S13.E08: 11 Chefs Compete

[Tara Ariano]

Both teams get new members before being challenged to prepare a tasting menu for an American Kennel Club competition. The winners visit SeaWorld in San Diego, while the losers groom the dogs ahead of the show. Later, the chefs prepare dishes for guests at the dog show.

[Totale]

Apparently preempted for World Series here.  Tivo shows next week as 11 Chefs Compete Part II so it's a cliffhanger yawn anyway.  I haven't watched any show preempted by sports in forever, these days do they usually reschedule those for late night or bump the whole schedule a week?

[cooksdelight]

It will air next week. It has been on my schedule for Nov. 5 all along, not sure what they will do with part 2 or if it will be a longer episode.

[leighdear]

It dawned on me while I was buzzing through the channels, selecting tonight's watch & record selections, that I really don't give a crap too much about this show being bumped for the WS.....*LOL*  And I've pretty much forgotten who's "competing"......

[QuelleC]

It's still showing up on my TV Guide with no BB game.  Survivor runs at the same time but I found I could watch it on CBS sans commercials.

[Pepper the Cat]

Was this pre-emptied? I was PVRing it on a Canadian channel as I watched Survivor. Then went to watch Hells Kitchen and had a episode of The Middle! YUCK! Schedule showed Hells Kitchen on both the Canadian channel and Fox.

[cooksdelight]

World Series was scheduled for tonight.

[QuelleC]

I keep calling this show Hell's Kitten.  Then I apologize to my kitten.  Same with Law and Order:  Special Kittens' Unit. 

[Canada]

I got an episode of The Middle too.  I wasn't even upset about missing an episode!

[Brattinella]

NO NO NO.  I am so done with this show.  This isn't a cooking competition; it is indescribably bad TV.  I do not watch TV for obnoxious, irritating, annoying people.  This is supposed to be about food!  Screw this show, I am OUT.

[cooksdelight]

"We're like the island of misfit toys."

Yep, that pretty much sums it all up.

[BogoGog24]

This episode was just bad. No elimination at the end? I hope that means next week 2 people get the boot. I can't believe there are still ELEVEN people left. This show feels like it goes on forever. I also thought it was strange how Frank couldn't even get a Caesar salad out on time, Sterling sent up overcooked pork twice, and Roe had mushy cauliflower, but Ramsay was satisfied with their performance? WTH? 

 

The best part of the episode was the dogs. 

[cooksdelight]

I am still laughing at Sade making dog food instead of an entree for a menu choice.

[BogoGog24]

Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten about that? I can understand in a way how she got confused but still… you'd think she would think about it for a second. It's too bad it had to be dumped, it'd have been hilarious if she actually served that to the judges.

[ElleryAnne]

No elimination at the end? I hope that means next week 2 people get the boot. I can't believe there are still ELEVEN people left. This show feels like it goes on forever.

 

 

This was a problem last season, too.  It's like they get to about 10 or 12 people, and then the show just... gets stuck or something.  And for about a month it feels like they make no progress.  I could've sworn last season dragged on for two years, and this season is shaping up to be just as bad.  It doesn't help when there's nobody on either team to root for. 

 

And I hate the non elims in this show.  In a show like TAR they're okay, but in HK eliminations are the only payoff for sitting through an episode.   It's like they're punishing the viewers when they don't have an elimination.

[cooksdelight]

Any guesses as to how long Frank droned on and on about why he should stay?

[BogoGog24]

I was wondering that too. In reality it could have been only a few minutes (which is still longer than necessary) but they way they edited it made it seem like an hour.

 

I still am trying to find a winner in this bunch. I think Bryant is actually okay. He is not up to par with some past winners though. For the women, maybe La Tasha actually shows the most potential, but doesn't seem like typical winner material to me.

[xcrayon2215x]

Thought Frank would be gone considering he messed up a salad. Surprised to Steve do so well, it looks like the strongest male chef is Bryant for sure.

[Charlesman]

She made, she made dog food. Dog food, people. She made dog food.

 

She took a New York strip steak, cubed it up, braised it, and put in some veggies and made kibble.

 

Dog food.

 

That will never be topped.

[OlfinBedwere]

One of the producers probably duped Sade into believing they were cooking for the dogs rather than the people. There's no way anyone could be that stupid, and wasn't it convenient that it just happened to be the team who had an extra member and so needed to jettison someone's dish anyway?

[BogoGog24]

Maybe, however Santos's dish could have been bumped because of the burnt potato (in the event Sade made something edible) I wouldn't be surprised if she just really is that dense. And none of her teammates pointed it out because they knew they could just scrap her dish at the end.

[Puffaroo]

NO NO NO.  I am so done with this show.  This isn't a cooking competition; it is indescribably bad TV.  I do not watch TV for obnoxious, irritating, annoying people.  This is supposed to be about food!  Screw this show, I am OUT.

 

Unfortunately, this show is not actually about food -- there are tons of other shows (on other networks) that actually are about food.  This one is about Gordon Ramsay.

Any guesses as to how long Frank droned on and on about why he should stay?

 

No idea.  I routinely fast-forward through the nominees' delusional self-justification speeches.

[walnutqueen]

Send them all home and just make the golden retriever your new head chef, Gordon. 

[cooksdelight]

I loved when the little white dog was growling and they had his hair up as the pitchfork. My dog got a kick out of it also.

[Taeolas]

One of the producers probably duped Sade into believing they were cooking for the dogs rather than the people. There's no way anyone could be that stupid, and wasn't it convenient that it just happened to be the team who had an extra member and so needed to jettison someone's dish anyway?

 

I found it really convenient that the one person that made "dog food" (honestly it didn't look too bad for a stew basically), was also the one person that made a dish with a mis-matched protein. 

 

Sure, it was a real "coincidence" that the appies had 2 crab cakes and 2 prawn dishes to chose from; and the entries all had 2 duck, 2 lamb and 2 sea bass dishes to pick from. 

 

It's as if they aren't even trying any more.

[Rammchick]

It takes a lot for me to root against the women's team but I was, just to see the back of Sterling already. Seriously, enough. Go away! Every time he puts on that shit eating grin, I want to reach through the screen and pull his lungs out through his throat. So do I get my satisfaction? No. No one goes home. Thanks for nothing, Gordon.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Rammchick

[Uncle Benzene]

I know they do this on purpose, every. single. episode., but since it's all choreographed anyway, it boggles the mind that they always pass on the opportunity to at least have a little fun with it and have Ramsay reply to:

 

"Second nominee is... ummm... uuuuh... *deep exhale*... *deer in headlights face*... ummm..."

 

with something to the effect of:

 

"Oh, for fuck's sake, get on with it already. You already had two names before we even brought you out here. Spit it out, idiot!"

[Primetimer]

Hell's Kitchen: The continuing story of a chef who's gone to the dogs.

Read the story

[ElleryAnne]

Hell's Kitchen: The continuing story of a chef who's gone to the dogs.

 

 

That is the most perfect description of Ramsey and this show I've ever seen.

[Brattinella]

Oh, and that plate that Sade produced looked EXACTLY like Alpo Beef Stew.

[WickedTuna]

One of the producers probably duped Sade into believing they were cooking for the dogs rather than the people. There's no way anyone could be that stupid, and wasn't it convenient that it just happened to be the team who had an extra member and so needed to jettison someone's dish anyway?

i don't know which is worse...being dumb enough to be tricked into it or being dumb enough on your own to do it.

Frank really should have been sent home for mucking up the salads. There must be something up where they needed to keep the extra bodies. It's hard to imagine Ramsay rewarding them for being mediocre just out of the goodness of his heart.

I hope Sterling is the next to go. His goofy act is starting to annoy me. And it is an act right? No one is that big of a doofus

[QuelleC]

Sterling is looking at goofy in the rear view mirror and has entered stereotype land.  Since this has been discussed an episode or two ago I won't comment any further.

 

Clearly they're filling roles.  Frank is the Big Bully who doesn't like to communicate with anybody and personally dislikes Santos.  There's was one exactly like him on Top Chef.  Frank is the lazy idiot who talks a big game.  I suspect he is an actor and that he was trying to slide with the salads by realizing they were so quick to assemble he blew them off altogether until it was too late.

 

Great point about how they were judging matching proteins and Sade was the only one to make a beef stew.  I think she just heard "you're cooking for dogs" and was encouraged to do so because she really took it seriously. She's loud but I hate how the men are treating her.  They knew she was making a mistake but said nothing.  Later in service she was helping out because she wasn't going to let her team go down over the mistake of one person. 

 

Screw impatient self-important dog judge lady.  I believe Ramsay when he said a couple of times it was their best service.  At the same time Ramsay was a little over the top about it for the purpose to not send anyone home.  We only saw a couple of small errors.  I was SO HAPPY to see Frank and Sterling up there...but no.

[backformore]

Interesting - a trip to Sea World, which has received a ton of bad publicity about their treatment of dolphins, whales and the like, was featured on this show.  They're doing a ton of PR stuff to counter accusations.   BUT -  they stepped away from controversial "Sea world"  attractions, and focused on the minor side attractions featuring dogs.  

[Surrealist]

I wondered where this show had gone. I thought that maybe the producers had pulled the plug. Finally.

 

I had forgotten Sleepy Ashley was the last one to go home.

 

Sterling is . . . Sterling.

 

And really, Sade? You thought you all were going to be serving the dogs? Oh, f*ck me.

 

Color me shocked that there were no eliminations.

 

The guys were ganging up on the likes of Frank, Sterling, and I can't remember who else. They succeeded in keeping those guys on the show, but on the other team. Maybe they need to quit plotting? I find that plotting against people in those circumstances almost always backfires.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Surrealist

[mlp]

This whole episode was fake IMO.  Well, maybe not Sade's dumb decision.  I'd guess from her eyes and facial expressions that she's really not very bright.  But...........That dog show was ridiculous.  I know they didn't have time to do everything that actually happens in a real show but that version made me cringe.  And when the "judge" asked the handler if the dog was "a boy or a girl," I nearly fell off my chair. 

 

Were we to believe that Frank couldn't speed up assembling a salad?  He's actually a real cook of some kind.  Surely he can put Romaine on a plate a little faster.  I certainly can.  He didn't seem to be macerating anchovies or coddling eggs or anything.  He was just shoving piles of lettuce around.  Also, his very prolonged difficulty spitting out the name of the second nominee didn't even match the way he said it in the rehash after the commercial break.

 

I can easily understand why Sterling would drive people batty but I just can't dislike him.  I tend to think that he's one of the few who is probably a nice person in real life.  And he seems to be able to cook.

[cooksdelight]

I can easily understand why Sterling would drive people batty but I just can't dislike him. I tend to think that he's one of the few who is probably a nice person in real life. And he seems to be able to cook.

I think he's one of the few people who can cook. His over-the-top personality is part of his show, I think. And maybe he uses that to keep people happy. I don't mind him, in fact I sort of look forward to see what he'll do or say next because the rest of them are pretty boring.

[dialyn]

Have to admit that I'll watch nearly anything that has dogs (or cats) in it but the "dog show" was a joke.  Sweet dogs, though.

 And when the "judge" asked the handler if the dog was "a boy or a girl," I nearly fell off my chair. 

That stopped me too...I know it was a long-haired dog but, really, the judge couldn't tell?

 

Frankly, at first, I thought the direction was to make dog food too (okay, I'm that dumb) but I figured it out fairly quickly and I think Sade she would pick up from what the other chefs were doing that she was going in the wrong direction.  On the other hand, her beef stew didn't look all that bad to me (there are lines of dog food that are so gourmet that they actually smell and look like human food), but it was very convenient hers was the team that could exclude a dish. 

 

That burnt duck that was too "crispy" was a worse offense.  He couldn't tell without someone telling him that it was overcooked to the point of becoming charcoal?  And despite it being destroyed, he still thought it was the best dish?  Really?  Wouldn't want to eat at his restaurant.

 

I couldn't figure out what Frank was doing with that salad.  It didn't look like any Caesar salad I've had recently...just a pile of lettuce leaves.  Sterling seems to actually be able to cook if he is given enough supervision, but I wouldn't want to be the person having to work with him.  Blinding egotism mixed with over-the-top cheerfulness is not a happy combination.

 

I don't know why I keep watching. It's some bizarre habit.  More likely I just ran out of things to watch on my streaming list.

[cooksdelight]

A true expert in the dog world, such as a judge or breeder, would refer to the male as a dog, the female as a bitch. The way Gordon rants in the kitchen, I cannot see them editing that out or whatever. Most likely, more paid extras from Central Casting.

[WickedTuna]

A true expert in the dog world, such as a judge or breeder, would refer to the male as a dog, the female as a bitch. The way Gordon rants in the kitchen, I cannot see them editing that out or whatever. Most likely, more paid extras from Central Casting.

I missed that part so I don't know which judge asked that. The female judge had/has her own show along the lines of The Dog Whisperer. She's pretty no nonsense and had the dogs and owners toeing the line.

[Donny Ketchum]

Non-elimination episodes don't typically bother me as much as most, but this is one in which an elimination really should've happened.  The red team was within a whisker from winning the service, and Sterling fucks up the meat twice.  And Frank can't even do a salad well?!  In the last episode, I know I said that the two of them have been showing themselves to be stronger than they seemed at the start of the season, but this weak performance did deserve being sent home.  Either one of them.

 

Other than the cauliflower mess, it seems Roe's back to doing well in services again.

 

I don't see how Sade could've thought Ramsay meant to cook dog food.  Other than that mistake, though, it seems her addition has made the blue team a bit better.

 

Glad to see the red team at least win a challenge for the first time in weeks.  But they still have more people to dump if they hope to win more services.

 

I hope someone is eliminated next week, though.

[DocTerv]

Individuals cannot be members of the AKC. It's a "club of clubs" so it's members are local kennel clubs and each breed's parent club. This is always seems to cause all sorts of confusion when shows try to do the dog show thing.

And argh. I do know it's its not it's. Sorry. ;- )

[BogoGog24]

Maybe the dog could have been neutered, so in which case I don't think it is that obvious (if it was a neutered male, that is). Or are neutered dogs not allowed in dog shows?

[cooksdelight]

Neutered or spayed dogs are not allowed in dog shows. They are allowed in the fun-type shows where they do tricks and agility tests.

[Slakkie]

I was ready to cringe as I actually show dogs (like at Eukanuba and Westminster)  The "dog show judges" and their comments almost made me pee my pants - they totally dumbed it down for the general public.  I did think that giving BIS to the PWD was a nod to the actual real #1 dog in the country Matisse who is a Portie.  There is NO WAY a judge would not know the sex - it was a made for TV moment.

 

Getting away from the dog show (where if my beast had been would have been launching out of the ring and onto a table to judge/eat the FOOD) the episode was boring.  The highlight was the dog show and the dogs/handlers not looking like crazy people (ummm which many are!)  This show is so bad I really did not miss it during the hiatus

[Jersey Guy 87]

The narration describing Frank's utter awe at the dogs performing at SeaWorld was excellent (something along the lines of "while Frank has his mind blown by a crafty canine").  I'd say he's the dumbest one on the show except he didn't make dog food.

[Drogo]

 

I found it really convenient that the one person that made "dog food" (honestly it didn't look too bad for a stew basically)

 

Give me a few pieces of toast and I would have made quick work of the "dog food." 

 

I'm thrilled that so many dogs were able to attend with their owners.  Especially Colonel Mustard and TheGuyWho'sReallyHappyToSeeGordon. 

 

[Fosca]

I was thinking the "dog food" would be really tasty over rice. It looked tastier than some of the other food did, anyway.

I did stop watching during the faux dog show thing; I am a fan of dog shows myself (I went to one day of Westminster last year) and it was just silly.

[Puffaroo]

The female judge had/has her own show along the lines of The Dog Whisperer. She's pretty no nonsense and had the dogs and owners toeing the line.

 

I backed up my Tivo to get a closer look at her, and I don't think she was who you think she was -- her name escapes me right now, but she had a show called "It's Me or the Dog".  She had her hair styled *exactly* the same, but I'm 99% sure that wasn't her, unless she's had some major plastic surgery.  That just further reinforced the notion of actors posing as judges.  If it was really her (Victoria Stilwell, just looked her up) I suspect Gordon would have made a big deal of introducing her.

[WickedTuna]

I backed up my Tivo to get a closer look at her, and I don't think she was who you think she was -- her name escapes me right now, but she had a show called "It's Me or the Dog".  She had her hair styled *exactly* the same, but I'm 99% sure that wasn't her, unless she's had some major plastic surgery.  That just further reinforced the notion of actors posing as judges.  If it was really her (Victoria Stilwell, just looked her up) I suspect Gordon would have made a big deal of introducing her.

I wasn't 100% positive it was her so I googled it and found an article that said she was one of the judges. It also said the other two were Thomas Powers who is a member of the AKC Board of Directors and Clay Coady who is an AKC judge. I'm surprised one of those two would have to ask boy or girl.

http://www.woofipedia.com/articles/akc-teams-with-gordon-ramsay-for-hells-kitchen-episode

[Surrealist]

I think he's one of the few people who can cook. His over-the-top personality is part of his show, I think. And maybe he uses that to keep people happy. I don't mind him, in fact I sort of look forward to see what he'll do or say next because the rest of them are pretty boring.

I feel the same way. For me, Sterling is too over-the-top with his schtick for his craziness to be genuine.

He's only messed up in a couple of services, right?

He comes across as being one of the better chefs. Not that that's saying much, but still.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Surrealist