S20.E12: All Hell Breaks Loose

[jewel21]

The competition moves to a new level when the chefs have to prove they are worthy of a black jacket.

Airdate: 08/30/2021

[xcrayon2215x]

Emily struggled a lot tonight so I understand the elimination. Steve seems to not be as strong now, I think Trenton will win the whole thing. I believe that Brynn will be the first black jacket to go. I liked seeing the families, it was fun. 

[mojoween]

Every week Gordon says “Meghan” and every week I wonder “who is that?”

Feels like this is the right five.

[Yeah No]

I am soooo glad Steve got a black jacket over Antonio.  When he spoke about his grandmother I identified with it so much I teared up thinking about my own grandma and how she imparted her love of food and her recipes to me when I was young.  When he talked about channeling her into that dish I knew exactly how that felt having done and said that myself when recreating her dishes.  Go Steve!

[mertensia]

Emily was toast the moment she couldn't ID the cut of meat.

Sometimes the whole "I'm cooking this because of grandma/mom/dad" speeches feel fake (which they could be; what are you supposed to say if you grew up on Hamburger Helper!?) but Steve's felt very real.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

22 minutes ago, mertensia said:

(which they could be; what are you supposed to say if you grew up on Hamburger Helper!?) 

I watch a lot of cooking shows and sometimes people have speeches about how their parents were horrible cooks and that's what got them passionate about or just plain good at cooking 😄.  Or even if their parents just flat out didn't have time!  I'm sure it happens a lot.

Steve's family also brought up his grandmother on their video to him and you could see that really meant something to him too.

Edited August 31, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Chicago Redshirt]

This episode was the first that I noticed Antonio having a little twang in his voice. Was that always there?

And was it just me or was there not a significant difference in the doneness of the two sides of Emily's steak?

If they had booted Steve after letting him talk about how he was channeling his grandma, I would have been amazed. 

I don't know if I like the kindler, gentler Gordon Ramsay that we've generally seen this season. I don't think he had a single serious criticism or insult all episode long. 

I still maintain because of superficiality, there is no way that anyone but Steven or Brynn could win because the other chefs are by messed up standards overweight. I kinda hope HK proves me wrong.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

And was it just me or was there not a significant difference in the doneness of the two sides of Emily's steak?

I did see a difference, but it wasn't that significant.  I did agree with him that choosing that cut was a misstep because it is really difficult to get both sides of it cooked to the same doneness.  I think that's probably one reason you almost never see chefs in cooking competitions choosing that cut.

I'm forgetting who this happened with but earlier in the episode Gordon told someone their salmon was cooked perfectly and I thought it was clearly overcooked.  Was that just me?

[fishcakes]

Gordon's choices in each round were odd. I would have put Kiya through in the first round along with Trenton, and in the second round Steve had the best looking tuna dish. It's a decent final five, though overall I think Antonio is stronger than Meghan and should have made it through.

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

This episode was the first that I noticed Antonio having a little twang in his voice. Was that always there?

I noticed it, too.  Never noticed it before.  Weird.

[seacliffsal]

I thought Antonio's scallops looked good and the only criticism was the "look."  I also thought it was interesting that Kiya only got through in the second round because her tuna was done well, which she relied upon Antonio for the info on how long to cook it.  So, I was surprised that Antonio did not make it through (and his enchiladas looked amazing).  Steven has been inconsistent throughout the competition so it would not have surprised me if he had been eliminated.

I thought it was a nice moment when Gordon asked Trenton about imitating him with the pencil behind his ear and then told him to put it back behind his ear.  I could see Gordon choosing Trenton for his protege as that seems to be the prize at this time (and he would put Trenton on an exercise regime which I think Trenton would willingly follow as he adores Gordon).  

Kiya really showed her immaturity when she wanted to start playing "champagne pong."  I don't think she will win (and way to disrespect champagne [my personal favorite...]).  

I thought all of the dishes looked delicious.  And, like others, once Emily couldn't identify the cut of beef she chose, I knew she was gone (and Gordon would definitely have heard about that).

[Chicago Redshirt]

50 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Steven has been inconsistent throughout the competition so it would not have surprised me if he had been eliminated.

My memory might be wonky, but I only recall Steven having one bad service, where GR took him in the walkin to give him a pep talk. He had one other issue where he prepared something that ended up being overcooked at least in part because he was relying on a teammate's incorrect estimate of how long they needed and they ended up needing more time. 

Steven seemingly has been presented as one of the stronger chefs in the competition, winning the punishment pass, generally scoring well in challenges, including the dish to put things over the top, etc.

[GodBless13]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

My memory might be wonky, but I only recall Steven having one bad service, where GR took him in the walkin to give him a pep talk. He had one other issue where he prepared something that ended up being overcooked at least in part because he was relying on a teammate's incorrect estimate of how long they needed and they ended up needing more time. 

Steven seemingly has been presented as one of the stronger chefs in the competition, winning the punishment pass, generally scoring well in challenges, including the dish to put things over the top, etc.

You are correct and I agree with all you said. Steven is one of the stronger chefs in the competition and has been very consistent with this dishes with minimal errors. 

I know some feel that Trenton looks like he will be the winner as he is a strong chef too however my preference is Steven.

Steven has the skills and calm demeanor needed to win something like this but HK can surprise you.

A poster above mentioned that GR's selection for the black jackets was weird and I agree. IDK how Steven was selected last. 

Also, a poster mentioned above that Kiya was able to succeed cooking the tuna because she asked Antonio that's a great point. 

IDK if it was editing but Kiya's confidence in succeeding with the dish was a little crazy to me she was able to do well because of Antonio.

I liked seeing everyone's family and where there inspiration comes from. Clearly my favorite was Steven's family. 

Next week looks like it will be a good episode. 

 

 

[bluepiano]

13 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I still maintain because of superficiality, there is no way that anyone but Steven or Brynn could win because the other chefs are by messed up standards overweight. I kinda hope HK proves me wrong.

I agree, I think Gordon is into looks and image, which eliminates Kiya and Meghan, but not Trenton, who's only just a little pudgy and arguably kind of cute. Actually, If you're talking about choosing a head chef, I don't think you can fault GR for considering image. I don't think Kiya would command respect in a professional kitchen. She's unpolished and immature and can't speak more than five words without getting bleeped out. I think that if HK is really about finding a head chef, and not a cooking competition, than she shouldn't be Top Five.

I thought Steve's passion for cooking really came across, but the "beating heart on a plate" was not a good image. Like something from a horror movie.

I think this may be one of the best groups of chef they've ever had. I would've been happy eating almost all the dishes made tonight. I think this show's come a long way from the early seasons, when many of the chefs could barely boil water and seemed to be selected only for the drama they could create.

Edited August 31, 2021 by bluepiano

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

6 hours ago, bluepiano said:

I think this show's come a long way from the early seasons, when many of the chefs could barely boil water and seemed to be selected only for the drama they could create.

HK was a trainwreck for the first three seasons or so. It improved after that because of a new rule that only chefs who had cooked professionally for at least two years could apply for the show (I don't know if that rule was in place this season).

I'm pegging Steve as the winner because he has the most on-camera charisma of any of the remaining chefs, and because Ramsay obviously likes him. If Ramsay is less concerned about charisma, Trenton would be the best choice.

This season has been the most enjoyable in awhile. Mrs. RaiderDuck pointed out that having younger chefs means you don't have a cast full of chain-smoking burnouts. They're all young enough to still view cooking as a great adventure rather than a career they're trapped in because they think they're too old to start over doing something else (and in some cases, earlier decisions make that doubly hard: try getting a job in a doctor's or lawyer's office with neck tattoos and ear spacers).

Edited September 1, 2021 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Pj3422]

Well, dang — both San Antonio chefs eliminated. But I do want to try chicken enchiladas, with the chicken cooked in chorizo fat. That sounds amazing. I’m still thinking Steve for the win. 

[Chyromaniac]

19 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I still maintain because of superficiality, there is no way that anyone but Steven or Brynn could win because the other chefs are by messed up standards overweight. I kinda hope HK proves me wrong.

Here's a website (with official press photos, so professional lighting and makeup) of all the winners thus far.  To me it seems like a fairly diverse mix of body types, but to each their own.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this Black Jacket group, and I think they all have a decent shot at winning.  Steve has certainly had a positive edit overall - but we haven't seen a ton of screwups from the others either.  In particular, I believe Kiya is the last one left who's never been called up at all - and I think Trenton's only time up was the week that Alex kept passing the buck on his mistakes.  Overall, I'm just looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, as it's been a relatively enjoyable season thus far.

[judyri]

13 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

it's been a relatively enjoyable season thus far

Yeah, I haven't missed the fabricated drama at all.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:27 PM, Chyromaniac said:

Here's a website (with official press photos, so professional lighting and makeup) of all the winners thus far.  To me it seems like a fairly diverse mix of body types, but to each their own.

Just to be clear, I'm not at all svelte so I'm not bodyshaming anyone.

But of the winners only one appears overweight, S8 winner Nona. It seems to me from looking on the Internet that she seemingly lost a fair amount of weight in pictures after that. 

For instance, in the picture at the link she's maybe heavy by Hollywood standards but not real-person standards.  https://www.mashed.com/323020/what-hells-kitchen-winner-nona-sivley-is-doing-now/

[Lovecat]

On 8/30/2021 at 9:09 PM, mojoween said:

Every week Gordon says “Meghan” and every week I wonder “who is that?”

Feels like this is the right five.

Every time Megan's name is said, I mumble "There's a Megan??"  I did the same thing with Kevin before he got eliminated.  

[AZChristian]

5 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

Every time Megan's name is said, I mumble "There's a Megan??"  I did the same thing with Kevin before he got eliminated.  

There was a Kevin?

[Lovecat]

10 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

There was a Kevin?

Right?!??  He was such a non-entity that I forgot he existed from week to week.

[preeya]

12 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

There was a Kevin?

 

1 minute ago, Lovecat said:

Right?!??  He was such a non-entity that I forgot he existed from week to week.

Kevin was the guy GR sent home, he wasn't voted out.

[mojoween]

29 minutes ago, preeya said:

 

Kevin was the guy GR sent home, he wasn't voted out.

This happened THIS year?!?

[preeya]

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

This happened THIS year?!?

 

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

This happened THIS year?!?

Yes, I believe it was episode #7

[bluepiano]

On 8/31/2021 at 1:25 PM, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

This season has been the most enjoyable in awhile. Mrs. RaiderDuck pointed out that having younger chefs means you don't have a cast full of chain-smoking burnouts. 

Though there have been some  "older" chefs that I've liked, and they often have more of an appreciation of what the opportunity means. Blanking on his name, but I liked the Irish chef from last season. What I don't miss is the snide comments that the young chefs often made about the older ones.