Gordon: Previously on "masterchef"...
Hell's freaking kitchen.
It's a crossover, baby!
You're gonna be feeding every guest
Inside my restaurant.
On order. Three scallops, three risotto.
I have the scallops ready.
I wouldn't serve that to my ( bleep ) bulldogs.
I will step it up, chef.
Blue team, table 12, go. Well done.
- Very proud of you guys. - Sav, check the filet.
Feels medium rare to me, chef.
Survey says, ( bleep ) raw.
The team going through to the semifinal is the blue team.
Wayne did a great job in his captaincy,
And, you know, I'm embarrassed.
We were not on the same page as a team.
The person most responsible for your loss tonight was sav.
Tonight, it's the semifinal.
Let's go, top five.
- You are facing two challenges. - Wow.
We want to see a michelin star stuffed pasta dish.
- Come on, guys. - I can do this.
- This is absolutely insane. - Just three of you
- Are making it into the finale. - Great, now you tell me.
There's only one man standing in your way.
Me...
...As we cook one of my signature dishes.
- Let's go. - Keeping up with gordon ramsay?
- Aah! - Scary as ( bleep ).
Cauliflower's on, venison's smoking,
Gnocchi's resting. You guys with me?
- Taking too long. - I'm getting anxiety watching.
- Whoo! - Uh-oh. She's gonna burn it.
- I don't know what happened. - Oh, lord.
I'm going home.
( bleep )
( music playing )
- Man! - Come on.
Here we go, here we go. You ready, semifinal?
Oh, my goodness, have we got the best five.
- This is serious business. - Joe: Yep.
Gordon: Big one tonight.
Welcome back, guys. Come on in.
- Top five, baby. - Let's go, top five!
My goal was to make the top five.
All right.
So I'm here. Dream is fulfilled!
Yeah.
But now I know, if I put my mind to it,
If I pray on it, if I manifest it,
I'm gonna use that energy to get into the finale.
Right, welcome back, all of you.
And congratulations to you all for making it to the top five.
- Thank you. - Chef.
Tonight is the semifinal night.
- Whoo! - Wow.
And tonight you are facing two challenges.
- Wow. - Okay.
Aarón: In both of tonight's challenges,
Whoever cooks the worst dish will be immediately sent home.
Now, if you survive elimination tonight,
You'll be staring down a battle for the title,
The trophy, and that quarter of a million dollars.
Let's go.
Now, for tonight's first big challenge,
Each and every one of you will make...
An incredible...
Stuffed pasta dish.
When stuffed pasta is executed to the highest level,
They are showstoppers beyond belief.
- Incredible. - Wow.
Tonight, we want to see your version
- Of a michelin star stuffed pasta dish. - Awesome.
Hell, yeah. This is what got me my apron for "masterchef"
Was a stuffed pasta dish. So I'm super pumped.
This could not line up better for me.
Right, under these five cloches
Are five different flavored pastas.
- Oh. - Okay.
Okay, reagan, come on up here and choose a dough.
Yay! I got spinach pasta dough.
- Are you happy? - I feel like I can make this sing.
Good. Take that and take it back to your bench.
- Well done. - Thank you.
Jennifer, step up and select a cloche.
Ah, red beet pasta dough.
I'm very excited about this color.
I think it'll be beautiful on a plate.
Head back, please, thank you.
Grant.
- This is the one. Oh! - Wow.
I love that. Got that squid ink pasta dough.
That's the difficult one. Get it right and it's a showstopper.
Thank you.
Kennedy.
- Mm. - Oh.
- Plain pasta dough. - What do you think?
I'm excited that I can be creative with it.
I'm an artist, so that's what I do best.
- Please head back to your station. - Thank you.
Wayne.
- The saffron pasta dough. - Mm, tough one, this one.
'cause it's full-flavored saffron, you'll taste it,
So you need to create richness
In whatever you're gonna fill it with or cook it with.
It's just another challenge here in this kitchen,
- And I'll figure it out. - Okay, wayne, head back.
- Gordon: Well done. - Aarón: Okay, guys,
You have 45 minutes
To prepare your stuffed pasta dishes.
And, remember, they have to be michelin star quality dishes.
Your 45 minutes start now!
- Let's go. - Whoo!
- Whew! - ( humming )
- Ooh! - Okay, let's do this.
Today's huge because there are only three spots in the finale.
Almost half of us are going home.
- Parsley. - I got shallots.
Lemons.
I make my own pasta frequently,
But not stuffed pastas.
That's a whole different ballgame,
So it's definitely one of the more intimidating challenges.
Oh, ( bleep ). ( bleep ), ricotta.
Get your pans on, get that water boiling.
Season them beautifully. Let's go.
Oh, my god.
I got the roasted red beet pasta dough.
My husband is italian, and we took a cooking lesson in tuscany.
So I'm making a veal tortellini
With osobuco, ricotta, and a red wine reduction.
We're all so talented here. It's anyone's game.
- There's no room for mistakes today. - Okay.
I got the saffron pasta today.
I've never worked with it before.
I know the flavors a little bit,
So I'm gonna make a lobster-stuffed ravioli.
It's gonna have some chorizo oil and a tomato butter sauce.
I'm really hoping to do something different and knock it out of the park.
- Pasta challenge. Extra tough today. - Mm-hmm.
- This is absolutely insane. - Gordon: Five different flavors.
They've got to elevate this dish into michelin star quality.
- Okay. - What does a great cook need?
- You need finesse and precision. - Yeah.
And pasta-making is exactly that.
Joe: But also because we provided them each with a different flavored pasta,
There's a very strong intellectual component to this challenge
In knowing how to pair flavors, knowing what to fill it with,
And knowing how to sauce it.
- Yeah. - A little pepper.
Get through this one and they've got one foot into the finale.
- Ooh! - Guys, we're 10 minutes down with 35 minutes to go!
- That looks really good. - Let's go.
Okay, come on.
( bleep )
Right, reagan, tell me about the dish. Where are we going?
We are making a spinach pasta
With swiss chard, ricotta cheese...
- Good. - ...And a tomato sauce.
- Make sure that filling is all ready. - Yes.
- Where's your swiss chard? - It's right here.
Okay, good. Get another pan on,
Get that nice and hot, so you can multitask.
Then shape them into a nice ball,
So when you start rolling, you just go bang, bang, bang.
- And don't get the pasta too thick. - Okay.
- You've got this, girl. - I got this.
- Good luck. - Yes, chef, thank you.
- Those are going. - All right, grant.
You've got the squid ink pasta. What's the plan?
Yes, sir. Absolutely. So we're gonna stuff this squid ink pasta
With both clam and crab meats.
And then I'm gonna have a white wine butter sauce.
I think it's gonna come out really, really nicely.
- So you live in iowa. - I do.
And then you're land-locked.
Yeah, this is something that I'm not used to cooking,
So we've got squid ink already and that seafood flavor.
I'm gonna do the exact same thing with what I'm gonna fill it up with.
- Good luck, grant. - Thank you. Appreciate it.
All right, where am I at?
Gordon: Guys, 15 minutes gone, 30 minutes to go.
- Got that done. That's good. - Whoo, child.
Reagan: I feel a little anxious about making this pasta.
This is the first time that I've made this kind of ravioli, or ravioli period.
- Or any kind of fresh pasta. - With 45 minutes,
There is no time to make even one mistake.
What have you got yourself into, girl?
You can say that I have a strategy, but this is a 45-minute cook.
I just know what it needs to look like in my head.
And once I put it on the plate, pray that it looks like what I want it to in my head.
But this is definitely our hardest cook, hands down.
Ooh, lord.
Guys, we are halfway. Filling should be done.
Water should be boiling. Get that pasta rolling.
- Come on. - Let's go!
- ( bleep ) - all right.
I can do hard things. I can do hard things.
Taking too long. Whew, man.
We're under 20 minutes to go. Come on, let's go.
- Perfect. - Aarón: Kennedy!
What's up, baby?
- So, you got regular pasta, right? - I sure did.
It's a blank canvas and gonna definitely have to amp up the flavor.
- What are you gonna make? - Crab-stuffed tortellini with an uni cream sauce.
So, I have seafood stock going with shallots right now.
I'm gonna add butter to it and emulsify the uni in.
Joe: You definitely don't want to cook uni.
Once you cook it, it becomes like hard scrambled eggs.
- Yeah, of course. - Exactly.
I'm just gonna finish it in the butter at the end
- So it all blends together. - There you go.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Come on, little loves.
Jennifer.
Right, you've got the beautiful
- Roasted red beet pasta. - Yes.
I'm doing a beet root pasta
With a veal, osobuco, ricotta filling,
And then I've got a red wine and veal demi sauce.
Yeah, it sounds nice. Make sure you knock out all the air
- In between those layers. - All that air.
- Otherwise they're gonna burn. - Yes, chef. Yes, chef.
- Heard? - Yes, chef, heard. Thank you.
- Let's go. - ( sighs )
- Okay. - Wayne.
- Hey, how's it going? - Saffron.
Perhaps the most challenging one.
Oh, great, now you tell me.
Very floral. Wants to be contrasted by strong flavors.
It does have a delicate nature at the same time.
- So you gotta make sure you balance. - Yes.
I'm gonna make a lobster-stuffed ravioli
With a tomato butter cream sauce and some chorizo oil.
Where does that go? In the sauce?
So, the chorizo's gonna be just a chorizo oil.
My sauce is gonna be a tomato beurre blanc.
- The finale is literally around the corner. - Yes.
- How bad do you want this? - Oh, man, I want this really bad.
I've learned so much, but I still have a lot left to prove.
- All right. Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: Right, we're down to the last 10 minutes, guys.
10 minutes!
- Ooh, that's good. - Squeeze out all the air.
- Beautiful. - Gordon: Wow, this is exciting.
So what'd you see out there, chef?
So, all right, reagan, wow, spinach pasta.
Nothing fancy, but here's the fascinating thing about reagan tonight.
Across this whole competition from start to finish,
It's always been meat, meat, meat, meat.
Now she's going down the vegetarian route.
Vegetarian for the first time.
And so it's not in her wheelhouse.
You got this, baby.
Cooking a vegetarian pasta, as you know, is tricky
Because to extract flavor, you need a lot of refinement.
If she can pull that off, the simplicity of that
Is quite impressive and I think that sounds like a winning dish.
- Yeah. - Oh, god.
Aarón: So, kennedy has a traditional pasta dough.
She's gonna do a seafood stuffing with crab,
And then she's gonna use uni for flavor with her sauce...
- Wow. - ...To kind of take it to that decadent level.
I love the idea of the uni for that creaminess, but that's complex.
You have to be so careful of that uni 'cause it's so powerful.
- Oh, no. - It's just not rendering.
So, wayne has the saffron pasta, which I think is probably the most challenging.
He's doing a lobster filling and then a chorizo sauce,
Which I'm not really sure where that's going.
I think that his ambition for this ravioli may be outpacing his ability.
( bleep ), I'm burning the butter. Okay, perfect.
Gordon: We're down to the last five minutes, guys.
Pasta should be in the water.
Let's go.
Aarón: Take into account how long it's gonna finish
- In the sauce, everyone. - I can do this.
- ( groans ) - aarón: Wayne, keep an eye on all your reductions, okay?
- You got a lot going on there. - Yes, chef.
Come on, oil. There's no way.
Wayne: I know that my sauce is in jeopardy.
I'm trying to make this chorizo oil,
But it's just not coming together.
That's going, that's reducing.
And I have no time left, so I'm gonna have to nix
The chorizo oil and the chorizo altogether.
Gordon: We are down to the last two minutes.
- Start plating, guys. - Ravioli should be out of the water,
- Cooking in the sauce now. - Love it, love it, love it.
- Okay. - Fantastic.
- Finishing touches. Check the seasoning. - Mmm!
- Whoo! That's so good. - Don't drown the pasta in the sauce.
Get the balance right. 60 seconds to go! Come on, guys.
You've gotta start plating something, wayne. Change gears.
- Oh, lord. - You got it, you got it.
- Finesse. Let's go, jennifer. - Beautiful.
- Let's go, reagan. - ( groans )
- Joe: Let's go, guys. Come on. - Focus, let's go.
- Judges: Ten, nine, eight... - Move, grant!
- ...Seven, six, five... - Whew!
- ( groans ) - ...Four, three, two, one.
And, stop. Hands in the air!
- Whoo! - Well done.
Kennedy: This challenge was difficult for me.
I feel like doing pasta in 45 minutes is such a stretch.
And they're looking down to the nitty-gritty details,
So to go forward, you have to make sure
That every component that you have is airtight.
Hopefully I brought it all together in the end, but I don't know.
Wayne: I feel the ravioli are great.
The sauce, I don't know.
I really don't know on the sauce.
Being so close to the finale,
It would be crushing to not get there.
But at this stage in the game,
With only five really good cooks,
There's nowhere to hide.
I know I don't have the strongest dish tonight,
So my only hope is that someone else's dish
Has bigger problems than my own.
What a start to a magnificent semifinals.
Well done, all of you.
Now, we're gonna taste all of your dishes.
Grant, please come down.
Grant: These 45 minutes were really fun for me.
This is one of the most confident I have felt in this kitchen thus far.
Okay, grant, what is your dish?
I made clam and crab-stuffed caramelle
With a white wine and seafood stock sauce.
Top marks for the technical ability of your pasta work,
But bizarre plating.
Shall we?
It's really good. It's balanced.
I taste all the flavor, all the different components, and I taste all the seafood.
I just wish those three random clams weren't on the plate
- Because they just don't make any sense to me. - Yes, sir.
For me, I think the boldness of having chopped clams in a pasta filling
- Is really crazy, but works here. - Thank you, chef.
The skill involved in this dish tonight is exceptional.
Definitely michelin star worthy, let me tell you.
- Thank you, chef. - Thank you.
Thank you all.
- Kennedy, please bring your dish down. - Yay.
When I did pasta in the tag-team challenge,
It was definitely a hot mess.
But I feel like I'm making a comeback.
I've just grown as a chef.
I want to show them that I deserve a spot in the finale.
I made a crab and scallop stuffed tortellini
With an uni cream sauce and caviar.
The construction of the pasta, I think, is textbook.
I just hope that it doesn't render too salty,
'cause you have uni and you have caviar.
Shall we?
Kennedy, I think the sauce is so powerful salty, sea-ness.
- It's a lot on top of the caviar. - Okay.
But skillfully, they're beautifully put together.
- That sauce is very intense. - Okay.
And it's overwhelming the delicate nature of the pasta.
- Okay. - I think the actual ravioli is quite good,
And the filling is interesting as well,
But I don't like the sauce.
It's almost like an uni butter.
I would spread it on my toast.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Next up, wayne, please step forward.
Wayne: I'm a little worried right now.
I don't have enough sauce.
I think the judges are gonna look at my dish
And wonder where's the rest of it?
I made a lobster-stuffed ravioli
With a saffron pasta dough
And a butter tomato cream sauce.
I'll be honest, it does look unfinished.
It needs some form of sauce.
- Shall we? - Yep.
Gordon: Pasta's rolled out beautifully. Got the right thickness.
The problem we've got here is the filling,
Because I can't taste lobster.
It just needs more seasoning in there.
Aarón: With this particular kind of pasta,
It needs something to bring it all together, wayne.
But there's such a small amount of sauce.
It's just not there for me.
The ravioli is quite good. But, for me, it's half a dish.
Sometimes when you have too much ambition,
It really affects the end product,
And I feel like that's what happened here.
- Thank you, wayne. - Thank you.
Next up, jennifer, please make your way down. Thank you.
I am thrilled with the way my dish looks.
It is so feminine and beautiful,
And it makes me so proud.
I've made red beet tortellini
Stuffed with a veal osobuco, ricotta, and herbs,
Along with a veal demi and red wine reduction.
Visually, it's just so beautiful.
The sheen from the sauce,
The delicacy of the stuffed pasta.
- Great job. Shall we? - Thank you.
It's delicious. Perfect.
- No comment. - Oh, my goodness.
- That's high praise from joe bastianich. - It is. Thank you, joe.
You strained the sauce. You did all the small things
Technically that are very sound, and it impacts flavor.
- Thank you. - I think it's near perfection, but I don't like raw garlic.
A 90-second cook on the stuffed pasta
Is not long enough to cook the garlic.
- Apart from that, great job. Thank you. - Thank you, thank you.
And, finally, we'd love to taste the pasta from miss reagan.
That's my girl.
Reagan: I've never made spinach pasta before,
But I know that my dish tastes good, it's pretty,
And I just think the judges are gonna love this dish.
I made a spinach ravioli stuffed with swiss chard,
Ricotta cheese, and it's alongside a tomato sauce.
Visually, reagan, they look delicious.
- Definitely restaurant quality. - Thank you.
You know what? I disagree with gordon.
These are home mama italian cook-quality,
Which is probably better than restaurant quality.
- Can't wait to taste it. - Thank you. Thank you so much.
- How long did you cook them for, please, reagan? - Three minutes.
- Any stock in there? - Vegetable stock.
- So, you've gone all vegetarian on us. - I did!
I have to say that you made a reagan-style
Full-flavored pasta dish that's delicious.
- Thank you. - This has a profoundness that is very unique,
- And it's also very delicious. - Thank you.
Skill wise, technically, it's beautifully done.
There's no air trapped in there.
The greens are braised beautifully,
And, so, yeah, great job.
- Thank you. - Good job, baby!
- That's what I'm talking about. - Come on, baby.
Tough challenge. All of you, well done.
Please make your way down to the front, all five of you, thank you.
Are we agreed?
Okay, five of you stand before us,
But in a moment only four of you will remain.
Reagan, jennifer, grant,
We felt that your stuffed pasta dishes were outstanding.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
One step closer to the finale.
You three, make your way up to the balcony, please.
- Whoo! - Thank you.
Wayne: I'm super proud of myself,
Being safe and into the next round of the semifinals.
But I can't celebrate for long
Because I have no idea what's coming next.
This is gonna be harder than what we just did.
Kennedy and wayne, unfortunately one of you
Have cooked for the very last time inside this competition.
We've decided the person going home is...
Wayne.
Kennedy, please say good-bye to wayne
- And head up to the balcony. - Good luck. Good luck.
Wayne, unfortunately, your ambition got the better of you.
Honestly, it's a shame to see you go, but how have you changed?
Wow, this has been a wild ride.
I know I come across as super confident,
And it's funny, I feel like I've grown as a chef,
But I have way more to learn than I thought I had to learn
- Even starting this process. - Come and say good-bye.
- Thanks, chef. Thanks, chef. - See ya, bud.
- Great job, brother. - I know I'm going home today,
But I'm very proud of the work I did here.
You think you're a good cook when you walk through these doors...
You're swinging for the fences.
Oh, I'm gonna win this challenge.
But, boy, when you come here,
You get curveballs thrown at you left and right.
Yeah, I got my work cut out for me, for sure.
Between you and I, you're ( bleep ).
- No way! - Nine layers?
- It feels like you had nine lives on this one. - Right.
I really believed that I was going to make the finale,
But at the end of the day, this is about food,
And my food just wasn't good enough today.
- All right, wayne. - Bye, wayne.
And just like that, we're one cook away from the grand finale.
All of you, catch your breath
Because I'll see you all in just a moment
For a challenge of a lifetime.
- Mm. - Oh, goodness.
- It's gotta be something big. - Uh-huh.
Wayne is a very strong cook, and so that just shows
That the smallest mistakes can send you home.
- Everyone, please come down. - But whatever may come,
I am going to fight so hard for this.
I want my ticket to the finale so bad.
Okay, guys, there's just one challenge left in the semifinals.
It all comes down to this final frenetic challenge.
And there's only one man standing in your way.
- ( music playing ) - reagan: Oh, my goodness.
Kennedy: This is like the last level in a video game
And it's the big monster that you've been waiting for.
- There he is. - Yay!
- Come on! - The master.
Kennedy: The last challenge getting in my way to the finale
Is going head to head with gordon ramsay.
Every chef dreams of this moment,
But it's scary as ( bleep ).
In this final challenge,
You'll be cooking at the exact same time as me.
- Wow. - Shall we?
Let's do it.
Now, you'll all be keeping up with me
As we cook one of my signature dishes.
- Oh, that's beautiful. - This is a coffee-crusted loin of venison
Served with some truffle gnocchi,
Cauliflower purée, and a red wine chocolate sauce.
- Oh, wow. - And you four will
Have to follow me every step of the way.
If you fall behind, your chances of making it
Into the finale are slim.
Once I'm done, you'll have 30 seconds
To finish plating your dish.
Now, the big question is, are you ready?
- Yes, chef! - Right, our time starts now.
- Let's go, guys. - Aah!
First thing's first, get the gas on.
Full blast, six pans.
Now, sharpen your knives. Let's go.
First off, we're gonna start the cauliflower purée.
Milk into the pan, cream into the pan.
Reagan: At this point, we've gone through tag-team challenges
And mystery box challenges.
But keeping up with gordon ramsay,
This is gonna be our hardest cook.
Lightly season it. No pepper, just with salt.
It's speed, it's technical.
So I'm, "go, go, go, go, go!"
This is it. I did not come here to lose.
Now, take your cauliflower, take a steak off, slice it down.
Not too small, otherwise it's gonna overcook.
- Yes, chef. - Now, in with the cauliflower
- Yes, chef. - Okay, next, the gnocchi.
Slice the hot potato into three,
- And get that into your ricer. - Reagan: Yes, chef.
And squeeze that potato through, let's go.
Wayne: I learned how to cook by watching gordon's videos.
And now I get to watch him right in front of me
As I cook for my life in this competition.
- You got it, you got it. - This is crazy.
Now, get your egg, whisk it up.
- So far so good? - Yes, chef.
But as cool as it is to be cooking with gordon right now,
Gordon works so dang fast.
From there, flour, sprinkle that over,
And grate one third of your truffle into the potato.
- Anybody listening? - Yes, chef.
Great. Now we're gonna start bringing the gnocchi together.
We're gonna be behind. That's just how this challenge is gonna work.
I just need to make sure that I take in all the information
And just keep moving forward the entire time.
Grant is the one who seems most in charge at this point.
- Mm-hmm. - Gordon: And now, look.
We've got this beautiful truffle gnocchi.
- You guys with me? - Yes, chef.
Excellent, let's go. Right, next up, your venison.
Pepper, salt, coffee rub, and then a nice tablespoon
- Of olive oil, and get that rubbed in. - Yes, chef.
- Okay. - Where's the wet part? The wet part on it, chef?
- Olive oil. Olive oil. - Olive oil.
That's it. Now, we're gonna smoke our venison, okay?
Light in. That is gonna permeate beautifully.
- Kennedy: Wow. - Reagan, please, let's go.
- Yes, chef. - You can do it. Let's go, reagan.
Right, cauliflower's on, venison's smoking, gnocchi's resting.
- Red wine sauce. - Red wine sauce.
Get your shallot and start slicing.
This is the base of the sauce. Olive oil in, shallots in.
- One clove of garlic crushed. - Just one garlic clove?
- Yes. - Come on, jennifer.
Jennifer: I've made dishes like this before,
But that's at my own pace,
Not at michelin star chef ramsay pace.
Right, deglaze the pan with your red wine. Stand back.
I am just cooking like there's no tomorrow
Because I know this is the end of the line.
- Whoo! - I'm working so hard,
It's hard to breathe right now.
Sauce reducing down, cauliflower en route.
- How's the smoking? - It's coming along.
- Good, well done. - Joe: He's got the sauce on.
He's got the venison marinated, he's gonna start cooking the gnocchi.
So there's a lot of components.
This is the point where they can burn
- And overcook things. - Exactly.
Next stop, we're gonna roll out the gnocchi.
Take your dough, lightly flour the surface, and roll.
From there, take your knife, cut an inch long.
- I'd like six on a plate. - Yes, chef.
Now, little bit of flour and get your thumb
And pinch a beautiful circle into the middle of your gnocchi.
Right, now take a knife and check your cauliflower purée. Mine is cooked.
From there, drain the cauliflower into a sieve, okay?
Really important. Now get your blender.
In we go, and then literally half your liquid in.
- Yes, chef. - Lid on, and we start blitzing, okay?
- Let that purée. - Joe: You could have mistakes already
With undercooked cauliflower being blended right now.
- And it can be very grainy. - Terrible.
- The worst. - And now we're gonna sear the venison.
- Nice hot pan. Heard? - Yes, chef.
- Venison into the pan. - Grant: We're good.
Some butter into the pan,
And this is where we start basting the venison.
We're adding fat now.
Now, take your garlic and your rosemary
On top of the venison,
And in the oven we go. Straight in.
Joe: There's gonna be variables here,
Like the cooking time on the venison.
You can't follow him exactly
Because each piece is different.
Aarón: Yeah.
Now, that beautiful purée.
- What do we do? - We taste.
- Taste. - The taste is so important,
And they have to understand
What the right consistency and texture is.
- So close. - I want that nice glossy, smooth texture.
- Darn it. - Uh-oh.
Yeah, too liquidy and grainy.
My purée looks a little grainy,
- So this is not good. - Come on, now. Come on.
We've gotta go, guys. We have got to go.
If the texture's not right, if the flavor's not right,
Any small margin could send me home.
- Aah! - And now we start the final stages, guys.
- All: Yes, chef. - Venison out, please.
- Leave it in the pan, resting nicely. - Grant: Got it.
Now your pans are hot. Turn the pans down now, please.
- Okay. - Yes, chef.
Olive oil into the pan for the gnocchi.
Butter in, and start frying your gnocchi.
- Yes, chef. - Watch the temperature, guys.
- Nice and gentle, let's go. - Yes, chef.
A really nice golden brown, fluffy texture.
Beautiful color here, chef.
- Turn it down just a little bit, kennedy. - Aah!
Kennedy really looks frazzled. Too many flames, too hot.
- She's gonna burn it. - Oh, god.
Gordon: Pan is too hot, kennedy.
- Control your pans. - Yes, chef.
- My gnocchi is burnt. - We gotta move.
I made a huge mistake, and I really don't know what to do at this point.
I can't restart.
( bleep )
- Gordon: Control your pans, kennedy. - Yes, chef.
- We gotta move. - Aah!
Kennedy: My pans are so hot right now that my gnocchi
Immediately burned when it went into the pan.
- ( bleep ) - my only option here left
Is just get a new pan, get new oil on,
And just salvage what's left of this gnocchi.
- Oh, god. - Now, we're gonna start doing the spinach.
- Teaspoon of olive oil in there first. - Yes, chef.
A touch of butter. Sautée very quickly.
Literally 30 seconds in the pan.
- Yes, yes, yes. - Okay. Come on.
- ( groans ) - all right, we was doing good. Stay up.
Now, gnocchi cooked, purée done, and spinach sautéed.
Now we're gonna finish the sauce.
Take your little pistols of chocolate
And whisk in that sauce.
Now, turn your gas off.
Don't boil it with the butter and the chocolate in there.
- Got it, chef. - Just let that sauce run through the sieve,
And on the bottom we've got this beautiful
- Dark, rich chocolate sauce. - Why is--
Reagan: The sauce is nice until I put it into another hot pan.
I don't know what happened.
But this sauce does not look right.
- Reagan looks completely frazzled. - Yeah.
She's out of her element, for sure.
If I put this on the plate, then it's gonna look horrible.
And I don't put it on the plate, then I got a plate without no sauce.
Come on, reagan, we gotta move faster.
We are starting to plate. Hurry up, reagan, please.
Spinach in the center, six nice pillows of gnocchi around the plate.
Purée into the center of the gnocchi.
And then from there I'd like six nice dollops of purée on the plate
In between the gnocchi. Let's go, guys, please.
Sit your truffle on top of your beautiful gnocchi.
Here we go, guys, your venison. Three nice slices.
I want the venison nice and pink.
- Sit that onto your spinach. - Yes, chef.
And then finally a nice spoon of chocolate sauce
- Around our beautiful coffee-crusted venison. - Yes.
Okay, your 30 seconds start now. Let's go!
- Joe: Let's go, let's go. - Aarón: All right,
We need sauce and we need garnishing.
- Let's go. - Yes, chef.
- Whew! - Oh, god.
I think I'm getting anxiety watching this.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight,
Seven, six, five,
- Four, three, two, one. - And stop!
- That's it. - Well done.
Things were going really good, and then all of a sudden it was time to plate.
- My sauce broke. - Mine, too, 'cause the pan was hot.
My pan was so-- it was too hot.
I have several things missing.
- That was intense. - Oh, ( bleep ).
That was crazy.
Now I understand why this challenge is so hard.
We did it. I love you guys.
- Love you. - All four of you, well done.
- Thank you. - Thank you, chef.
Your task tonight was to cook along with me every step of the way,
And make a dish that looks and tastes like mine.
- Kennedy, we'll start with you. - Jennifer: Go, kennedy.
Kennedy: My dish compared to gordon's dish, I think the flavors are there.
They're definitely sisters, not twins,
But I did the best I could. I hope it's enough.
Gordon: Visually, well done. Great sear on the venison.
Beautifully done. Sauce slightly broken.
Gnocchi, one missing. A little bit heavy on the color.
- Shall we? - Aarón: Yep.
Venison's beautiful. Gnocchi nicely seasoned.
Little bit too heavy underneath.
Slightly crispy. The pan too hot.
But the fragrance on the truffle coming through the gnocchi, absolutely spot-on.
The purée may be thin, but it tastes really delicious.
- Thank you, chef. - The real star here for me
Is actually the seasoning on the beautiful venison loin,
Which is so necessary, and I really appreciate that.
- Thank you, chef. - Joe: It's really delicious.
- I'm really kind of blown away. - Thank you.
- Thanks, kennedy. - Thank you guys so much.
Okay, next dish we want to try is grant's. Please come down.
Grant: This is one of the hardest things I've ever done, bar none.
Keeping up with gordon ramsay?
Gosh, I put everything into it today.
I'm this close to the finale.
I can't not make it.
Grant, visually, gnocchi, beautiful color.
The hero, the venison, is pink
And all the components are there.
You should be very proud. Well done.
- Thank you, chef. - Shall we?
I think that these could have almost come out of the same restaurant.
- They're very, very similar. - Yeah, it's beyond reproach.
- Thank you, chef. - Young man, congratulations.
The chocolate sauce is spot-on.
Gnocchi, light, fluffy in the middle.
- Great job. - Thank you.
- Good job, grant. - Joe: Good stuff.
- Amazing. - Very impressive.
Now, reagan, can you please bring your dish forward?
Reagan: This was a very hard cook,
But everything in this entire competition,
This moment, I gave it all that I had.
And while it may not look great,
I am super proud of myself that I kept up.
Gordon: So, visually, a couple of issues.
It's missing purée on the plate.
And then the sauce. What happened to the sauce?
I saw that it was broken, and I was like,
"I can't put it on the plate." yeah.
Shall we?
It tastes like what it looks like.
- Unfortunately. - Unfortunately.
Because the venison didn't rest properly,
It's bleeding out on the plate.
But I did enjoy the cauliflower.
It's creamy, it's good, it's delicious.
- Thank you. - One side of the venison is cooked beautifully
And the other side is medium well, so it's dry. It's missing the sauce.
It's the sauce that brings this whole thing together.
And it's such a shame. Such a shame.
Your lack of experience with the venison was obvious.
- It is. - It's overdone,
And, uh, the gnocchi's bitter.
Thanks, reagan.
- That venison's very unforgiving, by the way. - Oh, my lord.
- Next up, jennifer, please. - Go, jen.
I'm nervous. You know, it's not a true replication of his plate.
I missed out on some of my cauliflower purée,
My sauce broke, and I am just worried
That I won't have a spot in the finale.
Gordon: Um, sauce looks like it's broken and over-reduced.
Did you boil the sauce after the chocolate and butter went in?
It went into a hot pan, and so I think it broke it.
What a shame. And did you baste the venison?
I was following along with you right during that time.
Is there a reason you didn't put the cauliflower purée on the plate as well?
I-- you know, I missed that step right at the end.
Oof.
( muttering )
Venison needed another two minutes,
And then the biggest disappointment is the sauce
'cause it just ruins the dish. It's stuck to the plate.
You fell behind and it shows.
It's a shame, but that gnocchi is beautiful.
Aarón: The gnocchis, they're fluffy, they have a nice bounce to them.
I appreciate the caramelization on the outside.
But there's a lot of elements that needed to be brought together
In order for this to be something more special
- That warrants gordon's standards. - I understand.
Yeah, there's a couple of obvious things aesthetically missing on the plate.
I don't taste the rub on the outside of the venison like I should.
And the sauce, it looks like a marmalade.
- There were some problems. - Thank you.
Thank you.
All of you, please make your way round to the front, thank you.
Right, now the three of us need to focus
On which three of you are going into the finale.
Please give us a moment. Thank you.
( sighs ) okay.
There's two individuals that we really need to discuss.
Gordon: Jennifer and reagan.
- ( sighs ) - love you.
- I love you, too. - They had some really fundamental issues.
- Saucework. - The sauce is a fundamental part of this dish.
It was, yeah. But one cooked the venison better than the other.
- Joe: Yep. - Aarón: Yeah, yeah.
You guys comfortable with your decision?
- Yes. - Yeah? Unanimous?
- Aarón: Indeed. - Joe: Let's do it.
What an exceptional night. Well done.
We all agree tonight that one dish was a cut above the rest,
And this person has clearly earned a spot in the finale.
Congratulations goes to...
Grant.
Yes, baby. I'm so proud.
Make your way up to the balcony, young man.
- You deserve it. - Congrats. Great job.
This is something that even a year ago I couldn't have even imagined
That this would be a possibility.
But, now, here I am in the finale, baby.
The second person into the grand finale, congratulations goes to...
- Kennedy. Well done. - ( sobs )
- Brilliant. - Oh, my god.
This means more to me than anything in the whole world.
I couldn't happier right now.
- Congratulations. - Thank you so much.
Please join grant on the balcony.
Grant and kennedy into the finale.
- So proud of you. - ( muted squealing )
Well done. Okay, one spot remaining.
Two ladies from the south.
Reagan, jennifer,
The final person joining grant
And kennedy in the finale,
That person is...
Jennifer.
Jennifer, the cook on the venison
Needed a touch more seasoning and the sauce needed work.
But everything was there, and the gnocchi was the best of the night.
You have so earned yourself a spot in the finale.
Congratulations. Please say good-bye to reagan
And join grant and kennedy. Well done.
- I'm so proud of you. - Thank you.
It is just an incredible moment for me.
I have a spot in the finale of "masterchef."
I'm so close to my dreams.
Reagan, the passion, the energy, the love you have with food...
- Yeah. Thank you. - ...Nobody can match that.
- We are gonna miss you. - I'm gonna miss y'all.
- Come on, say good-bye. - I will.
Ah, man.
You know, I'm not sad. I feel fulfilled.
When I came to this masterchef kitchen,
I was a home cook repping the south, just kicking it.
- You get an apron. - Joe: Don't fall down.
( laughing )
I've grown so much.
And from where I started to where I am,
I am not the same person. I am now a chef.
Everything about this dish is spot-on,
And it's a dish that you want to eat all of. Good job.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I feel validated, I feel confident in my skills,
And I feel in control of my future.
- Make me proud! - Okay, honey.
- All right! - Yeah! Go, reagan!
Yeah, ray!
I put new orleans on my back.
I hope I made them proud.
I know my family is proud,
And I am so excited to get back home
And show everybody what I can do.
May the lord bless you real good! Bye, y'all!
It is official.
Grant, kennedy, jennifer,
You three have earned your spots into the grand finale.
Well done, and the best of luck. So proud.
Thank you, chef.
Whoo!
Gordon: Next time, it's the "masterchef" grand finale.
- Welcome, everyone. - The top three...
Jennifer, grant, kennedy.
...Begin the battle to become america's next masterchef.
And, tonight, we'll all learn
Where america's best home cook comes from.
- Yeah! - Things are about to get messy, y'all.
- Yeah, kennedy! It looks good! - Yeah, mom!
It's time to really show off how well you can really cook.
It's not working.
- ( bleep ) - here we go. The moment of truth.
- ( bleep ) - but only one cook will take home the title,
The trophy, and a quarter of a million dollars.
The flavor pairings that you put together
Create something that's really magical.
Joe: The amount of precision and technique
That I see in this dish is astounding.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I love you.
( squeals )
America's next masterchef is...