MasterChef Season 15 Episode 12 Recap: Backyard BBQ
- The MasterChef garden is decked out for a sunny backyard BBQ and the Top 6 duos are feeling the burn.
- In tonight's team challenge, the chef-testants must serve a garden full of barbecue aficionados.
- See the full list of Season 15 contestants below (with previously eliminated chefs crossed out).
The MasterChef garden is decked out for a sunny backyard BBQ and the Top 6 duos are feeling the burn.
In tonight’s team challenge, the chef-testants must serve a garden full of barbecue aficionados. The losing team will go straight into a Pressure Test, where one couple will be eliminated in the all-new “Backyard BBQ” episode of MasterChef: Dynamic Duos airing Wednesday, Aug. 13 on Fox.
The Contestants
See the full list of Season 15 contestants below (with previously eliminated chefs crossed out).
| Name | Relationship | Hometown |
| Adam & Joel | Brothers | Athens, Ga. |
| Azu & Javier | Divorced Exes | Miami Beach, Fla./Miami |
| Jessica & Jesse | Long Term Relationship | Boston |
| Rachel & Julio | Married | Naples, Fla. |
| Tina & right | Aunt & Niece | Fountain Valley, Calif./Fairplay, Colo. |
| Zach & Michelle | Married | Minneapolis |
The Challenge
Judges Gordon Ramsay, Tiffany Derryand Joe Bastianich announce that 40 of the top “barbecue aficionados” have been invited to judge tonight’s dishes. The six duos will be split into two teams, with last week’s challenge winners — Adam & Joel — choosing the lineup. The Red Team is made up of Adam & Joel, Rachel & Julio, and Zach & Michelle, while the Blue Team will consist of Azu & Javier, Jessica & Jesse, and Tina & Aivan. The stakes are high: the winning team secures a guaranteed spot in the Top 5, while the losing team faces the dreaded Pressure Test!
Team captains for tonight’s challenge are Adam & Joel for the Red Team and Tina & Aivan for the Blue Team. The Red Team will be cooking a bone-in ribeye, while the Blue Team takes on double-bone pork chops. Both teams have just over an hour to plan, prepare, and execute their full menus before serving the hungry barbecue-loving guests. The pressure’s on as the clock ticks down!
The Taste Test
The Blue Team is serving the Double Pork Chop with Warm Potato Salad and Grilled Corn. Tiffany calls the combination “weird” and criticizes serving two starches on the side. Gordon and Joe are concerned about the cook on the pork — saying it’s undercooked and bland. The Blue Team will have to fix all these problems before guests arrive. Tina & Aivan decide to infuse their culture into the dish by coming up with a soy ginger glaze for the pork and swapping out the corn for an apple slaw.
The Red Team is serving a Spice-Rubbed Ribeye with Avocado Sauce, Warm Potato Salad, and Summer Succotash. Tiffany quickly shouts, “That doesn’t look like a succotash!” It looks like salsa. The meat and potatoes are both undercooked. After Gordon proclaims the dish “miles away” from satisfactory, Adam & Joel head back to meet with their team.
Dinner Service
Dinner service is absolutely frantic — the Red Team is not ready to serve anybody when their first four guests arrive. Meanwhile, the Blue Team ran out of glaze for their pork chops after serving less than 10 of the 40 needed. Half the team is scurrying to make more glaze while just one man, Jesse, is in charge of grilling all the pork chops.
Both teams are feeling the heat in this backyard BBQ showdown — and, under the pressure, each side accidentally sends out a few plates of raw meat. A quick survey of the diners shows this contest is about dead even. It sounds like most guests may have preferred the Blue Team’s side dishes.
The Winners
In this team challenge, the winning team is chosen by the judges — not a vote. Based on diner feedback and their own observations, the Gordon, Tiffany, and Joe name the Blue Team the winners.
The Losers
The Red Team was confident heading into the challenge, but these three Dynamic Duos are headed straight to the Pressure Test next week. Will Adam & Joel, Rachel & Julio, or Zach & Michelle be eliminated? Tune in next week to find out!