Jul 11 2010
Hell’s Kitchen: Week 6
Hell’s Kitchen was a great one this week, and to think I almost missed it! Yes, sadly my power went out on Tuesday around dinnertime and remained that way until sometime in the middle of the night. And, besides the fact that it was 34 degrees Celsius and everyone in my house was very hot, the worst thing about it was that I missed one of my favorite shows and my favorite chef. But, thankfully I am a Roger’s customer and could watch it On Demand – which I did last night. And now I know that little trick in case something horrible ever happens again. So, here’s what happened.
In the first challenge, Chef Ramsay wanted to test their palettes and this is actually my favorite challenge every year in Hell’s Kitchen. You get to be blindfolded and have gigantic headphones put on you, then you need to open your mouth and Gordo shoves a little piece of something in there. You then, after tasting and swallowing, get to tell him what you think it is. If you’re right, you’re in his good graces for five minutes. If you’re wrong, you’re a donkey. At the end of it all, it actually proved that the Blue Team had the better palette and because of that, they were rewarded with a trip to Sea World.
Then it was time for dinner service. Chef Ramsay gave all of the cooks something that every professional chef dreams about – the chance to create their own menu. The Blue Team went with really simple and safe dishes while Ben took control on the Red Team and tried to come up with some of the weirdest stuff, all in an attempt to impress Chef Ramsay. As an interesting side note, when Nilka suggested that they put rice on the menu, Ben quickly tore that suggestion down calling rice “poor people’s food.” What? Doesn’t Hell’s Kitchen regularly serve risotto? Ben should go back to culinary class because, risotto is actually just rice.
Chef Ramsay was once again disgusted at the cooks he chose for this season’s Hell’s Kitchen when it came time for elimination and he told the teams to go back to the dorms and pick two people for elimination. Fran seemed to think that no one on her team was communicating with her, but she did seem to be the only one that thought that way. In the end, the two teams put up Fran and Autumn. Fran once again tried to reach into her bag of excuses and bring out one that she thought Gordo would like but, no such luck. Fran was told to finally, FINALLY! take her jacket off and leave Hell’s Kitchen. Autumn, on the other hand, was also told to take her jacket off. But just to get her red one back and to head back on over to the Red Team.
For the next challenge, Chef Ramsay went out and found each team a 10-pound lobster with which they were to test their creativity and culinary skills, and come up with a beautiful dish that would be judged by three Michelin star chefs. In the end, the Michelin chefs gave more points to the Red Team, declaring them finally the winner of something. But, the best part for me was when they completely ripped apart Ben’s food, after he spent so much time talking about how his dream was to be awarded a Michelin star. HA! Not very nice of me, I know. I think Gordo’s starting to rub off on me. The Red Team though, still got a thousand dollars and got to go on a thousand dollar shopping spree. The Blue Team had the punishment of having to clean the dorms as well as clean and prep the Red Team’s kitchen. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to do the same in their own kitchen. Luckily, the Blue Team has the kitchen gods smiling down on them at all times and Chef Ramsay told them that they would all be working out of one kitchen.
The whole dinner service seemed to be going along swimmingly with Fran finally out of the kitchen. But then, one of Fran’s archenemies, Nilka, started to break down on the fish station. Chef was screaming at her, she was screaming back at him, and Nilka was tossed out of the kitchen. But Nilka doesn’t play it like all the other chefs that have been ousted from Ramsay’s inner circle. No, no. There’s no going off to sulk and smoke for her. She instead, goes back into the kitchen, pleading and pleading with Chef Ramsay to let her stay. Ramsay meanwhile, keeps telling her to leave and then yells at the remaining Red Team to tell her to go. Which they do. And she does.
At the end of the show, Nilka is shown packing her bags and heading out to the awaiting taxi cab. And who’s standing there waiting for her except for Gordon Ramsay! He gives her a hug and tells her that she works very hard and is very talented. He tells her that her passion is obvious, but that she’s just not ready to be at the Savoy. I have to tell you, it warms my heart when Chef Ramsay is especially kind to contestants that are being booted off, and it was no different in the case with Nilka. Even though she was never my favourite, I did have high hopes for her and was thinking that she would go far. I was sorry to see her exit out of the kitchen.
Then, back in the dining room, Chef Ramsay asks who’s been chosen for elimination. The Red Team puts up Autumn while the Blue Team chooses to put up Ed, my ultimate favourite in Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsay tells them each to plead their case, and they do. After this, Chef Ramsay tells Ed to take off his jacket and my jaw hit the floor. Really? Ed had to leave? Nope! Chef Ramsay then broke out into a grin and said, “Congratulations. You’ve made the Final Six,” before tossing him his envied Black jacket. One by one, each of the chef’s are given their new jacket and no one else is going to be tossed from Hell’s Kitchen tonight.
It was a great week on Hell’s Kitchen and I’m so thankful that Roger’s has it – or else I would have missed the excitement entirely!
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