Hell's Kitchen, Episode 8, aired 7/18/05

Mom's Chicken Soup

Last Week

Jimmy won the first individual challenge by torching some fruit with sugar, took Michael along for the reward, then was dismissed from Hell's Kitchen. See Volsfan's Episode 7 summary for more details.

After the Elimination

Jessica is relieved to still be in Hell's Kitchen after her worst performance ever. Ralph hugs her while she assures him he doesn't have to feel guilty for nominating her.

Elsie admits to not feeling confident when she first arrived, but she feels she has learned enough to be a good contender in this competition.

Michael says the friendships he has made here don't mean more than winning this.

Ralph thinks the game officially started tonight. Every day he wakes up thinking about winning this thing.

The Challenge

Chef: Morning guys.

All: Morning Chef.

Chef: This is a challenge I give to every new cook I hire. You'll be cooking from a bowl of leftovers, maximizing food costs, and no waste.

They will be using 15 leftovers that include beef, chicken, macaroni, parsnips, and red wine. I also notice that there are some raspberries.

The test will separate the average from the talented. The winner will do what every chef in America would love to do.

Chef: You've all got 15 minutes. Let's go!

To ensure originality, Chef Ramsey has spread out the group. Michael and Jessica are in the blue kitchen, and Ralph and Elsie are in the red kitchen.

Scott asks Jessica if she has any ideas.

"They're coming to me, Chef."

The food will be judged on presentation, taste, and creativity.

Chef Ramsey: Try to use all of the ingredients, yes?

Ralph: What we've been taught here is to try not to overload the food with too many flavors.

Something tells me Ralph is not good deciphering directions.

Elsie: I am the leftover Queen. When you're feeding a family of 6, you learn to utilize leftovers really well. Like, I'm gonna make some chicken soup.

Chef Ramsey: Get a pan on. Get some heat going in the pan.

Jessica: My mother was my inspiration for my dish. She was always throwing stuff together. She was always making up crazy casseroles.

Michael: Chef Ramsey really wanted to make a point for us that we could make great things out of just scraps to create new dishes.

Scott announces there are 7 minutes left.

Elsie: Ralph's got all these pans going, and I'm just throwing in my stuff, you know, into my pot, making my chicken soup.

Ralph: I made saute of chicken drumsticks. I had the thing nailed.

Scott: One minute, Michael!

Michael: I was thinking about taking the chicken off the bone. All of a sudden, I have one minute left. I don't have time.

Michael to Scott: I'm missing something.

Mary Ann: All right, guys. Stop and plate your dishes.

Narrator: Chef Ramsey believes the key to a successful restaurant is utilizing the leftovers from the previous night's dinner service.

Jessica reveals a beef stew and berries in cream.

Chef Ramsey, tasting the stew: Looks a mess, but tastes delicious.

CR, tasting the berries: Presentation zero, but good flavor.

Jessica, obviously exciting over "good flavor", ignoring the presentation zero comment: I thought I did well.

Mike, revealing his food: Pasta, and uh, chicken wings.

Chef Ramsey: So, a passthedish?

Michael: Whut? Oh, yes.

Chef, tasting: This is the opposite of Jessica's. It looks nice, but doesn't taste as nice as it looks.

Jessica beams and Michael says, "Oh, man!"

Chef: Leaving chicken bone in there is a little dangerous.

Ralph, uncovering his dish: We have a sautee of chicken drumstick accompanied by some on the fly pommes lyonnaise with a natural thyme sauce.

We call that fried chicken legs with mashed potatoes where I come from, except we make sure to shoo the flies away from it, but whatever, Ralph.

Chef Ramsey: Looks like something that just came out of a restaurant. Clean.

This remark worries Michael.

Chef, tasting it: Presentation wise, spot on. Unfortunately, there's raw onion. It's very, very crunchy.

Chef: Elsie.

Elsie, breathy: Yes, Chef.

Chef: Reveal your dish.

Elsie: I made traditional chicken soup. My hangover special.

This made Chef Ramsey smile, with a little gleam in his eye.

Elsie: Cut up some potatoes. (laughs)

Chef Ramsey: Leftover chicken soup. Good for hangovers.

Elsie: A little hot sauce on that, and you're good to go.

Chef Ramsey: There's certainly enough portions in there to feed a family of six. It looks like something out of sewage canal.

That last comment brings a big smile from Jessica and the others. Jessica must think she's got this one.

Chef Ramsey: That's delicious.

Elsie: Thank you, Chef.

Chef Ramsey: A real hearty, warm, substantial soup.

The others wince, and look worried, especially Jessica.

Chef Ramsey: Four very interesting dishes in 15 minutes. Not bad.

The winner is going to do something very, very different. It doesn't happen that often. That person is Elsie. Congratulations.

Elsie: Thank you.

Chef: I would pay for that dish.

The looks on the faces of the others are priceless.

Chef: Very exciting.

Elsie: I'm thrilled.

Chef: Don't forget your knives and your negligee.

Chef Ramsey: When you think of the practical side of Elsie's soup, 2/3 of the tray was used. You could easily sell 20, 30 portions of that.

Jessica: Elsie, did you keep your slop? I wanna try it.

Jessica: I also had dessert on my dish. Elsie didn't, and Elsie won. I'm a little bitter. I'm definitely bummed.

Ralph has to taste the soup, too, proclaiming it to be yummy, as he scurries away to his rat hole.

Elsie: Everyone else made these fantastic fancy dishes, and I won with my chicken soup.

Narrator: With Elsie on the winning side in 5 challenges, the others are tired of her success, especially Ralph, who hasn't been rewarded with a trip outside of HK since he arrived.

Ralph: I was disappointed. I know my dish looked the best. No one likes a sore loser, though.

I guess someone sabotaged Ralph by throwing in those raw onions.

Ralph is throwing stuff around angrily in the kitchen. I used to do that after a fight with my hubby, but not since I got new pans. Ralph doesn't care because they aren't his pans.

10:44 PM

Elsie: I gotta be up and ready by 7:30.
Ralph: Wonder what you will be doing.
Elsie: I don't know. With my chef jacket and negligee.
Ralph: Not so much fun, if you ask me.
Elsie: Depends on what fetish the Chef wants. Beats prepping. I can tell you that.

Ralph: She's gonna go play with somebody with her knives tomorrow. Good for her.

The Reward

Elsie and Chef Ramsey leave in a limousine, with Elsie still not knowing where she's going. Chef finally tells her they are going to appear on a now defunct morning show with annoying hostesses and insipid banter. Whooopeee! And no, it's not Regis and Kelly Lee, because their show is still funct.

They are going to cook on television, which is supposed to be every chef's fondest dream. I guess it's a big deal, because Elsie doesn't believe the Chef at first.

Elsie: Can I have a drink now? (nervous laugh)
Chef: Stay in control.
Elsie: Just don't yell at me, that's all.
Chef: Just don't burn the risotto.

They arrive at Fox studios, while the others are busy peeling potatoes, etc. to get ready for tonight's dinner service. Maryann asks the others if they know what Elsie will be doing. Ralph guessed dinner at the Governator's mansion.

Maryann: I'm afraid I don't have a very good snitzel recipe.

Elsie and the Chef start to makeout report to makeup. Elsie feels like a movie star as she gets her hair done.

Scott asks Michael, Ralph, and Jessica to come to the bar in front of the television screen.

Arthel Neville, one of the hostesses of the defunct show, reminds Elsie this is live television, but Elsie doesn't need to be told again.

Oh, my ears, the awful theme music begins. Chef Ramsey is introduced. He tells the audience they are going to make the most amazing risotto. Chef calls Elsie babe as he beckons her onscreen to take over the stirring of the amazing risotto from the sucky Arthel. Hey, she's the one who said she sucked.

Ralph: I would much rather it been me, but it was her. So be it.

Face it, Ralph, you're just not as pretty in a negligee.

Elsie instructs the lame talk show hostesses on preparing risotto and brags about winning last night's challenge.

Michael expresses his bitterness at all of Elsie's winnings. Jessica thinks Elsie bonded with the women on the show, because she is older like they are, proving Jessica is a baby in more ways than one.

Vols' dreamboat gets them back to prepping, while Elsie is saying her goodbyes and rejoicing in her successful television appearance.

Michael: Next challenge, I'll make chicken slop.
Jessica: Yeah, I should have won and made her eat my mess.

Ralph complains about the work load as he and the others continue to rail against Elsie.

Michael: Tonight it definitely put up or shut up for Elsie.

12:15 PM

Elsie and Chef walk in HK together, looking chummy. Chef asks if they saw it. Ralph forces a smile, saying it was excellent. Michael say they learned not to lose a challenge. Chef Ramsey reveals the second part of the prize. Elsie gets to choose who is on what station in the kitchen.

While he shakes salt on the floor, Michael tells Elsie no one resented or hated her. He digs in by telling her she only won because Chef expected less of her, otherwise he would have won. Oh, and the dangerous bone had nothing to do with it. I think that's what Michael should call his restaurant, if he should win, The Dangerous Bone.

6:55 PM

Chef Ramsey: We've got to complete a fully booked dining room tonight.

Elsie gives starters to Jessica, veggie station to Michael, fish to herself, leaving meat for Ralph.

Opening
Since this will be the 8th dinner service for HK, the customers are less willing to accept long waits and sub-par food. Chef asks for 4 starters for table 23. He is worried when Jessica doesn't answer his requests. He has her replate a salad. Ralph offers her encouragement and help to Jess. Michael comes over to help her, too.

Chef Ramsey is looking for a way to speed up the kitchen, so he has everyone switch stations, so they can all learn to communicate together. Ralph says this will separate the nose from the not nose. Being Italian, he's one of the noses, of course. An hour and a half into dinner service, the chefs are starting to get out some of the main courses.

When Chef Ramsey asks Elsie for penne, Michael jumps in to save the day, but Elsie wants instruction because she has never prepared penne before. Rotation again with Jessica on fish, Ralph on veggies, Elsie on starters, Michael on meat, and white on rice.

Jessica needs more time on her huge lobster, but doesn't indicate how many minutes more it will take, getting Chef Ramsey all upset. He asks her to stop serving Dewberry's dog's dinner, referring to her presentation skills. Jess is supposed to have learned by now.

8:58 PM
Diners are fed up with the wait. The kitchen hasn't served even half of their diners. Elsie, in the weeds, asks Ralph questions, but the nose is mute. Chef puts pressure on Elsie, who is clearly frustrated. Chef takes Elsie aside as if he's coaching her along. The others notice the lack of screaming. Chef asks Elsie to take a little time out and then come back to him. She cries in the bathroom because no one has spoken to her the whole time. She feels like a total outsider.

Elsie returns to the kitchen, red eyed and teary. Chef tells her to talk to him when confused.

JP takes a splinter from a lobster back to Chef Ramsey, who shows it to Jessica, calling her an idiot.

This has been one of HK's worst dinner services. Some customers are leaving while Michael still has hopes of completing the service. Chef complains about an upside down steak to Ralph because he's supposed to be a (bleep) chef.

Chef Ramsey shuts down the kitchen, telling JP to explain to the waiting customers. He tells the final 4 this was the worst service ever, giving them the teamwork speech again. This time, he will decide who to nominate.

Back at the dorm

Elsie, smoking a cigarette: I did the worst tonight and I'm realistic.

(crickets)

Elsie leaves the patio. Ralph blames Elsie on the starters for their lousy performance. He said Elsie just sucked at all of the stations. Michael is worried that anyone, even him, could go home tonight. Ralph complains he's done more than his share of the work.

The Big E

Back again to the kitchen, Chef remarks that Michael looks distraught. He asks Jessica to step forward, telling her that her performance was terrible. Jessica thinks she's getting stronger on the line.

Chef asks Elsie to step forward, asking her twice if she got the right kind of support in the kitchen tonight. She didn't blame the other chefs, saying that she's given it her best since day one.

The person leaving HK tonight is Elsie.

Chef: You've touched my heart, and I'm stomping on yours.

After one last makeout session with the Chef, Elsie leaves, but not before hugging the 3 useless pieces of baggage. Satan tells her he is proud of her.

*sigh* It's just as well. There is no room for an angel in Hell's Kitchen anyway.

Chef: Tonight we lost that spirit. Congrats on the final three.

Next Week
Unexpected trouble. Chef on the phone: It's an emergency! The chefs have to stay up all night. Dinner has some special guests, VIPs. Who? Knockers, Ginger, MCatt, Puffy, Wandacal? Chef Ramsey is relentless at dinner service. Despite no sleep, Michael, Ralph, and Jessica work well together. You won't believe who goes home! I don't care anymore, as long as it's one of the final three.

Sea ya for the finale!