There are 10 home cooks left on MasterChef, and while it’s huge that they’ve made it to the Top 10, they still have a ways to go until the end, and this week the cooks have to deal with the elements during an intense football game challenge and intense pressure test that will send two cooks home where the cooks have to make three dishes.
Healthy Concession Challenge
The top 10 show up onto a football field for their next team challenge, and because Jaimee and Courtney won last time, they’re the team captains. Courtney’s really confident for her challenge because her family’s always sold concessions. Jaimee’s more nervous because she’s so soft-spoken. Jaimee, the winner, gets to pick first, but she’s actually picking for Courteney’s team and Courtney’s picking for her, and Courtney gets Leslie first. Courtney then gives Cutter to Jaimee because he can’t work with Leslie. Courtney then gets Christian while Jaimee gets Daniel and Big Willie, and Courtney gets Ahran. Jaimee then gives Courtney Victoria and Elizabeth goes to Jaimee.
The players for the flag football team storm the field, and they’re adorable and they have a special guest coming. NFL hall of famer Eric Dickerson comes onto the field and he starts talking about childhood obesity, and MasterChef makes a donation before the cooks run off to start prepping for the healthy burgers and fish tacos they’re making for the crowds.
Jaimee immediately runs into some trouble because people don’t like having coleslaw on the burger and she gets completely steamrolled and nobody’s listening to her. Meanwhile, Courtney’s taking control on the blue team, but Christian’s messing up the turkey burgers. He added too many eggs and it’s too wet.
The fans start arriving and the pressure’s on. The blue team’s burgers are becoming a huge problem until Christian realizes they should cook them on a flat top, but now Leslie’s fish tacos are getting problematic. He’s not seasoning them properly at all. The red team’s having just as many problems as the blue team, though. Cutter cannot cook the fish and Joe has to show him how to do it.
The judges sample the food before it’s served. They love the blue team’s burger, but the taco’s bland. Leslie still doesn’t believe there’s a problem, but he adds more seasoning because the judges told him to. He wants to finally be on a winning team. The red team’s burger is raw and there’s no seasoning on the fish. They need to step it up.
The marching band starts playing, and they’re going to start serving as soon as the band stops playing. They’re running out of time and freaking out. The teams start serving their food while the players start their flag football game and Courtney’s really confident. The red team’s really disorganized, though, and people are walking away. Jaimee’s not dealing with the pressure well at all, but people also haven’t been listening to her. Daniel tells Cutter to go to the grill even though Jaimee asked him to help serve. They are not communicating.
Gordon tells Elizabeth to be the expeditor and she steps up to “save my team and save my winning streak.” Meanwhile, Joe checks in with the fans, and, of course, they seem to be split. Just then, it starts pouring, which is perfect. They finish serving and all start celebrating that they finished in the pouring rain. They count the votes and announce that they’ve had the closest results ever. The red team wins with 51% of the vote, and Big Willie immediately starts lifting kids in the air while Daniel slides around on the field in celebration. Leslie, on the other hand, is not happy that he is a loser yet again.
Three Dish Pressure Test
The blue team is up for the dreaded pressure test. “No matter how close it is, the balcony is still really far away,” Victoria says. This is her first pressure test, as opposed to Leslie’s fifth. Gordon announces that Courtney can decide who’s cooking and that she can save herself, which she does. It’s understandable, but most captains don’t choose that. She wants to win this, though, and isn’t taking any chances.
Gordon announces that he and the other judges are going to save one more person, and Leslie’s convinced it’s going to be him. They choose Christian, though, because he made the amazing burger. So it’s down to Leslie, Ahran and Victoria. “I get no respect,” Leslie says. Graham says nobody’s ever survived five pressure tests, but he says that they’ve never met him.
They’ll be cooking live prawns and Graham says making ceviche is the best way, which Victoria’s happy about, but then Joe calls them back. He wants them to make tempura instead. Gordon wants them to make broiled stuffed prawns. Then Graham announces that they have to make all three, which seems a little excessive. But that’s not all. Gordon announces that two of them are going to go home at the end of the challenge.
With that, the three cooks start cooking like their lives depend on it. This pressure test is a lot of pressure and everyone agrees it’s basically impossible. They’re being set up for failure here. Leslie seems to be the frontrunner since he’s from Malibu, but it could be anybody’s game. Ahran’s stressed out. She doesn’t know what ceviche should look like and she’s scared of the prawns. I don’t blame her, though; I would be freaking out too. Victoria’s most concerned about the broiled prawns. “I dodged a hand grenade,” Courtney says.
Ahran’s having a terrible time, but Gordon tells her she can do it. She’s an amazing cook and has really proved herself despite being the youngest contestant. Courtney even starts talking to her and encouraging her.
Double Elimination
Then the time’s up and the judges check out the dishes. Graham likes Leslie’s ceviche, and Ahran tells him she was more stressed than when she was taking the SATs, which is hilarious. Her ceviche has too much liquid, but it’s not terrible. Victoria’s has too much liquid as well. Joe tries the tempura next. He likes them all pretty much, but he likes Victoria’s best. Gordon then tries the stuffed prawns. Leslie’s is too soggy, and Ahran’s doesn’t have enough salt. Meanwhile, Victoria’s has too many breadcrumbs and her prawns are raw. Gordon says it’s seasoned beautifully but cooked terribly.
In the end, Victoria’s sent home and it’s down to the eldest versus the youngest. Ahran and Leslie have had so much history, but they really grew. They ultimately send Ahran home and Leslie gets to stay. It’s a really emotional moment. Then Gordon asks Ahran who’s going to win MasterChef and she says Leslie. She also says that she’d never heard her parents tell her they were proud of her until she entered the competition.
MasterChef airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
