JOEL MCHALE: On the last Crime Scene Kitchen,
our teams of friends and family bakers
met for the first time and murmured a lot.
- What's that? - I really don't know.
Have a think.
You could cut the tension with a knife.
Oh.
So, what are your first impressions
of the teams of friends?
They all look so nice. Oh, my God.
- Here we go. - I love their outfits.
Okay. You could cut it with a spoon.
This is trash-talking for them.
The teams had to bake a creation
that was both sweet and savory.
I think they made a savory and they made a sweet.
Our siblings enjoyed the taste of victory
as they cruised to safety.
- All right! - Oh, my God.
What up, friends' teams? Mic drop.
The remaining bakers were left to ponder elimination
and a possible fire hazard.
- Is that meant to be smoking? - Oh, no.
One team was dripping with desperation.
The jam is literally oozing out.
But after an unlucky St. Patrick's Day dessert,
it was time for Kai and Starlett
to Irish goodbye.
(Sighing) Our time is up.
Tonight, the remaining five teams
square off in the quarterfinals.
The stakes could not be any higher.
We're going to have to do it again.
And a legendary guest judge
eases tension with his laid-back charm.
So, what are you expecting to see?
Perfection.
And I continue to annoy everybody involved.
But Dominique, can you breathe over Daniel's shoulder?
- What do you think? - No pressure.
Tensions run high, as we speed full throttle
into next week's semifinals.
This is a major problem.
It's really scary.
I'm going to go Gordon Ramsay in this episode.
All right here on Crime Scene Kitchen.
♪
PRODUCER: Top five teams on set.
Go for quarterfinals.
LENORE: Being in the quarterfinal
means that there are only five teams left,
- and we're one of five. - The pressure is definitely on.
In the past, it's been down to the wire every single time,
but we do it.
I can hardly believe we've made it to the quarterfinals.
I feel like we've been just skating by.
But we can only go up.
We have another chance to show what we can bake.
Welcome to Crime Scene Kitchen.
Congratulations to all of you
for making it to our quarterfinals.
- (Cheering and applause) - Good job, buddy.
Winning the safety bake last round--
The first round into the merge was amazing.
BECKY: These friends' teams, they are great bakers.
But we've shown that we're a really good team.
We want to go all the way.
With me is renowned cake artist with stars in her eyes
and occasionally frosting in her hair, Yolanda Gampp.
(Cheering and applause)
And he recently petitioned to be
the judge that gets introduced first.
It's Curtis Stone.
- Yeah! - (Applauding)
Behind me is the quarterfinals Crime Scene Kitchen.
Ooh.
The delicious dessert that was created there has vanished.
It's up to you to decipher the clues left behind from the bake
and recreate what you believe to be the mystery dessert.
KEIRON: There's no question about how badly I needed
to go into the semifinals.
To go home now would just break my heart.
As always, there are two bakes.
The first one is the safety bake.
Whichever team comes closest to the mystery dessert gets to skip
the elimination bake and strut straight to the semifinals,
where they'll be just one step away from the $100,000 finale.
And for added quarterfinals pressure,
we are joined by an esteemed guest.
He received a James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef in America
and is the first person to successfully split
both the croissant atom and the donut atom,
then fuse them together to create the legendary cronut.
Please say hello to Dominique Ansel.
(Cheering and applause)
DANIEL: I am shook.
My hands are shaking. My palms are sweaty.
When you think of, like, the modern-day French pastry chef,
it is Dominique Ansel.
JOEL: Dominique, you actually set the challenge tonight.
So, what are you expecting to see?
I'm scared. Like, shaking a bit.
I've set a very realistic dessert,
but I expect perfection.
You guys ready? Here we go.
Janusz and Keiron, start that search.
Bakers, you will have two minutes
to search the Crime Scene Kitchen,
where you'll discover clues
to help you recreate the mystery bake.
October...
A container of eggs.
Oh. Whatever we're making, we have to have eight.
The first thing I see is a note that says, "Serves eight,"
so I know whatever we're making, it's got to serve eight people.
Glass bowl, zester, serrated knife.
Piping with a star tip.
In the dish rack, there's a star tip and a piping bag.
Check the stove.
A-P flour.
And the flour near the stove would be indicative
of adding flour to a boiling milk.
So, I'm guessing it's a choux paste.
The piping bag clue is also tracking well in terms of
a choux pastry, as that's typically piped with a star tip.
Choux paste makes a lot of sense.
So, if it's choux pastry, we're thinking profiterole.
We're thinking Paris-brest.
Cream puff. We're just not sure which one.
Lots of berries.
Look. What is that?
Some kind of crumb.
Egg white. So, egg yolks.
- Look at the painting. - Yeah.
Somebody was really talented, painting
and making cake at the same time.
Why there is fruit? What fruit is this?
- How many fruit matches it? - Um--
Oh, God. I have no idea.
There's berries.
There's fruit bowl here as well.
There are three bowls of fruit.
There's bananas.
There's mangoes. There's citrus fruits,
and I'm trying to decipher which one has maybe been used.
Okay. Are there any clues for fruit?
Mango is the only thing in the kitchen that stands out to me.
It's not in the painting,
and it's so different to the berries.
Mango might just work.
Look at this.
Something on the whisk.
Try this.
Cream cheese?
I think it's just Chantilly whipped cream.
Look at the painting there.
There's a painting with a fruit bowl.
It's a replica of that bowl.
I'm looking at the painting, and it clicks.
DANIEL: That looks exactly like the fruit bowl
on the other side of the kitchen.
I think the fruit bowl was used
as inspiration for this painting,
so I don't think any of these fruits are used.
Nothing in the freezer.
Uh-- Oh. In the freezer.
Okay. This was in the freezer.
There's green remnants on it.
- Okay. - Like a powder.
I look in the freezer.
There's parchment paper way in the back,
and it's folded in half,
and there's a green crust on it.
Okay. This looks like the dough, like craquelin.
Yeah.
We think it might be craquelin, like when we made conchas,
but we still have no idea what the mystery dish is.
Okay. Green craquelin, something like lime.
Is there any limes in here?
- 10 seconds. 10 seconds. - 10 seconds. 10 seconds.
Oh, babes, I actually think it is choux.
- Flour by the stove. - Look. A pipe. That's a thing.
Piping bag with a star tip.
Mixed berry?
Something was zested.
Bowl of fruit. Painting.
Looks like flour, some kind of flour.
And that is time.
My God, that was tough.
Bakers, you'll now have two and a half hours.
The team with the best dessert here advances to the semifinals.
- Okay. - Good.
Ready, guess, bake!
(Timer beeping)
There was so many clues again.
I saw cake crumbs.
Cakes is soft, unless you eat eight-week-old cake
that was left on the countertop.
Should we go with choux?
Yes, please.
Like cream puffs with a stabilized whipped cream.
Because there was no mango in the painting, the zester,
which you would zest lime, and the crumbs on the island,
we're going to make a cream puff
with stabilized whipped cream
filled with a mango
and lime curd.
Eight single portions of something.
Do you know what? I'm changing my attitude today.
- Good. Change it. - I'm positive.
Make it beautiful. Make it nice.
Yeah.
Katelyn and Ronan.
- Hey. - Hello.
- Oh, hi. - Hi.
You guys heard of Dominique Ansel before?
Yes.
We're trying to keep a cool head...
Mm-hmm.
...and just infuse all the love we can into these desserts.
What are you guys doing today?
We are making a choux pastry with a lime craquelin on top.
We believe, because the craquelin was green,
that it would be lime, along with the zester.
RONAN: Because we saw the zester,
the green parchment in the freezer...
KATELYN: ...and the note that says, "Serves eight,"
we are making eight cream puffs
filled with lime diplomat cream
and a lime craquelin on top.
Craquelin is a sweet, simple dough that provides texture
on the top of baked goods.
Dominique, how hard is it to make a cream puff?
Making a cream puff is the foundation
of a good pastry chef.
But making a really good one in a very short period of time
might not be so easy.
Oh, my.
If Dominique expects perfection, we better deliver.
JESSE: Milk, butter, sugar. Bop-bop-bop.
Okay.
I don't know that this has an official name,
but I mean, it does, right?
Fruit curd Paris-brests.
JUSTIN: We saw citrus in the Crime Scene Kitchen.
Zester, a serrated knife and some crumbs.
So, we are making a Paris-brest with a lemon diplomat filling.
Paris-brest is a choux paste pastry that is piped in a ring.
The most traditional version is praline- or hazelnut-flavored,
but today, we're actually using a lemon curd diplomat filling.
I know I definitely saw lemon.
It's good, man. Looks good.
Okay. Going in.
Daniel, Becky.
- Hello. - Hi.
Oh, hey. It's just Dominique Ansel.
- Hi. - Hi, guys.
Oh, my goodness.
Smells good here. What are you guys doing?
We are making cream puffs with a mixed-berry mousse filling.
Because we saw the bowl of mixed berries, the flour
and then the piping bag with the star,
we are going to make mixed-berry mousse cream puffs.
Daniel, when you saw Dominique Ansel walk out,
what was your reaction?
Oh. My jaw dropped. My eyes bugged.
BECKY: He had a little moment.
- You saw it. - I saw it.
Dominique, can you breathe over Daniel's shoulder?
What do you think? Just do one of these.
Uh-huh. Oop.
Dominique, in your experience,
how hard is it to make a good pâté à choux?
If you've done it, like, every week, like I have done
for the past 30 years, it's pretty easy.
(Laughing)
And you know my expectations are pretty high, right?
- Noted. - No pressure. (Laughing)
- Lenore and Jessica. - BOTH: Hi.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, chef.
- Hello. - Hi.
How are you? Nice to meet you. How are you doing?
I don't know why I curtsied. I'm so embarrassed.
So, what are you guys making today?
We are making a Paris-brest.
How did you come up with the shape of the choux?
There was a sign that said, "Serves eight,"
as opposed to eight portions, which indicates to me
that it has to be a large format of some sort.
And all I could think of was a Paris-brest.
So, you're making a large Paris-brest?
Yeah.
LENORE: Because I saw limes in the still life
that are missing from the bowl
and the choux crumbs on the island
and a note that says, "Serves eight,"
we are deciding to make a large lime Paris-brest.
How confident are you guys that it's the right dish?
I'm confident that it's choux.
I'm confident that it's some sort of citrus curd.
I'm confident that there's a stabilized whipped cream, so--
JESSICA: I don't like this.
You come in here with your beards,
and you're trying to cause self-doubt.
(Laughing)
Would you like to see a deflated choux?
We're going to have to do it again.
While Dominique is in the kitchen, our choux is deflating.
We'll get out of your hair. All right. Good luck, guys.
BOTH: Thank you.
Our choux is deflating because we took it out too early.
It's going to be raw inside.
We can leave it in the oven, maybe, as well.
- A little bit... yeah. - ...smaller?
Having to do this choux again,
we don't have enough time, but we have to at least try.
Do you want to leave that and start on choux?
- Yep. - Yeah.
We are making our choux again
because it deflated in the oven.
There's no time to fuss over it. We just got to do it again.
(Timer beeping)
It takes, like, 25 minutes in the oven,
so we'll just do like we always do
and assemble it with the last 15 seconds to go.
It can be done.
This safety bake is pretty important
because if we get it,
we automatically make it to the semifinals.
Semifinal safety is the one that I want.
Okay, guys.
Getting very close to the $100,000 finale.
They're just a few bakes away from taking the money.
The stakes couldn't be higher,
And they have Dominique Ansel in their kitchens.
No pressure.
(Chuckling) It feels very quiet here.
- They're playing mind games. - (Sighing)
All of our teams are making some form of choux pastry.
We have three teams making cream puffs,
all separated by the smallest of details.
These are good.
Becky and Daniel are making a mixed-berry mousse cream puff.
DANIEL: We're going to fold the cream into the curd.
They're the only ones using berries,
so whether they know something everyone doesn't
or whether they've misinterpreted it, we'll see.
We saw the clue that led serve eight,
so we definitely need to serve eight.
Oh, we definitely need to make eight.
Keiron and Janusz are making cream puffs
with a stabilized whipped cream and a mango curd.
I like that.
The big question is: was mango the right fruit
that was used in Crime Scene Kitchen?
Ronan and Katelyn are making cream puffs
with a diplomat lime cream.
They're the only team to find parchment paper
that was deep in the freezer.
That tipped them to a craquelin.
DOMINIQUE: Adding the craquelin on top of the choux
gives it a little bit more texture.
YOLANDA: Our other two teams are both making Paris-brests.
Jesse and Justin are making small Paris-brests
with a lemon diplomat cream.
Hmm.
CURTIS: There's a lot of action going on over there
with Lenore and Jessica.
I don't want to risk opening.
Nah. No, no, no. Nah.
Since you visited their kitchen, Dominique,
they have made another big Paris-brest,
but they have to make sure it's fully baked, fully cooled,
before they can even think of filling it.
But given the time they have left, it's going to be tough.
(Timer beeping)
You're okay with-- I'm cutting it, right?
Yes. That's perfect.
JOEL: One minute.
Good. Let's just keep doing what we're doing.
This one is wonky.
- You're wonky. - I am wonky.
JESSE: Oh, yeah, buddy. Nice.
JESSICA: We're letting it cool down,
but also assembling at the same time.
JOEL: Five, four, three, two, one.
And that is time. The safety bake is over.
Good bake.
Yeah.
Jesse and Justin, please bring us
what you thought was made in the Crime Scene Kitchen.
- Oh! - Ah.
- What is it? - What is that?
They did eight.
- Look at that. - Hello, everybody.
So, we have eight Paris-brests with lemon diplomat filling.
The citrus we saw in multiple places around the kitchen
and the zester, so we landed on lemon.
What made you decide to bake eight individual Paris-brests?
So, there was a note in one of the drawers that said,
"Serves eight."
We interpreted it as eight individual pieces
of Paris-brest.
I tell you what, guys.
At first glance, it's impressive.
Texture is great.
The choux has been cooked very well,
and the cream is really nice. I liked it a lot.
- Awesome. Awesome. - Thank you. Thank you so much.
Chef Ansel's praise felt unbelievable.
This is awesome.
- It's amazing. It's amazing. - Yeah.
- JOEL: Becky and Daniel. - Ooh!
- Beautiful. - So pretty.
That's awesome.
- Hey. - Hi.
We have prepared mixed-berry mousse cream puffs.
Cream puff?
We didn't use the fruits that were in the painting,
because we felt fairly confident that particular bowl
maybe was used as inspiration for the painting.
So, we decided to go with the mixed berries.
Some mixed berries.
The cream is good. The texture is very nice.
But I wish they had more, like, fresh fruit inside.
Like, a little jam. A compote of something.
The whipped cream has sort of dulled
the flavor of the berries.
But it's still very tasty, and it looks good.
If cream puffs with mixed-berry mousse
turn out to be the mystery dessert,
we might be seeing you in the semifinals.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
JOEL: Lenore and Jessica.
- Oh. - Oh, wow.
Woo!
- Oh, wow. - Is that a big Paris-brest?
Is it a Paris-brest?
- Oh, hi. - Hello.
Hi. We made a big lime Paris-brest.
- Mmm. - Lime?
Interesting.
I saw a clue that said, "Serves eight."
So, normally, when you use that terminology,
it's something that's larger, like a cake or a pie.
That still-life picture,
I'm pretty sure the bowl with the bananas,
the only difference was that it was missing limes,
but they were in the picture.
So, we thought limes were used.
That could have been what the little green things
in the painting were.
I think the choux is under-baked,
which is not the most pleasant,
but the outside is crispy.
If this was baked a little bit longer,
would have been pretty good.
Once again,
you were right down to the last 30 seconds.
- But the filling is delicious. - Sure.
And if it's one big Paris-brest, well, so far,
you're the only ones to serve us that,
so you could be safe.
JOEL: Katelyn and Ronan.
- Limes. - Okay.
- Oh, wow. Looks really good.
I feel pretty good about taste and presentation.
It's much prettier than what we did the last safety bake.
We made cream puffs with a lime diplomat cream
and lime craquelin on top.
The clues that led us to this dish
were the evidence of craquelin in the freezer
on a folded sheet of parchment paper.
It was in the very back of the freezer on the right side.
I looked.
The craquelin really drove us to cream puffs.
It's nicely filled.
You can see it's a generous fill.
It is really good. Soft and creamy and delicious.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
JOEL: Janusz and Keiron.
- Ooh! - Oh, wow.
Oh, cute. Oh, cute.
But do they have the craquelin?
- Ooh. - Look at that.
YOLANDA: What do we have here?
So, we have cream puffs with a stabilized whipped cream
and a mango curd.
JESSICA: That's making me really nervous.
Did we pick the wrong fruit?
With a bit of lime.
CURTIS: Okay.
Look at that.
I think it's really creative.
The curd is fabulous.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
I actually like the diced mango.
I think it's a nice addition.
The choux is well cooked. I like it.
(Applauding)
Hmm.
JESSE: I don't think it's a cream puff.
We're just hoping everyone is wrong.
Paris-brest, for us, makes the most sense here.
This could win us the safety bake.
Welcome back to the Crime Scene Kitchen quarterfinals.
Here's where things stand.
We are joined by Dominique Ansel
for this battle of Paris-brest versus cream puffs.
Whichever team wins this safety bake
gets to skip the elimination bake.
They also go straight to the semifinals.
Now, it's time for the Confectionator 3000.
Please reveal the mystery dessert.
Here we go.
Come on, Confectionator. Show me mixed berry.
Ooh.
Something with mango.
What is it?
One large Paris-brest.
JOEL: The mystery dessert is...
- (Gasping) - Ooh.
...eight lime cream puffs.
Airy choux pastry filled with lime curd
and stabilized whipped cream,
topped with bright green craquelin.
- Cream puffs. - Cream puffs.
Oh, my! Cream puffs.
Curtis, can you please explain
to our contestants
how they were supposed to figure out
the mystery dessert?
The flour around the stovetop
and pastry flakes on the island
led you all to correctly deduce a choux pastry was made.
There were many bowls of fruit in the kitchen.
A major clue was the still-life painting
depicting one of those bowls of fruit.
Close inspection showed that the limes in the painting
were missing from the bowl in the kitchen
because they were used to make the curd.
The whipped cream on the whisk attachment
indicated a stabilized whipped cream,
while the piping bag and tip
was used to fill the split choux.
The parchment found in the freezer with green grease stains
and imprints of circles suggested the round choux
was covered in a green craquelin
and also indicated the size of the choux,
which was the cream puffs.
The winners of tonight's safety bake
and advancing straight to the semifinals are...
...Ronan and Katelyn.
- Yes! - Yes!
(Applauding)
Oh, my God.
- Wow. - Wow.
To come this far and to know
that we're going to be competing
in the semifinals just feels amazing.
Thank you for finding the parchment.
Ronan and Katelyn, congratulations.
- Thank you. - You are in the semifinals.
- (Giggling) - Get over there, kids.
- Thank you. Thank you so much. - Way to go. You did it.
(Applauding)
Dominique, thank you for being here tonight.
I had a great time. Thank you for having me on the show.
To express our gratitude, we've given your private number out
to all our teams for career guidance.
Dominique Ansel, everyone.
(Cheering and applause)
Thank you, Dominique. All right, teams.
Tonight, you have one last chance at redemption.
It's time for the elimination bake,
where the worst-performing team will be sent home.
Survive this, and you move on to the semifinals.
The mystery dessert for this round was created by Yolanda.
Bakers, the Crime Scene Kitchen is open
and ready for you to search for clues.
Wow. Another kitchen crime.
This neighborhood is going to hell.
(Chuckling)
Lenore and Jessica, start your search.
Let's go.
- Let's do it. - Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
- Okay. - Let's do it.
Cake flour and all-purpose flour.
Powdered sugar and granulated sugar.
Baking powder.
Cake pans. Six eight-inch cake pans.
I find six eight-inch cake pans.
I know I'm making cake, and it's going to be six layers.
Ooh. We're doing a cake for sure.
I hope I'm not crazy,
because I've been manifesting making a cake.
Nothing in the oven.
It's a thank-you card.
"Dear Sally, thank you so much!
Kaycee loved the cake you made today."
So, I find a thank-you note
that says they love the cake that was baked for Kaycee.
Who is Kaycee?
Casey. Look. That's the cake we're making.
No. It's "K." It's this one. That one.
Kaycee.
We're making comic cake.
So, it's a rainbow design.
It's with meringue, buttercream,
with white things. Cherries on top.
Comic book cake is something that will give you an illusion,
so when you look at it, it should look 2-D.
Like, "Hold on a moment.
Is this a cake, or what's going on there?"
- It's too easy. - So, but this is the cake.
- What flavor? - Fondant on the middle.
Okay. Check it out here. Wait, wait, wait.
What's the name on the card?
- "Kaycee." - So, "Flavor options:
Ginger, banana, maple, lemon, white chocolate."
We see on the center island,
there's an illustration of a cake
and some possible flavors for it.
This is helpful, as some of those flavors,
or one of those flavors,
is something we need to use in the cake.
We just don't know which ones.
Maple syrup and honey.
Smells like lime.
Strawberries.
Someone had cornflakes and banana.
Someone definitely had cereal for breakfast.
So, we're not using bananas.
Some type of black remnant.
Vanilla bean. This is vanilla bean.
- Vanilla bean? - Yeah.
There is ginger. There is lemon.
I really don't know if lemon's used in this cake.
A zester. But why would there be a zester?
Great.
Maple syrup.
Right now, I can't tell if these items on the counter,
like the maple, have been used.
- I don't think it's been used. - Okay. Wait, wait, wait.
Ginger, banana, maple. Oh, 10 seconds.
- 10 seconds left. - 10 seconds. 10 seconds.
- What's here? What's here? - We only have 10 seconds.
Lemon, strawberry.
I think we're making a ginger lemon cake.
No, no, no. The ginger shot is there.
Okay.
Okay. That is time.
I'm not 100% sure on anything right now.
The stakes could not be any higher.
We're the only family team
against three friend teams.
We are so close to the semifinals.
We are ready to send one of them home. Bring it on.
JOEL: Bakers, this is a big one,
so we're putting four hours on the clock.
Make it through the elimination bake,
and you're in the semifinals.
Ready, guess, bake!
(Timer beeping)
We need to start writing things down.
- Go. - Okay.
We know we're making Kaycee's cake.
We know it was Swiss meringue buttercream.
That was written on the note.
It was a rainbow cake.
Huh?
I've never heard of ROY-G-BIV.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
- Hmm. - ROY-G-BIV.
And then, what flavor cake are we going with?
There's strawberry in the fridge.
Okay. We could put strawberry slices in between the layers.
Vanilla-vanilla, like a classic birthday cake?
Because we saw the vanilla and the strawberries in the kitchen,
we're making a naked vanilla rainbow cake
with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream,
sliced strawberries and fondant decorations.
Finally, I have a chance
to show off some of my cake skills to Yolanda.
A lot of the teams will be in their element
with cake-making, too.
I'm sure they will, and we got to be the best.
All colored. Shall we get them in?
Yeah, let's get them in. Goodbye, babies.
Okay.
- Keiron, Janusz. - Hello.
- How you doing? - We're good.
- You are? - Can you believe it?
We found clues, but we still,
every single time, miss the fruit clue, and--
It's so ironic, since you got fruit all over you.
You got fruit on your shoes.
And we're fruity, as well, so--
(Giggling)
But there was a zester, which we think was used to zest a lemon.
- And? - So--
- The lemon earring. - And the lemon earring.
It's a lemon? I was thinking it's an orange.
I want you to tell me what exactly you are making.
Because we saw the card with the name and the book
in the Crime Scene Kitchen,
we're making a rainbow comic book cake
with lemon curd and a Swiss meringue buttercream.
There'll be a black line around each one
to look as though it's been drawn.
- Like a... - Like a comic book.
- Like a comic book. Okay. - Yeah.
Do you guys feel more pressure right now
because we're this close to the finals?
Honestly, I couldn't sleep last night.
You couldn't sleep last night?
Do you hear me screaming, "90 minutes remaining"?
Oh, yes.
(Laughing)
As soon as I saw that white fondant,
I started freaking out on the inside.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
JESSICA: Because we saw lemons in the Crime Scene Kitchen
as well as the book,
we are making a lemon rainbow comic book cake
with Swiss meringue buttercream.
This is my chance to, like,
show people what I'm made of.
I really want to show Yolanda, too, what I can do.
Yeah, man.
Jess's whole business surrounds making cakes.
If you want a really elaborate, over-the-top,
fondant-covered cake, Jess is your girl.
Game on.
These are the colors of the rainbow.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
It didn't look like it was in the correct order
of ROY-G-BIV, but I think we go with those colors.
I agree.
Normally, I would put the colors in order of the color spectrum,
but the illustration
didn't look like it was in the correct order.
- Justin and Jesse. - Hey, Joel.
Guys, what is going on? What are you making?
In the Crime Scene Kitchen there was a book,
and that book listed possible flavor options.
Because we saw lemon and ginger and maple syrup, we are making
a naked-rainbow buttermilk cake with a lemon-ginger curd
and a ginger-maple soak.
This is a bake for whether or not we stay in this competition.
So, we got to get it right.
Do you think you guessed correctly this time?
Can you go back to your high school and go,
"Hey, kids, I'm not just some guy with a pretty beard"?
(Laughing)
I actually brush my beard about 100 times each side
with a beard brush every day. It keeps it soft.
- It is luxurious, I will say. - See? See?
The cakes are looking good.
We're going to turn the turntable, not the knife.
She's purple.
YOLANDA: Making a layered cake is very tricky.
You want your layers to be even and your filling to be precise.
It should be a showstopper.
I'm really fussy about this,
and won't accept anything poorly done.
I'm going to go Gordon Ramsay in this episode. (Chuckling)
BECKY: It's a tall cake.
I'm pretty happy with the scale of it.
I think it's leaning.
- Does it need more dowels? - Let's grab a couple more.
This is a major problem.
The red cake layer on the bottom is crushed
under the weight of the rest of the cake above it.
There's no way that I can serve a leaning cake to Yolanda Gampp.
It's really scary.
(Sighing) The cake is leaning a little bit on one side.
Our cake is still leaning.
I've made hundreds of cakes,
and I've never had this happen to me before.
This is the last thing we need to happen right now.
I'm starting to feel a little bit nervous.
Yolanda, how's everybody doing?
Although all our teams
are making rainbow cakes across the board,
Jesse and Justin and Becky and Daniel
are planning to leave their cakes naked on the side,
whereas Lenore and Jessica and Janusz and Keiron
are covering their entire cake in fondant.
CURTIS: Well, the reason they're doing that is because
they're both making a comic book cake.
- We really need to hustle. - Yep. We're hustling.
The key flavorings are going to be really important.
Yeah.
We've got one team doing vanilla with strawberries.
Two teams using lemon.
And Jesse and Justin,
they're doing a curd with lemon and ginger,
and they're doing a ginger maple syrup.
Not ideal, but we have to make it work.
We don't got a choice here.
Is Daniel and Becky's cake leaning?
Yeah. Look at the bottom layer.
It's being squished by all the other layers.
We're just going to keep carving it
to make it look like it's straight again.
This is too much.
Keiron and Janusz, their decoration
still needs to come together.
They're really running out of time.
There's nothing worse than
trying to decorate a cake quickly.
My hands are shaking like they never did before.
Look at Jessica really using her height advantage over there.
Getting up above the fondant and working it down into the--
- I like that. - I have to say I'm jealous.
I stand on my son's baby stool...
- Yeah. - ...when I do this.
Are you saying a shorter baker has a disadvantage...
- Yes. - ...in this kind of cake?
- Yes. - High-five.
(Chuckling)
- (Timer beeping) - One minute.
- We need to work fast. - Don't panic.
BECKY: There's a lot on the line here.
JESSICA: God, I hope this is the right cake.
Oh, my God.
Five, four, three...
- It is what it is. - ...two, one.
And that is time.
Good job.
Yay.
That was dramatic.
Jesse and Justin, would you please bring us
what you thought was made in the Crime Scene Kitchen?
- Oh. - Ooh! Ah.
It's naked.
So, this is a rainbow buttermilk cake.
In here, we have lemon, ginger and some maple.
Oh.
On the center island, there was this index card
with an image that had rainbow layers,
and it listed five or six possible flavor profiles.
CURTIS: The flavor of the lemon and ginger really come through.
It's wonderful.
What led you to the order of colors?
We thought the purple and red was near the bottom,
and we weren't really sure at the top.
I think it's really smart that you piped a dam
to keep in your lemon curd,
but this kind of just looks like a tube.
JOEL: Keiron and Janusz.
- Ooh! - Wow.
Here you go, guys.
We have made a rainbow comic book cake covered in fondant
with lemon curd and Swiss meringue buttercream.
Did we remember those black lines?
If the mystery bake turns out to be a comic book cake,
we could be in big trouble.
- There you go. - Wow.
That is pretty.
It's really good. Really tender.
- Yeah. - The layers are perfectly even.
I think it is a beautiful-looking cake.
Thank you.
The curd's really lovely. Delicious...
- Oh, I'm so happy. - ...and beautiful.
JOEL: Lenore and Jessica.
- Oh, wow. - Ooh!
- That is gorgeous. - Oh, wow. That is great.
Wow.
So, we have made a lemon rainbow layer comic book cake
filled with a Swiss meringue buttercream.
Walking through the Crime Scene Kitchen,
I found a thank-you card,
and then we saw that there was evidence of lemons
as well as a zester,
and it was a flavor option that was in the cake book.
This cake is very impressive.
I just really wanted a chance to be able to do a fondant cake.
I was so excited that I could show what I can do.
JOEL: Wow.
The cake's cooked beautifully.
The shape that you've achieved with the cherries
is really fantastic.
That's a triumph. Well done.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
I love your cake, and I can tell you're getting emotional...
- Yeah. - ...and it's appropriate.
- This is very hard... - Yeah.
...and no one realizes it unless they do it,
and you both did an excellent job.
Thank you very much.
I'm very happy receiving such high praise from Yolanda.
My heart just exploded.
After so many challenges and not winning safety,
we were in our zone.
- (Applauding) - Yay!
But in order for us to be safe, there has to be lemon.
Ah.
JOEL: Daniel and Becky.
- Oh. - Ooh.
- Ooh! - Wow.
- That's a big boy. - Yeah. Those cherries.
How tall is this cake?
DANIEL: We have made a naked vanilla rainbow cake
with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream
and fresh strawberry slices in the middle.
What made you decide to present a naked cake?
We've now seen one other naked rainbow cake
and two that were covered in fondant.
We remembered seeing the white strips of filling
between each colored cake layer.
Okay.
Oop!
That's a lot of cake.
I think your cake is a little too dense
for the height you were trying to achieve.
You can see that the red layer is being squashed
by the weight of all the other layers.
That said, it's a really tasty cake,
and the strawberries really add something.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
(Applauding)
I know we didn't impress Yolanda at all.
We could be in big trouble.
(Sniffling)
Welcome back to Crime Scene Kitchen.
With a trip to the semifinals on the line,
Confectionator 3000,
reveal the mystery dessert.
I feel sick.
What is it? What is it?
Here we go.
Oh.
JOEL: The mystery dessert is
a rainbow comic book cake.
Six layers of rainbow-colored lemon-buttermilk cake
filled with vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream,
decorated in a comic style with fondant.
- Wow. - That is amazing.
Great job.
Nailed it.
- We did it! - Yes.
Dang.
I just want to crawl
under this Confectionator and just hide.
Yolanda, walk us through the clues here.
The six cake tins told you the size of the cake.
Matching the name "Kaycee" on the thank-you card
to the name "Kaycee" in the recipe book
told you it was a rainbow comic book cake.
Read the name of the cake wrong.
The illustration in the book told you the design,
and the text told you
it was layered with Swiss meringue buttercream.
There were five flavor options given for this cake.
All of the ingredients but lemon were either used
in another manner in the kitchen or not present at all.
The maple syrup bottle was closed and unused.
The ginger was used to make ginger shots by the juicer.
The banana was used for the cereal in the sink.
Following these clues should have directed you to
a lemon-buttermilk rainbow comic book cake.
- Good work, honey. - Good job.
Special recognition goes out to Lenore and Jessica,
who delivered what I think is the best-decorated cake
we've ever seen on Crime Scene Kitchen.
- Thank you. - Wow.
(Applauding)
This was a really tough decision,
but for us, the two naked cakes
were both the furthest away from the mystery bake.
Jesse and Justin, your cake lacked quality
in the decorative details,
and it included ingredients not present in the mystery bake.
Becky and Daniel, your cake included flavors
that were not present in the mystery bake,
as well as having serious structural issues.
We're really sorry to say that the team going home
just shy of the semifinals is...
...Jesse and Justin.
- Aw. - Good job, buddy.
- Thank you, Jesus. - Oh, my God.
YOLANDA: You should be really proud
of everything you've brought to Crime Scene Kitchen.
This was an awesome experience. Thank you.
(Cheering and applause)
These last few weeks together have been amazing,
and I wouldn't change it for the world.
You know, the bonding experience,
that's probably what we'll remember the most.
- All right, man. - Okay, buddy.
(Applauding)
This was the hardest reality check
that I've ever felt in my life.
We need to come back and nail it.
And that's exactly what we plan to do again.
Congratulations, teams.
You've baked your way into the next round.
Nicely done.
Join us next time for the Crime Scene Kitchen semifinals.
It's just like the finals, except even more semi-exciting.
(Laughing)
I'm Joel McHale. Good night, everyone.