[Female announcer]
Previously on MasterChef...
Competition
in the MasterChef kitchen
was hotter than ever.
Absolutely delicious.
All of you should come up here
and try this.
This is really propelling Lee
to MasterChef level.
[Announcer]
But college student Slim
failed to make the grade...
Go back to your station.
I'm not tasting this crap.
[Announcer]
And saw her MasterChef
hopes trashed.
This is ridiculous.
[Plate clanks]
Your time
in MasterChef is done.
[Announcer]
Some cracked under the pressure
of an upscale
wedding reception...
I'm just gonna go ahead
and get my ticket
ready for Atlanta.
You've now just butchered
that thing.
That is [Bleep].
[Announcer]
While David Miller
rose to the occasion.
Keep it up.
Absolutely brilliant.
You were the hero
of that team.
[Announcer]
But in a pressure test,
Tracy paid
the ultimate price.
Construction worker Jake
shocked the judges
with a bad dish
at the wrong time.
What's going on here?
Please take
your apron off.
[Announcer]
Tonight the final six
become the final four...
Ow!
As they face
the world's three most-feared
food critics.
The garlic is overpowering.
I can't really taste the fish.
I have some bones
in mine.
[Announcer]
Six amateur cooks remain.
The last contestant standing
will receive $250,000,
a cookbook-publishing deal,
and above all else,
become the first
American MasterChef.
[font color=#FFFF00]♪ MasterChef 1x10 ♪[/font]
Original Air Date on September 8, 2010
All right.
The MasterChef competition
has reached
its final stages.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Morning, Chef.
From all that sea of people
that entered
the MasterChef kitchen
for the first time,
it's just us left.
It's right there,
and all I need to do
is just grab it.
[Sharone]
I'm the most confident
and powerful Chef
in this kitchen.
I can win this.
[Gordon]
One, two, three, four,
five, six of you currently.
The best six amateur cooks
anywhere in America today.
And one of you
is gonna be crowned
the first ever MasterChef.
If there's anything
I want to warn
the rest
of the contestants about,
it's that I've got
some things up my sleeve
that you haven't seen yet.
To be the very best,
you have to beat
the very best.
This...
Is your final
mystery-box challenge.
[Announcer]
In their final
mystery-box challenge
of the season,
the contestants have to cook
and prepare
an amazing dish
using only the ingredients
inside the box.
They must do this
in just one hour.
Excited?
Yes, Chef.
Because the cook
that creates
the most stunning dish
with the ingredients
under that box
will have
a huge advantage
in the next stage
of this competition.
Are you ready
to lift those boxes?
[Sheetal]
I thought that
in the mystery box today,
we would have
something crazy and kooky.
I'm like, "oh, it's gonna be
a big, long, slithery,
like, eel, and I'm gonna
have to touch it."
This is the last
mystery-box challenge,
and I'm hoping,
"give me some ingredients
that I can work with."
On the count of three.
One...
Two...
Three.
Ohh!
[Laughter]
[Joe]
Today's mystery box
ingredients are...
The most tender,
flavorful rack of venison.
My mom would say,
"what is venison?"
And I'd have to explain to her
that it's deer meat,
and then I think
she might hang up on me.
[Laughing]
[Joe]
We have blueberries,
bacon, red cabbage,
quail eggs,
fingerling potatoes,
striped beets,
hazelnuts,
brussels sprouts,
and, of course,
red wine.
Guys, when's the last time
you were at your local market
and saw a rack of venison?
Never.
Or quail eggs?
All different types of things
you can do with it--
grilling, searing,
braising, tartare,
all kinds of stuff.
Just remember--
super easy to overcook.
[Gordon]
One hour,
ten ingredients,
one winner...
Starting from now.
Off you go.
Game time, baby.
Game time.
Right now I'm working
on my roasted brussels sprouts.
I am used to cooking deer.
I'm a Southern girl,
and in Mississippi,
we eat deer like
it's going out of style.
I'm gonna try a blueberry
red-wine sauce.
I would love to win
a mystery-box challenge.
I haven't yet,
so it would be really nice.
Not having a lot
of experience cooking meat,
I think that's gonna be
the challenge here for me.
I think compared to every other
mystery-box challenge,
this one really speaks to me.
It's ingredients
from where I'm from.
The biggest challenge
for me is gonna be
the perfect balance
of cooking time
and resting time
for the venison.
Their level of concentration
is phenomenal.
No one's running
around crazy,
and they are seriously
in the game.
They're very focused on just
staying in their world.
Their cutting board
is like their restaurant.
We're asking them to create
a restaurant-quality dish,
so there has to be some
components and some complexity.
It doesn't have
to be overcomplicated,
but it has to show
technique and thought.
Right, David,
what are you doing?
I think I'm gonna stick
with a filet style.
I like wrapping it in bacon.
On the bone
or off the bone?
I was gonna roast it
on the bone.
Red-wine base?
Red-wine base, yes.
When are you gonna start
cooking the venison?
About five minutes in.
Okay.
Right, Sharone.
One, two,
three different sauces.
How come you got three sauces
on here?
This is a soup.
It goes with one wave
of venison
and the other venison is gonna
go with two different sauces.
So there are three sauces.
One dish has got
two sauces on.
One dish has got one
as a soup.
This is a broth.
A broth?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, okay.
You're not doing it once.
You're doing it twice.
Not doing one sauce,
two sauces,
you're doing three sauces?
Correct.
Is that nuts?
Nuts?
Yeah, you're being polite.
All right, Whitney,
what's happening?
What are you doing here?
You boiling these?
I'm trying to get
the flavor
off of 'em, so I can try
to make a gravy.
So what's the final dish?
Pan-seared venison...
Uh-huh?
With a brown gravy.
Okay, Lee.
I got a blueberry
coffee sauce.
I'm braising some
of the beet root,
as well as the beet leaves
and the cabbage.
So coffee and blueberry sauce
with the gamey venison?
Absolutely.
[Joe]
Whitney did some nice mixed
oven-roasted vegetables
and got some really nice
caramelization
and browning on the vegetables
and the potatoes in the oven.
You wouldn't put
a roux-based gravy
with a loin of venison.
It's the Rolls Royce cut.
Absolutely.
Right.
[Joe]
David Miller--
I saw some really good
butchering skills from him.
[Gordon]
Great potential there.
The only downside
to what he's done
is cut the venison chops
so big,
it's gonna take a long time
to cook in the center.
Guys, 30 minutes to go!
Halfway there, guys!
How are you cooking
the venison?
Right now, I have--
I have it testing.
I just want to--
oh, no.
What's the matter?
That's way overcooked, yeah.
Okay.
That is gonna taste
like Gandhi's flip-flop.
Where's the red-wine sauce?
Where is it?
Yeah.
I haven't started it yet.
Sauce should be on,
reducing down.
Okay.
And so far,
with 34 minutes gone,
all we've done is overcooked
a piece of venison.
Oh, my God.
I have 30 minutes
to, like, cook my entire dish.
I started freaking out.
[Joe]
Good sear on that venison chop.
Very nice.
[Graham]
So listen to that.
Isn't that great?
Yeah.
So with the scan pan,
you get a nice sear,
as well as having the fact
that it's nonstick.
[Sharone]
This is the last mystery box.
This is so important.
I really want to win
this challenge.
Sharone is a talented cook,
but to his disadvantage,
his overcomplication--
too many ideas
on one plate--
could really bite him
in the a*s.
Lee--how many times have
I seen him cook with fennel?
Every single [Bleep] dish
he pops out
is, like, with fennel and mint.
All right, guys.
Ten minutes to go.
Last ten minutes, yes?
[Announcer]
With just ten minutes left,
the race is on to create
the most compelling dish.
The judges will select
the top three
based on presentation
and whose venison
they think is cooked
to perfection.
[Gordon]
Venison should be out resting,
and more importantly, sauce
should be coming together.
Start dipping in your sauce
and tasting the combination.
Just over five minutes
to go, guys.
Start thinking about putting
the venison on the plate.
My sauce is done.
My venison's cooked.
And I tasted it
and I thought, "wow.
It tastes really good,"
but I don't know
what it's supposed to taste
like, because I'm cooking this
for the first time
in my life.
[Gordon]
30 seconds to go, guys.
Come on.
Speed up.
Come on, Whitney,
Sheetal.
20 seconds to go.
Come on, David,
get it sauced.
Get it sauced.
Get it sauced. Get it sauced.
Come on.
Oh, [Bleep].
Great, great.
[Gordon]
Ten, nine, eight, seven...
"Six, five."
I'm like, "no, I need
another minute."
[Gordon]
Four, three, two, one.
And stop, guys.
Whoo!
Oh, my goodness!
[Gordon]
Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three,
two, one.
Stop, guys.
Whoo!
Oh, my goodness gracious!
[Male]
All right.
[Applause]
Whoo!
Okay, stand back
from your stations.
I was second guessing
and I thought,
"wow, it tastes really good,"
but I don't know
what it's supposed
to taste like,
because I'm cooking this
for the first time in my life.
You all started off with
the most amazing venison.
Exactly the same ingredients,
all six of you.
We're only gonna
be tasting three.
[Announcer]
The judges criteria for
selecting the top three dishes
is based on final presentation
and from observing
the contestants' techniques
during the challenge.
First one...
Sheetal.
[Applause]
[Mike]
I was so happy for her 'cause
she's a really good
team player in
the team challenges,
but she hadn't had her moment
yet in the spotlight.
Kind of earlier today,
she was like,
"I'm ready.
I'm ready to bring it,"
and it was, like--
it was awesome
to see that come to fruition.
[Sheetal]
It's a pan-roasted tenderloin
with a red wine
and blueberry reduction
over creamed brussels sprouts.
Wow.
It looks immaculate.
It's like a restaurant dish.
Yeah, through and through.
And it's done
with great finesse,
more than anything,
because the fact that it was
even started the sauce
the venison was still rare.
How did you manage that dish
in just over 30 minutes?
I take a lot of time
to think before I act
and, um, I need time
to process and plan.
So...
You have got over
the most difficult hurdle.
You've let the venison rest
for as long as you've cooked it
and it's cooked
equally throughout.
Sheetal, you've made that...
Become a dream come true.
The texture of
the venison is superb.
You've got that bite
in the brussels sprouts,
but you've managed
to combine this acidity
with the richness of the game
and it worked brilliantly.
That tastes as if you've
cooked it 1,000 times.
Amazing.
Thank you.
Excellent.
If I had to make one comment,
perhaps a drizzle
of the most green,
intoxicating,
raw olive oil
to give it a little bit more
of that lush bitterness.
Italian flavor.
Excuse me.
Did I say, "Italian"?
Olive oil on top
of that?
Absolutely.
Two drizzles of olive oil
just kind of breaking
through the sauce would be a--
like, would be like
the icing
on the proverbial cake.
Great job.
Congratulations.
A delicious dish.
Thank you.
[Bleep].
You'd want to spoil that
with olive oil on top of that?
Just because you can't grow
olive trees in your country,
you don't have to harbor
that bitterness
towards the Mediterranean
climate.
Great start.
Very good.
Okay, next up.
Okay.
Whitney.
Let's go.
Come forward.
Hearing Whitney's name called,
it's not surprising.
She's been in the top three
on many occasions.
She just has this natural
ability
and not surprised at all.
Describe the dish for me,
please.
Okay, I have a pan-seared
venison
and then I made a gravy
from roasting the bones
and, um, the meat, and then
i have roasted brussels sprouts
and fingerling potatoes.
My one concern is the--
the gravy.
I give you the most
amazing cut of venison
and you go and stick
a gravy on it.
Yet red wine was there.
And it's almost like
the venison's got
the wrong coat on.
How many times have
you cooked venison?
My dad hunts, so it's usually
at least once
every year
during the fall.
Venison is cooked beautifully.
I mean, it's cooked
by an angel.
Vegetable's delicious.
It works, and it works
better than it looks.
And you have managed to confirm
to all three of us
is that you understand
how to cook venison,
which is quite rare
at 22 years of age.
Well done.
Thank you.
Right, the third
and final dish
to be tasted...
[Sighs]
Sharone.
Not being selected
for the top three
is a little frustrating.
I felt like my dish
was right on.
You know, Sharone had so much
going on on his plate
and I felt like
I did a better job,
that I really deserved to be
in the top three today.
Okay.
[Sharone]
I decided to go
with the seared venison.
We've got it tartare
and a couple different sauces
to accompany it.
Can we just talk about
the obvious for a second here?
The plating is a disgrace.
You're lucky you're
even up here.
It's like Salvador Dali
on crack.
Tell us what it is.
The venison got shot
in the woods,
[bleep] on the plate,
and moved to what?
The reason why you're up here
is because that venison
is cooked perfectly
and it's cooked on the bone.
It's the vomit
to the side of the plate
I'm struggling to understand.
Okay.
Has someone dropped
their eyeball on the plate?
What is that thing?
[Sharone]
It's a quail egg.
A quail egg eyeball running
through the center?
If you can follow me through,
it's--
no, I'm not gonna follow you.
Are you [Bleep] crazy?
No.
I'm gonna go there
on top of there
and I'm gonna
eat my venison that way.
It's oozing pink,
gamey deliciousness.
Venison's delicious.
Beet root's nice,
acidic, wonderful.
Delicious.
Slow down.
You're too complex.
I'd love to strip 1/3
of the [Bleep] of you off,
and I think underneath those
layers there's a talent.
Fine.
As for the eyeball,
what a nutter.
I really--I tried to make
it look like it was a walk
through the woods,
you know?
It looks like a walk through
a crime scene.
I mean, it literally it does.
This is cooked perfectly.
You just need to get out
of your own way.
Less is more.
Less is more.
So I guess the question is:
Why is this dish up here?
I'll tell you why.
Because we were
so impressed
by the quality
of the cookery on the chop.
Great butchering.
Great sear. Perfect cooking.
It was head and shoulders
above the field.
So I've been really looking
forward to tasting this,
because it looked
so incredible.
And it is.
Thank you.
Okay, Sheetal,
Whitney, Sharone, well done.
The winner of the last
mystery box challenge...
Congratulations goes to...
[Announcer]
It's time for the judges
to decide the winner of the
final mystery-box challenge.
Whitney, Sheetal, Sharone,
well done.
[Announcer]
Will they choose Whitney's
venison with Southern gravy,
Sheetal's roasted venison,
or Sharone's pan-seared venison
with blueberry puree?
[Gordon]
The winner of the last
mystery-box challenge...
Congratulations goes to...
Sheetal.
Well done.
Oh.
[applause]
It feels really good
to finally be the winner
of a mystery-box challenge
and to win on something
that I've never
cooked before,
which really means
that I'm making my decisions
in the kitchen
based on instinct.
I'm a little surprised
that Sheetal made it
into not only the top three,
but the number-one dish
of the day.
She seems
very one-dimensional.
[Gordon]
Sheetal, your first
individual victory.
You're back in the game.
You have a major advantage
in the next stage of MasterChef.
Ready?
Yes.
Well done.
This way.
[Announcer]
Sheetal now gets to choose
the main ingredient
for the invention test.
Whatever she selects,
everybody else must cook with.
Whoever makes the worst dish
will be eliminated
from MasterChef.
As always, the theme
of this challenge
is in the hands of the judges.
Today's theme...
Is dessert.
Okay.
Big dessert lover?
No.
What?
No.
Well, time to start thinking
sweet thoughts.
I--yeah.
[Gordon]
You're faced with a huge
advantage right now,
because what you select,
everybody else cooks with, yeah?
Three amazing ingredients.
Ready to see what's
under the first cloth?
Yes.
Honey.
Beautiful.
From lavender honey,
honey comb,
raw honey.
[Graham]
Let's see what's
under number two.
You have...
A plethora
of different berries.
Ooh.
Things from the ordinary,
like strawberries,
blueberries,
to things otherworldly
that a lot of people
never get a chance
to cook with--
cape gooseberries,
huckleberries,
Inca berries.
[Gordon]
Absolute unique.
Does that light your fire?
I'm starting to get
a little inspired.
Good.
Lots of ideas started coming
to my mind,
including, like, a pie or, like,
a tort or something.
I like to see what all my
options are before I choose.
From the exotic tropics
of Tahiti and Madagascar,
we have vanilla
in all its forms.
We have vanilla beans,
vanilla powder,
vanilla extract,
vanilla tea, even.
Vanilla, vanilla, vanilla.
You've got to really think
about this choice.
And who's your
strongest competition?
Who's the one that you're
most feared of out there?
Whitney.
Whitney?
Mm-hmm.
She knows dessert.
Six of you left...
Who's the weakest?
David Miller.
Think carefully.
Which ingredient
you gonna choose?
I have to choose right
this second?
Right this second.
I'm drawn to the colors
on the table,
but I might be sh**ting
myself in the foot,
but I am--
I'm gonna go with--
[Gordon]
Okay.
[Applause]
David Miller, what do you
think's under here?
I'd love another shot
at the venison.
[Laughter]
Today's theme...
Is dessert.
I love desserts.
I have the hugest
sweet tooth
and so, I mean, I was--
I think I was the only one today
that was excited
that it was desserts.
Ready to see what Sheetal
has picked for you all?
The options were...
The most amazing vanilla...
The most amazing array
of berries
and then
the most amazing honey.
Sheetal's choice
is...
Vanilla.
[Applause]
Oh, my God.
What goes with vanilla?
What goes with vanilla?
[Bleep].
An Asian family, you know?
We ate fruit.
That was dessert, you know?
The rest of you will have
half the time Sheetal had--
2 1/2 minutes.
And your time starts now.
Off you go.
[Announcer]
With an elimination at the end
of this challenge,
the dessert theme
has distressed
even some of the most confident
contestants.
I really didn't have a clear
idea of what I'm going to make,
but, uh, you know, vanilla
it is, so here we go.
I'm getting, like,
double of everything,
because I'm thinking,
"if I don't have enough time,
I'll make it again."
Flour, vanilla, sugar--
I grab some Brandy.
[bleep].
I go to the fridge.
I grab some cream.
Oh, my God.
Oh, [Bleep].
[Bleep].
I'm just pulling as much
as I possibly can,
'cause at this point,
I'm not really certain
how I'm gonna do this.
[Gordon]
Right, 90 minutes to make
the most amazing,
stunning dessert.
And on the back
of those desserts,
you know one of you
will be leaving MasterChef.
starting from...
Now.
Off you go.
So I'm gonna make
a vanilla creme brulee.
I don't do dessert.
I don't eat dessert.
I don't like dessert,
so, you know,
there's a lot
that could go wrong.
I'm making
vanilla sponge cake
layered
with a vanilla custard.
I've never made this before.
I am making
a butterscotch Napoleon
with three different
delicious nuts.
Um, 90 minutes,
there's no excuse--
something
absolutely stunning.
Well, certainly we're seeing
the most significant challenge,
i think, so far,
because here comes together
the technical,
science aspect of baking,
the creative aesthetics
of decoration and impact.
Whitney's definitely
the baker in the bunch.
I think Sharone has a propensity
for overthinking things,
as opposed to focusing
on one delicious component,
and I really think
Sheetal's gonna come through
and make something that's gonna
be delicate and beautiful.
Today, with only six left,
this should be immaculate.
Right, Whitney, what are they?
They are profiteroles.
Yeah?
Profiteroles.
So shoe pastry is a very
difficult pastry to get right.
Mm-hmm.
And you're putting
a little bit of water
on your finger
to dab down the points.
That stops it from burning,
yeah?
Yes.
And what are you putting
inside the profiteroles?
Chantilly vanilla cream.
Okay.
I can smell
the confidence from here.
Lee, what do
we got going on?
I have, um, milk and cream
infused with walnut and vanilla.
That's gonna go together
with my walnut french toast,
as well as a plum coulee
and a nectarine carpaccio.
You're gonna want to make sure
you get as much moisture,
because, I mean, you're really,
at the end of the day,
using old bread
to try to keep you alive
in the final five.
Definitely.
All right, David.
How you feeling?
I'm sticking with a classic.
I'm doing the vanilla creme brulee.
Vanilla creme brulee.
There's two ways of doing
creme brulees now.
You could do it
over a burner
and cook the eggs out
like a zabaglione
and then set them into the mold,
which is a lot quicker,
or you can go
the dangerous route...
Uh-huh.
Which is...
And put them in the oven.
Which way have you gone?
In the oven.
Mike, how we doing?
Uh, this is just a basic
sort of like
the pie custard, pudding
that I'm gonna be using
for the trifle.
Where's the vanilla at?
Vanilla's actually
in the--
scalded in the milk.
So you're gonna be
putting a layer?
I'll be putting
layers, yeah.
And then you're gonna
be putting the sponge cake
followed by the pear?
Followed by the pear,
then the custard.
Man, I gotta--I think
I might have bitten off
a little bit more
than I could chew.
In this elimination,
one goes.
So what
is your strategy here?
Do you stay off the bottom?
So do you go safe?
Or do you reach
for the stars and try--
you have to try to win
at this point--you have to,
because you're
gonna start intimidating
the other ones
that are still here.
All right, guys,
listen up!
One third of the time
that was given to you--
you had 90 minutes to make
a stunning dessert.
[Coughs]
There should be no excuses
and no reason
that you're not able
to produce.
[Coughs]
Wow.
Cooking is a very calming
thing for me.
It's what I do at home
to, like, relax,
is I sit down
and I make something.
If you're not calm,
then your nerves
are gonna affect your cooking.
[Whirring]
You let that happen,
then, uh...
You know, you're just
gonna screw yourself.
[Gordon]
Mike, your station's
over here.
Mike's all over the place.
He's always
all over the place.
You see him.
He's jumping back and forth.
And he's, like, shaking
and running back and forth.
I'm [Bleep] now.
Oh, my God.
Just over ten minutes
to go, guys.
Oh, my God.
Oh, no.
Ten minutes to time,
I realized I'm not gonna have--
the meat of my dessert
is just--
it's not there.
That's when it just
started oozing.
I started panicking,
really panicking.
[Bleep].
Just over ten minutes
to go, guys.
Oh, no.
[bleep].
[Announcer]
With just ten minutes left,
Sheetal's dessert
looks to be a disaster.
[Bleep].
She must plate something
that can save her
from elimination.
[Sheetal]
What I had were
four garnishes.
There was nothing of substance
that could be called
a proper dessert
in any of those components.
The big part of my dessert
was the sponge cake.
[Gordon]
Two minutes to go, guys!
[bleep].
You gotta put something on the
plate, you know, figure it out.
All right.
[Bleep].
I'm realizing, "oh, my God.
"This beautiful vision
I had for trifle
is not gonna be nearly
what it should be."
One minute to go!
Start putting those finishing
touches on those plates
and make those plates
beautiful.
This looks disgusting.
[Gordon]
20 seconds to go.
My custard was perfect.
It really was spot-on,
so I didn't want to ruin that
by overtorching the top.
[Bleep].
[Gordon]
Ten, nine, eight...
Seven, six, five...
Four, three, two, one.
And stop!
Whoo!
Well done.
[Announcer]
The judges will taste
all six desserts.
The winner takes an advantage
into the next stage
of the competition.
The person
with the worst dish
will be going home.
Okay, Sharone, let's go.
[Announcer]
After overcomplicating
his last dish,
has Sharone played it safe
with his dessert?
[Graham]
Wow, it's pretty.
[Gordon]
It's a mille-feuille?
What's in that?
Each layer consists
of a different layer of nuts.
On top is a zabaglione
with marsala and vanilla.
That's not only...
Delicious for what it is,
but I think
you've achieved
in kind of capturing
the essence
of what a zabaglione is
on the plate--
the lightness,
the airiness, the flavor.
A real triumph--
this is unbelievable.
Thank you, Chef.
Yeah, listen to that.
[Crunching]
I love that...
Crunch.
You know,
it's one of the senses
that even professional Chefs
in a restaurant
forget to think about.
That is delicious.
Oh, thank you, Chef.
Really good job.
You can hear it.
It is absolutely
on the money.
Oh, wow.
[Sharone]
They loved it.
They absolutely loved it.
They thought it was, bam,
straight on, bam, delicious.
Now I'm not in a position
where I go home.
What a great start.
Yeah.
Absolutely amazing start.
You could lift
that dish now
and stick that in any restaurant
in this country.
Right, David.
[Applause]
I looked at his creme brulee,
and I was like,
"that's not even
a creme brulee.
Like, Dave, I'm sorry, but
you're missing something here."
What is that, please?
We have a vanilla
creme brulee
with a vanilla orange
mango coulee.
Do you know
what "brulee" means?
'Cause that looks
like a lemon tart--
it means to burn, yes.
That's right.
Lightly burn.
Can you just give him
your glasses for two seconds?
Where's it bruleed?
The idea--put them on
and just tell me
if you can see that bru--
help me to understand.
Uh, I-I-I see a few--
I see a few pieces,
but it will crack.
I think we'll crack
before that brulee cracks.
Now, you've cooked
a creme brulee the hard way,
in the oven...
Yes, Chef.
In a water bath.
And you had
very little time
to do that
and cool it down.
You've managed it.
The coulee--
you've got the bitterness
from the orange,
you had the sweetness
from the mango, but it worked.
I mean,
it really does work.
But it's missing
the brulee.
Whitney, let's go.
[Announcer]
While Whitney has excelled
in mystery-box challenges,
she has yet to win
an invention test.
What is it?
A profiterole
with chantilly vanilla cream
and flambeed,
caramelized bananas.
Trust me, having lived
in France for three years,
I have eaten thousands
of profiteroles.
This had better be good.
The five individuals behind you
going into this test today...
Were nervous.
If they were tasting
that right now...
They'd be
even more nervous.
Good job.
Thanks.
So you flame these in rum?
Actually, it was bourbon.
Keeping it Southern, huh?
[laughs]
Actually, the first time,
I decided to, um,
flambe bananas,
I was nervous to go
into the liquor store,
'cause that was the first time
I've ever bought liqueur.
So I went in there,
and I was like,
"I'm just buying this
for bananas."
[Laughter]
That is kind of sad
to me, actually.
Super light, very sexy,
ah, very delicious.
Good job.
It really just made me
feel good that, overall,
the judges loved my dish.
And I really want
to show now that,
you know, I can win t
his challenge.
Three down,
three to go.
One of you
will be going home.
[Sheetal]
I looked at my dish,
and it looked like baby food--
one layer of mush and then
a second layer of mush
and then whipped cream.
Next up, Sheetal.
[Sheetal]
Even if my custard
tastes divine,
the best custard
in the world,
I know that the challenge
was not
about putting custard
on a plate, given 90 minutes.
[Gordon]
The real question--
where is your dessert?
'Cause that's not it
after 90 minutes.
Let's get that right.
That's half of it.
That's the best
that I could do
given that my sponge cake
didn't cook.
So what's in the bowl?
It's a vanilla custard
with a vanilla
and pear coulee
and a vanilla
whipped cream.
I was really riding
on your energy today.
I love your idea.
I was expecting a lot.
So it's a personal
disappointment to have to taste
a half-completed dessert
from you.
I think you could be
in real trouble here.
[Sharone]
Sheetal had
the advantage today.
She had full time
in the pantry,
got to choose
her ingredient.
There is no reason that
she should be failing.
You know, she really dropped
the ball on this one.
Lee, let's go.
[Lee]
The whole dish
came together beautifully
and really tasted good.
And I was stoked.
I was really excited about it.
Okay, so we have...
Bourbon pain perdu,
which is basically, uh,
you know, french toast,
over a nectarine
and mint carpaccio
with a walnut
and vanilla sauce.
Obviously, fried bread
is not what we thought
when we talked
about desserts
and stunning
restaurant desserts.
This is simply bad...
Bad as a dessert.
It's even bad
as breakfast.
Okay, Mike, let's go.
[Mike]
Walking up to the judges' table,
I'm a bit nervous.
There's a lot on the line
right now for me.
I'm just praying the judges
might have a little bit
of mercy on me today.
It's a pear poached trifle
with, uh, sponge cake
underneath.
It's been drizzled
with vanilla-scented Brandy.
What is that froth?
It's, uh, basically
the egg whites, um,
that were sort of--
I folded it in,
'cause I didn't have any other
thing to kind of--to, uh...
Egg whites?
What are these?
That's, uh,
just a pie crust,
sort of dusted with a little
cinnamon and sugar.
Pie crusts?
So like a short pastry?
Yes, Chef.
It's short...
Short of flavor.
Does this have
raw eggs in it?
Does it have
raw eggs in it?
[sighs]
Uh, there's a sort of--
yes or no?
A meringue, I mean,
you know,
the egg whites--
it's an easy question.
Does it have raw eggs
in it or not?
Does this have
raw eggs in it?
Does it have
raw eggs in it?
[sighs]
Uh, there's a sort of--
yes or no?
A meringue, I mean,
you know,
the egg whites--
it's an easy question.
Does it have raw eggs
in it or not?
Yes.
I'm disappointed, Mike.
Go back to your station.
[Announcer]
After tasting all six dishes,
the judges must decide
which desserts
rose to the occasion
and which fell short.
The cook with the worst dish
will be leaving MasterChef.
Okay, David,
Sharone, Whitney...
Three stunning dishes.
Sadly, there can only
be one winner.
And the winner
has a huge advantage
in the next stage
of MasterChef.
[Whitney]
Sharone looks like
he's probably
gonna be
my biggest competitor,
but I'm not worried.
I know I can win this.
[Sharone]
I thought my dish
was spectacular.
I'm going into this feeling
like I can own this.
I can do this.
Congratulations....
Whitney.
[Laughs]
Well done.
[Whitney]
To have made it this far
means so much,
because I've made
a huge sacrifice,
and I left school.
And it's all been worth it
to be here.
The youngest
and, quite frankly,
now the strongest
in the competition.
Well done.
The judges,
from the very beginning,
saw only my age.
And they didn't see the rest
of the potential that's in me.
But now I'm really thinking
that they're seeing that.
They're gonna see me
to the end,
and they're gonna
give me that title.
Okay...The field's split.
It's split in two.
Three stunning dishes...
And three dreadful dishes.
Front row,
you're all safe.
Back three rows,
get up here, please.
[Sharone]
There's three really bad
dishes out there.
It could be anybody.
I have no idea who to gauge.
Sheetal's dish
completely came apart.
Mike, raw eggs--
I don't know.
That's a big no-no.
And Lee's dessert, I don't even
know what it was.
Lee, we expected more.
And we expected you
to excel.
[Exhales deeply]
Sheetal...
You had a huge advantage,
and you fell short.
Mike...
Apart from panicking
for 90 minutes,
you produced a trifle
that looked like...
Toxic scum
on a stagnant pool.
The person leaving
MasterChef...
Lee.
Get back to your station.
[Lee]
Thank you, lord,
for salmonella
and Mike serving raw egg
on the plate.
And Sheetal's dish
was so unfocused
and so simplistic, in a way,
like she always is--
'cause that's my savior
right there.
The person leaving
MasterChef...
Mike.
You cannot serve
raw egg whites
on top
of a badly made trifle.
You've come a long way
in a short period of time,
but you have got
to slow down.
And when you do,
you'll surprise yourself
about the results.
Please take your apron off.
I really wanted this.
I really, really wanted it.
Thank you, Chef.
Please take your apron off.
All right.
Thank you.
[Mike]
This is not the end.
Being on MasterChef
has just fueled
this burning desire
that I have about food
and cookery,
and, you know, I'm gonna take
this whole experience
and all the mistakes I made,
and I'm gonna just
take those
as sort of a sign
of refinement, you know?
And I'm gonna just take 'em
and become better.
[Announcer]
Coming up...
The final five--
David, Whitney,
Sharone, Sheetal, and Lee--
are about to cook
for the three most intimidating
food critics on the planet.
We got a lot riding
on this too, guys!
Don't embarrass us.
Damn it.
That's not right.
I can't really taste
the fish.
You notice
I didn't eat mine.
[Announcer]
But first, they have to catch
their ingredients.
Aah!
[Announcer]
The two who create
the lowest-scoring dishes
will face the dreaded
pressure test,
where one more contestant's
dream of becoming
America's first MasterChef
will come to a bitter end.
The person leaving
MasterChef...
Mike.
[Announcer]
With one more amateur cook
out of the competition,
the final five--
David, Whitney,
Sharone, Sheetal, and Lee--
are about to cook
for the three most intimidating
food critics on the planet.
We got a lot riding
on this too, guys!
Don't embarrass us.
Damn it.
That's not right.
I can't really taste
the fish.
You notice
I didn't eat mine.
[Announcer]
But first, they have to catch
their ingredients.
Aah!
[Announcer]
The two who create
the lowest-scoring dishes
will face the dreaded
pressure test,
where one more contestant's
dream of becoming
America's first MasterChef
will come to a bitter end.
For the final field challenge,
the contestants will each
have to serve
their best possible fish dish
to the three most powerful
food critics in America.
Their ingredients must be
as fresh as possible,
so they're going
direct to the source--
the Sea.
[Lee]
Today's challenge
is an individual competition.
It's no more team challenges.
I'm actually
extremely excited for that,
because the only person
I can blame for a loss
or praise for a win
is myself.
[Boat horn blows]
Sculpin?
Maybe some red snapper.
I've never cooked
a sculpin.
Really?
Yeah.
[David]
I'm relying on luck
to get me through this one.
At least with the fishing.
Once I'm in the kitchen,
though,
it's a whole nother ball game,
'cause fish is really
my forte.
Being a lucky guy, I know
I'm gonna catch some fish.
[Grunts]
Oh, man, he's a fighter!
I see Mr. David Miller
over there
struggling like he has
the biggest marlin
the Pacific Ocean
has ever seen.
[Grunting loudly]
[Laughter]
It's a rock?
You got a rock.
Oh, yeah.
It's a fighter, though.
David Miller...
The look on his face--
that was priceless.
All right,
it's uh...
Season it well, David.
It's been a long time
since I've made rock soup.
Little salt,
little pepper.
All right.
Here you go.
[Laughs]
Yes! Aah!
[Man]
Oh, I see color.
Here it comes.
Oh, nice one.
This is really heavy.
I was really excited,
and I--
I was the only one
that had never been fishing.
And, oh, my God,
the sculpin fish
is a really ugly fish.
These are the spines
that have the poison in it.
Oh!
This one down here
has poison and these.
[Sheetal]
I looked down, and I saw
the spikes of that fish
sticking out.
And these scales
are poisonous.
Don't--don't let
that spine get you.
After Sheetal caught
her first fish,
I was like, that competitive
side got out of me,
and I was like,
"I gotta catch the next fish."
Whoo-hoo!
Uh, I see him.
Uhh!
Nice one.
Yeah!
Gorgeous.
As a Chef,
it's a great opportunity
to actually go out
and pick your fish
out of the Sea.
All right, guys,
here comes a nice-sized one.
Ah, that looks
big enough for me.
Way, way more connected
to where your food comes from.
And you gotta do it justice.
[Announcer]
Our amateur cooks will take
the fish they've caught
and use it to prepare
just one dish in the kitchens
of the world-famous
Ritz-Carlton.
[Gordon]
Well, how we doing?
Awesome!
Amazing!
First individual challenge,
head-to-head.
Suddenly, two of you
will face a pressure test
on the worst two
tasting dishes.
One of you will be
leaving MasterChef.
The critics,
they are lethal.
Some of
the most powerful critics
anywhere in the world.
You're now
about to face them.
Joe, Jeffrey Steingarten.
[Joe]
Jeffrey is probably
the most prolific food writer
of our time--
head critic
for Vogue magazine,
the greatest food writer
in the country.
Wow.
I hear the name
Jeffrey Steingarten,
and I'm like,
"oh, my goodness."
Jeffrey is best known
for shattering people--
amazing reputation.
This could be
either really good
or really bad.
Tanya Steel.
[Graham]
Tanya Steel is the Editor
of epicurious.com.
It's the biggest food website
there is.
[Gordon]
And then finally,
Barbara Fairchild.
Yeah? Editor in chief
of Bon Appetit magazine.
The most sophisticated,
discerning palate
anywhere in the States today.
I know Tanya Steel
and Barbara Fairchild.
You know,
I've admired these women.
And that even put
more pressure on me,
knowing how much
I wanted to impress
the critics today.
[Gordon]
Whitney, you won
that amazing
dessert challenge.
You have one hour
and 15 minutes
to cook
the most amazing dish.
The rest of you
have got one hour.
[Announcer]
While Whitney
uses her advantage
from winning
the invention test
to start filleting
her sculpin fish,
the others can do
nothing but watch.
Those 15 minutes
seemed like eternity.
But I really took that time
to put my dish together,
and now I know exactly
what I need to do
to really make the critics
love my dish.
[Gordon]
All right, you guys--
one hour,
one stunning dish,
starting from now.
Off you go.
Good luck.
[Whitney]
Everybody started rushing
into the kitchen.
I was like, "oh, my gosh.
"Like, did you really
use that time wisely?
I mean, you had
That is huge when you
only have an hour to cook.
My strategy today
is really keeping it simple
and keeping it real.
So I'm going
to braise the fish.
It's a tough fish
that can withstand braising.
And I'm gonna serve it
with the broth.
So the same way I pulled it
out of the water,
I'm gonna keep it on the plate
with the broth,
you know, the water
that it swam in to cook,
like, the water
it swam in to live.
[Gordon]
Use the time wisely, yes?
The inspiration for my dish
came from the meat itself.
The consistency of it
is almost like lobster tail.
Being from Boston,
I think I've probably k*lled
so I think lobster,
I think butter.
So I'll do a saffron
butter poach
with an Israeli couscous
and some onions
and some roasted peppers
underneath.
You tasting, David?
I've been tasting
the whole time.
Whitney...
What's the dish called?
What are you doing?
Roasted eggplant and zucchini.
Right.
I'm making a, uh,
tomato sauce
with the salt and, um,
plum tomatoes
that I'm stewing down.
I decide
to put kind of, like,
an Italian spin
on this dish.
And I like
tomato-based things.
So I did a tomato sauce.
How you cooking the fish?
Braise it.
Braise it?
[Gordon]
They've got
their work cut out--
sculpin fish.
Right, yeah, it's gonna be
a very difficult challenge,
because it's an unusual fish.
Mm-hmm.
[Gordon]
Make sure you taste
everything you're doing.
15 minutes, yes?
Use that time wisely, yeah?
Ooh.
I decided I was gonna do
a curried cauliflower,
and I used the curry powder
that was available.
And I should have tasted it
before I put it
in the cauliflower,
because there was salt
in the curry powder,
and on top of that,
I also salted with regular salt.
And my first batch
of cauliflower was disgusting.
I had to start over.
[Gordon]
Right, Sheetal.
Okay, you're in control, yes?
Yeah.
'Cause you look like
you're flapping around
like a headless chicken.
You guys look immaculate
in the Chef jackets.
You're actually looking
like professional Chefs.
Make sure
those dishes come out
like professional Chefs.
Hey, anybody have salt?
Oh, found some.
All right, Sharone,
where you at?
I took a risk and took
two different proteins
from the fish.
Make sure you try one
before you do it.
I did.
I picked sculpin liver,
because I tasted it,
and it just had a very buttery,
light flavor of the sculpin.
I believe--everything
that I touch that's food,
I believe I can make
magnificent.
And it's no different
going into this competition.
[Joe]
Sharone is gonna
sear off the liver
of the--of the sculpin fish
and serve it,
which is very, very bold.
I mean--
has he tasted the liver?
He said he tasted it.
He said it's good.
That would be a big risk.
You could either
really win somebody with that
or really throw 'em off.
[Sharone]
I knew, at that defining moment,
I could be
the next MasterChef.
[Sheetal]
Sharone made a conscious
decision to use the liver
of a fish.
I feel like he took
the poisonous scale
and just went "krrr"
to himself.
Four minutes to go,
guys, yes?
Four minutes?
Four minutes, that's right.
[Graham]
You have your plate picked out?
[Gordon]
Put the pan down,
take that glove off,
and work with two hands--
let's go!
Guys...
The pressure is on.
They've been sat there
patiently,
anticipating
five stunning dishes.
Come through for us!
Make something gorgeous!
[Whitney]
Amateur cooks
are cooking for critics
that, you know,
restaurant Chefs
are scared of.
I was like, "this has
got to be the best dish
you've ever made
in your life."
We got a lot riding
on this too, guys.
Don't embarrass us.
[Lee]
These are not just foodies.
These are three
of the biggest food critics
in the country.
And here I am, you know,
a little less than a year
after I started cooking,
and all of a sudden, I'm
presenting food to these people,
and, you know, I just hope
everything goes well.
[Gordon]
One minute!
It's not right!
[Gordon]
Now start putting it
on a plate.
[Joe]
Get it on a plate, Sheetal.
Stop cooking.
You're not gonna
be able to serve it.
Where's the cumin?
Cumin.
Are you kidding me?
She's putting cumin in now?
With one minute to go?
Last second?
I was frantically
running around.
I felt like "manicked"
and crazed,
because I was running around,
trying to figure out
how to fix my sauce.
[Gordon]
Ten, nine...
Eight, seven...
Six, five...
Four, three...
Two, one...
Damn it.
And stop.
[Gordon]
Ten, nine, eight...
Seven, six...
Five...
Four, three...
Two, one...
Damn it.
And stop.
Well done.
Well done.
Really good job.
The dishes look amazing.
You know that?
I mean, really amazing.
[Joe]
We're proud to present these
to these critics out there.
[Graham]
Hot damn, guys.
You should be psyched.
This is great.
The critics out there
are sat
as we speak,
sharpening their knives.
Three phenomenal critics.
It's out of our hands.
We're passing you on.
This is the next stage.
Some of
the most powerful critics
anywhere in the world--
you're now about to face them.
You sell it to them.
You tell them what they're
gonna be expecting,
and you push it
to the absolute Max.
Now get out there
and sell them.
First up, Whitney!
[Announcer]
The critics can give each dish
up to 4 stars,
for a maximum of 12.
The two cooks
with the fewest stars
will go head-to-head
in the final pressure test,
where one will be eliminated.
My name is Whitney.
What I have for you today
is a pan-seared sculpin
over roasted eggplant
and zucchini.
My sauce is a tomato sauce
that I reduced
with roasting the head
and the bones from the fish.
Where did you find
fresh tomatoes?
Um, I actually used
the tomatoes out of the can.
I just let it reduce
and crushed them up
and strained the pulp.
[Woman]
This is very interesting.
[Whitney]
Thank you.
Both the zucchini and the...
Wow.
Eggplant
have been drenched in salt.
Yeah.
The garlic
is overpowering.
I can't really
taste the fish,
because there's so much
garlic in my mouth.
How'd it go?
It went good.
And the score is...
Breath mints three.
[Laughs]
David Miller!
[David]
So I am freaking out.
These are people
that will wreck your restaurant
if they write a bad review.
They've had everything.
You could name us
any dish in the world,
and they've eaten it.
And no matter what it is,
no matter what I'm making,
they've had the same thing,
and they've had it better.
Today we're doing a...
Saffron butter poached
California scorpion fish,
uh, over Israeli couscous
with roasted red
and yellow peppers
and a touch
of smoked Sea salt.
Do you cook couscous a lot
for fun at home?
Uh, I've never made
Israeli couscous.
I hope I got it al dente.
Why did you choose to make it
today if you've never made it,
knowing that we
were gonna be tasting it?
That's a very good question.
[laughs]
I-I decided
to be adventurous.
There's something
alluring about,
uh, Israeli couscous,
uh, more so than just
standard Moroccan couscous,
which I think
is kind of boring.
[Woman]
Thank you very much.
All right.
[David]
What the hell am I doing?
Three of the most
world-renowned food critics,
you know, and I'm serving them
a plate of something
I just whipped up in an hour.
Hopefully, I won't be berated
as much as I have been
by our judges.
Uh, the idea of thinking
that a Moroccan couscous
is just always boring,
I mean, it's ridiculous
what he said.
I think
it's pretty bold of him
to serve us Israeli couscous
having never cooked it before.
To make it
for the first time.
And the fish is nicely
cooked--I mean...
Mm-hmm.
The saffron
really gives it...
Mm-hmm .
A nice, sprightly flavor.
And despite the fact that
he didn't have a lot of time
to work with it,
it does have
a really nice flavor.
Look at that smile.
How'd it go?
Oh, it went really well.
They said it was
the best dish they had all day.
They said that?
No, I'm joking.
[Gordon]
Wow.
I'm happy to give you
my peppers.
You notice
I didn't eat mine.
Next up, Lee.
Get ready.
These are three
of the biggest food critics
in the country.
If you're a Chef
in this country,
you know
who these people are.
I can't afford
any mistakes right now,
and the tiniest bone
would be a disaster.
Uh, today I made
a braised
California scorpion fish
over Moroccan-style
fennel couscous,
served
with the braising broth.
So what's in
the braising broth?
So in the braising broth, uh,
I took the head and the carcass
of the fish that filleted,
some carrots, some shallots,
leeks, fennel.
I can't sense anything
from them,
and that just
drives me crazy,
because I don't know if they
like it, they don't like it.
Well, great.
Thank you, Lee, so much.
Very nice, thank you.
Thank you very much.
And, again, thank you
for the opportunity.
You're welcome.
I thought
that was tasty.
I mean, I think
the couscous is very good.
It's very tasty.
I love--the broth...
Is what's
giving it the flavor.
I think he did
a really nice job with that.
On the other hand,
you can't taste the fish.
I mean, the fish is just used
as a piece of white protein.
It would have been good
to have something--
again, contrasting textures.
In the couscous?
Yeah, there...
This dish didn't
really have very much--
garbanzo beans
or something.
Exactly.
How'd it go?
It went fantastic.
So shall we score it?
Are you guys ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
Our scores are gonna be
totally different.
Sheetal, let's go.
Right now
I'm a little nervous.
I'm worried
that my entire plate
is just a touch
too salty.
Hi.
Hello.
How are you?
My parents are from India.
I was born and raised here,
but I grew up in a very
fragrant Indian home--
lots of garam masala,
lots of curry.
Um, so I've incorporated
those flavors
into the sculpin.
And just a very simple
tomato curry sauce
with coriander powder
and cumin powder.
And the cauliflower
is curry powder
and some fish sauce
to just keep it moist
so it doesn't dry out.
[Tanya]
Well, thank you so much.
[Sheetal]
Thank you very, very much.
Thank you.
One thing that's good
is the curry powder's
not overwhelming.
Sometimes it can be
overwhelming,
and this
was not overwhelming.
Well, unfortunately,
I have some bones in mine.
All right!
How'd you do?
Hi.
Right.
How'd it go?
Oh, fine.
Yeah? You're smiling.
Yes.
What did they say?
Um, they didn't
say anything.
They just tried it.
Nothing at all?
No.
They ate everything,
though.
Any questions?
I put it on their platate.
I do feel like
the texture is--
there's a lot
of softness here.
There's not
contrasting flavors.
There's not contrasting
textures.
Well done.
Thank you.
Right, next up, Sharone!
Cut the waffle.
Straight to the point.
Tell them how excited you are,
what you've done,
what the journey's
been like.
Okay.
And more importantly,
sell that dish.
Good luck.
I feel like I'm such
a better Chef
than the rest of them.
I really, truly feel that.
If I can impress
these judges,
I may be able to really
jumpstart my career
right then and there.
[Tanya]
Tell us about your dish.
Well, um, I live in L.A.
I was born and raised here.
I'm a local.
I love these waters.
Even though it's cold
around this time of season,
it was so beautiful
this morning.
Really a great day.
I'm a big guy.
I like to eat a lot.
I'm very improv.
I'm not this weird,
competitive guy.
My, uh, grandmother's been
a huge inspiration for me.
I wasn't very close
with my mom.
I grew up with my dad,
and I moved out when I was
a freshman in college.
I left finance to try
doing this with my life
about a year ago--
I was in banking.
On January 2nd,
my kid was born.
"Grab--grab this,
grab that,
sautee this,
sautee that."
Lo and behold, here I am.
It's like fate.
[Laughter]
Hmm.
I saw the liver,
and the liver looked
absolutely beautiful.
So I decided to give you
two tastes of it.
One, the actual flesh,
and the other, the liver
of the scorpion fish.
And that's just done
with a grapefruit vinaigrette
and, uh, some
blanched asparagus,
some yellow tomatoes,
and some fresh grapefruit.
[Barbara]
The fish liver is
a very unusual twist.
[Jeffrey]
And have you had
monkfish liver?
I don't think so.
No, I haven't.
That's the Foie gras
of the Sea.
Thank you.
Well, thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
You know, it's funny,
with everything that's
going on in this dish,
it is surprisingly bland.
Don't make
your judgment about
on this one.
The fish liver--
yeah.
By this liver,
which is not a good liver.
Well done, guys.
We're now gonna get
those results.
Ready?
Let's go.
[Announcer]
The top three
scoring contestants
will earn a place
in the final.
The lowest-scoring two will face
the dreaded pressure test.
[Lee]
I cannot afford to go into
another pressure test right now.
This is it.
[Announcer]
The judges are back
with the verdict.
[Gordon]
Let's start off...
With the highest-scoring dish.
That individual goes
straight into the final four.
This dish scored
out of 12.
That's near-perfect.
Congratulations goes to...
[Announcer]
The remaining contestants
have presented their dishes
to three of the world's
top food critics.
The three cooks
with the highest scores
will advance
to the final four,
while the bottom two will face
the final pressure test,
where one will be eliminated.
Let's start off
with the highest-scoring dish.
This dish scored
out of 12.
That's near-perfect.
Congratulations goes to...
David Miller.
Whoo hoo hoo!
[High-pitched laugh]
You're kidding me.
Absolutely brilliant.
You're kidding me!
Absolutely brilliant.
Whoo hoo hoo hoo!
Good job.
Oh, yeah!
Listen to this.
"Butter poached fish
was a huge success.
"Phenomenally balanced,
seasoned beautifully.
Incredible.
Couldn't stop eating it."
We sent you
into the lion's den,
and you came out shining.
Seriously well done.
You're now the first into
the final four.
[David]
Of every review
I've gotten today,
I feel like master Chef.
Ha ha!
I'm an amateur Chef.
I'm a software engineer.
And I get
a near-perfect score?
I get a near-perfect score?
Are you kidding me?
Okay...
From the very top...
We're now going down
to the very bottom.
"Badly put together.
Under-seasoned.
"Shockingly disgusting.
Undercooked taste.
And left nothing
to desire."
[Lee]
When I hear the critics
describing a dish
as shockingly disgusting,
I'm just praying they're not
talking about my dish.
With 4 out of 12,
and the lowest-scoring dish,
it's not good news...
For...
Sharone.
[Bleep].
And that means
you're up for elimination.
Why the liver?
Why go that route?
You could have taken it
a little simpler
and made it just
beautiful on its own.
I've been cooking
for 25 years.
I wouldn't have
taken that risk today,
if this was my kitchen,
my restaurant,
and I had those tough cookies
sat there.
I wouldn't do it!
I wanted to grow.
I wanted to challenge myself.
And although maybe at times
it helps to play safe.
But I'm not here to do dishes
that I've done ten times before.
I'm here to be
a master Chef.
[Gordon]
The next person
advancing straight
into the final four,
joining David Miller
with a score 8 out of 12...
Lee.
[Lee exhales]
[Gordon]
Good job.
"Fish cooked perfectly.
Seasoning was
absolutely amazing."
It's fantastic that Sharone
is going into a pressure test.
We're not going
for popularity contest,
and I'm not here
to make friends.
I'm here to eliminate
the competition.
Two left.
Joining Sharone
to face the pressure test
with a score
of 5 out of 12...
That person is...
Whitney.
5 out of 12.
[Relieved sigh]
Sheetal, congratulations.
You are through
to the final four.
Whitney: "Too salty.
"Way too much garlic.
"Slightly shocked on using
canned tomatoes
on such an exquisite dish."
Why tell the harshest critics
anywhere in the world today
that you're serving them
canned tomatoes?
Why don't you just turn around
and look on that tray there.
You have the most amazing,
fresh tomatoes
on the vine.
[Whitney]
The results are not
what I expected at all.
[Crying] I'm really upset.
But anyway, no,
I'm just gonna fight back,
'cause tomorrow,
I'm not going home.
Three of you are gonna
be sleeping well tonight.
Two of you are not
getting any sleep.
I'll see you tomorrow
for the pressure test
where one of you will
be leaving MasterChef.
[Sharone]
Whitney has been
this quiet underdog.
She's 22 years old.
I think I've got
a lot more experience,
but then again,
she continues to do very well,
'cause she just
does what she knows,
and that's
what I'm gonna do.
And if I do what I know,
I can win this.
Good afternoon.
Sharone and Whitney,
one of you will advance
to the final four.
Unfortunately, one of you
will be leaving
MasterChef tonight.
That means this pressure test
is gonna be your toughest
test ever.
[Sheetal]
I really want to see Whitney
kick Sharone's a*s.
Like, I would love for
a tiny little 22-year-old girl
from Mississippi
to just come in
and lay his a*s flat.
We're gonna reveal
the ingredients
on the count of three.
One...
Two...
Three.
One of you will advance
to the final four.
One of you will be
leaving MasterChef tonight.
We're gonna
reveal the ingredients
on the count of three.
One...
[Sharone]
I'm praying to God
it's not dessert.
Two...
[Whitney]
If it's anything with fish,
then, you know,
it's not looking too good.
But I'll still
try really hard.
Three.
Oh, my God.
Oh, boy.
[Gordon]
Right in front of you
are some of the most
amazing ingredients.
Beautiful chocolate,
oranges.
Eggs, sugar, butter.
Milk, cream.
[Sharone]
I'm not feeling great,
because this is not
my strongest point.
And I look to my left,
and the last person
I want to see to my left
is Whitney.
But, lo and behold,
there she is.
[Whitney]
Sharone and I,
as far as sweets,
it's even still,
almost on the same level.
He won the cupcake challenge.
He was in the top
with the dessert challenge.
So, you know, it'll be
a battle today, definitely.
There's nothing
more terrifying
than trying to create
and cook your very own
monstrous...
Souffle.
Oh h* h* h*.
This dish
puts the fear of God
into Chefs around the world.
[Graham]
Guys, this freaks me out.
Souffles are one of the most
technically difficult dishes
that you can make.
[Joe]
When it's great,
it can be one of the most
epic desserts
that you could have
in the world.
And when it doesn't work,
it's a complete disaster.
The secret
of a good souffle is to get
straight from the oven
to the table
in a maximum of 90 seconds.
It is very difficult
to make a souffle.
One reason is because
they can sink so easily.
[Announcer]
Sharone and Whitney
are free to make
as many souffles as they like
in 90 minutes.
But can only present one
to the judges.
Good luck to you both.
Because you're gonna need it.
90 minutes
starting from...
Now!
Off you go.
Good luck.
[Sharone]
Final four means to me
I can actually
be master Chef.
I can make my dream
of opening up a restaurant
come true.
[Whitney]
For me to be
the first master Chef,
it means everything.
So cornstarch, milk,
up to the boil.
Then you add the chocolate.
Then you add the eggs.
It's gotta be exact.
Mm-hmm.
You know,
souffle is chemistry.
It's the incorporation
of the sugar and the egg white.
That's the real
tough challenge.
So much has to do
with timing in this.
I'm just trying to make sure
I measure everything
and just do everything
to a tee,
because this is such
a critical dessert.
You need to cook one first
within those 90 minutes
to understand,
to gain that confidence,
to let it rise
so the underneath
gets that momentum
and pushes the souffle out.
It's not liquid,
but just slightly gooey
at the bottom,
and not liquid.
If that comes out
undercooked,
and it's risen
a little bit.
It will go flat
within seconds.
[David]
Whitney is very methodical,
but making some mistakes.
She took the chocolate off
of the double boiler,
and then poured the chocolate
into the milk
when she should have
taken the milk
and dumped it onto
the chocolate
while it was still
in the double boiler.
I won't lie, I think
Sharone is a better cook
than Whitney.
It really falls down to
if Sharone is gonna try
and over-complicate things.
Because I know that
Whitney's gonna go
right by the book, exactly
how it should be made.
It really is anybody's game
at this point.
[Gordon]
Guy's there's 30 minutes gone
you've got one hour left.
I urge you to get one souffle
in the oven
so you get some idea
of the correct balance
of the sugar,
the egg whites.
- The only time I looked over
to see what Sharone was doing
was when he was putting
his souffles into the oven.
And I was thinking,
"oh, my gosh, Whitney,
"get it together,
get your batter ready,
put it in the oven."
Whitney, can I advise you?
Please get something
in the oven.
Sharone, are you just praying
in front of the oven?
You watching
the oven channel?
Jut watching
the oven channel.
Okay, you have time
to get another one made.
[Sharone]
Throwing my first batch
of souffles in the oven
and just saying,
"please be good.
Please just be good."
[Clock ticking]
Waiting is not fun.
It's t*rture.
That's why I hate baking.
[Gordon]
Just under half an hour
to go guys, yeah?
Whitney, please put something
in the oven.
Otherwise tonight,
you'll be cooking
for your parents again.
[Whitney]
I don't know where
the time went.
I mean, it was insane.
I guess I was just really trying
to be so precise
with my measurements.
Every detail
of the chocolate souffle
I wanted to do perfect.
[Announcer]
With 20 minutes left,
Sharone enjoys
a huge advantage
as he samples
his first souffle,
while Whitney is just getting
her first batch into the oven.
It tastes really good.
[Gordon]
Whitney, how many souffles
you got in the oven?
I have two.
Two.
[Gordon]
Okay, guys, 15 minutes to go.
They take, minimum,
[Sharone]
I've got 15 minutes to go.
I put my second batch in.
I'm hoping that
this batch will rock,
and the judges love it.
You open that oven door...
Yeah, and it's destroyed.
Take your apron off, yeah?
Go back to mom and dad's.
Keep that door closed.
[Whitney]
I have no time to put
any more into the oven.
I really only had
one shot.
I put all my eggs
in the basket,
and this one souffle
was determining
whether I was staying
or being eliminated
from the MasterChef kitchen.
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[announcer]
For two of America's
greatest home cooks,
the dream of
becoming MasterChef rests
on a single
chocolate souffle.
In this final pressure test,
it all comes down
to a battle
between Sharone,
the risk-taker,
and by-the-book Whitney.
Today, one of them
will be going home.
So, Whitney, how long do you
take them out of the oven?
They've been in
for 13 minutes.
[Gordon]
So there's no alternative.
What you've got in there,
you're serving.
Mm-hmm.
[Announcer]
loves to bake.
But in the hopes of creating
the perfect batter,
she never completed
a trial batch.
Will her quest
for perfection pay off?
Or will it cost her
the MasterChef crown?
She's opening it.
Oh, wow!
[Whitney]
I was, like, trembling
as I'm taking
the tray of souffle out.
It was perfectly risen,
but if I didn't hurry up
and present it to the judges,
it could easily collapse.
[Gordon]
As I told you before,
90 seconds before
that starts deflating.
Come on!
Come on.
If it deflates before
we get it here,
there's no souffle.
[Sharone]
My souffles are in the oven.
Whitney's comes out,
and it looks beautiful.
And I'm hoping
she'd drop the souffle.
But there's nothing
I could do but wait.
It's hot.
[Gordon]
Of course it's hot!
Where's your glove?
It's collapsing, Whitney!
Whitney, it's collapsing!
Whitney, you haven't even
tasted it.
Guys, souffle waits
for nobody.
Crack it.
It smells...
Delicious.
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[Whitney]
I was so nervous.
And all I want to do
is just for them
to tell me something,
like,
"it was good, it was bad."
But I couldn't read
their faces at all
when they were trying
my souffle.
[Sighs]
I was hoping that
one mistake she made
would play to my advantage.
I tasted one,
and I made some adjustments.
She didn't taste it,
and she served it.
[Announcer]
Sharone's souffle has
been in the oven for 11 minutes.
With only three minutes left,
his souffle must quickly rise
to the occasion,
or this will be
Sharone's fall
from the MasterChef kitchen.
[Gordon]
Sharone, you have 90 seconds
to go.
And if nothing hits
this table, you are
automatically disqualified
from this competition.
60 seconds to go.
What's he doing?
[Gordon]
30 seconds to go.
20 seconds to go.
With 18 seconds left,
is this it?
This is it.
What was that last bit
you put on top
after the icing sugar?
A little bit of Sea salt.
The difference between
going home
or joining the final four
is in this spoon.
Cross up the top,
straight down to the bottom.
I see the judges eating
Sharone's souffle,
and they just kept
eating it and eating it.
And I'm, like,
"were they eating mine
like they're eating his?"
I mean, I was going insane,
because one of us
is eliminated,
and one of us are gonna
make it to the finals.
You left that, literally,
to the last second.
Well done.
[Announcer]
The judges must decide,
based purely
on their souffle,
who will take
the last remaining place
in the final four
of MasterChef.
[Sharone]
It's not only about the title,
it's not about the cookbook.
It's about the honor
of having three individuals,
who I respect so much,
look at me in the eye
and say that I have it,
and that I'm in.
Okay, Sharone, Whitney...
Well done.
Two delicious souffles.
But there is only
one winner.
The individual joining
the last three
in the final four...
Congratulations goes to...
Okay, Sharone, Whitney,
there is only one winner.
[Lee]
I feel extremely nervous
for them
because it's so close,
and we really have no clue.
[Sheetal]
I would not want to
go up against Sharone.
He has been really strong
throughout the whole
competition.
[David]
I'm gonna say Whitney's
gonna do it,
just because everything she does
is pure magic.
The individual joining
the last three
in the final four...
Congratulations goes to...
Whitney, well done.
Congratulations.
Really well done.
[Graham]
Your souffle was...
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
[Gordon]
Sharone, yours was
delicious.
Sadly...
Slightly undercooked,
slightly cold in the center,
and something that needed
two to three minutes more
to perfect.
I was three minutes away
from perfection,
and now I'm out
of this competition.
I faced a really big
challenge today.
I really had to take down
the pastry princess.
Just doesn't feel good
going home
because deep inside
my heart,
I really feel like
I had it in me,
and I could have won
this thing.
You're a great cook,
a great risk-taker.
Putting that salt
on that souffle
gives me goosebumps because
it took ba*ls that clang.
And it really kind of
blew me away.
[Gordon]
You have got to keep
your head up high.
There's something
exciting about
the danger that
you take with food.
It's refreshing.
You're quirky,
you're confident,
you're a great risk-taker...
And you're gonna go far
with food.
- This has been absolutely
a privilege
and a dream come true
to learn from you guys.
Sharone, I know you
used to stop by mozza
when your wife
was pregnant.
But if you ever wanted to stop
by there and have a job there,
we'd be proud and happy
to have you.
[Applause]
Sharone, your time is done
in MasterChef.
Well done.
[Sharone]
This is not the end
of the road for me.
This is just
an affirmation,
and really opened my eyes
to this world
and made me realize
that I can do this.
And I encourage every single
person who loves food,
and who loves to cook,
and they know that's something
they want to do,
don't be afraid--
go do it.
Go do it.
Don't be afraid.
Hey, dude,
that offer stands now.
I'm gonna take all that
amazing experience
and make sure that
I flourish with it.
Make sure that I grow
and open up
one of the best restaurants
in L.A.
And, hopefully,
maybe compete someday
with a restaurant
like Gordon Ramsay's.
America's gonna get a taste
of that.
[Applause]
The final four!
Oh, my God!
Whoo!
Way to go, Whitney.
Way to go.
Thinking back, knowing
there was 50 of us
in the very beginning--
even, you know, 10,000
that auditioned--
I mean, it's insane knowing
that out of all those people,
I made it to the final four.
David miller--
who would have thought?
I've been sitting
in the middle of the road.
Now I'm at the top
of the game,
and I'm gonna show people
that I belong here
at the top of the game.
Give yourselves
a round of applause.
[Sheetal]
It's anybody's game
right now.
It's like bottom
of the ninth inning,
and it's exciting.
[Lee]
Looking at the three others
that are still here,
I have as good of a chance
of winning this
as any of them,
if not the best chance.
And I am so excited
right now.
Now, you know
you're gonna have
to raise your game
because the stakes have
just gotten higher.
Well done.
Get some sleep,
because you deserve it.
Good night.
Thank you
good night, good night,
good night.
[Announcer]
Next time on MasterChef...
The first ever
MasterChef final.
[Announcer]
It all comes down
to America's
four best amateur cooks--
Whitney, the 22-year-old
student...
I can win this.
[Announcer]
Bartender Lee...
Second place is not
an option.
[Announcer]
Software engineer David...
To be number one,
that's what I'm here for.
[Announcer]
And Sheetal, a teacher.
I am definitely here
to win.
[Announcer]
They'll face off
in their toughest battle yet,
and cook the most
important dishes of their lives.
Oh, God...
Oh!
That is a very big mistake.
[Announcer]
Four finalists competing
for $250,000,
a cookbook publishing deal,
and above all else,
cooking's most coveted title.
The winner of America's
first ever MasterChef.
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01x11 - Top 6 Compete, Part 2
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Based on the British series of the same name and produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, the series features amateur and home chefs competing to win the title of 'MasterChef'.
Based on the British series of the same name and produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, the series features amateur and home chefs competing to win the title of 'MasterChef'.