‘MasterChef’ season 14 episode 8 and 9 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘Birthday Bakes/Memory Lane

Tonight on “MasterChef,” the home cooks turn to their baking skills when tasked with making a celebratory birthday cake. Later, the chefs work in teams to create a dish using a mystery box filled with different food items from their generation in the all-new “Birthday Bakes/Memory Lane – Mystery Box” two-part episode of MasterChef: Generations airing Wednesday, August 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Season 14 of “MasterChef” brings together amateur cooks from four generations – Millennials, Baby Boomers, Gen Z and Gen X – to prove that age does not matter in the kitchen. Judges Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez,Joe Bastianicheliminated contestants each week until one winner is crowned with the title of MasterChef and the $250,000 grand prize.

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8:00 p.m. — Previously on “MasterChef”! In Episode 7, the four generations were split into teams as they took on their first field challenge – cooking a healthy and hearty meal for professional soccer players. The Millennials and Baby Boomers prevailed, with Anna earning a special advantage as team captain. Chris was sent home from Gen X after struggling on the meat station. Let’s see who goes home next!

8:05 p.m. — The home cooks enter the kitchen, which is decked out in birthday decor and childhood photos of the judges. Gordon explains they’ll be celebrating everyone’s birthday today — and the contestants are responsible for baking the cakes! They can choose any style of cake they want, ranging from an elevated favorite of theirs or something they may have wished they had on their birthday. No matter what direction they take, the judges want to see at least two layers, and it must look and taste outstanding. As the winning captain from the last challenge, Anna gets an advantage. She’ll choose one generation who won’t get to use their stand mixers tonight, forcing them to mix everything by hand. She gives this disadvantage to Gen Z, who she assumes are most reliant on technology. Expressing instant fear about tonight’s challenge is Hallie, who says she can barely bake a cake with a stand mixer, let alone with just a whisk. The cooks have 90 minutes for this challenge and the clock starts now!

8:10 p.m. — As the judges look on, Gordon comments that this is the toughest challenge of the season so far. Joe says baking “chemistry” with no room for error. Aarón calls it the “achilles heel” of home cooks. Hallie calls this challenge her “own personal hell” as she preps her lemon cake. Kimberly reveals she’s only baked one cake in her life, but she’s paying homage to her 10th birthday, which had a Strawberry Shortcake theme. Meanwhile, Gen Z is seriously sweating over having to whisk their own cake batter. Is it really that serious? Dang! Murt says, “I’m absolutely dying right now.” Hallie tells Anna she’s “ruining my life” and gives her a double middle finger salute.

8:20 p.m. — Warren says he recently celebrated his 70th birthday, adding, “Can you imagine 70 candles on a cake? It would be like the burning of Atlanta. There ain’t gonna be none of that.” LOL. Gordon walks over to observe Becca making her chocolate cake. Gordon looks impressed with her idea to make a butter-based icing, which makes it easier to whisk by hand. Meanwhile, Joe and Aarón are shocked to hear Rebecka say she’s making a chocolate mayonnaise cake. It’s her mom’s and grandma’s recipe, and she explains that in the 40s people would use mayonnaise when there was an egg shortage. Over at Fatima‘s station, Gordon looks both impressed and concerned by her ambition. An Italian meringue? Okay, Fatima! Joe tells Arthur he’s playing a “high risk game” because although his cake is “simple,” he says, “The more simple it is, the more perfect it has to be.” There are 40 minutes left on the clock and Gordon says the chefs better get their cakes out of the oven and give them time to cool.

8:30 p.m. — Kamay is struggling with her frosting, which looks lumpy and broken. She’s going to have to start over to make sure it’s smooth and ice cold. Back at the head of the kitchen, Gordon tells the other judges he’s most worried about Fatima, who is making an Italian meringue without a stand mixer. Joe says only experienced bakers should do that. With 20 minutes to go, Gordon says everyone should be assembling and decorating their cakes. Joe loves the idea of Christopher‘s boozed-up chocolate cake, so hopefully it tastes as good as it sounds. Meanwhile, Geags is working on a vanilla cake with blueberry frosting. He wants it to be as healthy as possible, which isn’t very appealing to Aarón, who says, “Someone’s going home tonight.” Gordon says Gen Z is looking great, despite being handed a huge disadvantage. Well, everyone except Fatima. Meanwhile, Arthur’s fruit was cut too large and his cake looks like a total disaster. Anna is also putting forward a hideous, lopsided cake. Yikes! Time is up, so she’ll have to hope for the best. Next, the judges circulate the kitchen to discover the best and worst cakes of the night.

8:42 p.m. — We start with the best cakes from each generation. Representing Gen Z is Becca’s Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, Chocolate Ganache and Peanut Brittle Toffee. Gordon calls it’s “beautiful” and Joe says it tastes “fantastic.” Aarón says Becca made “smart choices.” Representing the Millennials is Kamay’s Lemon Confetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Rainbow Sprinkles. Joe says there’s no better example of a “Millennial cake.” Aarón loves Kamay’s attention to detail. Gordon says the lightness of the cake is “delicious.” Representing Gen X is Kimberly’s Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Jam Filling and Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. Gordon calls it “eye catching.” Aarón says the magic is in the “tartness.” Joe enjoys the restraint of this cake, saying, “It feels like you could eat it for breakfast.” Last, representing the Baby Boomers is Christopher’s Black Forest Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and Maraschino Cherry Topping. Joe says it has the most “professional aesthetic” of any cake tonight. Aarón calls it a “showstopper.” Gordon says it’s “delicious” and his best performance in the competition so far.

8:45 p.m. — The winner of this cake challenge is Becca! She secures safety for all of Gen Z and now has an immunity pin for the next challenge.

8:58 p.m. — It’s now time to call forward the three worst cakes of the night. From the Millennials, it’s Anna’s Brown Butter Coffee Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting, Chocolate Whipped Cream and Chocolate Ganache. Joe says “ambition got the better” of her. It’s lopsided and falling apart. Gordon says there’s too much frosting. Aarón says it’s way too sweet. The Gen X cake up for elimination is Arthur’s Strawberries & Cream Cake with Lemon Sponge, Strawberry Filling and Toasted Almonds. Gordon says it doesn’t look that bad to the naked eye, but there’s too many strawberries inside. Joe calls it “too simple.” Aarón thinks it’s “clunky” and “slightly dry.” Last up from the Baby Boomers is Geags’ Vanilla Cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting. Gordon criticizes Geags for putting his name on the cake, saying it looks like a five-year-old made it. The judges are gobsmacked that Geags would put raw flour into the frosting, asking, “What were you thinking?” Joe says flour needs to be cooked. Aarón says it’s tough to find a beacon of light in this cake.

9:00 p.m. — After some serious deliberation, the judges have come to a decision. They send home both Geags and Anna, saying, “It’s simply not fair just to send one of you home tonight. Both of your cakes had egregious mistakes.”

9:05 p.m. — For part two of this double episode, the home cooks return to the kitchen for a Mystery Box challenge! When the contents are revealed, Gordon tells each team they’ll be cooking with ingredients from their childhood. Iconic foods from each generation. The Boomers will be working with things like powdered milk, white bread and “Smeat,” just to name a few. Gen X has contents like wine coolers, instant ramen, hot dogs and canned cheese spray. Millennials will be working with foods such as truffle oil, avocados, balogna and spicy cheese puffs. Finally, Gen Z’s ingredients include oat milk, almond milk, plant-based meat and jackfruit. For tonight’s challenge, the home cooks will have to make a MasterChef-worthy dish out of these ingredients. But there’s a twist! They won’t necessarily be cooking with the food contents they grew up with. As the winner of the last challenge, Becca has the power to choose which generation cooks with which box of food. She gives her Gen Z teammates the Millennial box, The Millennials the Baby Boomers’ box, Gen X will keep their box and the Baby Boomers will get the Gen Z box. Chaos!

9:10 p.m. — The home cooks have 45 minutes on the clock to cook this dish using at least four ingredients from their Mystery Box. They’ll also have access to a limited pantry to help turn their dishes into something amazing. The clock starts now! Kimberly is concerned about her Gen X being full of snack food. There are zero fresh vegetables, herbs or fruits. Meanwhile, Rebecka barely looks phased at all, whipping up a stuffed French toast with her gluten-free bread. Horacio is making meatball croquets, which Gordon seems confused by. I don’t think Gordon understands what Horacio is saying and rather than asking for clarification he just wishes him luck and moves on. Over on Gen X, Daniela is raising eyebrows when she decides she’ll grind up her hot dogs to make meatballs. Joe asks, “What kind of a sick world do you live in?”

9:20 p.m. — Michael is reminded of his mother during this challenge, and he’s frying pork chops with Baby Boomer ingredients. Since his mom passed away earlier this year, he hasn’t made pork chops. Hopefully he will have some success today in her honor. Meanwhile, Jeet talks through her dish with Joe and Aarón. We haven’t seen much of her this season, and she’s hoping this will be her standout moment. Then there’s Arthur, who narrowly escaped elimination about 20 minutes ago. He’s trying to come up with a steak and eggs dish that incorporates four Gen X ingredients. Joe simply asks, “How?” Over at the Gen X stations, Murt is trying not to “overcomplicate” his dish, which he has a tendency to do. He’s making steak and potatoes and everything’s looking good. With just a few minutes left to cook, the judges share some of their initial concerns with each other. Gordon is worried about Christopher, saying his dish sounds “a little bit all over the place.” Aarón and Joe question how Daniela will turn her ground hot dogs into a restaurant-worthy dish. And Murt could be in trouble for being too ambitious.

9:42 p.m. — Time has expired and the judges take a closer look at everyone’s dishes. Whoever has the top dish will win an immunity pin for the next challenge. The worst will be sent packing. The best dish from the Baby Boomers is Horacio’s Veggie Burger Croquettes with Fireball Jackfruit Sauce, Eggplant and Tomato & Feta Saganaki Sauce. Joe says it looks “good” for how many substitute ingredients he was forced to use. Gordon thinks the croquettes are delicious and crispy. Aarón loves how Horacio disguised the fake meat, but thinks the sauce was way off. The best dish from Gen Z is Hallie’s Lemon Salmon with Spicy Zucchini & Kale Salad, Brioche Bun Croutons and Avocado Spread. Gordon calls it beautifully elevated. Joe says the salmon is cooked perfectly and it’s an excellent dish. The top Gen X dish tonight is Daniela’s Chicken Flavor Ramen with Asian Spiced Turkey & Hotdog Meatballs, Sautéed Broccoli and Poached Egg. Gordon calls the dish “clever” while Joe says it tastes “authentic.” Aarón appreciates the aggressive flavors. The top Millennial dish is Michael’s Bran Flakes Breaded Pork Chop with Canned Meat & Spinach Pasta and Lemon Sports Drink Beurre Blanc. The pork is perfectly cooked and Gordon loves the creativity of this dish. Joe says this dish takes Michael to another level in this competition.

9:45 p.m. — After a thoughtful deliberation, the judges have decided the winner of this challenge is Michael! He saves the entire Millennial team and will have immunity in the next challenge.

9:58 p.m.— Now, the worst dishes of the night. On the chopping block for the Baby Boomers is Christopher, who serves up Pan-Seared Chicken Thigh with Feta & Eggplant Salad, Jackfruit Relish and Matcha Garnish. The inside of the chicken thigh is still raw and inedible. The Gen Z cook in trouble is Murt, who serves up a Wagyu Filet with Goat Cheese & Truffle Oil Mash and Avocados & Sundried Tomato Salad. Joe calls it a “sloppy, messy, dirty plate.” The steak is overcooked. Finally, the worst dish from Gen X is Arthur’s New York Strip Steak with Ranch-Dusted Smashed Potato, Ramen Broth Poached Egg and Potato Chip Garnish. Gordon calls it “lackluster.” The steak is overcooked and the egg is undercooked. Joe calls it an “epic fail” and says, “I don’t eat raw eggs,” declining to taste Arthur’s dish at all. Yikes!

10:00 p.m. — After another tough deliberation, the judges decide the third home cook going home this week is Christopher. There’s just no getting around raw chicken. Gen Z remains the only team who has not lost a single contestant this season.

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