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'Hell's Kitchen': Hot oil burns
Gordon Ramsay is an enigma. I know that he likes yelling at people, but there are times, like on this week's Hell's Kitchen, that he seems to pick on people for little to no reason. Or, does he have a reason? Does he see more than the rest of us? I think he just might.
After the always fun opening credits, the show began with Ramsay cursing at his contestants following Jason's elimination. He was angry at everyone's poor performance during the dinner service and ended up sending all the chefs back to the kitchen to clean it up. More cracks showed on the women's side as Corey opted to go upstairs after doing a rather poor job sweeping the place leaving her team to do the rest of the work. Why they didn't go up and yell at her I don't know, but they didn't.
The next morning Corey had the audacity to suggest, when asked, that she was the strongest chef on her team. The rest of the women decided it was Jen though (a sentiment I have serious trouble believing). As for the men, they all seemed to think their best was Ben.
Oddly, that didn't go anywhere, it was just a question.
Ramsay then announced that Hell's Kitchen would be opening that evening for a special family dinner service. He also said that a staple of the meal would be pasta and the challenge today would be pasta-making, whichever team made more pasta would win. Again this week, the men didn't look particularly good during the challenge. They seem to have a bunch of slackers on their side who are all willing to let someone else do the brunt of the work. The men ended up with just under five and a half pounds and the women with just over six and a half pounds. The women got to go off to Santa Monica Pier and the men had to prep all the food for the evening's service.
There was one more surprise for the men though as the producers had installed a great little playground outside, complete with mini-petting zoo and pony rides. Ben made the mistake of answering Scott's call for volunteers and had to do some cleaning up after the animals. I'm sure he knew when he volunteered that he was going to be required to do something bad, and I like the fact that he stepped up anyway.
Heading into the dinner service the women seemed almost ready, but the men were a complete disaster. They all kept telling Craig to focus and that it was all on him tonight (he was on the pasta station). But, it wouldn't be Craig who let the team down first. After Ramsay specifically told Matt to make sure the chicken wings were cooked, Matt didn't. Raw wings were sent back to the kitchen and Ramsay gave Matt a piece of his mind.
Things weren't going so well with the women either. Vanessa started a mini-fire and in trying to put it out ended up with hot oil all over her hand. She tried, momentarily, to soldier on, but soon went to get treated by the medic and then got whisked away to the hospital (she would return after service finished).
Things seemed to settle down after that and most of the meals apparently got out to the diners. The smooth sailing wouldn't continue though as Ramsay realized that Matt was pre-cooking all the burgers rather than doing them to order. Matt was booted from the station and Bobby took over the burgers (and did a good job with them).
Bobby couldn't be everywhere however, and Craig ended up giving Ramsay some spaghetti with meatballs when the order was for spaghetti with clams. Craig then brought raw pasta with clams to the pass and repeatedly refused to answer Ramsay when asked how long it would be before dishes were ready. It was not the right way to win friends and influence people.
Meanwhile, the women finished their service and guaranteed that they would be safe from elimination tonight. They were ordered into the men's kitchen to help the guys finish their entrees. The men, Craig and Ben in particular, were not particularly amused by having the added help.
After the service, Ramsay said Jen was the best person on both sides (I still have trouble believing that as I find her hugely abrasive). There was then some chastising of the blue team before Ramsay selected Bobby as the best of the worst.
Craig, obviously, was going to be nominated for elimination, and sure enough Bobby put him up first. Bobby nominated Matt second, opting not to put Ben forward. Ramsay, however, wanted to hear directly from Ben why he should be allowed to stick around. Ben may not have been great tonight, but he was hugely better than both Matt and Craig and I can't figure out why Ramsay insisted that he be nominated.
After each nominee explained why they should be allowed to stay, Ben told Ramsay he would give 100 percent in the future. Matt said he would give 125 percent. Craig said nothing and then admitted to not knowing percentages but added that he would give more than the others. Ramsay didn't buy it (or didn't care) and Craig was sent home.
Last week I wrote that I couldn't see any real frontrunners in the competition, now I'm wondering if Ben is the guy. I feel like Ramsay was riding Ben harder tonight than anyone else because he expects more of him, Ramsay wants to see if Ben can stand up and deliver.
What do you think? Craig was the right choice to leave tonight, but should Ben have been nominated? Does it mean anything for Bobby's future that Ramsay nominated Ben even though Bobby didn't? Can Ben, my new favorite, win it all? The guy from The TV and Film Guy's Reviews wants to know.
I find the show to be contrived and not something that shows Ramsay in his most impressive light. However, I think Jen is absolutely the best chef either side and she has a nice disposition as far as what I have seen thus far.
I don't like anyone on the mens team and the casting for this season doesn't work for me. Too same-old, same-old.
It would be interesting if this show were cast with more capable chefs.
realgenius | Apr 23, 2008 5:32:54 AM | #I'm with you. I think he rode Ben harder than the others to see what he's really made of because in Ramsey's mind Ben was the front runner at that point.
| Apr 23, 2008 5:42:11 AM | #I am wondering if maybe Shayna is a frontrunner. They haven't shown her much at all before this episode, in fact I couldn't even remember her name. They have been focusing on the disaster cases so much, usually so you care more about them leaving. Shayna has been quietly working in the background, and not highlighted by the producers. This week she really seemed to step up a bit, should be interesting to see where she goes.
Kelly | Apr 23, 2008 6:22:33 AM | #I couldn't help thinking that I wonder what the Gordon Ramsay from the show Kitchen Nightmares would think of the head chef of Hell's Kitchen who kicks the grabage and throws food at the walls. That doen't seem sanitary.
sac | Apr 23, 2008 7:24:39 AM | #I think Ramsay asking about who was the best chef was a round about way of him asking who was going to be the team leader today. I don't know much about Jen's cooking, and you may not like her personality, but she did make her team rally. Even though the all hate Corey, they are able to work with her (though not for her) I believe in part to Jen's leadership skills.
There must be a lot we don't see on screen, because I can't figure out the animosity the guys have towards Craig.
I don't really have a favorite (though I'm pulling for Rosanna), but just like you hate Jen, I can't stand Matt. He's constantly on the verge of tears and not at all likable like Aaron was last year.
Brian | Apr 23, 2008 8:34:53 AM | #My favorite part of the episode? After Chef Ramsay said that it was a family dinner night at the restaurant, he told maitre d' Jean-Phillipe shirtly before opening, "Relax! Loosen the tie, undo a button on your shirt!" The look on J-P's face was priceless.
edonline | Apr 23, 2008 10:19:16 AM | #You didn't mention that Ben was celebrating the men getting out dishes...before the service was done! The men were losing at that time and it made Ramsey mad that Ben was wasting time celebrating.
That is why Ramsey was mad.
I'm not saying it was justified, but it was th reason Ben got called into the bottom three.
Think of this as boot camp for the chefs. If these "chefs" get befuddled over something as simple as pasta and making sure chicken isn't served raw, then they don't deserve to be there. Gordon has a very short time to weed out who can and can't deal with the pressure of being head chef in one of his kitchens. It's clear from the childish behavior of most of these "chefs" (and it's mostly the men this season) that they don't have a clue what this process is all about.
Rebecca | Apr 23, 2008 10:36:12 AM | #
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