S14.E04: 15 Chefs Compete

[cooksdelight]

The teams present traditional American dishes to celebrity judges.

[BogoGog24]

I never understand why the contestants attempt to nominate people based on reasons other than what Chef Ramsay tells them to do. "Choose 2 members you don't want on your team/you'd be better off without." "Let's choose Sarah because we know he won't eliminate her over Monique!" Stupid. Their nominations mean nothing, since Ramsay can eliminate all of them if he chooses to (I wish that would happen one time).

 

Megan seems like the frontrunner at this point.

[cooksdelight]

That was the dumbest thing the women could have done. Who's idea was that?

[pnina]

They are all losers, men and women.  Yeah, whose idea was it to nominate Sarah thinking it would make Monique a shoo-in to be kicked-off?  For some reason, I think it was T and Alison. Of course they couldn't get rid of Monique yet, they would lose too much "drama" on the women's side. Because of editing, we don't see how many entrees are ordered and sent out correctly.  I'm wondering why the women ran out of steaks since they didn't show that many being over/under-cooked?  So when Ramsey closed the red side down does that mean that all those families at the red tables were just out of luck?  I can't imagine GR allowing the kids to not have their dinners.

[cooksdelight]

No, Gordon said he was going to refire the burger(s) so I am sure the kids were fed.

[ElleryAnne]

Did Ramsay even wait for the service to be over before telling the women to pick two people for elimination?  I thought the blue team was still in the kitchen working - or maybe eating at the time-out table - when he shooed the women out and then stopped them on the stairs and told them to choose their eliminees.  Seemed like he jumped the gun on that one, since last week he sent the red team out of the kitchen and then ended up sending the blue team out too and then eliminating one of the men. Or maybe he just felt it was time to balance the teams' numbers a bit, and it wasn't going to matter how things went during the service.

 

Sarah did so well on the earlier challenge with the spaghetti, then it turns out she can't cook a hamburger?  

 

Bret's risotto didn't look very good, even after GR said it was.  It looked too runny.  Also, Bret's an ass.

 

The pre-commercial graphics of the eye and teardrop was weird and kinda creepy.

[WickedTuna]

The pre-commercial graphics of the eye and teardrop was weird and kinda creepy.

I thought so too. It seemed serial killer-ish.

I don't think Bret is going to last much longer. It could be an act but he seems mental. After the men lost the challenge he looked like some cartoon character who shakes and their heads spin right before they blow up.

I dIdn't think any of the challenge dishes looked that good. Especially Alison's but she seems like a good cook so I thought she was going to pull it off. Oh well. Not everything is going to be a winner.

I wish T would pull it back a notch. I think she's one of the better ones but I don't like how she acts so pushy.

[blubld43]

I don't think Bret is going to last much longer. It could be an act but he seems mental. After the men lost the challenge he looked like some cartoon character who shakes and their heads spin right before they blow up.

 

I think Bret is doing his version of Gordon Ramsey, just not doing it very well.  Then he screws up during dinner service, I was surprised he didn't completely melt down on the spot.

[OlfinBedwere]

I can see Bret turning out like S12's Anton. His rougher personality may help control the kitchen in these early stages when there's no obvious leader on the team, but as the weaker chefs get eliminated and the stronger ones come into their own, that abrasiveness will become arrogance, he'll clash with his team-mates (and possibly even Ramsay) and eventually get kicked out.

 

As for the elimination, sad, but not at all surprising. I knew Mieka was doomed the minute she started walking around the kitchen with that pan of steaks and asking her team-mates "Is this cooked properly?"

[mertensia]

While I can understand why they wanted to keep Mieka over Monique, yeah this is the wrong show for that.

Was that really Mac and cheese in a hamburger bun?

[cooksdelight]

Was that really Mac and cheese in a hamburger bun?

Unfortunately, yes.

[mertensia]

Oh dear I was afraid of that. "Now serving Mac and cheese in a bun! The perfect meal for diabetics you want dead!"

[Julia]

Mieka has been weak since day one, and there have been a few times I would have been fine with her going home. This was one of them. I'm kind of embarrassed for T that she took part in driving that foolishness. Alison, on the other hand, probably needs to do this kind of thing to get ahead, but if she's going to be the designated eyerolling contestant who lampshades the team's contempt for their target of the week she really ought to wash her face. She looked like she was miming Pagliacci while Monique was talking.

 

Also, my respect for the IQs of anyone on that team who thought that Ramsay wasn't going to ask and Monique wasn't going to tell just took a deep dive.

 

ETA: I could see serving mac and cheese in a sourdough bowl. I wouldn't eat it, but I can imagine someone serving it.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Julia

[biakbiak]

There actually was a period of time where grilled Mac and cheese sandwiches were a bit of a trend, I have had one that was delicious but that didn't look to be well-executed, though I was surprised they described it as being novel for novels sake.

[Kip Hackman]

"Let's choose Sarah because we know he won't eliminate her over Monique!" Stupid.

 

It's as if they've never seen the show.

[BusyOctober]

 

It's as if they've never seen the show.

Or cooked a burger.  Or a risotto...scallop...steak...pasta.  Or been in a kitchen. 

 

Personally I think Meika is waaay in over her head and looks like she wants to tap out.  And I can't imagine why Monique - who served Ramsey boxed spaghetti and tomato sauce from a JAR on Day 1 - is still on this show.  She hasn't done anything to show she knows what she's doing.

 

 

 

 

[Charlesman]

It's as if they've never seen the show.

 

And apparently Monique has never seen the show either. Her trash-talking before the inevitable trademarked "Back in line!" fake-out was laugh-out-loud funny. How does she fall for that?

[Surrealist]

When I watched this episode late last night, I had been expecting Bret to have a meltdown. Did I miss out on it? He swore a bunch of times, but that's every episode of HK.

 

I couldn't believe how stupid the women were for putting Sarah up for elimination. I'm glad that Gordon knew better to call out Mieka instead. Not that I think Monique shouldn't be eliminated. When is Alison going to get thrown out for the scary eye makeup?

 

Oh yeah. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who picked up on Alison's mac & cheese. I'm sorry, maybe I'm a mac & cheese purist, but I don't want a bun or bread bowl anywhere near mine. I'm sure others don't mind, but I gave major side eye to Alison when she pulled that stunt.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Surrealist

[cooksdelight]

And apparently Monique has never seen the show either. Her trash-talking before the inevitable trademarked "Back in line!" fake-out was laugh-out-loud funny. How does she fall for that?

I'd hazard a guess that she's not coloring with a full box of crayons.

[nottopbravo]

Some shallow observations (this show doesn't rate much more): 

 

Is Allison trying out for the new Spider-Woman movie?  Those eyes.

 

Every time I see Brett I keep thinking of Pepper from American Horror Story. 

 

Chef Andi seems like a nice person, but I wish she'd take that giant stick out of her ass. 

 

I thought the graphics department was taking a break this week, until I saw the HK teardrop.

Edited March 26, 2015 by nottopbravo

[Yeldarbe]

The flaw in their plan was announcing it in front of Monique! Dumb plan to start with, but come on! strategy 101.

[cooksdelight]

Is it me, or has Allison developed an accent? I don't remember her having one when the show started.

[Donny Ketchum]

I think the women's strategy failed the moment Monique exposed it to Ramsay.  I had a feeling it'd fail, anyway, but I was expecting Sarah to get eliminated, not Mieka.

 

That said, Mieka's no real loss to the women, anyway.  They lost entirely because of her and Monique, and she's been pretty weak up until now, anyway.  So despite Monique not going home as the women wanted, they're still better off losing Mieka, anyway.

 

Monique is not gonna last much longer, though.  The only other one I could see who could get tossed before her is Christine.

 

Other than Randy and Milly, I don't see any real contenders from the men.  Bret's status as a contender pretty much evaporated this week, Josh is a virtual non-entity, and I only found out there was an Adam there this week.

 

Meghan, T, Alison, and Sarah still probably remain the best for the women.  Christine and Monique (especially the latter) should be gone soon.

[mertensia]

Allison's accent has come and gone. I jtced it briefly mast week and then last night it came and went again. My guess is she's trying yo get rid of it but sometimes it slips out.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Allison's accent has come and gone. I jtced it briefly mast week and then last night it came and went again. My guess is she's trying yo get rid of it but sometimes it slips out.

 

I've got the opposite feeling - she's trying out the accent to be more of a character (to go along with her eyes) but doesn't use it with any consistency.

[cooksdelight]

Thanks, I'm glad I wasn't imagining things. Now we have something else goofy to watch.

[ElleryAnne]

Is it me, or has Allison developed an accent? I don't remember her having one when the show started.

 

 

She has a Jamaican accent, but it's not a very strong one.

[Surrealist]

I think the women's strategy failed the moment Monique exposed it to Ramsay.  I had a feeling it'd fail, anyway, but I was expecting Sarah to get eliminated, not Mieka.

 

I was thinking the same thing: that Gordon would eliminate Sarah just to stick it to them for using that "strategy."

 

And thank you everyone else! I wondered when Alison picked up an accent . . .

 

I hadn't notice it before. I should pay closer attention, maybe?  ;-)

[queenanne]

I think Sarah's a front runner even despite the burger brouhaha, otherwise I too would have worried about her elimination in a "Gotcha!!!"  I mean she made kitchen sink pasta (?), that everyone loved.  Tall, pretty, but not afraid to look goofy instead of "thinks wonders who she is" snotty, that's at least got high TV-Q.

[Surrealist]

I think Sarah's a front runner even despite the burger brouhaha, otherwise I too would have worried about her elimination in a "Gotcha!!!" I mean she made kitchen sink pasta (?), that everyone loved. Tall, pretty, but not afraid to look goofy instead of "thinks wonders who she is" snotty, that's at least got high TV-Q.

I agree. Sarah's one of the better chefs, so it's likely she'll be around until the Finale.

Even though her burger looked like a dog's dinner.

[OlfinBedwere]

And thank you everyone else! I wondered when Alison picked up an accent . . .

 

I hadn't notice it before. I should pay closer attention, maybe?  ;-)

 

I noticed it back in the first episode, where she tended to lapse into a more noticeable Jamaican accent when she was annoyed at someone, usually Monique - who, as I recall, actually went on a little rant about Alison's "stupid accent" last week.

[Jersey Guy 87]

I hadn't notice it before. I should pay closer attention, maybe?  ;-)

 

Her accent's not that interesting, there's no reason to go crazy and actually study this show.

[Eolivet]

I've always seen the "pick two nominees" as a way for Ramsay to test who he perceives are the team leaders. He's going to send home who he wants anyway, but he wants to see if there are rational, thinking people who would do the best thing (and encourage others to do so as well) for the team. Since he's looking for a "leader" in the kitchen, these nomination ceremonies are as good a test of good leadership as anything (in my opinion, a better test than "spot the totally different fish I just cooked for you at the pass!").

 

I find it interesting that the women have won the majority of individual or pair-based challenges, but the split on losing dinner service is about 50/50. If you believe the show isn't fixed in that respect, it proves the women are talented individually, but cannot work together as a group (whereas the men are both untalented and not cohesive).

 

Finally, it is my opinion that any man who calls a group of women "girls" has a package size roughly equal to one of a boy.

[ElleryAnne]

If you believe the show isn't fixed in that respect, it proves the women are talented individually, but cannot work together as a group (whereas the men are both untalented and not cohesive).

 

 

There've been a couple of times this season that I thought it was ridiculous that Ramsay sent the women out of the kitchen - especially given how much longer he's let the men continue when they were doing as badly or worse.  But then, I DO think that either it's fixed (with the sous chefs amping up the sabotage to make one team look worse) or Ramsay's just being arbitrary. Or both.  I think that this season has several women who seem to be talented and would probably work together just fine if the show didn't demand DRAMA all the time.  Whereas on the men's side, I've only seen about two (Milly and maybe Randy) that have shown steady competence, and in Milly's case he seems to be someone who helps and looks out for his fellow contestants enough that it might backfire on him.  (Of course, any episode may prove me wrong and target them with the kitchen sabotage.)

 

 

I think Sarah's a front runner even despite the burger brouhaha

 

 

 

I agree.  I've been noting since Week 1 that she's been getting a lot of camera time, and she gets a positive edit in general.  And I think she knows she's doing well, because she looked shocked when she thought she was going home. (Not the usual reaction from the eliminees, who tend to look more resigned.)  

[Julia]

I wonder. It seems as if Ramsay's pruning the deadwood from the woman's team a lot faster than he is the men's. Moving forward, the men as a whole are getting increasingly badly outclassed in the kitchen. If I had to guess, I'd say he was giving the woman a far better shot in the future.

[WickedTuna]

Even though her burger looked like a dog's dinner.

That was pretty gross. I thought it looked delicious until Ramsay started poking at it and showed the inside. Now I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat a hamburger again.

I thought I detected an accent for Allison early on and then it seemed to disappear. I thought maybe I was hearing things until I noticed it again last night.

[Surrealist]

I noticed it back in the first episode, where she tended to lapse into a more noticeable Jamaican accent when she was annoyed at someone, usually Monique - who, as I recall, actually went on a little rant about Alison's "stupid accent" last week.

Hahahaha. I didn't even pick up on it until this week's episode.

Bizarre.

Maybe I could try to get on the show? I can do a number of accents. I have mediocre culinary skills, so I'd fit right in.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Surrealist

[cooksdelight]

At this point, keeping a scorecard of Allison's accent coming and going could get interesting. We could start a pool, or a flowchart....something? :)

[Surrealist]

Am I the only viewer who expected Gordon to show up wearing a Speedo when he was on the speed boat?

[Donny Ketchum]

There've been a couple of times this season that I thought it was ridiculous that Ramsay sent the women out of the kitchen - especially given how much longer he's let the men continue when they were doing as badly or worse.  But then, I DO think that either it's fixed (with the sous chefs amping up the sabotage to make one team look worse) or Ramsay's just being arbitrary. Or both.

I absolutely think Ramsay's just trying to keep the man/woman count as even as possible, at least in the early goings.  So even when one team is clearly trouncing the other, he might still let the clearly inferior team win every now and then to make sure he can keep the numbers close.  Of course, last season seemed to be an exception when he kept having the women lose at one point before he finally started sending a lot of men packing right after that.  But other than that, I've seen the numbers stay almost completely equal leading up to the black jackets.