Nick DiGiovanni Returns for Gen Z Auditions | MasterChef: Generations

Previously on MasterChef, this is MasterChef Generations. The big question is, which generation is going to win it all? So far, 10 home cooks have earned an apron. I'm only going to say one thing, yes. From the millennials, that is so delicious. And the baby boomers. Yes! Age is just a number. My mom always believed in me, always thought I could do this. Yes. Thank you. This is a dish you could see in any restaurant that I own. For me, it's an absolute yes. Can I teach an old dog new tricks? Tonight on MasterChef Generations, the audition rounds continue. Cooking tonight is Gen Z, ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome Nick, Dean, and Giovanni. This isn't online anymore. This is not on your phone. This is real life. As another generation battles it out for a white apron. To the other generations, I want to say I love you, but watch out. Everything I make, I make for the camera first and myself second. Is it giving, Chef? It's giving, Chef. All those flavors are there. There's no two ways about that. I think there's so much more to come from you. The lamb is the star of this dish. Those Indian spices that you have in there, delicious. There's just some amateur moves here that don't give me a lot of confidence. Maybe this is just so Gen Z that I don't get it. I'm so excited. I think you should really amp it up and talk like Julia Child. I don't know who that is. My sauce better not break or else I'm going to cry. Gen Z is here to win. I'm here to win. All other generations, they don't have all the skills and resources that we do. So we're coming for them. Definitely going to ruffle some feathers and throw the pot over. You guys have MasterChef Junior. Some of the old guys over here, I mean, you guys should start like a MasterChef Senior because I don't know if they're going to be able to keep up by the end of the competition. Thank you very much. We are excited. This is MasterChef Generations. Right, it's time for another generation to show us what they've got as our incredible audition rounds continue. So far, 10 aprons have been given out. We've seen the millennials and the amazing baby boomers cook. There are two more generations to go. Auditioning tonight is Gen Z, ladies and gentlemen. You guys were born around the turn of the 21st century. You're the TikTok generation. You were born with phones in your hands, right? Tonight, we will be joined by a very special guest judge, someone from your generation. He is a young man with over 30 million subscribers across his social media platforms, seven Guinness World Records. And most importantly, he got his start right here inside the MasterChef kitchen. Please welcome Nick DiGiovanni. How you doing? I'm so happy to be here. Welcome to Canada. What's going on? Nick, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen. Thank you. It's incredible to be back. I missed everything about the MasterChef kitchen. It is so impressive for all of us to witness how you turned your time here on MasterChef into an entire career on food. Yeah. And now, literally, one of the most prolific food creators on the internet. You're a perfect example what MasterChef can do to a career. Thank you. In terms of advice, Gen Zs, what would you be giving them tonight? This isn't online anymore. This is not on your phone. This is real life. Think fast and make sure everything is how you'd actually want to taste it. Don't care so much about how it looks today. I would go more with the flavor, because at the end of the day, when we all taste it, that's what's going to get you the apron. Now, tonight, you guys have all got 45 minutes to produce your signature dish. And to get one of those white aprons, you'll need at least three yeses from the judges. Your time starts when the clock starts. The very best of luck. We'll see you in the restaurant. Here we go. That youthful energy. Nick, welcome to the other side. Thank you. How are you feeling, brother? It's great to be on this side. Well, you've earned it, by the way. It's a lot less intimidating. Is it really that bad when you walk in here for the first time? Well, it's a dark room. You see all you guys lit up in here. You guys all have serious faces sitting straight up. What do you think, you know? Yeah. It's scary. This is going to be a super competitive generation. Yeah. I think it's a generation that can sometimes be impatient. But I think we make up for it in our creativity. I think the Gen Zers are going to impress you guys. Just wait. I hope you're right, Nick. I hope they bring it. Get the chocolate chips. OK, here we go. I love being Gen Z. It's a perfect storm of learning from generations before us, but also being ambitious. We're the young guns. My name is Becca. I am 24 years old. And I do customer and user experience for a running event company. But cooking is my passion. If I could do cooking my entire life, I absolutely would. Look at mine. It's melting. My style of cooking is rooted in comfort food. That's what my mom made growing up. I learned from watching YouTube videos of how to cook. And I was reading blogs. And I think it's made my cooking what it is today. To the other generations, I want to say I love you. I appreciate you. But watch out, because it's our time. OK, smells good. Yeah, it does. Smells very good. Good evening. Hello, hello. How are you? I am so good. I'm Becca. Becca, nice to see you. Nice to see you. And who's with you tonight? So I've got my husband, Joel, and my wonderful parents. Nice to see you all. What are you cooking, because this looks, uh, Fantastic. Dessert. It looks very sweet. Yes, it's called the Fancy Turtle. Growing up, we would make turtle candies with my grandma, which is pecans, caramel, chocolate covered. So I wanted to bring that and elevate it like any Gen Z would. So it's a molten chocolate lava cake with a pecan caramel drizzle, candied pecans, and a vanilla whipped cream. I love that. So how old are you now? I'm 24. Nick was standing in your shoes a few years back. I watched it. You were fantastic. I got yelled at a couple of times along the road, though. You know that, right? Hey, it's part of the journey. Joe's such a bleep, isn't he? This thing needs to be liquid in the center. I've got things set in place to make sure that it's lava for you. Are you staggering the cook in terms of first one in? I'm putting them all in. And then I'm taking two of them out, checking them. And if they're not what I want them to be, taking the other ones out. As an old fart, I'll do it differently. Right, for sure. This is a Gen Z thing, though. No, but it's just like being back at home arguing with the kids. I would put one in first, wait a minute. Oh, for sure. Right. Put another one in. Right. I tried to explain that to you, Nick, four years ago. And we never listen, and we still succeed. So we're good. Exactly. Good luck, girl. Nice to meet you. Amazing. Nice to see you. Thank you, Nick. I am not disillusioned to the fact that lava cake has very high expectations. If they cut into it and it's not lava, I'm done. Five, four, three, two. When I was six, everyone wanted to be an astronaut or a ballerina. I wanted to be a chef. This is how I get there, and I just hope I get that apron. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you so much. My name is Becca. I am 24 years old, and I have made for you a fancy turtle. This is a molten chocolate lava cake. It has a caramel pecan drizzle. It's topped with candied pecans, and it has a vanilla whipped cream on the side. Now, this dessert is packed with jeopardy. Why come in with such a difficult dish to nail? I think for Gen Zs, it's all about, you know, we're the youngest generation right now. We've got to prove ourselves, and so that means taking risks. Shall we? Yep. Gen Z. Visually, it's beautiful. This is actually my favorite dessert. But I will say, that's a good and bad thing, because I have extremely high standards. And the risk here is that we cut it open. If it's not molten, we're not even tasting it. Absolutely. So you're playing, like, super high-risk game here. Yep. How long was it in the oven for, Becca? 11 minutes. If it doesn't run, we're done. Becca, you chose to come with the most high-risk dessert. And the risk here is that we cut it open. If it's not molten, we're not even tasting it. Absolutely. Good news for you. Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks. And what chocolate did you use? Bittersweet. I'm a dark chocolate girl. I would have loved if you cut those nuts up a little bit smaller. It's hard to take that big of a bite sometimes. It almost kind of cuts your mouth. But the lava was perfect, and it was just the right amount of sweet and bitter at the same time. I think you crushed it. Thank you. For me, it's a yes. Thank you. The cake is flawless. I mean, it's everything you expect. It has the right texture and consistency. The chocolate is well-tempered, soft, ooey-gooey. So for me, that's a yes. Thank you so much. You know, it's good, but there's a lot of good molten cakes. At this point, I'm more evaluating, like, do you have what it takes? Absolutely. You're willing to fight. I may be a part of the youngest generation, but that doesn't mean that I should be underestimated. I've been underestimated my entire life. It's driven me to fight harder, to be stronger, to be more determined than ever. That's exactly what I'm going to bring here. Jo, what's it going to be? It's bold to cook the molten lava cake. For that boldness, congratulations. Thank you so much. Well done. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Oh, my gosh. It's an honor. Don't get eaten alive out there. It's an honor. Congrats. Thank you. And just, from my point of view, it's a yes as well. Congratulations. Thank you so much. I'm beyond excited. I got four yeses, which is crazy. They loved it. I killed it. I'm so excited. Yeah, it's fantastic. We knew you would kill it. Yay! I thought you guys were tough cookers. No, not tough at all. It's great we got no dress code in MasterChef Kitchen. No, he got a new t-shirt for us. What are you, what, you got your dress-up t-shirt? You guys didn't tell me ahead of time. No, but do you want to borrow one of my jackets? I didn't get the memo. Good start, strong. Keep going, Violet. Nice and smooth. Keep going. I feel great repping Gen Z. I feel like I'm making a very TikTok authentic dish, and I hope Gen Z sees it. My name is Violet. I'm 23 years old. I live in San Francisco, California, and I'm a full-time content creator. On TikTok, I have 2.2 million followers. And I'm one of the top food content creators for my age. Shroomies are good. I'm making kind of a take on steak and eggs. Everything I cook, I think about how it would look on social media. And I can't even erase that from my head. It's phone eats first. Everything I make, I make for the camera first, and myself second. Having such a huge following, I feel like I need to prove myself to my followers. They're going off my word alone that my food is good. And I want to show them that other people in real life enjoy my food, too. I think it slays. It's fantastic. Is it giving chef? It's giving chef. Keep going, Violet. Nice. Keep on plating. Yep. 3, 2, 1. On TikTok, if I cook something wrong, I can throw it out. I can redo it. No one has to know about it. But on MasterChef, it's one shot, one take. It really makes me nervous. My name is Violet. I'm 23. And this is a New York strip steak with chimichurri, a goat cheese mushroom stuffed omelet, along with some crispy potatoes. I have 2 million followers on TikTok. And I hope people will see that what I am on TikTok can be translated into real life. Incredible. And the viral videos, was it with dishes like this? It was strangely not dishes like this that made me blow up. My really viral video had 35 million views for a kale salad. Kale salad? A kale salad. I was shocked people liked it that much. Amazing. Shall we? Yeah. Right. Listen, there's a great color on the steak. It tastes delicious, but I wouldn't associate this dish to Gen Z. This, for me, looks more like a baby boomer. Oh, my gosh. I thought I was going to see something a little bit more attractive. It does look a little old now that I'm looking at it, yeah. Shall we? Temperature, Violet, on the New York Strip, what have you gone for? I was hoping for medium rare. The steak is more towards a medium. And just a technical thing, you didn't render at all the fat part of the steak. Yeah, this part right here? Yeah. That was kind of a mess up on my part. OK, so being Gen X, maybe this is just so Gen Z that I don't get it. It's like an omelet and a steak and potatoes. It seems like you're just kind of putting down the greatest hits of bistro dishes without having a clear idea of what the dish is. For me, it's a no. Yeah, I mean, for me, the chimichurri is as textbook as it gets. But some of the potatoes are very greasy and overdone. I'm sorry. For me, it's a no. OK, thanks. Sorry about that. Violet, that's two no's, unfortunately. Continued success. I really appreciate the feedback they had. I think it was super valid and helpful. I might be leaving without an apron, but it's giving growth and opportunities. Thank you. What's your name? What are you making there? I'm making mashed jasmine rice with black-eyed pea soup and lamb chop. This is actually a Nigerian dish, but I'm fusing it into a Nigerian Indian dish. Is that your ethnicity? Yes, I'm Nigerian. And what do you do in life? I'm a doctor. You're a doctor? A medical doctor. Wow. I mean, being a doctor, I imagine you're, how old are you? I'm 26. So you are a young doctor. Yes, I am. How do you integrate the passion for cooking in your life? I honestly believe that we are what we eat, and I see a lot of similarities in cooking and medicine. So you've kind of done it all already. Yes. And now you're here at MasterChef. This is the last thing I need to do. You need to do this to win this competition. To win this competition. I'm excited about this. No, I like it, too. I like it, too. I mean, look, she's obviously smart. Like, can you bring the smarts of being a doctor into the kitchen? Yes, I'm not only bringing my smartness here, I'm also bringing my passion for food. Your passion for food. Oh! I'm sorry. Just start it slow, my love. Start it real slow. I'm so sorry. No, no, no, no, no, you're good. This is the risk of being in the kitchen. It's all good. Well, I'd like to see more of it. Thank you so much. How many minutes do I have? Three minutes. And in Nigerian culture, our parents really like to push us for success. They believe that success is when you become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer. And I love being a doctor. But I've cooked all through my life. I never stopped cooking. And I don't think I'll ever stop. Welcome. Hi. My name is Fatima. My food is inspired by my background. I was born in Nigeria. This is a traditional dish, tuwo engbegiri. It's made out of lamb chops, fragrant mashed jasmine rice, and black-eyed peasauce. Shall we? Fatima, I'm a big fan of Nigerian cuisine. But I love this Gen Z twist, the modernization of it, because I think you've gone all posh. It does look like a good sear on the lamb. I'm excited to dig in. I hope you like it. Do we have a temperature on the lamb? Medium-rare. Man, that's great. That's a good medium-rare. Fatima, you've nailed the lamb. Sauce, beautiful. Rice just needs seasoning. Even a touch of heat in there, a whole chili or something, just to perfume it. Yeah, I think there's so much more to come from you. So on that note, it's a yes from me. Thank you. The problem with Gen Z is that we often focus too much on the visuals. I think what you've done here instead, actually, is focus on the flavor. Exactly. And you've nailed the flavor. So for me, it's a yes. Thank you. All right, that's two. And you only need one more yes. You don't look concerned, right? Because if I say yes, you get the apron. And you think that I like the dish, right? You sound like you like it. But I know you. What does that mean? I've seen you. Have you ever seen me be dishonest? No. Well, Fatima, congratulations. Doctor, it was delicious. Congratulations. Good job. Thank you so much. We're so proud of you. Thank you. My name's Matt. I'm 27 years old. I'm an Air Force captain and Space Force program manager. When I was in the Air Force Academy, the mess hall, it's not typically the best food. So I had to teach myself how to cook. And I just fell in love with it. Looking really good, Matt. That's a beautiful piece of fish right there. Yeah. Salmon's in. Young man. How are you, bud? Nice to see you, sir. First name? Matt. Matt, welcome. Matt, how's it going? Nice to meet you. What's the dish? This is going to be a Parmesan-crusted salmon with whipped potatoes. I love the towel over the shoulder. That reminds me of myself in the kitchen here. I may have learned a thing or two from your TikTok. As long as it's not from Gordon's and you're looking at my stuff. Wow, yeah. I do need more followers. We're at 40 million now. What are you on now? OK. All jokes apart, salmon, skin side down. I've got it in the oven right now, currently cooking skin side down. Wow, it's in the oven already? It's not overcooked? No, it's got about, well, it's cooked right now, yes, sir. Wow. Right, young man, don't overcook that salmon. Great meeting you. Thank you. Cool, baby. Looking good, baby. You got a minute and a half. A lot of flavor, baby. You got this. Let's go, Matt! 3, 2, 1. Let's go! I'm Matt. I'm an Air Force captain, active duty. And this is a Parmesan-crusted salmon with tomato and cilantro chutney on a bed of whipped potatoes. All right, let's take a look, guys. Let's see it, let's see. Listen, it's simple. And I'm not too sure how that tomato chutney and the whipped mash are going to work. Let's hope it tastes a lot more exciting than it looks. Shall we? How long did you cook the salmon for, Matt? Salmon cooked at 350 for a little over 15 minutes. Gotcha. And that's the bit there that I'm sort of frustrated about. Knowing full well that you took such care and attention cooking it skin side down and getting that really crispy, and you stuck it in the whipped mash. I want to start by saying thank you for your service. And it does look like you know your way around food. There's no question about that. Salmon is the star of this dish right here. And you could tell right off the bat that it's overcooked when it starts to turn that white as opposed to that lighter pink. And I'm sorry to say, but it's a no from me. You're disciplined. I can see it, just the way you present yourself is so respectful. If that salmon was cooked four minutes less, I'd be putting the apron on you. Just professionally, I can't. And it pains me, because you're so close. It's a no from me, with the hope that the door stays open and you'll come back. Yes, sir. The salmon. All right. What's up, guys? What's your name, brother? I'm Adam. What's happening, bro? So I'm doing the tar spice lamb stovlaki. Doing like a homemade bread, because I love to bake. And I'm doing a lot of fresh components, like bright acidity. What you're doing is overcooking that lamb. Yeah, yeah, you got to be careful with that. I like the crushing. Yeah, you like a hard sear. OK, cool. I like a hard sear. Take it off, take it off, take it off. You can always put it back in. Take it off, bro. That is like medium well to well. I don't know how you want to cook that lamb, but we're going to judge it, so. OK. But so what's the day job, brother? I work on a dude ranch. A dude ranch? Yeah. So it's basically a horse ranch, right? What do you do? I work in the kitchen there. You cook? Oh, nice. I don't think I've ever been to a dude ranch. I grew up in the city. For me, that was like going to the Bronx Zoo. Yeah, he'd go to a dude ranch in a suit like this, and everybody would make fun of him. We'll continue to fight, young man, OK? Yeah. Good luck. Absolutely, thanks so much, guys. Thank you. Time? Two minutes, 50 seconds. So the dude ranch where I work, it's all pretty much Gen Z. Everyone is just out of college, and they are very hard workers six days a week. So I'm excited to kind of show that to the older generations that Gen Z is passionate, and Gen Z is ambitious. Five, four, three. Welcome. My name is Adam Hart. I'm 23. I'm a dude rancher from Colorado. Today, I've prepared for you a za'atar spiced lamb souvlaki with a homemade flatbread, a garlic confit tzatziki sauce, a pistachio mint tapenade, and then a Greek salad with a lemon mint vinaigrette. Let's go to Greece. Let's do it. So visually, listen, there's a lot going on here. Do you make those flatbreads? Yes. How do you get them done in such a short period of time? So instead of yeast, I use baking powder, baking soda. Smart. Yeah. I just love the technical ability of what you've done and what you've managed to achieve in 45 minutes. But I'm slightly concerned about the lamb. It looks dry, young man. Jump in, bud. How long did you cook that lamb for, Adam? I would say it was in the pan about eight minutes. So the idea is to get these little pockets. A little bit of this. Yeah. This plate is ambitious. All those flavors are there. There's no two ways about that tzatziki, beautiful. Love the bread. But you need to be super careful when you cut that lamb, because it's all inconsistent. Some bits are medium, some are medium well, some are rare. I was actually fortunate enough to get a pink bit. It actually tasted delicious. I thought that marinade you did worked really well. The only thing I would have loved is a little bit more acidity in the tzatziki, just a bit more. OK. I think you did a good job, all things considered. And I think there's a lot of great, delicious things there. Thank you. Here's the issue. It's good. My question is, is it good enough for a master chef? I believe so. Even if the lamb is slightly overcooked? Yeah, I'm hoping that the flavor comes through enough. First time being in there, it's a lot going on. So I think that was the hard part. That's just the beginning, bro. If you stay here, there's a lot going on every minute. Well, you need three yeses for an apron. Arun? For me, I just think the ambition, the amount of work you got accomplished shows me promise. So for me, it's a yes. Thank you. Nick? I know there's a lot going on, but you did a lot. So for me, it's a yes. For the reasons I previously stated, it's a no. Wow. So that's two yeses, one no. That leaves it to you, Gordon. Yeah, it's a tough one, this one. So Adam, it's a no. It's a no to the dude ranch, and it's a big yes to MasterChef. Welcome. Congratulations, bro. Thank you so much. Get that on. Well done. Appreciate it. Thank you, Jeff. You got to study up, bro. Absolutely. I will get on it. This is my absolute dream, to get an apron. It really is a good confirmation of my passion and my skill. And it's really exciting to be on to the next step. The pit of red was good. I think he's trainable. I think it'll be a great sponge. I hope you're right. Definitely. So three aprons down, two to go. Two to go. Let's do it. Let's go, little chef. You got it, Sophie. Look how beautiful that filling looks. Go, Victor! Oh, not me turning on the wrong burner as you guys come. I get so nervous. You guys are literally my icon. I've been watching your videos forever, Nick, so this is kind of crazy to see you in person. Well, first, tell us your name. I don't even know your name yet. Oh, yes, OK, so I'm Sophie. I'm 23 years old and currently work as a software engineer in Virginia. And what's the dish? So today, I'll be making pork and shrimp dumplings with homemade wrappers. And are you making everything homemade? Yes, that dumpling's getting over there, and I'm actually rolling it through a pasta machine. But yeah, I'm honestly hoping to slay in the kitchen, do my thing. Slay? Is it Christmas slay? Have you never heard the term before? Have you ever heard the term speed up? Yes, I'm going. Listen, get your timing right. Roll that dough thin enough. Trust me, you will slay, girl. There we go. There it is. I love that. Good luck. Thank you. Here we go. Three, two, one. Welcome. My name is Sophie Wang, and today, I have made pork and shrimp dumplings with spicy cucumber salad on the side and a spicy chili dipping sauce. Look, it looks like a restaurant plating for sure. Can't wait to try them. Yay, OK. I think that the construction of the dumpling is very good, and the sauce is really good. It's not mind-blowing, and this is a tough competition, but I like it enough that I'm going to say yes. Aaron. Yeah, I think for me, this is a straightforward dish. Everything, when you have a dish like this, has to be rolling on all cylinders. And right here, the cucumber's a little bit boring. The sauce is the best part about this dish. I just don't see enough there, so I'm sorry. For me, it's going to be a no. One yes, one no. Gordon. So the crimping is done beautifully. You absolutely nailed that. The dough is a little bit thick, but the intensity is slightly dried out, the filling I had. And unfortunately for me, it's a no. God, I'm gonna cry. Just not enough. Where's her twist? I think back to your original signature dish, the personality. Yeah, yeah. Where's the boldness? You remember his signature dish? I do, yeah. Today, I brought you a handmade lamb ravioli. Wow, delicious. Making fresh pasta from scratch is definitely an A star. That's top notch. Nick, I feel like Gen Z, that you guys orientate towards cooking out of your natural wheelhouse or your culture and experimenting a lot more. For us Gen Zers, we have a huge amount of pride behind being part of Gen Z. And I think we have a lot to prove as well. Yeah, that's true. That's what we need to see. Absolutely. Pour that water. Yeah, Gen! I think me and Gen Z honestly help so much, because any time you're confused, you do not have to drive 40 minutes down to the library, walk up and down a hill two times both ways to get to the library and know how to do something. You can just look it on your phone. My name is Haley, I'm 24 years old, and I'm a cornhole queen from Alabama. Me and my fiancee have been playing cornhole for about two years now. Of course, when I first started, trash. Could not make it on the board. But now, I'm really proud to say I'm the 40th in the country at the moment. Perfect, perfect, perfect. I'm known as the chef out of all my friends when it comes to cornhole. So if I walk into any tournament, they're like, bring me a plate. How you feeling, time-wise? Looking pretty good. Good evening. How are you? Haley Clark, nice to meet you. Gordon. Nice to meet you. Nick, welcome. Tell me about the dish. I'm making teriyaki stir-fried lamb. We had it on one of our dates when we would travel the country playing cornhole, and we've loved it ever since. Cornhole? As in? Cornhole, yes. You play that a lot? We play competitive cornhole. We travel the country doing it. For a living? For a living, yes. Would you like to play? I made you some bags. What? Look, come here. OK. While this is rendering, we have a second. Take a bag. OK. Take a bag. Are you kidding me? I'm so serious. Right. So you're going to step up to here, and then you just throw it. That's it. You go next. No, you go next. Go, go, go. Here we go. See if y'all can do it. I'm so sorry. Excuse me. I would suggest no more cornhole playing during the cooking here. Yes, sir. They smell delicious. Get a really good sear on those lamb chops, lock in that flavor, and render that fat down. Good luck. It was a pleasure meeting y'all. Likewise. How far out do you think you are? Not very far. Let's finish up. Being a Gen Z-er typically means the internet's going to tell you you're not good enough. Seeing people live these lives that you aim to live, of course you're going to sit here and doubt on yourself and think, I can't cook that dish. I'm not good enough, but I really hope this competition and me getting this apron confirms that I am good enough. My name is Haley, and I made teriyaki stir-fried lamb with rice and vegetables. Visually, Joe, what do you think? Visually, it doesn't really, like, blow my mind, but I'm really curious to try it. Shall we? What's the rub on the lamb? What have you done? The rub is just salt and pepper, and then I glazed it with the teriyaki sauce. Wow, that's beautiful. That's cooked beautifully. Cooked perfectly. Good job. Thank you. The lamb is the star of this dish, and that was a beautiful piece of lamb when you cut it open there. It's not easy to do, so for me, it's a yes. Thank you. There's just some amateur moves here that don't give me a lot of confidence. Incorporate the rice with the veg, and then have something to bind it. You know, season it with the soy, season it with something else, and that would make it really magical. So for me, I'm going to say no. I'm sorry. Thank you. So I'm going to go beyond the dish. I mean, the dish is fine. You know how to cook. I think that your challenge is you are uningredient savvy. I don't think you have a lot of experience with spices, but that's good news for you because that's teachable. I'm going to say yes to your potential. Thank you. Wow. Well, no, two yeses. So lamb's cooked beautifully. Let's get that absolutely clear. I mean, it's just a restaurant quality, but the bit that lets this dish down for me is the veg because it's watery. Yes, sir. So when you think of a stir fry, we sort of caramelize those vegetables. It needs heat, but I agree with Joe. I think you are teachable. So it's a yes from me. Congratulations. Thank you so much. It's a big yes for me. Oh, thank you so much. The journey begins. Get ready to learn. Yes, sir. I'm stoked to learn. This apron means the world to me. I'm one of the most competitive people you'll meet. I cannot wait to rep Gen Z and win this all. Thank goodness. Come on, Mert. Here we go. It's not your first rodeo. Yeah. My name is Mert. I'm 27 years old. I'm from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And I'm a Gen Z, baby. I'm a Gen Z. Oh, yeah. So the thing is, we grew up learning about the internet, and we kind of find our recipes from that. So these old people, the boomers, I don't think they're as intelligent as we are when using the internet. That's not my problem. That's going to work to my advantage. And I don't know if the boomer is going to last the entire thing. I hope they have their life alerts on them, to be honest. I am the most unique person you're ever going to meet. I have a loud personality, and I'm a country boy that lives in South Florida. So pretty much, I'm on a boat like almost every weekend. I love being on the water. I love being on the boat, and I look good in a tan. I think I look better with my shirt off. I guess you guys will probably see that later. Maybe put a little picture here if you guys want to. But anyways, yeah, you being shirtless on a boat and being able to cook the fish afterwards is kind of a no-brainer in the ladies' room. They're going to slide in your DMs. Like, come on now. Mm, a man that can crack an egg. God. I came to MasterChef now because I'm the peak performance of my cooking. I feel bad for the other people I'm cooking against. Oh, that is burnt. Oh, god, it's different. I burnt my butter. You're doing great. Keep doing what you're doing. I think I'm going to recook the lobster. How much time do I got? It's about 10 minutes. It's the Nikes, man. I'm frazzled, man. You're good. It's OK. All right, here we go. Beautiful. Deep breath. Pace yourself. Looks good. Here we go. Chef's kiss, chef's kiss. I'm shaking like a leaf. You've got it, Ed. I am losing it right now, man. I am not going to lie. There's a lot of things that went wrong that I didn't think were going to go wrong. But I'm happy I bounced back. That's the biggest thing. I want to win. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into that. Sweating, that's why my hair's a mess. Here it goes, man. Welcome. What's going on, guys? What's going on? My name is Mert, and today I made for you guys a Florida lobster tempura roll with a lobster slaw and a spicy mayo. Yeah, let's take a taste. Mert, it looks good. I'm amazed you got that done in 45 minutes. That's the most stressful thing I've ever done in my life. But I live by the fact that it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And I'm pretty proud of what I put on the plate. What kind of batter did you use? So I did tempura batter. And I think the thinner the tempura batter, the better. You want that crunch to it. But also, the problem with cooking lobster twice the second time around, especially fried, it could be seriously rubber. Talk me through the layers. What's in there? So you have cream cheese. You have asparagus for a crunch, avocado. And you have cucumber. And then on top, you have a slaw that includes some of the spicy mayo. Right, Mert, lobster's cooked beautifully. It's incredibly sweet. Sadly, I'm not getting the crunch from the sushi roll. I'm going to get more crunch from the undercooked asparagus. And I'll be honest with you, I am not a big cream cheese fan inside a sushi roll. Yeah, really. But listen, I've always been a big advocate of adventurous cooking. And then there's dangerous cooking. Sadly, you fall in the dangerous cooking bracket because I don't think you're fully understanding what you're putting together. OK. For me, it's a no. OK. Mert, like, all criticisms aside, I'm, like, feeling your energy. I feel my blood, sweat, and tears in that dish. Oh, I get it, man. Maybe this dish is, like, ahead of them. Like, they don't even get it. Gen Zers, we're paving the future for creativity. Absolutely. I feel you. Thank you. Me and you, bro. Thank you, thank you. There it is, there it is. For me, you are what we're looking for. It's a big yes for me. One yes, one no. That sauce is really the saving grace in this whole thing because it actually does bring everything together. So I appreciate that. There's a lot of expert cooking and a lot of promise. And for me, that's a yes. Oh, man. All right, two yeses. So Mert, fate lies in Nick, Gen Z. I saw the dish. I loved the look of it. I tasted it. And in my head right away, I sort of felt like I would rather have had that lobster tail just nice and clean, fresh out of the ocean with just some simple butter brushed on top after it had been grilled. But I also love that you've been bold with taking some of those flavors and playing around a little bit here. So I'm really not sure. Think about it. It's a big decision. It's what you came here to do, Nick. It happened. I put something on the dish that was credible and edible and delicious, I guess. So yes, we have the apron. Top bunny, baby, top bunny. Wow, what a night. Five aprons gone to Gen Z. Tremendous cooks. Yeah. Amazing. I told you guys. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Listen, it's been an absolute pleasure having you back. Continued success. Love it. Thank you. Great job. You make us proud, brother. Thank you. Amazing. Rock on, bro.