S15.E01: 18 Chefs Compete

[InDueTime]

From Zap2it:

This season's contestants head to Las Vegas where they participate in the signature dish challenge; the winners of the challenge ride on the world's tallest Ferris wheel while the losers peel 50 pounds of shrimp and 1,000 pounds of potatoes.

[xcrayon2215x]

With Alan not being nominated, I knew that Mark would be a sure goner. The women except for Vanessa are quite strong, I think that Jackie will bring lots of drama in a long run.

[Kromm]

Oh lord, this piece of shit is back. I hadn't realized.

I suppose like usual I'll watch a little, get angry, then stop.

[Kromm]

And.... credits that go even further along the "what the fuck does this have to do with cooking" road. Every year I think they can't make the credits less relevant and every year they manage to surpass the previous season in terms of the WTF factor with them.

[placate]

An amazing number of the chefs are from PA this year. Only 2 chefs in the parade? Seems like there should be more.

[Major Bigtime]

I don't know names yet but that one woman who didn't seem to know how to cook, and kept getting frustrated, will be this season's screamer. But then again, that's half the women's team. The little skinny guy with glasses won't last long either.

Love the chick who said she took up cooking when she was under house arrest, the blonde. I think Gordon was a little afraid of her.

[Surrealist]

I just finished watching the show. My friend's cousin, Mark, was the first contestant eliminated.

This will be an interesting discussion to have with her.

I thought that most of the men seemed clueless as was Vanessa. She seemed in over her head.

[mertensia]

With the way these yahoos seem to be cooking their signature dishes I could have been a frontrunner with my Sloppy Joe on rice and covered with onions recipe.

[AZChristian]

And, of course, we got our obligatory, "I'm gorgeous and I'm sexy" self-description from one of the women.  So maybe she should be on America's Next Top Model.  

 

This is a COOKING show; it doesn't matter what you look like.

 

Oh . . . and you're neither.

[Alapaki]

Did I miss something?

I thought that going into one of the commercials they teased that GR makes a discovery that it is shocking (or words to that effect) that it "has to be seen to be believed".

And then, . . . nothing.

[nitrofishblue]

How many of these "chefs" are really plants to be used as cannon fodder? Several of the "chefs" look so clueless I can't imagine them working in a kitchen even as a dishwasher. It is too early for me to remember names but that one female with the nasty looking hair definitely will be gone soon. What a waste!!! I love how the teams stress that they must work as a team then get all bent out of shape when one tries to be a leader to get the team together as a team. One chef will always say how they are there or themselves and don't want to be told what to do. That "chef" is usually gone in a short time.

[SteveAC10]

 

How many of these "chefs" are really plants to be used as cannon fodder? Several of the "chefs" look so clueless I can't imagine them working in a kitchen even as a dishwasher.

`Based on what we saw in the signature dish round, at least half of them. There was some seriously nasty looking food under those cloches.

[BogoGog24]

I am so confused right now! I didn't watch the show live last night. Instead I caught it on Hulu this morning and it seems it was a completely different cast than what you guys are describing here. The episode was marked as season 15, episode 1. The cast included a fat guy named Pat, a skinny guy with glasses that looked 12, and a guy named Matt who got up in Ramsay's face. The women had a perfect opening night and the first guy to be eliminated was Pat, not some guy named Mark. The opening sequence included them doing army challenges. I looked at Fox's website to see the cast and they are totally different than what the episode I watched had! Help! I'm seriously questioning my sanity right now. WTF?

Edit: Ok, I looked on the HK FB page where a few others had this same issue as well. Seems somebody at FOX released the wrong episode! Head over to Hulu if you want a sneak preview of season 16 haha!

Edited January 16, 2016 by BogoGog24

[backformore]

How many of these "chefs" are really plants to be used as cannon fodder? Several of the "chefs" look so clueless I can't imagine them working in a kitchen even as a dishwasher. It is too early for me to remember names but that one female with the nasty looking hair definitely will be gone soon. What a waste!!! I love how the teams stress that they must work as a team then get all bent out of shape when one tries to be a leader to get the team together as a team. One chef will always say how they are there or themselves and don't want to be told what to do. That "chef" is usually gone in a short time.

Yeah, the cooking skills of some of these "professionals" don't seem to be as good as what I saw on Master Chef Junior, from kids under the age of 13.

[Calamity Jane]

If they're going to script this show, they need to get the chefs better acting coaches.  It was painful at times. 

[Surrealist]

Did I miss something?

I thought that going into one of the commercials they teased that GR makes a discovery that it is shocking (or words to that effect) that it "has to be seen to be believed".

And then, . . . nothing.

 

You're not the only one. I kept waiting for something overwhelmingly horrible to happen so that Gordon was forced to throw out a contestant in that moment.

Then, nothing.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Surrealist

[Uncle Benzene]

No Chef Andi?!? BOOOOOOO!!!!!

[BogoGog24]

Finally caught the right episode during the re-airing tonight. I know this has always been a part of the show but I hate how the people who do badly on the signature dish challenge can still reap the reward if their team wins and the people who did well have to still do the punishment if their team loses. Why can't the people who got 3 or higher get the reward and those with a 1 or 2 have to do the punishment?

The opening credits were pretty stupid, for sure, but believe it or not next season's are even worse.

The show has become a caricature of itself, if it wasn't already. Now I just laugh at how stupid and ridiculous it is.

I think the "you have to see it to believe it" moment was the burned pizza. That's the only thing that seemed to happen right after the commercial break.

[ari333]

I felt bad for Vanessa. Just me? Alrighty then.

[Kromm]

The opening credits were pretty stupid, for sure, but believe it or not next season's are even worse.

Lord, how is that even possible?

 

Shouldn't it bother us a lot more that they've got two whole seasons of this shit done ahead of time?  They're literally cranking it out like cheap sausages. 

[backformore]

Finally caught the right episode during the re-airing tonight. I know this has always been a part of the show but I hate how the people who do badly on the signature dish challenge can still reap the reward if their team wins and the people who did well have to still do the punishment if their team loses. Why can't the people who got 3 or higher get the reward and those with a 1 or 2 have to do the punishment?

I agree. It makes no difference how an individual does, it only matters what gender you are, and how the others of your gender do. Dividing the contestants by gender is the part I hate most about this show. It would be so much better the way you propose.

[BogoGog24]

I agree. It makes no difference how an individual does, it only matters what gender you are, and how the others of your gender do. Dividing the contestants by gender is the part I hate most about this show. It would be so much better the way you propose.

Yep, the first season they were divided in no special way, just a mixture of men and women on each team. Don't see the need to divide them by gender each season. It makes for some interesting drama/fun competition, but I feel like they could mix it up in different ways besides always men vs women. Like maybe east coast vs west coast, above 35s versus under 30s? I'd almost say something like line cooks versus chefs but that would probably end up being unfair in terms of skill.

[preeya]

"I'm trying to breathe and cook at the same time" WTF?

 

Some of the "chefs" look like they are "Worst Cooks In America" rejects.

Edited January 18, 2016 by preeya

[BogoGog24]

I honestly thought/think over half of them are producer plants. Those who make the final 5 are probably the only truly competent cooks there.

It's kind of funny as Kromm pointed out how quickly they shovel out new seasons of this show because I was thinking that as long as there's still an interest (meaning people watching it) they'll probably keep going all the way to a season 20 or whatever because it's so cheap to make and I don't think filming lasts that long. But I am sort of wondering how many applicants they get anymore. There's still interest on the viewer side, but I wonder if they have to cast a lot of actors/plants now because most real chefs would never try out for this show and most of the people they pick have to be crazy and OTT so that eliminates majority of the real chefs who try out. Somebody like that Mark guy is probably a cook in real life but he didn't bring enough drama, so he was booted first. I honestly thought that Alan guy was way worse. If the red team had lost Vanessa should have been booted no question but they seem to keep the really awful ones for drama. Knowing this, I bet most serious chefs don't even consider this show, even though most of the winners, if not all, actually are really strong and skilled chefs like Christina. I wouldn't be surprised if right now they're even filming a season 17.

[Calamity Jane]

 Hell's Kitchen is like the cartoon version of Top Chef, the sit-com version of a drama, just so hard to take seriously.  I suppose I'll keep watching because I'm retired and why not, but oh my, it looks like a trainwreck so far. 

[nitrofishblue]

Well, you can at least say that this show does give us all a bunch of fantasy entertainment. The show is SO bad that it is funny. Sort of like watching those old Godzilla movies as the tonka toy army is destroyed. I really like those movies. I watched while I was babysitting. I honestly believe that Godzilla can act better than 75% of these so called "chefs".

[Canada]

This show is now way too predictable.  When Ramsey said "Kevin" at the end, I said "back in line" out loud at the same time as him, word for word.  Different season, same bunch or moronic losers.

 

And, serisously?  3 stars for cornflake-encrusted scallops on top of what looked like frozen mixed veg?  WTF?

Edited January 17, 2016 by Canada

[Totale]

The way they went on in the intro about how unstable all the losers were this year  doesn't bode well, it's like when Project Runway Klum brought up how much we all wanted to see Drah-ma a couple of years ago.  No, some of us don't.  They do have some pretty girls this year but having suffered through 1 episode without FF I must either DVR or get it otherwise so I can cut it down to the less than 1/2 hour a week it deserves.

[PepperMonkey]

I cannot believe I watched this. I'm actually thinking I had a brain infarction or something because I was excited when I saw it was on, then started watching then fell asleep and woke up just to catch the end.

 

I'm not even blaming the "chefs" they have for this season. I am so freaking tired of Gordon I'm just kind of done. I stopped watching Masterchef Jr a few weeks ago and now I can take Hell's Kitchen out of permanent rotation as well.

 

I'll probably still drop by here to read the snark, so keep up the great work!!!

[DoctorK]

 

I honestly believe that Godzilla can act better than 75% of these so called "chefs".

And he can cook better than 50% of them.

[Canada]

And he can cook better than 50% of them.

 

50%?  I think you're selling Godzilla a bit short there.

[ZoloftBlob]

Why can't the people who got 3 or higher get the reward and those with a 1 or 2 have to do the punishment?

 

Because that would suggest that its actually based on how they cook and not how much drama they bring.

 

I hate the gender crap on this show and it exists purely to allow ugly comments.

[aliya]

With the way these yahoos seem to be cooking their signature dishes I could have been a frontrunner with my Sloppy Joe on rice and covered with onions recipe.

In the million years that I've been making Sloppy Joe, it never occurred to me to put it over rice. And I put everything over rice. This sounds great. 

[mertensia]

In the million years that I've been making Sloppy Joe, it never occurred to me to put it over rice. And I put everything over rice. This sounds great.

It's my go to quick meal. I pair it with a salad to get some raw veggies. Since it's just me and my cat I figure I don't have to pretend it's haute cuisine!

[Kip Hackman]

I didn't even realize this was back on. I watch a handful of Fox shows, and I don't recall seeing one promo for HK.

[ClareWalks]

My husband likes this show a lot, so I finally introduced him to Top Chef, saying "the winner of Hell's Kitchen would be gone the FIRST WEEK in Top Chef." Looks like that's true again this year. Do they even have a single executive chef in the contest this time? One woman is 32 years old and still a line cook? I swear, they just call up former Maury Povich guests and say "can you boil water? Then you're just what we're looking for!"

[joeyjoey]

I'm used to the chefs antics; it doesn't get 'real' until half are eliminated.  I'm glad that it's just about the last show on Fox to finally go full HD.  What I can't get used to is Gordon's hair.  Is he trying to play the Fonz in a Happy Days reboot, or is there a horse running in circles asking, "WHERE'S MY A**!!?"

 

Besides I like them on home video; Raw and Uncut, because he can drop F-Bombs like a boss.

Edited January 20, 2016 by joeyjoey

[EarlGreyTea]

God I love this trashy show. So glad it's back. No one really sticks out to me except the annoying Jersey girl. With my luck she'll make it into the top 5.

 

Z-list celebs, scallop crises, shitty signature dishes, overenthusiastic audiences straight from central casting...Hell's Kitchen is baaaack.

[Eolivet]

I was (un?)pleasantly surprised to find this on my DVR, as I'd forgotten it aired during the year. I like it better in the summer when its competition is short-lived high-concept reality and burnoff soap operas, but there's such a dearth of new shows on the networks now, and beggars can't be choosers.

 

Oh, Kevin. You will last long past your expiration date (much like the store-bought salad from your signature dish). From the moment you presented a salad with store-bought dressing, and followed it up with a confessional of producer-friendly speak ("I'm gonna fight to stay here!") I knew you would be the designated Asshole with Screentime for this season.

 

Hassan is my early pick for winner. 4 out of 5 on the signature dish and it's a man's turn to win this season. Plus, he's not your Basic White Dude contestant.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

And now Ramsay's offering a "Head Chef" position at a Las Vegas restaurant, which basically means Head Line Chef (despite what Ramsay and the show's voiceover dude tell you, the winners are never given an Executive Chef position right off the bat).

 

Vanessa was a disaster.

 

I watched the first three seasons or so, then stopped until this new season came on. Is the audience during the initial taste-off a new thing? It's really distracting and unnecessary.

[BogoGog24]

Even if the job is not exactly as advertised at least it's still a legit job with a really nice salary. A few of the winners have gone on to do some incredible things with Gordon down the line because of that.

[DropTheSoap]

It looks like they waited outside the Springer show to pick up the contestants for this season. The intro, boasting more drama, seems like they're even bragging about how they went for drama over skill. Won't figure out who's who for a while. Right now they just all blend.

[Kromm]

And now Ramsay's offering a "Head Chef" position at a Las Vegas restaurant, which basically means Head Line Chef (despite what Ramsay and the show's voiceover dude tell you, the winners are never given an Executive Chef position right off the bat).

Not only that but "BLT Steak" sounds almost like a fast casual restaurant. Probably a thankless job, where they drive the tourist masses through.

[Kromm]

Even if the job is not exactly as advertised at least it's still a legit job with a really nice salary. A few of the winners have gone on to do some incredible things with Gordon down the line because of that.

Well mostly winners named Christina (Christina Machamer, who worked for Ramsay for a few years and went on to better jobs, and Christina Wilson, who stayed with him, eventually got an actual Exec Chef job, and now runs a whole large section of Gordo's empire as an executive in his company). But ones NOT named Christina?  Haven't done as well. A lot of outright tragic stories, and at best a lot of disappointment, if you follow up what's happened with most of these folks.

 

The show should be casting for candidates named Christina... that's all I'm sayin'. 

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

A lot of outright tragic stories, and at best a lot of disappointment, if you follow up what's happened with most of these folks.

I know of one winner who quit the new job after three weeks because the Head Line Chef position he was given was a serious demotion from the Executive Chef position (at some small restaurant somewhere) he'd left to participate in the show. His old restaurant wanted him back, so he politely told Gordon to shove it. Edited January 25, 2016 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Janimo]

Did Jackie's manner of speaking remind anyone else of Donald Trump?? Or is it just me who thought that? (No snark at all intended in asking that question.)

[anthony.jr]

No Chef Andi?!? BOOOOOOO!!!!!

 

I love Andi tooo

[Kromm]

I love Andi tooo

Well also it's kind of a demotion/waste of Christina's time to be spending a few months on this show rather than running Gordon's restaurants. I mean I suppose the same is true of Andi, except she doesn't even work for Gordon otherwise (her twitter says she works for Bel-Air Country Club).