Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back To Win"...
- Welcome back! - ...the cooks took a virtual culinary trip
around the globe in a Southern-inspired fusion challenge.
Oh, great. I've never eaten or cooked Ethiopian food. That ( bleep ) crazy.
The idea is to punch in as much flavor as quick as you can.
- I'm really scared now. - Aarón: Let's go!
- Taste that before? - Never even heard of it.
- Gordon: Oh, my Lord. - Why is it dropping?
Amanda: They look like they're burning.
One cook rose to the top...
It really is a celebration of flavor.
Congratulations goes to Christian.
...while others missed the mark.
This dish looks bad.
Shayne, your dish was at the bottom of the class.
- Say goodbye. - Tonight...
Welcome, top 15.
...the cooks have to replicate the perfect dessert.
- So fast. - Ooh.
- 1,000 layers. - High risk, high reward.
- You're making me nervous. - Get over it and get cooking.
But to get that immunity pin...
It's really perfection.
- Aarón: Unreal. - Absolutely exceptional.
...you've got to bake to win.
And right now you're in danger.
- It's not coming together. - Please get it cooked!
Fred: Her parchment's on fire.
Joe: It's totally raw.
This is the worst performance in the competition so far.
Come on, man. You got two cookbooks?
- They look beautiful. - Wow, look at this.
Look at that. Fit for a queen.
- ( cheering ) - Yes.
Welcome back. Line up, please.
- Oh, what is that? - Cake, cake, cake. Desserts.
Dessert challenge! I have never seen a display of such beautiful desserts,
but baking challenges are infamous in this kitchen.
It will send home even the best cooks.
Oh, the napoleons, gorgeous.
Welcome to the top 15. Give yourselves a round of applause.
Come on.
And as you can probably guess,
tonight is "Bake To Win."
Christian, do you wish you were competing tonight?
- Hell no. - No.
Aarón: All right, guys, all of these pastries and sweet treats,
they are some of the most difficult desserts to cook from around the world.
Tonight your challenge will be to choose
one of these incredible desserts and replicate it perfectly.
I'm afraid of those difficult ones like the Paris-Brest
or those layer cakes
because they take so many different techniques
to roll into one confection.
The cooks who come closest to nailing these desserts
will have a shot at getting the coveted immunity pin.
But if your flavors fail to impress us,
then you'll be eliminated.
Now, Christian, tonight that immunity pin,
it comes with a huge advantage.
Here's how it's gonna work.
You get to decide the picking order.
- Damn. - Oh, the order?
- Sweet. - Make your way down here please, young man.
Let's get it!
Christian, he gets to pick
the order that we choose our dessert.
If you get to go first, that's a pretty sweet advantage.
Gordon: Christian, what's your strategy?
Do you give your friend the first pick?
Do you leave the person that you are desperate
to take out of this competition to the very end
with the Paris-Brest, napoleon?
There's a lot of factors to consider, so choose wisely.
Okay, Christian, it's time for you to announce
who gets first pick of the desserts.
This first person I'm gonna choose,
we had a great relationship my season.
Willie's gonna be my first pick.
- Wow. - Oh, Willie.
Willie, pick of the litter.
Going with the chocolate mousse cake.
- Nice. - Not the easiest, but it's not the most difficult, is it?
Joe: Yeah, it's pretty standard.
All right, this person, I feel she has a lot to show
and I wanna see her shine.
Shelly.
Christian called me second. I'm so hyped.
And I think he wants me to take something
that's a little more easy, but I'm gonna take a risk.
- Ooh! - Gordon: Shelly, wow. Napoleon.
That's a tough one, that one.
She picked the most difficult one.
- My strategy was... - The lemon meringue tart.
...pick people I'm less threatened by first.
Passionfruit coconut cake.
- Wow, wow. - Also not easy.
Gordon: Dara, where are we going?
Right for this cake, Chef.
- Ooh, the chiffon cake. - Again!
She just picked that up, like, with ease.
- Gordon: What? - Joe: Ooh.
- Aarón: Wow. - Macarons.
They're picking some of the most difficult desserts.
I'm surprised, too. Hopefully they nail them.
I wanted my biggest competition to get the hardest dessert,
but my strategy may have backfired.
Christian: All right, this next person,
you studied with Tosi for a while now, right?
Do what you do. Show me. Fred.
- ( gasping ) - Whoa!
- No! - Paris-Brests.
You better bring your Christina Tosi magic to that choux pastry tonight.
Absolutely, Chef. I'll make her proud.
Now, Derrick, Michael,
I think it's absolutely clear you pose a threat to Christian.
So who's going next?
Come on, man, you got two cookbooks?
- Right? - That's right.
- So I'm going with Mike. - Wow, Michael.
Which one you leaving for Derrick?
Hazelnut ricotta cake or sticky toffee pudding?
This is the winner.
This is the hazelnut ricotta cake.
Gordon: Derrick, Derrick, Derrick. Last pick.
You're not used to being the last pick anywhere.
The good news is you're a wanted man,
which should make you feel a lot stronger.
I was trying to avoid this target on my back.
You already know, when we step in here, this is competition.
- You talk a lot of ( bleep ). - Derrick: You've been talking ( bleep ).
You're lucky right now. You're lucky you're over there.
- Ooh. - There can only be one alpha male in this kitchen,
- and that's me. - Okay. We'll see.
Please pick up those sticky toffee puddings.
That's a beautiful dessert.
Christian, well done. Please, head on back upstairs.
- Right, everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Gordon: 90 minutes to replicate that stunning dessert.
Your time starts now. Let's go.
Sugar, sugar, sugar.
Does anyone know where the cornstarch is?
- It's down here. - Golden kiwis, passionfruits.
I don't know how much strawberries I need.
I need some eggs.
I love baking. Blueberries.
I've gone through culinary school
as a baking and pastry major,
so this my comfort zone.
However that first dessert I put forward
a few weeks ago landed me in the bottom three.
It's not what a cake looks like. It looks like pancakes.
But I'm determined to get redemption,
so I have to take my deep breaths and just stay focused.
All right.
I chose the Paris-Brests today.
It is a French dessert that is very similar to an éclair,
but it's ring shaped.
Baking is my favorite thing in the world,
but that's what puts so much more pressure on me to succeed,
because if I screw up on a baking challenge,
that's just humiliating.
Tommy: Come on.
I have macarons.
I think the macarons are one of the hardest things up here.
So when I was chosen and it was still left,
I figured I'd just go ahead and do it.
It's "Back To Win," y'all.
You know, it's not "Back To Get The Easiest Dessert
And Hang On By The Skin Of Your Teeth."
Some people probably got their feelings hurt over Christian's choices today,
but you know, we're here to cook.
And if you wanna be MasterChef,
then really you should be able to cook anything up there,
so get over it and get cooking.
- Hey, uh, Derrick? - Derrick: Yeah?
You ever had an immunity pin? No?
- Excuse me, I'm baking. - Come on, man.
- Derrick. Derrick, Derrick, Derrick. - Yes, Chef.
Just turn around a minute. I just wanna see that target on your back.
Thank you. It's big.
Why does Christian want to send you home?
Maybe he sees me as a threat, and he should.
You've got the sticky toffee pudding.
Which did dessert didn't you want tonight?
I didn't want this one,
because you're known for making this one amazing,
and so not only do I have to show out and be the best tonight,
but I also have to make you happy.
Sure. You look inside, it's all about that batter, right?
- Derrick: Right. - That is it.
Once you've got that batter made,
everything else is history.
- Thank you. Yes, Chef. - Focus, okay?
- You good, Derrick? - Messed with the wrong dude.
I think that's enough of those.
Ooh, it's starting to smell sweet in here.
- Yes! - I want some dessert.
You wanna come down and cook?
Nah, I don't want to mess up my boots.
This is it, "Back To Win." "Bake To Win."
These are some of the most technically advanced desserts
that most pastry chefs spend years perfecting.
Yeah, in order to be a MasterChef,
you have to be well-versed in all aspects of the kitchen,
and pastry is definitely one of them.
If you can shine in this particular challenge, you're one to watch.
Gordon: The name of the game here is perfect replication.
So our cooks should be tasting their example desserts
in order to perfectly replicate those flavors.
So if you had the pick of the litter of all these cakes,
Chefs, what cake would you pick tonight?
I would love that passionfruit and coconut cake.
Being able to balance the acidity of the passionfruit
with the sweetness and lusciousness of the coconut,
- that would be my jam. - I think that napoleon.
There's something quite beautiful
about those three layer mille-feuille short crusts,
the pastry cream, berries,
and then that white chocolate frosting on top
with the feathering.
That is immaculate.
Very difficult though.
So Shelly, she's a food truck gal from Brooklyn,
and she had the second pick.
I don't understand why she would've picked something so difficult.
Come on, I need you to set.
I don't bake a lot,
and my history with baking challenges, it's embarrassing.
Unfortunately your sponge is undercooked.
- (speaking Spanish ) Shelly, wow. - Hey, how are you?
- It makes me nervous just looking at these things. - Aarón: I know.
- Are you crazy? - Nah, I mean, it's a biscuit method.
So, I know how to make biscuits. They're layered and flaky.
I mean, biscuit is a strong word, 'cause it's actually--
Because the real word is mille-feuille in Italian,
and mille-feuille means 1,000 layers.
Yeah, I know. It's really just everything chilling and setting
and letting that butter come together so it melts out slowly
and I get those layers in there.
So these are kind of me against the elements.
I can only control so much,
so I'm doing my best to make sure what I can control, I do.
- There's a lot going on here. - Joe: Good luck.
All right, thank you so much, Chef. I appreciate you.
I love baking, but I like to take my time
in the solemnity and calmness of my kitchen at home.
And this is not a calm kitchen.
Right, Tommy, a lemon meringue tart.
Yes, this is my husband Roger's favorite dessert,
so I know what it's supposed to taste like
and I know what it's supposed to look like.
Have you got a beautiful pâte sucrée,
the sugar paste at the bottom? Have you made the pastry?
- Yes, it's chilling off. - Right.
I'm gonna blind bake it in a tart shell and make it really nice.
Do you see the thickness of this? How perfect that is?
Yes, it's nice 3/8ths of an inch thick.
That's right. Replicate that, please, Tommy, yes?
Yes, sir. I will.
Good luck. Good luck.
Come on, come on, come on.
There we go.
We've just come up to 15 minutes gone,
and we're down to 75 minutes remaining.
Okay, cake is going.
This dough, it's not coming together.
Working with the napoleon, the crust--
you can't manipulate it. You can't touch it too much.
Because if you touch it too much, your butter's going to start to melt,
and you want your butter only to melt while it bakes.
But it's not doing what it's supposed to do.
The dough has to still bake,
and it still has to cool, and it's not even in yet.
I am-- I'm freaking out right now.
Okay.
Come on, Shelly. Let's get it.
Hindsight's starting to hit me right now, like,
"This is why everybody was looking at me crazy
when I chose this dish." What did I just get myself into?
Come on, Shelly, you gotta get that in the oven.
Shelly: I know, I know, I know.
Let's go, Shelly. You gotta move. There's a lot to be done.
I know, I know, I know.
I've already spent a big chunk of time working on this dough,
and then on top of that, I still have to make a pastry cream,
and also I need to do a white fondant on top.
- Come on. - With this napoleon,
it's a lot of intricate steps that have to occur
in order to go to the next step,
so I cannot skip any steps right now.
Christian: Shelly, you got your dough in the oven?
No, it's about to go in.
You need to go now. You need to get that in there.
Shelly: I know. Two more minutes.
Joe: Christian's picking order was intended to target
his biggest competition, but I think Christian's strategy
might've been derailed by the ambition of our home cooks.
Shelly: Oh, my God.
Think of the irony of this. Shelly, she has every advantage.
She picks the most difficult dessert, the napoleon, and goes home on it.
( bleep )
Gordon: Just over half an hour gone.
55 minutes remaining. Remember, we want exact replications.
Gotta go fast.
Joe: Willie, Willie, Willie, you were the first pick.
- What a gift. - This was amazing.
Aarón: So why chocolate mousse cake?
A lot of people don't understand when I first came into this game,
I was a baker.
Watch out for Willie. He's here to bake.
And so I feel like this is my opportunity
to show that, "Hey, I can cook, and I can also bake."
I think this is gonna give me the immunity pin, honestly.
- Do your thing, Willie. - Good luck, Willie.
Fricking butter cream!
I picked a strawberry pistachio tart
because I wanted to redeem myself
for the knife work that the judges weren't a big fan of in the last challenge.
Last week I was in the bottom three.
So this time around, I really wanna show the judges
how precise I can be.
I've never made anything like this before,
but I'm hoping that I can replicate it exactly.
I'm most worried about just finishing on time,
because there are multiple different techniques
that go into the dessert that I've chosen.
So that's my enemy today, is the clock.
Okay, syrup is done.
Shelly: Ooh, baby.
Gabriel: Gotta move, gotta move, gotta move, gotta move.
- Young lady. - Yes, Chef?
The berry chiffon cake, quite honestly,
one of the most difficult ones tonight.
Sad to see Shayne go last week. You're now the youngest,
the one with a huge amount of pressure on your shoulders.
- Yes, Chef. - How do you fare in amongst that?
Chef, age is just a number.
When it comes to baking,
this is where I know I can shine.
- How's the batter? - It's in the oven, Chef.
- Good. Aerated properly? - Yes, Chef.
Because you can see those layers there,
and if they're uneven, your cake's uneven.
- Yes, Chef. - Good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
Just over 45 minutes remaining. Let's go. Come on, guys.
Cake bakers, those layers should be coming out and cooling.
So, Dara, she went straight for that chiffon cake,
one of the most complex desserts tonight.
She seems super confident,
but that's a tough one to nail tonight
because not only does she have to decorate it beautifully,
it's gotta be cooked beautifully inside.
It's four layers.
If they're not cooked evenly,
it's gonna be put together unevenly,
and then you've got this awkward looking cake.
Dara: We're good.
Tommy: Ay-yi-yi.
Hey, Tommy, did you do your crust already?
Tommy: It's chilling.
Gordon: Tommy for went for the easy one, the lemon meringue tart.
That base needs to be nice and crisp.
But here's my worry with Tommy.
Everybody else has got their tarts in,
but Tommy's dough is still in the fridge.
Tommy: Oh, it's taking forever.
Gordon: If he doesn't get that in the oven soon,
he's gonna be in real trouble.
Okay.
Gorgeous.
Oh, my gosh, Fred,
I still have so much to do.
Fred: You got it, Brandi. You got it.
My first batch of macarons
does not look the way I want it to.
They're too small, they're too tall, they look grainy.
Oh, my gosh.
I don't just have to make 40 macaron sandwiches.
I have to replicate this elegant, beautiful tower.
There's about 40 minutes left of the cook,
but I decide that I'm going to make,
pipe, and bake 80 new cookies.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
Derrick: Perfect.
- You got this. - Come on, baby, come on.
I got the hazelnut ricotta cake.
I have absolutely no baking training,
but on season ten I won a baking challenge.
This individual executed a delicious tarte tatin.
Michael.
But top 15 is where I got sent home on season ten.
So I feel the pressure right now.
I gotta make it further than I did last time.
All right, Michael, so how do you feel?
I feel pretty good. I got my cakes cooling in the fridge,
so I'm getting ready to assemble.
I need that cake to cool before I can get it out of the mold.
Yeah, there's such a thing as overcooling, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, I just checked. They were still warm.
I'm gonna pull them in about one minute.
- This is your ganache? - That's my ganache.
It might get a little grainy. I'm gonna have two options.
I wanna make sure I give you a beautiful, smooth ganache.
One thing can sink you here, okay?
I won't let you down.
Amanda: Curd, come on, curd.
Bri: This is a workout.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
- Right. - Hey, Chef.
Young lady, you came out of the gate early, picked third,
and you go for one of the most complicated desserts, a coconut passionfruit cake.
- Why? - High risk, high reward.
So if I nail this, I think that means I get the immunity pin.
The yellow stood out to me-- a ray of sunshine like my daughter Hannah.
So I wanted to bake this for her.
This time in the MasterChef kitchen,
it's so much bigger than just me.
I have my daughter Hannah to think about.
Baking is how we bond, so I want to make her proud.
I know she means the world to you,
and she's with you every step of the way.
- She is. - Good luck.
Thank you so much.
Emily: Ooh, baby.
Willie: Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Let's go, Tommy. What's going on, man?
You're making me nervous.
Tommy, is that tart in yet?
No, it's not in yet.
Oh, my goodness me. Tommy--
Tommy: I'm just getting ready for my meringue.
Don't worry about the meringue. Please get the tart in the oven.
- I am getting it in, Chef. - Tommy.
- Yes, Chef? I know it. - The pastry's frozen.
- No, it's frozen. - It's rock hard, but I'm gonna get it in.
I made the mistake of putting my tart dough
into the blast chiller instead of the refrigerator.
- It's as hard as a rock. - Okay.
- It's gonna get there. - Tommy.
- I can get it back together. - Tommy, Tommy.
It's a very forgiving tart shell.
It's got more cracks in it than the Nevada Desert.
I'm gonna get the cracks out.
This is an absolute disaster.
If I don't fix this crust,
it's definitely not gonna have time to bake.
- Ay-yi-yi. - Oh, my God, Tommy.
Oh, God.
You're like your tart shell. You're cracking under pressure.
You can still get this done if you reshape that dough,
roll it out, and get it in that tart shell.
That's what I'd be doing if I was in your shoes, yeah?
Yes, Chef.
Gordon: We're down to half an hour remaining, guys. Half an hour.
We should start thinking about the assembly now, yes?
Derrick: Yes, Chef.
Sticky toffee pudding coming out.
Beautiful! My guy! Whoo!
- Christian: Looks good, dude. - Thank you.
Tommy, once it's baked, we can trim it after.
He's not listening to anything I'm telling him.
You can bring a horse to water.
- Can't make him drink. - Oh, my God, Tommy.
Tommy, the tart's gotta go in the oven!
It's going in right now.
Please get it cooked!
Bri, do you have your strawberries cut yet?
Not cut yet. I'm gonna do it while this bakes.
This strawberry pistachio tart,
it is a little bit intimidating.
There's layers, and those layers have to cook
and cool and set before you can move on to the next layer.
So if one thing messes up,
it's just a bad snowball effect.
Let's go, Bri. Come on.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Dara: Are you okay, Bri? It's okay. Just breathe. Just breathe.
- Yeah, shoot. Thank you. - Dara: You're good.
You've gotta be kidding me.
I almost dropped my tart.
This is my worst nightmare
because the dough is way underdone,
but I have no choice but to pull it out
so I can put the next layer on and get that in the oven.
Okay, carefully. Homestretch.
Bri, you're in a bit of a tailspin.
- Are you okay here? - I'm okay. I saved it.
I almost dropped it, but saved it.
Bri, out of all of your fellow competitors,
you have a lot to prove this week.
I heard your feedback last time around
with the knife cuts in my summer rolls.
And I am a precise person and I wanna show that,
- so that's why I picked this. - Joe: This is precision.
- Bri: It is. - Do you have your pistachios
already crisped up?
Not yet. That's kind of the final thing.
The little things are going to matter.
Oh, I know.
Shelly, can we start assembling?
Not yet, Chef.
Fred: Oh, my, uh, is that-- her parchment's on fire.
Joe: Uh-oh, Brandi's got something on fire.
- Aarón: Be careful. - What is she doing?
Gordon: Watch out. Stand back. Stand back.
- Stand back. - Sorry about that.
I don't know where my head is right now.
I am in such a frenzy.
Sorry about that, Chef.
I have the kitchen on fire right now
and it's not the worst thing happening at my station.
Brandi, we need to start thinking about our assembly.
- Yes, Chef, I know. - Okay, I know they don't look perfect on the outside.
I get that, but look at me. You can start assembling.
Is the buttercream ready for the center? What have you got to do?
I'm doing the buttercream right now.
I've got the strawberry filling ready.
I've got some beautiful new macarons in the oven right now.
Gordon: Sure, but I'd rather get a tower finished
with not the most perfect macaron...
- Than nothing. - ...than nothing at all.
And right now you're in danger of not assembling them, okay?
Brandi: Yes, Chef.
- You almost burned down the kitchen, Brandi? - Going down in flames.
Gordon: Christian, what a night.
Yes, it is, Chef.
Great strategy. Has it paid off?
Derrick seemed very composed, but I was surprised, honestly,
for the people who had first pick, they're ( bleep ) up.
The biggest surprise for me is Shelly.
She chose that napoleon, and she's struggling now to execute that.
Yes, and she grabbed it with a lot of confidence too.
Freaking damn it. I'm so vexed with myself right now.
I don't know about Bri. I mean, it took her forever to get her crust in the oven.
So hopefully we'll see how it comes out.
But now she's started her strawberries.
Gordon: Yeah, the cut on those strawberries is crucial.
Very crucial. And Brandi.
Gordon: She's nowhere near 80 pieces of macarons.
- Brandi: This is all I can do. - Gordon: She's way behind.
I've never seen her this stressed out before.
Last ten minutes, guys. Come on, please. Let's go.
- Fred: Just keep going. Just keep going. Trust your gut. - Brandi: I am.
Let's go, Bri. Come on.
It's gonna take longer than you think
to put those strawberries on.
Bri: I know.
Shelly, make sure you have all of your elements ready to pipe.
Whoo! Hot.
Aarón: Five minutes. Five minutes remaining.
Try and use both hands and just-- first of all--
- I'm shaking so bad. - Yep, look at me.
Hands, on top, on top, and then--
'cause you're doing it the long way around.
There you go. Two hands.
You got another tray after that or is that it?
No, this is 40. I gotta get them all done.
Okay, keep it together, okay?
Hey, come on. Don't give up.
90 seconds to go. Come on, Bri!
Aarón: Here we go.
Let's go, you guys! Come on, let's go!
30 seconds! Come on, Brandi, please!
( groans )
Judges: Five, four, three, two, one.
- And stop. Oh, my goodness me. - Aarón: That's it.
- Whew. - Dara, it looks the same.
- Like, come on, baby. - Thank you.
- I'm not proud of this at all. - Don't feel bad.
- You got 40 ( bleep ) macarons on there. - You did it.
There is something about baking in the MasterChef kitchen,
you know, that just brings everyone to their knees.
- Wow. - I messed up.
Yeah, I messed up.
Come here. Stop. Stop.
Tonight we asked you all to pull off a replication
of one the world's most difficult desserts.
Now we're gonna take a look at who is in the running
for that coveted immunity pin
and who is in danger of being eliminated.
Derrick, being the last one picked,
that's a lot of emotion going in there.
You know, the bummer about being last is it's not my choice.
Everyone else got to pick something.
- Looks like it worked out okay for you. - Thank you, Chef.
- Shelly picked the iconic napoleon. - Shelly: Correct.
- Joe: You had some problems. - Shelly: A lot.
Aarón: It just, it looks a mess.
I don't think most people understand how hard it is
to bake these dishes in 90 minutes.
So we had some issues tonight, didn't we?
- Yes, I did, sir. - Mm, okay.
Baking is really a science.
You have to be precise and you have to be careful.
Why does this look different from that?
Willie: Oh, the garnish?
I tried to temper the chocolate
and put it on the board, but it was hot,
and so it wasn't setting properly.
It's a shame you put those store bought
chocolate bits at the end there.
- I'd rather you just use nothing. - Yes, Chef.
I definitely think this is one of the hardest challenges we've had so far.
Texture's gotta be right, your flavor's gotta be right.
There is no room for error.
- Are you satisfied? - I am.
Do you think we're happy?
I hope so.
Brandi, that was a pretty frenetic cook, no?
Yes, Chef. I'm proud that I even got anything on here.
I didn't think I was going to for a minute.
Okay, Bri, it's a little bit undercooked.
Bri: It is.
- Gordon: So, Michael, you happy with those? - Yeah.
I was worried about my ganache, but was able to fix it and get it nice and glossy.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
There a lot of amazing desserts out there,
but unfortunately, we had to cram that down to just three
of the best dishes.
The first dessert we'd like to taste,
baked with such finesse
despite being one of the last cooks to go and select.
Please step forward, Michael.
Finally! I am here.
Ah, this feels so good.
Gordon: Right, Michael, tell us about the dish.
Michael: This is a hazelnut ricotta cake
with a chocolate ganache and candied hazelnuts.
Gordon: Visually, um, stunning.
We asked for a replication,
and you've done just that.
Great height, great technique, and they look delicious.
Michael, the ricotta cakes are delicious.
It's nice and crisp on the outside,
and then you go into this nice, sweet, savory filling.
It's hard doing six perfectly right,
- and you've nailed it. - Thank you.
I'm excited because I can taste 90 minutes of work here.
The ganache is tasty.
I think that really helps reinforce all the flavor of the cake.
I think that you were spot on in replicating it visually,
but I think if it were a little bit moister, they would've been identical.
- Good job. - Thank you.
The second dessert we want to dig into and try
was baked by a young cook
who's previously landed in the bottom three
but shined tonight.
Please come forward, Dara.
Yeah, Dara!
I'm really happy because the last dessert I made
put me in the bottom,
and this time it's like redemption.
My only worry with this cake
is that you don't know
what it looks like on the inside.
So I'm praying that my layers are even.
Okay, Dara, tell us what you made.
Dara: So today I made a berry chiffon cake
with a blueberry Swiss buttercream.
Of the two, which is more beautiful to you?
I think that mine may have some straighter edges
and may be a little smoother.
- You know what, Dara? - ( Dara laughs )
- I agree. - Aarón: I think you actually
counted the blueberries.
- I mean, that's-- - Of course, she did.
That's how close you are.
Joe: It's almost too bad we have to taste this. I wish we could sell it.
The most difficult part of this tonight was what?
Making sure that my layers were even.
Yeah, that is crucial. Let's find out.
( no audible dialogue )
So, Dara, the most difficult part of this tonight was what?
Making sure that my layers were even.
- Ooh, la, la. - Man.
Gordon: Really beautiful.
Christian: Good job, Dara.
- Joe: It's excellent. - Gordon: Textbook.
It's delicious. The sponge is just airy, light. The frosting is wonderful.
I think the balance between the acidity
of those blueberries and the compote, spot on.
Very hard to get that right. I'm just so happy for you, girl.
- Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
The frosting is in balance. It's nothing overly sweet.
Just a little touch of savory-ness in there.
I mean, just unreal.
Thank you, Chef.
It's really perfection. Bravo.
- Well done. - Thank you so much.
- She deserved that. - Good job, Dara.
To turn around and say that the edges are straighter than ours?
- Aarón: I love that. - That shows gumption.
- They are. - Beautiful.
Aarón: The last dessert that we wanna highlight tonight,
this season six chef really showed
why they deserve another top three finish.
Please come down, Amanda.
Yeah, Amanda!
I picked this dish for my daughter Hannah,
and I know she'd be so proud of me.
Amanda, please describe the cake that you received.
Amanda: So, I got the coconut passionfruit cake.
It has Swiss buttercream, passionfruit curd,
and a passionfruit soak.
Amanda, it's textbook. It looks absolutely gorgeous.
It's just-- it's got that dive-in texture
that you can't wait to eat.
Aarón: I'm just blown away.
This is the cake that you have with your family
at a birthday in Tulum.
You just get really happy when you eat this cake.
It just makes you want to smile.
It's a delicious cake. It's well-constructed.
It's very, very close to the original one.
The one issue I have...
...is that Hannah's not here to taste it.
Exceptional.
Well done.
My baking queen.
Now give us a moment, would you please?
- Thank you. Aw. - Amanda's.
- Was captivating. - That was an amazing review.
Michael's ganache was delicious.
Joe: Very technical.
Dara's, flawless.
I'll be happy if you win.
- Ready? You got it? - Yeah.
Congratulations, because you're all safe from elimination.
But there is only one amazing immunity pin,
and pin is going to...
Dara.
Good job, Dara.
- Gordon: Amazing, seriously. - Thank you.
I got the immunity pin!
I'm the final Junior in this competition,
- and that's a little scary. - I'm so proud of you.
But I'm here to stay.
All three of you, please head up to the balcony. Well done.
- It's nice up here. - Right, now,
sadly, tonight somebody is leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
The first dish, frustratingly,
they didn't take our advice on how to salvage their mistakes.
Please step forward...
Tommy.
I'm in the bottom three again.
I cannot believe I chose one of the simplest desserts
and I messed it up.
Gordon: Tommy, describe the dish please.
Tommy: I chose the lemon meringue tart
with a pâte sucrée crust,
lemon curd, and Swiss meringue.
The tart crust looks cracked, as you can see.
It's got a big crack all the way through here.
And it looks under-baked.
Also with the garnishes, there's miscues
as far as you piping the meringue in.
Yours are very thick.
These are very thin and precise in their placement.
Here we go. Oh, dear.
Ay-yi.
Tommy, as you can see, it's totally raw.
Oh, God.
Aarón: Your meringue is over-whipped. It's watery.
- I think it's clear time was a big issue for you. - Yes, it was, Chef.
Gordon: It's just really important for you to see what we're tasting.
We've got more pastry than we have curd.
That's just pure pastry.
- And it's raw. - You missed the mark.
- Gordon: Thank you, Tommy. - Aarón: Thank you, Tommy.
Too bad.
- Man. - Tommy.
Okay, the next dish that we have to take a look at
was absolutely one of the most difficult desserts of the evening.
Please bring your dessert forward, Shelly.
Shelly: This is tough.
Last challenge I was in the top three,
and to go from there to here is just-- ( groans )
This is embarrassing.
Aesthetic wise, no.
Shelly, what dessert did you choose?
Shelly: I chose a napoleon with layers of pastry cream,
fresh raspberries, and a white chocolate glaze.
Gordon: You can't be happy with this dish, right?
- Not at all. - I don't know what to say.
I have to judge it on what you've just given us, and they look a mess.
Shelly, this dish prides itself on presentation, which you've got nothing of,
but pastry's actually cooked quite nice.
You have to close your eyes and forget that it's an ugly looking dessert.
Aarón: Shelly, mine's dry because I don't have enough of the cream.
There's nothing really that I can grasp for
- to make me happy. - Yeah, the cream was okay.
I'm just trying to understand what you made pick
the most difficult dessert.
Why did you want to hurt yourself like that?
Um, I don't bake at all.
I shot way too high on something I wasn't familiar with at all.
Life is hard enough. Don't hurt yourself.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Yeah, why push that self-destruct button?
What a shame.
Okay, the final dessert in the bottom three
was baked by someone we had high hopes for.
But their panicky rush raised some red flags for us.
- Please come forward... - Oh, my God.
The final dessert in the bottom three,
please come forward, Bri.
Oh, my God.
This is back to back bottom three for me.
It's disappointing because I really wanted do well.
Bri, tell us what dessert you selected.
Bri: I selected the strawberry pistachio tart
with pastry cream and then strawberries on top.
Young lady, visually I'm in a little bit of a shock.
You pride yourself on appearance,
and this looks so amateurish
because it's so pale and under-baked.
If I asked you to describe it, describe it.
It looks underdone.
It looks sloppy.
I'm not proud of it by any means.
Ditto.
Tastes better than it looks.
Aarón: Bri, it's raw.
I mean, yes, there is parts of it you can have,
but what I can tell you is that the cream is delicious.
Bri, I have to say it's undercooked, but you can actually eat it.
It's creamy, rich, and it tastes better than it looks.
I disagree with Joe. I disagree with Aarón.
It's not edible. It is raw.
I do think this is your worst performance in the competition so far.
- Would you agree? - I do agree.
- Thank you, Bri. - Thank you.
- It's okay. - Thanks.
Tommy, Shelly, and Bri, we need a moment please.
All three of you, excuse us. Oh, boy.
It was a tough challenge, for sure.
- It was hard as hell. - Whose tasted the best?
- For me, it was Shelly's. - Aarón: There was nothing to grab onto.
- Yeah. - Visually, no, but she did take the biggest risk
out of the three.
That was freaking embarrassing.
At least yours is standing up.
- Gordon: And Bri's... - Joe: It was raw.
- Jeez, I know. - Joe: At least with Bri's
the cream wasn't actually that bad.
- Tommy's was raw. - Joe: Yeah.
It was watery, over-whipped.
Right, every element of his were wrong.
- Ready? - Ready.
Tommy, Shelly, and Bri, three disappointing desserts
that each had technical flaws.
But there was one dish that we felt
was really at the bottom of the class.
And so the person leaving "MasterChef: Back To Win" is...
Tommy.
Shelly and Bri, say goodbye to Tommy.
Head back to your stations, please.
I'm sorry, Tommy.
- It was my pleasure. - Bri: Thank you.
Tommy, tonight you forgot the basics.
Your dessert had mistakes from the start to the end.
Aarón: And that's a shame, Tommy,
because that dessert right there
- I know meant a lot to you. - It is a shame.
Please put your apron on your bench and say good night.
Today I had an absolute cascade of disaster,
but every tough lesson is a life lesson.
I'm gonna miss you, man.
I was really glad to be here with the most talented people.
It's the best of the best, and I didn't do my best tonight,
so I'm going home.
Gordon: Next time, the top 14 face a team challenge
in the American West.
You'll be feeding 101 cowboys and cowgirls.
And we're cranking up the heat.
We're talking 1,500 degrees.
We're one minute away! Come on!
- You okay? Gabe? - ( grunts )
Who will rise from the ashes...
This looks phenomenal. The steak was great.
- Amazing. - This is country.
- and who will ride... - Dara, I need yams!
- Oh, my God. - ...into the sunset?
- Ice cold. ( bleep ) - That was personal.
- Check the temp, Christian. - I've cooked a million ( bleep ) steaks.
- This is not good enough. - This one is completely raw.
- Moo. - Gordon: Hand me your apron.