|
|
GSNN
Primes |
|
Previous Episodes July 27 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Home cooks from all over the country have a shot to become the newest star in the culinary firmament. Recaps by Chico Alexander, GSNN
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright Statement Powered by 1&1 Internet |
|
Auditions
2 Last time, the search for America's first MasterChef began with you, one dish, and three epicurean giants, two Michelin-starred chefs and one restauranteur. For many, the dream ended before it ever began. Others... they got a MasterChef apron and moved one step closer to $250,000, their own cookbook, and the title of MasterChef. As a reminder, cooks have ONE HOUR to cook the dish of their lives. Then it'll go before Gordon, Graham, and Joe. They like it, you get an apron. They don't like it, thanks for playing, door's that way. First tonight is Tamar Poyser (27, NJ, unemployed), originally from Jamaica. She quit her job for this. Her dish... lobster curry on a bed of rice. It's actually more appetizing to look at in the Dutch oven instead of on rice. Graham likes the flavors. Gordon thought the plate was pretentious. Graham thinks that she has to be more confident. It'll be up to Joe now... "No, it's not MasterChef." Gordon thinks that it was a mistake to let her go. Graham thought it was delicious... So what to do... While Tamar is crying her eyes out, Graham comes out into the prep kitchen and basically says... "Hey Tamar, you forgot this." Apron. Whitney Miller (22, MS, student) has food wisdom beyond her years. But is it good enough to pursue in the MasterChef kitchen? She has blackened catfish tacos with mango chutney. She's impressed the judges, but is she ready to face the pressure of competition? Gordon says he wants to see her in a year. Enter the sister pleading for her. Joe says yes. It's up to Graham... "I'm sorry... but you're gonna have to put school on hold for a bit." Some people were not that lucky. Jake Gandolfo (38; CA; construction worker) is what you call "a closet cook". He thinks he can expand in this competition. For such a big guy, he's got a lot of dainty moves with his surf and turf (Italian spedini). I don't know what that was, but it isn't a surf & turf. Gordon says no, Graham says yes. Joe is frankly insulted that he calls something Italian that clearly isn't. Graham will vouch for him... Good enough for an apron. Tom (47; mortgage broker; NY) serves pasta fagioli... layered. With canned beans. Strike one. When he's not using fresh, he's carving apple heads. To the surprise of no one, they're all brown. Gordon? "My apple... tastes BETTER... than that." After a few bad apples, Roberto Liuzzo, Azmina Aboobaker, Sheetal Bhagat, Sharone Hakman, and Joe Gill all strike gold. The onus is on Jennifer Thal (35, MA, homemaker) to continue the streak. She went from "you're dying" to "you're not dying" to "cooking." And now she's cooking a chicken florentine salad with black garlic and pomegranate infusion. Jennifer says that she has a gift for combining things. Graham says it's not apron-worthy. Joe says yes. Gordon... says yes. A few aprons remaining. Could one go to Adeliz Garcia (28; Whittier, CA; legal assistant), who likens food to family? She's making ... relleno de tostones. And I hope you got all the ingredients down, because I didn't. Neither did the judges, who say that she's screwing herself before the tasting. It's stuffed plantains. She can hear the passion, but she can't taste it. She's missing the heart and soul. The essence of cooking. Gordon tells her to go back to Whittier, raid her pantry, and cook to her strength. She's got TWO HOURS to do so. Meanwhile, Sheena Zadeh (26; CA) hopes to win an apron with pork tenderloin medallion with spaetzle. It's got potential, but it's "more than slightly" overcooked. Joe... yes. Graham... no. Gordon... yes. Darryl Pierce (28; CO; public relations) was born with ectrodactyly. He's got three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot. He doesn't let it hold him back, though. We want his baby back baby back baby back...ribs. Impossible to do in an hour, but there it is. Joe says he's a risk-taker... yes. Graham says it didn't do it for him. Gordon... the sauce is incredible. He's through. BACK TO ADELIZ, who had one more shot at this, and two more hours to make it happen. It involves a trip across town to her house, a raid of her pantry, and the promise of cooking like her life depended on it. Mom's with her, so in two hours, they'll either be celebrating... or commiserating. She whips up a New Mexican Chile Relleno. Miles better. Definitely worth an apron. And the lineup is set. And the real game begins. Thirty home cooks... But there can only be one MasterChef. And it's going to get harder quickly. How hard? In seven days, more than half of the 30 will not be in the running, and it'll all rest on one egg and one onion. To see this episode in its entirety, go to fox.com/masterchef. |
|