Pan-seared Scallops with Apple and Celery Root Puree, Apple Salad and Apple Chutney

Lizzie: "We don't have beautiful apple orchards in Alaska like the rest of the west does, but we do have crabapples there. My dish has to be savory, so I am doing some scallops, green apple and celery root puree, apple chutney, and the crabapple salad. The scallops are not the star of this dish, and it would be easy for that to become the focus. I definitely feel like I'm pushing myself using a few new ingredients, but I'm excited to see how it turns out."

Lizzie (talking to judges during preparation): "I am doing pan seared scallops with a green apple and celery root puree, honey crisp chutney, and a crab apple salad."

Gordon Ramsay: "So the apple is present three different ways?"

Lizzie: "Yes. I want to make sure the apples are the star and not my scallops."

Pan-seared Red snapper with Apple and Potato Scales and White wine Apple Sauce

Charles: "I am going to do a red snapper with fish scales, but I'm going to replicate it with these crimson gold apples with white wine apple sauce."

Joe Bastianich (judge): "Are you making reference to the famous dish where they make potato scales on the fish?"

Charles: "Right."

Joe Bastianich: "Have you ever done anything like that before?"

Charles: "No, but I'm going to give it a try today."

Joe Bastianich: "It's going to be pretty concentrated and sweet on top of fish, all that apple. What if you got a potato and have, like, 60% potato and 40% apples in the structure of scales? That would be much better, more balanced."

Charles: "Okay. That sounds more doable. Yes."

Joe Bastianich: "But you've got a lot to do. This is a complicated dish."

Judges, talking behind the scenes

"Charles was quite concerning to Joe and I. He wants to do a red snapper and using the apple as sort of a faux scale on top of the fish skin."

"That will not work."

"Yes, I know."

"And secondly, the skin on the snapper is delicious. Why try to replace that with something that won't work?"

"I told him to consider more potatoes than apples as the skin. It's a super risky dish. I'm kind of concerned about that."

Judges, talking to Charles before final judgement

"Charles, what is this?"

Charles: "This is a white wine sauce."

"Did you burn the alcohol out of the wine?"

Charles: "I blended it in there."

"Did you burn the alcohol off?"

Charles: "No."

"So you have raw alcohol in the sauce?"

Charles: "Yes."

Spiced "Homecakes" with Apple Compote and Tarragon Whipped Cream

Judges (talking behind the scenes): "Richie's cupcakes. They're not even full."

"They didn't rise, so they're going to be dense."

Richie, talking to himself: "Damn. My cupcakes didn't rise. I'm running out of time, and there's not much I can do to save them at this point. And then I realized I'm missing baking powder. I don't know how I made this mistake. It's not a mistake I normally make, but I don't have time to fix it now, and I've got to get something on the plate. "

Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree, Apple Butter Gravy and Pickled Green Apple Salad

Kennedy: "I cook savory a lot more than I cook sweet. And I know pork like the back of my hand. My mom used to cook pork in, like, the crock pot, so this is, like, an homage to my mother today. So I'm going to do a pork tenderloin with apple, two ways. I'm going to do an apple butter gravy, and then a pickled green apple, fennel, and red onion salad on top."

Aaron Sanchez (judge): "I love the pork tenderloin. Very underappreciated."

Joe Bastianich (judge): "Only if it's done right."

Aaron Sanchez: "It has to be done right, but it's a beautiful canvas."

Harissa  Spiced Scallops with Apple and Fennel Puree and Turkish Couscous

Wayne: "I'm making harissa rubbed scallops, with an apple and fennel puree. And it's going to have an Israeli couscous with apples, fig, and just lightly dust them with the harissa spice that I've yet to make."

Joe Bastianich; "You don't have to have apples everywhere. Make sure it's balanced, and it makes sense because we have to eat the dish too. Is that israeli couscous you're cooking from dry?"

Wayne: "I'm toasting it right now."

Joe Bastianich: "You know, the process with couscous is not so different than risotto."

Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel Drizzle

Jennifer: "I am making a spiced apple cake with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. I've got a caramel drizzle that I'm going to add in."

"A spicy apple cake is very Southern, and so I absolutely hope that this can get me at the front."

Apple Crumble with Oat and Pecan Topping and Maple Whipped Cream

Nina: "I am calling this 'Sam and Mom's apple crumble'. Sam is my ten year old, and he is a budding foodie, and apple crumble is his favorite dessert in the world, but it's also mine. And I'm going to put some thyme in the crumble for a little bit of an adult flavor and a little bit of bourbon as well."

Joe Bastianich (judge): "So you're making a creme fraiche or custard. Where are we going with this?"

Nina: "I am going to do a stabilized maple whipped cream, and I'm also going to do a little bit of a fresh fruit salad."