Episode 904 - 14 Chefs Compete

The fourth episode of Season 9 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on Fox on July 26, 2011. In that episode, chicken was the main ingredient, both Sous Chefs were being talked back to, and a loudmouth was ready to throw everybody under the bus, except themselves.

Intro[]

While going back to the dorms, Elise clearly showed her disagreement over Amanda's elimination as she had a lot of potential and was extremely angry that Carrie, who she called a bitch, was still there. In the dorms, Elise bullied Carrie by telling everybody she sucked and that she would never improve. That annoyed Carrie, who said she had enough of Elise's attitude and big mouth. Elise continued by saying she did nothing during service, but Carrie was convinced her big mouth would eliminate her. Then, Elise targeted Krupa by calling her the second weakest link. Krupa answered that she could suck it and said Elise did not know when to shut her mouth as her attitude was putting everybody off.

Krupa declared that she was moving out in the bedroom because Elise had a problem with her since the first day. Still, Jennifer defended Elise by saying to Krupa that she never said anything wrong about her. However, Krupa was not convinced as Elise said a lot of nasty things to her. Still, Elise retorted she only said that because the naan bread she served as her signature dish was terrible, and that infuriated Krupa. She told Elise to keep her opinions for herself. But, Elise continued by saying that she should not have moved into a house with fourteen other people if she did not want to hear different opinions. After that, Krupa left the room and the argument by targeting Elise's attitude and went to the room at the other end of the hallway. At the same time, Elise said she had her nerve.

Team challenge[]

The following day, the chefs were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi, who brought them special farm outfits to wear and were told to get outside. Arrived there, they were greeted by Ramsay, who revealed a pen full of chicken behind a truck. He introduced the Chicken Creation Challenge, but Will revealed that where he was coming from, they were chasing chicks instead of chicken. Each chef would have five minutes to grab a chicken inside the pen and then choose an ingredient out of those available to create four chicken dishes. Elizabeth acknowledged that the red team needed to win as they have lost all of the challenges at that moment. When the countdown began, Jonathon and Carrie entered the pen to grab their chicken. Jonathon said he knew how to catch chicken as he was from the south. He chose almonds, Carrie chose tomatoes, and when Monterray entered the pen, he struggled to catch a chicken because they were too fast but eventually chose pineapple. Then, Jamie chose carrots, Natalie dove into the pen to catch her chicken and chose coconut milk. Chino impressed his teammates, especially Will, by vigorously catching his chicken despite not being the strongest cook. After Krupa flinched while catching her chicken, Gina chose radish. Finally, Elise, Tommy, and Jennifer were seen catching one chicken each. After the first part of the challenge, the red team caught nine ingredients, and the blue team caught eleven ingredients.

After changing, both teams were lined up in their respective kitchens, and Sous Chefs Scott and Andi brought one chicken for each team. For the second part of the challenge, each team would split into pairs and have 30 minutes to create four chicken dishes using the lone chicken they received. When the countdown began, the red team organized themselves over who would do what type of cooking. Elise was already bossing Elizabeth when the latter was about to put more salt in the blender. Carrie dropped her chicken in the fryer. She revealed how excited she was about working with Gina before being convinced that they would knock their fried chicken out. When she took out the basket from the fryer to show it to Gina, the latter was annoyed and reminded Carrie that it had to be done in the center. Tommy revealed that he wanted his entire dish to be grilled in the blue kitchen, from the chicken to the garnishes. When Monterray took the chicken off the grill as it was done, he dropped half of it on the floor as he sliced it, much to his frustration. Monterray was mad at himself because he knew they only had one chicken to work with and that they would never have enough of it to complete their dish. Carrie discovered that her and Gina's chicken was raw in the red kitchen, much to the latter's dismay. So, Gina ordered Carrie to put it in the oven, and Jennifer did not believe it would be done in time. Eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time. Still, Gina was extremely embarrassed to work with a teammate who did not know what she was doing because the chicken was raw.

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay asked if everybody was confident in their dishes. Gina shook her head from side to side. When he asked her what was going on, she revealed that her and Carrie's chicken was raw, much to the blue team's amusement. Ramsay was dismayed and asked why it was raw. After Gina aggressively told Carrie to stop talking as she was, she revealed that Carrie did not cook it long enough in both the fryer and in the oven. Elise said that she could not believe it. When Ramsay asked Gina what was going on, she answered that even though she had nothing against anybody, she called Carrie the common denominator almost all the time, before adding that everywhere she was going, it was horrendous. Then, Ramsay strictly warned the red team to hold it together in front of the special guest judges, who were Jen Garcia from People magazine and Dave Karger from Entertainment Weekly magazine. After both of them were introduced, Ramsay revealed that the chefs with the best dish from the winning team would be photographed with him and featured in People magazine. After Jennifer revealed how excited she was about that, as she was reading that magazine every week, the first round, which was the fried chicken round, was judged.

Gina revealed that their chicken was extremely raw because she was paired with Carrie. After Gina was told to get back in line by Ramsay, Carrie declared that even though she was humiliated about their dish, she thought Gina wanted to throw her under the bus and argued that their chicken was not raw. Still, Gina and Elise disagreed. Then, Paul presented his roasted corn fried chicken with rosemary grits and southern gravy style. It was deemed good by Garcia and not easy to eat but worth it by Karger. Paul easily won the round over Gina and Carrie, and the blue team led 1-0. On the second round, which was the sauté round, Krupa served her and Jennifer's chicken cacciatore, it was deemed tasting better than it was looking by Karger, and after, Jonathon served his and Will's lemon-herbed sautéed chicken, which was deemed great looking by Garcia, with both pairs scoring a point, making the score 2-1 for the blue team. On the third round, which was the grill round, Jamie served her grilled chicken salad, and despite the flavors being a little bit off, the chicken was cooked perfectly. After, Ramsay asked Tommy what happened to his and Monterray's chicken as there was not much of it on the plate. Tommy revealed Monterray's mistake but reassured them that the dropped half was not on the plate. Because of that, Ramsay refused to have the dish tasted. Jamie automatically won the round, tying the score at 2, and Monterray took responsibility for his mistake. On the final round, which was the roast round, Elise presented her and Elizabeth's "succulent" roasted chicken with butternut squash purée, Swiss chard, onions, and garlic, which was appreciated for the fabulous colors and flavors, and when Ramsay asked whose idea it was, Elise answered that it was all her own, but Elizabeth knew that she was trying to get all the spotlight on herself as both of them worked on that idea. After Ramsay acknowledged that Elise did not like sharing, Natalie presented her and Chino's roasted chicken coconut curry soup, which was deemed delicious by both guest judges. During deliberation, Jonathon was convinced that the blue team would win the challenge as they were on a streak. Elise was tired of losing before declaring that the red team had to get out of Hell's Kitchen before she would hurt somebody. After deliberation, the red team won the challenge 3-2. Elise was excited as she knew that her dish was the best before remembering that Elizabeth also contributed to that dish.

Scoring[]

Reward[]

The red team was rewarded with a go-kart activity at K1 Speed, much to Elise's excitement. She and Elizabeth were photographed with Ramsay for People magazine as their dish was deemed the best, which excited Elizabeth as it was was everything she wanted in her life. After the picture was taken, the guest judges were dismissed, and the red team went to the dorms to change, while Elise claimed that it was the best day of her life.

During the ride, Elise declared how happy she was about getting out of Hell's Kitchen and arrived at K1 Speed. They were greeted by the host and changed into their suits. After changing, Elise revealed that she never rode in a go-kart before but was still ready to kick butts. When the race began, Jamie took the lead quickly by declaring that she loved go-karting. Then, Elizabeth bumped into some walls a couple of times before revealing that she did not even have a license as she was from New York City. Jennifer was going very slow as she was freaking out and thought that she was going a hundred miles an hour.

After the first race, Jamie, Carrie, and Elise moved on to the second as they had the fastest times. When the race began, Elise immediately targeted Carrie by bumping into her and declared that she would never have allowed Carrie to win. Jennifer called Elise a freak behind the wheel, but despite all of her efforts to make sure that Carrie would not win, Elise finished third, and Carrie finished second, while Jamie won the trophy. However, Elise claimed that she was happy as long as Carrie did not win.

Punishment[]

The blue team was punished by creating a chicken stock from scratch for the next service. Natalie was pissed about the idea that the red team won the challenge despite Carrie serving raw chicken. Then, the blue team began their punishment under Sous Chef Scott's supervision. Paul joked about the fact that Elise's ego would probably not fit in the go-kart during the punishment. When the red team walked by to go on their reward, Jonathon wished them not to wreck before Will jokingly thought that they would be likely to believe that go-kart would be like bumper cars.

Later, Monterray suggested going over the menu items, which everybody agreed with. Will suggested simulating a dinner service, and Paul called a fictional order. Will revealed that they simulated a dinner service because they had two losses already. However, when they did, Chino still found a way to struggle. Will was dismayed because Chino could not even imagine being a good cook, and Jonathon was dismayed because there was no cooking involved.

Before service[]

After the red team came back from their reward, both teams went into their kitchen to begin prep for the next service. In the blue kitchen, Natalie motivated her teammates. In the red kitchen, Elise started to give attitude to Sous Chef Andi, which the latter did not appreciate and told her to stop talking as if she was her child. However, Elise continued to talk back to Sous Chef Andi despite telling her that she was in a position of authority over her. When Elise condescendingly told Sous Chef Andi that she understood what she said, the latter called her out on her disrespectful behavior. Carrie was thrilled to see Elise being berated by somebody. After, Ramsay asked James to open Hell's Kitchen.

Dinner service[]

Misty May Treanor and Jen Kessy were invited as VIP guests at the red kitchen's chefs table and Mark Spitz and Janet Evans at the blue kitchen's. When Ramsay greeted them, Kessy and Treanor were excited about being in a kitchen with women only. Elise acknowledged the pressure that the chef's table was adding because of how close they were to the action. Krupa was nervous about the VIP guests, and Ramsay dedicated her to hosting them, which she found awesome as she watched both of them on television. After Krupa greeted the athletes at the chef's table, the first order was called, and Elise was confident because Carrie was not on meat. Then, she called four minutes, which Carrie took notice of, and in the blue kitchen, the first order was called as well, and Ramsay greeted Spitz and Evans at the chef's table. Then, Jonathon was dedicated to hosting them. He was honored about that as he was a Mark Spitz fan, and after declaring that it was fantastic to serve them, he took their order. In the red kitchen, Elise delivered her first scallops, but they did not have any color and were rubbery and watery. While Ramsay showed her how to cook them properly, Elise acknowledged that she better cook them right afterwards. Her second attempt was cooked perfectly. Elise was proud of herself as she succeeded in recovering from her rough start. In the blue kitchen, Tommy delivered his first Caesar salad while knowing that it was very easy. But, when they were delivered to the chef's table, Evans told it was overdressed. Jonathon was dismayed as salads were not that hard, took the plate and angrily tossed it in the bin. While Ramsay called Jonathon out on his aggressive behavior, he revealed what happened. When Ramsay asked who dressed the salad, Tommy admitted his mistake before promising Ramsay that he would properly dress them at the moment. In the red kitchen, Elise told Carrie that she was ready with her scallops. Still, Elizabeth was not with her appetizers, called two minutes on her risotto. Elise was dismayed before blaming Carrie for calling it out. Jennifer claimed that Elise and Carrie would fight no matter what, bringing the entire morale of the red team down. When Elizabeth and Carrie were ready to send their appetizers, Elise said she had to start her scallops over, so Carrie urged her to hurry up.

An hour into service, the blue team sent appetizers at a good pace because of Natalie's leadership. Still, when they moved on to entrées, Monterray revealed that his sea bass fell apart. So, Ramsay sent Sous Chef Scott to teach Monterray how to properly take the fish out of the pan. When Monterray continued to talk back and say there was nothing he could do, Sous Chef Scott was furious and yelled at him for lying, which Monterray did not appreciate. He said that even though he understood what Sous Chef Scott was saying to him, he would not let anybody cuss at him, whoever they were. The argument ended when both of them said "fuck you" to the other. When Monterray threw a pan in the sink, Jonathon targeted him for being the next person who would be eliminated as he had too much pride to cuss at Sous Chef Scott. Then, Jonathon cut the Wellingtons for Chino, but when Monterray asked him for a favor, he aggressively told that he could not do everything for everybody and that he should operate his station, and that led to an intense argument between both of them, where Monterray told that Jonathon should help people because he was the floater, before Will aggressively told them to stop and cook the food. Natalie also tried to calm them down. Will said that despite liking to watch them bitch at each other, they hosted two Olympic medalists at the chef's table.

Two hours into service, the red team succeeded in serving all of their appetizers. Still, Gina already sliced her New York strip despite Elise needing seven minutes on her sea bass, much to Ramsay's dismay. He sarcastically congratulated Gina, and when she giggled about it, Ramsay asked her if it was funny, which she answered it was not. Also, Gina added that she wished she could disappear and get to a bubble bath and champagne, Ramsay urged the red team to get it together. In the blue kitchen, Monterray's second attempt at the sea bass was accepted, with the customers being satisfied. When the chefs' table's order was called, Chino called one minute. Will was ready to walk with his garnishes. Natalie went over to help Chino make sure that the communication would be on point. However, when Sous Chef Scott asked Chino for a time, he answered three more minutes, much to Natalie's dismay. When Natalie tried to remind Chino that he had to call a real-time, he said that the way she was talking did not help and that she should get out of the way. When Chino sent his Wellingtons, they were raw, much to Natalie's dismay. After Ramsay ordered everybody to touch them, Natalie reassured that they would get it together, and Chino started over. Elise sent her sea bass to the pass in the red kitchen, but one piece was raw, and the other was dry. Ramsay ordered Elise to get it back in the pan, and Carrie was disappointed that Elise was not kicked out of the kitchen because of that. Then, Elise was berated for not giving a championship performance. Krupa was annoyed about Elise never taking responsibility for her mistakes and just standing there with her eyebrows up and mouth closed. Elise was asked by Ramsay who she would blame, which she answered nobody. Chino's second attempt at the chef's table's entrées resulted in raw lamb and Wellingtons in the blue kitchen. Because of that mistake, the blue team was kicked out of the kitchen. While going back to the dorms, Will was furious because of how the blue team sucked. Ramsay apologized to the chef's table because they delivered a great performance during the previous service. Ramsay warned them that they had to cook entrées for both chef's tables in the red kitchen. However, when Gina sent her lamb, it was raw. Ramsay berated the red team for performing poorly in front of Olympic medalists. Gina felt terrible before the service was shut down. Finally, Sous Chefs Scott and Andi helped Ramsay to serve the chef's tables.

Post-mortem[]

When both teams were lined up, Ramsay called the service pathetic. They were named joint-losers and were asked to nominate two people each for elimination.

While being dismissed, Natalie acknowledged that Chino was struggling a lot and added that he should have known how to cook. On the patio, Chino knew that he messed up but thought that Natalie made him look worse. She said that she was trying to help him, apologized for it, but Chino continued by saying that she just rubbed salt in the wound, that she was trying to make herself look good, and because of that, Natalie started to cry. When she was comforted by Will, Chino was still unapologetic as he thought she was crying to get attention. Natalie said she was crying because Chino thought she was trying to fuck him on purpose, but Chino asked if she wanted him to kiss her ass. Natalie refused to have everything she did to help Chino turn against her, declared that she was caring about everybody and that they knew who would be nominated.

In the dorms, Jamie suggested counting votes on a paper. Elise immediately recalled the first service, which she claimed everybody was disappointing except herself despite Carrie disagreeing and threw the latter under the bus for her slow tableside work during the second service. Then, Carrie recalled that Ramsay deemed it the best service in the history of Hell's Kitchen and told Elise that the red team would be better if she were not running her mouth all the time. Carrie declared that she would have loved to dropkick Elise out of the competition and declared war on her, which the latter accepted. After Gina reminded that they had to nominate the two people who would make the team stronger by leaving, an intense argument erupted between Carrie and Elise where the latter exposed Carrie's weaknesses and bragged about the fact that she ran the meat station better than everybody else. Carrie revealed Elise's disrespectful way of talking to her.

Elimination[]

Natalie announced Chino as the blue team's first nominee and Monterray as the second. Jennifer announced Carrie as the red team's first nominee and Elise as the second. During their pleas, Monterray still thought that he was a good cook but had a bad night, but Ramsay said that he did not respond to the help given to him and that he shut down. Monterray disagreed with him by saying that he did not give up, and when Ramsay insisted that he shut down, he changed his mind and agreed with him. After, Chino acknowledged that it had been a rough run, felt embarrassed while wishing to show his teammates what he could do, and thought that he still had redemption in himself. Then, Carrie acknowledged her bad performance, declared that they had to work as a team from that moment while adding that Elise was not a team player. Elise intervened by saying that she improved and thought that her teammates would be more likely to see Carrie be eliminated instead of herself. Because of that statement, Ramsay asked the red team who they would rather see eliminated between Elise and Carrie, and only Elizabeth answered Carrie. In contrast, everybody else, even Natalie from the blue team, answered Elise. Ramsay told Elise that she better be eliminated with those results because the red team wanted her out. Still, Elise retorted that she never made the same mistake twice. Elise said it was her first nomination, she was not there to throw anybody under the bus despite Monterray laughing about the fact that she just did, and she could work on it her attitude. Finally, she targeted Carrie by saying that she could not acquire common sense at 31. After deliberation, during which Elise started crying, she was sent back in line after Ramsay told her to stop crying. Chino was eliminated for his string of poor performances and lack of improvement. During his exit interview, Chino was disappointed as he had high expectations, but refused to sell out.

After Chino left, Ramsay warned everybody that things would get tougher. While being dismissed, Jennifer knew that it would be a blood bath after Elise discovered that she did not have any friends. Then, Natalie declared how happy she was about not being on the same team as Elise because the latter was in denial about her attitude problem. Elise declared that the red team did not know with who they were messing with as she thought they hated a winner, referring to herself.

Ramsay's comment: "Chino took his time in Hell's Kitchen very seriously. The problem is he seriously couldn't cook."