Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win"...
Top 13!
...the cooks faced a mystery box challenge
created by a MasterChef superstar.
Christine Ha!
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?
Three cooks really hit the mark...
- It's very elevated. - There's something exciting
and dangerous about the way you cook.
- Congratulations, Michael! - I finally got the pin!
...while others buckled under the pressure.
It's completely missing the mark.
Christine: It's kind of boring.
It's like eating suntan lotion.
The person leaving is Bri.
- Tonight... - 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? - ( all groan )
- Let's go! - Come on, baby, let's get it!
- But if they can't work together... - Judges: Switch!
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
- Tell me! - It's going on the long side.
Don't freak out.
...one will go home alone.
What are you-- no, no, no, no, no.
- Gordon: 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.
- Top 12. - Top 12.
Aarón: A MasterChef classic here.
My favorite challenge all season.
- Communication is key. Teamwork essential. - Yep.
- Whoo! - Gordon: Welcome back, everybody.
- Let's go! - Ooh!
All right. Last week I was on the bottom.
That was a first for me.
But this challenge,
I need to kinda get back on the horse.
I need to make sure that I am focused.
I'm gonna bring everything that I've got to win.
- Welcome back. Top 12. - All: Yes, Chef.
This "Back to Win" season has definitely pushed you to your limits,
And as we approach the halfway point across the competition,
things are only gonna get tougher.
Michael, you're in that zone. How you feeling?
I feel incredible.
If there was ever gonna be a day to be up in the balcony,
I feel like today is it.
Okay, guys, tonight you'll face a challenge
that has become through the years a MasterChef staple.
The tag-team challenge.
Oh. Oy, vey.
- Ooh, my. - Holy hell.
I have a little issue with this tag-team challenge
because, you know, my season,
this is what I got eliminated on.
Don't steam 'em now. I don't want them steamed.
- I'm not steaming them! - He is lost.
Big Willie, tonight was the first time
that I didn't taste the love.
So this challenge, I need to make sure
that I am not in the bottom and not going home.
- Michael? - Yeah?
You may have immunity tonight,
so you won't be going home.
But as you can see,
there's an odd number of talented cooks down here.
Tonight you're gonna cook alongside everyone else.
- Please make your way down. - What?
Are you kidding me?
The tag-team challenge is typically
just the hardest thing you could possibly do in your season.
Gordon: There you go.
Frankly, if I didn't have this pin, I'd be freaking out right now.
Aarón: Now traditionally, the tag-team challenge consists
of making an appetizer platter, right?
But this season, you'll be making a three-course meal.
- Oh! - Three incredibly delicious
signature dishes from my restaurants.
- Of course. - To start,
a beautiful mushroom risotto.
- Okay. - Okay.
Gordon: A stunning beef Wellington.
- ( all groaning ) - You knew it was under that.
- You knew it was a beef Wellington. - ( bleep )
Come on.
Gordon: And for dessert,
a beautiful caramelized pear tarte Tatin.
Oh!
- Oh, one more thing. - Huh?
As far as the teams go,
you'll be picking them yourselves.
Please pick a partner
and grab the team colored aprons behind you.
Interesting.
Amanda.
Yes, let's do it. Let's do it.
- Emily: Yeah? - I got you. Let's get it.
Dara: Okay, we will be orange.
Right, let's start with Shanika and Bowen.
How did we formulate this team, Shanika?
Well, Bowen and I have worked together.
When he opened the restaurant, I helped him open it up.
I was there for about ten months.
- What section were you running? - Sous chef.
- Wow. - Gordon: Amazing. Fred, why did you pick Dara?
I remembered that Dara on Juniors
had to do a beef Wellington for her tag-team.
Sarah, what do I need to do? Tell me.
I'm gonna do it this way because this is how I know how to do it, okay? I'm sorry.
And I feel like we can work well together across all three, as well.
Good. Glad to hear it.
- Amanda? - Yes, Chef?
Big Willie's taken you under his arm.
Willie's a great communicator. He's always very clear.
So I'm excited for this challenge today.
Brandi, Christian, how did you guys form this team?
We're both kind of loud and assertive,
but I think we understand each other in the way we work.
So I don't think we're gonna have a problem communicating.
- Excellent. - All right, everyone,
tonight you'll each take turns cooking.
One of you will man the station
and one of you will be on the side.
When we call "switch," you'll switch places.
Whoever's on the side, make your voice heard.
And whoever's working the line, keep your ears open,
because if you can't come together and communicate,
one person on your team will be going home tonight.
Gordon: But the winning team across tonight's challenge,
both will win immunity,
which means you'll move straight forward to the top ten.
So, Michael, you could be the first person to win immunity two weeks in a row.
Right, all of you, head to your stations please. Let's go.
I got my Bowen and I'm happy.
But we have friction when we work together
in is restaurant, and Bowen gets really frazzled.
So I'm gonna have to put my ego to the side
and put out the best dishes that we can as a team.
All right, everyone, you will have 75 minutes
to make all of your dishes.
Right, let's get into positions.
Ooh, sorry.
- You got this. - Got it.
- Are we ready? - All: Yes, Chef!
Your time starts now! Let's go!
- Let's go. You got this. - Come on, Fred. We got this. We got this.
Emily: Get that Welly going.
You got it. Hot, hot, hot pan.
Emily has always been a very headstrong cook, and she's very vocal.
But I'm not that kind of guy. I don't like yelling.
So my main goal today is just focus on myself and communicating.
Willie: You're gonna take your steak
and we're gonna get that seasoned up
- and ready to go. - Yes.
Willie: This tag-team challenge is all about communication,
so we have to make sure we're not too quiet.
We're gonna have to open our voices a little bit in this kitchen.
- Let's get-- add pepper all over. - Yes.
Good, good, good, good. Nice and even.
That pan gonna take a while to heat up.
- It's almost hot enough. - No, it's not.
Brandi: Little worried about being on a team with Christian.
He's loud and aggressive. I hope Christian listens to me.
I know that he's used to being the leader,
but I think with my guidance, I'll be able to walk him through it.
Come on, Brandi, you're taking too much time on that saran wrap.
- I know. - Hurry up. Fast.
I need you to work quicker than that, baby.
Come on, Bowen!
- Hey, Shanika! - Yes?
- Yes, seasoning them. - Gotcha.
Move faster.
Joe, Aarón, this is the toughest tag-team challenge
in the history of this competition, let me tell you.
We've never done a three-course meal in 75 minutes,
- but it's "Back to Win." - Heard.
Get it quick. Just season it up.
Yep, yep, yep. Yep, yep.
So when you look out over these benches,
what should they be doing first?
First thing is that Wellington.
So you need to sear that beef.
Michael: Get it hot, get it hot. There you go.
- It's searing, baby. - That's what I'm talking about.
Emily: All right, this is not like a cook.
- Just a sear. Yep. - Just a hard sear. Just a hard sear.
Next, you need to wrap it with a mushroom duxelles,
which is like a mushroom purée that adds a really nice rich flavor.
- Don't use too much. - Brandi: I know. It's got a pretty thick layer.
Come on, Brandi, let's go. Come on!
But the secret of this Wellington is in the wrapping.
If that's not wrapped tightly, it'll be cooking
at different temps across the way.
I'm gonna start measuring out the sugar and the butter for the tarte,
that way we can get that ready.
After that, you start the work on that tarte Tatin.
You got to get that caramel set.
If it goes in the oven and hasn't been caramelized properly,
then it's just gonna boil those pears.
- Take the shallots and cut them up small... - Yes.
- ...for the risotto. - Heard.
The risotto should be the last dish they start.
Michael: Come on, baby, let's go!
Gordon: The key to success tonight
is in the communication,
Michael: There you go, Derrick. There you go.
Gordon: Got to stay vocal,
otherwise it's gonna be an absolute mess.
- Absolutely. - Shanika: All right,
- what you want me to do next? - Bowen: Is it-- nice sear?
Well, I mean, I could get a better sear,
- but you said don't leave it in too long. - Yes. No.
One minute till our first swap!
Gabriel: All right, walk me through.
- What are you about to jump in and do? - Mushrooms, caramel.
Flip it on that side. That side is seared. There you go.
Good job. Keep the communication going. We're doing good.
That steak should be ready for me so I can start the prep.
Okay. Got it.
Willie: We got to get this risotto going.
- All right. - Can you start the onions for sweating?
Our filet, almost there. So you're gonna pull this off.
- Okay. - You're gonna baste it
with mustard on all sides.
30 seconds to go!
Come on, guys! Let's go!
- It looks great. Roll it, roll it. - Okay.
- And, Shanika, do-- yes. - Come on, guys.
Bowen, you got to wake up. Talk to your partner.
Put the prosciutto first and then layer them on each layer.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
I'm really trying my best to get this beef Wellington assembled,
but I am very confused by Bowen's direction.
Nice round shapes, okay?
Shanika, Bowen, crepe, duxelles, pan, filet, and then roll.
- Oh, oh, oh, oh. - I don't get it.
It seems like they don't know the steps.
- Bowen? Bowen! - Yes, Chef?
- Open up. - Bowen: Yes.
- Bowen, oh, my God. - Oh, I'm sorry.
- What you need me to do? - Crepe first.
We have never made this beef Wellington,
and if we don't communicate clearly,
we will fail tonight.
- Nice round shapes, okay? - Brush it, brush it.
Gordon: Shanika, Bowen, crepe, duxelles, pan,
- filet, and then roll. - Shanika: Oh, oh, oh, oh.
- Bowen? Bowen! Open up! - Yes, Chef? Yes.
I'm really trying my best
to get this beef Wellington assembled,
but I am very confused by Bowen's direction.
Bowen: Hey, Shanika, put one more.
- Shanika: Are you sure? - Does it have one more?
Oh, I'm sorry. Crepe first.
I know he's stressed out, but I think it's my time to step up
and lead so we can get on to the next step.
- Crepe first, duxelles... - Ten seconds to go
- till our first switch! - Emily: Run.
- Running. - Careful.
- Aarón: Here we go. - Judges: Five, four,
- three, two, one. - Let's go, let's go, let's go!
- Switch! - Let's go!
Come on. Come on, baby. Let's go.
All right, go, Willie. You got this.
- Start the risotto. - Yes.
Gordon: Teams, you've got to get your Wellingtons wrapped.
Start from the bottom. All right, roll that piece.
Make sure you get those sides in there.
Right, Shanika. Come on, you got to get that rolled.
- Come on, Bowen, please! - Move a little bit faster.
- Focus. Focus, please. - Bowen: Okay, I got it.
- Get it to the fridge. - Where's he going?
Hurry up. Move fast, Bowen. Move fast.
Gordon: So you know he doesn't listen that well.
You need to keep reins tight on him, okay?
- Heard, Chef. - Duxelles next?
Yes, just cover the crepe, but leave a little bit around.
Right in the center, right?
Yep. Press it down nice...
Fred: So wrap it. Wrap it.
You got it, okay? Deep breaths, okay?
Dara: Do you think that's tight enough? Oh, God.
Fred: I think it'll be fine. Trust me, trust me.
Dara: I know, but-- okay.
All right, let's get our mushrooms going,
and we got to start getting our tartes going.
- Gentlemen. - What have you got done?
- Did you sear the beef yet? - So-- yes.
Beef is glazed with mustard and is resting in the fridge.
Once we get that out, we're gonna lay down our crepes.
I'm gonna focus on wrapping it, layering it with the crepe.
I can get that out and wrapping.
Before you hop in, I'll do that.
How intimidating is it to cook a Gordon Ramsay menu?
Honestly, it is very intimidating,
but we are here and we're back to win.
So we're up to the task. We're gonna make that happen.
Communicate, okay? Best of luck to you, guys.
Thank you.
Willie: Don't we need to get our shallots for the risotto?
Yes.
- Willie, Amanda. - Both: Yes, Chef.
Joe: You're making risotto already?
Is that the shallots for the risotto?
That's the shallots, yes.
Joe: You really should be doing your Wellington now,
not the risotto. That takes the longest to cook.
Yes, Chef. Will do. Heard.
Amanda, you got to be the voice. You got to help your buddy out.
- Yeah. - If you see something that's wrong or needs to happen,
- you got to help your guy out, okay? - Yes, Chef. Heard.
- Willie: Yes. - Thank you.
I'm gonna start on the beef Wellington.
Perfect. You're doing awesome.
30 seconds to go!
Come on, guys. Let's go!
All right, now get everything ready for our tarte Tatin.
- Layer those pears face down. We need a sexy color. - Yes.
All right, Bowen. Come on, please, Bowen.
- We have to fit 11 of them and then-- - How?
Half overlay, half overlay. Okay?
Five, four, three, two, one.
Switch! Switch!
Let's go, let's go, let's go. Let's go, let's go.
- Okay. We got this. - Switch? Okay.
Gabriel: Tell me how to layer 'em. Tell me how to layer 'em.
- Is that right? - Nope, nope.
There's one in the middle, and there's all around.
Gabriel: Girl, you sure we didn't put those upside down?
Emily: I'm positive. Brandi: Yes.
- Flipping the pears. - Come on!
- Like that? - Brilliant. Fan it, fan it.
Yes. That's what I'm talking about.
- Roll nice and tight. - Yep.
Christian: Let's go. Come on, Brandi.
We started strong. We need to stay there. Come on.
- We got it, we got it, we got it. - All right.
Brandi and Christian seem like a strong team.
I hope they just work in sync because he's very vocal.
Aarón: And they're both big personalities.
Hopefully they can work well together.
Michael: Look at that! Yes!
Look how tight that is on there.
Derrick and Michael, look,
they seem very, very happy to work together.
I think it's a pair that could produce good dishes tonight.
Gabriel: All right, what am I doing?
- Okay, talk me through it. - All right.
Emily: Make sure you get it covered from top to bottom.
- Gabriel: You sure? - Yeah, yeah. Good.
Gabriel and Emily, they don't seem like a team
that should be together to be very honest.
And they're behind on wrapping their Wellington.
- Gabriel: That tight enough? - Emily: No.
- Gabriel: You don't think? - Emily: No. Nice and tight.
Gordon: My big issue between those two tonight.
Emily is headstrong but doesn't always communicate well,
and Gabriel is quiet and sometimes doesn't listen.
I don't know if they're cohesive to become a great team.
- Amanda? - Amanda: Yes?
We got to hurry up with that filet.
Duxelles.
Joe: I'm worried about Amanda and Willie.
They started the risotto first
and they're also behind on the Wellington.
Let's see if they can work together
- in a good, harmonious way. - Okay, okay.
- Dara: Make sure it's even. - Fred: Yep.
No, no, no. Fred, just twist the actual dough,
because it's gonna be uneven. The topside is too thick.
Now, Fred and Dara, this should be a match made in heaven.
Dara's technical ability tonight,
especially around the Wellington, it should be a homerun.
Fred is very vocal about his great assurance with desserts and pastries.
- They might have the formula to win. - Be careful!
Be careful! Shanika, did you put evenly?
- Bowen, it's easier to give direction than take it, huh? - Yes.
Yeah, I know it is, 'cause your ass wasn't listening to ( bleep ).
Shanika and Bowen, I think Shanika takes great direction.
I don't think Bowen's very good at taking direction.
Make sure that's tight like a tootsie roll.
- Good? - There you go.
15 seconds for the switch.
Your tarte Tatins should be going in the oven.
Shanika, faster. Yes, perfect!
- Put it in the oven. Yes! - Gordon: Here we go.
Come on, baby. Let's get it! Come on!
- Judges: Five, four, three, two, one. - Um...
- Judges: Switch! - Get that tight.
- Okay. - Get those edges tight.
Come on, let's go. Go, go, go, go!
- Fred: Dara, we can just tuck that into the far oven. - Okay.
Come on now. You got that. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Going in at 38 minutes.
Amanda: Does that need to reduce more?
- Or it'll reduce in the oven? - Willie: Right.
That looks great.
- You get those potatoes strained. - Start ricing?
And then we're gonna rice them.
- Right, where are we up to? - Yes, Chef.
So we have our Wellington chilling.
It's fully wrapped. Our tarte is caramelizing.
- Gordon: Star anise in there? - Yes, Chef.
- Good. - Right now we're ricing the potatoes.
- Gordon: Okay, listen. Look at me, both of you. - Yes?
- The Wellington takes at least 22 to 25. - Derrick: Yeah.
- Gordon: Don't worry about the mash, I promise you. - Heard.
Get your lattice on your Wellington.
- Michael: Okay, heard that. - Look at the time.
- I'm going, I'm going. - ( overlapping chatter )
- And then get back in there, yes? - Yes, Chef.
Amanda: Go, Willie. You got this, Willie. Perfect.
Gabriel: Try to get the lattice cut. We got to get this ( bleep ) moving.
- I know. - Come on now. There we go, there we go.
Press down. Make sure it's all the way on the cutting board, Dara,
- that we can use all your pressure. - Well, it's all the way in.
That lattice is gonna go longways. You can pull more.
- Michael: Like this? - Yep, yep.
- We don't need that whole-- - Just stretch it out, Bowen,
and make sure it's neat. Fix that.
Pull it a little bit. It'll stretch a little bit more when you do it.
- Okay, nope. - Come on, tell me, tell me!
It's going on the long side! Trim that dough off the ends.
Roll it, Christian. Roll it tight.
And tuck, tuck, tuck.
Christian: Damn! That is not good.
That lattice wasn't stretched out at all.
- Fred, how's it going? - It's been going pretty well. Dara and I have a game plan.
As soon as she does the Wellington,
my tarte Tatin is already cooling down,
so that way I can wrap it with the pastry,
And then we are gonna have to get started
on the risotto at some point.
Wait, wait, wait. Fred, we need to stretch it.
- Yes. Okay, you got it. - Joe: Yeah, that's too thick.
- You got it. Okay. - Joe: I don't know.
- Fred: Okay, Dara, get that-- - Dara: Oh, my God.
- One minute left for the switch. - Yep. It's not working, Fred.
- Just re-roll it. Just re-roll it. - Re-roll it?
No, re-roll it with the presser, okay? Just...
Don't freak out, Dara. It's gonna be okay.
- Put some pressure on it. Yeah. - Are you sure?
- Both: Four, three, two, one. - Fred: Okay, I got it.
- Switch! Let's go. - Switch!
What are you-- no, no, no, no, no, no.
This is our focus right now.
- This is our focus. - Okay.
Dara, she didn't press down
on the dough hard enough,
so it's starting to stick to itself
and we can't really form the lattice how we want to.
Deep breaths, okay? Deep breaths, Dara.
If we don't get it together and calm the heck down,
I don't even know if we'll have food on the plate at this rate.
( muted chatter )
- Real careful. Real nice. - How do we do this?
Oh, God. Oh, God. Trim what you have to.
- Okay. Okay. - Trim what you have to.
Fred: We are having a lot of trouble
with the lattice work on the Wellington.
Wait, wait. Why are you putting it on that way?
Okay, okay. Give me a second, okay?
And Dara's getting more and more stressed,
but I'm gonna try my best to keep her levelheaded and keep us on task.
- It might look the prettiest... - Okay, but it's on there.
...but it's on there, and that's what matters the most.
Oh, my goodness. Look at the latticework on Fred's Wellington.
- It looks terrible! - I knew that was gonna be trouble for them.
Gordon: The pastry's too warm.
Fred: Let me get this in the oven, okay?
- Dara: Oh, my God. - We got it, okay?
- Fix this little guy right here. - How do we do this?
- Emily: Lift up and pull. - Right here?
- Emily: Nope, nope. - I've never really made Wellingtons,
so I don't know what I'm doing right now.
I'm feeling very stressed.
- Oh, come on now. - Make sure it looks real nice.
Gabriel, he's actually taking a backseat,
- where Emily is really driving the ship here. - Wow.
- Gabriel: Ah, that's not good. - Emily: Take a deep breath.
- Just stressing. - Gabe is all over the place right now.
- Aarón: Yes. - He's definitely lacking focus.
In the oven at 32:45.
Michael: We got to get this thing in the oven.
- Derrick: I got you, bro. Okay. - Brilliant.
Put it in the oven. There's 31 minutes left.
- I'm gonna start that risotto. - Yes.
And then put it in. Perfect!
Gordon: 30 minutes to go! Come on, guys!
So now with the Wellington and tarte Tatin underway,
now you start on the prep for the risotto.
- Exactly. - Emily: Get it toasted up a little bit.
Beautiful.
Stir that risotto. Stir that risotto.
- Let's go. Come on. - Come on, Amanda.
- We got to get this Wellington in. - All right.
Everyone's got their Wellington in the oven, bar Willie and Amanda.
- This is dangerous now. - They're late. They're late.
- Aarón: Wow. - Gordon: They're way too late.
Willie: Okay, do the lattice for the beef Wellington
- because we got to get that Wellington in. - Okay.
Deglaze with the wine after toasting? I gotcha.
Mm-hmm. After toasting the rice.
We started strong. We need to stay there.
Brandi: We got it. We got it. We got it.
Willie: Come on, come on. Let's go.
Taste them. I haven't tasted at all on the mushrooms.
- I was just about to. - Good. You're fine.
Five minutes to go until the switch.
Shanika, is the mushroom risotto-- is it finished?
- It's almost ready. - It's almost ready when the--
Almost, Bowen. Bowen, I'm almost ( bleep ) ready! Calm down!
- Okay! Okay. - Dear, oh, dear.
Taste that. See where we're at in terms of al dente and seasoning, huh?
- Still needs a couple minutes. - Okay.
Willie: We got to get this risotto. A little more stock.
Got you. Heard.
- Willie: Is it cooking? - Yeah.
Gordon: Teams, your tarte Tatin should be out of the oven and flipped by now.
- Dara: Do the tarte Tatin. - Fred: Yeah.
Is it-- is it good?
Fred: Uh-oh. That looks bad.
- There we go. - Gordon: Well done.
- Well done, Shanika. - Yes.
- Wow! - Nice!
Come on, Shanika. Well done.
( bleep )
- Perfect. - Willie: Good job.
I think that Wellington's done. Take that Wellington out.
Here we go.
Christian: Ooh, good job. Let it sit.
It don't have no good lattice on it, but, hey.
Michael: How's the color? Oh, yes.
- Ooh-hoo! - Whoo! Let's go!
Derrick's Wellington looks exceptional.
I mean, really, really good indeed.
15 seconds to go until the last switch. Come on, guys.
How's that risotto doing?
It needs a little bit more. A little more love.
Come on, my girl.
Judges: Five, four, three, two, one.
- Final switch! - Let's go!
I'll do it. I'll do it.
- Michael: Oh, yes, Derrick! - Yeah, boy!
Shanika: Start that risotto. You got to speed this ( bleep ) up.
- This is all on you now. - Got it. Got it.
- Oh, my God. This is not good. - Taste it. Taste it.
- No, it's not good. It needs broth. - Okay, deep breaths.
Okay, add more broth into this risotto.
- Dara: Okay. - Deep breaths, Dara. Deep breaths.
Brandi: We got this. We got this. We're doing good.
- Yes, it's ready. - Put it on the chopping board. This is all on you.
- Ah! - Bowen, ( bleep ) that. A burn is a burn.
Emily: Let it caramelize and drizzle it all over the top.
- There we go. - Both: Whoo!
Derrick: Beautiful. Look at that.
2 1/2 minutes! Let's go!
There we go. Pull that Welly.
There you go.
- How's it looking? - Oh, ( bleep ).
- Oh, that is gigantic. - Oh, God.
Oh, my God, it's huge. I hope it's cooked.
A minute and 35 seconds. 90 seconds, everyone!
Let's go! You should be plating.
- We got to start plating. - Okay. Oh, I'm so--
Bowen, just finish chopping.
Let's get our risotto plated. We got it, we got it, we got it.
Gabriel: You got that, girl. Just shake it out. Even it out.
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
Derrick: Risotto on the plate. Chive it up.
Speckle it with all that beautiful green.
We got to get everything on the plate.
Oh, that's sexy.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go!
- 60 seconds, everyone! - Let's go, guys.
Amanda: Get those on top.
Willie needs to get that Wellington out of the oven. He's out of time.
Amanda: Take it out. Pull it.
That looks good, Willie.
Gabriel: Gently.
Don't you drop that damn Wellington.
- No, I won't! - Okay.
Shanika, trust me, I will finish all of it, okay?
Shanika: All right. Finish it.
Willie, get that Wellington on!
Perfect. Great job.
Double taste those potatoes. Make sure we don't need to finish with salt.
Dude, there's-- no, we don't.
Keep chiving! Yes!
Judges: Five, four, three, two, one.
- Hands in the air! - Okay.
( cheering )
Yo!
Amanda: We did so good.
- We got it. - Oh, my God.
I wanna be happy that I'm done with my first tag-team challenge,
but truthfully, this was a disaster.
It's okay, all right? No matter what happens, we got it done.
I'm really worried that we might be the worst team of the night.
Gordon: Tonight's tag-team challenge,
we asked you cook an amazing three-course menu
inspired from some of my signature dishes across my restaurants.
Now for the exciting part.
Time to taste your dishes,
to see who's fighting for immunity
and, sadly, who's fighting to keep their spot
in this competition.
First up, Big Willie and Amanda.
Willie: I got eliminated in my previous season
on a tag-team challenge.
And this time around, me and Amanda,
we had a couple of hiccups and hiccups and this and that.
But we pulled it together.
- Joe? Risotto, visually? - Joe: The risotto, I can tell
that's definitely undercooked and it looks a little bit too condensed.
Shall we?
What a shame. This is way subpar. Risottos need to be worked at.
You can't just let it sit there and boil in stock. They need to be cared for.
Every ladle that goes in, create the seasoning.
I look at your palate and how strong it is
and I'm not feeling that in that risotto.
Gordon: Wellington, Joe, visually?
It looks like a loaf of bread, not a Wellington.
So whoever rolled it didn't roll it tight enough,
that's why it started to implode at the side.
Let's get in there.
- How long was it in there for? - 28 minutes.
- Who wrapped it? - I did.
This is a tale of two Wellingtons.
As good and perfectly cooked
and seasoned as the meat is,
the pastry is a disaster. It's completely raw.
Gordon: Yeah, you need to roll out your pastry.
Mash, silky. Red wine a little bit raw. Big deal.
The hero should be the Wellington,
and unfortunately it's not.
Gordon: Tarte Tatin, Aarón, visually?
Aarón: I think the proportions are correct.
I like the color and the glaze on the outside of the pears.
- It looks inviting. - Pears upside down.
I'm a stickler for that because they go that way
so it absorbs the caramel a lot better.
- How long was it cooked for? - About 30 minutes.
Amanda, Willie, delicious.
Needs three or four minutes more caramelizing before it goes in the oven,
but it is by far your strongest course.
- Thank you both. - Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Right, next up, Michael and Derrick.
With a beef Wellington in the MasterChef kitchen,
your biggest fear is that it's not cooked properly.
And if we cut into this and it's raw,
Michael has the immunity pin,
but I'm in major risk of going home.
Gordon: Joe? Risotto, visually?
Joe: Well, the risotto is plated properly and evenly dispersed.
The mushrooms have a nice toast on them.
Gordon: It's got the right color, right texture.
It looks like the rice is cooked beautifully.
Shall we?
Derrick and Michael, it tastes like it's been nurtured
and loved for 22 minutes, not ignored.
And it looks rich, sumptuous,
and you just wanna eat and eat and eat.
So, yeah, well done, both of you.
Thank you so much, Chefs.
- Aarón, visuals on the Wellington? - Give me more potatoes.
You guys have them counted back there or what?
But, look, the decorative work
on the outside of the Wellington looks spot on.
Very promising.
Gordon: Who put the Wellington in the oven?
- I did, Chef. - How long was it in there for?
25, 27 minutes.
Ooh, yeah.
Derrick and Michael, the actual meat is cooked beautifully.
It's pink, rich,
but the most important thing
about any Wellington is in the construction.
This pastry here is way too thick.
You can see that.
So I'm missing duxelles on the base.
It's just an issue of a little bit lack of perfection in the construction,
but the flavor's top notch.
Tarte Tatin, Joe?
Joe: It looks very, very promising.
Pears look cooked properly. The caramel looks right.
It really looks like something I wanna eat.
Gordon: Great confidence with the color of the caramel.
Beautiful. It's exactly the way it should be.
The pastry's so firm. Textbook.
Yeah, I'm super jazzed about this.
The caramelization on the pears is magic. You did it right.
Derrick and Michael, I can quite comfortably say
I'd serve this in my flagship restaurant tonight.
It's that good. Well done.
- Good job. - Thank you both.
- Thank you, gentlemen. - Delicious.
Thank you.
Gordon: Right, next up, Dara and Fred.
Please bring your dishes down. Thank you.
Fred: We got all the components for each dish on the plate.
But I know that there are imperfections across the board,
and that makes me very, very nervous.
All right, so risotto looks good.
The kernels seem to be cooked right. It looks pretty good.
- Gordon: Shall we? - Yep.
So my only question, did you taste the stock that you used to cook the risotto with?
- No. - Did you taste the stock?
- I did not, Joe. - Do you not taste when you cook?
Did you taste the stock that you used to cook the risotto with?
- No. - Did you taste the stock?
- I did not, Joe. - Do you not taste when you cook?
- We literally-- - We were--
It was just the stress of the situation.
You're cooking for your lives here.
- You need to taste. - Yes, Joe.
Fred, Dara, Joe's point--
stocks need seasoning, tasting.
That's the hallmark of any great risotto is the stock,
and it's bland.
Aarón, visuals on the Wellington?
Aarón: I'm concerned about the latticework.
It's just the overall size. It looks like a turtle.
Gordon: How long was it in for?
Dara: About 30 minutes.
- Gordon: And who seared the beef? - I did, Chef.
For me, this is like medium.
I would like it a little bit more in true medium rare range,
but seasoning is good,
the mash are creamy, and overall pretty good.
Listen, it's lost its shape along the way.
The big issue is this pastry at the top here is raw,
and so when you peel that back like that,
that first layer of pastry needs to be rolled out thinner.
So it's just a shame the hero
is nowhere near as it could've been.
Yes, Chef.
Joe, visuals on the tarte Tatin?
Joe: Overall underdone.
Caramel too liquidy, pears undercooked,
- and I think the pastry looks raw as well. - Gordon: What a shame.
- Who put the pastry on top of the pears? - I did, Chef.
Fred, Dara, my pastry's undercooked here.
Yeah, for me it looks like the pears have so much water,
inherent liquid, and you didn't cook them out
and it completely compromised the dough.
Thank you.
All right, the next team that we would like to bring up,
Brandi and Christian.
I know that these dishes are not perfect,
but I'm so proud that we got every component on the plate.
Hopefully the judges love the flavor of everything.
- Who plated the risotto? - I did, Chef.
It looks rich. It looks flavorsome.
- Shall we? - Joe: Yes.
This tastes like a risotto I would eat at my mother's house.
- Thank you so much, Joe. - Thank you.
Joe: Profoundly flavored, cooked properly.
- Textbook. - Thank you.
Now, the Wellington doesn't look good,
but as always, it's the cook and the assembling of it.
- Yes, Chef. - Gordon: Let's get in there. Who rolled it?
I initially rolled it. Christian trimmed the ends
and did the second layer of pastry.
Seasoning on point. I like the flavor.
But the pastry's slightly too thick and slightly undercooked.
So, what a shame.
Tarte Tatin, Joe?
This one obviously has some problems.
It's undercooked. The construction's a little bit sloppy.
- Gordon: How long was it in the oven for? - About 30 minutes.
It's the first tarte Tatin this evening that's got the absolute perfect pastry on the bun.
Look at that. Look how caramelized that pastry is.
But you didn't caramelize the pears,
and that's why there's no color.
You cannot shortcut a tarte Tatin, but good job.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Okay, Bowen and Shanika.
Shanika: I know we had a few bumps in the road,
but in the end our food looks good.
- Let's just hope the taste is there. - What can I say?
Visually, we go from my mother's house before
to one of my restaurants.
This is what risotto's supposed to look like.
- Thank you. - Gordon: Let's get in there.
- Joe: Wow. - Come on, share.
They didn't teach you that in school? Come on.
- Wait. - Come on.
I wanna eat a little more. It's really good.
- You're in for a treat. - Aarón: Thank you, buddy.
Bowen, Shanika, textbook. It's seasoned beautifully.
I feel the need to declare this the best risotto of the evening so far.
Well done. Wellington, Aarón?
Yeah, do I dare say that this is the closest one
to Chef Gordon as far as appearance
of the Wellington itself?
- Gordon: How long was it cooked for? - 30 minutes.
( gasps )
I'm just gonna pay you the ultimate compliment.
This is the closest Wellington to eating it in Gordon's restaurant.
- Thank you, Joe. - It's the most complete, the most proportioned,
well cooked, well-seasoned. Wow. Good job.
Bowen, Shanika, meat's cooked beautifully.
I think what I enjoy about this is the seasoning.
- Good job. - Both: Thank you, Chef.
- Gordon: Tarte Tatin, Aarón? - Look at this.
You guys weaved those beautiful pears,
and it looks like this kaleidoscope of carameled fruit
that is just so inviting.
Gordon: Yep.
It's really good.
And that crunchy chewy part is all there.
The only thing that kinda doesn't put it first in its class tonight
is that the caramel doesn't have that nutty bitterness, that thickness.
It's just a little bit underwhelming.
Bowen, Shanika, delicious. Really good.
The benchmark has been Michael and Derrick's.
But this is definitely a close second or third.
- Good job. Thank you. - Both: Thank you, Chef.
Okay, the final dishes we would like to taste
is Emily and Gabriel.
This was a difficult challenge,
and I think Gabe and I made some mistakes.
I'm nervous because last week I was on the bottom.
And at this point the level of competition is so much higher,
and if you mess up, you're probably the one going home.
Joe: So, risotto, it doesn't quite have the elegance
that I'm looking for in a plate of risotto.
- Shall we? - Joe: Yeah.
- So, Gabriel toasted the rice? - Yes, Chef.
- You salted the onions and the shallots? - Yes.
Strange, because you're missing the salt.
You're missing the right amount of wine for acidity.
It's missing all those flavors.
Gordon: Emily, Gabe, the risotto just feels ignored.
There's no real depth of flavor. It's a shame.
And, visually, Wellington, Aarón?
Yeah, I think the decorative work is appealing.
But it's so wide.
- How long was it in there for? - About 30 minutes, Chef.
- Gordon: Who wrapped the Wellington? - Gabriel: I did the bulk of it.
- You did? - Yes.
So this is more like a medium. Is that what you wanted? It's not medium rare.
I personally would maybe call that
a little more on the rare side.
I'm saying it's medium.
Okay, medium rare. Let's meet in the middle.
No. Medium.
So this is more like a medium. Is that what you wanted? It's not medium rare.
I personally would maybe call that
a little more on the rare side.
I'm saying it's medium.
Okay, medium rare. Let's meet in the middle.
No. Medium.
The Wellington itself, little under-seasoned on the inside.
But the crust, who actually constructed it?
- That'd be me. - It wasn't pressed down evenly.
I have a huge amount of duxelles on mine,
and that's why mine is cooked unevenly.
- It's a shame. - Joe, tarte Tatin?
The most important part of this dessert
is the balance between the pastry and the pear size.
- This looks out of balance to me. - Gordon: The pears,
they're undercooked because they're upside down to begin with.
And here's the frustrating bit for me.
The caramel is delicious. It's just the pears are hard.
You can see I've got bright white pears here with no caramel whatsoever.
Because the pears are underdone and so toothsome,
- I can't enjoy the pastry. - Gordon: Thank you both.
- Thank you. - Gabriel: That was a lot rougher criticism
than I was expecting to get, and this absolutely sucks.
I don't wanna be in the bottom, especially for the fact
that Chef Ramsay invested in my career.
Right, all of you, please give Joe,
Aarón, and myself a very serious moment please.
Excuse us.
- Gordon: Some great dishes out there. - Aarón: Absolutely.
Well, it's an important decision,
because tonight two people will gain immunity pins
for the first time this season.
The pairing between Derrick and Michael was exceptional.
The tarte Tatin was absolutely flawless.
- Shanika and Bowen's? - Very good.
- Aarón: Yes. - Gordon: Very good, indeed.
Joe: Fred and Dara had a hard time.
I'm not sure if that dynamic really works.
I thought Emily's and Gabriel's was not very good at all.
- Aarón: Oh, my God. - I expected better. Bit of a shock there.
Yeah, the risotto needed nurture.
And Amanda and Willie, they missed the mark on that Wellington.
And their lack of communication showed up on the presentation.
I agree.
All right, guys, who's on the bottom?
( bleep ) tarte Tatin.
- Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
All right.
There were two teams that we felt cooked the top dishes of the night.
The two teams in that top tier are--
Derrick and Michael,
please make your way down to the front.
And congrats,
Shanika and Bowen.
- Good job, guys. - Congratulations.
All four of you are safe from elimination.
But only one team cooked the best three-course meal of the night,
and they'll receive two immunity pins.
That team is...
- Shanika and Bowen. - Good job, guys!
Shanika: Even though we had a few arguments, we won.
I'm happy that we have this pin.
Bowen and I, our spots for top ten are secured.
And the most important thing,
whatever's about to go down in this kitchen next week,
we are safe.
All four of you, make your way up
to the safety of the balcony.
- Well done. Congrats. - Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, guys. - The competitor inside me is bummed,
but I'm super excited that I made it to the top 11.
That's where I wanna be.
Two teams hit the bottom of the grid.
Please step forward, Dara and Fred.
Fred: As much as Dara and I tried our best to prepare for this challenge,
throughout the whole cook it was just so much stress
and so much anxiety, and now I'm freaking out.
Potentially, one of us will be going home.
And Emily and Gabriel.
Bottom four is definitely very anxiety-ridden.
We can only hope for the best, but nobody wants to go home.
Emily, Gabriel, your team tonight was missing voice.
But, Fred and Dara, I look the skill
that both of you bring to this competition,
and tonight's dishes were somewhat lackluster.
Dara and Fred,
yours wasn't quite as bad
as Emily's and Gabriel's.
Head back to your bench, please.
Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
- God. - Emily, Gabriel,
we do feel there's one individual
that could've done better,
and tonight we saw very little confidence
from this one individual.
The person leaving "MasterChef: Back to Win" is...
Gabriel.
Emily, say goodbye to Gabe please
and head back to your station, darling.
Gabriel, I'm missing the spark that I once saw.
But you've got such an amazing potential,
and continue climbing that ladder. Come and say goodbye, bud.
Gabriel: Honestly, it never feels great to be going home.
- It's goodbye, but it's not the end. - Not at all, Chef.
- Take care. - By no means does this define my ability as a chef.
There were definitely moments where I should've been a little more vocal
about what I thought about certain things,
and unfortunately that showed in the food.
This might not have been my most defining moment,
but keep a look out, 'cause I got more coming.
Such a good kid, too.
Gordon: Next time on "MasterChef: Back to Win"...
- You hear that? - What is that?
- ( horn honks ) - What? Oh, my God!
- the top 11 kicks off... - Come on, man.
...and we're bringing takeout for everyone.
- You know I'm always hungry. - But there's a catch.
You have to cook a gourmet version of that takeout dish.
Whoo-whee.
But for a spot in the top ten...
This is gonna come down to the wire.
- Why? - Your ass better cook.
- Fred: Come on. - Nobody's safe.
they'll have to think outside the to-go box...
- It's definitely elevated. - It's award-winning stuff.
...or be taken out of the competition for good.
Instead of elevating it, you sunk it.
- I don't want to see you go home. - Me neither.