Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef Junior"...
Daphne: You will have to cook for a huge crowd
of monster truck drivers and off-road racers.
A'Dan: Abir, what are y'all doing?
- Need to take matters into my own hands. - Whoa.
Gordon: It's way too hot.
Person going home today is...
Starla.
- I'm so sorry. - All: Bye!
Tonight, it's time to turn up the heat
for a spicy team challenge...
- The jalapeño popper. - Jalapeño poppers!
Gordon: Each team make as many poppers as you can.
- What are you doing? - This is hard.
- Rub off the excess. Molly, that's messy. - I'm trying.
...and a mystery box elimination
that will have some cracking under the pressure.
Abir: Oh, my God! It's a crab!
Put your finger inside there.
- ( Gordon shouts ) - ( kids scream )
- Oh, shoot. - Jeez.
- Come on, guys, finish strong. - Daphne: Oh, no.
Gordon: Unfortunately, one of you has to say good-bye
to the MasterChef kitchen this evening.
- Oh, my God! - Aarón: That right there is spectacular.
- Gordon: There's no seasoning in there. - Daphne: Oh, no, no, no, no.
Make sure it's not you.
( music playing )
- Hey! - What the--
( all cheering)
Fire!
- That is so cool. - Liya: Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God. - It's like a chili festival.
Like, peppers over there, peppers over there,
peppers over there.
What is going on?
- Aarón: Man! - Oh, my gosh.
Give it up for our amazing fire juggler.
Well done, bud. Great job. Thank you so much.
Right. How cool was that?
- It was amazing! - Oh, my God!
- You guys are the top nine! - ( cheering )
Now, I hope you're all ready to feel the heat
of this competition.
- All: Yes, Chef! - Gordon: Good.
But tonight the heat is gonna be bite size.
- What? - Bite size?
- Aarón, please do the honors.
Gladly, Chef. Thank you.
- Abir: Jalapeño poppers! - Aarón: That's right.
It's everyone's favorite feisty finger food.
- Jalapeño poppers! - The jalapeño popper.
It looks like things are gonna get spicy
in the kitchen today.
Tonight, you will have to fight for immunity.
Then, for all of those who don't earn it,
sadly, another elimination challenge is on the line.
The good news is you will not have to do this alone tonight.
- ( sighing ) - Because it's time for another team challenge.
But first I'm gonna show you
how to make the perfect jalapeño popper.
Eva: I like jalapeño poppers and I've made them.
But it's totally different
watching Aarón Sánchez make them.
This is, like, so cool.
So I've taken some jalapeños.
We've gone ahead and taken out the seeds and the stems.
What happens when the seeds and the stems are away?
So when you take them out, it won't be spicy.
Exactly, and it also creates more room, right?
- Yeah. - For us to stuff them, right?
Okay, so I have a beautiful mixture here
of cream cheese and cheddar.
So we're gonna use a spoon, guys,
and we're only gonna do like a little schmear.
- Can everyone say schmear? - All: Schmear.
I like that. Kind of put it together,
remove any excess, and then we're gonna go ahead,
put all the necessary things in there
to make it nice and crunchy and yummy, okay?
We're gonna start with the milk. Why is the milk important, guys?
- So that everything sticks. - To add to those dry sticks.
- Exactly. - Cruz: All of us have to focus on this
or otherwise we will mess up.
This is very important, guys. You don't wanna use both hands, why?
'Cause you get the other hand dirty.
Yes. Shake off some of the excess flour.
Just simply dip it down.
Now that I have the egg
I'm gonna cover it with some breadcrumb.
So now we're gonna go to the fryer.
So these will take anywhere from three to five minutes,
and make sure you get that beautiful crust on the outside.
Don't overcrowd your fryers.
What's gonna happen if you put a lot in there?
The oil temperature will drop.
The temperature will drop.
So, here we go.
- Perfect breading on the outside... - Wow.
...and melty cheesy goodness on the inside.
And that's how a MasterChef
makes a delicious jalapeño popper.
Grayson: So jalapeño poppers are a Tex-Mex thing.
And even though I'm from Texas,
I've never made a jalapeño popper before.
But there's a first time for everything.
You will be competing in three teams of three.
So come on up here and grab a pepper,
- see which team you'll be on, okay? - Grab a pepper?
I'm feeling pretty good coming off a really strong win
in the last team challenge.
- Yellow. - Yes! Yeah.
And I'm kind of glad that A'Dan isn't gonna be on my team
because he has struggled being a team player.
Right, on the green team we have Eva, Liya, Ciara.
On the red team we have A'Dan, Cruz, and Molly.
And on the yellow team we have Ivy, Grayson, and Abir.
Each team tonight will have 15 minutes
to make as many jalapeño poppers as you can.
But we will be judging on quality, and the team
with the highest number
of perfect jalapeño poppers will win.
The winning team will be safe,
and the two losing teams will have to face elimination.
Right, all of you,
head to your stations. Let's go.
- Whoo! - Now, take a moment
and plan how each of you
would like to divvy up the workload.
- Can you do the eggs? - Crack the eggs, yes.
- You and me will stuff. - You and me will stuff first
and then she'll start breading them.
We can all switch up.
- Quality over quantity, okay? - Yeah.
Ivy, I want you to step up and be a leader today.
- Can you do that? - Can you be our team captain?
- Yeah. - You'll be our team captain?
- Great. Okay, let's do this. - Yes. Yeah.
Remember, don't make it over-complicated.
You just gotta work really fast.
Like, really this-- this is about speed.
- You guys ready? - All: Yes, Chef!
- Let's have 15 minutes on the clock please. - Oh! It's a quick one.
The great MasterChef Junior
jalapeño popper challenge
starts now!
- ( overlapping chatter ) - Let's go, red team.
Spoons?
Schmear! Mine won't schmear.
This is hard. Oh, shoot!
Molly: Using the spoon to put the stuffing
and everything in the jalapeño popper,
it's hard to get it all smooth.
So I think I'm just gonna have to start using my fingers.
- Molly, put them on the sheet tray. - The sheet tray? Okay.
- Sheet tray. - Aarón said rub off the excess.
- I'm trying. - You made it look easy.
- I mean, they're not easy, right? - Yeah, absolutely.
Don't be fooled by the simplicity
of the jalapeño popper. There is a huge need
- to be very organized with this process. - Yeah.
Once we have at least half of these done
someone has to get on frying, okay?
Okay, I'm just gonna start by coating them.
Okay, yeah, start coating them.
A'Dan: No, you gotta use it with the spoon.
- I'm trying, but I can't. - Molly, that's messy.
- Well, I'm sorry-- - Molly, let me do this.
Okay, you're gonna find it's harder
than it looks, A'Dan. I'm trying my best.
Abir, you need to pick up the pace on that, okay?
- Get them in the fryer. - Abir: All right, yeah.
Grayson: I have seven ready for him to coat,
and he coats one at a time and drops them in the fryer.
Which means they're gonna be way too inconsistent.
We need to hurry up, Abir.
You need to be doing two
- or three at a time, Abir. - All right.
Got you.
- This one fell apart. - Can't stand there talking, Abir.
- Gotta go. Let's go. Three minutes gone, come on. - Yes, Chef.
Eva: How many do you have so far?
I finished four and now I'm on my fifth one.
- Do we have any in the fryers? - Yeah.
- Ciara: Don't you hear that? - Eva: This is gonna be a hot one.
- What are you doing? - I'm getting them ready.
That's the bread hand.
Red team is the only team with nothing, and I mean zero,
- in the fryer. - Ay-yi-yi.
Molly, you have to do it neatly.
Okay, I'm sorry. I'm trying.
Molly is struggling
so I'm trying to tell her, "How about you do this?"
But yet she still ignores me.
All right, red team, where are the ones that you're done with?
- They're over here in the fryer. - So your strategy
is doing one at a time the whole way through?
I'm trying to get a whole tray done, but they won't do it.
A'Dan, these team challenges are always
about the communication on the team.
We keep talking about that, right?
- Molly, make sure-- - Yeah.
- That one has bald spots. - I know.
I don't know what to do about it.
The red team is definitely falling apart.
Our plan was to have a smooth system,
and the exact opposite is happening.
- That looks bald. - Well, A'Dan, there's nothing I can do.
I'm just trying to do my best.
A'Dan: Well, you're not trying hard enough.
A'Dan: Molly, that looks bald.
I'm just trying to do my best.
A'Dan: Well, you're not trying hard enough.
Daphne: A'Dan, you gotta be a team player.
A'Dan's yelling at everybody.
I need to be focusing on one station,
but I can't really do that
with everybody else all running
and scrambling and arguing.
You wanna switch spots?
- Um, sure. - Okay.
Let's speak politely to each other, but here's the deal.
You want to have Cruz on the fryer?
Because the fryer is just sitting and watching it.
I think you want your two people
who can crank fastest working on
the stuffing and breading process.
- Dropping at least three at a time, okay? - Check on the one
I just put in the fryer, Cruz.
A'Dan: We need to be using all three fryers, Cruz.
Keep talking, you guys. Keep talking.
You don't need to yell at me.
I'm not yelling at you.
Guys, six minutes gone, nine minutes remaining.
We have to speed up.
Oh, gosh, these keep popping off.
The mean green team machine!
Are we looking good?
- Yes. - Not really.
- They're kind of a little falling apart. - Okay, guys,
the breading is really important, everyone.
But make sure you're patting them down.
Liya, you're the last line of defense there, mija.
Maybe someone should switch off with me
'cause they're not going well.
- Want me to help you? Yeah. - Can you switch off?
I like that, Liya. If something's not going right,
- you gotta do the best you can do, okay? - Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Right, Ivy, come on, who's captain of this team?
I'm captain of the team.
What's the strategy? Who's doing what here?
Grayson is doing breading,
- I'm doing filling-- - Right.
Any more reading for frying?
- Are you timing them as well? - Yes, Chef.
Hey, guys, I wanna see a sense of urgency here, yes?
- Yes, Chef. - Let's go.
So I have six done.
Okay, that's good. We're doing good.
Get them in the baskets, Abir, and behind you.
- Cruz, we have none on the table. - Cruz, put some on the table!
I'm trying. You keep yelling at me.
Okay, guys, can we please-- no, no, look.
We have to get really good coating, okay?
Don't yell at each other. It's not each other's fault.
How many do we have done?
We have five done down there
and I'm putting seven in the fryer.
See, they just said they have seven in the fryer.
How many do-- Cruz, they have bald spots!
Five minutes to go, guys. Come on, we gotta speed up!
Yellow team already has ten.
Liya: Don't mind about others.
We just need really good ones, okay?
Good quality.
Ivy: How many poppers do we have done?
We have ten done and seven more in the fryer.
Look at the yellow team, Cruz. Look at us. Three, four.
- What is A'Dan doing? - I don't know.
But I am really concerned because A'Dan,
he's having real trouble
translating what he can do on his own
to a group dynamic.
Why are you grabbing one at a time?
Grab the whole tray, Cruz.
- Stop yelling at me. - Be smart about it.
Aarón: Green team, make sure you put them
in the baskets, young ladies.
- Get them in the basket, girls! - I'm trying.
Get them in the fryer.
Just drop them in. Just drop them in.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go, guys. Come on.
Come on. That one looks good. Salt it.
All right, guys, we need to get them out by--
yes, take them out with ten seconds to go. Just let them cook.
Be careful. What are you doing that for?
I'm trying to get as many in so we don't lose.
Where are the tongs? I need tongs, tongs, tongs.
- Judges: Ten, nine, eight, - Put that one in!
- seven, six, five, four... - Salt it!
- three, two, one! - Ivy, basket, basket, basket!
- Aarón: That's it. That's it, stop. - Gordon: Stop. Well done.
That was the fastest 15 minutes of my life.
Gordon: Well done.
- You guys, we did great. - Gordon: All of you well done.
Red team, what happened?
Really, it was just a lack of communication.
I heard you guys talking. I just heard you talking over each other.
Like, A'Dan especially. It was a lot of nasty talk,
things that we don't ever want to say to each other.
Not our friends, and definitely not people on our team
who we're trying to motivate.
You guys understand what I'm talking about?
All: Yes, Chef.
All right, let's see which teams are popping off.
Gordon: But, remember, we're looking for quality over quantity.
Okay, we're going to the green team first.
All right, green team, you got 22 poppers on the table.
How do you feel you did?
- I think we did okay. - Okay.
We got most of them on the plate.
It's just, I think some of them we didn't coat them so well.
Eva: They're taking one, looking at it,
either nodding or ripping it apart.
- Daphne: Ugh. - Oh!
I mean, these judges are being super, super tough.
Oh, sorry, Aarón.
- Oh. - Thank you.
- Daphne: Okay, red team. - Yeah.
We're gonna go through yours now, right?
Let's see how we did, okay?
- Okay. - Hmm.
Molly: We only have 11 finished baskets.
I'm definitely really concerned.
But in the end, it's really about how good yours were,
not about how many you have.
Molly: He's checking.
That's wrong?
Thank you, guys.
Gordon: Yellow team, you got 27 poppers on the table.
Let's see how you did.
- Oh, dear. - Aarón: Mm-hmm.
Abir: The judging is pretty harsh.
Even a little whole in the breading,
they're saying it's not gonna make the cut.
Nice. Finally. Thank you.
All right, please, all of you, make your way
down to the front please. Thank you.
Right, heads up, okay? Do not beat yourselves up.
Do not get upset, okay? That was a tough challenge,
but only one team will be safe.
The other two teams
will be facing a very tough elimination challenge.
Daphne: The red team, you made 11 poppers,
and of those, you had just three good poppers.
All right, the green team,
you plated 22 jalapeño poppers
and you got 15 beautiful ones done.
Good job, guys. Good job.
Now, yellow team,
tonight you made 27 poppers.
But how many were perfect?
Green team has 15 poppers.
Oh, my gosh.
And the yellow team scored...
Can he just cut to the chase?
Green team has 15 poppers.
And the yellow team scored...
...15 plus four.
- 19! - ( cheering )
Gordon: Yes!
Congratulations, yellow team. Well done.
Please make your way up to the balcony, put on your white aprons.
- Daphne: Good job. - Gordon: Well done.
Abir: I'm super happy
that I won yet another team challenge
and I've earned my spot in the top eight.
Now, red team, green team,
please put on your black aprons
and line up behind your station.
Molly: Our team did not work together
and this is definitely embarrassing.
I really thought that we could do better than that.
I know we could do better.
But now, ugh, I'm going into elimination.
Gordon: Right, listen up, because after this next challenge,
one of you will be going home.
As you can see, you all have to face
another dreaded mystery box.
Cruz, what do you think is under your box?
Chicken.
Mmm. Why don't you put your ear to it?
You may hear it scratching around in there.
( muted scuttling )
- Oh, my God, it just did. - Oh! No, Gordon.
Okay, then. Put your fingers in and tuck them up.
Do not leave the fingers exposed.
- One, two, three, lift! - Gordon, why?
- ( screaming ) - Oh, my God!
- It's a crab! - ( screaming continues )
Liya: A boxed crab.
And it's freaking me out because it's staring at me.
It's, like, trying to take my soul away.
( screaming )
This thing isn't even scary. It's just a little crab!
Gordon: Tonight, all of you
are going to have to turn this crab
into something truly magical.
Now, any great chef needs to know
how to break down a crab.
That's why tonight I'm gonna show you all how it's done.
Very carefully slide your crabs into the sink so they don't escape.
Just slide them down nicely. Slide them down.
A'Dan, look at Cruz doing it.
He's not scared. Good boy, Cruz.
Aarón: Good job, Liya. Good job.
Gordon: Well done, Molly. There we go.
Thank you, Cruz. That's a gentleman.
I am so relieved Gordon Ramsay's gonna show us
how to break down this crab, 'cause I have no idea.
Watch carefully.
Okay, first thing, we cook 'em for six minutes.
Boiling water. This crab has already been cooked.
It's got two big claws.
One's for crushing. One's for slicing.
And six big legs.
So what we do first is we turn this around.
Okay, underneath here is called the purse.
Why? Pull that back, looks like the inside of grandma's purse.
- That's where she hides her sweets, right? - Yep, yeah.
- Yeah, yeah. - Thumbs underneath there,
- and push up. - Oh!
- Oh, wow. - Push it up.
- And slide out. - Eww.
You guys are gonna love doing this.
- Wait-- oh! - That goes in there.
Now from there, okay,
- very carefully pull off and twist the legs. - ( groans )
Now, two, four,
six, eight legs.
Right, let's go for the big one first.
There's the claw.
We snap it off there like that. Feel that there?
Put your finger inside there.
- ( Gordon shouts ) - ( screaming )
It's dead. For goodness sake!
- What is wrong with you guys? - 'Cause you scared--
- You're like, "Aah!" - Dear, oh, dear.
Right, from there finger goes in there.
You pull back and you peel off.
Little claw out.
And then from there, take your knife,
just gently, and you twist, and that comes off.
But watch what happens now.
Gonna slide my little finger in there, and look.
Oh, my-- that's a lot of meat.
- That's great meat. - Gordon: And look, the whole claw.
Right, from there we then open this bit up, use the scissors,
and then very carefully open it up.
- Whoa. - Oh, wow.
Look at all that. Super expensive,
but so delicious.
You guys see why crab meat's
- so precious now? - All: Yes.
- Takes a long time to cut up. - Gordon: It does.
And that's how a true MasterChef breaks down the most amazing box crab.
- Okay? Right. - Both: Yes, Chef.
Please, head back to your stations, yes?
- Check on your crabs. - Yes, Chef.
- Oh, gosh. - Gordon: Let's go.
Growing up in Bakersfield, California,
which is in the desert, we do not have crabs.
( shrieks )
I don't want to eat it
and I don't want to smell it.
Oh, so gross.
But this is "MasterChef Junior" season eight.
I'm here to learn and show them
that I'm here to win.
Now, tonight, you'll have one hour
to break down those incredible box crabs
and then make us a dish using all that
incredible, delicious, sweet crab meat.
Remember, unfortunately, one of you has to say good-bye
to the MasterChef kitchen this evening.
Make sure it's not you.
- All: Yes, Chef! - Right, everybody ready?
- Yes, Chef! - Your 60 minutes start...
- ...now. Let's go. - Whoo!
- Put the crab in the water, guys.
Gordon: A'Dan, in!
- Molly, lid on. - Daphne: Yep.
- I did it! - Let's go, Molly.
And in!
Everybody, you're doing great.
Okay, celery.
I need watermelon radishes.
When I was little, I helped my dad cook with crabs,
but this is for the top eight.
And right now I'm thinking go big or go home.
Here's watermelon radishes right here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
So I am making a Vietnamese crab omelet
with crab noodles and some toasted peanuts.
I need eggs.
So I'm just hoping that my risk pays off.
- Let's go, A'Dan. - Okay, A'Dan.
- Okay. Okay. - Daphne: Nice, Liya.
- Organize. Let's go. - Daphne: Gotta keep your board organized
so you keep your brain organized.
- What are you making, Liya? - I'm making crab meat dumplings
- with a soy crab broth. - Yum.
And also braised daikon.
Lily: I'm Taiwanese, and this is a very cultural dish
because we make dumplings a lot at home.
I cook crab with my dad, too,
so I feel like this was a good idea to do
for my dish today.
Looking great, Liya.
- ( screams ) - The breaking down process is crucial.
- And the secret here is to do it when it's warm... - Come on.
...so this whole lump of meat will just beautifully slide out.
Ooh! Jeez Louise, mama's peas.
You made it look so easy, but I think it's gonna be a struggle.
Oh! Okay.
Oh, shoot. Okay, well, there goes one.
I just need a little bit of meat.
Just need a little bit.
And the most meat is in the claws.
Cruz, love that he's getting straight to those claws,
- and he is not terrified. - Daphne: Not at all.
- He's absolutely in the zone there. - And this is hard work.
For an eight year old, he is just cranking through here.
I'm feeling pretty good about this elimination challenge
'cause I've been breaking down crabs--
usually when it's, like, the summertime,
we have lots of crab in California.
So I'm like a boss at this.
I wanna do tagliatelle with my crab
'cause I've had seafood with pastas.
So I think it's gonna be a really good mix.
Oh.
Oh, my God, this is so gross.
Ciara, you gotta hurry up, girl.
Unfortunately, someone's going home tonight.
This is harder than it looks.
Right, 15 minutes gone.
We've all got 45 minutes remaining.
You should be finishing up your crab now...
Jeez!
...and starting to conceptionalize your dish.
Okay, Andouille sausage.
- What are you making right now, Liya? - I'm getting the soup ready.
- Grayson: It's a great idea. - Tough one, this one, but lots of incredible dishes
they can make tonight with this crab.
Now they could go the safe but traditional route
- with an amazing crab cake. - Yeah.
Bring mold.
I think I would do a crab ravioli
with some brown butter, sweet corn,
- little chive. - Smart.
For me, I would tap into my roots
because down in New Orleans
we have such beautiful crab meat in Louisiana.
I would go with a crab beignet.
I have to say, A'Dan,
- the sausage looks delicious. - Thank you.
A'Dan: I'm from the south and I love soul food.
- Whoo! Let's go! - Come on, guys! Looking good.
This is like my crab cake recipe from growing up,
so I make these all the time.
This dish will blow the judges' minds.
They will see this kid
took a southern classic and elevated it so much.
Right, Ciara. How exciting, a box crab.
What'd you think of the flavor of box crab?
I don't know, I haven't tried it.
You haven't tried it. Do you wanna try it or...
- I'm good, but thank you. - You're good.
You're not interested in crab?
- No, not really. - No.
Are you allergic to crab?
No, I don't think so.
You just don't like it.
- That's a shame. - No, not really.
What don't you like about it?
- The texture and-- - The texture.
Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
I'm making a black bean crab cake
- with a corn puree... - Right.
...and a jicama slaw.
Will you taste any of this before you cook it?
No.
You sure?
Yeah.
Young lady, this is an elimination tonight.
What would it mean for you if you were to leave the competition
'cause you don't wanna taste your food?
Ciara just said, "I'm not gonna taste my crab,"
and I'm like, "Hold up."
Are you insane?
- You don't wanna taste it? - No.
- Not really. - Young lady, this is an elimination tonight, okay.
What would it mean for you if you were to leave the competition tonight
'cause you don't wanna taste your food?
I would be so disappointed in myself.
- I would taste it if I was you. - Yes, Chef.
- Right, young lady, good luck. - Thank you.
Gordon: 30 minutes to go.
Guys, we're halfway.
Ivy: Looking good, everybody!
Smells so good!
So right now I've got my pasta going
and then I got my white wine cream sauce.
Seafood and pasta is my favorite thing to do
and I'm killing it right now.
So, Molly, talk to us. What do you got going on?
I'm making a crab cake Benedict...
- Yeah. - ...with a frisee salad
and some crispy prosciuttos.
- Oh, I like your crispy prosciutto. - Yeah, thank you.
Put it right there, mija. You got it.
- I'm just a little... - Aarón: It's okay.
So, Molly, why crab Benedict?
- It was really the only thing that came to mind... - Uh-huh.
...when I thought about crabs.
And I like to make eggs Benedict for my mom a lot at home.
So, today I'm representing my mom.
Nice. I'm sure she'll appreciate that.
- And this does look delicious. Always crushing. - Thank you.
So you keep going. Okay, good luck.
Thank you.
I almost forgot about the crab.
Eva, that would've been bad. That's the star of your dish.
Grayson: Is there crab in the frittata?
The crab is in the frittata.
and it's also gonna be in the pasta, so...
Grayson: Great.
Gordon: I love the intricacy of those.
- Who showed you how to do those dumplings? - My mom.
They look beautiful.
Make sure there's no holes in there.
- Yes, Chef. - Good girl.
Guys we have 16 minutes to go.
Taste everything you're doing, guys.
Remember, somebody is leaving tonight.
Make sure it's not you.
( music playing )
Cooked.
Make sure that crab's mixed in that pasta, Cruz.
Remember, not too much pasta, otherwise you won't see the crab.
All right, everyone, we're at the all important five minute mark.
Now you need to start plating and thinking about the finesse
of what this dish is about.
Plate it nice, guys.
Don't worry, I will.
Ciara, she stuffed three crab cakes in the pan
- and they've all broken up. - Aarón: And it makes it impossible to take them out.
Wow. I don't think she likes crab in general.
She said, "I'm not that keen on tasting it."
So, a bit worried about that.
- Oh, no. - Yeah.
Abir: She's doing an eggs Benedict, right?
Yeah, it's a crab egg Benedict.
Abir: Hollandaise is really risky.
90 seconds to go, guys.
Oh, my God!
- Come on, guys, finish strong! - You got this, guys!
It's grainy. Gonna have to go with it.
A'Dan, remember editing. It's okay, you got three.
You got three to work with. That's the whole point.
Aarón: Don't work with a problem, A'Dan.
Don't work with a problem.
Ooh. Oh no, no, no, no.
Aw, I'm just gonna have to deal with it.
Gordon: 30 seconds to go.
Someone's going home at the end of this, you guys.
- Pull it out. - Gordon: Make sure the crab's the hero.
- Gordon: Come on, Cruz. - Aarón: Come on, Molly.
Daphne: It has to be your best work yet.
Gordon: Come on, Liya, finish strong.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
- Aarón: Hands in the air. - Gordon: And stop.
Daphne: Great job.
- Well done, everybody. - ( sighs )
Gordon: That was intense.
Molly: This was a stressful cook for me
'cause I've never cooked with crab.
So, I'm just really, really hoping that I make it to the top eight.
Like right now I'm really loving my okra
'cause it kinda looks like crab claws
and saying I ruled the crab.
Right, we're gonna taste all of your dishes
to see who, unfortunately,
is leaving the MasterChef kitchen.
Let's start off-- Ciara, please, bring up your dish. Thank you.
I'm really nervous because my dish doesn't look too good.
My crab cakes fell apart
and I'm just hoping I did enough to stay.
Okay, young lady, describe the dish, please.
Today, I've made for you a black bean crab cake
with a corn puree and jicama slaw.
So, visually, it looks a little bit unfinished.
The puree is very rough. So, let's hope it tastes better than it looks.
- Shall we? - Let's.
I know you had some issues cooking them.
What did you use to bind it?
Mayonnaise and a egg yolk.
Ciara, unfortunately, the crab cake's bland.
There's no seasoning in there.
What it needs is some finely sliced scallions,
a little bit of lime in there,
and you still never tasted it.
My saving grace here is that the puree actually tastes delicious.
But, unfortunately, the crab cake is bland.
I loved what you were thinking with the jicama slaw.
There's a lot to play with here
but, unfortunately, it's just not coming together
the way I would've liked.
Yeah, I mean, for me, Ciara, I think the construction
of the actual crab cake is okay.
Just needs to be doctored up a little bit more
- and I think you know that. - Ciara: Yes.
Gordon: Thank you, Ciara. Please, head back to your station. Thank you.
- ( applause ) - Good job, Ciara.
I'm really disappointed because I know I could've done better.
And I should've tasted the crab.
The next home cook is A'Dan.
- ( applause ) - Please, bring your dish up.
- Good job, A'Dan. - Good job, A'Dan.
A'Dan: I'm really feeling nervous.
I'm happy with everything except for my crab cake.
I'm better than this and I know it.
Thank you, A'Dan.
Okay, tell us what you made for us today.
Today, I made crab cakes with Andouille and corn succotash
and Cajun tartar sauce with fried okra.
Why did you choose to put two falling apart ones on
as opposed to one for us?
When I was trying to put it on the plate
I noticed it was falling apart,
so that's when I had the idea to put the other one on top.
Yeah, A'Dan, you know, I'm very disappointed.
I think you worked with a problem, you were trying to get it past us
and to think that we wouldn't notice and I think you know better than that.
- Yes. Yes, Chef. - I think the idea
of the succotash, the aioli,
the fried okra, all of that's there.
I think you phoned it in and you took a shortcut
when it came to the crab cake.
A'Dan, when you listen to the sound of the dish
and what you described it being,
it doesn't look anywhere near as good as it sounds.
- Yes, Chef. - Young man,
tonight someone's going home.
And this dish looks clumsy.
So, yeah, I'm worried.
What a shame.
A'Dan, tonight someone's going home.
And this dish looks clumsy.
Let's hope it tastes good because, visually,
you've put yourself in a corner there, young man.
Um, the succotash is delicious.
What I kind of love about it is that it allows
the crab cakes to have their own flavor.
The flavor is there. They remind me of the south,
but I'm amazed that you were that lucky with that good flavor,
'cause the presentation is atrocious.
Succotash, delicious.
- What's the hero tonight? - Crab.
So, you're your own worst enemy
'cause you made it look a mess.
So, if you leave tonight, the only person to blame is who?
Myself.
Thank you.
I didn't plate this right, it does look a mess.
But I wanna stay here and show the judges
that I can learn from my mistakes
and I really can do this.
The next young home cook is Liya.
- ( applause ) - Liya!
I've been making dumplings since I was like a tiny, little girl.
And I feel like showing my culture and showing how I cook,
it's gonna make my family happy.
Miss Liya, please, describe this dish.
So, today, you have crab meat dumplings
with a soy crab meat broth
and a braised daikon.
Daphne: Our first table side presentation.
Gordon: Well done.
- The dish sounds amazing. - Thank you, Chef.
I think, if I'm honest, that you got the wrong plate.
- Oh. Yes, Chef. - When you serve a dumpling, it should be in a bowl.
Gordon: Shall we?
Liya, the harmony that's going on here
between the deep dark, rich flavors of the soy
and then the crab meat that really stands up to it,
I think it's spectacular.
I think as far as the filling,
there was some clumsy knife work.
Gotta be very mindful of that when you're dealing with filling.
Yes, Chef.
The broth is a standout hit.
Like unbelievably delicious.
I wanna freeze it into ice cube trays
and pop it into all of my soups and stews.
- Delicious. - Thank you.
The construction of the dumpling is absolutely spot-on.
Amazing amount of crab meat in the center.
- Great job. Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you. - Aarón: That broth.
- Amazing. - The broth is delicious.
Next up, Cruz, please. Let's go.
( cheers and applause )
Cruz: I can't wait to show the judges that I can cook crab
like a boss.
Right, Cruz, describe your dish, please.
So today I made a crab tagliatelle
with a white wine cream sauce.
There's crab, there's a white wine sauce, and there's tagliatelle.
- That's it, right? - Yes, Chef.
Something that simple, for me, had better taste good.
- It is. - You asking me or telling me?
- I'm telling you. - Love it.
Oh. ( laughs )
Daphne: Cruz, the cream sauce is delicious.
The only thing I wish I'd seen a little bit more
of are lumps of that crab meat.
Just warmed very gently, a little brown butter.
- Put that on top. - Yeah, Cruz, what you have there is spectacular.
- Thank you. - Any time a dish makes you want more of it,
that's a good thing.
- Yes, Chef. - Right, Cruz,
the actual flavor of that cream sauce is delicious.
It's really nice and salty
and it's not too creamy.
What would I do differently?
I'd take one third of that pasta out,
so it looks like we got more sweet crab all over it.
- Good job. Thanks, Cruz. - Thank you.
- Good job, Cruz. - ( whispers ) Good job, Cruz.
The next young chef we'd love to see is Eva.
Eva: Comparing my dish to other people, it's totally different.
This could be the dish
they hate or they love.
So, I'm just hoping
that the risk I took pays off.
Tell us what you made today.
Today, I've made for you
a Vietnamese crab omelet
with crab noodles and some toasted peanuts.
Just listening to you talk about it, it's something I would order off a menu.
There's lots of color on this plate, there's lots of texture.
- Really it looks like a great dish. - Thank you.
Eva, you're now starting to cook with such confidence.
And this dish looks restaurant quality, young lady.
- Have you ever been to Vietnam? - No.
No. So you're cooking Vietnamese food,
yet you've never been anywhere near Vietnam.
- So how's it come together? - My dad, he cooks
a lot of Vietnamese sauces and spices.
So I was thinking that I wanna kind of do something I've never done before
to really show you that I can do different things.
Should we taste?
Where is the crab, young lady? Where is it?
The crab is in the omelet and in the noodles
and then I put a little on top.
How much crab did you use?
I think I used like three quarters of it.
The omelet is delicious.
But I think the noodles are a little underdone.
I think you needed a little bit longer in the hot water.
If you'd heated them with the sauce,
you could've helped them soak up a bit more,
but the flavor is definitely there and it's delicious.
- Thank you. - You have so many good things there.
I want more of it. I want more cilantro.
I want more cabbage, more of everything to really amp it up.
'cause you have to ensure visually that you can have
one bite of that noodle with all of those elements.
- You see what I'm saying? - Yes, I do.
Young lady, it's delicious.
- You're on track, girl, Let me tell you. - Thank you.
I think what's starting to show about you, young lady,
is that you care about this competition.
And every time you cook, you give your all.
- I'm super impressed. Great job, well done. - Thank you.
- Thank you! - ( applause )
Every week she pushes herself,
- she expands on her repertoire. - Gordon: Yeah.
She stays out of that comfort zone
and literally puts herself into jeopardy every time.
Molly, please, bring your dish forward.
( applause )
I'm very concerned about my plating.
I really hope that they see past my presentation
and they look at the good flavors
'cause I know they're gonna be there.
Miss Molly, please, describe your dish.
Today, I've made for you a crab cake Benedict
with a poached egg, crispy prosciutto,
a frisee salad, and a Hollandaise.
- All right so, Molly, visually... - Yeah.
...it just seems like it's gonna be a very difficult
and challenging dish to eat.
- Yes, Chef. - Molly, I think this has been
one of your most difficult nights
because you did not look composed there, girl.
I've never worked with crab before.
I can't see the Hollandaise. It's not clear.
- Frisee is just dumped on there. - Yes, Chef.
So, it doesn't look that good.
You did not look composed there, girl.
It doesn't look that good.
Let's hope it tastes good.
What are you hoping to have when I slice down this poached egg?
I hope it's gonna be runny.
That it is, young lady.
- Thank you, Chef. - Let's see if this crab is gonna deliver.
Molly, um, you have some crispy prosciutto
that is working for you and you have a decent Hollandaise,
- but the construction of this dish is a mess. - Yes, Chef.
I went into this really wanting to love it.
I thought it was smart flavor pairings,
but this ate more like a tuna salad than a crab cake.
- Look, you learn every time you make a mistake. - Yes, Chef.
And the mistake here was not achieving the balance
and the perfection on the crab cake because that had to be our star tonight.
- Yes, Chef. - It just doesn't taste that good.
- I understand. - I think you rushed it.
I think, Molly, this has been your worst dish
in this competition so far.
Thank you, Molly.
- ( applause ) - Dear, oh, dear.
- Good job, Molly. - Good job, Molly.
Just keep your head up high.
I'm really sad 'cause I thought I got the worst feedback out of everybody.
So, I'm definitely really nervous.
All right, everyone, please give us a moment.
( music playing )
Three outstanding dishes.
- Yeah. - Pretty incredible, huh?
They didn't lose sight
that the crab meat needed to sing
and that was the hero.
Gordon: And three not so outstanding.
Daphne: I think the competition's really starting to show.
- The ones who are rising to the top. - Aarón: Yeah.
- Shall we? - Aarón: Yes, indeed.
Right, tonight was a tough elimination challenge.
And somebody is about to go home.
But before we get to the bad news,
Daphne, Aarón, and myself
thought there were three outstanding dishes tonight
that really stood out.
Those dishes belong to...
Liya...
Eva, and Cruz.
All three of you are safe.
- Oh, my God. - Make your way up to the balcony
and put your white aprons on.
Ivy: Good job, Cruz.
I am a top, top, top, top eight.
Now, for you three, please,
make your way down to the front. Thank you.
( music playing )
A'Dan, you panicked somewhat and stacked one crab cake on top of the other.
The saving grace for us is that they had good seasoning.
Great idea with the Andouille sausage and the succotash.
But we felt that it was a lacklust performance overall.
Ciara, the big mistake you made
was that you didn't actually taste your crab cake.
It needed seasoning and it just wasn't good.
The one redeeming factor was the puree.
That puree was delicious. Then we have Molly.
The egg was cooked beautifully, the Hollandaise was highly skilled,
but your dish, it lacked imagination.
The individual leaving the MasterChef kitchen tonight is...
- Ciara. - ( Molly crying )
Molly and A'Dan, can you say good-bye to Ciara
and make your way upstairs, please.
- Thank you. - ( crying continues )
Ciara, unfortunately, tonight this dish got the better of you.
It's very hard, young lady,
when you can't taste something and you're not interested in it
then it's gonna be uninteresting for us.
But top nine, that's a big accomplishment, yes?
- Yes, Chef. - Remind us of the food dream again.
I wanna open up my own bakery with my friend
and start a cooking class for kids who have disabilities.
Love that idea.
Come and say good-bye.
- ( cheers and applause ) - Good job, Ciara.
- Well done. - Yeah.
Thank you.
I'm sad that I'm leaving
but I know I did a great job in this competition.
When I first came to the MasterChef kitchen,
I was just a normal girl who likes to cook at home.
And now I'm part of the MasterChef Junior family
and it feels amazing.
- Gordon: Good night, Ciara. - All: Bye!
Bye bye.
Gordon: Next time on "MasterChef Junior,"
it's a bittersweet team challenge...
We will taste all of your baked goods.
- Two teams of four. - Gordon: Boys versus girls.
Now!
...as the top eight battle it out...
- Set a timer. - I need help.
Ivy: If these don't get finished I don't know what I'll do.
...in the first ever MasterChef bake sale.
My bars look like dog poop.
- Problem with the brownies. - Gordon: Why are we taking this out?
Can someone come up with a bar idea?
Abir, these cookies are out.
You're still rolling yours.
Speed up.