S15.E14: 5 Chefs Compete

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: The chefs prepare high school lunch dishes and teenagers act as the judges; the winners get a trip to San Francisco's Levi Stadium, while the losers must sort recyclables from an abundance of trash.  Actors Randy Couture and Neil Jackson attend dinner service.

[DoctorK]

I just got home and came here to get a heads up on anything to look for when I replay the recorded show, looks like I am not the only one getting bored with this show.

 

added: Just watched the show and I understand no one is interested or excited enough to jump in immediately after the show to discuss it. Boring.

Edited April 16, 2016 by DoctorK

[ZoloftBlob]

Its just starting for me...

[Zoe]

Is the next episode even necessary? I mean, there's no way it's not going to be an Ariel/Kristin finale.

[ZoloftBlob]

Manda left graciously. I kinda liked her.

 

Ariel's wide eyed shock at the double elimination was hilarious. Jared needed to go.

 

And personally, as much as Ashley comes off as a bitch, I totally get why she was uber pissed at being dissed for the blond and Jared was a fucking idiot to not see why she'd be pissed. But it was boring.

[backformore]

Yeah, Jared chose Kristin for a one-on-one date, then had to come back and comfort Ashley. 

Poor guy got confused, thought he was on The Bachelor. 

[placate]

A local news story cut off 10 minutes of the beginning and from service to elimination. The only thing I want to know is if the two sous chefs ended up working stations.

[mlp]

 

The only thing I want to know is if the two sous chefs ended up working stations.

 

No.  That whole bit was totally ignored after the commercial break.

 

I was very happy to see Manda leave.  She was delusional about her skill level and I cringed every time she talked about her kids.  They have a mother covered in tattoos who can't say a complete sentence without the "F" word and who thought it was cute to do lap dance moves with guys she barely knew.  Way to set a good example.

 

I hope Ariel wins.  She's the only one I actually sort of like.  Kristin is competent but I'm not impressed with her personal history and she lied to Gordon at least once.

[mertensia]

I'm glad he cut both Manda and Jared; they were clearly outclassed.

I noticed that when Gordon made them apologize to the sous chefs Manda got there last and was not shown apologizing.

[RCharter]

I liked Manda's exit.....she kept is classy....probably the classiest she has been on the show, so good for her.

 

Jarod is a moron.  He HAD to have known that dumb excuse wasn't going to fly with Ashley.  I could have understood his reasoning if he had taken Ariel, since she was the runner up, and he wanted to get to know the "red team" better.  At least he could have sold that reasoning to Ashley.  But first he says he is taking a pretty blonde....on the ONLY one-on-one date type situation they have on HK.  Then he tries to say he wants to get to know "how to work with her,"  but not with Ariel?  It was dumb....and honestly, Kristin isn't even that pretty.  I could understand if it was some really beautiful chef on the other team, but Kristin isn't that much better looking than Ashley.

 

Not only that, I think that if he had taken Ashley, she would have pushed harder for him not to be put up....and so it may only have been Manda that ended up going home.  

[hkalex]

I kinda liked Manda because even when she was frustrated, she was always respectful of her team, and was kind of the mother figure of the groups. She was the weakest chef and was like Nick last season, she never made any overwhelming mistakes but it was obvious her skill level was so much lower than everyone elses.

 

Jared's just been going downhill the past few weeks. Kinda interesting that both the last placed and first placed people in the challenge went home the same week. Obviously producers wanted to create drama by inviting Kristin instead of Ashley.

 

I still want Kristin to win. I don't know what it is; she has such a strong level of professionalism in the kitchen but doesn't come across as the Meghan-type from last season who had zero personality - she's fun. Ashley's good, but I think she always seems to make small mistakes week-on-week. Ariel's kind of been edited to be good but never outstanding - like tonight, she was shown as a strong sous chef, but she was never mentioned apart from that.

 

If it's an Ashley/Ariel final I think I'll just die. Kristin deserves to be in the final, and I think I'd take Ariel over Ashley.

[stillhere1900]

I really think it was effed up of Jared to take Kristen on the outing instead of Ariel. She came in second, so it should have been her going. I think that Ramsey should have given the reward to the first and second place winners.

[nitrofishblue]

Just happy to see Jared leave. He was slowly sinking every week. I was so afraid Gordon would stick to the old playbook where the last two chefs were always a male & female. They did manage a few times to deviate from the old crap which surprised me. They actually had a competition won and not have gone down to a tie for the last tasting.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

I think that Ramsey should have given the reward to the first and second place winners.

Theoretically, I agree with you. However, part and parcel of reality shows is forcing a reward challenge winner to take someone else on the reward, thus making it clear who's who in the pecking order, and also introducing extra drama. This episode was a perfect example.

[xcrayon2215x]

Ramsay made the right decision, I think Ashley took it to far with the wringing of Jared's neck.

[QuelleC]

Did Ramsey ever say Jerod's name the same way ever?  He never bothered to learn it.  I liked Manda initially but she was another nasty one.  And I think she was pretty happy to go see her kids.  I think Ariel will win because they were very heavy on the "everyone likes a pretty blonde" thing with Kristin. 

Edited April 17, 2016 by QuelleC

[Snarklepuss]

Jared was a hard up douche picking Kristin over his friend Ashley.  He acted like a typical dumbass guy and Ashley acted like a typical woman in being that upset with him.  I guess I'd be typical too because I didn't blame her for being upset with him.  After all, the losers did have to pick through rotting garbage.  Plus didn't they make it sound like she was his only friend?  I'd be hurt too. Just goes to show what kind of character the asshole has.  She must have felt like her trust in him was totally for naught.  And it probably was.  I think she would probably understand it more if he had chosen someone for strategic value, but to pick the blonde just because he's a pathetic nerd and then act like it was strategic is just over the top.  Did she take it too far with her anger at him?  Perhaps, but this is a stressful competition so I give her a little slack for that.

 

Honestly if I had to choose between Kristin or Ariel I would pass because I am not a fan of either one.  The way Ariel acted with her mother turned me off plus Kristin, I don't know what it is about her but I'm just not impressed.  I usually like someone a lot at this point and I don't this season so I'm like "whatever".

[Lillybee]

Gordon, the last remaining male chef's name is Jared not Jarrod.

[RCharter]

Jared was a hard up douche picking Kristin over his friend Ashley.  He acted like a typical dumbass guy and Ashley acted like a typical woman in being that upset with him.  I guess I'd be typical too because I didn't blame her for being upset with him.  After all, the losers did have to pick through rotting garbage.  Plus didn't they make it sound like she was his only friend?  I'd be hurt too. Just goes to show what kind of character the asshole has.  She must have felt like her trust in him was totally for naught.  And it probably was.  I think she would probably understand it more if he had chosen someone for strategic value, but to pick the blonde just because he's a pathetic nerd and then act like it was strategic is just over the top.  Did she take it too far with her anger at him?  Perhaps, but this is a stressful competition so I give her a little slack for that.

 

Honestly if I had to choose between Kristin or Ariel I would pass because I am not a fan of either one.  The way Ariel acted with her mother turned me off plus Kristin, I don't know what it is about her but I'm just not impressed.  I usually like someone a lot at this point and I don't this season so I'm like "whatever".

There is just something in the way Kristin talks....I don't know if its called vocal fry, but its just offputting for me.  And I don't think blonde = pretty either.  I think some blondes are pretty and some blondes are average and some blondes are ugly...just like every other hair color in the world.

 

Hard to tell, I don't have much passion for either of the remaining three, which makes it so much better because I won't really care who wins.  I guess I'm maybe slightly pulling for Ariel.  I like Hassan more than the final three.  Oh well.

[MajorWoody]

Am I the only one who thinks the whole Jared/Ashley "romance" was total bullshit, made up by the producers to provide this weeks drama since we no longer have the two drama machines, Jackie and Frankie to provide a weekly dose of nonsense and stupidity?

I never saw the potential in Jared anyway, he came across as an arrogant jerk who was a slightly better cook than Frankie, but nowhere near a top level chef like he purports to be. Of course that applies to almost everyone of them this season. Out of the final 3, my guess is Ariel is most likely to win, with Kristin a close second, but none of them is really qualified to run a high end restaurant of any type. Maybe a Denny's, or an Olive Garden, but not a place that is associated with a Michelin rated chef.

Finally, I had no clue who this weeks VIP's were, seems they are really scraping the barrel this season. Also, the bimbette in the red dress was actually cringe inducing, especially when the dude was feeding her. It boggles the mind that there are actually guys who think a brainless plastic bimbo like that on their arm is some sort of trophy.

[Zoe]

Ashley was still tweeting a few weeks ago as if she and Jared were bff's after the show.

[Julia]

What I've seen of Ariel looks like she has a good attitude, she's reasonably intelligent, and she's willing to learn. Someone like that could learn a lot in a year as (let's face it) a line cook in a professional brigade. Christina started with more, but I don't think she could have carried off her current really in charge job back when she won.

[hkalex]

I really think it was effed up of Jared to take Kristen on the outing instead of Ariel. She came in second, so it should have been her going. I think that Ramsey should have given the reward to the first and second place winners.

Remember last year's challenge - Milly won with 55% of the votes and picked T - who came last with 3% - to go on the reward? It's unfair, but it's reality TV. You don't just get rewarded for being a great chef, you also get rewarded for making good TV.

 

T was quite popular, though, if I remember rightly. Meghan also picked her the week after for the challenge.

 

I think Ramsay was abiding by the Hell's Kitchen rules of "there's no reward for second place" - which is especially true if you look at the overall outcome.

[RCharter]

Am I the only one who thinks the whole Jared/Ashley "romance" was total bullshit, made up by the producers to provide this weeks drama since we no longer have the two drama machines, Jackie and Frankie to provide a weekly dose of nonsense and stupidity?

I never saw the potential in Jared anyway, he came across as an arrogant jerk who was a slightly better cook than Frankie, but nowhere near a top level chef like he purports to be. Of course that applies to almost everyone of them this season. Out of the final 3, my guess is Ariel is most likely to win, with Kristin a close second, but none of them is really qualified to run a high end restaurant of any type. Maybe a Denny's, or an Olive Garden, but not a place that is associated with a Michelin rated chef.

Finally, I had no clue who this weeks VIP's were, seems they are really scraping the barrel this season. Also, the bimbette in the red dress was actually cringe inducing, especially when the dude was feeding her. It boggles the mind that there are actually guys who think a brainless plastic bimbo like that on their arm is some sort of trophy.

I think it may not have been as serious as they made it out to be on the show.  I still think it was fucked up of him not to pick her, even if she was his only "friend" in the house.  But my feeling is that they were just maybe getting to know each other romantically, just because they are all in this super stressful situation together with only a few other people.  Its like being on a deserted island with 12 other people and then thinking you fell in love with one of them because they are the only  people around.

[Snarklepuss]

Am I the only one who thinks the whole Jared/Ashley "romance" was total bullshit, made up by the producers to provide this weeks drama since we no longer have the two drama machines, Jackie and Frankie to provide a weekly dose of nonsense and stupidity?

 

My understanding is that it was a "friendship", not a romance.  I believe it was that and no more, but even as such emotions can run high anyway.  I thought Ashley's dramatic reaction looked genuine.

[Kromm]

Jared definitely deserved to go over Manda in this case--simply because of that service.  I was briefly scratching my head when she went... then understood when Ramsay sent him home too. 

 

Really they both kind of sucked. The three left really ARE the only ones who can cook.

[allthatglitters]

I like Ashley and her sense of humour. Jared should have thanked his lucky oven mitt that he ever found such a confidant on the show. And I thought she was more attractive than Kristin, IMHO.  I believe he genuinely did realize his mistake, but it was too late by then. Ashley's one payback was also the final one when she stayed to watch him be sent home.

Edited April 18, 2016 by allthatglitters

[Jersey Guy 87]

Have they ever done a double elimination at 5 before?  I thought they usually got down to the final four and then eliminated two contestants to get to the final two.  In any event both Manda and Jared are not in the same class as Ariel/Ashley/Kristin so if one of them continued on it would just to serve as first eliminated next week.

 

The whole picking Kristin over Ashley for the reward was staged.  Along with the high school guys all falling head over heels for Kristin.  Actually, I have no idea where the whole "hot blond woman" description for Kristin came from.  There's nothing wrong with her looks but she's not some sort of blond bombshell either.

[Sonja]

Manda left graciously. I kinda liked her.

I didn't really like her that much, but her exit was how it should be done. What a nice surprise.

 

I never saw the potential in Jared anyway,

Somehow I got the feeling, GR didn't either which was why he never bothered to remember his name.

[hkalex]

Have they ever done a double elimination at 5 before?  I thought they usually got down to the final four and then eliminated two contestants to get to the final two.  In any event both Manda and Jared are not in the same class as Ariel/Ashley/Kristin so if one of them continued on it would just to serve as first eliminated next week.

 

The whole picking Kristin over Ashley for the reward was staged.  Along with the high school guys all falling head over heels for Kristin.  Actually, I have no idea where the whole "hot blond woman" description for Kristin came from.  There's nothing wrong with her looks but she's not some sort of blond bombshell either.

there has in season 6, I think.

 

I thought the Kristin/Ashley thing was staged. Obviously it would make more sense for Jared to pick Ashley so I'm presuming one of the production crew said something like "if you win the reward, you can't take Ashley" or something like that, and Ashley wasn't told to add to the drama.

 

Not sure where that came from either. Maybe it's because of the four women, Kristin had the most appealing looks and personality combo - Ariel was about as smiley as a Headteacher on the first day of school, Manda's a single mom of three, and of Ashley and Kristin, Kristin seemed to warm more to the students.

[Totale]

I think it may not have been as serious as they made it out to be on the show.  I still think it was fucked up of him not to pick her, even if she was his only "friend" in the house.  But my feeling is that they were just maybe getting to know each other romantically, just because they are all in this super stressful situation together with only a few other people.

 

Romantically?  Isn't Ashley playing for the other team, as they say?

[RCharter]

Romantically?  Isn't Ashley playing for the other team, as they say?

I don't think so....what makes you think that?  Maybe I missed something!

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

I don't think so....what makes you think that?  Maybe I missed something!

IIRC, it came out during one of Jackie's tantrums that Ashley is bi or somesuch.

[RCharter]

IIRC, it came out during one of Jackie's tantrums that Ashley is bi or somesuch.

interesting!  I totally missed that...sometimes I don't watch this show with the laser like focus it deserves!

[Julia]

Jackie is, according to Jackie, lesbian nip. Although I've noted a real ability to resist whatever charms she possesses from Christina.

[Michel]

On Monday, April 18, 2016 at 7:21 AM, Jersey Guy 87 said:

Have they ever done a double elimination at 5 before?

Just once that I can remember.  In HK3, Josh was eliminated during dinner service (at the time, the first mid-service elimination).  Julia was then eliminated at the elimination ceremony, when Bonnie was deemed the best of that service and nominated her and Rock.