GORDON: Previously on "MasterChef: Back to Win"...
We only have 20 aprons this year.
This is like the all-stars of "MasterChef."
the returning cooks battled it out...
I'm back to win. I'm not taking no prisoners.
...for a coveted white apron.
We can only judge you on what you put on that plate.
- Yes, Chef. - Stay calm.
You know as well as I do that that's wrong.
What's the first thing you wanna do
when you take a bite of that?
- Take a second. - Thank you.
- [CROWD CHEERING] - Man, I am excited.
It's time to play with the big dogs.
Tonight...
All of these ex-contestants, they're back with a vengeance.
the pressure is on as the audition battles conclude...
- Are you back to win? - 100%.
with only six aprons left to claim a spot...
- I hope y'all like it spicy. - ...in the top 20.
- Where's Fred gone? - I think this is done.
Your seasoning here is really what's bringing this to the next level.
Now I'm treating you like I would talk to a cook in my restaurant.
Because that's the level we're at.
There is so much going on here.
I don't know if I need a chair or a sick bag.
Right, this is a season like no other.
14 aprons down. Just six aprons remaining.
Now when we call your name,
please make your way down to your battle stations.
Felix, season three.
Bri and Fred from season ten.
And Olivia, season six.
Let's go.
Now, last time you four were in this kitchen,
you showed that you were stellar cooks
and plated food with such finesse.
Master platers.
So bring that again tonight.
You've got 45 minutes to cook us
one amazing comeback dish.
Your 45 minutes start now.
Let's go.
Right, Joe and Aarón, all of these ex-contestants,
they're back with a vengeance.
They have a lot of attention to the aesthetic of their food,
and I think that's gonna push each other to a higher level.
- Yeah. - Fred, you're flying, bro.
Trying my best. Trying my best.
Fred is a really great pastry chef.
I think he might be doing a dessert tonight.
- I see chocolate. - Tofu.
I'm definitely gonna bring the tofu.
My name is Fred, I was on season ten,
and I'm probably best remembered for my audition.
I made a chocolate cake that was so tasty
Gordon Ramsay himself picked up the plate, licked it clean,
- and threw the apron at my face. - There's no debate.
So when I got eliminated at season ten,
it was a sad moment for all but a second.
I'm gonna personally call Christina Tosi
and see if I can get you in there to go and work with her
- inside her bakery. - Thank you, Chef.
I did take up Gordon's offer to work with Christina Tosi at Milk Bar in L.A.
And right after that I started a food blog
where I post recipes three times a week.
So I am ready to fight my butt off
to get an apron and get back in that kitchen
and continue my food journey.
This is so much fun, you guys.
15 minutes gone. 30 minutes remaining.
Keep it going.
- Right, welcome back, girl. - Thank you.
- How have you been? - I've been good. It's been ten years.
I'm Felix. I made it to the top seven in season three,
and a lot has happened in the past ten years.
- Aah! - I've done catering events, food styling,
pop-ups with friends, and also some food shows.
My biggest regret from season three
is the fact that I didn't cook any Chinese or Taiwanese food.
I want to express me and my culture through the dishes that I make this time.
How's this dish gonna get you an apron? What is it?
Pork belly and cabbage dumpling.
And I'm doing the dough from scratch.
I'm grinding the pork from scratch.
And what I really want to shine through
- are all the natural flavors. - You are going all out.
You've got just 27 minutes to nail these dumplings.
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you. - Welcome back. Good luck.
Eye on the prize, Bri. Let's get that apron.
Let's do this.
Mom, you're supposed to be watching my sauce.
I'm watching the sauce!
- How you feeling? - I'm good.
- Excited? - I'm so excited.
I'm Olivia Crouppen from season six.
Wow. Clearly it's one of the prettiest plates out there tonight.
OLIVIA: Thank you.
The judges really liked my plating,
but the flavors basically got ripped a new one.
I wanted to taste the beef. You've just forgotten the hero.
I came in eighth place,
and "MasterChef" changed my life.
I basically have my dream job. I'm a food stylist.
I've produced cookbooks.
I came here to prove to the judges my flavor is there,
- and I'm so ready to win. - The dish, what are you doing?
OLIVIA: I'm doing a pistachio crusted lamb, white bean and feta purée,
a fennel pomegranate slaw, and a pomegranate molasses.
- In 45 minutes? - Yeah.
- Are you back to win? - 100%.
- Unh! Thank you. - Good luck, girl. Well done.
MAN: You're doing great. You're doing great, sweetie.
Bri, happy to be back?
Very happy, very happy. Very... a lot of emotions.
You may remember me from season ten
where I made it to the top eight.
One thing that is definitely confirmed,
you have a future in food.
Prior to "MasterChef" season ten,
I was a cocktail server in a bar.
And then after that, I was able to hit the ground running
doing pop-up dining events.
I recently have been focusing on the social media world
and I do a lot of food photography contests.
Talk to me a little bit about what you're making.
My comeback dish is a seabass
with a fennel purée, a tomato water,
and then I'm adding a little bit of spice
with the pickled serrano pepper.
You have a lot of liquidy things.
- Right. - Is that gonna be the enemy of crispiness and texture?
- Right, that is true. - Just think about that.
The fish has to bring the crispiness, yes.
Exactly, we're expecting a lot of big things out of you, especially the plating.
- So stick with it, okay, young lady? - Thank you so much.
ALL: Bri!
- Fred, Fred, Fred! - Whoo!
Oh, my God. 15 minutes. This is so stressful.
- Fred, Fred, Fred. - Mr. Bastianich.
- What's your comeback dish? - It's a take on a phoenix rising from the ashes.
- You know me with my theatrics. - Is that you?
Are you rising from the ashes with another dessert?
This is literally me coming back and showing you guys how much I've grown.
So it's a tofu and dark chocolate mousse
with kinako crumble, black cacao ash, and kumquat purée.
This is a bit of a risky game to play.
If you're off by one degree, that chocolate just won't harden.
- 100%. - So I heard that you and Bri
have been doing dinners together.
Yes, we've been doing a lot of pop-up dinners.
On top of everything else that I got from season ten,
definitely the biggest prize I got was my friendship with Bri.
We traveled the country together, and it was a ton of fun.
- Are you a better cook than Bri? - I won't say that I'm better.
I would just say that we each have our strengths and weaknesses.
I think we both complete each other.
- But you're not a team. Today you are competitors. - But, I mean...
The best case scenario is you both get an apron, and you walk through.
- Yep. - Exactly.
The worst case scenario is you both don't get an apron,
and you both go home.
You got a lot on the line here.
I wish you two the best. Good luck.
Thank you so much, Joe.
We're down to that last ten minutes.
Ten minutes to go. Come on, guys.
So, Bri wants to do this tomato water sort of liquidy broth.
JOE: Tomato water was a trend in the early '90s
where you would slowly allow tomatoes in cheese cloth,
the water to come out.
Is she gonna be able to pull that off in 45 minutes?
It's tough. I mean, that takes time.
GORDON: Felix, she's playing to her strengths making wonton wrappers.
And that filling, she seems way more confident than she was years ago.
Olivia is really looking good. Look at her station.
- She's working perfectly. - But she has a lot of ambitious elements planned for her dish.
- I just hope she can pull it all off. - How are you feeling, Fred?
I'm not sure if the temper will be good or not,
but I'm gonna just try my best to focus.
- Oh, gosh. - Oh, my God, I am so nervous.
- I'm so stressed for his chocolate right now. - I am so nervous right now.
- Tempered chocolate is the hardest thing. - You got this, Fred.
If I don't do it correctly, I'm gonna look like a giant jackass though.
I think Fred might be in some jeopardy of time.
- He's tempering chocolate. - I know.
Come on. Get to 120.
WOMAN: Oh, it's okay, Fred!
Steady hands. You got this!
Unless that chocolate's tempered properly, this whole thing could break down
and he can kiss that apron goodbye.
MAN: You got it, Fred! Stay focused! Come on!
JOE: Fred might be in some jeopardy of time.
- He's tempering chocolate. - I know.
Unless that chocolate's tempered properly,
this whole thing could break down.
Come on. Get to 120.
- There we go. - Yes.
You got it, Fred.
- That chocolate looks perfect. - FRED: Thank you.
These are gonna be tempered dark chocolate feathers.
- BOTH: Wow. - Genius!
- Mom, I'm taking it out. - Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo!
I think this is done.
GORDON: Five minutes remaining.
Five minutes to go, guys. Come on.
- Come on, ladies. Last push. - Do I need more fennel?
Breathe, breathe.
You can tell already by looking at those lamb chops,
the aesthetic is gonna be top notch.
The question is, is there flavor?
Aarón: I'm concerned about Bri.
That's a very dense piece of fish,
and then you roast it in the oven?
- It might be raw. - It might be under.
You got it, Fred.
Wow, that's pretty.
We're coming down to 60 seconds remaining!
Last minute, guys!
- Where's Fred going? - Where's he going?
GORDON: What's he doing? Fred!
Look at Olivia dust those lamb chops.
Amazing. And what is Fred doing?
Come on, Fred! Fred, come on!
Let's go, Fred! Make sure you're happy with it.
ALL: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
- Wow. - Holy [BLEEP].
- Plating queens, okay? - Please, all four of you, follow us. Thank you.
Felix, please bring us your dish.
FELIX: This is a pork belly and cabbage dumpling
made with a chili oil that's my dad's recipe.
Well, the aesthetics are beautiful.
They have the perfect swirls on them.
They look plump and fluffy.
The dumplings themselves and rolling the dough out by hand
is something that I would learn with my mom.
Felix, delicious.
Very hard getting that pork cooked within that dough. You've nailed it.
The one issue I have is your dough.
It's just a touch too thick because it lingers.
Apart from that, it's a really good dish.
JOE: The execution is impeccable.
It's flavorful, it's clean,
the dough is slightly under salted.
But now I'm treating you like I would talk to a cook in my restaurant
because that's the level we're at.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Good job, Felix.
Bri, can you please bring up your dish?
BRI: You have in front of you a seabass with a fennel purée
with a tomato medley on the side,
pickled serrano peppers, and a fresh tomato water.
The dish, it's bright, it's vibrant.
It's like something on the cover of a magazine.
Dying to get in there.
Bri, the fish is cooked beautifully. Absolutely spot on.
Nitpicking, when you make your fennel purée, it needs to be smooth.
I don't like that slurry going into that tomato water,
and it affects the actual contrast of the dish.
Bri, I have to say, this dish is firing on all cylinders.
The aesthetic I think is perfect.
The tomato water gives it a great acidity,
and you've got the consistency of it spot on.
I think your seasoning here is really what's bringing this to the next level.
That little chili serrano really wakes it up.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Bri.
- Really good job. I'm so proud of you. - Thank you.
Fred, please.
FRED: Tonight I made a dark chocolate and tofu mousse
with a kumquat purée,
black cacao ash, and kinako crumble.
Um, let's just talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?
I'm talking about the tofu.
99.9% of pastry chefs anywhere
in the country tonight would avoid tofu.
I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
So this is vegan and dairy-free?
- FRED: And gluten free, yes. - And gluten free.
JOE: That's very challenging, no?
Fred, you're walking the high wire here
because you have salt,
acid, sweet, bitter.
You have all the most difficult things
to balance in a dessert.
This dish is flying across the high wire.
- Bravo. - Thank you.
Yeah, I love your courage, and I thought it was gonna be dry, and it was not.
- Fred, this is exceptional. - Thank you.
You know, it's hard to believe you actually accomplished that within 45 minutes.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that tofu could be that exceptional.
Olivia, please step forward.
OLIVIA: This is a pistachio crusted lamb
with a white bean and feta purée,
a fennel pomegranate slaw,
and a port pomegranate reduction.
Aesthetically, beautiful.
Did you season the meat before your crusted it?
I believe so?
In an ideal world, I would have?
- Better answer. - Yeah.
It's so ambitious that I think that perhaps
some of the technique of seasoning
are bringing it down a little bit for me.
The purée is delicious,
but should I be focusing on the purée
as opposed the lamb chops?
GORDON: Here's the thing about this.
When you've encrusted
those lamb chops throughout,
what you don't do is then sit them
in a puddle purée,
because I go crispy on top, soggy underneath.
But I love the dish. I think the dish is beautiful.
- Good job. - Thank you all.
- Good job, Liv. - Right, give us a moment.
This is a tough decision.
So, four exceptional dishes.
JOE: Two for me were perfect.
- GORDON: It's a tough one. - AARÓN: Yeah.
- You guys in agreement? Yeah? - We got it? Yeah.
JOE: Let's do it.
Right, this first apron goes to a dish
that showed an amazing amount of confidence.
And it was exceptionally good looking dish,
but it actually tasted better than it looked.
And I think this person is definitely back to win.
The apron goes to...
- Fred. - Thank you.
Thank you so much, Chef.
- Great job. - Thank you.
Absolutely amazing.
So we have three great dishes from three great cooks
across a decade of "MasterChef."
This is a difficult one, but this last apron goes to...
This last apron goes to...
[MURMURING, GASPING]
- Yeah! - [CHEERING]
I just got a MasterChef apron for the second time with Fred!
We're so excited.
OLIVIA: Even though I didn't get an apron,
I feel so glad to have had the opportunity
to be back in the MasterChef kitchen at all.
FELIX: Maybe it was a risky dish to do,
but it was amazing to just be able to come back
and make something that was taught to me by my mom.
And I wouldn't take anything back.
[CHEERING]
We are 16 aprons down.
Just four remaining aprons.
Ready for the next battle?
So are we.
Samantha, season nine.
Jaimee, season five.
- Alejandro, season 11. - Yeah!
Finally, Keturah, season 10.
Please make your way down.
Welcome back, all four of you.
- Alejandro. - Chef.
- GORDON: So happy you're back. - I'm Alejandro.
You may remember me from season 11.
Yeah! Come on!
I almost made it to the finale.
GORDON: The third and final individual
heading into the grand finale,
Suu.
Last time I was in the MasterChef kitchen,
I had a very hard time editing myself
because growing up in Cuba, we did not have much food.
So I hard time putting things behind.
Like, I just wanna, like, cook everything at once.
So just think about what you got going on here
- and start to edit that. - Yes, sir.
Make sure it all goes together. Don't overcomplicate it.
And so many opportunities have come my way
since I've been in the MasterChef kitchen.
I've been able to become a private chef,
but I feel that I have unfinished business.
I need to get that trophy in my hands
and go to sleep next to it and know that I am the champion.
Right, your 45 minutes start now.
Let's go. Come on, guys.
What a lineup, by the way. Four amazing cooks.
They all need to exceed our expectations.
We wanna see their growth since we last saw them here
in the MasterChef kitchen.
Jaimee from season five
faced with some serious bumps personally,
but we fell in love with Jaimee.
I think I might pee my pants.
Seven years ago,
I had a lot of muscle spasms all of the time.
Okay? Come on, you can do this.
- Come on, baby. You got it. - Let's go.
- Don't give up. - I'm so sad.
- Come on. - After "MasterChef,"
I got diagnosed with a neurological disorder called dystonia,
which affects essentially my whole body.
But it hasn't stopped me from cooking.
I'm also running my own cake business now,
and I am back to show the world who I am now.
- How are we feeling, young lady? - Good.
Tell me about the dish.
JAIMEE: So I'm doing pan-seared rainbow trout,
salt and vinegar chips, and then a tomato honey gastrique.
- Man, you're back with a vengeance, aren't you? - Oh, yeah.
You seem to be taking this pressure just literally like water off a duck's back.
[BLEEPING]
- That's not my choice is it? - Yes, it is.
That's down to the dish, girl. Yeah? Good luck.
[BLEEP] hell.
Showmanship doesn't win shows. I'm not fazed.
- Come on, baby! - Come on, Keturah!
- You got this. - Right, Keturah. Welcome back.
- Hi, Chef. - How you feeling?
My anxiety's trying to come back,
but I'm not going to let her win today!
My name's Keturah. You'll remember me from the tenth season.
- Hey, do not crumble under pressure, yeah? - Okay. Thank you, Chef.
I definitely struggled with my anxiety.
- Keturah's in meltdown. - [BLEEP]
I didn't really believe in myself.
But this time around, my anxiety is not going to get the better of me.
I'm here to win. No one deserves it more than me this time.
So I'm making a fusion of West African and East Asian.
Wow, and the dishes are... in terms of ingredients?
It's a seafood pasta, noodles from Korea,
and then we also have some uni loaves.
We have a caviar to top it off with.
And the fusion together is really, really lovely.
- Good luck. - Thank you so much.
Oh, these nails.
So, 22 minutes remaining. Halfway. Come on, guys.
Alejandro, what's up, baby? How you feeling?
- What's up, Joe? - So what are you making?
I'm making coffee rubbed elk tenderloin with a bourbon demi.
Now, elk's tricky right? Because it's pretty lean.
My trick for this meat is I'm starting early.
- I'm letting it rest. - Are you gonna slice it or serve it whole?
- I'm gonna slice it. - Make sure you season on the inside.
- Yes, Chef. - What kind of Alejandro are we gonna see today?
A lot more thoughtful and a lot more refined.
All right, my man. Good luck.
- You got this, Sam. - Come on, Sam. Just like at home.
- Welcome back, girl. - Thank you.
- How have you been? Love that. - Good.
Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?
SAM: I am making egg yolk ravioli.
Right, so that egg yolk needs to be runny.
- Needs to be runny. Pasta cooked. - Pasta super thin.
- Yep. - Last time round,
you weren't handling pressure well.
I wasn't, no. But I was also only 20 years old.
I'm Samantha. I was on season nine of "MasterChef."
I was young, I was new to the industry.
Oh, no. The gelatin didn't go in.
But I made it to the top four.
Samantha, promise me you're gonna continue.
Of course. First thing I'm gonna do is enroll in culinary school.
I studied at the International Culinary Center,
and I graduated with my degree in professional pastry arts,
with all of the honors, of course.
- Welcome back. Good luck. Good to see you. - Thank you, Chef.
- Good to see you. - Come on, Sam!
Go, Keturah! Go! Go, girl!
She's massacring those noodles with those tongs.
- Keturah. - Yes, Chef?
JOE: Easy on those noodles with those tongs.
- Delicate. - It's my way of focusing.
Those noodles have been cooking for a very long time.
Oh, [BLEEP].
Come on, come on, come on.
All right, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.
Those noodles have been cooking for a very long time,
and they've been sitting in water.
- So that has the potential of being very soggy and gummy. - Soggy.
Five minutes remaining. Come on.
Two aprons up for grabs. Keep it going, guys, yes?
AARÓN: Coming down to it. Think about all the elements.
Oh, look, Samantha's putting the eggs in the ravioli.
It's a very delicate point.
Come on, Jaimee. Good job.
Let's go, baby! Bring that energy, Alejandro!
60 seconds to go! One minute!
Let's go! Let's go!
That a girl. Good?
Get the sauce in there! Let's go, Sam!
ALL: Five, four, three, two, one.
And stop! Well done.
Right, all of you, please pick up those dishes
and follow us through to the MasterChef restaurant.
Thank you.
Okay, let's begin with Samantha. Please bring us your dish.
Today I made for you a raviolo al huevo,
so it is the egg yolk ravioli
with a brown butter sage sauce.
A known classic here in the MasterChef kitchen.
All right, let's give it a try.
So obviously the jeopardy in this dish
is always to make sure that the yolk is still runny.
We'll give the traditional cut, and there we have it.
- Perfection. - Oh, it's beautiful.
What can I say? Perfect dish.
A dish that I would happily serve in my restaurant
- anywhere in the world. Brava. - Thank you.
The egg is runny, the sage is perfectly infused in the beurre noisette.
It speaks to everything that is beautiful about Italian cuisine.
- Thank you, Chef. - I know you can go down
one more notch on that pasta and go a bit thinner,
but it's a very solid dish.
- Thank you, Chef. - Great job.
Jaimee.
I did a pan-seared rainbow trout
with a brown butter lemon garlic sauce, salt and vinegar chips,
and a cherry tomato and caper relish.
I like the presentation. The color combinations are great.
I know there's gonna be freshness and acidity here.
But it's very simple,
so everything has to be perfectly done.
Jaimee, I like it.
Rainbow trout cooked nicely.
Trout nice and crispy.
Absolutely perfect. Good job.
JOE: So the dish is super clean.
You taste all the individual ingredients.
My question is is it a little too everyday
- for this circumstance? - Thank you.
Thank you.
Next up, Alejandro, please.
I have a coffee-rub elk tenderloin
with a bourbon demi-glacé,
a sweet potato purée,
wilted spinach, and white asparagus.
Alejandro, it looks boisterous. It's got that attitude.
It's like you're back with such more confidence this time round.
Alejandro, here's the thing about this.
The elk's delicious, but you exposed that protein,
you need to season it between.
So for me, it's way under seasoned.
AARÓN: I really enjoy this.
The asparagus, it needs some love,
but that elk and the components are all well and balanced.
- Thank you, Chef. - I have to say, I love every component of this dish.
I love the white asparagus. I love the simplicity of it.
I don't agree with them at all. I think it's perfect the way it is.
- Good job. - Thank you.
AARÓN: Thank you, Alejandro.
Keturah, please bring your dish down. Thank you.
KETURAH: This is a seafood pasta with some uni layers, caviar,
and then I tailed it with a tomato salad
pickled with blackberries.
- Visually, for me I'm confused. - Okay.
GORDON: Because there is so much going on here.
I'm also worried about the Hoover Dam style plating
where there's this huge, you know, vat of sauce.
I don't know if I need a chair or a sick bag.
I don't know.
There is so much going on here.
I don't know if I need a chair or a sick bag.
JOE: Should we try it?
Oh.
Look, it's a very ambitious thing you're trying to do here.
The problem is that it's not really unified in any kind of way.
I do like the spice.
I think it's something that's pleasant,
but the noodles are overcooked.
And then just this idea of blackberries working with caviar
is just a far stretch.
The dish is just too confusing.
I'm as confused as my palate.
I feel let down with this dish.
Thank you very much for your feedback, Chef.
Thank you, Keturah.
- Well, one's out. So we got three. - Well...
Look, I think that elk dish shows that he's got some chops to stand on.
- GORDON: The trout was cooked beautifully. - That trout was great.
I mean, think about Sam and the flawlessness in that dish.
Yeah. You good? Happy?
Okay, so this first apron
was clear cut based on the cooking, the precision,
and the honoring of ingredients.
The apron goes to Miss Samantha.
Here you go. Well done, young lady.
- Thank you. Thank you, thank you. - Fantastic work.
- Congratulations, young lady. - Congratulations.
From here it becomes a two-horse race.
And quite honestly I'm torn
because I would like to hand you both aprons.
But we have only one apron to give, and, uh...
We decided that because of the complexity of the dish
and the technique behind it,
Alejandro is gonna be receiving the apron.
Thank you, Chef.
Very difficult decision.
Jaimee, a tremendous, gallant effort, young lady.
Continue climbing that ladder.
Promise?
- [CHEERING] - Yeah!
Whoo! I'm in heaven right now.
I still have a lot to prove, especially to Chef Gordon,
that I can do right and I can listen.
I'm crying like a baby!
- I just got apron back. - Yay!
You did good. You gotta be so proud of her.
- She killed it. They loved her dish. - Thanks.
I got to hear Gordon say that I cooked my trout perfectly,
so despite not getting an apron, it still paid off.
You won't see the last of me.
- Very sad for Jaimee. Like, my heart really... - Yeah.
I don't... I hope we made the right decision.
It's all down to this. Our last two aprons up for grabs.
Right, all four of you,
45 minutes start now.
- I hope y'all like it spicy. - You got this, Mom.
- Let's go, Gabe! Yeah! - Come on!
Thank you, thank you!
Ten minutes gone. Just over 35 minutes to go.
- Shelly, welcome back, girl. We good? - Yes, Chef.
- Feeling pretty good. - Congratulations on all the success.
Thank you. Hey, y'all, I'm Shelly.
I'm back from season six.
Before I came to "MasterChef," I was a kitchen assistant,
but I knew that I wanted to have something that was my own.
So after "MasterChef," I went to culinary school
and I started my own business with my daughter.
I'm coming back with a vengeance.
My plating is up to par.
I know more ingredients.
I've matured so much more in the kitchen.
They're not gonna know what hit them.
I'm so proud of what you've become,
and that taco business, tell me about it.
We sell Jamaican tacos, so this is actually one of our signature items.
- It's a jerked chicken dinner taco. - 32 minutes to go. Good luck.
- Thank you so much, sir. I appreciate you. - Welcome back.
- Doing good, Mom. - Señor Malcolm, how are we?
- Aarón, que pasa, mi amigo? - You have the makings of a bread pudding.
- Do I dare say that? - Yes, sir.
I'm going to make an apple and dried cranberry bread pudding
with a spiced whipped cream and a whiskey caramel sauce.
Definitely my inspiration is my daughter.
She picked this dish. This is her favorite thing to eat.
- Well, that's beautiful. - So I lost on a dessert.
- So you're trying to right a wrong? - Right the wrongs, baby.
- That's what I'm here for. - I hear you.
You may remember me from season four. Malcolm. I'm back.
Me losing that cupcake challenge
was almost in a sense like losing in life.
I was really sad,
so I'm definitely winning "MasterChef" this year.
You got a lot going on, my brother.
- Best of luck to you, okay? - Thank you, brother. I appreciate it.
- Mm. Joe. - Hello, Sheetal.
- 12 years. I think we look good. - Yes.
Not bad for my age. My name is Sheetal Bhagat from season one.
I ended up auditioning for "MasterChef"
based on just my passion for food and spice
and went all the way to the semifinals.
And I earned the title of Spice Queen,
and I launched my own tequila brand
which is infused with spice.
This time I'm definitely back to win.
So what are you gonna make for us?
SHEETAL: I'm doing a halibut fish tostada.
I think one of the things I've learned is less is more.
This is four ingredients, and obviously my tequila, but...
- That's courageous. - Yeah.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
Come on, Gabe!
- Welcome back, bud. - Hey, glad to be back, Chef.
So good to see. How you doing?
Oh, I've been fantastic, Chef. It's been a hell of a couple years.
You may remember me from season eight.
My name is Gabriel Lewis.
Before "MasterChef," I was fresh out of high school.
You know, I was a 19-year-old kid.
Ironically, one of the highlights of my season
was my elimination.
Young man, it's very rare we see such raw talent.
You've got the potential to be huge in this industry.
So I am personally gonna send you
to culinary school.
- That's amazing. - Gabriel!
And it legitimately changed my life.
I've grown from a cook to a professional chef.
I won Best Chef 2019 in Oklahoma City.
I'm back, I'm here, and I'm in it to win it.
This dish, Chef, is my port wine glazed bone in pork chop
with my southern braised collard greens and bacon
served with my chipotle corn purée
and some caramelized pearl onions.
I love that. Welcome back.
Thank you. I appreciate you.
We're coming down to the last ten minutes remaining
for the final battle.
Two aprons up for grabs.
It's anyone's game.
- Mad good. - Perfect.
I'm drawing my attention towards Shelly.
The seasoning on that jerked chicken taco smells amazing.
She's gonna put coconut rice in there as well.
Starch on starch, can that be risky?
- Mm. - Oh, yeah, that's coming out.
JOE: I have to say, Malcolm has a slight edge.
When you're playing for your family,
it's such an emotional power surge within you
that you don't want to let anybody down.
- JOE: Right. - A little longer. We'll let it rest.
I'm looking at Gabriel's pork chops,
the caramelization, the color on them.
That's gonna be tough to beat.
GORDON: I'm so proud of him. I really am.
I just hope he can pull it out of the bag,
because the competition is rife.
JOE: Sheetal's halibut looks a little bit white.
Wouldn't you have put a little color on it in the cooking technique?
Wouldn't you want a little bit of caramelization?
Yes.
We're coming down to the last 60 seconds remaining.
- Come on, guys. - Oh, my God.
Here we go.
GORDON: Look at that caramel sauce with Malcolm. Look at that.
- Come on, Malcolm. - Let's go, Gabe.
- Heard, Chef. - There you go, Shelly. Let's go.
GORDON: Come on, guys.
ALL: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
[CHEERING]
That was incredible.
We kept the best till last.
The last two aprons. Let's go. Thank you.
Gabriel, please bring your dish forward.
GABRIEL: So today I have a bone-in port wine glazed pork chop
with some Southern style braised greens,
a chipotle corn purée.
I can tell that you treated the pork chop
with a very flavorful rub.
It's evident because of the caramelization on the outside.
I just hope it's cooked perfectly.
Otherwise, game over.
Yes, Chef.
I just hope it's cooked perfectly.
Otherwise, game over.
Yes, Chef.
Young man, it gives me great pleasure to say
the pork's nailed beautifully. It's cooked to textbook.
The sauce, yeah, rich, inviting,
and you've got that heat.
Absolutely spot on.
That is delicious. Great job.
Thank you, Chef.
Here's something I tell all my cooks.
When you have a big piece of protein,
you need to season it like a pretzel
because the crust has to be the seasoning for the flesh inside.
You did that. Bravo.
- Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. - Thank you, Gabe.
Miss Shelly, can you please bring up your dish?
SHELLY: This is a jerk chicken dinner taco
so it has coconut rice, peas, sweet plantains, jerk chicken,
- and then you have a slaw on top. - I think it's a bold move
to stick a Jamaican inspired dish inside a taco,
and then you're putting coconut rice on top of that.
Let's dive in.
Shelly, this is a special taco.
- Thank you. - The dish is delicious.
I just don't think it needs the rice.
But the chicken's delicious. Well done.
All right. Thank you, Chefs. Thank you.
Malcolm, please bring your dessert down.
MALCOLM: So this is a dried cranberry apple bread pudding,
and I have a bourbon caramel that you literally just pour on top.
It's festive. That's what I love about you. You cook with heart.
- So, yeah, can't wait to get in there. - Thank you.
This is my daughter's favorite dish.
Look, this is a bear hug of a dish.
It's sweet, it's chewy, but kinda crusty and caramely at the same time.
Really nice.
Listen, this thing means so much to you, and I can taste that.
I think the problem with this dish
is the three individuals standing behind you.
- Yup. - We only have two aprons left,
and it's good, but is it good enough?
- Thank you, Chef. - JOE: Thank you.
Sheetal, please bring us your creation.
I have a tostada that is built on a corn tortilla.
Halibut is my protein. I have an avocado crema.
And then I have a special guajillo sauce that uses tequila.
Let's get in there, shall we?
Sheetal, the first bite's refreshing. It's good.
My one issue here is that the actual halibut,
the star, is slightly dry.
Everything else, the components, the acidity, the heat,
- is delicious. - Thank you.
It has a lot of great components to it as far as a traditional tostada.
Beautiful crema. The tostada's nice and crispy.
The slaw is not over acidulated.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
The unfortunate news is that we've only got two aprons left,
the last in this competition.
And the first apron we're gonna give out is to a cook
who we felt had the most technically complex flavors.
We can see personal touch.
For the reason, we're gonna give our first apron to...
Shelly.
- Here you go, Shelly. Congratulations. - Thank y'all so much.
- Thank you. - Okay, put that on.
- GORDON: Great job, Shelly. - Thank you.
So what we have left here is three great dishes.
In any other season, we'd be giving out three other aprons.
But unfortunately, there can only be one last winner.
This apron goes to...
Gabriel.
Good job.
- Keep on keeping on, man. - Will do. Thank you.
- Good stuff. - Great job. Nice work, y'all.
Good job.
Thank you, Chefs. This means the world to me.
[CHEERING]
GABRIEL: The second time around you can expect
a more confident, charismatic, and talented chef
instead of that home cook that you witnessed back in season eight.
Congratulations. Congratulations.
- Congrats, you guys. - Good job.
I thought that dish was authentic enough
and hard enough to show the elevation of my cooking.
I wasn't just cooking for me, I was cooking for my baby girl,
and unfortunately, I just didn't get the job done.
- Yes. - Yes.
"MasterChef" season 12!
And I'm back to win. Let's go!
[CHEERING]
- JOE: 20 aprons. We did it. - GORDON: Great job, huh?
- Yes, yes. - Man.
I think we're on for one of the best,
the most competitive seasons in the history of "MasterChef."
- I agree. - Game on. This is going to be epic.
Next time, the top 20 take on the first elimination challenge...
Tonight your challenge is to use the dish
that sent you home as inspiration for a new dish.
and a trip down memory lane...
Since my elimination, that dish has haunted me.
...to prove if their skills have leveled up from last time.
This is definitely my shot at redemption.
- The standard's up there. - There we go. There we go.
I got a San Antonio puffy taco.
- Whoa! - Yeah.
That is redemption in a bowl beyond belief.
There's texture all over the place.
That's what truly makes it memorable.
Your ambition outpaced your ability.
We'll see if there's something that's redeeming enough
to overlook the obvious.
Master Chef returns with former contestants back to win.