Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win,"
the top eight faced their tallest challenge yet.
- The wall. - Use the cream you cooked them in!
- Heard. - And with a spot in the top six at stake...
- What are they doing? - some found perfect sync...
It's exact replicas. Congratulations.
Top six. Head up to the balcony.
- 'Ey! - ...while others fell apart.
- It just looks bland. - It tastes like cough syrup.
The team leaving the competition tonight is Derrick and Amanda.
- ( sniffling ) - Oh.
Tonight, it's restaurant takeover...
You have to run the world famous Spago.
...with a MasterChef legend.
Wolfgang Puck!
You're going to put the reputation of Spago on the line.
Feeling the pressure.
But with the semifinals up for grabs...
- Where's the duck? - Getting that skin crispy.
...the top six face a challenge of epic proportions.
- Somebody help her. - Just put it down. Come on, Emily.
Get your ( bleep ) together!
Willie, I need to know what you're doing.
Willie, please! It's ( bleep ) freezing!
- ( bleeping ) - This is much harder than you could ever imagine.
- Stop plating ( bleep ). - Yes, Chef.
- If it's not right, it's on you. - Shut it.
It's ( bleep ) raw.
What you trying to do, close down Spago?
( music playing )
( quacking )
Emily: So this looks nice.
Christian: Top six.
It's like I'm a blink of an eye away from the finale,
and to still be on this high that I'm on
with winning challenges,
it feels great, and I hope to stay there.
Wait, wait, wait. Is that a red carpet?
Shanika: We're out of the MasterChef kitchen,
but we're looking good though,
so we have to be doing something somewhere
that's really upscale.
- ( gasping ) - Spago!
- Michael: Oh, my gosh. - Emily: This is awesome.
- Shanika: It is. - Willie: This is so nice.
- Whoa. - Please come over.
- This is beautiful. - Gordon: You all look amazing.
Welcome to beautiful Beverly Hills.
All of you are standing inside the world famous Spago,
one of the most storied restaurants in all of Los Angeles.
Tonight, you've all be entrusted
to run the kitchen of this esteemed restaurant.
So do not let us down,
and you do not want to let down our gracious host.
( gasping )
Me!
Hi, Gordon. Good to see you.
- Oh, my gosh. - What?
All of you, the amazing Wolfgang Puck.
That's ( bleep ) amazing.
Dara: We're gonna be cooking for Chef Wolfgang Puck
in his restaurant,
and the pressure just went from here to here.
First of all, Chef, thank you for inviting us into your home.
They are back to win. We're down to the top six.
You're handing the reins over. What do you want to see from them, Chef?
Real professionalism.
You're going to put the reputation of Spago on the line,
so I expect only the best.
All: Yes, Chef.
This challenge is so important
that Joe, Aarón, and I have decided
to pick the teams and the captains in advance.
- Wow. - Gordon: So the captains
will be the winning team from the last challenge.
- Christian and Willie. - Oh.
Christian, you're gonna be captain of the red team.
Willie, you're gonna be captain of the blue team.
Joining Christian will be Emily and Dara.
And joining Willie will be Shanika and Michael.
Now, all of you, come over here and grab your aprons.
Get those aprons on.
Okay, so all of you, go and get changed in your chef whites,
and we'll see you in the kitchen shortly. Let's go.
Willie: I am honored to be team captain.
I am a little boy from Houston.
We don't get this opportunity often.
So hopefully I can lead my team into victory tonight.
Right, come and line up. Oh, my goodness me.
You look amazing. Listen carefully.
Tonight each team will be cooking two appetizers
and two entrées from Spago's world famous restaurants.
Tonight's dishes should meet the impeccable standards
that Chef's own brigade deliver on a nightly basis.
- Chef, they're all yours. - All right.
Our first appetizer is a crispy scale bass
with glazed daikon, bok choy, and a grilled mushroom dashi.
We're gonna season my black bass with a little salt and pepper here.
Now, skin side down. That way the kale can get really crispy.
Look how it's lifting up already.
Two or three minutes on this side.
I barely cook it on the other side.
Emily: Watching Wolfgang cook is like a dream.
The man's a genius. So I'm scribbling notes as fast as I humanly can.
How long is he sautéing those vegetables?
How does that sauce come together and what does it look like visually?
We're gonna put the fish nice and crispy on top,
and then a little bit of the dashi.
And we just put a little salad,
so that way you get the freshness.
And there you go. Fresh and clean.
Oh, it smells so good.
The next appetizer is pan roasted scallops
with celery root purée, caramelized pears,
and port brown butter sauce.
Scallops only takes a few minutes to cook.
While that is going on,
we have our celery root purée, and you just go
- all the way down. - Gordon: Beautiful.
Wolfgang: We're gonna put the two scallops right in center.
They do look perfect.
Now we're gonna add a little brown butter sauce
on top too, okay?
Being captain at this moment, it's a lot of pressure.
Honestly, I'm nervous because we have to the same finesse
as Chef Wolfgang Puck, so we gotta bring our A game.
And there you go, the most amazing pan roasted scallops.
Christian: Wow.
Okay, and for the entrées,
we have duck breast with smoked parsnips
and maitake mushrooms.
Let's season the duck breast with salt and pepper on both sides.
All the fat is underneath the skin,
so we have to render the fat while we are cooking it on one side.
- We put it over here. - Gordon: Yes.
Wolfgang: Let it cook like that in the oven.
The most expensive sous chef I ever had in my life.
Aarón: Yes, indeed.
Shanika: I've cooked duck, I've cooked scallops,
but have I ever cooked it on a Michelin star level?
No.
This is going to be a challenge,
but I'm learning from one of the best
in the industry tonight.
Wolfgang: So now we're gonna put our whole duck breast on here.
Then we have our maitake mushrooms
with our parsnips. Here we go.
Gordon: A beautiful caramelized duck breast.
- Whoo, feeling the pressure. - Damn.
Wolfgang: For the second entrée, we have a pan-seared veal chop
with shelling beans, black garlic, and a natural veal jus.
We are ready to pan-sear our veal chop.
All right, the bean purée is here.
And then next to it we're gonna do the black garlic purée, okay?
So we're gonna have the sweetness of the onions and rustic beans.
Make sure the veal chop is well-rested.
We have that beautiful pan-roasted veal chop.
Chef, that was incredible. Round of applause for Chef Wolfgang Puck.
- Thank you, Chef. - What an honor.
Listen, tonight's challenge is all about your ability
to execute at a high level.
Teamwork is essential.
A vocal captain is crucial.
You've got to communicate tonight.
And nothing is going out
of this kitchen without my approval.
I love when I have somebody yelling for me, so--
So you look like the nice guy, right, Chef?
I'll try to be unless they screw up.
And Wolfgang Puck himself will be eating at a table tonight
tasting your versions of his dishes.
Don't forget, someone from the losing team will be going home.
Right, all of you, get to your stations please.
Diners will be through in 15 minutes.
- All right, y'all. - Come on.
- All right, so listen. - Dara, you're gonna focus on plating.
Okay. I feel good with that.
Emily, you're gonna be focusing on the vegetables and also the sauces, okay?
- And I'm gonna be focusing on the protein. - Sounds good.
- Dara, if you ever get flustered, call for help. - Yes, yes.
- I'll turn around and I'll help, okay? - Yep, heard.
I'm excited for this challenge,
but I'm already a little traumatized
from the last restaurant takeover.
I was only 12 years old.
Kid: Dara, don't get aggravated at me.
Red team, you've got to talk.
- You seasoned these right? - You know, what? No.
No, no. I didn't do the salt yet.
I'm telling you, they need salt.
Since then, I've gone through culinary school
and I started working in restaurants.
So I just hope that I can keep up with my team.
- Let's go. - Emily: We got this.
- Shanika, you're gonna be on the scallops. - Heard.
I'm gonna be on the sea bass.
And then you're gonna come up and do the plating.
- And sauces. - And the sauces.
- All right. - So be sure to season.
- Taste. - Heard.
At the end of the day, Chef Wolfgang Puck's name is on this,
- so we have to make sure this is close to perfect. - Michael: 100%.
- All right, blue team. - One, two, three.
- Blue team! - Whoo!
Enjoy.
How are the young ladies here? All right?
- Hi. How are you? - Okay.
We're so excited to be here with you.
We are so excited to have you.
Gordon: They're arriving. You've got 45 minutes to get all the apps out.
- Yes, Chef. - Use that time wisely.
- Joe: Hi, good evening. - Yeah, welcome.
- Thank you. - What looks good for the first course?
- Excited to try the scallops. - Lovely.
I think I'm gonna do the sea bass.
Man: Spago is a Los Angeles institution.
So, yeah, the pressure's on for these chefs,
but I'm excited to see them meet the high bar.
- Cheers! - All right, we've got the first tickets.
Gonna run in the kitchen. I'll be right back.
Okay, I'm waiting for you.
Blue team, when I call out an order,
acknowledged the ticket. Is that clear?
- Yes, Chef. - Heard, Chef.
All right, Chefs, we got first tickets.
People are flowing in. It's a packed house.
Wolfgang just sat down at the VIP table.
Gotcha, right, blue team, Wolfgang Puck.
- Yes, Chef. - Two covers, table six. One scallops, one sea bass.
- Heard, Chef. - Heard.
Hey. Hello, Michael. That's you as well. Heard?
- Heard! Yes, Chef! - Let's go!
Dear, oh, dear. Red team, Wolfgang Puck.
- Heard, Chef. - Okay? Table six, two covers.
One scallops, one bass.
One scallop, one-- yes, Chef! One scallop, one bass.
- Let's go. - All right.
Dara: If we wanna stay in this competition,
we have to win this challenge tonight.
I need these pan-- ( bleep ).
- I'm sorry, guys. - What happened?
I just-- it's fine. It's fine.
- Take your time, take your time. - I know.
It's a lot of pressure.
Christian is trusting me with doing the plating.
I just have to stay calm and focused. I can't mess up.
Christian: All right, let's go, let's go, let's go!
So give me a time for Wolfgang's table, please.
- Two minutes, Chef. - Let's go.
I need these pan-- ( bleep ). I'm sorry, guys.
- What happened? - I just-- it's fine.
- Take your time, take your time. - I know.
Christian: This is the biggest challenge of the season,
and I'm a little bit worried about Dara.
- Those proteins are our priority right now. - Yes.
I asked you to season this.
- Okay, I'll season it. You focus on those proteins. - Thank you.
I know that she gets very flustered under pressure.
But she's standing in front of Chef Ramsay.
So, her game better be on point,
because if we don't bring it, someone on our team
will be catching that flight back home.
Red team, second table. Four covers, table one.
Two scallops, two bass.
- Heard, Chef. - Thank you.
Christian: I got scallops going down!
- Heard! - Christian.
- Yes, Chef? - Remember you're searing all the sides.
- Yes, Chef. - And make sure you're timing it
- with her when she's plating. - With her plating. Yes, sir.
Right, blue team, second table in, yes?
Four covers, table one. Two scallops, two bass.
Willie and Shanika: Heard.
( bleep ) hell.
Hey, Michael. Stop.
So I'm gonna call that out again, because you ignored me.
- Yes. - Four covers, table one. Two scallops, two bass.
- Heard. - Heard, Chef.
Thank you. Let's go.
Come on, y'all. Let's push it.
Willie: Chef Ramsay reminds me of an auctioneer
calling out these tickets.
Let's do one scallop, one bass.
Straight off that, two scallops, two bass.
- Yes? - Heard.
But I am the team captain,
so I need to make sure
the communication is there,
because if the blue team lose this challenge,
someone is going home tonight, and it could be me.
So that's six orders all day.
All right, let's get the apps out ASAP.
- I need my sauce, Emily! - Sauce is coming.
- I need my sauce! - Behind, behind, behind, behind.
- Right now, sauce. - Right here.
Dara: Put it down, put it down, put it down.
- Work as a team. - Yes, Chef.
I don't know what the panic is.
- Put the food up. - Yes, Chef.
Service, please. Wolfgang Puck, thank you. Go, go, go.
- Right, look at me. Look at me. - Yes, Chef.
- I need two scallops, two sea bass now. - Yes, Chef.
- Heard. - Christian: Yes, Chef!
- Michael! - Yes, Chef?
- Sauce for the scallops ready. - Good.
- Is that Wolfgang? - Yes, I just plated it.
- Pass it up, please. - Scallops up.
Michael: Scallops coming right now.
Service, please. Wolfgang Puck, blue team, go.
- Blue team. - Yes, Chef.
Two scallops, two sea bass. How long?
- Uh, two minutes. - Two minutes.
Let's go then. Let's go. I hope you're tasting everything, Michael.
Yes, Chef.
Okay, I got the fish, the scallop.
- Joe: So, Chef. - Yeah?
Currently you have the dishes of the red team.
This is the blue team's. So these are the seared scallops
and the crispy sea bass of the blue team.
It smells good.
Okay, let's taste the fish.
I thought the red team's sea bass was excellent.
The scales are crispy,
but the scallops were a little too underdone.
The blue team's scallops were cooked to perfection,
but the scale on the sea bass is not crispy enough.
So the red team's sea bass and the blue team's scallops,
both are up to our standard.
Gordon: Red team, two scallops, two sea bass, how long?
- Two minutes, Chef. - Let's go.
- Emily, I need that veg! - One minute on the vegetables.
- Heard. - Christian: Let's go!
We can't wait for vegetables. It's impossible. Emily.
- Yes, Chef? - Everything's hanging here now. So where's the garnish?
- It's coming right now. - We are working on it. It's coming. One minute.
- Garnish should be first. - Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Yes? Come on, guys. - Come on, Christian.
If you need help, it's okay. Just let me know, baby.
Yeah, I can't do all the sauce and all the vegetables.
It's not gonna happen.
This is much harder in person
than you could ever imagine it would be.
The sauce and timing and communication,
we're having to constantly readjust,
and it's not easy.
Check your time, making sure you have a nice distribution of everything.
- Yes, Chef. Heard! - Got vegetables.
- Finish one thing first. - Yes, Chef.
Can someone help her plate please? Emily?
- We're helping plate? - Help me plate.
- There's nothing else going on. - Put the veg in those bowls!
There's a rhythm that we've not yet found,
and we are all over the place
when we should be executing at a high level.
- Right behind. - Just put it down. Come on, Emily.
- Get those veg in. - I don't have-- no space.
- Gordon: Service, please. - Two scallops are up.
Service, please. Red team, on order.
Six covers to table two. Four scallops, two bass.
- Heard? Let's go! - Heard, Chef, yes.
- Six minutes to window. - All right, bass.
So luscious.
Did you taste the brown butter?
All the notes. Oh, yes.
How long on that first scallop, Shanika?
- Two minutes. - Heard.
Shanika: Just don't rush me on it.
- Scallops, please. - Willie: We need those scallops.
I'm being pushed to push out scallops,
and I know they're not ready.
- Scallops coming. - Set them down.
Right here, right here, right here, right here.
- Who's cooking these scallops? - Me, Chef.
Ice cold. Who put that on a plate?
- I did, Chef. - Get one more in, please. Let's go!
There's no teamwork between you guys.
- We can do better than that. - Yes, Chef.
I'm dragging a scallop on here, okay?
Come on, Shanika, stop rushing.
Don't rush me no more on these scallops.
- Okay. - Let me cook them.
If we have to say we gotta wait, we gotta wait.
It's job of the captain to make sure that we communicate
and manage our time properly,
but he's not listening to us,
and we are all over the place right now.
- Willie: Come on, red team. - We blue team.
- The hell you talking about? - Blue team.
I got sea bass coming in 90 seconds.
- Heard! - Gordon: Come on, guys, please.
Service, please. Table two, thank you. Go.
- I need the two bass now. - Yep, here you go, Chef.
- Gordon: Let's go. - All right.
- Red team. - Yes, Chef?
Look at me. Look. Just stop!
That's undercooked. It won't even separate.
That's not what Wolfgang introduced to any of us,
and I've already sent the scallops 'cause I trusted you.
Who put that on the plate, truthfully?
I did, Chef. That was me, Chef.
- Ice cold! - All: Yes, Chef.
- Get some finesse, quickly. - All: Yes, Chef.
- ( bleep ) - Christian: I'm firing up another sea bass.
- Emily: Refire, yeah. - Dara: Refire.
Lucky it wasn't me being thrown across the kitchen, 'cause that was my fault.
The last thing that I wanna do
is make Chef Ramsay and Chef Wolfgang Puck look bad,
so we have to do better fast.
- Christian. - Yes, Chef.
- Composure. - Yes, Chef.
We can do this, guys. Come on.
Come on.
- Give me a time on the scallops. - One minute.
- Willie: One minute for the scallops. - Michael: Heard.
Blue team, I need a scallop here.
Scallops ready?
Michael: Scallops are being plated.
Bring me that scallop. You're not even touching your food.
- Touch that. Just touch it! - Ice cold.
- It's ( bleep ) freezing! - Heard, Chef.
That's the second ( bleep ) time!
Y'all stop rushing me on these scallops.
And you've gotta stop putting things on the plate raw.
- Heard. - What are you trying to do, close down Spago?
- Gordon: Blue team! - All: Yes, Chef.
- It's ( bleep ) freezing! - Heard, Chef.
- All right. - ( bleep )
That's the second ( bleep ) time!
Y'all stop rushing me on these scallops.
What you trying to do, close down Spago?
- Shanika: No, Chef. - Michael: Never.
Do you want Wolfgang to walk out of his own restaurant?
- No, Chef. - Come on then!
- Heard. - Young lady.
- Yes, Chef? - Swap out.
- Somebody else cook scallops. - Heard.
- Let me do scallops. - I'll do fish. All right.
I can't just blame our captain. Our captain is rushing us,
but it's my responsibility
to make sure these scallops are cooked properly,
and I'm not doing it right now, and that's not good.
Hey, count your lucky stars they're not eating the ( bleep ) raw scallops.
- I stopped it. - Heard, Chef.
Michael, stop plating ( bleep ).
Understood.
- Blue team, come on, please. - Michael: Scallop sauce.
Pass it to me. Quick, quick, quick.
- Scallops send. - Service, table eight.
Third time. Go, please. Thank you.
- Shanika: We got this. - Michael: We're fine.
- We're fine. - We can bounce back.
- How many sea bass? - Three.
Emily: We need three and three, and then two and two.
I need sea bass on these. Who's helping me?
- ( overlapping shouting ) - Somebody help her!
Right here, baby. Let's go.
Come on, get them on the plate, Christian!
- Come on. - Emily, why did you leave?
- Well, what do you need? - To put the sea bass on.
Try to get the food out, then jump back to your station, Emily.
Let's go. You got the sea bass down.
- Come on, Emily! Let's go! - Gordon: Christian, Christian.
All you guys are just screaming at each other.
He's ( bleep ) captain. He talks, you listen.
But stop getting louder and louder, because they can't hear me,
and I can't hear my ( bleep ) self now.
- Shut it, okay? - Yes, Chef.
- Thank you. - Listen, Emily, Emily.
Do not leave here until she's comfortable when she's done, all right?
- Heard. - Christian: There's no need to be yelling.
We have to do this cohesively together
and if we don't get it together, we're gonna be sinking.
Gordon: Let's go. I need the bass now.
Bass is right here, Chef.
Service, please. Pick up, please.
Complete table three. Thank you.
Three scallops coming.
Good. Set them down.
Bass will be up in a minute.
I'm basting it, getting that skin crispy.
Hey, these two need one more second, guys.
While we-- get these two back in the pan.
One more second on those, please.
Where's the other scallops?
They needed one more minute. I was checking them.
Oh, my God.
( overlapping chatter )
Yay!
( chatter continues )
No, just go for it. Please, please.
Gordon: Come on, they're complaining about the wait.
It's just slow. No teamwork, anything.
- Next plate please, Willie? Or not? -Yes, Chef.
Bring me the warm dashi, please!
Warm dashi, please. Willie?
Gordon: Willie, please!
I'm hearing the red team captain, Christian...
Scallops, sea bass coming up!
...more than I'm hearing my own captain.
That's a problem.
All right, talk to me, guys.
I need Willie to speak up.
Pass the plate so I can put them out for you.
It's just all over the place.
Yes, Chef. Understood.
- Behind you. - Aarón: What a mess, guys.
Y'all gotta get your ( bleep ) together, y'all. Seriously.
Shanika: Yes, we do.
Michael: Ten seconds on scallops.
Gordon: Are they cooked this time?
- Yes, yes, Chef. - Good.
- Shanika: Scallops up? - Michael: Scallops up.
Go, please.
I have the blue team's scallops, and they're beautiful.
They're robust, and the vegetables on top are amazing.
Wolfgang: How'd we do here? All right?
- He never got his. - You never got yours?
What did you order?
- Sea bass. - Sea bass.
Sea bass, oh. Ahh! See?
- So, you know, when Wolfgang Puck is here. - I know.
Thank you.
We've got a sea bass following very shortly.
- This is so good. - Mm-hmm.
- Man: Is it? - Mm-hmm. I love it.
Gordon: All right, teams, we're coming to the end
- of the appetizers. - Yes, Chef.
- Let's go. Red team, final tickets. - Yes, Chef.
Four covers, table five. One scallops, three bass.
- Heard? - Yes, Chef!
Let's go. Blue team, last table on order.
Four covers, table one. One scallops, three sea bass.
- Shanika: Heard. - Willie: Heard.
- Sea bass is up. - Sea bass is up. Perfect.
- It's delicious. - Good evening.
You finished your appetizer. Any comments, any feedback?
- Scallops are good. - Uh-huh.
- Were they cooked through? - Yes. They were, yes.
And the flavor was good on the scallops, the dish?
Flavor was very good, yeah.
And the black sea bass, was it crispy?
It could've been a little bit more crispy,
and it was a little wet, like, too much water.
Okay.
Service, please, let's go.
Go, please, young man, go.
Table five, thank you.
Right. That's it, guys.
You're done with the appetizers.
- Red team. - Yes, Chef.
We could be so much better.
- Yes, Chef. We can. - We're all moving individually.
- Move as a team. - Yes, Chef.
- Stop complicating it. - Yes, Chef.
How many scallops are we doing?
We're just doing the three bass and this one scallop.
Michael: One scallop. Heard.
Did you enjoy your scallops?
Yes, they were amazing.
Anyone not like anything?
So all thumbs up for the blue team on table five? Great.
( muted chatter )
It's so crispy.
My only complaint is the fish feels a little bit overcooked.
I'm waiting on three sea bass, one scallops for the last table.
Heard.
Go, please. Table 11. Go.
Willie: Scallops up. That's going hot, that's going hot.
Go, please. Sorry.
- Look at me. look at me. - Yes, Chef.
- Shanika. - Yes, Chef. Sorry.
Your voice is nonexistent. Your timing is way off.
- And your standards are zero. - Yes, Chef.
- Have a meeting amongst yourselves. - Shanika: Heard, Chef.
Either nominate a new captain or get your ( bleep ) together.
- All: Heard, Chef. - Quickly.
- Gordon: Blue team. - Willie: Yes, Chef.
Have a meeting amongst yourselves.
Either nominate a new captain
or get your ( bleep ) together.
- Heard, Chef. - Quickly.
- Heard, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
Shanika: We need to get coordinated.
Everybody can't be doing everything.
We need to find a system.
Yes, we do, because that ( bleep ) was not okay.
Look here, that first part was a rough one,
but I am gonna be the captain that I need to be,
I'm gonna lead this, and we're gonna get this done.
Shanika, I gonna put you on duck breast
- to get that finesse. - Okay.
- Michael, I'm gonna put you on the veal. - Fine.
I am gonna work on the garnish and making sure we communicate with the judges.
All right, Captain.
I wasn't giving up no reins as no captain.
You're telling me I can't handle pressure? Like, no.
Outside of the MasterChef kitchen,
I have a full-service catering company.
So I'm confident that I can lead my team into victory tonight.
- But we need to hear from you. - Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Right, red team, blue team, listen up.
Yes, Chef.
I expect a much better performance for these entrées.
So far, no one's really impressing us.
First table I'm firing is for the man himself, Wolfgang.
One veal, one duck.
I want it arriving at the same time
so he gets to see "MasterChef: Back to Win"
at its absolutely best. How long, Willie?
Eight minutes.
- Eight minutes? - Eight minutes.
Off we go. Let's go. Eight minutes to window. Let's go.
- ( overlapping chatter ) - Let's go.
This is for Wolfgang. It needs to be perfect.
Yeah, make sure those proteins are perfect.
- Willie: How we looking on that breast? - It's looking good.
- Michael: One veal, right? - Willie: Yes.
I need help plating.
Michael: I'm plating right here with you.
Michael: I mean, so far, so good.
We're starting this entrée round
a little bit better than we finished the appetizers.
I feel like Willie's trying to step up.
We're communicating effectively.
So I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like
if we can keep this going, we have a chance.
- Gordon: There you go. - Michael: Looks really nice.
Shanika: Press that duck and make sure it's right.
Willie: I did, I did.
- Gordon: Service, please. - Duck coming up.
- Blue team. - Willie: Looking good, looking good.
- Michael: Veal's ready. - Gordon: Wolfgang. Wolfgang, blue team.
- Okay, Chef, this is the blue team. - All right, then.
The blue team. Okay.
So let's look in there.
It's ( bleep ) raw.
Joe: How we doing, Chef?
- Look at that. - It's raw. Okay.
- Yeah, I'll take it back. I'll take it back. - You wanna take it back?
- Okay. I never come back again. - Sorry about that.
- Gordon: Oh, no. - This is Wolfgang's.
Wolfgang's blue team veal chop.
Oh, ( bleep).
Oh, man.
Aw, ( bleep ).
- Sorry, Chef. - No, just stop. Just stop!
That's not right. That's Wolfgang right there!
- Please, one more veal. - Yes, Chef.
- One more veal. - Heard.
- How we looking? - Michael: Not good.
- Willie: Let's get it together. - ( Michael groans )
I hate to say it, but I'm the one that cooked it.
This ( bleep ) sucks.
I know I'm better than this.
It's just not showing today.
Push that for Wolfgang, please, yes?
- Yes, Chef. Heard. - Pushing it, Chef.
We cannot have the owner of this restaurant waiting.
- All right, where's that-- - Let's get this ( bleep ) out
- and get it right. - The veal is here.
Gordon: Joe, second time around. My apologies.
Please send the veal.
We can't send out no more raw food.
Chef, how is the second re-fired veal chop on the blue team? Good?
- Wolfgang: Perfect. It's pink, yeah. Hot. - Excellent.
Are the beans and purée good as well?
- Yeah, it's good. - Excellent.
Let's go, Emily. Give me beans.
Heard. This is gonna be hot. Beans for the veal, hot.
- You need to help her with sauces too. - Heard.
- Aarón: There you go. - Got veal coming! On your back.
Gordon: Christian, bring that up.
Right, all of you touch that and tell me what you think.
- No, just tell me. - Emily and Dara: Rare.
I promise you now, it's ( bleep ) raw.
It's not cooked.
Get me one more ( bleep ) veal and get it right, okay?
- Yes, Chef. - Get rid of that ( bleep ) thing.
Emily: I am mortified.
The fact that this was about two seconds
from being sent out to Wolfgang Puck gives me hives.
It makes me nervous, because anyone of us could be sent home.
- This cannot continue. - Is there a veal in the oven?
- Veal's right here, man. - We need it in the oven to get the temp up.
Christian: All right, veal's going in.
I'm sending Wolfgang's duck. Service, please.
Okay.
Chef, this is the duck of the red team.
- Okay, put it over here. - Okay.
Gordon: I need the veal.
- Chef. - Service, please. Wolfgang.
- Yes. - Okay, here we--
Chef, this is the red team veal chop.
- Wolfgang: Okay. - Okay?
( muted chatter )
Okay, the red team's veal,
it's good, but just a little more cooked.
It needs three minutes.
So, all and all, I think that both teams' ducks were pretty well done.
I was quite happy with both of them.
I thought the blue team's veal the second time around was perfect.
It was well-seasoned.
The red team's veal chop, taste was good
but could use a little salt, and definitely not as good
as the blue team the second time around.
Red team, on order, entrée, three duck, one veal.
- Yes, Chef! - How long?
Got three ducks coming out now, Chef.
No, look, I just need a time.
- "Two minutes, Chef." - Two minutes, Chef.
- Together! - Yes, Chef!
How long, three duck, one veal, Willie?
- Four minutes, Chef. - Four? Great, let's go.
Followed by four duck, two veal, yes?
- Yes, Chef. - Willie: I need that other duck breast.
All right. I'ma take it out, all right?
If it's not right, it's on you.
Willie: If it's not right, we're not gonna put it on there. I just need it.
We're trying to get these dishes out as fast as we can,
but us trying to speed is making me nervous
because we cannot afford to send out anymore raw protein.
- Duck's ready. - Okay, veal's ready.
Service, please. Table nine, go.
- Right behind, right behind. - Where are we with the veal?
- Where's the veal? - Where's the veal?
Service, please, table three. Go, table three.
I need the veal and the veal sauce.
One minute.
Yes, Chef. One minute, Chef.
I think Christian is definitely frazzled
from that first veal chop being raw.
As I'm calling for proteins, he doesn't have them ready when we need them.
I've sent the three duck. I need the one ( bleep ) veal.
After that's four duck, two veal,
- followed by four veal! - Heard.
Look, our timing's gone, red team.
Service, please, table three.
Come on, guys.
Cheers! Enjoy.
All right. Life is good!
It looks really good. I'm extremely excited.
I can't wait to try this. Oh, my God.
Wolfgang: How'd we do here? How did they cook your veal chop?
- It's really good. - Good? Okay.
Yeah, it's extremely tender.
It's, like, really tender and--
- Where's our duck? - I'm about to drop it now.
Okay, then that means we're eight minutes out on the duck.
After four duck, two veal, we go back to four veal.
Heard, Chef. Four veal.
- Yes, Chef. - We need four duck,
but you only have three duck in right now.
- Is there one in the oven? - Christian: No.
Well, then we-- you need to put another one in.
Back up, man.
Christian doesn't have the right number of proteins cooking and resting,
and that just means more plates waiting to go out to diners.
I feel like we all switched,
and I'm the team captain now
trying to keep us organized.
- Dara. - Okay, well, now we're eight minutes again.
I need Christian to pull it together right now
or it's gonna be our downfall.
Christian, is that the duck-- is that the duck there?
- Yes, Chef. - Holy ( bleep ) hell, man. What's happened to our talk?
( bleep )
We need four duck, but you only have three duck in right now.
You need to put another one in.
Dara.
Okay, well, now we're eight minutes again.
Holy ( bleep ) hell, man. Come on, Christian.
- We can do better than this. - ( bleep )
This has been the hardest challenge yet.
Can I flip that ticket and go four veal?
- Dara: Do we have four veal? - Yes, I have four veal!
I'm feeling all the pressure.
Being a private chef in New Orleans
is nothing compared to this.
I really want to own my own restaurants in the near future,
so I've really got to get these proteins out
or I can be going back to New Orleans pretty soon.
Dara: How long on the veal?
- I already put two veals up. - Heard.
We need four veal. We need four veal right now.
Luckily, Emily and Dara stepped up,
and they were letting me know how many proteins were needed.
Dara: We have the four veal.
Service, please. Go, table two.
It started a little bit rough,
but I feel like Dara's doing a great job,
and for her to keep the composure that she's keeping,
I'm very impressed.
Let's get-- we have the four duck and the two veal.
Come on, guys. We can do this.
All right, come on, guys. Give me some duck.
Give me the jus. Finish, and then you're gonna start saucing those
when you're coming up with your duck. Come on, let's go.
Two duck, three veal. How long, please, Michael?
30 seconds on veal. Where's my duck, guys?
Willie: Duck, it's right there.
- Gordon: Come on, Willie! - Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Service, please. - Wolfgang: How is everybody over here? All right?
- Yeah. - Everything's amazing.
So far? So should we keep the chefs there or what? What do you think?
- I think so. - It's a fabulous flavor.
- Yeah? All right. - Amazing.
Woman: I think that looks a little under.
- That looks under to me. - Looks undercooked.
Good evening. I'm sorry. I heard there was a problem.
- Oh, that duck is raw, huh? - Yeah.
I apologize. Okay, I apologize.
- Nine duck all day. - Christian: Yes, Chef.
Chef, this is a blue team duck that's still quacking.
- Oh, my God. - Four ducks, correct?
Oh, blue team, ( bleep ) hell, man.
Joe: This is one of our VIP tables out in the courtyard.
- I need one re-fired duck, guys. - Come on.
We got it. Come on. Just bounce back, bounce back.
All right, listen, we cannot send out no more undercooked meat.
- You gotta check that temp. - I checked the temp.
Use a thermometer next time to check it.
Shanika: First veal chop, now raw duck?
Like, come on, team. Get it to-( bleep )-gether.
We are rushing and not giving this duck
enough time to cook in the oven.
What Willie needs to do
is have us manage our time properly.
Michael and I are trying our best,
but why are we not ganging up to say,
"Stop, Willie. One of us are taking over."
I can't give you that answer right now.
Willie, I need to hear from you. I need to know what's going on.
- I'm lost. - Gordon: Oh, my God.
There is no system in here.
Joe: I need one duck, guys.
The duck coming out of the oven in four minutes.
Take it from another table.
They're gonna be on dessert in seven minutes.
- Michael: Don't rush it. - I'm not rushing.
Where's the duck?
Duck walking. Come on.
Gordon: Yeah, go. Go, go, go.
- Told you. Don't rush that duck. - I didn't rush it.
Willie: The pressure is getting to me,
and so all these mistakes are happening.
The team now is down in the slumps
and I feel like my team has given up on me,
and that's what sucks.
I apologize, but here is the duck re-cooked for you.
- Awesome. - The blue team apologizes. Enjoy it.
- How was everything else? Did everyone else enjoy-- - Delicious.
- Christian: Three duck? - Emily: Yes, three duck.
Christian: Got you. Thank you, Emily.
Gordon: Service, please. I need you to go, please.
Table four, table four. Thank you.
- And the last table is two duck, two veal. - Yes.
Two duck, two veal for our last table.
- Two duck, two veal. - Finish it up strong, guys.
Let's go.
- Captain, last table. - Willie: Yes.
- It's two duck, two veal. - Two duck, two veal. Heard.
- Last table, Willie. Come on, don't give up! - I'm not giving up, Chef.
Gordon: It sounds like it. Nobody's talking anymore!
- I'm not giving up, Chef. - We may be down,
but in there it's fully booked still,
and look at the speed of you guys.
- We've lost our momentum. - 100%.
Come on, let's bounce back. Let's bounce back.
Michael: 30 seconds on veal.
Shanika: All right, veal up.
Service, please.
I've sent the two veal.
How long for the duck, please?
Three minutes.
Oh, my God.
That's, like, straight up Fred Flintstone.
The red team's veal was amazing.
The au jus was phenomenal.
I had the red team's duck. It was really good.
The flavors were amazing.
Mine is good.
I have the blue team's veal,
and it cuts like butter,
and the garlic really comes through, which I love.
I have a crispy duck from the blue team.
It's actually a little sweet. You taste a lot of flavor.
There's a little bit of red inside, but I'm enjoying it.
- Last table. - Yes, Chef!
- But can it go together? - Yes, Chef!
Emily: Your beans are on. We're ready for veal.
Christian: I got one veal up right here.
There you go. That looks good.
- Gordon: Service, please. - Go.
- Put it up, yep. - Gordon: Red team, clear down.
- I'm sorry for kind of yelling at you. - You good, you good.
- Do you got the veggies on the duck? - Yes, they should be ready.
- Duck, please. - Shanika: You got the garnish for the duck?
Look at the speed of her. Come on, please!
Service, please. Table seven.
Go, please. Table seven. Sorry about the delay.
- Blue team, clear down. - Yes, Chef.
( bleep )
I know the checked the temps and it came back raw.
I take full responsibility for that.
- So, you know, it is what it is. - All right.
- I feel that we did a great job. - Yep.
- But we're not judging. - Yeah.
I think it's gonna be very difficult
to decide who is the winner,
because both had pluses and minuses, you know?
So, to me, it will be very hard.
We're gonna see what Gordon thinks
and let him make the decision.
Oh, my goodness.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us this evening.
We hope you enjoyed your dinner.
Join us in giving both the blue team and the red team
an amazing round of applause.
And join me in thanking this incredible man, Wolfgang Puck,
the man we all look up to on a daily basis.
( crowd cheering )
Wolfgang, thank you from the whole MasterChef family. It's been absolute honor.
And fingers crossed, we did your restaurant justice.
My pleasure. Thank you.
Unfortunately this is a competition,
and there can only be one winning team tonight.
After witnessing the service and based on your feedback,
Aarón, Joe, and myself have made a decision.
Tonight, the winning team is...
- The red team. - Yes!
- Yes! I won! - We're safe!
I won! Aah! Red team wins!
Yes!
I have yet to win
a team challenge in "MasterChef."
If any team challenge
was the one to win,
this was the one.
Thank you, guys.
Gordon: Red team, congratulations.
Blue team, unfortunately, tonight one of you will be leaving the competition.
Ladies and gentlemen, right now we've got a very, very tough decision to make,
so please excuse us all.
Best wishes. Get home safe. Thank you.
Thank you!
- Thank you. - I'll see you soon.
- Wolfgang: See you soon. - Thank you.
Michael: I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not.
Feel like we were supposed to improve by the second course,
and we went the other way. It was just a mess.
But I also didn't take over as captain,
and that's a decision that may haunt me
for the rest of my life.
So, this is-- this is hard.
Joe: Yeah. Captain of a team needs to be responsible
for the rhythm of the dining room.
If you're not getting dishes out,
there's only so much we can do out here.
So why didn't Michael step up then?
Michael, he should've go in there.
He saw everything unfolding.
Gordon: And Shanika had trouble with her scallops,
while Michael failed at checking the temps on all the proteins.
Yeah, he should've done that.
- We didn't work well. - This wasn't our best.
- We agree? - Yes.
Let's do it.
Gordon: Michael, Shanika, Willie, all three of you
had done extraordinary across this competition so far.
But tonight, all three of you certainly
did not perform at your best.
The individual that will be leaving the competition tonight,
that person is...
Willie.
I still think the blue team could've won tonight
had you handed over the responsibility
that Michael and Shanika were desperate for.
And so for that reason,
sadly, you're leaving the competition.
I think this is just something
was a little over your head tonight,
and it got the best of you.
- Promise me you'll continue. - Most definitely.
Failure is the key to success if you learn from it.
I told my team I did not lead them, and I failed them,
but I'm gonna leave here with my head held high.
Come and say good-bye, man.
- Awesome, man. You're awesome. - Thank you.
- It was a pleasure, man. - Thank you.
Just look at those talented five.
In Big Willie's mind, who's gonna become "Back to Win" season champion?
My boy Christian. Season five, we're taking it.
- Please place your apron on the table... - Thank you.
...and have a safe trip home, big man.
We're gonna miss you, Willie.
Willie: I'm emotional right now,
because I didn't lead my team the way that I needed to.
I just feel like I let them down,
so I'm the one going home.
- We love you, Willie. - Bye!
But, hell, I even went further this time around than I did the first time.
It makes us incredibly proud to see someone like Willie and how far you've come.
I know I've shown the judges that bringing me back was not a waste of time.
Seven seasons ago, I said your dumplings were disgusting.
You've come a long way, my friend.
I played with integrity.
I'm on a hot tamale train.
"MasterChef" has truly allowed me to be myself.
Slow and steady wins the race.
This is not the last of Willie.
I love y'all, and until next time,
keep it real and keep it true.
- Gordon: Next time... - ( screaming )
...it's the fire and ice semifinal.
You will be competing in two challenges tonight.
Unfortunately, we only have room for three of you in the finale.
All of you will be preparing an iconic dessert.
- Ooh! - Baked Alaska.
- Fire and ice, baby! - Your next challenge
will be replicating one of my signature dishes.
Oh, God.
Left to right, right to left, and push!
What are we doing? A TikTok dance?
Michael: I'm doing whatever it takes to get in that finale.
I will not go home today.
- ( bleep ) - This is insanity!