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The Masters, clearly anticipating a huge twist ("Where are we packing up and moving to now?" wonders Michael aloud), are hugely surprised when they turn on the TV and watch heartfelt messages of encouragement from their sous-chefs at home. I'm really happy for them; that was a wonderful surprise.

As the tape finishes, we see the doors open AND THE SOUS-CHEFS WALK IN THE DOOR!!! Oh wow, I actually have goosebumps. These Masters are trying to cook the meal of their lives in such a way as to tell a story about their own life and now they have a little bit of support from their own kitchens to help them out. To me, this is the best moment of the entire season.

But not for Rick. His sous-chef has not cooked his seafood properly, with some pieces raw and some pieces overcooked. Bah, you can't find good help anywhere these days.

The meal begins and everything looks amazing. In particular, I can't help but notice how beautiful Stephanie is. I totally have a crush on her.

Up first, we have the chefs' first childhood memory. Michael's memory is of his mother teaching him how to make gnocchi and so he's served gnocchi two ways: one a crispy potato gnocchi and the other one a ricotta gnocchi. Hung, ever the snob, thinks that Michael's sauce is underseasoned. Tom likes the gnocchi.

Hubert made an unpronouncable French dish called baeckeoffe, basically a stew made of lamb, beef and fish. He tells a charming story of how, where he grew up, every Monday was laundry day so his father would make this dish and when the women came back from the river, they would all eat this meal at lunch. Well, everyone at the table loves it. Padma feels like this is something a grandmother would make (cause it's so homey). Elan wishes that Hubert had left the whole pot of the dish at the table for them to eat.

Rick, who grew up in a BBQ restaurant, has made BBQ quail with his family's recipe. Everyone loves the sauce. Stephanie says that she can picture Rick eating this in his backyard and Hosea remarks that as a food memory, this dish is his favorite.

I'd say that Round 1 goes (narrowly) to Hubert.

Second dish is up, the dish that made them want to become a chef, and Michael has made a polenta with rabbit, asparagus and grilled duck, which is confusingly served in a jar. What, did he rob a Smuckers factory or something? In any case, the polenta is fantastic, with Gail saying that she wants to bathe in it and Jay remarking that he wants to eat it "until the cows come home."

Hubert has made a salmon mousse that he had sampled at a restaurant near where he grew up, which just happened to be the only 3-star Michelin restaurant in eastern France. Stephanie loves it and Harold is in awe of how hard the dish was to make and says that it's inspired him to learn more about French cooking.

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