LAST EDITED ON 05-29-08 AT 09:31 PM (EST)Sung to the tune of Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson:
Gordon: Now if there’s a smile on my face
It’s cause I’ve seen the girls in bikinis.
But when it comes down to picking a chef
Now honey this lot is (bleeping) awful.
Jen: But don’t let my constant smirk
Give you the wrong impression.
Cause really I know, Oh I know
Gordon was so close to letting me go.
Matt: Well there are some sad things known to man
But ain’t too much sadder than
The tears of a sweaty clown when the entire viewing audience is around.
(breaks down and cries and can’t continue)
Previously on Hell’s Kitchen- read Snidget’s excellent recap here: http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/DCForumID86/283.shtml
The episode starts with Gordon telling the Blue Team well done as they walk away. Matt apologizes to Corey and Christina for letting the team down. Corey suggests in an interview he’d make a good used car salesman, but he doesn’t cook well. Bobby and Louross kvetch about Jen. Jen appears to be up in her room talking to herself. It’s interesting that everyone appears to get along reasonably well except for her.
The next day arrives and Gordon greets the contestants in the kitchen. He tells them they all need to work on their timing and communication. They have to cook three items on the menu; scallops, John Dory, and chicken. Each contestant has to work alone for six minutes with a fifteen second overlap to tell the next contestant what they need to do. Jen bullies her Blue Team members into having Louross sit the challenge out. Gordon comments that Louross is quick in the kitchen. Matt and Petrozza race off with someone yelling at Matt “Don’t fall.” Nice. They start all the dishes and I have to apologize. When the teams change people and Christina replaces Matt I have no idea what he says. He tells her he has all the veg, but after that I have no clue. I think I watched it five times. If you know, let me know in the comments. Petrozza takes more time to explain things to Bobby. He even adds some encouragement. Corey and Jen race to finish cooking and plate the dishes. Bobby doesn’t look like he explains a lot to Jen, but they could have edited it out. Jen admits that Petrozza and Bobby had everything perfectly laid out for her.
Judging time…and Gordon compliments both Jen and Corey for plating everything in time. He tastes the scallops and judges that Jen’s eggs are overcooked (one looks like egg tissue paper) and her scallops are raw in the center. He gives one point to the Red Team. Jen claims in a confessional she thought the scallops were perfect. He tells the Red Team their John Dory looks terrible (I would eat very little these people serve so I’m not a good judge). The Blue Team’s sauce was scorched, and Jen blames that on the pan. He gives the point to the Blue Team. It comes down to the final dish of chicken. The Red Team’s chicken is cooked well and missing the leeks, and the Blue Team’s chicken is missing the sauce. Gordon awards the win to the Red Team. Heh, on second viewing I see Matt said he was sweating bullets. Nice foreshadowing.
The Red Team goes to the beach, and the Blue Team cleans the outside of Hell’s Kitchen. Christina tells us she hasn’t seen the sun for a week. She looks somewhat translucent, so I think it was longer than that. Some legendary surfing dude teaches them to surf. Back at Hell’s Kicthen, Louross tries to lighten the mood, and Jen gets on everyone’s nerves. Is anyone shocked to learn that Matt “banged his head on the bottom of the ocean” when he tried to surf? Jean-Phillipe brings over towels and Gordon throws him in the ocean.
The next day, Gordon tells each team they get to design their own menu. I think Jen forgets that you have to pick food that people want to eat. The Red Team works smoothly together and seems to be getting along well. The Blue Team gets pushed around by Jen. I can see why she gets away with it. She just plows right over their opinions. So in order to shut her up they give in to whatever she says. Louross is very unhappy with the menu Jen created, but he doesn’t say anything to her. The Blue Team members want the menu to fail so they can get rid of Jen. That always works so well on this show.
The Red Team’s menu is judged well done by Gordon. It does sound tasty. Louross reads the Blue Team’s menu and Gordon tells them it is terrible. Louross tells the Chef he hates the menu. Jen admits she comes up with the disgusting parts of the menu. Gordon makes them change the menu on the spot. The result sounds much better…and Jen reads it off. It gets Gordon’s approval. The teams go to prep and Louross and Jen snipe at each other. Thirty seconds later Hell’s Kitchen opens. I wish my prep for dinner tonight would be that fast.
Each diner can pick from the Red or Blue menu. The popularity of the menus will influence the outcome of the judging. Christina tries to explain her pasta appetizer to Matt but he doesn’t listen. Gordon immediately says the pasta is salty. The Blue Team is off to a good start when Petrozza puts unwashed lettuce in the appetizer and Gordon calls him a pig. I’d rather have a pig cook for me than Matt when he starts sweating into the pasta. It’s quite horrifying. Corey tells him to cook like a normal person and Matt sulks. Most of his pasta dishes are returned. Corey and Christina work together and ignore Matt.
The Blue Team takes another hit when Louross cooks raw steak and several are returned. Gordon threatens to shut them down if more steak is returned. The camera shifts back to the Red Team and Matt can’t cook vegetables. He sulks, and Corey and Christina pick up his slack. It was a good move for the Red Team. Customers eating off the Blue Team’s menu leave because their steak isn’t ready. This is clearly staged, but effective. Louross figures he is going home. Back in the Red kitchen, all is going well.
In the Blue Kitchen, Bobby makes the mistake of calling Jen honey. I must confess I call people I don’t like but I have to deal with dear sometimes. This is probably the same thing. Jen serves up a raw soufflé and Gordon yells at her. He tells her to turn her stove off.
Dinner service is completed! Both teams had some problems…and Gordon tells them the menu selection between the Blue and Red teams was almost even. I have no idea why Matt wearing looks like Homer Simpson. Is it a shameless plug for Fox perhaps? Gordon tells them the Blue Team lost. Petrozza is the best of the worst. He has to nominate two people for elimination. Delusional Jen says she deserves to be there. Louross points out that Jen doesn’t work well with anyone. Bobby feels good about his chances. Petrozza nominates Louross and Jen. He says Louross doesn’t have the skills to compete at this level (of shame maybe). Petrozza says Jen feels she has more to teach than she does to learn. Gordon tells Petrozza to choose who he should send home immediately.
Petrozza chooses Louross, and Gordon tells him it was a good decision. Louross is sent home…and looks incredibly short next to Gordon. But Gordon isn’t finished, he tells them they stunk at picking a menu and has Matt come forward. Gordon tells Matt he’s unconvinced he should be there. And he tells Jen that while she can manipulate her team, she can’t manipulate him. He tells them both to take their jackets off. He sends Jen off to the women’s team and Matt to the Blue Team. Gordon hopes that they do better the next day.
Matt is glad he’s still around. Jen thinks Corey and Christina are intimidated by her. Corey says she and Christina are the ones in charge of the Red Team. Gordon says Louross wasn’t short on energy he was just short…on cooking ability. Next time…there’s money, there’s Vegas, there is plotting. Matt goes a little bit nuts. Wheee!
As far as whom I think is going to win, since it was asked in another thread... I think Ramsey tests each contestant he thinks might be viable. To elaborate on what Seana said..last season, he tested Rock by making him take out the trash at the women’s photo shoot to see if he could keep his temper in check. This episode, he tested Petrozza by making him choose who he thought should be eliminated. Perhaps he was concerned with Petrozza’s ability to make quick decisions. Keep your eyes peeled to see if there are more tests to come. It was pointed out to me that Gordon never once yelled at Bobby. So maybe my theory is crap. We will see.
Email this topic to a friend
Printer-friendly version of this topic
Bookmark this topic (Registered users only)
