S14.E07: 12 Chefs Compete

[cooksdelight]

 

A Greek cuisine challenge judged by chef Michael Psilakis involves smashing plates and cooking delicious food. Later, one team is kicked out of the kitchen, leaving the other team to cover their orders.

 

[Janimo]

No one else has replied yet?? I'll keep my comments to myself then, in case folks haven't seen the ep.

[cooksdelight]

I'll say that I think the right person went home. French-trained or not.

Could the reward have been more tailor-made for the winning team....or what? I'm so jaded by this show anymore, and the back and forth, one point separates them spiel.

[pnina]

I clicked in about 10-15 minutes ago and saw no comments so..... does this mean the show has finally jumped the shark?  Everything is so predictable.  Yawn!   Both Sarah and Christine should have been eliminated.  Has Meaghan actually done any cooking or does she just stand at people's stations and shout. I find her more irritating than showing leadership potential. 

 

[cooksdelight]

Meghan is an executive chef. She's already (supposedly) at the level that Ramsay is looking for.

[ElleryAnne]

So the previews from last week that made it look like one of the chefs would get crazy/violent turned out to be...nothing.  The plate-breaking was only part of a cooking challenge.  Is anyone surprised?  

 

Heh, Bret thinks he has a "phenomenal" chance to win.  

 

And Sarah thinks the rest of the team should help her find electrical outlets when she can't locate them herself.  She has trouble with the most unexpected things.

 

 

Could the reward have been more tailor-made for the winning team....or what? I'm so jaded by this show anymore, and the back and forth, one point separates them spiel.

 

 

Totally agree.  When Ramsey was deciding how many points to give the last couple of chefs, I swear it looked like he was doing the math in his head to make sure the right team won.  

 

 

Are they doing more recycling than usual of the pre-commercial graphics this season, or am I imagining it?  I know that creepy teardrop was used a couple of weeks ago, and I think the meat cleaver one was, as well.

[Such A Flirt]

Glad Sarah's gone. "Whaaa, nobody likes me!" Huh, it's not about being liked, it's about cooking. She was like a headless chicken in there.

 

Christine deserved to go too and will surely soon follow. Team Meghan all the way!

 

And yeah, I doubt the ladies would have gotten go-karting with Miss California as a reward.

[Eolivet]

I hope Josh almost winning, but then being sidelined by ogling yet another woman is a metaphor for his demise. Sadly, I fear he's here for a while if he got the patented Ramsay "Wake up!" pep talk.

 

For some weird reason, I don't think it's entirely production shenanigans that the blue team are genuinely better working together as line cooks than the red team, but the red team have better palates/are better chefs. Maybe because it's so lopsided, it seems more obvious -- but to me, it's apparent that for either team to win at the thing they can't do, they need production shenanigans/sabotage ("win by a point" individual challenges are as fixed as Ramsay "suddenly" deciding to throw a team out during dinner service).

 

Red team can make "great" food, but can't work together. Blue team can work together, but can't make "great" food. I wonder if that's foreshadowing for the finale: good palate vs. good leader/team player. And if it will be Red vs. Blue again. It almost has to be.

[Rammchick]

Sarah struck me as the pretty girl who gets away with being clueless because of it. And then, when things don't go her way, she assumes her teammates hate her. Seriously, she was bent out of shape because no one helped her find an outlet? Maybe they were simply tired of her shtick.

[Julia]

I feel a little bad for the cannon fodder on this show. She's a culinary school instructor in her twenties without line experience. Not only is she probably one of the best cooks she knows, she has no way of knowing what essential skills she's missing.

You know who does know, though? Whoever casts this farce. And they told her she was good enough to compete. Which was obviously a bad joke, but she was the butt of it.

[MrHufflepuff]

To the tune of "Who Put the Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)":

 

Who put the cream in the mash potatoes?

Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong?

Who put the cream in the mash potatoes?

Who put the dip in the dip da dip da dip?

 

Who was that man?

I'd like to yell at him.

He made the kitchen

Come to a stop.

[backformore]

Was it just me, or did Allison have a bruise under her eye that wasn't there in prior episodes? 

[OlfinBedwere]

Totally agree.  When Ramsey was deciding how many points to give the last couple of chefs, I swear it looked like he was doing the math in his head to make sure the right team won.  

 

Except that it was the other chef that gave out the final set of points. If he'd given a 1, it would have caused the women to win. That said, I'm pretty sure they've had go-karting as a reward for the women's team in the past. I'm guessing they probably had some other celebrity booked to attend had the women won.

 

Thought that Christine would go before Sarah, but Sarah's really imploded in the last couple of services. Also surprised at how badly Alison did, as she's been one of the most consistent ones so far. Hopefully only a temporary glitch.

 

And Milly? Yeah, Meghan's totally better than you. Deal with it.

[mertensia]

Oh God. Meaghan and her permanent bitch-face. Go away already.

I would have appreciated your jettisoning both Sarah and Christine, Gordon. Why can't you make me happy?

Greek food. I love Greek food.

[Donny Ketchum]

Meghan's alleged "bitchface" can be annoying, but at least she backs it up with good cooking.

 

Honestly, I was shocked that Alison messed up with the lobster.  Granted, that was her only slip-up, so I hope she calms it down and gets back on track next week.

 

When the women lost, it was obvious that Sarah and Christine both had to go up.  Alison screwed up, too, but she didn't deserve to be on the chopping block.  I thought Sarah might pull off another reprieve when she said she'd work better with the men.  (Though I kinda liked Bret's "hell no!" face when she said that.)  But Ramsay saw that she was no longer worth the effort, and thank goodness that he did.

 

Sorry, Sarah.  Your team didn't like you, but that was your fault, not theirs.  You couldn't cook for jack shit and rightfully paid for it.  French training be damned.

 

But yeah, Christine should've gone with her.  She messed up something as simple as garnish repeatedly.  How do you mess that up?  She'll be going home soon, I think, and we'll have a solid enough women's team of Meghan, Michelle, T, and Alison.

 

Randy and Milly remain the only truly competent men.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[BogoGog24]

Perhaps the reason this thread is less active is because BRAVO has moved The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to 8 on Tuesdays, so maybe more people are watching that and just DVR HK. I don't have DVR so I just watch the Housewives live and then find HK on YouTube the next day.

[Jersey Guy 87]

And Milly? Yeah, Meghan's totally better than you. Deal with it.

 

No kidding.  It's not even close that I can see. Meghan can cook better and she can run a kitchen better.

 

I thought Ramsey was going to send Sarah to the men's team for just a little bit, and I loved watching the men squirm when he started hinting at it.  There was a definite look of relief on their faces when he sent her home instead of to the other team.

[cooksdelight]

If any switching goes on, the men will be moved to the women's team since the numbers are uneven.

[Totale]

Meghan is an executive chef. She's already (supposedly) at the level that Ramsay is looking for.

 

So (supposedly) is Milly, and he was moaning about having enough experience.  Of course, he might have been put on the spot and couldn't really say what was bothering him (like "Jeezum Pete, I can't believe I signed up for this total bullshit") and had to come up with something quick.

 

When the women lost, it was obvious that Sarah and Christine both had to go up.  Alison screwed up, too, but she didn't deserve to be on the chopping.  I thought Sarah might pull off another reprieve when she said she'd work better than the men.  (Though I kinda liked Bret's "hell no!" face when she said that.) 

 

10,000 black mustard seeds says it's Bret who is the first to cross the gender line, and soon too.

[OlfinBedwere]

If someone needs to go to the red team at the end of next episode (Christine surely can't hang on much longer) chances are it'll be an outsider among the men, seeing how the women have two very clear leaders in Meghan and T. My guess is it'd be Josh, given his display at the start of last night's episode.

[Puffaroo]

No one else has replied yet?? I'll keep my comments to myself then, in case folks haven't seen the ep.

 

Anyone with any smarts would know not to come here until they've seen the show, so fire away!

[redlaces]

Alison reminds me of Amy Winehouse and I don't know why.

[Julia]

Alison reminds me of Amy Winehouse and I don't know why.

 

The exaggerated cat eye liner?

[redlaces]

That and her mouth I think. I think she strongly resembles her. Not the drugged out part though, just in general. That's about the only thing I have to contribute about this episode. This show is just boring as hell anymore. 

[nottopbravo]

Perhaps the reason this thread is less active is because BRAVO has moved The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to 8 on Tuesdays, so maybe more people are watching that and just DVR HK. I don't have DVR so I just watch the Housewives live and then find HK on YouTube the next day.

 

I have a DVR and have never watched an episode of Real Housewives (of any ilk).  I just think Hell's Kitchen is just too much of the same story, week after week. 

[Calamity Jane]

Perhaps the reason this thread is less active is because BRAVO has moved The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to 8 on Tuesdays, so maybe more people are watching that and just DVR HK. I don't have DVR so I just watch the Housewives live and then find HK on YouTube the next day.

I DVR, but honestly, it's more force of habit than anything else.  There isn't much I like on Tuesdays, and I'm just used to watching this.  I can't think of any other excuse.  It's actually become an embarrassment for me to admit to my kids that I still watch!  I'll be happy when any iteration of Top Chef comes back on the air.  (Except Best New Restaurant, which was just Colicchio, not really Top Chef.)  

[cooksdelight]

As much as I've complained about the stunts or twists that Top Chef does, this show is in need of something. It's the same thing every season. I have no idea what the ratings are so far, in comparison to other seasons, but they have to be low.

[nitrofishblue]

Perhaps the reason this thread is less active is because BRAVO has moved The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to 8 on Tuesdays, so maybe more people are watching that and just DVR HK. I don't have DVR so I just watch the Housewives live and then find HK on YouTube the next day.

Sorry, but the only show on Bravo I ever watch is Top Chef. I avoid the housewife farces. Hell's Kitchen is far better viewing than the Housewives.

Edited April 15, 2015 by nitrofishblue

[EarlGreyTea]

Finally watching the episode. Stay classy, male cheftestants, belittling the Greek dancers. You know it's because the majority of the dancers were men and so they couldn't ogle them. At least the dancers seemed to excel at what they did and you're all on a third rate cooking show (of course, I'm sitting here watching said third rate cooking show so I have no moral high ground here).

 

I find myself just wanting to hit  fast-forward to the semi-finals, but none of these inept idiots seem to be a ringer, except for T, who is still my pick for overall winner.

 

Also, I wonder if they REALLY know who these guest chef judges are. I'm guessing it's a bit like me meeting my favorite historian, but I bet a few of them are scratching their heads.

 

Also, one of the women going "hot pan, hot pan" when Ramsay was in the middle of a rant and told her to go back to the dining room was SO funny. Like a fly buzzing in GRR's ear.

Edited April 16, 2015 by EarlGreyTea

[Happytobehere]

Calling foul on the challenge where the inedible, blood-soaked food earns the two points the men will need to best the women by a single point. How does food that can't be eating get credit. Oh yeah, the producers had a prize they thought the men should have. Reminds me why I need to stop watching this crap.

[Lillybee]

Both Josh and Bret seem to me to be BSC while the women's team seems to be fairly normal.

[Zahdii]

Bret reminds me of Miguel Ferrer:

 

[Drogo]

It's like... invading... Normandy?!

No, Milly. You can't even burn, dog.

[WickedTuna]

And Sarah thinks the rest of the team should help her find electrical outlets when she can't locate them herself. She has trouble with the most unexpected things.

She does doesn't she. It's so strange.

Bret is my comic relief. I could have sworn I saw him drooling once or twice. And he's so delusional.

[Snarklepuss]

As much as I've complained about the stunts or twists that Top Chef does, this show is in need of something. It's the same thing every season. I have no idea what the ratings are so far, in comparison to other seasons, but they have to be low.

 

I agree, it needs something to rescue it from monotony, although I have to admit I would miss it if it were to go away.  This week Hell's Kitchen had a 1.3/4 rating in the 18-49 age bracket with 3.63 million viewers.  I have no idea anymore how good or bad that is, but season 13 was already down by almost 20% of its previous year's viewing audience and so far Season 14 is down another 3 percent under that.  That can't be good.

[Julia]

Well, here's a startling thought. Why don't we watch them cook? It's not as if there's a cooking franchise outside of PBS these days where the camera lingers for more than a few scant seconds on the actual food when someone isn't pointing at it and bellowing.

[OlfinBedwere]

I agree, it needs something to rescue it from monotony, although I have to admit I would miss it if it were to go away.  This week Hell's Kitchen had a 1.3/4 rating in the 18-49 age bracket with 3.63 million viewers.  I have no idea anymore how good or bad that is, but season 13 was already down by almost 20% of its previous year's viewing audience and so far Season 14 is down another 3 percent under that.  That can't be good.

 

I don't think it's too bad all things considered; the show apparently does quite well on VoD services, and doesn't cost all that much to make. I think the reason why the producers of this (and many other) reality shows never significantly change the format is because they're worried about doing something like The Apprentice: Los Angeles, which tried to reinvigorate a series that had unexceptional but still quite decent ratings, but ended up totally driving it into the ground (well, until Celebrity Apprentice came along).

[BogoGog24]

As long as they're still getting decent ratings, I don't see them changing anything. If it ain't broke and all that. A lot of shows have tried to do little twists to make things interesting, such as Idol with the lit chairs and Twitter save, and they usually don't work out.

I'm honestly surprised the show even has that many viewers. There are shows that have less that are still on.

Edit: According to the Wiki page, at the end of last season it was announced that it would be renewed up to season 16. So we have at least another 2 seasons, maybe more if they decide to renew again.

Edited April 17, 2015 by BogoGog24

[Totale]

I'm honestly surprised the show even has that many viewers. There are shows that have less that are still on.

 

 

I saw a list of ratings for all the major shows on all networks a couple of years back, and remember being surprised that while it was no 60 Minutes ratings-wise, HK decisively smoked critical favorites like Parks and Rec and Community - I mean leaving them way behind in the dust.

[potatoradio]

Yo, One Potato Two Potato....soooo entertaining to watch a bunch of buffoons ogle Miss California as she does nothing but stand and giggle (a really nails-on-chalkboard giggle, I might add). Wow. That's just the most stunning, amazing Stone Age comedy...where DO you come up with this shite?

 

On a cooking note - was the issue that too much cream was added to the mash or that cream was added at all? Cos, with all the screaming and whatnot, I couldn't even figure out what the fookin' problem was. Runny mash, yes, gross, but quite fixable. Unless you're not supposed to add cream in the first place.

 

Sometimes, I just pretend I'm watching a really bad SNL skit and that makes it better.

 

But, agree with the other poster who mentioned the repeats of the graphics. Trident appearing in a tear? Please. It actually reminds me of the York Peppermint Patty commercial, with the extreme eye close up (ew).

Edited April 20, 2015 by potatoradio

[cooksdelight]

Sometimes, I just pretend I'm watching a really bad SNL skit and that makes it better.

So do I!! I even put a funny soundtrack in my head to go along with it. Thanks, I don't feel so crazy anymore!