by Todd Betzold

The competitors are hitting the big time on this week's MasterChef. They make their way to Patina restaurant in L.A., considered one of the greatest restaurants in the country.

They will be put to the test, as they are asked to recreate two appetizers and two entrees off Patina's menu. The restaurant's world chefs demonstrate how to cook up these dishes and plate them as they are served to 25 of the restaurant regulars. The three judges will decide the winning team based on customer feedback and performance in the kitchen.

They split up into teams, with team captains of Suzy and Tracy. Suzy chooses Ben and Christian for the Red Team and Tracy chooses Adrien and Jennifer for the Blue Team.

Both teams start out calm, as the captains dish out responsibilities. The teams will be responsible to make Marinated Hamachi, Lilly Vegetable Risotto, Seared Scallops and Prime Beef Tenderloin. Chef Ramsay will oversee the dinner service, so you know there will be some major yelling in the kitchen.

As Chef Ramsay is yelling out the orders, both teams are having troubles keeping up. The customers are upset and threatening to leave as the Red Team has yet to send out any appetizers.

Meanwhile, the Blue Team gets into a groove and seems to be running smoothly until Chef Ramsay finds a hair from Adrien in the hamachi and then the meat is way overcooked. The Blue Team is slowly falling apart.

The customers all give mixed reviews for each team, so not sure which way the judges will go. Then, the teams must cook for the owner and executive chef of Pintas. Again, mixed reviews from them. In the end, the judges select the Red Team as the winning team and another victory for Christian and his big head...more arrogance to come.

The losing team now faces the Pressure Test, which for this episode will be salmon. They must scale it, filet it, cut it into 10 portions and cook up only one portion of it. They have 45 minutes to complete the test and by the looks on their faces, none of them want to take on this test. They will be judged on consistently portioned filets with minimal waste and how well they cooked their salmon.

Tracy was hacking away at the salmon with her knife and Adrien was slower with the scaling. Jennifer removed most of the fish, with minimal meat left on the bone. As the 45 minutes runs out and the competitors present their plates, all of them have a worried look on their face.

The judges test the salmon, with Jennifer leaving some scales on her portions, Adrien having inconsistent portions for his filets and Tracy leaving the tail still on her salmon and serving up fish that needed 90 more seconds on the grill. In the end, Tracy is sent home, but not before she is offered a years worth of MasterChef Enthusiast cooking classes and afterwards, a chance to work in any of the judges' restaurant...a big win for her, even though she got sent home!

MasterChef airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)

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