S13.E04: 15 Chefs Compete

[Tara Ariano]

The chefs prepare a breakfast menu for culinary-school graduates and their families, and the winning team earns a trip to San Francisco to meet chef Dominique Crenn. Later, both teams encounter problems during the dinner service.

[kikismom]

And this week's T-shirt is:

 

"Hey--why are you touching his meat?!?!"

[Donny Ketchum]

As most of us thought, the drama with Jennifer wasn't anything major.  She was okay.  Just dehydrated.

 

Hell, I thought the women were all but guaranteed to plow ahead strongly with both Janai and Denine gone.  But it seems like Kalen's emerging as an even weaker link than both of them.  She really lucked out that they won the service tonight.

 

I'm beyond infuriated that the jerks on the men's team succeeded in their plan.  Steve, Aaron, and Santos trying to sabotage their team just to sink Fernando, Frank, J.R., Sterling, and Bryant was just . . . ugh.  I was so hoping at least Santos would be gone, but he didn't even go up for elimination.  If one of the weaker links had to go, I'd rather it have been Frank.  At least J.R. tried.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[gryphon]

Every time Sterling says, "I'm 100." I try to fill in the blank with answers...perhaps 100 is his IQ.    Or, "I'm 100"  bricks short of a load.  "I'm 100" times more annoying than I was yesterday. 

 

I totally miss JP.

 

I like Roe so far...we'll see. 

Edited September 25, 2014 by gryphon

[xcrayon2215x]

I'm no fan of the sabotage idea, I just don't see the point of it at all. I'm not surprised that JR was sent home since the other chef who was really bad wasn't nominated this episode. I think this next elimination will be Kalen, unless the women win.

[Primetimer]

After a promising episode last week, Hell's Kitchen returns to form with lots of unproductive yelling.

Read the story

[bluepiano]

This season is already blending in my mind with past seasons, I guess because all the "characters" are types that they keep casting for. There is a blonde with short hair who wears a kerchief on her head who I could swear is a repeat from last season, or else a lost twin. The only people who stand out (and not in a good way) are Sterling, because of his "I'm so crazy" act, and Frank, who I think of as Sylvester Stallone Lite. Too bad there isn't a female contestant named Adrian, so we could her his "yo, Adrian."

 

Well, at least the women's team is as bad as the men this year, so that's different. Kalen seems particularly useless, and I think should've gone home last week. I'm still shocked by the boot of Denine, who had seemed destined to play the "unpopular bad girl" until late in the season. And (sexism alert), out of this years' sad group she was what passed for eye candy. So I was fully expecting GR to ask for Kalen's jacket. What gives? The hallmark of every Gordon Ramsey show is its complete predictability, so I'm surprised when I'm surprised.

 

Has there ever been a contestant who was labeled a "culinary student?" That was another reason I thought she'd stick around, so the others could bitch she shouldn't even be there, because she's not a culinary pro. Though I am always skeptical about the actual qualifications of most HK contestants. I think its likely many of them work at franchise restaurants like a Chili's or Red Lobster. That's not a put-down, but it's why I believe there's a pre-selected winner, because maybe only one or two of the bunch have the actual resume to get a job with GR.

 

 One of the women this year has the title of "Kitchen Supervisor." What does that mean? Sounds like more of an administrative position than someone who actually cooks.

Edited September 25, 2014 by bluepiano

[Calamity Jane]

Each time this show comes on lately, I'm utterly convinced it must be the last.  And judging from the number of comments appearing here as opposed to comments on Project Runway or any of the many that just debuted or returned, I'd say I should be right.  Baffling how it keeps staggering on. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

 

The only people who stand out (and not in a good way) are Sterling, because of his "I'm so crazy" act, and Frank, who I think of as Sylvester Stallone Lite.

 

Wouldn't Sylvester Stallone lite be Frank Stallone?  Which seems to fit very well.

 

Is there any competitive reality show in which it's a good idea to throw a challenge in order to "get rid of some of our weaker members?"  Especially Hell's Kitchen, because Ramsay can decide to completely ignore the people nominated and get rid of anyone he wants to.

[OnceSane]

 

Has there ever been a contestant who was labeled a "culinary student?"

 

I think there was last season or the season before.  Maybe s/he (I remember nothing else about this person) was a recent culinary school graduate rather than a student.

[Malachi]

I was really offended by Jennifer's inane comment at the end of the show: "The boys are the ones wearing the bras and panties, not the f*****g females." What does that even mean??? Is it uncool to wear a bra and panties or something? And not to dive into the shallow end of the pool or anything, but she NEEDED to wear a bra last episode, on their challenge reward. She was lacking support.

Frank used to work at a restaurant I waitressed at part-time for a little while. I left before he got there, but the food was always VERY good and the owner takes food very seriously and he wouldn't hire someone who doesn't know what they're doing. He may have gotten in trouble for preening when he should have been cooking, but if he knocks that off I predict he'll go far.

[djlynch]

@Bluepiano, and there's also so many people early on that it's impossible to keep them all straight, so you really don't know if you're remembering someone from this season or not.

The only thing that's worse for casting the same type over and over again is The Amazing Race, but they're usually better about having ones that fill the same niche without blending into someone from a past season. (Exception: the teams of a square-jawed meathead and his big-boobed girlfriend/fiancee/wife/ex. The season where three out of the final four teams fit this description was really hard to follow because I could not tell some of them apart.)

[Surrealist]

There's something about Aaron that really unnerves me, but I can't exactly put into the right words. I wish their plan had backfired so that he would have gotten sent home.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Surrealist

[bluepiano]

I was really offended by Jennifer's inane comment at the end of the show: "The boys are the ones wearing the bras and panties, not the f*****g females." What does that even mean???.

 

 

Yeah, that was bizarre. But not the first "yuk, girls" comment made by one of the women.

[Julia]

You know, now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed, but it's true. Usually by this point one or two contestants are doing their talking heads from the he man woman hater's club, but this is the first year they're women.

[mertensia]

Frank looks familiar.

Also again: Ramsey kicks out who he wants to. Not necessarily who's nominated. Idiots. You could sabotage yourself out the door.

[OlfinBedwere]

You know, now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed, but it's true. Usually by this point one or two contestants are doing their talking heads from the he man woman hater's club, but this is the first year they're women.

 

It's been going on longer than that. It's true that he-man women haters were par for the course in the earlier seasons, but in the last couple of years it's been very much "we are women, hear us roar!"

 

And to be honest, I can't blame them. Since about Season 8 or 9, the women's teams have been on average pretty competent (though not necessarily likable) IMO, while the men's teams have been more sharply divided between those chefs who are very capable and those who are jaw-droppingly incompetent.

Edited September 27, 2014 by OlfinBedwere

[KHenry14]

How do you come on to Hell's Kitchen and not know how to cook scallops????? If I was going to cook on this show I'd be eating risotto, wellingtons and scallops every day. Sheesh

[BogoGog24]

They either tamper with the ovens or I'm thinking they pick the contestants who can't cook this stuff. Because it would be boring for every dish to come up perfect.

[cooksdelight]

If Ramsay didn't get to yell:

"STOP! All of you! Come here!"

"It's RAAAWWWW!"

"Oh my God! It's COLD!"

There would be no show. :)

[Eolivet]

I'm beyond infuriated that the jerks on the men's team succeeded in their plan.  Steve, Aaron, and Santos trying to sabotage their team just to sink Fernando, Frank, J.R., Sterling, and Bryant was just . . . ugh.  I was so hoping at least Santos would be gone, but he didn't even go up for elimination.  If one of the weaker links had to go, I'd rather it have been Frank.  At least J.R. tried.

 

Ugh, that made me so uncomfortable -- especially since their gang of three white guys targeted the only two black contestants. This happens every year (remember how the red team hated Barbie?), and I can only describe it as "casual racism." Some dissension on the team = the team automatically assumes the black contestants are responsible/disruptive/weak/the cause of all discord. Really wish Steve had gone home tonight. Maybe this will be a wake up call for him to abandon this ridiculous "alliance" next week.

[Mama No Life]

Could someone could tell me why the buzz cut black girl who wore the bow tie during the reward dinner (I am describing her b/c I can't remember her name) annoys me so much? There's something so irritating about her.

Roe is the only one who seems both normal and capable so I'll stick with her. There's not a single person on the men's team that I like. It's hard to care when they all suck....

[BogoGog24]

I don't think Steve/Aaron/Santos are targeting JR and Sterling because they are black. For one thing, it's basically the trio against the rest of the blue team, not just JR and Sterling. They supposedly are against the rest of their team because they view them as weak links. And in some of those cases, they are right. I don't think it constitutes trying to sabotage your own teammates though. Unless it's producer driven, who knows.

[OlfinBedwere]

Ugh, that made me so uncomfortable -- especially since their gang of three white guys targeted the only two black contestants. This happens every year (remember how the red team hated Barbie?), and I can only describe it as "casual racism." Some dissension on the team = the team automatically assumes the black contestants are responsible/disruptive/weak/the cause of all discord.

 

Last season it was the other way around - Joy and Kashia were the ones constantly plotting to get Anton (who, to be fair, totally deserved it) and Scott thrown out of the competition.

 

In this week's episode, leaving aside the fact that the terrible trio were also targeting two of the white guys (Bryant and Frank), I think they were going after Sterling for an entirely different reason - he actually showed himself to be a good leader in the breakfast service, and they realized he could be a threat. Given that they didn't even consider nominating him after the dinner service though, hopefully they've realized they're better with him than without him.