Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win"...
- Top nine. - ...another winner's mystery box
revealed a familiar face...
Gerron!
...and he brought the heat.
- Oh, my-- - Wow.
This is my worst nightmare.
While some conquered spice mountain...
- The heat level is perfect. - It just looks beautiful.
Congratulations, Emily.
...others hit rock bottom.
- Crunchy, greasy. - Gordon: You've missed the mark.
- That's a little bit bizarre. - You don't cook caviar.
The person leaving is Bowen.
- Tonight... - No.
...the top eight face their biggest challenge yet.
- The wall. - You and a partner
must create dishes that look and taste identical,
but you won't be able to see each other.
This is gonna be a mess.
- Salmon is in! - Heard. Let's go!
And it's a double elimination.
- How that sauce looking, Willie? - Is that Christian?
- Shanika, you there? - The team that can't get in sync...
- Got it! - Duck's at 130! I'm pulling it!
- What are they doing? - Use the cream you cooked them in!
- I already strained it. - No! Look at me.
- You need to get on the same page now. - Yes, Chef.
...will be leaving the kitchen for good.
- It just looks bland. - It tastes like cough syrup.
- It's that disappointing. - Oof.
Top eight.
- It's a big one tonight. - The wall.
- This is my favorite. - Absolutely.
One of the most exciting challenges across this season.
This is it.
- ( gasps ) No! - Uh...
Michael: It's the wall.
I watched season 11,
and I know what's about to happen.
This is gonna be a mess.
- Welcome back. - What is this?
No, not the wall.
The wall doesn't care how good of a chef you are.
The wall will take anyone down today.
Y'all set up the kitchen wrong.
Welcome back, everyone. Top eight.
Tonight you will face a challenge that's new to all of you.
The wall. The ultimate test of communication.
You and a partner will cook on opposite sides of this very wall,
and you must create dishes that look and taste identical.
You'll be able to hear each other,
- but you won't be able to see each other. - Well.
And I don't know have to tell you guys
that there's no immunity pin to save you guys this evening.
And trust me, you do not want to be in the bottom,
because tonight both cooks from the losing team
- will be going home. - Ooh.
That's right, tonight is a double elimination.
Amanda: There's only eight of us,
so 25% percent chance you're going home today.
And I'd love to be on a team with Christian because we've worked great together,
and I definitely wouldn't want to be paired with Derrick.
I think sometimes his ego gets the best of him.
So I think it would be a real challenge to be on his team.
And, Emily, even though you won the last challenge,
there is no immunity pin to protect you tonight.
- No, there's not. - But you do have a huge advantage.
You get to pick the teams for this challenge.
( Michael sighs )
I am very afraid of Emily's power right now,
because on season nine I knocked Emily out of the competition.
So I'm wondering, is she gonna use her advantage
to get me out of the kitchen?
Now, Emily, let's start with your pick.
With a wall in between you,
communication is of the utmost importance,
but I also want someone that, you know,
we're on the same level when it comes to skills.
So I am going to choose Michael.
- Wow. Michael. - Mm.
Yeah.
Who are you gonna pair with Dara?
I know she's a very strong cook.
It's just that stress level that I think in the kitchen
sometimes gets to her, and that can negatively impact a team member as well.
So you're putting this person with her because it's gonna keep her calm?
No. I'm putting this person with her
because I think that might drive this person a little insane.
So with Dara, I would like to pair Shanika.
- Ha. - Gordon: Shanika. Wow.
- All right. - Ooh.
- Man. - Right, Emily, we're gonna talk about Christian now.
Emily: The person that I'm going to pair with Christian,
ironically, I think they have very different communication styles.
I'm going to pair Christian with Willie.
- Mm. - Gordon: Wow.
- Oh, wow. - Interesting.
Big Willie, how does that make you feel?
Actually, what Emily don't know
is me and Christian was on the same season together
and we actually worked in the tag team together.
And so I know how he works, so it most definitely could come together.
Emily, by default, you've also chosen Amanda and Derrick,
so give me an insight to that. Why?
Emily: I know that Derrick is a strong personality.
He's definitely a top threat.
But Amanda's voice is so soft.
I don't know how well they're gonna be able to communicate.
Emily and Michael, please join the line,
and everybody put your team colored aprons on. Thank you.
Emily showed that I'm her biggest threat
sticking me with Amanda.
I'm gonna go off.
( bleep ) everybody.
- Except me. - Except Derrick.
Because she put Christian with Willie.
They, like, cook the same food.
And then Dara and Shanika, girl power.
They're gonna work it out.
And then she took a really great chef for herself.
I mean, if she wanted to win, she needed to pick me,
but she doesn't want the win right now.
She wants to get rid of me. But I'm not going anywhere.
Right, tonight you'll have one hour
to cook us three amazing dishes each.
But your dishes must look and taste identical tonight.
- All: Yes, Chef. - We are expecting fully plated,
Michelin star entrées from everyone.
Aarón: But before you start cooking,
you'll get five minutes in that beautifully stocked pantry.
There you can conceptualize, strategize, and gather your ingredients.
And it will be your only time in the pantry as well. Five minutes.
Gordon: And remember, tonight two of you,
for the first time this season, are going home.
Your 60 minutes start now.
- Let's go. - We got this. We got this. We got this.
Come on, Willie. Come on, Willie.
- Come on. Right away. - I'm thinking seafood. You wanna do seafood?
Seafood is good. Seafood is fast. Type of fish?
- Salmon's my favorite. - Salmon? Crispy skin salmon.
- Crispy? - Crispy skin salmon.
Thank goodness me and Emily are instantly in alignment.
- We could do a lemony tarragon pea purée. - Purée.
At this point, we haven't really picked a leader out.
I think we're gonna try and just work collaboratively.
- I was thinking about a preserved lemon vinaigrette. - Yeah.
- Small potatoes. - No, let's do the potatoes,
and then let's do a Swiss chard, like, just quick, sautéed, salt and pepper.
- Let's do it. - So with the salsa verde,
basically we could grill jalapenos,
tomatillos, garlic, a little bit of ginger.
- Okay, okay. - Get that all on the grill.
- This is difficult. - Wow, it's intense.
I was thinking Moroccan style couscous because you can cook it like pasta.
We're gonna boil, we're gonna put it in.
We're gonna cook it 10, 12 minutes.
- We're gonna test it. - Emily thinks if I take the lead
I'm gonna overcomplicate the situation,
and that's just a recipe for disaster.
So let me let Amanda take the lead.
I know I can cook anything that she throws at me.
Three minutes till these doors close. Three minutes!
- All right, let's get our couscous. - Okay.
- Onions. - Let's get the seasoning, seasoning!
- You need a little cayenne. - We've got shallots,
we've got garlic, we've got peas.
- What protein is that? Duck. - Duck, yes, Chef.
- Joe: Duck's risky. - Gordon: It's very hard to get that cooked properly.
- Let's grab a preserved lemon. - Do we need wine? Wine? Wine?
Shallots. White wine and shallots.
Look, those baskets look identical.
- Amanda: Our duck, salt, pepper... - Derrick: Yep.
...and then we're gonna pour our sauce in it.
- We got the pork chop? - Yeah.
- Get your milk. - 30 seconds left!
- Here's some cayenne. - What else?
- Garlic. - Bam. Let's go, Willie!
All right, let's go, Shanika.
- Five, four, three... - Come on, Michael!
- ...two, one. - Let's go, let's go, let's go!
( overlapping shouts )
- Aarón: Come on! - Gordon: The pantry is closed.
I'ma walk you through the sauce.
- We're gonna start the sauce first. - All right.
We're gonna score seven at an angle,
- six at an angle. - Seven, six. Heard.
We just need to talk. We're gonna use the clock system.
- Do you wanna cook the filets of salmon into squares? - Michael: Yes.
- That's intense. - Dara: Shanika, you there?
- Shanika: I'm here! - All right.
Get the tomatillos, garlic,
and onions on the grill pan, okay?
- Heard! - Dara: Perfect.
Michael: What are we doing first, the pea purée?
Emily: Pea purée needs to get started first, yes.
So team selection, Emily had a huge advantage tonight.
Her first pick was Michael. Was that a smart move?
- Defensive. - Defensive.
She feels he's the best cook. She doesn't wanna go home.
We're gonna need some cream to finish,
so don't use all your cream, Emily.
Heard, heard!
- Amanda: Derrick! - Yeah?
Amanda: Are we doing them in the cast iron?
Come to the wall. I can't hear.
- Cast iron? - Derrick: What?
Derrick and Amanda, I feel it's either
gonna go really great and they'll be the best,
or it'll go really bad and they'll be the worst.
There's no middle ground for them.
Aarón: I think Amanda took it personally
when Emily called her a soft voice
and doesn't have that big outgoing personality in the kitchen.
So I think Amanda's gonna show her that she has that.
All right, I'm gonna start scoring now!
Okay. Let's not drop our duck until it's the same time.
Yes, we'll drop them at the same time.
Make sure we're gonna skin those potatoes, too, okay?
- Leave the skin on? - Christian: No, we taking it off.
- All right. - Christian: Yes, sir.
Big Willie and Christian, I think that was a silly move
because those are from the same neck of the woods,
and they share the same big bold flavor profile.
Christian: I'm seasoning my pork chop now, bro.
Willie: Okay, what you want me to season it with?
Salt, pepper, and all those additional seasonings
- that we grabbed. - All right, the Cajun?
Yes, sir. We gonna keep it South.
All right, I'm showing I have two tomatillos here.
- You only have two? - Shanika: Yes.
Okay, I'll throw you some more. Shanika, are you ready?
- Yes. - They're coming over now.
All right. Got it!
Dara: Perfect! Get those on.
I think that the surprise success team of the night
is gonna be Dara and Shanika.
Gordon: Yeah, but Dara does tend to get flustered,
so that might trip up Shanika.
I wanna see Dara less panicked for those last five minutes to go.
- Are we peeling the ginger? - Cut the skin off
- and get it onto the grill. - Heard!
But communication's gonna have to be key.
Derrick, talk to me. Where you at?
- I'm opening my third duck! - Amanda: Okay.
These are so thick, Amanda. We gotta start right away.
Yes, heard. Yeah, 'cause we have to baste them.
- Onion powder on the pork chop. - Christian: Yes, sir.
We want all that flavor. All bold flavors.
You know what's up, baby boy. Is that cool with you, bro?
- Willie: That's cool. - Let's work.
Six, seven...
Every step from serving the protein
to making the sauce to the garnish to the seasoning,
you need to be in sync.
- Amanda? - Amanda: Yes?
For the couscous, do we boil the water first?
Yes, like pasta.
Good Lord, it is loud in here, huh?
Look at this. Michael's doing his vegetable prep
and Emily's cutting her salmon.
So, already they're not even on the same page.
- Michael: Emily? - Yeah, heard. Hold on. I'm starting a fire over here.
Michael: What? I can't hear you. What?
Oh, shoot. All right, I got boil. I got boil.
- I am not at a boil! - What?
- I don't have a whole clove. - You don't have an onion?
Smoked paprika?
Hell yeah, man! It's blackened.
Oh, my God. It's so loud!
- I'm not at a boil yet. - What?
I'm talking to Michael, and Michael is like, "What?"
- What? - "Huh?"
- What? - "What?"
- What? - It's insanity.
We need to what?
At this point, I'm feeling a little nervous about taking Michael on as my teammate.
Emily, I need you!
Oh, my gosh. I didn't realize that you were deaf.
- What? - I hate this challenge so much.
- What? - I hate this challenge.
Wow, one big crazy wall,
four incredible teams of two.
- Shanika: You ready? - Yep, I'm ready!
- Oh! - Shanika: Sorry.
Gordon: Sadly, both cooks from the losing team will be going home.
Man, there's some jeopardy out there tonight.
Guys, 15 minutes gone. 45 minutes remaining.
Let's go.
Let's do 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
1/4 teaspoon of salt!
Oh, my goodness me. Oh, boy.
Right, young lady, tell me about the dish.
Emily: So we're doing a crispy skin salmon filet
over a tarragon pea purée with white asparagus
- and a preserved lemon vinaigrette. - Wow.
- Who's leading this? - We're taking turns leading,
because I'm not familiar with the vinaigrette.
He's less familiar with the pea purée,
- and so we're handing off. - Okay.
- Hopefully it'll work. - Right.
Just over 40 minutes to go. Good luck.
- Yes, Chef. - Hey, Shanika.
- What's the dish? - We're making blackened steel trout.
We're doing this with sautéed mushrooms,
and we're doing a salsa verde,
so we're going a little, you know, español style today.
I like that. Now, were you excited to get the pairing of Dara?
Yeah, I think Dara is a really, really strong cook,
and she's actually a great leader as well
because she's walking me through a lot of this.
- Wait, stop the press. You're following? - Dara is taking the lead.
Have you ever followed anyone in your life?
Yes, I have, because my job is to be able to lead and to listen.
- You can't be a chef if you can't do both. - Wow.
You think Emily should've picked Dara instead of Michael?
You know what? She messed up when she put me and Dara together.
- Ooh! Messed up. - Did you put your salt in already?
- Shanika: No, I didn't. Heard! - Salt the fish, okay?
- I like the communication here, Joe. - Yeah, it's good. Strong.
- All right, good luck. - Thank you, Chef.
37 minutes, guys. 37 minutes.
- Derrick? - Derrick: Yeah?
- Are you juicing? - Derrick: I'm getting there.
Right, young man, how are you feeling?
- I'm feeling great, Chef. - Good.
Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
So we're gonna put couscous with some shallots
and some dried apricots.
We're doing a sliced duck on top
and then an orange reduction,
almost like duck à l'orange with a Moroccan flair.
Wow, so duck breast are we serving them pink?
- Um, yeah, medium. - Medium, above.
- And is hers gonna be medium as well? - Yes.
You're a big risk-taker, young man.
So this sounds like an Amanda profile dish that you're following suit.
Derrick: Yeah, if she feels comfortable with this,
she communicates to me, I tell her what I'm doing,
- our vision comes to life. - The pairings, you and Amanda,
what does that say about Emily?
I think she thought picking Michael was the best move,
and she didn't think about someone like Amanda and I being together.
We're from season six. We've been in a kitchen together before.
I've been on every winning team. Why would you not pick me?
- Yeah. - My communication is amazing.
- Stay on the same page. Good luck. - Yep.
- Christian? - Christian: Yes, sir.
Willie: I only have four potatoes.
- You only got four? - Yeah.
Christian: I'm 'bout to throw them over.
Go ahead and throw.
- Aw, ( bleep ). - You got it?
- It's okay, we got a-- - I got it.
Now come on. Is that enough?
- That's it. That's it. - Okay.
What's the dish? What did you decide on?
We are making a seven blackened Cajun double cut pork chop
with a white wine blood orange sauce.
We gonna serve it with some mashed potatoes and rainbow Swiss chard.
How happy are you about the pairing? You happy to be with Willie?
I'm happy. Last time we worked together on season five, he left.
We're not going home tonight.
The person leaving "MasterChef" tonight is Willie.
I'm sorry. Your journey ends tonight.
No hard feelings.
You know, this is like a redemption for us.
How can you ensure that the level of seasoning
on Willie's pork chop-- yours are very heavily seasoned. How can communicate that to him?
- Willie's from the South. - Aarón: He understands heavy duty seasoning?
- Yes! - So, Willie, if you laid a pork chop
in the sand on the beach, is that what your seasoning looks like?
Baby, it's covered and covered and covered!
- Aarón: All right, good luck. - All right!
- Shall we do the peas? - Yes, let's do the peas.
Michael: Are we gonna strain them first?
- Emily: Yes! - I need you to talk louder.
Yes, strain first!
Peas are strained. Going into blender.
Heard. Everybody would be able to hear a lot better if everybody stopped screaming.
- I can't hear you. What? - Hold on.
Hold on, I'm straining my peas.
And let's add a splash of heavy cream so it blends.
Use the cream you cooked them in!
- I already strained it. - Did you throw it away?
Michael: Yeah, you told me to strain it.
Well, yeah, but you don't ever lose your liquid.
Okay, I only have the cream. It doesn't matter.
So let's just both do the same thing.
Let's try two tablespoons of cream to start.
Heard. Let's go!
- There is a lot going on. - Wow.
Gordon: Let me tell you about Emily and Michael.
They're doing a crispy skin salmon
with a grilled asparagus
and then a preserved lemon vinaigrette
with a fresh mint pea purée.
Salmon with asparagus and pea purée,
- they're playing it safe. - Absolutely.
- Very, very safe. And maybe too safe. - Right.
My couscous is done!
It's got a little firmness to it.
- Can I strain it? - Um, yes.
And then you're gonna toss it
with some olive oil, salt, pepper.
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper? - Yes.
Now, Derrick and Amanda, they're doing almost like
a Moroccan couscous inspired dish.
They're using a duck breast.
Duck breast is the biggest variable in this whole kitchen.
Because, you know, you score a duck breast and you render it,
it could come out completely different.
Make sure you've seasoned your water for the potatoes!
Come on, brother, I'm doing that right now.
You know we from the South. We like flavor, brother.
Christian and Willie are doing pork chops Southern style.
Aarón: Yeah, they're doing a Cajun broth on the outside.
They're heavily seasoned,
and they're gonna do some sort of potato garnish
as well as Swiss chard and a blood orange sauce.
- How that sauce looking, Willie? - Willie: It's boiling.
- I'm about to add the stock in now. - Ooh-whee!
- Dara: Okay, Shanika. - Yes, ma'am?
Tell me when you're ready to blend.
Let's get this mix on, and then we'll start those mushrooms.
- Dara with Shanika, how's that working out? - So here's the deal.
They're gonna do a crispy skin trout with a salsa verde.
But over trout, that seems weird, that salsa verde.
- Yeah. - It's so powerful, and trout's so sweet and delicate.
That thing's spicy, girl!
We're bringing the heat today!
Joe: But check this, Dara's leading.
Shanika says she's willing to be led.
- Wow. - I don't quite believe it.
My duck's at 130! I'm pulling it!
Derrick, I'm at 132. I'm pulling them.
- Derrick: Perfect! - Just over 15 minutes to go.
- Derrick, where you at? - Derrick: I'm just slicing duck.
- Gordon: Hold on. - Are Amanda and Derrick slicing the duck
- with 15 minutes to go? - Joe: Yeah, they're slicing.
- Aarón: What is he doing? - What are they doing?
- Joe: It's gonna oxidize. - And all the juice hasn't rested properly.
- I can't believe it. - I'm at a really nice medium.
- Amanda: Me, too. - That is all kinds of wrong.
Gordon: So the goodness is gonna be on the board, not on the plate.
What is he doing? Oh, my goodness me.
No. No, no, no, no, no.
Gordon: Hold on.
Are Amanda and Derrick slicing the duck
with 15 minutes to go?
Joe: It's gonna oxidize.
That is all kinds of wrong.
Gordon: Oh, my goodness me.
No. No, no, no, no, no.
- I'm at a really nice medium. - Me too!
Maybe that's just their tester.
- No. - No, they're cutting them all.
You see all that juice from Derrick's duck from here?
- Aarón: Yes. - Shanika, put oil on the pan.
Olive oil. No, grapeseed.
- We're blackening this dish. - Heard.
Emily, when you drop your salmon,
keep your fingers on them so it gets a nice flat sear.
Heard. We're pressing. Yes, heard.
First piece going in the middle! You ready?
- Yes! - Go!
Shanika: Make sure you press it down so that skin sears!
Dara: I'm pushing it down!
- And go! - Emily: Go!
Michael: I'm holding for 30 seconds.
- Emily: Heard. - Michael: All right.
How's your sauce, Derrick?
Mine's a little reduced. I'm gonna add some more chicken stock.
Okay, mine's still very thin,
so I'm gonna let it reduce some more.
Salmon is in!
Let's go back to the vinaigrette.
Can you add a teaspoon of the juice?
One teaspoon of the juice.
Look at the synchronization now between Emily and Michael.
Well, let's see what the juice-- wait, wait, wait!
- Michael, that's really salty. - Michael: Yeah, I know.
Do we need salt in there? There's a lot of acid.
If anything, we need something sweet.
Okay, well, we don't have anything sweet.
Exactly, so let's not add anything salty.
Michael: But you did you add it? I already added it.
Okay, I'm gonna add a little bit.
Okay.
One, two, three, four, five.
- Come on, Amanda! - Come on, Willie!
Gordon: Remember, we want identical dishes from each team.
Let's go!
Willie, what plate do you wanna plate on?
There is a white plate right here with silver rims.
Okay.
Oh, yeah! We gonna set that to the side, brother.
Yelling through the wall is like your mama yelling at you
down the street to bring your ass home.
Christian: How you feel, Willie?
- I'm feeling really good. - Let's go then, baby!
Christian's voice keeps going to this high octave.
Christian: Willie, did you-- are you glazing your pork chop?
- I'm glazing. - Let's work it, my man.
Is that Christian?
- Willie! - Christian, is that you?
Willie, we got ten minutes. You ready to plate?
- I'ma be ready. - We gotta get ready for plating, Derrick, okay?
Derrick: Yep. Heard.
Shanika, I'm gonna flip my fish!
Okay, I can't flip mine yet. It's not ready to flip.
- Okay, my skin is gonna burn, so I'm flipping it. - Heard.
- Michael. - Michael, so how we feeling, buddy?
Do you think Emily burnt the salmon like that?
No, no, no, that was my test one.
- I hope not. - Maybe flip some of them.
- I think they're good to go, buddy. - Joe: Ooh.
- Aarón: Hurry up. Flip them, flip them. - How well do you know Emily?
Michael: Look, we've been here for so many weeks together.
- I know she's a solid cook. - I have to leave you with one question.
- Yes? - Do you think that Emily would brown salmon
- to that level? - Michael: Uh, I hope so.
Emily, what kind of color are you getting on your salmon?
Good. Nice deep, dark golden brown.
Yeah, mine are definitely well crisped.
Shanika, we need to start plating in three minutes, okay?
Heard. The fish ain't ready though.
Okay, Shanika, I'm taking my fish off.
Okay, my fish isn't ready to come off.
Derrick: Amanda, where's the Romanesco going?
On the left side of the couscous.
Willie, I'm plating already.
Willie: I am too!
Set out our plates.
Plating is going to be where I have the most nerves.
Plating three Michelin star dishes
on the opposite side of a wall is my worst nightmare.
Spoon swipe from ten o'clock to five o'clock on the plate.
I'm getting nervous about the spoon swipes,
that they're not gonna be identical.
Emily: Okay, then let's just do a circle,
but let's do a five inch circle.
Hold on, let's pick an object and match it.
Let's do that. Cutters. Circle cutters right here, yeah?
- Wait, do the size of the deli. - Size of the deli! Heard.
Size of the deli right in the middle of the plate, yeah?
- Michael: Right in the middle. - Heard.
- Christian? - Yes?
I'm putting this Swiss chard a little bit off of the potato
- on the right. - All right.
Bone towards 12 o'clock.
Yes, sir, we gonna sit it nice and hot.
- Make sure we plate together. - Yes, Chef.
You've got literally just over 3 1/2 minutes.
- Yes, Chef. - Don't leave it too late, please.
- Heard, Chef. Heard, Chef. - Please.
- Dara, she hasn't even started plating yet. - I know. We're gonna--
- No, no, look at me. - She hasn't even started plating yet.
- You need to get on the same page now. - Yes, Chef.
- Is your fish done? - Fish is done.
- We don't have enough-- - Synchronization, I beg you.
- Yes, Chef. - You're already plated.
- She's got nothing on the plate. - I know. I wanted to plate.
- Look at me. - Yes, Chef.
- Gordon: Teamwork. - Yes, Chef.
Dara, you need to get on the same page now. Now.
- Is your fish done? - Fish is done.
You're already plated. She's got nothing on the plate.
- I know. Yes, Chef. - Look at me.
- Gordon: Teamwork. - Yes, Chef.
We have two minutes, Shanika. Let's go!
Emily, what are we doing with the asparagus?
Five pieces of asparagus, tips to the northeast.
Yes, let's do exactly 45 degrees.
Willie, go ahead and drizzle a little more sauce
and hit it with the microgreens, brother.
Heard!
- Amanda! - Talk to me. Hurry.
So I did the sauce around the duck,
around the outside of the couscous, nice and tight.
- All right. - Gordon: 90 seconds to go.
Aarón: Let's go, Shanika.
- Dara: Shanika. - Yes?
You're fish is on the left side, yes?
- Yes. - Okay, on the right side
you're gonna do one whole mushroom.
Upside down? Face down?
Upside down in the middle, and then two halves--
one at the top of the fish, one at the bottom.
- Come on, Shanika! - Emily: Herb salad is on. We need our sauce.
What are we doing? Drizzle around the outside of the plate?
Yeah, just drizzle the full circle, I think, right?
- Full circle. Heard, yes. - In this moment, Emily and Michael
look like they're cooking side by side.
- Aarón: Yeah. - Remarkable consistency.
- Amanda: Give me a measurement. - I got a ring around.
There's a good inch and a half from the edge to everything.
- Amanda: Heard. - Come on, Amanda.
My microgreens are going on top of the pork chop.
That is correct. I'm doing the same thing, brother.
Shanika, put a spoonful of the tomatillo in the middle.
Shanika, we need to get some garnish on there as well.
- Shanika: Slow down. - Come on, Shanika!
Maldon salt to finish or no?
Yes, just a little tiny bit on top of the skin.
We got ten seconds.
Shanika, do you have any micro parsley or cilantro?
- No. - Amanda, wipe your plate!
- Judges: Five, four, three, two, one. - Ugh!
- Aarón: That's it. - Gordon: Stop!
- Whoo! - Good job, Michael. Good job.
- I don't think it's the same. - I'm sorry.
- Don't beat yourself up about nothing, all right? - Dara: I won't.
I'm just putting a lot of pressure on myself because this is my dish
and there's a double elimination tonight.
But I'm gonna hold my head high
when I get in front of the judges because...
...I'm proud of this and hopefully--
and I hope they can see that.
- Yay. - That's a hard challenge.
Today I didn't want to complicate things too much.
I wanted to just let Amanda drive.
I think it was a good team effort. We'll see.
It's time for the moment of truth.
Please bring your cloched dishes to the front.
Right, let's start off with Christian and Willie.
Head on up with your dishes. Thank you.
- You confident these are gonna look identical? - Yeah.
We communicated very well today.
All right, let's take a look.
- Bingo, bingo. - Ooh.
Ooh. Amazing.
- Christian: Thank you. - Wow.
- That looks good. - Okay, what did you make?
Christian: We prepared for you a Southern Cajun blackened pork chop
served with a blood orange white wine sauce,
with a buttery cream potato and Swiss chard.
Visually, for me, it looks like there was no wall tonight.
It's exact replicas--
the depth of the sauce, the mash, the amount.
But aesthetically, one issue with these two dishes.
Different plates.
Joe: Oh, yeah. What? That's the easiest thing, guys.
- Yes, Chef. - And also we're gonna take a knife
and cut each of these pork chops open
and lots of things will come to light.
Don't think you got this in the bag yet.
- Yes. - All right.
Gordon: So the temp on Christian's is...
- ...beautiful. - Aarón: Nice.
Gordon: And the temp on Willie's?
Slightly over.
Christian, this pork chop is cooked beautifully.
- The sear's incredible. - Thank you, Chef.
Gordon: There's no exposed fat.
Big Willie, your pork is 60 seconds cooked too long,
but the mashed potatoes taste like these come from the same pan.
- Yep. - I think what's remarkable
is how accurate both of you guys got the seasoning.
Southern synergy happening right there.
But, Christian, your sauce is a little bit more developed.
It's a little bit more caramely.
Yours needed to cook a little bit more, Willie,
but other than that, great job on the replication
and very familiar big flavor.
- Thank you. - Thank you so much.
Yeah, guys, it's really good. Emily, what were you thinking
about putting these two together from the South?
I knew that they had similar styles of cooking,
but it was about the communication that I thought might trip them up.
Is your strategy victorious or have you failed?
Oh, no, I failed on this team. They definitely pulled it off.
- Thank you. - It's a good job, both of you.
Both: Thank you.
Christian: We knocked it out the park,
and we damn sure proved Emily wrong.
So, thank you, Emily.
You really dropped the ball this time.
Next up, Dara and Shanika,
make your way down please. Thank you.
Shanika: We started off good,
but we got a little bit
of miscommunication going on,
and I'm just scared that my dish
is not going to look like Dara's.
Right, are we both confident they're gonna look the same?
No, Chef, they are not going to look the same,
and I take full responsibility for that.
- Uh-oh. - Right. Let's have a look, shall we?
I think I fumbled the ball on the plating.
- Joe: Oh, boy. - ( sighs )
Are we both confident they're gonna look the same?
No, Chef, they are not going to look the same,
and I take full responsibility for that.
- Uh-oh. - Right. Let's have a look, shall we?
The good news is they look very similar.
The bad news is it reminds me of a dish
that's sort of straight out of week one of culinary school.
It's not Michelin level. Describe the dish, please.
So today we have a blackened trout,
salsa verde, roasted corn, and sautéed mushrooms.
Blackened catfish I get, but blackened trout?
Don't know why we need blackened season on a steelhead trout.
Who decided to serve the shiitake mushrooms this way?
I don't think I've ever seen a shiitake mushroom
left entirely with the stem on.
The scoring of the fish is obviously a difference,
so that's a mistake too.
But, look, we'll taste it.
Right.
An amazing duplication in flavor
because they really taste exactly the same
in their attributes and their defects.
The trout is both perfectly cooked,
but the seasoning is aggressive.
The dish is very, very hot
with the salsa, the blackened seasoning.
And then you dive into the corn for some cooling agent.
You have to run away from the mushrooms
because they're just badly thrown in there.
You leave the stems on a chanterelle.
You leave your stems on a cremini.
Not on a shiitake. Never.
Gordon: I just expect more from both of you
because it just is not you at your best.
The cook on the trout is absolutely spot on.
Everything else around it, including the seasoning,
it's just obliterating.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
Shanika: Dara took the lead on this challenge,
and I agreed to the dish,
so I'm not gonna say that I blame Dara for this,
but this is all her idea.
- Gordon: Right, Michael and Emily, please. - Oh, God.
Head on up with your dishes. Thank you.
Michael: I feel like our plates match.
Except for when I couldn't hear her,
we did follow each other's directions.
This is scary.
All I know is I am terrified
about the moment these judges lift those domes.
The moment of truth.
So close.
- Gordon: Wow. - What kind of face is that, Emily?
The salmons are turned 90 degrees opposite of one another.
Michael, describe the dish please. What do you make?
We did a crispy skin salmon with an English pea purée,
grilled white asparagus finished with grilled lemon,
and a preserved lemon vinaigrette.
Look, it looks beautiful. Let's get that absolutely clear.
Purée looks nice and fine. Asparagus beautifully grilled.
Slightly concerned about the lemon preserve sauce.
It is powerful, that stuff.
Joe: I think the lemon preserve sauce, you can even see visually,
is the thing that has the greatest amount of variance in it.
But let's taste it.
They look good, yeah? They look good. They look good.
Who knows?
Emily and Michael, overall your dishes are similar in appearance and taste.
But, Emily, your salmon is cooked beautifully.
- Michael, yours is medium. - Okay.
Gordon: Especially when you see that white
bursting out of the side-- identifies.
But both purées taste of so much cream.
If it's a pea purée, then it needs to taste of peas, peas and mint.
But you have to be careful with that preserved lemon 'cause so powerful
it actually just creates a bitter flavor.
Aarón: Yeah, Michael, Emily, I appreciate the concept
without that off-putting vinaigrette.
- That vinaigrette's a misfire. - Okay, yeah.
Joe: Here's what happened on the sauces.
Michael, this one is bitter
and almost kind of assaulting on your palate.
Emily, yours is perfectly integrated.
So, I'm sorry, it's a fail on that aspect.
- Thank you both. - Thank you, Chefs.
Derrick, Amanda, please bring up your dishes, please.
Amanda and I did pretty well considering the circumstances.
So I'm confident that our plates are gonna look the same
and taste the same.
But we're about to find out.
Amanda, Derrick, how accurate do you both feel
that you got on these executions?
I feel pretty confident.
I feel really good. All there.
Joe: Let's see how you did.
- Are they both-- - Yeah.
Good job.
Aarón: Please describe your dish.
- Go ahead. - Today we made for you a crispy skin duck
with a Moroccan style couscous,
with some Romanesco and a blood orange gastrique.
So the issue for me is it's the wrong color of sauce.
Gastrique is all wrong. You would never put anything
of that color on a plate with red meat.
It looks like the duck is bleeding.
It just does not work.
So the issue for me is it's the wrong color of sauce.
It looks like the duck is bleeding.
Aarón: But you guys both did a good job of making them very similar.
I think there is a lot of commonality in the presentation.
Yeah, I just don't know if it's the right protein with the couscous.
- Shall we? - Joe: Yes.
Well, first off, from a flavor standpoint
the duck is well-seasoned.
But, Amanda, your dish has inconsistent cuts.
Yours has a really big, kind of awkward cut right here.
Your couscous is seasoned,
and, Derrick, yours has zero salt.
This sauce on both, it tastes like cough syrup.
- Ooh. - There's nothing interesting behind it.
It's that disappointing.
The minute you start cooking that Israeli couscous in water,
it's game over, because it's something
that should be cooked and stewed in stock.
The problem with this dish is not the invitation,
it's the conceptualization of the dish.
There's nothing that would interest me to eat this.
Gordon: Now, both of you got some great color on the duck,
but when we have a delicate protein like a duck,
that's sliced at the very last moment,
because the goodness stays in the duck when we slice it,
not on the board.
When you slice duck like that, it becomes quite bland,
so that's a bit of a rookie mistake.
It's like a put together in a rush dish
as opposed to a Michelin starred restaurant quality dish.
- Thank you both. - Yep.
Derrick: I was feeling really confident,
but right now I'm kind of regretting
letting Amanda take the lead on this dish.
It just didn't go well.
Two people are going home, and for me right now,
that could be a big problem.
Gordon: Bloody hell.
Right, Joe, Aarón, and myself need a very serious moment.
Excuse us.
Oh, man.
Two of them are going home tonight,
so this is a tough one.
For me, there's a top half and a bottom half.
- Yeah, I agree. - Derrick and Amanda,
that couscous did not work.
The duck was cooked right, but it wasn't interesting to me.
The sauce tastes like cough syrup.
Shanika and Dara's dish, it had some problems.
- Gordon: Yeah. - The shiitakes were a big mistake,
- but the trout was cooked properly. - Yeah.
- Mm. Head up, girl. - What's worse?
Um, oh, goodness me.
There were some really big issues, not only with the duplication,
- but just flavors that were skewed and off. - Yeah.
- I hate this part. - I know.
- All right. We agreed? - We're good. Yeah.
Unfortunately, for one of you teams tonight, it's your last time cooking
in the "MasterChef: Back to Win" season,
because tonight both members of that team will be eliminated.
But first, we feel there are two teams who are definitely safe
from elimination this evening.
Christian and Willie, congratulations on having
the best dish of the night, both of you.
- Both: Thank you. - Top six.
Head up to the balcony. Well done.
- Yes! - We won, and I'm sure a lot of people
thought that we were not gonna work well together.
So it feels good to prove people wrong,
especially Emily.
Next time you wanna get
Christian out the kitchen, go do your homework.
Gordon: Great job. Well done, both of you.
Emily and Michael, not the best performance,
but good enough to be safe from elimination tonight.
Congratulations to you both. Top six. Head up.
- Well done. - Let's go. Thank you, Chefs.
Shanika, Dara, Derrick and Amanda,
both teams' dishes were somewhat lacklust.
But we did come to a consensus,
and feel that one team's execution was underwhelming.
The team leaving the competition tonight...
I'm sad to say...
is Derrick and Amanda.
Shanika and Dara, make your way upstairs.
I love you so much.
It's okay.
Gordon: Derrick and Amanda, the dish wasn't an idea
that came out of the pantry with confidence.
Some real basic mistakes.
Tonight you were taken down by the wrong dish.
Um, yes, it is.
I put them together.
Amanda, we've come to absolutely admire
your composure in this competition.
You need to continue climbing that culinary ladder.
- You're good enough. - Thank you.
Gordon: Derrick, I know how much this competition means to you,
I know how strong and determined you've been.
You know I got a lot of ideas and so much more to show.
Promise me you'll continue.
Good. Come and say good-bye.
- Oh, Amanda, I'm gonna miss you. - I'm gonna miss you, too.
I'm gonna miss you so much.
So, my journey in the MasterChef kitchen is over
too soon once again.
But I'm really proud of myself.
I came back to prove that I can absolutely bake.
To come in "Back to Win" with a cake,
it's a very courageous move.
I cooked with integrity and love.
I stayed true to my culture, to my roots.
- Gordon: It looks absolutely gorgeous. - Yay.
Aarón: I'm just blown away. It just makes you wanna smile.
Amanda: I picked this dish for my daughter Hannah.
The one issue I have is that Hannah's not here to taste it.
- Continue your path. - Good luck.
- Thank you so much. - Sometimes you set a goal, you don't reach it.
You just have to find an alternative path,
and that's what I hope to teach Hannah.
Gordon: Oh, man.
It was not the way this was supposed to go.
Don't you dare give up.
I was here to get that trophy,
but the challenge beat us.
I'm not gonna get a chance to come back and do this again.
This is just the end of the road.
When I walked in to the MasterChef kitchen this season,
I had a lot of new techniques that I've learned
and mastered over the years.
Beautiful. Look at that.
I think I showed the judges I'm more comfortable
taking risks because I can back them up.
Gordon: The lobster is cooked beautifully.
Rock on, man.
But, look, I'm disappointed
'cause I had so much more to show.
That's the hard part.
Season six, I made it all the way to the finale,
and I really wanted to come back to win "MasterChef."
- Christian: See you later, Derrick! - Willie: Love y'all.
- Bye. - And even though it's leaving
in a different way than I imagined,
it's not the end, and I'm not going to give up.
Gordon: Next time, 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.
- This is not right, it's on you. - Shut it.
It's ( bleep ) raw.
What are you trying to do, close down Spago?