"This place will make or break you." "Realize the seriousness of this moment." "We want to see who can put perfection on a plate." "Is there anyone that thinks they are the next MasterChef?" "It began with home cooks from across America." "Where are you from?" "Chicago." "Maryland." "From Charlesville, Virginia." "14th Street in Manhattan." "All of them with one dream." "I'm gonna be the next MasterChef." "I am the next MasterChef." "I am the next MasterChef." "You're looking at America's next MasterChef." "MasterChef, here I come." "Thousands upon thousands lined up with their very best on a plate." "I know I can win this thing." "Every one of them hungry for the coveted title of MasterChef." "I need this so bad!" "And $1/4 million cash prize." "But to get it, they'll have to face three of the toughest figures in the culinary world." "I'm Graham Elliot." "At 27, I became America's youngest four-star chef." "Believe me, I know a thing or two about cooking and eating." "My name is Joe Bastianich." "I own 24 of the best Italian restaurants in the world and three award-winning Italian wineries." "I'm gonna tell you how it really is." "And then there's me, Gordon Ramsay." "I've got over 20 restaurants with 12 Michelin stars, and there's nothing that I don't know about food." "The competitors will battle it out in the toughest of challenges until just one remains." "Be the best or go home." "They'll cater for critics of all shapes and sizes." "It's raw inside." "I'm not eating this." "Do you prefer the red team or the blue team?" "Red team!" "They'll even feed the judges' moms." "Smile, mom." "You're scaring all the contestants." "Some will rise." "Let's turn it on." "But most will go down in flames." "I would send you home now." "And after weeks of blood..." "You're giving up?" "Sweat..." "This is a mission." "And tears..." "Why don't you cook like this all the time?" "Only one of them will win." "But first, 100 home cooks will get the chance to present one dish that could change their lives forever." "Just an elite few will win an apron and earn a spot in the next round." "And only the very best will be crowned America's next MasterChef." "MasterChef 2x01 Original Air Date on June 6, 2011" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Welcome to MasterChef." "I'm Gordon Ramsay." "I'm Joe Bastianich." "And I'm Graham Elliot." "Now, you're all here because you want to become the next MasterChef." "Trust me, wanting it is not enough." "You've got to do more." "You have to become culinary perfection." "Think about it." "This is not just about the money." "At the end of this journey, one of you will have earned the title that money can't buy." "And that's America's next MasterChef." "So listen up, the restaurant business is democratic." "If your food is bad, people won't come back." "We run 50 of the world's best restaurants." "And if we say your food is good or bad, we're right." "You all know what this is." "And sadly, you guys don't get one just for trying." "You get one by impressing the hell out of these guys." "By making a dish that's equal parts delicious, creative, and has a lot of skill." "Listen, it's clear." "Nobody ever talks about the second-best dish they've ever tasted." "And there's no award for the second-best chef anywhere." "Be the best or go home." "Is there anyone in this room now that thinks they are the next MasterChef?" "Trust me." "We will be the ultimate judge of that." "Good luck to you all." "Thank you, chef." "Cast iron, baby." "From the thousands who applied, 100 home cooks have been invited to Los Angeles." "They'll have just one hour to create a signature dish worthy of a MasterChef apron." "Former beauty queen Jennifer is the first to face the judges." "Hopefully they like spice, because I'm spicy to begin with, so..." "My passion for cooking came from the fact that my mother was definitely the 15 minutes in the microwave, so I started to discover food on my own." "Because I couldn't eat one more thing of Salisbury steak." "I describe myself kind of a boy with boobs that loves to wear high heels and put makeup on." "I'm a competitive person by nature." "I won Miss Delaware, USA." "I walked in a swimsuit on national television in five-inch heels." "I'm at the point in my life where I need to follow exactly what I love." "I came here to win." "Don't let the blonde hair and the nice smile and high heels fool you." "Each home cook is given just five minutes to plate up their dish." "If two of the three judges think they have what it takes, they'll win a coveted MasterChef apron and move on to the next stage of the competition." "Hello." "Gentlemen, how are you?" "Fine." "How are you?" "I'm excellent." "Thank you very much." "First name is?" "My name is Jenny." "Jennifer, can you take your granddad's hat off so I can see you?" "Absolutely." "It is my granddad's hat actually." "What are you cooking for us?" "I'm making a coconut curry lentil soup garnished with some spicy shrimp." "I toasted up all the spices, put 'em to the side, and then I layered the flavors in slowly so that way we get a really good base for it." "Put a little bit of tomato paste in the underlying to kind of give it that background." "You sound like a chef." "Yeah, so like a real curry." "Not just opening up the tub and spooning it in." "Yeah, I sprinkled curry in there and then created it from scratch." "Great." "Okay." "Give me an insight behind the sauce." "What's in there?" "I toasted up all turmeric, a little bit of cumin, a little bit of sriracha." "Like a tint of sriracha in there." "Are they carrots?" "Yes, they are." "A little bit of carrots in there." "Have you ever been to India?" "I've not." "Well, they don't put carrots with shrimp, that's for sure." "Why the carrot?" "Help me." "When I eat soup, I want some heartiness to it." "And that's some heartiness and meat into it." "Okay." "I love the shrimp." "You know, the fact that they melt in your mouth, there's a little bit of the spice that goes with them." "All of that comes together, and it's something that I would like to eat a bowl of." "Great." "Thank you." "Graham?" "Just the fact that you made your own curry and you knew the different steps of toasting out the spices, then adding your onion, some tomato product, you know how to cook." "So I'd say yes." "I want to see what else you can do." "Wow, you believe." "I believe." "I do." "Joe, yes or no?" "I can do this, Joe." "I think that the actual consistency of the dish, it's a failure." "And I'm gonna vote no." "No." "Okay." "The curry's not fantastic." "The shrimps are delicious." "My worry with you is that you are almost playing at it." "As opposed to..." "No." "Focusing at it." "Absolutely not." "I have it in me." "I have the passion in me." "I know I do." "This is what I love to do." "I love to cook." "Give me this opportunity and I will prove it to you." "I think..." "You have a lot of determination." "You're getting an apron." "Step up to the mark." "Okay." "Good luck." "Thank you." "Get serious, yes?" "It's a very tough game." "Gah!" "You don't like curry." "I think the dish is rehearsed." "I think it's a fake." "And I think she fooled you both." "Snob." "We'll see." "You'll see." "Whoo!" "The competition begins right now." "You better believe it." "I'm gonna bring it on." "And today is just the beginning of a long road to be a MasterChef." "Jennifer snags the first apron of the competition." "But not everyone has the recipe for MasterChef success." "Because I'm not time-oriented." "I'm always, like, in the la-la land." "What are you cooking?" "I am cooking a fresh, herb-roasted rack of venison." "A fiesta lime-- um, it's like chicken fajitas." "Or it could be a burrito." "Stacked salmon with filling." "A deviled egg with beef tartare in it." "And then a stuffed salmon." "And tuna tartare in the style of, like, a tuna salad sandwich." "And I'm gonna top that off with a nice bourbon cream sauce." "Have you been drinking that?" "Well, I had a couple shots while I was cooking." "I'm kind of freaked out before we even start." "I told my husband, "you know what?" "I think I'm a peacock, and I need to fly."" "The texture on the yolk I'm not digging." "I feel like I'm eating a tire." "Disgusting." "You're a lucky man that you haven't killed somebody." "Raspberries, salmon, chipotle, grits." "Damn." "It's like you're wearing the wrong clothes and putting lipstick on your big toe." "Oh, okay." "For me it's a no." "I need a water." "So why MasterChef?" "What do you think you bring to the competition?" "Umm..." "I can bring drive and energy." "Good." "Run down there, touch the MasterChef logo and shoot back." "Off you go." "Hurry up!" "And back!" "And go." "One, two, three." "Sprint!" "Sprint!" "How are you feeling?" "Good." "For me, it's a no." "After a run of epic failures, can a trucker turn things around with his unusual ingredient?" "Got to roll the sleeves up." "My name is Albert." "I live in kiln, Mississippi." "And I am a heavy equipment operator/ commercial truck driver." "I will make a jambalaya with alligator and sausage." "The closest thing that would taste like alligator would be toad." "Get at it." "I want to prove to the nation that I am the MasterChef." "And it would financially stable me." "Katrina hit in 2005." "I've built a new house." "Not quite finished it." "There is a lot at stake for me." "I'm here, and I'm ready." "First name is?" "Albert." "You're well camouflaged." "I'm a redneck concoction." "I had to be camouflaged." "Excellent." "Okay, Albert, start cooking, buddy." "You got five minutes." "Okay, chefs." "I have prepared a triple-tailed gator." "It's alligator three ways." "Are you a big fan of alligator?" "If it's got two legs or four legs," "I'm not scared of it." "I'll cook, 'coon, rattlesnake, bobcat." "What don't you eat, Albert?" "Possum." "Draw the line at possum." "I draw the line at possum." "What's that on your chest there?" "What is that?" "Oh, that is a tattoo of an eagle with a Harley Davidson banner on it." "Uh." "I've got one on my butt." "Would you like to see it?" "Yes, please." "Not too close." "Just from a distance." "Okay." "You want to see the devil?" "There's the devil." "Whoo!" "All right." "Can you please wash your hands before you continue plating that dish?" "Now is this something that you serve often for the family or for friends?" "Alligator, certain time of the season, we'll get it around home, you know." "Do you live in the bush?" "I live in the woods you could say." "In the tree or..." "Oh, no." "Why, no, sir." "Finished?" "It's done." "Okay." "Explain the dish, please." "A sausage and alligator jambalaya." "There's a fried alligator medallion on the side." "And a coubillon." "Cooking alligator's difficult." "Incredibly lean." "Hardly any fat." "Can deliver a really good flavor." "Like you said, it is hard to cook alligator." "That's probably the best alligator ever cooked in an hour." "So this is my first experience eating a reptile." "That dish resembles you 100%." "Like a big, overgrown mess." "I thought this was a joke." "And when I tasted it..." "It's delicious." "The stock is soulful, complex, layers." "The alligator is toothsome and flavorful." "And it's really, really great." "You've delivered." "There's a flavor there." "You have surprised us." "I'll tell you, I am gonna give it my shot, and I will do whatever it takes to become the next MasterChef." "I'm a yes." "Graham?" "I'm a yes." "You heard my vote." "You're a yes, man." "All right!" "Yes!" "Come here." "Thank you." "Congratulations." "Oh, yes." "See you later, alligator." "Yeah?" "Okay." "You got it." "Thank you, chef." "Okay, and do me a favor, hey?" "Keep those pants up." "If you say so, you got it." "Albert Dundee." "Holy crap." "I think it was the first time he's been down from a tree in a year." "Yay!" "Out of the bush comes the dish of the day." "I swear to God." "I will give you this much about Gordon Ramsay." "He's a son of a bitch, but he is an honest son of a bitch because he shoots you like it is and he's not gonna ." "Nailed it!" "Nailed it!" "Albert worked his butt off for an apron." "While those who follow quickly go down in flames." "That is hideous." "Completely dry, overcooked, and unedible." "Uhh." "Definitely no." "No." "I'm sorry." "Aww." "Dehydrated dog's turd." "Look at it." "After a run of disastrous dishes, can a Boston firefighter smoke the competition?" "My name's Mike, I'm from Milton, Massachusetts, and I'm a fire department lieutenant." "A typical day in the firehouse can be from one extreme to the other." "And cooking in the firehouse just takes me away from that." "Chicken marsala." "If you take any longer," "I'm gonna eat a hot dog off the back of your neck." "It's really enjoyable to be able to take some raw ingredients and turn them into a wonderful, hearty meal for the guys." "That's good stuff." "You're so sweet." "I have a lovely wife Christine and three boys." "Hi, guys." "They are the best boys in the world." "Hi, buddy." "I've reached one dream in my professional career." "But I'm ready to take on the next chapter of my life and win MasterChef." "Good afternoon, gentlemen." "Good to see you." "First name is?" "My name is Mike." "Mike." "Yes, sir." "What are you cooking?" "Today I've prepared a pan-seared panko-crusted Halibut served atop a wild mushroom risotto with prosciutto, some steamed lobster tail, and finished it with a lobster newburg strafe." "I can't think of a worse person to cook a risotto in front of than Joe." "Oh, boy." "No pressure." "Yeah, no pressure." "Okay." "Damn." "It's slightly burnt that side." "I figured I'd show the better side." "If there was one person i didn't expect to burn anything, it was you, let me tell you that." "I think the risotto's really yummy." "What do you have kind of strewn throughout?" "Some prosciutto, some chanterelle mushrooms and some blue foot mushrooms." "Okay." "I think it works really well, and I like the prosciutto." "I wouldn't have thought to do that." "Red Sox?" "Yeah." "Sorry." "You got to stay true." "Joe, yes or no?" "It's not working for me." "It's a no." "A no?" "No." "Graham, yes or no?" "I think there's enough positives within the risotto and the saucework and things like that, that I'll give it a yes." "I want to see what else you have." "Thank you." "What do you got, Gordon?" "So frustrating." "Honestly, I could-- I could scream." "I'm a good learner." "I've been learning my entire life." "I'm willing to learn if given an opportunity." "I'm sorry." "It's a no." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Continue cooking." "Please." "Aww." "We tried." "We tried." "Daddy!" "Thank you." "Take the Halibut off." "Yeah." "Had he served the risotto with the lobster..." "Damn." "How the hell can a firefighter burn a Halibut?" "We were waiting for you." "I know you were." "We still get to go home now." "Mike." "Listen to me, if you continue cooking over the next 12 months and really perfect and cook for these guys here," "I'll guarantee you a place this time next year." "Don't stop cooking." "Okay." "Okay?" "Thank you." "Thank you." "High-five." "Don't stop, okay?" "I'm a little disappointed, but who knows?" "I may be back." "We'll see." "Chef Ramsay, my dad is gonna be back next year." "Daddy, I was-- I missed you!" "Good." "Coming up..." "Is this your dish?" "One home cook serves his dish in the most shocking manner ever." "This is not the kind of place I want to find a hair in my food." "Delicious." "And another..." "I like to think I'm a in the kitchen." "Just can't help herself." "I want that apron so bad." "Give it to me right now." "Give it to me, please!" "So far, just two talented home cooks have won a MasterChef apron and moved on to the next stage of the competition." "Next up, classical musician Monica Chung expects her Korean dish will be every bit as perfect as her piano playing." "Cooking is a lot like performing or giving a concert." "♪ ♪" "There are never any limits." "I never have a recipe." "I just go by taste and how I feel." "♪ ♪" "I am my own worst critic." "Oh, my God, what do I do?" "What do I do?" "There's never an end to the learning process." "There's always something to improve, and I really like that." "I like the challenge." "I will definitely be cooking for as long as I live." "How are you?" "Fantastic." "What are you cooking?" "A traditional Korean dish called bibimbap." "It literally means bibim, mix, and bap, rice." "So you mix it all together, and you're good to go." "Everything has to be cooked separately." "Sort of makes it a pain-in-the-ass dish to cook." "The flavors are really unique." "It's very mild." "Normally it should be a touch hotter." "I went easy on the hot sauce." "This is the Korean spinach?" "Yes, it is." "Nice." "Joe, yes or no?" "I think the dish is..." "Really great." "One big yes." "Graham, yes or no?" "Seven different components on that plate, and each one was done right." "Resounding yes." "For me, it's a yes." "Oh, my God." "Congratulations." "Whoo!" "Thank you, guys." "So Monica takes home the third apron of the day." "But can her competition also hit the high notes?" "My name is Aaron." "Kayla." "My name's Elin." "What are you cooking?" "Grilled eggplant with some chorizo and goat cheese." "Shrimp and grilled polenta." "Lamb and pumpkin stew." "This is me on the plate." "Hard to get those textures correct." "I think the flavors work really well." "I'm gonna say yes." "I'm gonna say yes." "Yes." "You're staying to the next round." "Oh, my God." "Thank you so much." "Yeah!" "Hell, yeah!" "That was incredible." "The standard has raised." "Compared to last year, this is night and day." "That is exciting food." "This is some talented cooks." "They've gone to a completely different level, right?" "I'm psyched." "The bar is raised." "I've got a very, very important message for you all." "We've given out quite a few aprons, and we don't do that lightly." "Let me tell you that." "A word of advice." "Get your head in the game." "Already the standard is there." "The difference now could be that tiny grain of salt..." "And that would mean getting an apron or getting out of here." "Who's up next?" "Raise your game." "You've got one chance." "Good luck." "No pressure." "No pressure." "Of course, right?" "My name's Tracy." "I'm 32 years old." "And I am in sales." "I live for the food that I cook." "Stand back." "I've always wanted to be a chef." "And unfortunately I never took that career path." "I'm just really like everyone in America who has had a dream." "This is the longest walk of my life." "My name is Tracy." "Okay, and what are you gonna be cooking?" "I have made for you today a wild mushroom crispy risotto cake with a truffled egg and just some nice upland cress and some chives on the side topped with-- would you mind starting?" "Perfect." "So tell us, what does food mean in your life?" "I grew up in an Italian household." "My grandmother taught me how to cook." "And so, growing up, loving and learning how to cook, it's just my life." "It's really what I'm meant to be doing." "But if you grew up with that love of food..." "Right." "Why the hell didn't you pursue it?" "Because you have to be strong enough at a young age to get into it and pursue it." "Determined." "Determined." "And I was determined." "So you're weak obviously." "I'm not weak at all, actually." "I am very, very strong." "I'm gonna cook you the best dish" "I can possibly cook, get an apron, and, damn it, I'm gonna win this competition." "This is the opportunity of a lifetime." "What is that?" "This here?" "It's just some white truffle oil." "White truffle oil?" "Yes." "One of the most pungent, ridiculous ingredients ever known to chef." "The sure sign of someone who doesn't know what they're doing." "You know that truffle oils are made by perfumists and have no white truffles in them?" "But it's good." "I can't believe you've just done that." "I think you've just put your apron up in flames." "Let me tell you that." "Generally if you go to a restaurant and you see truffle oil on the menu, it's a good reason to run away." "I can smell it from here." "It stinks." "Okay." "You clearly love styling plates, 'cause that means nothing." "Pile of grass." "The rice cake is delicious." "The egg has got that richness to it." "But the whole thing is knocked out sadly with the over-pungent, dreadful flavor of white truffle oil." "Great potential." "Finish." "Damn." "How you doing?" "I'm hanging in there." "Are you?" "Yeah." "I am." "Okay." "I mean, parmesan and egg and risotto, they're really delicious." "But that truffle oil, it really takes over that dish." "Here's your mistake." "I know." "That was just a mistake." "Get rid of that crap." "Big mistake." "This means the world to me." "I'm gonna be really honest." "Stripped with all the pretentious crap removed, is it for me?" "MasterChef is about finding that unique palate, that something magical." "You're putting chives on the plate, like, criss-crossing and making silly little pictures." "And then truffle oil, trendy-- you know, we fire chefs in our kitchens for using that crap." "I'm gonna be really honest." "Is it for me?" "No." "Graham, yes or no?" "Can you learn from your mistakes?" "Absolutely." "I know I can learn from my mistakes." "Yes or no?" "I'll give you a chance." "Thank you so much." "Thank you so much." "Joe." "Come over here." "Come on." "I definitely will not make that mistake twice." "This means the world to me." "Unfortunately, you're gonna have to..." "Keep cooking." "Thank you." "Don't let me down." "I won't." "I won't." "Thank you so much." "And I promise," "I won't screw it up." "I promise." "Gave her a shot." "We'll see what happens." "The risotto cake tasted delicious." "Yeah, it was very good." "There's no two ways about it." "So truffle oil's off Tracy's shopping list." "But the judges still have nuts, flakes, and fruitcakes on theirs." "How are you feeling?" "Confident?" "I like to think I'm a in the kitchen." "I have just one shot to prove what I got." "Make it on MasterChef, that'd be pretty hot." "♪ Food for thought ♪" "Gladys..." "Huh." "The X factor is coming this fall." "You're on the wrong show." "Should that be a little bit more cooked?" "I hope it doesn't ruin my chances for an apron." "For me, it's a no." "Straight down there, there's a big M on the door." "Sorry, no." "Bust a move that way." "Joe, yes or no?" "Definitely no." "I'm gonna go the opposite direction." "I thought the flavor was there." "I thought there was creativity." "I think it's good." "So I'll say yes." "What does it mean to you, this competition?" "It means everything." "I can do this." "I need to do this." "I'll crawl." "I'll beg." "That's how bad I want that." "I need that apron." "I need this." "Please, Gordon." "I want that apron so bad!" "Give it to me right now." "Please give it to me." "Get off the floor." "Pick up your apron." "It's a yes from me." "Oh, my God." "Now, focus." "Put all that energy, determination into that next dish." "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "You're gonna lose that bet, Gordon." "I'm feeling so good, I could just run the halls screaming naked." "Yes, yes." "Home cook Christian from Las Vegas is about to make a naked play for the judges' approval." "Rock on, man." "Like a husband-wife duo?" "What's going on?" "No, not at all." "This is my special treat." "I have been looking forward to serving this for you guys for a while." "You're kidding me." "Are you competing for MasterChef with-- is this your dish?" "Yes, it is my dish." "Are you serious?" "Body Sushi." "Watch out." "Get you around here." "You just poured soy sauce over your lady's tummy, and it's dripping everywhere." "You know, my question is, who goes first?" "Maybe all three at the same time." "Let's go." "This is not the kind of place I want to find a hair in my food." "Absolutely." "Honey soy vinaigrette on the right-hand side." "Ooh." "Aah!" "This is an Ahi tuna, raw style." "It's Hugh Hefner's breakfast." "Don't ask for dessert." "No." "At the end of the day, it's a cooking competition." "I have to say no." "No." "Here's the naked truth." "Three nos." "Thank you both." "Gordon Ramsay ate Sushi off of me." "Coming up..." "Chef Ramsay, how are you?" "How are you?" "Gordon gets a taste of home." "Scottish." "Yes." "Glasgow." "Glasgow." "And Joe predicts the MasterChef winner." "That's the kind of dish that wins competitions like this one." "So far the first day search for America's next MasterChef has seen eight people win an apron and take a place in the next stage of the competition." "After an intense wait, the next contenders have their dreams crushed in seconds." "I'm sorry." "It's gonna be a no." "I'm gonna say no." "For me, it's a no." "And how long you been in the police force?" "Five years now." "The scallops are cooked perfectly." "The rest of the dish lacks, so I'm a no." "Just hard to take, but the face kind of says it all." "I don't think I'm gonna stop cooking." "Don't know how far I'll go or how far I'll take it, but I'm not done." "Today's home cooks have brought flavors from all around the world." "The next stop is Scotland." "Cooking comes from my heart." "You know, when I get into my kitchen, it's just me and the ingredients, and we just go for it." "Then we just see what happens." "And sometimes it's great, and sometimes it's not." "I'm the luckiest guy in the world, because I eat like this every day." "Hello." "Hi." "Hi." "Chef Ramsay, how are you?" "I'm very well, indeed." "How are you?" "I am rocking." "Scottish?" "Yes." "Glasgow." "Glasgow." "I--I know." "I don't really understand what you're saying, but I guess you guys are paesanos of some sort, right?" "Yes." "Lovely accent." "Thank you." "What are you cooking?" "I've actually done" "Scottish salmon and haggis en croute." "I made the pastry myself." "Haggis en croute." "Yes." "Look at you." "You've got posh." "Oh, Chef Ramsay, really?" "Have you guys ever had haggis?" "Yes." "Never had it." "It's my first haggis experience." "Great." "Pauline, just explain to Joe what haggis is, please." "It's the heart of the lamb and its kidney, and it's boiled in the lining of the sheep's stomach." "Delicious." "I once heard somewhere that all Scottish food was based on a dare." "Like, "I dare you to eat that."" "Really?" "So let's see." "Let's see." "So is this what it's supposed to look like?" "This is what it's supposed to look like." "Yeah." "And that's the haggis?" "That's the haggis." "Just like that, right?" "Yeah." "Don't be scared, Joe." "Put hairs on your chest." "Yeah." "Oh, lord." "Oh, my goodness." "Are you kidding me?" "Come on." "It's not for the faint-hearted." "This is the sauce?" "That's the sauce." "See, I love that flavor." "It's great." "Okay." "Oh." "Chef Ramsay, honestly, it defies belief you're touching my food truly." "That's brave to bring haggis to L.A." "I know." "I mean, that dish..." "It makes me feel homesick." "Oh, does it?" "Yes, it does." "A touch of Scotland just for you." "Does it need to go with salmon?" "No." "It probably doesn't." "You're crazy." "I am." "But I'm Scottish." "What can I tell you?" "Okay." "Joe, yes or no?" "I like you." "I like your apron." "I like your accent." "Thank you." "I don't like the dish." "You don't." "Sorry." "No." "That's okay." "I like Scottish people." "I just don't like that dish." "What do you want me to tell you?" "Graham, yes or no?" "The haggis is nice and moist inside the salmon, which was nice and moist inside the pastry." "So I'm a yes." "Okay." "Don't take this personally." "'Cause I think you're amazing." "But for me, it's a no..." "To that apron." "'Cause we want you to put this one on." "Congratulations." "Well done." "The pride of Scotland!" "Yes!" "I'll never let you down." "Come on!" "I'll never let you down." "Show these yanks!" "Thank you!" "Oh!" "For Chef Ramsay to taste my food is like winning the Super Bowl." "Yeah, baby!" "That's delicious, though." "It is good." "What's the matter with you?" "It's not for me." "Put some olive oil on it." "almighty." "Coming up..." "The dish is more confident than you are." "The final home cook of the day has everything on the line." "Today's search for America's next MasterChef is drawing to a close." "The final amateur cook is counting on his hometown flavors to snap him an apron." "Yes!" "Whoo!" "My name's Christian Collins." "And I'm from Gloucester, Massachusetts." "And I'm a stay-at-home dad." "You're invited to cook your signature dish for the judges of MasterChef in L.A." "Yeah!" "Hello." "I got something in the mail." "I have a nine-year-old son at home, an 11-month-old little girl." "Her name's Dahlia." "And one on the way." "I've had some ups and downs in my life." "I worked at restaurants growing up for a little while." "Typical dishwasher." "I kind of veered off of that, just being a teenager, just figuring out life, doing drugs, and kind of hit rock bottom." "Wasn't around for my son." "Gets to a point where you do wake up one day and realize that that wasn't the man that you wanted to be." "My son was about 3 1/2 when I turned my life around and came back, got custody of him." "And then realized this was my passion and came back to it." "Chewy, but awesome." "That's lobster." "I had to fight through a lot of things in my life, and I'm gonna fight through this competition and win it." "'Cause it's gonna change my life around." "Give me some love." "Come on!" "How you guys doing today?" "Good." "How are you?" "Very good." "Where are you from?" "I'm from Gloucester, Massachusetts." "Oldest fishing port in the country." "What are you cooking?" "It's basically a cioppino." "I like to call it a shipwreck sea stew for my son." "What's the secret behind this stew?" "You start with a little onion and pepper, some white wine, garlic, tomatoes, clam juice..." "The love of food came from where?" "Cooking for my son." "You feed this to the kids?" "Yes." "Let's go." "So let's hope the shipwreck stew is not your culinary Titanic." "You look very nervous." "I've never wanted anything more in my life." "That is like you." "It's intense and it's packed full of flavor." "Good job." "Thank you." "Really good job." "Delicious." "Thank you." "It's very tough to pull that off." "Thank you very much." "Wow." "The dish is more confident than you are." "You should sing like that dish sings." "Joe?" "For me, definite yes." "That's the kind of dish that wins competitions like this one." "Graham?" "Yeah, I think that the dish speaks for itself." "For me, I'm a yes." "Put this on." "Go out and intimidate 'em." "Whoo!" "All right, good job." "Thank you." "Don't let us down, bro." "I will not." "Well done." "Thank you very much." "Yes!" "Just wanna dive into that pot, don't ya?" "This dish is amazing." "Mm-hmm." "Absolutely spot-on." "Whoo!" "He could win MasterChef." "He really could." "This is my dream." "And it's happening." "Come on, man." "Tomorrow night on MasterChef..." "I'm going medieval on their asses." "The search for the best home cook in America continues." "That was delicious." "With the best..." "Fireworks!" "You're what this competition's all about." "And the rest." "Like a dog chew." "I think we got a fumble here." "Please." "A son squares off against his own mother." "Prepare to be taken down by your mama." "And white hot rage..." "Security!" "It's all on the journey to find America's next MasterChef." "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Previously on MasterChef..." "Thousands lined up from around America, for the chance to compete." "I'm gonna be the next MasterChef." "I am the next MasterChef." "MasterChef, here I come." "One hundred were chosen to present their signature dishes to the MasterChef judges." "Gordon Ramsay ate Sushi off of me." "Some tasted success." "All right." "Yes." "Ahhh!" "Others went down in flames." "I'm willing to learn." "Sorry, that's a no." "But the judges came to one conclusion." "We've given out quite a few aprons and we don't do that lightly." "The standard is there." "Tonight, even more home cooks, step up to the plate." "Prepare to be taken down by your mama." "In a bid to win an apron..." "I have to fight." "And take their first step on the road to becoming" "America's next MasterChef." "MasterChef 2x02 Auditions #2 Original Air Date on June 7, 2011" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "It's the beginning of day 2 and the judges are hungry for perfect dishes." "Anticipation is in the air as the first batch of home cooks create the dishes that could change their lives forever." "First up, a pool boy is about to dive in and put his own twist on a British classic." "So I'm doing an English-style sausage roll with a Italian twist on it." "My names Dustin, I live in Orlando, Florida and I'm a pool technician." "I really like my job." "It's really mello, laid back you know." "Do what I wanna do really." "Cooking has always been one of my passions." "I love cooking Italian food." "I have the Italian background." "What you got going here, son?" "My mom introduced me to cooking." "And now she got diagnosed with breast cancer." "So everything my mom's been through" "I mean, really, it's..." "You know, she's really-- like, I look up to her." "I mean, she's been through a lot." "And she raised four boys, counting my dad, you know." "So she's a strong Italian woman." "But she's the one who brought me into the kitchen, so I would love to win MasterChef for her." "What Dustin doesn't know is his mom has secretly flown in from Florida to support him." "Heh!" "Wha" "Ha-ha!" "Seriously?" "Seriously!" "And right now she's going through some tough times with, you know, breast cancer and stuff, and you know, it's just amazing that she just found time to fly out here you know, just for her baby boy, you know?" "I was so excited that I could be out here to do this." "I'm so excited." "After their one hour in the prep kitchen, each home cook is then given five minutes to complete their dish in front of the judges." "If two judges think a home cook has what it takes, they'll be awarded a MasterChef apron and move to the next round of the competition." "How you guys doing?" "How are you?" "Good." "First name is?" "My name's Dustin." "Good, what are you cooking?" "So I'm doing a traditional English-style sausage roll with an Italian twist on it." "Wow, hold on a minute." "Sausage roll?" "Yeah, a sausage roll." "Here?" "Yeah." "Well, I figure-- I figured English, Italian." "Try to, you know, kill two birds with one stone." "I'm Scottish." "Ah..." "That's worse." "I love sausage rolls." "Look how excited this guy is." "I love them, what's your twist?" "Well, instead of using the banger sausage," "I used a spicy Italian sausage." "And then I also made a little creamy marinara to go on the plate." "Kinda spicy and sweet." "In England, it comes in a paper bag, the sausage roll." "Look at you." "What have you wrapped it in?" "It's actually just puff pastry." "I just hope you guys like it." "Listen to that noise." "Would this be, like, a main course or a hot dog?" "I mean, what do you-- hot dog?" "Don't insult the sausage roll." "Hot dog?" "No." "Look at that thing." "What's that?" "A little parmesan cheese." "Oh, God." "What's that now?" "What's the second..." "Add a little parsley." "Trust me, look at-- wait, I'm not done." "I'm not done here." "What's that?" "Little basil Pesto just for show." "Just for show." "You're putting Pesto on a sausage roll?" "Not on it." "Around it." "I've gotta go first, I'm sorry." "The sauce, what's in there?" "Just marinara, cream, a little bit of garlic, pepper." "Oh, chef, how about some for the rest of us?" "Oh." "Stop him." "That..." "Was delicious." "Thank you so much." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I appreciate that." "Amazing, sorry." "That was amazing." "Do you got any left over here?" "Some--any end pieces?" "All right." "It really is yummy." "I'm psyched." "Thank you very much." "Now, if I didn't know any better," "I would accuse you of pandering to the judge, but obviously it worked, so." "You're playing to his childhood memory?" "Can I eat this with my hands?" "Is this, like, a...?" "Hey, eat it however you wanna eat it." "I don't know, I never even heard of a sausage roll until about five minutes ago, so..." "It goes hand in glove." "Pint of beer, sausage roll." "Yes or no?" "Uh, yes." "Graham, yes or no?" "Yes." "Come here." "That's it, you've got it." "That was delicious." "Really good, indeed." "Thank you very much." "Well done." "Yes, Dustin!" "I knew it!" "So the very first home cook of the day wins an apron." "I knew it!" "A sausage roll." "I feel full now." "But can the next in line..." "Roll through just as easily?" "I'm making a honey apple-smoked risotto with an egg yolk." "I'm slightly worried the fact that it's not even moving." "It's lacking flavor." "Oh!" "I think we got a fumble here." "It's a no." "No." "No." "No." "No." "We went all over the country, and you're one of the 100 people that made it to California." "Hello?" "Next..." "Does a single mom from Sopchoppy, Florida have the stomach for this competition?" "The wine is for my nerves." "It's my secret weapon." "My name is Christine Corley, and I live in Florida, and I'm a single mom." "Most people don't wanna go home and cook." "But that's all I really wanna do." "It's like a stress reliever." "My dad's a great cook." "This is my dad, who's cleaning a squirrel." "So for all the redneck cooking," "I'll go to my dad for advice." "But my style of cooking is modern." "Winning would mean knowing that I could provide a great future for me and my son." "I think I have what it takes to be the next Master Chef." "Hey." "I had to have a drink on the way here, so..." "Hey." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi, I'm Christine." "Great, what are you cooking?" "I'm cooking soft-shell crab." "Nice." "Creamy polenta, and some coleslaw." "Okay." "I'm a little fruitcake, so..." "Okay." "Yeah." "I'm from Sopchoppy." "I'm a single mom, recently." "Okay." "Sorry to hear that." "That's all right, he was a ." "They always are." "They always are, that's right." "Aw, man." "Well, you don't get that one." "You get this one." "Let us know when you're ready" "I'm ready." "For us to taste." "Let's go." "Okay, Christine, I'm first." "Polenta is instant?" "No, sir." "Gonna steal the claw." "Don't tell him I did that." "Oh, bad boy." "Mm-hmm." "Put that claw back down." "Christine." "Yes, sir?" "Love the confidence." "Thanks." "What kind of food did you grow up with?" "Crap." "Crap, as in...?" "Like, ." "Oh, , right." "I grew up very poor, so it's like fried chicken and S.O.S.-- Which is on a shingle." "It's like toast, and then we put ground beef, and then we put some white gravy on it." "Okay." "Joe, yes or no?" "I think that everything together on that plate might make a good sandwich." "But as a MasterChef dish..." "I'm gonna have to say no." "All right, Graham, yes or no?" "I think there are few things in the world that are as sensuous as a soft-shell crab..." "And I thought you did it justice." "Oh." "And I loved the slaw, too." "Not a fan of the polenta, but I'm giving it a yes." "Thank you." "Um..." "Soft-shell crab..." "Polenta, definitely not." "Doesn't work at all." "You seem to have a... a connection with food." "Yeah." "And you were sort of almost dealt a dysfunctional card growing up on the crap that you just explained that you ate." "I loved the slaw." "Thank you." "But I think what you've done to the soft-shell crab..." "Um..." "Let us know when you're ready" "I'm ready." "For us to taste." "Let's go." "So far," "Christine, a single mom from Florida, got a no from Joe, and a yes from Graham." "Her fate now lies in Gordon's hands." "I love the slaw." "Thank you." "But I think what you've done to the soft-shell crab..." "Um... was phenomenal." "Congratulations." "For me it's a yes." "Put this on with pride." "And get out there." "Well done." "Good job." "Mm-hmm." "Just wanted to make everybody proud." "I knew something would happen one day." "I just needed a break." "While Christine toasts her victory," "The next home cook is ready to celebrate before he's even begun." "How are you?" "Whoo!" "Fireworks!" "I'm ready!" "Ready you're not, crazy you are." "A little bit." "What are you cooking for us today?" "Today I have a bacon strawberry with a garlic horseradish lebony and a orange-blueberry vodka reduction." "All right, what were you smoking when you put that dish together?" "Joe, would you like to go first?" "Sure." "It's kinda like bacon bits." "Look at that." "Come on." "Sadly, the dish leaves me filled with dread." "You're not only outside the box, you're on the Moon." "Ugh!" "No!" "Definitely not." "Thank you." "Aw..." "Jason's chance to impress the judges didn't quite end with the bang he'd hoped for." "Yeah, tell you, that's good." "Can this next group of home cooks do any better?" "Why are you speaking French when you're not even French?" "I know that you speak French, and just to say hello." "I cooked to you white chocolate brownie surprise today." "I'm just gonna try these and make sure they're good." "Next." "I'm not even gonna eat this, because I think it's conceptually wrong, it's executed poorly, it smells bad." "What have you done to the COD?" "I baked it." "For how long?" "Three weeks?" "It sat there and just went to sitting there." "Yeah, it's like you on it." "Yeah." "Disgusting." "This is something that people like me to make." "Are they still alive?" "You did it two ways, we hate it three ways." "No, no, no, no, no." "Thank you." "The day's already half over." "But so far, only two home cooks have earned aprons." "Joe turns up the heat." "This dish that you present, it's a reflection of what you think of us." "So if you put down something that's overcooked, underseasoned, overseasoned, you're saying that we don't really give a damn about what's going on here." "This is an opportunity for you." "Don't waste your time, don't waste our time." "Understood?" "Okay, now let's see some good dishes." "So no pressure on the next in line." "I'm a bit of a mess." "My name is Derrick, and I'm in a death metal band." "I make my living sitting in front of a computer all day building websites." "A little piece of me dies when I think about that." "So to see my passion of cooking..." "That's it." "How are you?" "Good, chef, how are you?" "Very well, indeed." "Thanks, buddy." "What are you cooking?" "I have homemade chorizo on a potato sopa with some fire-roasted salsa." "So you made the sausage at home?" "No, no, no, I made it here." "It's a blend of pork belly and pork rib meat." "Do you have a passion for making sausage?" "Oh, everything I can do myself is what I do." "Like, I make my own bread." "You know, I haven't bought pasta in two years." "What's in the bowl?" "This is fire-roasted salsa." "I roasted tomatoes and poblanos under the broiler." "I threw them in the food processor with some lime." "Now we are ready to taste." "Okay, brave move, homemade chorizo." "I mean, very brave." "Is that you at your best on a plate?" "Yeah, it's-it's-- I feel like it is." "I'm just really thrilled that you guys are even just tasting this." "Love the energy." "You've got a big pair of to come in here and make a chorizo sausage in under 60 minutes." "Did it work?" "Yes, it did." "I'm in." "Delicious." "Thank you, Chef." "I had no idea where you were going with that dish." "It's not something that sounds particularly intriguing to me." "When I tasted it, it was..." "Amazing." "Just frying the sopa-- the fry technique on that was so perfect." "It was crispy, it wasn't greasy, it was light, it wasn't damp." "You nailed it." "Really great, top to bottom." "Congratulations." "I'm a big yes for you." "Thank you, chef." "Graham?" "You're what this competition's all about." "Ha-ha!" "Come here." "Thank you." "Thank you, chef." "Awesome." "Good stuff." "Good stuff." "Thank you." "For me..." "Thank you for everything." "One to watch." "You are the one." "I've never even seen a dish that looks like this." "But it tastes amazing." "This guy really knows what he's doing." "Baby, I told you!" "To cook for three culinary geniuses-- that was pretty bad ass." "Coming up..." "A lawyer pleads her case." "If there's any chance for me to fight for this," "I have to fight." "It's not court of law." "Please." "And the competition gets out of control." "Pieces of ." "Security." "Well done." "So far tonight just three home cooks have been awarded an apron and taken their place in the next stage of the competition." "Up next is Bob Rafferty from Massachusetts." "Farmer Bob believes his organic ingredients will sow the seeds of MasterChef success." "What I love about farming is that" "I can take the pick of the crop." "That if I wanna make an eggplant parmesan, that I can go pick the perfect eggplant." "You're looking at America's next Master Chef." "First name is?" "My name is Bob." "I'm from Lowell, Massachusetts." "I'm an organic farmer." "Animal farming?" "Vegetables." "But I also do work with another poultry farmer in order to get the composted manure, to stay organic on my farm." "What are you cooking?" "What I'm doing is what I like to call a reverse surf  turf." "So the protein is actually the tuna in this one, and then I have the coconut chicken medallions with the Chinese five spice." "What happened to the pepper?" "Did someone slice it?" "It looks like a crown." "Uh, yes, I carved out the top of it, to make a dipping cup out of it." "Okay, creative, Bob." "Wow." "You talk passionately about organic farming, yet we have no ingredients from the farm, and you've got Ahi tuna from the pacific." "Right." "I'm a little bit confused." "I did not bring anything from my farm." "There you are, gentlemen." "Are we ready to taste?" "Be my guests." "Well, the tuna," "I wanna slice through there." "Okay." "And it's seared, it's gonna be pink, chilled, stone cold?" "What am I looking for in there?" "There should be some rareness in the middle." "It is rare." "Bob." "Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob." "All right, Bob." "Joe, yes or no?" "Um, I don't think it's kind of at the level we're looking at, so I'm gonna say no." "Graham." "I don't question your integrity, but I do question your cooking skills." "I'm a no." "There's no charm in your food." "Farmer Bob, I'm sorry, e-I-e-I-no." "I probably should've just stayed with New England style comfort cooking." "Which I didn't." "I tried." "I tried." "But unlike farmer Bob, not everyone can dish it out and take it." "How we doing today, gentlemen?" "Good." "What are you cooking, big boy?" "Today we are going to be cooking something called redneck Sushi." "Redneck Sushi?" "Redneck Sushi, yeah." "So it's a blend of Sushi and barbecue." "First time I've ever heard of that." "What's the secret of it?" "The barbecue sauce that I make, it's a white barbecue sauce." "A white-- a white barbecue sauce." "It's basically just a mayonnaise base." "What is the actual meat?" "What cut, what animal?" "It's a chicken breast." "Is it braised?" "Normally what I do is I do a beer butt chicken." "I spice rub it, put the beer inside of it to make sure it's really nice and moist." "I've never had chicken in a Sushi." "It's ready for you gentlemen to eat." "You call that Sushi?" "Yeah, absolutely." "I can call that Sushi." "It-it's clearly a no, I'm sorry." "It works for me, so I think it's a yes." "For me, it's a no." "Pieces of ." "Those guys are so full of ." "They don't even know what the They're doing." "That guy's gonna come back and kick your ass, man." "Security!" "The next home cook has put everything on the line in an attempt to achieve her dream." "My name is Esther." "I live in L.A., I'm 28 years old, and I'm an attorney." "I was good at it, but I recently quit my law firm job." "Ah." "Ah." "So I could pursue food." "So now my world is the culinary world." "I feel like as much as it was a big risk for me, my husband has given me the opportunity to do this so I wanna do well for him." "And I'm gonna bring it." "I'm gonna bring it like no one else has brought it." "I'm gonna kill it." "I'm gonna stomp on it." "I'm coming." "Hi." "How are you?" "Well, thank you." "How are you?" "I'm doing all right." "Uh, right, what are you cooking?" "I am cooking a Korean spicy braised COD with daikon, two ways." "Great." "And what's your day job?" "What do you do for a living?" "I'm an attorney." "Okay." "And actually, I was at a big law firm until last year when I quit my job because I realized that no matter how high I get as an attorney, it's not gonna fulfill me." "I'm a little bit puzzled the fact that you've given up a high-powered job." "After a couple years, I'm like, "okay, what does my soul say?"" "Your soul says something is wrong, and you have to find out what it is." "And that's what it was." "Yeah." "I have to go into business." "My soul tells me you've got 15 seconds left..." "Okay." "To get it on a plate." "Otherwise, we'll be tasting fresh air." "Happy?" "Yes." "Right, how do you rate your food out of ten?" "What would you give yourself?" "Marking?" "It would be a nine." "Mm-hmm." "A nine?" "The daikon's actually meant to be eaten with the rice." "You asking me or telling me?" "I'm" "mmm." "Daikon, fine, pleasant." "So there's something missing there." "In the bottom, there's supposed to be a pool of sauce that is hot." "You forgot the sauce?" "That's what I planned to do, and..." "I'll make smarter mistakes." "All right." "A little more acid would've given it a kick to really set off the richness of the fish." "What do you think, chef?" "For me, the sad news is that it actually..." "Looks better than it tastes." "In there, you might see something missing, but I hope you see something in me." "You're not gonna sit there and preach to me..." "Mm-hmm?" "That that is perfection." "For me, it's a no." "Oh." "I can feel the determination in the room." "This means so incredibly much to me." "I believe that..." "I wanna see more of what you can do, so I'm gonna give you a yes." "Joe, please." "Is there anything I can say?" "I don't think you need to plead your case anymore." "Okay." "It's not court of law." "We're looking for America's master chef." "If there is any chance for me to fight for this," "I have to fight." "It's certainly not a restaurant quality dish." "Joe, please, I wou-- there's some mistakes in the execution." "The whole thing is, at the end of the day, it's not that impressive." "Please." "For me, it's a no." "Oh." "28-year-old Esther gave up her career as an attorney to pursue her love of cooking." "I'm gonna give you a yes." "Could it be the biggest mistake of her life?" "If there is any chance for me to fight for this," "I have to fight." "Joe, please." "At the end of the day, it's not that impressive." "Please." "But..." "You are impressive, and I'm gonna say yes." "Because I think that I see something in you that I wanna see more of." "Don't let me down." "Thank you." "Oh." "I'm grateful, but..." "I have a lot more to do." "I'm ready to fight." "You're guilty." "We'll see what happens." "Esther successfully pleaded for her apron..." "But can the next in line engineer his success with a very different approach?" "Go, Alvin!" "I'm Alvin." "I'm 28 years old, from Houston, Texas." "America's never seen a Master Chef like me." "I've got over there a homemade immersion circulator, and what I'm doing with that is creating an egg with a uniform texture all the way through." "Molecular gastronomy is a fancy word for saying science in the kitchen." "We take common foods and mix them with slightly uncommon ingredients." "We can alter the textures, alter the format of food and really create surprising elements to put on a plate." "You're the best, Alvin." "What is on that trolley?" "Well, I have a homemade immersion circulator here." "It has held the water bath at 63.2 degrees celsius in which I've cooked an egg, which is really the star of my plate." "Loco moco, the Hawaiian classic." "A braised beef short rib, short grain sticky rice in a wonton shell, and then top it off with the 63-degree egg." "Is that it?" "This is it." "So..." "Wow." "Judging the egg, it should just flow and melt." "Knife in." "Is that what you wanted?" "Yeah." "It's pretty close." "Some short rib action." "That egg kinda breaks into the rice." "Yes." "I wish I had two mouths to eat this." "Thank you so much, Chef." "Graham, yes or no?" "I'm a yes." "Thank you, Chef." "Joe, yes or no?" "Yes." "Definitely yes." "You have three big yeses." "Thank you, chefs!" "Oh!" "Congratulations." "Yeah!" "Get that on." "Thank you so much." "Well-deserved." "You are a freak genius." "You can't be that creative and not work in the industry, let me tell you." "Get out of here." "All right." "Well done." "This apron means that I will be the next Master Chef." "Game on." "For the next two home cooks," "MasterChef has become a family affair." "You could put anyone here next to me, and I just can't really fathom the whole that's my mom right there." "I'm competing against my son, but I think I've had a couple of years on him." "So I think he better watch out." "I wish her the best of luck and that they'll be no hard feelings if she goes home early." "Prepare to be taken down by your mama." "Hello." "Hello." "Good afternoon." "Howdy." "First name is?" "Denise." "Denise." "And who are you with?" "My son, who's competing against me today." "He's what?" "Oh." "He's competing against me." "Wow." "Family feud." "Yes." "So our big question is are you better than your mother?" "Yes." "Ooh." "I know I can cook better, I just-- you throw your mom under the bus pretty easily." "I'm not throwing my mom under the bus!" "Is he competitive?" "Very." "I'm not being mean to my mom, but..." "He's being honest." "I'm being very honest." "I mean, I love my son, but this is like one against one." "Okay, let's put it this way, who's the better cook?" "I am the better cook." "I mean, she can pretend and have all these dreams of being better, but I know I can cook better." "If you get through and he doesn't...?" "So sad." "Right." "Who does it mean most to?" "He's ambitious, a lot younger than you, clearly, but, for you?" "I-I've always been someone's daughter, someone's wife, someone's mom, someone's something." "And I like to do this for myself." "And what are you cooking?" "I'm cooking hot and spicy green beans with sausage." "Great." "What are you cooking?" "I made chicken paprikash, sauteed spaetzle." "Brilliant." "Done?" "Yes." "Thank you." "All right." "Green beans." "Yes." "Hot and spicy green beans with sausage." "Ready." "Sir." "Last time I had this paprikash was in London." "The most amazing Hungarian restaurant there." "It's got that warmth." "It should deliver that sort of richness, that blend of the heat." "So this meat should just fall off the bone without having to pry it off." "I don't know." "Maybe not in my restaurant." "Okay." "The secret of a good spaetzle is that lightness." "Perfect." "The flavors, there's some good spice." "The sesame seeds I think had a nice toothsomeness." "What kind of mushrooms are these?" "Those are baby bellas." "Rich." "Mmm." "Tastes nice." "Beans are slightly overcooked." "Minced pork is tasty." "Soy, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds--nice." "But it's half a dish." "Your biggest competitor in this competition..." "Is yourself..." "For not letting go." "The first mother and son to compete in MasterChef history are putting their food and their relationship on the line." "All right, who's the better cook?" "I know I can cook better." "I am a better cook." "Now it's time to find out whether Denise's spicy green bean dish or Kyle's chicken paprikash is good enough to win an apron." "Joe, yes or no?" "It's not a dish, and it doesn't really say anything about her or the competition." "And it's just completely irrelevant." "The sausage is delicious." "I'm no." "You're no." "Graham, yes or no?" "Just as a side dish versus everything that we've seen and all the competition that's here," "I'm a no." "And I'm saying..." "That is not MasterChef." "Thank you." "Thank you." "All right, Joe." "Yes or no, please." "Call it chicken cacciatore, call it paprikash, whatever you wanna call it." "I think it's kind of fatty, lacking in acid and a little bit pedestrian." "I-I-I say no." "I completely disagree." "I think it's very rustic, and it has some soul behind it, and it's yummy." "So I'm gonna be a yes." "For me, that's a ballsy dish." "Right." "To put forward." "Mm-hmm." "Not just in MasterChef, but to compete against your mother." "Mm-hmm." "For me..." "I wanna see more." "It's a yes." "Congratulations." "Thank you." "If I was you, I'd keep this rolled up, because I don't think your mom's gonna be very happy." "Thank you very much." "Well done." "Thank you." "Hopefully, the next time I see my mom is when they open the doors at the finale." "That's right, put it on, yeah." "Next through those doors, a midwestern truck driver is about to go down a very different road." "My name is Tony, I'm a 51-year-old truck driver, and cooking is an addiction for me." "Oh, wow, those are dry rubbed good." "Around my town, I'm pretty much known as the barbecue guy." "Oh, yeah, perfect." "Being a chef has been my dream for some time." "I've always wanted to go to a culinary arts program." "But I've raised a family all my life," "I worked in the steel industry for 20-something years." "See you, guys." "This is absolutely my time." "It's taken quite a while, but everything I've done throughout the whole course of my life is leading up to what's happening right now." "Hello, gentlemen." "How are you?" "How are you doing?" "Wonderful, thank you." "Good." "Your first name is?" "My first name is Tony." "Tony, good to see you, buddy." "I see you're working very methodically and not scrambling, not panicking." "When I'm in the kitchen is where" "I have my most confidence, and it actually is one of the things that I enjoy the most." "What are you making for us today?" "I've got a pan-seared mahi mahi, over a bed of paella-style rice, with a mango salsa." "Wow." "Sounds intriguing." "Gentlemen, I present you my dish." "Graham, off you go." "All right." "So with mahi, there's always a chance to overcook it, you know." "'Cause there's just not a lot of fat." "Right." "You know, and so it should be..." "Nice, have some slight little opaqueness going through it." "So let's kinda go right here." "That looks..." "Pretty perfect." "Good job." "Thank you." "You know, I think you could've gone a little more lime and a little bit of salt." "I think that really would've brought it out." "Thank you very much." "Thanks, Tony." "How you doing, Tony?" "I'm doing wonderful, thanks for asking." "Where do you go with this?" "Where does this take you?" "My vision is to own my own restaurant." "I wanna bring some culture food to my small town." "It's a meat and potatoes community." "The only fish that they experience in our town is the fried fish at the legion on Saturday night." "Mmm." "That fish is cooked perfectly." "Unfortunately, the rice should be 100 miles away from that fish." "Damn!" "Joe, yes or no?" "I'm 100% yes." "Mm-hmm." "Good dish, congratulations." "Thank you." "Graham, yes or no?" "I second that notion, yes." "Thank you." "And for me, it's three big yeses." "Congratulations, well done." "Good job." "Thank you." "Put this on." "Looking forward to see what else you got to bring us, bro." "That was good." "Thank you." "Well done." "Thank you so much." "Well done, congratulations." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Would've said yes on the fish alone." "Look at that." "Delicious." "Yep." "My destiny is coming to fruition." "It's happening." "I made it." "Up next, is the final home cook of the day..." "I purposely added that much spices." "Just too hot to handle?" "Breathe." "Congratulations." "As the sun sets on day two..." "A flurry of home cooks bag aprons." "Almost done." "But can the last contender finish the day on a high" "with a Dash..." "Whoo!" "Of Latin flare?" "So hot." "I'm Alejandra, I live in Playa del Rey, California, and I'm an architect and an urban planner." "Still have a minute." "Growing up in Venezuela, I was in the kitchen with my mom since I was a very young girl." "Very excited." "It's been a big part of my life." "All right." "I definitely have what it takes." "To be the next Master Chef." "Hello." "Hi." "How are you?" "I'm doing great, thank you." "Good, and what are you cooking?" "I'm making up-- well, my interpretation of a Peruvian dish called camarones salteados which is a shrimp sauteed." "What's your full-time job?" "I'm an architect, so I'm college educated." "I have a masters in urban planning." "I actually lost my job at the beginning of 2009." "20 seconds left." "Okay." "Okay." "Done." "That's it?" "You're happy with that?" "Hopefully the flavor will show you my skill." "Okay..." "Right." "You work in architecture." "Well, not anymore." "It's been two years of a lot of financial struggle." "But I have $150,000 worth of student loans." "But I didn't know the market would crash the way it did and that I would lose my job and not be able to produce and provide for myself." "So being here means a lot to me." "Breathe." "Okay." "Sorry, I'll stop." "How'd you cook the shrimp?" "I brined it, I marinated it quickly." "Visually, the shrimps looked overcooked, but you've--you were very smart by brining them." "And they actually taste delicious." "Thank you." "Mm." "To me, what really sets everything off is the onion." "It really works with the sweetness of the shrimp and, you know, the acidity of the tomato." "It's a really balanced dish." "What do you think about the spice level on a dish like this?" "It's a bold dish, but I like bold flavors." "I purposely added that much spices to bring that combination out." "What's fascinating..." "Is how good you are." "Yet you're not even trained." "It's like a missed opportunity." "It kind of like tells your story on the plate." "I think it's really one of the best things we've eaten so far." "I think that the judiciousness of spicing is really spot-on." "One yes." "Graham, yes or no?" "Two yeses." "That's all it takes." "It's never too late." "It's a definite." "Three out of three, well done." "Congratulations, you deserve it." "And more importantly, it didn't cost 150 grand." "Well done." "Thank you." "I'm living the dream, right this moment." "I left home to come here to do big things, and I'm now ready for the next step." "She nailed it." "Yeah, she did nail it." "Next time on MasterChef..." "Just put your on the line." "The audition come to a close as America's best home cooks fight for the final aprons." "The pressure's on." "Some hopes are dashed." "You're lucky you haven't killed somebody." "For others..." "Give that to your dad." "Dreams become reality." "That's why they came to this country was for us to pursue our dream." "And a star is born." "When you take the beautiful fish and you just sort of dip it in the egg..." "As the search for America's next Master Chef-- oh, you know what?" "That's fine." "Continues." "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Previously on MasterChef..." "It began with thousands of home cooks from across the nation." "You're looking at America's next MasterChef." "I'm the next MasterChef." "You're looking at America's next MasterChef." "100 were given an opportunity to cook for the world's toughest judges." "I'm Graham Elliot." "At 27, I became America's youngest four-star chef." "My name is Joe Bastianich." "I own 24 of the best Italian restaurants in the world and three award-winning Italian wineries." "And then there's me, Gordon Ramsay." "I've got over 20 restaurants with 12 Michelin stars, and there's nothing that I don't know about food." "Some served up brilliance." "I wish I had two mouths to eat this." "You are the one to watch." "Others simply choked." "Disgusting." "The dish leaves me filled with dread." "E-I-e-I-no." "Tonight, the final contenders fight for the precious few remaining aprons." "I don't think there's anybody out here that can beat me." "Who will get chopped?" "You're playing too safe." "And who will live to cook another day?" "Delicious." "Really yummy." "I was blown away by that dish." "Find out as we continue the search for America's next MasterChef." "MasterChef 02x03 Auditions #3 Original Air Date on June 13, 2011" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "It's day three, the final opportunity for home cooks to make an impression on the judges." "The pressure has never been higher as the last batch of MasterChef hopefuls prepare the dishes that could make or break them." "This is my happy place." "I'm so happy just cooking." "I love it." "Neural engineer Suzy Singh is desperate for an apron to prove to her conservative parents that cooking can be her future." "I am 27 years old, and I'm first-generation South Asian." "Being a chef in Indian culture is going against the norm." "There's this demand to be an engineer, doctor, lawyer, businessperson." "When I told my mom I wanted to be a chef and go to culinary school, she was like, "You want to be a servant?" "I'm highly, highly disappointed in you."" "After their one hour in the prep kitchen, each home cook is then given five minutes to complete their dish in front of the judges." "If two judges think a home cook has what it takes, they'll be awarded a MasterChef apron and move on to the next round of the competition." "Hi, there." "Hi." "What are you cooking?" "Today, I'm making tandoori bass en papillote." "I'm gonna put the bass in right away." "Sea bass en papillote?" "Uh, uh-huh." "Holy crap." "And then I've got a garam masala rub that I made on my roasted tomato." "Wow." "And I'm doing-- oh, my gosh, this is really hot." "Oh." "Gonna let it sit for a bit." "Your own blend garam masala?" "I made my own garam masala." "Which is a secret in any household in India." "It is." "And where are the family roots from?" "Punjab." "You think of Punjabi cooking, you don't think of en papillote." "Yeah, en papillote, yeah." "And then I've made a lassi." "It's a sweet lassi." "Wow." "I've got fresh coconut juice, and I also have some cardamom that I'm putting into it as well." "Sounds great." "You're organized, aren't you?" "I am." "I'm a neural engineer." "I have to be organized." "How much time do we have left?" "You've got one minute left." "All right." "I would love to plate for you guys." "I'm so excited for you guys just to try my food." "We are excited." "Put it on the plate." "Time out." "Please enjoy." "The secret of that papillote is bursting that bag and that waft of flavor." "Let's hope it's in there." "It almost turned into smoked." "You think it's gonna still steam?" "We're gonna get some beautiful aroma?" "If it's cooked perfectly..." "Mm-hmm." "When we cut into it, it'll be flaky and moist." "Ooh." "No?" "Umm, I didn't expect to see a en papillote," "Punjabi-style." "Why try and over-complicate?" "I actually think this is a simpler version." "Yeah, okay." "Underneath, you've got the..." "Turmeric on leeks and shallots." "With my, uh, tomato." "You're passionate about this, aren't you?" "I am." "I'm literally having the American dream." "To go back and tell your parents you want to become a cook?" "They hate it." "But that's why they came to this country, was for us to pursue our dream." "Okay." "Look at this." "Yeah." "Nice fish." "I wish that was a bit softer, though, yeah." "Joe, yes or no?" "I think that..." "Not only am I a yes," "I think we're looking at one of the finalists here." "Big yes." "I was blown away by that dish." "Are you all right?" "You need a moment?" "I respect you guys so much that, like, just hearing that is--it's beyond anything I could have ever imagined." "Graham, yes or no?" "You should be proud, so I'm a yes." "Three definite yeses." "Congratulations." "Well done." "Thank you, chef." "Looking forward to seeing a lot more things of you." "I think you have a long way to go here." "Thank you." "Congratulations." "Thank you so much." "Thank you." "Get out of here." "Well done." "Thank you so much, guys." "Good job." "Thank you." "I am so proud of what they said in there." "Everything's come up to this point, and this is my life." "This is my life." "It means so much." "There's a hot contender." "She's got the whole package." "Yeah." "Suzy's brain engineering days may be behind her, but not everyone should quit their day jobs." "Hi, I have a creole crab and crawdaddy cake." "So, first impressions..." "Mark that out of ten for me." "What do you think?" "What would you give that presentation?" "9 1/2." "9 1/2?" "Wow." "9 1/2 out of 100, maybe." "Thank you." "Today I am cooking a pepitas-crusted Halibut over a green chile cake." "Every time somebody uses tongs on a delicate piece of fish, God kills a puppy." "Nice." "And what I'm making for you today is traditional cajun corn maque choux." "Ron, you have a great future in the restaurant world." "All right." "As a customer." "Big no." "So the judges start the day pretty hard to please." "Next to face them is 18-year-old Max Kramer, the youngest-ever MasterChef competitor." "But he thinks what will make him stand out..." "I'm doing a fried oyster with steak tataki." "Is his taste for only the very finest ingredients." "My name's Max Kramer." "I'm from New York City." "And I'm a freshman at Trinity College." "Taxi!" "I had a privileged childhood." "My parents are very successful people, which afforded me the opportunity to go to top-tier restaurants, and that's where I learned everything." "I can do it." "I enjoy the finer things in life." "Been overhearing a lot of the competitors stereotype me as just a stuck-up rich kid." "I'm just gonna kick their ass." "I'm damn sure I'm gonna win the competition." "I really want to be America's next MasterChef." "It's an opportunity for me to do something myself and make it." "Hello." "What are you making?" "Fried oyster with steak tataki." "How old are you?" "I'm 18 years old." "Tell us what you're doing." "This is basically a mixture of grapeseed oil and ponzu sauce and some scallions." "And how long have you been cooking?" "Since I'm about ten years old." "Ever since my parents got divorced." "They taught me how to cook, and then when we went to restaurants in New York City," "I would try to reinvent that dish or recreate it or improve upon it." "Cooking for me is a way to express myself and throw away the silver spoon and do something on my own." "What else can you cook?" "I'm not very fluent with classic, simple stuff." "Give me a signature dish that you've been able to nail." "Butter-poached lobster." "Let's go." "Plate it up." "So here I have a fried kumamoto oyster with a steak tataki and a yuzu oil infusion." "Fried oysters..." "Not everyone's cup of tea." "What'd you do to the beef?" "Ponzu sauce, safflower oil, and salt, pepper." "Yeah." "All right." "You roll in here, 18-year-old kid from Manhattan." "You're lucky." "Parents take you out to eat at good restaurants." "You're gonna impress us with luxury ingredients, oysters, fancy restaurant dish." "A lot of ambition." "I don't know if you have a lot of..." "Technique." "What do you think, guys?" "What I'd love to see you cook is something less glamorous." "Stripped of all the richness." "Because you're reaching too high too fast, and you don't actually deserve to be there." "Because after this, we tell you what to cook, and you have to cook it." "And I just don't know if you could bring it on that level." "18 years of age, did I expect you to fry an oyster?" "No." "The dish works." "There's something in there that I can't quite put my finger on it." "But..." "For me, it's a yes." "Graham." "Fried oyster, great." "Beef unseasoned." "I'm gonna say no." "I think that after a year of seasoning and learning would be better." "You don't see anything in him?" "I see stuff in him." "I just think that we'll see more next year." "This is a tough one." "Think you can do it?" "I really think I can do it." "18-year-old Max has no shortage of confidence." "But is his dish good enough to win him a MasterChef apron?" "It all comes down to Joe." "Think you can do it?" "I really think I can do it." "You're gonna need a little time... to hone your skills for the rest of this competition..." "'Cause you're going through." "Good luck, man." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Congratulations." "Come around." "Going out on a limb for you." "I think that you've got some potential." "Good luck." "Well done." "Thank you." "Prove me wrong." "I will prove you wrong." "I mean...the swagger." "We just need to see the humility." "Is he a MasterChef or is he a trust fund baby?" "Exactly." "We'll find out." "Congratulations, kid." "You did it." "I'm a pretty damn good cook, but I'm used to cooking with really extravagant things." "I could not be more proud of myself." "After Max won Joe over..." "The next group of home cooks tried to do the same by appealing to Joe's Italian roots." "This is a giambotta, which is an Italian stew." "I made homemade gnocchi." "I'm cooking cioppino." "This is?" "A giambotta." "I've never heard of it." "A giambotta." ""Jam-bot." "Jam-bot."" "Is it MasterChef quality?" "What part of Italy is the stew from?" "I really don't know." "No." "No." "It's definitely on the salty side." "But it tastes good?" "Are you asking me or telling me?" "Italy has a great culture of seafood soups." "This is just not one of them." "It sounded delicious, but it didn't deliver." "Rate that out of ten." "Where would you go on that?" "Seven." "Yeah, I'd give it three after three bottles of wine." "Thank you." "Thank you." "It's a good idea gone bad." "So it would seem the aprons are getting harder to come by." "But can this next Italian make a dish that Joe would be proud of?" "There is so much love in my blood, if you cut my vein, tomato sauce is gonna come out." "I'm Giuseppe." "I'm from Chicago, and I was born and raised in Italy." "I moved here around 15 years ago." "It was very tough for me." "My English was very poor." "So, madre, how's the weather over there?" "It's very warm." "My mom is my best friend." "She's in Italy." "We talk pretty much every single day." "Over here?" "Not bad." "I got couple penguins outside knocking on the door." "They want to get in." "My cooking is straightforward Italian." "There is no fusion." "There is no confusion." "Can you smell that?" "If you didn't go to Italy to try the real food over there, you don't know how it really tastes." "So this is what will be my weapon." "I can't wait to meet Joe Bastianich." "He is known for good Italian food." "And I can't wait to see what he is going to say about my Italian food." "How are you?" "My name is Giuseppe Marusco." "I'm from Chicago." "But I was born and raised in Italy." "Cool." "Start cooking." "Umm, today I'm gonna make a traditional dish." "My grandma used to make it all the time." "This is called cozze ripiene-- stuffed mussel." "I'm bringing my culture over here from South Italy." "And if you won MasterChef, would you open a restaurant?" "First of all, I would go to Costa Amalfi and enjoy a little bit of a vacation over there." "And then I would open-- I would open a little restaurant with my mother." "Bon appetit." "Grazie." "I made the sauce from scratch." "It's all fresh-- tomatoes, everything." "Joe, you're Italian." "Please." "I'll go." "I've never heard of stuffed mussels before." "You got to go to South Italy." "That's where you're gonna find them." "Really?" "Yeah." "Tell me exactly what's in this now." "Salt, pepper, some bread and some garlic, and a little bit of eggs are stuffed inside the mussel." "Okay." "The whole process." "Okay." "This is very exciting, you know." "It's authentic." "Who do you cook for at home?" "I cook at home for my family." "For my son." "And is your son here with you today?" "Yeah." "He's with me." "Bring him in, please." "All right." "My wife too or my son?" "The whole family." "Yeah, it's got that rustic charm to it." "Kind of a purity of flavor." "Yeah." "It's missing a little salt and a little bit of heat." "It tastes like there's only like three ingredients in the whole thing." "Camilla." "Come on." "Let's go." "Come on, Camilla." "Come on." "Hello." "Welcome." "What's your name?" "Jake." "Can I borrow you for two seconds?" "How many bowls of pasta have you eaten so far?" "I don't keep track, but I'm sure a lot." "A lot." "And you rate your dad's food ten out of ten?" "11." "11." "Do me a big favor." "Give that to your dad, would you, please?" "Well done." "Thank you so much." "Well done." "Well done." "Well done." "I got to come." "I got to do this." "I got to do this." "Bravo." "Aah!" "Doing this for me means everything." "I'm doing something right with my life." "Voila!" "Still to come, a man with many talents..." "When you take the beautiful fish and you dip it in the egg..." "Makes a mistake he may never forget." "What's this?" "Ha!" "Ha ha ha!" "I forgot my signature ingredient!" "What's the matter with you?" "So far tonight, just three home cooks have earned a MasterChef apron." "Next, can Christin, a grade school teacher from Tampa, Florida, appeal to the judges' sweet side?" "Hello." "Hello." "Hey, guys." "My name is Christin." "And I have made you Italian meatballs with a twist." "They are sweet." "Sweet meatballs?" "Yes, sweet meatballs." "Sweetballs." "What turns 'em sweet?" "Pound cake." "Pound cake." "That's the secret ingredient." "I hope when you bite into them..." "That they absolutely just kind of melt in your mouth." "The recipe is over 75 years old." "So I hope you like 'em." "It really is sweet." "What's the sauce?" "Basic marinara." "Lots of cheese." "Garlic." "Basil." "Wine." "Thanks." "I don't know if veal and pork should be sweet." "Ay-yi-yi, it's hard." "It's a strange one." "Thank you." "Joe, yes or no?" "I know how hard it is to make a meatball that's kind of light and fluffy like that." "They're not overtly sweet for me." "For me, it's a very surprising but big yes." "Graham?" "Nice tomato sauce." "I thought it was really yummy." "But I was kind of put off with the meatball itself." "Maybe I'm just so predisposed to thinking of it as something really hearty and rustic." "So for me it's a no." "Gordon, you loved them." "They just melted in your mouth." "I know it might have taken a minute to just kind" "Have you got it in you..." "Absolutely, I've got it in me." "To climb the ladder, become America's next MasterChef?" "MasterChef means everything to me." "I'm here to say that, you know what, this is what I've done, this is what I grew up with--food." "Food is everything to me." "It's about family." "It's about love." "It's about sitting down and loving what you do." "For me it's a no." "I'm sorry." "I think you did a great job." "Keep on cooking." "Thanks." "No." "No." "I wasn't getting it with the meatball." "The flavor was bizarre." "You like that, though?" "Yeah, I liked it." "I really did." "After Christin's too-sweet meatballs, a string of home cooks get it just right and snag aprons." "You really hit it on all levels." "I'm a yes." "I'm gonna say yes." "Oh, my God." "Congratulations." "Yes!" "Well done." "Congratulations." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Thank you." "A definite yes." "You're a serious contender." "Thank you, chef." "After a run of great results, can Edgardo, a California teacher, make the grade?" "I am Edgardo from Burbank, California." "And I'm a school teacher." "Christopher." "It's extremely fulfilling to see how the kids progress." "Now we'll start off with all the plans involved." "Aside from being a teacher, my passion is cooking." "I'm actually cooking a live dungeness crab and mango cucumber salad on the side." "I just hope I make it on time, though." "I am here to show what I've got." "I really want to win." "Good luck Mr. G." "Good luck Mr. G." "Good luck Mr. G." "Good afternoon, chefs." "Good to see you." "First name is?" "Edgardo." "What are you cooking, Edgardo?" "I actually cooked a live dungeness crab." "Live?" "Yeah." "Wow." "Well done." "And I actually sauteed the crab fat with a garlic and ginger sauce." "And where is the fat on a crab?" "Actually when you open up the shell." "The purse." "The first layer in between those two-- that's where the fat on a crab is?" "I didn't even know that." "I didn't know that either." "Did you know that?" "Nope." "You're just putting the crab back in the crab." "Yes." "I did get a lot of meat." "It's fresh." "That's what we're excited about." "It's all fresh, even the sauce." "Okay, we ready to taste?" "Yes, sir." "I actually tried to make the texture as natural as possible." "Isn't this so cool looking?" "Yeah." "I love it." "Yeah, it's delicious crab." "Thank you so much." "To be able to take this and to try to finesse more flavor out of the crab itself..." "Yes." "Concentrate that, this is-- it's a very noble cause." "Thank you." "Is this what it's supposed to look like, with this kind of, like, greenish tinge to it?" "Yes, chef." "If you give me a chance, I can show you what I can really do." "Right." "Thank you, chef." "Okay." "Joe, yes or no?" "I thought that was..." "Quite frankly..." "Kind of amazing." "I think that the purity of the cooking technique of the crab..." "You have combined the essence of what lightness in crab can be." "The crab is amazing." "A big, big yes." "Thank you so much." "All right, Graham, yes or no?" "I think the crab, of course, is delicious." "And there's such a purity there." "But..." "There's not really a whole lot to it." "There's not really a dish." "There's not a ton of different layers, so... to me it's a no." "And top marks for keeping it simple." "It tastes good." "For me..." "It's..." "Edgardo, a teacher from Burbank, California, has received mixed reviews for his uncomplicated seafood dish." "The crab is amazing." "A big, big yes." "To me it's a no." "Now his MasterChef future is in the hands of Gordon Ramsay." "And top marks for keeping it simple." "It tastes good." "For me..." "It's..." "It's a no." "Thank you." "Uh..." "MasterChef needs to see more." "Because it's not just about cooking a crab, carefully putting it back into the shell with its natural juices." "Thank you so much." "Thanks, Edgardo." "Thank you." "Thank you, Edgardo." "I think you guys made a mistake on that one." "I tried." "At least you tried, honey." "This guy nailed it." "You want to see more than that." "Yeah." "With only a handful of aprons remaining..." "The pressure is on for the next in line." "My name's Adrien, I live in Ventura, California, and I'm a server." "But I want to be a chef." "I want to own my own place." "I might not have the formal training and skills, but I do have passion for my cooking." "It's what I absolutely love." "I had to learn to cook for myself as a kid 'cause my father and my mom both had to work." "My style of cooking, it's definitely influenced by Mexican flavors and techniques." "I am making achiote tierra y mar." "The main thing is this right here." "Traditionally it's called achiote." "It's the flavors of me growing up." "Hopefully they taste what I've been tasting all my life." "Mexican food is low and slow." "And some dishes have 16 ingredients." "What sets me apart is that I know how to work with all these flavors and not mask one more than the other." "My grandma's the most important thing to me." "And I asked her to pray for me, and she feels that God has been listening to her." "And this is his answer to her and an opportunity for me." "Hello." "How's it going, gentlemen?" "The first name is?" "Adrien." "Adrien." "What are you cooking?" "I'm doing an achiote tierra y mar." "Achiote is the spice that I made myself." "And I'm doing a surf and turf, and I'm doing it my way." "Love it." "Please start." "Is it a Mexican dish?" "Yes, definitely." "I am of Mexican descent, and this spice holds everything that I've tasted all my life." "I've gone to school for lots of different things." "I've been a little lost." "I've been trying to find what it is that I'm supposed to do." "And cooking was always there." "Is cooking just another phase?" "Are you sure you're not just confused in terms of you haven't found your niche in life?" "There is nothing you could say that'll deter me from this choice." "I've begged every chef in my county to let me work for free." "Free?" "Yes." "I was willing to work part-time, still have my other job." "And none of 'em gave me a chance." "So this for me, if I got this chance," "I wouldn't take it lightly." "Okay." "Ready?" "I'm done." "Right." "The seasoning-- not for the faint-hearted." "These are nice flavors, a lot of great layers." "Thanks." "Thank you." "Can I see the rub?" "Can I smell the" "Of course." "This one is the one for the meat." "Mm-hmm." "This one here is the one for the seafood." "Joe, yes or no?" "The spice mixes are beautiful." "But they taste completely flat without the salt." "It's like, they're nice when you smell them on their own, but you're missing the foundation of the dish." "I appreciate the passion." "You didn't execute." "I'm--I'm no." "Graham, yes or no?" "Loved the spice rub." "The sear and crust on the beef was great." "The technique is there." "And I know that the passion's there." "So I'm gonna give you a yes." "Thank you, chef." "The sear is amazing." "Okay." "I'm a yes." "But, listen, step up to the plate and jump at this next opportunity." "Well done." "This is it." "Yes." "Your one chance." "That's amazing." "I mean, that's a lovely blend." "I've been wanting to make my family proud for a long time, and this is just the first step to do that." "Coming up..." "You love her dearly." "Can one man's commitment to his ailing wife" "Oh." "Very much." "She's my best friend." "Turn an amateur cook..." "Into a master chef?" "I like you guys." "I don't like the dish." "So far tonight, all sorts of talented home cooks have won aprons and praise." "Well done." "But as the day moves on, the next in line are sent home with just a few delicate words from Gordon." "You go from greasy to dry to bizarre." "My biggest problem is the oil slick on the plate." "It's..." "Slightly bland." "There's a burnt garlic flavor." "Are you allergic to flavor?" "The combination's dreadful." "It's lethal." "It's like the recipe to give me to ." "Here's the sad news." "For me it's a no." "Good try." "Bye." "Keep cooking." "Bye-bye." "Bye-bye." "Now it's the turn of Joseph Jane, a good ol' boy from down south." "He's hoping that his wife's favorite meal could also turn out to be Gordon's." "Don't eat all the alligator." "I got to give it to Ramsay." "If I get an apron, I don't know if my head would fit through the door when I come out through there." "I want this so bad." "Hello." "How are y'all doing today?" "How are you?" "Good." "And first name is?" "Joe." "Joe." "Good to see you, buddy." "You're a keen novice cook, right?" "Yeah." "I mean, I taught myself everything I know." "My wife was hurt in a bad construction accident..." "I'm sorry." "16 years ago." "They ended up giving me a hospital bed, and we put her in the house." "And I, of course, had to take over every duty in the house." "You were looking after your wife, you started getting excited about food." "Yes, sir." "And how is your wife now?" "She's good." "She's here today with me." "Done?" "Yes, sir." "It's my version of Swiss alligator." "Swiss what?" "Swiss alligator." "Wow." "All right, Joe." "How are you, Joe?" "Good." "Definitely an amateur." "I mean, I'm not gonna say I'm not." "I got a lot of ideas in my head." "Ain't afraid to take a risk and try something." "You've found your soul in food?" "Oh, yes." "My wife was down to 78 pounds at 35 years old." "I had to--basically force-feed her." "And she wouldn't eat it if it didn't taste good, so I had to learn to cook food that tasted good." "You love her dearly?" "Oh, very much." "She's my best friend." "Can we say hello?" "Yeah." "You want me to get her?" "Please." "He wants you." "Come on." "Oh, my God, I'm gonna meet Gordon Ramsay." "Yeah." "Really?" "Yeah." "Oh, my God, what an honor." "Hello, darling." "Hi." "And first name is?" "Connie." "Connie." "Good to see you." "The alligator dish, if you were to mark that out of ten, what would you give him?" "I'd give him a 20." "Graham." "I think that there's some flavor in there, and I think that there's a lot of heart and soul, and it comes through." "I say yes." "Thank you." "Joe, yes or no?" "I don't like the dish." "I like you guys." "But I'm gonna say no." "All right, Gordon." "Can I just have a little word with you, please?" "Does he cook for you every day?" "Yes." "And how long have you been married?" "Going on 16 years." "We've been together for 20." "Will you do me a favor?" "Give this to him." "Oh, God, thank you so much." "Thank you very much, guys." "You got an apron." "You got an apron." "Yeah!" "Oh, man, this is amazing." "My heart's pounding." "Even winning the lottery right now wouldn't matter." "It don't get no better than this." "I can't believe I got an apron." "Coming up, has the very last home cook..." "What's this?" "Made the biggest mistake of his life?" "I forgot my signature ingredient!" "And the judges reveal the final 38." "This is it." "Well done!" "Amazing." "Over three long days, the judges have tasted 99 signature dishes." "Finally, they're about to eat their very last one." "It belongs to Ben Starr, a travel writer who's trying to blaze a whole new trail." "I'm making my world-famous, life-altering fish tacos." "I am Ben Starr." "I am 33 years old." "And I live in Dallas, Texas." "And I am a travel writer." "Of all days in my life, today is the day everything has to be perfect." "I grew up on a sheep farm." "And my parents encouraged all my siblings and I to get as involved in as many different things as we possibly could so that we'd make the right career choice." "So I was president of the Future Farmers of America, and I was drum major of the band, and I was president of the Speech and Drama Club, all, you know, at the same time." "Then you take the beautiful fish and you just sort of dip it in the egg..." "One thing that I've really discovered in my travels is that, whether you live in a tent in the desert in Egypt or in a palace in Europe, cooking is the way people share their experience and their life and their joy" "and their love with each other." "I love you all." "And that just fills me with inspiration and excitement every time I get into the kitchen." "Uh, first of all, what have you come as?" "I've come as a pumpkin." "Pumpkin." "Now, first name is?" "My first name is Ben." "Ben, good to see you." "What are you cooking?" "I'm cooking crunchy fish tacos." "That is what my friends call it." "Okay, Ben, just under five minutes to go." "Move your pumpkins." "All right." "Pumpkin is one of my signature ingredients." "And my mother desperately wanted to be here with me today to watch me cook, but she found out she had to have surgery." "I'm sorry." "So she made me my pumpkin apron and my pumpkin hat to root me on." "To hopefully wish you good luck." "Exactly." "What kind of fish do you have there?" "I actually have tilapia." "And it's marinated in a homemade pumpkin I.P.A. that I make." "I'm a home brewer." "You are a busy guy." "Ah, this is literally my life." "I mean, I've been cooking since age four." "I followed my mother into the kitchen, and I never left." "Wow." "Have you got what it takes to become America's next MasterChef?" "There is absolutely no question in my mind about that, sir." "What would you do if you won?" "It's always been my dream to open a very small, sustainable organic farm on the big island of Hawaii and have a cafe and a brewery." "Incredible." "You are the ultimate food geek." "Right?" "I am." "I am." "Are we ready to taste?" "We're ready to taste." "What we have here is we have homemade tortillas, a chipotle cream, tilapia breaded with a custom chili powder I blend myself." "And then we have a jicama and red cabbage slaw with cilantro that's also marinated in the pumpkin beer." "Where have you been hiding for the last ten years?" "I've been waiting for you to be here eating my tacos." "This is amazing." "What else can you cook?" "Anything." "You name it." "Middle-eastern." "Thai." "Latin American." "My partner's from Brazil." "Love Brazilian food." "British food?" "Let me make you a Shepherd's pie, and we'll find out." "You be the judge." "The only thing you didn't do is catch the tilapia, right?" "If you had given me a boat and let me go out there, I would have caught it." "I promise." "Only thing I can mention is maybe a little more of the crema." "Yes." "You know, just because with the tortilla being, you know, as thick as it is, it can have a tendency to get dry." "So maybe just a little more of that." "So I came to seafood tacos late in life, but I do love them." "What's this?" "I forgot my signature ingredient!" "Ho ho!" "Crispy fried pumpkin." "Oh, got it." "It's, like, unbelievable." "What's the matter with you?" "I don't know!" "I don't know!" "I'm nervous." "It's all nerves here." "Come on." "You almost blew it without the crispy fried pumpkin." "All right, what do we got?" "Here's where I am." "You've been beavering away for all these years underground, and you are..." "A strong contender in this competition." "You are what MasterChef is all about." "Through and through, 100%." "Unequivocal yes." "100%." "You come in making everything from scratch, it's delicious-- absolute yes." "Come on." "Oh, my God." "Stand up here." "This has changed my life so much." "Good job." "Thank you so much." "Good job." "We don't want you to lose that." "Thank you." "Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" "I cannot even describe how good I feel right now." "No words." "I wanted this more than I have ever wanted anything in my whole life." "He's a genius." "Great stuff." "So Ben claims the final apron and joins his fellow contenders for the MasterChef crown." "Life has literally begun today." "Right now." "It feels like a dream." "In this moment, I'm living my dream." "I am a classical pianist." "I'm a 51-year-old truck driver." "I am a real estate agent." "I just quit my job." "I'm an attorney." "I'm a musician." "I'm a single mom." "I'm a stay-at-home dad." "I'm an architect." "I'm semi-retired." "I'm a senior in high school." "This is my life." "I will be the next MasterChef." "I came here to win." "Let me tell ya, I'm gonna end up on top." "I will do whatever it takes to become the next MasterChef." "Check it." "Look at it." "Remember this face." "America's never seen a MasterChef like me." "It gives me another chance." "I feel like I got a second life." "I'm ready to roll." "Now I know anything's possible." "Ahh." "Cooking is the one thing that I know comes from my heart." "This is that chance I was looking for." "I want this more than anything I've ever wanted in my life." "This is my destiny." "Whoo!" "Now the ultimate kitchen battle begins." "The judges have selected the top 38 home cooks in America." "One of them will walk away with $250,000 and the title of MasterChef." "This is it." "You are the final 38." "Well done." "You have earned those aprons that you have on right now." "Absolutely." "Just as easily as you got 'em, we can take 'em away." "Push yourselves to the absolute extreme." "Good luck and good night." "Tomorrow night on MasterChef..." "Knife skills." "For the top 38 home cooks in the country, the competition has only just begun." "We'll be eliminating you based on how you slice these apples." "They'll be tested to the core." "First person's gone." "And have to pluck up the courage to create the dish of a lifetime." "One chicken." "One hour." "Off you go." "Most will get cut." "I don't want to choke on your chicken." "But a chosen few will succeed." "It melts in your mouth." "As the search for America's next MasterChef continues." "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Previously on MasterChef..." "We are excited." "Put it on the plate." "We searched America to find the nation's best amateur cooks." "I'm gonna win this competition." "100 faced the most intimidating moment of their lives." "I forgot my signature ingredient!" "Some tasted victory." "Yes!" "Fish is cooked perfectly." "I wish I had two mouths to eat this." "Others, defeat." "Come on!" "No, no, no, no, no." "Just 38 cooks won a coveted MasterChef apron and remain in the competition." "Tonight they will face two extraordinary culinary stress tests." "This is where it's gonna get painful." "Half will be cut from the competition." "I'm gonna need your apron." "Half will stay." "Great move." "And proceed to the MasterChef kitchen..." "Let's go, guys." "To battle it out for the ultimate prize..." "Stakes are even higher." "And the title..." "I'm trying." "Of America's next..." "Gator done." "MasterChef." "MasterChef 02x04 Top 18 Revealed Original Air Date on June 14, 2011" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Today is the first really big head-to-head challenge." "I've got this core group, and now we're really gonna see who can respond under pressure to something without any time to think about it." "Gordon, Joe, Graham," "I don't know what you got for me today, but bring it on." "Okay, welcome." "Today we're testing you on your basic skills in the kitchen." "We're stripping everything away and getting right to the core." "You're standing here today on the merits of your signature dishes." "From here on in, you have no idea what we're gonna throw at you." "What the is that?" "How do you guys like them apples?" "Where in the heck did they find this many apples?" "What in the world?" "If you think you have any future in this business, then you'd better start learning to love the hell out of this fruit." "To move on to the next stage of MasterChef," "I want to see the next level of precision with your knife skills." "Knife skills." "First of all, top and tail the apple." "Give yourself a base." "I want to see that skin come off, and I want you to maintain the shape, taking as little of the flesh off as possible." "All I could think to myself is" ""isn't that why they invented peelers?"" "Let the knife do the work." "No thinner, no thicker." "Just like those apples, each and every one of you are on the chopping block." "Over half of you will be leaving this competition." "I do not want to be one of those people." "I made a commitment to this so I can change my life." "Precision, accuracy, and focus is what we're looking for." "Continue slicing till either Graham or I say stop." "Then you'll find out if you're staying or if you're going home." "Ready?" "Yes, chef." "Right." "Pick up your apples and jump on a station." "Let's go." "I'm not afraid of anything." "First time in my life an apple scare me." "Are you ready?" "Yes, chef!" "Off you go." "It's not a race." "It's about technique." "This challenge will test the home cooks' technical ability and knife skills." "Keep it going, guys." "Yes?" "The judges will be looking for precision, consistency of slicing, and minimum waste." "Please don't throw any apples away." "38 home cooks begin this challenge." "Not all will survive." "I have a lot at stake." "I left my son at home." "I didn't come out here to play games." "I came out here to win." "Let the knife do the work." "I might be a country boy from Mississippi, but I can cook." "I want this worse than anything in the whole world." "Know when to work fast, know when to take your time." "Come on." "I'd love to have a restaurant." "If I could win this, it--it would just change everything." "Remember, guys, thumb and index finger." "Hold the apple." "I want this." "I want this more than anybody else here, and I'm going to work my ass off in order to get it." "The knives are razor sharp." "Be safe, guys." "As we're cutting, all I hear is "medic, medic."" "Med." "Got another medic." "And I'm seeing just people passing behind me with their arms held up in the air, bleeding like crazy, and I'm like," ""oh, my goodness." ""Okay, I have got to focus here." "I cannot cut myself."" "Ugh." "I cut myself." "The knife wounds keep on coming, and as the blood flows, the judges consider..." "Speed, efficiency, technique." "Their first cut." "Let's go, guys." "It's not up to the quality that Gordon wants, he's gonna send me home, and I don't want to go home." "Master of that knife." "I'm extremely nervous, 'cause, you know, my parents are totally against me being a chef." "But I know I can do it." "Stop." "Seby." "These... are perfect." "Congratulations." "First one through." "Stand behind." "Well done." "Good job." "Good job." "Absolutely." "Yep." "Perfect." "While Seby enjoys the safety of the winner's platform..." "Precision and technique." "The judges are deciding the fate of another." "Seemed like my bowl was getting fuller than anyone else's around me." "I was just waiting for the tap on the shoulder to, you know, go in the winner's circle." "Keep it going." "I didn't want to fill up my bowl the fastest." "I wanted to just make sure that I had precision cuts." "Come on, guys." "Elin, stop please." "Now, there's lots of little bits here." "It looks like you're peeling them twice." "Are you doing it one nice swoop?" "You are." "There are just so many inconsistencies." "I'm sorry, Elin." "You're leaving MasterChef." "Thank you." "It was heartbreaking." "It's heartbreaking." "Over a stupid apple." "First person's gone." "Start focusing, please." "Knife down, please." "This is my life." "Christine." "Mm-hmm?" "They're perfect." "Congratulations." "You're through." "Good job." "Okay, thank you." "Thank you." "Over there." "I almost fainted." "I was like, "Oh, my God."" "I just made it through a challenge." "Don't stop, guys." "Keep it going." "Stop." "Oh, boy." "Here we go." "It was Albert's alligator dish that earned him a MasterChef apron." "Yeah!" "But now can he keep it?" "Core please, Graham." "Congratulations." "You're through." "Thank you." "Well done." "This is real." "Take a deep breath." "It's coming together." "Albert is the third contestant to advance." "You're through." "Thank you, chef." "Well done." "Followed by several more yeses." "Well done." "Good job." "You're through." "Well done." "Take yourself over there." "Well done." "But an hour into the apple chop challenge, 15 home cooks remain on the chopping block as pressure and fatigue begin to take their toll." "I know how painful this is, guys." "My hand started cramping, and just--it started hurting real bad." "And just sweating." "It was hard to hold on to the knife." "This is where it's gonna really seriously kick in now." "I am getting more tired and more tired, and I'm just wondering how much longer do I have to keep doing this?" "Keep it going, guys." "Stop please, Joseph." "Joseph became passionate about cooking while caring for his sick wife." "You love her dearly?" "Oh, very much." "She's my best friend." "Ta-da!" "Yeah!" "But does he have the knife skills to keep his apron?" "Okay, Joseph." "I've gone from sort of wafer thin to sort of big, thick clumps." "I'm sorry, but you're leaving MasterChef." "I know I can cook, and I'm-- I'm gonna keep at it, and I'm gonna get better." "And Joseph isn't the only one pushed to the limit." "Several more home cooks fail the test..." "You're leaving MasterChef." "And are forced to turn in their aprons." "I'm sorry, Pauline." "You're leaving MasterChef." "Please take your apron off." "Watching everybody sent home feels good, because it's one less person" "I need to worry about." "It's gonna start really seriously hurting now." "Alejandra, stop." "Knife down." "How many have you done?" "Well over 12." "For Alejandra, a MasterChef apron could mean the start of a whole new life." "It's been two years of a lot of financial struggle." "I have $150,000 worth of student loans." "The shrimp tastes delicious." "But will she have to hand it back?" "If I find one pip in here, it's game over." "Alejandra?" "Yes, chef?" "You slice apples... like a pro." "Congratulations." "You're in." "Well done." "It was worth it!" "All this time and this crazy pain in my back, it's worth it." "Yeah!" "90 minutes in, the chopping continues." "Gordon Ramsay is breathing down my neck and looking for perfection." "Ben, stop." "Please, please." "Don't find any seeds." "Don't find any core." "Don't send me home, Gordon." "Ben." "Yes, chef?" "Take your apron... over there." "Congratulations." "Well done." "I'm completely exhausted." "I was like..." "Congratulations." "I've got blisters." "It's been two hours since the apple chop began." "Now just Dustin and Tracy remain." "Keep going, Dustin." "Keep going, Tracy." "Come on." "I am nervous." "I'm tired." "My hand is absolutely killing me." "But I know that I am not gonna give up." "Let's go." "I'm coming at this full force." "I mean, it's only a matter of time now." "I'm off into the winner's circle." "Okay, Dustin, stop." "Tracy, stop please." "Knife down." "That's just over two hours you've been slicing apples." "Tracy..." "Keep going, Dustin." "Keep going, Tracy." "Come on." "After two hours of nonstop chopping, just Tracy and Dustin remain to be judged." "Okay, Dustin." "Stop." "Tracy, stop please." "Knife down." "That's just over two hours you've been slicing apples." "Tracy..." "You're staying." "Congratulations." "Dustin, Tracy's are far more consistent than yours." "You're leaving MasterChef." "Thank you." "Gordon Ramsay's like, you know, a hero to me." "And just having him try my food and saying that it's delicious, that meant a lot to me." "Really, it did." "Come with me." "Let's go." "With 14 home cooks eliminated, just 24 remain in the competition." "And the next grueling test will see many more sent home." "Now, making it this far means you've got the knife skills to hold your own in the kitchen." "But your next challenge involves something with a few more moving parts." "My heart melts, because I love chickens." "I see the chicken, and I am ecstatic, because I was hoping that we would actually butcher a live animal." "This... is America's most popular meat." "If you cannot cook the most amazing chicken dish, there is no way on earth you're ever gonna call yourself a MasterChef." "You've got one hour to do something absolutely stunning." "One chicken." "And you're not using this one." "The chicken should be the headline act, but make use of the supporting cast of ingredients back here." "We have everything you can think of." "from infused oils, spices, herbs, vegetables..." "If we like your chicken dish, you'll stay." "If we don't, you're leaving the competition." "Are you ready?" "Off you go." "The contestants will have one hour to create one stunning chicken dish." "This challenge will test their ingenuity, creativity, and their ability to think on their feet." "Let's go, guys." "We're all running toward the pantry." "You want to get there first." "You want to make sure that you get what you need to make your dish right." "You should let these ingredients speak to you." "They should be calling out to you." ""Hey, use me." "Abuse me."" "Most importantly, don't forget to get the chicken on, yes?" "Two minutes gone." "Has anyone seen baking powder?" "There's no room for mistakes." "At this point, we've gone down from 100 to 38 to 24, and you know that they're just gonna keep cutting and cutting and cutting." "It's game time." "Start thinking how you're gonna cook that chicken." "If it's roasted, it needs to go in in the next five minutes, yes?" "Go, guys." "Get that chicken going, huh?" "My mind is racing." "Do I want to do chicken and noodles?" "Do I want to do a stuffed chicken breast?" "I have to come up with something quick." "The big issue is not over-complicating the chicken and not trying to be too clever." "What would you guys make?" "I think I'd roast the chicken thigh, bone it out, do a crispy skin, then baste it in honey, garlic, some thyme." "I'd do a wonderful chicken fricassee." "Take advantage of all those amazing mushrooms there." "Spinach, boulangere potato, and something that can really highlight the actual flavor of the chicken." "I am making mediterranean chicken salad, with tabouli and sauteed feta." "This is a version I haven't created for anyone other than myself." "Just under 40 minutes to go." "Keep it going, guys." "The pantry's absolutely stunning." "How could you not come up with the most amazing chicken dish?" "I think the competition was already won or lost in those five minutes of what they chose." "Yeah." "Absolutely." "I'm making a Western mushroom sauce with a Indian-inspired chicken sautee." "I never made this dish in my entire life." "Hopefully it'll turn out very well." "Ha ha." "Seby, can I suggest you get the chicken in the pan?" "I will." "I will." "You must be the only one that hasn't started cooking the chicken yet." "Wow." "Alejandra's doing a tagine." "And she's speeding up the process of cooking the breast, which can go dry, which is a bloody dangerous thing to do." "The time you cook your chicken is really what it's about." "It's delivering a dish that's juicy and flavorful and impressive." "How you doing?" "What have you got for us?" "I got a chicken gumbo I'm making." "Chicken gumbo?" "In an hour?" "Are you out of your mind?" "You think that you're gonna have the time to extract the kind of flavor and reduction you need out of that sauce?" "I--yes." "Yes?" "It's not the first time I've cooked a gumbo in an hour." "There's no problem." "I'm in my comfort zone." "Tracy, talk to me about your dish." "What are you doing?" "It's my version of a chicken pot pie." "In 60 minutes?" "Uh, well, I'm gonna kind of do it a little bit deconstructed." "For 60 minutes, that's a lot of work to do." "Yeah, I know." "It is. ." "What's the matter?" "My chicken skin's burning." "Is it burning?" "Yeah." "Yeah, put the pan down." "Don't blow it." "Don't blow it." "Just put the pan down." "Oh, my God." "I left my chicken skins in the oven, broiling." "I'm done." "I made a rookie mistake, and I'm going home." "The remaining 24 contestants have one hour to cook the chicken dish of a lifetime." "Keep it going, guys, yes?" "Some seem to have it under control, while others are feeling the heat." "." "My chicken skin got a little too crispy." "You only have one shot, so I'm nervous." "I mean, you never know what else can go wrong." "30 minutes to go." "Come on." "Keep it going, guys." "Make this the best chicken dish you've ever cooked." "Visualize that dish and really focus on that presentation." "Saw a lot of breasts being cooked out there in advance." "That's a very risky, risky game." "And I saw a lot of slow-cooking techniques and braising and stewing, which is very either risky or stupid in the one-hour format." "Unreal." "Oh, my God." "This is so good." "Wow." "For me just to be able to do this right now and show America how to make butter chicken from scratch," "I mean, wow." "Suzy is so arrogant." "Thinks she's a professor of Culinary Arts." "I hope they like it." "'Cause I'm in love." "Wow." "I just hope that she'll slip up." "20 minutes to go." "I'm cooking, um, roasted chicken and arugula, spinach, pancetta, and mango, with a little orange drizzle on top." "I think the time is an issue for me." "It's just I want to get everything perfect, you know, and put it on the plate for them so that they like it." "You know what I mean?" "I'm gonna do everything I can to keep this apron." "Anything." "I got to throw elbows, I will." "Come on." "Keep it going." "All about techniques." "And please focus." "I'm making chicken cacciatore." "It's traditional from Italy." "I want to represent all Italians, you know?" "Here we have some celery, carrots, onion, thyme, rosemary, and some of the pork inside." "Uh, it's gonna be..." "You know, but I know what I'm doing." "It's gonna be good." "Guys, just over ten minutes left." "Let's go, guys." "Let's go." "There are 24 awesome cooks here and everyone knows what they're doing." "So it's terrifying." "It's terrifying." "I can't screw this up." "That's just-- that's the bottom line." "I can't screw this up." "I don't care how everyone else is doing." "I just personally cannot screw this up." "All right, Ben." "Yes, sir?" "How's it going?" "Going well." "I have some, uh, biscuits in the oven right now, but there was absolutely no baking powder, so..." "Why would you choose to be complex on a day like today?" "You have to stand out, chef, otherwise you're never gonna notice me." "Trust me, Ben, with a hat on like that, you're standing out today." "Let's hope the biscuits work." "I know I have now made a colossal error in front of Gordon, and he has placed a target right on my forehead." "Because you don't make biscuits without baking powder!" "Hi, Rhonda." "You're pan-searing these chickens-- how are you gonna stop them from becoming dry?" "Um, I need to find ice and cool it off." "You think we're gonna have a moist, tender piece of chicken, not something..." "I'm trying." "I'm trying." "I don't want to choke on your chicken." "Derrick was doing the etouffee, and he was using some of the gizzard and things like that to make dirty rice, and he was also stewing down all of the nice dark meat cuts, so I'm hoping that that's gonna be delicious." "It was supposed to be a smoked andouille chicken etouffee with beer in it, but the pantry did not cooperate, so, uh, I'm using a spicy Italian sausage instead, which is not quite the flavor profile." "I think this may end up turning out a little more like almost a chicken chili." "Start putting those finishing touches to your dish." "Let these ingredients speak for themselves, guys." "Don't over-manipulate stuff." "Cooking chicken Oscar, 'cause it's delicious." "I think it takes skill to make a bearnaise and make it right." "Nothing's going wrong over here." "Just under four minutes left, guys, yes?" "About to make a miracle." "Thank you, Jesus." "That's all I can do." "Start thinking about plating up." "Visualize that dish." "Put those finishing touches on there." "Make sure you taste everything that goes on that plate." "90 seconds to go." "Use every second you've got to perfect those dishes." "Keep it going, guys." "I'm looking at the clock." "I don't know if I'm gonna be done in time, and I'm freaking out." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "And stop!" "Make this the best chicken dish you've ever cooked, or this may be the last minute ever in MasterChef." "Keep it going, guys." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "And stop." "Stand back from your stations." "24 home cooks are still in the competition, but aprons are about to be taken away." "Row one and row two, come forward please." "Max, let's go first." "What's it called?" "Duo of southwestern chicken with southwestern succotash." "The creaminess of the avocado goes well with the chicken." "I'm just not 100% certain on the sauce." "I like the hot sauce." "Gives a nice little balance to everything." "Okay, Angel, let's go, please." "Chicken and dumplings." "I used dark meat, 'cause I like the way dark meat tastes." "I love the idea of that homey, American dish." "Chicken's actually tender." "The problem are the dumplings." "Slightly undercooked." "Very weighty and somewhat doughy." "Okay." "Tony." "What is it, please?" "I've made a brick chicken, a garlic rosemary mashed potato." "Let's see." "That's a properly cooked chicken." "Thank you." "It's a good start." "I think potatoes need help." "Kyle, let's go." "I have chicken salad mixed with fresh hummus, sauteed feta and tabouli salad." "Pretty intense." "You can't really identify the true flavor of the chicken when it's shredded and mixed." "Alejandra." "Please." "So this is my interpretation of a Moroccan chicken tagine with apricots and dried fig." "Very, um, very nice and fresh." "Very good." "Right." "Alvin." "Got a version of beer can chicken that can be cooked inside any time of year." "Chicken tastes nice, but you can't just dust things with raw spice." "Yes, chef." "Six varied dishes." "Let me tell you that." "The judges are about to decide who will move on to cook in the MasterChef kitchen and whose dreams end right here tonight." "Okay." "Max, Alvin, one step forward please." "Congratulations." "You're both through." "I'm just relieved I'm going on to the next round." "Word's out that I can cook." "People should be worried." "Alejandra, Tony, one step forward, please." "You're both..." "Through." "Thank you, chef." "Good job." "Okay, Angel, Kyle..." "One of you will be coming into the MasterChef kitchen." "One of you will be leaving MasterChef." "Angel." "You... are going through." "Congratulations." "Well done." "Good job." "Kyle, the dish didn't work." "It's the kind of dish that you would put with leftover chicken." "I gave you a prime piece of meat." "I just wanted to see that be the hero." "Unfortunately, it wasn't." "You're leaving MasterChef." "Thank you." "I'm disappointed." "It was a very short stay." "I would have liked to have learned a lot more before I left." "Can I have the back two rows come up, please?" "Suzy, let's go ahead." "Hi, chefs." "I prepared for you guys butter chicken." "This is a traditional Indian meal." "Rice is kind of bland." "I'm hoping that Suzy's dish is gonna fail." "She thinks she's way better than she actually is." "It's a little annoying." "However, the butter chicken is pretty dynamite." "Christian, please." "Did a chicken Oscar, which is, um, crab, bearnaise, and, um, I put it on a little bed of risotto." "Good bearnaise." "Nice looking asparagus too." "Risotto?" "Jennifer, come on up." "Walk me through this." "Absolutely." "Chicken and fruit." "Ben." "They are gonna hate this." "Uh..." "Even if it tastes great, it looks like a pile of ." "Here we have chicken breast and thigh meat that has been slowly poached in butter." "We have the very bottom of a crusty, butter biscuit that was baked with chive and crispy chicken skin." "It looks ghastly." "Um, it actually tastes better than it looks." "Ben, if you haven't got baking powder, don't attempt to make a frickin' biscuit." "Aaron, come on up." "What have you made for us?" "Uh, today I designed a chicken Belize." "Wait, wait." "Is there chicken on this?" "Yes, actually there's chicken on the inside of it." "To have an entire chicken, and to put forth something that's about a bite and a half," "I don't really see the logic in it, you know?" "No matter how great the flavor is." "Okay, Christine." "All right, what do we have?" "Crazy chicken with a twist." "Twist?" "What's the twist?" "Um, there's a little lemon." "Is the dish too simple?" "Suzy, Christian, Jennie, can I have you guys come forward, please?" "You guys presented us with three really solid dishes." "You guys are going forward." "Congrats." "Thank you." "Christine and Aaron, please take a step forward." "You both put forward a good effort, but sadly one of you will be moving forward in the competition and one will be out." "Aaron, you were given an entire, two-pound chicken, and we used, like, an ounce of it." "It's really not MasterChef quality." "I'm gonna need your apron." "Sorry." "Christine, congratulations." "Thank you." "I gave it all that I could." "Cooking is not just a dream for me." "That's my reality." "Culinary arts and cooking." "I'm gonna live it till I can't do it anymore." "Ben, Ben, Ben." "It's all down to you." "What are you doing standing there by yourself?" "I'm waiting to hear my fate, chef." "I'm screwed." "They're gonna send me home just because my dish looks terrible." "What have I done?" "I hope you see the value in my chicken, chef." "There's so much I can do." "Well, I'm sorry." "Ben, Ben, Ben." "It's all down to you." "What are you doing standing there by yourself?" "I'm waiting to hear my fate, chef." "Well, I'm sorry." "But you're not gonna go home." "I'm gonna keep you in." "Congratulations, Ben." "It's not so much a sense of relief as it is of a complete draining of all of my body's energy." "And I literally collapse into Alejandra's arms." "Next two rows, please step down in front." "Bring your dish with you." "Mark, present your dish." "Chicken rollatini." "Stuffed with arugula, shallots, uh, prosciutto." "Topped with marsala cream." "The chicken's delicious." "Thank you." "However, pasta is like baby vomit." "Erryn." "This is a baked chicken with a barbecue dry rub, and, um, a roasted corn salad." "Chicken's nice." "Uh, the salad, little heavy, just, uh, with the mustard and everything else, I think." "Corn's one of those things you want to let kind of speak for themselves." "Okay, Rhonda." "I have a rosemary chicken done two ways." "The first one is a pan-seared rosemary chicken on a bed of mixed greens." "And then the second one is a chunky chicken salad." "So you thought that chicken salad two ways can advance you in this competition?" "It seems like a poor card to play right now." "Okay, Albert." "I have a, uh, chicken gumbo." "I made my stock from chicken bones." "Everything was from scratch." "From the stock all the way to the finished product." "Gumbo, traditionally anything from three to five hours." "Why would you try to do it in 60 minutes?" "Just being innovative." "Trying to make sure..." "Sure." "But there's things that can't be done in 60 minutes." "Gumbo needs time." "Let's go, Joey." "What have you got?" "Uh, chicken piccata over penne with a side of roasted garlic." "Okay, Adrien." "What do you got?" "This is a chicken chili verde." "I made a quick stock and simmered it with tomatillo, little squash." "Uh, did a Spanish tortilla." "Flavor on the dish is pretty-- pretty bad ass." "It's really delicious." "Thank you, chef." "Man." "Man, man, man, man, man." "Rhonda, please take a step forward." "You gave us two salads." "It wasn't up to MasterChef standard." "I'm sorry." "Please step forward and give us your apron." "Thank you very much." "I'm disappointed." "You know, I wanted this." "But I'm still optimistic, and I know that this is just another leg of my journey." "Um, I know it's not over for me." "Mark, Erryn, and Adrien, please take a step forward." "My hands are sweaty, and I'm nervous as hell." "It is ridiculously important for me to get through this challenge." "Guys, I'd like you to take what you've learned here at MasterChef..." "And use it in the next round, because you've all gone through." "So that leaves Albert and Joey." "Okay, Joey." "I didn't know what was going on." "I'll take it like a man." "Let's-- let's get this over with." "The pasta and chicken just didn't really come together." "We're gonna have to ask you to come forward and give us your apron." "Thanks, Joey." "Keep cooking." "Albert." "You, uh, served me my first alligator." "In this round, um..." "Albert." "You, uh, served me my first alligator." "In this round..." "The chicken gumbo... just didn't work." "It wasn't up to MasterChef standard." "I'm sorry." "Can you please give us your apron." "I'm walking away from here proud." "I did something that I never thought I'd be able to do." "Nothing to be ashamed of." "Do not stop cooking." "And watch out for those alligators." "They're big ." "It's over." "The gator's done." "Okay, six of you left." "Some of you will be going home." "Dishes up, please." "This is the longest walk of my life." "Not many more of us are going to be going forward." "Esther, let's go." "So this is..." "It's a pan-roasted mustard chicken topped with herb bread crumbs." "Mm-hmm." "Drumstick and thigh?" "Yes." "Bone in?" "Yes." "Think the flavors are there." "But remember everything is of equal importance." "Taste, texture, creativity, and the overall appearance." "All right, Derrick." "Let's go." "What is it?" "Um, you have a chicken etouffee." "Mm-hmm." "With some spicy sausage-- what's an etouffee supposed to taste like?" "Uh, a creamy sauce with, uh, with some chicken in it, and, uh, little bit of spice to it, and generally served with a little rice." "The rice is pretty pedestrian." "I know this dish is flawed." "I'm going home." "Like, this is the end for me." "Back in line." "Thank you." "Okay, Jennie, let's go." "It is burrata-stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped chicken." "On a bed of, uh, mediterranean couscous." "Great move, burrata inside a chicken breast." "Actually tastes quite nice." "Is it the first time you've ever made couscous?" "Yes, it is." "Yeah." "It shows." "Right, Seby." "Let's go." "This is a Indian-inspired dish." "It's got a morel mushroom sauce with chickpeas." "The chicken is marinated with raw pineapple." "Just tenderized a little bit." "Has a nice spice to it, which kind of contrasts the sweetness." "Extreme sweetness." "Love the rub on the chicken." "But that sauce doesn't work." "Way, way too rich." "Okay." "Giuseppe, let's go, big boy." "Chicken cacciatore." "In the sauce, there is capers, carrots, there is wine." "Not a lot of color on the sear, huh?" "The chicken's cooked well, but I don't know." "Let's go, Tracy." "I have a chicken pot minus the pie." "Minus the burned chicken..." "Skin." "Skin." "So here's the thing." "Your dish is called a "chicken not pie,"" "because there's no pastry." "It's not cooked in a pie dish." "Esther, Jennie, one step forward please." "Those dishes were not perfect." "But the hero of the dish was the chicken." "Congratulations." "You're both through." "Well done." "Giuseppe, Seby, one foot forward." "One of you is staying in the competition, and one of you is returning to your loved ones." "Giuseppe." "You..." "Are in." "Congratulations." "Seby, come on." "Think you got confused, trying to make a fusion of a French cuisine overlapping an Indian style." "Unfortunately, the dish didn't work." "But what all three of us want you to do is continue your dream." "You're 18 years of age, and the knowledge you have, it's quite remarkable." "Keep all that and improve it." "And tell mom and dad that you have a future in food." "I guarantee it." "Thank you." "If Chef Ramsay has faith in me," "I definitely have faith in myself." "I got to go home and tell my parents, whether they like it or not, I'm gonna be a chef and I'm gonna be a bloody good one." "Okay, here's what's going through my mind." "You both know you both could have done a better job." "Congratulations." "You're both through." "Thank God." "It feels incredible to be here." "I have to prove to them that they didn't make a mistake, and I'm gonna be here." "I'm gonna be here for a while." "On the back of a nationwide search, we're down to just 18 of you." "And look amongst each other." "Somewhere in that mix there's a MasterChef winner." "Competition is on." "Good luck." "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Next time, the final 18 will take their place in the MasterChef kitchen." "Yes, yes, yes." "I'm a property manager." "I am a style consultant." "I am a 51-year-old truck driver." "I'm a realtor." "I'm a freshman at Trinity College." "I just quit my job." "I'm a manager for a stone company." "I'm an attorney." "A real estate agent." "I'm a single mom." "I build websites." "I'm a stay at home dad." "I am a travel writer." "I'm an architect." "I am a server." "I work for a electronics manufacturer." "Actually own my own P.R. firm." "I am a publicist." "I'm a neural engineer." "Now the real competition begins." "Bring it." "Their skill..." "The technique..." "Creativity..." "Is an art." "And culinary I.Q..." "I have no idea what this is." "Are put to the test." "The home cooks will be led into foreign territory." "French is not my strongpoint, so got to get it perfect." "Some make their mark." "It's like fireworks on your palate." "Others will lose their way." "That is the worst dish that's ever left my kitchen." "For at one, their first day in the kitchen..." "Take your apron off and leave." "Will be their last."