14x03 - Gen Z Auditions

[bunniefuu]

Gordon: Previously
on "masterchef"...

This is "masterchef:
Generations."

The big question is which
generation is gonna win it all?

So far,
ten home cooks have earned an apron...

I'm only gonna
say one thing-- yes.

- From the millennials...
- That is so delicious.

- And the baby boomers.
- All: Yes!

- Yeah!
- Age is just a number.

My mom always believed in me,
always thought I could do this.

- It's a yes.
- Thank you.

This is a dish that you could
see in any restaurant that I own.

For me, it's an absolute yes.

Can I teach an
old dog new tricks?

Tonight on "masterchef:
Generations,"

The audition rounds continue...

Cooking tonight is gen z,
ladies and gentlemen.

- Let's go!
- Please welcome nick digiovanni.

This isn't online anymore. This is
not on your phone. This is real life.

...As another generation
battles it out for a white apron.

To the other generations,
I wanna say I love you, but watch out.

Everything I make, I make for
the camera first and myself second.

- Is it giving chef?
- It's giving chef.

All those flavors are there.
There's no two ways about that.

I think there's so much
more to come from you.

The lamb is the
star of this dish.

Those indian spices that you have in there,
delicious.

There are just some
amateur moves here

That don't give me
a lot of confidence.

Maybe this is just so gen z

That I don't get it.

[ muter chatter ]

I'm so excited. This is wild.

I don't know who that is.

My sauce better not
break or else I'm gonna cry!

Gen z is here to
win. I'm here to win.

All other generations,
they don't have all the skills

And resources that we do,
so we're coming for 'em.

Definitely gonna ruffle some
feathers and stir the pot a little bit.

You guys have
"masterchef junior."

Some of the old guys over here,
I mean, you guys should start,

Like, a "masterchef senior,"
because I don't know

If they're gonna be able to keep
up by the end of the competition.

[ cheers and applause ]

- We good?
- [ cheering continues ]

Thank you very much.

We are excited!

This is "masterchef:
Generations."

- Whoo!
- Right.

It's time for another generation
to show us what they've got

As our incredible
audition rounds continue.

So far,
ten aprons have been given out.

We've seen the millennials and
the amazing baby boomers cook.

There are two more
generations to go.

Auditioning tonight is...

- Gen z, ladies and gentlemen.
- [ cheering ]

Let's go!

You guys were born around
the turn of the 21st century.

You're the tiktok generation.

You were born with phones in your hands,
right?

Tonight we will be joined
by a very special guest judge,

Someone from your generation.

He is a young man

With over 30 million subscribers

Across his social
media platforms,

Seven guinness world records,

And most importantly,
he got his start right here

Inside the masterchef kitchen.

Please welcome nick digiovanni.

- Oh, my gosh!
- How you doing?

- Good to see you.
- Welcome.

- Wow!
- Good to see you.

- How are you?
- Welcome back.

What's going on?

Nick,
welcome back to the masterchef kitchen.

Thank you. It's
incredible to be back.

I missed everything about
the masterchef kitchen.

It is so impressive
for all of us to witness

How you turned your
time here on "masterchef"

Into an entire career in food.

- Nick: Yeah.
- Gordon: And now,

Literally one of
the most prolific

Food creators on the internet.

You're a perfect example

What "masterchef"
can do to a career.

- Thank you.
- In terms of advice,

Gen zs,
what would you be giving them tonight?

This isn't online anymore. This is
not on your phone. This is real life.

Think fast and make sure everything
is how you'd actually want to taste it.

Don't care so much
about how it looks today.

I would go more with the flavor,
because at the end of the day,

When we all taste it,
that's what's gonna get you the apron.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Now tonight,
you guys have all got 45 minutes

To produce your signature dish.

And to get one of
those white aprons,

You'll need at least three
yeses from the judges.

Your time starts
when the clock starts.

The very best of luck. We'll
see you in the restaurant.

- Here we go.
- Joe: Here we go.

That youthful energy.

- Nick, welcome to the other side.
- Thank you.

- How you feeling, brother?
- It's great to be on this side.

Well, you've earned it,
by the way.

- It's a lot less intimidating.
- Is it really that bad

When you were walking
in for the first time?

Well, it's a dark room.

You see all you
guys lit up in here.

You guys all have serious faces,
sitting straight up.

- What do you think, you know?
- Yeah.

It's scary.

This is gonna be a super
competitive generation.

- Joe: Yep.
- I think it's a generation

That can sometimes be impatient,

But I think we make
up for it in our creativity.

I think the gen zers are gonna
impress you guys. Just wait.

- I hope you're right, nick.
- I hope they bring it.

- [ music playing ]
- go, becca!

- Get the chocolate chips.
- Go, girl!

Okay.

Okay, here we go.

I love being gen z.

It's a perfect storm of learning
from generations before us,

But also being ambitious.
We're the young g*ns.

My name is becca,
I am 24 years old,

And I do customer
and user experience

For a running event company,

But cooking is my passion.

Like, if I could do cooking my entire life,
I absolutely would.

- Looking nice.
- It's melting!

My style of cooking is
rooted in comfort food.

That's what my mom
made growing up.

But I learned from
watching youtube videos

Of how to cook,
and I was reading blogs.

And I think it's my
cooking what it is today.

To the other generations,
I wanna say I love you,

I appreciate you, but watch out,
'cause it's our time.

[ laughter ]

[ crowd cheering ]

- Okay. Okay, smells good.
- Yeah, it does.

- It smells very good. Good evening!
- Hello, hello!

- How are you?
- I am so good. I'm becca.

- Becca, nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.

- Who's with you tonight?
- So I've got my husband joel

- And my wonderful parents.
- Nice to see you all. What are you cooking?

- 'cause this looks, uh--
- fantastic?

- Dessert.
- It looks very sweet.

Yes,
it's called the fancy turtle.

Growing up, we would make
turtle candies with my grandma,

Which is pecans, caramel,
chocolate covered.

So I wanted to bring that and
elevate it like any gen z would.

So it's molten
chocolate lava cake

With a pecan caramel drizzle,

Candied pecans,
and a vanilla whipped cream.

- Nice.
- I love that. So how old are you now?

- I'm 24.
- Nick was standing in your shoes a few years back.

I watched it. You
were fantastic.

I got yelled at a couple
times along the road though.

- You know that, right?
- Hey, it's part of the journey.

Joe's such a [ bleep ].

Isn't he?

This things need to
be liquid in the center.

Absolutely. I've got
things set in place

To make sure that
it's lava for you.

Are you staggering the
cook in terms of first one in?

I'm putting them all in,

And then I'm taking
two of them out,

Checking them,
and if they're not

What I want them to be,
taking the other ones out.

- Smart.
- You see, as an old fart, I'd do it differently.

- Right. For sure.
- This is a gen z thing though.

No, but it's just like being back
at home arguing with the kids.

- Right.
- I would put one in first,

- Wait a minute, put another one in.
- Right. Absolutely.

- Right.
- I tried to explaining that to you, nick,

- Four years ago.
- And we never listen,

- And we still succeed, so we're good.
- Exactly. Good luck, girl.

- Thank you so much, chef.
- Nice to meet you. Amazing.

- Nice to see you.
- Thank you, nick.

- Go! Let's go!
- Come on, becca!

- Put it in there. You got this.
- In they go, becca.

Good luck in there!

I am not disillusioned
to the fact

That a lava cake has
very high expectations.

Those are ready. Ahh.

If they cut into it and it's not lava,
I'm done.

All: Five, four,
three, two, one.

- Yeah!
- [ cheering ]

When I was six,
everyone wanted to be

An astronaut or a ballerina.

- I wanted to be a chef.
- Let's go, girl!

- Yeah, becca!
- This is how I get there,

And I just hope
I get that apron.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Becca: Thank you so much.

My name is becca,
I am 24 years old,

And I have made
for you a fancy turtle.

This is a molten
chocolate lava cake.

It has a caramel pecan drizzle,
it's topped with candied pecans,

And it has a vanilla
whipped cream on the side.

Now this dessert is
packed with jeopardy.

Why come in with such
a difficult dish to nail?

I think for gen zs it's all about,
you know,

We're the youngest
generation right now.

We've gotta prove ourselves,
and so that means taking risks.

- Shall we, gents?
- Yep.

Visually, it's beautiful.

This is actually
my favorite dessert.

But I will say that's a
good and bad thing,

Because I have
extremely high standards.

And the risk here is
that we cut it open,

- If it's not molten, we're not even tasting it.
- Absolutely.

So you're playing, like,
super high-risk game here.

- Yep.
- Gordon: How long was it in the oven for, becca?



- If it doesn't run...
- We're done.

Becca, you chose to come
with the most high-risk dessert.

And the risk here is
that we cut it open,

- If it's not molten, we're not even tasting it.
- Absolutely.

Good news for you. Let's
hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Gordon: And what
chocolate did you use?

Becca: Bittersweet.
I'm a dark chocolate girl.

I would've loved if you'd cut
those nuts up a little bit smaller.

- It's hard to take that big of a bite sometimes.
- For sure.

It almost cuts your mouth.
But the lava was perfect,

And it was just the right amount of
sweet and bitter at the same time.

- I think you crushed it.
- Thank you.

- For me, it's a yes.
- Thank you.

The cake is flawless.
It's everything you expect.

It has the right texture,
consistency,

The chocolate is well-tempered.

It's soft, ooey-gooey.

- So for me that's a yes.
- Thank you so much.

You know, it's good,
but there's a lot of good molten cakes.

At this point, I'm more evaluating,
like, do you have what it takes?

- Absolutely.
- You willing to fight?

I may be a part of the
youngest generation,

But that doesn't mean that
I should be underestimated.

I've been underestimated
my entire life.

It's driven me to fight harder,

To be stronger,
to be more determined than ever.

That's exactly what
I'm gonna bring here.

- Joe, what's it gonna be?
- Yeah.

It's bold to cook the
molten lava cake.

- Yeah.
- For that boldness, congratulations.

- Thank you so much!
- Well done.

- Thank you so much. Oh, my gosh.
- You're welcome.

- Don't get eaten alive out there.
- It's an honor, all of you.

- It's an honor. Thank you.
- Gordon: Congrats.

And just from my point of
view it was a yes as well.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you so much.

[ cheering ]

Becca: I'm beyond excited.

- I got four yeses, which is crazy.
- Nice!

They loved it. I k*lled it.

I'm so excited. Yeah,
it's fantastic.

- We knew you would k*ll it.
- All: Yay!

- I thought you guys were tough cookies.
- Nah, not tough at all.

It's great we've got no dress
code in the masterchef kitchen.

No, he got a new t-shirt for us.

What are you-- you
got your dress up t-shirt?

You guys didn't tell
me ahead of time.

Do you wanna borrow
one of my jackets?

I didn't get the memo.

Joe: Good start. Strong.

Keep going,
violet. Nice and smooth.

- Keep going.
- I feel great repping gen z.

I feel like I'm making a very tiktok
authentic dish, and I hope gen z sees it.

My name is violet,
I'm 23 years old,

I live in san francisco,
california,

And I am a full-time
content creator.

On tiktok,
I have 2.2 million followers,

And I'm one of the top food
content creators for my age.

Shroomies are good.

I'm making kind of a
take on steak and eggs.

Everything I cook,
I think about how it would look

On social media,
and I can't even erase that from my head.

It's phone-y, it's first.

Everything I make,
I make for the camera first

And myself second. Having
such a huge following,

I feel like I need to prove
myself to my followers.

They're going off my word
alone that my food is good,

And I wanna show them that other
people in real life enjoy my food, too.

- I think it slays.
- It's fantastic.

- Is it giving chef?
- It's giving chef.

[ laughter ]

- Keep going, violet. Nice.
- Keep on the plating.

- Yep.
- All: Three, two, one.

On tiktok, if I cook something wrong,
I can throw it out.

I can redo it and no
one has to know about it.

But on "masterchef" it's one shot,
one take,

So it really makes me nervous.

My name is violet, I'm 23,

And this is a new york
strip steak with chimichurri,

A goat cheese mushroom
stuffed omelette,

Along with some crispy potatoes.

- I have 2 million followers on tiktok...
- Wow.

...And I hope people will
see that what I am on tiktok

- Can be translated into real life.
- Incredible.

And the viral videos,
was it with dishes like this?

It was strangely not dishes
like this that made me blow up.

My really viral video had 35
million views for a kale salad.

- Kale salad?
- A kale salad.

- I was shocked people liked it that much.
- Amazing. Shall we?

- Yeah.
- Uh, right.

Listen,
there's great color on the steak,

Potatoes look delicious, but I
wouldn't associate this dish to gen z.

- This for me looks more like a baby boomer?
- Oh, my gosh.

I thought I was gonna see
something a little bit more attractive.

It does look a little old
now that I'm looking at it.

- Yeah.
- Shall we?

Um, temperature, violet,
on the new york strip,

- What have you gone for?
- I was hoping for medium rare.

Gordon: The steak is
more towards a medium.

And just a technical thing,
you didn't render

At all the fat
part of the steak.

- Nick: Yeah, this part right here.
- Joe and aarón: Yeah.

It was kind of a
mess up on my part.

Okay, so being gen x, maybe
this is just so gen z that I don't get it.

It's an omelette and
a steak and potatoes.

It seems like you're
just kind of putting down

The greatest hits
of bistro dishes

Without having a clear idea

Of what the dish is.

For me, it's a no.

Aarón: Yeah, I mean, for me,

The chimichurri is
as textbook as it gets.

But some of the potatoes
are very greasy and overdone.

So I'm sorry. For me, it's a no.

- Okay. Thanks.
- Joe: Sorry about that.

- Gordon: Violet, that's two nos unfortunately.
- No worries.

Continued success.

Hey! It's okay.

You guys.

I really appreciate
the feedback they had.

I think it was super
valid and helpful.

I might be leaving
without an apron,

But it's giving growth
and opportunities.

[ crowd cheering ]

Go, fatima! Go, fatima!

[ cheering continues ]

Hello.

- Hello, hello.
- Hi, hi.

- How are you?
- What's your name?

- I'm fatima.
- What are you making there?

That looks delicious.

I'm making mashed jasmine rice

- With a black-eyed pea soup...
- Okay.

...And lamb chops.

This is actually
a nigerian dish,

- But I'm fusing it into a nigerian-indian dish.
- Nice.

- Is that your ethnicity?
- Yes, I'm nigerian.

- And what do you do in life?
- I'm a doctor.

- You're a doctor? A medical doctor? Wow.
- Yes, I am. A medical doctor.

I mean, being a doctor,
I imagine you're-- how old are you?

- I'm 26. Yes, I am.
- So you're a young doctor.

How do you integrate the
passion for cooking in your life?

I honestly believe that
we are what we eat,

And I see a lot of similarities
in cooking and medicine.

So you've kind of
done it all already.

- Yes.
- And now you're here at "masterchef."

This is the last
thing I need to do.

- You need to do this?
- Yes.

- To win this competition?
- To win this competition.

Aarón: I'm excited about this.

Joe: I like it,
too. I like it, too.

I mean, look,
she's obviously smart.

Can you bring the smarts of
being a doctor into the kitchen?

Yes,
I'm not only bringing my smartness here.

I'm also bringing
my passion for food.

- Your passion for food.
- Ooh!

- I'm sorry.
- Just start it slow.

- Start it real slow.
- I'm so sorry.

- No, no, no, no. We're good.
- It's okay.

This is the risk of being
in the kitchen. It's all good.

- Good luck.
- Well, I'd like to see more of it.

- Fatima: Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

In the nigerian culture, our parents
really like to push us for success.

They believe that success is when you
become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer.

And I love being a doctor,

But I've cooked
all through my life.

I never stopped cooking,
and I don't think I'll ever stop.

All: Five, four,
three, two, one!

- Welcome.
- Hi.

My name is fatima. My food
is inspired by my background.

I was born in nigeria.

This is a traditional
dish-- tuwo gbegiri.

It's made out of lamb chops,

Fragrant mashed jasmine rice,
and black-eyed pea sauce.

Gordon: Shall we?

Fatima,
I'm a big fan of nigerian cuisine,

But I love this gen z twist,
the modernization of it,

Because I think
you've gone all posh.

It does look like a
good sear on the lamb.

- I'm excited to dig in.
- I hope you like it.

Gordon: Do we have a
temperature on the lamb?

- Both: Medium rare.
- Aarón: Man, that is a great.

- Joe: That's a good medium rare.
- Gordon: Mm-hmm.

Fatima, you've nailed the lamb. Sauce,
beautiful.

Rice just needs seasoning.

Even a touch of heat in there,

A whole chili or something,
just to perfume it.

Yeah, I think there's so
much more to come from you.

So on that note,
it's a yes from me.

- Thank you.
- Nick: The problem with gen z

Is we often focus too
much on the visuals.

I think what you've
done here instead actually

- Is focus on the flavor.
- Right, the flavor. Exactly.

And you've nailed the flavor. So,
for me it's a yes.

- Thank you.
- All right, that's two. And you only one more yes.

- You don't look concerned.
- [ fatima laughs ]

Right? Because if I say yes,
you get the apron.

And you think that I liked the dish,
right?

- You sound like you like it.
- Right.

- But I know you.
- What does that mean?

- I've seen you.
- Have you ever seen me be dishonest?

No.

Well, fatima, congratulations.

- Thank you.
- Doctor, it was delicious.

- Congratulations.
- Good job.

Thank you so much.

[ crowd cheering ]

[ laughing ]

I got the "masterchef" apron!

Congratulations,
fatima! We love you so much.

- We're so proud of you, fatima!
- Thank you!

- You got this, matt!
- My name's matt. I'm 27 years old.

I'm an air force captain and
space force program manager.

When I was in the air force academy,
the mess hall,

It's not typically
the best food.

So I had to teach
myself how to cook

And I just fell in love with it.

It's looking really good, matt.

That's a beautiful piece
of fish right there. Yeah.

[ crowd cheering ]

- Young man. How are you, man?
- Glad to see you, sir.

- First name? Matt, welcome.
- Matt.

- Matt, how's it going?
- Nice to meet you, nick.

- What's the dish?
- This is gonna be

A parmesan crusted salmon
with whipped potatoes.

I love the towel
over the shoulder.

That reminds me of
myself in the kitchen here.

I may have learned a
thing or two from your tiktok.

As long as it's not from gordon's,
and you're looking at my stuff.

Wow, yeah. I mean,
I do need more followers.

- We're at 40 million now. What are you on now?
- Okay.

- Oh!
- All jokes apart, salmon-- skin side down?

I've got it in the oven right now
currently cooking skin side down.

- It's in the oven already? It's not overcooked?
- Uh, no, it's got about--

- Well, I'll check right now.
- Nick: Better hope not.

Wow. Right, young man,
don't overcook that salmon.

- Great meeting you. Great meeting you.
- Thank you.

- That looks beautiful, baby!
- Looking good, baby.

Dude,
you got a minute and a half.

A lot of flavor,
baby. You've got this. Let's go, matt!

All: Three, two, one.

- Whoo!
- Let's go!

Let's go!

[ cheering continues ]

I'm matt,
I'm an air force captain...

- Nice.
- ...Active duty,

And this is a parmesan
crusted salmon

With tomato and cilantro chutney

On a bed of whipped potatoes.

All right,
let's take a look, guys.

Let's see, let's see.

Listen, it's simple,
and not too sure

How that tomato chutney and
that whipped mash are gonna work.

Let's hope it tastes a lot
more exciting than it looks.

- Shall we?
- How long did you cook the salmon for, matt?

The salmon was cooked at


Gotcha.

And that's the bit there that
I'm sort of frustrated about,

Knowing full well that
you took such care

And attention cooking
it skin side down

And getting that really crispy,

And you've stuck it
in the whipped mash.

I wanna start by saying
thank you for your service,

And it does look like you
know your way around food.

There's no question about that.

The salmon is the star
of this dish right here,

And you could tell right off
the bat that it's overcooked

When it starts to turn that white
as opposed to that lighter pink.

And I'm sorry to say,
but it's a no from me.

You're disciplined.
I can see it.

Just the way you present
yourself is so respectful.

If that salmon was
cooked four minutes less,

I'd be putting the
apron on you. I just--

Professionally, I can't,

And it pains me
because you're so close.

It's a no from me

With the hope that
the door stays open

- And you'll come back.
- Yes, sir.

It's the salmon!

Person: Let's go,
adam! You got this!

Adam: That's done.

All right, all right.

- Hey, hey, hey, what's your name, brother?
- What's up, guys?

- So I'm adam.
- What's happening, bro?

So I'm doing an za'atar
spiced lamb souvlaki.

I'm doing a homemade
bread because I love to bake,

And doing a lot of fresh
components like bright acidity.

Joe: What you're doing
is overcooking that lamb.

Yeah,
yeah. You gotta be careful with that.

Yeah,
you like a hard sear? Okay, cool.

Adam: I like the hard sear.

Take it off,
take it off, take it off.

- You think so?
- You can always put it back in.

Take it off,
bro. That is medium well to well.

I don't know how you
wanna cook that lamb,

- But we're gonna judge it, so.
- Okay.

So what's the day job, brother?

- I work on a dude ranch.
- A dude ranch?

- Yeah.
- So it's basically a horse ranch, right?

- Yeah.
- What do you do?

- I work in the kitchen there.
- You cook?

- Aarón: Oh, nice.
- I don't think I've ever been to a dude ranch.

I grew up in the city. For me,
that was like going to the bronx zoo.

Yeah, he'd go to a dude
ranch in his suit like this

And then we would
make fun of him.

Well, continue the fight,
young man, okay?

- Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much, guys.
- Good luck.

Thank you. Time?

Two minutes and 50 seconds.

So the dude ranch where I work,
it's all pretty much gen z.

Everyone is just
out of college,

And they are very hard
workers six days a week.

So I'm excited to kind of show
that to the older generations

That gen z is passionate
and gen z is ambitious.

All: Five, four,
three, two, one.

Let's go.

Welcome.

My name is adam hart, I'm 23,
I'm a dude rancher from colorado.

Today I've prepared for you
a za'atar spiced lamb souvlaki

With a homemade flatbread,
a garlic confit tzatziki sauce,

A pistachio mint tapenade,
and then a greek salad

With a lemon mint vinaigrette.

- Let's go to greece.
- Let's do it.

So visually, listen,
there's a lot going on here.

- Did you make those flatbreads?
- Yes, yes.

How'd you get them done in
such a short period of time?

So instead of using yeast,
I used baking powder, baking soda.

- Smart.
- Yeah.

I just love the technical
ability of what you've done

And what you've managed
to achieve in 45 minutes,

But I'm slightly
concerned about the lamb.

It looks dry, young man.

How long did you cook that lamb for,
adam?

I would say it was in the
pan about eight minutes.

So the idea is to get
these little pockets.

- A little bit of this?
- Gordon: Yeah.

This plate is ambitious.

All those flavors are there,
there's no two ways about that.

The tzatziki, beautiful,
love the bread,

But you need to be super
careful when you cut that lamb

'cause it's all inconsistent.

Some bits are medium,
some are medium well, some are rare.

I was actually fortunate
enough to get a pink bit.

- It actually tasted delicious.
- Thank you.

I thought that marinade
you did worked really well.

The only thing I would've
loved is a little bit more acidity

In the tzatziki,
just a bit more.

Okay, okay.

I think you did a good job,
all things considered,

And I think there's a lot of great,
delicious things there.

Thank you.

Here's the issue. It's good.

My question is,
is it good enough for "masterchef?"

I believe so.

Even though this lamb
is slightly overcooked?

Yeah, I'm hoping that the
flavor comes through enough.

First time being in there,
it's a lot going on.

So, I think that was the hard part,
for sure.

That's just the beginning, bro.

If you stay here,

There's a lot going on
every minute of the day.

Absolutely.

Well,
you need three yeses for an apron. Aarón?

For me,
I just think the ambition,

The amount of work you got
accomplished shows me promise.

- So for me, it's a yes.
- Thank you.

- Gordon: Nick.
- I know there's a lot going on,

But you did a lot,
so for me, it's a yes.

Thank you.

For the reasons I previously stated,
it's a no.

Wow.

So that's two yeses, one no.

That leaves it to you, gordon.

Yeah, it's a tough one,
this one.

So...

Adam, it's-- it's a no.

It's a no to the dude ranch,

And it's a big yes
to "masterchef."

- No way.
- Welcome. Congratulations, bro.

- Thank you so much.
- Get that on. Well done.

Appreciate it. Thanks.

- Thank you, joe.
- You gotta study up, bro.

Absolutely. I will get on it.

[ crowd cheering ]

This is my absolute
dream to get an apron.

It really is a good confirmation
of my passion and my skill,

And it's really exciting
to be on the next step.

Congratulations.

- The pita bread was good.
- I think he's trainable.

- I think he'll be a great sponge, definitely.
- I hope you're right.

So three aprons down. Two to go.

Two to go. Let's do it.

Knead that dough,
knead that dough! You got it!

"little chef."

Woman: You got it, sophie.
Look how beautiful that filling looks.

Sophie, sophie! Yeah!

Oh, my god.

- Good evening!
- Oh, my god. Hello.

Not me turning on the wrong
burner as you guys come.

I get so nervous. You
guys are literally my icons.

I've been watching your videos forever,
nick,

So this is kind of crazy
to see you in person.

This is crazy. Well,
first tell us your name.

- I don't even know your name.
- Oh, yes, okay.

So I'm sophie, I'm 23 years old,
and I currently work

As a software
engineer in virginia.

- Gordon: And what's the dish?
- So today I'll be making

Pork and shrimp dumplings
with homemade wrappers.

And are you making
everything homemade?

Yes,
so I have dumpling skins over there,

- And I'm actually rolling it through a pasta machine.
- Wow.

But yeah, I'm honestly hoping
to slay in the kitchen, do my thing.

So sorry. "sleigh?"
is it christmas time?

Have you never
heard the term before?

Have you ever heard
the term "speed up?"

Yes, I'm going.

Listen, get your timing right,
roll that dough thin enough.

Trust me. You will slay, girl.

There we go,
there we go! There it is!

- You like that?
- I love that.

- Good luck.
- Thank you!

Woman: Here we go,
here we go. You got this, you got this.

Beautiful, beautiful.

All: Sophie, sophie,
sophie, sophie!

All: Three, two, one.

Good job!

Welcome.

My name is sophie wang,

And today I have made
pork and shrimp dumplings

With spicy cucumber
salad on the side

And a spicy chili dipping sauce.

Well, it looks like a restaurant
plating for sure. Can't wait to try them.

Yay! Okay.

I think that the construction
of the dumpling is very good,

And the sauce is really
good. It's not mind-blowing,

- And this is a tough competition.
- Right.

But I like it enough
that I'm gonna say yes.

Aarón?

Yeah, I think for me,
it's a straightforward dish.

Everything when you
have a dish like this

Has to be rolling
on all cylinders,

And right here,
the cucumber's a little bit boring.

The sauce is the best
part about this dish.

I just don't see enough there.

So I'm sorry. For me,
it's gonna be a no.

Okay.

One yes, one no. Gordon?

Gordon: So the crimping is done
beautiful. You absolutely nailed that.

The dough is a little bit thick,

But the intensity has slightly
dried out the filling I had.

And unfortunately,
for me, it's a no.

Gotcha.

Aw.

It's okay. Come here, come here.

It's okay. I'm so proud of you.

Just not enough.

Gordon: And where's her twist?

I think back to your original
signature dish, the personality.

Yeah,
yeah. Where's the boldness?

- You remember his signature dish?
- Gordon: I do.

Today I brought you a
handmade lamb ravioli.

Gordon: Wow. Delicious.

Making fresh pasta from
scratch is definitely an a-star.

That's top notch.

Nick, I feel like gen z,

That you guys orientate
towards cooking

Out of your natural
wheelhouse or your culture

And experimenting a lot more.

For us gen zers,
we have a huge amount of pride

Behind part of gen z,

And I think we have
a lot to prove as well.

Yeah,
that's true. That's what we need to see.

Absolutely.

Let's go, z!

- Pour that water!
- Yeah, jake!

I think being gen z
honestly helps so much

Because anytime you're confused,

You do not have to drive 40
minutes down to the library,

Walk up and down a
hill two times both ways

To get the library to
know how to do something.

You can just look
at it on your phone.

My name is hallie,
I'm 24 years old,

And I'm a cornhole
queen from alabama.

Me and my fiancé have
been playing cornhole

For about two years now.

Of course when I first started,
trash.

Could not make it on the board.

But now I'm really proud to say

I'm the 40th in the
country at the moment.

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

I'm known as the chef

Out of all my friends
when it comes to cornhole,

So if I walk into
any tournament,

They're like,
"did you bring me a plate?"

- How are you feeling timewise?
- I think I'm pretty good.

Good evening! How are you?

Hallie clark. Nice to meet you.

- Both: Nice to meet you.
- Gordon. Nick. Welcome.

Gordon: Tell me about the dish.

I'm making teriyaki
stir-fried lamb.

We had it on one of our dates when
would travel the country playing cornhole,

And we have loved it ever since.

- Cornhole?
- As in... Gotcha.

- Do you play that a lot?
- We play competitive cornhole.

We travel the country doing it.

- For a living?
- For a living, yes.

Would you like to play?
I made you some bags.

What?

- Look, come here.
- Okay.

While this is rendering,
we have a second.

- Hallie: Take a bag.
- Gordon: Right.

- Take a bag.
- Are you kidding me?

- I'm so serious.
- Right.

So you're gonna step up to here,

And then you just throw it.

And that's it. Go,
nick, you go next.

- No, you go next!
- Okay.

- You, go, go, go.
- Okay, all right.

Here we go.

See if y'all can do it.

Oh.

[ screaming ]

My bag.

So sorry. Excuse me.

Oh, my god.

I would suggest no more cornhole
playing during the cooking here.

- No, please.
- Yes, sir.

They smell delicious.

Get a really good sear
on those lamb chops.

Lock in that flavor and
render that fat down.

- Good luck.
- It was pleasure meeting y'all.

Gordon: Likewise.

- How far out do you think you are?
- Not very far.

Let's finish up.

All: Six, five, four,
three, two, one.

Whoo!

Being a gen zer typically means

The internet is gonna tell
you you're not good enough.

Seeing people live these
lives that you aim to live,

Of course you're gonna sit
here and doubt yourself and think,

"I can't cook that dish.
I'm not good enough."

But I really hope
this competition

And me getting
this apron confirms

That I am good enough.

My name is hallie,
and I made teriyaki stir fried lamb

With rice and vegetables.

Visually, joe,
what do you think?

Visually,
it doesn't really blow my mind,

But I'm really
curious to try it.

Shall we?

What's the rub on the
lamb? What have you done?

Hallie: The rub is
just salt and pepper,

And then I glazed it
with the teriyaki sauce.

- Wow, that's beautiful.
- That's good.

- Cooked beautifully.
- Nick: Cooked perfectly.

- Joe: Good job.
- Thank you.

The lamb is the
star of this dish,

And that was a
beautiful piece of lamb

When you cut it open there.

It's not easy to do,
so for me, it's a yes.

Thank you.

There's just some
amateur moves here

- That don't give me a lot of confidence.
- Okay.

Aarón: Incorporate
the rice with the veg

And then have
something to bind it.

You're seasoning
it with the soy.

Season it with something else,

- And that would make it really magical.
- Yeah.

So for me,
I'm gonna say no. I'm sorry.

Thank you.

So I'm gonna go beyond the dish.

I mean,
the dish is fine. You know how to cook.

I think that your challenge
is you're un-ingredient savvy.

I don't think you have a lot
of experience with spices,

But that's good news for
you because that's teachable.

I'm gonna say yes
to your potential.

Thank you.

Wow. One no, two yeses.

So lamb's cooked beautifully.
Let's get that absolutely clear.

I mean,
it's just restaurant quality,

But the bit that lets this
dish down for me is the veg

- Because it's watery.
- Yes, sir.

Gordon: So when
you think of a stir fry,

We sort of caramelize
those vegetables,

It needs heat. But
I agree with joe.

I think you are teachable,
so it's a yes from me.

- Congratulations, well done.
- Thank you so much.

It's a big yes for me.

- Ah, thank you so much.
- Gordon: Put it on.

The journey begins.
Get ready to learn.

Yes, sir. I'm stoked to learn.

Man: Hell yeah!

Whoa!

This apron means
the world to me.

I'm one of the most
competitive people you'll meet.

I cannot wait to rep
gen z and win this all.

Yeah!

Let's go, murt!

- Murt: Oh, my goodness.
- Come on, murt.

There we go. It's
not your first rodeo.

- Yeah!
- Whoo-hoo!

My name is murt,
I'm 27 years old,

I'm from fort lauderdale,
florida,

And I'm a gen z,
baby. I'm a gen z.

- Oh, yeah.
- Aw.

So thing is,
we grew up learning about the internet

And we kind of find
our recipes from that.

So these old people,
the boomers,

I don't think they're as intelligent
as we are when using the internet.

That's not my problem. That's
gonna work to my advantage.

And I don't know if the boomers
are gonna last the entire thing.

So I hope they have their life alerts on,
I'm gonna be honest.

I am the most unique person
you're ever gonna meet.

I have a wild personality. I'm a
country boy that lives in south florida.

So pretty much I'm on a
boat almost every weekend.

I love being on the water,
I love being in the boat,

And I love getting a tan,
so why not?

I think I look better
with my shirt off.

I guess you guys will
probably see that later.

Maybe put a little picture
here if you guys want to,

But anyways, yeah,
you being shirtless on a boat

And being able to
cook the fish afterwards

Is kind of a no-brainer
and the ladies are gonna--

They're gonna slide into
your dms. Come on now.

Mmm,
a man that can crack an egg. God.

I came into "masterchef" now because
I'm at the peak performance of my cooking.

Boom.

I feel bad for the other
people who I'm up against.

Ooh, that is burned.

Ugh, god, it did burn.

I burnt my butter.

Person: You got this, murt.

We pivot,
we pivot! You got this!

You're doing great. Keep
doing what you're doing.

I'm gonna re-cook the
lobster. How much time I got?

Man: Just about ten minutes.

Shnikes, man.

I'm frazzled, anne.

- You're good.
- It's okay.

[ blows raspberry ] all right,
here we go.

- Beautiful. Deep breaths.
- Pace yourself.

Looks good. There we go.

Chef's kiss. Chef's kiss.

I'm shaking like a leaf.

You've got it in.

All: Five, four,
three, two, one.

I am losing it right now. I mean,
I am not gonna lie.

There's a lot of things that went wrong
that I didn't think were gonna go wrong,

But I'm happy I bounced
back. That's the biggest thing.

I wanna win. I put my blood,
sweat, and tears into that.

I'm sweating. That's
why my hair's a mess.

Here it goes, man.

- Gordon: Welcome.
- What's going on, guys? What's going on?

My name is murt,

And today I made for you guys

A florida lobster tempura roll

With a lobster slaw,
and a spicy mayo.

Joe: Yeah, let's take a taste.

Murt, it looks good. I'm amazed
you got that done in 45 minutes.

Murt: That was the most stressful
thing I've ever done in my life,

But I live by the fact
that it's not how you start,

It's how you finish,

And I'm pretty proud of
what I put on the plate.

- What kind of batter did you use?
- So I did a tempura batter,

And I think the thinner the tempura batter,
the better.

You want that crunch to it.

But also the problem
with cooking lobster twice

Is the second time around,
especially fried,

It could be seriously rubber.

Talk me through the layers.

What's in there?

So you have cream cheese,
you have asparagus for a crunch,

Avocado, and you have cucumber,

And on top you have a slaw that
includes some of the spicy mayo.

Right, murt,
the lobster's cooked beautifully.

- Thank you.
- It's incredibly sweet.

Sadly, I'm not getting the
crunch from the sushi roll.

I'm getting more crunch from the undercooked
asparagus, and I'll be honest with you,

I am not a big cream
cheese fan inside a sushi.

- Really?
- Yeah, really.

But listen, I've always been a big
advocate of adventurous cooking,

- And then there's dangerous cooking.
- Mm-hmm.

Sadly,
you fall in the dangerous cooking bracket

Because I don't think you're fully
understanding what you're putting together.

- Okay.
- For me, it's a no.

Okay.

Murt, all criticisms aside,

I'm feeling your energy.

I put my blood, sweat,
and tears into that dish.

No, I get it, man.

Maybe this dish
is ahead of them.

They don't even get it.

Gen z, we're paving the future.

Absolutely, dude. I feel you.

- Thank you, thank you.
- Me and you, bro.

Murt: Thank you. There it is,
there it is.

For me,
you are what we're looking for.

- It's a big yes from me.
- Thank you.

One yes, one no. Aarón?

That sauce is really the
saving grace in this whole thing

'cause it actually does
bring everything together.

So I appreciate that.
There's a lot of expert cooking

And a lot of promise,
and for me, it's a yes.

Oh, man. All right, two yeses.

So, murt,
fate lies in nick, gen z.

I saw the dish,
I loved the look of it,

I tasted it, and then in my
head right away I sort of felt like

I would've rather had that
lobster tail just nice and clean

Fresh out of the ocean
with just some simple butter

Brushed on top after
it had been grilled.

But I also love that
you've been bold

With taking some
of those flavors,

And playing around
a little bit here.

So I'm really not sure.

Joe: Think about
it. It's a big decision.

It's what you came here to do,
nick.

Come on.

Aw.

Aah!

Let's go, baby, let's go! Whoo!

- I made it happen.
- Oh, my god.

I put something on the
dish that was incredible,

And edible,
and delicious I guess!

So yes, we have the apron. The top 20,
baby, top 20.

Wow. What a night.

Final apron has gone to
gen z. Tremendous cooks.

- Yeah.
- Amazing.

- I told you guys.
- You're absolutely right.

Listen, it's been an absolute
pleasure having you back.

- Continue success.
- I love it, I love it.

- Thank you.
- Great job.

- You make us proud, brother.
- Thank you, thank you.

Rock on, bro.

Gordon: Next time it's
the final round of auditions

With generation x.

Please welcome christine ha.

For gen x, we strive under pressure,
so let's bring it.

We didn't really have
the internet to find recipes.

As more home
cooks battle it out...

Marie: We're the generation
that's supposed to be seen

And not heard,
but you gonna hear from me today.

I've got to put flour
in this. [ bleep ].

Aw, [ bleep ].

Gordon: ...For
the last five aprons.

I like the different
textures in here.

Gordon: The shrimp
are cooked beautifully.

- They've got the right amount of heat.
- Thank you.

This is a great example of
frying something the wrong way.