We caught up with Christina Machamer to see how she's adjusting after winning Hell's Kitchen, how close she came to kicking Matt out of her kitchen during the finale and what she did to prevent mistakes when preparing her "winning menu." Plus, she even takes a couple of reader questions. Watch and enjoy!
And we have a winner! After a season that held, according to Gordon, the greatest number of highs and lows, another chef has emerged Hell's Kitchen with a heftier bank account, and a new place to store their knives. More on that a bit later.
But first, after a much (mercifully) shorter season recap, we returned to Petrozza debating between choosing Jen and Matt to be the final sous chef on his team. In the end, he chose Jen over Matt, a wise choice in my opinion. Jen may be a bit of a pain, but she at least doesn't show shades of insanity. But Jen was sure to remind us that her ego-stroking knows no bounds, as she again said she was picked second to last because she was "too strong" and would "outshine" the finalists. Yeah, sure, Jen.
But when the chefs grouped their teams together to discuss their game plan, both Jen and Matt reared their "bad teammate heads." Matt discussed Christina's bad attitude (and the fact that he didn't want to call her chef), but was convinced she had matured when she told him she put a risotto on the menu "just for him." The egos of these people! Jen had a problem with Petrozza's unorganized plans and lack of prep consideration for his menu, a valid concern to be sure. She said she felt like the people playing the violin on the Titanic while it was going down. She does give good sound bites! But I was ready to change the channel when she started sucking up to Ramsay for a letter of recommendation. I was happy to see Gordon blow her off.
But tonight was really about two people: Christina and Petrozza. The dishes from the menu we got a peak at were Christina's trio of beef sliders for appetizers, her New York strip from last week and a tropical sundae dessert. Petrozza served a lobster strudel, his filet and risotto from a week ago, and a vanilla soufflé with whiskey crème. Gordon gave his advice on the menus, suggesting Christina add a little something extra to her "plain Jane" menu, particularly the sliders and the desert. Gordon complimented Petrozza's soufflé and his bravery in serving a highly imaginative menu, but warned that it could be very dangerous. Based on what we saw, I'd have to say that Christina's appetizers were more to my taste, but Petrozza's entrée seemed more satisfying. I'm not much into sweets (I know, I know), so I'll reserve judgment.
After her all her bellyaching, Christina ends up very pleased with her dining room, as was Gordon. He complimented the comfy chairs, and the contemporary elegance of the room. Petrozza also earned Chef Ramsay's compliments for his rustic yet vibrant dining room, particularly loving the fireplace.
And then the final service began. I have to say, overall, the service must have been really smooth, because there weren't a ton of errors to speak of. Of course, both Jen and Matt ruffled Gordon's feathers (Matt with raw fish twice, and Jen with soggy onion rings), but both Christina and Petrozza eventually stepped up and refocused them on the task at hand. The two biggest mistakes of the night came when Christina (who successfully stopped Matt's raw food) sent "lukewarmish" food into the dining room and had it returned. I chuckled at Petrozza's delight in this. But Petrozza also had trouble serving hot food, mostly because he needed extra hands to plate his complicated presentations. Additionally, he ran out of food for both his salad and lobster appetizers, forcing Bobby to come up with lobster risotto on the fly, which managed to impress the diner's nonetheless. On the positive side, Gordon was pleased with both Petrozza and Christina's managing of their "brigade" and their level of quality control.
I was a little surprised not to hear more out of Ben and Corey, both of whom had plenty to say during their stints on the show. I guess between Jen claiming nothing (including the under-prepped station) was her fault, and Matt being unable to make a salad and mouthing off to everybody (that's right, even Gordon, or at least that’s what the producers would have us believe), there wasn't enough room in the hour to add much of them. Either way, the service was again strong, and according to Gordon, it all came down to an agonizing decision.
So after weighing his options long and hard, Gordon named… Christina, as the winner of Hell's Kitchen. I would be lying if I said was shocked, but I was really pulling for Petrozza. Although I was pretty tough on Christina's attitude last week, she has won a ton of challenges, and I buy Gordon's thoughts about investing in her long-term future, considering how well she is already doing with the least experience of the group. I felt really bad for Petrozza, who was emotional as usual, but he handled the defeat with a lot of grace. Major props to him. Speaking of emotional, does anyone else think Christina's mom might still be crying this very moment? Her waterworks were only outdone by the flying champagne!
So congratulations must go out to Christina, who proved herself to be the best out of (in my estimation) a lackluster group this year. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. So that does it for the season. What did you think of the finale? Are you pleased with Gordon's choice? Also, be sure and keep your eyes peeled with a video Q&A with Christina coming soon here on TVGuide.com! Share your thoughts, and feel free to post questions you'd like us to ask Christina when she stops by. Thanks for reading and commenting this season!
After opening with the brutally long (almost 10 minutes!) season recap, the final showdown got underway. Not that I didn't enjoy looking back on the events of this year, but it seemed like they could have edited the package a little quicker. I was shocked by how many of these people I had already forgotten about, so the opening did its job I suppose, for better or worse.
For the final challenge, the two chefs are given the task of creating their dream restaurant, picking everything from the menu and décor all the way down to the uniforms of the wait staff. Create own dream restaurant. Petrozza, as usual, got very emotional during his time of reflecting on how far he's come, while Christina seemed rather arrogant. Perhaps that arrogance was based on the fact that she knew exactly what she wanted on her menu, while Petrozza sat scratching his head, eating potato chips and ultimately going to be without finalizing his plans.
The following morning both chefs met with the designer to plan the look of their restaurant and JP to pick their waiters uniforms. Again, Petrozza and Christina were polar opposites. Petrozza cannot articulate his menu to the designer for ideas, while Christina knows exactly what she wants. Christina wants to keep everything simple, while Petrozza wants flowers everywhere (which Christina hates) in complicated arrangements. Finally, Christina hates all of the wait staff uniform choices, particularly the one that features a chef's jacket, which, naturally, is Petrozza's first choice. Overall, Christina is playing to simplicity, while Petrozza is making matter complicated, perhaps over thinking and overdoing everything.
Then Gordon calls the chefs up to his office to address his concerns about perhaps not having the right finalists. This leads to a cliff-hanger commercial break, and wouldn't you know it, my DVR flipped out on me. The next clip I could get to play is Christina and Petrozza stepping out of the limo in Times Square. (Someone, please fill me in on what I missed in the rest of the office meeting!)
Even so, once in New York, the chefs were greeted with their name in the Times Square lights and also learned that they would each be receiving a weeklong trip to Dubai. (Though Christina is going to need a map to get there!) Then the gang gets a tour of Chef Ramsay's London New York, and meets Josh Emmett, the executive chef who will be overseeing them when the London in West Hollywood opens.
While in the kitchen, they are given their chef's jackets for the final showdown, as well as the orders for their final challenge. Each chef has to prepare their signature dish from the menu and serve it to Gordon's executive chefs from each of his five restaurants. Petrozza makes a filet mignon with onion risotto and an onion paintbrush (?!) garnish. Christina serves an aged New York strip steak with a sweet corn succotash. Again, Christina is pretty cocky, mostly based on the fact that she's keeping it simple and flavorful while Petrozza is getting a little fancier, but perhaps unfocused.
As if it could happen any other way, the judging panel is split, with Mark Sargeant and Angela Hartnett picking Petrozza's dish (despite his paintbrush!) and Stuart Gillies and Simone Zanoni picking Christina's. (My biggest laugh of the evening came from Petrozza calling Simone a ding dong because he never served risotto as a side dish!) But the deciding vote came down to Josh Emmett, who ultimately decided that the risotto made Petrozza's dish the winner, earning Petrozza the chance to pick first when building his kitchen team.
Christina (whose arrogance was now showing shades of Jen) claimed she was not worried because her menu is better that Petrozza's. And then Whoopi Goldberg walked out?!? (Her appearance seemed pointless, and since I've yet to make a connection as to why she showed up — aside from being a "fan" of Hell's Kitchen — I will address it no further.)When the chefs got back to Hell's Kitchen, again, the two chefs were completely different. Petrozza was thrilled with his dining room, while Christina complained about the white window treatments and the striped wallpaper that shepicked out. (Ugh. Even though I was already putting my support in Petrozza's corner, I'm definitely rooting for him now.)
So the time comes to introduce the recently eliminated chefs who will cook on the final two's teams. Ben comes in running his mouth reminding me why I wasn't as sad to see him go as I would have been in week two. And Jen was matching him step for step. Matt didn't do anything completely ridiculous, but there's always hope for next week! Because he won the challenge in New York, Petrozza picked first and selected Bobby. He's not a terrible choice, but it opened up the door for Christina to get her No. 1 choice in Corey. I suppose Petrozza having someone he trusts by his side is a positive thing. With Corey already spoken for, Petrozza picks Ben and Christina snatches up Louross. At this point, I feel like Petrozza is picking with his heart rather than his head and perhaps handing Christina a better team in the process.
So it all comes down to Matt and Jen. Petrozza understands the gravity of the choice, weighing the difference between having Matt who will whine all day and potentially have a meltdown versus Jen who doesn't take orders very well. (Especially since she confessed to only being there to make Chef Ramsay second guess his decision to send her home). So Petrozza chose…
We’ll find out next week in the season finale! I really wish they had just done one show and wrapped up this season already, but I'll be back with the results again following the final episode. So who are you pulling for? Who do you think Petrozza will choose to be the final member on his team? Share your thoughts and check back next week for more.
As tonight's ever-important episode got underway, all of the chefs were remarking about how it felt a weight had been lifted, now that Jen was gone. Oddly enough, I felt the same way even sitting at home. Overall, tonight's episode was nice, positive change from the week's of the past, with each of the cooks performing well (most of the time). There may be hope yet!
The chefs are greeted by Chef Ramsay the following morning, when they learn that they will be eating a signature breakfast dish prepared by Gordon himself. As an added bonus, the chefs get to dine with their loved ones — Petrozza with his father and girlfriend, Christina with her parents and Corey with her mother and boyfriend — which gives each of the cooks a little boost. (Or in Petrozza's case, a few tears.) But of course, there is always a twist & mdash; the chefs had to then prepare the same dish Gordon served as part of the first challenge. While Corey and Petrozza spent most of the time reconnecting with family, Christina smartly analyzed the food, expecting just such a task.
Giving the chefs one serving of the dish to use as a reference, each of the three chefs set off to prepare the dish. The first decision was selecting the right beef. Christina chose a venison strip loin, while Petrozza and Corey chose buffalo tenderloin. Petrozza, however quickly changed his mind after tasting the meat, and served the venison as well. The second major component of the dish was a puree. Christina chose to make a white bean puree while Corey prepared a potato and parsnip puree. (Petrozza didn't make a puree at all.) Finally, each chef made a red wine reduction for the sauce, but only Corey used the secret ingredient — a raspberry framboise that made the sauce slightly sweet.
When time came to serve, each of the chefs had severe mistakes. Corey's choice of meat was incorrect, Petrozza left off the puree completely, and Christina used an aioli as a binding agent, which Gordon said was completely wrong. On the plus side, Petrozza and Christina used the right cuts of meat, and Corey, in addition to the perfect sauce, also used cream as a binding agent. However, Corey was quickly eliminated because of the meat choice. Between Christina and Petrozza's dishes, Gordon chose Christina (three wins in a row, now) despite the aioli. To add salt to Petrozza's wounds, Gordon told him if there had been any puree on the plate, he would have won. Even so, Christina spent the afternoon with Gordon (and her family) seeing the sites of Los Angeles in a private double-decker bus and eating at L.A. hot spots while Petrozza and Christina crushed ice by hand and polished the glasses. (Corey pretended the ice was Jen. Ha!)
In tonight's dinner service, the chef's each took a turn running the "hot plate" as well as cooking on their station. The best part of the night for me was watching Gordon give each of the chefs "assertiveness" training. While I am of the mind that you don't have to be a raging maniac to run a kitchen, I still enjoy Gordon's methods, and found it quite funny to see the chefs try to measure up. Petrozza got pretty nasty, and seemed the most convincing. Corey was completely lost, and Christina, who showed improvement by the end, reminded Gordon of a cheerleader he couldn't take seriously. How would they fare at service?
Once food started flowing out of the kitchen, Petrozza was the first to take on working the pass. Gordon cleverly had sous chefs Gloria and Scott set up sabotages to test the chefs as well. Although Petrozza did pretty well, he missed one of the sabotages, which featured a risotto without peas. However, he recovered and ran the kitchen pretty well, despite Christina who crashed and burned in the fish station. First she overcooked her salmon and scallops, and then served raw salmon that Petrozza rejected at the pass. Gordon even asked her if she was trying to sabotage Petrozza at one point. All in all, Gordon seemed pleased with Petrozza's efforts.
Next up, Corey took on the pass. She made an early mistake not catching the fact that a table of six only had five entrees on the ticket, which quickly earned her a scolding. She quickly became timid as she did earlier during training, but somehow began to pull things together. That is until Scott served lamb wellington with the wrong sauce. Corey did catch the mistake, but not until she had already poured the sauce over the meat, which Gordon deemed "game over" and kicked her off the hot plate saying it was "not good enough."
Trying to redeem her "crap" performance on her station, Christina took control when working the pass. Though her attitude got under sous chef Scott's skin and Corey said her "squeally" voice was annoying, Christina moved food out of the kitchen. She also was the only chef not fooled by Gordon's sabotage, catching Gloria's substitution of basil in the mashed potatoes instead of mint, which earned Gordon's approval.
Overall, it was a strong dinner service, and Gordon seemed pleased. At least he's probably not sweating the fact that he is hiring one of these folks. He asked each chef to nominate one person for elimination, which all of the chefs found difficult after becoming close. Even Christina admitted that she and Corey (who had their share of run-ins in the early going) had begun to get along and work well in the kitchen. At nomination time, Christina nominated Corey and vice versa, while Petrozza nominated Christina as well, based on her inexperience. It was a nice moment when Gordon told the chefs how much he had grown to like them and hated this part of the show.
Ultimately, Gordon sent Petrozza to the final without question (my money is still on him to win), leaving him to decide between Christina, who stepped up as a leader despite poor cooking, and Corey, who cooked well but lost control of the kitchen to the point that Gordon "would be scared to leave her alone in the kitchen". Saying his decision was based on everything that happened this season (including a lot of Christina wins), Corey was sent home. Gordon gave her a heartfelt goodbye speech and she handled her exit with grace after doing "bloody well." I have to say, for all her sneakiness and faux-sexiness early on, she was (usually) a pretty solid cook.
So now, the showdown begins? Do you think Petrozza's experience will win out? Or will Gordon's golden girl keep her winning streak alive until the end? Tell us who you think will win and what you're looking forward to (sadly, I'm eager to see Matt's goofiness and just how "not bitter" Jen is) in next week's episode. Comment away and check back next week for the final showdown!
Well, I have to say that I was impressed tonight. I've been tough on these hacks chefs, but for the most part, they all stepped up tonight with an excellent dinner service. And for the first time, I wasn't in disbelief that one of these people might actually be able to work in a fine dining restaurant. (I said work in, not necessarily run at this point.) Unfortunately in the world of reality TV, one of them still had to go, so let's get to it.
The episode started with Jen admitting in the confessional that she might need friends at this point, something she tries to accomplish by sucking up to Christina. Jen's speech about understanding why Christina nominated her the night before did strike a chord with Christina, but Corey wasn't fooled, saying she was "done with people's feelings" and tired of walking on eggshells.
For tonight's first challenge, the chefs had to (unknowingly) cook a dish of their choice for 80 pregnant women in what Chef Ramsay called the "mother of all challenges." Only knowing that they were cooking for "demanding" guests who Chef Ramsay would "bend over backward for," Christina made an island turkey sandwich with curried avocado, Corey prepared a grilled salmon BLT, Jen served a grouper with rum butter sauce and mango salsa and Petrozza made a ham and turkey monte cristo sandwich. (Side note: Even though I haven't ever found reason to dislike him very much, seeing Petrozza as the last man threw me for a loop tonight. It's not like I hadn't known all week — it just registered tonight and struck me as funny. Anyone else?)
Once all the dishes were plated (except for Corey who was way behind and only plated a few portions), it was revealed that the chefs food would be served to expectant mothers. While Jen was relieved because "pregnant women will eat anything," (way to set your sights high, Jen!), Corey was afraid she wouldn't have the added advantage of being able to "work men" to win the competition. (Ugh, enough already.) While Christina "pimped herself and her food out and Petrozza won over the ladies with his "heart attack dipped in a stroke wrapped in cardiac arrest" sandwich, Corey kept running back to the kitchen to portion more food, which caught harsh words from Chef Ramsay.
Of course, Jen thought she "deserved to win" because she had the most complicated dish, scoffing at the others' sandwiches. However, she only managed to beat out short-stocked Corey, as Petrozza and Christina were the two fan favorites, separated by only 2 votes. In the end, the mommies-to-be chose Christina's dish, earning her a day of shopping in Beverly Hills with Chef Ramsay, spending over $1,000 and being dressed by designer Lisa Kline. Meanwhile, all the other chefs cleaned the dining room for dinner service and began prepping. While Corey and Jen had a pity party, Petrozza (even after admitting the game is "vicious") tried to cheer everybody up and stop them for dissing Christina. But f course, Jen said she was the Grinch and was only there to win, treating us to an odd rendition of "Kumbaya" along the way. (Also, Jen told us ad nauseam how much "better" the reward would have been for a fashionista like her. Ha! I'm really growing tired of Jen by now.)
The resentment of Christina continued when she came back from her reward, but it was Pretrozza who put an end to that for the sake of the team, and the others quickly got on board afterward. For the most part, that teamwork carried over, as the chefs all started strong. Jen served a "stunning" risotto, Corey's scallops earned compliments and Petrozza earned a pat on the back for the food coming out of the meat station. However, both Jen and Corey ran into some problems. After serving "mush" as risotto, Gordon told Jen to listen and concentrate. When she bounced back, he said she "proved just how lazy" she is because of her inconsistency. Corey also (knowingly!) served raw fish and was praying it would get past Chef Ramsay's eyes. While it did, it still came back to the kitchen and had to be recooked. (Pretty sure I wouldn't want someone that willing to cut corners making my dinner!)
Things really got heated (literally) when Christina — still reveling in her big wins despite her "three years of experience," presumably — burned Chef Ramsay. And not just once, but twice. She repeatedly left the handle of her pan over the flame on the vegetable station and didn’t tell him, resulting in pain for Gordon and a good tongue lashing for Christina, who he accused of doing it on purpose. Perhaps she got her wake-up call when he poured water on the handle and it sizzled and steamed, as it wasn't a mistake she made a third time. The only other snafu came when Gordon (again) lectured Petrozza about cleanliness. Ultimately, however, he said if the meat stayed that "excellent" he didn't care if he "worked like a pig. (Kinda gross, but good for Petrozza!)
All in all the chefs served the dining room in record time, and it was fun to see the sheer joy in Gordon's face as he congratulated the chefs. (I think he was smiling because for the first time he knew maybe he could actually give one of these people a job and still sleep at night.) Even though the night was "extraordinary," the team had to come to a consensus on two chefs to go up on the chopping block. They decided to each vote separately for two people, with the rule that no one could vote for the same person with each vote. However, Corey revealed that Christina earned three votes, despite not voting for her herself. Of course, everyone assumes Jen voted for her twice (especially Petrozza who had a few choice words about Jen when she said it was time to "get a heart now"), but could Corey have framed Jen?
Either way, it was clear Jen would be up for elimination again, and the team, trying to seal her fate discussed picking someone strong to make it obvious. While Petrozza volunteered himself, Corey said she probably deserved to go up more, noting that being the sacrificial lamb was risky move. Either way, when it came chopping time, Corey and Jen were the two names called. Although Jen plead her case with her emotion and passion, Corey argued her teamwork and honesty (uh, didn't you willingly serve raw fish?) made her the one to keep. In the end Gordon told Corey…to "say goodbye to Jen." (The look on Christina's face before Chef Ramsay revealed his trick was priceless!)
Gordon was frank with Jen, insisting that she should keep her head up, now that she'd finally learned to listen. Thankfully, in her goodbye message it sounded that she had realized her attitude sucked. And as Gordon's voiceover told us, her inconsistent attitude (and cooking) was what finally did her in. Yay! (In truth, she didn't bother me so much this season, but she really became unbearable for me tonight. Good timing, I guess.)
So what do you think of the final three? Were you glad to see Jen go? Who do you think will take it all? And what about next week's mystery guest? Share your comments and check back next week for lots of Petrozza yelling and Christina crying. Can't wait!
As another chef leaves us, we're inching ever closer to this season's (possibly lackluster) finale. Tonight's episode started as many of the others have — with the entire team bashing Jen. But Jen also made it clear in her confessional (as she has in other ways) that she's not interested in making friends and that she feels she's more skilled than all the other competitors. That may be true, but that's not saying much.
For the first challenge tonight, Gordon taught the chef's a new lobster spaghetti dish, which they chefs in turn had to teach five cute but clueless housewives, one of whom even brought a dog into the kitchen. Bobby and Petrozza were distracted for obvious reasons, but Petrozza took it to a whole other level in assisting his student in putting her hair up and putting on her apron. Bobby's student was afraid to kill her lobster, Christina was afraid her student would cut herself and Jen couldn't keep herself from helping the student do all the work. Corey, however, seemed to have a good relationship with her student (who seemed somewhat competent), and thought she had a good chance at winning.
Win it came time to judge, Petrozza and his student were complimented on their seasoning and the cooking of the lobster, but their "pass-ta" was overcooked and rolled too thin. Bobby and his dog lover served a dish that looked more suited for the K-9 (and unfortunately, Gordon said it tasted like dog food as well) while Jen's student served a bland, sauceless dish that signaled to Gordon the student had never cooked a day in her life. On the other hand, both Christina and Corey's students prepared good dishes, but when the decision was made, Christina was named the victor.
For winning, Christina spent the afternoon with Chef Ramsay and famous chefs/restaurateurs Ben Ford and Mark Peel, tasting their signature dishes and "picking their brains." For their troubles, the students were each given a set of cookware. The rest of the gang spent their afternoons scrubbing the floors and ovens, and emptying/cleaning the fryers. Jen, however, managed to sneak into the kitchen being used for Christina's award and eavesdropped hoping to gain some tips. Then, she even ate the leftovers brought back to be cleaned so she could "take advantage" of every opportunity. Bobby found it gross — glad he and I finally see eye to eye on something.
During prep, Christina is chatty about all the new info she learned, and the rest of the team becomes annoyed quickly (surprise, surprise). Jen says she wants to "booty-bump her out of the way" while Corey just says she wishes she would shut up. Either way, the chefs had to prepare for a dinner service that would feature a table of 12. Gordon asked the chefs for the performance of their life, though I would think by now part of him knows he seen each of them at about as good as it gets. (One pre-dinner service note: JP running into the glass door was hilarious. I must have re-watched it about seven times. At least it gave Gordon something to smile about tonight!)
The night started with Gordon complimenting Christina for her work on the appetizer station (even though she was a little rock getting going) and questioning Jen's "flat-footed" slowness and Bobby's poor knife skills (he improperly butterflied a filet and failed to trim the fat off a beef wellington order). When Jen finally serves her fish (at first raw and then overdone and rubbery) JP tells the wait staff to push the meat. Then Bobby served some overdone meat (Gordon said he was "cremating everything"), JP was forced to push the chicken. Poor guy had a rough night!
Petrozza also got his share of tongue lashings tonight for being slow and failing to communicate from the vegetable station, however the most controversial thing he did came when he brought some fish to Gordon early, for which Chef Ramsay then blamed Jen. When Jen started to defend herself, it became a war of words which Jen chose to back away from (for a little bit). I felt bad for Jen because she clearly was not at fault, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Gordon doesn't like back talk. Either way, I was disappointed Petrozza didn't speak up, as he has for the most part been honorable throughout the show. Ultimately, Gordon kicks Jen off the station to complete an order, but she and Bobby and Petrozza get a rhythm together finally, serving all the entrees to the table of 12 Hawaiian Tropic girls (HK tried to sex it up tonight!) all together. (Corey and Christina managed the same sort of rhythm in order to serve the appetizers earlier in the evening, with Corey noting "We hate each other, but we work well together."
After the 12 top was served, the dinner service was complete, but Gordon was upset with the many "inconsistent" performances, remarking that at this stage, "it shouldn't have to be this painful." Christina, on a roll, was named the best of the night, and she was asked to nominate two chefs. Corey (brilliant two-face that she is) then became Christina's ally against Jen, talking up her nomination. Yeah, the same Corey who "hates" Christina. She also did some trash talk about Bobby, which must have gotten through as Christina nominated Jen and the General to be sent home. After some bashing and case pleading (and some really terrible sucking up by Bobby), Gordon made his decision, sending home 'the Black Gordon Ramsay," though cleverly calling him General Bobby to throw everyone off at first. I honestly feel like Jen had a worse performance tonight (not to mention all the back talk), but I think Gordon has seen strokes of talent in her that Bobby hasn't shown. After all, he didn't win many challenges and always played it safe, so I guess I see the rationale in Gordon's choice.
So what did you think of tonight's show and elimination? Do you think sending Bobby home was a mistake? Are you excited for next week's "heart attack dipped in a stroke with a side of cardiac arrest?" (Thanks, Jen!) Share your thoughts and check back next week to see how the final four perform!
So we've made it to the final six, which any other season is an accomplishment. This year, I'd say most of the remaining chefs owe it to dumb luck. However, as much as it may be hard to believe that any of these cooks are going to be running Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant, they each got a tour of the building that will become their new culinary home. (Maybe Gordon's waiting to see if he should put in an all-you-can eat buffet, based on who wins.) The chefs were also dumbfounded by the $250,000 they got to peek at, and who wouldn't be? I'm still hoping someone proves to me that they deserve the prize money.
After changing out of their red and blue coats to become a single team, the chefs launched into the first individual challenge, in which each chef cooked a protein they were assigned. Matt made a roasted veal loin, Christina prepared a pan-seared sea bass and Jen chose a risky thin-sliced ribeye steak. Additionally, Bobby made his version of a duck noodle soup, Corey made a lobster soup and Petrozza prepared a stuffed chicken breast. Gordon was pleased with these dishes across the board, calling it a "refreshing change." (Even Matt smelled victory!) However, Chef Ramsay was upset that Corey didn't use more of her lobster and even though his soup was on the verge of being perfect, Bobby's duck was tough. Jen's ribeye and Christina's bass were the top two dishes in Gordon's eyes, with the victory going to Jen, as her "dangerous dish that paid off." Gordon also added it to the menu for the next dinner service.
Finally receiving a good prize, Jen (and her surprising choice of Corey as a guest) was sent to Vegas to meet with Rock, last year's winner. He reminded both women that Gordon wants the best future chef, not just the best cook. For me the most interesting part of the trip was Corey continuously talking about how fake Jen was, while Corey (who obviously has problems with Jen) magically became Jen's new best friend after being chosen. Meanwhile the guys and Christina had to spend the whole day suffering through Matt's continuous whining. Oh, and they had to unload the delivery trucks, too.
And then, the moment we've all been waiting for: Matt started to crack up. Though we saw nothing new that wasn't teased in last week's promo, the best of his fit/fight with Christina was the running commentary from the other chefs. Bobby said he was a loose cannon, "fruity in the brain," was on the war path — all reasons enough for Bobby to keep 50 feet of distance from him.
When it came time for dinner service, Jen and Petrozza were assigned appetizers, Bobby was on the fish station, Corey handled vegetables and (best buds!) Christina and Matt were put on meats. Matt, of course, started floundering very early on, and Christina said she wouldn't hesitate to kick him off the station. (Which Matt returned with a classy confessional dig about Christina's cellulite, naturally.) Apparently, Christina's eyes weren't the only ones watching, as Gordon reminded Matt that he would be "watching him like a hawk."
Although Petrozza continued to be sloppy, Gordon was pleased with his appetizers. Jen, however served a salty risotto that had Chef Ramsay double-thinking his earlier judgment. But then the Matt freakshow took over again, as he couldn't even repeat orders back to Gordon as they came in. He honestly was a stuttering mess. Apparently, his bad work rubbed off oneveryone around him, as Christina couldn't keep the meat station afloat and was failingto communicate with Corey, who became emotional. (Gordon told her to get out of her mood which made "her face look like a cow's backside.") Additional blunders came as Christina cooked chicken and meat in the same pan while Bobby (who shold know better since he is allergic to shellfish) did the same with salmon and scallops.
The kitchen really started to get heated (literally) when Corey burned her hand. Despite Gordon's insistence that she go see the medic, Corey repeatedly refused. It was a brave (stupid) move, but she finally gave in once he told her he wasn't asking. While Bobby remained focus and "cool as a cucumber," Gordon caught "bandana man" Matt eating food, despite his customers sitting in the dining room hungry. When Matt's plated meat was overcooked (and another was raw) Gordon came down on him hard. While complaining of a migraine, Matt also talked back to Ramsay, saying he was too busy getting yelled at. (I think Bobby's "fruity in the brain" comment was just about right!) While babbling more excuses, Gordon tells Matt he's had a migraine since the day he got there, and sent him to the dorms to lie down.
It was all downhill from there as Jen then burned a pot of rice in Christina's station, earning Jen and Christina an early exit (Jen for leaving it to burn, and Christina for not noticing). Finally (and mercifully), Gordon shuts the "pathetic" service down. After Corey apologizes for her emotions (and Gordon reminds her he's not Dr. Phil), the gang is sent back to the dorms to nominate two chefs. Matt has a private word with Gordon, and is so disillusioned that he feels Gordon wants him there, or else he would already be gone. He even tells the rest of the team that, after being nominated, he will still be around.
Ah, Matt. You committed the cardinal sin. Pride goes before a fall. That's right — after the team nominated Matt and Christina (and Corey sacrifices herself, earning points in my book) Gordon sent Matt packing. He was fun to watch (which we got to relive through his embarrassing exit montage), but the guy really should have been gone weeks ago. Petrozza said he would be happy when Matt was out of the state, but Bobby even wanted him "kicked off the universe." (These people are brilliant, I tell you!) Gordon sent the chefs off, urging them to unite as a team.
So are you glad to see Matt finally leave? Or were you happy to see his failures each week in the "best thing in his life?" Are you excited for next week's model-invaded Hell's Kitchen? Share your thoughts and check back next week! For now, I'll leave you with a touching poem, written by the Shakespeare of the kitchen, Gordon Ramsay.
There once was a boy named Matt, Whose kitchen performance fell flat. He was far from neat, miserable on meat, So I kicked him out, and that's that.
Even a dip in the ocean tonight couldn't put out the fire that was Chef Ramsay. And of course, I loved every insulting, obscene moment of it!
Tonight's episode began with the blue team rallying around one another, continuing to discuss the problems they have with Jen. Bobby said she is a baby that "didn't impress me," andhe and Louross both agree that they are just going to let the cooking do the talking from now. I, for one, think that should have been the plan all along. Not that I believe this group's food has a whole lot to say. Matt, aware that he was on thin ice, or as Gordon put it, "borrowed time," apologized repeatedly for sucking. Hey, Matt — they're used to it by now!
The first challenge is a relay race which forces the team to communicate and plan as they have to prepare three dishes, but by cooking in separate shifts. They get 15 seconds to communicate between shift changes, and the team with the most impressive dishes win. The blue tem must pick a chef to sit out, and Jen basically talks her way into putting Louross on the sidelines — a move that surprised Chef Ramsay since Louross is pretty speedy in the kitchen. As for the competition, it seemed (at least by the editing) that the blue team had a better strategy. Plus Matt got the red team off to a bad start by poaching chicken but leaving it raw. Ultimately all three dishes were completed (for the most part) and presented to Chef Ramsay.
For the scallop dish, the red team was missing the salad and the blue team had a terribly overcooked egg. However, the blue team's raw scallops gave the edge to the red team, who took Round 1. Despite a lack of sauce on the second dish, the blue team still managed to tie it up as the red team had a thick sauce and a presentation that "looked like they dropped it" before serving. So it all came down to the chicken dish. The red team cooked the chicken well, but forgot a leek. The blue team's bird was cooked equally well, but they again forgot the sauce. It turns out that missing two sauces is unacceptable to Gordon, who gave the victory to the red team.
As a reward, the red team spent the day with Gordon at the beach, getting surfing lessons from legendary wave rider Zuma Jay. It wasn't a great reward still, but it was fun to see Gordon outside the kitchen, splashing in the surf and dunking JP as well. Meanwhile, the blue team was back in the kitchen playing the part of the maintenance crew, charged with cleaning the sign and the red carpet. The only thing more disgusting than that sign was probably the idea of Matt in a wetsuit. (Ok, maybe I'm being too hard on the guy. But come on! He did hit hi head on the sea floor while surfing? Can he do anything right?) While cleaning, Jen and Bobby have a few choice words with one another, as both of their egos don't like hearing what the other has to offer. This tension could make for a disastrous dinner service.
For dinner, the chefs are tasked with creating their own menus for that evening. The red team works together (which Matt is very happy about…a fact he repeats at least five times during the episode) while the chefs in blue continue to have their issues. Ultimately, the boys quit pitching ideas because Jen shoots them all down, and they each agree to "let her hang herself." When the chefs present their menu to Gordon, the red team impresses Gordon (it actually sounded pretty good!) while the blue teams sounded "hideous." Louross then calls Jen out, and Gordon asks them to reconfigure their menu, which Bobby said he had planned all along. Once they have satisfied Gordon, it's time for service to begin.
And now, let's pause for a brief moment to recognize the many names Gordon called Matt during tonight's dinner service. • Slob • Tubby • Baby • Slim • Homer
As you might have guessed from that intermission, Matt had a rough service. It started with him on the hot appetizers station (which Christina voiced her concern about), serving appetizers in record time. Unfortunately they all came back with complaints of being too salty. It must have been Matt's secret ingredient — salt. With Corey's helpful tips to "cook like a normal person," Matt then gets bumped to the veggies station, but after making some "disgusting" dishes there and throwing around his pans like he "needs a diaper", Corey basically relieves him of all duties. He spends the rest of the night "straightening up" the kitchen.
But the blue kitchen had its share of problems. Petrozza continued to work in an untidy station, and didn't wash his lettuce before serving. But all eyes were on Louross, who repeatedly sent undercooked filet mignons into the dining room before being returned. Matt may have gotten a barrage of nicknames, but Gordon also unloaded on Louross, saying his sighs of disappointment were an Oscar-worthy acting job. He also said if his cooking was as good as his acting he'd be talented. Ouch. Then, he got on his knees to get on eye-level and perhaps reach him. Double ouch. After threatening to shut down the blue team if one more steak came back, Louross fixed the problem. But his diners had left, causing Gordon to give his final insult of throwing the ticket in his face.
Jen wasn't immune to criticism either, as she served a raw soufflé which ended with a broken plate. But somehow Corey and Christina worked as a team to complete their meal, and to their credit, the blue team finally used to teamwork to send out all their deserts. Gordon says the chefs menus performed equally well in terms of customer curiosity, but both teams failed miserably. He did, however, name the red team the winners of the night's service and named Petrozza the "untidy best of the worst."
Petrozza fairly easily nominated Jen and Louross to be sent home. But Gordon (fulfilling the "never done before" twist teased last week) asked Petrozza who should actually go home. Smartly (but somewhat shockingly) Petrozza chose the actual weak link on his team rather than the cook who is more difficult in the kitchen and booted Louross. Gordon agreed, and Louross left Hell's Kitchen. In a bit of last-minute trickery, Gordon asked Matt to come forward and scolded both he and Jen before asking them to take off their jackets. (I was excited, I must say!) But then he simply sent them back to their original teams promising that the final six would be starting all over the next day.
So Louross, our Filipino "Smurf" is now gone. As Ramsay said he "wasn't short on energy, he was just short…on cooking ability." Don't you just love Gordon?
So what do you think about Louross' exit? Do you think the teams will suffer now that everyone is back where they started? How excited are you about Matt's crazy antics (and we thought he couldn't get any crazier!) teased in next week's promo? Share your thoughts and check back next week for more!
Tonight's episode began with both teams contemplating the effects of having one of the girls join the blue team. While the men were worried about how it would affect their chemistry (uh, what chemistry?), Corey went to work suggesting that Jen should defect because Corey wanted to "get her voice back" in the red kitchen. Jen had a few choice words for Cory in confessional, but when the time came, she did "volunteer" herself to join the blue team, calling the red chefs "safe," something she did not want to be.
Luckily, the next challenge was all about not being safe, and urged the chefs to show a little creativity. Each team had to prepare four dishes using 20 items provided by Chef Ramsay. None of the items could be used more than once, but every item had to be used in one of the dishes. The "20-Item Challenge" quickly became the "21-Item Challenge" as Matt (surprise, surprise) sliced off the tip of his thumb while slicing pancetta. He stepped out to see a medic (leaving his finger behind, apparently) and the women had to pick up his slack, which they did by communicating well. The blue team, however, was virtually silent, with several chefs using the same ingredient until it was pointed out to them. Jen and Lourouss butt heads over his dish, as she instructs him to make a surf-and-turf dish to include the 20th ingredient their team needs. However, when it comes time to plate it, he leaves the veal off of his plate, much to the chagrin of Jen, who then tells him to lie to Gordon and say the veal fat was rendered in his sauce.
The chefs served their respective dishes to Gordon in a head-to-head showdown. In the first matchup, Petrozza was complimented for his brave soufflé which Gordon said was perfect, but Chef Ramsay couldn't fault Christina's dish either, calling the first round a draw. "Nine-finger" Matt lost against Jen because he failed to remove the liver from his quail, giving the blue team a 2-1 advantage. Although Corey didn't use many items in her dish (which Gordon said was bland), Bobby's "horrendous" glaze dominated his plate, giving Corey the edge and once again tying the score. The competition then rested on the shoulders of Rosann and Louross. Although Gordon favored Louross' red snapper dish, Louross wouldn't lie, and confessed to not using the veal. (I personally applaud his honesty and responsibility, even though he suffered for it.) The red team then wins by default, earning a trip to an In Touch Weekly photo shoot with Ramsay while the blue team did laundry by hand. I can't believe Matt was in a photo shoot.
Obviously, Jen was upset about Louross' decision, and continuously hurled insults at him all day. While I understand her frustration, she did conceptualize a dish that Louross didn't want to make, and when it came time for judgment, she made it seem as if Louross had wanted to do a surf-and-turf but then changed his mind. She was again tooting her own horn for her "flawless dish," but let's not forget that aside from not following the rules, Gordon also liked Louross' food.
Although the red team seemed quite happy (happy, happy, happy, as Matt sang — ugh) following their win, Jen seemed committed to working with the blue team. Especially after Christina came out saying she was very glad to have Jen gone. It seemed that the flames Jen would be cooking with tonight were those of vengeance. Either way, each team needed to bring their "A" game as they were cooking for food critics, who ordered the exact same dishes from each kitchen.
As Corey took the lead in the red kitchen, Jen tried to lead the boys in blue. The first showdown was between the two kitchens' appetizers, with Corey's risotto and Louross' scallops being well-received. But then things started to go the way of most services on this season of Hell's Kitchen: way, way down. It began with Matt being unable to portion equal cuts of beef. More beef problems continued in the blue kitchen as Petrozza (despite Jen's warning) cut his beef before Louross' salmon was ready to be served, risking it becoming dried out. For their mistakes, Gordon called Matt (who was riding high off of last week's compliments) "Mr. Inconsistent" while he told Petrozza he deserved to lose.
But things really got icky for the red team when Christina served a dry piece of salmon and failed to show any ability to multi-task. Rosann also was behind in providing garnishes, and had failed to make enough carrot puree, causing Gordon to bang his head against the wall (again) and answer Rosann's pleas of "I'm sorry," with his own, "I'm sorry you here." He also said having Rosann in the kitchen makes him nervous. Ouch. But it was another blunder by Matt (who first tried to serve raw beef and then massively overcooked filets) that sent Gordon over the edge, throwing the entire team out of the kitchen. The blue team then completed both kitchens' orders leading to their victory. The critics called the red team a disaster that was "sloppy and lacked passion and flavor." (I loved Jen's maniacal outburst and laughing fit in the confessional!)
Corey was chosen as the best of the worst, and after hearing all her teammates make their arguments (which she said she was sick of) she nominated Matt and Rosann, who she never wanted to be in the kitchen with again. While Gordon agreed, he also called Christina out on her shoddy service, bringing those three forward for possible elimination. After hearing their explanations, Gordon sends Rosann (a consistent screw-up in the kitchen) back in line. Huh? Could it be true that the "writing is on the wall" for Matt, who might have lost more than a fingertip this week? Unfortunately, no, as Gordon sends Rosann packing anyway. Very sneaky, Mr. Ramsay. Gordon gave a warning to Christina and again cautioned Matt that he was on "borrowed time," urging all the red-team chefs that with only three of them left, there is no room for error. But really, should there have ever really been room?
So what do you think of tonight's elimination? And where did Matt's finger end up? Why was Bobby so quiet tonight? What do you think is the big elimination shocker being teased in the post-show promo for next week's "Menu vs. Menu" episode? Share your thoughts and check back next week for more!
Even though tonight's show was touted as a "Ben vs. Matt" showdown (which we pretty much got), both teams took some serious steps backward. In addition to again failing to complete a dinner service, this group of cooks (I find it hard to refer to them as chefs anymore) proved once more just how inferior they are to the competitors in previous seasons.
The tone for the showdown was set from the opening minutes as Matt and Ben had words following the previous night's elimination. Matt was eager to prove that the men's team wasn't weak just because he was on their team, and to make sure Ben no longer had an easy scapegoat. Ben, on the other hand, simply insulted Matt and made fun of the women's team for not knowing what they had coming, a sentiment echoed by Corey who complained of the move being unfair.
Tonight's first challenge was taste test that began with Gordon serving three dishes that didn't contain any meat. Despite Ben's "awesome pallet," none of the chefs were able to detect that the proteins were meat subsitutes. Though Matt did say after the fact that the texture was "like eating a cat…not that I've ever eaten cat before." Um, sure.
After this poor showing, the chefs squared off to see which team could name the most ingredients/dishes served to them while blindfolded. On the shoulders of Rosann and Christina, the ladies earned a 5-1 lead, building up to Matt and Ben's first matchup. They were each served clam chowder and charged with the task of naming the 10 ingredients they tasted. Ben was stronger than anyone else on his team, but had some ground to make up. Despite getting all of his correct, he could not overcome the lead, as Matt was also correctly naming ingredients on his turn. In the end, the ladies (and Matt) took yet another victory, earning a day at the spa while the men scrubbed the toilets and cleaned the dorm. (Awesome Gordon Moment: "I can't call it the women's team anymore can I Matt? Unless you [referring to Matt's chest] lift them up a bit." Priceless.)
Although Ben thought Jen "needs to fix that weave" during her day at the spa, he ended up being the one to serve the red team iced tea during their time of relaxation. Bobby, of course, was sad that he missed out on "a therapeutic rub kind of thing," but from the looks of Matt's ugly black toe nail, the bathrooms may have been the less disgusting place to be for the day. I also loved how Matt considered himself a metrosexual by getting an eyebrow wax (not that he couldn't use it) and chocolate mask.
Once the flames were lit in the kitchen, everything was downhill. Gordon had a little piece of everyone tonight, except for Christina and (surprise, surprise) Matt. Gordon told him he made the best risotto ever served in Hell's Kitchen (which Matt quickly inflated to "best risotto he's ever had in his life," a compliment he thanked everyone in his life for helping him to achieve), and also complimented Louross's salads and Christina's beef.
However, Gordon did have problems with Rosann and her continuously undercooked fish and scallops, Ben's laid back approach and undercooked beef, Bobby's lack of communication with other members, Jen's "cocky" attitude and Petrozza's messy work station. To be fair, I did sympathize with Jen for being frustrated with Gordon's perceived double standards, but you can’t clam up like that. If nothing else, it just makes it more obvious that you can't handle pressure, which Gordon seized on again and again, telling her that "he couldn't even give her direction" because she had given up. And even though Jen had a tray of her food dumped because of bad communication and "risotto king" Matt got scallops thrown at him, Ben got the worst of Gordon's anger. He was furious with Ben's "limp excuses" and said he sounded like a case for Dr. Phil. Though Ben's beef was way less than well done as requested, I still find believe Gordon should have been able to catch that before it left the kitchen. But the boss makes the rules!
Gordon finally shut down the service, calling the chefs' work overconfident, lazy, slow and pathetic. He did, however, name Matt the best chef of the night, making his move to the red team a seemingly wise choice. (Matt said he would be humble about his compliment — he didn't sound very humble earlier in the night….)The men were named the losers, and each team member had to nominate a competitor to go on the chopping block. Ben, to perhaps save himself, suggested everyone nominate themselves and let Gordon decide. But Louross, who had a strong night, refused to nominate himself and nominated Ben when the time came. Ben, likewise nominated Louross, and Bobby nominated Petrozza, expecting him to name Bobby as the final nominee. When Petrozza nominated himself "for not being a star" he earned Gordon's compliments for his maturity, graciousness and for being a gentleman (which brought tears to his Petrozza's eyes in confessional).
Ultimately, Gordon sent Ben out of Hell's Kitchen, with remarkably little fan fare. I still believe Gordon wanted Ben to step up, but after a few weeks of poor performance, he had to cut him loose. With Ben gone, the teams are now uneven, so next week, a woman will be sent over to the men's team. Will she shine the way Matt did after his swap?
What do you think about Ben being sent home? Were you shocked at how Matt stepped up? Which girl do you think will join the men next week? Now that Jen (who seemed to be the strongest) had a breakdown, is there any cook you think stands above the rest? Share your thoughts and comments and check back next week for more (including a severed finger!!!!)
Despite a couple of bumps, the chefs were still able to complete their second consecutive dinner service with minimal outbursts from Gordon. But of course, it wouldn't be Hell's Kitchen without a few tongue lashings from Chef Ramsay, and tonight's recipients were definitely deserving.
The episode kicked with each of the team's bad-mouthing their perceived weak (or at least most disliked) links: Christina from the red team and Matt from the blue. Ben admitted that he and Bobby have formed a bit of an alliance, while Matt maintains that Ben is simply hiding behind Bobby. Meanwhile, Christina and Corey continue their verbal catfight, which ultimately ends in Christina accepting the fact that she is the outcast who will probably continue to be nominated for the chopping block.
For the first challenge, the teams visit the farmer's market to buy food and prepare the menu for their real challenge — cooking for HK's first-ever Sweet 16 party. Although both teams went a bit too gourmet in my opinion for a teenagers party, at least the guys resisted Matt's idea for a sushi pizza on a torilla. And he wonders why no one listens to him? I couldn't stop cracking up when he repeatedly (seriously again and again) mentioned a small store in the back his teammates were overlooking. Whether or not that hurt the guys we'll never know, but it was good for a few laughs.
Each team made an appetizer and two entrees. In Round 1, Bobby's stuffed chicken wings easily beat the girl's "sassy shrimp scampi," mainly because Melissa, the birthday girl, had never eaten shrimp. Similarly, the guy's second dish (which featured shrimp) fell to the girl's halibut with mango salsa dish. The tie-breaker was Corey's flank steak and fries versus Petrozza's surf and turf, featuring a filet mignon. Although the daughter was perhaps influenced by her mother (to both Gordon and Jen's chagrin), she ultimately chose the guy's dish, giving them the victory and cause for their uproarious celebration.
With perhaps the worst "prize" this season, the guys get to remember being a teenager by riding go karts and eating cotton candy and other sweets. Of course, Matt found a home in the railing around the track (shocker, I know!) If the guys hadn't gotten to spend some time with Gordon, this would have been utterly worthless, in my opinion.
The ladies' punishment wasn't nearly as bad as shoveling manure. Although they did have to endure what Jen called "the orange flame" Francisco, who as the party planner was hoping to make the room "sparkle-icious" and "sweeter than the sweetest desert." Bad went to worse when (again dubbed by Jen) the "wicked witch" mother showed up and asked for lots of the planning to be changed. Shayna stepped in with some of her party planning knowledge, which Corey had problems with considering the show is a cooking competition.
Though I am tired of Corey stripping down, I have to bring it up, only because of how awkward her exchange with Louross was. Additionally, I loved how she played it off because of the height difference and the fact that she has a boyfriend. Where has that nugget of info been during all her previous hot tub incidents?
During prep, Ben is super cocky following the guy's first win in weeks, particularly toward Shayna and her "elementary" mango salsa which he says would turn into guacamole if stirred to aggressively. Shayna also took heat from her own team for her slow performance during prep time, something that followed her into dinner service, causing headaches for Gordon.
But she wasn't the only chef to struggle. Christina got off to a rocky start on the hot appetizers station, forgetting the parmesan and mushrooms in the risotto. But she eventually got the station together allowing most of Gordon's attention to be focused on Rosann and Matt, who had the biggest mistakes. Rosann served the guest of honor an undercooked piece of beef, while Matt served the mother dry halibut and mushy rice, prompting Bobby to push Matt off the fish station and "singley-handedly" (again, I'm blown away by the brains in these chefs heads) take over the kitchen. Of course, the best was Matt's attempt to defend himself when Gordon asked him why he was hiding behind Bobby — which quickly turned into Gordon yelling at him for continuing to argue once the matter had been settled.
But more embarrassing than Matt giving up his station was Gordon pushing Rosann off her station to prepare the birthday girl's beef. What's more is that Rosann wasn't smart enough to stay out of his way, prompting even more fireworks from Gordon. Bad for her, good for us!
Although the girl's edged out the boys by one percent in terms of customer satisfaction, Gordon again did not pick a losing team, choosing instead for each team to nominate one of their own to possibly leave. For the boys, it was a no-brainer to nominate Matt, but the girls again gave Rosann a pass and nominated slow Shayna.
Gordon, of course, had the final word, and decided not to let Rosann get by unscathed. While both the ladies didn't really give compelling reasons to stay (sure, you're trying to win money for your kids, but what have you done in the kitchen?) Matt finally stood up, saying he was being ignored an bullied, and that he would prefer to cook for the ladies' team. Although Gordon said he should throw his weight around (literally commenting on his 250 pounds) and stand up for himself (let's not forget the comparison of his, ahem, "anatomy" to Louross') he did save him another week, and grant his wish to be moved to the other side.
In perhaps the nicest castoff of the season, Gordon took Shayna's jacket and with a "goodbye my darling" sent her back to her three-month-old baby, citing her slowness and the fact that her head was more focused on "changing diapers."
I was very disappointed that last week's promo was utterly ignored in this week's episode, and without any explanation! Was Matt switching side the big twist? Or did the producers just make a huge mistake in airing that promo last week? Perhaps I missed something completely.
What did you think of tonight's episode? Should Shayna have been the one to go? How ill Matt fare on the girls' team? Share your thoughts and check back next week for more!
So the chefs finally completed a full service for the first time on this season of Hell's Kitchen. But that didn’t mean there weren't plenty of embarrassments along the way and plenty of angry Gordon Ramsay.
Tonight's episode began with the gang learning how serious Vanessa's burn really was. Bobby seem dumbfounded (or is that just natural?) when she said she would have to have plastic surgery. The cast on her hand was obviously a concern going into the next day's challenge, and it showed immediately. No one was more vocal about the problem than Vanessa herself, who was angry at her own uselessness, but vowed to still wow Chef Ramsay in the first challenge.
Tonight's task was to create a gourmet pizza, along the lines of the $200 white truffle pizza Gordon serves in his restaurant in London. I loved the montage of the ingredients, especially Bobby's contribution (What the heck is a Sea Murchin, there four-star general Bobby?) Each team must submit one pizza to be judged by Gordon, so they each chef begins creating his or her own contender. The girls communicate well while the guys continue to struggle in that department (which upsets Matt of all people!) The girls like Vanessa's pizza (which thrills her) until they taste and decide to go with the dish created by Jen, who earned Gordon's praise last week.
On the boy's side, Ben (perhaps trying to redeem himself after being called a disappointment last week) is leading his team. Unfortunately, his leadership is also pissing everybody off. After tasting Matt's self-proclaimed "phenomenal" pizza, Ben looked at first as if he needed to find Gordon's waste basket from the first episode. He also told Louross his dish tasted like something from Pizza Shack while Petrozza couldn’t get his pizza out of the oven. In the end, Bobby decided to send Ben's pizza up for judgment against Jen's.
Although Ben's seemed more gourmet (he used duck), he also forgot to properly wash his mushrooms, leaving Gordon with a mouthful of "grit." Despite the oversight, Ben's pizza was tasty, as was Jen's. But I think the dirty mushroom made it an easy choice for Gordon to name the girls winners once again. The prize (a little better, this week) was a helicopter ride to Santa Barbara for a $90 burger, while the boy's prepped Jen's pizza which would be on the menu, and ate what looked like McDonald's rejects.
Louross and Ben have words while prepping, as Ben takes offense to Louross breaking down like a "whiny b--ch with a mohawk" In front of Chef Ramsay. They butt heads, but there really wasn't as much drama as the music would have you believe. It's basically setting the stage for events to come. One other memorable quote from prep time: "I want to taste their blood," said Matt. What a weirdo!
Once the ladies return and the teams learn they will also be delivering pizza in addition to dinner service, everyone gets to work prepping. Vanessa, having lots of trouble sits down with Gordon and ultimately decides to leave on her own terms. She said she was doing it for the team, though the team didn't seem to upset to see her go. Gordon, however, said it was a "shame."
As I said before, dinner service was pretty solid. But there were some snags. Shayna and Louross both suffered from poorly prepared beef. Luckily for Louross, Petrozza helped him shave off the charred edges of his steak to get the plate out to the customers. The real breakdown of the night was Rosann, who had loads of trouble with her potatoes. Gordon really let her have it, and despite being "not good enough," all the tickets were served. (Side note: How ridiculous was Ben in his delivery uniform? I also loved when he drove his Go Kart through the yard because he didn't know how to put it in reverse.
Since no team was declared the loser, each team had to nominate someone to go on the chopping block. Ben convinces the guys to nominate Louross, claiming he has the least skill. (Does he remember almost puking from Matt's pizza?) Somehow, Louross agrees that he had a bad service and take the nomination without a fight. While the girls at first clearly see that Rosann is the obvious choice, Jen convinces them to nominate Christina, who did get behind in desserts. The team reveals the double-cross, angering Christina…and Gordon.
Chef Ramsay was shocked by both nominations, in fact, and called out (via the nominated chefs) both Matt and Rosann who escaped nomination. My favorite moment was Jen's completely ill-advised, ego-stroking statement that probably cost her all the points she had earned in Gordon's mind. When Gordon asked if she was threatened by Christina, she replied, I determine my fate in Hell's Kitchen. To which Ramsay quickly replied, "that's my job." Classic.
Ultimately, because Vanessa had already quit and Gordon was happy that both teams completed their service (and probably because the wrong chefs were nominated) he spared everyone tonight, giving them a "gift." The most damage done here is to the girl's team as their cattiness in nominations will only continue to divide their team, which is currently working as a pretty good unit. Only time will tell, especially when a new chef joins the team next week!
So what did you think of tonight's episode? Were you let down that Vanessa left? DO you think Gordon should have eliminated another chef regardless of Vanessa's exit? What are you expecting from the new chef next week? Share your thoughts and come back next Tuesday for more!
Sorry for the delayed posting. I had one of those nights last night. Hope you guys forgive me!
Well tonight was another colossal failure for the men's team. Though both teams finally completed a dinner service, the men had plenty of undercooked food and even more communication problems, which again cost them a team member. (Though I'd say at this point, losing dead weight is of benefit for them!)
The show kicked off with Ramsay calling Ben a punk as he exited the previous eviction ceremony. Bobby (genius that he is) cornered Ben and said, "He's serious, huh? He mean's business." You think? I mean he's only giving away a quarter million dollar contract!
Instead of heading off to bed, the chefs are sent back into the kitchen to clean up after their last disaster. Despite some grumbling, most of the chefs team together and get the job done. But Corie's early exit from the kitchen angers some of her teammates — a move that comes back to bite her when she volunteers herself as the team leader, only to have her laziness the night before be revealed. Instead, the team puts their trust in Jen to lead them against the boy's elected leader, Ben, in the "pass-ta" challenge.
Each team has 20 minutes to make as much fresh pasta as they can to Chef Ramsay's standards. The best part of the competition for me was seeing dopey Matt standing there with his arms out long before the first noodle was ready to be hung. Luckily, Ramsay gave him some advice to rest his arms. (This bunch is brilliant, I'm telling you!) All of this is building up toward Hell's Kitchen's first ever family night, where they will serve pasta, hamburgers and onion rings to the kiddy crowd.
At the end of the 20 minutes (which Like Ramsay said showed more strength and enthusiasm than any of the previous dinner services), came the weigh in. Though the guys started weak, they delivered a "second arm" of beautiful pasta. But the girls churned out more quality product under Jen's leadership, earning them another victory and a trip to Santa Monica pier while the guys prepped all day. Though the prize still isn't as nice as the boy's yacht trip, compared to Ben's punishment (shoveling horse manure) it was a dream victory.
When the doors opened for dinner, both teams came out
