Last Night on Hell’s Kitchen, There was Romance in the Air

Last night on Hell’s Kitchen, Chef Ramsey wanted to know which of the chefs were married. Strangely, Elise was the one to raise her hand. Of all the females, I would have guessed her last. Their challenge during this week’s episode was to create a sexy desert. I don’t see why a chef couldn’t create a sexy desert for their boyfriend/girlfriend, but whatever.

Once again, the Red Team had to lose one of their deserts because they had one more chef? than the Blue Team. Naturally, they couldn’t make up their mind, but they finally decided on Elise’s. And you know she was having none of that. You know who’s desert she wanted 86’d. Didn’t matter what it looked like, or tasted like. All that mattered was who created it.

Tommy brought up a chocolate and pecan sticky bun (not really a desert, but a breakfast. And certainly not sexy) and told them that his girlfriend really thought it was sexy. Of course, she is only 19. He is 31. Fascinating. The 2 guest judges each gave him one star. Jamie got a combined 3 stars for her bread pudding.

Jennifer came through for her team with the best desert of the day and won it for her team with 3 stars from each judge for her desert. But Ramsey wasn’t done yet. He wanted to know what he was missing with Elise’s desert. After tasting it, he told her that the team was lucky they eliminated it because it was a horrible, over-vinegary mess. Knowing Elise, she probably thought that the three professional chefs didn’t know what they were talking about and it was awesome.

Their reward was a great one. They went to Las Vegas and spent the day at a villa. The Blue Team’s punishment was equally as bad. They had to set up the entire dining room for a romantic evening, and if that wasn’t enough, they had to also set up both kitchens for a full raw bar.

And the gifts just kept coming for the Red Team. Holly Madison made a surprise appearance at their villa, and informed them that they each were receiving one ticket for them and a guest for 3 days and 2 nights to return to Vegas at some point in the future. One thing about these rewards: we always find out little nuggets about the chefs that we would never have otherwise known. In this case, we learned that Elisabeth has always been a big fan of Playboy. Well, how about that?

Things seemed to be going great for the Red Team on this very relaxing retreat, until Elise started giving Carrie a hard time about some nonsense. Then the fireworks started. What is it with these two? Can’t they act civilized for 30 minutes together? Please, just kill each other and get the drama over with.

Upon returning to Hell’s kitchen, Natalie asked how their trip was and Elise wasn’t in the door 20 seconds before she was saying that they get to return to Las Vegas. I really can’t wait until someone buries a butcher knife in her head. C’mon. You know you want to see it too.

Dinner service got off to a quick start. Chef Ramsey reminded them that it was going to be Romantic Dinner Night in Hell’s Kitchen, an oxymoron of sorts, if you ask me. In the Red Kitchen, the Carrie/Elise feud continued as Carrie asked Elise several times when the oysters were going to be ready and several times Elise ignored her. Until Ramsey asked her. Then she answered like she’d never been asked before. He yelled at her about not communicating and she said it wouldn’t be a problem. And Carrie started asking her again and she went back to ignoring her. We have words for girls like Elise where I’m from. Words that I can’t print here because my wife and daughters read this column and I have a certain respect for women. Feel free to use your imagination. I won’t get in your way.

In the Blue kitchen, Tommy seasoned some scallops way too early. Ramsey screamed at him that he had to wait until moments before they were served before seasoning them, not at the four minute mark and to do them over. So naturally, Tommy does the exact same thing again. He started seasoning them at four minutes. Ramsey told him to take a walk and clear his head. How he didn’t get tossed is a mystery to me. But instead he walked into the dining room and flirted with a table of girls.

In the Red kitchen, Gordon found a black hair on a plate that was brought up to the pass. He asked whose it was and no one admitted to it. He asked Jaime if it was hers, since she has black hair, and she brought the plate up (a real Master of the Obvious, that Ramsey guy), but she said she didn’t think so. He finally beat her into submission and she admitted that it might be, nay, probably was, her hair.

Also in the Red kitchen, Carrie was busy screwing up not one, but two pieces of bass. One was undercooked and the other was burned. He was done with her. She yelled back that she wasn’t ready to go, and she wanted another chance. He wasn’t having it. He told her to get the hell out. She was the first casualty of the evening. But not the last. It’s very interesting to me how Tommy stays after his debacle but Carrie gets booted after hers. What Carrie did was far less egregious, in my mind, then what Tommy did. Hmmm. I really wonder what Ramsey is thinking sometimes when he makes these decisions.

Out in the dining room, what is a romantic Hell’s Kitchen evening without a proposal? And we had one. It even made the usual hard ass Gordon Ramsey break into a huge grin for a moment.

The Blue Team won so the Red Team had to select 2 nominees for Ramsey to choose one to eliminate.
They chose Carrie, because she fought with him when he sent her out of the kitchen and Elise because of all the drama she causes, all the time.

He told her she has a problem with her ego and she has a problem taking orders. He sent them both back in line and overrode the team’s decision. He sent Jamie home saying that she was continuously going downhill and he just can’t go any further with her getting no response.

It was a good choice, and he was absolutely right. And that being said, the team was completely right about Elise. She needs to go, and soon. I don’t know how much longer this team can go with all the negative energy that she brings without something really, really bad happening.

We will have to wait until next week to see if Ramsey has finally had enough of the crazy that Elise brings. Hell’s Kitchen will not be on tonight due to the two-hour season finale of Master Chef on Fox.