'MasterChef,' 'Hell's Kitchen' recaps: Go Christine, go! So this is what chef Gordon Ramsay meant when he said that Americans who tune in for the third season of "MasterChef" would be plenty impressed with Christine Ha's cooking -- but they'd be more impressed with Christine. He wasn't kidding. For those of you who missed it, the amateur cooking competition features a blind cook, Christine. The former Long Beach resident who now lives in Texas has an aide who acts as her eyes, guiding her from place to place, and helps her retrieve items from a pantry shelf or a counter. But otherwise, Christine is on her own. Those of you who watched last night's jaw-dropping episode -- which should have been sponsored by Kleenex -- saw one of the most inspirational moments ever in the history of reality TV's cooking competition realm. And Fox milked it for every wonderful moment that it was worth. The episode started out dramatically enough, with the competitors dropped off in the midst of Camp Pendleton. Suddenly, a military helicopter thundered overhead. It was a moment made for TV as the show's three judges popped out of the copter's belly. But it was just a loud, disconcerting windstorm as far as Christine could tell. (She lost her sight as an adult due to an illness, and says that what vision she has left is like trying to see through a heavy, dense fog. She must rely on her memories to cook.) That kicked off what has become a routine challenge on the show -- cooking for the hungry troops. But before that, teams had to be chosen. Christine was chosen last, dead last. Because who wants a blind teammate, right? Well, after this week, they might be fighting over Christine. She performed well enough during the competition, even though her teammates gave her the job of serving chicken to the hungry Marines. With the guide's help, she'd reach out for the serving tray and plop down a breast. If the idea was to curry sympathy, it backfired. Christine's team lost, which sent them all into a "pressure test" showdown after which one person would be sent home. Parting shot: A heartbreaking scene of Christine, and her cane, shown sitting totally alone on a bench... What followed was bizarre. Chef Gordon Ramsay was willing to grant one person from the losing team a pass -- but no one wanted to take it. Team captain Frank Mirando manned up and said that he felt the responsibility of the loss, and refused to excuse himself. He offered the immunity to hometown favorite Felix Fang of Hollywood, but she refused it as well. By this point, all of America (I think) was screaming at the TV: Give it to Christine. But he did not. Frank also offered it to Scott Little. Stupidly, Scott did not take it either. Again: Give it to Christine! He then offers immunity to Stacey Amagrande, the other hometown favorite from Apple Valley, who, no fool, wisely takes it. Then, Ramsay announces the challenge. Baking an old-fashioned apple pie. Pie? We already know that baking is Christine's weakness. It's simply too precise, and, as every baker knows, you need to be able to see how an item is browning and bubbling to know when it's time to come out. In the midst of chopping her apples, Christine cuts herself. She thinks. "Am I bleeding??" she asks her guide. A medic is called. As if things aren't looking dire enough, it takes forever for Christine to get her pie in the oven. Fox, again in milking mode, gives us nothing, shows us nothing of Christine's pie as the rest of her competitors, one by one, present their dish to the judges. Nearly every competitor botched it. Some choice words follow from Ramsay, who seemed like he was still in "Hell's Kitchen" mode, with a flurry of denunciations and bleeped-out words. Christine, like the audience, is growing frantic. "I feel like I need a miracle," she says, "but honestly I think I'm going to be going home." Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for: Christine's pie. She delivers it, trembling. Ramsay asks her what she thinks it looks like. "A pile of rubbish," she said. And then we get our first real look at the GBD: Golden-brown deliciousness. "Visually, it looks stunning," Ramsay tells her, from her glazed sugar-topping to the crusty, flaky crust. "Stop doubting yourself, be bold," he says to her. Stop feeling upset with yourself. She agrees -- and then bursts into tears. "The flavor is amazing," he says. By this point, everyone watching from the rafters seems to be in tears as well. Are they crying at the beauty of the moment? Or the fact that they will have to compete against her? The guy in the cowboy hat -- was he rolling his eyes? Do you think that any of the competitors are irritated to be going up against such a sympathetic character? (And finally, be honest: Did you, like me, wonder skeptically whether there might have been some off-camera advantages extended to Christine? Or am I just thinking that because I have failed at every single pie I have ever tried to make?) The night belonged to Christine, and in the end Michael Chen was sent home. But over on "Hell's Kitchen" it was cliffhanger city. The women win the first-ever Mexican food cookoff in "Hell's Kitchen" history, as they try to put an elegant twist on common favorites. Kimmie Willis continues to impress, even though she apparently made the error that the rest of us make: Flour tortillas? Heavens no, only corn will do. Who will go home after that cliffhanger finale? Who knows. That, after all, is not the most pressing question. 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