"Previously on MasterChef... (Narrator) 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." "(Narrator) 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." "(Narrator) What Dustin doesn't know is his mom has secretly flown in from Florida to support him." "Heh!" "[Giggles]" "Wha-- [Cheers and applause]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "(Narrator) 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 [bleep] Scottish." "Ah..." "[Laughing]" "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." "[Scratching noise] 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 [bleep] 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." "[Chuckles]" "Oh, chef, how about some for the rest of us?" "[Chuckles]" "Oh." "Stop him." "[Chuckles]" "That..." "Was [bleep] delicious." "Thank you so much." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I appreciate that." "Amazing, sorry." "[Chuckles]" "That was amazing." "Do you got any left over here?" "Some--any end pieces?" "All right." "[Sighs]" "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." "[Chuckles]" "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!" "(Narrator) So the very first home cook of the day wins an apron." "I knew it!" "A sausage roll." "I feel full now." "[Cheers and applause] [Yelling indistinctly]" "(Narrator) But can the next in line..." "[Bleep]" "(Narrator) 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." "[Laughing]" "Hello?" "(Narrator) 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." "[Squealing, laughing]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "I think I have what it takes to be the next Master Chef." "Hey." "[Giggles]" "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 [bleep]." "[Chuckles] They always are." "They always are, that's right." "[Sizzling sounds]" "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." "[Chuckles]" "Christine." "Yes, sir?" "Love the confidence." "Thanks." "What kind of food did you grow up with?" "Crap." "Crap, as in...?" "Like, [bleep]." "Oh, [bleep], right." "I grew up very poor, so it's like fried chicken and S.O.S.-- Which is [bleep] on a shingle." "It's like toast, and then we put ground beef, and then we put some white gravy on it." "Both: [Chuckles]" "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?" "[Clears throat]" "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." "(Narrator) 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." "[Laughing]" "Put this on with pride." "[Crying, giggles]" "And get out there." "Well done." "Good job." "Mm-hmm." "[Cheers and applause]" "Just wanted to make everybody proud." "I knew something would happen one day." "I just needed a break." "(Narrator) While Christine toasts her victory, [upbeat reggae music plays]" "The next home cook is ready to celebrate before he's even begun." "How are you?" "Whoo!" "[Claps] Fireworks!" "[Clicking noise] 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?" "(Joe) 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 [bleep] Moon." "Ugh!" "No!" "[Chuckles]" "Definitely not." "Thank you." "Aw..." "[Applause]" "[Clicking noise]" "(Narrator) Jason's chance to impress the judges didn't quite end with the bang he'd hoped for." "Yeah, tell you, that's good." "(Narrator) Can this next group of home cooks do any better?" "[Speaking broken French]" "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 [bleep] sitting there." "Yeah, it's like you [bleep] 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." "(Narrator) 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." "(Narrator) 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." "[Cheers and applause]" "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 [bleep] to come in here and make a chorizo sausage in under 60 minutes." "Did it work?" "Yes, it did." "[Sighs]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "I've never even seen a dish that looks like this." "But it tastes amazing." "This guy really knows what he's doing." "[Cheers and applause] Baby, I told you!" "To cook for three culinary geniuses-- that was pretty bad ass." "(Narrator) 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." "(Narrator) And the competition gets out of control." "Pieces of [bleep]." "Security." "[Loud bang]" "Well done." "(Narrator) 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." "[Tractor humming]" "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." "[Sighs] 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." "[Sighs]" "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." "[Cheers and applause] I tried." "(Narrator) 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." "[Coughs]" "[Bleep] 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 [bleep]." "Those guys are so full of [bleep]." "They don't even know what the [bleep] They're doing." "[Banging thud]" "That guy's gonna come back and kick your ass, man." "Security!" "(Narrator) The next home cook has put everything on the line in an attempt to achieve her dream." "[Giggles] 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." "[Cheers and applause] 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." "[Laughing]" "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." "(Narrator) 28-year-old Esther gave up her career as an attorney to pursue her love of cooking." "I'm gonna give you a yes." "(Narrator) 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." "[Cheers and applause]" "I'm grateful, but..." "I have a lot more to do." "I'm ready to fight." "You're guilty." "We'll see what happens." "(Narrator) 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." "[Bubbling noise] 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." "[Chuckles]" "[Cheers and applause]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "This apron means that I will be the next Master Chef." "Game on." "(Narrator) 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." "[Cheers and applause]" "Prepare to be taken down by your mama." "[Applause]" "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." "[Chuckles]" "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." "(Narrator) 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." "(Narrator) 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." "[Cheers and applause]" "Hopefully, the next time I see my mom is when they open the doors at the finale." "That's right, put it on, yeah." "[Cheers and applause]" "(Narrator) Next through those doors, a midwestern truck driver is about to go down a very different road." "[Rooster crowing]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "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." "Both:" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "(Narrator) Up next, is the final home cook of the day..." "I purposely added that much spices." "(Narrator) Just too hot to handle?" "Breathe." "Congratulations." "(Narrator) As the sun sets on day two..." "A flurry of home cooks bag aprons." "[Cheers and applause]" "Almost done." "(Narrator) But can the last contender finish the day on a high" "with a Dash..." "Whoo!" "(Narrator) 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." "[Sighs]" "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." "[Cheers and applause]" "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." "(Narrator) Next time on MasterChef..." "Just put your [bleep] on the line." "(Narrator) The audition come to a close as America's best home cooks fight for the final aprons." "The pressure's on." "(Narrator) Some hopes are dashed." "You're lucky you haven't [bleep] killed somebody." "(Narrator) For others..." "Give that to your dad." "(Narrator) Dreams become reality." "That's why they came to this country was for us to pursue our dream." "(Narrator) And a star is born." "[Imitating Julia child] When you take the beautiful fish and you just sort of dip it in the egg... (Narrator) As the search for America's next Master Chef-- oh, you know what?" "[Exhales]" "That's fine." "Continues." "== sync, corrected by elderman =="