Narrator: Previously on "hell's kitchen:
The american dream"... - Oh!
Narrator: The chefs woke up to a patriotic parade.
- Look at marino!
Narrator: Which was the inspiration
For an all-american challenge.
- We grill! Yes?
- Freedom fire. Beautiful.
Narrator: In spite of solid performances by dahmere...
- I think flavor-wise, it's really great.
Going straight blue team.
- Blue team, congratulations.
Narrator: And johnathan...
- You cooked that fish really, really well.
- Thank you, chef.
Narrator: The women dominated.
- Definitely got the flavor in there.
- That was hot. - Acidity's good.
Salt's good. - Thank you, chef.
Narrator: With tasty dishes from leigh...
- The moisture retention in there--
Nailed it. - Leigh, well done.
- I'm so happy. [chuckles]
Something that I'm gonna treasure
For the rest of my life.
Narrator: And donya.
- Would you say that's to be the best dish of the day?
- I think so. - Ladies, well done.
- Great job, ladies.
- Finally!
- [groaning] let's go, baby!
Narrator: At dinner service, sandra tripped up
On her new york strip.
- It's undercooked. Take it back, young lady!
Narrator: But in spite of that...
- Right, leigh, beautifully cooked.
Don't change that now.
Narrator: The ladies delivered their best service yet.
- Keep it pushing, girls.
- Two new york, one rib eye walking.
- Beautifully cooked. When you use your voice,
You're on a completely different level.
- Yes, chef.
Narrator: In the blue kitchen...
- How long? - Waiting on garnish.
- Garnish is a little behind. I apologize for this.
Narrator: Jermaine swung and missed on garnish.
- Oh, man. - Hey, blue team, come here.
They're ice cold. - Yes, chef.
- I'm not [bleep] serving this [bleep]. Come on.
Narrator: And although dahmere stepped up to the plate...
- Got you, chef. Come on, y'all. Keep it going.
I'm determined to get us through this service.
Cook with some [bleep] pride.
Let's go! - What's next?
- Keep going, devon. Keep going.
Narrator: He couldn't save devon...
- I'll have another one for you in four minutes, chef.
- Four minutes.
Narrator: And the rest of the blue team...
- Come on, devon. - Yes, chef. I'm pushing it.
Narrator: From striking out.
- Get out.
Narrator: In the end, the blue team nominated...
- Jermaine, chef.
Narrator: And... - Devon.
Narrator: Ultimately, chef ramsay picked...
- Jermaine.
Narrator: Ending his american dream of becoming head chef
At gordon ramsay's hell's kitchen restaurant
At caesars palace in las vegas.
And now the continuation of "hell's kitchen."
- You guys better get your heads in the game.
Is that clear?
All: Yes, chef. - Get out of here.
[suspenseful music]
- I thought there was a chance I might be going home.
[crying]
I've waited for this moment for 20 years.
Your entire dream could be crushed,
And you could be taken away
From the biggest opportunity of your life.
[crying]
I'm entirely self-taught.
There are points in my life
Where I've been homeless, jobless.
And as a queer canadian jew black man,
Every part of me being here was against the odds.
- Devon, you okay?
- But I am the definition of the american dream.
- You're here for a reason.
- So, moving forward,
All you're gonna see is my best effort.
And nobody's going to stand in my way, not even myself.
♪ ♪
- Let's go, let's go.
- Good morning.
I've got another exciting day planned for you guys.
With so many amazing cultures bringing
Their delicious food right here to the u.S.,
We have a great melting pot.
What do you think the top cuisines are in the u.S.?
Donya? - Spanish-latino.
- It's not in the top five.
[buzzer blares]
- Oh, [bleep]. - What?
Are we on a game show right now?
Narrator: Welcome to "quizine,"
Starring the blue team and the red team,
With your host chef gordon ramsay.
- Atoye. - Italian.
[bell dings] - well done.
- Ryan. - Chinese, chef.
[bell dings] - wow.
- Whoa. - Leigh.
- Thai food, chef.
[bell dings] - greece.
- Greek? [buzzer blares]
Just off the list.
- Mexican, chef.
- Absolutely.
- Indian?
- Yes. - Yes.
- Amazing.
For your next team challenge, you're going to make dishes
From each of these incredible cultures.
Chinese dish, you're going to be making...
Yes. - Prawn fried rice.
- I make fried rice every Friday.
My kids and my mom, they love it.
I know my way around a wok.
- Our mexican dish.
Beautiful steak tacos. - Perfect.
I eat those three times a week.
- Italian.
- Lasagna. - Chicken parm.
- Duh. Veal parm. [scoffs]
Sign me up.
- And for our thai, a delicious shrimp pad thai.
And our indian, a beautiful chicken curry.
- Nice. My favorite.
- Each team needs to cook these five dishes.
And today I'm giving you a very powerful tool,
The amazing hexclad, to amplify your flavors.
So get inspired.
It's up to you to decide how those dishes get done.
Now, five incredible dishes.
Red team, you are six members of your team.
Have a quick meeting
And decide on who is going to be sitting out.
- You sure? - I'm very positive.
- You're comfortable with that?
- I'm very comfortable with that.
- Ladies, who's sitting out? Both: Donya, chef.
- Right.
- Donya's sitting out?
You guys are definitely going to regret that.
You girls need her.
So game on.
- You'll be standing this side of the pass
And support your team verbally.
I want to see you shine as individuals.
But, more importantly, we need to stay connected as a team.
All: Yes, chef. - Good.
Your 45 minutes start now.
Let's go. - Who's doing what?
- Let's go. - So everyone's good?
What's everyone making? - Fried rice.
- Prawn fried rice. Tacos.
- What are you doing? - Veal parmesan.
- So I'm doing pad thai? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Veal parm.
- I'm going to do a chicken curry and rice.
Automatically, I have my eye on indian,
Because I love making curry.
- Everyone feeling good about their dishes?
- Yes. I'm gonna cut my prawns.
- You know, everyone's communicating.
- What do you got?
- I'm doing an espresso ancho chili spice rub
With onion and garlic.
- And I think we're off to a good start.
- Talk to each other and help each other.
Both: Yes, chef. - Let's go, ladies.
- Bounce ideas back and forth also.
- Johnny, what are you doing, johnny?
- Making a tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan.
Being italian, like, I got to bring this veal parmesan home.
Keeping it simple.
My grandpa grew his own tomatoes,
Made his Sunday gravy.
My italian family will not let me fail at this.
- 35 minutes to go.
All: Yes, chef. - Heard.
- Right. Red team. All: Yes, chef.
- Come here, all of you. Let's go.
Blue team, come here, all of you, quick.
- Chef ramsay calls us over.
Didn't we just start this?
Is someone dead? Like, what?
- Are you all communicating to each other?
All: Yes, chef.
- Are you all working as a team?
All: Yes, chef. - Have a quick meeting now.
I need one of you to leave the kitchen,
Stand on the other side of the hot plate--hurry up.
- All right, who's gonna leave? - Who's doing what?
All I know is that I'm 1,000%
Not sitting out of this challenge.
- I'm cutting the vegetables for the fried rice.
- Right now! - Who's going out?
You're going out?
You'll have to pull me by my hair
To get out of this kitchen. - Hurry up.
- Lads, it's not going to be me.
- You guys want to finish my dish?
- Not me. I'll do it. I'll finish it.
- Okay. - Veal parm. I got you.
- All right. - Right now.
- Big mistake. It's a cooking competition.
And you have to be in it to win it.
So, I mean, if you're not in it, you can't really win it.
- Ryan, when you bread that, let it sit
Right there on that sheet tray. - Heard that.
- You're doing the prawn fried rice?
- Yes. - Okay.
- The prawn fried rice. - Got you.
- The plan for my dish is to keep
Communicating with carmen.
- This is your rice here?
- That's my rice right there. I seasoned it.
Don't over-salt it. - I'm okay right now.
I'm okay right now.
- But carmen is not listening to me.
I told her, "don't salt anything else."
And then boom.
She didn't even just stop.
- I got you. Just hold on.
- Red team. Blue team. All: Yes, chef.
- Come here, please. - Are you kidding me right now?
- Let's go. Are you still communicating?
All: Yes, chef. - Good.
One more out of the kitchen. - I'm not leaving this kitchen.
- Now! - I can go.
- Who's almost done?
- I can go, but I need someone to take over.
- Yes. - Not going to be me.
- I can't go.
I'm not going anywhere. Are you kidding me?
- I'm just making fried rice. Go ahead. Go, go.
- This is a great opportunity for me to show chef ramsay
How I handle myself under pressure.
- What's that, radishes for the end, jason?
- Garnish on top. - Okay. Okay.
- Typical pad thai.
I get to cook pad thai.
I judge every thai restaurant on how good their pad thai is.
Come on, you bitch.
And a lot of them suck.
So I'll take care of the pad thai.
- Push, guys. Push.
- Push, push, push, push. - Tell me what you're doing.
- I'm frying your veal.
I'm getting my heat on for my pasta.
- Heard.
- Sandra, will you pull my onions
And throw them in the blender? - Heard.
- I'll tell you when to flip the steak.
- Heard. - Red team, come here.
- Oh, no. - Blue team, come here.
- Blue team, blue team! - Now!
Decide amongst yourselves-- one more out.
- Not me, boys. It's not going to be me.
- I still got to finish these tacos.
What do you have left?
- Honestly, mine is almost done, okay?
I'll walk you through it. - All right. Come on, carmen.
- You have my rice and atoye's rice cooking.
- Which one's which rice?
- My rice is the one closest to the center.
Hers is the front one.
- This is done.
- Hey, two, wipe down my pasta.
Watch the parm in the oven. Rotate it.
- Ryan, time to lead. Devon, time to lead. Let's go.
Both: Yes, chef.
- Devon, two eyes on the rice, yeah?
- Yeah, I've got 'em, I've got 'em.
- Pick up the basket. Put it off to the side.
- Devon, help ryan over here if he needs it.
- Blue team, come here.
- Yes, chef. - Red team, come here.
- No. - Final meeting.
Get rid of one more. Let's go.
- If you have more, stick around.
- I have pad thai practically done.
You're on it. - Heard that.
You got it.
I'll tell you that much. I'm not going [bleep], [bleep].
- I got you. You can do it.
Rock out, ryan. All right.
- Come on, boys. Let's go.
Yeah, let's go. - Come on, girl.
You got this, sandra. - Yes, chef.
Yes, chef. - You've got this.
- I feel I continuously need to redeem myself.
So I want to stay in this kitchen and cook my butt off.
♪ ♪
- Great job, ryan. Steak rested nicely, yes?
- It needs 10 seconds. - Heard.
- Ryan's doing a phenomenal job.
- Salsa's good.
Tacos are there. Steak is rocking.
- Heard. - Cool. Is there any sauces?
Like a crema or anything like that?
- Handling multiple dishes at once.
- Just needs a touch of cream.
- On top of cooking his butter chicken.
- Ten minutes to go, young man. - Heard that, chef.
Butter going into curry.
I've never seen anybody make a butter chicken curry
In 45 minutes, ever.
Oh, boys, we're good, we're good, we're good.
It's how you handle that stress,
How you channel that stress.
Sauces are good. Curry is good. Let me check the rice.
It's a sick hobby, but I love doing it.
- Come on, ryan. Pick it up.
- Sandra. - Sandra.
Finish tossing the slaw in that chimi sauce.
- Finish what?
- Toss the slaw on the chimi sauce.
- Check the seasoning when you can before you plate it.
- Yep.
- The slaw and the green, not all together.
- No. - Okay.
- Sandra? - Yeah?
All I hear is, like, four chicks...
- Sandra? - Sandra?
- Yeah? - Sandra?
- Yelling.
What's up?
- There's chicken in the oven on the left side.
- You want to pull that? - No, leave it.
- I don't know who's saying what.
You're all [bleep] talking over each other.
- Check the seasoning of the pad thai.
- These dishes up first.
- Right next to you, right there.
♪ ♪
Narrator: With five dishes to prepare...
- Ryan, when have you time, start toasting the peanuts.
- Peanuts.
Narrator: And only one chef left
In each kitchen to make them...
- Sandra? - Sandra?
Narrator: The instructions flying at ryan and sandra
May be hurting more than helping.
- Sandra-- - chicken in the oven--
- I need one person talking to me right now.
What do you need?
- You can go ahead and plate the curry,
'cause it should be done now.
So when you have a chance, that rice--
- You want rice in the wok, yeah?
- Right here. - Let me finish.
Let me finish. I'm talking now.
That rice can go right under a bowl.
- But that's the wrong one. That's the fried rice.
- Guys, let me walk her through my dish.
- I'm mad at carmen, and I'm mad at sandra.
- Save some of that rice for the curry, okay.
- All she heard was rice, carmen.
Boop, there it is.
It literally was like, huh, okay? Boop.
- You want in this [bleep] bowl, yeah?
- Yes, ma'am. You're good.
- Red team, blue team, back in.
Last five minutes. Let's go.
- Pick your heads up, and let's go.
- Get in there. - Go, go, go.
I'll finish this. I got it.
- Go, go. - Thank you.
- Let's go!
If that's not your rice, then switch it.
- But everything's already added in there already.
I can't even put my rice in there.
It wouldn't even matter.
- 30 seconds to go.
- If you're not plating, you should be.
- It's going to be a last-second for me.
- Sammi, how you feel about your sauce?
- About to plate right now.
- Gents, let's go. Ten... - Go, go, go.
- Don't [bleep] rush me on this dish.
- Seven... - Let's go, sammi. Let's go.
- Five, four, three, two, one.
And serve.
Well done.
[light applause]
Okay, let's see how well connected you stayed.
Let's start off with the steak tacos.
Describe the dish, devon.
- When making this dish, I thought of my stepmother.
She's hispanic, so I wanted to do justice to the things
That she has made for me growing up.
- It's delicious and everything you want from a taco.
- Thanks, chef.
- You've gone the extra mile
By toasting those beautiful shells as well.
- Yes, chef. - Smart.
- Thank you, chef. - Right, leigh.
- Yes, chef. - Describe it.
- It was a fresh blended ancho chili
And espresso rubbed skirt steak, chef.
- Yeah, meat's cooked beautifully.
- Thank you, chef. - Really good, indeed.
This is tough.
Two good dishes.
The point goes to... Both of you--well done.
Really good, indeed. - Thank you, chef.
- Yeah, really good.
Narrator: With both teams starting strong...
- Up next, the veal parmesan. Let's go.
Narrator: Johnathan and sandra are each hoping
To pull ahead with their classic italian dish.
- Italian breadcrumbs, made my own tomato sauce.
- It's delicious. - Thank you.
- I think what elevates this dish for me
Is you've seasoned the breadcrumbs beautifully.
- Thank you. - Sandra.
- Yes, chef. - How's it cooked?
Yeah, it's cooked beautifully. - Thank you, chef.
- This is really tough. Two good dishes again.
♪ ♪
The point goes to sandra. - Thank you, chef.
- And johnathan. - Oh, thank you, chef.
Narrator: With the score tied, the battle of the fried rice
Has dahmere and atoye trying to "wok" away with a point.
- The rice is overcooked. - Yes.
- And the shrimp are undercooked.
- Yes.
- You can see that level of rawness there.
More importantly, there is no seasoning.
♪ ♪
I feel you should have stayed in the kitchen longer.
- Me too.
If I knew they were going to put the wrong rice in there.
- Is that the way you wanted it?
- No, chef, I think the wrong rice
Was actually put in there, too, yeah.
- I'm asking you to communicate, so--
- Yes.
- I feel bad that
The wrong rice went into her dish,
But this challenge is definitely
About being a leader.
She's not showing that authority.
- Dahmere, describe the dish, please.
- We got a little oyster sauce, soy sauce, carrots.
- Shrimp cooked beautifully.
The point clearly goes to the blue team.
- Well done, chef.
- Atoye, I expected better. - Yes, chef.
- Much better.
- I'm pissed.
I will never be quiet again.
Narrator: With atoye's dish missing the mark...
- Men, you have the edge, 3 to 2.
Narrator: Jason is hoping to maintain the lead
Against sammi with his version of pad thai.
- It's good.
Right, sammi.
- Yes, so I have peanut butter sauce
With lime, ginger, garlic.
- I prefer the sauce in this one,
But I prefer the cook on this one.
So it's a tough one.
The point goes to...
♪ ♪
Both of you. Well done. Both: Thank you, chef.
- Well done.
Narrator: With the men still leading by one...
- Final dish, chicken curry. Let's go.
Narrator: Carmen's dish is the last hope
For keeping the red team in the running.
- I made a chicken curry using chicken thighs,
Added some potatoes and carrots,
And served it with basmati rice.
- You left the chicken on the bone, right?
- Yes, chef.
- Bold move there with the chicken on the bone,
But it's got texture, and it's delicious.
- Thank you, chef.
- Ryan, describe the dish, please.
- I marinated my chicken in yogurt
And then pureed the sauce, finished it with butter.
- So the butter chicken, one of my favorites--
Fragrant, just like carmen's.
Yeah, tough one.
Two good curries, but the point goes to...
♪ ♪
Ryan, the blue team. Congratulations.
- Thank you, chef. - Well done. Good job.
The depth of flavor, it feels like that thing's been
Cooked for two or three hours. - It's my wife's favorite dish.
I'm glad I was able to pay homage.
Being away from her for so long is tough.
So when you do something that reminds you of them...
And you pull it off, you know, it just makes it
That much more sweeter.
- A tribute to your lady. Very good. Well done.
Men, you're all going on a wellness retreat.
- Oh.
- You're gonna get your bodies and your minds pampered.
- I'm so excited. My body is achy.
I'm at a loss for words. I am so happy.
- You're going to enjoy a delicious, refreshing meal
From crossroads kitchen,
Owned by music superstar travis barker.
Yes? - Nice.
- How cool is that? And there's more.
I've left something very exciting for you
All to take home from hexclad.
All: Oh! - You'll see it
When you're in there.
- We already got it. Pretty nice.
- Ladies... [sighs]
You'll also be participating in a day of wellness...
For the planet.
That's right-- today in hell's kitchen
Is trash-sorting day. - Oh, no.
- I'm just completely disappointed.
I should have been in there pulling points for my team,
And now we're pulling garbage.
- Now, before we start, I need you to build
These amazing compost boxes.
And then when we sort out the trash,
We'll start building our own hell's kitchen compost--
Swinging hammers, shoveling dirt.
So divide and conquer. Yes?
All: Yes, chef. - Head back to the dorms.
- Leave that there. I'm eating that. Off you go.
Both: Thank you, chef. - Get out of here.
- I can't believe we won that challenge--I'm [bleep] buzzing.
Oh, my god, [bleep].
I'm just so happy that I'm gonna be pampered on a bed
And not stuck in a [bleep] dumpster,
Picking wellingtons off the floor.
Boys... - Oh, hexclad.
- The whole [bleep] lot.
- I'm mind-blown.
Like, I got a hexclad pan set.
This is top-of-the-line stuff.
- [bleep] making pancakes already, baby.
- I want to go home. I want to go home.
Communication in the red team is sucking.
You get sick and tired of being sick and tired of saying
The same [bleep] over and over and over again,
But here we are.
I'm done. Like, what the [bleep]?
- Why is someone screaming? - That was straight sabotage.
This bitch is talking to you about her [bleep] dishes,
And she don't even have it! - What's going on, though?
- Like, literally, carmen, you're talking
To her about your dish.
She has the wok in her hand.
I'm like, bruh, you didn't let me get two [bleep] words out!
Like, what the [bleep]? I'm done!
I will vote myself out tonight.
I want to be home with my [bleep] kids!
Like, I'm-- take this [bleep] me, son.
I'm ready to go the [bleep] home.
[bleep] this [bleep].
♪ ♪
- I want to be with my baby. I want to be with my fiancé.
I'm ready to go.
[bleep] this [bleep].
[voice breaking] emotionally, I am drained.
All I can think about is my kids.
- She's right to feel that way, guys.
We can't single out and say, I'm worried about my dish.
- That's the wrong one. That's the fried rice.
- Let me finish. Let me finish. I'm talking now.
- I don't know how else we would have communicated.
It was not an easy challenge today, dude, like--
- That was not teamwork at all, bro.
- As a team, our communication just was not there.
Too many people trying to solve a problem ruin the problem.
And right now I'm worried for my homegirl.
- Don't give up. You're strong.
Look at me. You are strong.
- I just want my kids.
- I hear you. But you ain't giving up.
You are, like, an amazing chef, okay?
A beautiful individual.
You have a lot to offer to your team
And to everybody in this competition.
You wouldn't be here without it.
You'd have been out of here.
You've been through so much [bleep].
We don't get here and give up.
Take your moment. Do your thing.
Do what you got to do. Get yourself together.
I'm here for you.
You hear me? - Yeah.
- All right?
- In having dahmere standing there,
That great energy, great positivity,
And the passion speaks volumes
On who he is as a man, individual, and a chef.
- You hear me? I'll see you when I get back.
- Okay.
This is that other push,
To plant my ten toes on the ground.
And I'm not going to let this [bleep] pull me down.
[tense music]
I'm sorry about that, guys. - You good?
- Yeah, I got that [bleep] out. - Bring it, bro.
I just want to see as much passion
You put right there in everything tonight, bro.
- [bleep], let's get in the trash can. [scoffs]
♪ ♪
- Ladies.
All: Yes, chef.
- Well, here we are, trash day.
- What the [bleep] is in there?
It smells so bad.
[bleep] my life.
This is disgusting.
I feel disgusting and embarrassed.
- [crying] I hate my life.
- Like, honestly, the worst punishment
In "hell's kitchen" history.
It doesn't get worse than trash-sorting day.
- Oh, my god. - Oh, that stinks.
- Smells horrendous!
- Damn! - Holy [bleep] hell.
The smell literally hit us in the face
Like a frickin' right hook from mike tyson.
- I'm sorry, guys.
- That [bleep] really stinks.
- Oh, [bleep].
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Congratulations, guys. All: Thank you.
- Today is all about recovery-- mind, body, and spirit.
We got several stations over here.
- Today is a reward.
It's a perfect opportunity for us to relax
And just pull together as a team.
[all groaning]
- What's up, jason?
All: Jason!
- On a scale of 4 to 14, how relaxed are we?
- Oh, 27.
- You get to eat with us, right?
[indistinct chatter]
- Quite the spread, boys. - Quite the spread.
- What are you guys thinking so far?
- It's definitely been an amazing experience, for sure.
- I mean, you guys now have a chance of being
Literally his right-hand man in vegas.
To be there in hell's kitchen, the first flagship
In the busiest city in the world, it's unbelievable.
- That's it. That's for me. Never mind the money.
That's what it's about. - Yeah, yeah.
- For my entire life, I've wanted to work for chef.
- Chef's going to push you guys a lot.
But I want you guys to go back and just focus,
Keep your eye on the prize.
- I've watched his every move for the last 20 years.
I just need to keep my head down, tunnel vision.
And hopefully it'll all work out for me.
- It's full steam ahead at this point.
- Yes, chef. - Thank you.
I'm sure everyone agrees, but, like, this time with you
And in the kitchen is something I will definitely remember.
- Yeah. - Cheers to that.
- Yeah. - Chef jason.
- Well done.
- For the back of the bin, lay two connected pieces
Of the floor and attach 12 slats.
- Why is it the same picture in every single--
Ugh!
I'm low-key embarrassed working on this box right now.
♪ ♪
Does it fit in there?
No.
My husband really likes woodworking,
So I help him in the shop a lot.
And, clearly, I didn't learn anything.
We got to take them all out.
- I'm more than frustrated.
I'm five seconds away from tears, chef, so...
- No, don't do that.
It looks good. Get that compost going.
- But I'm really just trying to find everything in me
To pull it all together.
- Oh, my god. [bleep] your mother.
- That splashed all in my [bleep] face.
- All right, you can cut it. - Thank you, chef.
Narrator: With the trash sorting complete...
- Get this jacket in the trash.
- Bro, how do you feel?
- Fresh, man. - Yes, sir.
Narrator: And the men having just returned
From a day of muscle rejuvenation,
Both teams are anticipating the night ahead.
[dramatic music]
[phone ringing]
- Hell's kitchen dorm. This is devon.
- Can you send atoye up to my office, please?
- Yes, chef.
Atoye, chef wants you in his office.
- What--what's going on?
- What the [bleep]?
- Do you think it's because she said she wanted to quit?
- I've been having so many emotions
Going throughout the day.
I'm lost.
I don't know what to think.
It's like being called to the principal's office.
- Hi, there. Sit down. - Yes, chef.
♪ ♪
- Atoye, chef wants you in his office.
- What the [bleep]?
- Do you think it's because she said she wanted to quit?
- Yes, chef?
- Sit down. - Yes, chef.
- Quick catch-up. How you feeling?
- [sighs]
- Was that from earlier in that challenge?
- Yeah.
- Do you feel let down? - I do.
- Here's the thing. I love your determination.
You've been one of the best pupils
In this competition so far. - Thank you, chef.
- Sometimes you doubt yourself too much,
And sometimes you are getting blamed for stuff
That wasn't on your watch.
Call it out. - Yes, chef.
- Nothing would make me happier
Than to see you in that top ten.
- Yes, chef. - Yeah?
- [voice breaking] this means the world to me.
I have so much to prove.
I have so much I'm fighting for--
Making my mom happy, making my daughters happy.
To be here, to survive.
And I'm not giving up.
- Keep it up, please. - Yes, chef.
- Send me jason.
- Jason. Yes, chef. - Yeah, thank you.
- My pleasure. - Head up.
- And I can't let anything get into my way.
It means everything to me.
Hey, jason.
Chef ramsay wants to see you in his office.
- What the [bleep]?
- What the [bleep] is this about?
- Hi, chef. - Sit down.
Top ten around the corner.
How are you feeling? - Confident.
- Mm-hmm.
You don't show much emotion.
Cooking is an emotional thing.
Sometimes you stand a little bit too proud,
And you want to be guarded. Why?
- I don't want to scare off my team members.
You know, some people don't respond
To that sort of directness. - Right.
Drop that defense mechanism.
I need to feel that confident voice.
- Chef ramsay officially took the training wheels off.
He said, "go be the chef that I know you are."
- I don't want to see that jacket hanging up over there.
Do you? - No, chef.
- Good. - Thank you, chef.
And it's not the nicest chef in the world,
But it's the chef who gets the job done every [bleep] time.
- Jason, what happened?
- We're all getting a one-on-one with chef.
- Bro. - I can't wait for this.
- I've literally dreamed about this moment my entire life.
- We're getting to the halfway stage.
And if I'm honest, I was slightly worried about the lack
Of experience you had in this competition to begin with.
But, girl, you're a fast learner.
- Thank you, chef.
I gave up a very stable career
In finance to start cooking.
Winning this competition would prove
That I made the right decision.
- You're traveling 1,000 miles an hour.
Do not slow down. - Yes, chef.
- I feel you belong here.
Just don't duck out.
I need to see more of you, not less of you.
- Yes, chef. - You can cook. Understood?
But sometimes you get a little bit
Over-concerned with a few bumps you make, so you shut down.
Don't dwell on them.
If you dwell on them too long, you'll make another one.
Bounce that thing off. - Yes.
- I'm not looking for an executive line cook in vegas.
- No, no. - It's a big one.
- Yes, chef.
- A life-changing one, young man.
- You've got every right to be there.
- Yes, chef.
It's just so crazy to hear those words coming out
Of his mouth when I've watched his every move
For the last 20 years.
Like, people don't understand.
It just validates everything that I've done in my life
And all the sacrifices I've made,
And, you know, god knows I've made
Some [bleep] sacrifices to be where I am.
Oh, [bleep]. [sniffles]
[crying softly, sighs]
- Stop doubting the fact that you've got
Such little experience behind the line.
- Yes, chef.
- 'cause I see potential beyond belief.
- Yes, chef.
- Honestly, chef, I have had a hard time
Coming to terms with the fact that I'm here.
- Do not underestimate your potential.
Is that clear? - Yes, chef.
- When you are focused, watching you in that kitchen
On your own there today was a dream.
I just want to see more of that.
If that's a sign of what's to come,
Then don't you dare stop.
- I'm not planning to. - Good.
Here's the good news from me.
When the chips are down, you're the one individual
In that kitchen that I can rely on.
You're solid. - Thanks.
- That's exactly what you want in a leader.
This is your moment.
Make the [bleep] most of it. - Will do.
- The american dream, what does that make you?
- Having a daughter, it makes me
Want to make my family proud.
- And how determined are you to make a better life for her
Than what you grew up with? - Very determined, chef.
I carry her toy with me in my pocket.
I carry it. Yeah.
Every time I'm in elimination,
Every time I have a plate of food in front of you,
I hold that in my pocket,
And I think about her constantly.
- Top ten around the corner. - Yeah.
- And I want you to step into the spotlight,
Not walk away from it.
- At this point, it's not even just about my life.
I appreciate it. Thank you.
- Continue. - Yes, chef.
- Lead. - Yes, chef.
It's, you know, about my daughter's life.
It's not even necessarily my american dream.
It's hers.
♪ ♪
[cries]
I can't let her down,
And I have to do this right now.
My time is now.
I'm putting my daughter on my back,
And we're going to the finish line.
I'm going to do this for you, saxon.
- I want to visualize you as a leader in las vegas.
- Yes, chef.
- I need to hear you disciplining them
And leading your team.
- Yes, chef. - Yeah?
- I will be. Yes. - Good. Halfway point.
Six in your team left.
There's a lot of competition.
Rank your team, strongest to weakest.
- I think I'm the strongest.
- Number two? - Chef ryan.
- Then after, I'd say dahmere.
- Donya. She's very passionate.
- Last would be?
- Atoye. - Devon.
- Mm-hmm. - Jason.
- Yep. - Atoye.
- I would have to say jason.
- Sandra. - Devon.
- Okay. - Sandra.
- Good. - Carmen, definitely.
- Atoye last. - Appreciate the catch-up.
Both: Thank you. - Thank you so much, chef.
- Likewise. Thank you.
- That was one of the best experiences
Of my whole entire life. - The best.
- It takes a lot to make me [bleep] cry, like, a lot.
I can't even put it into words right now.
Narrator: With the chefs energized by their one-on-ones
With chef ramsay,
He is now ready to deliver an important announcement.
- Let's go.
Line up.
Okay.
I asked all of you
To rank everyone on your team.
And you came up with a general consensus.
And on that basis, four of you,
Two from each team considered the weakest,
Will be cooking for your life tonight.
[tense music]
One of you four will be leaving the competition...
Tonight.
The four chefs cooking for their lives will be...
- Not me.
- From the blue team,
Devon and jason.
- I'm honestly shocked.
If my team feels like I am the weakest player,
I will prove myself.
- From the red team, sandra...
- Stepping out of the challenge,
I feel like my team members could have thought differently
About my confidence.
Very nervous to see what chef ramsay
Is going to say right now.
- And...
♪ ♪
- From the red team, the chefs cooking for their lives
Will be sandra...
And atoye.
Now, you 4 will have 30 minutes
To conceptualize a stunning dish,
With the hero being a filet mignon.
- I don't really feel like anybody thinks
I'm a bad cook or anything.
- My brothers.
- I think they just think I'm better,
And they want to put me through these challenges
To see if they can catch me slipping
And get me out of the competition.
- Now, show me some inspiration.
Is that clear?
All: Yes, chef.
- Everything's on the line.
I'm literally fighting for my life.
- It's now time to cook for your life
Here in hell's kitchen.
- I'm ready to [bleep] cook.
- Your 30 minutes start now.
Come on. Make it count.
- Oh, guys, it's on.
It's on. Get over here.
- Let's go, boys.
This is so [bleep] stressful.
Look, jason's going meat first.
Don't overdo it, bro.
- What do you got going? - Doing my pan-basted filet.
I'm going to do smashed truffle parmesan potatoes.
I've been doing this for 18 years of my life.
There's absolutely no reason I should not be confident.
Behind.
If I cannot cook a steak,
Then I do not deserve to be
In this competition to begin with.
- Come on, jason.
♪ ♪
- What are you thinking here?
- I'm going to do a seared filet
With a sauté of leeks, cabbage, and mushroom.
Just reminds me of home. - Okay.
- I'm at the bottom again.
Why, I don't know.
That's the insanity of hell's kitchen.
- Butter, garlic, mushrooms?
- Butter, garlic, mushrooms, yeah.
I just busted my ass to finish their dishes and stuff,
And now I'm fighting for my life on this competition?
I'm going to need a therapist after "hell's kitchen,"
'cause everything, every day, every minute, it's like this.
My dad's favorite-- johnnie walker.
- There you go.
- It's like blah!
- 20 minutes to go, one stunning portion, come on.
Both: Yes, chef.
- Yes? - Yes, chef.
- How are you doing?
- I'm trying to figure out if I want to do a sauce.
In my head, I'm thinking simple.
You know, meat and potatoes.
But I like parsnips, and I like leeks
To just elevate it just a little bit.
[tense music]
- Is she doing a mushroom puree?
- Oh, in the blender?
- Chef gave me an opportunity to prove myself,
And I don't want to disappoint him.
- Wait, what is that? - In the blender?
- Is that potatoes? - Parsnip?
- Oh, no. - Oh, it's parsnip.
Okay, that's fine. - Oh, it's parsnip.
- She does not have any liquid in there.
- Atoye, that's my girl, but, oh, my god.
Strain your puree.
- I wouldn't want to do this with nobody else but you, mama.
- I'm with you on that, sister.
- Just give me, like, a two-sentence rundown,
Just so I have a general idea.
- I'm going to do a pomme puree,
Pork belly and red wine jus,
And some glazed carrots and green beans.
My biggest issue has been trusting
And believing in myself.
This is my chance to show everybody that I belong here
And I'm not going to let myself stand in my own way.
- Devon's game face right now.
Look at that. Look at that precision.
Tonight's his night to bounce back.
I mean, last dinner service was a tough night on meat.
- Come on, devon. - Refire to the pass.
- The steak's blue.
Get out!
- What's your protein tonight? It's filet mignon.
Let's go, devon. - Yes, devon.
- Stay out of your head. Let's go.
Show chef ramsay you deserve to be here.
- Five minutes. - Five minutes. Heard, chef.
- Prove to yourself, your team, myself, yes?
- He's overcooking it.
- This steak needs to come out, man.
- Oh, my god. This is stressing me out.
- He don't know. He don't know.
He's second-guessing it.
Don't put it in the oven, devon.
- What is going on? No!
- No, no! - Oh, no!
- What the [bleep] are you doing, you idiot?
- Oh, my god.
- We watched him cook it in the pan, basted it,
Take it out, put it in the oven.
- 60 seconds to go.
Start thinking about the plating.
- And then take it out, put it back in the pan.
A beautiful, 10-ounce piece of meat like that?
That's a no-no.
And then he sliced it.
- Shouldn't have cut it, man. - What?
- As soon as you cut it,
It just starts to bleed and overcook.
- That's cooked kind of a lot too far, I think.
- Yes, chef.
- 30 seconds to go. - 30 seconds. Heard, chef.
- Never, ever do you ever get served
A filet sliced in six minutes.
It's a cardinal sin.
- Mid-rare, guys, yes?
Show some finesse.
Keep yourself in the competition.
Come on. You've got this. Let's go.
Come on, come on, come on. Let's go.
Five, four, three,
Two, one, and stop.
Well done, well done.
[all groaning]
Let's start with jason.
- Confident.
I'm calm, I'm collected.
I am easily the top contender.
♪ ♪
It is a herb and garlic pan-roasted filet mignon--
Honey butter, braised carrots, crushed marble potatoes.
- You've definitely cooked the filet beautifully.
- Thank you, chef.
Yeah, it does look amazing. That's because I made it.
- Why would you slice it?
- It's a presentation thing.
I love seeing the beautiful temperature of the meat.
- Yeah, there's a double-edged sword to that,
Because when you slice... - It bleeds out.
- Protein, it bleeds out.
And you've got this beautiful sauce.
And all I can see now is all that blood
That's running into that sauce.
- I will never cut a filet.
You leave that cutting experience
Of a filet to the guest.
- I just wouldn't teach you to slice it
When you've cooked it so perfectly.
- Yes, chef.
I know what I'm doing every step of the way.
- Thank you. - Thank you, chef.
- Do I need to make adjustments,
Tighten screws left and right?
Absolutely. Who doesn't?
But as for actual cooking, I can definitely hold my own.
- Atoye, come forward, please.
- I want him to see the love.
Here you are, chef.
The very essence of me and my being on that plate.
I did a parsnip and leek mash
Basted with habaneros and thyme,
Just to give it a nice little flavor as well.
- Temperature-wise inside, it is...
♪ ♪
A beautiful mid-rare.
- Thank you, chef.
- Do you see how that is glistening?
- Yes.
It's bringing tears to my eyes, chef.
Ahh...
The gates of heaven have opened.
- The parsnips are a touch grainy,
So it sort of spoils the actual texture of that puree.
But, young lady, that filet is nailed.
- Thank you, chef. - Back in line.
- I'm a little nervous because my puree wasn't spot-on.
- [whispering] good job, atoye. - [whispering] thank you.
But I know it's down to the filet, not the puree.
Hey, I'm rhyming.
- So now that I've tasted two dishes,
I feel like I can send one of you to the dorm.
- There isn't a doubt in my mind
That I have the best dish of the evening.
It's plain and simple, black and white.
My dish is better.
- Congratulations for the more accomplished dish.
- Hoo.
Here we go.
♪ ♪
- And that chef is...
- So now that I've tasted two dishes,
I feel like I can send one of you to the dorm.
And that chef is...
[tense music]
Jason.
Say goodbye. - Thank you, chef.
- Great dish. - Good luck.
There were no doubts in my mind that I was going to win,
And I did what I always do.
- Who is it? - Let's go see.
- This win today is big.
It's a great feeling to confirm
That I am easily the top contender.
You all think I'm the [bleep] weakest, huh?
I see it. I see it.
I'll keep out-cooking all of you.
- Sandra, please step forward. - Yes, chef.
I am feeling like a ball of nerves.
I mean, I feel confident in my dish,
But atoye's dish looked perfect.
- Describe the dish, please. - It's simply seasoned filet.
Garnish is a mixture of wild mushrooms,
Horseradish, and mustard.
It's my father on a dish.
♪ ♪
- Wow.
That's beautiful.
- Thank you, chef. - Nailed.
I think the only thing that I'm struggling
To sort of understand is this garnish
With the horseradish, the mushrooms.
So it's like a ragout? - Mm-hmm.
Okay. Good. Back in line, please.
- Thank you, chef.
- Ah, now that I've tasted sandra's,
Is it better than atoye's?
Sandra struggled with the garnish.
I appreciate the nod to your father,
But I hadn't seen anything quite like that before.
Atoye, your purees didn't work. - Yes, chef.
- But both of you nailed the cook.
This is a really tough choice.
One filet did have the edge.
Congratulations.
Your father would be proud, sandra.
- Thank you, chef.
- Head to the dorms. Great job. - Love you.
Wow.
The relief is nice for right now,
But tomorrow is another day.
- Great job. - Thank you.
Thanks, dad.
- Let's go!
All: Hey! [cheering]
- Yes. I knew it.
- Right, devon, step forward, please.
- Yes, chef.
- Okay.
Down to the last two.
- Thank you. - Yes, chef.
This is a butter and herb-basted filet mignon
With a chive pomme puree,
Very, very small amount of beurre rouge.
- Fyi, when you slice protein
One, two, three, four, five, six times,
I lift the plate, and the goodness comes out
Like there's no tomorrow. - Yes, chef. Yes, chef.
[dramatic music]
- Bold move with that red-wine butter sauce.
The acidity actually works. It's bright.
- Thank you, chef.
- Back in line, please. - Yes, chef.
- I do feel like my dish is better than atoye's dish.
- Really tough.
- I know that I'm not the weakest.
In fact, I'm one of the strongest,
And I'm here to stay.
- Devon, puree, delicious,
A slight overcook on that filet.
And when you expose meat like that, it needs seasoning.
- Yes, chef. - It's the tiniest of details.
And it's tough.
♪ ♪
The person leaving "hell's kitchen" is...
♪ ♪
Devon.
Young lady, let me tell you something.
Get that head up high. - Absolutely.
- Great cook on that filet. - Thank you, chef.
- Good night. - Good night.
You can sleep on me all you want,
But I creep through the night, and I come and get you.
I showed that I deserve to be here.
[sobs, sighs]
My work here is not done.
♪ ♪
- Young man, come here.
I respect your determination.
Keep your dreams alive. - Yes, chef.
Thank you very much. - Please, give me your jacket.
- Yes, chef.
- Thank you. Good night.
♪ ♪
- I definitely let myself down,
And I made a silly mistake tonight.
I'm a perfectionist at heart.
And so, when I mess things up, I get down on myself.
That's my lesson here. I just didn't trust myself.
And when you're in a competition like this,
If you don't trust yourself
About what you've been doing for years,
Then you're going to fail no matter what.
- [sighs]
If you're going to work in my kitchen,
You better know how to cook a filet.
Two words devon will never hear from me are "well done."
♪ ♪
Narrator: Next time on "hell's kitchen"...
A fresh face...
- I hear there's a party out here?
How are you? I'm gladys. [laughter]
Narrator: Causes the chefs...
- Yeah, you're like a fonzanoon.
- What? - A fonzanoon is a person
That bites their fart bubbles in the water tub.
Narrator: To question everything.
- Sandra? Gladys? What the hell is going on here?
Narrator: And after a teammate switch...
- The person joining the blue team is...
♪ ♪
- It's really such an honor. - Now let's go.
Narrator: Who will crash?
- Taking the cart. - I'm looking for parmesan.
- Go, donya. - Parmesan.
I'm getting parmesan cheese!
Narrator: And who will burn?
- Ryan, you okay? - [bleep]!
Narrator: One thing is for sure.
- It's still [bleep] cold!
Narrator: It's the most intense episode
Of the season... - Go, go, go!
- The pressure is so high.
- This close! - [bleep] damn it.
Narrator: On the next... - I want to be a great chef.
Narrator: "hell's kitchen."