S17.E05: Josh Josh Josh

[Drogo]

After a shocking change, many are left unhappy and the tension in the dorms is at an all-time high. The next day, the chefs are challenged to work in pairs and cook different types of fish on cedar and hickory wood planks. Chef Ben Ford helps Ramsay decide which team delivered the best and most consistent dishes. Later that evening, the chefs aim to impress special guest diner Shaun Brown; and Ramsay has had enough with one contestant and makes a drastic decision.

[Colorado David]

one contestant needs a nickname, bootinya....because she isn't doing squat and needs a boot

[spiderpig]

Ben Ford (sigh)!  His smile is just like his dad's.

[mertensia]

Amanda, Han used blasters. Not lightsabers.

So so glad he booted Josh.

Trying to return to the kitchen only works if you're returning after being medically cleared. You idiot.

[Star Aristille]

This is the first week in which I thought pretty much everybody acted and performed like all-stars.  Except for you-know-who, of course.  (His challenge dish was good, but tanking the team's fire?  Not so much.)

Almost all of the challenge dishes got points, save for one for each team.  And even Ben Ford admitted that the best, tiebreaking dish won just by a hair.  That was some good cooking.

I see why others don't care for Elise, and I also see the bully tendencies in her, but Josh was definitely wrong in their verbal faceoff.  She wasn't being a bully with him.  Not in the slightest.  And I liked that she had Manda's back in that confessional when she gave Josh the what-for over his clear disrespect.

For a funny moment, I tittered when Robyn was billed as "Not Josh" in one of her confessionals.  I also tittered at Dana's "Oh . . ." confessional when she thought that they had messed up again with Ramsay, only to find out that he was impressed and happy with them.

For a shocking moment, I was surprised that Ramsay didn't get mad at Michelle for asking him if she needed to refire the halibut, instead just saying that it'd depend on how slow Josh was.

Well, the way service was going, I figured it'd go one of two ways -- either the men would lose, and Robyn would be booted, or my preferred outcome, which was the women losing (just for this week, of course) and Josh being booted.  But I didn't see it coming that Ramsay would pull out a surprise third option -- booting Josh during service.  And really, he deserved it.  He fucked up left and right, slowed down the women at every turn, and was just plain draining on the team.  And somehow, he managed to be even more draining than he was in HK14.  Whether he wants to believe it or not, Ramsay did him a favor.  A clear, obvious favor.  But honestly, I think the women would've been given the loss if Josh hadn't returned to the kitchen.  As soon as he did that, I had a feeling that Ramsay was booting him right there and then, and he did.

Sorry, Josh.  But you had no right to be called an all-star.  The fact that you made it to sixth place in HK14 was sheer dumb luck that apparently, most of the contestants booted before you back then were even more cannon fodder than you were.  You really should've been gone at least two spots before you actually were, but Ramsay had to decide that Randy wasn't ready to be a head chef, despite being on the winning team at F8, and then decide that Alison's one week of being the worst performer at F7 had to trump your several, several, several weeks of screw-ups.  You only reached the black jackets for those two reasons and really shouldn't have reached it.  I am so fucking glad that your incompetent, rude, disrespectful, blame-shifting ass is out the door so much earlier than it was last time.

I was very happy for both teams being given the win.  That service, for the most part, seemed to be a basically good one from both teams.  Josh and Robyn were the only weak points, but Josh was booted during service, and Robyn's screw-ups weren't that huge, so it made sense to not eliminate anyone else after Josh was gone.

Good episode.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Star Aristille

[cooksdelight]

Why oh why didn’t Christina or Gordon see Elise just standing there and call her out??? 

“Oui Chef” was getting on my nerves. 

[AZChristian]

So when do we think Josh will be back (per his prediction) for a third shot?

[riprock]

As undeserving, obtuse, and impulsive as Josh is, I still sort of respect his decision to go back to the kitchen. Although maybe the time to stand up for himself was before he left the first time.

The time-lapse footage of Elise standing around in the kitchen was eye-opening. How did Gordon not see that?

If we get to a point where everyone in the kitchen is competent and collected, like they were this ep (save Josh), I'll have no idea how they separate the wheat from the chaff.

[Kerri Okie]

2 minutes ago, riprock said:

If we get to a point where everyone in the kitchen is competent and collected, like they were this ep (save Josh), I'll have no idea how they separate the wheat from the chaff.

Don't you mean the cream from the um, er...crop?

I loved this episode.  On a semi-serious note, I loved Manda saying she wasn't going to let Josh take the team down and then following through on it, and Jennifer wanting to give him a chance (only to have him screw up in the next frame.)  But between time lapse footage of Elise doing nothing, Josh's "my body told me to come back," Robyn's confessionals where she kept feeling confident with her new team and then crashing in the next moment, and these: 

Quote

For a funny moment, I tittered when Robyn was billed as "Not Josh" in one of her confessionals.  I also tittered at Dana's "Oh . . ." confessional when she thought that they had messed up again with Ramsay, only to find out that he was impressed and happy with them.

For a shocking moment, I was surprised that Ramsay didn't get mad at Michelle for asking him if she needed to refire the halibut, instead just saying that it'd depend on how slow Josh was.

it was also the most I've laughed during an episode of HK in the longest time.  I think there was another point during the fish challenge where someone's dish was tagged as "Not Salmon."  I hope whoever they got to do the editing for this one is back for the rest of the season.

[mojoween]

If anyone is going to be given a third chance, I am one THOUSAND percent confident it will not be Josh.

However.  I loathe Elise with every fiber of my being.  Josh sucks, but she did not desire to give him a chance as was made perfectly clear with the way she acted after service.  I can’t even enjoy this show with her presence on it.  She is just a horrible person and doesn’t care if you know it.

[cooksdelight]

6 hours ago, Kerri Okie said:

Don't you mean the cream from the um, er...crop?

Thank you, I had no idea where Benjamin was trying to go with that.

[Surrealist]

I'm pretty confident that Benjamin wanted to say separating the wheat from the chaff. 

Not sure he's smart enough to figure that one out. 

Josh deserved to go home, but not a fan of Elise either. She should have been called out for doing nothing. She has some stones to be talking about how others behave and what they should be doing when she lets everyone else do the work. That's not the first time she's stood around letting everyone else take care of stuff. 

[bluepiano]

29 minutes ago, Surrealist said:

I'm pretty confident that Benjamin wanted to say separating the wheat from the chaff.. 

 

6 hours ago, Kerri Okie said:

Don't you mean the cream from the um, er...crop?

I though he was going for "the cream rising to the top."

Edited November 4, 2017 by bluepiano

[Star Aristille]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

However.  I loathe Elise with every fiber of my being.  Josh sucks, but she did not desire to give him a chance as was made perfectly clear with the way she acted after service.

Normally, I'd agree (and Elise bugs me, too).  But given what she'd heard and seen from Josh (she apparently did watch HK14 and knew how bad he was, and it was clear that he hadn't grown up a bit or learned anything from his first time on the show), I can't totally blame her for being reluctant to give him a chance.  And he pretty much gave her no reason to based on his performances that followed.

Plus, it was just after the team switch, and she was clearly in as much shock as the other women were that they were stuck with him now.

[Surrealist]

30 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

 

I though he was going for "the cream rising to the top."

That's another possibility. My mind went immediately to wheat/chaff.

 

I'm only half paying attention to this show. Lol. 

[Meowwww]

I am a horse person. So the scenes where they all go ride and act like they are experts hurt my heart. 

[TDT]

Rolled my eyes at Elise bragging about she will be the eventual winner..why didnt Gordon or any of the chefs call out Elise for this?

Maybe next episode Gordon will do another surprise elimination and say to Elise that he did indeed review last week's show

[Kerri Okie]

5 hours ago, bluepiano said:

 

I though he was going for "the cream rising to the top."

I thought he was going for both, cream rising and wheat from the chaff, and just got them mixed up.  But it was still amusing.

[defeated]

5 hours ago, Meowwww said:

I am a horse person. So the scenes where they all go ride and act like they are experts hurt my heart. 

I wish they'd use side pulls or something similar when they have riding rewards. I saw someone, maybe Jared? really hauling on his horses mouth.  

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 7:50 AM, riprock said:

As undeserving, obtuse, and impulsive as Josh is, I still sort of respect his decision to go back to the kitchen.

Given that all it did was get him a service elimination for his troubles, I kind of find it hard to find that decision respectable.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Star Aristille

[MajorWoody]

Anyone else think the Josh Return to the Kitchen was scripted? The whole thing seemed about as impromptu as the order of judging in the challenges that always results in close calls.

 

This episode might have set a bew record for the least amount of time spent on cooking, and the most spent on snark and drama.

[Kerri Okie]

1 hour ago, MajorWoody said:

Anyone else think the Josh Return to the Kitchen was scripted? The whole thing seemed about as impromptu as the order of judging in the challenges that always results in close calls.

 

100%.   When he told chef, "My body told me to come back," I turned to Mr. Okie and said, "More likely, the producer did."  But then,  I'm cynical over everything on "reality" TV.  I also happen to believe Ramsay's judging in the challenges is a set up. 

[mlp]

Quote

Anyone else think the Josh Return to the Kitchen was scripted?

I did.  I also thought the bit with Elise doing nothing was either totally contrived or the result of editing.  I don't for a minute believe that Gordon who misses very little AND both hyper-critical sous chefs never noticed her behavior.

[Star Aristille]

9 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

Anyone else think the Josh Return to the Kitchen was scripted? The whole thing seemed about as impromptu as the order of judging in the challenges that always results in close calls.

I'd agree if it were any other contestant but Josh.  He's that dumb, impulsive, and delusional, I could see him doing a stupid thing like that without prompting.  Add in the fact that the women and even Ramsay were shocked and confused by his return, and I definitely don't think it was scripted.

[Fex]

On 11/4/2017 at 11:13 PM, Kerri Okie said:

I thought he was going for both, cream rising and wheat from the chaff, and just got them mixed up.  But it was still amusing.

Whatever he was going for, the outcome was hilarious. I thought he was mixing up "cream of the crop" and "cream rising to the top" - and you make me think he maybe got "from the" from wheat and chaff. Awesome.

I've only watched Hell's Kitchen sporadically over the years, and I think this episode had the smoothest dinner service I've ever seen.

While I don't like the smell of horse manure, I don't really mind it either. So I thought this was not bad as far as punishments go. Infinitely better than sorting trash! Blech!

[Kerri Okie]

4 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

I'd agree if it were any other contestant but Josh.  He's that dumb, impulsive, and delusional, I could see him doing a stupid thing like that without prompting.  Add in the fact that the women and even Ramsay were shocked and confused by his return, and I definitely don't think it was scripted.

I don't think scripted is really the right word. I don't think it was scripted per se, not as in preplanned, and I don't think Ramsay or the girls expected him to come back.  But I could absolutely see him pacing around up in the dorm, throwing around the idea that maybe he should go back down there, and the producers jumping on it and telling him to go for it.    

[BusyOctober]

I guess in the realm of reality tv these dolts could be considered "All Stars" since their claim to fame whore-dom is they once appeared on a reality show.  However I do not see "star" in any of 'em.  Not a star cook or personality among them. Most of them look and act as if they have a passing familiarity with "being in a kitchen" thanks to some midnight snack attack they satisfy by climbing the stairs out of Mom's basement.  At best, some of them are COOKS.  I am glad that Christina and a few other HK contestants have done well in their careers, but I don't see a Christina (or any other HK success story) here.  I can't imagine Barbie, Robyn, Elise, Josh, Ben or Vance emerging as a Ramsey caliber winner.  Robyn & Elise are abhorrent "personalities" IMO.  I end up muting the tv or walking out of the room when either of them gets their screen time.  God bless the friends and families or acquaintances who can spend more than 2 minutes their presence.  They must walk around with oxygen tanks handy because these two temper tantrum prone toddlers suck all the air out the room.