"(Male announcer) Previously, on Masterchef..." "I been shot at, and I am still here." "[Crying]" "This has to be the reason." "(Gordon) We've never had a blind contestant." "That's delicious." " Do you know what I'm gonna give you?" " A white apron?" "A white apron." "Congratulations." "[Laughing]" "(Announcer) Day two of the auditions kept dreams alive for some." " Yee!" " Whoo!" "(Announcer) But shattered them for others." "For me, it's a no." "Catastrophic failure." "Sorry." "(Announcer) Tonight..." "It's the last of the auditions, and for the remaining home cooks, the pressure is intense." "I got one hour, one dish, to change my life." "And I'm gonna do that." "(Announcer) Then for those who want an apron..." "Ready?" "(Announcer) The battle to keep them begins." "It's all-out war." "(Announcer) The shocking results are in..." "Maybe we're not safe at all." "(Announcer) As the search for America's next Masterchef continues." "Winning Masterchef, to me, is a step in the right direction to achieving my dream of becoming a chef in a real kitchen." "This is all I have." "My ultimate dream is to have a restaurant." "I'm gonna put my heart on that plate." "I'm gonna win the judges over." "It's gonna show America I have what it takes to be the next Masterchef." "(Announcer) It's the third and final day of the Masterchef auditions, and for the few remaining home cooks who still have to present their dishes, everything is on the line." "This is absolutely the biggest moment of my life." "I got one hour to make the biggest dish I've ever cooked." "If there's anybody who's up for the challenge, it's me." "(Announcer) First in before the judges hoping to taste success is 29-year-old Stacey from Apple Valley, California." "Aah!" "That's me." "Masterchef, season three." "They always had a saying growing up in the high desert that you were either stuck up, [Bleep] Up, or knocked up." "And I fell under that [Bleep] up category, unfortunately." "I would drink at least a liter of vodka daily." "But food was my outlet." "Cooking absolutely saved my life, 110%." "My sobriety means more to me than anything now because I'm not afraid to do anything." "[Group cheering] This is what I'm supposed to do, and I'm going to win." "(Announcer) 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." "Hello." "I'm Stacey." "What are you cooking, Stacey?" "An espresso coriander crusted New York steak with a chimichurri sauce." "You have five minutes to blow us away." " Where are you from?" " Apple Valley, California." "My area is a little bit limited on culinary culture." "Just under 30 seconds to plate up." " I'm ready when you are." " Great." "(Joe) So where did the inspiration for cooking come from?" "Honestly, I really dove in headfirst after getting myself sober." "Okay." "I love that you took the time to roast the pepitos." "Absolutely." "You have a lot going on on that plate." "It's just charred vegetables and a steak." "I'm hungry to learn." "I plan on getting better and better, no matter what happens." "(Gordon) You know, the vegetables stand out, yet that's not the hero." "The hero, for me, should be the New York strip." "For me it's a no." "Graham." "I get your point." "I know what you're saying." "But the grilling and the caramelization of the cauliflower..." "There's focus." "Those things scream out to me." "I'm gonna be a yes." "(Gordon) Joe." "I can do this." "Give me this opportunity." "I will not let you down." "Give me that shot, Joe, please." "I can't reward ambition, so..." "No." "Thank you, Stacey." "I think that's a bad call." " They're blanched." " They're seasoned." " There's acidity." " Doesn't work." "Aw!" "[All groan]" "[Applause]" "Try it again." "I think the fat's rendered on this." "The pepitos are toasted." "It's grilled right." "Things are cooked through." "[Group murmuring]" "For the first time ever, I retasted it." "I'm changing my mind." "Oh, my God!" "[Cheering]" "[Whistles]" " Thank you." " Don't let me down." "[Cheering]" "I was crushed, and they allowed me another chance." "Put that on, babe, put that on!" "I am America's next Masterchef!" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "(Announcer) So Stacey from California got a second bite at success." "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could win this whole thing." "(Announcer) Can Rami, a car dealer from Dallas, sell his dish to the Masterchef judges?" "I'm one of the top salesmen in the country." "There's nothing I do that I don't succeed at." "[Women giggling]" "I like to think I have the X-factor." "Wait, this is getting X-rated." "I'll be honest." "I got great personality." "I got charisma." "I think I'm an excellent cook." "I'm pretty sure I'm getting that apron." "I'm ready to go." "Let's do it." "How's it going?" " How are you?" " I'm doing well." "First name is?" "Rami." " You've got five minutes." " All righty." "What are you making, Rami?" "I'm making scallops florentine over a roasted red pepper and sweet potato puree." "Where are you from?" "I'm from Dallas, Texas." "So are you like Mr. Popular in Dallas?" "Well, I'm man around town with a lotta ladies," " if you want me to be honest." " Ladies' man!" "How are the scallops coming, good?" "I think that you guys would be impressed." "How much would you pay for that dish in the restaurant?" " For that, I'd pay $25." " Wow!" "$25!" "You gotta taste it before you judge it." "(Graham) I'll go try it." "(Gordon) Good luck." "I mean, I like the idea behind it." "I understand some of those southwest flavors." "Scallops, it might be a little overboard." "You think this will get you an apron?" "Yes, sir." " Have you peaked?" " No, absolutely not." " There's more?" " Well, there's better." "Oh, so you sell secondhand cars, and you give me a secondhand dish." "No." "No, not at all." "Not at all." "Joe, yes or no?" "I'd say, Mr. car salesman, I like the pitch, but I don't wanna get sold a lemon, so..." "No." "Graham, yes or no?" "I think that there's a lot of passion, so I'm gonna be yes." "(Gordon) You started off by selling us that dish at $25." "It was my mistake." "Rami..." "Get real." "[Suspenseful music]" "(Announcer) So far, Rami, a Dallas car salesman, has received a mixed reviews for his scallops florentine." "I don't wanna get sold a lemon." "No." "I'm gonna be yes." "(Announcer) Now his Masterchef fate lies in the hands of Gordon Ramsay." "(Gordon) You started off by selling us that dish at $25." "It was my mistake." "Rami..." "[Suspenseful music]" "♪ ♪" "You got an apron." " Let's go." " Good job." "Scallops are perfect." "Good job." " Good luck." " Thank you." "Thank you." "[Cheers and applause]" "I want everybody out there to know that I'm bringing my "A" game." "And I am the next Masterchef." "(Announcer) With this final day of auditions coming to a close, the last of our home cooks prepare to face the judges." "I got one dish to change my life." "(Announcer) They all know there are still more Masterchef aprons up for grabs." "(Gordon) What are you cooking?" "I am making a seared skirt steak." "A surf and turf." "A pan-roasted chicken." "I'm doing a grilled veal chop." "I really like the chive oil." " It's not bad." " It's not brilliant." "It seems kinda like a knockoff restaurant plate." "Oh." "The cookery on this and the technique..." " Good job on that." " A little overcooked for me." "You've got some high notes." "You've also got some bum notes on there." "Joe, yes or no?" "Uh, no." " Graham?" " No." " For me it's a no." "Sorry." " Sorry." "I'm gonna stick my neck out." "I'm a yes." "I'm a no." "It's just not at the level." "I'm sorry." "It's a no." "As good as your rice is, no." "You nailed that, so I'm gonna be a yes." "(Gordon) For me..." "It's a no." "(Announcer) So the judges' mixed opinions stop the flow of aprons." "Can Jordan's chop finally make the cut?" "I'm sorry, you know." "It's a no for me." "I'm unconvinced of the dish." "I think that there's some things in you that we can tweak and make better, and I'm a yes." "Thank you." "It's down to you, Joe." "[Suspenseful music]" "♪ ♪" "I have a lot more skill than lot of them out there." "See, I'm a sucker for a veal chop." "I think it's a no." "Thanks." "[All groan]" "I am very disappointed." "I thought I did good enough to get an apron." "Completely surprised." "Absolutely." "(Announcer) With Jordan out of the competition, only one home cook remains... 32-year-old David Martinez." "We look like twins." " How are you?" " Awesome!" "Awesome!" " First name." " David." "Five minutes, buddy." "What are you cooking?" "It's called pescado con chileatole." "What's the food dream?" "I absolutely wanna be a chef, but when you come from an area where I come from, which is the South side of Chicago in Brighton Park, being Mexican and from the ghetto, and going to jail, getting shot," "is what you're supposed to do." "And I didn't want to do that." "I decided I'm gonna use every minute of every day to make sure that I do something better." " Is that ready?" " Absolutely ready." "So here you have un chileatole con pescado." "(Graham) I've seen chayote." "I haven't seen it braised like this, so it's almost like you're using a different technique." "Absolutely." "Where did that come from?" "I just..." "I taught myself, you know?" "Honestly, I don't have the money to take my wife to the places that we'd like to go." "[Sniffling]" "Everybody should be able to eat food like this." "[Sniffles]" "This means a lot to you." "[Sniffling]" "People say leaves don't grow in the ghetto, man." "Well, guess what, I'm a [Bleep] leaf, and I grew in the ghetto, and everybody else can do it too, man." "Absolutely." "Thanks, David." "Thank you, sir." "All right, pull it together, dude." "You got a contest to win here." "Bowl's a little bit awkward 'cause everything's slopping around in there." "You need a plate to eat that out of." "Joe, yes or no?" "I think that what you put in that dish is, um..." "It's rich and soulful." "I'm a big yes." "Thank you." "Thank you so much." "Graham?" "I think that you've made our hometown proud." "I'm a yes." "Awesome!" "Awesome!" "That's the start of what's to come." " I'm a yes." "Congratulations." " Awesome!" " Come and get it." " Oh, my God, dude." "It's a XX-double XL." "Thank you so much, brother." "Thank you, thank you, thank you." " No crying." " Oh, my God!" "[Shouting] Thank you!" " Slow down!" " I can't!" "You little rhinoceros!" "[Cheers and applause]" "The message that I wanna send to the competitors is you're gonna have to kill me to take this away from me." "America, you're looking at the next Masterchef!" "(Announcer) So David is the final home cook to win an apron." "He now joins all the other contenders trying to move on in the competition." "I've never had a moment like this in my life." "It's the best moment ever." "This is the first step to be allowing my dreams to develop right before my eyes." "I am director of sales and marketing." "I'm a stay-at-home mom." "I'm an opera singer." "I'm a graduate student." "I'm a stock broker." "I am a food runner." "I'm a carpenter." "I'm an account executive." "I'm a radio DJ." "Boom!" "I'm a student." "It is definitely a dream come true." "This apron means more than life." "It means just everything." "The most exciting thing I've ever done in my life." "Yee-haw!" "I'm the guy." "I'm gonna win this thing, and I'm gonna take it home." " Congratulations." " Oh, my God." "Right now, it's all about determination and will." "My motivation is a little two-year-old boy." "It's gonna be a street fight, and I'm ready." "(Announcer) Still to come..." "Your 60 minutes starts now!" "(Announcer) It's the first challenge of the season." "This is the most pressure I've ever felt in my entire life." "(Announcer) Some home cooks are sent home." "I am not giving this apron up." "And the final 18 head for the Masterchef kitchen." "The competition is on." "(Announcer) 36 home cooks have been awarded aprons, but now they must fight their way into the Masterchef kitchen where the ultimate battle awaits." "[Cheers and applause]" "Congratulations." "You are the top 36." "Well done." "Each of you have got a 1 in 36 chance at $1/4 of a million, your very own cookbook, and most importantly, the Masterchef trophy." "Now, listen." "After this next challenge, we're taking at least half of those aprons back." "I'm getting a little bit nervous, but I'm still pretty confident that my apron's gonna stay on me." "This apron's on the line today, and I don't plan on letting it go anywhere." "Because I know that aprons don't grow on trees." " Are you all ready?" " All:" "Yeah!" "Yes, chef!" "Follow us." "Let's go." "Gordon's told us to follow him into the room, and my mind is just spinning like a roller coaster with no brakes." "Nobody knows how good anybody is, so naturally, I'm gonna, you know, compete, and I'm gonna win." "As soon as the doors open, I see rows of workstations, and I'm thinking, "oh, my God,"" "this is the real deal." "This is super intense, walking in and seeing these amazing sides of beef." "I'm thinking, "awesome!"" "I got this." "I love beef." "It's your very first Masterchef challenge." "[Cheers and applause]" "So the big question is, what exactly will you be cooking?" "Take a look behind you." "[Beeping]" "I hear the beeping around me." "I'm blind." "And I can tell everyone's ooh-ing and ahh-ing, and I'm thinking, "I have no idea what's going on."" "I'm just trying to take in the sounds and stuff." "All of a sudden, there's this big crazy-looking robot machine." "I'm thinking, "oh, my God." "This is insane."" "The beef you'll be cooking today is ground beef." "Ground beef is incredibly versatile, and that's why it's part of almost every country's cuisine." "If we see 36 bland burgers, we're gonna scream, and you're gonna go home." "Use your imagination." "Now the pantry behind us has got everything you need to make that protein sing." "You name it, you've got it." "So put your brains in gear, and go and collect your ground beef." "So we're walking up to this big, giant machine, and we had this big bowl, and they had these big levers, and they're getting ready to pull this sludge down, and all I kept thinking is, like, Pink Floyd, The Wall." "(Gordon) Come on, gentlemen." "This dish has to be perfect." "Half of us are going home." "That's a ton!" "Like just... fft!" "Gone." "Can't be me." "So the heat is on." "(Gordon) The possibilities are limitless." "But your time is not." "You've all got just 60 minutes to take your two pounds of ground beef and turn that into one stunning entree." "Throughout your 60 minutes, we'll be watching you, sampling your seasonings and tasting your sauces." "Make sure the ground beef is the hero of that dish." "Good luck, all of you." "Your 60 minutes..." "Starts from now!" "So the judges yell "go,"" "and I am running for my life." "Does anybody see stock and broth?" "This competition can be won or lost in this first five minutes." "This is where you set the ground rules down, right?" "(Graham) Yeah." "The minute they saw the ground beef, they should have had in their head what they're gonna do." "Instantly." "The game is being played in the pantry." "Right now." "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry." "I'm gonna use my height, my athleticism." "I'm gonna run through the pantry, grab everything I need." "Hopefully nobody gets in my way 'cause I hate to step on any of the shorter competitors, but that's just the way it rolls." "I hope we get a lot of variety." "What would you make?" "Joe, I'd do something pan-Asian." "Um, a delicious, savory, spiced meatball." "I'd do a Salisbury steak, but I would fold in a bunch of roasted mushrooms to help bind it." "I think that what you really get to see is the intelligence of the cook play itself out." "How do you distinguish yourself with technique and strategy?" "Get creative." "Focus." "Ugh!" "I'm already behind." "Wouldn't you know it?" "I'm making a beef roll with a romesco sauce and potatoes duchesse." "I absolutely have to put out the best that I have in me right now because there are some amazing cooks here." "I haven't paid attention to anybody around me." "It sounds like everybody's doing something creative and fun, and hopefully mine will be better than all theirs." "Uh, did I set the olive oil somewhere right here?" "Olive oil." "Cindy?" "This is Cindy." "She's my guide and my aide." "She's pretty much my eyes." "I just tell her which ingredients to get, and then that's what she gets for me." "She doesn't cut for me." "She doesn't taste my food or anything like that." "I'm trying to make a Thai basil beef dish." "It's like a good comfort food dish." "It's tasty, and it's simple." "Come on!" "Get creative." "Okay, AJ, what are you cooking?" "Orecchiette with broccoli rabe, miniature meatballs with fennel, and use the sausage to make the sauce." " What's your wife cooking?" " She wouldn't tell me." " She wouldn't tell you?" " She wouldn't tell me." " (Gordon) Anna, what are you doing?" " Tarragon beef stuffed onion." "What are you doing, like a papillote, a roll, a ball?" "How are you doing it?" "I blanched the onion and the beef stock in white wine flavor." "And then I stuffed it with tarragon orange zest, a little orange for the acidity." "Have you told your husband what you're doing?" "No." "She says it's all-out war." "Has he told you what he's doing?" "I'm not even thinking about it right now." "I don't know what he's doing." "He's on his own." " Okay, Anna." "Good luck." " Thank you." "Hey, David." "Gentlemen, how are you?" " Good." " David what are you making?" "I am going to make a faux marrow." "I've cored out a potato, and then I'm gonna use that as a vessel for the meat." "Who here is scaring you?" "Josh is a pretty strong competitor." "I think Tali's a pretty strong competitor." "You keeping your apron, or you gonna give it back to us?" "No, I absolutely feel that I'm keeping my apron." "All right, let's go." "Ohh!" "Five minutes to go!" "Please taste everything you're doing." "Think of those techniques." "Think of those flavorings." "Because we are..." "Remember..." "We're taking at least half of those aprons back." "Five minutes to go!" "(Announcer) In the first challenge of the season, 36 home cooks have just minutes left to create an exceptional dish using ground beef." "Please taste everything you're doing!" "(Announcer) If they fail to impress the judges, they will lose their apron." "I am not giving this apron up for no reason." "They gonna have to fight me for it and take me and put me back in the swamp." "I'm not worried at all." "I think everything is going just as I want it to, and I'm just keep on pushing." "(Joe) Well, Melanie's doing a..." " Salisbury steak." " Salisbury steak." "But I think she must have ground the meat again, or she really worked it with her hands." "It looks very, very mushy." "(Gordon) Michael Chen... he's doing a really nice, fragrant broth." "If you can pull off a broth in this short of a time..." "Showing some technique there, like a consomme." "(Gordon) Like a consomme." "What I've seen is some pretty accomplished cooking." "A lot of seasoning, good knife skills, good techniques." "I've seen the cooking happening in an intelligent way, and I think we're gonna be eating some tasty dishes." "One minute to go." "Start plating your dishes." "30 seconds to go!" "Finishing touches." "Make this count." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "And stop." "Hands in the air." "Well done." "[Cheers and applause]" "(Announcer) Based on what they tasted and observed throughout the challenge, the judges have already made some decisions." "(Graham) Kim." "(Announcer) And will now divide the remaining 36 home cooks into three groups." "I'm totally confused." "There's, like, two groups up front, but there's still a bunch of us left in the back." "And I don't know if that means that we're gonna get to go through..." "Maybe we're not safe at all." "For the last hour, we've watched and we've tasted." "Some of you have impressed us so much that we're already very confident that you belong in the Masterchef kitchen." "(Joe) But for others..." "We've seen enough to know you're way out of your depth in this competition." "The good news is..." "One of these groups of 12 has already made it straight to the Masterchef kitchen." "I'm looking at their group, and I'm looking at my group, and I'm freaking out because I've come so far, and I just can't let my dream be over." "This can't be it for me." "I'm not worried." "Well, I'm a little worried." "Yeah, I'm worried." "Of course I'm worried." "This group here..." "Are all going..." "[Suspenseful music]" "♪ ♪" "Straight to the Masterchef kitchen." "[Cheers and applause]" "This is my dream coming true." "♪ Happy dance ♪" "♪ Happy dance ♪" "Whoo!" "Congratulations!" "I am so thrilled." "It was amazing to be going into the Masterchef kitchen." "People aren't gonna be able to live with me now 'cause I'm gonna have such a big ego." "(Gordon) Well done." "This 12..." "Unfortunately, not good enough." "Please take your aprons off." "You're all going home." "I am disappointed, but restaurant Jermaine's will be open, and I will definitely send an invite out to Gordon Ramsay." "(Announcer) With 12 home cooks through and 12 sent home, all that is left is for the final group to discover their fate." "Okay, you guys." "We just weren't sure about you, which is why we are going to take a closer look at your dishes." "Bring your dishes down to the front." "I get called down as part of this last group, and honestly, it must mean that my dish is [Bleep]." "So I'm pretty worried." "This sucks." "Can the following four people step forward together?" "David Mack, Anna, AJ," "Tanya." "I'm standing before the judges." "Palms are sweaty, knees weak." "There's no way I'm letting them send me home tonight." "First dish, please, David Mack." "What's it called?" "(David Mack) A reconstructed Italian beef taco." "The flavors are good." " It's not a bad idea." " Thank you." "I think with the time you had on your hands, you could have done something a little bit more exciting." "Anna." "(Anna) Tarragon beef stuffed onion with golden raisins and toasted walnuts and a horseradish creme." "It's interesting." "Nice flavor." "It does work, but I want more color." "I see." "The inside has to look as delicious as the outside." "I understand." "Thank you." "AJ." "(AJ) This is orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and fennel meatballs." "There's a nice little spice." "I think adding that sausage was a good idea." " I think you did a good job." " Thank you." "Did you taste your wife's dish?" "I did not." "Nervous?" " I am." " You should be." "It's a nice idea, but it's kind of..." "Bland." "At this point, I'm thinking we're both going home." "Next up, Tanya." "(Tanya) My interpretation of a Persian kebab that I paired with a red onion pickle salad, fried eggplant, and a roasted garlic yogurt dressing." "Can you step outside Persian?" "Most definitely." "It's bold." "It's very, uh, very you." "Can you step out of that comfort zone?" "[Indistinct murmuring]" "(Announcer) The judges will now decide if any of these home cooks are good enough to make the Masterchef kitchen." "Okay." "David..." "And Tanya." "Step forward, please." "Okay, you two." "Your journey..." "Is about..." "To continue 'cause you're both going to the Masterchef kitchen." "Good job." "Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Rossi." "Two things are clear to me." "That you both love each other..." "And that you both love food." "I will invite you to say good-bye to each other right now because there is a separation about to happen." "No matter what happens, knowing I'm going to be saying good-bye to my wife is very emotional." "The person going home alone..." "[Suspenseful music]" "Is... ♪ ♪" "Mr. and Mrs. Rossi..." "There is a separation about to happen..." "Because only one of you is coming to the Masterchef kitchen." "The person going home alone..." "Is..." "[Suspenseful music]" "AJ." "Anna, you're going through to the kitchen." "Congratulations." "I love you, sweetie." "It's bittersweet." "I'm going home, and my wife is staying behind." "I am determined to kick some butt in this competition for the both of us and win that trophy." "That is my goal." "Christine, Bubba, Monti, Nandini, step forward, please." "The first dish that we're gonna taste is Christine's." "Thank you." "Straight." "Down easy." "Down here?" "Yes, ma'am." "Right here." "Okay." "Thank you." "(Christine) I made a Thai basil beef served with rice." "The flavors are really complex." "I get the heat, the sweet, and it's really delicious." "The problem is the beef..." "It's almost dry." "Did you season the rice?" "No, sir, I didn't." "I figured that the beef and the basil would have enough flavor." " You were right." " Thank you, sir." "I'm gonna walk you back." "Okay, thank you." "Bubba, please step forward." "(Gordon) The idea was what?" "(Bubba) Ranch stew." "And decided to cook a cornbread on top." "Cornbread's actually quite nice." "It actually tastes better than the savory ground beef underneath." "Flavorful, but..." "Pretty simple." "Thanks, Bubba." "Next, Nandini." "(Nandini) I made ground beef with fresh spinach, cilantro, and mint with Israeli couscous, peanuts, and potatoes." "Everything's cooked properly, but it doesn't scream out and explode with flavor." "It's almost one-dimensional." "You've actually got quite a nice depth of flavor in there." "It's nice." "It's very rare you serve the couscous and potato 'cause it's starch, so it's either one or the other." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Next up, Monti." "I am absolutely beyond belief nervous." "I just don't want them to vomit." "What is it?" "(Monti) It's a beef roll." "I have currants in there." "I have cumin, paprika, goat cheese, and then I wrapped it up in a pastry dough." " The beef is delicious." " Thank you." "It's brave." "Very brave." "Love the technique." "Less cheese, more flavor on that beef." "Are you gonna keep that apron?" "I want to." "Back in line, Monti." "Thank you." "(Joe) It was just too simple, you know?" "It's kinda like a nice idea." "And the meats were..." "Sort of broken up, and it was too dry." "Yeah." "Monti, please take one step forward." "I'm sure your son misses you." "I'm sure he's super proud of you." "No matter what happens, promise me that you're gonna continue your journey with food." "Yes, sir." "Well, with that promise, I'll promise you..." "A spot in the Masterchef kitchen." "[Cheers and applause]" "(Gordon) Well done." "Going through to the Masterchef kitchen feels like I've been given the biggest gift in the world." "This is my one opportunity to make my life work out for the betterment of my son, and I am not gonna throw it away." "Bubba and Nandini." "You guys prepared dishes that showed the three of us that getting into the Masterchef kitchen..." "Is sadly just a little beyond you." "Please take off your aprons." "Thank you." "[Sniffles]" "I just got booted." "I had to turn in my apron." " (Gordon) Good luck." " Thank you." "They can turn me loose now and let me go back to my swamp." "[I wish I was in Dixie on harmonica]" "♪ ♪" "[Applause]" " Christine." " Yes, chef?" "Were you happy with the dish you put forward?" "I think the beef could have been cooked less." "You feel you still belong in the Masterchef kitchen?" "Yes, chef, I do." "I just want the chance." "Christine..." "(Announcer) With 16 home cooks already through to the next stage of the competition," "Christine's future is in the hands of the Masterchef judges." "Christine..." "Yes, chef." "You feel you still belong in the Masterchef kitchen?" "Yes, chef, I do." "I just want the chance." "(Graham) Christine..." "[Sighs]" "You're going to the Masterchef kitchen." "[Cheers and applause]" "Thank you." "I just feel really relieved that I made it past the first challenge, and I want to make it to the top." "I want to show everyone that, hey, there's this disadvantage I may have, but there's really no excuse that you can't be the best that you can be." "(Gordon) All four of you, step forward." "Courtney, first up." "Let's go." "The dish is a... (Courtney) It is a spaghetti bolognese." "Brave move, attempting to make a bolognese in under 60 minutes." "The pasta's done nice." "But the actual bolognese, the sauce, it's very sweet." "Rami, let's go, please." "(Rami) I just call it a grape leaf Patty." "The side of cucumber yogurt and some pickled vegetables." "Vegetables are pickled beautifully." "Yet, you look at the beef, and it's slightly gray and sort of gone off color." "Mmm." "It's bold." "It's confident." "But I think that conceptually it's a little bit stretched." "Okay." "(Gordon) Next up, please." "Thank you." "The inspiration?" "(David) I wanted to make a faux bone marrow, the meat and potatoes with roasted vegetables." "Smart idea, the bone marrow." "Nice and savory." "Vegetables are undercooked." "Root vegetables aside, the good thing is that the beef and potato works really well." " It's tasty." " Thanks." "(Gordon) Okay, Sherine." "(Sherine) This is roasted eggplant, and it's stuffed with garlic mash and ground beef with a tomato butter sauce." "Did you taste it?" "I did." "I did taste it." "Did you taste the raw eggplant?" "My favorite thing on that plate is the tomato sauce." "Potato really doesn't add anything to the dish." "Okay." "Courtney, please step forward." "You're an opera singer." "That dish..." "Was your swan song." "You will not be returning to the competition." "I'm not exactly sure what just happened." "To be that close, it's a little bit rough." "I do believe the judges made a big mistake." "[Applause]" "Sherine, step forward, please." "Do you think today's dish warrants you a position in the Masterchef kitchen?" "I believe the dish shows my potential." "You do..." "Unfortunately, we don't." "Please take your apron off and leave Masterchef." " Thank you, guys." " Thank you." "[Applause]" "Good luck, guys." "Both of you step forward, please." "We've seen a ton of potential in both of you." "But only one of you..." "Is going through to the Masterchef kitchen." "Rami, do you think you're a better cook than David?" "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I was." "David, you think you're a better cook than Rami?" "Yeah, I do think I'm a better cook than Rami." "David..." "You are not..." "Going back to South side, Chicago." "You're joining them." "Congratulations." "It feels awesome to be part of the top 18." "I'm just ready to cook, and I'm ready to show what I got." "Rami, please take your apron off." "I'm sorry." "You're leaving Masterchef." "Thank you." "It's disappointing that my journey in the Masterchef kitchen is shorter than I anticipated." "I honestly felt that it was my apron." "But I'm here being judged by people who are better than me, so I'm not gonna question them." "Congratulations, final 18!" "Well done!" "Amazing." "I'm in the top 18!" "All of you, come over." "Oh, my God, man." "Top 18." "Competed against thousands." "Down to 18, and I'm in it to win it." "After tasting literally thousands and thousands of dishes from all across America, we are here!" "One of you is the next Masterchef." "[Cheers and applause]" "The competition is on." "(Announcer) Tomorrow night on Masterchef..." "The top 18 take their places in the Masterchef kitchen..." "This kitchen is your culinary theater of dreams." "(Announcer) The competition rapidly heats up." "Whoa, fire." "Fire!" "Stand back." "Just stand back." "(Announcer) Battle lines are drawn." "The duck was better executed by me."