S16.E14: Playing Your Cards Right

[Drogo]

A luxurious overnight trip to Las Vegas is at stake when the remaining chefs compete in a head-to-head challenge, during which they must race to hit a buzzer in order to get three of the six ingredients needed to create a dish for guest judge Jenn Louis.

Later, celebrity diners include TV anchor Neil Everett, comedian Pauly Shore and actor Erik Griffin.

[Janimo]

WHOA! I did not see that coming. Glad to see Paulie go. What a delusional douchebag, but that's just my two cents.

[AZChristian]

Honestly, if one of the cards had an ingredient of Ramsey's toe jam, Paulie would have pressed his buzzer. What a suck-up.

[TDT]

Are they ever going to fix that camera in the storeroom..? I fear that next time Ramsay slams that door its going to fall lol

[mlp]

Not one of these people is seriously competent or marginally likable.  I wonder if GR is obligated to employ the one who wins or if he has an out built into the contract.

Paulie is a major douche on every possible level.  Kimberly always looked like she was going to burst into tears any second.  There was no way she was ready to be in charge of anything or anyone.  I'm relieved that they're both gone.

I hope the next one out is Heather.  She can't seem to manage an entire sentence without cursing so she comes across as ignorant with no class at all.  Worse, she's a false friend.  She was carrying on with Andrew when she knew he was engaged and she apparently had promised Kimberly she'd take her along if she won the trip then reneged.  I'd never trust her.

I don't like Ryan either so I hope Heidi wins.  I guess.

[Michel]

Well, I called it last week -- both that the show was going to follow the elimination format of last season and eliminate two contestants at the F5 and that Kimberly and Paulie would be the two.

The challenge was definitely interesting.  That card game/game show format was certainly an original approach to determine who'd be cooking what.  And I'm glad they brought back the "King of the Hill" approach to the challenge, as it hasn't been seen since HK12 (Rochelle won it for her team) and HK14 (Michelle won it for her team), though I'm confused as to why they called it a "hero's chair" this time.  Either way, I was glad to see Paulie's ego bruised by getting bumped from the chair one person from the end.  Well done, Heather.

But yeah, I wasn't big on her reneging on her deal with Kimberly, either.  She did to her what Jared did to Ashley last season, and both paid for it karmically -- Jared with his elimination, and Heather with messing up enough times to at least be considered for nomination.

Service was definitely not uninteresting.  It's amazing that the black jackets did so terribly tonight.  I think Heidi and Ryan were the only two perfect performers.  Heather slipped up twice (though to hear her account of it, at least one of them was because of Kimberly), Paulie fucked up both at his stations and as a sous chef, and Kimberly fucked up at her stations, as a sous chef, and had that very open meltdown in front of everybody.  With the latter two in particular, you could even tell that Aaron felt secondhand embarrassment for Paulie when he fumbled over his own speech while trying to repeat that ticket, and that Heather, Ryan, and Heidi had all reached their frustration with both him and with Kimberly.  And poor Heidi!  She didn't even get her turn as a sous chef because Paulie and Kimberly screwed everyone else up that badly!  Sorry, girl.

Deliberations before nominations were more of the same.  Kimberly and Heather owned up to their mistakes with no excuse-making.  But Paulie, as usual, proceeded to blame other people for his mistakes, throw out more of his delusions, and grasp at straws for the reasons that they were nominating him.  (No, Paulie.  As Heidi said, it wasn't because you were the last guy left.  It's because you fucked up more than anyone!)

Elimination went down exactly as I thought.  Kimberly was eliminated because she was just not emotionally ready.  And Paulie, after even more delusion-spewing, excuse-making, and blame-shifting, all of which Heidi, Heather, and Ryan attempted to shoot down on the spot, followed.  I don't know what that shit was with Ramsay saying that he's always bounced back.  Uh . . . no, he hasn't, Ramsay.  He's always stayed because you and the producers thought he made for more drama.  It's clear you hated him, so don't even butter him up with that noise.  Unlike you, @mlp, I am actually going to praise Kimberly getting this far, because she did grow a lot.  And she left with class, which should mean something.  Paulie, on the other hand, leaves in a very classless manner with more of his delusions intact, and he'll probably return to help the F2 with even more of them waiting to be spewed.  I will miss Kimberly, but I will not miss Paulie.  Glad you're gone, you deluded, blame-dodging douchebag.  The only regret I have is that you left after Kimberly.  Would've been sweeter for her to outlast both you and your jerk "bro," Andrew, to really twist the knife.  Oh, and that Ramsay didn't call you out on your blame-shifting, because even he knew that that was bullshit when you said that you don't do that.

Well, one thing's for sure.  Yet again, it's gonna be a woman winning this season now that all of the men are gone.  And it's also guaranteed that we'll have four female HK winners in a row (starting with LaTasha back in HK13, Meghan in HK14, Ariel in HK15, and now whomever triumphs here).  I agree with most that Heidi and Ryan are probably gonna be the F2, but I think that Heather might upset the apple cart a bit.  I think she's been hitting her stride quite steadily since around the service that eliminated Wendy, and she really kicked it into high gear last week.  Let me remind you all that she was the first person called to get her black jacket, and she was the only one with a perfect dish.  And then, she hit the ground running by winning the challenge this week.  So she might cause an upset and sneak into the finale instead of one of the other two.

Either way, this F3, unlike the last one, is harder to call.  I think there are reasons that any of the women can win, and I think there are reasons that any of them can lose.  So I will enjoy the ride next week as we lead up to the decision of the F2.

4 hours ago, mlp said:

Not one of these people is seriously competent or marginally likable.

Likability is in the eye of the beholder, @mlp.  I like all of the F3 very much, and of the eliminated chefs from tonight, I liked Kimberly.  Yeah, the Andrew stuff was tacky of Heather, and it does look like she gets called out on it next week, but I don't think she's a bad person for it.  And again, she can cook, which is the point of the show.  Heidi has been flying under the radar, but what footage we do get of her tells me that she is a strong, focused person who can also cook her ass off.  She also seems like a nice, fun-loving person when the competition is set aside.  Ryan is very full of herself, but she also strikes me as very reserved and nice when she gets to calm down from the stress of the competition.  One thing I like about this show is that it doesn't try to conceal or hide its eventual winners behind a curtain of pure nicey-nice behavior and leave out their nastier moments in the editing.  Not like Survivor and TAR almost always do.  It shows that these people are flawed and have good and bad moments.  And even then, I have seen more good than bad from each of the F3, so I'm in full support of any and all of them.

Conversely, compared to all three of them, our villain, Paulie, clearly had more bad than good about him, and the montage of his time on the show proved that.  I wouldn't be surprised if any of the women were completely ecstatic to see him go.  To repeat what I'd heard from Genaro and Aaron, nearly no one liked Paulie.  (I believe the "nearly" included Johnny, Matt, and Andrew, which makes sense, since all of them were evil douchebags, too.  Birds of a feather, I guess.)  These last several episodes have more than proven why.

So for me, I'll give this episode an A-.  Hoping for nothing but a great battle for the F2 next week!

Edited January 20, 2017 by Michel

[spiderpig]

Putting the two sous chefs at Chef's Table was so obvious that even Paulie should have seen through it.

[The Lid]

On 1/12/2017 at 6:14 PM, Janimo said:

Now if we can just get rid of Paulie.

Soooo glad he's gone.  He totally buries the spotty great talent he has beneath a bunch of Short Man Seasonings.  Those who ARE great, don't have to ramble on and on about how great they are and all of the marvelous things they do at work at their big time job.  Bottom line.......... his big time blundering verbal barfing fail of not being able to call out the orders shows how much of a grand FACADE he puts up every breathing moment.  From a King Know it All to a Whimpering Whining Bitterina Baby.  Byeeeee Paulecia!!!

[The Lid]

On 1/12/2017 at 10:31 PM, DropTheSoap said:

I was hoping for a Paulie washout. Esp. after the comment to the parents, "Glad you're here, but I wanted my girlfriend." Angry little man should leave soon.

With the beginning of Andrew/Heather, I figured one was going home. Figured it was Andrew, also. Agree he's pretty slimy with the whole showmance given the engagement. Hopefully the fiancée has more self-respect once she sees the show.

Depsite the dramatics, this ep was a nice change from a normal dinner service. 

Yeah, Paulie's comment is soooo revealing of his lack of self awareness.  Wouldn't be surprised if he's a spoiled only child who has been conditioned to learn that pitching a fit is a good thing in life.  Thus, collecting people who find it "easier" to just shut up and think it's not a big deal.  I can only imagine the unfortunate moments of choosing to stay silent, his parents have done over the years.  That social shortstack of a male is soooooo bleedin' rude to his folks!  I feel sorry for anyone who has to work with him after the show airs.  It'll be an endless verbal barf of "Oh poor me" and claiming they made him look bad via editing.  Jjjjjust another example of the boringly common folk.  Bye Paulecia!!!!

[Rabbittron]

If Paulie comes back at the finale whoseever team he is on will be the loser jmo.

[AZChristian]

15 minutes ago, Rabbittron said:

If Paulie comes back at the finale whoseever team he is on will be the loser jmo.

Or the chef who gets stuck with him will have an uphill battle.  I told Mr. AZC last night that I fully expect Paulie to sabotage whatever chef he's assigned to.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Wasn't really expecting a double elimination last night but I'm thrilled to see Paulie go.  He constantly blamed others, never owned up to his mistakes and was completely unpleasant.

If Heather had promised to take Kimberly on a trip she was wrong to change it to Heidi.  Although Heidi's half-open eyes during her Vegas talking heads were funny.

The right two people went home.  Kimberly had given up and was in over her head.  She seemed almost relieved to be sent home.  Paulie screwed up multiple times, didn't own it and was arrogant beyond belief.

[ZoloftBlob]

" Yeah, the Andrew stuff was tacky of Heather, and it does look like she gets called out on it next week, but I don't think she's a bad person for it. " I always hate this kind of thing because it always feels like the woman gets the worst of the blame. (I know this may not be the OP's intent). Andrew knew he was in a relationship. Heather isn't cheating on anyone. Anthony is the disloyal son of a bitch who couldn't be away from his fiancé without procuring himself another woman even though he's got a finance. But who is the dishonest one? Heather, because she's supposed to look out for Anthony's fiancé MORE than he's willing to bother

[Michel]

2 hours ago, ZoloftBlob said:

I always hate this kind of thing because it always feels like the woman gets the worst of the blame. (I know this may not be the OP's intent).

Hell no, it wasn't my intent!  I was firing back against the ones who kept blaming only Heather for it!

Also, on a side note, per Andrew's Faceboook, he and his fiancée are no longer together.  Sure enough, it was indeed because of what she'd seen him doing with Heather on the show (even though they never really seemed to go that far).  He's already moved on to someone else, showing how quickly he's bounced back.  So that should already tell you what kind of guy he is.

[RealReality]

Have the chefs ever gotten booted out of the kitchen once they get to black jackets?  How did everyone fail running the pass.

 

Kimberly seems like a nice enough woman, but no way was she going to win.

Well,.at least paulie is free to pursue a love affair with Andrew in his free time.

[Michel]

10 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Have the chefs ever gotten booted out of the kitchen once they get to black jackets?  How did everyone fail running the pass.

Actually, yes.  Just last season, the F5 chefs (Manda, Jared, Ashley, Kristin, and eventual winner Ariel) got thrown out of the kitchen with only one or two more orders to go after all of Manda and Jared's failures tanked their service.  It was the first service done as black jackets.

And not everyone failed as sous chefs.  Paulie and Kimberly certainly did, but Heather did a near-perfect job.  Not much was seen of Ryan, because that was when Ramsay had had enough of Paulie and Kimberly's mistakes, but she was doing pretty well, too.  And of course, nothing was seen of Heidi's turn because Ramsay threw them all out before she even got her turn.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Michel

[queenanne]

Stopping in to give Chef Andi the MVP nomination for the episode.  I never realized until last night what large expressive eyes she has, haha.  Interesting the sous chefs didn't talk - they've talked their way before through mutual dinner - and I wonder if maybe the fact that they weren't doing any talking meant Chef Ramsay was realio, trulio pissed off at how the dinner service was going down and they knew better.

Buh-bye Paulie!!

[xcrayon2215x]

The right chefs went home. Paulie blaming it because he was a guy was so stupid, I hope Heidi wins.

[Charlesman]

Quick question, as I'm a TV nerd. My DVR didn't catch this episode because of a conflict, so I watched online. When the girls first arrived in Vegas, there was a shot of the exterior of the Venetian that had running time code numbers at the top of the screen,at least, that's how it plays on Fox.com. Can anyone who watched the broadcast confirm if that's how it aired on live TV? I work in TV post production, so I know exactly how that mistake happens. Just curious if that's what went on the air or if it was only online. Thanks! 

[mojoween]

I watched on Hulu and saw the counter clock.

Heather, Heidi can be your enemy or your alliance but she can't really be both.  That didn't make a lot of sense to me.

While I was watching the beginning of service I was thinking that Kimberly would make a great helper but not a great leader.  And then she took her turn on the pass.  And proved me right.  Still like her the most though.  She DOES have great hair.

[Tesla]

On 1/20/2017 at 1:26 PM, ZoloftBlob said:

" Yeah, the Andrew stuff was tacky of Heather, and it does look like she gets called out on it next week, but I don't think she's a bad person for it. " I always hate this kind of thing because it always feels like the woman gets the worst of the blame. (I know this may not be the OP's intent). Andrew knew he was in a relationship. Heather isn't cheating on anyone. Anthony is the disloyal son of a bitch who couldn't be away from his fiancé without procuring himself another woman even though he's got a finance. But who is the dishonest one? Heather, because she's supposed to look out for Anthony's fiancé MORE than he's willing to bother

I'm guessing by Anthony, you mean Andrew.  It made me laugh because you just randomly switched names to my cheating ex-husband halfway through and I'm like "of course that's the name he picks, haha." ?

[Major Bigtime]

On 1/19/2017 at 10:54 PM, mlp said:

 

Not one of these people is seriously competent or marginally likable.  I wonder if GR is obligated to employ the one who wins or if he has an out built into the contract

 

Last year's runner-up, Kristin, is now a head chef at Ramsay's Pub & Grill in Las Vegas. So, he may see some things in these people that we don't see on TV.

I was downright gleeful when Paulie had to leave. He thought he was hot stuff, so it was fun seeing his flame snuffed.

[OhioSongbird]

Haven't read all the posts yet but since I'm in the throes of a Game of Thrones binge this week all I could think was GR's homage to GoT.  Take the hero's chair?  It should have been made of kitchen knives....  My DVR broke up really badly during the first 1/2 hr so I missed a bit.

See. ya. Paulie.  Been wanting your sorry ass gone for quite a while.  Matt, Johnny, Andrew, Koop....I think the only guy I liked was Devin but he was in way over his head.

Heidi FTW.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Major Bigtime said:

Last year's runner-up, Kristin, is now a head chef at Ramsay's Pub & Grill in Las Vegas. So, he may see some things in these people that we don't see on TV.

I was downright gleeful when Paulie had to leave. He thought he was hot stuff, so it was fun seeing his flame snuffed.

Actually, last time I was in Vegas another HK winner - Chef Scott - was at the P&G. Christine had been at the upscale GR Steakhouse at the Paris Hotel, but has since been promoted to a corporate position with Ramsey. Has something changed?

[preeya]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Actually, last time I was in Vegas another HK winner - Chef Scott - was at the P&G. Christine had been at the upscale GR Steakhouse at the Paris Hotel, but has since been promoted to a corporate position with Ramsey. Has something changed?

What is the P&G?

Edited January 22, 2017 by preeya

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

On 1/19/2017 at 8:54 PM, mlp said:

I wonder if GR is obligated to employ the one who wins or if he has an out built into the contract. 

The Yardbird restaurant at the Venetian will employ the winner as a glorified line chef, at least to start. If they suck, they'll be let go at the end of their contract. If they're good, the sky's the limit. All this show gives the winner is a legitimate foot in the door. The rest is up to them.

[AZChristian]

13 hours ago, preeya said:

What is the P&G?

Pub & Grill.  The Gordon Ramsey Pub & Grill is at Caesar's Palace.  Awesome fish and chips, and they make their own ketchup, fresh every day.  I never put ketchup on my fries, but I was scraping the bottom of the cup to get the last little bit of it out there.  And their mushy peas are the best I've ever eaten.

When we were there, I asked if Chef Scott was there, because I was a big fan of his on the show.  He came out to our table and posed for a picture.  He's the real deal.

[preeya]

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Pub & Grill.  The Gordon Ramsey Pub & Grill is at Caesar's Palace.  Awesome fish and chips, and they make their own ketchup, fresh every day.  I never put ketchup on my fries, but I was scraping the bottom of the cup to get the last little bit of it out there.  And their mushy peas are the best I've ever eaten.

When we were there, I asked if Chef Scott was there, because I was a big fan of his on the show.  He came out to our table and posed for a picture.  He's the real deal.

Thanks, I'll have to check it out.

[MajorWoody]

On 1/20/2017 at 4:25 AM, spiderpig said:

Putting the two sous chefs at Chef's Table was so obvious that even Paulie should have seen through it.

Paulie couldn't see through an open window on a sunny day.

[Snarklepuss]

On 1/20/2017 at 5:24 AM, The Lid said:

Yeah, Paulie's comment is soooo revealing of his lack of self awareness.  Wouldn't be surprised if he's a spoiled only child who has been conditioned to learn that pitching a fit is a good thing in life.  Thus, collecting people who find it "easier" to just shut up and think it's not a big deal.  I can only imagine the unfortunate moments of choosing to stay silent, his parents have done over the years.  That social shortstack of a male is soooooo bleedin' rude to his folks!  I feel sorry for anyone who has to work with him after the show airs.  It'll be an endless verbal barf of "Oh poor me" and claiming they made him look bad via editing.  Jjjjjust another example of the boringly common folk.  Bye Paulecia!!!!

Paulie is the way he is not because of what is recently being reported as an outdated only child myth that refuses to die.  He's the way he is because he's an arrogant, insecure asshole and anyone can be that whether or not they're an only child, IMO.   Wimpy parents who take his crap are one possibility.

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/23972/20160228/debunking-the-myths-about-being-the-only-child.htm

Edited January 23, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[MajorWoody]

That was an oddly satisfying episode.

As usual, the phony challenge comes down to the last plate, which just confirms that GR and the weekly guest judge chose them in advance, then do them in the order that will make for a tight finish. It was nice to see the smug douchenozzle get ejected at the last second, though. 

The Vegas trip and choosing Heidi as the partner seemed weird. I never saw where Kim was promised to be the road trip buddy, but if she was, Heather should have followed through. Also, Heather's reasoning was silly. It would make more sense to have Heidi stressed out and tired from sorting trash all day going into an important dinner service if Heather felt Heidi was her main threat. My guess is this was another producer driven phony drama situation.

Paulie looked like an illiterate fool running the line, and managed to screw up not only when he was up front, but when cooking too. He also threw out another verbal faux pas, similar to his "litness" test one a few weeks ago, but I can't recall exactly what it was, and don't want to rewatch the episode to find out. But he did confirm that he is nothing but a self promoting loudmouth with average skills at cooking, and below average skills in working with others.

Kim was obviously going to leave after her meltdown, and her history of failing under pressure. She did have the most gracious exit i think I have seen on this show. I wish her success in the future.

The best part of the show was the delayed chopping of Paulie. He thought he was going to be praised, and was safe, when the ax fell. He did seem to have a small bit of humility in his exit interview, but that in no way excuses his season long rudeness and arrogance. I worry about whoever gets him as an extra in the finale, because he can not be trusted at all. 

All in all, nice ending, and I still go with Heidi and Ryan for the finale.

[Jersey Guy 87]

On 1/20/2017 at 4:38 PM, Michel said:

Also, on a side note, per Andrew's Faceboook, he and his fiancée are no longer together.  Sure enough, it was indeed because of what she'd seen him doing with Heather on the show (even though they never really seemed to go that far).  He's already moved on to someone else, showing how quickly he's bounced back.  So that should already tell you what kind of guy he is.

I don't think it matters how far they went, the fact that he'd clearly make any move on a woman on national TV while engaged should have been enough for his fiance.  And it apparently was.

[Major Bigtime]

On 1/21/2017 at 8:42 PM, AZChristian said:

Actually, last time I was in Vegas another HK winner - Chef Scott - was at the P&G. Christine had been at the upscale GR Steakhouse at the Paris Hotel, but has since been promoted to a corporate position with Ramsey. Has something changed?

He may have been promoted, I'm not sure. But Kristin is definately there as of a few months ago.

[AZChristian]

Their website shows Rogelio Fernandez Jr. as the chef at the P&G now.  I'm not a big "Vegas" person, so I could be out of the loop.  LOL.

[MrSmith]

On 1/20/2017 at 1:26 PM, ZoloftBlob said:

" Yeah, the Andrew stuff was tacky of Heather, and it does look like she gets called out on it next week, but I don't think she's a bad person for it. " I always hate this kind of thing because it always feels like the woman gets the worst of the blame. (I know this may not be the OP's intent). Andrew knew he was in a relationship. Heather isn't cheating on anyone. Anthony is the disloyal son of a bitch who couldn't be away from his fiancé without procuring himself another woman even though he's got a finance. But who is the dishonest one? Heather, because she's supposed to look out for Anthony's fiancé MORE than he's willing to bother

My wife and  I have never blamed Heather for the situation with Andrew. It's  all Andrew's fault and we're hoping that his fiance kicks his  ass to the  curb when she sees how he acted. Heather's not at fault for this situation at all. She has no way to know and no reason to suspect that he has a fiance, girlfriend, or wife (or fiance/boyfriend/husband perhaps). She's acting on the information he's shared with her - and  he has  purported  to her that he is single. So,  totally agree with you here.

[lh25]

28 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

She has no way to know and no reason to suspect that he has a fiance, girlfriend, or wife (or fiance/boyfriend/husband perhaps). She's acting on the information he's shared with her - and  he has  purported  to her that he is single. So,  totally agree with you here.

For some reason, I thought she knew he was engaged.

[Michel]

1 hour ago, MrSmith said:

My wife and  I have never blamed Heather for the situation with Andrew. It's  all Andrew's fault and we're hoping that his fiance kicks his  ass to the  curb when she sees how he acted. Heather's not at fault for this situation at all. She has no way to know and no reason to suspect that he has a fiance, girlfriend, or wife (or fiance/boyfriend/husband perhaps). She's acting on the information he's shared with her - and  he has  purported  to her that he is single. So,  totally agree with you here.

 

49 minutes ago, lh25 said:

For some reason, I thought she knew he was engaged.

She knew.  At least that he had a girlfriend, because that's as far as I remember hearing Andrew say to her (he only mentioned a fiancée in confessionals).  Not as bad, but still . . . she knew.  Why do you think that Heidi, Ryan, and Kimberly made the faces they made at their showmance scenes?  They knew she knew and were floored that she flirted with him, anyway.  But she explained her side of things on her own Facebook.  Andrew had only told her that he had a girlfriend with whom he wasn't serious, as they'd only been together a few months.  So Heather found it okay (and even then, on her end, I only saw harmless flirting from her, as Andrew was the one who kept initiating the more physical stuff).  In reality, he'd been with his fiancée for at least two or three years.  It wasn't shown, but she apparently only found out about her being his fiancée at the family visit.

So I blame Heather so much less than I blame Andrew.  Which is why it floors me, in the previews, that Ryan is going after her for it.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Michel

[MajorWoody]

I thought they made the faces because they were skeeved out that any female would kiss a guy with a mouthful of tobacco juice.

Any truth to the rumor Andrew had planned on getting matching spit cups for him and his bride if the nuptials occurred ?

Edited January 23, 2017 by MajorWoody
Spelling

[spiderpig]

2 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

I thought they made the faces because they were skeeved out that any female would kiss a guy with a mouthful of tobacco juice.

Any truth to the rumor Andrew had planned on getting matching spit cups for him and his bride if the nuptials occurred ?

Ooooh, the visual.  Especially if they decided to smash the glasses.