delicious.
It's translucent in the center.
The heat is there. It's a tough one for me.
How would I dissect that?
A touch more acidic, maybe?
But, Yachecia, I raise the bar for my chefs on a daily basis,
and I say I raise it for you to jump over it.
And visually tonight, I think it's the first time
I've seen you jump over my bar.
- It looks beautiful. - Thank you, Chef.
- Great job. Well done. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
Good job, baby. Killed that.
The third and final dish that we'd like to take a closer look at tonight,
the level of plating and finesse on this dish
shows some serious potential.
Please step forward, Cate.
Yay!
Punkin!
Heck, yeah.
I'm so pumped to have my dad here to witness me
get called to bring my dish to the judges,
and with him as my inspiration
is just the best gift ever.
Cate, tell me about it.
So I have a chocolate and chili-rubbed venison loin,
with a chestnut purée, butternut squash fondant,
wild sautéed morels, and a smoked cherry compote.
How did you cook this venison?
I just seared it on each side,
and then I finished butter basting it
with some thyme, rosemary, garlic until it was perfect.
- The cook on the venison is gorgeous. - Thank you.
- I'm blown away. - Thank you.
The chili and the cocoa rub around that venison
is the perfect balance.
That butternut squash fondant with that hint of molasses,
it's earthy, it's sweet, and the acidity from those cherries
makes every bite taste like perfection.
- Thank you. - Christina: Dad, let me ask you a question.
Does Cate cook dishes like this for you at home?
The venison, yes. Not all that other stuff.
- ( laughter ) - All this other fancy stuff?
Right, it'd be mashed potatoes most likely.
She's changed. She's not the same girl I saw three months ago.
I don't have any comment about how I would make it better.
Shut up. Thank you!
- Nice job. - Thank you so much, Chef.
- Good job, Cate. - Good job!
- That was good, huh? - Mm-hmm.
Gordon: Tonight, only one of you
can pick up that huge advantage
that will turn this competition on its head.
The person who made us the best dish of the evening,
the home cook that did us proud,
that did their family proud...
The winner is...
Congratulations...
The person who made us the best dish of the evening,
the home cook that did us proud,
that did their family proud,
did themselves proud...
The winner is...
- Cate. - Whoo-hoo!
( cheering )
- Good job. - Thank you.
I feel amazing.
I just won the final mystery box,
and on top of that, my dad was here to witness it.
That's just the best icing
you've ever had on any cake before.
Cate, well done. Eboni, Yachecia, great job, wow.
On behalf of Christina, Aarón, and myself,
it has been incredible to have your family members
witness such absolutely phenomenal cooking.
But we have to say goodbye to them,
because we have got some serious work to do.
Family members, please make your way down,
and say goodbye to these talented individuals.
- I love you. - Oh, man.
( both murmuring )
During this journey, I've had lots of highs and lots of lows,
and got a little weary along the way.
- Bye! - This was definitely
the thing that I need to help me finish strong.
Cate, you are now safe from elimination.
- Yay. - Please head up to the balcony.
- All righty. - Good job, Cate. Congratulations.
Now, as for the rest of you,
your next elimination challenge begins right now.
In this elimination challenge, you're all gonna be working
with one of the culinary world's most prized proteins.
It is one of the most consumed seafoods on the planet.
It is, of course...
- ...salmon. - Yummy.
There are hundreds of directions you can go with this.
Tonight, we want to see all of you
create a salmon dish that is so stunning,
elegant, so delicious,
that it gets you one step closer to the finale.
- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
Tonight, you five
have everything you could ever need to succeed.
Well, almost everything.
( murmuring )
Tonight, each of you will have one thing
that is different.
You will each have a different...
amount...
of...
...time.
( laughs )
- So, Cate. - Yes, Chef?
The second that clock starts,
you're gonna shout the name of the home cook
that you want to give one full hour of cooking to.
- Okay. - At 50 minutes.
you'll shout out another name.
- Same at 40 minutes. - Oh, lord.
And then 30,
and finally, 20 minutes.
- Oh, dear God. - I love you!
Please, head back to your stations.
Cate has been one of my biggest competitors
so far in this competition, so it's a little scary having her at the helm.
You know, she might choose to try to knock me out.
Cate, what are you thinking about strategy-wise?
Strategy, I'm thinking
I'm gonna send my best competitors home
because that's what's gonna bring me down in this kitchen.
So your strategy is to target the best home cooks.
- Or the poorest attitude. - Okay.
If Cate calls your name,
you will run into that pantry and grab your ingredients.
Now, Cate, I'm gonna start that clock
at 60 minutes. When it starts,
- shout the name. - Yes, Chef.
The clock starts...
- ...now! - Jason, start shopping!
- Jason, you have 60 minutes. Let's go! - Thank you, Chef.
- That's a shock. - Jason, interesting pick.
Too much time is not always a good thing.
Scallions.
The judges, knowing that I have the most time,
they're gonna expect the most out of me.
Daikon.
I'm trying to think of additional elements
that will really show them that I've made use of my 60 minutes,
but at the same time, have a focused, edited dish.
- Aarón: Nice. - Gordon: Please tell me
- you've got the salmon. - Yes, salmon.
Okay, 60 minutes. That's a long time.
That guy could come up with an amazing dish in 60 minutes.
- Nice, Jason. - I think 60 minutes
is almost a little bit of a sabotage
because there's almost a beauty
in being 50 or 40 or 30,
'cause then you have 10, 20, 30 minutes to think about your dish.
Eight minutes gone. Stand by.
Two minutes till the next call.
- Jason. - Yes, Chef.
Now how we cooking this salmon? Where we going?
Um, salmon I'm gonna do Vietnamese-style.
The marinade is turmeric, ginger, garlic, and dill.
So, semi-final spot looming round the corner.
- Yes. - I think she's mad giving you the 60 minutes.
With 60 minutes, there's no way that I can botch it.
I think it's gonna be a home run.
Let's wait and see. Good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
Cate, when we get to 50 minutes,
- we're gonna need the next competitor. - Yes, Chef.
Aarón: Five, four, three,
two, one.
- Give me a name. - Eboni, start shopping!
- Aarón: All right. Wow, Eboni. - Christina: Go, Eboni!
Eboni: I'm so happy. I got 50 minutes,
thanks to Cate, my Chicago sister.
My husband's grandmother cooks salmon with me,
and it was always so delicious.
So Eboni got this.
Gordon: Here she comes. Eboni has got her basket full.
What's in there, Jason?
Turmeric, ginger, garlic, fish sauce.
Mm, I love those flavors.
Eboni, talk to me, what do you have?
I'm doing a citrus crispy-skinned salmon
with an avocado remoulade with a little bit of bamboo rice,
wilted spinach, and some spicy smoked pecans and almonds.
- Who's gonna get the 20? - Jeff.
- Jeff? - I'd bet a million on it.
Will you bet the MasterChef trophy on it?
- No. - No?
Smart girl.
- Gordon: Let's go. - Aarón: Let's move.
Cate: You guys are moving quick.
Cate, five seconds until the next call-out.
Three, two, one.
Yachecia, start shopping, girlfriend!
- There goes Yachecia. - Yup.
Oh, dear lord.
Aarón: Yachecia, 40 minutes.
See, that's the perfect time to cook a piece of salmon.
Okay, it takes eight to ten minutes to cook the salmon,
then you got a good 15 to 20 minutes...
- To get the rest of it. - Yeah, to get your garnishes started.
- Here's Yachecia. - Come on, Yachecia.
Christina: All right, mama, you got the salmon?
- It's in there. - Nice colors.
Make sure these dishes are MasterChef-worthy, guys.
- Heard? - Yes, Chef.
- Yachecia, what are you making? - Yes, ma'am.
So, I'm going to do a play on sweet and sour.
So I got a honey-chipotle marinade on my salmon,
and then I'm gonna serve that with some Tuscan white beans,
with a grapefruit crème fraîche vinaigrette.
- Did you dream about this dish? - I did dream about this one.
And the last dream got me in the top three, so...
The last dream got you in the top three, okay.
Make sure you're tasting everything.
Make sure that those flavors are in harmony, that they're dreamlike.
I want to take you to my dream with me.
- Good luck. - Thank you, Chef.
- Tasting good? - Hallelujah, this is delicious.
I like those flavors.
Gordon: Dino, stand by. Jeff, stand by.
One of you will get 30 minutes.
One of you will be left with just 20 minutes
to get yourself into the semi-final.
Dino: Cate says she's trying to give the short amount of time
to the person with the worst type of attitude here,
and I really hope she's talking about Jeff,
because 20 minutes is nearly impossible.
Cate, ten seconds to go.
Five, four,
three, two, one.
Dino, stand by. Jeff, stand by.
One of you will be left with just 20 minutes
to get yourself into the semi-final.
Cate, five, four,
three, two, one.
- Dino, baby doll, start shopping! - Ow!
Ah, baby doll! All right! Ow!
I'm so glad I got 30 minutes.
Thank you so much, Cate.
There you are, baby.
If I can't cook a MasterChef-worthy dish
in a half an hour,
I don't deserve to be here.
- Have you got your salmon? - Right here, Chef.
Let's go.
- Aarón: Get moving, Dino. - Cate: You're a speed demon, Dino.
Cate: Is that a crème fraîche, Yachecia?
- Crème fraîche and Greek yogurt. - Very cool.
- Dino, what's going on? - Yes, Chef.
I'm making a veggie wrap salmon.
I'm gonna do it on a bed of fregola.
- Okay. - With a lemon cream sauce and dill and rosemary.
This is my family right here. Classic Italian.
- All right, Dino, look. - Yes, Chef.
- You gotta focus, okay? - Yes, Chef.
Good luck.
Christina: You gotta move, guys.
Aarón: Come on, Jason, let's go.
Aah!
- Gordon: This is intense. - Aarón: Unbelievable.
What a hand Cate has dealt to Jeff.
Stand by, Jeff.
Cate, five, four,
three, two, one.
Jeff, start shopping.
- Whoa. - Whoa!
Aarón: He's feeling the pressure big time, Christina.
Cate, why 20 minutes to Jeff?
Cate: His attitude is poor, so,
I want to send him home.
Cate wants me to go home.
She's going to fail miserably.
Lemon, butter.
Certainly, I am one of the top chefs here.
I know I can make a 20-minute dish like no other.
Let's go, young man.
He's got barely 15 minutes to cook.
- Aarón: Unreal. - I've got no idea how he's gonna pull this off.
- Christina: You gotta move, Jeff. - Aarón: Let's go. Come on!
- Let's go, let's go. - Keep moving, guys. Keep moving, keep moving.
- Young man. - Yeah, yeah.
Now, how are we cooking the salmon? Where are we going?
What I want to do is something that is a little bit different.
It's gonna be a fusion dish to it there,
and that way I can get everything done
within the time frame that I've got.
But how you cooking the salmon?
Skin side down? Boiling it? Poaching it? Flaking it?
Again, I'm all about fusion,
- and right now-- - That's not what I'm asking.
I'm asking-- help me to understand where is this going.
This is awesome.
I'm, like, flustered, right here right now.
Don't be flummoxed about the time, okay?
- Okay, okay. - It takes eight to ten minutes to cook.
Just cook the salmon skin side down,
and do an amazing garnish.
That's a possibility, too,
but for right now, I kinda want to play around.
- That's not a good idea. - Give us your best shot.
- You got it. - Okay? Ten minutes to go.
Thank you very much, Chef.
- Aarón: Home stretch, everyone! - Cate: Hurry up, people.
Go, go, go.
Guys, I mean, the real question is can Jeff survive this?
He hasn't even cooked his salmon.
Does he not know what he's cooking at this point?
I, uh, I don't know.
He is going all over the place.
Jeff has just put his salmon in.
This is intense. 90 seconds to go.
Cook, baby, cook.
Move, people!
Gordon: Remember what's at stake.
Christina: Let's go, Jeff.
Aarón: Come on, Yachecia!
Oh, shoot!
Taste everything.
- Gordon: Ten... - Judges: Nine,
eight, seven, six,
five, four, three,
- two, one. - And stop!
- Christina: Hands in the air. - Whoo!
It's done. I'm done.
Gordon: Well done.
First up, the lucky home cook that had 60 minutes.
Jason, please bring that dish forward.
- ( applause ) - Jason.
60 minutes is a lot of time to cook,
but it means less time to conceptualize my dish.
Sometimes I get a little lost with too many ideas,
so hopefully all those flavors work in harmony
to have the maximum impact on my salmon dish today.
All right, Jason, tell me what it is.
So I have for you a Vietnamese-inspired salmon.
The marinade is turmeric, ginger, garlic,
fish sauce, and dill,
and then I added some slaw of daikon and heirloom carrots
with crab meat and Meyer lemon.
Now, the salmon is yellow because you've put it in a little bit of turmeric.
- Turmeric. - But on the inside,
what temperature were you hoping for?
I'm hoping it's medium to rare.
- That really luscious pink. - Absolutely, yeah.
All right. Here we go.
Jason...
um...
Jason, what temperature were you hoping for?
I'm hoping it's medium to rare.
All right, let's see what you've got.
This salmon is cooked pretty beautifully.
And why this crab salad on top?
I thought the crunch, the acid,
would be a nice foil to the salmon, a little bit richer.
It's a make-your-own kind of explosion of happy in your mouth.
Every single bit of knife work on this dish
- is perfect. - Thank you.
Jason, I was worried that given 60 minutes,
you would overthink it, you'd overcomplicate it,
but it's a beautiful dish. Very nice job.
Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
Nice job, Jason!
Good job, Jason.
Next up, please step forward, Eboni.
( applause )
Eboni: Cate gave me 50 minutes.
Although it sound like a great thing,
for me, it's not.
With that much time, it has to be perfect.
If it is not perfect, I have a problem.
- How are you, Eboni? - I'm all right.
Please describe your dish.
I have a citrus crispy skin salmon,
with bamboo rice, sautéed spinach,
avocado remoulade, and smoked pecans and almonds.
The seasoning looks great.
The cook on it is spot on.
Oh, man.
You know, that forbidden rice is hard to cook,
'cause it's not a long-grain rice,
it's not a short-grain rice.
It kind of lives somewhere in the middle,
and you cooked it perfect.
Avocado, gimme more.
The cook on the salmon's great.
The seasoning on the salmon's great.
All the elements that you presented forward
are all done flawlessly.
Thank you, Chef.
( applause )
Good job, Eboni.
Next up, Yachecia.
( applause )
Yachecia: I've dreamt up this dish,
and it came out exactly the way I wanted it,
so I'm hoping that the dream sequence
continues to work out on my behalf.
Describe the dish, please.
It is a sweet and hot salmon
with ancho chiles and chipotle,
with a braised Swiss chard,
Tuscan white beans and a citrus cream sauce.
Yachecia, 40 minutes to nail this tonight,
twice the amount of time that Jeff had...
and it looks disgusting.
I expect someone to cook like that with ten minutes.
Uh, I'm sorry, I really thought
I was there with this one, but--
The salmon's hammered.
It's not even dry, it's not even pink, it's hammered.
I've served better fish to my ( bleep ) cat.
It's horrible. I'm sorry.
How I can taste sour grapefruit
with Tuscan beans with rainbow chard in a cream sauce
and then sweet and sour blackened salmon, I swear to God.
What upsets me, your flavor profile's unique,
you cook like a dream sometimes,
but you've just absolutely screwed that dish 100%.
And you need to hope right now
that someone behind you has a worse dish,
because that is the worst dish I've seen
at this stage in the competition in history.
Thank you.
Cate: Nice try, Yachecia.
This dish was so awesome in my head,
and now it looks like the dream that I had about this salmon dish
it turning into a crazy nightmare.
Next up, please, Dino.
- ( applause ) - Cate: Come on, Dino!
Dino: Cate gave me a half an hour,
but I wanted to make it look like a 60-minute dish,
and I hope it shows.
Dino, what'd you make?
So I made a zucchini Italian squash-wrapped salmon,
on a bed of fregola with a lemon cream sauce,
and the top garnish is a pepper stuffed with crab meat.
Now, cook on this salmon is gonna be important.
What temperature were you going for?
Medium rare. Hope it's not overcooked.
Let's see how you did.
You did a nice job.
Now let's see how it tastes.
Hmm.
Your salmon has a ton of great flavor to it,
and these fregola, very smart pairing with that salmon.
- They add great texture. - Thank you, Chef.
It's such a smart, elegant dish,
and to see you do it in 30 minutes
is incredibly impressive.
- Thank you. - Nice job.
- Thank you so much. - Cate: Nice work, Dino!
Next up, the man with the least amount of time tonight.
Jeff, let's go.
( applause )
Jeff: Cate gave me only 20 minutes to work with,
so time was certainly not on my side.
But I did the best I could with the time that I was given,
and at the end of the day, I don't think anyone else could've done better.
- Describe the dish for me, Jeff. - My pleasure.
So what we have here is a salmon filet
with a Mediterranean vibe to it there,
with a little bit of feta cheese and sundried tomato relish.
That's over a nice apple and pear and cucumber gratin,
with cranberry and stout beer.
- Let's get in there, shall we? - Certainly.
The cook on the salmon is what?
Medium rare, but going more towards a rare.
- Jeff. - That's exactly what I want.
It's raw.
Are you trying to poison me?
The cook on the salmon is what?
Medium rare, but going more towards a rare.
Jeff.
That's exactly what I want.
Jeff, come on. Are you trying to poison me?
No.
Pear, cucumber, and apple, did you say?
That was cooked down and reduced within the stout beer,
so that way then it kind of had that nice little bit of a sauce to it there.
It's weird. It's like sushi, there.
The fibers haven't even gone. Look.
But that's what I was going for.
I wanted it to be on the rarer side.
Gordon: Oh, come on, young man.
- Are you saying you wanted it that rare? - Yes.
Yes.
With rubber skin, topped with feta cheese?
You know, I did go for a nice crispy skin.
Stout and cranberries and gratin and cucumber
and raw salmon with feta cheese don't go, period.
- Thank you. - I felt for you.
You've been given 20 minutes.
But you're not gonna lecture me
that that's how you wanted to cook the salmon,
'cause the salmon's raw, Jeff.
Thank you.
( applause )
Finally, direct hit. Bull's-eye, Cate.
Jeff did everything that I hoped he would.
He created an awful dish,
and then tried to BS his way through it.
Cate, please, come down here.
Looks like he's finally headed back to Tampa
where he belongs.
Aarón: Guys, we're gonna be saying goodbye
to at least one of you this evening.
We need a moment to discuss, please.
Hey, were we allowed to make sushi?
- No. - It couldn't be raw.
Then why'd he serve it raw?
( laughs )
Go make a spaghetti and meatball.
Go make a what?
Go make another spaghetti and meatball.
I'll be making a spaghetti and meatball for your lady tonight.
Go ( bleep ) yourself.
Heh heh.
Guys, guys, really, stop.
Should they make the $250,000
out to your therapist or to you?
- Hey, I'm already insured. - Okay, I just want to make sure that's covered.
- My therapist is already paid for. - Okay.
Dino, stop.
You make jokes about me, too.
But that's because I love you.
- I love him. - ( Eboni laughs )
Dino: I love him the most.
Oh, y'all so full of ( bleep ).
I don't like none of y'all.
If I say your name, please come down to the front.
Yachecia...
and Jeff.
Yachecia, sadly tonight, young lady,
you were out of your depth.
And Jeff, tonight you cooked like you didn't care.
The person leaving the kitchen tonight...
is...
Yachecia.
( gasps )
And Jeff.
- We're both going. - Gordon: Yachecia,
the salmon was miles away from what we expected.
And Jeff, you get so defensive,
it's just hard to get through to you.
We felt that we just can't teach you anymore
because you're not prepared to listen.
Yachecia and Jeff, this journey's been extraordinary for you.
I think you found out a lot about yourselves,
and I really hope that you continue cooking.
Follow that dream.
How you feeling?
Um, I'm-- I'm okay.
To have gotten this far, I'm really okay.
I think my children are proud of me,
and I appreciate everything you all have done.
Jeff, how you feeling?
I'm humbled and appreciative of the opportunity
to have been in the kitchen,
to have been with so many incredible competitors along the way.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank the three of you,
- so thank you. - You two, come up here and say goodbye, come on.
- Thank you so much, Chef. - Thank you, my darling.
- Good job, all right? - Thank you very much.
- Aarón: You have a good one. - Christina: You're an amazing--
Thank you, I appreciate it. I appreciate it.
Thank you very much for everything.
- Thank you. - Congrats on Holden.
- Thank you very much. - So handsome.
Please, both of you, put your aprons on your bench.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
- Best of luck to you guys. - Thank you.
( applause )
I'm bummed about being eliminated,
but it's kind of mixed emotions, though,
because I'm so proud of myself for going this far.
This apron belongs to Yachecia.
- Yes! Hallelujah! - Congratulations.
Wow. Holy ( bleep ).
- I know you can't say that in church. - No, Chef.
But we're not in ( bleep ) church.
Gordon: This apron belongs to... Jeff.
What up, people? Come on!
I'm leaving the MasterChef kitchen,
but this journey brought out Jeff 2.0.
You have very good taste, Jeff.
Oh, thank you.
My cooking has been elevated to a new level.
This Florida home cook has already established himself
as a force in this kitchen. Jeff, come down please.
It's delicious. There's no stopping you right now, is there?
Not at all.
- Yachecia, I mean, that is textbook. - Thank you, Chef,
There's no way in the world that I could feel disappointed,
because I've grown so much in this competition.
You've turned into this beast.
- Jeff, I need you, right on that hollandaise. - Heard, I got you.
I wear my emotions on my sleeve.
I'm a very passionate person,
and so I might have ruffled some feathers.
Honestly, I probably have.
Get out of my way, please!
But I always worked hard...
- Nice color on there, Jeff, good. - Thank you, Chef.
- I supported my team. - ( grunts )
I think I did the best that I could.
- Gordon: Well done. - ( Jeff chuckles )
Announcer: Coming up...
the finale is just
three pressure tests away.
And with the end in sight...
Gordon: This is it.
We are raising the stakes tonight.
whose MasterChef dream...
- Needs to go in the oven! - will rise...
- ( bleep ) - Come on, move!
- and fall... - ( bleep )
This is it. ( sniffles )
- You okay? - I did a bad job.
It's do or die.
- It looks awful. - To be eliminated now would be crushing.
( crying )
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