The fourteenth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on August 3, 2010. On that episode, a heartwarming reward occurred, one chef almost gave up, the final four ran the hot plate one at a time, and two of them advanced to the finals.

Intro

While going back to the dorms, Holli told it was rough to see her son after all that time, but knew that she was in the competition for him, and that she had to win at that point. On the patio, Jay asked Holli if she was okay, which she answered not, and she told Benjamin that his daughter was beautiful. The latter started crying, declared that he was there for his wife and daughter, but also because he loved cooking and wanted to push himself. Jay thought that some people may have lost focus to win after seeing their families, but claimed that on his side, it was firing him up more.

Individual challenge

The next morning, the chefs woke up and prepared for the day, when the phone rang. Holli picked it up, and Sous Chef Andi told her to tell everybody to dress nice as Ramsay had a surprise for them. Everybody wanted to look nice, with Benjamin even wanting to wear a suit, but Jay decided it would be fine to just wear jeans. In the dining room, Ramsay was impressed by everybody’s outfits, but told Jay that he was looking like a sack of shit, especially standing beside Benjamin, and Jay jokingly thought that he was smarter than the latter. After, Ramsay reminded the prize of the season, and told that because of the renovations, they could not go to the Savoy, but revealed that he brought the Savoy in Hell’s Kitchen. Then, Jean-Philippe told everybody to sit at the table, where Ramsay made them taste some dishes from the menu at the Savoy, before telling a little part of the history of that hotel. Benjamin was determined to be the chef there as he would be considered a part of history, and all of a sudden, Ramsay introduced the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, where each chef had 45 minutes to recreate one of the dishes they just tasted.

When the countdown began, another sample from the dish was placed on the hot plate, and the chefs started to taste it. Jay acknowledged that he was not paying a lot of attention when he was tasting the dish with Ramsay, so he really wanted to study it, and on her side, Autumn was convinced the protein was venison without even questioning her mind. She went to the kitchen, stumbled when she grabbed her pots, and knew that her days would be numbered if she would not perform at 100% as she knew that everybody else did not think she had what it took to win. However, when she unpacked her protein, it fell on the floor, and she apologized for that mistake. With 20 minutes left, everybody chose venison, except Jay who was still struggling between three proteins, and for the purée, Holli knew it was sprout, so she decided to do an apple purée and make it taste as good as possible. Everybody made an apple purée, except Jay who decided to make a pear purée. With 10 minutes left, everybody rallied to complete their dishes, chose pancetta as their purée base, except Autumn who went with bacon, and Holli was dismayed as the thickness between those two was evident. With two minutes left, Jay finally decided to choose beef as his protein, while knowing that he would look like a rock star if he was right but like an ass if he was wrong, and Autumn believed that she could win the challenge. Eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time.

Holli’s dish was tasted first, followed by Benjamin’s, Autumn’s, and Jay’s. After tasting all of them, Ramsay congratulated the chefs for creating delicious dishes, and revealed that Jay was the only one who got the purée correct, which was pear, but he lost his chances to win when it was revealed that the correct protein was venison. Jay was extremely disappointed as he missed only one ingredient, but that ingredient was the most important. Then, Autumn was stressed as she needed to win the challenge, and Ramsay wanted to taste Holli and Benjamin’s dishes as those two were the best, making Autumn cry as she did not want to be eliminated. After tasting the dishes, Ramsay had a hard time choosing a winner, but eventually, Holli won the challenge, making her very proud to prove Jay and Benjamin wrong as both of them thought they were superstar chefs. Ramsay told Benjamin that his sauce was slightly watery, but the latter thought that he should have won because he thought he was the best chef.

Reward

Holli was rewarded with a day relaxing and sunbathing on a luxury yacht. Outside of the restaurant, she was greeted by Jean-Philippe in the limousine, he congratulated her on her victory, and when she arrived at the yacht, she found it amazing. However, when she arrived at her yacht, she was greeted by the captain, and her son and friend revealed themselves on the boat, making her cry. She was very excited to see her son that she wanted to kiss him before entering the yacht, took him in her arms while telling how much she missed him, and the yacht took off. During the ride on the ocean, she had a lot of fun with her son and friend, and called it the best day of her life.

Later, she told her friend how much Hell’s Kitchen was messing with her mind, that it was the hardest thing she ever done in her life, and revealed how much her friend was supporting her 100%. Finally, she was extremely motivated to take her son to London so he could have an amazing life, and she left the boat while her son told that he loved her.

Punishment

Jay, Autumn, and Benjamin were punished by participating in Moving day, cleaning the dorms from sixteen beds to four, and Jay was not mad about the punishment itself, but more about not getting the reward as he would have loved to spend a day with Holli. Back in the dorms, Benjamin was still convinced that he should have won as he thought Holli was not passionate and wanted more to have fun and drink than to cook, and Jay added that it was better to lose to Holli than to lose to Autumn. Jay continued by saying that he could beat Holli, wanted to beat somebody that was good, and Benjamin wanted to destroy Jay’s fancy food, before adding that he would still be further than Holli three years from then, even if she would win the competition.

Later, the three chefs were given instructions by Sous Chef Andi, Jay told it sucked to pack the other people’s stuff, dishes, and beds, and moments later, he joked about Holli probably making out with Jean-Philippe. While carrying the beds, Jay was extremely annoyed about Autumn’s constant talking, at the point that he considered throwing himself down the stairs.

Before service

When Holli came back from her reward, she revealed everybody that she got to spend time with her loved ones, which infuriated Benjamin even more as he called it bullshit that she won the challenge over him. He angrily grabbed a box while declaring that he did not give a shit anymore, and Jay acknowledged that Benjamin was having a chip on his shoulders and an attitude, while the latter continued to complain that he could have spent four hours with his wife and daughter.

The next morning, Benjamin was not feeling good as the punishment made damage to his back and shoulders, and decided to sit out of prep for the next service, which the other chefs agreed with. Holli, Jay, and Autumn started to prep, with the latter calling it ridiculous as she did not think he had a purpose to continue any longer for that motive. When they entered the kitchen, Jay revealed that Benjamin would sit out because of his back, so Sous Chef Scott told everybody to be more involved because they were one person short. They began prepping while trash-talking over Benjamin’s decision to sit out of prep, wondering why he would do that for prep, but not for dinner service, why it happened to him as Jay and Autumn did the same thing as him during the punishment, and Jay told that it sucked because Benjamin was being a bitch. In the dorms, the latter slept for a long time, and later, he went in the hot tub, but revealed that was not helping his condition as he became short of breath. So, Benjamin decided to see a medic, who he told his problem to, as well as revealing how upset he was that he could not cook, and because his condition was not getting better, he requested a chiropractor, who helped him to stretch his body. Meanwhile, the three other chefs took a break from prep, but they revealed how unapologetic they were towards Benjamin as Holli thought he was only looking for a way out, and added that if she would lose her arms, she would still try to cook with her feet. In the dorms, Benjamin was told to not give up by the chiropractor, but he did as he told he could not cook like that on the line. So, he went on the patio, congratulated everybody by shaking their hands goodbye, and everybody was relieved that he was gone, with Autumn respecting his decision while calling it ridiculous and crazy. Holli arrogantly told that she would send a postcard to Benjamin from London, and Jay concluded that he would not kick the latter down the stairs, but did not care about him.

Autumn, Holli, and Jay went back in the kitchen to continue prepping, with Sous Chef Scott calling it a shame that Benjamin quit, but Jay told he was not that upset. In the dorms, Benjamin decided to go to Ramsay’s office to officially announce his departure, and on his way, the three other chefs looked at him while wondering what he was doing. Inside Ramsay’s office, Benjamin informed Ramsay about his condition and his departure, but the latter told him that he might regret that decision as they were at the final hurdle. In the kitchen, Holli told that she would be mad if Benjamin would come back, and when the latter stepped out of Ramsay’s office to go back in the kitchen, he announced to the other chefs that he would participate in the next service. Everybody was furious, with Holli wanting to throw a pan at him, Jay wanting to make him go away, and Autumn was happy he was there only so she could beat him out even further.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay reminded that he was looking for a great leader to run the Savoy, and announced that each of them would have a turn to run the hot plate, one at a time. Also, he urged them to show their leadership qualities just like if it was their own restaurant, and while getting ready, Benjamin was determined to push through his back pain as Ramsay was inspiring. After, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

After the first few appetizers were accepted, Jay became the first person to have his turn at the pass, while Sous Chef Scott covered his station. Jay was confident in his experience as he was an executive chef for thirteen years, and when he called his first ticket, Autumn sent the scallops, and Sous Chef Scott sent his risotto, which were accepted. After, he called the following ticket, making Holli very happy as she always knew what was the next order and thought that him going first was setting the tone for the evening. Benjamin’s duck was accepted, entrées were being served at a really good pace, and on the next ticket, Jay was mad to have worked eight hours for Benjamin as he did not work all day long, but suddenly felt better for the service. Jay continued to show great leadership, and when Sous Chef Scott sent his crab capellini, he succeeded to spot that he put lobster instead of crab, much to Ramsay’s praise. Then, Sous Chef Scott sent a lobster risotto with crab in it, Jay succeeded to spot the intentional mistake once again, much to Ramsay’s praise, and he was happy to get some revenge on Sous Chef Scott as he was being yelled at by him every day. On his last ticket, Benjamin acknowledged that Jay was a natural leader, but still thought that he was the only one who could beat him. Benjamin’s Wellingtons were perfectly cooked, and Jay’s last table was being served.

45 minutes into service, entrées were being served at a great pace because of Jay’s strong leadership. After Jay went back on his station, Holli was dedicated to run the hot plate, and she was nervous about it as she never done it before. Ramsay reminded her to be assertive, calm, and to not let her brigade run her, and when she received her first ticket, she froze, was not sure what to do, and was pushed by Ramsay to call it out. In the end, she called her first ticket loud and strong, but on the next ticket, she called a six-top with five orders, which dismayed Ramsay, who explained her the problem. Benjamin thought that Holli sucked despite being a good cook, he was amused when she called Jean-Philippe to show him his mistake, and while directing her brigade, she was standing with her back towards them. Ramsay reminded her that she had to stand in front of them, she acknowledged that she was flustered as she did not know how to do it, and Ramsay reminded her that she had to run her brigade, and not let them run her, while adding that he was not looking for a line cook. Then, she asked for the risotto, but when Jay brought it up, he spilled some of it on Ramsay’s apron, which angered the latter, and he apologized to him four times. Ramsay told Jay to wake up, cleaned himself, and Sous Chef Scottsent scallops that were cooked only on one side, but she succeeded to spot the mistake, much to Ramsay’s praise.

After Holli went back on her station, Benjamin was called down to run the hot plate, and when he called his first ticket, Holli was furious because he was feeling better during service despite complaining of back pain all day long. However, Benjamin called his first tickets with great assertiveness, but when Sous Chef Scott delivered lamb and venison Wellingtons, he failed to spot the mistakes, and Ramsay pulled him to the blue kitchen to show him the mistake. When he came back in the red kitchen, he asked Sous Chef Scott for another Wellington, and when the latter sent his filet to the pass, he noticed it was still rare, but failed to spot that it was a New York strip instead. Ramsay reminded him to keep his eyes open, Autumn sent her garnishes to the pass, but after he tasted it, Benjamin ordered her to add more salt in it, much to Ramsay’s praise. Benjamin told that he did not even think of his back, thought that his performance was good, and he continued to send unacceptable food back on his last tickets.

An hour and a half into service, entrées were being served smoothly because of Benjamin’s leadership. Then, Autumn was given her turn to run the hot plate, and while she knew that Ramsay wanted to see strong leadership qualities, she misplaced it as a power trip. On her first ticket, nobody responded and she ordered her brigade to call back, she pushed Sous Chef Scott to get the garnish at the moment despite him giving 30 seconds, and Benjamin told that even though Autumn loved to hear her voice, nobody else did. She continued to show very aggressive leadership, with Holli even thinking that she did not need to be a little Ramsay, but she succeeded to spot a mistake from Jean-Philippe, much to Ramsay’s praise. However, when Sous Chef Scott sent the wrong sauce, she failed to spot the mistake, and when Ramsay asked her to taste it, she acknowledged it was wrong, but laughed about it. Ramsay told her it was not funny, she acknowledged that it was a stupid move on her part to laugh at her own misfortune, and Ramsay was dismayed and told her that she was looking stupid. Then, she continued her aggressive leadership by sending almost everything back, with Jay thinking that she just wanted to make them look bad, but despite that, entrées were continued to be served out at a good rhythm. Finally, on the last few tickets, Ramsay returned at the pass, he pushed everybody to continue the good flow, and they rallied to serve the last tickets, with Benjamin cooking his meat beautifully, and the service was completed. Ramsay congratulated everybody, and Jay and Holli talked about Benjamin’s no longer existing back problems.

Post-mortem

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay told it would be difficult to eliminate one person, before announcing that two of them would be eliminated, and ask for two nominees for elimination.

While going back to the dorms, Benjamin still thought that he was a better cook than Holli and Autumn, and during deliberation, Jay considered Autumn, which Benjamin added that she did not deserve to be there. However, Autumn reminded that Benjamin missed prep, which Holli was furious about, and Benjamin reminded that he busted his ass from the beginning to that point, but Holli reminded that he quit, so because of that, he did not deserve to be in the finals. Benjamin told that it was because he felt miserable, that he bounced back and had a great service, which Jay agreed with, but the latter added that he was upset about that. Then, Benjamin asked how many people had great services, and considered Holli, before adding that he thought he was the only one who could beat Jay.

Elimination

Ramsay announced that he would not listen to the nominees, and asked everybody why they deserved to be in the finals. Benjamin told that he was the best chef at that point, passionate, a hard worker, and that he bounced back from his tough day. After, Jay felt that he has been consistent since the beginning as he never had a bad service, Autumn reminded that despite the numerous times she has been nominated, she never quit, and Holli reminded that she has been consistent since the beginning, never been kicked out, nor been nominated. After deliberation, Autumn was the first person to be eliminated, but before she left, Ramsay praised her commitment, passion, dedication, and fight, and she received a retrospective montage of her run during her exit interview.

After Autumn left, Jay was the first person who advanced to the finals, and moments later, Holli became the second. Therefore, Benjamin was eliminated, but before he left, Ramsay asked him to promise to push himself and not give up, which he did, and he received a retrospective montage of his run during his exit interview as well.

After Benjamin left, Holli and Jay were congratulated by Ramsay, and he announced that their final challenge would be coming, so he asked them to start designing their menus. After asking them who would win, which both of them answered themselves, they were dismissed, and while being dismissed, Jay acknowledged that beating Holli would not be easy, but reminded that he was there to win. Also, Holli knew that the chance to win was at her reach, so she announced that she would not be nice anymore as she was out for blood, before reminding Jay that they were alone at that moment.

Ramsay gave no comment on Autumn’s elimination, nor Benjamin’s, and neither of them received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.

My Opinion

The thirteenth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on July 27, 2010. On that episode, teaching skills were tested, dinner service went smoothly despite some bumps, and the chefs received some heartwarming visit.

Intro

After Ramsay reminded that everybody had one in four chance to win the competition, they were dismissed, and back in the dorms, Holli told Benjamin that she was glad he was still there, which Autumn agreed with. On the patio, Jay told Benjamin that even though he liked Jason, he would have been bumped out if he would have left over him, and Benjamin added that he stayed over Jason because he had much more passion. He continued by saying that he was sure he could win the competition as he just had his second win, that he wanted to bury the girls, and he and Jay agreed to make them look bad and have them on their toes. Benjamin was convinced that he was a better cook than Holli and Autumn, and that he was the only one who could beat Jay.

Individual challenge

The next morning, the chefs were greeted by Ramsay in the kitchen, who decided to cook a grilled monkfish dish to them, and Autumn told that Ramsay cooking for them was exciting, but that they had to watch carefully as they did not know what would happen next. Ramsay gave a clear demonstration on how to prepare that dish, Jay knew that monkfish was a difficult fish to work with and that it was not for beginners, and Holli wanted to pay very close attention as she was sure she could use some of the information to her advantage. After Ramsay plated the dish, he asked the chefs to taste it, all of them loved it, and when he asked if they could recreate it, they answered that they could, before Ramsay introduced the Cooking School Challenge, where each chef would have to teach the dish to another person without any cooking experience. Jay was sure that he was screwed as Benjamin was a culinary instructor, and then, the students were introduced, which were young good-looking bachelors. Jay was upset as he expected some beauty queens or strippers, and when Ramsay asked one of the bachelors the last time he was in a kitchen, the latter wondered if it was to actually do something. Holli found them pretty, but knew that they could not cook, and the 30-minute countdown began.

Everybody got ready to cook by putting aprons on, and Jay asked his student to bring his knife kit to his section, but the latter did not know where his section was. Ramsay asked him what he was doing, he explained the situation, but Jay appeared with the tray of ingredients while telling to join him. Then, Autumn’s student started to cook, but almost cut her finger with the knife, and Ramsay reminded Holli that despite her student placing the pepper on the grill, it was not on. Then, everybody and their students were focused on their jobs, but Jay was disappointed about his student as he had a diamond in his ear, and took more time to put his apron on than actually cooking. Jay also added that because of that, he knew he was done, and wondered if he should just take his apron off and go home. After, Holli’s student started to peel the skin off his monkfish, but was disgusted by it, despite her reminding him that he was a man, and she decided to be a little bit flirtatious to regain his confidence as he seemed like a lost puppy. They started to act like if they were a couple, but Jay was not worried as Holli’s student seemed a little bit on the feminine side, and said that watching them was “monkfish the hard way”. After that, Autumn ordered her student to take off the sticker from the pepper, and was confident in her teaching abilities as she was verbal and communicating well. Also, her student was happy to just be able to do something, and then, she left the kitchen for a few moments while telling him to watch the fish, but he did not know what he was watching despite watching it very intensely. Then, Benjamin explained to his student what they were doing, told that he liked teaching to new people, but was annoyed by his student’s constant questions. Also, when his student revealed that he did not wash his hands, Benjamin ordered him to as he always had to do it. With two minutes left, everybody started to plate their dishes despite some difficulties to cut the fish, and when they were done, Holli and her student hugged each other.

On the first round, Autumn and her student presented their dish, but he struggled to explain what it was to Ramsay, and the latter was disappointed when he found out that there was not enough monkfish on the plate. He asked both of them where the monkfish was, and they explained that they had a hard time cutting it as it shredded, but the tasting was deemed nice despite not having enough fish. Autumn regretted her decision of not plating the shredded portion, and she comforted her student who was feeling bad about the situation. On the second round, Jay and his student presented their dish, and Ramsay was immediately impressed by the great presentation. He asked the student if he ever sliced monkfish before, which he answered never, believed that Jay could have sliced it, and the student did not have any difficulty to describe the dish. It was deemed delicious, the monkfish was cooked beautifully, and Jay was proud as his student was the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover, while adding that he was surprised as he thought he would have had a rough day. On the third round, Benjamin and his student presented their dish, and he was confident as he thought his student did a good job. However, the dish was criticized for having raw pepper and overcooked pancetta, Ramsay reminded that Benjamin was a culinary teacher, and when Ramsay asked his student how Benjamin came across, he told that he just followed his directions. Benjamin did not appreciate as he felt he was thrown under the bus, and told that he did not fuck his student, but that his student fucked him. On the last round, Holli and her student presented their dish, and while describing the dish, he told it was made with love. Moments later, he suggested Ramsay to take his time while tasting, but Holli told that he should not tell a chef how to eat and that Ramsay would have thrown the plate at him if he was in the competition. The dish was deemed delicious, with the student being surprised, and despite the monkfish being slightly gashed, it was there in its entirety. After, Ramsay congratulated everybody for being good teachers despite all the students having no experience in cooking, and after deliberating, Jay was declared the winner of the challenge. He was happy and psyched, knew that it made him climb another step of the ladder, and that it was another positive thing he could show to Ramsay. The latter claimed their dish almost perfect, and gave every bachelor a copy each of his latest book, before dismissing them.

Reward

Jay was rewarded with an airship ride over Los Angeles, and was allowed to pick another person to go on the reward with him, so he picked Holli. On the patio, Jay felt bad for Benjamin, Holli suggested him to change his mind, and when Autumn and Benjamin joined them, he told Benjamin how bad he felt as they were good friends, but added that Holli was attractive.

During the ride to their reward, Holli told Jay how glad she was about being picked by him, and wondered what the reward would be as it could be anything. Then, they arrived at the runway, where they noticed the Goodyear balloon, they entered the cart who rode them to the balloon, and it was showing a sign where the message “Congratulations Jay and Holli” could be read. Holli compared that to a marriage proposal, they entered the balloon, and it took off, with both of them being really excited.

During the airship ride, Jay told it was the most amazing thing ever, and Holli was excited as despite being from the area, seeing it from there was giving her a different feeling. Moments later, they rode above Hell’s Kitchen, and laughed while sarcastically feeling sorry for Autumn and Benjamin, while knowing that they must hate them at the moment.

Punishment

Benjamin and Autumn were punished by participating in Maintenance day, cleaning and sweeping the parking lot, and prepping for the next service. Holli was not worried as she was a handy woman, but was annoyed about the dinner service, before being relieved about being chosen by Jay. Autumn knew that she would not have been picked if she would lose the challenge as she did not have any friends, and she and Benjamin were given maintenance outfits by Sous Chef Andi. When they joined Holli and Jay on the patio, Benjamin told that he was bumped about not being picked by Jay, but added that he would never sleep with him.

In the dining room, Autumn and Benjamin started to work, and the latter told that being with Autumn was the biggest punishment as he did not think she had passion or wanted the job at the Savoy, and that she only wanted to be on the show because she was pretty. On her side, Autumn thought that Benjamin was cracking under the pressure as he was on a downward spiral, and knew that it was difficult to recover.

Later, they started to work outside of the restaurant, with Jean-Philippe urging them to hurry up, and then, the airship containing Jay and Holli was seen above them, with the sign showing “Losers, hope you’re enjoying your punishment!”. Autumn was jealous, Jean-Philippe told that Jay and Holli must be laughing to death, but Benjamin did not think they were a mile high, and thought they were only a half-mile high.

Before service

Later, Autumn and Benjamin were prepping half an hour before the next service, Jay and Holli arrived in the kitchen, but they were not greeted very well. Holli knew that Autumn and Benjamin were upset, and she asked what she could do, but Benjamin was still thinking that he was a better cook than her, while not noticing her passion, and thinking that she was lucky to still be there. Then, Ramsay entered the kitchen, and when he did, the sound of his voice made Holli flinch, and he wondered why she jumped like that.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay asked Jay and Holli how their reward was, which both of them answered it was great. Also, he asked if they spotted a house together, which they answered not, Holli added that she preferred to live in London, and Benjamin was annoyed by her and called her a tramp. Then, Ramsay expected the service to be a lot smoother than the previous ones, and because the previous services were disappointing, none of the chefs were qualified to take the job at the Savoy. So, he announced that everybody would be allowed to pick their own station, and Holli knew that opportunity was huge because they were never allowed to do so, and that it was their moment to shine or to fail. After they decided, Jay revealed that they all picked the stations where each were the best at, and knew that it would not be a difficult service if they would all communicate well. Then, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen by calling him the Belgian twat.

Dinner service

When Ramsay called the first ticket, he was dismayed because nobody answered back, and he ordered everybody to find their energy, while reminding that he was looking for a leader. Autumn acknowledged that Ramsay was looking for a good leader, so she was determined to show her leadership qualities, and tried to help Holli on fish, but despite the latter telling her not to send the John Dory, she sent it anyway. The John Dory was sent back for having one raw piece out of four, Holli told Ramsay that Autumn sent it, Ramsay asked the latter if she was trying to sabotage Holli, which she answered not, and Holli started over. Then, Jay sent his first risotto to the pass, but it was bland, and Ramsay asked him to season it more, but he did not think it was bland as he thought it was only under-seasoned. Jay gave one minute on his second attempt, Ramsay urged him to step up his game as he was putting him in the shit, and after, Holli delivered perfectly sautéed scallops, and she was euphoric as she never had a compliment being yelled at her. Customers were enjoying their appetizers, and Jay sent another perfectly cooked risotto, before Holli sent raw John Dory. She was berated by Ramsay, who ordered a refire urgently, she was angry at herself as she knew that at this stage, every little mistake could eliminate somebody, and Ramsay reminded her to come back down to Earth after the reward. Meanwhile, Jay sent potatoes that were not ordered, he added that he was going too fast while rather sending too much food than not enough, and Ramsay ordered him to clean down his station so he could be more focused.

45 minutes into service, customers were enjoying their appetizers, and the kitchen moved on to entrées. Benjamin was determined to perform well as he knew his last service was bad, but he failed to communicate with Holli on several occasions, dismaying Ramsay, who urged him to talk, and then, he asked Ramsay to repeat the order as he did not understand it. Autumn recalled the order, Ramsay urged Benjamin to talk to his teammates while telling that time was running out for him, but despite that, he was still not communicating with Holli. Benjamin wanted to communicate, but clarified that it was hard with Ramsay yelling at him as he knew he had to do it, and Ramsay urged him to open up. Then, Autumn sent her garnishes to the pass, but the spinach was cold and greasy, Holli told that her job must not be that hard as she only had to reheat stuff, and her second attempt at the spinach was still cold. Ramsay told Autumn that she would be history if she would send cold spinach one more time, and after, he went to Holli’s station to show her how to sauté the John Dory. Benjamin believed that Holli was in over her head for thinking that she was better than himself or Jay, and Ramsay reminded her that she should not scorch something instead of sauté something.

An hour and a half into service, entrées were slowed down because of Holli’s mistake, and Jean-Philippe had to calm down some customers who were starting to lose their patience. Then, Ramsay called the following ticket, but Autumn was not listening, and she failed to repeat it correctly when he asked for it. Autumn admitted that she had no idea and that her guessing were always wrong, Ramsay urged her not to panic, and Benjamin struggled to slice his Wellingtons, until it fell apart. Ramsay reminded him to slice them with a carving knife, Autumn told that Benjamin could not hold it together, and when the latter sent his Wellingtons to the pass, they were raw, with Ramsay reminding him that he should not send them if they were not ready. Benjamin put his Wellingtons back in the oven, and then, Jay came over while Benjamin was pushed by Ramsay, before being informed that the Wellingtons were not done. After, Benjamin asked Jay to keep an eye on the beef while he went to the convection oven, which the latter did while wanting to show Ramsay he could emerge as a leader, and Jay called the following ticket, which Benjamin appreciated, and Holli started to communicate, much to Ramsay’s praise, who said they finally sounded like a proper kitchen. Ramsay urged everybody to keep going, the chefs were communicating properly, food was being sent out at a good pace, and after a lot of orders were being sent out with everybody having good communication, Ramsay congratulated the chefs for not having any food coming back. Holli was proud of that, and on the last ticket, despite a minor fire erupting on Benjamin’s station, Autumn told that they had a good service despite a bumpy start. When the service was completed, Ramsay congratulated the chefs for having a great service, gave high-fives to everybody, Jay felt that he had as much chance as everybody else to be eliminated, and Holli knew that nobody was safe and that the stakes were very high.

Post-mortem

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay congratulated them for having their best service at that moment, and noticed that they bounced back despite having some issues. After, he reminded that he was only looking for one chef, before Jay was singled out as he took control and lead. He was named “Best of the Worst”, and asked to nominate two people for elimination.

While going back to the dorms, Jay acknowledged that he went from zero to hero, but that it was a tough decision as nobody really had a bad service. During deliberation, everybody told that they did not want to go home, and Autumn was immediately considered by Jay, which did not surprise her. For his second nominee, Jay knew that it was a hard decision as he did not want to break his relationship with Holli, as well as his friendship with Benjamin. Then, the latter targeted Holli by saying that he was a better cook and leader than her, that he did not have respect for her, and that he did not believe she could run the restaurant at the Savoy. Holli was annoyed by those comments as she wondered where that confidence from him suddenly emerged, because she knew his performance sucked. After, Autumn called it unfair to nominate Holli as she did not have a very bad service at that moment, and because she won many challenges, and despite Benjamin reminding that she had not won the most challenges, Holli reminded that she won most of the latter ones. Jay was still torn between the two of them, he acknowledged that Benjamin was a strong cook, that Holli had a better service than him, and when he asked for somebody to tell him what to do, Holli reminded it was his choice.

Elimination

Jay announced Autumn as his first nominee, and Benjamin as his second. During their pleas, Benjamin recalled his experience, his passion, and knew that his performance was not showing what he could do, before asking for another chance to improve his communication. After, Autumn told that despite being called a princess, told that she was not passionate, she fought through all of this, and felt that she was able to run the Savoy. After deliberation, both of them were sent back in line, with Autumn being in tears, and Ramsay told that nobody deserved to be eliminated as they had a good service. Then, Autumn received the visit from her boyfriend and best friend, Jay received the visit from his mother and step-father, Holli received the visit from her son and his father, and Benjamin was visited by his wife and one-year-old daughter. Autumn was extremely happy to be visited by her family, told them that the competition has been hard because of her numerous nominations, and Benjamin was holding up tears as he missed his family and thought about them all the time between challenges and services. After, Jay told his family that the competition was the hardest and best thing he ever done, and Holli was very emotional about thinking of moving to London with her son.

Finally, the chefs said goodbye to their families, with Holli being very sad about the fact that it was the longest she has ever been separated from her son, and after they left, Ramsay announced that he would turn the competition up a notch, before the chefs were dismissed. Benjamin was determined to push himself to win as the success was lying between himself, Autumn was happy about seeing her family while calling it a big boost, Jay wanted to work harder to make his parents proud, and Holli wanted to win as she thought her son would be very proud of her.

Ramsay’s comment: “I decided to let all the chefs enjoy tonight’s successful dinner service, but what they don’t know is after the next dinner service, I’ll be cutting the field in half.”

The twelfth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on July 20, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the eleventh episode. On that episode, the chefs made dishes on a budget, a showmance reached its climax, and an arrogant chef was put back in their place during dinner service.

Intro

Back in the dorms, Jay could not believe that Autumn was still there as he thought she was dead weight, and Jason agreed with him, even stating that they would probably all go home before her. Also, Benjamin did not notice her improvement, adding that she was annoying and staying out of as much work as possible.

On the patio, Autumn told Holli that she was constantly trying her best and to be perfect, and knew that everybody was wrong when they told that she did not have any skills, that she did not deserve to be there, or that she could not win. Finally, she told Holli that she would cuss the men out if she would win the following challenge.

Team challenge

The next morning, the chefs rode in the SUVs to the Owen’s Market, where they were greeted by Ramsay, who introduced the Budget Challenge after reminding them that every great chef had to think about the cost and being profitable. After, each of them were given $10, and they had 10 minutes to shop for ingredients to create a stunning dish. When the countdown began, Jay revealed that he was responsible for making the food profitable at his own restaurant, and that he was confident as it was the epidemy of what he was doing. Then, he ordered a lamb chop, and Benjamin ordered a lamb loin, while declaring that he was cooking fresh and simple food. After, Autumn ordered a piece of veal as she knew it was expensive and that it was not being offered to people very often, Holli did not know what she would cook as she just grabbed ingredients to keep under the budget, and Jason thought that buying cheap was better, so he bought some frozen raviolis. When the chefs went to pay, everybody respected the $10 budget, except Holli who passed it by more than two and a half dollars.

When the chefs returned to Hell’s Kitchen, they had 30 minutes to cook their dishes, and Holli knew that her dish would have a lot of flavors, but that the tricky part would be to put them all together. Also, Autumn almost bumped into Jason and Benjamin while carrying pans with hot water, Jason revealed that his strategy was to win, believed that he could, but Autumn thought that she would not be last after watching him boil his frozen raviolis. With five minutes remaining, Autumn revealed that she wanted to win so she could prove Benjamin and Jay wrong, and eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time.

Joaquim Splichal, Dana Bowen, and Vern Lakusta were invited as guest judges. When Splichal was introduced, Jay was excited as he knew that he was one of the most amazing chefs, and that his restaurant was one of the best. On the first round, Jay presented his pita bread-crusted lamb with a simple take on a Greek salad, which was appreciated for the great use of the pita bread, and the judges were impressed that he paid $8,95 for a dish that had great spices. Lakusta and Splichal both said they would be happy to pay $28, while Bowen would be happy to pay $30, so Jay scored an average of $28,66. On the second round, Jason served his pan-seared tilapia with shrimp and pre-made eggplant ravioli, but Jay knew that because he did not make the ravioli himself, even though his dish would be tasting good, he was done. None of the judges were impressed by his dish, Lakusta said he would pay $18 for it, and Bowen and Splichal said they would pay $15 each, so he scored an average of $16. Jason knew that buying ravioli was a bad decision, acknowledged his mistake, but knew that he wanted to buy as cheap as possible. On the third round, Benjamin presented his seared lamb loin chop with potatoes, spinach, artichokes and red wine vinegar, and Splichal asked him if it was a ratatouille idea from southern France, which he answered “Oui”. The dish was criticized for having undercooked vegetables and for them not being cooked together, and the three guest judges gave it an average of $25, but he did not think his dish was that bad. On the fourth round, Autumn served her veal with saffron crushed-potatoes and roasted corn, which was praised for the presentation, the veal being cooked beautifully, and the fresh herbs coming through. Lakusta would be happy to pay $26 for her dish, Splichal would be happy to pay $27, and Bowen would be happy to pay $29, so she scored an average of $27,33. She was extremely psyched about beating Benjamin, told him to suck on it, and on the final round, Holli served her five spice Ahi tuna with bacon, parsnip purée and cumquat sauce, but Jay was not impressed as it did not sound good. However, the dish was praised for being bold, the brightness of the components, and the good flavors. Lakusta would be happy to pay $27 for the dish, Splichal would be happy to pay $30, and Bowen would be happy to pay $32, so Holli scored an average of $29,66, therefore passing Jay by one dollar and winning the challenge. Holli was feeling on cloud nine, was happy about the fact that she proved she was a strong contender, and the guest judges were dismissed.

Reward

Holli was rewarded with a day at the Peninsula Hotel, in Beverly Hills, with Jean-Philippe, as well as a $1000 shopping spree at Surfas, for kitchen supplies. Also, she was allowed to choose one person to go on the reward with her, so she picked Jay, making him psyched about spending a day with Holli. Back in the dorms, Holli was thrilled, went to change immediately, declared that she was eager to have a drink with Jay, and the latter jokingly told her he would have been shocked if she would have picked Autumn. Then, he told that he believed she would pick Autumn because of the shopping, before forgetting how annoying Autumn was.

In the dining room, Holli and Jay were greeted by Jean-Philippe, and she immediately noticed that he was not wearing a suit, which he clarified that it was because he would spend the day at the beach with them. She acknowledged that he wanted to make sure both of them would have fun, and they went on the limousine ride. During the ride, Holli claimed that she picked Jay because he finished second during the challenge, and because of his blue hair, but she actually admitted that she wanted to be with him as she found him cool. Then, they started to flirt as each of them told the other’s dish was great, and after, Holli jokingly asked if they could turn around so she could pick somebody else.

Arrived at the Peninsula, Jay called it the most prestigious place in Beverly Hills, and the three of them sat down to drink champagne and talk about their backgrounds. Jean-Philippe asked Holli to talk about hers, Jay was wondering why was he still there, and Holli revealed that she went to culinary school, but took a year off to take care of her 4-year-old son, who was living with his dad at that moment. After, Jay revealed he was not married, did not have a girlfriend, leading Holli to jokingly say that he was saving himself for her. Then, executive chef James Overbaugh served them more champagne, Jean-Philippe asked him how much it would cost to stay for a night, and jokingly suggested Holli and Jay to get the nuptial room, before Jay jokingly asked if they could rent by the hour. Overbaugh told they were not that kind of hotel, and Holli added that she was not that kind of person, before getting served their next course.

Later, Holli and Jay went to Surfas, and she was excited as they had everything they could possibly get. Both of them had a great time shopping, even flirting with each other at some points, and when Jay suggested that Holli should buy something for the rest of the team, she categorically refused by saying “fuck the team”.

Punishment

Jason, Benjamin, and Autumn were punished by participating in Laundry day. When he learned Holli’s reward, Jason was upset as he missed shopping, an activity he enjoyed, for the second time. In the dining room, Autumn was already annoying Benjamin because of her constant chatter, and moments later, Jason was annoyed as well.

Later, the chefs were given spam sandwiches for lunch, and everybody found it disgusting, before Autumn started to talk over and over about her personal life, with Jason being extremely annoyed. Also, he found it amazing that she went on constantly talking for hours.

Before service

When Holli and Jay came back from their reward, the other chefs were still ironing, with Autumn still talking, the latter wondered how much drinks they took, and Jay told that himself and Holli would be on the patio drinking and smoking. Jason believed that there was some chemistry between Jay and Holli, and the two of them changed in their bathing suits and went in the hot tub. Benjamin also knew that there was something going on between Jay and Holli as both of them were single, but Autumn did not think there was something serious between them. Then, in the hot tub, Jay started to touch Holli’s ass, but moments later, Autumn broke the mood by coming in the hot tub as well.

The next morning, Jay told Holli that the previous day was his best since the competition started, and everybody went in the kitchen to prep for the next service. All of them were focused on their tasks, but Jay was annoyed by Jason’s slowness, and could not believe he could run a kitchen. Holli was annoyed as well because he was asking a lot of questions, and when he asked himself why they were that far behind, everybody else laughed.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay declared that they had to come back, so he would test their communication by constantly making them switch stations. Jason knew it would be challenging and that they had to communicate well, and Ramsay revealed that Holli’s tuna with cumquats would be featured on the menu. Finally, he asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

On the first ticket, Jason gave twenty seconds on his scallops, Jay’s first capellini was accepted, but Jason’s scallops were rejected because only one portions out of two was cooked beautifully, while the other one was overcooked. Jay thought that Jason could only be a home-style barbecue cook instead of somebody who could run the restaurant at the Savoy, and when Jason sent his second attempt on the scallops, they were accepted. Then, Ramsay called the first station switch, with everybody rotating anti-clockwise, they communicated with each other, but when Jason arrived to the meat station, Holli told him that the Wellingtons have been in the oven for eighteen minutes, so he called 45 seconds for them to be ready. However, when Jason sliced the Wellingtons, he discovered that they were still raw, and did not believe that they have been in the oven for eighteen minutes because of it. So, he decided to put them back in the convection oven without telling anybody, while telling that Holli did not time her meat right, and he was berated by Ramsay for not talking as the rest of the table was ready. So, Jay had to take his garnishes back, and Jason blamed Holli for his mistake.

45 minutes into service, entrées were being served at a good pace despite Jason’s problems. Also, Benjamin was determined to have a good service, but when he sent the tuna, it was way overcooked, even leading Ramsay to ask Holli if that was how she cooked it for the challenge. She answered not, claimed that Benjamin served a well-done tuna, and told him that it had to be barely seared. After, she questioned his technical abilities, told that he should have known better, and Benjamin was pushed by Ramsay to pull it back. In the dining room, Jean-Philippe tried to reassure some customers by telling that he could not tell when the next entrée would come out, and then, the second station switch occurred. Benjamin communicated with Jay, and Holli called the station switches a learning experience as everybody had to learn how to communicate. After, Jay sent his John Dory to the pass, but it was overcooked, and Ramsay berated him for taking the piss out of him. Jay told that the fish station was a mess when he walked in, told it was difficult for him to work with, and Ramsay urged him to bounce back. Jason asked for a time on the John Dory, but Jay did not answer twice, and Jason thought that even though Jay was his strongest competition, he was crumbling when he was getting yelled at. On the third time, Jay gave one minute, and Ramsay was dismayed because everybody was sinking after switching stations. Then, Jay sent his John Dory to the pass, it was accepted, and Ramsay called the third station switch. Everybody communicated at the same time, but when Ramsay called the following ticket, Jay was confused as he did not listen to it. When Autumn asked him for a time on the tuna, he answered that she had two halibuts, which dismayed her and Ramsay, and she had good communication with Holli, called one minute on the tuna, and felt great about the fact that she was communicating. Because of Autumn’s communication, her tuna and Jay’s Wellingtons were accepted, and food was being served at a good pace. However, some Wellingtons were being sent back to the kitchen because they were overcooked, and Ramsay asked for a Wellington refire urgently. So, Holli asked Jay for a time on the refire, which he answered fourteen minutes, much to her disbelief. Then, he sent his Wellington refire, but Holli was not ready as he called fourteen minutes, but he clarified that it was fourteen minutes on the following Wellingtons, much to her dismay. Ramsay aggressively asked Holli for the garnishes, but she was still not ready, he asked Jay if he was doing it to sabotage, which Jay answered not, and Holli told that Jay fucked her up as he called the wrong time on the refire.

After, the fourth station switch was called, Autumn clearly told Holli what was going on fish, and so did Jay with Autumn. But, she was not satisfied with the information that Jay gave her as she did not know where the Wellingtons were, and what temperatures were her meat. However, the Wellingtons that she sent to the pass were cooked beautifully, and Holli’s scallops were beautifully cooked as well. But all of a sudden, Benjamin came on the fish station and tried to steal Holli’s job by cooking some scallops, and she was extremely annoyed by that as she thought he just wanted to be the hero. Then, Benjamin sent his scallops to the pass, but they were rejected for not being seared properly, and Ramsay urged him to properly cook them with respect and care, which Benjamin did. After the latter sent acceptable scallops to the pass, the last station switch was called, entrées were being served to the dining room, but a halibut dish came back in the kitchen for being overcooked. Ramsay berated Jason as he was the one who cooked it, did not order a halibut refire because the customer did not want it anymore, and Holli was convinced that Jason was lacking culinary skills, before the latter sustained a minor burn. Then, Jason sent his tuna to the pass, but Benjamin did not send the tuna garnish, and was not communicating at all, dismaying Ramsay. Benjamin was convinced that he was trying hard to communicate, but added that he was hustling on garnish, and Ramsay was still angry at his lack of communication. When Ramsay asked for the halibut garnish, Autumn acknowledged that Benjamin was tanking and did not meet anybody’s standards, and moments later, Benjamin finally sent his halibut garnish to the pass. After that, Ramsay dedicated the hot plate to Sous Chef Scott as he had to leave the kitchen for a few minutes, and Jason and Benjamin sent their tuna and garnishes respectively. Then, Benjamin tried once again to steal somebody’s job by calling out the next ticket, much to Sous Chef Scott’s annoyance, who aggressively told him that despite being a good cook, he was a shitty leader. Sous Chef Scott became more and more furious by asking Benjamin if he should leave and let him run the hot plate, which Benjamin answered not, and finally, he came two inches away from Benjamin’s face, and yelled at him to never try to steal his job ever again. Autumn acknowledged that Benjamin was not having a good night, Sous Chef Scott ordered Benjamin to get back to his station, and the latter told that Sous Chef Scott ripped his asshole very big, while adding that it sucked. After that, the last ticket was called, Jason communicated with everybody, but when Holli suggested to wait for the garnish, Ramsay came back in the kitchen, and Jason gestured her to not say that. So, Jason called two minutes for the garnish, and after, everybody sent their food to the pass at the same time. Everything was accepted, Jay sent out the desserts, and the service was completed, with Jason calling it a wrap.

Post-mortem

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay reminded that every great chef had to multitask, and that they all switched off when they were switching stations. Then, Jason thought that switching stations were making some people reset their minds and fall for the loop, before throwing Benjamin and Jay under the bus for those reasons. After, Ramsay called the chefs five line cooks, before asking them to nominate two people for elimination.

While going back to the dorms, Jay was upset about being thrown under the bus by Jason, and declared that he would go at him for doing that. During deliberation, Jay asked Jason if he was a good cook only because he called out two tunas, Jason did not understand the question as he found it dumb, and Jay started to confront him over the fact that he was called out. Jason told that he only said what he was thinking about what happened, but Jay reminded that he fucked up as much as himself, and Jay found it pathetic that Jason would only call him out for his lack of communication. Then, Jason told Jay that he only told what he thought of the situation, and Jay responded that he did not like it. After, Benjamin told that he got fucked up on appetizers because they were not pulled, and also called the garnish station a mess. But, Jason started to lose his temper and confronted Benjamin for being nit-picky, and still thought that the latter and Jay were the most quiet. Then, Benjamin considered Autumn for no apparent reason, which annoyed her as she was sure that she was Benjamin’s scapegoat, but knew that she was getting better and he was getting worse. After, Autumn reminded that she was following Jay, and that all of her stations were messes when she was getting to them, leading Jay to interpret it as she considered him, which she confirmed, while also considering Benjamin. Then, Jay considered Autumn as he thought she was on borrowed time, and Jason for being a good cook but nothing impressive. However, Jason knew that Jay only considered him for being called out, and after, Holli considered Benjamin for completely shutting down, but was struggling between Jay and Jason for her second vote, while adding that she wished Autumn would have fucked up so she could consider her.

Elimination

Holli announced Benjamin as the first nominee for elimination, and Jason as the second. During their pleas, Jason thought that he did not have a chance to show his total leadership qualities yet, and that his teammates nominated him for personal reasons, while calling it bullshit. After, Benjamin admitted that he was over thinking cooking when he was getting busy, and when Ramsay reminded him that he clammed up when he was under pressure, he still thought that he did a good service, which Ramsay did not believe. After deliberation, Jason was eliminated for lacking leadership qualities, but before he left, Ramsay told him that he was not done in the cooking industry, and he received a retrospective montage of his run during his exit interview.

After Jason left, Ramsay revealed that the chefs would be tested in a completely different way the following day, and while being dismissed, Benjamin was relieved, but determined to kill the next service. Also, Holli was happy to still be there and about the fact that she was safe for the moment, and Jay declared that failure was no longer an option as he needed to win the competition.

Ramsay’s comment: “Jason was good enough to make it to the final five, but he just didn’t instill the confidence I needed to see to be my head chef.”

My Opinion

The eleventh episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on July 20, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the twelfth episode. On that episode, one chef received a huge makeover, a showmance began to emerge, and two chefs slowed down the service all by themselves before being kicked out.

Intro

While going back to the dorms, Jason was excited to be in the top six as only the best of the best chefs remained, Benjamin and Ed hugged each other, and the latter acknowledged that his last performance was not the best and that he had to reach for the gold. In the dorms, the chefs found some champagne bottles and glasses on the table, and Autumn acknowledged that after ten people were eliminated, the pressure was definitely on. While the chefs were drinking champagne, Jason told that one of them would become the head chef at the Savoy in London, and Jay wondered if he should start speaking with a British accent as he was close to the most amazing job with the most amazing chef in the most amazing city. After, the chefs clinked their glasses.

Individual challenge

The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, and Ramsay introduced the Presentation Challenge, where each chef would have 30 minutes to create a dish which would look and taste great. Also, he added that the dishes would be photographed by a renowned food photographer, and Jay was confident as presentation was one of his strongest points, while adding that it was the epidemy of what he was doing.

When the countdown began, the chefs ran to the pantry room, grabbed a tray of ingredients, and started cooking. Benjamin wanted to show that he had good techniques, but Jay informed him that one of his pans was on fire, and he succeeded to take it off. Then, Autumn revealed that her dish was a Ahi tuna with a sweet and sour prosciutto sauce as she liked to take something classic and put a spin on it, and she did it while wanting to show that she was a force to be reckoned with. After, Ed revealed that he would make a striped bass, that he liked to create and get outside of the box, and hoped that his style would be good enough to get him to London. Then, Jay revealed he was making a modern-style beet and goat cheese salad, while being extremely convinced that it was a very good looking dish, and he added that he could only lose that challenge by making himself lose. Eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time.

After the first part, the chefs went upstairs to have their dishes photographed by Alex Vasilescu, and Holli was not happy with her dish as it did not look like a piece of art, while everybody else’s looked gorgeous. Then, the chefs went in the entrance hallway to take a look at the pictures, and all of them were impressed, with Jason saying that Ed’s dish was making him hungry, and Holli deeming Benjamin’s as her favorite. Also, Jay deemed his own dish as his favorite, and stated that he was 99,2% confident he would win the challenge. After, Ramsay introduced the chefs to some culinary students who would judge the pictures by ranking them from the best looking dish to the worst, and when they entered, Jason thought that Ramsay would judge the pictures, while adding that the students did not want to come back in Hell’s Kitchen ever. While the students were making their ranking, the chefs had to make their dishes exactly the same way one more time. During the evaluation, Holli’s dish was deemed boring by a student, and another one wondered what meat was on Autumn’s plate, which Ramsay answered was Ahi tuna, before urging him to polish his glasses. Also, one student did not know what Jay’s dish was.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay revealed that Holli’s dish was deemed the worst, and Jay’s ranked in fifth place, which he almost believed was a joke as he was very confident he would win. After, Jason’s dish ranked in fourth place, and Autumn’s ranked in third, making Benjamin and Ed the two finalists of the challenge. For the second part, Tanya Steele, from Epicurious magazine, was invited as a guest judge, and Benjamin and Ed were called down to have their dishes judged. Steele was very impressed by both presentations, Ed presented his pan-seared striped bass with celery purée, mango and avocado salsa and cilantro oil, and he was not nervous at all as Steele showed non-verbal signs of excitement over his dish. It was praised for being cooked beautifully, and after, Benjamin presented his pan-seared halibut with bouillabaisse, fennel, confit tomatoes, olive oil and basil, and it was praised for the combination of the ingredients and the spectacular colors. After much deliberation, Benjamin was declared the winner, which Jason considered as the same shit on a different day. After, the culinary students were dismissed while being given a standing ovation by the chefs.

Reward

Benjamin was rewarded with a photo shoot for Epicurious, where he and his dish would be featured, and a haircut, facial, manicure and pedicure. He was excited as he called Epicurious another notch of the ladder after he was featured in Bon Appétit, New York Times, and Boston Globe. While getting ready, he knew that winning the challenge would show everybody that the competition was on, and that almost everything on his dish was close to perfect.

When Benjamin walked by the dining room to go on his reward, he jokingly told Jay that he would think about him the whole day after the latter wished him luck on his fang day. Arrived at the photo shoot, he was greeted by Tanya Steele, who introduced him to the stylists, he jokingly told them they had a lot of work to do, and was excited about getting a haircut despite his wife liking his hair long. After having his haircut, he was excited and enjoyed his new look as he told it was time for him to have short sexy hair. Then, some hair from his eyebrows got removed, but he did not like it as it hurt, and even admitted that he cried. When he revealed his new look, Steele told that he looked like a rock star, and they moved on to the photo shoot, with Benjamin telling that it would help him to open more doors for being on Epicurious, and acknowledging that some people would kill to be there.

Punishment

The remaining chefs were punished by cleaning the dining room under Jean-Philippe’s supervision. Autumn was very jealous about Benjamin’s haircut and facial, and Jason was dismayed because he knew Jean-Philippe wanted perfection and would not settle for less. While being dismissed, Jason whispered to Autumn that Jay was pissed, and on the patio, Jay expressed a lot of disappointment about ranking in fifth place, and knew that he had to snap out of it. Also, Jason told that Benjamin’s dish was one of the most incredible things he ever saw on a plate.

In the dining room, the chefs were greeted by Jean-Philippe, who gleefully told them that they would spend the whole day cleaning together, and Holli knew that he wanted perfect, so they would have to give him that whether they wanted to or not. Autumn admitted that Benjamin needed a haircut, and when the latter walked by to go on his reward, Jay wished him good luck on his fang day.

Later, Jean-Philippe dedicated the chefs to polish the wood, Jay suggested that Holli should do it, and she jokingly flipped him the bird. Then, she asked him if she should polish after he sprayed, and everybody understood the innuendo. After, Jay revealed his two goals, which were to win Hell’s Kitchen and to sleep with Holli, and he also told Holli that she should polish on her knees. Finally, Holli revealed that they joked around sex all punishment long because it was very boring. Moments later, Jay was squirting some product on the floor to wash it, but Jason told him he was doing it wrong, so he showed him how to do it, and Jay added that he did not have any family, which Jason realized. So, the latter jokingly told him to go find Holli, and Autumn acknowledged that there might be a love connection between Jay and Holli. Then, Ed asked Jean-Philippe if he should keep the utensils sideways or straight, which Jean-Philippe answered straight, before understanding the innuendo.

Before service

When Benjamin came back from his reward, everybody was impressed by his new look, with Jason saying that he needed it because the Shaggy hair from Scooby-doo was outdated. Also, Holli told that despite his new hair and new clothes, he was still the same dork, and when Benjamin told that he would head upstairs while saying that he felt great in his skin, Jay told that he should get his money back.

The next morning, the chefs went to the kitchen to begin prepping, and Sous Chefs Scott and Andi revealed the new menu, and that Benjamin’s dish would be featured on the menu. During prep, Benjamin gave clear instructions on how to make his dish, but Holli was annoyed because there was too much of little components. Benjamin knew that his dish was difficult, but believed that everybody could do it. However, Autumn thought it was the most complicated dish with the most components, and Jay was worried because Benjamin’s dish was very aggressive, while fearing it would become a major issue.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay announced that they would be looked at more than ever because he wanted to see leaders emerging, and that there would be a special VIP guest at the chefs table. After reminding that they should step up to the mark, Ed knew that the competition was very stiff and that Ramsay would be looking at every single detail, Benjamin felt that he knew what Ramsay was looking for without sounding arrogant or cocky, and Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

When the first customers entered, a lot of halibut was ordered because of Benjamin’s dish, and when the first ticket was called, the chefs did not give any answers, much to Ramsay’s annoyance. Then, Holli allowed Ed to fire his John Dory, Autumn reminded him that he also had to fire his scallops, and Ed was psyched about working on the fish station, while knowing that he had to keep his cool and calm. However, when he sent his scallops and John Dory to the pass, they were all raw, Ramsay ordered him to get them back in the pan, and Ed acknowledged that it added more pressure. Then, Ramsay urged him to stop panicking and show some composure, Ed was determined to not mess up, and after, Jason sent his capellini to the pass, but it was under seasoned. Jason acknowledged that with only six chefs remaining, Ramsay would be on everybody’s ass and that there was no way to get out from that. When Ramsay asked Jason for a time, the latter did not answer, much to Ramsay’s annoyance, and after, he gave twenty seconds. Ramsay reminded the chefs that it was a great opportunity for them to emerge as leaders, but was disappointed because nobody was jumping on that opportunity. Then, Holli asked for a time on the scallops, Ed answered that he was ready to send them, Jason sent his capellini to the pass, which was accepted, and Holli was not sure who would be eliminated next as with not too many people left, she could not count on them to fuck up. Her potatoes were accepted, Ed’s scallops were accepted as well, and appetizers were being served at a good pace, with customers being satisfied.

When the chefs moved on to entrées, Autumn was ready to help Ed with the halibut as she knew that she had to help people while being on desserts. However, when she tried to help Benjamin on meat, he did not communicate at all, and Ramsay was furious because Autumn was doing nothing, and berated Benjamin for being about to sink his night, before urging him to open up and start talking. When he sent his beef to the pass, the gratin was missing, and he was furious with himself as he knew he was getting flustered, while being upset about disappointing his idol. Ramsay told Benjamin that having a haircut did not mean losing his brain, sent an incomplete order, and after, Benjamin slipped on the floor while dropping his chicken, which Autumn found funny. Everybody asked him if he was fine, Ramsay urged him to slow down, and when Ed sent his John Dory to the pass, it was raw. So, Ramsay asked him what was wrong with him cooking John Dory, which Ed did not give any excuse, and he acknowledged that it was hard to keep up with the appetizers and entrées being fired at the same time. When he sent his halibut to the pass, it was raw as well, and Ramsay was dismayed that he had to tell him at that stage of the game, which Ed agreed with. After Autumn acknowledged that Ed had a few rough services already and wondered if she would have done a better job on fish, he got pushed by Ramsay, sent his halibut, was told by Autumn that he got fourteen more on order, and his halibut was returned for being raw one more time, much to Ramsay’s dismay. Ed was berated by Ramsay for trying to serve raw fish, and Jason told that Ed should calm down, get some ice and water and just cook. Because of Ed’s mistake, Ramsay was forced once again to serve an incomplete order, and Ed was seen panicking a lot because of the large amount of halibut orders, which caused Jay to fall behind as well on garnish. When Ramsay asked him what was happening to him as Benjamin’s Wellingtons were being served, he was lost, and he put the blame on Ed as one order of halibut meant seven garnish items he had to redo, while calling it ridiculous.

Two hours into service, customers started to lose their patience, and Ed struggled to keep up with the halibut as he wondered why they were not cooking, which Ramsay answered that it was because they were not in the pan. When Ed attempted to put a piece of halibut back in the pan, he busted it, and Ramsay angrily told him that he was killing him, with Ed being disappointed in himself. Because he had thirty-eight orders of halibut still to go, Ed acknowledged that it was hard to keep up with as it was a thick fish, and Ramsay asked for somebody to help him, which Benjamin agreed to do. He told Ed that he had to sear them, and believed that he would have handle it better than Ed if he was cooking fish, while wondering what was going through Ed’s head. Then, Jean-Philippe revealed to Ramsay that the person waiting for the halibut was a pregnant woman with two men who already finished their duck, and Ramsay berated Ed for that, while adding that the woman was about to give birth. But, when Ed sent his halibut to the pass, it was still raw, Ramsay ordered everybody to pass it amongst them, and Jay was convinced that Ed was having an issue after making that many mistakes, while adding that he was not curing cancer. Ed asked for five halibuts to fire, Holli wanted to help him as she acknowledged that they might all be kicked out if they would not serve the entrées, and Ramsay was dismayed because Autumn was cooking halibut on appetizers. Autumn responded that she was doing it to make some space, but Benjamin was annoyed as he thought Autumn was trying to do as most little work as possible, and added that he did not trust her. Then, everybody started to talk at the same time about how much halibut they needed, Ramsay called what they were working on, and asked Ed where was his fight back, which Ed answered that he was fighting back at the moment. Ed told that even though he tried to stay focused, he was behind, but added that when he was behind, he was trying to battle back, and when he sent his halibut to the pass, it was finally accepted. Then, Benjamin sent his beef to the pass, but it was not hot enough, he was ordered to put them back in the oven, and he put the blame on Ed for making them rest waiting for the halibut. Benjamin was berated by Ramsay for not taking the lead while supposed to, he acknowledged that he had to talk more, but also, he found it difficult to talk while focusing on his food, and compared it to talk while painting. Then, Ramsay confirmed that Benjamin could not lead despite being able to cook, the latter acknowledged it, and declared that he almost cried because he knew they were fucked. Ramsay urged Benjamin to lead, and the latter started to communicate to Jay and Ed.

Less than three hours into service, the customers were still waiting for their entrées, and Benjamin brought the entrées for the next table, which dismayed Ramsay as nobody was focused. Then, Ramsay told Benjamin that he ruined the night, Autumn knew that it was crazy and off because everybody needed to take a step back and cook, and Ramsay berated Jay, Ed and Benjamin because nobody was giving a fuck about what was going on. Then, Benjamin started to communicate with Ed, but when the latter sent his scallops to the pass, they were overcooked, much to Jason’s dismay, and Ramsay was fed up about the numerous mistakes, before Ed and Benjamin were kicked out of the kitchen. After, Jason was relocated to the fish station, Autumn to the meat station, and back in the dorms, Benjamin knew that he had a bad service as he told that even though Ed was flustered, he could have carried him through but did not. Ed called it pathetic, was disappointed in himself as he knew he could have done 100% better, and was sure he would be nominated. Back in the kitchen, Ramsay asked for the scallops, Jason communicated with Holli, and when he sent his scallops to the pass, they were beautifully cooked. Then, everybody had great communication, Jay told that it was less chaotic after Benjamin and Ed were kicked out, even comparing to a weight being lifted off his back, and the remaining chefs sent entrées out at a good pace. Moments later, Whoopi Goldberg arrived at the chefs table, and when she entered the kitchen, Jason was floored, and Holli could not believe she was in Hell, but was not nervous as she was very friendly. When Goldberg noticed that the chefs were quiet, Jean-Philippe responded that it was not earlier, and the chefs table’s order was taken and called. The remaining chefs succeeded to send the order quickly, they rallied to complete their last ticket, customers were satisfied, and Jay told that it was awesome to cook for Whoopi Goldberg as everybody knew who she was. Finally, Autumn was proud as they succeeded to finish on a positive note despite a rough start, desserts were sent out, and service was completed.

Post-mortem

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay called it pathetic, and reminded them that they were put on the same team because he believed in them, but that they let the customers and themselves down. After, he told Ed that he should know how to cook halibut at that point, and Benjamin that he confirmed he could not lead. Then, Ramsay asked the chefs to nominate two people based on overall performance, and they were dismissed.

While going back to the dorms, Jay told that because Ramsay asked them to nominate based on overall performance, it was changing everything even though Ed and Benjamin were kicked out. During deliberation, Holli had no idea who to nominate, and Benjamin quickly considered Autumn because he felt she was not working during prep, was not passionate and did not want the head chef job. She disagreed with him as she knew she was prepping a lot of stuff, but Jay also considered her, which dismayed her as she told that she hated people. Jay added that it was because she was the one nominated the most, which Holli agreed with, but Autumn did not understand as she was busting her ass and helping everybody, and she called it unfair, while adding that it sucked. After, Jay hesitated between Ed and Jason for his second vote, because Ed was getting frazzled easily despite being a strong cook, but Ed declared that he would fight back despite all of his bad services. Then, he told Jason that he was afraid of his temper, but the latter wondered what was Ramsay doing to him if he was scaring him, and added that Jay should stop acting like a girl. Also, Jason reminded that he never got kicked out of his station, and Jay concluded that picking between Ed and Jason was very hard.

Elimination

Autumn announced herself as the first nominee for elimination, and Ed as the second. During their pleas, Ed thought that he was a better chef than Autumn because he could multitask better, and had better communication and knowledge, which did not convince Ramsay. After, Autumn believed that she would be nominated no matter how good she would get, and believed she was a stronger chef than Ed because she was more consistent than him overall. After deliberation, Ramsay told that Autumn was getting better, and Ed was eliminated for his downward spiral. Ed received a retrospective montage during his exit interview.

After Ed left, Ramsay reminded that at this stage of the game, the stronger would get stronger, and the weaker would get exposed. Then, he urged everybody to show that they were worthy of being in the final five, and he dismissed the chefs while telling that he was not impressed with anybody. While being dismissed, Autumn was laughing over the fact that nobody could get rid of her despite how hard they were trying, Benjamin was not happy as he knew he did not do a good job, was determined to show Ramsay what he was made of, and declared that he would just cook and stop over thinking. Finally, Jason noticed that there were four more asses for him to get rid of, declared that he was not there to play, and that he was ready to move his family to London.

Ramsay’s comment: “Ed was one of the favorites because of his strong start. Unfortunately, in cooking, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

My Opinion

The tenth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on July 6, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the ninth episode. On that episode, a dinner service with a strict time limit took place, an emotional meltdown happened, and the chefs celebrated at elimination.

Intro

After Ramsay urged Autumn to prove herself and show what she had as it was her last chance, the chefs were dismissed, and while going back to the dorms, she was crying in relief, was comforted by her new teammates who welcomed her back, and she declared that she was very overwhelmed to have another chance. Also, Holli acknowledged that having Autumn back in the red team would make them strong and win.

On the patio, Autumn was excited to be back in the red team, and Benjamin considered her as a big step forward for the red team as they went from Fran to her. Also, he thought that the blue team would find her departure tough, and added that he would shoot himself in the head if they would lose again, but Holli reassured him by saying that they got rid of the fuck ups.

Team challenge

The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the 10-Pound Lobster Challenge by revealing two of them to both teams. Jay told that to get one of them, somebody would have to go scuba diving or go to a local aquarium, and then, Jason was called down to grab the blue team’s lobster, which was jokingly named Salvatore. After, Nilka grabbed the red team’s lobster, which was jokingly named Siobhan, she kissed it, and declared that she was excited about that challenge as she knew how to cook lobster. Each chef had 45 minutes to prepare a stunning and creative lobster dish, using the 10 pound lobster.

In the blue kitchen, Jay wanted to work with the knuckles, Ed wanted the tail and the claws, and Jason wanted the shell of the tail. Also, Jason knew that Ed and Jay thought that he was one of the weaker chefs, while being determined to emerge, and poached the lobster. In the red kitchen, both Benjamin and Nilka wanted to work with the tail, and in the blue kitchen, Ed started to grill his tail, which scared Jay as it was already poached, with Jason thinking it was indeed a little bit rubbery. Also, Jay was extremely confident in his dish, which made Ed think that Jay thought he knew more than everybody, but did not want to be bothered by that as he knew that most people who were talking like that were failing. In the red kitchen, Benjamin tried to split the tail between himself and Nilka, but he ripped it, and she was dismayed as she was left with a tiny part which she did not know what she would do with. Eventually, everybody cooked and plated their dishes in time.

Because the red team had one more member than the blue team, they had to drop one dish, and after tasting all of them, Nilka volunteered as she was not satisfied with her dish, but she was angry about it as she wanted to prove herself and show what she was capable of. When Ramsay asked what she made, she answered that she made a potato purée lobster, and he told the red team they made the right decision as it sounded disgusting. For the judging, Michelin-Star chefs Josiah Citrin, Michael Cimarusti, and David LeFevre were invited as guest judges. When they were introduced, Benjamin felt it was an honor as he wanted to have Michelin stars himself since he was 18-years-old, and Jay was very excited, but scared at the same time. On the first round, Holli presented her butter-poached lobster with ginger-lobster sauce and a fennel salad, and she was very nervous as she did not know how the chefs would react. LeFevre deemed her dish a good combination between all the ingredients, and after, Ed served his poached and grilled lobster tail with ginger purée, which was deemed too chewy and rubbery by LeFevre, despite being well-seasoned. Holli won the round over Ed, and the red team led 1-0, which made Autumn think that Holli could emerge as great potential to be strong in the competition. On the second round, Cimarusti judged Autumn and Jason’s dishes, but when the latter lifted his dome, he was shocked by the huge portion size, which Jay compared to a salad bar with a meatloaf on top. Jason explained that it was not a single person portion, and that because he was a very big guy, he just wanted to eat when he felt hungry. He presented his lobster tail containing a saffron polenta with water spinach, rainbow carrots and asparagus, which was criticized for not having a lot of good flavors, but the lobster was praised for not tasting bad. After, Autumn served her lobster stir fry with cilantro and basil, which was criticized for not being very refined, and all the other flavors overpowering the lobster. Jason won the round over Autumn, tying the score at 1. On the last round, Citrin judged Benjamin and Jay’s dishes, and Benjamin presented his poached lobster tail with parsnip purée, which was criticized for the sloppy presentation and not having a lot of finesse. Benjamin acknowledged that he was rushing, and thought that he was screwed because Jay’s dish was immaculate. After, the latter served his lobster knuckle and black truffle cappuccino with brioche and caviar, but when he started to explain how to eat it, Ramsay interrupted him by saying that he did not need to tell a chef how to eat. Citrin criticized the dish for being too classical and for having raw lobster, and neither of them won the round, keeping the score a tie at 1. Holli was shocked because Benjamin and Jay were two of the strongest chefs at that point, and thought they would have killed it. To break the tie, Ramsay deemed Holli’s dish the best overall, and the red team won the challenge, making her very proud of herself as she kicked ass.

Reward

The red team was rewarded with a caviar tasting experience at the Petrossian Paris, and a $1000 shopping spree at Kitson. Autumn was very excited, believed that nobody else had better luck with switching teams than herself, called herself a good luck charm, and in the dorms, Benjamin congratulated Holli, while she was punching the balloon.

While going into the limousine, everybody was excited, Holli was thrilled as it was an experience of a lifetime, and concluded by declaring that she loved winning. During the ride, the women cheered and screamed by the window. Arrived at the Petrossian Paris, they were greeted by Chef Alexandre Petrossian and Jean-Philippe, and Holli was infatuated by Petrossian as she found him adorable. When he was giving instructions on how to taste caviar and champagne, she started to flirt with him, and stated that she did not know if caviar was an aphrodisiac, but was locked inside the dorms for a long time that she did not need one. Then, Autumn declared that caviar was one of her favorite foods, and compared it to the wine tasting reward a couple of weeks before. Also, Nilka revealed that she never tasted caviar before, and was very excited to taste some like that with some champagne, saying it was beautiful.

After the caviar tasting, they went to the Kitson, where they tried a lot of different new clothes, and Autumn was excited as they could try anything they wanted. Also, Nilka called it priceless while wandering around in golden pants, and Benjamin wanted to buy something for his wife, while adding that it was nice to spend Ramsay’s money.

Punishment

The blue team was punished by cleaning the dorms while wearing housewife outfits, and prepping both kitchens for the next service. When Jason learned the red team’s reward, he was very disappointed as he loved shopping, even to the point that his wife did not like to shop with him as it was a problem. On the patio, Jay was very disappointed to have lost as he thought his dish was good enough to be awarded a point, and Ed was annoyed because Jay thought he knew too much and that it might not be a good thing. Jason reminded Jay that he told the chefs were always right, but Jay retorted that he did not like to lose when he did not deserve it.

When the men received their housewife outfits from Sous Chef Scott, Jay declared it the worst part of the punishment. While cleaning, the men joked around, with Jason calling Jay “honey”, and Ed stated that was the reason why nobody wanted to lose challenges. Also, he told that cleaning the toilets was pretty nasty, and Jason jokingly called themselves “Hell’s Kitchen chef maid service”, while stating that it sucked.

When they finished cleaning the dorms, the men went down to the red kitchen to begin prepping, but Jay was scared as they were behind schedule, and added that it was the worst punishment ever. In the red kitchen, Sous Chef Scott clearly ordered the men to prep the red kitchen before starting their own, making Ed scared as there was only three of them to prep an entire kitchen.

Before service

When the red team came back from their reward, the blue team was still prepping the red kitchen, and when Holli greeted Jay, the latter became infatuated by her, saying that she could talk his pants off at any moment, without alcohol necessary. Fifteen minutes before service, the red team changed, went to their kitchen, and when Holli asked Jason if anything was prepped in the blue kitchen, he answered that nothing was. Jay thought they were screwed, Ed and Jason started to prep the blue kitchen, and Ed was worried because they did not have enough time to prep everything before the service would begin, while calling it nuts.

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay announced that the previous two services were disappointing, before revealing that both teams would cook in the red kitchen together, much to Jay’s great relief as he claimed that three people cooking in an unprepped kitchen would have been detrimental to his well-being. Ramsay added that it would be helpful to show who would emerge as leaders, and Autumn knew that the pressure was on. After revealing that the customers would go to the movie theater when the service would be over, Ramsay announced a time limit of two and a half hours to complete service. Also, because Holli’s dish during the challenge was the best, she was dedicated to serve caviar tableside. Finally, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

When the first ticket was called, Autumn allowed Nilka to drop her scallops, and the latter was excited and eager to show Ramsay what she was made of on the fish station. However, her scallops were raw, and she was ordered to put them back in the pan, while Ramsay urged her to wake up despite her saying that she was already. In the dining room, Holli was already having fun with the customers while serving her caviar, and in the kitchen, Ramsay asked for the salad, but Autumn wanted to wait until Nilka was ready, much to his frustration. He told Autumn that it was none of her problem if Nilka was not ready, but Autumn said that she wanted to be timed with Nilka as best as possible for not backing up somebody or being backed up. Then, Ramsay asked for the beet root, which Autumn served immediately, and it was accepted.

Thirty minutes into service, the appetizers were being served at a good pace, with customers being satisfied, and Jason sent his Wellingtons, which were cooked perfectly. However, when Nilka sent her turbot, it was raw, much to Ramsay’s dismay, and instead of putting it back in the pan like he expected, she threw it on the floor, which made Ramsay believe she gave up. Then, Nilka started to be nervous despite Jay trying to comfort her, she told that she did not want to go home, and Jason acknowledged that she was not herself, but did not lose faith in her as he knew she was a good cook.

One hour into service, customers started to lose their patience because the entrées were not coming, and in the kitchen, Jason was ready to send his meat to the pass, but Nilka was not ready with her lobster yet. Then, she went to the convection oven to grab her lobster, but dropped the metal plate on the floor, with Ramsay thinking one more time that she gave up. He urged her not to give up, Nilka convinced him that she was not while knowing that she was fucking up, and Autumn acknowledged that Nilka was the only person that was not moving forward with everybody else. When Nilka sent her lobster to the pass, it was rejected as she sent the wrong sauce with it, and she was pulled in the pantry room where Ramsay asked her why she could not come back, which she tearfully answered that she was mad at herself as she did not come in the competition to lose. Then, Ramsay urged her to get a grip, and threatened her with elimination if she would not, which she acknowledged he was right. She returned to her station, was comforted by Benjamin, and Autumn knew that the best thing to do when in the weeds was to calm down and get it together. Also, Jay was feeling bad for Nilka as she crumbled, went to help her on fish, and Nilka told him that she was very mad at herself. When Ramsay asked for the scallops, she gave thirty seconds, Jay reassured her by saying that she just had to communicate, and when she sent her scallops, they were accepted. After, Ramsay asked Ed for the asparagus, he told it was coming, but a minor fire erupted in one of his pans, which made Ramsay telling him to look inside them. Ed started to panic, Ramsay told him that his pans were cracking because the asparagus was burned, and Jason thought that Ed was not as hungry for the Savoy as he was taking a dive since the couple previous services. Then, Ed was pulled aside by Ramsay, who told him to have finesse, and he told that he would rather being yelled at for burning pans than for not sending food out. Ramsay urged everybody to not drop the standards because they were under pressure, and another fire erupted on the garnish station, with Ed still panicking.

In the dining room, a fat customer started to lose his patience and demand his food, and in the kitchen, Jason was urged to take the lead and to call out the ticket by Ramsay, so all of his meat would be ready at the same time. Ramsay also added that he was too silent, Jason was ordered to communicate more, and he acknowledged that he was pushed by Ramsay because the latter knew he could emerge as a leader. Jason sent his Wellingtons to the pass, they were perfectly cooked, and entrées were being served to some very satisfied customers. Ramsay called the following ticket, but Nilka was still very nervous, started to panic, and ran into one of her containers. Jay tried to calm her down by telling her to take a deep breath and focus, but when Ramsay asked for the turbot, she was not ready yet, and Jay told her to not flip it as it was not having enough colors. When Ramsay asked for the turbot one more time, Jay gave thirty more seconds, but Nilka was still not sure how much time she would need, and had trouble communicating with Jay. Ed told that despite him wanting to help Nilka, she had to step up and bounce back herself, and when Nilka sent her lobster to the pass, she was hesitating to put it down, so Ramsay grabbed the tray from her hands. When she returned on her station, she started to panic more, pushed everybody who were trying to help her away, and Benjamin called her a mess and fucking crazy.

Automatic elimination

Then, the lobster that Nilka sent was rejected for being raw, and when she tried to convince that she just took it out of the pan, Ramsay was fed up, and she was eliminated on-the-spot. After Benjamin was relocated to the fish station, Ramsay aggressively told Nilka to get out, Autumn knew he was very angry, and he followed Nilka to the back hallway to order her to take her jacket off and get out. Nilka begged him to not say that, and Jason knew that she sank at the bottom of the ocean after being hit by many torpedoes. Then, Nilka tried to convince Ramsay to not eliminate her, and smashed a sign on the floor. In the kitchen, the remaining chefs were working on the next ticket when Nilka returned to the kitchen to convince Ramsay to stay, much to his annoyance. He reminded her that they were in the middle of service and to take her jacket off, but she refused to leave by saying that winning the competition was her destiny and all she wanted. Ramsay was annoyed by her presence in the kitchen, she tried to jump back on her station, and Ed reminded that she had to get the hell out of there after being told to. When Ramsay called the next ticket, Nilka tried to cook, but Ramsay aggressively ordered her to get out, and she refused once again as she just wanted to cook. Ramsay was tired, asked Benjamin to get Nilka out for him, which the latter did, and Jay acknowledged that Nilka was having a category five meltdown. Nilka reluctantly stepped out of the kitchen while saying that she did not want to leave, and was told by Benjamin and Ramsay to get out. Finally, she added that she gave her whole life for that, that it hurt to be kicked out like that, and that she was mad about going down like that.

Two hours into service, Nilka finally accepted her elimination, went in the dorms to pack her bags, and in the kitchen, the remaining chefs were working on the last ticket, with Ed acknowledging that everything was perfect without Nilka in the kitchen. Everybody rallied to send out the last table, Holli served the desserts, and Ramsay was happy as the customers would enjoy the movie theater in peace.

Post-mortem

While the customers were leaving the restaurant for the movie theater, Nilka was still packing her bags in the dorms, and told that she did not want to go home as she came in the competition for a reason. She left by the delivery dock with her bags, and Ramsay was waiting for her beside the taxi cab. He told Nilka to keep her head up high and continue to follow her dream outside of the competition, which she answered that she was just mad at herself because she thought she was ready for the job at the Savoy. After, Ramsay reminded her that she did well, and thanked her for her great overall performance, before both of them hugged. Ramsay concluded by requesting her jacket, and she entered the cab while he reminded her to keep her head up high.

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay congratulated them for having their best service at that point, revealed that they succeeded to serve all the customers in two hours and fifteen minutes, and reminded Ed that despite his shaky start, he fought back. Also, he told Jason that all of his pieces of meat were cooked perfectly and that he led for the first time since the beginning of the competition. Both teams were named joint-winners, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination together.

Back in the dorms, Autumn declared that Nilka’s elimination was sad to see, that it sucked to nominate somebody after a great service like that, and Jason considered Ed and Autumn. Ed did not agree as he got in the weeds for being alone on garnish, and thought that he should stay for fighting back and that some people might be intimated by him. After, Jay considered Autumn for her overall performance, and she considered Ed and Jason for that reason, which Benjamin agreed with. Jason asked why he should be nominated, Autumn answered that one ticket from him dragged, which he did not agree with, and he started to lose his temper, thinking that whatever he would do, people would still be on his back like if he was the easy target. Everybody was stuck on who to nominate, and Jay added that if Nilka was still there, it would have been a no-brainer.

Elimination

Benjamin announced Ed as the first nominee, and Autumn as the second. During their pleas, Ed told that he would not give up and keep fighting back, but Ramsay reminded him that he was standing in front of two pans which were close to have holes in them without realizing it, and Autumn reminded that she had a good service and bounced back, but Ramsay wondered if it was too late. After deliberation, Ramsay asked Ed to take off his jacket, but he received the first black jacket, and Autumn received the second one. Then, Holli received the third one, Jason received the fourth one, Benjamin received the fifth one, and Jay received the last one.

After all of them went back in line wearing their black jackets, Ramsay reminded that the challenges would get harder and the competition would get more fierce, before dismissing them. While being dismissed, Autumn told it was time to bring up the claws, Jason promised he would win despite being labelled as an underestimated, and Jay declared that he would strive for perfection as one bad service could mean everything at that point. Finally, Nilka received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.

Ramsay’s comment: “Tonight was the best service we’ve had in Hell’s Kitchen, and that’s why I rewarded the final six. Now, only the best chefs remain, Nilka was clearly out of her depth.”

My Opinion

The ninth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on July 6, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the tenth episode. On that episode, the annual Blind Taste Test occurred, the teams put their menus to the test, but both of those events turned into disasters.

Intro

After Ramsay reminded the chefs that they had to prove why they were the best half, they were dismissed, and while going back to the dorms, Autumn was happy to still be there, and Fran felt that she was fighting for her life every day. Also, she added that she was sick of it, and that she needed to prove herself to Ramsay, while on the patio, Benjamin trash-talked about her, saying that she was a nightmare and a mess. Jay acknowledged that Fran tried and was working hard despite not having the knowledge, but Benjamin did not feel that she was trying, and thought that she would be the next eliminated.

Team challenge

The next morning, while the chefs were getting ready, Ramsay put a frozen packaged meal in a microwave, and when they went in the kitchen, he made them think it was a fine-dining meal. He presented a chicken gorgonzola, asked them to taste it, and when they did, Nilka told that it was melting in her mouth, Fran found the chicken delicious, and Benjamin and Jay praised the taste of the spices. After, Ramsay revealed it was a frozen meal, with the chicken being cooked three and a half months earlier, and Holli felt really embarrassed to have liked it. When Ramsay questioned him, Jay responded that he thought the chicken was a little bit watery, but after, he admitted that he fell for it. After that, Ramsay introduced the Blind Taste Test, which excited everybody, and they went to the dining room, with Nilka being confident as she thought she had a good palate.

When both teams were lined up in the dining room, Ramsay asked who had the best palate, Jay and Benjamin raised their hands, and Fran vocally answered that she had, making everybody laugh, and annoying Benjamin, who thought he had a better palate than her. On the first round, Fran and Autumn competed against, and on the first attempt, Ramsay was disgusted by Fran sticking her tongue out. Both of them missed Brussels sprouts, pork tenderloin, and sweet potatoes, with Fran knowing that it was another bad day for her. On the last ingredient, which was coconut, Autumn correctly identified it, but Fran mistook it for potato, dismaying everybody, and Nilka was not convinced when Fran said she had a good palate as she did not give any correct answers. On the second round, Holli went up against Ed, both of them mistook Ricotta cheese for polenta, much to Autumn’s dismay, missed the two following ingredients, and Holli correctly identified trout, while Ed did not and acknowledged that it was harder than it looked with the blindfold and headsets on. The score was tied at 1, and on the third round, Benjamin went up against Jason. Both of them correctly identified fennel, but missed kidney beans, butter lettuce, and mussels, tying the score at 2, and Benjamin acknowledging that he could not be perfect all the time. On the final round, Nilka competed against Jay, both of them missed Kobe beef and cashew nuts, but they succeeded to identify cilantro, and the score was tied at 3. On the last ingredient, which was eggplant, Nilka missed it, but Jay correctly identified it, and the blue team won the challenge 4-3. Ramsay praised Jay for having the strongest overall performance, and Jay jokingly whispered to Benjamin that he beat him.

Reward

The blue team was rewarded with a day at SeaWorld as VIP guests, and Jason was excited as swimming with dolphins, slapping high-fives with whales, and hanging out with seals was the things he enjoyed. When they walked by the red team’s ice shipment, Jay jokingly told he would cool his drink right there, and they rode in the Hell’s Kitchen SUV.

Arrived at SeaWorld, they went to see the whales, and they turned around in circles while the whales mimicked them. Then, Jason found the whales incredible and amazing, asked them if he would win Hell’s Kitchen, nodded his head up and down for the whales to mimic him, and called them very smart. After, Autumn asked the whales if they liked the red team, and nodded her head to the side for the whales to mimic once again.

Later, they went in the water to have fun with the dolphins, but Autumn was the only one who was scared as she remembered some animal attacks. However, she succeeded to conquer her fear by giving the dolphin a kiss and dancing with it, and she called it a once in a lifetime experience. Finally, the dolphin waved its tail goodbye to the chefs.

Punishment

The red team was punished by taking part in Delivery day. Holli was very disappointed because everybody in the team, except for Fran, scored one point, and told that she would blame her all day long. Then, the shipment of ice arrived, and Holli told that even though she was strong, carrying bags of ice over and over was attiring. When the blue team walked by to go to their reward, Nilka told Jay to go fuck himself, and Fran hoped the dolphins would bite them. After, Nilka thought she would collapse as she could not breath, Fran declared that she never sweat that much with ice, and Benjamin tried to motivate his teammates. Nilka declared it was the worst punishment ever, and Benjamin complained that his teammates were complaining all day long despite him wanting to have a positive attitude. When the second delivery arrived, Benjamin took control of the paperwork, and dedicated the box carrying to his teammates.

Later, when the wine delivery arrived, Jean-Philippe informed Benjamin that it was supposed to go to the London West Hollywood, and when Holli asked why they brought it at Hell’s Kitchen, Jean-Philippe explained that it was because both restaurants were owned by Ramsay. So, he told the chefs that all the wine needed to go back to the delivery truck, and Fran was dismayed because Benjamin took control and did not notice his mistake, so all of them had to pay the consequences.

Creating new menus

The last delivery that the red team took was a special delivery, containing two huge boxes, one for the red team, and one for the blue. They were told not to open them until the blue team would return, and Holli thought that it would only be a picture of Ramsay saying “fuck off”. When the blue team came back from their reward, both teams opened their packages, and they read a letter explaining that they would create their own menus for the next service, which excited Holli as it was a great opportunity to show Ramsay what they could do.

During the menu creation, Benjamin proposed a lot of dishes that Nilka did not know about. He was concerned about that, and when he suggested mussels arugula, Nilka did not know how to cook it. In the blue team, Jay proposed to keep the menu simple so they could have better chances of completing the service. Then, he proposed the idea of a baby spinach salad with fresh strawberries, which everybody liked, and Ed was happy because all four members of the team were working well together. In the red team, Benjamin took total control by shutting down all of his teammates’ ideas, despite the fact that they loved them. Then, Fran told that rainbow carrots had too many colors, but Benjamin told to not worry about it as he was a professional and all of his dishes would have good presentation. Nilka was annoyed by his aggressive leadership as she knew that all of his ideas were shit, and when she proposed to serve rice as a side, Benjamin rejected that idea as he thought rice was poor food, which she called fucking crazy. Then, Nilka was angry to not have any inputs on the menu, but she did not care at that point.

Before service

The next day, both teams went in their respective kitchens to prep for the next service, featuring their own menus. In the blue kitchen, Jay was psyched and excited about the menu as it was simple and easy to execute, and when Ramsay entered the kitchen, each team prepared a sample of each of their dishes. In the red kitchen, all their appetizers and entrées were criticized either for the presentation, taste, or execution. Fran was happy that Benjamin got his ass kicked for his stupid dishes, and all the desserts that Holli made were praised for tasting delicious, making Benjamin proud of her. In the blue kitchen, all the dishes were criticized as well for the same reasons, and Ramsay deemed Autumn’s berry compote as one of the worst desserts he ever tasted. Ramsay told the blue team that their menu was too easy, that it was an insult, and that they were screwed even before serving one appetizer.

Jay knew they played safe, and they agreed to bust their butts to fix their menu, while the red team stuck with their original ideas. After, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

Each customer had the choice to order either from the blue menu or red menu. The first order contained two appetizers from the blue menu, and two from the red, so Ramsay called four minutes to both kitchens. But, Ed sliced his duck already, much to Ramsay’s dismay, and he told him to not slice the duck like if it was a fast-food chain. Ed admitted that he had a bad performance the previous service and wanted to be on top of his game, but that he rushed it. Despite that, both kitchens were synchronized and appetizers were served to the dining room. However, one pasta appetizer returned to the kitchen for being undercooked, and Benjamin was asked to start over by Ramsay, while not responding to his teammates’ time request. Fran was annoyed because Benjamin thought he was better than everybody, and he was frustrated because he did not want any help from his teammates, while adding that he did not trust Nilka’s experience. Ramsay asked the red team why they were not communicating, Nilka revealed that she tried to help Benjamin but he did not want her help, but Ramsay did not care because nobody was helping him. So, Nilka reluctantly helped Benjamin, but when she was plating the salad, he pushed her away, which she did not appreciate, but she did not want to argue with him, so she counted to ten in her head, calmed down, and went back to her station.

30 minutes into service, the blue kitchen received more orders than the red kitchen because their menu was more appealing. So, the blue team pushed out their appetizers at a good pace, with the customers being satisfied, and the red team focused on the few orders they had. When both teams moved on to entrées, Ramsay called an order where they had to be synchronized, and when Holli was ready to send her fish to the pass, she asked Nilka if she was, angering Ramsay who told her to leave Nilka alone and bring her own stuff. Then, Holli acknowledged that she could worry only about herself at that point, and Ramsay schooled her for worrying about her teammates, before threatening her with being kicked out if she would do it again. In the blue kitchen, Jay was behind on the bass and the salmon, and Ramsay told him to hurry up and not drag the red team, before he gave four minutes to Autumn. In the dining room, Jean-Philippe tried to calm some customers down because they were waiting on their entrées, and in the red kitchen, Fran sent her chicken to the pass, but there was not enough of it for one portion, and Ramsay was frustrated when he discovered that she left more than half of the meat on the chicken, with it not even being properly cooked. Benjamin lost all confidence in Fran’s cooking skills with the chicken, and Ramsay told her that she was robbing the customers of their portions, but Fran told that she never took a chicken cooking class before. She acknowledged her mistake, and Ramsay threw the botched chicken in the sink. In the blue kitchen, Autumn sent raw pork to the pass, much to Ramsay’s frustration, and Jason told that she was shit and that he was cooking better than her. Ramsay urged Autumn to bring another pork to the pass, but the other one she grabbed was still raw, and when she announced that she would need one more minute, she was kicked out of the kitchen in the dining room, with Ramsay ordering her to explain to the customers why she was shit. So, she went to a table and apologized to a customer who was waiting for the pork, and returned to her station, embarrassed. In the red kitchen, Nilka wanted to make some adjustments to the red team’s menu, but she was caught boiling asparagus instead of grilling them, much to Ramsay’s dismay. He schooled her about the fact that she was serving cafeteria food, and she told that she said “Yes Chef” so often that she could not even say it any longer as she struggled to correctly pronounce it several consecutive times. In the blue kitchen, Jason sent crispy bacon, he was asked to taste it and to start over by Ramsay, and when the pork purée was asked by Ramsay, Jason did not communicate, which annoyed Jay, who acknowledged Jason was getting flustered at times. Ramsay was dismayed by his lack of communication, but Jason explained that he did not communicate because he was frustrated, and Ramsay told the blue team that he was not impressed by their performance over their own menu.

In the red kitchen, Fran was angry about her teammates’ lack of communication, compared them to zombies, and told that she was not ready because she never heard the order of beef being called. She was pissed, wanted to be left alone while she was working, gave one minute, and when she sent her beef to the pass, it was undercooked. Benjamin called her fucking crazy as everything she touched turned into disaster, and Ramsay ordered her to start over, while she asked her teammates to communicate more. In the blue kitchen, Autumn told Ramsay that her beef was still raw, gave three more minutes, and he berated her because she seemed very casual about it. She responded that she was not, but Ramsay was not convinced, and she almost cried when she told that she did not know how to behave to show that she did care, while Ramsay told that her attitude stank. Then, he asked her for the beef, which she answered that it was resting, he responded that she was resting instead, and Jay told three times that Autumn sucked. After, Jay was tired of Autumn constantly messing up, so he dedicated Ed to take over the meat station, while dedicating Autumn to the dessert station. Ramsay asked for the beef, and he was dismayed that Autumn was not communicating and that she was on desserts, while Jay took responsibility for putting her there. After, Ramsay told that she should have done that two hours ago, and that she should put some energy in her desserts. In the red kitchen, Fran sent raw chicken to the pass, and a dismayed Ramsay pulled her in the pantry room to ask her what was going on. She answered that she was frustrated about the lack of communication, but he retorted that despite that, she sent raw chicken, and asked her to leave him alone, while closing the door in her face. Fran returned to the kitchen, and when Ramsay told her that she was frazzled, she responded that she was not, and that she would not give up.

Two hours and a half into service, the customers were satisfied with their entrées despite the slow service, and both teams moved on to desserts. In the red kitchen, Holli took the lead on desserts, and Benjamin praised her good job, even adding that she had the best service for the red team. In the blue kitchen, Jay helped Autumn to send the desserts out, and he praised the strong finish of the blue team despite their rocky start. After all the desserts were served, the service was completed.

Post-mortem

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay called the service pathetic, both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one person each for elimination.

While going back to the dorms, Jason did not understand why the blue team lost because the customers chose their menu more than the red team’s, and during deliberation, Jay considered Autumn for her stupid mistakes, giving the raw pork as an example, but Autumn responded that she did not have the time, while adding that she did not think her service was as bad as Jason. The latter thought he did a good job, but Jay reminded that he had to pick up his ass all day long, and Jason called him a bitch because of that. Jay continued by saying that he thought Jason was not as good as he thought he was, but Jason continued to insist that all his shit was done.

In the red team, Fran acknowledged it was a disaster, Holli thought that they communicated enough, but Fran disagreed by saying that the communication sucked, and that led to an argument between her and Nilka, who thought the communication was good enough. Then, Holli told that there was a lot of things that were not cooked properly, Fran acknowledged that she fucked up her chicken, and Nilka targeted Benjamin for not having any inputs on the menu as all of her ideas were shut down. Holli acknowledged that Benjamin shared a lot of responsibility for the loss as he had a lot of inputs on the menu, but still thought that he was a strong cook. Despite that, Benjamin still did not want to take responsibility for his bad dishes ideas, and left the conversation by saying that he was done dealing with his teammates.

Elimination

Jason announced Autumn as the blue team’s nominee, and Holli announced Fran as the red team’s. During their pleas, Autumn told that she was still putting out a lot of food despite her mistakes, but Ramsay responded that she was a pain in his ass, which she retorted that she did not want to. She also added that she wanted to be better and that she knew that she could, but Ramsay responded that she was out of her depth, and that she became an embarrassment in the blue team. After, Fran thought that she was as good as any of her teammates, and that the communication sucked, but Ramsay understood it as she was not treated equally by her teammates. She also added that she was communicating well despite them not doing that, but she had another argument with Nilka, where the latter sarcastically told her that she should have told her how to slice her chicken so she would not be nominated at that moment, and Ramsay was dismayed about the poor harmony in the red team.

After deliberation, Ramsay asked both nominees to take their jackets off, and Fran was eliminated for not taking responsibility for her mistakes and lacking knowledge to work in a professional kitchen. But before she left, Ramsay told her to keep her head up high, and during her exit interview, she told that she did not regret her time in the competition, while adding that the red team lost a strong cook.

Team switch

After Fran left, Ramsay told Autumn that she had been on a downward spiral since she joined the blue team. Then, he gave her one more chance to find her voice and her assertiveness, and she was transferred back to the red team. While being dismissed, Autumn tearfully expressed relief about not being eliminated yet, saying that it was her favorite moment at that point, Benjamin cheered about Fran’s elimination while adding that he was happy about that, and Jay was happy that Autumn was gone as himself, Jason, and Ed were three solid guys that would cook their hearts out.

Ramsay’s comment: “Fran wanted her team to communicate, but it seems the only thing her team agreed on was wanting her gone.”

My Opinion

The eighth episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on June 29, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the seventh episode. On that episode, sandwiches were the main dish, one chef became extremely arrogant, and a fowl customer was put back in their place during service.

Intro

While going back to the dorms, Jason was worried as he wondered what they would do with only four people, and in the red team, Benjamin told Siobhan that she needed to stop talking and just work. But, she was annoyed by that comment, and frustratingly reminded that she would not be there if she did not have passion, while adding that Benjamin could go fuck himself.

On the patio, Benjamin told to his teammates that he did not want to hear them saying that services were easy, and Siobhan added that she was ready to put her balls on the line. Also, she was determined to show Benjamin that she could cook, and told to wait until the following challenge so she would cook his ass under the table. After she left the conversation, Benjamin became extremely negative by saying that Siobhan was lacking technical skills and passion, and that she talked too much. When he added that Siobhan was lucky to be there, Holli was annoyed by his negative attitude, saying that despite being a good cook, he did not have to be rude. Finally, Benjamin said that Siobhan would go down.

Field trip

The next morning, Sous Chef Scott called in the dorms, Benjamin answered, and he was told to get everybody down to go to one of the oldest and most famous French restaurants in Los Angeles. Everybody got up, and while getting ready, Autumn was excited to get out of the restaurant while looking pretty, smelling good, and wearing something that would adapt to any situation she would be facing. The chefs entered the Hell’s Kitchen SUV, and rode to the Philippe’s restaurant, in Los Angeles. Arrived there, they were greeted by Ramsay, who wondered why they were so well-dressed. Fran acknowledged the restaurant was old and rustic, and understood why Ramsay was wondering that. After, he revealed to the chefs that the restaurant has been opened for more than one hundred years, and that they invented the French dipped sandwich, which surprised Siobhan. Then, he introduced the chefs to Richard Binder, the owner of the restaurant, who explained how the French dipped sandwich was invented, and after that, the chefs sat down with Ramsay to taste that sandwich. Fran was excited as she was sitting next to Ramsay, and the latter started to count to three, but jokingly stopped at two to ask Jason what was wrong with him. Jason answered that he was just waiting to take the bite, and Ramsay counted to three for real, with all of the chefs enjoying their sandwiches, and Nilka even stating that it was melting in her mouth.

After the tasting, Ramsay introduced the Gourmet Sandwich Challenge, where each chef had 30 minutes to create a unique gourmet sandwich, and before returning to Hell’s Kitchen, they received the list of ingredients that were available. Ed was excited, but was nervous because of the ingredient list, saying that it would be difficult to make a sandwich tasting as good as the French dipped. On their way back to Hell’s Kitchen, Benjamin was psyched to cook his own food, was confident that his sandwich would be awesome, and Siobhan wanted her sandwich to represent her personality as she could enjoy a lot of different tastes.

Team challenge

Arrived at Hell’s Kitchen, the countdown began, and the chefs ran into the kitchens to create their sandwiches. They picked their ingredients, and in the red kitchen, Benjamin asked if anybody was looking for the tuna, which Siobhan responded that she had her tuna already. He reminded her to cut the blood line off, she responded that her tuna did not have much blood line anyway, and acknowledged that Benjamin was targeting her, but did not care as she just wanted to prove Ramsay that she could cook. When Fran was looking for the challah bread, Siobhan had it all for herself, and Benjamin told that because of that, Siobhan was driving him nuts. In the blue kitchen, Jay was confident about his Foie gras sandwich, and Ed knew that the latter was his biggest competition as both of them were ready to work hard. After tasting, Siobhan was confident in her sandwich, and everybody plated their dishes in time.

Before the judging, Ramsay asked the red team to drop one of their sandwiches as they had one more member, and they quickly agreed on Siobhan, with Benjamin adding that he would be pissed and would like his money back if he would order it in a restaurant. Siobhan was furious because she was being banged down one more time, and on the first round, Ed went up against Benjamin. The latter presented his pan-seared Ahi tuna sandwich with watercress and spicy olives, which was praised for the tuna being cooked perfectly, and after, Ed served a Ahi tuna sandwich with grilled sesame bread, wasabi mayonnaise, fresh mint and chives, which was deemed delicious. Both of them scored a point, tying the score at 1. On the second round, Holli served a smoked duck breast sandwich with pumpernickel bread, caramelized onions and prosciutto, which was labelled as ambitious by Ramsay, but working well. She knew that she made a good sandwich, was glad that Ramsay enjoyed it, and then, Jason presented his lobster Cole-slaw Sloppy Joe sandwich, which was praised for having a nice seasoning. After deliberation, both of them scored a point, tying the score at 2, and Ramsay congratulated the chefs for having a great start. On the third round, Fran served a balsamic chicken sandwich with roasted peppers, and despite Jay not being impressed as those two ingredients reminded him of 1982, the chicken was deemed delicious by Ramsay. After, Jay served his country-pork pâté sandwich with Foie gras fat, Vietnamese influenced slaw and Romaine hearts, which was deemed delicious by Ramsay, and praised for standing up well. Jay won the round over Fran because of the latter’s soggy bread, making the score 3-2 for the blue team. Fran acknowledged her mistake, but added that it might be the way the Italians liked it, and on the final round, Nilka served her roasted pork sandwich with red onions and mayonnaise, which was deemed adventurous but delicious by Ramsay. After, Autumn presented a roasted pork loin sandwich with sautéed vegetables and balsamic reduction, but it was not cut properly, and when Ramsay asked if she had problems with her knife, she answered that she thought it was fine. Ramsay criticized the presentation for being shocking, added that it would be the kind of thing a first-year culinary student would make, and Nilka won the round, tying the score at 3. Autumn was feeling like a loser for not scoring a point while all of her teammates did, and Ramsay ordered her to unfold her arms as she did not have to take her frustration on her teammates.

Because the score was tied at 3, Ramsay called down Siobhan to taste her sandwich, which she really appreciated, but Benjamin was angry because he had no fate she could pull it off. Then, she presented her Ahi tuna sandwich with challah bread, cheese, grilled pineapple, oranges and prosciutto, which was deemed better than Fran’s by Ramsay. So, because the red team should have made Fran sit out instead of Siobhan, the blue team won the challenge. Siobhan was furious because all of her teammates thought she could not cook, and was happy that it was their fault because they lost.

Reward

The blue team was rewarded with a day at the California Central Wine Country for a wine tasting, and being taken there in a private jet. Ed was excited because he accomplished his two goals, which were to go on the private jet, and to be told he was perfect by Ramsay. When they arrived at the private jet, Ramsay was waiting for them, Jay told that he could not wait to hang out with him as he was psyched about it, all of them toasted their victory, and Ramsay jokingly reminded them to not get drunk before arriving at the vineyard. After, Ramsay noticed that Jason was smiling for the third time, and the latter stated that the people who told that winning was not everything were lying.

During the reward, the chefs got to taste a lot of different wines with Matthew J. Lane, and Ramsay jokingly reminded Autumn to take small sips and not drink her entire glass. Jason noticed that Autumn was really drunk as she was giggling about everything, and at the end, Jay called it the best challenge reward in the history of Hell’s Kitchen, while admitting that Autumn was the one that had the most drinks. Autumn admitted that she was drunk, but told that it was the way it was, and everybody toasted to their victory one more time.

Punishment

The red team was punished by making peanut butter and jelly from scratch, by grinding 50,000 peanuts by hand, for an amuse-bouche that would be served during the next service. On the patio, Siobhan was furious about being the underestimated, reminded that her sandwich was better than Fran’s, and Nilka noticed that she was lacking a lot of self-confidence, but that her being pissed was what she needed. Siobhan told that her teammates could go fuck themselves, went to the dorms, but there, Benjamin condescendingly told her to work as a team, that her sandwich was not good, and that he would not serve it in his restaurant. Siobhan responded that it was his personal opinion, but Benjamin corrected her by saying it was his professional opinion, and added that she did not have the experience that he had and that she needed to ask for help if needed. He continued by saying that he did not regret his decision, but Siobhan told that he needed to step off his podium, stop being a bossy bastard, and he added that her ingredients were not going well together, despite her reminding that it went well on her sandwich. Siobhan started to leave, told that her teammates could go fuck themselves if they all thought they were better than her, Benjamin concluded that he was brutally honest to her, like Ramsay was, and she went downstairs.

In the kitchen, Sous Chef Andi brought the peanut bags on the counter, Siobhan was still pissed that she had to sit out, but Benjamin gave the excuse that she could not have beaten Jay anyway. Also, she was pissed that Benjamin was going after her sandwich despite Ramsay liking it, and he added that she still sucked. Later, Fran called it the worst punishment ever as she compared it to grinding rock, and added that she did not want to see a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the rest of her life.

Before service

When the blue team came back from their reward, Nilka noticed how drunk they were because Ed was dancing and Jay could not keep his head straight, and when Fran asked if they were happy, Jay answered that he could not talk. Fran told that they could not even speak because of how drunk they were, and wished that they would get hangovers the next morning as it would be an advantage for the red team. While going to the dorms, Jay banged his head on the wall, and in the bedroom, Autumn laid down on her bed, struggled to take her boots off, fell off her bed, and told that even though it was a great bonding experience, she would not take any more drinks.

Moments later, Ed struggled to get inside the hot tub, he was joined by Holli, who encouraged him to drink even more, and he drank three more beers. Eventually, Siobhan joined them thinking they were making out, and Ed started to dance, making the two women laugh. Siobhan told that the normally quiet and reserved Ed turned into a wild animal, Jay and Benjamin went on the patio, and then, Holli ripped a part of Ed’s bathing suit. Because of that, Ed was challenged by everybody to get naked, which he did, Holli found it awkward, and Siobhan was shocked that he actually did it.

The next morning, because the red team was rested, they were ready to prep for the next service, while the blue team was still hungover, with Ed feeling like hell. In the red kitchen, Fran was confident to finally kick the blue team’s ass during services as the red team took more beating than anybody else, and in the dorms, the blue team was still in bed. Ed wondered what was he thinking the previous night, declared that he was still tired, Jay told that he could puke on command, which Jason acknowledged that he could as well, and Autumn knew that she was still hungover after waking up. They went in the blue kitchen to being prepping for the next service while being helped by Sous Chef Scott, and Fran was excited about the fact that they were still hungover as it could go in their favor. During the day, Jason knew that prep was going slowly because some of his teammates were having a bigger hangover than others, Siobhan was amused because the blue team kept fucking up their prep, and Benjamin knew that they had an advantage over the blue team, while wanting to send the message that they were not untouchable. After the prep was done, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

When Ramsay called the first order in the red kitchen, Fran declared that she never made a risotto, but that she was fine with the rest of the station, and Holli was worried as she knew they would be screwed if they were not having a good start. The first risotto that she sent to the pass was deemed very nice, Siobhan congratulated her for her good timing, and in the blue kitchen, Jay gave four minutes for his appetizers, but Jason was worried because his scallops were ready at that moment. Jay hoped that they could come as a team, communicate well and not screw up, but he served an undercooked and under seasoned risotto, while Jason served overcooked scallops, which Ramsay compared to ping pong balls. Ramsay was dismayed because they were making elementary mistakes, told them to set the tone for the evening on the first few tables, and Jason acknowledged his mistake with the scallops. Also, Ramsay wondered if the blue team really got rid of their weakest links, and reminded that there reward at the Vineyard was done. In the red kitchen, Fran served a raw risotto, she was schooled by Ramsay for forgetting a lot of things while cooking it, and Siobhan was dismayed as well. After Fran said that she was aggravated, Ramsay told her that she was as consistent as pigeon shit on Trafalgar Square. In the blue kitchen, Jay served his appetizers at a good pace, customers were satisfied, but when Ramsay asked for the potatoes, Autumn was not ready yet, much to his dismay. Jay knew that she still had a hangover, Ramsay told her that she was slow after spending a day at the Vineyard, and Jason told that she dropped the ball. When she sent her mashed potatoes, they were too salty, but she was not sure if they really were, so Ramsay told her to cut the bullshit and taste her stuff as she might be on her last 90 minutes in Hell’s Kitchen.

In the red kitchen, Siobhan told that she had to refire an order of scallops, and then, he discovered an entire order of boiled scallops, but she talked back saying that she thought they looked fine. Even Holli knew they were black, but after putting the scallops on a plate, Siobhan continued to think that they were fine, infuriating Ramsay, and Nilka told that she should shut the fuck up as he would just put his foot deeper in her ass. Ramsay told Siobhan exactly what was wrong with the scallops, called her a donkey, and kicked her out of the kitchen into the dining room to eat her mistakes. Meanwhile, Benjamin was relocated to the fish station for a few minutes, he declared that he just wanted to get the food out while Siobhan fucked up the fish station, and after, the latter came back in the kitchen and acknowledged she fucked up the scallops. On the next order, Benjamin was working on the scallops, but Siobhan wanted to get her station back, and Benjamin ordered her to stay on desserts, which she reluctantly accepted. Then, she wanted to help, but he became rude, pushed her away while taking the scallops she had in her hand, and after a few seconds, he aggressively told her to fuck off his station. Siobhan was furious as Benjamin did not have any heart or respect for anybody. In the dining room, a customer was not happy with his entrée because it was undercooked, so he went to the hot plate himself while bringing the plate. Arrived there, Ramsay asked him what was the matter, he pointed the plate without saying anything, and Ramsay schooled him for acting like some little bunny to the hot plate, told him to fuck off as it was Jean-Philippe’s job, but the man responded by asking if Ramsay was trying to poison him. Ramsay responded by calling him a dick, added that he could eat beef tartar, the customer told that it was low-grade dog food at best, and when he was going back to his table, Ramsay told him to stand nice and strong as he looked like a quail. In the red kitchen, Nilka sliced her chicken, brought it to the pass along with Holli’s garnish, but the chicken was raw, and she was berated by Ramsay, who smashed the chicken with his hand. Holli told that she could see that it was raw as she sliced it, added that they could not serve raw chicken no matter what, and Ramsay berated Nilka for not telling it was raw, and the latter was mad at herself as she did not want to fuck up.

In the blue kitchen, Ramsay urged Ed to pick it up as Autumn was still slow, and because nobody was sending their food to the pass despite being ready. When he tried to communicate with Autumn, she did not answer, Ramsay was angry because of the lack of teamwork, and Ed was upset as well because of Autumn’s lack of communication. Then, Jason brought his salmon to the pass, but Ed was still slicing his duck, which Ramsay was furious about as the food was not coming together. However, the duck was raw, Ramsay was angry as it was not good enough, gave the entire order to Ed, and kicked the blue team out of the kitchen. Back in the dorms, Jason wondered why they were kicked out as he thought they were doing fine, but Jay reminded that the communication and timing was off, while adding that he was upset that his teammates were not understanding that. In the red kitchen, Fran served a salad that was not dressed, which Ramsay compared to rabbit food, and Benjamin thought that Fran was talking a lot despite being a shit cook. Ramsay told her to properly dress the salad, and when she sent her risotto, it was still raw, and a frustrated Ramsay kicked the garbage bin to the side, while kicking the red team out of the kitchen as well. Back in the dorms, Fran acknowledged it was ridiculous and a disaster, and on the patio, Holli asked the blue team why they were kicked out. Benjamin threw his apron in anger, and was dismayed that they got kicked out because there was losers on his team. Fran thought that they were communicating well, but Holli knew that they were not doing as good as they thought.

Post-mortem

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay asked what was going on, and in the red team, Siobhan, Nilka, and Fran acknowledged their mistakes and apologized. In the blue team, Ed admitted that he was not listening, and Ramsay asked him if he drank too much white wine supposed to go in the risotto, which he answered not. Both teams were declared joint-losers, and were asked to nominate two people each.

While being dismissed, Jay told that the blue team losing did not happen very often, so they were taking twice as hard, and on the patio, Jay considered Autumn and Ed, which Jason agreed with, but Autumn did not agree to be nominated only because she made a few little mistakes. Ed acknowledged that he had a bad service, but reminded that at this stage, a bad service could mean everything, and Autumn declared that she would fight. In the red team, Benjamin quickly considered Siobhan as he would have thrown her out of the kitchen himself, but she was annoyed because he was classically French-trained, while saying fuck the French. After, Nilka considered Siobhan and Fran, much to the latter’s annoyance, while explaining that Fran was too slow, but Fran knew that Nilka also fucked up, and added that she would fight as she knew she deserved to be there. Then, Fran considered Siobhan and Nilka, but the latter retorted that she only had one raw chicken incident, and she was convinced that she did not have to be nominated because of that.

Elimination

Jay announced Autumn as the blue team’s first nominee and Ed as the second, while Benjamin announced Siobhan as the red team’s first nominee and Fran as the second. During their pleas, Ed was asked why he could not cook a duck breast, and he acknowledged that he should have waited a little bit more and that he was rushing, but Ramsay reminded that only the feathers and the beak were missing because the duck was so raw. Then, Autumn convinced Ramsay that she could come back despite being labelled as the weakest on the blue team but he told her that he did not have the time to wait any longer, and Fran said that she was taking everything Ramsay said to her despite being nominated a lot of times, but Ramsay reminded her that she spent more time on the chopping block than she had on her station. Finally, Siobhan was reminded that she allowed somebody on her team to take control of her station, she responded that she thought it was for the good of the team, but acknowledged that there was no excuse for doing that. However, Ramsay interrupted her by saying he could not take it anymore, and she was eliminated for lacking the experience to compete any further. During her exit interview, Siobhan was proud to have made it that far, declared that she was leaving with more confidence, and that the experience she took from the competition was priceless.

After Siobhan left, Ramsay reminded the chefs that they were at the halfway point of the competition, which meant that the best half was remaining. He urged the chefs to prove that they were part of the best half, before dismissing them, and while going back to the dorms, Fran thought that she was fighting for her life every day at that moment, but knew that she had what it took to stay in the competition. Then, Autumn wanted to show Ramsay that there was a fire in her and that she wanted to be there, and Ed was nervous as the competition turned up a notch, but was ready to be more careful in his cooking.

Ramsay’s comment: “Siobhan got pushed around a lot in Hell’s Kitchen. So it was up to me to finally push her out.”

My Opinion

The seventh episode of Season 7 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX, on June 29, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the eighth episode. On that episode, Hell’s Kitchen hosted a 50th wedding anniversary, one chef sustained a bloody injury, and another one was nominated despite not having a bad service.

Intro

While going back to the dorms, Benjamin was not happy to be on the red team as he knew they were so fragmented, even stating that it was a joke. All the members from the blue team gave him hugs, with Jason praising his talent and the fact that they all loved him. On the patio, Nilka apologized to Benjamin because she knew that he was not happy about that decision, and when he joked that they would all die before the next service, Holli did not find him funny as they were a team, so he did not have to be an asshole about it. Finally, Benjamin left the conversation by jokingly saying that he would hang himself.

Team challenge

The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay announced that they would be hosting a 50th wedding anniversary during the next service. Then, the celebrated couple of Sal and Marcy entered the room, they were given a round of applause by the chefs, and Fran acknowledged that being married for 50 years was an accomplishment of a lifetime after remembering that she has almost been married herself for almost 20 years. Ramsay asked the couple if it was love at first sight, which they answered not, and added that their first date was at a country dance, where she asked him to dance. Holli was infatuated by them, saying that babies and old people were the cutest things, and they revealed the menu that was used for their wedding reception 50 years ago. After, Ramsay introduced the 50th Wedding Anniversary Planning Challenge, where each team would have 30 minutes to update and add a modern touch to the dishes on that menu, which were chicken Kiev, steak Diane, and trout Almondine.

When the countdown began, both teams went into their respective kitchen, and organized who was doing what. In the red kitchen, Benjamin accepted to work on the trout by himself, while Fran and Holli worked on the chicken, and Siobhan and Nilka worked on the steak. However, Nilka revealed that she had no idea what a steak Diane was, and struggled to blow out the fire that erupted in her pan. In the blue kitchen, Jason and Ed worked on the steak, Autumn and Salvatore worked on the chicken, and Jay worked on the trout by himself. The latter was determined to step up as the leader of the blue team after Benjamin was no longer there as he claimed it would be their own teams going up against, and then, Salvatore went to him and proposed an idea of a chicken meatball. Jay agreed, but reminded Salvatore that he had to make it awesome, while Autumn was worried that it might not be what Ramsay was looking for. In the red kitchen, Benjamin emerged as the definite leader, making sure that everybody knew what they were doing, and Siobhan praised his leadership by saying that they were working in calmness rather than chaos. Benjamin himself was feeling better about the red team, and added that the women could be strong. With two minutes left, Autumn and Salvatore discovered that one of their meatballs was undercooked, and Jay acknowledged that Salvatore dropped the ball once again as he had the Midas touch but in the wrong way. Everybody plated their dishes in time, but Salvatore plated the raw meatball, much to Autumn’s concern.

On the first round, Nilka served her and Siobhan’s steak Diane with crab, mushroom, red wine and parsley, but Ramsay told her that they did not go with the traditional steak Diane as there was no cream, cognac, or mustard. Nilka was embarrassed as she looked like a fool, and she admitted that she did not know what a steak Diane was. Despite that, Sal and Marcy appreciated her dish, and after, Ed served his and Jason’s pan-seared filet with mushrooms, crab cakes, and lobster, which was deemed very good by the couple. Ed and Jason won the round over Nilka and Siobhan, making the score 1-0 for the red team, and dismaying Fran. On the second round, Autumn presented her and Salvatore’s chicken meatballs, but when she lifted her dome, Holli declared that she almost laughed and wondered what was that. Autumn revealed it was an inside out chicken, Salvatore took responsibility for the idea, and when it was tasted, Ramsay remarked that one of them was undercooked. He refused to taste it, and Salvatore called it a disaster. Then, Holli presented her and Fran’s panko-crusted chicken with roasted garlic, lemon and parsley butter, which was appreciated by the couple, and she won the round over Autumn, tying the score at 1. On the final round, Benjamin and Jay faced off, with the latter declaring that Benjamin was his biggest competition. Benjamin served his trout with mint purée, almonds and vanilla, and it was deemed mild by Marcy, but good by Sal. After, Jay served a pan-seared trout with lemon, fennel leaves and almonds, and it was deemed the best by Marcy, but Sal voted for Benjamin. So, Ramsay judged both dishes to break the tie, and after tasting, Benjamin won the round over Jay, clinching the victory 2-1 for the red team. Siobhan was very happy to have finally won, acknowledged that Benjamin saved their day, and despite Ramsay telling Jay that he had nothing to be ashamed of, he still thought it was a tie.

Reward

The red team was rewarded with a day at a 1950s themed diner, while wearing red shirts from the 1950s, and Fran was really excited because she loved the 1950s music and dance. While being dismissed, Nilka was excited to have Benjamin on her team, and compared him to Lebron James. Moments later, they were changing, and Holli thought that Benjamin would be a little bit shaky as he would go out with four women.

On their way out, they passed by the dining room, and rubbed salt in the blue team’s wound, with Nilka wanting them to know how it felt like losing. So, she walked by the dance floor while they were working on it, jokingly claiming that she wanted to check if it was steady, and Holli told them to have fun with the cake. Arrived outside, they entered in their 1950s style convertibles, which excited them, and Benjamin really felt like he was back in the 1950s. Later, they arrived at the World Famous Frisco’s Carhops diner very excited, and when Benjamin saw the girls in their tiny skirts, he thought of his wife, while adding that he would get in trouble. Fran wanted to check if the parked cars were still working, but Benjamin reminded that she and himself were already married, and urged her to get something to eat inside. Arrived inside, Fran told that just the smell were making them step back to the 1950s, and Nilka added that it just felt good to be out of the restaurant. Then, a group of girls with roller skates came in, invited all of them to line dance with them, and Benjamin told that it was nice to be the only man as he was getting a lot of attention, and sarcastically asked if they really thought he was looking at their roller skates.

Later, all of them were having lunch 1950s style, and Benjamin revealed how better he was feeling than the previous night, while adding that he felt really close to the women at that moment. They toasted to a new red kitchen, and then, a girl with roller skates introduced a hula-hoop competition, where the winner would be the one who could hula-hoop the longest, but Nilka was not happy because she could not do it when she was a kid. When the competition began, most of them dropped theirs quickly, Nilka rolled it around her neck, and Holli thought that it would just hit and bounce back because of her big butt. In the end, Siobhan won the competition hands down as she was a ballerina for most of her life, and claimed that it was perfect for her. She won a huge trophy, which she was really excited about, and said that she would put it next to her other dance trophies.

Punishment

The blue team was punished by decorating the dining room for the next service, and building a three-story cake. Jay was not happy as he did not like to decorate, and declared that he would have rather picked some trash in the woods. Also, he did not mind losing because he knew that they deserved it with Salvatore’s meatball disaster, and on the patio, he told the latter that he expected him to be able to cook a meatball as he suggested it. But, Salvatore did not want to take full responsibility for the loss by saying they were still a team.

In the dining room, they were under the supervision of Jean-Philippe, who told them to start by the dance floor, and Ed quickly took control as he knew how they had to build it, impressing Jay. When the red team came by on their way to the reward, Salvatore told Nilka to get her ass out of the dance floor, and Jay flipped her the bird, while telling that they all became Michelin-Star chefs all of a sudden.

Later, Autumn started to vocally lead her teammates in what they were doing by saying she was taking pride in everything she was making, but Jay was extremely annoyed by her constant talking. Then, Ed suggested him to help with the cake, and despite saying that he was more of an astronaut than a pastry chef, he accepted by saying he would do whatever it would take to get away from Autumn. Sous Chef Scott explained to Ed and Jay that they would serve a replica of the cake the couple had at their wedding reception, but Ed struggled to cut the first layer in half, asked Jay to do it for him, and declared that he did not want the cake to look like the leaning tower of Pisa. Also, Jay added that because Ed was freaking out, he was as well.

Later, Jay was still making the cake, and he announced they still had a lot of work to do, with the cake still taking hours. Then, Ed was tasked by Jean-Philippe to arrange some tiny gift boxes, claimed that it took him ten minutes to do one of them, and when Ed asked how many he had to make, Jean-Philippe answered one hundred, much to his dismay. Ed wanted to make sure they were all perfect, but Jason thought he could not do it because of the size of his hands, and asked if he was a bow-tie machine.

Before service

When the red team came back from their reward, the blue team was still working, and they rubbed salt in their wound one more time by telling they still had a lot of work to do. Siobhan taunted them by asking if she should get her hula-hoop on the dance floor, and Autumn wondered why they were cheering as they have lost a lot of challenges at that moment, while adding that it would get nasty. Finally, Jay declared that he wanted to win very badly, which his teammates agreed, and Autumn wished that the whole red team would get hangovers the next morning. Then, the red team went on the patio and rested.

The next day, both teams went downstairs to begin prepping for the next service, which would include classic dishes from the couple’s wedding reception 50 years ago, along with Benjamin’s trout Almondine. In the red kitchen, Fran stated that it was a comfort having Benjamin as a leader, and added that they would do what he was telling them as none of the things they tried before have worked. In the blue kitchen, Jay emerged as a leader, and when Benjamin entered the blue kitchen to grab something, he allowed him to take whatever he wanted as he jokingly said he would need it. Jay revealed that himself and Benjamin were having a joking rivalry, but did not care as he wanted to win the service. Then, he took a knife to open a clam, but cut his finger really badly in the process, and blood came running down his hand. Autumn stated that it was icky, but hoped he would get better before the service would start. Jay stated that it was the first time he cut himself in ten years, went to the back hallway, saw a medic, and sat on a chair while putting pressure on his wound. Ed was worried because he did not want to lose anybody as it was a very important service, and Benjamin asked Jay if he was okay. Moments later, Jay came back in the kitchen stating that he was fine, while Ed told that the latter was a warrior and would come back whatever would happen.

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay reminded them that it was a service they could not screw up, and that they could not let Sal and Marcy down. Then, he dedicated Ed and Nilka to serve the steaks Diane tableside, everybody went to their stations, and in the dining room, Jean-Philippe showed both of them instructions on how to cook it, while Ramsay told him he loved his new white jacket. Nilka was ready to redeem herself, and added that she loved the challenge of cooking a steak Diane, which she did know what it was the previous day. After, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.

Dinner service

After the friends and families entered the dining room, Sal and Marcy were introduced by Jean-Philippe on the microphone, with everybody and both teams giving a standing ovation. Because the red team won the challenge, they were privileged to cook for the hosts. Ramsay called the first ticket in the red kitchen, and Holli deemed it an honor to have that privilege, while adding that it had to be perfect as they could not fuck up. She helped Siobhan to plate the salads, but Ramsay was angry about the latter’s slow pace to plate them as they were for the hosts. She finally succeeded to serve them, and Sal and Marcy were satisfied and gave each other a kiss. Both teams were serving crab cakes salads and shrimp cocktails at a very good pace, and they moved on to entrées, while Autumn reminded that it was very busy on fish as there were a lot of crab cakes orders, and added that she wanted to be ahead. But, her crab cakes were deemed nice, and in the dining room, the cake started to bend over. Jean-Philippe informed Ramsay about the situation, and the latter dedicated Jay and Ed to go check on it, while comparing it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Jay was scared because it might have been his fault, and Ed told that they just had to push the tilting part through the steady part.

45 minutes into service, and almost all the appetizers were served in both kitchens. Benjamin served his crab cakes, but they were raw in the middle, he was berated and ordered to start over by Ramsay, and Fran believed that Benjamin was pompous as he thought he was better than everybody else. Benjamin acknowledged that he screwed up on the crab cakes, and called it embarrassing when Ramsay was yelling at him. Then, he sent his second attempt, but they were overcooked, much to Siobhan’s dismay as she knew they were one of the easiest things to do, he was berated by Ramsay once again, and when Fran offered her help, Benjamin told her that he did not need anything. Then, Nilka also wanted to help him, but he aggressively pushed her away, much to her annoyance as she did not want to be spoken to like that. Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to apologize to the table as their crab cakes were late, which he did, and called orders of entrées in both kitchens, while sending Nilka and Ed in the dining room to work on their tableside steaks Diane. Nilka went to the hosts’ table, started working on her steak, Ramsay urged her to hurry up, and in the red kitchen, all of the entrées were served at the same time, being perfectly synchronized with Nilka, and the hosts were satisfied. In the blue kitchen, Jason wanted to offer his help to Salvatore on garnish as he knew the latter was the weakest link on the hardest station. Meanwhile, Salvatore himself knew that it was a do-or-die situation for him and that he had to send perfect food every time, while knowing that if he would not, he would be history. He had communication issues with Jason, and when he gave Jay between one and four minutes, the latter revealed that he started to lose his patience with Salvatore as he was having mashed potatoes between his ears. He asked Salvatore twice if he could slice his duck, Ramsay told the blue team that he just wanted them to be synchronized, and when Ramsay asked for the duck garnish, Salvatore was confused, before Sous Chef Scott reminded him that he had to bring the parsnip purée. Jason told that Salvatore had to know that he would be yelled at, and added that instead of fighting through it, he was just getting quiet. After, Salvatore brought his asparagus to the pass, but did not do enough for three orders of duck, much to Ramsay’s dismay, and he admitted that he was confused and did not want to do anything because he knew Ramsay would yell at him. Autumn urged the men to communicate, and in the red kitchen, Holli sent overcooked duck and raw chicken, dismaying Ramsay who ordered her to get a grip. She was embarrassed about her mistake because she acknowledged it was a stupid one, and Benjamin had to start his trout over, while she apologized to her teammates. In the dining room, Nilka was loosen up and chatted with Jean-Philippe and the customers, with Jean-Philippe asking her if she knew where Dijon was. After saying that Jean-Philippe knew how to play with a woman’s nerves, she answered that she did not know, and one of the customers correctly answered France. Then, he asked her where Cognac was, but she still did not know, and customers correctly answered France one more time, making her laugh because she wondered why Jean-Philippe was putting her in the spotlight the way he was.

Two hours into service, and more than half of the entrées were served to some very satisfied customers. In the red kitchen, Fran put some broccoli in the boiling pan, and Ramsay schooled her for overcooking it if she was cooking it that way. After, he expressed more dismay when Benjamin was on garnish, and when she brought a hot pan of potatoes to the pass, he was furious as she could have burned somebody. He berated her for not properly taking safety measures, and Benjamin thought that Fran was over her head as she was disregarding safety because she was busy. Then, Fran asked what was on order, and Ramsay sarcastically retorted that he liked that answer. In the blue kitchen, Salvatore did not bring the chicken garnish because he did not hear that order, and then, a fire erupted in one of his pans, infuriating Ramsay because all the meat was ready but the garnish was not. He urged Salvatore to communicate, and succeeded to send his garnish in time, completing the entrées for the blue team. While Jason started to plate the desserts, in the red kitchen, they also succeeded to send their last entrées under Benjamin’s leadership. The service was completed, everybody helped to send out the desserts, and Siobhan was very proud because no food came back, which she called a successful night for the red team. After all the desserts were served, Jay was satisfied as he thought they finished their tickets first, but added that Salvatore sucked once again, and both teams went in the dining room with Ramsay to give a standing ovation to Sal and Marcy.

Post-mortem

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay reminded that it was the service where everybody should have been at 100%, told Fran that at this stage in the competition, he did not have to tell her to drain potatoes, and asked Salvatore to rate his performance on a scale of 1-10. Salvatore answered four or five, which Ramsay responded that he was very generous as he was three over, and then, Ramsay reminded Holli about her overcooked duck and undercooked chicken. Finally, he named the red team losers because it was more difficult to send their food out than the blue team, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.

While being dismissed, Benjamin was not happy as everybody felt they had a good service, and during deliberation, Fran recalled Holli’s chicken incident, but added that there was not much to choose from to decide who was the worst cook. So, she considered Holli and Benjamin, but the latter reminded her that she had a hard time on garnish, she retorted that it was her first time on that station, and he was still convinced that despite that, she should be nominated, without giving a valid reason. Fran knew that Benjamin considered her because she was the easy target, Nilka considered Siobhan and Fran without giving valid reasons once again, Siobhan considered Holli and Fran, and Benjamin agreed with nominating Holli despite telling her that she still did a great job. Holli did not think she was the worst cook on the team, said that she did not want to go down or go home, and when the red team chose their nominees, they went on the patio to talk with the blue team, revealed they picked Fran and Holli, but Jason was really surprised about that decision. He asked the red team if they really thought Holli was their worst cook, which Benjamin answered she was not, and Nilka told that she knew two of her teammates should go the fuck home, but would agree with the group decision. Then, Benjamin suggested to talk about their decision one more time, so the red team went in the dorms, and he acknowledged that Holli was a strong cook and nominating her might not be the best decision. When Siobhan arrived in the dorms, Benjamin targeted her for being nervous and unsure of herself because he thought she did not have the technique nor passion, but she was furious because Benjamin has been her teammate since the previous day only. She told that he could fuck off, called it fucking bullshit, and reminded him that she did not have a bad service, which he agreed but added that Holli was a stronger cook. Nilka did not want to disappoint Ramsay because she knew that if they were, he would put his whole foot in their asses. Finally, Benjamin reminded that they had to agree, but Fran did not want to change her vote.

Elimination

Holli announced Fran as the red team’s first nominee, and Siobhan as the second. When Ramsay asked her why, she answered that even though Siobhan did not have a terrible service, she was still one of the weakest chefs of the team. Benjamin added that she lacked technical skill and passion, thought that she was second-guessing herself because of that, and Fran and Siobhan were called down. During her plea, Siobhan told that she was young, ambitious, having a lot of passion and heart, and that she would not be there at that moment if she had not. Ramsay asked her if she was in over her head, which she answered she was not, and added that she was happy to take risks because if she did not, she would not know what would have happen. Then, Ramsay asked Fran if Siobhan was in over her head, which she answered she was, and after, Fran pleaded that she was getting stronger every time Ramsay was yelling at her, that she never made the same mistake twice, and that she was tough and determined. However, Ramsay reminded Fran that she peaked and that she has been nominated so many times that her footprints might be in the carpet. After much deliberation, Fran and Siobhan were sent back in line, with Ramsay stating that even though they lost, another chef had a way worse service than them. That led Salvatore to be eliminated from the winning team for having only one good service in seven, and lacking the experience to go further in the competition. During his exit interview, Salvatore was upset about leaving, but acknowledged that he messed up a lot of consecutive times, and thought that Ramsay made the right decision.

While being dismissed, Siobhan was furious to be nominated, and was determined to show her teammates what she was made of during the next challenge. Also, Jason acknowledged that Salvatore was a cool guy, and that they had to step up because they were four members on the blue team, or everybody would go home. Finally, Benjamin still thought that the blue team were stronger than the red team despite being one member down, and arrogantly added that he was sick of Siobhan and Fran because the garbage can in front of him was probably a better cook than them.

Ramsay’s comment: “Salvatore had a big heart. Too bad he couldn’t cook with it.”

My Opinion