S13.E15: 4 Chefs Compete / Winner Chosen

[Tara Ariano]

In the Season 13 finale, four chefs remain for the "Taste It, Now Make It" challenge; and the winner gets to spend the afternoon with loved ones, while the other contestants prepare for the 200th dinner service. Later, a new head chef for Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace Atlantic City is chosen.

[Brattinella]

And... Bryant gets hosed.

[BogoGog24]

Bryant seemed to do better in the final service but La Tasha is a deserving winner. She has a calm and cool demeanor about her. It's always nice to see the people who didn't win still show support for the finalists and winner.

Also thought it was very generous of GR to still offer Sade opportunities after the show. That might even almost be better than winning.

[Kanner]

So happy. La Tasha was strong throughout and Bryant was just so unlikeable.

[Donny Ketchum]

Bryant seemed to do better in the final service

Ha!  Not even!  He was still on his appetizers by the time LaTasha had moved on to entrees!  And he took way too long to finally sack Frank!  Not even close to doing better.

 

Also, my boyfriend brought this up, and I wonder if it's true.  I wonder if Fernando was trying to sabotage LaTasha since he wasn't on Bryant's team like he wanted?

 

So happy. La Tasha was strong throughout and Bryant was just so unlikeable.

Sing it!  The proper ending this season deserved was either LaTasha or Sade winning.  And I'm glad one of them did! :)

Edited December 18, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[aliya]

What did GR say to Sade? What did he offer her?  Believe it or not, CAROLERS came to my door just as GR was choosing the finalists. Ack!

 

I'm glad LaTasha won. She seemed steady, capable, and serious about her business. 

[nb360]

 

 

Also, my boyfriend brought this up, and I wonder if it's true.  I wonder if Fernando was trying to sabotage LaTasha since he wasn't on Bryant's team like he wanted?

Well, even Gordan Ramsay said he was trying to sabotage her. And when he said it, it wasn't in the form of a question. It was said matter-of-factly.

 

I'm glad Tasha won! SHe has a bright future ahead of her and I can't wait to hear more about her.

[Crucial]

Congrats Latasha.  You were a strong and likable contestant on the show.

[mlp]

I'm happy for LaTasha.  I felt bad for Bryant because he was so intense and cared so much but I think the right person won.  Sade's biggest problem was one she really couldn't fix.  She's too young and inexperienced for an executive position.  But she's on her way.  I hope she follows up with GR and does well.

 

The person I liked best of all was Sterling despite his goofiness.  He's a nice guy and I hope he's doing very well.

[BogoGog24]

What did GR say to Sade? What did he offer her?  Believe it or not, CAROLERS came to my door just as GR was choosing the finalists. Ack!

 

I'm glad LaTasha won. She seemed steady, capable, and serious about her business. 

 

He told Sade he would contact someone in London to contact her about opportunities with the Gordon Ramsay Group. That could really mean anything or maybe it would not materialize to anything at all, but the fact alone that he offered says a lot. Maybe she could get a job as a line cook or something in one of his restaurants. 

One thing I miss about the finale is that in past seasons they used to show outtakes and funny moments from the season. They stopped doing that several seasons ago, for unexplained reasons. I always enjoyed it more than the show itself, we got to see the contestants and Gordon let loose a little and they showed they weren't angry monsters 24/7.

[OlfinBedwere]

No surprise whatsoever that La Tasha won. Heck, if anything, that was the most one-sided finale since Nona vs. Russell four years ago.

 

What is surprising is that Bryant actually seems to have matured as a person. Even as late as the last few Red/Blue team services he was still a cocky idiot, but he came across as a far more graceful and likeable character last night, even managing to be nice when telling Frank to GTFO.

[Puffaroo]

Oh, thank God.

 

There's a fine line between confident and arrogant.  LaTasha didn't cross that line; Bryant did.

 

Also, I don't quite understand why GR had such a difficult time choosing, unless it was for the fake drama -- LaTasha was never nominated, and Bryant hadn't gotten appetizers out while LaT had moved on to entrees.  It looked like a shoo-in to me.

[cooksdelight]

I'm glad LaTasha won. She's been consistent all season, and it really was no contest at the end. Best of luck to Sade, too, I hope she gets a better job out of this.

[BogoGog24]

Guess I'm the only one here but IMO while Bryant was cocky some of the time, he also had the skills to back it up (usually). He wasn't as bad as, say, Santos, who kept complaining no one would pick him, even though he was pretty bad all season. I found Santos to be far more cocky and arrogant than Bryant. Except for that random meltdown he had at Aaron, I've always liked Bryant and he's shown he has talent.

[LakeGal]

I expected LaTasha to win.  No surprise to me.  In fact I had this on as background noise and only paid half attention to the episode.

[Primetimer]

Hell's Kitchen crowns its Top Chef...uh, no, something else.

Read the story

[Totale]

Maybe LaTasha can call Ja'Nel's dealer, and get the 1/4 mil without the year of crap labor for Gordon, followed by the exec chef job in her home town that she actually wanted, the way Ja'Nel did.

[WickedTuna]

I expected LaTasha to win.  No surprise to me.  In fact I had this on as background noise and only paid half attention to the episode.

i pretty much did the same thing. I just wasn't up for 2 hours of yelling and screaming and drama. I did pay attention for the taste challege because it's one of my favorites. This season it seemed pretty easy.

I wonder why Jennifer lied about catching the mistake with the Wellingtons. Did she think none of the other chefs noticed when they were right there in the kitchen when it happened?

[Donny Ketchum]

Guess I'm the only one here but IMO while Bryant was cocky some of the time, he also had the skills to back it up (usually). He wasn't as bad as, say, Santos, who kept complaining no one would pick him, even though he was pretty bad all season. I found Santos to be far more cocky and arrogant than Bryant. Except for that random meltdown he had at Aaron, I've always liked Bryant and he's shown he has talent.

Good for you.  If the final service was any indication, though, he didn't have nearly as much as LaTasha.  Still giving me endless delight that he lost! :)

[Mama No Life]

Bryant was an ass.  Yes, less assy as he got closer to the finale, but still an ass.  LaTasha winning was the only reasonable outcome. 

 

I love seeing GR in the kitchen when he's really working and not performing dramatics for cameras.  We need more of this and less stupid challenges.

[BogoGog24]

I found the last 2 episodes to be the most interesting of the whole season. It felt like the way the show should be all the time, less dramatics and gimmicks, more cooking. Of course, the show has always had somewhat of that gimmicky, trashy reality TV feeling, but they've really gone overboard with it in the last several seasons. They've become a parody of themselves. 

 

Also, did anyone else think the "quality control test" was too obvious? I mean, if Chef Andi is handing you something, you know there's gotta be something wrong with it. Seems a little obvious. Any old-school fans remember Michael from season 1? He basically invented the quality control test. It'd be funny/less obvious to have the other contestants fuck up food instead of the sous chefs.

[Calamity Jane]

Not that it really matters, but -- the tramway up Mount San Jacinto (10, 834 ft) outside Palm Springs starts at 2,000+ feet and goes up to over 8,000 feet.  There is nothing up there but a lodge sort of restaurant and the start of hiking trails.  No palm trees, no swimming pools, no resort -- that was all back down in town.  I don't know why the editors made it look as if they were doing all that at the top of the tram ride.  It's pine forest up to the tree line, and even in the summer, the temperature can be pretty cool up there.  (My husband used to run from Idyllwild up to the tram and ride down for free because they only charged for the round trip, and I'd pick him up at the bottom.  It took me as long to drive around as it took him to run the trail up the back side of the mountain.) 

[cooksdelight]

Thank you!! I thought I had lost my mind, because I've been there and figured maybe things had changed in 10 years.

[Kromm]

And... Bryant gets hosed.

I don't think so.  He's a good cook, but only a so-so chef.  There's no strong leadership there.

 

On the non-chef front, he's also a massive dick, then again a lot of successful chefs actually are.

 

I suppose you could argue Frank was a major millstone for anyone, then again Fernando was almost as bad.  Also, Bryant got the best possible version of Sterling, where he was a superstar.  That was no sure thing.

Maybe LaTasha can call Ja'Nel's dealer, and get the 1/4 mil without the year of crap labor for Gordon, followed by the exec chef job in her home town that she actually wanted, the way Ja'Nel did.

The only commonalities between LaTasha and Ja'Nel are superficial things.  Frankly, IMO it's a bit of a disservice to LaTasha to imply she's also a druggie because of those superficial things.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Kromm

[Julia]

I totally don't get this.  Why compare LaTasha to someone from two seasons ago, who she doesn't seem much like (other than superficial stuff)?

 

Actually, I did think of Ja'Nel momentarily when I watched the finale, mostly because Bryant's odd voice, his ineffectual way of speaking to his brigade, and his weird, inappropriate affect reminded me a bit of Mary in her finale against Ja'Nel. I'm sure that was it.

 

I have to say, though, i'm kind of with the people who called it out front. Even if you grant that their skills are roughly equal (and I'm not sure I do - I was really impressed with LaTasha's combination of technical skills and intelligence about food) here's no way Ramsay has to chose between someone who's provided the WTF moments Bryant has and a composed, attractive young woman and he picks Bryant. I don't imagine most of the viewers were all that impressed by him, and the line cooks would eat him alive.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Julia

[fivestone]

I think that the right person won, but I was sad to see Sade eliminated. She had really grown on me and I can see her being a leader and commanding a kitchen at some point. The way she ran the pass would make me get right in line if I worked in her brigade!

[Totale]

The only commonalities between LaTasha and Ja'Nel are superficial things.  Frankly, IMO it's a bit of a disservice to LaTasha to imply she's also a druggie because of those superficial things.

 

This board is weak on smilies, and I admit to a perverse sense of humor.  I meant no slur against LaTasha, just inappropriately suggesting how she could apparently get out from under the worst part of winning HK, ie having to continue to deal with Gordon for another year. 

[cooksdelight]

I got it, Totale, only because I know your warped sense of humor is much like my own.

[Eolivet]

For the last few years, I've thought Ramsay chooses finalists like he's playing Survivor. He doesn't pick the two best players, but a winner and a goat, to minimize outrage against the winner. He tried to do it with Masterchef (adults, not kids) this year, but he definitely did it with Hell's Kitchen last season with Scott and that misogynist ass, Jason. So, there was just no way Bryant was going to win, not when we saw his hothead temper and cockiness.

 

I feel like the final episodes were the first time we'd even heard Bryant was married, let alone that he had a baby daughter (unlike Scott last year, where he heard it frequently). Kudos to the editors for cutting around that baby and minimizing her cuteness (even choosing a shot where she looked almost comical, with wide eyes like an Internet meme).

 

LaTasha was a very deserving winner and I'm thrilled she won, but not at all surprised given the editing. Which was a pleasant surprise, I suppose.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Eolivet

[Donny Ketchum]

For the last few years, I've thought Ramsay chooses finalists like he's playing Survivor. He doesn't pick the two best players, but a winner and a goat, to minimize outrage against the winner. He tried to do it with Masterchef (adults, not kids) this year, but he definitely did it with Hell's Kitchen last season with Scott and that misogynist ass, Jason. So, there was just no way Bryant was going to win, not when we saw his hothead temper and cockiness.

He's done that since at least HK2, actually, where it was clear that Heather was easily superior to Virginia, and again in HK3, where Rock was far and away the champion over Bonnie.  One could say it was done in HK4, as well, as Christina was much greater than Petrozza.  Didn't see HK5 through HK10, but it was clear Ja'Nel was way better than Mary in HK11.  In HK12, I actually thought Scott was gonna be Ramsay's planned goat for Joy until she quit.  Then, I didn't think either he or Jason was really all that good, but they tried to push that underdog story on us that only one or two people bought.

[Eolivet]

He's done that since at least HK2, actually, where it was clear that Heather was easily superior to Virginia, and again in HK3, where Rock was far and away the champion over Bonnie.  One could say it was done in HK4, as well, as Christina was much greater than Petrozza.  Didn't see HK5 through HK10, but it was clear Ja'Nel was way better than Mary in HK11.  In HK12, I actually thought Scott was gonna be Ramsay's planned goat for Joy until she quit.  Then, I didn't think either he or Jason was really all that good, but they tried to push that underdog story on us that only one or two people bought.

 

That's interesting, because I saw clear arguments for Virginia and Heather. Virginia had a superior palate, but Heather was a harder worker. Virginia was likely a better cook, but Heather was a better chef (in terms of running a line, etc.) I don't remember HK3 that well (though I do remember Rock, since he was such a frontrunner) but I preferred Petrozza over Christina because I thought he made better food. I feel like in the beginning, that's how Ramsay chose his F2: the palate and the leader. HK5 through 10 is mostly a string of interchangeable white dudes, whose cooking I've entirely forgotten. Nona vs. Russell was pretty one-sided, as someone mentioned above.

 

I thought Ja'Nel vs. Mary was again leader vs. palate. It was only in the season before this that I saw Goat vs. Winner. Jason wasn't superior to Scott in any way, shape or form -- though you may be right that Scott was supposed to be the superior palate goat vs. Joy's better leader of a winner and Jason wasn't supposed to sniff the final 2 (which makes much more sense than what actually happened).

 

Interestingly, this is the second consecutive season where it's Even-Tempered Finalist vs. Dude With Rage Issues. I wonder if that's an easy shortcut to indicate someone isn't a winner. And how much footage of Dudes With Rage Issues gets left on the cutting room floor.

[bluepiano]

Cooking skill and food knowledge aside, La Tasha seemed to be the only contestant this season with the maturity to take on a responsible professional position. I don't think anyone else was even close. I shudder when I think about Jen making final four. I guess there's always the possibility that these people are not like this in "real life," but from what we see, the general level of communication skills is horrendous. (Unless you consider screaming insults and obscenities to be good "communication."

 

For the past 2 or 3 seasons the show seems to be on a downward arc as far as the level of the contestants. (And it was never very high to begin with). Each season the contestants seem to get more and more unattractive. (In personality, not appearance, although they're not winning any prizes there either). I know it's too much to hope for in the world of GR, but I'd love to see them take a different tact next year and come up with a majority of contestants who are mature, reasonable, well-balanced human beings, as well as capable cooks. And let the "Hell" part of "Hell's Kitchen" come from how tough the challenges are, not from the chefs being a bunch of pathetic losers who incite GR to have apoplectic fits.

 

As for this final episode, does not anyone else think the whole Frank failure thing was a set-up? Initially we hear La Tasha saying that she wants to win the challenge just she won't have to work with Frank. Then of course he gets picked last, and of course is a disaster in the kitchen and Bryant has to give him the boot. It all seemed scripted. No doubt that Frank is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was far from the worst cook over the course of the season.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Frank was picked last because of the "chefs" they could pick from he was the worst.  Both in terms of skills and attitude.  There's always at least one person like Frank available to the finalists, the challenge is to either use a Frank successfully (hard to do) or boot him early so he doesn't drag everything down.

[Canada]

Nice to see Jen say, in front of her kids, that she 'took a bitch down'.  Really?  That's what you want to teach your kids?  Nice.

 

Glad Latasha won.  I think Bryant is a good cook, but his personality was lacking.

[BogoGog24]

If you're looking for a crop of mature, skilled cooks, HK is not the show for you. While past seasons haven't been nearly as ridiculous as they are now, the show has never been about showcasing talent. The reason why people watch is to see dumb and bad cooks get yelled at by Ramsay. If all you care about is good cooking, watch Top Chef. You'll never find that on HK.

I seem to remember seasons 5 and 6 were pretty equal. S5 was Danny vs Paula and 6 was Dave aka the One Armed Bandit and Kevin. Ok S6 it was clear Dave would win but Kevin wasn't conpletely awful. Don't remember S7 or 8. 9 was Nona vs Russell and 10 (aka worst season ever) was Christina vs Justin and I remember Justin was pretty decent.

 

Edit: Okay, nevermind, I guess S8 was Nona vs. Russell. S9 was Paul vs. Will and I think they were pretty evenly matched. I actually liked Will more. S7 was Holli vs Jay.

Edited December 24, 2014 by BogoGog24

[MsTeller]

 

 

For the past 2 or 3 seasons the show seems to be on a downward arc as far as the level of the contestants. (And it was never very high to begin with). Each season the contestants seem to get more and more unattractive. (In personality, not appearance, although they're not winning any prizes there either). I know it's too much to hope for in the world of GR, but I'd love to see them take a different tact next year and come up with a majority of contestants who are mature, reasonable, well-balanced human beings, as well as capable cooks. And let the "Hell" part of "Hell's Kitchen" come from how tough the challenges are, not from the chefs being a bunch of pathetic losers who incite GR to have apoplectic fits.

 

 

 I would imagine there are a couple of reasons for this:

1.The producers think that the more messed-up people they can recruit for the show, the more humor and drama they can mine out of them.

2. There might not be a whole lot of mature, responsible, sane chefs who actually want to put up with Ramsey or have their employers see them as "characters" on a heavily edited reality TV show.

Edited December 25, 2014 by MsTeller

[ProfCrash]

Wow I totally missed that this even aired. I guess that tells you what I think of the show now a days.