Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef"...
Welcome, everyone, to "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America" finale!
- Yeah! - ...the final three began the epic battle
for the title of MasterChef.
- You must make a full three-course meal. - Yes, Chef!
First up, appetizers. Go!
- Come on! - All right, Jennifer!
If this egg yolk breaks in this raviolo, I'm done.
- You got it, Kennedy. - Show us your artistry, baby girl.
I've made for you a lobster succotash.
- Absolutely love this dish. It's delicious. - Thank you.
Grant, it's delicious. It's everything you want from an egg yolk ravioli.
- Thank you, Chef. - Kennedy, it looks absolutely stunning.
Like a cover of a famous chef's cookbook.
And the flavor pairings create something that's really magical.
- Thank you, Chef. - Next up, the entrée round.
Y'all ready for some venison?
Kennedy's attempting to cook a rabbit.
I've never even worked with rabbit before.
Get that wrong, it's game over.
With Grant's pork tenderloin, he hasn't even started
searing them yet and we're halfway.
It's stressing me out.
Gordon: Tonight, the grand finale continues...
You're one course away from being crowned America's next MasterChef.
...as the three finalists finish their battle for the title,
the trophy, and a quarter of a million dollars.
- My snow's not working. - I've never seen her like this before.
- ( bleep ) - Jennifer is a little bit in panic mode right now.
- Oh, my gosh. - Uh-oh.
- It's getting intense. - This kind of dish floats around the dining room
in our restaurants and it's a head-turner.
This is a full-flavored dish
that is the perfect ending to your menu.
America's next MasterChef is...
( cheering )
Gordon: Just over 23 minutes to go.
- Let's go! - The big question now for Grant
is when does he start cooking that loin of pork?
- Yep. - Within the next five minutes.
- Got to. - Yeah.
- Grant: Yeah. We're good. - There you go, Grant.
- Perfect, Grant. - Atta boy.
Pickling the cherries.
Kennedy over here going on a huge high wire act with this rabbit.
And then she's gonna use beet root and the pickled cherries
- to also be a big part of it. - Does she have too much going on?
- Is her dish too ambitious? - Gordon: It's all about the taste.
It's a difficult protein to get right. It needs to be cooked perfectly.
So fingers crossed she gets that absolutely nailed.
- Jennifer, watch your sauce. - Got it.
Jennifer has her venison rack in the oven.
And on her venison Jennifer is proposing a bordelaise sauce,
a red wine sauce, which can't be too sticky, too thick.
- It can be too liquidy. - Aarón: You're right.
I mean, the idea of the consistency of Jennifer's sauce is gonna be key.
- Mm-hmm. Absolutely. - A little multi-tasking here.
- Yeah! - Come on now!
- ( cheering ) - Come on, friends!
- ( cheering continues ) - Grant: Looking nice.
Kennedy: Whew! Perfect.
Just need this to be done.
- Venison looks beautiful. - Right, how are we doing?
- What do you think? - Yeah, good. It's still quite rare there.
- I'm gonna give it another minute. - You want it rare or mid rare?
- Where are we going? - Mid rare.
- Mid rare, okay. So another two minutes. - Yeah.
- What's the oven on?
It is on 450.
Right, I love that. Sauce is delicious.
Really good indeed. Just be careful to not over-reduce it.
- Jennifer: Okay, yes. - How are you gonna bring it together on the plate?
You know, my goal here is to plate it
as if you were sitting in a Michelin star restaurant.
You know, I want you to get a bite
of that nutty cream purée
with this rich sauce with my venison.
Love that. You realize slicing venison too hot
is gonna put blood all over the plate,
- which does not look good. - Yes.
So it needs to rest, okay? So be smart.
- Okay, yes, Chef. - Good luck, come on.
- Great job, Jennifer! - Let's go, Jennifer!
There you go.
Doing good, doing good, doing good.
- Go, Dad! - Sav: Pour it over.
- Yes, that part. That part! - There it is.
- Beautiful, Kennedy. - Whoo!
Last ten minutes, guys. Ten minutes to go. Come on!
Here we go.
Jennifer: Oh, beautiful.
Kennedy: Whoo, baby! Okay.
Grant: Look at that, look at that. Let's go!
- Grant's pork is out of the oven. - Aarón: Nice.
- Gordon: Baste, baste, baste. - Yes, Chef.
- How's that temp, Jennifer? - Looking beautiful.
So there a lot of meats resting.
Pork loins are resting and the rabbits rest up.
My big worry is that Jennifer's venison rack,
if she hasn't rested it before she slicing it,
honestly, that plate is gonna implode with blood.
She has not net now because she doesn't have time to cook another one.
- No. - So whatever the temperature on that venison rack is,
- that's what she's gonna serve. - That's right.
Okay. Come on.
Here we go. The moment of truth.
- ( squeals ) - ( cheering )
- Whoa! - Yeah!
It's pink. It's good.
- Whew. - You got this, Jennifer!
We're coming down to our last five minutes, guys.
- Gotta start thinking about slicing your meat! - Beautiful!
- God, every single one of these... - I know.
- They are all so good. - It's a crazy fight now
between Jennifer, Grant, and Kennedy.
They are bringing something different to the table.
Slice that meat thin! Yes!
Oh, my God, Ken, those look so good.
There's so much at stake for these three tonight.
There the title, there's the money,
there's the trophy, and at this point,
it's not just getting to the next day.
It's changing their lives tonight.
- Shake it up! - Yeah! Go, G, go!
- All right! - But we all know it really lands on the entrée.
This is where they prove themselves that their menu makes sense,
that they're bringing all of their skills to the table,
and I don't even think I envy them for a minute tonight.
It's so tough. That pressure? I can't even imagine it.
Gordon: Last two minutes, guys. Here we go. Two minutes!
Grant's gonna have to start thinking about slicing his pork soon.
Come on, Grant.
Look at that. That's medium pork right there, baby.
- Uh-huh. Yeah! - Oh!
Jennifer: Perfect.
- Yeah, Jen. - Plate, plate, plate.
Things are about to get messy, y'all,
so if you're in the front row, I apologize.
Dang, girl.
- Yeah! - ( cheering )
- Go, Ken! - Yes!
Look at Kennedy's plate. Oh, my goodness me.
Killing it. Literally.
One minute to go! Come on!
- Aarón: Homestretch! - Go, Dad!
- Whoo! - You got it, Jennifer!
- Let's go, Kennedy! - Let's go, Kennedy!
All: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
- And stop! - ( cheering )
Love you.
- Oh, my God. - They all look fantastic.
Jennifer: Bring it in. Love you, guys.
- Grant: Great job, guys. - ( Kennedy sobs )
- Kennedy! - Kennedy, you got this.
Kennedy: I'm feeling very emotional.
My story is really true and dear to who I am as a person.
I put my heart and my soul on every single plate.
I'm just happy that I really pulled it all together in the end, so...
Well done. What an amazing performance.
All of you, please, make your way around to the front.
Yes!
Now for the most exciting time of the evening,
to taste your delicious entrées.
Grant, can you please bring your entrée forward? Thank you.
Grant: I think I did great at my entrée,
and I think I really stepped it up.
I really wanted to make sure that I could put Iowa on a plate.
This dish hinges on the pork,
and if I didn't nail it like I think I did,
then I could have one foot out the door.
Grant, can you please give us a little insight on what you prepared?
Absolutely. We have pork loin medallions
with a salmoriglio sauce,
an agrodolce celery root purée,
and beer-braised fennel and onion.
What I like about this dish aesthetically
is the progression of the menu.
'Cause I'm thinking about the raviolo al uovo
as an appetizer,
and this is like a really nice follow-up.
And the plating style is really, really beautiful.
- Can't wait to taste it. - Thank you, Joe.
Shall we?
Pork is delicious. You've cooked it absolutely spot-on.
You know, it's moist, it's pink.
If I was a vegetarian tonight,
I would literally just OD on fennel cooked in beer,
'cause it is absolutely delicious.
You have some really exceptional elements
of this dish that are just so memorable.
This agrodolce with the raisins,
you could put that on a dirty boot and eat it.
You know what I mean? It's that good.
- But the pork is a little bit simple. - Mm-hmm.
I don't know if you could have done a little spice rub with fennel pollen perhaps.
But with that being said, I think it's delicious.
Thank you so much.
Everything on this dish has a purpose,
and it is done with a high degree of flavor.
- Good job. - Aarón: Thank you, Grant.
- Thanks, Grant. - Good job, baby.
- Listen, he's cooked it beautifully. - Yeah.
Each of the plates look identical.
And that's a tough call, loin of pork.
- It's true. - Yeah.
Joe: Okay, the next entrée we'd like to try
comes from Kennedy. Please bring it down.
Yay!
I've taken a huge risk by doing rabbit for my entrée
because it's a difficult protein to nail.
But I'm really confident about the dish.
- Smoke it, baby! - Oh, my God.
It might be a little too avant garde for the judges,
but this dish is 100% Kennedy.
I'm kind of a shocking person in general.
- ( cheering ) - ( laughter )
Okay, Kennedy, what did you make for us?
I have made rabbit saddle, seared rabbit liver,
pickled cherries, beets, and a juniper berry sauce.
- Joe: Wow. - I wanted to paint a whole picture here with my entrée.
It's a foggy night and you're going hunting for rabbits.
Kennedy, you always bring this sort of uncertainty to this competition,
'cause we never know where you're going.
- And, I mean, I'm just dying to dig in. - Thank you, Chef.
You know, a lot of the times with these very whimsical, highly artistic dishes,
you raise the stakes on yourself because I think that what we're gonna eat
and the flavor behind it has to be at the same level as the concept art.
Gordon: What's the mousse inside the saddle, please?
So, I took the extra parts of the rabbit
and I put a little bit of cream and some herbs.
Oh, boy. Kennedy, it's go big or go home right?
And you've gone big. You took a big risk tonight.
The rabbit, it's a difficult protein to get right.
Dangerous move. I don't know what it is with you and danger.
Kennedy, it's go big or go home, right?
And you've gone big. Took a big risk tonight.
The rabbit, it's a difficult protein to get right.
Dangerous move. I don't know what it is with you and danger, but, uh...
I love it. I really do love it.
Rabbit's delicious. It's moist and it's beautiful.
But be careful with the garnishing, please.
Because you've got so much earthiness going on here.
But the hero, as the rabbit, is absolutely nailed.
- Great job. Really good. - Thank you, Chef.
For me, the most sort of memorable
and compelling elements of this dish is the gravy,
and juniper was such a smart move.
And I love the fact that you celebrated beet.
I agree with Chef Gordon, it needed to be shaved thinly
and make a little sort of a salad.
But other than that, great job.
Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
- Oh, boy. - The technique and the flavor
really do kind of support the narrative that you're bringing to the table.
The cook and the flavor and the seasoning on the rabbit is perfection.
The greens are amazing. The juniper sauce is incredible.
Those three components-- perfect, simple excellence.
Gordon: Good job. Thanks, Kennedy.
- ( laughing ) - Yeah!
Right, Jennifer, please make your way down, thank you.
- Go, Jennifer! - Let's go, Mom!
Jennifer: After the appetizer round,
I've got some ground to make up.
The main thing that counts here is my venison,
and I really hope it shines as the star of the dish.
I have made for you a rack of venison persillade
with roasted root vegetables, a parsnip potato purée,
- and a bordelaise sauce. - It's beautiful.
I mean, it's pink, it's rested correctly, and you've nailed it here.
It looks very high-end. It looks immaculately curated.
The crusting looks even and well-seasoned,
and also very restaurant-y looking.
I'm just wondering on the consistency.
We got center cuts, and Aarón, you left an end cut on his.
- Is there a strategy? - No, no, I just sliced them every two pieces.
There is some inconsistencies as far as, you know, just the cutting.
The Chef's looked a little bit sawed.
- Gordon: Shall we? - Yep.
Thank you.
I would love for you to taste a bite of the purée
with the bordelaise and the venison--
I love the fact you tell us how to eat now as well.
But don't worry about that. We know how to eat.
Thank you.
Listen, um, the venison you've nailed.
The cook on the venison is absolutely beautiful.
It's melt in your mouth, and it's just-- yeah.
- Absolutely spot-on. - Great job.
Obviously, with a big rack like that, it just needs a touch more seasoning.
Bordelaise sauce slightly over-reduced,
'cause it's just gone a little sticky.
But I'm just so pleased that you cooked the venison
that we were all worried about
to absolute, utter perfection.
- Really good job. - Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
For me, the vegetables are just a tad underdone, but they're well-seasoned.
There's a lot of really great things that you accomplished
with a very difficult protein, so--
- Thank you. Thank you. - I commend you.
The flavor profile is quite delicious.
And, really, the bite of the crust venison,
purée, and red wine sauce together is quite magical.
So very, very, very good job.
- Thank you so much. - Thank you, Jennifer.
- Whoo! - Love you, Jenifer.
- Great job! - Okay.
Listen, you three, well done.
Please head back into the kitchen
- and start clearing down. - ( cheering )
Yeah!
Interesting. Now we start to combine
their appetizer with their entrées...
- Yep. - ...and how is this menu shaping up?
- Jennifer, I mean, venison cooked beautifully, right? - Aarón: Yeah.
But how does that compare now with the lobster followed by the venison?
- I think she's going decadent. - Classical French, right?
- Yeah, and she also understands how to go big. - Yeah.
Joe: I have to think that Grant's menu
is the most evolved as far as being on theme.
From the appetizer to the entrée, I agree.
Joe: The raviolo, I loved it.
It's just too bad he didn't boil the ravioli a little bit more.
But I love the boldness on Grant's agrodolce with the raisins.
But the pork was very simple.
Kennedy was consistent with the appetizer to the entrée,
the sort of flashiness of the plates.
Joe: The steelhead trout was delicious,
but it was almost a competitor of the rabbit,
- not a predecessor of the rabbit. - Interesting.
Does her need to tell a story and create art on a plate
- subvert the basic flavors of what we're eating? - Yeah.
- These guys aren't making it easy for us. - Nope, not at all.
- Gordon: Incredible. - Let's see what dessert brings.
Let's go. Amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Okay. Wow. Well done.
You three, please make your way back to the front.
Give them a round of applause,
ladies and gentlemen, please.
Great job. What a night!
Three phenomenal entrées. All of you, well done.
Now, it's time for the final course across this epic season
of "MasterChef: United Tastes Of America" finale.
One course away from being crowned America's next MasterChef.
- Yeah! - Gordon: It's anyone's game.
- You guys ready? - Yeah! Let's go!
- Yeah! - ( cheering )
So, it's time for the dessert course.
Now, listen closely. This might be the hardest course of all.
And most importantly, it could be the knock-out punch to your rivals.
And let's not forget, there's a quarter of a million dollars on the line.
Guys, you will have 60 minutes to make your desserts.
Please tell us what you'll be making. Jennifer?
For my dessert, I'm making my I Love You cake.
It's the cake that my husband served
on the night that he told me he loved me.
It is a chocolate raspberry mousse cake
with a Chambord raspberry coulis,
crystallized raspberries,
and a beautiful chocolate mirror glaze.
Love that. Amazing. Grant?
Keeping with my Italian heritage and then into my Midwest roots,
I'm gonna be doing a play on an affogato.
So you'll have a torn stout cake with a coffee stout mousse,
a coffee ice cream, and a chocolate pizzelle.
Wow.
Kennedy, what will you be making for dessert?
I really want to show the Colorado night sky with my plating.
It's called Moon Shadow, and I'm going to be doing a black sesame cake
with a dark chocolate ganache, blackberry mousse,
and a yuzu white chocolate snow.
Love that. Right, well done.
Here we go. This is it!
- All right, y'all! - Are you three amazing chefs ready?
Yeah! Let's go!
Good. Your 60 minutes starts now!
- Let's go! Come on. - All right, let's go!
Let's see, I need chocolate.
Reagan: I'm rooting for all three of them,
but of course I want Jennifer to win.
- She's from the South! - Blackberries.
- But I do believe that Kennedy is leading. - Black sesame.
I know that Kennedy is under a lot of pressure right now
because this is not her area.
She is not known as a baker.
I think that Grant is taking a risk.
I don't know how I feel about beer being in my sweets.
So we gonna see how this turn out.
- Go, Mom! - Thanks, honey.
This is Jennifer's wheelhouse.
She pulls this dessert off the way I know she can?
She's walking out of here a MasterChef.
- Great job! - Let's go, Jennifer!
Thank you, friends. Go, South!
- Let's go. - Whisk, whisk, whisk. Whisk, whisk, whisk.
The jeopardy of working with any dessert is about the chemistry.
You can't be too grams short of sugar. It needs to be exact.
Sav: Jennifer, are you making a mirror glaze, girl?
- Oh, you know it. - Whoo, I respect you for that.
Jennifer's, you know, that I Love You cake, there's a lot going on there.
That raspberry mousse inside that chocolate mousse,
and then finished with that beautiful sheen,
that's a lot to accomplish right?
- Aarón: Yeah. - Joe: Yes.
There we go.
We're good, we're good.
- All right, Grant. - Booze it up.
Nice and chocolaty. Nice and stout-y, baby.
Grant, um, playing to his strengths. Beer in dessert.
What do you think about the heaviness and the richness of stout?
It's hoppy, it's yeasty, so you have to be careful what you pair with that.
Joe: Coffee's bitter, chocolate's bitter, stout's bitter.
That's a whole theme.
- Uh-oh. - You got this, babe.
Ooh, extra dark.
Yeah, I want it to look like the night sky,
so I'm putting extra black in it.
- Kennedy, how cool does that black sesame seed cake sound? - Aarón: Yeah.
- Sounds amazing. - But I think she's got the hardest job tonight,
Kennedy, because those first two courses had the wow factor
in terms of presentation and the flavor profile.
How do you lift a dessert better than the previous two courses?
I just hope that Kennedy's dessert is not too whimsical.
Because we can't just hear the story and look at the plate.
- We have to eat it. - Yeah.
Y'all making great time.
Yeah, y'all are moving so fast.
Tonight, 60 minutes is not long for a phenomenal dessert.
10 minutes in, you should have--
whatever cake you're gonna have
- has to be in the oven. - Exactly.
- All right, JJ! - Get it in!
Get it in the oven.
Let's go, baby. Cake's in the oven.
- ( indistinct shouting ) - Whoo!
- Set that timer, Ken. - Gordon: Final course, guys.
Come on, 10 minutes gone, just over 50 minutes to go.
- Yeah! - Come on!
Y'all got it!
- Final hurdle, how you feeling? - I feel great.
In terms of the actual cake, what's the shape?
Where are we going with this?
So basically I have my snow laid out
in the shape of a crescent moon,
and then my cake is in a circle
representing the shadow of the moon.
And then the garnishing, is this like a fake snow?
You get caster sugar actually up to 275 degrees
and you add yuzu white chocolate to it
and it turns it into a snow consistency.
- Mm-hmm. - It's delicious, too. Yeah.
I haven't seen your dessert work in this competition so far.
- No! - Is it a weakness? Is it an Achilles' heel for you?
It definitely is. I would not consider myself to be a baker.
I don't even personally like sweets.
But if I were to eat a dessert, this is what I would eat.
Keep up that momentum, girl, please. Good luck.
- Thank you so much, Chef. - She is killing it.
- Grant, is that your ice cream? - Ice cream, yeah.
- Nice. - Yum.
- Smells good. - We can smell it from here.
- Yeah, it smells awesome. - Lot of coffee, huh?
- Whoo. - Jennifer, how we doing?
Hello, I'm doing good. I'm just rotating my cake here.
So, this idea of the I Love You cake,
did he capture your heart with the cake or vice-versa? How did that go?
He had the table dressed with rose petals, a bottle of wine,
had the beautiful cake and beautiful card, and said, "I love you."
So did he wear, like, a smoking jacket or something with leopard print?
He is an Italian stallion, you know.
Orale! There we go! Watch out!
- Hey! - Oh, boy.
Do you feel that everything is going to play a very instrumental part
in the overall flavor and result?
- It is. Absolutely, you know? - Okay.
And also, Arkansas, we have beautiful berry farms,
and so I'm representing my home state here as well.
I appreciate the fact that you're taking it to the next level.
You're gonna continue this theme
of the South meets France and all that decadence.
And this is an opportunity to really show off.
So best of luck, okay, Jennifer?
- Thank you. - Come on, give it up for Jennifer, y'all.
- Yes. - Great job, honey!
30 minutes gone. Our last 30 minutes remaining.
Halfway, guys! Come on, keep it going.
All right, Grant. So, we're going with the great tradition
- of Italian coffee desserts. - Absolutely.
A really simple dessert. You're elaborating tonight.
So I'm gonna incorporate all my favorite things.
We have cake, we have mousse, we have ice cream,
which is my absolute favorite dessert,
and then I'm gonna have that beautiful crunchy pizzelle
that will bring some extra texture to the dish.
You're making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, right?
- I am, absolutely. - You've done it before?
I haven't done it before. This is gonna be the first time that I'm doing it today.
But I feel like it's worth the risk.
- Best of luck to you, Grant. - Thank you so much, Joe.
- Go, Grant! - Good job, Grant!
We're now down to 20 minutes. The final 20 minutes.
- Whoo! - Come on! Keep it going.
- Kennedy, you making some snow? - I'm making some snow, baby.
- Ooh! - Oh, I didn't get it hot enough!
Nope. Didn't get it hot enough. Redo.
- No snow. It didn't snow. - It wasn't hot enough.
Kennedy's first attempt at making that snow did not work.
- ( bleep ) - You got it, Ken.
- Gordon: She's going again. - Oh, we've got goggles.
- Mad scientist time. - There you go, Grant.
Grant The Science Guy.
- Whoa! Yes! - ( gasping )
Gordon: So, Grant, he's pouring in that liquid nitrogen now to his crème anglais.
That's what turns it into ice cream.
Too much and it's gonna turn the ice cream grainy and granular.
Grant: Just a little bit more. Yeah!
Looking good, Grant.
( cheering )
Mmm, so good.
Gordon: The jeopardy behind Jennifer's dessert
is that raspberry mousse.
'Cause she's setting a raspberry coulis inside the mousse, right?
- Aarón: With gelatin. - With gelatin. That's hard.
Yeah, and the temperature needs to be right on point.
- Perfect. - Looks so good, Jennifer!
- How you doing, Ken? - I don't know what's going on.
- You good. - I'm a bit confused.
You're gonna figure it out.
Kennedy is still trying
to make that faux snow with the crystallized sugar work.
Wow. Pivot and move on if it's not working,
- especially with a dessert. - But think about what an integral part
of her dessert is the snow aspect of it.
She's painting this picture of the Colorado night and you need snow.
Ooh, I hope the snow works this time.
Come on, snow. Come on, snow.
- My snow's not working. - What?
- It's not working. - What do you think it is, Ken?
- ( bleep ) - Hey, take a breath.
It just won't go. I don't know what she's trying to get it to do,
- but it won't do it. - So, Kennedy always portrays this very strong exterior,
but she looks nervous for the first time.
Yeah, you're right. For the first time.
Never seen her like this before.
Kennedy's starting to do the snow again.
This is the third time. Stop it.
Ah, come on, Ken-Ken. Come on, Ken.
( sighs )
Gordon: Kennedy's starting to do the snow again.
This is the third time. Stop it.
- That's only a garnish, right? - Aarón: Exactly.
But I think to tell the story, it's such an important element.
All right, Kennedy, you got this.
( sniffles )
You got it.
Oh, God. Come on.
You can hear a pin drop.
- We got snow! - ( cheering )
White chocolate snow is done.
- She didn't give up. - I love it!
- Wow. - You gotta be a fighter.
- Aww, I'm so proud of her. - I was nervous.
( bleep ) Whew! I was nervous.
Never give up!
Last 10 minutes, guys, come on!
- Let's go! - Come on, come on, come on!
Come on.
All right, let's do this.
Okay, Jennifer's going with the liquid nitrogen,
- this time over the raspberries. - Aarón: Okay.
Which freezes the raspberries, then she's gonna break them up,
- which will be an amazing little garnish. - I love that idea. Yep.
- Freeze those berries! - Okay.
- Careful, Jennifer. - Is that a little waffle maker?
It's a pizzelle maker.
A little Italian chocolate cookie for ya.
Kennedy: Looking good, baby.
Kennedy's got her cakes out of the oven.
- Joe: They look dense. - She had her cakes in there,
Kennedy, for 36 minutes.
Gordon: That's a really long time.
I'm a bit worried those cakes are gonna be dry and overcooked.
Aarón: Yes.
Last five minutes guys. Five minutes to go.
- Five minutes. Let's go. - Come on.
- Let's go, let's go! - Gordon: Last five.
Aarón: Yeah, yeah.
Ooh, they're going down to the dang wire on this.
- It's getting intense. - Jennifer is running way behind right now.
She has to get the ganache on that chocolate mousse.
- Jennifer's a little bit in panic mode right now. - Yeah.
Sav: Pour it. Pour it on. Yes! Yes!
- Yes, Jennifer! - Nice!
You're doing great, Kennedy, you're doing great.
- Beautiful. - Gorgeous!
Gordon: Good. Well done, Kennedy.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah. - Let's do this.
60 seconds to go. Last minute, guys. Come on!
Let's go, Jennifer!
- Sav: One minute! One minute! - Stay focused, Jennifer.
- Let's do it, Grant! - Okay. Oh, my gosh.
Kennedy, you can do it. Let's go!
- Beautiful. - Yes, Kennedy!
Yeah, Ken.
- You got this, babe. - We're good, we're good.
- Let's go, Grant! - Let's go. Come on, Grant.
Let's go. Finishing touches.
All: Ten, nine, eight,
- seven, six... - There it is.
...five, four, three, two, one!
- Gordon: And stop! - Aarón: That's it!
- Man! - Ken! You got it.
- Really good. - You got it.
Whoo!
This journey's been really hard. It's been a long journey.
That being the last cook was just really intense,
and, um, I got everything I wanted on the plate.
It looks as I envisioned, honestly.
I'm just happy I got to be here and do this.
And I'm happy, yeah.
I have my mom and my wife and my dad over there.
They sacrificed a whole hell of a lot for me to be here,
and, you know, I just wanted to make sure
that I put my best foot forward
to show them that it was worth it.
And I'm just so damn proud of myself,
so I just hope the judges really see
this passion coming through as well.
Jennifer: There's $250,000 riding on this dish,
and I'm just hoping that the judges enjoy it
as much as I enjoyed making it.
Okay, it's time for the final tasting
of the evening.
Please make your way around to the front. Thank you.
( cheering )
Let's go, Mom!
- Well done! - Well done!
- Whoop, whoop, whoop! - Okay, Kennedy,
- please bring your dish up. - Yeah!
- Let's go, Ken! - All right, Kennedy!
Good job, Kennedy!
- Ooh! - Looks so good.
Sav: Yeah, it does. You got it, honey!
Kennedy, what did you make for us?
This is really concluding my story across my menu.
I really wanted it to look like the night sky in Colorado.
So I made a black sesame cake with a dark chocolate ganache,
blackberry mousse, and a yuzu white chocolate snow.
I mean, just admiring it as a work of art on a plate--
the spheres, the shapes, the colors--
it really is quite beautiful.
I just hope that the flavor
can stand up to the beauty that's on the plate.
- Yeah, thank you. - Shall we?
Kennedy, this is a hard dessert to get right.
I'm gonna be honest, I think tonight is the first time I've seen you struggle,
and I'm gonna deal with the elephant in the room first off.
Unfortunately, the chocolate cake is really dense.
But I love the saltiness on the outside with that ganache.
So, really smart move there. I'm so glad you stuck with the snow.
That really works with the blackberries.
I'm just not a big fan of the texture inside, Kennedy.
- Okay, okay. - More than dense, it's dry.
It has more of the consistency of bread
- than it does of a cake. - Okay.
Conceptually, the dish is nice and the white snow's nice,
but unfortunately in this scenario
it's the main protagonist of this dessert,
so it's kinda hard to get around it.
Aarón: Yeah, it almost looks like a bagel,
and sadly it tastes a little bit like that, Kennedy.
I like the concept of black sesame cake,
I just think it needed to be realized
in a different style of cake.
- Okay. - Thanks, Kennedy.
- Thank you. - Appreciate it. Thank you.
- Jennifer: Love you. Hey. - Don't worry about it.
You did really good.
Right, Jennifer, please step up and present us your dessert.
- Thank you. - All right, Jennifer!
Jennifer: When the judges take a bite of this last dish,
I hope they taste a representation of a woman who's given it all,
who's become strong, and who has a bright future in the culinary industry.
Jennifer, describe your dessert.
This is my I Love You cake.
It is a chocolate raspberry mousse cake
with a Chambord raspberry coulis,
crystallized raspberries,
and a beautiful chocolate mirror glaze.
Jen, congrats. It's stunning, it's decadent.
This kind of dish floats around the dining room
in our restaurants and it's a head-turner.
Let's just hope it tastes as good as it looks.
- Shall we? - Yes.
( exhales ) Jennifer, um,
honestly, I'm not exaggerating when I say...
( exhales ) Jennifer, um, honestly,
I'm not exaggerating when I say...
I love you.
- ( squeals ) - ( cheering )
- Um... - Yes!
Chocolate's delicious. It's rich.
The sponge is light. It's incredible.
The raspberry coulis, just a touch more lemon juice in there.
But the actual cake's exceptional. Really well done.
- Thank you. Thank you. - Seriously.
Yeah, I hope you can see all the beautiful layers there
and how well it's constructed.
I'm so glad that you put this forward
because a dessert should be thought-provoking
and at the same time easy to understand.
- Great job. - Jennifer, we have a situation here.
We have the I Love You cake.
We have Jennifer loves Brian.
Joe loves the I Love You cake.
So we have a very sticky love triangle.
- Joe. - I'll take that from you any day, Joe.
All kidding aside, the highlight is the actual cake itself.
It's kind of like you don't taste the break
between the cake and the chocolate and the cream,
and that's something that's very,
very difficult to execute.
The coulis and the sauce itself
is a little more amateurish,
but this piece here is perfection.
- Well done, Jennifer. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
Great job, honey!
All right, Grant, could you please bring your dessert forward?
- Thank you. - Yes, Chef.
- Come on, Grant. - All right, Grant!
You go, Grant!
Grant: You know, I'm nervous right now.
But I know I put my heart on a plate today.
In each of my dishes, my appetizer, my entrée, and now into my dessert,
I did everything I could.
And so I think this was an absolutely perfect ending
- to my menu. - Thank you, Grant.
What did you prepare?
Grant: Tonight I have a torn stout cake
with a coffee stout mousse,
a chocolate pizzelle, and a coffee ice cream.
This is gonna encompass all those flavors
that you would see in an affogato,
but you don't have to do it yourself.
I did all the work for you today.
Listen, Grant,
you took a big risk tonight.
There's not many lovers of stout for a dessert.
It's sort of a little bit maverick.
It's who I am. I'm a beer salesman.
And so I really wanted to show you
beer belongs on fine dining menus.
- Shall we? Thank you. - Yes.
What's salty? The gelato?
Yes, a little black sea salt
- on top of the gelato. - Bravo.
Grant, you know, it's delicious. It's you on a plate.
The gelato ice cream is just exceptional.
It's rich, it's indulgent, it's delicious.
Have to be careful when you tear something warm.
It dries out on the inside.
But even individuals who don't drink,
I'll still recommend they take this ( bleep ) cake.
Wonderful.
Aarón: Grant, for me, I think desserts
have to be anchored in inspiration.
And you took the idea of an affogato
and you embellished it in a really cool way.
I think this could have had the possibility
of being very one-note texturally
'cause the cake is soft.
The ice cream and this little wafer
really provides a nice respite from that.
And it's super unique and I really enjoy that.
- Awesome. Very cool. - Joe: I would have to say,
just the gelato deserves a commendation because it is excellent.
Thank you.
The salt is a brilliant touch.
This is a very, very full-flavored dish
that is a perfect ending to your menu.
- Thank you, Joe. - All right!
- Good job. - Good job, Grant!
- Good job, baby. - Oh, thank you.
All right.
Gordon: Right, Jennifer, Grant, and Kennedy, well done.
Please head back into the kitchen. Thank you.
( cheering )
- I'm nervous. - I know, right?
Right?
Right, now that we've tasted
all of your dishes,
we now need to focus
on who put out the best menu of the night.
It's time for us to have a very serious discussion
and determine who has earned the title
of America's next MasterChef.
- Thank you. - ( cheering )
Whoo!
( music playing )
- All right. - How exciting was that last round?
- Oh, my Lord. - Come on, seriously.
Let's start at the beginning.
So, Jennifer's theme was French fine dining
- meets the South, right? - Absolutely.
So she started off with her appetizer
with the poached lobster with a corn...
Purée and a caviar vinaigrette.
I thought the lobster was delicious.
But it was very acidic.
You weren't a fan of that, were you?
No, I wasn't a fan of the vinaigrette.
I thought there was a lot of it, first of all.
And I know that we were screaming out for beurre blanc.
Yeah, but to follow lobster with venison? Smart move.
The rub, beautifully done. Sauce, slightly over-reduced.
- The venison was well-cooked, and that's not easy. - Beautifully done.
What let her down the most was her butchering and cutting was amateurish.
- Yeah. Her dessert? - Beyond reproach. Excellent.
- Gordon: It was her best dish out of her menu. - Aarón: Yeah.
That sphere of cake and cream and chocolate,
- it was really top-notch. - Yeah, the best dessert.
So, Grant, his menu was a nod to the Midwest
with the Italian influence.
You know, Grant takes that huge risk with that egg yolk ravioli.
I liked that, but I thought the pasta was slightly undercooked.
Joe: It wasn't perfect.
But he had a lot of technical precision
when it came to the construction of the actual ravioli.
You know, the big highlight for me
is when he pulled it back with that tenderloin of pork.
- He did the pork loin simply. - Yes.
- Just perfectly cooked. - Yeah.
Brazing the fennel with the beer,
the fennel was delicious.
I'm sorry, I'm gonna take that
in one of my restaurants.
Beer-braised fennel.
And then he knocks us back
into the premier league with that dessert.
You know, the stout cake, the gelato
with the salted finish. Delicious.
Honestly, Michelin star restaurant dishes.
- Right. - Oh, unbelievable.
Joe: So Kennedy's theme is her life in the Colorado mountains.
- Kennedy confirmed tonight she's an artist. - Yeah.
The steelhead trout, I was blown away. I was like, "This girl's got it going on."
Aarón: And Kennedy went for it on that.
Gordon: The skin was crisp, the cook was just pink and unctuous.
It was like a completely modern authentic restaurant dish.
- She came out the gate strong, come on. - Yep.
And it's the first time ever in the history of "MasterChef"
across 13 seasons we've ever seen anyone
cook rabbit in a finale.
It was a tough protein to get right,
and I thought she did a great job with that rabbit.
It tasted delicious. The beet roots were undercooked.
- Joe: Yep. - But it was still a very tenacious, ambitious dish,
and it was her on a plate, right?
The boldness of taking a saddle of rabbit
and cooking it properly.
Kennedy's dessert, Moon Shadow.
I mean, I've never tasted a cake so dry.
I looked at it, it looked like a bagel.
But she put herself as an artist on the canvas tonight.
And I thought she did a great job
'cause it really did match her personality.
- Love you guys. - Love you guys.
We asked for elevated, Michelin star restaurant dishes.
Which menu from those three amazing finalists
delivered the best overall menu?
It's like the longer we stand, the more my nerves build.
If I win this, it would mean everything to me.
It would be literally life-changing.
I have transformed from a home cook
to someone who could be a chef in their own restaurant.
To make it to this point, I am just so proud.
- Are we allied on the decision? - I think it makes sense.
- Shall we? - Let's do it.
Aarón: There we go!
Oh, about to die.
( cheering )
- Love you, Dad. - I love you, bud.
This is probably the most pressure-filled moment of my life.
All I see is that trophy, and that's what I want.
This is everything that I've been working for.
I feel like I deserve it, and I just really hope
that I hear my name when that confetti falls.
Jennifer, Grant, Kennedy, well done.
What an extraordinary finale.
In your own individual ways,
you all deserve the title of MasterChef.
Even though you are three distinct, talented cooks
from different corners of the country,
you all put your heart and soul on the plate
every step of the way.
You three are truly the pride of your regions.
Let's go!
Now, at the end of the day, this is a competition.
Only one of you can leave here as America's next MasterChef.
And only one of you can win a quarter of a million dollars.
- Wow. - And only one of you will be able
to proudly place this trophy in your own home kitchen.
Kennedy: I want this so badly.
I've been so consistent in the competition,
I've been working my ass off.
That quarter of a million dollars
and the title of MasterChef
is right there at my fingertips,
and it just means absolutely the world to me.
It would change my life entirely.
Will it be Jennifer taking it home to the South?
Will it be Grant taking it home to the Midwest?
Or will it be Kennedy taking it home to the West?
America's next MasterChef is...
( music playing )
Congratulations...
- Grant! - Oh, God!
- ( cheering ) - ( music continues )
( crying )
- Oh, my gosh! - Yes!
( crying )
( crying, muttering )
Wow.
- Whoo! - Whoo!
Okay, go back to your mama real quick.
Gordon: Come here.
Ladies and gentlemen, America's next MasterChef,
Grant! Come on!
Grant: I've worked so dang hard for this.
Just to be able to share it with my family,
have my wife Emily here and my son Grady,
it means the absolute world to me.
My whole goal for this entire endeavor
was to show Grady that,
you know, if we try hard,
we work hard,
and we believe in ourselves, we can do big things.
And look around, Bubba.
I did big things.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please give it up for our amazing runners up,
Kennedy and Jennifer! Come on!
- Yeah! - Whoo!
Jennifer: I am just thrilled with this experience,
everything that I learned, how it pushed me...
- Jennifer. - Oh, I'm gonna cry. I'm so happy.
- God, I love you. - I'm so happy for you.
I'm just so proud of Grant as well.
He is so deserving, and I'm truly so happy for he and his family.
- Well done. Seriously, well done. - Thank you.
I showed uniqueness and I showed art.
And that's all I want to be. I want to be a chef.
I want to be an artist.
And this is just the beginning, honestly.
- I love you so much. - Oh, I love you.
I'm so happy for Grant. He is literally the purest,
most sweet man you'll ever meet.
So if I were to lose to anyone, I would want to lose to him.
Can you see up there? Who's up there?
- Dada. - ( Grant laughs )
- I am the next MasterChef! - ( cheering )
Now, "MasterChef" is casting for next season.
We are looking for home cooks nationwide.
Now, if you think you have what it takes
to become America's next MasterChef,
then please apply now at MasterChefCasting.com.
Thank you for watching. Good night!