(S04E09) "I come in peace, but if you break my sanctuary, you're gonna feel it." - Bobby, about Jen
This episode was like the Lost of reality cooking show episodes. It not only had one twist ending, it actually had two or three. I'm not sure if what Chef Ramsay did at the end of the show was to really shake things up and see if the teams can get better than they are now or just to shake things up in that reality show sort of way. But I'm sure things are going to get interesting.
After last week's episode, the teammates aren't exactly happy with each other. Jen thinks Corey is a bitch, Bobby wants to stop Jen from controlling everything, and Corey thinks that Matt shouldn't be a chef he should be a used car salesman. But this week the two teams get to create their own menus from scratch, so this should be an easier service week, yes? (I'm going to start talking like that now, the way Ramsay says "yes" at the end of a lot of sentences, it's rather cool.)
This week's challenge is to cook three dishes that are already on the menu, relay style. One person from each team has to sit out. The blue team picks Louross, which Ramsay finds odd because he's short and fast (like me!). The teams make the three dishes, which isn't easy when you only have 15 seconds to tell the next person in the relay what you've done so far. It's close at first, but then Jen forgets to put sauce on two dishes and the blue team loses. That sorta stands out, so the red team wins. The blue team has to do maintenance work, including cleaning the Hell's Kitchen logo outside, which is probably dirty from being set on fire every single episode.
The red team gets to go to the beach, where they take surfing lessons with Zuma Jay.
For tonight's service, Ramsay throws out the menu and tells the teams they have one hour to create their own menus from scratch. The red team is happier than I've ever seen them. Corey, Christina, and Matt seem to agree on every single thing on the menu. Over at the blue team...not so much. Almost everything on the menu is Jen's idea, and Louross is upset (but says nothing, which seems to be a strategy too many people on this show have). And you know what happens next: Ramsay loves the red team's menu, finding it clever and well thought out. He hates the blue team's menu, however, especially the weird halibut dish that Jen thought of. Louross tells Ramsay that it's all Jen's fault, which Jen isn't happy about. Ramsay tells them to start over and create a new menu. The new menu is acceptable to him (though I think it's rather boring compared to the red team's).
It would be predictable for me to say that the food on both side comes out both undercooked (pasta appetizer, souffles), raw (steak!), and...salty! Everything that Matt is sending out is too salty, and Ramsay says it's because he's sweating into all of the food he's making. Now as we all pause to gag a little, I don't know if Ramsay is joking or serious, because I think it would take a ton of sweating to add so much salt you could taste in sauce and pasta dishes.
Louross is screwing up too, so Ramsay actually gets down on his knees and imitates the short man. He doesn't laugh. Louross takes so much time that one of his tables walks out on him (I'd love to see where these customers come from and if some of them like to cause a little drama to get on TV).
At the end of the night, Ramsay picks the blue team as the losing team, despite Matt's sweating. The badly cooked steak and sou flees of the blue team were just too much. He tells Petrozza to pick two people for elimination. This isn't hard at all. Petrozza isn't going to pick himself, and Bobby just isn't screwing up. So he picks Louross and Jen. But here's twist #1: he asks Petrozza to choose which shoul leave. Petrozza picks Louross, and Ramsay agrees 100%. He tells Louross to leave.
But here's another twist: Ramsay tells Matt to step down to the front too, and tells both Matt and Jen to take off their jackets too! Just when you think that Ramsay is going to clean house and send three people packing in one episode, another twist comes: he tells Matt to go back on the blue team and Jen to go back to the red team! This means that the two people who said some pretty bad things about their old teammates are now teammates with them again.
Next week: Matt goes a little crazy, cries, and gets to smell a bunch of money.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-28-2008 @ 12:00AM
jayr2345 said...
Well judging from the previews shown at the end of the show it dosen't look like the "twist" of sending Matt and Jen is gonna really do much since (maybe slight spoiler alert) it looks like the teams are gonna merge. judging by the fact that all the cooks ( I refuse to call these people chefs) are wearing the same colored jackets. Well at least i guess the challenges will be interesting with everyone hating everyone else, but i dont really think matt has that big a beef with the blue team since his arch - nemesis ben is gone. Although i bet it felt good for him to be on a winning team for a little while. I liked Louross but he was the next logical choice to go.
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5-28-2008 @ 12:16AM
JD said...
Sou Flees
souf·flé (sū-flā') pronunciation
n.
A light, fluffy baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a main dish or sweetened as a dessert.
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5-28-2008 @ 12:23AM
Chris said...
Louross was definitely the next to go. He might have had the makings, but there was just far too little contributions from his end, and he was mainly out of the camera until these last few episodes where he got more focus. It ended up being a lot of complaining, blame shifting and finally some sucking up when he got cut.
At least he (like Rosann) left with dignity, thanking the teams and Gordon and bowing out, unlike a lot of the other people going on and on about how the others were wrong, how they'll achieve their dreams and how they'll show everyone how they'll have their own restaurant (all while managing to keep every one of this season's viewers out of it).
It'll definitely be interesting to see what happens when Jen comes back to the red team, since she does seem to say a lot of stupid smack about everyone else.
Next pick to go: Matt. The odds are highly in his favor, and it's been coming for a while. This episode was a toss-up between him and Louross up until the last 10 minutes.
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5-28-2008 @ 12:33AM
Fullman said...
I know this has been mentioned by you and other commenters, but it's good to keep it in mind: because Gordon's investment in this season is his actual restaurant (I believe the past restaurants were just other owners), he's going to be much more strategic in his decisions this time around.
While mixing up Matt and Jen might look like the standard reality TV drama, at least for this season, there is probably a lot more thought behind it on Gordon's end.
Based off what we've seen so far, it looks like Gordon is really starting to get worried about who ends up being the winner.
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5-28-2008 @ 2:31AM
Gordon Werner said...
I feel sorry that he has to pick one of these 'tards to run his restaurant.
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5-28-2008 @ 7:34AM
peggyb149 said...
Correction: You said one person on each team had to sit out. Not so, just the blue team because they had one extra person!
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5-28-2008 @ 9:53AM
gooze930 said...
directv info button says teams join together next week. the challenge will probably 2 teams. or individuals
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5-28-2008 @ 10:35AM
h8rain said...
They do "merge". The previews so them in black, instead of red and blue.
5-28-2008 @ 10:35AM
GL said...
None of these people should be running a restaurant.
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5-28-2008 @ 11:53AM
mj said...
I think this is the worst bunch of people he's ever had. I feel so sorry for him! I'd be sweating. And did you see how much Matt was sweating, and spraying it all over? It could make a difference. Very nasty. I would so love to be one of the customers. I would bring a bag of snacks, and ask to be seated close to the kitchen. What a show!!
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5-28-2008 @ 1:12PM
ladytex said...
Maybe when Rock comes back next week, Ramsay will offer him or the runner up from last season the job. They'd do better than any of these people.
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5-30-2008 @ 8:40PM
CJC said...
"[...] and the blue team loses. That sorta stands out, so the red team wins. The blue team loses [...]"
Sorry, I missed it. What were the results again?
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5-28-2008 @ 3:34PM
Kitty said...
Ooooh...not a great review Bob. I never review the reviewer, but you have a couple of things wrong, as previously pointed out, Souffle, as welll as also previously pointed out, only the blue team had to sit someone out. You also forgot to mention that Ramsay made Petrozza choose who from Jen or Louross should go home. That was also a twist.
Yes, it's time for the teams to wear the black jackets. They are all on their own now. If you guys remember, Roc had a huge sweating issue last year to the point that sometimes he had to squint because his forehead was sweating so bad, yet, he won. NOT saying that Matt will win, he doesn't have it in him, but just saying. I did really like Louross, if he was as spunky in front of Jen as he was behind her back in the confessional, they might have had a chance to win that challenge. I think he was fast. Though, tough choice who should sit that one out, they're all pretty good, and, BONUS, no steak for Louross to undercook ;)
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5-29-2008 @ 2:40PM
barbara said...
I think both Matt and jen should go home next time.
Both of them are a couple of BOOBs in the kitchen.
Accidents waiting to happen.
I worked 20 years in Kitchens as a cook helper weekend cook dishwasher and would not want either one working with me
Barbara
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5-29-2008 @ 11:27AM
Mimi said...
The whole sweating thing was foul - both with Rock and this year with Matt. I don't know about you but when I consider the way my food is prepared, I would prefer it without the incorporation of bodily fluids.
What is 'Teflon Matty' still doing there anyway? He should have left a long time ago. I feel quite sorry for Gordon - none of these idiots deserve to be there and don't seem fit to run a take-away resturaunt, let alone Ramsay's place. I wonder if this will be the last season/series of Hell's Kitchen once Gordon is stuck with whatever fool is left.
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