14x14 - Feel the Burn: Mystery Box

[bunniefuu]

Gordon: Previously on
"MasterChef: Generations"...

You will need to make
a restaurant-quality dish

- featuring coffee.
- No way.

- Kamay, what is that?
- This is a lamb chop. We're going Moroccan flavors.

Daniela, get that skin rendered
down so that chicken's cooked nicely.

- Yes, sir.
- God.

- Look at Rebecka.
- I have to start over.

- Oh, my Lord.
- My panna cotta's not set.

You can drink it
like a milkshake.

Rebecka,
what you have here is raw phyllo dough.

Daniela, that chicken is way
undercooked. Say good-bye.

- Kamay, the lamb is cooked beautifully.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Congratulations, Kamay.
- I made the top 10.

- Tonight, it's a hot one.
- Oh, my gosh!

- Please welcome Sean Evans.
- [ cheering ]

- Lift!
- ...with an extra spicy mystery box challenge.

Have you started to sweat yet?

Sounds like it's gonna
get even hotter in here.

Two of you will be going home.

- Here we go.
- [ bleep ]

- You got this, Becca.
- Jeez. [ groans ]

- You happy with that?
- Absolutely awful.

- It's like eating spicy sand.
- This is gonna take you down.

[ music playing ]

- Here we go - Joe: All right.

Wow, top 10. Come on.

Things are about to get
a little heated. Ready?

- Aarón: Yep.
- Joe: Yes.

Gordon: Look at that.

Joe: Getting hot in here.

- Oh!
- Whoo! Oh!

- Oh, my gosh!
- Whoa, whoa!

Can we get some
fire extinguishers?

Oh, my God, look at that.

I don't know what
the heck is going on.

There's fire everywhere.

There's fire in the house.

It's almost beautiful,
but I'm no pyromaniac.

- This is wild.
- Rebecka: Holy Moses.

This is crazy.

I haven't got a clue

as to what's
underneath these boxes.

I'm thinking maybe a barbecue?

I don't know.

Where's a marshmallow?

Someone get me a stick.

Welcome back,
everybody. It is the top 10.

Have you started to sweat yet?

Right, all of you,
blow out that fire on top of your boxes.

Joe: Come on, Horacio. Let's go!

- [ cheering, laughing ]
- Oh, my gosh.

He's got, like,
the birthday candle one. Let's go!

Aarón: Come on, Horacio!

One more time. Come on.

[ cheering ]

Now, if things weren't
hot enough in here already,

tonight,
two individuals will be eliminated.

- [ groaning, sighing ]
- Oh, my goodness.

- That's a big one.
- Now, all of you, very carefully,

on the count of three,
lift your mystery boxes!

One, two, three, lift.

- [ gasping ]
- Oh, my gosh.

- Kimberly: Ooh, spicy.
- Rebecka: Peppers!

So many peppers.

I'm seeing a lot of red.

And red is hot and spicy,
so I'm a little worried

- because I don't have a huge spice tolerance.
- Yeah.

So, may the spice be with me.

Gordon: In front of you,
you can see an amazing variety

of all things hot,
from chili peppers

to hot sauces,
and even dry spices.

These look very hot.

Tonight, your challenge is
to use those hot ingredients

and incorporate them into
a restaurant-quality dish.

We want to see all of
you use not just one,

not two,
but at least three items.

All: Yes, Chef.

Now,
here to help us judge tonight

is a very special guest.

He knows a thing
or two about hot stuff.

All of you,
please welcome the mastermind

behind the mega-viral

social media
sensation "Hot Ones"...

- No way, dude.
- Sean Evans!

[ cheers and applause ]

I absolutely love Sean Evans.

I'm a huge fan.

I've watched so
many of his videos,

especially his with Gordon.
That one was just insane.

This is mind-blowing.
This couldn't be any cooler.

Sean,
welcome to the MasterChef kitchen

- for the very first time.
- Thanks for having me.

- First of all, congrats on everything, man.
- Oh, thank you, buddy.

I mean, you've just taken the
"Hot Ones" to a whole new level.

And I think that our
episode we did together

- was watched by over 125 million individuals.
- Wow.

And it just doesn't stop,
either. It's still growing.

It's the show with hot
questions and even hotter wings.

Yeah,
okay. That's hot now. Tingling everywhere.

- Yeah.
- [ bleep ]

Man! Now what
are you laughing at?

[ blow nose ] Aww, man.

Even my [ bleep
] nostrils are hot.

[ bleep ]

- That's not normal.
- No.

In fact,
this [ bleep ] program's not normal.

How do you keep so
cool in amongst that heat?

You know what? It's just the
plate-spinning, Gordon, all right?

I'm sitting across
from Gordon Ramsay.

I don't know what's coming next.

So I don't have time to
worry about how hot it is.

- Adam, I've never seen you so happy.
- Yeah.

- You're a big fan of the "Hot Ones," right?
- Absolutely a huge fan.

I've seen almost all of them,
I feel like.

So it's absolutely
amazing to see Sean here.

- Nice to meet you, Adam. Good luck.
- Yeah, thanks, man.

Now, everyone knows that
you really do understand

how to eat an amazing
chicken wing with hot sauces.

- But you're also a hot food connoisseur.
- Yeah.

So, in terms of these amateur
chefs tonight, any advice?

It's very important that
your dishes are balanced.

The other components of that
meal have to rise to the occasion,

'cause the spice is
gonna make it intense.

- Yep.
- All right, everyone.

So you'll have 45 minutes to
make us those spicy dishes.

- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.

Oh, one more thing. Kamay?

- Yes, Chef?
- Are you ready to hear the advantage that you won

- in the last challenge?
- Yes, Chef.

You will get to
choose one person

who you'll ice out
for five minutes.

And guess what?
It's up to you to decide

when that happens,

as long as it's before
the 15-minute mark.

Being iced out for five minutes?

When you only have


that could make or break a dish.

Now, whoever makes the best dish

will earn the last big
advantage of the season.

- Everybody ready?
- Yep.

- Then your 45 minutes start...
- Now!

- Let's go!
- Go, go, go!

- Let's go!
- Go, go, go, go, go!

- Go, go, go, go, go!
- [ overlapping chatter ]

- Let's go.
- We running, man.

- You got it, guys.
- Come on. Let's do this.

- Let's do this, guys.
- Let's do this.

- Okay, what do I need?
- I'll do some sweet peppers.

Anyone see pork chops in there?

I've been on the top
twice in this competition.

But here's the thing. I've been
bottom both the mystery box challenges.

So I need to turn up the
heat and impress the judges.

There's no way in hell
I'm gonna touch that thing

'cause that thing
is way too spicy.

The difficulty when cooking with
spicy foods, you can overdo it.

There's like a million
peppers on this plate.

You're just trying
to pick the right ones

to be able to use in your
dish so it doesn't burn off

the judges' palate.

Soy sauce, bourbon.

- There's something I'm missing.
- You're forgetting something.

- No, I'm not-- I don't think so.
- You're forgetting something.

- No, no, no. Get out of my head.
- Let's go!

- [ overlapping chatter ]
- Let's go, let's go, let's go!

[ indistinct shouting ]

- Oh, my God, look at these spices.
- Watch, watch, watch.

Horacio,
did you forget anything in there?

I found everything. If I'm gonna
use everything, I'm not sure,

but I think I do.

Whoo! Oh, no,
baby. Everything's falling.

Oh, Lord have mercy.

So,
hot and spicy mystery box challenge.

Yeah, I think it's awesome that
we're doing a spice challenge.

- Obviously, that plays to my strengths over here.
- Sure.

But also just the
way that it's exploded,

not only in pop culture,
but as the palate of the country evolves.

Exactly, and I think people are more
adventurous than ever when it comes to spice.

- Ooh. That's spicy.
- I mean, when you look at this mystery box,

and you think about all the
different ingredients that are in there--

everything from chili
habanero to the scorpion,

which is one of the
hottest ones out there.

And then you have
these condiments

and chili paste like sambal,

so there's many
different directions

and usage of spice
that they can go into.

Sure. For me,
it really starts off with the protein.

How they're gonna marinate it,
how they season it,

and what they want
to see at the end of it?

Is the heat in the sauce?

Is it in a salsa?

Or is it cooked with
it in the marinade?

- Spicy. Mm.
- I think the key to any spicy dish

- is one that always invites the next bite.
- Okay.

You go right back in because
you just want another dopamine hit.

Right. Love that.

You pounding out some chicken,
Kimberly?

- Pounding out some chicken, baby.
- Smart.

- Come on, baby.
- Rebecka, you making burgers?

Nope,
making a deep fried chicken sandwich.

I'm using the cayenne to season,

- and then I have an avocado crema slaw.
- Sounds delicious.

So Kamay gets to ice out
somebody for five minutes.

So she could really do
some damage here today.

I've been hit with a
disadvantage before.

I really don't want to
be hit with another one.

- So I'm worried.
- All right. Too long.

- Kamay: Adam, what are you making?
- Jerk chicken

with a cheesy hot
honey cornbread.

I've had a rough go-around
with all these disadvantages.

And so I'm really hoping to
not be handed another one.

Let's see if today's the day.

I-I don't want to be iced out. Please,
Kamay!

This decision is agonizing.

Let's see where
people are in their cook.

Whoo. Oh, come on, man.

Kamay: Mike has a
nice sauce working.

- Hallie's going Asian.
- Beautiful.

Becca's got some interesting
choices here. She's got some halibut.

And that fish is gonna
need some time to cook.

When you're cooking in the
MasterChef kitchen, every minute counts.

So I am thinking I
gotta go for a big player,

and hopefully
throw them off track.

- All right.
- Gordon: 10 minutes gone, 35 minutes to go.

- Let's go! Right, Horacio.
- Yes, Chef.

- Hello, Sean, how are you? Nice to meet you.
- It's nice to meet you.

...fan, number one, for you.

Well, make sure that
you tell them that I said hi.

I love your energy. You
have a lot going on here.

I have a lot going on every day.

What's the dish?
What are you doing?

- Chicken tikka masala.
- Tell us about the heat on this tikka masala.

- What are you using?
- I'm going to use the garlic and pepper--

The garlic and the pepper.

[ bleep ]

Did you say what are
they gonna be coated with?

Spices. What
spices are you putting

in your chicken tikka
[ bleep ] masala?

Cayenne pepper, and the Fresno.

- And the paste with the red pepper and garlic.
- Okay.

- All right, interesting.
- All right.

Okay,
but why chicken tikka masala?

Wow. Wow.

An amazing thing
about spicy food

is it can transport
you to a place.

- I hope that your dish does take us to India.
- Gordon: Yes.

- I hope so, too.
- It's 45 minutes,

not 45 days to make
the chicken tikka masala.

- I know.
- So I'd get some of those spices in now.

- Yes, Chef.
- Murt: A little bit of that.

Do this here. Turn that on.

- Hello, Becca. How are you?
- Hi, Chef. How are you?

- I'm good.
- Talk to us about your dish

- and what chilies are you utilizing?
- Absolutely.

So I am making a nut-crusted
halibut on top of a corn,

bell pepper, jalapeno sauté,

a roasted red
pepper hot romesco,

and then a parsnip purée.

All right,
so where's the heat coming from?

There's gonna be
jalapenos in the sauté.

There's gonna be hot
mustard on the halibut.

There's gonna be arbol
chilies in the nut crust,

hot honey in the romesco.

Joe: You're one of the
few people using fish.

That's not the first thing
that comes to my mind

when I'm thinking
about exalting spices.

- Why fish?
- I think fish has a beautiful mild flavor

that really adheres
to some spice.

Okay. Now,
you have a target on your back.

What's gonna happen to you today with
Kamay up there with this giant advantage?

Do you think it's
coming for you?

I have no idea if
it's coming for me.

But I am preparing like it will,

so I'm doing everything that I can
to get ahead, so that if I'm frozen,

I can just hop right in
like nothing happened.

- Mm.
- Wow. good luck.

Becca: Thank you.

It's getting there.

Sweet.

And then we go!

Murt's on fire.

I think I'm really
gonna throw people off

with the surprise.

I'm ready to deliver some pain.

All right, let's go.

- Kamay?
- Yes, Chef.

You look like you want to
ice someone out right now.

- Are you ready?
- I am.

Okay. Right, stop the clock!

All of you,
stop what you're doing.

Kamay, which individual

are you removing five
minutes from their cook time

and putting on ice?

So,
I am thinking strategically here,

and this individual
is very strong,

and I am honing in
today on the Gen Zs.

Wow. Right, who is it?

Right, stop the clock.

Kamay, which individual

are you removing five
minutes from their cook time

and putting on ice?

- Becca.
- Becca, wow.

- Sorry, Becca.
- Okay, Becca,

please turn everything
off and stand back

- from your stove.
- Heard.

The rest of you,
continue. Let's go!



[ exhales ]

What the junk?

What the literal junk?

Oh, my gosh.

Wild. I-- you never think

that you have that big
of a target on your back,

but here I am. Rude.

Wow, a five-minute penalty

at this stage of
the cook is tough.

But Becca told us she's
ready to take on this penalty,

so she's factored it
into her cook time.

- Wow.
- It's a very interesting strategy.

- That's impressive.
- Okay.

Cheese grater. Come on,
come on, come on, come on.

Warren: Beautiful.

It's stressful and frustrating
to lose five minutes

'cause you see everyone
else cooking around you,

but all I can do is just think
and figure out what to do next.

Becca, two minutes remaining.

Yes, Chef. Thank you.

Valuable time
just slipping away.

Okay.

Ooh, that's spicy. It's spicy.

A lot of food. Okay.

- You can tell she wants to get back on it.
- Yeah.

She's so enthusiastic.



Okay,
get ready. Your time re-starts...

Now! Go, Becca! Let's go.




- Gave her time to plan.
- You got this, Becca.

Come on. Oh, my gosh.

[ grunts ]

Hallie,
I saw you light up there when Sean arrived.

- Sean: Hi.
- I'm a huge fan. I would shake your hand,

- but I've been touching chicken.
- It's nice to meet you.

I know. You're busy.

Give us an insight
into the dish.

What are you doing and
what spice are you using?

Today I'm cooking
a spicy fried chicken

with a lemon and wasabi rice,
seared spicy bok choy,

and a Chinese
honey mustard sauce.

It sounds delicious
and balanced.

I love the idea of the
lemon rice to offset that,

so I'm really excited to see
what you're gonna make today.

- Awesome.
- Yeah, so you've got a double-edge sword here

with the breast, right? Because
there's hardly any fat in there.

So be smart and make sure
that you don't overcook that thing.

- Yes, sir.
- But guess what?

Sean's going to invite
you onto the "Hot Ones."

- It's binding.
- [ bleep ]

- Good luck.
- It's binding.

Gordon's word is gospel.

- Murt, you doing all right?
- I gotta taste my sauce

to make sure it's not too spicy,
but...

Ooh. Pretty good.

I am making a spicy pork chop

with a soy sauce
hot honey glaze,

mustard with parsnip purée,
and then some mustard greens.

I like spicy food. My stomach
doesn't like spicy food,

but I personally
like spicy food.

I'm feeling spicy in certain
places the next morning.

That's all I gotta
say about that.

Okay. We're making it.

- Hey, Adam.
- How's it going, guys?

- Nice to meet you, Sean.
- How are you doing?

I'm doing well.
I'm really excited.

I think it's a really
fun challenge.

What are you making?

I'm doing jerk chicken

marinated in a Scotch
Bonnet marinade,

and I'm doing a cheesy
hot honey cornbread,

a pineapple banana pepper slaw,
and a yogurt herb sauce.

- Have you worked with Scotch Bonnets before?
- No, I haven't.

Back home,
it's really hard to get these,

and so I'm used to making
it with just jalapenos.

- Scotch Bonnet is a lovely pepper.
- It is a beautiful pepper.

And I have to be honest,
one of my favorites as well.

It's also one of the
hottest out there,

- so be careful with that, okay?
- Yes, sir.

Okay. Halfway,
young man. Good luck.

- Yes, sir. Nice to meet you, man.
- Nice to meet you, too.

Becca: Okay, go, go, go, go, go!

Jeez. Mike is on
Speedy Gonzales time.

Mike, you're working a
little too fast over there.

You gotta slow it down, mister.

Michael: Come on,
come on, come on.

Slow it down a little bit.

- Michael, how are you, young man?
- Good. How are you doing?

- Great.
- Joe: What's the dish?

So, basically,
I'm doing shrimp and grits.

I'm using the jalapenos.

I'm gonna be using
the Calabrian chilies,

and I'm also gonna
be using the hot honey.

Joe: So this is a mirepoix
here? What is this?

Yeah,
so this is basically gonna be, like,

kind of a Creole inspired
sauce that I'm doing with it.

Are you familiar with
some of these chilies,

or are some of them a little
bit foreign to you, Michael?

It's kind of all a little bit foreign
to me, to be perfectly honest.

I don't really cook
much with spice.

I like the format of this,
but I think you're gonna

have to cook those chilies
and let them impart the flavor.

- Yes.
- What is it like to be in the top 10, Michael?

Did you think it
would happen to you?

It's one of those
things where it's like

I didn't think it
was impossible,

but now that I'm here,
I'm like, "Wow."

You're a case
study of a contestant

that starts out kind of low key

and then turns it up
right at the top 10.

The only problem is when
you start turning it up at top 10,

you gotta have the gusto
to keep on turning it up,

and there's nine more people to
take out for you to win this thing.

- That's a lot of gusto. You got that?
- Yes, I do.

- All right, Michael, good luck.
- Thank you.

- Ooh, nice.
- Here we go.

Okay, easy-peasy.

Kimberly, right,
tell us about the dish.

I'm doing a little bit of a
spicy chicken sandwich

with some cayenne pepper,
making a slaw

that's a little
sweet and savory,

but also has a little bit of
bite with some fresh jalapeno.

And then I'm gonna
make some fried kale chips

and dust those with a little bit
of cayenne and salt and pepper.

- How's that sound?
- It does-- you know what, it sounds good.

You know, I've eaten hundreds
of chicken sandwiches in my life,

so if you're gonna make that,
you have to make one that's elite.

But how do you feel about
the time that you have left?

I'm thinking I'm a little crazy,

but I'm gonna try my best,
'cause it's top 10.

As you know, there's two
individuals leaving the competition.

- Yes, I hear you.
- So if you're gonna do a chicken sandwich,

make sure it's an elevated
chicken sandwich, okay?

- Okay. Okay.
- Good luck.

All right, thank you so much.

Rebecka: Looks beautiful.

Hallie: That's done.

We are down to
our final 15 minutes.

Jeez. [ groans ]

- Becca.
- She is fast.

Kimberly: Breathe,
breathe, breathe.

Yeah,
I'm a bit concerned about Kimberly.

- I mean, a fried chicken sandwich.
- [ groans ]

A little too simple?
A little too basic?

Gordon: Yeah,
just a little bit too pedestrian.

Joe: We want balance,
complexity,

we want to be able
to taste the chilies.

That's a lot to ask
out of one sandwich.

Right. It doesn't feel sort
of top 10 "MasterChef."

Yeah.

- How's it looking, Kimberly?
- Eh, so-so.

Gordon Ramsay pretty much
said that I have to make this

the best chicken
sandwich he's ever seen,

and my mind is just racing.

Oh, my God.

I am the last Gen X standing,

so I'm thinking what can I
do in this short amount of time

to make this chicken
sandwich not so pedestrian?

I wish I could start over. I
wish I had a different idea.

I'm definitely in
danger tonight.

Gordon: Just under 14 minutes to go,
guys.

Kimberly: Ugh! I just want to
make sure I'm not doing raw chicken.

Taste everything. And like Sean said,
find that balance in the heat.

Becca: Okay, come on,
come on, come on, come on.

- Adam: All right.
- Michael: God. Okay.

Gotta get that
halibut in the pan.

Becca: Because I
lost the five minutes,

I'm worried that I might
drop the ball on something,

and I'm worried it
might be the fish.

But I'm moving at
breakneck double speed.

Okay.

- Warren, Warren, Warren.
- Hello, hello, hello.

- How are we?
- What are you making, Warren?

I'm making a Brazilian fish
stew with prawns in it and halibut.

It's gonna be served with rice,
and to cool it off,

it's going to have some
avocado on the side.

Okay, do you have any experience
firsthand cooking with spice?

- Oh, yeah. Oh, my God, I love it.
- You do? Okay.

It doesn't love me,
but I love it.

Joe: So what spices are
you gonna put in there?

- I don't even know the name of this one.
- Those are Anaheim chilies.

Yeah, I'm using these,
'cause they're pretty mild.

This is a strong-- it's
Chinese garlic spice.

I'm gonna go very
sparingly with that.

And then I'm gonna just
add a little sriracha as we go.

Aarón: But you know
what? When you have chili,

the earlier you put it in there,

the more it imparts its flavor.

If you wait till the last minute to
put some of these spices in there,

it's not gonna deliver a punch.

- Warren: I got a plan.
- Good luck.

Thank you, gentlemen.

- Hot, hot, hot.
- Little more heat, little more salt.

Little more heat,
little more salt.

These are not quite ready.

Is that cornbread?

Need more heat.

Guys,
we have seven minutes remaining. Let's go!

- Hallie, watch that chicken in the oven as well, yes?
- Hallie: Yes, sir.

It's gonna continue cooking as well,
so be smart.

Everything ready.

Are you making a ceviche, Warren,
or are you just marinating it?

Warren: It's gonna
cook in the sauce.

So,
Warren is doing a Brazilian fish stew,

and the base of the stew is tomatoes,
red peppers, onions, and green peppers,

and you also have halibut
and shrimp. Very mild fish.

Now, there's really no culture
of a lot of heat in Brazilian food.

So I'm not sure
about his strategy.

Aarón: I think the more
concerning thing for me

is that Warren is using
very small amounts of chili,

and he has no idea
when to put them in.

But the earlier you put a
spice inside of your stew,

- it's gonna impart its flavor and develop.
- Yeah.

He has a lot of ingredients going,
and I think when that happens,

it's either gonna turn out
really good or really bad.

A little longer,
Kamay. A little longer.

Am I in your train of thought,
Murt?

Murt: Nope. Not
there yet. Not there yet.

Becca's fish, that halibut,
it's still in the oven.

- She's fallen behind.
- Yeah.

Becca: Come on. You gotta
be done. You gotta be done.

- [ Becca groans ]
- Gordon: Guys, we're down to

two and a half
minutes remaining.

Start thinking about the plating,
please.

Two and a half
minutes remaining.

Hallie,
you check the temp on your chicken?

- Yeah, I'm letting it rest right now.
- All right.

- Oh, God.
- Okay, should be good.

Gordon: We are coming
down to our final 60 seconds.

One minute remaining. Come on,
guys.

Come on. Please, Adam,
you've got to start plating, young man.

- One portion, Horacio. One beautiful portion.
- Let's go, Becca.

- Murt: We're good with that.
- All right, come on.

- Go, go, go.
- Ah, damn it.

Judges: Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

- four, three, two, one!
- And stop!

- Hands in the air.
- Hands in the air. Well done, everybody.

Man! Well done.

Hallie: Obviously,
I'm worried about my chicken.

I took the temp a couple times,

popped it right back
into the oven again.

Probably kept it in
there a little bit too long,

but we'll see how
they feel about it.

Becca: I'm a little worried.

If I didn't have the
five-minute disadvantage,

I would feel a lot more
confident in the flavors,

a lot more confident
in the cook on the fish.

But I didn't,
and so this is what I got.

Five minutes doesn't
seem like a lot,

but at this point
in the competition,

in this challenge,
it could cost me the trophy,

it could cost me a
quarter of a million dollars,

and it could crush my dreams.

Right,
that was a scorcher of a challenge.

Now, Sean, Aarón,
Joe, and myself

need to take a much
closer look at all your dishes.

Horacio,
a chicken tikka masala in 45 minutes.

Did you have enough time to
allow those spices to bloom?

- I think so.
- Thank you.

Okay, Hallie, what's that?

Hallie: This is the Chinese
mustard with a little bit of honey.

- You happy with that?
- It's interesting.

Interesting's a good word.

Kimberly,
how did you cook this chicken?

Browned it in the pan,
and then finished it in the oven.

- Hopefully keep it nice and moist.
- So you cooked it twice.

Correct.

Warren, do you have a lot of
chilies represented in the dish?

I tried to put as much in it
without going overboard.

- Okay.
- Uh, it's kind of a rustic dish.

Michael: The judges come
around to do their taste.

It never gets easier.

And not only do we
have the normal judges,

but we also have
Sean Evans here,

who is so familiar
with spicy food.

- All right, Adam, you chose Scotch Bonnet.
- Yes, sir.

- No one else chose something that hot.
- Right.

Are you worried that it might
have been too big of a risk?

I think it worked.

The challenge with spicy food

is that everybody has
a different sensitivity.

- Any spice in the purée?
- There is the spicy mustard.

Thank you.

Do you think you went
bold enough with the heat?

I think there's a nice
backing of heat to it.

Becca,
so you were given the disadvantage

- of five minutes.
- Yes.

- You happy with the cook on the fish?
- I am.

- Great job.
- Thank you.

Okay, guys,
a lot of great dishes out there tonight.

Aarón: Oh, yeah.

- You guys all in agreement?
- Yes.

- Yeah.
- [ blows raspberry ]

Right, it's time to taste
the best dishes of the night.

The first dish held some
really sophisticated plating.

Please come forward...

- Murt.
- Kimberly: Ooh!

- Horacio: Go, Murt!
- Kamay: All right, Murt.

Top dish again. You know,
kinda getting used to this top three thing.

Not to be a little c*ck,
but it feels good.

Young man, tell us what the
dish is and the spice involved.

Murt: So, I have a pork chop
with a bourbon hot honey glaze,

crispy onions, a spicy mustard,

parsnip purée,
and a mustard greens side.

- The dish looks beautiful.
- Thank you.

And a bold move,
grabbing pork and elevating that. Shall we?

The cook on the pork
was absolutely beautiful.

And the mustard powder in there,
if there's ever a time to shine

with the clever use of those spices,
it's tonight.

- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.

For me,
the magic lies in that glaze.

It has a barbecue
sauce essence to it

that I think is so welcome
with something like this.

Sean: What you did with the heat

is I think what everyone
tries to do with heat,

and that's to
leave a trail behind.

You know, I tried this bite a minute
and a half ago. I can still taste it.

- I think you nailed it.
- Appreciate it. Thank you so much.

- Thanks, Murt.
- Awesome job, Murt.

- Good job, Murt.
- Go, Murt!

- Murt!
- Another dish that we want to taste further

is on the rustic side.

Please come forward, Michael.

[ cheering ]

Being called up for a top dish

is such an exhilarating feeling.

Especially because
it really shows

that I know how to
work with ingredients

that I'm not completely
comfortable with.

I made shrimp and
grits with Calabrian chili

and hot honey coated prawns,

with a Creole-inspired gravy

that has cayenne and
jalapeno inside of it.

This has to be one of
the most sophisticated

and restaurant-worthy
shrimp and grits

we've seen in the
history of "MasterChef."

- Thank you, Joe.
- Nice job, Michael.

Michael, it's very hard to get this dish
done correctly in three or four hours.

To do it in 45
minutes is incredible.

I love the heat,
but the star here

is what you've done
with those shrimp.

That beautiful hot honey glaze,

it's an elevated
Millennial take.

- Really well done.
- Thank you.

I've tasted a lot
of shrimp and grits,

and this one has to be

one of the top three
I've ever tasted.

- Thank you.
- Damn.

I do think that there's another
level though on the heat

that you could
have cranked it to.

But otherwise,
I think this is just a flawless dish.

- Thank you.
- Great job.

- Thanks, Michael.
- Nice job, Michael.

- Yeah, he's cooking with confidence, isn't he?
- Yeah.

- Good job, man. Good job.
- Thank you.

- Good job to you.
- Thanks, man.

The third top dish,
please come forward, Adam.

Good job, Adam. Nice job, buddy.

- Beautiful.
- Go, Adam.

Adam: I've made a
jerk-inspired chicken thigh

with a pineapple
banana pepper slaw,

a hot honey cornbread,
and a yogurt herb sauce.

Visually, it looks delicious,
and I'm so pleased

that you had the guts
to get one of the most

daring chilies out there,
that Scotch Bonnet.

But it needs to be mastered,

otherwise it's gonna
absolutely take you down.

Shall we?

Adam,
the Scotch Bonnet needs to be mastered,

otherwise it's gonna
absolutely take you down.

Shall we?

The challenge here was
in balancing your dish,

and I think you
did that perfectly.

I do not throw around
compliments like this,

but this might be
the best cornbread

- I've ever had in my life.
- Joe: Wow.

I've asked a producer if I
could get something to go.

- It is phenomenal.
- Gordon: The marinade? Exceptional.

- And a really smart use of that Scotch Bonnet.
- Thank you.

Joe: Yeah, in tasting this dish,

I would have no idea
that we were in the middle

of a spice and chili challenge.

It just tastes
like a deliciously,

properly cooked dish.

- Thanks so much, guys.
- Good job.

- Wow.
- Good job, Adam.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, can I try that?

Murt, Michael, and Adam,
the Spice Boys lineup.

The Spice Boys.

You've given us
a lot to talk about.

Excuse us a moment, please.

- Man.
- Spice Boys.

- Spice Boys, that's hilarious.
- Heh, yeah.

Murt's dish was really great.
Michael had the most ambition.

Yes, then you move into
this expert cooking of Adam.

[ imitating explosions ]

- [ whispering ]
- Yeah.

The winner will receive the
last advantage of the season,

and it's big.

And that winner is...

- Adam.
- [ cheers and applause ]

- Nice!
- Good job, Adam.

Michael, Murt, congratulations.

Please head back
to your stations.

Young man, you took the boldest
move tonight, and, boy, did it pay off.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

Head up to the safety of
the balcony. Congratulations.

- [ cheering ]
- Adam: Finally. So excited.

It feels nice to
finally get a win.

It was awesome to be
able to cook for Sean.

It was really a dream, for sure.

[ muted chatter ]

Now, the judges felt

there were three dishes
that just did not live up

- to our expectations.
- Oh, dear God.

And two of the home cooks behind them
will be leaving the competition for good.

Now,
the first dish looked rather strange.

Please come forward, Hallie.

Oh, my God.

This is my first time
being in the bottom

in an individual challenge.

Big fan of Sean,
and hate that he came here

on one of my off days. It sucks.

I made for y'all
spicy fried chicken

on top of a lemon wasabi rice,

Chinese honey mustard sauce,
and seared bok choy.

I think the dish appears
to be off-putting in color,

and the overall sensation
I'm getting is dryness.

Yeah, I agree with Joe.
I think you're asking a lot

for those little dollops
of sauce to carry you

through all that rice,
all of that breading.

Gordon: Shall we?

You can see how dry that is there,
Hallie.

Yes, sir.

Hallie,
you have an overcooked dry chicken,

bland, overcooked rice,
and the sauce is nonexistent.

Yeah, you know, it's pretty hot.

You know,
and that's coming from me.

And there's nothing
wrong with that.

But then if it's dry and hot,

then it can be like
you're eating spicy sand.

It needs more sauce.

This is a chicken that
screams a hot honey drizzle.

Something that could
really lift this dish up.

- Thank you, Hallie.
- Thank you, Hallie.

Yeah, the heat's there,
right? It is so dry.

Joe: It's just hot for
the sake of being hot.

Okay,
the second dish we need to examine further,

please come forward, Kimberly.

Kimberly: I'm really
disappointed with my dish.

It's not fresh,
it's not me on a plate,

and I know some big
critiques are coming my way.

I did a cayenne fried
chicken sandwich

with a roasted jalapeno slaw,

with cayenne-dusted kale chips.

Yeah, Kimberly,
I'm a little disappointed

'cause I know
you're a great cook

and you love to
highlight fresh ingredients.

But I think the kale chips,
this is a trend I wish would go away.

'Cause it's like for
every 10 of these,

you've got maybe one
kale chip that's good.

- Sean: Yeah.
- I hear you.

Shall we?

You can see how overcooked the chicken is,
right?

Yes.

Kimberly, sadly,
I'm not getting any heat whatsoever.

There is a little bit of the acidity
coming through on the slaw,

but it's just the dryness of the
chicken that I'm struggling with.

- Yes, Chef.
- I actually didn't hate the slaw

- that went along with it.
- Okay. Yay! Yay, me.

- On the plus side.
- The kale chips are greasy.

The only thing that's
really good is the bun,

- and you didn't make that.
- I did not.

- Thanks, Kimberly.
- Thank you.

- So dry.
- Hey, girl.

- What's up?
- How are ya?

Not too good.

All right, so the third dish

we want to take
a closer look at,

the execution sadly
missed the mark.

Please come forward...

All right, so the third dish

we want to take
a closer look at,

please come forward...

- Warren.
- [ sighs ]

Becca: Kamay, you can send
all the disadvantages you want,

but it's only gonna
make me better.

I feel really bad because this
is a dish that I make all the time.

How could I blow this dish?

I made Brazilian fish stew

with prawns and halibut,
with rice and avocados.

And the chilies I
used were kabal,

black pepper, and sriracha.

Aesthetically, I feel like we've
gone backwards to sort of the 1970s.

The slices of lime, tomatoes,
and avocado, it's just strange.

- I understand.
- Shall we?

Uh, listen, Warren,
this is not a fish soup.

This at best is overcooked
halibut and shrimps

in tomato soup with white rice.

- This dish needs more time.
- Warren: Mm-hmm.

Just to get a stew done in


I've been served
this dish before,

and that coconut milk
and the chili and the lime

makes it a little bit more
sort of sweet-spicy-sour.

- And there's none of that going on here.
- I understand.

I think that you
held back with this.

I think what you
go for in a spicy dish

is that lingering heat,
and it needs more life.

Yeah. Thank you. Understand.

- Thank you, Warren.
- Thank you, gentlemen.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- Please excuse us.
- Mm.

Yeah, listen,
three underwhelming dishes.

Hallie's, that chicken was so dry,
honestly.

And the dish doesn't
even look cohesive.

Have you seen a dish like
that anywhere? I haven't seen it.

Nothing like that has
ever been served to me.

Gordon: No, yeah. Kimberly's. Oh,
my goodness, me.

Cutting through on that chicken,
it was so dry.

- Oh, my God.
- Begins and ends with that, right?

- It's just clumsy, though.
- Yeah.

- And Warren?
- It ended up to me just being kind of like

- very tomato-y and fishy, and that's kind of it.
- Hospital food.

- Yeah.
- Aarón: Yep.

Good luck, guys.

Hallie, Kimberly, and Warren,

This has been a
very tough decision

for all four judges.

Sadly,
two of you will be going home tonight.

The first home cook who will be
leaving "MasterChef" tonight is...

- Kimberly.
- Oh.

- [ groans ]
- It's okay.

The second home cook

who will be leaving
"MasterChef" tonight is...

Hallie.

- Oh, my God.
- Wow.

Warren, please say good-bye

and head back to your station,
please.

Yes. That was awesome.

- That's fricking brutal.
- Crazy.

Kimberly,
the last Gen Xer standing.

- You know that chicken sandwich was overcooked.
- Yes.

But the passion you brought into
this competition was second to none.

- Have you enjoyed yourself?
- I had a blast.

Did things I never
thought I could do.

Just a little garden girl
just made it to the top 10.

Amazing. Hallie, sadly tonight,

you were caught short
on the cook of that chicken.

But we loved your
competitive edge,

and that's what you're
gonna be remembered for.

This has been awesome.

- Ladies, come up and say good-bye please.
- All right.

- Top 10.
- Thank you.

- [ applause continues ]
- [ muted chatter ]

- Come here, girl. Well done.
- Good luck.

- Thank you, Joe.
- Nice to meet you. Great job.

If you ever need someone on the show,
just call me.

I am so proud of myself.

Coming in here playing
semi-pro cornhole

to getting a top 10
MasterChef finish,

never thought it would
be in my bingo card.

So, yeah,
I'm very proud of myself.

This genuinely has been
the best experience of my life.

I am a little sad
my journey's over,

but I'm super
proud of what I did.

It's been a
wonderful experience.

It's just truly amazing. Yeah.

- Hallie: You ready, girlfriend?
- Let's go, girl.

- All right. Whoo! All right!
- Not leaving without you.

- Love you girls so much.
- Love you guys.

- Bye-bye!
- [ cheering ]

Gordon: Next time on
"MasterChef: Generations"...

- Oh, no!
- The top eight's communication skills

are about to hit the wall.

You're gonna work
in pairs to make dishes

- that taste and look identical.
- Oh, my God.

And tonight two individuals
will be going home.

That's right. Tonight is
another double elimination.

I have a feeling that
things might go awry.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- You gotta say "behind"!

- It's kinda too late.
- My hands are hot! It tipped over.

- You did what?
- They've got a big problem.

- That was not me! That's Becca.
- What?

- Warren!
- Horacio's got a big mouth.

- Warren!
- Shut up, Horacio! Shut up!

- Warren!
- No!