S18.E15: A Rollercoaster Ride/S18.E16: The Grand Finale

[Ellee]

5 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Discretion is the better part of valor,  so Imma not gonna comment on the PTV "fix." 😕

But like,  where are the Final Episodes of HK??

Change is change, @LennieBriscoe.

Not sure the site was up yet for the finale.  Found the former teammates helping Mia and Ariel interesting.  Memory is not so good but did it seem to anyone else that Ariel and Mia's choices were mostly the eliminated chefs that were not necessarily shown in the best light throughout the season? 

Congrats to Ariel and Mia.  They both did well and personally I'm happy Ariel won. 

[LennieBriscoe]

Did anyone NOT realize at the time that Chef's criticism of EACH  of Ariel's dishes was a huge fake-out?! 

Edited February 9, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[InDueTime]

From Zap2It:

Ep. 15

Quote

The final two chefs receive unexpected help for their final menus; Ramsay surprises the contestants with a visit from their families; Ramsay announces the final challenge of the season, judged by chefs from all over the country.

Ep. 16

Quote

The final two chefs take on a large final dinner service at Six Flags Magic Mountain, judged by chefs from all over the country.

Discuss.

[shelen]

Good choice.

[xcrayon2215x]

Glad Ariel won, Mia was getting a bit full of herself. Scotley is still annoying.

[preeya]

Ariel was most deserving of the win.

Mia will make it somewhere, she's good.

Heather is a conceited bitch. You lost, deal with it.

Scotley annoying, as usual.

[mojoween]

Definitely the right choice.  Ariel picked her brigade well too.

Trev, Mia?  Seriously? 

Mia appears to be a good chef, but Ariel seems WAY more level-headed.

[Tatortot]

I was so glad Ariel won, I think Mia is a great chef but she was overconfident and was coming off a little arrogant.    

[nitrofishblue]

Mia needs time to grow and mature. She has the skills now she needs to learn.

[threebluestars]

This was a really good final two. I'm actually surprised he didn't go with Mia, only because with her being so young I can see her wanting to mould her into whatever he wants, while Ariel may be more set in her ways, so that surprised me a bit.

But Ariel reminds me a bit of Christina, so I'll be curious if she sticks around with GR.

[mlp]

I'm glad Ariel won although Mia did a very good job.  My favorite person on the whole finale was Mia's good-looking and emotional father.  

There were some really obvious editing curiosities.  When they showed the roller coaster rides, the shots flashed back and forth from the car with just the girls in it to the car with other people in the seats behind them.  In the scene where Mia was planning her dishes, Motto was sitting on the bed wearing his red hat.  Next shot - no hat.  Next shot - hat again.  

I don't like Brett but I thought it was unfair to him that Gordon screamed at him about chicken being undercooked when he had been standing at the oven trying to let it cook longer while his "head chef" was screaming at him to bring the chicken NOW.  

Heather is disgusting.

[galaxychaser]

I watched 20 minutes figured Ariel won. Came here yes I was right. No point watching the rest. Ariel deserved to win over Mia. Mia needs to stop acting like a 12 year old. It’s not that cute.

As someone who never had a dad it pisses me off to see others with a father. Figures both have 2 parents each.

[preeya]

IMHO, Ariel clinched the win when she took GR's criticism regarding the fish and changed her menu back to mackerel. She could have been stubborn and left it the way it was, but she listened to GR's words and went with her original plan which was a big hit with the guest judge.  As the competition was so close, I firmly believe this is what tilted the win for Ariel.

[aliya]

2 hours ago, threebluestars said:

But Ariel reminds me a bit of Christina, so I'll be curious if she sticks around with GR.

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. Molding youth is one thing, but from Ariel's introduction, I could tell she had grown business-wise. Ariel can manage, as well as cook. I hope she actually gets the prize, as opposed to being made a line cook or something. We'll see. I'm glad she won and it was nice to see a gracious winner.

[Crucial]

I'm glad Ariel won.  The final two Brett and Mia were no match for her.  Motto was.  Good for her she was the best.  I hope she sticks with Gordon too.  Nice outcome of a finale.

[jumper sage]

6 hours ago, preeya said:

Heather is a conceited bitch. You lost, deal with it.

I had forgotten that one of her team a the finale screwed her royally.

1 hour ago, Crucial said:

I'm glad Ariel won.  The final two Brett and Mia were no match for her.  Motto was.  Good for her she was the best.  I hope she sticks with Gordon too.  Nice outcome of a finale.

I Googled the past winners once and it seems they don't get the job the say they are getting and may never even get a job.

[Eolivet]

The only outcome that made sense, to me. Even when they flashed back to Mia's issues with other chefs, it was basically, "you're talented, but you can't run a kitchen/work a line." I think Ariel was a much stronger leader, if not as technically as good a chef as Mia. Maybe it's inexperience, but to me, the job was a misfit for Mia with the skills she has now.

But just looking at how much Ariel's team believed in her and wanted to work to help her win, and how little Mia's team cared about her ... there was no contest.

Congrats, Ariel.

[aussieinsydney]

I thought from early on that Ariel would win. It seemed that there really wasn't anyone who came close to her skill level and maturity. Congrats to her.

[allthatglitters]

Yes Ariel was the runaway favorite from my eyes from the beginning. She started at the top and never let anyone get past her after that. And she had confidence in not only her cooking but her leadership skills as well. I was afraid, this being a Ramsay show, he'd pick Mia just for the shock value, sm trending. (Knowing there was no lasting job waiting for her)

In fact Ariel, who does look and act much like Christine, almost took the prize too easy. Like Gordon and his producers had already vetted and picked her before the show started. They wouldn't do that though right?  She was just so perfect. Never up for elimination.  Her food was great, even if not as creative as Mia. And she looked like she was having fun too. What's not to like?

Maybe they pick three or four possibles with Gordon, and the rest the producers get to go hog wild picking high drama characters.  The ones that they know in advance won't be getting anywhere near a Ramsay restaurant after the show. Either way, Ariel deserved the win and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in future Ramsay shows.

.

.

Edited February 10, 2019 by allthatglitters

[mertensia]

Good for Mia.

Bret: jerk to the end.

Yeah, I think Gordon knows who he wants to win, and has a few second choices, especially after Joy' s breakdown a few years ago. That was her name, right?

[jewel21]

6 hours ago, mertensia said:

Bret: jerk to the end.

Was he? I just recall being surprised he wasn't still crying and praying to his parents and kissing his wrists. I was also surprised that he genuinely wanted Ariel to win and was very clear he was going to do his best to help her and took it seriously. 

[AZChristian]

I loved how at the end, Ariel said to Mia . . . "If you want a job and I can designate you for the opening, you've got it."

And then I imagined this phone conversation after Ariel moves to Las Vegas . . . 

Bret: Yo, Ariel . . . HOMEY!!!! I got permission from my parole officer to move out of state if I have a job. Can you help a brotha?

Ariel: Well, I don't get to do actual hiring, but here's the number of the HR department for the Las Vegas Ramsey restaurants. And I'll call them and put in a word for you.

Bret: Yo, you da best. I'm kissing my wrists and pointing to my parents as a prayer that this will work out.

(Phones disconnect)

New call:

Ariel: HR? This is Ariel at Hell's Kitchen. Somebody named Bret is going to call looking for a job, and he's going to mention my name. DO NOT EVEN OFFER HIM SOMETHING AS A DISHWASHER. He's a buffoon and a loser.

[Booklady1017]

On 2/9/2019 at 12:43 PM, mojoween said:

Definitely the right choice.  Ariel picked her brigade well too.

Trev, Mia?  Seriously? 

Mia appears to be a good chef, but Ariel seems WAY more level-headed.

I agree on all accounts. 

[Yeah No]

I knew Ariel would win just based on maturity alone.  Mia needs a few years to catch up in that regard, but I think she will.  After all, Ariel grew up a lot too in the years since her first season.  Mia seems like a fine young woman that just needs a little finesse.  I wonder if she will turn up on a future "Rookies vs. Veterans" season and win.  I can see that happening in a few years.

I liked some of the subtle changes in the show this season with featuring the families more, and Ramsay thanking all the returning chefs post dinner service.  This wasn't a bad season overall in retrospect.

[Jersey Guy 87]

On 2/9/2019 at 1:41 PM, nitrofishblue said:

Mia needs time to grow and mature. She has the skills now she needs to learn.

She's 28.  She's too old to act like a kid.

[bluepiano]

Ariel seemed like the obvious winner the entire season, so I thought for a second they might give to Mia to have a surprise ending. I think both of them were head and shoulders over past finalists on this season. Usually the final feels like they're having to pick the lesser of two evils.

With the cooking skills they demonstrated, I can see either Ariel or Mia doing well on Top Chef.

I forgot about the other contestants coming back to help out the finalists. So unfortunately I had to look at and listen to Brett for another week. He was Brett right to the end, saying that Ariel picked a "murder goon squad" to help her. Is a "murder goon squad" something you'd want in the kitchen?

Loved how Heather and Scotley were left waiting at the end. Easily the two most unpleasant people this season, and neither ever impressed in the kitchen. Not sure how Heather ever lasted as long as she did.

Overall, this was my favorite season of HK. Several capable and likeable contestants, no over-the-top villain, and a lot less backstabbing and fake drama.

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 9:44 AM, Jersey Guy 87 said:

She's 28.  She's too old to act like a kid. 

I think to some extent people perceive that Mia acts like a kid because she's very small, something she can't do anything about. Yes, she's cute and knows it, and that's probably worked to her advantage, but if she were 5 foot 10 and had that same personality I don't think she would get the "Kid" thing.

Edited February 16, 2019 by bluepiano

[NowVoyager]

I thought the last challenge was a good idea: Ariel & Mia got to practice & refine their menus before the finale. However, I thought the judging was odd. They plated all the food at once, so the later courses just sat around "dying" as the restaurant people say. Well, I guess that's how they've always done the challenges. But, if I had Hubert Keller showing up for the 3rd (4th?) course, I would want his plate to be pristine. Was there any advantage for winning? First pick for teams maybe?

Aw, Mia's dad!

I really want to try mackerel.

The show kind of telegraphed Ariel's win when she appeared in her talking heads with full, professional makeup. Sure enough, that was the same look in her winner's photo. 

Ariel was a much better leader than Mia. 

[MajorWoody]

So what was the point of keeping 3 chefs at the end of the last episode? I figured there would be a challenge, then one would get dumped, and the final would be down to two. They should have just eliminated Bret last week, it’s not like the viewers weren’t going to come back for a finale anyway.

Mia comes across as an excellent chef, but a terrible leader in the kitchen. Ariel comes across as a very good chef, and was very competent at running things. There really was no question as to which door would open at the end.

I am still amazed at the poor team selections of Mia. Ro over Motto? She actually passed on Motto twice. He should have been the first draft pick, followed by Kanae.

Heather, and to  a lesser extent Kanae, showed that they are not team players if they don’t get their way. Kanae, even though she did fine on Ariels team , made comments about how  she did not want to work for Mia. Like Mia or not, you should always try to do your best when on a national stage, instead of looking petty. Heather actually did bitch and moan throughout, showing her lack of class and maturity. The  more I saw of her this seaso  the more I disliked her. I don’t even see what the hype is, she isn’t that good a chef. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by MajorWoody

[chenoa333]

On 2/9/2019 at 11:29 AM, mlp said:

'm glad Ariel won although Mia did a very good job.  My favorite person on the whole finale was Mia's good-looking and emotional father.  

Mia's dad is a smokin' hot older man! I couldn't stop staring. He was more of a distraction than the food!