S14.E16: Winner Chosen

[cooksdelight]

The finalists prepare five dishes to be judged by renowned chefs, including Wolfgang Puck. Season finale.

[aliya]

Not going to comment on the show yet, but can anyone tell me what GR said at the very end when he was talking to the chefs? He said something that Milly agreed with and they did a high five. First time in years of watching that I couldn't understand GR.

[springtime]

Is everyone speechless (or just waiting for the West Coast to watch?) lol

[LakeGal]

I am happy with the result.  But I expected her to win for weeks now.

[mlp]

 

can anyone tell me what GR said at the very end when he was talking to the chefs? He said something that Milly agreed with and they did a high five.

 

Gordon was asking the contestants about the hardest things they did.  I'm not positive but I thought he said that the hardest thing he himself did was find a chef coat big enough for Milly.  I couldn't make out his words exactly but that was my impression for what it's worth.

 

In the end, the only people I actually liked during this season were Milly and Marino but I was rooting for T by the end.  I saw nothing that made me think Meghan should win so I figured the producers were manipulating things and she would.  I was disappointed.

[MoBee]

Not going to comment on the show yet, but can anyone tell me what GR said at the very end when he was talking to the chefs? He said something that Milly agreed with and they did a high five. First time in years of watching that I couldn't understand GR.

Hmm, I believe he said "You know what my favorite challenge?  Getting Cameron's jacket."  He goes on to quote Cameron "you intimidate me chef" and Mily says "we talk about that EVERYday." Then they give each other dap.

Cameron was eliminated in the second episode- I had to look that up but apparently he was always shaking in his boots around Chef Ramsay. & the scallops did him in.

[DropTheSoap]

Seemed like the editors were trying to make it look like T was the stronger contender throughout the episode. Maybe she was. I still thought Meghan was going to win.

 

It was good to see Christine again.

 

I liked the fact that in the scenes they showed, Meghan and T did seem to get along well and respect each other's skills. Maturity is not always apparent in the final competitors. Was not at all surprised that T picked Milly. I figured whoever had first pick would add him to her team.

[cooksdelight]

Thanks for the recaps, I will have to watch it online as my satellite dish got hit by lightning or something. At any rate, no TV until Thursday. :(

I had picked Meghan to win from the start as she is already an executive chef and prime for any job in Gordon's kingdom. I wasn't wowed by her personality, but I took into account that most good chefs are not exactly lovable. T should be proud that she made it to the finale.

[threebluestars]

I wasn't surprised Meghan won either. I think the way she led her team from early on in the season made up Chef's mind then.

 

That being said, I think he'd actually have more success with T, because she still seems very trainable. I think he could mould her into the chef he would want, whereas I think he doesn't have as much room to do that with Meghan. 

[Calamity Jane]

What a good feeling - would have equally as happy with either as winner.  And how gracious they were to each other!  I really think Ramsay should also employ T, she is also awesome.  She and Meghan were head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.  Every season I think this show is on its very last legs, and I'm thinking it again.  If so, this was a good way to go out.  I thought I heard Ramsay asking someone if he was coming back next season, though. 

[Jlina]

Thought that it was a sucker edit because Meghan said she would most certainly walk through those doors; and of course we all thought no, you won't. 

 

I really thought T had more raw ability, like when she said she would keep someone motivated even if she'd lost all hope in them; or her incredible maturity in it just wasn't my time yet.

 

Meghan looks a LOT like all Gordon's other lil blonde chefs, and I wondered if this played into the pick.  For me personally, the way she was all over the kitchen almost cooking for them was not running the kitchen, per se,  and screaming I can't serve that would certainly only get her payback from whomever she was yelling at in the kitchen by sabotage.  But then, that sounded a lot like Gordon's yelling, so maybe that in his mind is the perfect way to motivate someone. 

 

T definitely seemed more resilient and less frazzled.

 

I'd be tempted to throw hot oil in Meghan's direction and walk out.  Sad for T, and hope she keeps going with her career!

[mertensia]

How boring. It goes to Meghan. Boring.

[Kip Hackman]

I would guess that most viewers figured that Meghan would win a long time ago. T got the "good edit" last night, just to throw everyone off. Typical HK.

[Eolivet]

Wow, wow, wow, as Ramsay would say.

 

After years of "good vs. evil" or "winner vs. goat" finales, this was such a refreshing change of pace. Like others, I suspected Meghan would win due to her combination of great cooking skills and good leadership skills, but man, T ran the pass at final dinner service maybe better than any contestant in the finale I've ever seen. Juggling incompetent people off stations, giving clear direction, specifying who led the station without (from the looks of it) much direction from Ramsay at all. T is a born leader, and while I'm sure Meghan's superior cooking skills pushed her over the top, Ramsay had as tough a decision as I've ever seen.

 

It's especially interesting, because I don't recall T being that much of a leader when Meghan was exiled to the blue kitchen, but T was still dealing with a lot of personalities and drama then. I loved how close it appeared Meghan and T became, and I'd like to think each woman improved due to being challenged by the other. Good leaders beget good leaders, that sort of thing. I also loved what T said when she lost -- that it was just about the door not being ready to open for her yet. I'd say it was scripted, except that it was far more insightful than anything these producers ever could write.

 

Congrats, Meghan! And good luck, T -- I hope that door opens for you very soon.

 

Here's hoping the next season (in...about a month and a half, right?) is as good as this finale was.

[ari333]

Meghan looked like she was smelling farts while that team choosing was going on. Yikes. The smirking and eyerolling were cringeworthy. Way to make your team feel special.

T's gf is hot.

[cooker30]

I may be going aginst the grain a little but I really enjoyed this ep. I got the result I wanted but since I wanted Meghan to win only slightly more than T, I would have still been happy had it gone the other way. I liked that we were guaranteed a skilled winner who liked and respected the other. They both seem to be mature women who kick ass at what they do and handle themselves professionally. I hope that the win works out for Meghan and that it helps get her to where she wants to eventually be in hrr career. I also hope the exposure T got from the show opens up a world of opportunities for her and that she lands her dream job.

I loved, loved, loved seeing Christina again because she is my all-time favorite chef from HK, let alone winner. Is she still working for Gordan in an actual head chef position? If so it would seem she took advantage of her win a initial "head chef" job. And on a shallow note she was damn sexy in those glasses;)

I assumed that Milly would be the first pick and deservedly so but was a bit surprised Michelle was 2nd. It was nice to see her get the respect that I suspect she deserves. I wouldn't be surprised if Michelle ends up having the most sucsessful real world career over the next 10 or 20 years. Allison was solid as usual but Josh surprised me with a good performance. Randy shouldn't have been brought back but I think the idea is probably to bring back some weaker ones to see how final 2 handle them. It helped Meghan that she only had 1 weak one while T had Adam and the blonde one (can't remember her name.) T should have taken Josh but was very smart in snagging Nick since he ended up being really strong. Plus she was smart in how she handled the weaker 2.

I am always hesitant to think I know whst these people based on their edit but I'm going to venture there anyway. I came away thinking that Meghan needed the win a bit more than T. It seems like Meghan is very work driven and a personal life is a very distance 2nd. Meanwhile T appears to have a good family life to go with her career. I think T probably went home after the final and got a lot of support at home that made it easier to regroup and move foward. If Meghan had lost I suspect she would have felt way more lost and empty.

On a final note, what cracked me up the most was that the more Michelle drank the more she was hugging on Meghan. One more drink and Meghan could have gotten lucky:) I say that jokingly of course.

[ari333]

I didnt know that I cared who won, but when T's door did not open.... I felt sad.

[riverheightsnancy]

Meghan was solid from the beginning, but I wanted T. Also, T's girlfriend is so purdy. I am sure that T's performance on the show will open a multitude of doors for her. 

[Donny Ketchum]

T's daughter, Tamara, looked so sad when her mom didn't win. :(

 

This episode was definitely enjoyable, and it was good to see Christina.  I liked the challenge, and I liked having everyone back.  Though I also liked the lingering shots on Josh, Randy, and Christine.  It was as though the editors were reminding us what nightmares they were in the kitchen.  T and Meghan clearly didn't want any of them on their teams.  I actually thought Josh was going to get the last pick, but wasn't surprised that it was Randy.

 

T definitely seemed like the better leader, juggling people from station to station where needed.  Meghan . . . I don't know how she dealt with everything.  But I thought T would win since she seemed like the better leader.  But I'm okay with Meghan, too.

 

Not a great season, but the breath of fresh air that was this season's F2 (and hell, even the F4) at least made for a good payoff.

[Puffaroo]

BUMMED.

[AZChristian]

Christina was recently promoted from head chef at Gordon Ramsay's BurGR in Las Vegas to a high executive position running all of the GR restaurants worldwide. http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/may/05/photos-gordon-ramsay-promotes-christina-wilson-new/

[EarlGreyTea]

God dammit. That's the first time I'm wrong in choosing the winner after five seasons in a row (well, okay, okay, I was wrong about Will in S09 too). I'm peeved. I really liked T. Meghan is one of the most unlikeable winners to come along in some time (IMO).

 

All in all a close race. You can usually tell who the goat is, but not this time. I liked how Meghan and T really seemed to bond over the finals. Also, isn't it telling that Christina is the only past winner to consistently appear and dispense advice? She was one of my favorite contestants ever, and it's clear Gordon likes her a lot too. I'm glad it all worked out for her.

 

I like it when they show Gordon's family. I kind of like that Tilly is the heir apparent to the Ramsay chef empire, not his son. I feel like you often see sons follow fathers into the family business, so it's kind of refreshing. And, this is neither here nor there, but all I can think of when I see Tana Ramsay is how gorgeous she is and how Ramsay carried on with a mistress for many years who later went public when he dumped her.

 

I shut it off right when Meghan won, so I kind of hope I missed the part when Gordon offered T some other job in his restaurants a la Sade from a season or two ago.

Edited June 11, 2015 by EarlGreyTea

[allthatglitters]

I didn't mind Meghan's personality. That's just  how she rolls. She's probably learned a lot about how she communicates through the show. I think deep down she's a warm person. I liked her quiet wit. IMO she could've been even more mean.  She had a little too much patience with Randy. I think its funny she wanted to be seen as a "badass", as I don't think she's nearly as bitchy as she thinks she is. But she looked to be the overall best qualified if you look at the whole season.

 

But if its being based on this one finale, and taking the editing of the show with a grain of salt, T looked to be the most emotionally together, the most in charge of her team. Shes a raw talent, and she'll go as far as she wants in the industry. I thought she improved throughout the show while putting up surprisingly good dishes. Maybe Gordon thought she was just not quite ready to be put in charge so soon.

[cooksdelight]

We've had 16 seasons now, I think it's time for Gordon to bring back all the runners-up (or those close to winning) for a redemption team face-off.

[joeyjoey]

Christina was recently promoted from head chef at Gordon Ramsay's BurGR in Las Vegas to a high executive position running all of the GR restaurants worldwide. http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/may/05/photos-gordon-ramsay-promotes-christina-wilson-new/

I thought that was Andi's job.

 

Edit:  Andi is Executive US Group Chef – Gordon Ramsay Holdings.  Holdings is everything he owns restaurants, tv shows, etc.  I did see her on Masterchef behind the scenes and she was in the credits of Kitchen Nightmares.  I guess he needed someone to run the restaurant portion.

Edited June 11, 2015 by joeyjoey

[Jersey Guy 87]

Not a great season, but the breath of fresh air that was this season's F2 (and hell, even the F4) at least made for a good payoff.

 

It's easy to forget some of the stuff that goes on early in the season (for example, was Adam really on this season?  I have no recollection of him) so the memory of the season is usually heavily biased by the people left when they get to black jackets.  And I think the final four this year was probably as strong a final four as they've had.  Milly looked like a contender for most of the season and Michelle had some good skills (although she's a little immature for the supposed prize position).  Meghan, T and Milly all seemed to have respect for each other (and Meghan seemed to respect Michelle as well, although I'm not sure the others did) and Meghan and T seemed to get along really well going into the final service.  Hopefully TPTB will realize that a competitive reality show can be good without having the contestants insulting each other every time they open their mouths, although I have little hope of that happening.

 

I thought Meghan was stronger overall for the season so I'm okay with her winning but I would not have been surprised if T had won and she would have been worthy as well.

[Charlesman]

Meghan's win was pretty obvious all season long.

 

But poor girl never won a challenge, did she? Even head-to-head vs. T for first pick of the brigades, she lost by one. Other than the final walk through the door, she lost every other competition, right?

[Jersey Guy 87]

But poor girl never won a challenge, did she? Even head-to-head vs. T for first pick of the brigades, she lost by one. Other than the final walk through the door, she lost every other competition, right?

 

She won the week before and chose to take T to go parasailing with her.  T never won an individual challenge, only team challenges.

[Kip Hackman]

I enjoyed this season, but I'm glad HK isn't on the fall schedule. They needed to take a break. Three seasons over the course of a year is too much.

[OnceSane]

I hope T gets a lot of opportunities from this. She was a great and mature contestant (almost unheard of for this show these days).

[Kromm]

I am happy with the result.  But I expected her to win for weeks now.

Frankly this was one of those seasons where the winner seems fairly clear since Week 1.  Even the few criticisms Meghan got (implying she was a harsh critic) aren't necessarily weaknesses for a Chef, and you could also see she didn't ever personalize it (despite the show always trying to draw people out in confessionals).  She's a strong cook, organized, and authoritative.  In other words an actual experienced Exec/Head Chef who's only gaining a bigger restaurant vs. some line cook or cooking student or somesuch they'd have to train up a hell of a lot.

[EarlGreyTea]

We've had 16 seasons now, I think it's time for Gordon to bring back all the runners-up (or those close to winning) for a redemption team face-off.

I say no dice, but only because you know they'd bring back Elise for top drama potential.

[Kromm]

Very likely the logistics of that are nightmarish.  A lot of people who don't succeed in chef jobs quit after a few years of failure, for example, so many might not still be working chefs.  Also the cast would probably wind up too uniformly old and lacking the cannon fodder they insist they have so Ramsay can have people to yell at. 

[niklj]

Congrats to Meghan! It looked like T had the momentum behind her by the finale, just like Nick Fradiani eventually overtook Clark Beckham in American Idol when Clark had frontrunner status since the beginning. But that was some good editing because I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Meghan has been impressive throughout and based on how little they showed her working at the pass in previous episodes compared to the others, I just have to surmise that she was so competent that she gave very little extraordinary mess-up footage for the editors. It was basically "Meghan go to the pass, Meghan good job get off the pass." This episode they showed more "mess-ups" than usual but those mistakes were really very small.

 

My favorite winner since Christina M. rocked it in Season 4. And I wouldn't mind seeing Michelle come back a little more mature, I think she would do great.

 

Also, how did T pick such a poor team when she had first pick??

[Donny Ketchum]

I see why they only bring back those eliminated from F10 and on to help with the final service.  But why don't they ever bring back those eliminated sooner than that to at least see the coronation of the winner?  Yeah, they brought Adam, Christine, Randy, Alison, Josh, Nick, Milly, and Michelle back to help T and Meghan, which was nice.  But why not bring back Chrissa, Cameron, Michael, Mieka, Monique, Brendan, Sarah, and Bret to see who wins?  I suppose Bret still might've been too injured, but the other seven?  Why not any of them?