"Peyton:" "We're doomed." "(gasping, cheering)" "They turned the whole MasterChef kitchen into a winter wonderland." "I feel like I'm inside of a snow globe." "Next thing you know, someone's gonna start shaking me." "I've never seen snow!" "In Texas, it barely snows, but I never thought the first time" "I would see snow would be under a roof." " It's opening." " Oh, my God." " Oh, no!" " (screaming)" "Season's greetings, home cooks." " Who loves the holidays?" " All:" "Me!" "Guess who else loves the holidays?" " Gordon." " Oh!" "Actually, have you guys seen him around?" "All:" "No." "Come on, Gordon." "Where are you?" " Gordon, come on out." " I think I can hear him." "Shh." "Aww, Gordon." " Gordon!" " Whoa!" " Do I look good?" " All:" "No!" "No, come on, seriously." "Listen carefully." "It's time for your next challenge." " Yes." " But before you begin, we have a little something for you." "Are we getting presents?" "( Cheering )" "Presents!" "Inside these two big sacks are 10 amazing gifts." "Will you all please come up here and take a gift?" " Thank you." " Thank you." " Yay." " Thank you, Chef." " Thank you so much." " Do not open it." "You are welcome." " Thank you." " Happy holidays." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Christina:" "Okay." "Go ahead!" "Open those presents!" "( Cheering )" "Oh!" " They're aprons." " Yes!" "Pink." "Whoever has a matching apron to yours, that is your partner in this challenge." " Justise again." " Evan's on my team again." "This is good, because Evan and I work pretty well together." "I mean, we won the corn dog challenge, we won the pie challenge with Afnan." "So I'm thinking that we have a good chance of winning this time, too." "I mean, third time's a charm." "So, we have Adam and Jasmine on the red team." "Cydney and Peyton, the yellow team." "Avani and Shayne, blue team." "Afnan and Mark, pink team." "And Justise and Evan, the green team." "Now, in your teams, you're gonna work together to make a quintessential holiday treat." "(cheering)" "Evan:" "In Chicago, we make these all the time, but I'm not necessarily the best." "Like, I'm almost done, I put the last thing on, and then all of a sudden, poof, it falls apart." "Tonight, in your pairs, you must precisely replicate this stunning gingerbread house." "Aye yai yai." "Christina:" "Now, a good gingerbread house is not just a treat, it's a work of art." "Each piece of candy is delicately set." "Icing is piped perfectly." "This is what we expect to see." "Teams, head to your stations." "Let's go." "Justise:" "Let's go." "We got this." "We got this, Evan." "We got this!" "Right, in front of you at your stations, you have a house that some elves have built for you." "Your job tonight is to now decorate it identically to this one." "In the equipment room, you'll find all the candy to finish your flawless replication of our perfect gingerbread house." "Your teams will have 20 minutes to make a gingerbread house as stunning as this one." "Now, the winning team will not have to cook in the next challenge, after which we will be saying good-bye to two more home cooks." "Once your time is up, we will inspect every single gingerbread house, and from there, we will declare a winner." "Christina:" "Is everybody ready?" "All:" "Yes, Chef!" "Your 20 minutes... starts now." "Okay, all right, go ahead and get it, get it." "( Chattering )" "Whoa!" "Oh, wow." "Get those, get those, get those." "Gordon, a gingerbread house challenge... this is a real precision test for them." "I'll start tiling this side." "Christina:" "Every piece of candy needs to be placed with intention," " Gordon:" "Yes." " and that's part of what we're testing them for tonight." "Mark:" "You want to pipe up to down, not down to up." "Gordon:" "This is about the technical ability to replicate." "Oh, be careful, okay?" "Gordon:" "Now, what is the strategy?" "'Cause it sounds easy, fun, but it is difficult." "The strategy is someone's kind of on the icing, and the other one is on the decorating." "Adam:" "Whoa." "It's coming down." "You need the person with the steady hand that knows how to frost evenly and delicately, and that can pipe around and get those little intricate parts in." "Gordon:" "Also, I think that level of communication's critical." "Afnan:" "Overlap, overlap." "You're not overlapping." "If you start putting the wrong color and the wrong items on there, it's very hard to take out." " No, no!" " This stuff really is like give." "You take it off, you might take the entire roof off." "You gotta overlap them a little bit more." " We can do this." " Good." "I am not a big gingerbread person." "Avani knows gingerbread." "She makes them a lot, so I'm letting her be the leader of this one." "Avani, is that good?" "Look." " That's perfect, Shayne." " Okay." "At home, in Georgia, I make gingerbread houses all the time for the holidays." "It just takes so long, and it's very, very difficult to make sure that you get all the right pieces placed properly." "If you do too many in such a big load, then everything can fall and get completely messed up." "So, it's really important that you focus." "The most important part of this house, I think, is the roof, because if you're standing over it, you see that first." "Seven minutes remaining." "Come on!" "Here we go." "What's your strategy, Mark?" "Who's doing what?" "Our strategy right now is to get everything done, it's divide and conquer." "Afnan's working on all of the details like the window sills and the door frame, and I'm working on the roof." "Speed up, huh?" "Peyton:" "It has to be an exact replica." " No." " Yeah." "Cydney:" "It doesn't have to be the same colors." " I'm not risking it." " Okay." "How's it going, Mama?" "I think that it's going okay." "Cydney said that some of the elements of the house don't have to be the exact like that..." "Christina:" "They need to be exactly like it." "Yes, and I want this advantage because now it's in the top 10, and any advantage you can get," " I want to take it." " You want to take." "Avani:" "Have you ate a candy yet?" " Shayne:" "No." " Me neither." " Isn't it tempting?" " Yes." "Oh, I heard that." "We're telling your mom, Gordon." "Shh." "Come on." "Come on, frosting." "Three minutes, here we go." "Come on, Adam, we got this." "Wow, Jasmine and Adam are looking incredible." "Justise and Evan, they seem to be really steadily paced." "Gordon:" "Yeah, look at the roof." "I mean, the roof is stunning." "I'm a little worried about Cydney and Peyton." "Peyton says Cydney's sort of stressing her out, doesn't necessarily understand that it's an exact replication of the gingerbread house." "Peyton:" "It does have to be an exact replica." " I asked." " Oh, it does?" "Yeah, it does." "Last minute!" "Here we go." "Come on!" "Gordon:" "Speed up, guys!" "Evan, none of the sides are being done!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Uh-oh." "It's sliding," "I think there's too much weight on it." "Can I get the..." " I know." "Gordon:" "All of you, speed up!" "Remember guys, the winning team will be safe in our next elimination challenge." " This is big!" " Start sticking yours." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..." "Evan, the windows aren't even done yet." "Gordon and Christina:" "Four, three, two, one." " Stop, hands in the air!" " Hands in the air!" " Well done." " Well done, teams." "Now, please, very carefully bring your gingerbread houses down to the front." "I think our gingerbread house actually turned out really nicely, although we are forgetting one or two things." "I'm just hoping that the judges think about how great me and Peyton work as a team, and that we deserve to win this challenge." "Let's see how we did." "So, Adam and Jasmine, how did it go for you?" "It went okay." "Adam:" "We faulted a little bit on the timing, 'cause we weren't watching the clock." "I have to say, it's not bad." "You've got some of the candy right." "Wrong color doorknob for sure." " Yeah." " Yeah." "You've got the roof shingles right, though I agree, they could be a little bit more tidy." "And time management definitely got you a little bit there." "Missing some of those key elements." " Adam:" "Yeah." " I'll have to see how the others did." "It's not bad, guys." "It's pretty good." " Thank you." " Ladies, who did what?" "We pretty much split the gingerbread in half." "I did this side and Peyton did this side." "Peyton, what did you?" "Peyton:" "I frosted most of it, and Cydney kind of did most of the elements." "Pretty good, ladies." "You got the windows correct, colored doorknobs." "You got the wreath above the door." "The roof... beautiful." "I like the piping skills." "However, it looks like the time got the better of you for the finishing touches." "No licorice on the front porch." " Yes, Chef." " Thank you." "All right." "Blue team, how'd it go?" "It went pretty well." "I was the head chef and Shayne was my sous chef." "Really?" "The youngest in the kitchen took control of the oldest home cook in the kitchen." "All right, I love it." "Now, I think you guys did a pretty nice job." "Your wafers here are not the right candy." "You're missing a doorknob there, and kind of the rest of the fence." "But I can see where you were going with that if you had a little bit more time." "But in 20 minutes, you guys got a lot done." "Thank you." "Right." "Uh, looks like you guys hit a snow storm." " Yes, Chef." " What happened?" " I'm not the best at piping." " Neither am I." "So, that's messy there, isn't it?" "Mm-hmm." "Yes, Chef." "Look how thick that frosting is." "Looks here like an avalanche." "Look, it's all slid down, and there's no petals in there." "No doorknob." "It fell off when we were walking up." "The doorknob fell off." "Remind me never to hire any of you to do any work on my house." "Okay." "So, Evan and Justise, how did it go?" "Justise:" "Good." "Evan:" "I think it went really well." "Christina:" "What was the thing that you struggled with on it the most?" " I think..." " The windows." " Yeah, the windows." " I can see that." "You can tell visually that that's really where you struggled." "'Cause I look at your roof and I say it's beautiful." "I mean, it's almost mirror perfect." "The gumdrops..." "I would have loved a few more up top there." "Love that you got the front yard to such a good place." "But it does look like someone broke in to the house through the windows here because they look a bit unfinished." "But for me, the roof is clearly the strongest element of your house." "Nice job, you two." "All right, home cooks, will you all please come around to the front and stand in front of your gingerbread houses?" "They did a pretty good job." "We have a winner." "Gordon:" "There is one team that really rose to the challenge, showed great flair, great communication skills." "And that team... is..." " the yellow team." " Both:" "Yes!" " Oh, my God!" " Goodness!" "Ladies, congratulations, you are both safe from tonight's elimination challenge." "Thank you." "Let me tell you all, the holiday surprises are not over just yet." "We have a very special guest judge here tonight... waiting right behind those doors." " Mark:" "Oh, God." " But..." "I want you to come and stand up here so you can get a better look." " Yeah!" " Whoa, this is so cool." "Christina:" "Be careful!" "Now, tonight's special guest really is the ultimate expert in gingerbread houses." "And we think he's gonna be very impressed with all of your work tonight." "Please welcome..." "Oh, my God!" "Now, tonight's special guest really is the ultimate expert in gingerbread houses." "Please welcome... the gingerbread man!" " Oh, my God," " Oh, my God, that's creepy." "The gingerbread man is here." "( Kids screaming )" "I know how in the books he's all sweet, but that gingerbread man is scary." "That's so creepy." "Guys, the real-life gingerbread man." "Mark:" "Oh, my God!" "Because you built him all of these houses out of candy and icing, he has brought something else for you all." "A face full of... frosting!" "( All squealing, screaming )" "I'm covered in frosting and I am filled with anger." "Come on, it's delicious!" "Open wide, guys." "But I might as well just make the most of it and eat it all." "Before we let you guys get cleaned up, there is a mystery we still need to uncover." "Let's see who this phony gingerbread man is!" "Gotcha!" "Please welcome back world-renowned chef, Aarón Sánchez!" " Aarón!" " Yes." "AKA, the gingerbread man!" "Guys, it was me all along, and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you pesky kids!" "Right, all of you, we're gonna get cleaned up." "Follow me." "Let's go, let's go." " Come on down, please." " Hi, guys!" " Hi!" " Hi!" "Making the gingerbread house was so much fun, but this is an elimination challenge, and it's really, really serious." "And I need to make it to the top eight, so I definitely have to slay this next challenge." "Now, it's time for your next challenge to begin." " You ready?" " All:" "Yes, Chef!" "But before we tell you what you're cooking," "Peyton and Cydney, your team won the gingerbread house challenge, and you two are safe from elimination tonight." " Yes!" " Please, both of you, head up to the balcony." "Peyton:" "Winning this gingerbread challenge," "I'm automatically catapulted to the top eight, and I have my best friend Cydney on the balcony with me." "For your first challenge tonight, you all celebrated the holidays by making magical," "MasterChef worthy gingerbread houses." "Whatever you and your family celebrate great holidays always, always mean great food." "And that's the theme of tonight's next challenge." "At this time of year, families across America gather around the table to eat their favorite classic dishes." "Now, whenever I want to celebrate, there is one showstopper that I always rustle up." " Ooh." " That's fancy." "Another mystery." "This is the dish that all of you will be cooking tonight." "I'm not talking about any extra cookie or a slice of pie." "I'm talking about something rich, warm, sophisticated." "This is not a traditional American holiday classic, but it is a world-renowned Gordon Ramsay holiday classic." "Oh, no." "Ramsay's holidays are going to be very, very, very fancy, because he's a fancy guy, he has amazing restaurants." "It is the one and only..." "I think I know what it is, and I'm kind of scared." "We're dead." "Ooh." "This is not a traditional American holiday classic, but it is a world-renowned Gordon Ramsay holiday classic." "Oh, no." "It is the one and only..." " Beef Wellington." " Beef Wellington!" " Beef Wellington!" " No!" "Your favorite meal!" "This is Gordon Ramsay's signature dish!" "This is what made him famous!" "And now a 13-year-old boy from Texas has to recreate that?" "It took me years to perfect this classic." "Oh, this is gonna be difficult." "First of all, let's take off the end bit." "Just look inside there." "It is, without a doubt, my favorite thing to eat on the entire planet." "That beautiful seared beef surrounded by that thin layer of decadent mushroom duxelle, wrapped in Parma ham, bound together with savory crÃªpe, and then, finally, wrapped in the most delicious, flakiest, decadent puff pastry." "This is exactly what you're aiming for tonight." "This is a very difficult and a very technical dish." "Your timing needs to be impeccable." "Your plating, flawless." "And with that in mind, it's time to head to your stations." "Mark:" "I'm pretty confident because" "I have made salmon Wellington." "It turned out pretty good." "I think with my all-around knowledge of meat," "I'll be able to successfully cook a beef Wellington." "Now, you'll have one hour to make an incredible beef Wellington dish with a sauce and two sides of your choice." "All the ingredients you need to make the beef Wellington are at your stations." "We also have a beautiful limited pantry for you to use for your sides." "Are you guys ready to make an exceptional beef Wellington dish?" "All:" "Yes, Chef!" "Your one hour starts now." "Behind!" "Apples!" "Where are the apples?" " Asparagus." " You're doing asparagus, too?" "Yeah, are you doing potatoes?" " Yes." "Oh, my gosh." " I ain't changing." "Here we go." "Come on, guys." "This is so crazy, that I have to recreate" "Gordon Ramsay's signature dish." "For my sauce, I'm going to do a mushroom sauce." "For my two sides, I am doing a sautéed rainbow chard and sautéed peas." "I don't know if this challenge is fit for 8 to 13-year-olds, but I think that we're good enough chefs to pull it off." "Beef Wellington is like a Christmas dish, so I'm making a cranberry compote, a mushroom gravy, and Brussels sprouts with pancetta." "In Chicago, this is just something that my family eats all the time on Christmas." "I have never made beef Wellington before." "Gordon's probably gonna go extra hard on us since it's his dish, so we have to get every component right." "Gordon, so this is not something that I necessarily grew up eating, so why beef Wellington?" "Is it a tradition in your family?" "Gordon:" "Do you know what?" "I got tired of turkey." "And so I started making Wellingtons, and it has become a bit of a tradition." "It's difficult, it's finesse, but it's a showstopper." "That hits the table..." "look at that wow factor." "First thing to do is sear the beef." "Now, sear it in a cast iron pan, maximizing that flavor." "Take it out whilst it's still warm, brush that mustard on there." "From there, the duxelle..." "basically chopped mushrooms." "Then we've got that wonderful, savory crÃªpe." "And on the outside of that, you've got the Parma ham." "That's the salty bit." "Then finally, you wrap the whole thing in puff pastry." "Gordon, I mean, those steps... you just lost me." "I mean, these are 8 to 13-year-olds." " I know." " What are you thinking?" "Can they pull it off?" "I feel slightly anxious, the fact that it's that tough, but we're pushing them so much harder this year because of how good they are." "Aarón:" "Come on, you guys." "You can do it!" "Come on, guys." "You got this!" " Speed it up!" " I'm not very nervous, but I still have a little bit of anxiety, because getting this perfect is really, really hard." "I'm making potato parmesan puree, glazed carrots, and roasted asparagus." "My sauce is going to be an herb demi-glace with brandy." "My family's Muslim, so we don't celebrate Christmas." "But after the month of Ramadan we have this big feast and we get to eat, like, whatever we want." "It's really fun." "Afnan's still searing his steak." "It looks like he just started." "Christina:" "Less than 40 minutes to go!" "Get those Wellington's rolled, guys." "Are you kidding me right now?" "I'm getting really confused with everything, because, like, it's just not going the way I planned." "No!" "Aww." " Gordon:" "Gently, Evan." " Ooh." "I know, I can feel the intensity from here." "( Groans )" "I just worry that it's a little too complex." "This is the top nine, and some of these home cooks tonight are struggling." "Come on." "Don't rip on me." "Don't rip on me." "Oh, it split." "Gordon:" "Have we gone too far too soon?" "Evan:" "Oh!" "( Groans )" "It's just not going the way I planned." "I just worry that it's a little too complex." "Gordon:" "Have we gone too far too soon?" " Oh." " Avani." " Yes, Chef?" " How are you feeling?" "Not so confident." "Tell me about the traditional holidays at home." "How do you celebrate?" "What kind of food?" "Curries." "Who makes the best curry at home?" "My Grandma." "I think she should be a professional chef." " Wow, she's that good?" " Yeah." "Tell me what you're serving with the Wellington." " What are you doing?" " I'm doing a carrots a la Vichy." "So "Vichy", what does that mean in your mind?" " Acid." " A little bit of acidity." "And I'm doing cauliflower mash." "Now, focus on your Wellington first." " Forget all the garnish, otherwise you'll fall behind." " Yes, Chef." "You've got 34 minutes to nail it." "Good luck." "Thank you, Chef!" " Aarón:" "Can they pull it off?" " If they follow the steps..." "Come on, don't split." " They'll nail it." " Yes." "Yeah, I think I got this one." "In many ways, it's like baking." "You've got to stay disciplined every step of the way." "Christina:" "How you looking, Justise?" "Actually, it's coming pretty okay." "How's it taste?" "Nice!" " Adam." " Hi." "Aarón:" "What's the good word, Adam?" "You're gonna go the asparagus and mushroom route, right?" "Yeah, and I'm gonna make a red wine reduction." " Gotcha." " Christina:" "Nice." "Asparagus is one of the first vegetables" "I ever cooked and really loved, so I wanted to bring that to the Christmas theme." "You've consistently done well in elimination challenges." "I am looking for great things from you tonight." " Good luck." " Thank you." "Whoa, Adam!" " All right, Mark, how are you feeling?" " Good, Chef." "Tell me about the garnish." "What are you serving with it?" "A roasted carrot with brown butter and whiskey purée." "Okay." "Roasted asparagus and roasted potatoes." "Nice." "Now, you're a hunter, right?" "Yes, Chef." "What's a traditional sort of showstopper at home around the holidays?" "What is it?" "Definitely either rib eye steak or venison." " That's just a home tradition." " That's great." "And where do you assist the cooking at home?" "I am usually helping my mom during the weekdays, because I have a lot of school and football." "And on the weekends, I am doing full meals like risotto and sautéed chicken breast, stuff like that." "That's great." "You've got 28 minutes to get yourself in the top eight." " Good luck." " Thank you, Chef." "So, Shayne, how's that Wellington looking?" " It's looking awesome." " Aarón:" "You're a Texas boy." "You know your way around some beef and steer." "You feeling confident about this beef Wellington?" "I am feeling confident, Chef." "Christina:" "What two sides are you making with your Wellington?" "I am making mashed potatoes, sautéed asparagus, and mushroom gravy." " Okay." " Yep." "Now, I saw that you egg washed part of it." "You want to make sure you get every piece of exposed puff pastry egg washed so that it's even all the way around." " Yes, Chef." " Good luck, sir." "We're down to 25 minutes remaining." "Your Wellingtons now should be in the oven." "I'm gonna get you egg washed." "Aarón:" "Well, I have to say, guys, I mean, for me, when there were 20 of these young home cooks, to what I see in front of me right now, is night and day." "Incredible the difference in terms of attitude, professionalism, and where they are now in the competition." "This delicate showstopper is getting the better of Avani." "She's miles behind, focusing on the garnish as opposed to the hero." " The hero is the Wellington." " Be good." "Afnan over here, he's actually working with one extra side dish." "He has carrots, he has asparagus, and he has a puree of potato with parmesan." "I think he needs to focus more on the cooking of the Wellington." "Gordon:" "Ah, Mark, yeah..." "A meat lover, a hunter." "He's cool, calm, collected as ever." "Christina:" "He seems steady." "Now, these Wellingtons should be coming out of the oven in the next few minutes." "They can't come out too early." "Uh, you're getting there, right?" "Is your Wellington even out yet?" " Afnan:" "No, is yours?" " No, it's about to be." "Six minutes to go." "Remember, the Wellington needs to rest as well, guys." " Yeah." " Perfect." "Let's be honest, you cannot fast track a Wellington." " Timing is crucial." " ( groaning )" " Oh, my God." " You should be plating right now, guys." " Get off." " Gordon:" "Remember, for two of you, your last minutes inside the MasterChef Junior kitchen." " Make sure it's not you." " Come on, sauce." "You can do it." "Aarón:" "Let's go, Afnan." " Two and a half minutes to go." "He's gotta go." " He's gotta go, guys." "Christina:" "You gotta move, guys." "Gordon:" "Taste everything..." "every single side." "Seasoning, sauce... taste it." "Christina:" "Push, guys!" "We're coming up to the last minute, guys." "Come on." "All of you, speed up!" "Look, Afnan's the last one to take his Wellington out of the oven." "Come on." "Get off of there." "Come on!" "Come on, guys." "You can do it!" "Peyton:" "Come on, Avani, you got this!" " Come on, Avani!" " Let's go!" "Judges:" "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." " Gordon:" "And stop!" " Christina:" "Hands in the air!" " Well done." " All right!" " Good job, guys." " Well done." "It's now time to dive inside those Wellingtons." "Let's start off with Mark, please." "Thank you." "Mark:" "When I look down at my dish, I am confident." "I chose these sides and purée because this is what my family and I do whenever we have a nice cuts of meat." "I put a lot of love into this dish." "Mark, describe the dish, please." "Today I have for you a beef Wellington with a roasted carrot, brown butter and bourbon puree, pan-roasted potatoes, and asparagus that I've roasted in the oven." "Wellingtons are about finesse and beauty and something's that's like," ""Wow, I don't want to get in there." "It looks so precious."" "If you look down there, it's all dripping." " See it's all dripping?" " Yes, Chef." "You've only sort of half glazed it." "It looks a little bit too rustic." "But I'm dying to get in there, because that's the bit that I'm really concerned about." " Look at that." " Whoa." "If you look down there, it's all dripping." "You've only half glazed it." "But I'm dying to get in there, because that's the bit that I'm really concerned about." " Look at that." " Whoa." "It's been seared too heavily there." "It looks a little bit too pink in the middle." "That pastry's so thick there." "Just touch that." "It's undercooked." "So, it's not wrapped properly." "What a shame." "It actually tastes better than it looks, but the dripping of the egg wash around the outside, the gashes on the pastry, it's just put together in a very sort of slobbish way." "Yes, Chef." "What have you done with the asparagus?" "I roasted them in the oven until they got burnt tips, just like the way I like it." "And the potatoes?" "I just panroasted them." "They actually taste quite nice." "What's the puree?" "It is a roasted carrot, brown butter and bourbon purée." "Mmm." "Damn." "There's a big difference between a sauce and a purée, right?" " Yes, Chef." " So you have no sauce." "No, Chef." "I don't think this is the best that you've cooked in the competition so far." " Thank you." " Thank you, Chef." " Good job." " Up next, please, Jasmine." "Jasmine:" "To me, my plate looks like Christmas." "It reminds me of opening a present that Santa Claus just brought for you that you really, really wanted." "But I won't know how great it is until the judges cut right into it." "Christina:" "All right, Jasmine, what's the dish?" "Jasmine:" "So, today you have a beef Wellington with sautéed rainbow chard, some sautéed peas, and a mushroom, garlic, and thyme sauce." "Now, you've gone home once in an elimination challenge." " Is this your second?" " No, Chef." "Here we go." "Yes." "Uh, young lady, you have nailed the cook on that." "I mean, look at it." "It is still glistening!" "You have gotten a beautiful layer of that mushroom duxelle." "I see the savory crÃªpe going all the way around." "And you've got a nice, thin, even layer of puff pastry." "Thank you." "I love the peas." "I think they're very British..." "The chard, I think you've got to choose between one or the other." "I would have loved to see some sort of root vegetable, but that's just me nit-picking, because you did a great job." "Thank you." "Good job, Jasmine!" "Shayne, please come down." "Shayne:" "Today I made beef Wellington with mashed potatoes, and sautéed asparagus, and a mushroom gravy." "I can tell, young man, that you have some Texas roots inside, 'cause that's how you cook beef the right way." "Thank you, Chef." "I think you made a dynamite mashed potato." "Asparagus, a little boring." "But let me tell you, that filet and those mashed potatoes is something I want to eat again." "Thank you, Chef." "Next up, Evan, please." "Thank you." "Evan:" "I have a beef Wellington with a cranberry compote, roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta, and a mushroom sauce." "Beef Wellington..." "inside, delicious." "Got that really nice circumference of duxelle." "Garnish, almost like you didn't think about it properly." "You don't really serve cranberries with Wellington." "However, the hero is the Wellington." " It's seasoned beautifully." "It's cooked really nicely." " Thank you." "I'm just a little bit miffed." "The pastry... had you glazed that nicely, it would come out golden brown." " But, you know, it tastes good." " Thank you, Chef." "Thank you, Evan." "Miss Justise, please come down." "Justise:" "I have made beef Wellington with bacon, caper, and bourbon Brussels sprouts, ginger and brown sugar apples, and a lemon and sage vinaigrette." "The cooking of the beef itself is spot-on." "Great sear, great seasoning." "I love your side dishes." "Where you ran into some trouble was not wrapping it tightly enough, and that's why you have duxelle all over the place, and way too much." " But good job, young lady." " Thank you." "Right, next up, Adam, please." "Let's go." "Adam:" "I didn't just make a beef Wellington." "I made a Gordon Ramsay beef Wellington for the first time." "And it's for Gordon Ramsay, so the bar is super high, and I don't know if I'm gonna be able to reach it." "Describe the dish, please." "Adam:" "It is a beef Wellington with glazed asparagus, a mushroom pearl onion sauté, and a red wine demi-reduction." "So, I can't slice it on top of that," "I'm gonna have to move it." "These are the kind of things you need to start thinking about now." " That looks beautiful." " Thank you." " Really beautiful." " It's stunning." "The temperature, you've nailed, young man." "I think it's one of the first ones tonight we can do this." "Yeah, look." "Guys, can you see that?" " All:" "Yes, Chef." " That's perfection on a knife." "You've done a near-perfect Wellington, young man." "The asparagus, onions, red wine sauce, they're cooked beautifully." "We're looking for the best young chef in America, and you, young man, have got great potential." " Thank you." " Well done." "Yeah, Adam!" "All right, next up, please, Avani." "We eat Indian food in my house for the holidays, not beef Wellington, so let's just hope it's a Christmas miracle." "Christina:" "What's the dish?" "Avani:" "I made a beef Wellington with a cauliflower mash, carrots a la Vichy, and black pepper corn sauce." "For me, the real star tonight is the Wellington." "So, are you ready?" "Here we go." "So, the beef temperature itself looks pretty nice." "However, that mushroom duxelle, it's only on half." "Your puff pastry is just wrapped a little too loose, 'cause you see I go like this, and I see this entire air bubble." "The Wellington itself, the flavor of it, is very nice." "The carrots are really nice." "The black pepper corn sauce, maybe just a little thinner." "The cauliflower mash, not very well seasoned." "It doesn't feel like a mashed potato alternative." "Now, I know there were some technical errors, but that's how we learn." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Afnan, please come forward." "I'm praying that this Wellington is amazing." "I just rushed the whole time, and I made three sides and a sauce, which is hard." "Hopefully, I didn't do too much and I'm not on thin ice." "Aarón:" "Talk to me a little bit about your dish." "What do you have there?" "Afnan:" "I made a beef Wellington with potato parmesan puree, roasted asparagus with cranberries, balsamic glazed carrots, and a demi-glace with chestnuts, herbs, and mushrooms." "You took it upon yourself to make three side dishes." " Yes, Chef." " Do you feel that that detracted from any other elements of the Wellington?" "No, Chef." "So you took enough time to wrap it, make sure you seared it properly, compose your sauce, everything?" "Yes, Chef." "So you have this in the bag." " Yes, Chef." " All right, well, let's see what we have here, okay?" "Aarón:" "Wow." "Afnan, your future in the MasterChef kitchen depends on what happens when I cut this." "Yes, Chef." "Let's see what we have here." "Wow, look at that." " It's beautiful." " Isn't that wonderful?" "The duxelle hugs the outside of the filet itself." "That means it was properly wrapped." "Look at that, I just sliced through it, and it's still all together." "I'm gonna give it a little taste." "That filet is seared wonderfully." "It's seasoned very aggressively, which I loved, but your sauce, that is the real home-run here." "It just makes a wonderful complement to this beef Wellington." " Thank you, Chef." " Well done, young man." " Good job, Afnan." " Thank you." "That went a lot better than I thought." "I won't be in the bottom five." "They loved it!" " Awesome job, Afnan." " Thank you." "All right, guys." "Each and every one of you young home cooks impressed all of us tonight." "But, this is still a competition, and some of you just missed the mark tonight." "We are gonna need a moment to discuss who will be moving on in the competition." "Please excuse us." "Gordon:" "Some great high points." "Afnan, I mean, incredible." "Great flavor." "Precision-wise he nailed it." " Group hug." " Awesome job, Afnan." "And how about Adam?" "That beef Wellington's encased so perfectly." "Gordon:" "Really good indeed." "You did a great job, Avani." "No, I didn't." "Now, for me, Avani just wasn't focused." "The technique of the Wellington, she didn't wrap it well." "Gordon:" "It's the first time I felt that she really is out of her depth." "Avani, you're an amazing chef." "There's a lot of really big offenses here." "Man, I don't want to go home." "Yeah, but I think we have our answers." "Aarón:" "Yeah." " Uh-oh." " I hope I did enough." " You did." "Guys, this was an extremely difficult challenge, and there were two dishes that blew us away." "The second best dish of the night belongs to..." "Afnan." " Told you!" " Good job." "But the most impressive beef Wellington tonight, it was almost utter perfection." "That dish belongs to... congratulations, Adam." " Shayne:" "Good job, Adam." " Great job, young man." "Thank you." "Now, MasterChef Junior's a tough competition." "And we sadly have to send two of you home tonight." "So, if I call your name, please come down here to the front." "Mark." "Evan." " Avani." " No." "Listen, you three have impressed us so much across this competition, but tonight something very technical got the better of you, and sadly two will have to leave the competition." "Mark." "Please step forward." "( Crying )" "Avani, please step forward." "Justise:" "Nuh-uh." " Mark?" "Peyton:" "Avani?" "Evan, please head back to your station." "Avani, don't cry." "Good job, guys." "Evan:" "Good job, Mark." "Wow." "Wow." "That was a close call." "I'm happy I made it, but it's sad to see two more of my friends go home." "Gordon:" "Mark and Avani, you know, that was a tough, tough challenge." "But heads up high, okay?" "This is the beginning of a new chapter." "Wear those aprons with pride." "Mark, how are you feeling?" "I'm glad I could meet you guys." "I have a restaurant down the street in New Orleans." "You come and visit me, all right?" "You can come work with me anytime." "Yes, Chef." "Gordon:" "Little Miss Avani, the youngest, and my goodness, girl, can you cook." "Promise me you'll keep on cooking." "Come and say good-bye, please, both of you." "Come here." "Oh, dear." "You come visit me, okay?" " Good job, young lady, okay?" " Avani:" "Thank you, Chef." "Guys, thank you once again, and good night." " Thank you, Chef." " Thank you." "Avani:" "I came to the MasterChef kitchen to show Gordon and Christina I might be eight, but I can cook some really great dishes." " I love the heat." " Thank you, Chef." "Oh, Avani." "I'm never gonna forget all the friends I've made." "Let's watch Donovan's flambé!" "It has been the best experience in all my eight years of living." " ( All cheering )" " Mark:" "Pork chops come first." "I came to the MasterChef kitchen because I wanted to prove to the world that I can cook." "Hot pan, hot pan, hot pan!" "Being in the MasterChef kitchen," "I learned that I'm a really good leader, and I am serious about cooking." "This is what I want to do with my life." " You gotta give yourself big ups." " Yes!" "Yeah!" "Avani, it was a pleasure meeting you." "It was a pleasure meeting you." "Avani:" "The fact I've made it into the top 10 proves that age doesn't matter." " Close your eyes." "Wah!" " ( laughter )" "You're the youngest, and right now, one of the strongest." " Great job!" "Amazing!" " Thank you." "Avani!" "This is just the beginning of my culinary journey." "Announcer:" "Next week..." " Uh-Oh." " What?" " The top eight..." " I'm scared." "face the biggest mystery box of the season." "And then..." "Gordon:" "The tag team challenge!" "Go, go, run, run!" "It's a MasterChef Junior classic." " We can do this." " Get that shrimp out." "It has to be perfect!" "Only the cooks with raw talent..." " Get the nigiri done." " It's falling apart!" "And the sharpest skills..." "Shayne:" "Tight as you can!" "Will make the cut." "Gordon:" "You need to communicate, otherwise it's gonna be sayonara for the both of you."