Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win,"
the top 14 faced a team challenge in the American West.
You'll be feeding 101 cowboys and cowgirls.
It's gonna be hot back there.
Gordon: We're one minute away!
- [ groans ] - Are you okay?
Some rose up through the ashes...
The winning team is the red team!
...while another rode into the sunset.
Shelly, there should be a crust on this.
I cooked a million [ bleep ] steaks.
This one is completely raw.
Oh, boy.
Shelly, the captaincy wasn't present.
Say goodbye and hand me your apron.
Tonight, it's a mystery box challenge
curated by a MasterChef superstar.
Christine Ha!
And she's raising the bar.
Christine: To make a Vietnamese dish,
you must use all of those ingredients.
Holy hell!
Joe: Someone's gonna win immunity
and someone's gonna be eliminated.
What's gonna happen to you?
They'll need to keep their cool...
There's something exciting and dangerous
- about the way you cook. - It's very elevated.
to avoid cracking under the pressure...
This is something I would not choose to do.
- I'm back to win. - Oh, [ bleep ]
- Have you made this dish before? - No.
- [ coughs ] - It's completely missing the mark.
It's kind of boring.
It's like eating suntan lotion.
You're out of it, big time.
- All right. - This is a good one.
- Big box. - Really excited for tonight's challenge.
- This is it. - A decade in the making.
- [ cheering ] - Ooh!
- Top 13! Come on. - Uh-oh.
- Welcome back, guys. - Another giant mystery box.
Mystery box.
The last time there was a huge mystery box,
Shaun came out with showgirls from Vegas. It was a whole thing.
And I'm like, "Okay, what's coming out this time?"
A football team? A parade? Like, what is gonna come at us?
Welcome back to the amazing MasterChef kitchen, everybody.
- Whoo! - Wow.
Now, come on, it was so good to see you all step up
and cook for those citizens of Horsetown last week.
Red team, you guys did a great job.
You cooked like it wasn't your first rodeo.
It felt amazing to win as team captain
and prove to the judges and everybody
that I found my voice.
So I'm just trying to channel that positivity
into today's challenge.
Tonight we have another winners mystery box for you
with ingredients curated by one our previous MasterChef champions.
- Let's get it. - Let's meet tonight's guest, shall we?
Honestly, it's a privilege and an honor
to get that inspiration from the MasterChef family.
So I am stoked,
and I am ready to see what's under that big box.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...
- Wow! - [ cheering ]
...the winner of season three,
the amazing Christine Ha!
Yes, ma'am!
- Welcome back. - Thank you.
Oh, my goodness me.
Oh, my Lord. Yes, ma'am.
We are so excited to have you back here.
Season three, Joe. Come on, that was a decade ago.
- It was a decade. - Yeah.
Gordon: Oh, my Lord.
I am speechless.
Christine is laying the groundwork
for Asian-American female chefs and building an empire.
And that's everything that I aspire to be.
It's just incredible that she's standing this close in front of me.
- How does it feel to be back? - It's amazing.
I didn't think that I would tear up, but I kind of am.
Gordon: You are not the only one tearing up.
Amanda, come on, how exciting is it to see Christine back?
I'm so excited.
Season three was the first season that I watched of "MasterChef,"
and seeing Christine just dominate in the kitchen
despite life challenges and whatever came her way,
just always having a positive attitude,
and it's a dream to be able to cook for you tonight.
- Thank you. - Gordon: Christine, your incredible journey
since winning "MasterChef" season three has been amazing.
You were judge on "MasterChef Vietnam."
You are a best-selling author,
a culinary ambassador for the American embassy
in countries all over the world,
and back in Houston, you now have two beloved restaurants.
That's right, the first one, The Blind Goat,
was actually nominated for a James Beard Award
for best new restaurant in 2020.
- Amazing. - Aarón: Houston is well-known
as one of the most multicultural cities in America,
and Christine's Vietnamese food
has helped support that beautiful reputation
of being a culinary melting pot.
So tonight we're honoring that tradition
with her curated mystery box.
Right, all of you, please, head to your stations.
- Whew! - Great.
- Here we go. - No pressure.
Right, on the count of three, please lift your boxes.
One, two, three. Lift!
Oh, hell yeah.
Okay, what's this?
Those are staple ingredients in Vietnamese cooking.
Bowen: Everything's so fresh.
You've got my favorite, fish sauce,
cilantro, limes, green onion,
palm sugar, Thai basil,
mung bean sprouts, chilies, garlic,
- sambal, and mint. - Perfect.
Here's the catch.
You must use all of those ingredients
to make a Vietnamese dish.
Well...
Oh, holy hell!
It wasn't just, "Hey, here's your mystery box."
No, the judges have to drop another bomb.
And so now we have to use all 11 ingredients in our dish.
Do you know how much spice there's gonna be?
Like, it's a lot going on,
and so you have to know how to balance it.
There will also be a limited pantry with other ingredients
commonly seen in Vietnamese dishes.
Gordon: Now don't forget, whoever cooks the best dish tonight
will win the immunity pin and be safe
from elimination in next week's challenge.
But, remember, whoever cooks the worst dish
will be eliminated.
- Right, everybody ready? - All: Yes, Chef.
Your one hour starts...
- Now! - Let's go!
- Go! - Wow.
[ laughing, overlapping chatter ]
- Where's the duck? Where's the duck? - Ooh, look at those fish.
Corn starch, corn starch, corn starch,
Um, I need carrots.
Chicken broth, chicken broth.
They are so pumped to have you here, Chef.
- Yeah? - You have no idea.
That looks good.
Today I am making bánh xèo, which is a savory crêpe.
It's gonna have shrimp and pork belly.
It's gonna have a lettuce wrap.
This is my first time making this,
but I believe that I can do anything that I set my mind to,
and today my mind is set and I'm gonna do it.
So 60 minutes to cook the most authentic Vietnamese dish.
The fruit lime oil, let's get that started.
Now, in previous challenges, they could pick and choose from that mystery box,
but tonight we're asking for the first time in "Back to Win"
they use all of those ingredients.
That's quite a tall order, isn't it?
Christine: That is, because you have to really assess your entire box,
think about what you can do with every ingredient in there.
And I feel like that's pretty challenging.
I got my rice on. I got my curry broth going.
I feel like Vietnamese food tends to be very balanced,
so I would actually maybe go a little bit of something hot that you cook
and then balance that with something fresh like herbs or a cold noodle dish.
Absolutely, but the secret tonight is to use a great protein, isn't it?
Whether it's a fish protein, short rib, pork,
surely that's gonna help incorporate all those ingredients.
I agree. I think because the mystery box
is full of ingredients that are very supplemental,
so then you kind of want something to be your star in that dish,
so I think a nice protein would be great to use.
This needs water.
Just over 10 minutes gone. Just under 50 minutes to go.
Chilies, fish sauce.
I know every ingredient under the mystery box, because that's my thing.
I'm Asian, so that's an advantage for me tonight.
I'm gonna be making a glass noodle
with also sugarcane marinade for kabobs.
Christine, she's really an inspiration for me
because she's able to have the passion
to follow her dreams, so I'm gonna follow my dream.
Gordon: Shall we?
All right, I need something. Chili oil.
- Christine: Ooh, it smells good. - Gordon: It smells delicious.
Young lady, how are you?
- You okay? - Yes.
I'm so happy to meet you
and to be here and to cook for you.
I'm making a beef pho.
Gordon: So pho is very common Vietnamese broth-based soup dish,
and the secret behind that great pho is time.
You have to develop the flavors of the rich broth.
Christine: Yeah, it takes a long time to make a pho,
so this is something I would not choose to do
because I cook it overnight.
Have you ever made pho before?
I've made pho before. It took me two days.
And I'm trying to do it in less than an hour
by using the pressure cooker, searing everything off,
getting a nice char, using some veal demi as well to enhance that beef flavor.
So I'm hoping the richness of what I've done
- comes through in the broth today. - Smart move.
I think you thought that through, Amanda, and it sounds like you have a game plan.
Thank you. I hope you guys will enjoy it.
Gordon: Focus on this execution.
- Use every minute you've got, yeah? - Yes, Chef.
- Good luck. - Thank you so much.
- Good luck, Amanda. - Thank you, Christine.
I definitely relate to Christine
being a woman in a male-dominated industry
where everything is an uphill battle.
Like, you are constantly trying to prove yourself.
So it's really inspiring but also super intimidating
- to be cooking for her today. - Oh, my.
Given that this dish usually takes days to make,
I have to get everything in the pressure cooker
to allow it to cook for as long as possible.
If I don't get the beef cooked until tender,
I don't have a dish.
And pressure is, um...
Gordon: Guys, 15 minutes gone. 45 minutes remaining.
- Come on. - Keep it going, guys. Come on.
Okay, you're good. Don't freak out, don't freak out.
Sorry, I'm at the wrong station.
That was close.
I am working on a Vietnamese sticky pork belly.
It's gonna be very herbaceous.
It's gonna be bright and colorful.
Christine Ha's here today.
I am so inspired by her presence.
I first started watching "MasterChef" on season three. She was my favorite.
The reason I know anything about Vietnamese food is her.
I have to give her credit for being able to work
with the ingredients under this box today.
It's okay.
- [ muttering ] - Oh, my.
- Right, Michael, how are you feeling? - Hello, hello.
I'm feeling fantastic. I'm really excited about this dish.
How's it going over here? What are you making?
Good. I'm gonna bo kho, one of my favorite dishes.
Oh, bo kho. Beef stew. Braised beef.
Beef stew, yeah, but I'm gonna do short rib
and a crispy spring roll with some crab.
And then I'm gonna do a classic fish sauce lime dipping sauce.
- Interesting. - Gordon: Not the combination you expect to hear.
- Yeah, not at all. - Beef and crab, why?
- Why the crab? - I'm in Texas,
so I wanna bring some of that Louisiana Gulf crab into this,
just to bring a little of me on the plate.
I just gotta get that beef in the pressure cooker
because it's gonna need a half hour.
- And that lid on, yes? - Yes, that's what I'm gonna do right now.
- Five minutes behind already. - Gordon: 40 minutes to go.
- Thanks, Michael. - Thank you.
Gabriel: There we go.
Shanika: It's perfect.
Fred: Oh, gosh.
Emily, talk to us about your dish.
Yeah, I'm gonna do some lemongrass pork.
I lived in New Orleans for a few years,
and my favorite little corner shop down the street
had this amazing lemongrass pork.
I'm gonna do some nice fresh pickled veggies
and then top it with a rice cracker.
So 11 ingredients in Christine's mystery box, are you familiar with them all?
I am familiar with them all, not necessarily cooking with them all.
Which is the most challenging ingredient for you?
I would have to say the spicy peppers. I'm not a spicy person.
I know that you guys like spicy stuff, I just--
Joe: No, no, I think-- you have to use them is the point.
Not like or no like. It's one of the mandatory ingredients.
And we will be looking for them on a flavor point of view as well.
- Emily: Yeah. Right. - It can just be a throwaway.
- Joe: All right, good luck, Emily. - Thank you.
- Shrimp chips... - Come on.
- Christian? - Yes, Chef?
- How you doing, Chef Christine? - Hello.
Gordon: What are you cooking? What's the dish?
I'm making you a beef vegetable pho.
I'm very inspired by pho.
I eat a lot of pho when I'm back home in New Orleans.
Okay, I hear a pressure cooker.
So that's what you're cooking that in?
And what makes this one different?
I like putting bok choy in my pho.
- Interesting. - And I love putting okra,
- put a little New Orleans sauce on there. - A little New Orleans.
So I'm wondering how this will turn out,
but I give kudos to you for being brave enough to try to cook pho...
- Yes, ma'am. - ...because it is not an easy dish to make.
- It's not. - Good luck, Christian.
- Thank you. - Good luck.
Derrick: Looking good.
All right.
- Joe: Dara. - Dara: Hello, hello.
Joe: What are you making?
So I'm making a duck rice porridge
with sautéed morning glories and a chili garlic crunch.
I eat Vietnamese food probably once a week
and I'm very familiar with these flavors.
Aarón: What about duck spoke to you and said
that's the protein for a Vietnamese inspired dish?
Usually the dish that I'm making is served with chicken,
but duck is one of my favorite proteins.
How important would it be tonight to win, get immunity in front of Christine?
That would be incredible.
I mean, as a young Asian-American woman,
she is such a huge inspiration to me.
I think this would be a real incredible opportunity
for you to win immunity and win this thing.
And not only that, the pressure's on
- 'cause you have chili pepper earrings on too. - I do.
- So don't let down your look, okay? - Thank you, Chef.
Come on, baby.
Gabriel: Come on now. Come on now.
- Okay, finally. These are done. - 35 minutes gone.
25 minutes remaining.
So interesting. Some really good sounding dishes out there, yeah?
Christian and Amanda are both making pho.
Making a pho in a pressure cooker is very brave.
That's not something I would do if I were in the challenge,
because I think pho takes a very long time
to really coax the flavor out of the bones.
Gordon: And with the locked lid on the pressure cooker,
it's risky, because you don't know
if it's cooked properly until you lift that lid.
Christian: Let's cook, baby.
Michael: Breathe, breathe, breathe.
Christine: Michael's doing bo kho, which is a very savory
Vietnamese beef stew that we often eat in the winter.
He's doing it with short rib, which I really think is smart,
in the pressure cooker.
The idea of the short rib sounds delicious.
The big issue here with Michael
is that can it cook in 60 minutes?
Yes, and be tender?
Keep it going, guys. Come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
Christian: Let's go, baby.
Mmm. Oh, jeez!
That's burned on the bottom.
The pressure cooker has to be really hot
to cook in such a small amount of time.
Oh, my gosh.
And I burned the crap out of the pork belly.
Man!
There's 20 minutes left of the cook.
I have so much more to do.
I mean, there's not enough time to start over.
- Damn it. - I think I've bitten off more
than I can chew at this point.
I don't know what to do.
This is a disaster.
Going down in flames.
Mm. Oh, jeez!
Oh, my gosh.
I've burned the crap out of the pork belly.
Man!
Now I have to cut it down and trim it.
Hot, hot, hot.
So I just hope it doesn't taste burnt at all.
Whoo!
Gordon: We're down to the last 18 minutes remaining.
Oh, my gosh. 18 minutes. Okay.
Almost there.
- Bri, how you feeling? - Hello.
- Hi, Bri. - I'm feeling a mixture of emotions.
I was on the bottom when I pulled the Vietnamese flag
when we had to do the Vietnamese and Southern fusion.
Bri, you're a cook that concentrates a lot on the aesthetic of a dish,
and this dish looks bad. It tastes like how it looks.
- That was long gone, yeah? - Yes.
You've since progressed brilliantly in the competition.
- Definitely. - Led your team to victory in the last big challenge,
so give us an insight into the dish tonight. What are you doing?
I am doing a salmon
that's gonna be brushed with a fish sauce caramel,
and then it's going to be on a lemongrass lime coconut vinaigrette with a mint oil.
Okay, are you serving any starch with that? Any rice or noodles?
Oh, yes, I am doing a stir fry as well
with the vermicelli noodles and then the bean sprouts.
Okay, I feel like salmon is very fickle,
and so I think it's really key to cook that salmon perfectly.
- Yes. - Gordon: A phenomenal, talented cook.
- She dresses food like an artist. - Thank you.
Let's just home we combine that flavor tonight
with that artistry as well
and ensure all 11 mystery box ingredients shine.
I'm excited to try it and see if Bri can cook a salmon that impresses me.
Gordon: Good. Sounds good, Bri.
- Thank you so much. - Good luck, Bri.
Michael: Come on, baby.
I'm good. I'm feeling good. I'm good.
Bowen: Perfect.
- Fred! What are you making? - Hi.
I'm doing crystal wrapped prawns
that I marinated with some of the chili sambal,
your lime, mint, and some garlic,
and then I'm gonna serve it with a lemongrass crustacean broth.
Someone's gonna win immunity, and someone's gonna be eliminated, Fred.
- What's gonna happen to you? - I hope I can be in the top tonight.
I mean, Christine is one of my biggest inspirations.
Seeing someone like her win, someone who looks like me,
it helped me realize that, you know, I can have a place in this society,
- and I'm not just some outcast... - Wow.
...like how I was made out to be as a kid.
So I don't want to disappoint someone who I really look up to
and is the reason why I cook to this day.
And, Fred, let me just tell you that kitchens are great places for outcasts,
- so don't ever shy away from that. - Yes.
Embrace your weirdness, man. That's what it's all about.
- Okay? - I try to that every day.
- You're a beautiful person. - Look, here's the posterchild.
Yes, exactly.
Christian: Oh, yes.
Bean sprouts.
Michael: Beautiful.
Derrick.
- Christine: Hello. - Hi, Chef.
You're making tonight...
Since we get to do Vietnamese-inspired food today,
I'm doing a soft-shell crab bánh mi
with a pork pâté aioli.
How are you seasoning the soft-shell crab?
I have it soaking in buttermilk,
lime leaves, lime juice,
- and pepper right now. - Okay.
Fierce competitor. Came so close last time around.
Runner-up season six.
To make it that close, I have a chip on my shoulder.
- You're back to win. - I'm back to win.
- Good luck. It sounds delicious. - Thank you, Chef.
Beautiful.
Okay, that's good.
- Gabriel, we see a lot of nice knife work here. - Yes, Chef.
So I'm going to do a Vietnamese-inspired curry
with a coconut lime jasmine rice,
and I'm gonna glaze some seared salmon
with a very light and vibrant daikon salad.
Aarón: And what is your experience with Vietnamese cuisine?
My mother was huge fan of going to different Vietnamese restaurants in Oklahoma
and eating a good bowl of pho, and that's how we spent time together.
This challenge, it has an air of difficulty, but it's also very sentimental.
Unfortunately I lost my mother back in 2018 from ovarian cancer.
She was my culinary inspiration.
She's the reason that I stepped foot in the kitchen in the first place.
So I'm really wanting to pay homage to my mom
and make sure that I put that emotion into the plate.
Gabriel: Come on. Come on, baby.
- Fellow, Houstonian. - Hello! Hello, how are you?
Good, Willie. How are you doing?
- And what are you making over here? - I'm doing pretty good.
Today I'm gonna do a fish sauce
caramel braised catfish.
Okay, so something very similar to what I did in the audition,
so are you ready to serve me that?
I'm ready. I'm just hoping you love it
just as much as they did the first time around.
Gordon: That's one of the most delicious dishes I've tasted in this competition so far.
Oh, my God. Thank you, Chef.
Do you know what I'm gonna give you?
- A white apron. - A white apron. Congratulations.
Thank you.
It sounds promising and delicious.
I definitely wanna try and see if it's better
than my clay pot catfish. So, we'll see.
Gordon: What are you marinating the catfish in?
So right now I have some shallots, onions,
- garlic, lime juice... - Mm-hmm.
I like the addition of the lime.
Something I've learned from MasterChef I think
is adding acid to a lot of things really helps the dish.
What would immunity mean? You've been so close, Willie.
Just to have that immunity pin would be awesome.
But I'm not gonna back down from a challenge.
This catfish dish sounds delicious.
- Good luck. - Yes, Chef. Thank you.
Whoo!
Derrick: Almost there.
Gordon: Just under five minutes remaining.
Amazing dishes out there.
- Oh, yes. - Now, Big Willie,
he's doing a Vietnamese style braised catfish.
Christine: It's similar to kind of what I did in the audition,
but actually it sounds like he's stepped it up another level.
Gordon: Derrick's now assembled those huge sandwiches there.
- Look at the size of those things. - Yeah, perfect.
Okay, Bri, start getting things on the plate. Let's go.
- Brandi, taste everything. - Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Come on, Christian.
So Michael still hasn't got that beef out there yet,
and it's just under three minutes to go.
- That should be out by now, no? - Yes.
- Oh, my God. - Three minutes left,
and I don't even have the pressure out of my pressure cooker.
Come on, Michael. Put your plates out.
- Michael: Oh, shoot. - I need every last second
to get the beef in there as tender as possible.
So I'm gonna have to throw this stew into the bowl
at the last second.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
It's scary, because once I release the pressure from the cooker,
I won't really be able to do anything about it.
It's either gonna be delicious or it's gonna be a total failure.
I don't have time for this.
[ bleep ]
Michael still hasn't got that beef out there yet. That should be out by now.
- Christine: Yes. - Two minutes remaining! Let's go!
Come on, Michael. Put your plates out.
- Here it comes. - Here it goes.
- Wow, here he goes. - Let's see.
- It's soft. - Wow.
It smells amazing.
Gordon: 60 seconds remaining. Last minute!
- Come on, guys. You got this. - Here we go.
You can do it, Brandi. You can do it, Brandi.
Oh, my God, my hand is shaking right now.
- Bri: Me too. - Gordon: Quickly, Bri.
Keep it going, guys. Come on.
Joe: Come on, Gabriel.
Gabriel: We got this, guys. Keep it pushing.
Gordon: We're down to 20 seconds remaining.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
- Bring back memories? - Yes.
- Oh, my Lord. - They should be wiping down the plate.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
- And stop. - That's it. Hands in the air.
- Oh, my God. - Gordon: Well done.
Tonight your challenge was to cook a beautiful Vietnamese dish
inspired by Chef Christine
and use all 11 ingredients in your mystery boxes.
It is now time to find out
exactly how all of your dishes came together.
- So, Christian... - Yes, Chef.
And what cut of beef did you use on this?
Christian: Beef tenderloin and skirt steak.
- Have you made this dish before? - No.
Okay, Brandi.
I left my pot on the burner after I took my pork belly out.
- I apologize. - Joe: I think you can taste a little bit of that.
Is the pork from here what's served on your plate?
- Yes. - Gordon: Thank you.
You never know what the judges are gonna say about everyone's dishes.
Gabe, do you feel you captured the essence of Vietnamese cuisine?
I do feel like I have a decent balance of spice between my slaw and my curry sauce.
I am a little worried about some of my other competitors
because I don't know if they've ever used some of these ingredients before.
So this is the crepe with the pork.
Okay, so this sounds like a traditional Vietnamese dish.
I thought it was pretty cool colors, flavors.
It sounds like you've eaten this dish before.
- I've actually never eaten it. - Really?
- No. - Gordon: Thank you, Shanika.
Dara: It's not the time to play it safe
and go down a traditional route
of making pho or bánh mi's.
Gordon: Doesn't taste very strong, now does it?
Yeah, I feel like it's still lacking a little bit of depth.
Gordon: So, Derrick, tell me what's in between the sandwiches.
On the bread I toasted it with a pork pâté aioli.
- You toasted it with a pork pâté aioli? - Yeah.
I wanna stand out in this crowd.
Dara, very emotional today.
Were you able to put emotion in the plate?
I was. I'm really proud of how everything turned out.
Thank you, Dara.
Emily, is there a sauce or is there something missing off this dish?
No, it's-- the lettuce and the vegetables are tossed
in the nuoc cham dipping sauce.
- So this is the key element. - Yes. Yeah.
- Very strong. - Hmm. Strong.
- Very strong. - Bowen.
Gordon: What'd you dress the noodles in?
Bowen: It's cooked pepper paste.
- Christine: Pretty spicy. - You put that paste in the noodles?
- Yes. - [ coughs ]
- Michael. - Hi, Joe.
- Joe: Very ambitious dish. - I put it all out there.
Thank you.
The judges have been really tough this whole time.
Willie, did you adjust anything per her advice?
I did actually. I made sure that it was balanced with a little vinegar.
They know that we've all worked professionally in the culinary world.
Joe: Fred, your dish looks very minimalistic.
Thank you.
We are all all-stars here,
and we should be able to do whatever's thrown at us.
Joe: Is that just plain coconut milk?
No, it was infused with the lemongrass,
and it also has lime.
Gordon: Thank you.
- There's a lot of good dishes out there. - Yeah.
With Christian and just the flavor on that broth, it's really profound.
- You know, it tasted very rich. - Not easy to do.
Half of the ingredients from the mystery box are missing.
It's very not evocative of a Vietnamese spirit. That's an incomplete dish.
You can definitely tell she doesn't have a lot of experience
- with Vietnamese food. - No.
- We agree? - Yeah.
Let's do it.
Right, there are three dishes
that Christine, Joe, Aarón, and myself
really do feel that stood out.
The first dish that really lit up our palates
is from a home cook that tonight really achieved
a lot of depth of flavor.
Please step forward, Michael.
Oh, my God.
I took so many risks today,
and I hope Christine really notices
my attention to detail when it came to getting
those Vietnamese flavors onto my dish.
Gordon: Michael, tell us what it is, please.
Michael: A Vietnamese beef stew with short ribs,
some beautiful crispy crab, pork, and mushroom spring rolls.
It's the real deal, and it smells delicious.
Thank you.
It's aromatic, it's flavorful. Everything's cooked properly. It sings in your palate.
To my surprise, I actually find myself liking the spring roll more than your braised beef.
- Oh, wow. - I like your beef as well,
but your spring roll is very solid.
Thank you.
It's just a perfect medley of balances of richness,
profound flavors. Good job.
Gordon: Young man, you took a big risk tonight.
You left everything in that pressure cook
to literally minutes to go,
so there's something quite exciting and dangerous about the way you cook.
But be careful with that star anise.
Second, third, fourth mouthful, it becomes too much.
- Thank you. Good job. - Thank you.
Yeah, Michael.
The second cook in the top three did an outstanding version
of a classic authentic noodle dish.
Please come forward, Christian.
Christian: Wow!
I'm back where I need to be-- winning.
The only thing that I'm worried about is this broth.
A pho in 60 minutes?
Hopefully I came through with the flavors in my broth.
Aarón: Christian, please tell us what you made.
Christian: I made a vegetable beef pho
with flank steak, beef tenderloin,
and it's topped with roasted okra.
It really looks like something out of a food magazine.
You can see the technique.
It has a real pop to it. It really looks quite delicious.
All right. Thank you, Chef.
Christian, it's a dish that's actually very near and dear to my heart
because it was something my mom cooked and then I never learned
to cook it from her before she passed away.
So this is still my white whale that I've been chasing...
- Oh, my God. - ...all my life, to make a good beef pho that can be like hers.
I really like how you put yourself into this bowl,
- and the broth is delicious. - Thank you so much, Chef.
The beef is perfectly seasoned.
It has the right amount of spice.
It's a really great balanced noodle dish.
- Thank you, Joe. - Aarón: Just a lot of noodle.
- Maybe, yeah, pump the brakes on the noodle... - Yeah, too much.
- ...and give me more of that broth. - Yes, Chef.
Aarón: But really great element with the okra.
I like that little nod to New Orleans.
- Yes. Thank you. - It was real cool.
It tastes of attitude. It's you. You in a bowl.
It's punchy, it's bold. Great job.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Well done. - Thank you, boss.
The final dish that we are dying to taste more of,
it's someone who has been in both the top and the bottom so far.
Please come forward, Dara.
Being in the top three feels incredible.
The fact that Christine Ha gets to taste this dish
that I've put so much into,
I couldn't be any prouder of that.
Joe: Dara, what's your dish?
Dara: I prepared a rice porridge
with a seared duck breast
and sautéed morning glory, mung beans, and a chili oil.
The real risk here is I don't see the 11 ingredients,
but hopefully I can taste them all.
Wow.
Dara, I must say, rice porridge is a very humble dish.
It's something I grew up not really liking
because my mom only cooked it when I was sick.
But you've managed to make this humble dish
into something that is very elevated.
Thank you so much.
What you did is take Vietnamese flavors
and techniques and somehow manipulated them
into seeming like it's a European Michelin star dish.
It's got a lot of explosions of flavors.
Every bite's a mystery and a discovery at the same time.
- Thank you, Joe. - I can't believe
that you were able to get all of this flavor done in an hour.
The usage of the herbs wakes it all up,
and it's a really interesting pairing for duck.
- Thank you, Chef. - Gordon: Dara, it's delicious.
Young girl, you've got a palate, let's get that absolutely clear.
That rice is not too starchy.
It's just-- you know, you've treated it like a risotto.
You're only 20 years of age, and so if anyone thinks that you're the youngest
and the underdog, they need to think again. Good job.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
Dara!
- Yes! - Don't cry, don't cry.
- No. Head up. - Head up.
- So this is hard. - Yeah, I'm locked.
Christine: So I'm just not really sure
which one I would necessarily pick as the best one.
I thought Michael's flavor was just delicious.
- Aarón: Yeah. - I don't know. Dara's congee's pretty solid.
- Gordon: Christian's was authentic. - Yeah, yeah.
- No one played safe. - It was close. I don't know.
- Okay. - [ muted chatter ]
Three amazing dishes.
You're all safe from elimination,
but there is only one individual
receiving the immunity pin.
Congratulations goes to...
Three amazing dishes. You're all safe from elimination,
but there is only one individual receiving the immunity pin.
Congratulations goes to...
Michael.
Good job.
Yes! I finally got the pin.
Michael has arrived. This feels right.
This feels like where I'm supposed to be in this competition.
Congratulations.
All three of you, please make your way up
to the safety of the balcony.
- Michael: Thank you. - Now there were three dishes
that we felt somewhat missed the mark.
And sadly one of you will be leaving the competition.
The first dish we need to take a much closer look at,
it was seafood based,
but unfortunately just too bland.
Please step forward, Bri.
Bri: Coming off of the amazing feeling
winning as a team captain in last week's challenge,
I did not want to be in the bottom three again.
I'm so frustrated with myself.
Bri, please describe your dish.
I made pan-seared salmon with a fish sauce caramel glaze
atop a stir-fried noodle with a coconut lime sauce.
My problem with this dish
is that if I take this away, this is the dish.
I'm not sure that's gonna be enough.
Gordon: So...
- The salmon's pink in the middle. - Okay.
This is "MasterChef" season 12, "Back to Win,"
and I think the assumption is that everyone can cook a perfectly medium
to medium rare piece of salmon, which you did.
Which was not what the challenge was about.
The challenge was about to interpret the flavors,
the culture of Vietnam, and the ingredients.
I'm not tasting anything.
It has no passion. It's just very flat.
And the coconut milk, I understand your thought process
by trying to put some flavor into it,
but that needs to sit or marinate
and let those aromatics fully impart their flavor.
It just tastes like raw coconut milk.
It's kind of boring. The sauce is too thick.
Just kind of the dimension of the coconut and then tartness,
it doesn't really marry well together.
The salmon is actually cooked better than I had expected,
but I think as a whole, the dish didn't really work for me.
Bri, unfortunately, the dish is missing the stamp
of authority on Vietnamese cuisine.
It's too pale. It's too bland.
It's completely missing the mark.
I'm really disappointed.
I think that I struggled to find the balance
between a dish that was authentically me
and authentically Vietnamese.
I think in this case, you should've forget about you
and thought more about Vietnam.
- Thank you, Bri. - Thank you.
- It's like eating suntan lotion. - Yeah.
The next cook in the bottom tonight
presented us a pork dish with some glaring issues.
Please come forward, Brandi.
So this sucks.
I've never been in the bottom before.
I'm not happy about it,
and I don't want this to be
the last thing that I cook in the MasterChef kitchen.
Okay, Brandi, what did you make for us?
Brandi: I made a Vietnamese sticky caramelized pork belly
over a serrano chili noodle with pickled carrots and daikon and fresh herbs.
It looks like a bowl full of raw ingredients.
So I'm looking for either a sauce, a reduction, a broth,
something that pulls all these things together.
How's the color of the pork?
The color on the pork's actually quite nice.
It's got really nice caramelization on there.
It doesn't look burnt like the bottom of her pan.
Brandi, my pork tasted quite nice.
It's caramelized, it's sweet, it's sour.
But it needs love. It needs passion.
It needs heat. It needs acidity.
It feels like you've been given half the time
because the dish is not completed.
You have the pickled element,
you have the herbs, some texture with the peanuts.
One thing that's not present is something cohesive to bring it all together.
The noodles are incredibly bland.
Like what Aarón said, I wish there was a sauce
to kinda bring the whole dish together.
- Thank you, Brandi. - Thank you.
Okay, the final dish, unfortunately and surprisingly
is from a cook who has not had a misstep up to this point,
but tonight she shocked us completely.
Please come forward...
The final dish that we would like to taste from the bottom three
unfortunately and surprisingly is from a cook
who has not a misstep up to this point.
Please come forward, Emily.
Emily: I've never been called up in the bottom three.
Even in season nine, it never happened.
So maybe once I get up there and they kind of uncover the different components of my dish,
that might save me from elimination.
Aarón: All right, Emily, can you please describe what you made?
Emily: I made a lemongrass pork salad with marinated vegetables
and a shrimp dusted crispy rice chip.
Emily, I don't know if you thought hard enough about this dish.
"Is a seared pork chop salad gonna keep me in it?"
Shall we?
This severely lacks three things that you have in spades.
It lacks love, intelligence, and it lacks strategy.
Aarón: Yeah, Emily, I'm shocked.
It's really stripped down.
It's dry. I'm sorry.
I do love crispiness and the crunchiness of the salad.
That's a nice texture, but nothing that's kind of like that unctuous sauce.
I think that's what's missing in your dish.
Gordon: Emily, the dish is good,
but I just know how much more you can do,
especially when you're in your comfort zone.
And tonight you're out of it big time.
Thank you.
Bri, Brandi, and Emily, this is a tough one.
There's a lot to discuss.
Please, all three of you, give us a moment please.
Thank you.
Yo, this is a hard decision.
I've never been in the bottom before.
It's not a good feeling at all.
Bri's dish, there was no representation of Vietnamese style.
- I mean, nothing. - Nothing, no.
- Really, I agree. - And the sauce was too thick.
Brandi's looked half finished, didn't it?
It looked like things you would use to prep to do another dish.
Gordon: What happened to Emily tonight?
Joe: She didn't really wanna take a jump into it.
- Christine: No risks. - No risks.
She just did something simple. Too simple.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Let's go.
Bri, Brandi, and Emily,
three somewhat lacklust dishes
across this authentic challenge.
There is one dish that completely missed the mark.
The person leaving "MasterChef: Back to Win" is...
Bri.
Brandi and Emily, please say goodbye to Bri.
Bri, the dish was miles away.
The coconut cream was so acidic and sweet,
it just did not make sense.
Ultimately, you failed because the dish
just didn't taste authentically Vietnamese.
I know you know food.
It's just tonight wasn't your night.
In our eyes, you're still gonna be our plating queen.
No one's taking that crown.
It is the toughest of seasons.
So keep that momentum,
continue that trajectory.
and promise us you'll continue climbing that ladder.
Thank you all so much for the opportunity.
I'm gonna learn from my mistakes,
so thank you all for your feedback,
and I'll continue to grow.
Come and say goodbye, girl, please.
Bri: When I first came into the MasterChef kitchen,
I was 23-year-old trying to find her way.
I came back to show that growth that I have achieved
since season ten.
It's really sweet to get that recognition from Gordon Ramsay.
I love you so much.
Even though I'm leaving here tonight,
I got to cook amongst the best of the best.
Bye, guys.
- Whoo! - Love you, Bri!
And I will always be the MasterChef Plating Queen.
There's nothing safe in this "Back to Win" season.
You've gotta give it your all.
Good night.
- Next time... - Welcome back, everybody.
...the infamous tag team challenge is back with a big twist.
You have to cook three signature dishes from my restaurants.
- Are we ready? Let's go! - [ all groaning ]
- Come on, baby! Let's get it! - But if they can't work together...
- Switch! - Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
- Tell me, tell me! - It's going on the long side!
- Don't freak out. - ...one will go home alone.
Wait, what are you-- no, no, no, no, no!
- Switch! - I'll do it, I'll do it.
- It looks terrible. - Joe: He's out of time.
- Switch! - Bowen, I'm almost [ bleep ] ready! Calm down!
They don't seem like a team that should be together.
The hero should be the Wellington.
It's completely raw.
And it's bland. What a shame.