Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win"...
- Come on, man. - ...the cooks had to elevate take-out classics.
- Spaghetti and meatballs. - Empanadas.
And with top 10 on the line...
- It's gonna come down to the wire. - Why?
Your ass better cook.
some lifted fast food to fine dining...
It's award-winning stuff. That's so clever and smart.
I might even take that from you.
Congratulations, Derrick.
...but one cook was taken out of the competition.
Instead of elevating it, you sunk it.
It just doesn't taste good.
The individual that's cooked for the very last time
- is Fred. - Tonight...
- Welcome to the top 10! - ...the Back to Win cooks are making a pit stop.
You have to elevate gas station snacks
- into gourmet dishes. - Whoa.
That's the secret of any great chef-- elevation, right?
- It's about to go down. - Let's get it!
I melt the gummy bears down. I poured the beer in there.
- What? - That sounds disgusting.
I want that immunity pin back.
It's the biggest risk taken so far in this competition.
And while some create snack magic...
It's ( bleep ) delicious. Couldn't be happier. An absolute showstopper.
- ...others will be left behind. - ( bleep )
Tastes like chocolate scrambled eggs.
- It's gross. - You took a big risk today and you failed.
Mm-hmm!
- Love this. - Here we go.
- Ooh! - Whoo!
- Wow. - Ooh.
- Junk food? - Gas station.
Oh, like a little snack shop.
Willie: Oh, my goodness.
I see all these snacks and different goodies and stuff,
and I'm like, "Oh, my goodness."
I didn't get this figure from just eating vegetables,
so this is gonna be interesting.
Welcome to the MasterChef filling station.
- Yes, Chef. - It's been a long road
to get to this point in the competition, right?
- Yes, Chef. - But now we are at the top 10.
Come on, give yourselves a round of applause.
Whoo!
Guys, if you want to succeed in the restaurant business,
you have to keep up with the trends.
Sometimes that means being on the cutting edge,
and sometimes it means tapping into nostalgia.
In tonight's challenge, all of you are gonna do both.
All these classic road trip snacks
bring back strong memories
of childhood, family, and friends.
But now chefs across the globe
are taking these snack foods
and using them as ingredients
across fine dining cuisine.
Tonight, all of you will follow that trend
and make these gas station snacks
- into gourmet dishes. - Wow.
And in case you're thinking that may be impossible tonight...
- Oh, boy. - Allow me to demonstrate how it could be done.
I love these.
Chef.
Shanika: To cook a gourmet dish
with these gas station ingredients,
is the toughest challenge thus far.
So I'm gonna watch every single thing that Gordon is doing,
and I'm gonna be conceptualizing my dish.
Right, I'm gonna do a beautiful crusted fillet of Dover sole.
So let's start off with some salt and vinegar crisps
and some pretzels, I think, yeah?
Yes, salt and vinegar. Smart.
So, the idea of a crust on a fish
is to give the texture.
Now, we want a decent crust. Get it too fine, it burns, okay?
- Really important. - Got it.
So, there we go.
And I haven't gone too powdery,
so therefore it can take quite a nice
beautiful high heat.
Okay, tilt it and lay away.
Beautiful.
Right, let's get some rice, yes?
We've seen this in stations before, haven't we?
Why's your face like that, Dara? We're gonna elevate it.
That's the secret of any great chef-- elevation, right?
So get that pan really nice and hot. Get your shallots in.
Chopped shallots. Lot of garlic, okay?
This fish needs flavor.
In with my rice.
It should be popping 'cause it's going crispy.
That's what you want.
All I'm gonna do now is just literally smother that
with my fresh spinach.
That's gonna wilt.
Now, when you're cooking fish like that,
you can only turn it once, otherwise it what?
- Falls apart. - Gordon: It falls apart.
I'm gonna very carefully turn that over.
- Beautiful color. - Beautiful.
- Two more minutes on that side.
So I want to start building that sauce there now.
- Now let's get a beautiful pickle. - Pickles.
- And I'm gonna use that juice as well. - Interesting.
Now, chop up that beautiful dill pickle.
The acidity and what it brings the fish is incredible.
- Big time. - And all we're doing now,
it's like a little beurre noisette.
- Wow. - Okay?
Next, my capers.
And finally, some flat leaf parsley.
Rice nice and crispy. Spinach has wilted.
I'm familiar with the flavors of these foods.
I've got three kids at home, so, you know, a lot of these snacks
I see in front of me are sitting in my cupboard.
And sit that fish nice and gently on top.
But there's a reason that these foods aren't in elevated cuisine.
This is gonna be so much harder than it looks.
Fresh lemon on top. That makes a massive difference.
And there we are.
That's how a master chef gets inspired by beautiful gas station ingredients.
Wow.
Excellent.
Looks really good.
Okay, guys, you will have 45 minutes
to cook us a gourmet dish
using gas station snacks as ingredients.
You must use at least three of those ingredients
in your final dishes.
Whoever cooks the best dish tonight
will get the coveted MasterChef immunity pin.
Remember, sadly, whoever cooks the worst dish will be eliminated.
- Right, everybody ready? - Yes, Chef.
45 minutes starts...
Derrick, please?
- Uh, now! - Thank you.
( laughs )
Where's the chocolate bars?
Hot Cheetos.
All right, Michael. Wow.
- I don't have time to play. - Where's the beer?
I'm a little bit nervous because snacks are not gourmet dishes.
This is truly out of my element.
My whole goal was to come in this competition
and not make a terrible dish
that will put me down in the bottom three.
Hopefully, I can pull this off.
Whew!
( muttering )
This is heavy.
Today, I grabbed potato chips,
a pickle, spicy cheese puffs.
I'm making a spicy chip-coated cod.
I'm definitely a snack girl.
Snacks are my weakness,
especially the spicy cheese puffs,
which is why I picked those today.
They're one of my favorite guilty pleasures,
and I'm excited to use them in an elevated dish today.
So, I'm using actually more than three ingredients.
I'm making a pan-seared crusted chicken breast.
We've got a few different varieties of chips, some almonds.
I'm also using a little bit of the soda in my buttermilk soak for my chicken.
That's actually gonna add a little flavor, a little bit of sweetness.
I was the first one to go home last time I was in the top 10,
and that is not what I want to see happen today.
- Let's cook, baby. - Double-edged sword again tonight.
There is an immunity pin up for grabs.
Sadly, someone will be leaving the competition.
This is not an easy one.
It's gonna be a real test on whether they can think
outside the box and reimagine these ingredients.
Tonight, we cannot afford to play it simple.
Not at all. You have to separate yourself from the pack,
do something magical, do something that's ostentatious,
that's gonna grab the attention of us.
Perfect.
Here we go.
I am making a corn-crusted snapper
with a tricolor potato and gummy bear-beer sauce.
I basically took the gummy bears and I melt them down,
and then I added my beer, I added some shallots.
I love snacks. I eat a lot of chips.
And my son loves chips, too, so me and my son,
on a Friday night on the couch?
( clicks tongue ) Yeah, we snacked out.
I've never made gummy bear beer sauce,
but hopefully what I'm deciding to do works.
Eight minutes gone. 37 minutes remaining.
Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar.
Sugar. Where's the sugar? Okay. I'm good.
Shanika: I'm going to be making ranch tortilla chips
and corn chip crusted snapper
with a lemon-lime herb sauce.
This is my mom's recipe, so this thing about to be busting.
Like, if one thing, they gonna say them flavors are there.
My mom used to love to cook, so any time you see me
making fried fish, it's coming from her.
I guess you would say that I'm putting my heart on a plate today.
Unfortunately, I lost my mom when I was younger,
and I'm just hoping that I can pull through this cook
without getting emotional, because I hate emotions.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little bit scared,
but all I'm gonna do right now
is incorporate all of these flavors
and get this dish done and get everything on the plate.
I just don't want to go home tonight.
Ten minutes gone, 35 minutes remaining.
Come on.
We're just gonna do the best that we can do. That's it.
- Okay. - Whew.
Michael, tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
It's a risky one, but I'm gonna do a chocolate lava cake.
- In 34 minutes? - Yeah.
It's gonna be like a chocolate fondant. Liquid center.
- It is. That's the plan. - Gotcha.
Give me the three snacks. You're using pretzel?
- Yeah, I'm doing a pretzel toffee... - Wow.
...as well as a potato chip and peanut crumble.
Why such a big risk on a night like tonight?
Well, I want that immunity pin back.
I'm not gonna stop. I'm just gonna keep pushing.
I've never been in the bottom. I don't plan to ever be in the bottom.
Well, these fondants could take you down there
if you don't get them in the fricking oven.
- I know. Heard. - Focus, please, yes?
- Edit yourself if necessary, right? - Will do.
- Good luck. - Let's get it!
Yes! Perfect.
- Willie. - Willie, Willie.
- Hey, how y'all doing? - All right. What are you making?
I'm gonna do an elevated chicken pot pie.
And I'm going to use sunflower seeds and some hot cheese puffs
and put it on my crust for my pot pie.
Do you feel that a pot pie is elegant enough?
I think so. Pot pie is hearty.
And who don't like beer? You know what I'm saying?
And I'm gonna add this heavy cream in there
and let it reduce and get it together.
Aarón: Well, hopefully it's not too rich.
Joe: Listen, Willie, you're one of the two
who hasn't won an immunity pin. You and Brandi.
Right. I'm ready to take it.
This is the top 10 and this is so important for me.
Last week, I was in the bottom,
and I'm here to prove that I deserve that pin,
and I'm going for it.
Joe: Thank you, Willie. Good luck.
Willie: Thank you.
Okay, I need to get this cake in the oven.
Brandi: This looks good.
- Right, young man. - What's up, Chef?
Tell me about it. What's the dish? What you doing?
Christian: I'm making a corn chip crusted snapper
with a gummy bear beer sauce.
A gummy bear sauce?
Gummy bear beer sweet sauce, Chef.
Come on, man. You gotta go big or you gotta go home.
So, what have you done? You've melted the gummy bears down?
I melt the gummy bears down, sautéed some shallots,
poured the beer in there,
then I threw some garlic in there.
Where'd you come up with the gummy bear sauce?
I enjoy eating gummy bears,
so when I stop at the gas station,
that's the first thing I grab.
- You're super competitive. - Yes, Chef.
Give me the perfect rundown of the finale.
There's only three. So you...
Uh-huh, and Derrick and Willie.
And Big Willie.
And then give me first, second, third.
I'm first, of course.
I ain't gonna be second again.
He can't be a double runner-up.
It ain't happening, bro. You don't want that smoke.
There you go.
Get that fish nice and crispy.
- Don't overcook it. Good luck. - Thank you, Chef.
Gordon: 15 minutes gone, 30 minutes remaining.
God, 30 minutes.
( exhales )
( bleep )
Gordon: Come on, Mike. Don't leave it too late.
Get them in the oven. Let's go.
All right, how hard is it to incorporate
these gas station snacks into a gourmet dish?
It's very difficult, so you've got to be really smart.
The good option for me would be to go down that fish or meat route.
But trying to incorporate those snacks into a dessert in 45 minutes?
- You're up against it. - Yeah.
Michael, listen to this, he's doing a molten liquid chocolate cake.
- Aarón: Oh, wow. - When you declare it liquid, it has to be liquid.
Yeah, it's the biggest risk he's taken so far in this competition.
Joe: If he can actually pull it off, I'd be really impressed.
Gordon: The shock of the night is Christian's dish.
He's doing a beautiful corn-crusted snapper,
and has, like, a sweet and sour gummy bear sauce.
- No. - And so-- yeah, honestly.
Wow. If he's able to nail a balanced sauce using gummy bears?
- Showstopper. - Yep.
Gordon: Absolutely.
Joe: Willie's doing a chicken pot pie.
- Gordon: Really? - How are you elevating that?
A pot pie is very rudimentary, pretty standard,
but he says it's gonna be loaded with flavor, so we'll see about that.
Gordon: Nearly halfway, guys. 25 minutes remaining.
( bleep )
I'm worried about Michael.
- Oh, shoot. - Oh, my God.
Gordon: Come on, Michael. Get them in the oven, please.
( bleep )
Michael: We are halfway through and this is not going well.
I'm getting in my own way. I'm getting nervous.
Is it dumb to do a dessert in 45 minutes?
Probably.
I think I just completely screwed up.
( Derrick sighs )
This is a ( bleep ) show.
Yeah, he's behind.
He's behind.
Oh, my God.
For this challenge, I'm making a chocolate lava cake.
Is it dumb to do a dessert in 45 minutes?
Probably, but I can't change it now.
Derrick: Are your cakes in, Michael?
- Yes, they are. - Nice.
Gordon: Just under 20 minutes remaining. Come on, guys.
That needs a little less sweetness.
It smells amazing.
All right, Bowen, what three snack ingredients did you use?
So I grabbed onion puff, and then potato chips, and also cola,
because I'm doing a Japanese-style katsu cordon bleu
with cola soy sauce glaze and sweet potato fries on top.
- A cola glaze, wow. - I like that,
but you have a lot of sweet and salty ingredients.
What do you think is the one thing you should put in there?
- Something spicy. - Yes, something spicy. Okay.
- To break it up, right? - Yes.
- Aarón: All right. - Joe: Okay, good luck.
Thank you.
Emily: Well, we're getting there.
- Right, Emily, what you doing? - Chef.
So, I'm doing a seared chicken breast
that's gonna be crusted after I sear it
with potato chips and pretzels and stuff.
Good. How are you sticking that crust?
I'm gonna egg wash it and then I'm gonna crust it
and broil it so it gets nice and brown.
Immunity, what would it mean tonight?
It would mean everything because it would give me
the bump that I need to finish strong
and get into the top five, and then, obviously, finale.
Dish sounds amazing. Good luck.
Thank you.
Amanda: Here we go.
Ooh!
- Hey, guys. - All right, Miss Brandi,
what are the gas station items that you chose?
Spicy hot cheese puffs, fruity cereal,
lemon-lime soda, and cola.
- Wow. - I am going Venezuelan tonight.
I am making a spicy hot corn chip arepa.
I'm gonna stuff it with some chorizo and seasoned skirt steak.
Okay, what are you gonna pair with that?
I'm doing a passion fruit lemon-lime soda slaw.
And then I'm doing a fruity cereal and lime zest crema.
What? This sounds a little bit out there.
I think it's all gonna tie together.
So have you ever been to Venezuela?
I have not, but, you know, I make these all the time.
My kids love 'em. We always have to have bags
of these spicy hot cheese puffs in the cabinet.
You have a lot of stuff going on here, Brandi. Good luck.
Thank you.
Gordon: Just over 15 minutes remaining.
Michael: Okay, this is ready.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
- Right, young lady. - Hello, Chef.
The three ingredients, what have you got?
I have popcorn, corn chips, and chocolate.
So I'm making a corn chiffon cake.
There's gonna be a spiced chocolate butter cream in that,
and it will be garnished with caramel corn
- and bruléed bananas. - Wow, that sounds delicious.
You are pushing it to get a dessert done in 45 minutes.
You know, I think I'll be able to pull it off.
- What would it mean, MasterChef champion? - It would mean everything.
I've worked really hard over the past eight years,
and I'm no longer a kid, and I think I'm proving that.
Dish sounds amazing. Elevate it when you plate that, yes?
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: Wow, this is exciting.
I mean, no one's playing it safe.
And I think what they're starting to do now
is study each other's dish
because they are raising the game.
Beautiful. Aren't those purty?
Aarón: Brandi is making arepas,
one of the beloved dishes from Venezuela.
Brandi's also doing a fruit cereal crema.
- What? That sounds disgusting. - Yeah, it sounds a little bit out there.
- That sounds terrible. - Right there, that sounds dreadful. Come on.
Bowen is going the route of a stuffed pork cutlet.
He's gonna go sort of katsu style with it.
Joe: Crispy pork chop with a cola soy sauce reduction.
I see nothing wrong with that. It makes sense.
It makes a lot of sense, actually.
But I told him check the sweetness in that sauce,
so we'll see how that pans out.
Derrick, exciting dishes out there.
Who's looking like they're in jeopardy?
I've never been so worried for Michael.
He's got an ambitious dish.
Putting it all on the line.
It's part of the game.
We're down to the last 10 minutes! Come on.
Five, six. Oh, my God.
Bowen: Come on, sweet potatoes!
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Why's my oven off? Oh, my God.
( bleep )
My cakes are supposed to be done,
and all I see is chocolate soup.
Now I look up and my oven is off.
I must've bumped my oven.
I guess I just grabbed the wrong handle
and accidentally turned off the oven.
I have nine minutes left, and I have unbaked lava cakes.
I'm screwed.
( bleep )
Whoa, whoa, whoa, why is my oven off?
Oh, my God.
( bleep )
My cakes are supposed to be done
and all I see is chocolate soup.
( bleep )
And now I don't have lava cake.
It's on no one but me.
I just need that thing to cook.
I got it all the way up on 500.
My only option right now
is to crank the heat to 500
and keep them in the oven as long as possible
and hope I can at least get this cake cooked.
( sighs )
Gordon: We're down to the last five minutes.
Come on, guys.
We got this. We got this.
- Oh, Brandi. - Come on. Come on, baby.
Oh, gosh, down to the wire.
( sighs ) You got this.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go! Come on!
- Shanika, you've got to start plating now. - Yes, Chef.
Ah!
Okay, careful now, Michael.
You're not tipping them out, right?
I'm not. It's too risky.
Oh, my God, I'm shaking.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
- Aarón: Hands in the air! - Gordon: Well done.
- ( sighs ) - I'm feeling good. I got everything on the plate.
I'm hoping they appreciate the flavor of the snapper,
'cause it was inspired by my mom.
It takes me back to when I was 12 years old,
watching her in the kitchen cook.
So, the flavors mean a lot to me.
This is just, like, a complete unknown right now.
I think my flavors are there.
There's a good mix of sweet and salty.
I hope this is enough to keep me in this kitchen today.
Well done. Tough challenge.
Tonight, you had to take the everyday snacks
that you find through a gas station
and use them to elevate gourmet dishes.
Now, we're gonna take a much closer look
at all your dishes.
Brandi. And what's in the crema?
This is a fruity cereal lime zest crema.
Aarón: Interesting array of colors, huh, gentlemen?
What's the base in there? What'd you put in there?
Lemon-lime herb sauce.
- To give it a little bit more sweetness. - Hard to do.
This challenge is all about incorporating gas station snacks into a gourmet dish.
This is not the time to play it safe.
This is the top 10.
You have to be willing to take a little bit more risk.
Gordon: Emily, you copied me
and used potato chips in your crust?
- Emily: Yes. - Okay.
- Mm-hmm. - Smart.
Christian: I know they're looking for something unique
and something dope and something that's very elevated.
- Gummy bear sauce. - Have you ever eaten
gummy bear sauce before on savory food?
No.
That is so hard to do to make that.
Thank you, Chef.
The judges are some serious pit bulls
when it comes to tasting food.
Okay, Willie, chicken pot pie.
What's the flavor we're gonna taste in that?
So you gonna have a little curry, a little smoked paprika,
and I've used beer.
- Interesting. - Hmm.
- Bowen, Bowen. - Hi.
Aarón: Interesting presentation.
And I also listened to your advice
to put some chipotle powder in this sauce.
- There's cola in here? - Cherry cola.
- Cherry cola. Mmm. - Mmm.
- Mm-hmm. Thank you. - Interesting.
Wow.
So you used chocolate bars and popcorn to make this dessert, right?
- Uh, yes. It's a chiffon cake. - Salty, too, huh?
Yeah, but all together, they're meant to be balanced.
- Interesting. - Thank you.
This is the first time I haven't been proud
of the food that I served these judges.
So, we have a technical issue.
- You didn't turn them out, right? - Correct.
- So it's not gonna be molten. - No.
- Okay. - I hope the flavors are still there, Chefs.
So do I.
There are three cooks
that put things into top gear tonight.
The first dish that we want to taste,
please make your way down here...
Bowen.
I've been called out for the top three again,
so that's my third time.
I'm really proud of my dish.
I think I elevated the snacks really well.
I always want to show something new,
so I think I really did that today.
Right, tell us what snacks you used
and tell us about the dish, please.
The snack I used tonight is the onion puff,
potato chips, and then cherry cola.
The dish is Japanese-inspired katsu cordon-bleu
stuffed with mozzarella cheese,
served with sweet potato fries and a cherry cola glaze.
So, visually, it looks good.
It's like something out of a gastropub.
- Shall we? Yeah? - Yeah.
Bowen, the dish is good.
The actual fat from the mozzarella
has made it really nice and delicious,
but the sauce is really sweet, okay?
So I think this could've been sort of rounded
with a bit of chili, a bit of heat in there.
But you've elevated the gas station snacks.
I think that's the highlight tonight.
The slaw's acidic, it's crunchy,
it's not overdressed.
Yeah, Bowen, crusting that pork chop
with potato chips-- brilliant.
Quite frankly, delicious.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Really good. Really good, indeed. - Yeah.
- Comforting. - Absolutely right.
The second dish that we are very excited to dig into,
please come forward, Christian.
Okay, Christian, can you please describe your dish?
I chose corn chips, gummy bears, and beer.
My dish is a crusted corn chip snapper
over a bed of herb tricolor roasted potatoes
with my gummy bear beer chili sauce.
Wow.
Christian, visually, it looks beautiful.
The crust on that snapper is exceptional.
- Christian: Thank you. - Here's the sort of crazy idea
of these gummy bears.
If this pays off, it could be an absolute showstopper.
First time I ever tasted a gummy bear sauce.
Honestly, from the bottom of my heart...
It's ( bleep ) delicious.
I couldn't be happier.
It's very weirdly deliciously good.
What about Skittles risotto?
You never know, Joe. That could possibly happen.
But, seriously, the fish is crispy,
perfectly fried.
No small feat.
Aarón: Christian, the gummy bears,
they kind of let their sweetness go.
The beer is definitely there.
It makes you want to go back for another bite.
It keeps your palate engaged.
- Thank you, Chef. - Great job. Well done.
- Thank you. - Oh, my God.
Edgy, dangerous, and good.
The final dish in the top three
featured some of the most interesting
and harmonious flavors of the evening.
Please come forward...
The final dish in the top three,
please come forward, Shanika.
Shanika: Having the inspiration of my mom tonight,
I think it's gonna allow me to show the judges
how passionate I am about cooking.
And-- ( bleep ).
Hmph.
I really hope that they see
I really, really, really want this immunity pin.
Joe: Okay, Shanika, what did you make us
and incorporate into your dish?
Corn chips, ranch tortilla chips,
and I used a lemon-lime soda.
I made a ranch tortilla crusted snapper
with avocado purée that was infused with the lemon-lime soda,
with a lemon-lime herb sauce.
Well, visually, it looks super summery, light, flavorful.
And I feel like you were really cooking with your heart tonight.
This is a food memory for me.
I don't cook it often,
because I don't like to feel like this.
Um... ( sighs )
My mom used to cook cornmeal-crusted red snapper every single Sunday.
But every time that I taste those flavors,
I just see her in the kitchen cooking, the music playing.
It's like it was yesterday.
And I don't like this.
You know, Shanika, my father never even got to taste my food.
Ever. We can't live with regret, can we?
So we take that level of hurt and we transform it
into something that's really important.
- Be proud of that, okay? - Yes, Chef.
Shall we?
Shanika, it's delicious.
If it takes that kind of a journey
to create this kind of food, then I think it's worth taking.
Aarón: Yeah, for me, I think the genius in this dish
is that you used the lemon-lime soda with the avocado mousse,
and it's just a refreshing element
that you can go to as a little relief
from that fried richness of the fish.
Shanika, the fish is cooked beautifully.
The big surprise for me tonight
is the freshness of that beautiful vinaigrette.
99% of customers in any restaurant tonight
would never understand that was made from a soda.
I think it's one of the best dishes that you've cooked.
Good job.
We need a moment, please.
Excuse us.
- This is tough. - Yeah.
- So, Bowen's dish. - Joe: He's just like--
it's on another level, his stuff, and it's really good.
- Christian's snapper? - Really good.
- Biggest risk of the night. - Gordon: Let's talk about
the freshness of Shanika's there.
That thing was on a different level.
- It's a tough one. - And it had so much going on--
spice, sweetness, acidity.
I can't separate them. We're splitting hairs.
- Good job. - Good job, too.
- You did a lot. - Good job, dude.
- Shall we? - All right.
Congratulations, you're all safe from elimination.
But as far as immunity and the pin,
we talked it over,
and decided that immunity goes to...
Christian.
Christian: This is an amazing moment right now.
This is my second immunity pin,
and I've never been in the bottom three.
And I feel like the competitors need to watch out
because, honestly, this high that I'm on,
- I plan on staying there. - Congratulations, young man.
But that's not all.
There was another dish just as good as Christian's,
so we have another immunity pin to give out.
The second person with immunity next week
is...
Shanika.
Congratulations. Exceptional.
That was special, Shanika. More of that.
Well done.
We did that already.
Christian, Shanika, Bowen,
head up to the safety of the balcony.
Congratulations.
Shanika: My dish got me immunity,
and it means a lot.
And for them to say it's one of the best dishes of the night,
that means even more.
My mom would be proud right now.
- I hate emotions. - Well done.
Tonight, we also came across three dishes
that we felt were a bit of a wreck.
Sadly, one of those cooks will be leaving the competition tonight.
The first dish we want to taste
used the gas station snack as almost an afterthought.
Please step forward, Willie.
Oh, ( bleep ).
( laughs )
I can't believe that I'm in the bottom
two weeks in a row.
There's just got to be a disconnect
with me and these judges.
Right, describe the dish, please.
I had beer, sunflower seeds, and spicy cheese puffs.
And I made a beer-infused chicken pot pie
with a spicy cheese puff and sunflower seed crumble.
Visually, as with any pot pie, it's difficult to tell.
I mean, here I can see one has collapsed.
- Not sure. Have to taste. - Gordon: Shall we?
Willie, here's the thing.
The gas station snacks aren't highlighting.
They're sort of a throwaway seasoning on this.
But also, it actually tastes like a chicken sauce as opposed to a pot pie.
Aside from that, it's just too greasy.
There's just too much heavy cream.
It's very, very, very rich,
to the point that it's difficult to eat.
Look, the usage of the gas station ingredients
could have been realized a lot different.
You just reduced beer and then crumbled up
some of the puffs on top.
- Yes, Chef. - Gordon: Thank you.
- So rich. - Yeah.
Okay, the next dish we have to taste
had a strange mix of flavors.
Please come forward...
Brandi.
Brandi: You know, it's crazy,
because on season seven I did great.
You know, I made it to the finale.
But the curve balls are definitely bigger
this season than I anticipated.
I didn't want to be in the bottom once, let alone twice.
Okay, Brandi, please tell us what you made.
My ingredients were spicy cheese puffs,
lemon-lime soda, fruity cereal, and cola.
So I made a spicy cheese puff arepa
with a cola skirt steak
and a fruity cereal crema.
Looking at that arepa, it looks bizarre with its color,
and it just doesn't show me a lot of elevation.
Is the cereal still in the sauce?
I strained it out after just a couple minutes.
Yeah, the arepa looks and tastes like an orange hockey puck.
The worst part of it is that I cannot even identify
one of the gas station ingredients.
Brandi, unfortunately, it does not taste good, young lady.
You don't eat food that color. It just looks very strange.
The interior is incredibly dry. There's no salt in that dough.
But the hero tonight should've been those snacks, and they just fell flat.
Yeah, Brandi, you would never steep crème fraiche in cereal
and expect that to impart flavor.
That just doesn't work like that.
Thank you, Brandi.
It's very strange.
The final dish is from someone whose overconfidence
led them to make some huge missteps tonight.
Please bring your dish forward...
Michael.
Michael: It really hurts to be on the bottom.
I really wanted to show myself
that I could continue to be at the top of this competition,
but I dropped the ball today.
Aarón: Michael, can you please describe your dish?
Today I used chocolate bars, potato chips,
peanuts, and pretzels.
My dish tonight is a chocolate bar fondant
with a peanut and potato chip crumble,
a vanilla mascarpone cream, and pretzel toffee.
Young man, you know, it looks terrible.
The dish actually sounds quite sort of unique,
but not even the finest pastry chef in America tonight
would attempt to do that in 45 minutes.
So the idea, of course, is a soft chocolate center.
So is it gonna come out?
Joe: That's not coming out.
( bleep )
The idea, of course, is this.
So...
- They're not gonna come out. - Joe: That's not coming out.
We're gonna eat it like pudding.
So, we wouldn't serve that in a restaurant, right?
- Never. - So I'm sad for you,
and I'm shocked, personally.
Right, let's deal with the elephant in the room, shall we?
The fondant is gross.
It doesn't have a soft chocolate center.
The actual sugar on the outside has crystallized.
It's that dry. That is a mess.
But you've elevated the actual gas station snacks quite well.
The peanut butter brittle and that crumble--
salt, spicy, sweet.
Really good.
I just wish you hadn't attempted something
that you couldn't have pulled off.
I appreciate that you took a risk.
Just make sure you can fricking execute it.
Baking is a science and there's a reason that it comes down to a gram.
I agree with Chef Gordon. All the accoutrement are delicious.
Joe: Right, your garnish tastes like
the best gas station candy bar I've ever had.
Your fondant tastes like chocolate scrambled eggs.
- Ooh. - You took a big risk today and you failed.
Thank you.
Willie, Brandi, and Michael, please give us a moment.
- This is really hard. - Man.
Gordon: Big Willie's was just way too rich.
Brandi's was just a big misconception.
- It was a disaster. - It was a disaster.
Michael fell flat tonight.
One big technical error brought down
what could have been a very good dish.
- Okay. Right? - Yeah.
Yeah.
Willie, Brandi, and Michael,
unfortunately, one of you guys
have cooked in the MasterChef kitchen
for the very last time.
This pains me.
Michael...
...young man, your saving grace tonight
is that you had a good usage of those snacks.
Head back to your station.
Thank you, Chefs.
Willie, Brandi, both of you didn't highlight sufficiently
the gas station product.
But we did agree that one of you
did miss the mark more than the other.
The person leaving the "MasterChef: Back to Win" season,
that person is...
Brandi.
Big Willie, say good-bye to Brandi,
head back to your station, please.
Brandi, unfortunately tonight,
your dish concept just didn't make sense.
And those gas station snacks
were not highlighted enough to showcase your talent.
But we're gonna miss you--
the voice, the passion, and the determination.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm glad I came.
I'm glad I did this. I'm glad I pushed myself.
Come and say good-bye, come on.
It's definitely not how I wanted to leave
season 12 of "MasterChef."
Great job, Brandi.
But it was an honor to be asked back.
Brandi! Season seven.
It means so much to me. It means everything to me.
You know, I was so close last time.
The apron goes to Brandi.
So I'm proud of myself for pushing myself.
I've gotten stronger by being here.
I've made it in the top three.
I've been on a winning team.
I cooked a beef Wellington for Gordon Ramsay.
Christian: Ooh, good job. Let it sit.
"MasterChef" has molded and shaped my life
in many ways over the years,
and this time has lit a fire under me.
It's got my motivation back in the kitchen.
I'm gonna hit the floor with my feet running when I get home.
That needs salt. That needs salt, salt, salt, salt!
I came back here to prove that I belong in the culinary world.
Profoundly flavored.
- Can you see that up there? - Spot on.
I had no doubts with Brandi and salmon.
Thank you, Shaun.
Joe: This tastes like a risotto
I would eat at my mother's house.
You made it work, young lady.
Thank you.
Competition this season is fierce,
but I'm proud of myself for making it to the top 10.
You know, it doesn't matter if you're from a big city or a small town,
you can still reach for your dreams.
- Gordon: Next time... - Top nine.
another winner's mystery box reveals a familiar face...
Gerron!
...and he's spicing things up.
- Oh, my God! - Emily, your favorite.
This is my worst nightmare.
But if they can't stand the heat...
When we have too much spice, we don't want that.
I'm not gonna make that mistake.
Bowen, don't use that ( bleep ) caviar.
( bleep ), where did the last minute go?
...they'll have to say good-bye
to the MasterChef kitchen.
( bleep )
It's a little bit bizarre.
It's hard, like a hockey puck.
Gordon: You missed the mark.
You're a much better cook than that dish was.
I hate this part.