MasterChef Episode 4.06 Top 13 Compete/Top 12 Compete

The contestants gather in the MasterChef kitchen, where judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich present them with their next Mystery Box Challenge - and it's a gruesome one. Each player lifts their wooden crate to reveal a pig's head.

The home cooks are relieved to learn that they won't have to break down the heads themselves. Instead, they find a sheet pan filled with ears, tongue, cheek and snout all ready to cook. They will have 90 minutes to prepare something that will make the judges squeal with excitement using any of the parts they choose and ingredients from a limited pantry.

After carefully sampling everything throughout the challenge, the judges take one final look to identify three standout dishes. The winner will receive a huge advantage in the elimination test.

Lynn is the first chef chosen to present his braised tongue and cheek with parsnip puree. Graham says it's the first time he not only can make food look beautiful, but he's finally seasoned with assertiveness.

Next up is Jessie, who has braised both the cheek and ear accompanied with black-eyed peas and roasted corn. Gordon loves the way she made Georgia meet Mexico on the plate.

Finally, Jonny is called forward with his braised tongue-and-cheek taco with tomato jam. Joe tells him he's on the top of his game, and Gordon praises him for showing restraint and creating a "wow factor."

In the end, Lynn is declared the winner of the Mystery Box Challenge. The judges take him to learn what his advantage in the Elimination Test will be. They introduce him to a special guest who will tell him the theme for the next competition - last season's MasterChef winner, Christine Ha, who is legally blind.

Since he was victorious, Lynn will get to choose from one of Christine's three favorite ingredients, which are all featured in her new cookbook. His options are chicken, catfish and live Dungeness crab.

After being told he's safe from elimination, he gets to assign one ingredient to a single chef, while the rest will prepare his second choice. He gives Krissi the catfish and everyone else the crab.

Upon learning what they will be cooking, the contestants find out that there is one more twist. They will all be blindfolded so they can understand what it was like for Christine to navigate the MasterChef competition without sight.

The contestants start to stumble around the kitchen. But after a few difficult minutes, they are allowed to use their vision for the rest of the Elimination Test. Back on track with the ability to rely on all of their senses, Bri decides to keep it light with a crab salad, and Luca is keeping it simple with a risotto dish.

With 20 minutes to go, Joe tells Krissi that he thinks her fried catfish isn't at the level that he would expect. When time is up, Christine joins the judges to critique the dishes.

Krissi is up first, and Joe spits out her catfish because it tastes like mud. He chastises her for wasting his time. Natasha's crab cakes pop with a hint of ginger. Next, Bri serves a summer crab stack that Graham calls delicious.

While James delivers a spicy crab creole that Gordon praises, Joe spits out Beth's raw mascarpone crab cake. Luca's risotto is dubbed a disaster by Joe, who discovers that the Italian chef inexplicably used fish sauce in the dish.

Ultimately, Natasha and James are named the top two cooks in the challenge. Beth, Luca and Krissi are not so lucky, and Beth is ultimately sent home.

The judges - Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich - introduce the remaining 12 home cooks to flavor scientist Aaron and his foodie fianc?e Anna. The contestants will be preparing the meal for their wedding reception.

Gordon tells the players that they will be getting some help. Graham Elliot will be cooking an appetizer, and Gordon himself will be making dessert. The home cooks will be in charge of the entr?e. They will serve over 100 guests, including 15 vegetarians.

James and Natasha won the last Elimination Challenge and are the team captains. James' Blue Team is made up of Lynn, Jessie, Jonny, Bri and Luca. Natasha's Red Team comprises Eddie, Jordan, Bethy, Savannah and Krissi.

Joe gives them a twist, though. Both Natasha and James have to pick one member of their team who will not be cooking today. The person they "leave at the altar" will not compete in this challenge or the subsequent Pressure Test. Natasha selects Krissi, and James chooses Bri to sit this out.

In the kitchen, Graham unveils his appetizer of spring pea essence with whipped cr?me fra?che. Gordon presents his sticky toffee pudding with brown bread ice cream. They instruct the contestants to strive to match the standard of their dishes.

The competitors have just two hours to conceive, prep and cook an entr?e for the wedding guests. The Blue Team decides on lamb with parsnip puree for their main dish and grilled mushrooms with goat cheese cr?me fra?che for their vegetarian diners. The Red Team struggles to come up with a menu, but Natasha settles on halibut with baby carrots as the main entr?e and eggplant and tomato for the non-meat eaters.

With 20 minutes left to prepare, Graham's appetizer is served to the guests. Their expectations are now extremely high. Both teams struggle to get their plates out on time. The Red Team's halibut dish is on its way to the bride and groom, but the Blue Kitchen must replate their lamb when Gordon notices dirty dishes.

The Blue Team continues to struggle and ends up behind by five tables when Gordon points out that Lynn is sweating on the plates and using the same cloth to wipe a plate that he used to mop his brow. Graham steps in to help expedite for the Blue Team, and they catch up immediately. The final plates leave the kitchen at last, and Gordon begins to serve his dessert.

While the diners didn't enjoy the wait, they all agree that the food was exceptional and are almost split down the middle between the two groups. In the end, Anna announces that Red is the winning team.

The Blue Team must now face a Pressure Test. The three judges each pick a chef who will be safe from the challenge. Joe selects Jessie, Graham chooses Luca, and Gordon names James. This means Lynn and Jonny will go head-to-head in a battle of the macaron.

They have 60 minutes to bake 12 delicate confections that fit perfectly inside the provided box. But neither Jonny nor Lynn can manage to squeeze the whole dozen into the container.Lynn presents five raspberry and five vanilla bean cookies, with the two extras on the outside of the box. The judges don't like the fact he used whole raspberry in the filling, but they agree that his cookies are good.

Jonny presents six chocolate cookies with peanut butter and six vanilla with raspberry filling. Unfortunately, they were too big and broke when he crammed them all in the box. Despite the fact the macarons are delicious, the presentation does him in, and Jonny is asked to leave the MasterChef kitchen.