Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef: Generations"...
Your challenge is to bake the most amazing birthday cake.
Anna, you get to choose one generation
- that will not use stand mixers tonight. - Gen Z.
Gordon: Gen Z. Gotta get those cakes in the oven.
- My wrist! - They don't show you how to hand whisk on TikTok.
- Oh, man, look at Anna's. - Joe: It's a disaster.
This thing looks like it's just come out of a top French patisserie.
Congratulations, Becca.
To think that you did it all without a stand mixer.
- Thank you. - Anna, the cake is literally falling apart.
Geags, you don't put raw flour in a frosting.
It's not fair just to send one of you home tonight.
Geags and Anna, say goodbye.
Tonight on "MasterChef: Generations,"
we're taking a trip down memory lane.
Under that box are iconic ingredients from your childhood.
- Cheese Whiz! - Becca!
- Hi, Chef. - You'll choose which generation
- has to cook with each box of ingredients. - Ooh.
- Oh, my God. - What?
Let's go. Let's go.
He could be in trouble tonight.
- Just a little bit. - I'm not scared.
We'll see.
Becca threw you under the bus.
- Yeah. - I love it!
- That is good. - What kind of a sick world
- do you live in? - Oh, my gosh.
We can't eat that. Oh, dear.
You've absolutely ( bleep ) it.
( music playing )
- It's a big challenge tonight. - Man!
Gordon: Top 15. Here we go.
- Oh! - Oh, my God!
- What a big mystery box. - Welcome back, everybody.
- Let's go! - They got boxes.
Christopher: Every time I'm walking through that MasterChef kitchen,
I'm just so grateful to be here
because I came to "MasterChef"
obviously to cook and show what I could do,
but this has just been a wonderful distraction
for all of my health issues.
And I'm here to show you that even if you do have cancer,
you can do anything that you put your mind to.
- Just four mystery boxes. - That's huge!
- That's a big mystery box, dude. - It's big!
- Oh, man! - My God.
- I could fit in this box. - Wow.
Last challenge, I finally made it to the top, but I didn't actually win.
So this time, not only do I wanna make it to the top,
I want that immunity pin right about there.
Right. Welcome back, everybody.
Just like that, we are down to the top 15.
( cheering )
Now, Becca, congratulations for winning that immunity pin last time round.
- Thank you. - The immunity pin is in play again tonight.
- We need it. - Come on, guys. We got this.
- Yes. - As you can see in front of you,
you are facing another huge mystery box challenge,
with just one mystery box per generation.
- Ooh! - Right, let's start with the Boomers.
- Oh, boy. - Very carefully, lift your box.
- Lift. - All: Ooh.
- Gordon: Wow. - Ooh!
Gordon: Under that box are iconic ingredients
from your childhood, from the '60s.
- Things like powdered milk. - Mmm!
Gordon: Delicious white bread!
Smeat.
Right, Gen X, lift up that box.
- Oh! - Oh, my--
- Oh, ho, ho! - Straight out of the '80s!
You've got things like wine coolers,
instant ramen, hot dogs,
and of course, canned cheese spray.
Cheese Whiz!
Right, Millennials, lift up that big box.
- Ah, man. - Oh!
Gordon: From the '90s, truffle oil, avocados,
bologna, and spicy cheese puffs.
With real cheese.
( laughs )
Okay, Gen Zs.
Ah, you've got things like oat milk, almond milk...
- The non-dairy milk. That's funny. - Cashew cheese.
Gordon: Plant-based meat, delicious jackfruit.
Yeah, we have a lot of really interesting ingredients.
So tonight's challenge is to use those ingredients
to make a "MasterChef" worthy dish
that will secure your future in this competition.
Are you all confident that you can transform
some of those beloved favorite ingredients into one incredible dish?
- Yeah! - Yes, sir!
Well, you might not get to.
- Becca! - Hi, Chef.
- Oh. - Oh, gosh, guys.
Since you won the challenge last time round,
you'll get to choose which generation
has to cook with each box of ingredients.
- Oh, my gosh. - What?
- It's a little frightening. - Right, Becca,
- please make your way down here. - Okay.
Going into today's challenge,
I wanna protect my Gen Zers.
Every other generation,
I want to separate the strong from the weak.
So using the pin correctly
looks like sowing as much chaos as I possibly can.
If you can't handle a little bit of a disadvantage,
then it may be your time to go home.
Let's start with your generation.
What box are the Gen Z's gonna be cooking with tonight?
The Gen Z's will be cooking with the Millennial box.
- Aarón: Wow. - Gordon: Wow.
( bleep )
Becca: I'm confident in my team,
especially based off of last challenge,
that they thrive off of a little bit of disruption.
Gordon: Wow. Right, Becca,
what are you giving the Millennials to cook with tonight?
The Millennials are a strong group of people.
They will be cooking with the Baby Boomers' box.
- ( groaning ) - So we're a threat?
- All right. - Gordon: Man! Right.
What about the Gen X's?
The Gen X will be cooking with the Gen X box.
- Gordon: Oh. - With all the snack food, with all the processed food,
I think they're gonna have a hard time
coming up with a fresh restaurant quality dish.
Gordon: So that means the Baby Boomers are getting the Gen Z box!
Becca: Yes.
- Horacio? - Yes, sir.
- Are you a big lover of jackfruit? - Yes!
- Mm. - I grew up eating jackfruit from the backyard, believe me.
Of course you did. Okay. Right!
Every generation, go and stand behind the box
you're now gonna have to cook with, please.
The Gen Z box is full of fake everything.
That's disgusting, and I wouldn't know what to do with it.
I'm from the South. I like my stuff mooing and moving.
So I like the Millennial box. I have real food.
Yeah, it's plants, but it's not plant-based.
This box couldn't have been more perfect for me.
All right, you'll have 45 minutes
to make a "MasterChef" worthy dish
using at least four ingredients
from the box that you've been given.
You'll also have access to a limited pantry
to help turn your dishes into something worth remembering.
Gordon: Now, whoever cooks the best dish tonight
will win that amazing immunity pin.
But whoever cooks the worst dish tonight will be eliminated.
Right, your 45 minutes start now.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go! - Let's go. Come on.
I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna take this.
- Onion and-- - Huh? No tomatoes!
How 'bout panko? I don't see it.
I'm gonna go this way. It's a traffic jam.
Ooh, ooh. Aah!
Gen X is the only team that gets to keep our box,
but it's all snack food.
Zero fresh vegetables, herbs, fruit.
Berries? Oh, maybe not.
How did I survive eating all this food?
Maybe this is why I'm so short.
Oh, my goodness! Aah!
That's not good. Okay.
Limited pantry is making this a little weird.
We're gonna figure this out today.
I need four.
Of course, Rebecka's doing a dessert.
Rebecka: Becca gave us the Gen Z box,
so I'm making a stuffed French toast
with a gluten-free bread.
I'm making a filling with the cashew cheese.
I think Becca's idea might backfire a little bit
because I think all of us on this team understand flavors.
You really can't just stop us Boomers.
We pivot, we shake, we move, and we do everything we can.
- We'll see. - So tonight having a chance to recreate dishes
with food that you grew up with.
Until Becca came in, and the she switched
the cards for everyone except for the Gen Xers.
Thanks for letting us keep our box, Becks.
So Becca's decision, very strategic. What do you guys think?
I think she gave her generation a big pass.
Let's be honest, some of those ingredients from that Gen Z box,
it's pretty unappetizing, right?
It's going to be difficult to put together
a restaurant quality dish, so I think she's dealt
a dysfunctional card to the Baby Boomers.
What else do I need? There's something else I need.
They did not expect to be cooking with fake meats,
fake milk, fake cheeses.
Let's not forget that she also gave the Millennials the Boomer box.
- Smeat. - Some of those ingredients
from the Boomer box are kind of old school
and very simplistic in their flavor profile.
So hopefully the Millennials know what to do with that.
Michael: I'm gonna crisp that up. It's going in the pasta.
Just over 35 minutes to go!
Things are going real quick.
Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi.
- Gordon: Horacio? - Yes, sir.
Becca really threw you under the bus
- with the Gen Z ingredients. - She did.
What's the dish? What are you doing?
I'm doing a meatball croquette.
What the hell is that? I've never heard of that.
This is a new one.
- First time I'm using this thing. - Okay, right.
And then deep-fry with a spicy little bit--
jackfruit, sweet sour sauce.
And eggplant, I'm gonna put in the oven
and put the tomato sauce with the feta cheese
- on top like Greek approach. - Right.
- Okay, right. Ooh, dear. - Crazy.
Right, get a pan on, and let's get multitasking
so we can start cooking those at the same time.
- Yeah, I will. Thank you. - Good luck.
That's going.
Here goes nothing.
Daniela, talk to us about the dish,
and what ingredients are you utilizing here?
Daniela: I'm really happy with this Gen X box.
So I'm doing a ground turkey meatball with Asian flavors,
and I'm gonna be grinding up a little bit
of the beef hot links to add some flavor to it.
So you're gonna grind up hot dogs?
Just a little bit.
What kind of a sick world do you live in?
Oh, my gosh.
Daniela: I know. You know what?
It's taking me back to my college days
when we didn't have much money and we had to do what we had to do.
So I'll be using the ground turkey, hot dogs,
the ranch, and the ramen noodles.
It sounds very quirky, just like you.
- So hopefully it tastes good. Thank you very much. - Well, thank you, Chef!
I take that as a complement.
The last mystery box, I was in the bottom dish.
So with this second chance, I really want to create a dish
that will put me in the top four.
Interesting.
I think I'm taking a risk in doing a ramen dish,
and I'm hoping that the hot dog won't spoil my meatball,
but we're gonna see how that turns out.
Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God. Okay, calm.
Gordon: 15 minutes down. 30 minutes to go!
Let's go, guys! Come on, let's go!
Need to find our wheat squares.
- That is good. - Good job, Gen Z! You got it.
Time is ticking, guys.
- Mike, what pasta shape are you doing? Nice. - Fettuccine.
Michael: I was very happy with ingredients in the Millennial box,
so I don't really know what to think about the Boomer box.
The only thing that I see that's promising
is this pork chop, and I immediately think of my mom.
It was her favorite thing to make.
Oh, my gosh.
Since my mom passed away earlier this year,
I haven't made a fried pork chop.
I haven't even ate one, you know?
So seeing what I've been dealt,
I really feel like my mom is with me today.
She was always my biggest supporter.
So I wanna win this for her.
I don't wanna just stop at top 15.
What's going on, Jeet? How's everything going?
- Jeet: Hi, Chef. Hi, Joe. - What are you using,
and what's the concept of your dish? What are the four ingredients?
- We were switched out with the Baby Boomers' box. - Okay.
I saw some canned spinach in there,
and I was inspired to kind of take a saag route.
- Saag paneer? Yeah. - And so I'm adding
the ground beef as meatballs, some cabbage steaks,
and then I'm gonna be serving it with a quick rice pilaf.
You haven't had a winning dish yet. Could this be your opportunity?
I hope so, Joe. I'm inspired to take something
that might not look that great and turn it into something
that you all hopefully really enjoy.
- All right, Jeet, good luck. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
- Nice, Horacio! Nice! - I'm getting there! I'm getting there, Rebecca!
- I love it! I love it! - Kimberly: Oh, my God, this is hard.
I'm making a boneless chicken thigh,
which is gonna be served with a bone broth sauce.
- Nice. - With a purée of cauliflower
and my grandmother's eggplant, which is gonna be fried.
- That's beautiful, Warren. - Thanks, Beck.
- I'm here for you, dude. I'm here! All day. - I know.
Becca's a sweetheart, she's a lovely lady, but she's here to play the game.
So by Becca giving us the Gen Z box, she's targeting us.
I'm what the young folks say. "I am unbothered."
I hope.
- Right, Christopher. - Hello.
Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
I'm making a hand fried chicken thigh
with a jackfruit slaw, and then I'm gonna make an eggplant salad.
Tough blow there by Becca. Now you've gotta curveball-- Gen Z's box.
- Pretty tough ingredients there, right? - Definitely.
But, I mean, it's not like I've never seen any of these ingredients.
Chicken thigh, super difficult to cook and nail.
- Where we going with it? - That's marinated before I bread it,
and then dredge, panko, and in the pan with egg.
- Those are big pieces. - Yes.
Make sure those finish in the oven
so that they can cook all the way through.
- Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. - Okay? Come on.
Remember, immunity pin's up for grabs. 25 minutes to go.
Rebecka: Yummy, yummy in my tummy.
- Yummy in the tummy. - ( sighs )
I don't know how I feel about this.
Arthur, what do you got going on here?
So I'm thinking about a steak and eggs dish.
How the heck are you gonna put four Gen X ingredients in steak and eggs?
- I'm gonna poach the eggs in the ramen noodle broth. - Okay.
The chips, I'm gonna use these to finish.
And then I'm doing a fried smashed potatoes in ranch.
This one's a little tough, I'm not gonna lie.
It's a lot of artificial flavors in everything.
But you are using them just for flavoring.
- Right. - Now that being said,
you do have the challenge of a perfectly cooked steak.
- Arthur: Yeah. - And a perfectly cooked eggs.
You're adding difficulty and jeopardy to an already difficult challenge.
- Good luck. - Understood. Thank you.
Nice, Mike. Way to work.
Gordon: Guys, just under 20 minutes remaining.
Rebecka: All right, that is looking good.
I have this, I have that, I have the salmon.
I'm making quinoa, some salmon, and a zucchini salad.
Becca gives us the Millennial box.
Having to work with things that we would normally not work with,
definitely a challenge for me,
but maybe I can save my generation.
- We'll see. - Nice, Fatima!
- Murt, how are you feeling? - What's going on?
I'm trying not to overcomplicate my dish, which I have a tendency to do.
We have the Millennial box, so I'm searing wagyu steak,
I'm making a rough mash with some goat cheese and some truffle oil,
- and then making my take on a Caprese salad... - Nice.
...with a balsamic glaze, some avocados. Six ingredients.
- Six? Okay, don't overcomplicate it, okay? - Correct. Yes, sir.
We're just to 18 minutes to go. The mash are ready, right?
- Yep. Yes, sir. - Okay, so I'd get those steaks on, okay?
- Focus on that beautiful wagyu filet mignon, okay? - Sounds good.
Mid-rare, yeah? Lots of base in there as well, yes?
Thank you, Chef. Thank you, Chef.
Arthur: Come on, come on, come on, come on.
- Oh, my God. - Christopher, is that chicken?
- Yes, it is. - Nice.
This is an exciting memory lane mystery box challenge.
Christopher, with the Gen Z ingredients,
he's taking the chicken thighs. He's a make jackfruit slaw.
It just sounds a little bit all over the place.
- That sounds bizarre actually, Chef. - Yeah.
- Daniela, do we like it? - Needs acid.
- You got it. - How can I add acid? Ponzu.
Daniela, she's kind of making these meatballs
- with a ramen sort of sauce and broth. - Joe: But here's the shocker.
She's basically regrinding hot dogs
- and mixing them with the ground turkey. - Oh, dear.
- That sounds really hardcore. - How is she gonna elevate that
- to a "MasterChef" worthy dish? - Excellent question!
- Yeah, we're baffled by that as well, Chef. - Good job, Gen Z.
- About 16 minutes. You got it. - Oh, boy.
- All right. That's going. - So Murt's using six ingredients...
- Wow. - ...from the Millennial box.
- Is that too much of a risk? - Yeah, is he being too ambitious?
Gordon: When I hit his station, the potatoes are ready,
and the filet mignon is raw, not even seared.
- Aarón: Wow. - He could be in trouble tonight.
- That's looking okay right now. - Good job, Murt. You'll get 'em there!
- You got it. - I gotta make sure the steak cooks correctly.
- I'm worried about that. - You don't want those to be overcooked.
Murt: No, I think we're good. No.
Okay, well, let's turn it down a little bit.
Wagyu, it's an expensive type of beef.
I've never cooked wagyu before
because I can't afford that stuff.
I'm a Gen Zer.
We don't got that cash flow
and bank account like the Boomers.
- Come on now. - We gotta cook.
We gotta cook here.
This filet's supposed to be nice, gentle.
It has to be perfectly medium rare in the middle.
- Oh, boy. - So I'm a little worried about myself right now.
- Dang. - I gotta make sure they cook correctly
or I am deep water to say the least.
15 minutes remaining.
Christopher: Holy cow. Wow, it's 30 minutes already?
Murt: Adam, what are you pulling the steak out at?
Adam: Boil at 125 to 130.
I just want the steak to lay perfect.
How are you doing, my friend?
You could use a little cream.
- Whoo! - Kamay, is that halibut?
- Kamay: It's cod. I'm not scared. - Nice.
I know you're not! Never.
Kamay: Becca changes the Millennial box to the Baby Boomer box,
so I making a pan-seared cod topped with canned spinach
and herb sardine Italian dressing vinaigrette.
Becca's strategy was a good one.
She threw a curveball at us, but we were prepared.
We're a good, solid team, the Millennials, and we're gonna adapt and overcome today.
- Michael. What's going on? - Hello. Just getting all the components together.
I got the Bran Flakes as the breading on top the pork chop.
That's what got this nice and crispy.
I've got canned spinach. Also have...
That's gonna go inside the pasta because I'm making fresh pasta.
Michael, I think of all the dishes we've seen,
you have the most going on here.
You're making a fresh pasta, pasta sauce,
a pork chop Milanese.
You gotta pull it together.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Being down to three with the Millennials,
I definitely want to earn that immunity pin
because we can't lose another member.
But I feel so much pressure right now,
especially on a challenge like today
when I'm representing me and my mom on a plate.
I really want this to come together, so I'm definitely nervous.
Oh, man!
Hell, yeah, hon! That is spicy!
That's as good as that's gonna get.
- Is that matcha, Christopher? - Yes, it is.
- Nice. - Hallie.
- Hi. - Tell me about the dish. What we doing?
I'm doing a lemon salmon and a spicy zucchini with a spicy kale salad.
- And then I'm gonna make an avocado purée. - Very Millennial.
Happy with the Millennial ingredients?
Yes, sir, I am. Becca helped me big time.
- Never cooked with fake meat. I don't like kombucha. - Mm-hmm.
- Make sure you taste everything, okay? - Yes, sir. Thank you.
- Yes, perfect. - Come on.
Is that a lemon curd?
This is my jackfruit syrup. Yum.
- It's really good! It's really good. - Of course it is!
We're down to our last five minutes remaining. Five minutes, guys.
- How's everybody doing? - We're gonna make it, I think.
My steak's good. Your steak all right?
No, I gotta put it in the oven.
Why is this not boiling?
Arthur doesn't look like he has a lot going on.
So Arthur is making steak and eggs.
He's poaching the eggs in the ramen stock.
And he has the smashed potatoes that are dusted with ranch powder.
- Wow. - Okay?
( sighs )
( bleep )
He's got double jeopardy.
There's in jeopardy of a perfectly cooked steak
and a soft poached egg. So two very difficult things.
- Gordon: Wow. - Oh, come on, Arthur. Come on, Arthur.
( bleep )
Gordon: Two minutes remaining.
Rebecka: That's how you do it.
Aarón: Coming down to the finish line, everyone.
- Taste everyone. - Oh, ho, ho!
Okay! Okay, Italian dressing! Come through!
- Michael: Come on, come on. - Gordon: I'm worried about Michael.
- It looks like he's down to the wire. - Aarón: Yeah.
- Gordon: He does not look happy. - Michael: Oh, God.
Gordon: One minute remaining!
Becca: Make it beautiful. Let's finish it up.
- Horacio: Easy peasy, Becca. - Easy peasy!
- Oh, my God. - Aarón: You gotta get it on the plate, Warren.
Finishing touches. 30 seconds! Keep it going.
Becca: Let's go, let's go.
Gordon: Come on, this is where it counts.
Michael, speed up, please. Let's go.
- Michael: Ah, come on. - Oh, gosh.
Aarón: Here we go! Come on, guys. Crunch time.
Becca: Oh, Fatima, it looks beautiful.
All right, y'all. Let's see it, let's see it.
- Judges: Ten, nine, eight... - Come on, come on.
- ...seven, six, five... - All right.
...four, three, two, one.
Gordon: And stop! Hands in the air!
- Whoo! - Well done!
- Whoo, whoo! - Oh, that was hard.
- Aah! - Aah!
That was intense.
I need the defibrillator.
Fatima: I'm just nervous about the dish.
I just feel like it's not my best performance.
How's your steak?
I barely got the thing on the plate.
Christopher: I was just overzealous
in my menu planning.
I don't think Becca stumped me,
but it comes down to what the judges think.
It doesn't come down to what I think.
So she may have done her job.
- Another day survived. - We'll see if I survive this.
There was a couple of things at the end that just sort of didn't go my way.
My egg is probably a little under.
I went into this cook confident I was gonna elevate all of the ingredients,
but I'm just feeling complete disappointment in myself.
In the last challenge, I was a bottom dish, and now I'm worried
because I'm literally about to serve a raw egg to Gordon Ramsay and the judges.
( applause )
Well done, all of you.
45 minutes to cook with those generational boxes! Tough one.
Now Joe, Aarón, and myself need to take a much closer look at all your dishes.
Hallie: I think Becca did the perfect job.
Mixing around some boxes with the generations is the best thing she could've done.
- Okay, Christopher. - Yes, sir.
Joe: That is a gigantic chicken thigh,
and is this what we're anticipating there?
I would assume so, yes.
The Boomers getting the Gen Z box is huge
because they don't typically cook with that kind of stuff.
Do you feel this is creative enough?
Yeah, I think it's really, really good.
- Gordon: Thank you. - I'm not a big fan of this almond and oat milk stuff.
I like it real deal, not the fake stuff.
I am glad that's not my box.
- Horacio. - Hey, Chef.
Gordon: This is a meatless croquette?
- Correct. - And served with a tomato sauce.
It's like around the world in 80 plates with you, isn't it?
I mean, that's why we are Boomers. We've been many places.
- Thank you, Horacio. - You're welcome.
But I really think the Xes have the toughest.
- Arthur. - Yes.
Gordon: How long did you cook the egg for?
Arthur: For about four minutes.
Wow. Thank you.
Yeah, that's the stuff that they grew up eating,
but it's all processed foods.
- Hello, Daniela. - Hello, Chef.
Gordon: That's the real broth.
That's kind of like the ramen broth right there, right?
Yes, Chef.
Gordon: Thank you.
And the Millennials getting the Boomer box
is obviously showing that karma is a bitch,
and she got them good.
I do not envy that Boomer box whatsoever.
Okay, Michael, you made fresh pasta
- in 45 minutes? - Yes, Chef.
I hope this is an advantage for us
and maybe takes one of them out.
- Hello, Jeet. - Hello, Chef.
- Is that cabbage? - Yes, yes.
Wow. Impressive.
I needed that Millennial box so bad.
Hallie, what's the seasoning inside the zucchini?
It is the chili and garlic sauce, salt and pepper.
- Joe: It's tasty. - Gordon: Yeah.
It's vegetables, it's healthy, it's fresh.
I'm hoping Gen Z can get another win out of this.
Okay, Fatima.
You know, you weren't happy with getting a Millennial box.
- Do you think you did okay? - I tried my best.
Murt, do you feel like you got an aggressive sear on that filet mignon?
I was just trying to show you guys I can put a sear on it.
We have three good dishes there.
Yeah, that was a tough one.
- All in agreement? Shall we? - Yes.
Right, it's time to highlight the best dish
from each generation tonight.
And we thought the top dish tonight from the Baby Boomers
was made by a home cook who was unfazed
by the Gen Z box.
Please come forward...
- Horacio! - Yes!
- Good job! - I got this, Becca!
You go, baby! You go, baby.
Yes! Finally! Thank you so much.
Horacio, explain what the dish is, please.
Horacio: I made a veggie burger croquette
with fireball jackfruit sauce,
and eggplants with saganaki tomato sauce and feta cheese.
It looks good considering you had a bunch of substitute ingredients.
Gordon: Um, shall we?
It looks good. Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks.
Horacio, the meatballs-- croquettes are delicious.
- Thank you, Chef. - Really good.
I love the crispiness, the texture.
- Really delicious. - Thank you, Chef.
And thank God you put in that soaked bread.
That really is helping with the moisture,
and it really tricks you into thinking
you're having real meat.
But this sauce is a complete miscue.
- No. - Give me an aioli. Give me something different.
- This just does not work. - Joe: You know, Horacio, quite frankly,
I think you had the most intelligent use
of very, very challenging ingredients.
The problem with this dish is this is how we're gonna eat it.
I'm gonna eat this and this, and you're gonna drink that.
- Can I? - Go ahead. I dare you.
Gordon: There's chili flakes in there. Horacio.
Watch the heartrate, please.
It is spicy like hell!
Joe: Come on!
My point exactly.
- Good job. Thank you. - Thank you. Thank you.
- Good job, Horacio! - Good job, Horacio!
- Good job, good job. - Can I have a water?
That thing is spicy.
Okay, the home cook that impressed us from Gen Z
used a Millennial mystery box
to make a very refined and elegant dish.
Please come forward, Hallie.
( all cheering )
As a super competitive person, it's been rough riding in the middle.
I expect to be up at the top and doing better,
and I cannot wait to keep going at this level.
My dish a lemon salmon with a spicy zucchini and kale salad
with brioche bun croutons and an avocado spread.
Visually, it looks delicious.
A touch more lemon juice across the avocados
- to stop it from oxidizing. - Okay.
Smart move on the kale and the zucchini.
Two tough vegetables to elevate.
- You did it beautifully. - Thank you.
Gordon: Shall we? The cook on the salmon, what have you gone for?
- Medium. - Mm-hmm.
It's pink. It looks beautiful.
- Joe, thoughts, please? - This is a very, very good to excellent dish.
The cook on the salmon is perfect. The seasoning's spot-on.
The vegetables are crunchy, al dente, but seasoned well.
- Good job with this challenge. - Thank you.
Aarón: For me, there's just lemon prevalent all over this dish.
- So it ties all the other elements together. - Thank you.
Gordon: This salmon is cooked beautifully.
One of your best so far. Good job.
Thank you so much.
- Good job, Hallie. - Nice. Yay!
- Yeah! - Good job, Hallie. Good job.
Good job, Hallie.
Okay, the Gen X cook who wowed us tonight
certainly benefitted from getting to utilize ingredients that they knew well.
Please come forward Daniela.
- ( bleep ) - ( all cheering )
I am ecstatic.
I hope the judges love my dish
because that would be a huge acknowledgement
that I'm not meant to be at the bottom.
So today I have for you chicken flavored ramen noodles
topped with Asian infused meatballs
made with ground turkey and hot dogs,
sautéed broccoli, and a poached egg.
I think what I like more than anything about this dish is the thought process.
Very clever move with those hot dogs, grinding them up
and turning them into these little meatballs. Shall we?
- Cut that egg. - Aarón: Nice.
Look, for me the best thing about the dish
is that the little meatballs are delicious
and that it tastes authentic.
Yeah, I think this is a dish
that has a lot of aggressive flavor,
but also a lot of subtlety by way of the broth.
- Thank you, Chef. - Daniela, it eats really well together.
It's spicy, it's sweet. It's a really good dish.
- Really good job. - Both: Thank you.
- Go, Daniela! - Good job, Daniela.
That's amazing. That actually came out really good.
- Oh, my God. - Okay, final dish comes from the Millennials.
We felt that this individual really creatively used the Baby Boomers ingredients.
Please make your way down...
Please make your way down,
Michael!
- ( all cheering ) - Yeah!
I feel great right now. This is my first time in the top,
and especially to be called into the top on a challenge like this
where I'm channeling my mother, this is absolutely amazing.
So it's a pork chop breaded with bran flakes,
fresh made pasta with some crispy Smeat,
- canned spinach, and a lemon beurre blanc. - Gordon: Right.
Look, pan frying a pork chop like that is not easy.
You call it a pan fried pork chop.
I would call it a costa di maiale alla Milanese.
You know why? Because I can charge more for it.
- ( laughter ) - That's the truth.
Gordon: Shall we?
- It's glistening. - Aarón: Oh, yeah, baby.
Beautiful.
Listen, I just love the creativity.
What you've done with the crusting on that pork chop, it's golden brown,
it's textured, and delicious. I've just never heard of anyone
coating it in bran flakes, but it works.
The hero also is the pasta.
Be careful of that acidity in the beurre blanc.
- It doesn't need to be that sharp. Great job. - Thank you.
Michael, I gotta say, the fact that you were able
to cook that chop so well, it's so loaded with flavor.
Next time with the pasta, maybe cut it in a different shape,
because it's getting kind of weighed down by the chop.
- But other than that, everything's delicious. - Thank you.
Joe: The ambition of this dish is impressive.
I think you kind of put yourself at another level
in the competition and really showed everyone,
including us, who you are as a cook.
- Good job. - Thank you.
- ( all cheering ) - Yeah, Mike!
- Let's go, Mike! - Whoo!
( muted chatter )
Okay, Becca, it's time for you to make your way down
and hand me that immunity pin, please.
Good job. Thank you.
Right, Horacio, Hallie, Daniela, and Michael,
excuse us for a moment, please.
I really thought it was something that reminded me of something really authentic.
Yeah, there's nothing on that plate that did not belong.
- So we agree? - Are we agreed?
- Yep. - Yeah.
Right, we all agreed that tonight's best dish was cooked by...
- Michael. - ( all cheering )
- Michael! - Yeah, Michael!
All right, Michael.
Gordon: Congratulations, young man.
You have won the immunity pin.
- Yeah! - Nice job, Michael!
Safe from elimination in the next challenge.
I know right now my mom is losing her mind.
Good job, Michael. That's how you do it, brother.
- Whoo! - Gordon: Take your whole generation up
to the safety of the balcony. Great job.
Michael: On a day when I'm really missing her,
on a day when I really wish that she could see my performance
and what I've been doing, it's almost an affirmation
that she is seeing it and she's been with me this entire time.
- My man! - Well done.
We now have to taste the bottom three dishes of the evening.
There was one dish tonight from each generation that really did miss their mark,
and unfortunately someone will be leaving us tonight.
Now the first dish from the Baby Boomers,
we felt this dish fell short of some technical ability.
Please make your way down, Christopher.
Christopher: I feel deflated.
I thought I had a plan for this challenge,
but I didn't keep track of how long
I was cooking my chicken.
So I'm worried at this point
that it might be a little bit undercooked.
I had the Gen Z box, so I made a pan-seared chicken thigh
with feta and eggplant salad and a jackfruit relish.
And the matcha, I put it on the top at the end.
So this is a large-size chicken thigh, so you would have to fry it
and then really have it spend some time in the oven,
and I think that some of those techniques
were not taken through all the way.
So I'm assuming that
the inside of the chicken thigh
- is gonna be still raw. - Yeah.
How long did you cook that for?
Christopher: It was about 15 minutes.
Gordon: That's very dense.
Damn.
- Christopher, oh, boy. - As you can see, it's raw there.
So, as you know, unfortunately, we can't eat that, okay?
But we will taste the salad, and we will taste the jackfruit.
Christopher, it's too bad because this is not just a little undercooked.
This entire chicken thigh needs five more minutes at 350,
and had you done that, you would have a pretty good dish.
Mm-hmm. I love fried chicken.
I got excited about this dish, especially the marinade.
But I love the salad. The acidity of the jackfruit,
it's very hard to get that thing right.
So, yeah, it's a shame. Thanks, Christopher.
- Joe: Thank you. - Thank you.
Okay, from Gen Z, the home cook used the same protein
as another member of their generation.
Please come forward, Murt.
Becca thought that she was gonna help our team out,
but her advantage turned into a disadvantage.
Honestly, getting the Millennial box, Becca screwed me.
Joe: Okay, Murt, please tell us what you made.
Murt: So I made a wagyu filet
with a goat cheese truffle oil mash,
and an avocado, sundried tomato, and balsamic glaze salad.
It's a sloppy, messy, dirty plate.
It looks like you don't care, and I know you do, so that's a shame.
Temperature-wise, Murt, what have we gone for?
I went for medium rare on the steak.
Aarón: No, that's not.
Gordon: Yeah, that's over. That's gone medium.
Okay.
Listen, when you hear about a wagyu filet mignon,
it needs to be kind of like the crown jewels,
and you've absolutely ( bleep ) it.
- It's a little bit reckless, Murt. - Understandable.
Murt, you put the hurt on that filet, man. It's hammered.
But some of these other elements here work well together.
When you have a slice of the avocado and sundried tomatoes, essentially a pleasant bite.
Murt, you know, what happened today is a complete lack of execution.
So I'm not sure what happened to you today, Murt,
but we're seeing that on the plate.
- Sorry about that. - Aarón: Thank you, Murt.
All right, Murt.
All right, so the final dish that we must taste is from Gen X.
It was a classic dish that was definitely hurt by its strange execution.
Please come forward, Arthur.
Arthur: This is the second bottom dish I've had in a row,
and I'm feeling pretty dejected.
But as long as the flavors come through
from the mystery box, I think I could be okay.
So I did a New York strip steak
with a fried smashed potato dusted in ranch,
an egg poached in ramen broth,
and the whole thing topped with chips.
Listen, I'm pissed off 'cause it just looks so lacklust.
Joe: This dish is a perfect example--
the ambition was at a restaurant quality dish,
but your technique and knowledge did not allow you to arrive there.
Gordon: The cook on the steak, Arthur, what did you go for?
- Arthur: Medium rare. - Yes, that's medium, as you can see.
There's nothing rare there at all.
The egg, as you can see, it's undercooked.
Arthur, will you step forward, please,
- where you can see the egg's undercooked? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Gordon: And-- - I am so embarrassed.
That's a big no-no. Oh, dear.
- Arthur, will you step forward, please... - Yeah.
...where you can see the egg's undercooked? And--
Arthur: I am so embarrassed.
That's a big no-no. Oh, dear.
I don't eat raw eggs, so I'm not gonna taste this, if you don't mind.
- This is a bit of an epic fail. - Yeah.
So you started off with all the right intention.
Steak and eggs, classic combination.
But it's underwhelming. However, the actual potato tastes good.
I like the idea of dusting in that powder.
The fact that we have one fingerling potato
that's captivating my attention is not a good thing.
Yeah, I'd rather you start off with the basics
and make the basics exceptional.
- Yeah. - Thanks.
Thank you, Arthur.
What a shame.
Okay, Christopher, Murt, and Arthur,
you've given us a very tough decision to make.
Excuse us for a moment, please. Thank you.
( bleep )
- Okay, Arthur, I mean, overambitious, right? - Aarón: Yeah.
Also the Gen Xers were the one generation that didn't have to switch a box.
- No. That's right. - So they should be comfortable.
- Murt. - He really beat up that filet.
Christopher, I mean, guys, it's the elephant in the room.
- It's raw chicken, right? Oh, boy. - Yep.
Let's see what happens.
Christopher, Murt, and Arthur,
this has been a really tough decision,
but we are all in agreement
that the home cook leaving "MasterChef" tonight is...
Christopher.
Murt, Arthur, head back to your generations.
Gen Z, still intact. Jeez.
Christopher, you know, taking risks is what gets you to the very top.
But sadly, as you know, that chicken, it was raw.
However, I think you've done the Baby Boomers
and yourself and your family incredibly proud.
I knew this was a big bucket list for you,
but this is more than a bucket list.
You've achieved huge amounts.
I think that there is those points in life
where you meet people who truly inspire you.
One of my mottos in my life has been to live like you're dying,
and I think you bring new meaning to that phrase for me, so bravo.
Thank you for everything. This was fantastic.
Gordon: Come and say goodbye, bud.
- Love you, Chris. - Love you, Chris.
- Thank you, man. Appreciate it. - Well done. Come on.
- Well done. Good job, bud. Well done. - You did great, man.
"MasterChef" is no joke. You know, it's a tough journey.
- Good luck to you, brother. - Hey, thank you so much.
I've spent the last year with all sorts of new beginnings,
and I realize I need to do stuff that I've always wanted to do.
- Good job, Christopher. - So being on "MasterChef,"
I guess it's not on my bucket list anymore.
- We love you, Chris. - You're amazing, Christopher!
Take care, Christopher.
I am proud that I did get to this point.
- Love you all. - Love you, Chris.
It's changed my life.
Gordon: Next time on "MasterChef: Generations"...
Please welcome the reigning winner of "MasterChef,"
- Grant Gillon! - ...a very special guest
brings a refreshing hero ingredient.
Tonight you must use beer!
- Yeah! - Bottoms up.
But as Michael's advantage shuts down the party...
- Stop the clock! - Michael just launched a full attack.
- Sheesh, man! - ...there is no time to kick back and relax.
Where's the beer gonna come into the equation?
I'm going for the mango wheat.
I don't know what it tastes like.
I can't taste any beer there.
- Complete disaster. - What is he doing?