S22.E15: And Then There Were Two/S22.E16: One Hell of an American Dream

[jewel21]

Quote

The pressure is on, as the Hell's Kitchen finale closes in! The final three contestants face their last challenge before the final dinner service by impressing guest chefs Brian Malarkey, Curtis Stone, Giada De Laurentiis, Michael Cimarusti and Nyesha Arrington.

Airdate: 01/25/2024

 

[KeithJ]

Turned it off when the final two were revealed.  I just don’t care who wins.  I don’t understand the first judge.  She liked Sami’s dish so much she said she’s going to steal it for her menu and then she only gave her a 9 and Johnathan a 10?

[SpottedCoachDog]

1 hour ago, KeithJ said:

Turned it off when the final two were revealed.  I just don’t care who wins.  I don’t understand the first judge.  She liked Sami’s dish so much she said she’s going to steal it for her menu and then she only gave her a 9 and Johnathan a 10?

This is not unusual. Female chefs don’t get the credit they deserve. I’ve been watching Tournament of Champions on Discovery +. The judging is completely blind. And guess what? The women have won every season. I wasn’t at all surprised that Sammi got lower scores. I think she deserved better.

I am happy for Ryan. He will do well, I think.  Jonathan has been getting increasingly insufferable. I think he sealed his fate when he wouldn’t let go of the sack of sh!t remark. You’re going to get real insults in a service industry. You have to get it out and let it go.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, SpottedCoachDog said:

This is not unusual. Female chefs don’t get the credit they deserve. I’ve been watching Tournament of Champions on Discovery +. The judging is completely blind. And guess what? The women have won every season. I wasn’t at all surprised that Sammi got lower scores. I think she deserved better.

Actually a woman has won this show 13 times out of 22 seasons.  I don't call that women not getting the credit they deserve, and I'm usually upset when I think that's the case.  Also it doesn't seem to matter who wins on this show as Ramsay has given prominent positions to chefs that have lost.

I think Ryan deserved the win this season.  I think the editing is misleading, though.  I've always suspected that Ramsay reserves the right to make the decision on best dish when there's a guest judge.  I also think it was fairly obvious that he favored Ryan.  And figure that's OK if the prize involves getting a job in one of his restaurants.  They don't just win a monetary prize and/ or trophy on this show like on TOC.  Obviously there's more than just cooking ability involved in the decision.

[xcrayon2215x]

Glad Ryan won he truly deserved it. Dahmere did worse than I expected at first.

Jason was a bit less obnoxious than I expected him to be. It was good that he was on Ryan's team and not Jonathan's.

[Chicago Redshirt]

10 hours ago, KeithJ said:

Turned it off when the final two were revealed.  I just don’t care who wins.  I don’t understand the first judge.  She liked Sami’s dish so much she said she’s going to steal it for her menu and then she only gave her a 9 and Johnathan a 10?

There are a few non-cynical ways to potentially reconcile those two facts:

1. The judge liked the concept of Sammi's dish and most of the execution but thought that she could execute the concept even better to make the dish a 10 out of 10, while there were no flaws in Johnathan's concept or execution.

2. The judge recognizes from a food-cost perspective or some other perspective Sammi's dish would be very popular/profitable and therefore worth stealing more than Johnathan's.

3. The judge may not have vocalized it (or she did and it made the cutting room floor), but she is also going to steal Johnathan's dish too.

4. Johnathan's dish, while better, is a different type of cuisine than that served at her restaurant, or involves styles, components etc. that she isn't in love with and therefore would not be a good fit for her to steal.

Of course, it's hard to not have the more cynical perspective:

1. The producers wanted the storyline of cooking bros battling it out, and implicitly or explicitly suggested to the judges how they may want to vote

2. A smattering of sexism, even internalized, has Sammi seeming less Chef-y than the boys

3. Knowing or suspecting that Sammi was going to lose or just being sympathetic, the judge wanted to cushion the blow by giving her an insincere compliment. I have already blanked out on the name of the judge, the dish, and much else...speeding through two hours of an episode relatively late will do that. But I'd not be surprised if  in the year or more since this was filmed, the judge actually did not steal whatever the dish was. Anyone have the bandwidth to check?

[GHScorpiosRule]

10 hours ago, SpottedCoachDog said:

I am happy for Ryan.

 

3 hours ago, xcrayon2215x said:

Glad Ryan won he truly deserved it.

Yay! My Oirish Boo Won!!!!!!!

WOT?

[seacliffsal]

I didn't realize this was a double episode, but I did finish watching it.  I agree with an above statement that the tide turned against Johnathon when he wouldn't let Ramsey's comment go.  Also, during the judging with the five guest chefs, Johnathon's demeanor immediately changed when he didn't get the highest scores-that kind of shows that when everything is going his way he is energetic and excited but as soon as he's not 'the best' he kind of gives himself a pity party.  I also thought it was brilliant of Ryan to choose Jason early (to feed into Jason's ego) as it showed that no matter who worked for Ryan he would be able to lead them and incorporate them into the team spirit.  Although cooking ability is a part of the criteria, I think the leadership and team development aspect is crucial.  During the final cook, Gordon had to identify Johnathon's issues (undercooked meat) whereas Ryan found most of the issues himself and dealt directly with them.

I am very happy for Ryan and am glad he won.  And, I think all of the participants will see career opportunities as a result of being on the show.

[preeya]

42 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I think the leadership and team development aspect is crucial.

This ↑ says it all. It's a given that they all can cook, but leadership is what GR needs, wants, and looks for. Cooking techniques can be taught but being a good leader is an intangible warranting self-confidence and responsibility.

[milkyaqua]

I figured Sammi was first out when I saw the scores for the third round as I was flipping back and forth on this for the whole two hours.

Agree about the leadership and team development.  It seemed obvious that Ryan had a better grasp of this.  Even if he did annoy me yelling at Jason about the chicken for the final table.  Johnathan took longer to correct mistakes/weaknesses within his team.

I'm fine with Ryan winning as he does seem to be more well rounded for what GR wants.  I also agree that several of the chefs from this season could wind up working in some GR establishment as that's something he seems to do.

[Chicago Redshirt]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

Yay! My Oirish Boo Won!!!!!!!

WOT?

But he's apparently spoken for!!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

But he's apparently spoken for!!!

Oh, I know he's married. But I'm happy for him!

[Chicago Redshirt]

I don't remember him mentioning his wife prior to this episode.

By contrast, Johnathan name-dropped Saxon a bunch. BTW, am I right to be a little weirded out by that choice of name?

[mlp]

I was very happy with Ryan's win.  Sammi may be a good cook but she was only 25 y/o and burst into tears too often.  Johnathon also seemed less mature than Ryan even though they are the same age.  Neither of them were ready for a leadership position.  

There's an interesting interview with Ryan in today's online Parade.  I don't have a link because it popped up on my phone.  I didn't realize that his dad is a chef or that he had lived in Forida for a couple years before the show.

The scoring for the semi-finals is a joke.  I'm sure that Gordon has decided by that time who will be in the final two and who will win so acting like the decision will come down to a point or two is nonsense.  Even more ridiculous is telling the last judge that the last dish needs an 8 to tie and 9 or 10 to win.  I very much doubt that Gordon left the final decision up to Curtis Stone.

Overall, I found this season to be the best one yet.

 

[PhoneCop]

41 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I don't remember him mentioning his wife prior to this episode.

He mentioned being married in passing several weeks back. That's when he officially became my second favorite. Totally unrelated, of course. I will miss the accent, though.

A work thing came up last night, so I haven't watched the finale yet; I just came here to see which Not Dahmere won. Debating whether I want to take two hours out of my schedule to see it or if I can just assume it was the usual Gordon tropes with zero surprises.

[preeya]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

By contrast, Johnathan name-dropped Saxon a bunch. BTW, am I right to be a little weirded out by that choice of name?

I may be wrong, but I thought I heard her name to be Saxton.

[Red Bridey]

I heard Saxon and I thought it a silly name for a little girl. She gonna be Sexy Saxie in high school. 😞

[whinewithwine]

11 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I have already blanked out on the name of the judge,

It was Giada DeLaurentiis.  She used to be a big deal on The Food Network.  Back in the TWOP days, she was known as LBH (little big head).  

I think this season was more boring than the last.  Back in the day, the back stories were things like prison chef, former accountant, waffle house cook, nanny, and people with varying degrees of anger management issues.  Lots of fun back then.

[Yeah No]

So Ryan is married but I can still have a crush on him, can't I?  My husband is of Irish descent (his father was born there).  I grew up in NYC around a lot of Irish people, and have been to Ireland.  The thing about Ryan that makes him so attractive to me is that he gives off a certain air of understated masculinity, unlike so many young men these days (including Jonathan who was in many ways his polar opposite).  When I went to Ireland in 2005 I was struck by how it felt like going back in time for me in a good way.  And I don't agree with him about the food in Ireland.  I had some of the best food in my life there and still feel that way almost 20 years later.  It wasn't high end "gourmet" food, but it was excellent food in every way.

I think what this came down to was leadership ability as has been said, and Jonathan, while an excellent chef didn't have the chops to be a head chef.  I do suspect that Ramsay will find a spot for him in his culinary empire somewhere, though.  But to lead a Ramsay kitchen you have to be understated yet tough, and Ryan embodied that perfectly.  Just like Christina does.  

Yeah, and cringe to how many times Jonathan mentioned his daughter and how much he was doing this for her, etc., etc.  That's a lot to put on a young kid and some of that feels a little unhealthy for both of them.  I think Ryan has his act together more as a person.  He may be stoic but he has shown enough to make me think that. 

There was only one thing I noticed that concerned me, and that's Ryan's wife's facial expressions and general body language.  I almost felt like she would have rather been anywhere else but there.  She didn't show the excitement and enthusiasm for her husband that I would have expected from her and at times I almost felt it was coming from negativity of some sort.  I'm not going to conclude any possible trouble there, though.  It could have been nerves over being on TV or she may not been feeling very well.  Or maybe she doesn't love the idea of moving to Las Vegas!

[jabRI]

I've said this before, but I'm beyond annoyed with the Jason non-drama.  He said I need 2 more minutes on the chicken. Ryan screamed I need it now.  He brings it up, 'how dare you bring me an undercooked chicken'.  Sheez.

[bluepiano]

20 hours ago, mlp said:

I was very happy with Ryan's win.  Sammi may be a good cook but she was only 25 y/o and burst into tears too often.  Johnathon also seemed less mature than Ryan even though they are the same age.  Neither of them were ready for a leadership position. 

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.

Edited January 27 by bluepiano

[preeya]

1 hour ago, bluepiano said:

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.

Totally in agreement with this ↑.

When the season first started, I thought Jonathan was the one. Then after the Jason and "sack of shit" incidents I was completely turned off of him. When GR didn't send him home after the "sack stuff" I thought the fix was in. I rooted for Ryan during the last two episodes as I realized he was the only one who had the chops to meet the requirements of the job.

[mlp]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

There was only one thing I noticed that concerned me, and that's Ryan's wife's facial expressions and general body language.  I almost felt like she would have rather been anywhere else but there.  She didn't show the excitement and enthusiasm for her husband that I would have expected from her..........................

I noticed the same things but had a completely different reaction.  My take on it was that she was behaving like a lady and not carrying on like she was on Worst Cooks or something.  I liked her.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I will admit I was hoping Ryan would tell all his father “Da” instead of Dad.

Whaaat?

And I won’t lie-I 😂😂😂😂😂 at seeing Gordon running down the hall away from being sprayed by champagne!

[Chyromaniac]

On 1/26/2024 at 4:39 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

By contrast, Johnathan name-dropped Saxon a bunch. BTW, am I right to be a little weirded out by that choice of name?

No kidding- that was my HS mascot, so it’s been odd hearing it all these weeks as a child’s name.  Still, cute kid- seeing the family together went a long way towards reforming Jonathan’s reputation for me.

Still, it feels apropos in a season where they’ve so thoroughly beat us over the head with the American Dream metaphor, that an actual immigrant would win.  Congrats to Ryan- I feel like not only did he have a better/smoother finale service, but that his menu also felt more on par with what you’d expect from HK Vegas.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I noticed the same things but had a completely different reaction.  My take on it was that she was behaving like a lady and not carrying on like she was on Worst Cooks or something.  I liked her.

I would have thought that too but she hardly even cracked a smile.  It only happened once or twice in passing and quickly faded.  For me that seemed a little too far on the opposite end of the spectrum to be just behaving well.  And I thought she looked visibly distracted and uncomfortable about something, I just don't  know what.

[mlp]

15 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

And I thought she looked visibly distracted and uncomfortable about something, I just don't  know what.

I don't pretend to know what was going through her mind but she was far from home, surrounded by strangers, on television and worrying about her husband's success/failure.  She probably was distracted and uncomfortable.  Knowing myself, I doubt I would have been smiling much either until it was all over.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I don't pretend to know what was going through her mind but she was far from home, surrounded by strangers, on television and worrying about her husband's success/failure.  She probably was distracted and uncomfortable.  Knowing myself, I doubt I would have been smiling much either until it was all over.

Yup that's pretty much what I said, although I probably would have tried to overcome that a little more, although I can think of times in my life that would have been difficult like if I was feeling awful physically.  Interestingly one of those times was once when I went to Las Vegas.  I suffer from motion sickness and had gotten on a flight simulating ride that made me so sick to my stomach I could barely function or eat for a few hours.

[Lukeysboat]

On Instagram live, Ryan said his wife is very shy and introverted, plus she had little time to get on the plane and get out there. It was overwhelming for her. 

[aussieinsydney]

I didn't care who won out of these two. They're both insufferable, arrogant pricks.

[Yeah No]

17 hours ago, Lukeysboat said:

On Instagram live, Ryan said his wife is very shy and introverted, plus she had little time to get on the plane and get out there. It was overwhelming for her. 

That's good - I'm glad he addressed it, that makes a lot of sense.  He probably felt he should as there were a few Reddits started from people concerned about her and wondering.

5 hours ago, aussieinsydney said:

I didn't care who won out of these two. They're both insufferable, arrogant pricks.

Wow that's not what I saw at all.  Out of all the male contestants on this show over the years I thought they were probably some of the least insufferable and arrogant.  Now Jason is a different story...