Episode 21 Celebrity MasterChef

We've had 16 celebrities

battling it out to win the MasterChef crown.

There's massive pressure!

This is worse than A-levels!

Only the best are left.

Now the competition REALLY begins!

I'd love to get to the final.

I would almost feel I'd failed if I didn't.

I'm really happy to be here,

but I want more now.

After four weeks of intense challenges,

these eight celebrities are back

to fight for their place in the competition.

It feels amazing to be in the final eight.

But now I'm here, I really want to go for it.

I want to really make my mark.

I'm thinking and dreaming about food.

That's the first thing I think about in the morning,

the last thing before I sleep. It just takes over.

They say, "It's not about winning, it's about taking part."

No, it's about winning!

You've made it to the final eight. That is fantastic.

That's a huge achievement.

You have to cook for us one dish.

One dish that shows that you have the potential

to go further in the competition,

if not the potential to WIN the competition.

At the end of this,

not one, but two of you are going home.

Ladies and gentlemen, 1½ hours -

your show-stopper. Let's cook.

I'm loving being a part of MasterChef.

I just want to make sure

I keep going, keep doing a good job, and stay in as long as I can.

Michael, the waft from your bench is one of butter, sugar and vanilla.

Yes.

Which can only mean one thing - a dessert.

When it comes to a show-stopper, whenever I'm out,

it's the desserts that make me go, "Wow!" So I thought it was a good choice.

I'll do a strawberry cheesecake,

shortbread stack with vanilla cream, and end with something different -

strawberry, basil and black pepper smoothie.

I think at this stage,

I need to show that I can raise my game

and achieve a higher level.

Gregg loves desserts. Win over Gregg,

you have a touch.

Cos he'll win over John. "Come on, John.

"It's a dessert. It's got sugar in it - it's amazing!"

The issue for Michael is he has not just one thing that could go wrong,

he has three things that can go wrong.

He has to convince you and I

it's a really good idea to serve a strawberry smoothie with pepper and basil.

I was taking this seriously from the first day I came in.

This one plate,

I think it's very important

not to try and throw too many things at it.

Not too intricate. I want to just get through.

I'm cooking herb-encrusted rack of lamb,

with red wine

and ruby port jus.

-How does it feel to be back here cooking?

-It's fantastic!

But I can just feel the pressure now after meeting these new people.

I don't know what my competition is, so it's a bit scary!

Javine is promising us

a classic dish, a restaurant-style dish.

Every single element of that dish has got to be beautiful

for the dish to succeed.

Guys, half an hour's gone!

I think the competition's gone really well, so far.

So...I'm feeling quite confident.

This is a step beyond anything I've really done before.

If it does work and I pull it off,

it should secure me going through.

What will you cook for us?

Venison with a celeriac puree,

wild mushrooms, served in a potato basket.

And a beetroot and pork jus.

We know you sometimes get nervous.

How are you feeling today?

I'm calming down now

because I've made it this far,

and I'm really surprised.

So there must be something,

and if I can harness that,

that will be what carries me through.

So far, I have lucked out, big time.

I'm nervous that any moment now,

John and Gregg might realise I don't have a clue what I'm doing!

Jamie, what trump card will you play today?

I have some red mullet,

and some langoustines,

which I'm going to do with a shellfish bisque,

and some saffron fondant potatoes,

and some green beans.

You have thrown into that sauce for one dish

a whole lobster tail,

two lobster claws,

the shells of four langoustines.

-That is going to have to be simply stunning, isn't it?

-That should be

the best shellfish bisque you have ever tasted.

Jamie needs a good balancing act here, John,

because his dish could be opulent and succulent, but it's rich.

You're halfway!

It means you've got 45 minutes left.

John and Gregg have invested time in you.

They've put you through to this point.

You want to do well for them, you really do.

I'm not feeling very confident today.

I've got a lot to do,

and I haven't done it right once.

Last night, I was on the verge of breaking down,

and thinking of excuses not to come in.

What are you cooking for us?

I'm making a Moroccan high tea.

It's like a normal high tea,

but I'm doing a Moroccan twist to it.

So I'm trying to bring my two great cultures together.

So I'm doing saffron chicken sandwiches,

stuffed sardine sandwiches,

stuffed dates with almond paste,

and I'm doing vanilla sables.

But why would you do all these little things,

rather than do one exquisite dish?

I just feel some of my personality has to be on that plate.

If I won this competition, it would be astonishing!

I don't know if John and Gregg will think this dish difficult enough

to warrant staying in this competition.

It's difficult enough for me,

but it might not be enough for them!

Cheryl, pressure's on today. What will you cook for us?

Minced prawn agnolotti,

with a sauteed lobster,

and prawn oil with butternut squash puree.

I thought, "I've got to do something now

"out of my comfort zone."

-Why do YOU love this dish?

-It's really tasty.

I liked the picture

of how I imagined it would look, and I thought,

"Right, let's have a go at this."

My daughter, on Sunday,

asked to have this dish instead of Sunday roast.

I was a bit wounded, cos I love my Sunday roast, but, yeah.

Still a huge amount of work to do, not a lot of time.

-No.

-You're going to get it done?

-Yeah, I'll be done.

Cheryl is doing agnolotti.

It sounds a beautiful, elegant dish.

For me, there is one thing she has to be very careful of.

The butternut squash could overpower every single bit of work

that Cheryl's doing.

Only 20 minutes left.

The learning curve in this process has been immense.

Today, I'm going for broke.

A madness had descended,

and I'm going to attempt a shaped tuile biscuit.

I've even made my own template out of an ice-cream tub.

Emma, the usual big smile on your face?

-Happy to be back.

-What will you cook to put a smile on our face?

I'm going to do you a spiced pear,

stuffed with prunes that have been warmed in Armagnac.

And I will serve that with a pistachio praline cream

and an orange tuile biscuit.

You are promising a lot of dainty detail here. You're really pushing yourself.

I really am. I think this is part of the process.

It's about broadening your experience.

When I first came here,

I'd never poached an egg, lest we forget.

And now I've just made that.

That's because of you two, that is.

What has happened to Emma?! John, she is cooking like a pro.

Beautiful, stunning stuff.

As long as she really has learned the skills to pull it off.

Only 15 minutes left now, please.

Since I finished playing,

I've craved that adrenalin rush, that buzz.

Being in a kitchen has given me the majority of that buzz.

I know what I can produce.

If I do it right, get everything spot on,

then it will look good, should taste pretty good,

and hopefully that'll be enough.

I'm doing pan-fried pigeon breast,

on a bubble and squeak rosti

with a Muscadet sauce and a fig tarte tatin.

What's the sweetcorn for?

Ah, sorry, it's a sweetcorn veloute, just on the other side,

to go with the...

Danny, you're going for sweet and savoury on the same plate.

Exciting stuff, if you get it right.

If I get it right. If I try everything, and it works,

I think it will be great.

If it goes wrong,

I'll be seeing you guys on the telly.

You have got just ten minutes

to make this dish perfect!

Three minutes! Come on!

That's it! Your time's up.

Stop!

First up is Michael,

who has made a trio of strawberry desserts.

A shortbread biscuit stack with vanilla cream,

a basil and black pepper smoothie,

and a cheesecake with strawberry coulis.

Your shortbread, with the cream

and the strawberries is beautifully executed.

Soft, crumbly shortbread. Buttery, but still sweet and lovely,

intense with the strawberries.

Tang of basil, sweetness of the strawberry,

the wine-like flavour of strawberry.

Yeah. Pretty nice.

Your cheesecake - the base is beautiful, your coulis is wonderful,

but the underlying flavour in there

is way too much vanilla essence.

That vanilla essence is now making it taste like soap.

Two out of three ain't bad.

It could have gone better. "Your cheesecake tastes like soap."

I'm guessing that's not good, is it(?)

Rebecca's served her venison on baked beetroot

with a potato basket

filled with celeriac and truffle-oil puree

and sauteed mushrooms,

and a beetroot and port sauce.

I like your smooth celeriac puree,

rich with truffle oil, going well with the mushrooms on top.

The crispy potato basket adds that texture.

But for me, that sweet beetroot

is overpowering the venison completely.

I really like your basket. Not easy to do and brilliantly done.

But I can't see anything standing up to the combination

of celeriac, truffle oil and beetroot.

They're big old flavours.

It wasn't a disaster.

I've produced something

that was fairly edible,

and looked really good. I've done myself justice.

Jamie's dish is pan-fried red mullet

with langoustines, saffron fondant potatoes,

red pepper, broad beans and sea beet,

with a shellfish bisque.

Good-looking dish, Jamie.

And very opulent.

A whole lobster to make that sauce.

Only the best for you guys.

Whoa! Yeah.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Your sauce, your mullet and your langoustines

explode into your mouth and just fill you with sunshine.

And I really like the greens.

I love the flavours, Jamie.

I think it's executed really well. I like the presentation.

The sauce deserved a whole lobster in it.

I'd take that home and I'd spread it on toast. HE LAUGHS

The fish is cooked really nicely.

But the power and the sweetness of that sauce is incredible.

Restaurant standard, Jamie. That's superb.

I'm really thrilled.

That's given my confidence a real boost.

Emma's poached pear has been spiced with vanilla, cinnamon and ginger,

stuffed with Armagnac-soaked prunes,

and accompanied by a quenelle of vanilla cream,

topped with crushed pistachio praline,

a praline disc,

and an orange tuile.

Your presentation suggests to me

that you are taking this competition really seriously.

-I think it's stunning.

-Thank you.

Great tuiles, beautifully poached pear.

It's as soft as you like.

Nice praline.

Everything made very, very well.

Your pear, rich with vanilla. A taint of lemon and orange.

The sweetness of the orange tuile,

with that really lovely bitter-but-sweet cream

and the pistachio nuts.

I think it's absolutely beautiful.

You've got something special.

Always knew you did.

And today, for me, you've proved it. Brilliant.

Thank you very much, John.

It was very important to me

that I do something

that justifies my being here.

I think I have managed to do that today, and I'm really, really pleased.

Laila's Moroccan high tea

consists of sable biscuits,

dates stuffed with almonds and cinnamon,

honey pancakes with fig jam and cinnamon clotted cream,

and three kinds

of open sandwich.

Saffron chicken and onion on one,

cucumber, with an orange water, sugar and lemon dressing on the second,

and spiced sardines topped with quail eggs on the third.

The stars of the show are the sweet notes.

I love the honeycomb pancakes.

Your vanilla sables are beautifully made,

rich with vanilla.

Your dates, with that filling, are beautiful.

But, the savoury notes are a bit rough around the edges.

I don't like your savoury things.

I find the chicken on the bread dry,

I find the cucumber on the bread soggy.

And egg and sardine -

I just don't like.

If I'm fortunate enough to go through to the next round,

I'll know not to make the same mistakes.

Danny's made pan-fried pigeon breast,

with a bubble and squeak rosti,

and a fig tarte tatin.

He's serving it with two sauces -

Muscadet and grape,

and a sweetcorn veloute.

I like the individual presentation.

I like the austerity of the dish.

I like the absolute precision of the dish.

The fact that those sauces of yours shine the way they do

shows somebody who has practised and is very accomplished.

But for me,

there are so many sweet and sticky things on that plate

I can't taste the beauty of the pigeon.

There are a little too many big flavours here for that pigeon,

but, I mean, it's executed brilliantly.

It was worth pushing yourself. It's not perfect,

but it's very impressive.

I was pleased. I maybe tried a bit too hard,

but I wasn't prepared to risk going home

from not doing enough.

Javine's parsley and thyme-crusted rack of lamb

is resting on a potato and parsnip rosti,

with spinach, minted pea puree,

baby carrots, and a red wine and port jus.

Lovely textures.

The lamb is really soft, the rosti still has a bit of firmness to it.

The spinach is lovely and slippery.

Great touch.

You start with that very, very sweet lamb,

and that wonderfully flavoured cooked spinach.

Then you have mint running through the peas as well, which is quite refreshing.

Then you hit the huge amounts of garlic going through the breadcrumb on the lamb.

All the beautiful cooking, all the work

you put into that dish - everything that is really accomplished -

has been completely masked by that very thick, strong sauce.

I mean, it's jelly-like!

It went OK.

I was trying to get that thick sort of sauce,

and I just failed miserably on it, so I'm a bit upset about that.

Last up is Cheryl,

who has made agnolotti, stuffed with minced prawn,

accompanied by sauteed lobster,

butternut squash puree, and a fennel and star anise prawn oil.

That's beautiful!

The lobster has perfect texture.

The pasta is light.

Your puree is just as smooth as silk.

It's just great. There's strength, as well, in that oil.

I was worried about the sweetness of the puree. Actually, it's a fine match.

A fine match.

You should be really proud of yourself.

I so am!

I didn't expect this. Have you not eaten for a while?

THEY LAUGH

Your pasta is made beautifully.

The filling is lovely and smooth.

The puree is wonderful. The oil is wonderful and rich.

I think it's really well made and really well executed.

It's showing real skill.

Cheryl, good on ya!

Yay! Thank you!

That was unbelievable.

I didn't dream that they'd react like that.

I was just amazed.

I can't believe it all came off like it did.

Our job now is to make a decision,

because two of you are going to leave the competition.

Thank you very much indeed. Off you go.

-Oy vey!

-Time just went!

It has to be said, our eight celebs

have really stepped up to the mark.

Loads of skill on display.

Inventiveness.

Individual cookery styles.

I think some of the cooking in here

is truly impressive.

My stand-out contestant today was Cheryl Baker.

The pasta with the prawn and the lobster and the prawn oil,

and even the butternut squash worked - it was beautiful.

Beautiful food!

Jamie Theakston, with that red mullet and that langoustine -

sensational.

And that bisque! John, the strength and the quality of that bisque

was worth the admission fee on its own.

Emma - poached pear,

beautifully presented.

Shining, exact.

Tuile?! From Emma?! I mean, wow!

Yeah, she's going for it.

She's proved she can do it. She's in.

Danny Mills can really cook.

John, the technical ability, the precision,

and the workload is just phenomenal!

I don't think his dish worked as a whole dish,

but the skill!

The guy can cook!

That sauce was as shiny as a mirror.

It was unbelievable.

Four in, four people to talk about.

We'll lose two.

All three ways of the strawberry that Michael did

was a great-looking dish.

But the little cheesecake in the middle disappointed.

It looked a picture.

Unfortunately, it tasted like something out of the laundry.

I will never eat cheesecake again if I go out on this.

I thought Laila was brave today, and really tried to come up

with something original.

There were some delicious things on there,

but those savoury things were just bits on bread.

I'm not completely confident.

But I hope they can see something there.

Rebecca's food today -

when you ate the whole dish,

all you got was truffle oil,

celeriac and beetroot.

Couldn't taste the venison.

For me to produce something

that warrants me going through into the next stages

would be a massive achievement.

Javine can cook, undoubtedly,

because she cooked the lamb really well.

But her port and wine sauce was reduced

almost down to glue.

And the strength in it overpowered everything else on the plate.

I'd be really upset if I was to go today.

I believe if I fine-tune a couple of things,

I can do really well.

So who stays? Who's got the skill?

Who do I really believe in?

Who do I think could actually challenge for the title?

I think I know who should go.

I've got to thank you for the hard work

and pushing yourselves. There's no-one here in front of me who's not up for it,

and who hasn't worked really hard.

But we have made a decision.

The two celebrities leaving us are...

Laila...

and Rebecca.

Thank you, ladies.

I'm upset I have to leave, cos I was really enjoying it,

and I did feel there was lots to learn.

It would have been nice to go further,

but everyone's meal was fantastic,

so I'm not surprised. I was kind of half expecting it.

I think I've achieved everything

that I could have hoped to have done.

Woo!

Aw, I'm so happy!

I feel amazing, because I honestly thought I might be going.

I've really got a chance now to push myself even further.

A-ha! I'm in the final six.

I absolutely can't believe it.

I'm relieved. Now, I would love to get to the final.

Oh, it's amazing. I can't wait to tell my mum.

She'll be made up!

Tomorrow night,

in their quest to become Celebrity MasterChef,

these six face a challenge that has them all at sea.

If I drop this, I'm literally going to punch myself in the face.

There's loads to do. I don't know if we can do it.

-Speed it up, or we're going to fail.

-Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!

It's getting warm in here.

Oven! Oven! I'm in a bit of a rush.

You've got to know what you're doing. Which I don't, really.

It's the calm before the storm, this.

That is not good.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd