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bluepiano

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  1. If this show is really about hiring a Head Chef, then cooking skill shouldn't even be the primary qualification. It's about leadership and the ability to make executive decisions. Jonathan's ridiculous immature snit about the sack of xxxx comment should've made him the person to go home ahead of Dahmere. The personal feud he started with Jason also showed him not able to be a leader. Sometimes in the real world you have to work with jerks, and you need to be able to put your ego aside and get along with them. I was puzzled by some of the contestants chosen for this season. Several were so young, especially on the women's side, that even if they were talented cooks. there's no way they're ready for a high pressure Head Chef job with GR. There was no way a 25-year old or someone with one year of professional culinary experience was going to win this. (Not sexism. I'd say the same thing about a guy with one year in the industry). Ryan has seemed like an obvious choice all year, even more so after Dahmere, the other chef with skill and leardership qualities, got sent home. Plus, he best fit the "American Dream" theme. (Which always seemed silly to me, anyway). Finally, did you know Jonathan has a daughter? And that her name is Saxon? And that winning Hell's Kitchen was her American dream? (Because all little kids have an American dream). Contestants who constantly invoke the name of their kid, as if makes them better than everyone else or more deserving of winning, are so annoying. Jonathan was one of the worst in that regard. Saxon this and Saxon that, all season. Give it a rest.
  2. I liked Sandra too. She was funny and I thought she was the only Red team member with the maturity to be a head chef. Her putting herself up for elimination could just as easily been spun as a positive. As you said, accountability, and holding herself to a high standard. That's a better quality in a head chef/manager than finger pointing and blaming your mistakes on someone else, which is the norm on HK. I hate this thing that GR has started doing of putting people on the spot by asking who the weakest chef is. I thought Sandra showed class by not naming Donya after Donya had named her. An "influencer" who looked like he was about 17 and two actresses from shows I'd never heard of. We are really scraping the bottom of the "celebrity" barrel. Especially considering that "once again, Hell's Kitchen is the hottest reservation in town."
  3. I think there are some good chefs on the women's team, but I don't see any of them having the combination of experience, skill, and leadership qualities to be a Head Chef for GR. Sandra comes the closest, but I don't think she has the right temperament and flies off the handle too easily. On the men's side, I think that both Dahmere and Ryan clearly have what it takes, and maybe Jonathan too. I don't remember a season where one team had such an edge in terms of qualified Head Chef candidates. (Of course, watch now, one of the women will win). Echoing what others have said, some of the prizes for the winning team in the challenge have been pretty lame. Tomahawk throwing? Really? As for Currygate, I've always thought that "curry" was a generic term that encompassed multiple Indian dishes, so Ryan slides by on a technicality.
  4. Yeah, it's been really disappointing. As someone previously posted, GR seems checked out and only going through the motions. Why even bother bringing this show back? It's not like GR is lacking for TV shows. Or money. Just once I'd like to see an episode that deviates from the tired old formula. Where the food is actually good, but the restaurant is failing because of other issues, like mismanagement or poor marketing. But then Gordon would have to get into the actual business of running a restaurant, instead of screaming about how the kitchen is disgusting and they're going to kill someone. Clearly GR and his producers think that's why people are watching. In the real restaurant world, one of the biggest issues that restaurants have is theft by staff, but that's something this show has never touched on either. A few years ago the Food Network had a show about that called Mystery Diners.
  5. No, I don't still live in New York, and as I said, I grew up eating in diners, but that was admittedly many (many) years ago. So I'm sure you're right about diners being a dying thing. One of the diners in my old Queens neighborhood is still there, and seemingly going strong, but they may be an exception. The neighborhood delis in NY are all pretty much gone too. We didn't have the enormous number of chain restaurants and fast food places in the "old days," and that's surely a factor. The restaurant business is strange. In times of economic uncertainty, it seems that many high-end restaurants thrive and the fast food places are packed, but the middle ground restaurants (like family owned diners and delis) struggle to survive.
  6. Gordon may be a world-famous Michelin starred chef, but he knows squat about east coast diners. I grew up eating in diners in Queens and Long Island, and they all had gigantic, multi-page menus. And the astonishing thing was, whatever you ordered, it was good. That's why people go to diners, especially with families, because there's something for everyone. And 20 cooks is not crazy, because diners are typically large, with multiple rooms, and have to quickly turn out a huge volume of food. For this episode, he must've found the worst diner in New York, because they could barely cook toast. Or else the food wasn't really that bad, and it was producer shenanigans. I suspect that was the case with the filthy gross food storage area. Because restaurants get regular visits from health inspectors. How would that diner not have already been shut down for multiple health code violations? I'm not surprised they went back to the large menu, because if I walked into a diner and saw a one-page menu I'd be shocked. Gordon contradicted himself, because he said "it's a diner, not fine dining," and then he gave them the kind of very limited menu you see in high end restaurants. As for Kitchen Nightmares, I'm glad it's back, but I wish in all that time away they'd retooled the concept, because this episode was like a hundred others I've seen. Does every failing restaurant have a filthy, disgusting kitchen? Does every KN episode need to include GR yelling, "you're going to kill someone" and "shut it down."
  7. It always cracks me up when the announcer says that Hell's Kitchen is the hottest reservation in town and then as evidence they introduce some unknown C list celebrity. I've always felt that Jason is a plant for the sake of drama. You know, the veteran chef pro chef gets shown up by the newbies. No way he could have that background and be so clueless in the kitchen. On TV cooking shows I aways see people ladling tons of butter onto their steaks. You're adding lots of fat, and a good piece of meat should have a distinctive flavor of its own. Butter makes everything taste like butter. But I don't doubt that many restaurants use this method. It's why restaurant food tastes richer than home cooking. A relative of mine who worked in some very high-end New York kitchens told me that patrons would be shocked at much duck fat they cooked with.
  8. But don't you know that "Hell's Kitchen is the hottest ticket in town." So these folks must be big deals to get in. (Said with voice dripping in sarcasm). TV has totally redefined the meaning of the word "celebrity" to include anyone who has ever appeared on a reality show or had a small part on some TV series. Unfortunately, her being loud and obnoxious might mean she'll be around for a while, as the producers like to have at least one over-the-top character around for the drama.
  9. Something doesn't feel right about Jason. I think he's a plant. Invited on the show for just this kind of drama. "Worked in Michelin star restaurants, can't do simple things correctly." When he recited his resume, and Gordon acted surprised, that was clearly fake. It's the nature of all these shows that everything is "the worst ever." Somewhat off topic, but yeah, my reaction too. She's a young woman, and was probably beautiful before any of her procedures, so why?? I know this is not all that uncommon in our culture, but I just don't get it. Finally, why the heck would they title this episode "A Tad Overwhelmed," therefore telegraphing that Tad was the one being eliminated before the show even started? Good job, producers. Way to eliminate any drama.
  10. In addition to the multiple misused words cited by others, Joe said that the gelato in Grant's dessert "deserved accommodation." By which I assume he meant it needed its own hotel room. Fitting that for the finale the judges were in peak form. I was glad Grant won. Of the three finalists, I felt he was the one most about the food and not self-glorification. Question. When you go out to dinner, do you care if the chef is creating food that's an expression of their identity, or "personal journey," or do you just want it taste good? Especially at "Michelin star" restaurant prices. By the end of the show, I was so tired of Kennedy relating all her dishes to herself. (And I thought the rabbit dish looked disgusting, but then, I'd never eat rabbit). I admit to being one of those hypocrites who eats meat but doesn't like the idea of hunting. But I still thought that between Kennedy and Jennifer's husband, there was way too much discussion on this show about killing, butchering, and maiming living creatures.
  11. The last three winners have been women. A midwestern dude would be a nice change of pace.
  12. I think I heard the word "landlocked" more on this show this season than I have in the last 20 years. I know the coastal elites generally have contempt for the flyover states, but do they really think there is no seafood available in the midwest? (And news flash, even landlocked states have lakes and rivers.) Kennedy lasted way longer than several better chefs. She was kind of a producer/host pet. I was sure that both Wayne and Grant would not be in the final three. So, one of them had to go. Sav ended up being my favorite contestant. She seemed sincere and genuine.
  13. My thought exactly, though I can't blame her at being happy at getting a pass. The problem is that a contestant should never have been given that much power so late in the game. Has that ever happened before? Well, ironically, Reagan is still there and Brynn isn't. I have nothing against people holding religious convictions, but Reagan and Jennifer's on camera prayer meeting to avoid elimination seemed way over the top. Ah Joe, you've outdone yourself. He complimented two of the contestants on the "duplicity" of their dish. Wish of course means to lie, not to have two things that are duplicate. He's like today's Norm Crosby. (If anyone remembers that comedian from Ed Sullivan, whose routine was to mangle the English language).
  14. I believe they think they'll be rewarded for being bold and doing something they haven't done before. But then "Madame Donut" can make a donut and not be dinged for it. I feel like she played it so safe that she should have been excluded from making Top Three. (And theoretically if it was not perfect she should have been at least Bottom Three). Speaking of comfort zones, Joe's the meat should be bigger than the bread comment is one of many examples of him sounding like an idiot when he talks about anything other than Italian food. I wonder if he's ever actually eaten a patty melt.
  15. Although at the stadiums in Seattle, a regular dog, beer, and nachos will still set you back about $25. Since this is a competition for amateur cooks, how is MD, a food industry professional, allowed to compete? Worse yet, since she owns a donut shop, how is she allowed to make donuts for a challenge? (And get selected for Top 3.) Contender for "least surprising revelation of all time.'' Jennifer was a high school cheerleader. That's why I hate team challenges. Almost as a rule, the contestant who steps up to do the hardest, most critical job goes home, while the people who grab the easiest assignments are safe.
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