Episode 210/211 - 2 Chefs/Winner

The tenth and eleventh episodes of Season 2 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox, on August 14, 2006, as a double feature. In those episodes, Heather and Virginia designed their new restaurants, picked their brigades for the final service, and one of them was declared the winner of Hell's Kitchen.

Intro[]

The episode began with a recap of the first nine episodes of the season, mentioning what happened and who got eliminated.

Continuing from the previous episode, Heather and Virginia were celebrating in the dorms with some champagne glasses, and somebody was knocking at the door. When it opened, it was revealed that those people were Heather's parents and Virginia's mother and husband. Both were thrilled when they walked through the door and hugged their loved ones. The finalists told them what they had done so far on the show. Heather recalled the dumpster dive punishment and her friendship with Rachel, while Virginia remembered how she won the Blind Taste Test and the Taste It Now Make It Challenge. After some very appreciated time, the families left, and the two finalists hugged each other, saying it was a sweet gift.

Press conference[]

The following day, the two finalists were back to business, aware that only each other was standing between their dreams. Heather knew that it came down to services, which Virginia could not cut next to her, while the latter was trying to stay focused by giving kicks into a punching bag, saying she would use her palate against Heather. The telephone rang, and Heather picked it up. Ramsay told her to get down in the kitchen, along with Virginia. When the two finalists entered the blue kitchen, some media members were waiting for them in the dining room, holding cameras and taking pictures, much to their surprise. After Ramsay talked into the microphone, reporters asked a series of questions to the finalists. Heather said how big the prize was, while Virginia declared that if she won, she would hire her husband, who was also a chef. The final question was about what they did during their off times, and Virginia revealed the dance they made up in the dorms, which Heather was embarrassed about. However, they did it anyway to the tune of "Jump on It."

After that, Ramsay revealed the final challenge, and a huge red blanket came down from the ceiling. Ramsay told both finalists that the restaurant was now divided, and they would each design their dream restaurant. Virginia had the blue kitchen, and Heather had the red one. Before they left for the dorms to think about their designs, Ramsay gave them their head chef jackets. Back in the dorms, both were excited and changed into their new outfits. Once in her new jacket, Heather felt cool and that the game was on.

New restaurant design[]

Back downstairs, both finalists stood on their respective sides of the restaurant, thinking about how they could design their restaurant. Heather declared that she could die after winning because she was so happy, and Virginia wanted to give art on the plates and on the wall, so the customers could understand who she was. With 36 hours left until the final dinner service, Ramsay introduced them to John Janavs, the designer of Hell's Kitchen, and Albie Colotto, the designer of the Red Rock Resort & Spa. Ramsay told them to work with them and, after, work with Jean-Philippe for the uniforms and atmosphere of their restaurants. In addition, Ramsay revealed that Virginia would work with Sous Chef Maryann for her menu, and Heather with Sous Chef Scott.

For Heather, she explained to Janavs and Colotto about a picture frame design of a woman cooking, though the latter suggested a video wall instead. For Virginia, she wanted the walls to resemble a waterfall, while Heather wanted her restaurant to be family themed as she loved her family. For the uniforms, Heather wanted hers to be outgoing and trendy, with the female servers looking sexy. In contrast, Virginia wanted darker colors with a bistro style to them. As construction on the restaurants began, Heather and Virginia went to their Sous Chefs to discuss their menus. Heather wanted her menu to reflect her personality, and her signature was a simple white wish. In contrast, Virginia suggested complex ideas, such as a chicken roulade.

Individual challenge[]

Later that day, Ramsay gathered the finalists and asked how excited they were that their dream was becoming a reality. Both said they were excited, and Ramsay said there was some more business they must attend to. Ramsay told them to pack their bags as they were going to Las Vegas. Heather was extremely excited about that trip, and as they went to the dorms, Ramsay joked that somebody should mop the floor. While packing for the trip, Heather was thrilled to see her dream restaurant and cried in joy. In contrast, Virginia knew things were unpredictable and did not know what tricks Ramsay had.

The trio rode to Las Vegas in a huge GMC limousine, and Ramsay was proud of how far they had come since their signature dishes on the first day. Then, Ramsay told Virginia that she held the record for most challenges won in a season, though she knew she won all but one. After, Ramsay recalled how Heather burned her hand in the second dinner service and still pressed on that night. Heather knew that she did not want to see the red team lose that night and that she kicked Virginia's ass in services. Still, Heather knew Virginia bested her in challenges.

Once in Las Vegas, Ramsay introduced the Final Signature Dish Challenge, where Heather and Virginia had one hour to prepare their new signature dish for the casino's customers. To help them out, Ramsay reserved Hank's Fine Steaks & Martinis to use as their kitchen. As the challenge began, Virginia cooked her chicken roulade with a Berblanc sauce while Heather made a Chilean sea bass with puréed cauliflower and carrots. Heather deemed her dish refreshing and thought the customers would like it, while Virginia wanted to win with her hearty swiss cheese. Once time was up, Heather and Virginia walked back into the casino with their cooked dishes. As the finalists presented their food to the guests, Heather got off to an early lead and led 5-4 after the first nine votes were tallied. Heather was shocked by that as more guests voted for her dish. However, Virginia caught up in points and even began flirting with a few guests to help her out. Eventually, Virginia led 10-9, and the final vote would decide whether or not the challenge would end in a tie. The final customer gave her vote to Heather, and the score was tied at ten each. One last customer was approached to taste the dish, and he preferred Virginia's dish. Virginia won the challenge, upsetting Heather as she deemed the former's palate untouchable.

After the challenge, Ramsay invited the finalists to the restaurant's top to admire Las Vegas and imagine their new hometown. Then, Ramsay thought back to his first time opening his restaurant and invited both to London as VIP guests at his own establishment to come and enjoy themselves. Both were excited about the gift as Heather wanted to go to London, and Virginia called it a generous gift. Afterwards, they went back to Hell's Kitchen.

Scoring[]

Restaurant design continuing[]

With eighteen hours left before the final dinner service, the finalists returned to Hell's Kitchen to look at the progress. Virginia learned that the column's colour was too dark and would not fit with her waterfalls. Colotto suggested getting some lighter colors, to which she agreed. On Heather's side, Janavs told her that her stairs were missing the Plexiglas they needed. So, Janavs suggested a teal color to go with the rest of the dining room, to which Heather agreed. Also, Colotto was concerned about Virginia's waterfalls as he struggled to think how he could make them work well during the night. Hearing that made Virginia nervous as Heather learned that her booths would not be adequately upholstered. That made Heather concerned that only some things would be completed on time. After the progress report, both went to sleep, exhausted, but they had a lot of things on their minds. Virginia compared it to Christmas Eve, while Heather felt she could taste Vegas and refused to let anyone take it away from her.

Team select[]

The next morning, the two finalists woke up and prepared for the big day. Then, their former teammates returned to the dorms to greet and congratulate them. Rachel was the first one to enter and was hugged very hard by Heather. Rachel was thrilled to see Heather in the finals, though surprised to see Virginia there as well. The others were Tom, Sara, Garrett, followed by Keith and Giacomo who held platters of breakfast food. Tom was surprised that Virginia made it after being nominated several times like him. As the group ate, Virginia realized they would have to pick their former teammates as their brigade and knew that half of the group was strong. Heather immediately knew who she wanted in her kitchen, but she also knew she must trust them to cook her food.

Then, the phone rang, and Ramsay ordered Virginia to come to the kitchen, along with Heather and all their friends. Once downstairs, Ramsay told all the returning contestants that he was happy to see them back. Each received a quick flashback of one of their highlights during their run in Hell's Kitchen. These included: Giacomo's failure to turn on the oven during the third service, Tom sweating in the food while prepping for the opening night, Rachel getting chewed out in the pantry room in the fifth service, Sara being a waitress in the second service, Garrett's poor performance on appetizers in the fourth service, and Keith having his pants sag in the third service. Ramsay ended it by doing Keith's K-Grease sign, much to everyone's amusement.

Afterwards, Ramsay told the finalists that the six in front of them would be their brigade members for the final dinner service. Because Virginia won the final challenge, she got the first pick. Virginia chose Keith as her first pick, but he was not happy as he wanted to be on Heather's team and did not think Virginia deserved to be in the finals. That caused Keith to remember his hard-on accusation towards Ramsay right after he was eliminated. Rachel was Heather's first pick, which both were happy about. For her second pick, Virginia chose Tom, which surprised everybody as Heather recalled how poorly the latter cooked. Still, Heather was delighted Tom was not on her team. Heather picked Sara as her second member, making Virginia happy as she was not friends with the latter as she knew Tom would give her more respect. For her last pick, Virginia chose Giacomo, thinking it would boost his confidence for not being picked last. Also, Virginia felt Giacomo had a better attitude compared to Garrett. Heather was left with Garrett, which surprised him, but he was happy to be on her team. Heather was also happy to have Garrett on her team, as she knew exactly how to get what she wanted from him.

After the selection, both teams returned to the dorms for briefing time. Virginia managed to upset her team by saying she picked the people who everybody thought were weak and see what she could do with them. Keith felt insulted by that and asked Virginia if she thought he was weak, but the latter thought he would carry the weaker links. Meanwhile, Rachel acknowledged her short-lived feud with Sara, but both declared that Heather had nothing to worry about as they wanted to see her win. That made Heather happy as they were the team she imagined. As Virginia went over the menu, Keith liked the dishes but wondered if she could execute them. For Heather, she said every station was easy, and the meat station only had one protein to cook. Garrett asked if it was chicken, recalling that he served raw chicken on the first black jacket service, but Heather said it was not. Garrett was thrilled about Heather's menu as it felt like she thought it out for the team to succeed. Virginia asked her team to bring her perfecting, but Keith said he wanted something in return so he could work hard for her. Although Virginia was reluctant to give them something, Keith demanded something immediately. Virginia relented and promised to give the men $1000 if she won. That made Tom happy as he was unemployed due to competing.

Before service[]

Eight hours before the final service began, Heather and Virginia brought their brigades into their kitchens to prep. Virginia handed out tasting spoons while Heather was determined to win. Heather felt confident in her menu and team and reminded them to have everything ready by 3 pm. Moments later, Colotto told Heather about a minor problem with her booths. Some had unbalanced spacing between the seats and the table, but Heather told Janvas to cut a small section off one of the booths so it could fit on the wall. Janvas liked that idea, and Heather went back to the red kitchen. In the blue kitchen, Virginia tried to motivate her team, but she was concerned about Tom and Giacomo as they did not perform well under pressure. Still, Virginia knew the three men would help her as her main concern was the dining room. When Virginia went to see the dining room, Janavs and Colotto revealed that her waterfalls might not be ready for the opening as they were behind schedule. Virginia was worried about it, but the two architects told her to focus on her food and let them focus on the dining room.

Four hours before opening, the design of both dining rooms were behind schedule. Fortunately, the kitchens ran smoothly as they prepared sample dishes for Ramsay's approval. Heather's menu featured a goat cheese tart appetizer, Chilean Sea Bass entrée, and bread pudding for dessert. When Heather presented her menu to Ramsay, he said the chicken on her salad was chewed up and had no care when it was sliced, and the sea bass was boring. Still, Ramsay praised the desserts, and Heather accepted the suggestions he gave her. Virginia's menu featured a jalapeno tortellini appetizer, braised short ribs as her entrée, and an ice cream sundae for dessert. Ramsay liked the presentation of the dishes but told Virginia she must match ingredients that taste well together as he did not get the quail eggs with the steak. Still, Virginia felt they were minor tweaks that she did not need to worry about. After looking at both menus, Ramsay deemed Virginia's menu a flashy California vibe, while Heather had a gritty New York-styled menu.

While the construction crew scrambled to get Virginia's waterfall ready, Heather had her dining room ready. Heather presented her dining room to Ramsay and said it was inspired by family. Ramsay found it very vibrant and elegant, but his only negative review was the child graffiti on the wall, written with a blue sharpie marker. Ramsay said the only comment Heather wanted to give the diners was through her menu, which made her concerned. Twenty minutes left, the architects revealed to Virginia her waterfalls, who finally came alive. She was pleased about them as she thought they added something to the room. When Ramsay was presented with Virginia's dining room, she said she wanted to give the diners a fine dining experience. Ramsay found the colors nice and praised the lighting. Afterwards, Heather and Virginia helped prep their kitchens as they were minutes away from opening.

Before the service began, Ramsay told the finalists that he would be in the kitchen observing how they ran their brigades and how they prioritized quality. Also, Ramsay reminded them that their teams were not their friends; they were their staff. Heather and Virginia briefed their respective teams one last time, told them what they wanted from them during that service, and the service started.

Dinner service[]

As service began, Virginia's Desert Oasis and Heather's Urban Bistro had their seats filled. Sous Chef Mary-Ann told Virginia not to overwhelm her brigade as Tom wanted to be on the winning team for once. Then, Ramsay asked Giacomo if the oven was on, and the latter said he had checked it four times earlier. As Heather received her first order, she called it out enthusiastically, and the red team responded. Ramsay was happy to see them short and punchy as it sounded positive. In the blue kitchen, Virginia struggled to be understood by her team as they told her to speak louder. After Virginia called out her first ticket, none of her team members called back until she urged them to move. Ramsay got concerned when he saw that, as it meant the blue team was calm and sedative. As Heather urged her team to communicate, Ramsay warned her that some important guests were in the dining room. Heather and Virginia did not know that Scott Kreeger, the president of the Red Rock Resort, was in the dining room with his wife, Suzette. Both would sample from each menu to help Ramsay decide the winner. Ramsay reminded Virginia about quality control as Heather pushed Sara for the appetizers. Heather was determined to win and give Virginia a fight as Sara got her appetizers approved. While Heather started sending out appetizers, Virginia took too long plating her dishes to Ramsay's liking. Despite Giacomo and Keith offering to help, Virginia claimed she was fine even though the food was getting backed up.

In the red kitchen, thirty-two tables received their appetizers, but one customer found his tart cold and bland. Jean-Philippe returned with the dish and told Heather that the customer wanted a scallop soup as a replacement dish. Heather asked for one on the fly, determined not to leave a loser. Ramsay reminded Heather that she was in charge of keeping quality up to par and told her to get a grip. So, Heather told the red team that she refused to have one dish returned afterwards and told Sara to keep the tarts warm. Virginia told Giacomo to refire a salad order in the blue kitchen as the last one he sent had too much salt and less walnut oil. Ramsay praised that decision and told Giacomo to wake up. When Virginia told her team to go faster, Tom started to give her attitude, thinking he did not want to be talked to that way because of his age.

An hour into service, most of Heather's customers received their appetizers. In the blue team, Virginia had good quality control, but Giacomo slowed the kitchen down because of the raw fish he was sending. Giacomo said he would have the snapper refire in thirty seconds, but he felt like a jackass due to running around. Ramsay told Virginia he was worried about the little food coming out and told her she needed help with the plating station. So, Virginia asked Keith to come and help her, but he started to give her attitude over the dishes he needed to cook. That bothered Virginia as she felt Keith was taking advantage of her, but the latter did not appreciate her yelling at him. Despite that, Virginia caught up with the red kitchen, and most of her customers finally received their appetizers. Many of Virginia's customers enjoyed their starters, but Kreeger thought his pasta was slightly too thick. In the red dining room, Heather's appetizers received mixed reviews. When a salad returned for being too salty, Heather ordered a scallop soup on the fly and told Sara to go light on the dressing. Heather worried that Sara's weak performance could get her chances of winning away from her and started snapping at the latter for the refire. Still, Sara told Heather to calm down. Then, Heather told Rachel to refire a steak because it was not cooked enough and said she wanted everything perfect. Rachel knew Heather was riding her butt, but she got her refire accepted as the latter told her it was perfectly cooked. Some of Heather's diners liked the dish, and Kreeger enjoyed his steak.

In the blue kitchen, Virginia caught up on appetizers, but she still needed to catch up on entrées. Ramsay caught Tom standing idly, and Virginia told the latter not to stand around again. That angered Tom as he did not like getting ordered around by a woman. When Tom sliced a chicken roulade, he cut his finger and rinsed his hand under water. Tom showed his injury to Sous Chef Mary-Ann, and she told him to see a medic. Giacomo informed Virginia about the situation, and she started feeling very concerned. When Tom went in the back to get some bandages on his finger, he showed his injury to Ramsay, who told him that it was nothing and that he did not need a big drama queen. Tom came back into the kitchen minutes later and asked what was needed. Virginia called out the order, and Tom struggled to get his order out on time as his team heckled him for the chicken. Virginia felt that Tom failed to grasp three items, but he got his dishes out and the former pushed out entrées. When Kreeger ate the chicken roulade, he liked it and said that Virginia was back in the game. When Virginia called out the following order, Tom did not pay attention and asked what was on the ticket. Ramsay told Tom to move and check the ticket himself.

Three hours into service, Virginia rushed to get her entrées quickly, but a customer complained about his snapper containing too much oil. Jean-Philippe brought it back, and Virginia asked for a refire. However, Keith revealed that they ran out of snapper, causing Virginia to panic as she had no backup plan. As Virginia franticly looked for food, Keith snuck some discarded entrées to eat. In the red kitchen, Heather started to push desserts out and told Sara to replate some of the empanadas because she was not satisfied with them. When Sara sent them for the second time, the plates were not the same, and Heather told the former to replate them again. That annoyed Sara as she did not see it as a big deal, but she knew she would get punched in the face if she said it aloud. After that, Ramsay told Heather that the dessert's cream was underneath the plate, so she told her brigade to clean the plates. In the blue kitchen, Virginia started to panic when she realized she had run out of snapper, but the customers asked for their desserts anyway. So. Virginia ordered her team to get the desserts going. Both teams rallied to send their final desserts out, and Kreeger enjoyed both kitchens' desserts. Both finalists congratulated and thanked their teams, with the blue kitchen celebrating with champagne glasses. Still, Keith declared he only wanted to win the $1000 Virginia promised.

Post-mortem[]

When the teams were lined up, Ramsay congratulated both teams and asked for a big round of applause. After that, Ramsay revealed that the president of the Red Rock Resort, Scott Kreeger, was dining in both restaurants that night. Kreeger came into the kitchen to give his reviews about the different dishes. Kreeger praised Heather's sea bass for the great presentation and delicate taste, and he declared that Virginia's short ribs were the best he ever had. Kreeger thought both did well that night and called it a hard decision to name one of them the winner. Kreeger left, and Ramsay told both finalists to say goodbye to their staff and wait in the dorms. As they left, Virginia said that Tom and Giacomo were always known as the weak links and that if she could win despite them, she could prove everybody wrong. On her side, Heather gave a long hug to Rachel, saying that if she did not win, she could say that she had an excellent restaurant for one night.

Back in the dorms, Heather and Virginia drank beer as the latter was a mix of emotions over the decision. On the other side, Heather wondered what Ramsay's decision would be. Meanwhile, Ramsay sat in his office, thinking about his decision based on his observations, Kreeger's reviews, and the customer comment cards. After a few minutes, the Sous Chefs knocked at the dorms' door to get both into Ramsay's office. Heather felt nervous that she had lost, while Virginia had no idea what would happen.

Winner announced[]

In Ramsay's office, Heather and Virginia stood in front of a door. Ramsay congratulated the two, praising Heather's great improvement and maturity throughout the competition, and Virginia's palate, which he said was a gift. Ramsay said he read every customer comment card and that one holds a slight advantage in front of the other. After giving both finalists a key, Ramsay declared that one of those keys would open not only the door but also their very own restaurant in Las Vegas. Virginia felt confident she would win as the two stood in front of their doors, while Heather said she would be heartbroken if she lost. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, both finalists turned their keys, but only Heather's door opened.

Heather became the winner of Hell's Kitchen and won the restaurant deal at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. Virginia became the runner-up, but she took her defeat graciously, saying she trusted Ramsay's decision and hoped to be as successful as Heather one day. Heather ran to her parents and hugged a proud Ramsay afterwards. Heather was happy to win Hell's Kitchen and asked if it was a dream. Rachel told Heather she was proud of her as the latter realized her life had changed drastically as of now.

Ramsay's comment: "Heather won Hell's Kitchen because of her determination. She stuck to what she knew best, and she controlled her kitchen from start to finish. Heather clearly has great leadership qualities, and this, for a 25-year-old cook, is a phenomenon. This woman is going to be a big success. My work is done. It's been a phenomenal journey. I'm ready for the next challenge, and fuck you all!"

Epilogue[]

Three months later, Heather was introduced to her new staff at the Red Rock Resort by Scott Kreeger. Heather gave a very emotional speech and thanked everybody, from Ramsay to her parents, who were as emotional as her during her speech. The season ended with a big firework on top of the Red Rock Resort & Spa.

Trivia[]

• This marks the first all-female finale in the show's history.
• This is the final time the Final Signature Dish Challenge was judged by the public.
• This marks the only time a tie occurred in the Final Signature Dish Challenge.
• As this was Virginia's third individual challenge victory, she sets the record for most challenges won in the black jacket phase with three. It would later be tied by Christina (Season 4) and Trenton (Season 20).
• The instrumental music during the dance sequence was a cover of The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump On It)".
• This is the only finale to feature an epilogue of the winner at their prized restaurant.