Highlights 11 Celebrity MasterChef

16 celebrities have been battling it out to win the coveted MasterChef crown.

It's do or die today, isn't it?

These celebrities have already reached the top of their profession.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

Going home is definitely not an option.

No-one remembers second place. I want to be in that final three.

May the best chef win!

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

These five celebrities are the last cooks standing

in the battle to become the next MasterChef champion.

It's a bit cheesy, but I'm so happy to be here.

It's been one of the most challenging things I've ever done,

a real emotional roller-coaster.

The final is a couple of challenges away.

When you get that close, you can taste it.

Some people might think the final is round the corner.

It's a motorway, then a corner.

I desperately want to be here at the end

and hear John and Gregg call that name out.

Last time, the five semi-finalists had to overcome one of the hardest disciplines of all,

patisserie, for some of the harshest critics.

I'm hoping it will be delicious because we're going to eat it, aren't we?

They don't look very glamorous, do they?

I don't know what to do now.

Gently, gently.

- I can't see. - It's just a complete disaster.

I don't know what it tasted of. Certainly not Bakewell tart, never in a million years.

What I'm going to do, I'm going to use it as glue.

I'll fill in the cracks, cover it all up and present it just like a really bad builder.

-Why didn't you just cut them into squares?

-Because it didn't look perfect.

-Does it look nice now?

I know how to make custard. I don't know why I'm being so stupid today.

-We've got curdling custard.

-A total disaster!

It is hard.

I did not expect our five to find this as tough as they did.

I think today has proved just how difficult pastry is.

Today, mistakes aplenty, but tomorrow, there can't be any if they want to stay in the competition.

Welcome back. We want one stunningly beautiful pudding that will send me into raptures.

Anything less and you're in danger of going home.

One dish, one hour and 15 minutes. Let's cook.

It's show time!

Never can I remember so much resting on one dessert.

Hurdy-gurdy-gurdy.

A terrible day for me yesterday. Hopefully, I can turn it round today.

I'm doing a sticky toffee pudding with a vanilla ice cream with this toffee sauce.

-Is that pushing yourself enough?

-I think so. It's something I eat when I go out.

-We'll see.

-Good luck, Nick.

Nick had better get the vanilla ice cream right because if not, it's a little bit safe.

Oh, that's better.

You seem very busy today, Linda.

I am very busy today because I've got to prove myself after the last task.

I'm doing a pear pudding.

It's really like a Yorkshire pudding batter. And a coffee and banana pie.

-We've got two little tarts on a plate.

-Yeah.

I hope to do some custard to prove I can make custard after yesterday.

-Can you do enough to stay in the competition?

-I really hope so.

Just 30 minutes to finish your dish.

My dessert, it's something I ate a lot of as a young kid.

I don't think anyone will know what it is, but it means an awful lot to me.

-A junket is my main piece today.

-I know the name, but I've no idea what it is.

It's an old-fashioned set milk, really, like a milk jelly.

I'm going to use rhubarb on top and also attempt to make a biscuit.

-You're doing a great big custard?

-Yeah.

20 minutes left.

-Danny, what are you going to cook for us?

-It's an amalg...

-Amalgamation?

-Yeah. Of a St-Emilion chocolate mousse into a tart.

I'll stick some macaroons soaked in brandy in the middle.

This is a Danny invention? You can't get this recipe anywhere?

I don't think so. But probably in bits, it's out there.

-You're still playing with this as you serve it up.

-No.

-You're going on stage and you haven't written the song.

-That often happens. It's called improvising.

11 minutes left. That's all you've got.

I'm trying to create a plate of intense flavour

and different sensations. I hope I can do it.

The basic element of it is a clementine cake,

but you have three different flavour sensations with it - limoncello and passion fruit ice cream,

orange sorbet with star anise with lime Chantilly.

-Wow!

-You have to up your game, don't you?

Last five minutes.

Last five minutes.

That's it. Time's up.

Phil's dessert is a nutmeg junket with spiced rhubarb.

-Didn't you say you were going to do a biscuit?

-I tasted it.

I just went with gut instinct and thought it confused it too much.

It tastes great. It's milk with nutmeg.

I like the slight sweetness, but still the sourness of the rhubarb. That's good.

Never before on MasterChef has anybody thought about doing junket and good on you for doing it.

It is a sweet milk set custard and I quite like that.

I would have loved a biscuit. And I don't think they were that bad, but that's your choice.

Danny has invented a chocolate mousse and brandy macaroon tart with Chantilly cream.

It's not that sweet at all and because of that, I really like it.

But it's also very well made.

It's a nice chocolate cake.

Even into the pastry, there's still chocolate. I love it.

Linda's dish is a coffee and banana pie

and a pear brioche pudding with custard.

Lump-free custard, as you promised!

I like that. It's spongy, it's pear juice, it tastes of cinnamon. It's good.

Cream and banana and just a hint of toffee - that one needs more toffee.

I feel that you've given me two of your favourite cakes, rather than a dessert.

I think the banana and cream pie is a bit of a mistake

-because the star of the show is definitely that little pear tart with custard.

-Undoubtedly.

-I had to show you that I could do custard and pastry.

-It doesn't all work together.

Kirsty's clementine cake is served with passion fruit and limoncello ice cream,

orange and star anise sorbet

and lime Chantilly cream.

I would not want to eat the cake with all those three little accompaniments in one mouthful,

but I absolutely love your clementine cake, lovely ice cream,

-the sweetness and sourness of the passion fruit. It's very, very good.

-Thank you.

Cor! Really, really first-class work, Kirsty.

Thank you.

Nick has made sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Super, super yum. Flavours, tastes, textures - good.

I'd say job well done.

The ice cream goes really well with that very rich, spicy sauce and your light pudding.

-The last time we saw you, it was a disaster. Is it enough to save you?

-I don't know.

Only you two gentlemen know that one. I have no idea.

You've all done pretty good work. It's pretty close which, from a judging point of view, is hell.

Thank you very much. Off you go.

Cast your mind back to the start of this competition.

The first few days we saw these celebs, did we think they would ever be as good as this?

You could see they messed up yesterday, but today, they didn't.

Kirsty was out to demonstrate her skill.

It was a really clever presentation, it was all well made and she worked very hard.

-Kirsty in?

-Kirsty stays.

What's interesting about Danny still is that he continues to evolve the dish as he's cooking.

He cooks like an artist, you know, like an artist works.

So Danny's in.

Anybody who comes on MasterChef and makes junket is a brave person.

Don't forget, Phil had never actually handled pastry before, John.

The first time he had ever done it was at that retirement village.

-That guy's a good cook.

-I'm happy for Phil to stay.

-That means the decision is now between Nick and Linda.

-Oh!

For Nick, an absolute terrible Bakewell tart at the retirement village,

and today, a decent sticky toffee pudding.

I really enjoyed it.

I'm really hoping that I've done enough to get through.

If it's good enough, it's good enough, and if it's not, it's not.

For Linda, absolutely terrible syrup tart.

Today, she wanted to prove that she could make pastry, she could do something sweet properly

and she, in a way, did that.

It's so close, just one task away,

that I would hate to fall at this hurdle.

We have to make a decision. It's hard. Very, very hard indeed.

-I think I know who should go. I just don't want to admit it to myself.

-I think you're right.

The person leaving us...

..is Linda.

-Thank you so very much for absolutely everything.

-That's all right.

It's all right.

APPLAUSE

Obviously, I'm disappointed, but it's been great fun, a great learning curve,

and you know, it was my time to go.

Well done. Well done.

Well done.

I'm really gutted for Linda as I've been with her since the beginning, but I'm over the moon for myself.

Now we've got to do it all again!

The realisation now of the next challenge and ultimately producing a dish

which will be worthy of John and Gregg sending you through to the final, so the pressure is on.

The bar has been raised. The standard of cooking is higher from everybody

and if you drop below, it's not good enough.

The pressure steps up a notch with each round. You can't explain it.

Now just one challenge stands between them and a place in the final.

I'm really into it now and I don't want to go home.

This day is by far the biggest one.

You've got to go for it, haven't you?

Today, they will be cooking for three of the country's most feared restaurant critics.

-Critics have fierce reputations. John, if it's not absolutely right, they will say so.

-Bring it on.

All that separates you now from a place in the final three

are three courses of absolute stunning food.

One hour and 45 minutes.

Good luck. Let's cook.

Nick, actor, the longest-serving member of Hollyoaks,

he puffs, he puffs...

This is a meltdown. I don't know what to do now.

But he has style, he has a very good palate.

Happy days.

You're one step away from being in the final

and if you get knocked out now... I don't even want to think about it.

Nick, when you started MasterChef, did you have any idea that you would be so enthralled, captivated?

Not at all. It's absolutely taken over my life.

-What are you making?

-I'm going to do a scallop ceviche

and a fillet of beef with a fondant potato, then apple tarte tatin.

-Are you going to go home with a big smile or tears in your eyes?

-Hopefully, it can be a big smile.

I've got a one in four chance of going through. A one in three chance. Not bad odds.

You have a three in four chance of going through, a one in four chance of going home.

-Your maths is rubbish.

-I'm an actor, ain't I?

Nick's menu is clever and it's actually quite classic.

Every restaurant critic ever has had a tarte tatin and had a very good one and a really bad one.

I think he is playing with fire right now.

Phil Vickery, England rugby captain, World Cup winner, that man is a natural cook.

Wow!

His food is now robust, but with elegance.

I never expected something as pretty and as tasty as a dish like that from you ever.

That guy has discovered his style, he's sticking with it and he loves to cook.

You can't sit back and rest on your laurels.

It's about today, what you're doing right now, what's going out on that plate.

Phil, does it worry you feeding restaurant critics?

It worries me feeding anyone, but particularly people who know exactly how it's supposed to taste.

-What's your menu?

-I'm doing pigeon breast for a starter with some apple, puy lentils with duck breast

-and chocolate brownie with cream and cherries for dessert.

-Nice menu.

-Are the family proud of what you've done here?

-My little man wants to know why I'm not at home as much.

It'll mean an awful lot to them, but I'm proud of what I've done here.

Phil's got a nice menu. Got pigeon breast, got to get the balance right.

His dessert is dangerous because he's got to find a way to make it look stunning.

A chocolate brownie looking stunning? Really?

You've had half an hour. Half an hour gone.

What am I doing? Have a word with yourself, Nicholas.

Kirsty Wark is a respected journalist. Who knew that lady could cook like this?

-That looks lovely.

-Good.

She just gets better and better and better.

Kirsty, I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart, I think your bowl of pasta is delicious.

I'm under enormous pressure to do well today. This is what I love to cook.

So what I want to combine is great flavours and fine ingredients with a bit of flair.

-Kirsty, what's at stake today?

-Everything.

It's a case of raising my game as much as possible.

-What are we making?

-Smoked haddock and bacon souffle, guinea fowl sauteed with morels

on a parsnip and potato puree with some little barrels of courgette,

-then I'm making lemon tart with blueberries.

-Wow!

The idea of the pudding is to be hopefully very, very tasty, but simple and elegant.

-We'll leave you to it.

-Thank you very much.

Kirsty has given herself a huge amount of work to do. A haddock souffle to start? That's risky.

-If it doesn't work, you can't save it.

-The main course, I don't know.

Guinea fowl, parsnip mash and morels could be lovely. I'm not sure about all of them together.

30 minutes for your first course.

Danny is a renowned musician, John, so creative, so inventive, always lives on the edge.

I'm going to use it as glue.

I'm going to fill in the cracks, cover it all up.

He's individual, he's exciting. He continues to wow.

If you've invented that out of your mind, that's great.

Every challenge is getting tougher. You have to think about something different you haven't done before.

I'd love to come out through the doors and feel, "Wow, I've done my best here!"

-Danny, you look like you're at ease in here now.

-At the moment. Things might get more tough as we go along.

-What are you going to cook?

-A lobster bisque to start, wild trout with new potatoes

and some sauteed spinach and Hollandaise sauce, then rhubarb and strawberry souffle.

It's themed on a riverside pub lunch maybe.

-How close is this getting to the excitement of playing in a band?

-It's pretty close, definitely.

It depends how good the gig is. If you're playing in Uzbekistan or something...

So it's better than a live gig in Uzbekistan?

Yes, totally, hand on heart, it's better than that.

Danny's menu is very interesting.

The question must be - will he have enough time to get enough flavour into a stock to make a decent soup?

As service looms, the critics arrive.

Jay Rayner is a food and restaurant critic for The Observer.

Tracey MacLeod writes for The Independent magazine.

And Charles Campion is a food writer for The Evening Standard.

15 minutes and those critics are expecting some food.

-It smells horrible, man.

-What does it taste of?

It tastes of sort of cream and wine and flour.

Yeah. It ain't very good, is it?

I'm just going to try and save it a bit, but I'm so far behind now, it's mental.

While Danny attempts to make his lobster bisque for the second time,

the pressure is on Nick to serve the critics first.

It's an attractive menu. The dishes seem to fit together very well.

Scallop ceviche, so it's all about getting the marinade really cutting through and plenty of flavour.

There's a lot to get wrong. A lot of scallops could die in vain on that dish.

What are you doing? What's going on?

-It needs more seasoning.

-Mm-mm.

Don't panic. OK?

Come on, Nick.

-Are we done? Can we go?

-We can go on those.

Good luck.

-Good afternoon.

-Hello.

-How are you all?

There you go. This is a scallop ceviche.

Thank you.

Nick is hoping to impress with his ceviche of scallops,

avocado, onion,

tequila and lime.

I have this little fantasy that this was beautifully arranged on a plate,

but it got dropped and he's had to make do and scooped it into the bowl because it is a bit of a mess.

The flavours are pretty well balanced.

He's understood the Mexican roots of the dish and he's got avocado in there and fresh coriander leaves.

The flavours are indeed well balanced, but the textures are not.

I mean, the big chunks of red onion and there's a whole piece of lime here that I gave a good chewing to.

The greatest pitfall of a ceviche is you over-dress it. He hasn't, so thumbs up for that.

He hasn't killed these poor scallops.

It's really refreshing. It's got strength in things like onion and citrus in there as well.

I think it's quite a beautiful thing, but I think it looks a little bit '70s garish!

You've got eight minutes before that main course goes out.

Fillet of beef with onion puree, it could all come off beautifully. It could be a total disaster!

You've got blood everywhere.

Three minutes left, OK?

All right, mushrooms, let's go.

Looks good. That's a man's meal.

-Idiot!

-What have you done?

-A little bit of...

-Are you done?

-Two seconds. How long have I got?

Now, now. We've got to go now.

-Done?

-Yeah.

-Good lad.

-Right, good.

I'm having a little bit of an issue with the doors!

OK... There you go.

Nick's main course is a fillet of beef

on an onion puree,

served with mushroom sauce and a fondant potato.

Top marks - clearly he hasn't overcooked this beef,

but it also looks like he's then carved it up using a penknife.

The beef is cooked fairly accurately. It would have benefited from being cut thinner.

One thing I really like, even though it's not perfect, is the potato. The texture's nice.

A lot of what Nick's done is pretty good.

The mushroom sauce with a bit of seasoning could have been the real deal.

Interesting-looking dish. It doesn't look like very much, but it delivers quite nicely on flavour.

I love the beef with the sweet onion and the sweet mushroom sauce. I love that.

OK, pudding. Your timing's brilliant. OK, now pudding.

-How long are those tarts going to take to cook in the oven?

-About 15.

Never, ever do that again. OK?

That sugar is presently about 170 degrees.

-You've just burnt your tongue, haven't you?

-Yeah.

Ow!

Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!

-How long have I got, Gregg?

-Get those in.

-All right, boss.

Apple tarte tatin. If it's correctly done, it'll be fantastic.

I'm gonna die here! I'm gonna die.

You're setting yourself up for a fall if you do a great classic dish.

Whey! Come on, careful. Careful.

Yumster!

Here you go.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy. Thanks very much.

To finish, Nick has served apple tarte tatin with clotted cream.

For me, that's undercooked, rather soggy pastry.

Undercooked, slightly, apples. It's not as good as it should be.

Dare I say it, you're being a little bit harsh.

Yeah, there's some soggy pastry in the middle, but I have had much worse.

It tastes a lot better than it looks.

I think the flavours are really good. Pastry's not cooked enough.

Ohhh, mate!

'It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.'

I've done opening nights in the West End and it's worse than that.

I'm still in a bit of a daze. I'm glad it's over, put it that way.

I'm glad it's over.

-Seven or eight minutes before you wow them. All right, Phil?

-Yep.

Which brings us to Phil Vickery's menu. I do like pigeon breast. I'm very fond of it.

But it can be as tough as anything if you don't cook it right and rest it.

-Time check, please.

-Four minutes.

What has to go on? Black pudding and sauce?

You're running a bit over.

-A bit of an apology wouldn't go amiss.

-Good luck.

Good afternoon. Apologies for the slight delay.

Thanks, Phil.

Phil has served a starter of seared pigeon breast on roasted apples with black pudding cubes,

pea shoots and a cider jus.

I don't think I've ever seen such a marked contrast between a chef and a dish!

I like the apple and the crispness of the black pudding and the earthiness. Quite sophisticated.

There isn't a lot of this cider jus, but it's just added that little bit of sweetness.

-This is really nice.

-There are some nice flavours, but the pigeon is very undercooked. Very tender,

but raw meat tends to be.

-That is lovely. Look at that.

-Beautiful.

That spicy black pudding with those apples and that perfectly-cooked pigeon is delicious.

I really, really like that.

-What have you got to do for this main?

-Make sure it's cooked and rested.

-How long will it take?

It needs...at least 7-10 minutes for it to rest properly.

Duck breast with puy lentils and spinach is something you might make for supper if you've not much time.

A bit odd to have a pigeon breast as your opening move and then a duck breast.

Pity there isn't goose breast pudding.

We are five minutes over.

Just herbs to go on?

Let's go.

Thanks, Phil.

Thank you.

Phil has served his duck breast on top of pancetta and carrot lentils with micro red chard.

It smells terrific, I have to say.

There's quite a lot to say, but I really like the lentils with lumps of smoky pancetta.

-Terrific. Really well done.

-This is a surprisingly delicate plateful and the flavours are delicate.

It's carefully judged. He hasn't overdone it, nicely seasoned. What's not to like?

-The duck is cooked beautifully.

-There's so much flavour in those lentils - sweetness and acidity.

I think that's lovely.

Can we, just for me, be on time? 12 minutes.

Chocolate Brownie is always a winner if it's properly soggy. It could work for me.

Phil, how long? You promised me 12.

I'll make sure I get there.

-How you'll stop them from rolling, I'm not quite sure.

-Walk like a soldier, steady as a rock.

Thank you.

You guys should be poker players!

-Want a game of cards later?

-Not with you three, no!

Definitely not. Hope you enjoy. Thank you very much.

His dessert is a chocolate brownie

with kirsch cherries and cream.

I've eaten a lot of desserts here, but this is one of the best.

Cherries are wonderfully soused in kirsch. Fantastic. I want it all.

You've got a warmth here and the crunchy top to it,

but there's a soggy, yielding middle. Very chocolatey.

When biscuits say "double chocolate chip", this is six or seven times! Really good.

Three critics with nothing to criticise. Perfect.

It's cocoa, chocolate and then you burst into a cherry. That's nice.

Perfect.

Ohh, my goodness me.

'You get to that final fence'

and you just want it to be perfect.

But there we go. Did my best.

Is it good enough?

Up to the experts, as they say.

-Kirsty, 15, the starter goes out. Yes?

-Yes.

Kirsty's menu looks like a menu put together by someone with passion for food and flavours.

Smoked haddock and bacon souffle is a dish you'd see on any contemporary restaurant menu.

-Difficult to do and challenging.

-Just put them in the oven.

Needs to be light and airy, not too eggy.

-You happy?

-I'm getting there.

-I've gone back to square one when it comes to tidiness.

-Stuff everywhere!

Before they sink, quick. Let's go.

Whoa!

-Just let me chip something off here. How long have I got?

-Now!

Well done.

It's sinking.

-Afternoon.

-Afternoon.

Hello.

Ah...texture's there.

Very light. It's like the filling of some sort of dream bacon and egg pie.

It's well made, technique is good, seasoning is good, looks very nice. Very hard to argue.

My one criticism is I actually think there's a little too much bacon,

but it is rather compelling.

It's light, it's fluffy and it's full of big, smoky fish flavour. It's lovely.

-right, Kirsty. Come on, mate! Main courses.

-Yep.

Four minutes.

'Guinea fowl?'

Hopefully will come to life with the parsnip and potato puree.

Sounds a bit sweet.

Could be a terrific plate of food.

Can't decide whether to pour the gravy or to separate.

Just having a crisis of confidence with my gravy. ..No, I'm going to put it in a dish.

Right, I'm out of here. I'm going out with my gravy.

Straight back for the other plate.

Thank you.

Kirsty's main is guinea fowl leg on potato and parsnip puree

with sauteed morels and baby onions, courgettes and a shallot, morel and sherry gravy.

I really like the guinea fowl. Lovely crisp skin, the meat's got lots of flavouring

and I really like the parsnip and potato puree. The morels don't add anything. It's a posh accessory.

It's a set of quite nice ingredients, not badly cooked, and the sauce lacks punch.

It's a nice plate of food, but not a very exciting one.

It looks really odd. An unusual combination of ingredients.

The guinea fowl is succulent. I also like the morels.

What I don't like is the watery courgette and the watery onion on top of all of that.

There's a real lack of direction. Nothing really comes together.

Lemon and blueberry tart. Down to two things - is there enough zing in the lemon filling

and does the pastry crack?

Two minutes, please.

-How are you doing, Kirsty?

-Fine, thank you.

-You should be serving by now.

-Is it important where the last blueberry goes?

-Yes! Everything is important to the last drop.

Her dessert is a lemon curd tart with blueberries and cream.

I'm going to be a bit brutal here.

If you scrape this off and get to this pastry shell,

it's a very heavily-engineered piece. It's very thick.

It's very solid. It turns into shrapnel at the slightest pressure.

The filling is lemon curd.

It's a very good way to make a quick lemon tart for your mates.

It's not a very good way to make a tart to give to us.

Not quite what you expect from this stage in this competition.

Lemon curd's nicely balanced. Decent lemon tart.

A tart case filled with lemon curd with blueberries on top. Sorry. I don't think it works.

I really hope I've done enough to go through.

I think it's come to be just a kind of great adventure.

I really don't want it to stop now.

OK, Danny, you've got 15 minutes on your first course, please.

Danny Goffey's menu - lobster bisque,

a bisque which requires long cooking of the shells to get real depth of flavour.

-That's nice.

-Have you rescued it?

I think it's OK.

Come on, Danny.

Hi.

Danny has served a starter of lobster bisque with buttered lobster tail, paprika,

chives and caviar.

It's not the colour of lobster bisque. It's the colour of a 1970s velour sofa.

Pretty well-balanced. I don't know if he poached the lobster in the soup, but it's really nice.

It just doesn't have the intensity and "Ya-rah!" that you expect lobster bisque to be.

It's not the worst soup in the world. Quite nice. And he didn't overcook the lobster.

It hasn't had enough time to mature. I like the lobster. I don't mind the texture of the soup at all.

-It just doesn't have enough base flavour.

-It starts, but it just doesn't stay with you.

All right?

-You've now got 12 minutes.

-Really?

-How long does that fish take?

-10.

-Better get in the oven.

Are you still going to attempt Hollandaise and spinach?

-Yes. I've got a very quick recipe for the Hollandaise.

-Right.

-It can take two minutes.

Herb-stuffed wild trout, new potatoes, spinach and Hollandaise sauce. Sounds great,

but it's quite complex. It'll be interesting to see if he can pull it off.

Uhhh...

It's curdled.

-What's happened?

-The Hollandaise has...

-Not worked?

-..curdled.

So what are you going to do? Spinach and...the trout?

Right.

I can't remember what time I put the trouts in. Seven minutes?

Two minutes, please, Dan.

Go. Go, go.

Smile. That's it - perfect.

Carnage.

-All right. How are you?

-Very well.

-Had a nightmare.

There's no Hollandaise sauce. I apologise, but there's quite a lot of juice in the fish and stuff.

His main course is wild trout en papillote, stuffed with onion and parsley,

served with new potatoes and garlic wilted spinach.

It's brave of Danny to cook something en papillote because you cannot tell whether or not it's cooked.

Unfortunately, it's just not cooked, which is a shame. Could have been nice.

I wish the Hollandaise had come through so I could say something nice. There ain't anything here.

There are issues on this plate. Danny got in an absolute fluster.

We've got trout sashimi in a bag.

-Good.

-Right, your famous souffle. Come on, do it.

-Are your souffle moulds ready?

-Yeah.

-Oven at the right temperature?

-I just need... Yeah.

I need caster sugar.

-All right, mate? Doing well.

-Oh, man.

Souffle is all about timing. Danny's a drummer. Presumably, timing is his forte,

but again this is ambitious.

Right, come on. Let's go. Quick.

All right? Sorry about the wait there.

I'll give you one first cos you had to wait the other times.

Thank you very much.

Danny has served his rhubarb and strawberry souffle

with a rhubarb coulis.

This is looking clean, elegant...

-The rhubarb coulis is quite nice. It's quite sharp.

-It's like a smaller, lighter Baked Alaska.

He's actually done it very well. A lovely, delicate little thing.

It's sweet, it's small and it didn't outstay its welcome.

Hints of strawberry and rhubarb. Lovely souffle.

Ahhh...

'I just had a real nightmare.'

It just got on top of me from my early stages of doing the soup.

It was a bit hectic and it was really hard work.

Really hard work.

Today was always going to be tough. Critics' day, four very good cooks.

-I think the best competition so far.

-Phil had an absolute cracker.

-I totally agree.

-He put a smile on their face and that's not easy.

I don't have a criticism of that starter. The pigeon was beautifully cooked.

-They thought it was raw, but it worked really well.

-It looked a picture.

Main course - duck cooked brilliantly, lentils full of flavour but still attractive on the plate.

And then the chocolate brownie and those cherries that burst flavour when you bit down on them.

I've given it every ounce of the big man's effort.

And hopefully it's enough.

-Today Phil was marvellous. Phil, we agree on, is through.

-Agreed.

Nick's menu was really well thought out.

Scallops - I liked the flavours. They were sharp, clean. Quite exciting.

Nick's main course, lots of work. It was a nice dish.

Beef was cooked very well. Mushroom sauce, decent.

The dessert - great concept. Tarte tatin, but that pastry was not quite cooked enough.

Decent I would say. The sort of stuff I like to eat.

I got it all out in time. I'm absolutely ringing wet, sweat,

so you can't really ask any more, can you?

I think Nick and Phil are safe and we have to decide between Kirsty and Danny.

-Kirsty's souffle was lovely.

-Well risen, good body, lovely flavours. Very good souffle.

Main course - it confused. It wasn't quite right.

-The lemon tart, I quite liked it.

-Thick pastry, lemon curd and a few blueberries on top.

-Not a lot of skill there.

-Kirsty's food lacks excitement. It was functional.

It's important to impress with three dishes to get to the final.

After coming so far, it would be just gutting to go home today.

I felt for Danny today. He got in such a fluster. His first batch of bisque did not turn out.

At least he had the temerity to make a second batch. The lobster inside the soup was really tasty.

The soup - not enough depth. His main course I looked forward to.

Hollandaise sauce, curdled. Inside that parcel was trout, which was half-cooked, half-raw.

Souffle. I thought it was delicious. Really delicious.

I think the amount of stress that I was under, you know, kind of reflected in it.

Just a mad day for it all to happen, I guess.

Danny's menu was really ambitious. He doesn't do safe. It's creative.

When he gets it right, he gets it spectacularly right. Today he tripped up.

And actually Kirsty didn't make any mistakes. She served the food she wanted and we were underwhelmed.

We've got to try to find the real talent, the people who can go through and cope with the finals.

We really, really don't want to see one of you leave the competition.

The person leaving us...

-..is Danny.

-You are not leaving!

-Thank you so much, mate.

-Thank you.

-It's all right.

Cheers, man.

Cheer, big boy.

Arrgh!

Thanks, guys.

-Nice one.

-Wa-hey!

-I had a bit of a nightmare today.

Thanks, guys. Good luck to everyone. Have a great time.

I suppose I'm disappointed, yeah.

I just tried a bit too much.

I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really had no idea of how much I would be absorbed by this.

I feel very happy to have got this far. I'll take away a lot of mad memories.

Lovely memories.

I guess it's... back to writing songs next week.

Congratulations. You are our three finalists. Well done!

CHEERING

I'm thrilled. I'm delighted.

I just cannot... Seriously?!

If I'd said at the beginning I'd get to the final, I'd have never thought it.

I've got very mixed bags of emotions. I'm absolutely over the moon. I can't wait to tell my mum!

I'm really happy. Really, really happy.

Absolutely fantastic. I would never have thought in a million years

that I'd be stood here today. I'm really, really proud of myself.

- Well done, guys. - Well done.

Now it gets serious!

Next time, it's the MasterChef Finals.

Quiet, please! And...action.

Kirsty, Phil and Nick will be pushed to the limit.

- Whoo! - Mayday!

You won the World Cup. This is easy.

Our Celebrity MasterChef Champion is...

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011

Email [email protected]