June 19, 2008
.jpg)
On this week's Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay once again proved that I shouldn't gamble any actual money on my weekly Hell's Kitchen predictions. It is very depressing to be repeatedly outwitted by a reality show. A reality show on Fox.
But I was, and while I thought for sure Jen was being built up to be the baddie contestant of the final two, it turns out she was actually about to be ushered out the door. Ramsay was impressed by the service the final four pulled off, but it was not without its issues. Which chef's food made us want to Dine and which would inspire us to Dash?
June 19, 2008
Hell’s Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay may be known for his ferocious temper but he was all smiles at the opening of his latest restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood. The event, which was held earlier this month, was attended by several celebrity guests, including Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Jeff Probst (Survivor), Khloe Kardashian (Keeping Up with the Kardashians) and Los Angeles Galaxy player David Beckham, who goes back a long way with Ramsay.
“It’s nice having him [Beckham] here. He’s going to be cooking in [the] kitchen tomorrow night,” Ramsay told The Associated Press during the opening celebration.
June 18, 2008
Whether you loved or hated her, there's no denying that Jen had more personality than nearly any other contestant on Hell's Kitchen. The outspoken Chicago native certainly wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or her cooking, but her confident demeanor ultimately worked against her. Jen's fellow chefs often accused her of failing to be a team player, and her prickly attitude even rubbed Gordon Ramsay the wrong way a few times. Despite churning out excellent appetizers and having a successful dinner service on last night's episode, Ramsay decided it was Jen's time to go.
Today we had a chance to sit down with Jen to discuss her elimination, how she got along with her fellow chefs, and her plans for the future.
June 17, 2008
.jpg)
Hell's Kitchen may never be considered the sexiest show on television, but that didn't stop FOX from shamelessly shoehorning busty babes into last week's episode. For the challenge, the remaining contestants had to teach gorgeous housewives how to cook Gordon Ramsay's famous lobster spaghetti. Christina won the competition, but the finalists ran into more girl trouble during dinner service when a table of ten Hawaiian Tropics bikini models arrived at the restaurant. Jean-Philippe slipped into a state of bliss, the challengers fell into a state of panic, and things quickly got out of control. At the end of the night, Bobby was sent home for screwing things up on the meat station.
Tonight, the final four cook for some very picky moms-to-be, and one contestant is seriously berated for burning Chef Ramsay's hand.
June 16, 2008
.jpg)
You can't always (or even frequently) be right, so of course last week, after I predicted that Christina was most likely to make it to the chopping block on Hell's Kitchen, she wound up not only safe but stellar (at least in comparison to the other chefs).
Bobby, who hadn't really distinguished himself of late, was ushered out the door, and now we are left with four chefs – Christina, Corey, Jen and Petrozza – three gals and a guy, just like the finale of Top Chef 4, come to think of it.
So where does each of the final four stand in the competition?
June 11, 2008
.jpg)
Many chefs walk into Hell's Kitchen thinking they're going to blow away the competition, but few arrived with more self-promotion than Bobby. The self-proclaimed "black Gordon Ramsay" and "four star General" started bragging about his skills in the first episode of the season, but unlike a lot of the other chefs he nearly lived up to his own hype. Bobby was a consistent challenger in the kitchen, and was only put up for elimination once prior to his ouster in last night's episode. Most impressively, he also managed to keep a positive attitude while the rest of the men's team succumbed to bickering and backstabbing.
Today we had a chance to sit down with Bobby to discuss his elimination, whether he really considers himself equal to Ramsay, and his plans for the future.
June 10, 2008
.jpg)
Last week on Hell's Kitchen, the slab of dead weight known as Matt finally received his long overdue walking papers. The chef had broken every culinary rule in existence since the season began, but he finally went home after screwing things up on the meat station once again. In addition to that, he also handled Gordon Ramsay's criticism like a five-year-old, moping around and making up excuses for his poor performance. Good riddance to bad rubbish, as the Brits might say.
On tonight's episode, sexy housewives invade the kitchen to pick up tips on how to prepare a gourmet meal. Are these really the chefs you want to turn to for culinary advice?
June 9, 2008
.jpg)
This weekend, I went to see celebrity chef and Top Chef judge Anthony Bourdain speak. At one point, an audience member asked him what he thinks about Hell's Kitchen. He said that Gordon Ramsay is actually a great guy and an impressive chef. Bourdain also noted that at no stage in his own career was he at a level where Ramsay have hired him to work in one of Ramsay's restaurants, so the idea that any one of the contestants on Hell's Kitchen actually deserves a spot in a real Ramsay kitchen is absurd.
I don't think you actually have to have the experience of Anthony Bourdain to pretty much guess the same thing. While I'm sure the chefs on the show cook better than the average Joe, none of them has been able to perform convincingly at the level you would expect for a chef angling for a spot working for a three-Michelin-starred chef.