On this episode of Hell’s Kitchen, the competition continues to heat up as the teams have been switched up. When we last left Chef Ramsay and the All-Stars, he swapped Josh from the Blue Team for Robyn of the Red Team. Safe to say, this episode should provide a lot of memorable meme-worthy one-liners!
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The episode opens with Chef Ramsay saying,”Get out of here” shooing them all back to the dorms. Josh wants to speak to his new team, but Elise is not ready to chat. He’s just been forced onto a new team and is already trying to determine what-happens-when and Elise is not having it. Oddly enough, as they argue, Elise and Robyn handshake. Michelle takes it upon herself to try and give some friendly, newcomer advice to Josh, but he’s not at all open-minded. Robyn doesn’t seem to be handling the switch in the best way either as she lays in bed crying. Dana and Jared comfort her and tell her to make the best of it. We shall see.
The next morning, Sous Chef Christina wakes everyone up with a morning call. The All-Stars walk outside to find a mini farm outside of Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay standing in the middle of a group of cows, goats, lamb and pigs.
Challenge: Which Wood Works?
Ramsay challenges the chefs to think outside of the pin today. After pairing up in twos, the chefs must choose a protein in the form of salmon, cod or wahoo fish. They must cook their fish over a fire pit with fresh seasonal produce and either cedar or hickory wood. It’s definitely not as easy as it looks. They are in close quarters, working in teams that may not be the best pairings. Yet this is the least of their worries as Josh almost immediately drops a plank of wood into one of the pits while maneuvering things around and smothers the fire. Great way to impress your new team. Thankfully, Barbie rushes to the rescue!
To help judge the results, Harrison Ford’s son, Chef Ben Ford, joins Ramsay to taste the team’s dishes.
The Blue Team consists of a pairing of Jared and Benjamin as well as Robyn and Nick. Van is also cooking, but working alone. They call themselves “Team Gay.” The Red Team is divided up with Manda and Barbie, Dana and Josh and Elise (who is also working alone). The teams are tied at three points each so “Chef Solo” and Ramsay will break the tie based on each team’s best dish. Will it be Roby and Nick’s dish or Elise’s presentation that puts their team on top?
Result: The Blue Team wins!
For the first time in the history of Hell’s Kitchen, both the winners and the losers will be going to the same place, but having very different experiences at Apex Ranch. The Blue Team will be horseback riding through the grove while the Red Team (oh here we go) will be having “a rather crappy day.”
As anticipated, the Red Team’s fingers are pointed at Josh for pouring cold coals over the fire. He, in turn, calls Elise a bully, but she’s actually trying to diffuse the situation and explain that they take the time to talk things out and improve for next time. Josh is simply putting the blame on others to cause turmoil within the group, playing a game.
There Are Two Ways of Playing Cowboy
To paint a picture of the differences experienced at Apex Ranch, the women and Josh step off of a school bus and walk right into horse stables where they are handed rakes to clean up, you guessed it, manure. The men and Robyn arrive in style and really bad plaid shirts. They hop out of sports cars where they saddle up on top of gorgeous horses. Jared feels like John Wayne, “I’m here to slay some dishes in Hell’s Kitchen.”
Meanwhile, Manda, the smallest woman on the Red Team, asks Josh to help her left a bucket of manure up onto the back of a truck and he blames her for not doing the job efficiently. Now he wonders what to do now that neither team wants him and there’s “no Green Team to go to.” Wouldn’t that be something?
Dinner Service
It’s that time of the night when dinner service is underway. Hell’s Kitchen opens its doors to Shaun Brown from True Blood. A smoked salmon rillette special is to be served tableside by Van from the Blue Team and Barbie from the Red Team. The fire is on! Things start off smoothly, but Benjamin keeps telling Ramsay “Oui, Chef” instead of “Yes, Chef.” We’re not in Paris.
In the Red Kitchen, everyone is against Josh, but Jennifer wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and see if maybe he’ll surprise them. It’s possible that he could do that, but he continues to mess up the smallest things while Ramsay is constantly hounding him. So far it looks as though Robyn is settling in a lot better. But wait! I spoke too soon. She’s just dropped a tray of chicken on the floor. It’s a huge setback and the Blue Team is now doubting their new member.
Meanwhile, things are becoming weird on the Red side. Elise is just standing there. Earth to Elise! Left and right, the women are calling her name, asking how much time for this or is she working on that. She literally stands there until the next ticket is called, doing the very bare minimum so she can just skate by under the radar. Chef Ramsay has to see this, right? Now Milly is doing the same thing on the Blue side. What is in the water tonight? He’s forgetting the basic etiquette of the kitchen.
Josh is pulling the Red Team way down. After garnish is sent back, he and Manda are to re-fire spinach and mashed potatoes. Josh is talking about lobster. What? There is no lobster! Christina steps in, trying to sort him out, but there he stands with cold garnish in hand as the wellington sits at the pass growing cold. “Get out!” Ramsay has had enough and Josh leaves to the dorms alone, blaming his team for his mistakes. Yet, his absence boosts the women to success and they come together to work like a well-oiled machine. Too bad the Blue Team can’t say the same.
Well, That Was Unexpected
Ninety minutes into dinner service, Josh returns to the Red Kitchen as if Ramsay is just going to allow him to get back to work. “What are you doing here?” Everyone is just as confused if not more than the man who sent him away. He takes Josh into the pantry to hear him out. “I need to be here, Chef,” Josh pleads. It doesn’t work that easily.
“You are not ready to become my Head Chef in Vegas,” Ramsay confirms. “That’s it. Over. Front door!” Josh hands over his jacket and walks through the crowded dining room, making quite the walk of shame. All the while, he believes that Chef Ramsay could still call him up for a second chance. I hope someone reminded him that he was just on the All-Star season. This was the second chance.
Surprisingly, with Josh out of the way, both teams worked well enough to impress Ramsay and so the winning team is…both!
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Robyn says it best, mentioning how it was not a perfect service. It was apparent, though, that with the poison out of the way, both kitchens could concentrate and finish service. Do you believe Ramsay made the right decision? Should someone else have gone home? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Hell’s Kitchen airs Fridays at 8/7c on FOX. Want more? Like our Hell’s Kitchen Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
