aliya

Uncle Benzene - you know what's really great? To get the uncensored YouTube clips, usually running about 2 hours, and just let Ramsay and the contestants rip while you FaceBook, get your email, correct student papers, etc. : ) I love that man and cannot get enough. Lately I've been watching his cooking instruction videos. It isn't all my kind of food, but you have to admit that he can make an interesting meal in minutes and make it seem like you can do it too. He shows there's no reason to go to the drive thru because you can make a good meal at home faster and better. The man's a genius, and when he adds his kids, he's just too cute for words (as are they).

That must be it because all I could do was watch this show and wonder why people stayed on - especially the cook who was spending a lot of unpaid time trying to keep the kitchen going. Where I come from, working without pay is called slavery, and Lincoln freed the slaves. I understand the employees liking the idea of the hotel being a local landmark, maybe working there gave them some kind of street cred, but jeez. At some point you have to cowgirl up and do what's best for you and your family. I don't know why Ramsay chose this place, other than, I sincerely believe he has a good heart, manufactured shows or not. Perhaps he felt that if he could rescue the hotel, he could save jobs. I don't know. Surely his team has the smarts to do some real research on the hotel and community before they chose one for the show. A drunk owner, a depressed town, a large hotel that needed a lot of work, I don't know what Ramsay was thinking. Sometimes you gotta let the past go.

My son and I are going through that now. Son was 14 when my husband died; we have been alone together for 23 years now. Except for college, we've lived together, he lives with me now as he finishes grad school. We've also lived around the country, even when his father was alive, so there wasn't a lot of going to see relatives and all that. Now son is dating the woman he'll probably marry. Now he's got to go to her families' places (divorced parents, do everything twice) for holidays and dinners. Her parents want to meet me. Personally, son and I are just fine where we are. It's not that we don't like people, we just have a hard time getting into this manufactured socializing because they're a couple. I understand that it's all probably a good thing, but boy, it ain't my cup of tea (nothing against her parents, they seem like nice people). As for getting what you wanted - my stepfather was veeery serious. I thought I wanted a man with a sense of humor. I wanted a Dick Van Dyke. Well, I got one and it drove me crazy. Every freakin' thing was a joke. Apparently I didn't realize there was a middle ground between being a Vaughn (even physically reminds me of my stepfather) and Dick Van Dyke. I've got a sense of humor, but when it's time to be serious, I don't want a bunch of jokes. I'm rooting for Jason and Courtney figuring out the schedule thing. She's familiar with firefighters; she knows the territory. I'd also suggest that they each drop one of their extra activities and use that time to be together. They are a cute couple.

No lie there. It's too bad they're married (because I would want them to at least try to make it work), because I'd be telling my son she's not the one. It's one thing to say (as in my case), I prefer guys with dark hair and was surprised I married a blond. It's quite another to say "Hey Mom-in-Law - I thought your son looked like a monster." Whew. My late mother in law was a very nice lady. She'd probably never say anything to my face, but I bet, for years after the wedding, she'd be recounting to her son how I said he looked like a monster and wondering what he saw in me. That kinda stuff just never leaves family gossip. I can't figure out what Vaughn wants - if she talks to him, it's too much and he feels like he's being cross examined. If she doesn't talk to him, she isn't working on the relationship. The only thing I can think of is the difference between a young woman who may want to talk all the time and a person who needs a little down time each day after work. My stepfather was like that. He was a litigator and when he came home we couldn't even talk to him unless and until he talked to us (no lie). there wasn't a whole lot of idle conversation going on with us as teens or even with my mother. If I remarried, the guy would have to understand that I need time alone. I love you, but please get away from me.

Julia I sent you an PM. I sent a link once and it was deleted. I don't know if it was because it was for a product (the calendar) or what, but anyway, look in your in box.

Apparently AfterbuzzTV, an online show interviews folks from TV shows. There appear to be shows following each episode of HK. Christina mentioned the 2 hour time period between closing the kitchen and finding out who's the winner. Obviously with the editing, there's no way to tell how long the finalists are hanging out in the dorm before they get that call from Ramsay. Since I posted, I've listened to a bunch of shows with interviews with Rock, Kashia, Anton, Jason (I stopped that one early), and Joy. Joy's interview was interesting as she discussed why she walked off, her growth since then (it's been 18 months!), etc. I think she was very adult about what she did and didn't blame her behavior on anyone else.

I don't know if we can post links to other stuff, but there is an interesting interview with Christina from Season 10, talking about her experience as well as her review of what happened this season. I had no idea that from the time service is over to when they open the door is about 2 hours. It must drive the contestants wild. See 'Hell's Kitchen w/ Christina Wilson After Show Season 12 Episode 20 "Winner Chosen" | AfterBuzz TV' on YouTube. She also mentioned she only had about 36 hours between winning and having to show up at work. It's an interesting interview.' I think this guy has interviewed others from this season, so it may be worth looking around YT for them.

Regarding "canned tamAHtoes," I've been watching Ramsay's channel on YouTube (all Ramsay all the time, I love it) and he uses canned tomatoes, which he says are perfectly fine....at home. Ramsay's got a ton of stuff on YT, all kinds of shows that aren't aired here in the States. I must like the sound of his voice because I can play them all day while I work. I don't know where they get them, but a few people have put up uncensored versions of the shows. Just stunning. A whole 'nother show. Some up thread said s/he still thinks about Joy. Me too. Why she would walk away from an almost sure chance at being a finalist, I don't know. It's like watching season 11 again. I keep thinking of Ja'nel's mom, who must have been so proud of her, only to see her daughter eff up the whole thing by using drugs. The mom didn't do anything wrong, but she must be awfully embarrassed anyway. Anybody catch Ramsay's surprised (and not in a good way) look at Gabriel and Jason's stomach bump? That's class right there, I tell ya.

I lived in Maryland for many years. Marylanders know a thing or two about crab cakes and those didn't look like any crab cake I've ever had. Yeah, they looked way prefab and unappetizing. I think Jason lost way back when he screamed at Sandra. That was a disgusting insight into his personality and Ramsay was there to see it and comment on it. Jason has to be one of the most uncouth people I've seen and there's no way I'd want him running anything of mine - he'd run me right into some kind of labor law suit. You can never be sure, but once I saw Scott's family, I figured he would win. You've got a good looking guy, family man, serious, not afraid to ask questions (others may call it sucking up, but if you don't ask, you don't learn), and seemed to generally keep his head down during the course of the show. Assuming they both had the same level of cooking skills and that neither had a terrible final night, I'd pick Scott in a minute. I miss the finalists' restaurants, but can see where that takes a lot of time from the show. What I sat there and waited for and really missed were the back stage moments. Those are usually quite funny. Kaisha did alright tonight. I hope girlfriend gets a good job out this. She's not GR material yet, but she can do fine in a number of environments. She photogenic and it would be great to see her (maybe with a bit more polish) doing Southern cooking on TV or the traveling food festivals. I wish her good luck.

I agree, but I hope that's not the case. I don't want to be used - looking at Scott's family, thinking he's a serious family man, etc. I get a little Rock vibe from him. Of course he wants to show he's a good chef, but he also has other things that motivate him and that may make him a better person or influence his actions, more than some people.. Considering all the drama other people caused, I never paid much attention to Scott before the last few episodes. I guess he can cook and lord knows I'd rather have him win than Jason. Can someone tell me what a 'goat' is in this context? I looked around for various definitions, but mostly got 'greatest of all time.' Surely you guys aren't saying that about Jason. Also, I've looked around over the years and have never found out what the contestants make each week. Anybody know? I think it's standard for reality show people to get some kind of stipend for giving up their regular lives for 2-6 months.

1.Gordon in a Speedo. Yes. 2. I knew she'd never keep the table clothes. I understand about laundry costs, but just go to the bare table. Much better than vinyl. Even McDonald's doesn't use vinyl.

I'm watching this season now on YT as I work. OMGosh. What a terrible bunch of people. I vaguely remember Kimmie from when the show first aired, but damn, Tiffany, Robyn, et al were just terrible - terrible to watch and to hear. The constant screaming at each other, the belittling, just awful. Compare to Season 11 with the women being all-for-one for most of the season. Yeah there were some loud moments, but nothing like these creeps. I wouldn't hire a one of them (tho apparently Christina still has her job).

Jon's at Gordon Ramsay Steak in Las Vegas. I'm glad he got a nice position after all the hard work he put in. He did have a few highly rated dishes, but could never overcome the drag of the blue team's poor performance overall. I think this will be one of the seasons where the 'winner' winds up being a line cook with a big paycheck. None of these idiots is capable of running a GR restaurant. Can someone in the industry give me some info? What does an executive chef at a GR type restaurant do? Is s/he responsible for ordering, pricing, personnel, etc? What percentage of time is spent cooking? I ask because some of these contestants (across all the seasons) couldn't run a hot dog stand, much less a fine dining restaurant. Are they delusional thinking they can really qualify for such a job? It's one thing to get on the show with the idea that you will learn something, advance your skills, get some advice from GR, and eventually get kicked off. I can deal with that. But the idea that people who can barely speak understandable English, have no idea about the business end of a restaurant, or who would not make a good spokesperson would ever be chosen as winner seems not to dawn on contestants.

Wow. I kept saying 'wow' to myself. This woman has thrown away the opportunity of a life time. It doesn't matter if she didn't win the grand prize, to paraphrase what Richard Blais said about life after Top Chef, if people see you are mature, can be worked with, there will be opportunities for you. I like to look up HK contestants and see what they are doing, and some have been able to parley their time on the show, even though they lost, on a local TV show, gigs at fairs and food tastings, food products (James from Masterchef has a line of sauces), etc. Who knows what Joy might have done if she just kept her head down, did her work, and stayed in the game as long as possible, even if she didn't win at the end? My stepfather used to talk about fear of success. I wonder if Joy started to see success on the horizon and was afraid she couldn't handle it? People do foolish things to sabotage themselves when they see no way out. I have no idea who's going to win. Jason lacks maturity in many ways - that time he yelled at Saundra when GR sent the women to the men's side was all I ever needed to know about him. Rochelle tries really hard, but is not serious in her demeanor. I could never work with her. Scott, I dunno. Melanie? Could Melanie win? Jeez... There really wasn't much to chose from this season. I see they are already advertising for next season. How many freakin' restaurants does GR have?

I knew they looked familiar. I got a red one from Hobby Lobby to use as a tray for Christmas. Well, with all those 'amazing' trips to 'stunning' locations, I guess they have to save money somewhere.

Big advert for the calendar on HK on FB. You can buy it here: http://shop.fox.com/detail.php?p=577680&ecid=SMM-FOX-00251&pa=SMM-FOX-00251.%C2'> It's a 2015 calendar. I have a question for anyone in the profession. You look at people like Marco Pierre White, GR, Wolfgang Puck, even Emeril. How does a young person these days become a serious, high level chef? Do you still have to go to Europe? I know that many older chefs didn't go to culinary school, but I don't know if you can replicate there success these days without it. Maybe. We see good chefs on Top Chef, but they aren't household names, or even necessarily at the highest rated restaurants. Do you have to be on a show these days to make it big? I guess what I'm asking is, if I wanted to be a new Puck or MPW, could I set my mind on it and do it (assuming I had the skill and talent) or is it more dependent upon luck as to who gets placed in the best restaurants? We see the quality of cooks on HK. We know some of them dream of being fine dining chefs, or at least several steps up from where they are now, but you know it ain't gonna happen for most of them. Why? They didn't go to the right schools or have the right summer jobs in France? I'm very curious about how this whole thing works in real life because it looks like a lot of aspirants have their hopes dashed.

That's what I thought. Don't give her an opportunity to escape, to gain confederates, to spend 20 yrs in jail instead of being executed, whatev. Get rid of her; cleanse the planet. Thanks for the info on Cross. I also thought maybe Chloe had to go to the bathroom : ) but I also think things are done for a reason on this show, so dismissed the thought. Still, maybe she just had to go.

I've kinda been watching this show, so some details may have escaped me. First, my mouth dropped open when Jack sent Margot out the window. Unexpected. Loved it. Second, while I hoped the president might still be alive, I could also see someone sacrificing themselves, especially if they had Alzheimer's. So, I could have lived with it if he were dead. Third, help me catch up - who was Chloe all chummy with in the car? What is he to her and what is he to the general scheme of things? Why did she go in the building and then back into the car? Is she really done with Jack or is all this some kind of game to get more info from whoever it is in the car? Fashion note - black eyeliner all around the eye is a harsh look on white chicks. Chloe needs a new look. I promise to pay more attention to the show from now on. : ) This was an exciting episode.

Cyndi bought her mother a Kitchen Aid mixer when she won the kitchen store shopping spree. Now that's a good daughter! October - hen in a pumpkin, hands down.

Does anyone else want to slap Rochelle? I see that she tries and that she frequently cooks better than the rest of them (or at least holds her own), but that constant laughter. It drives me nuts. No way do I see her managing anything. You don't have to be a b...h to be serious and I appreciate a sense of humor as much as the next person, but geez. I could not take her seriously in the workplace at all. I know people complained about Mary's voice last season, but Mary was serious about what she was doing and it came through. You learned to disregard the voice. Rochelle may be serious, but there's something odd about her public displays, whether it is nervousness or something else, it just rubs me the wrong way.

Only in the short term. So she didn't get to bring down Malvo or Lester. Everyone knows she had earlier ideas about the case and she is being rewarded for that police work (and prior work, I assume) by being made Chief. I think she got a great reward. It's what she wants to do, she's good at it, and people will have to listen to her now. I'm OK with it and think it's better than a commendation. OK, will somebody tell me what that darned wolf was supposed to mean?

Although I usually don't call out a lot of fake on this show, for some reason I thought all of the press at the announcement were all actors. They just didn't look like press. If and when Ramsay wants to bring out a calendar, it's going to be a finished product so he can hype all of the chefs (including the most current). I also think there would be a better forum than the HK studio. My 2 cents. How could everyone (with the possible exception of Joy) wind up with such sucky dishes at this point? I wouldn't give anyone of them a restaurant. And Keisha - too damn dumb to know Rock is kidding her about being from the north?

I'll have to trust you guys on the cars. I swear I don't know one from the other. I just don't pay attention to them, so it never occurred to me that Malvo took another car. Glad someone brought up the question re green. I'd forgotten about it and was struggling to remember what they had talked about.

Still unanswered for me - how do we know the car salesman got away? Had no idea there was a bear trap; I thought Lester had shot Lorne. Did anyone else notice, that when Molly said she got to be chief of police, there was a 'yay!' and applause on the game show soundtrack? I loved the little family at the end, and love the way Grandpa and Gus' daughter already relate to each other. I didn't have a big problem with Gus killing Malvo. He let Malvo go, he knew it, and he knew others died afterward. So he gets the chance to off Malvo, and didn't think twice about it (yay Gus). So, maybe legally he didn't have a leg to stand on, but I can live with that. I was afraid that Malvo was wearing a bullet proof vest there for a minute and actually said out lout, "Head shot!" Guess Gus heard me. Also liked hearing the buzzing sound, so similar to a woodchooper, but that turned out to be Lester on the snowmobile. Very nice touch.

Yes. I get too nervous watching them as it is, just waiting for something untoward to happen.