narrator: For the first time in its 23-season history,
"Hell's Kitchen" has moved to the East Coast.
- Whoo!
Connecticut!
narrator: And for this historic occasion--
[cheering]
The 18 talented chefs are getting a special escort
from the United States Coast Guard.
- Yeah! [bleep].
narrator: And while they are enjoying their arrival--
- All right, guys, let's [bleep] go!
[cheering]
narrator: The chefs are ready to do battle,
come hell or high water.
- I am on "Hell's Kitchen,"
which is like, pinch-me surreal.
And I just cannot believe that this is actually happening,
like, to me.
♪ ♪
- We're embarking on an adventure.
I never thought I'd be meeting my new boss via a small boat.
I'm terrified.
I'm from the desert.
We don't have water out there.
Oh. Oh!
- [laughs]
[band playing]
♪ ♪
- Whoo-hoo. Yeah.
♪ ♪
- This is wild! It's real! - Oh, my gosh!
I'm so pumped. Oh, my God.
I'm in a skirt on a boat.
[laughs] Here to cook.
Hi! Pleasure, thank you.
[cheering]
- I'm seeing all the Coast Guard, the whole band,
everybody clapping for you.
It makes you feel like you're a celebrity now.
This is insane. Me?
Come on.
- Let's go, chefs.
Welcome to "Hell's Kitchen."
Join the rest of the team.
Go and get familiar.
♪ ♪
- Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Gordon Ramsay.
[cheers and applause]
[chanting "chef"]
- This is the most spectacular moment of my life.
I've been watching him my entire life.
I'm speechless.
- Chefs, good morning. all: Morning, Chef!
- What an entrance that was.
- I know.
- Uh, that zebra outfit--
[laughter]
Where did that come from?
- My closet. Yeah.
Most people don't wear an outfit like this
on the first day of a competition.
I want people to underestimate me.
I want people to be like, who the [bleep] is this clown?
If people underestimate me, they will have no idea
what I can bring to the table.
- Very cool indeed.
Now, listen carefully.
For the first time ever,
the "Hell's Kitchen" competition
is on the East Coast.
[cheering]
We are at the home base
of the amazing United States Coast Guard Academy.
Over 220 of these amazing cadets are about to graduate.
And when they do, they all become leaders
of their own teams.
Each of you knows what that responsibility is like,
whether it's commanding a large brigade
or running a small kitchen,
you all share one thing in common.
You've all been the ones calling the shots.
And that's why you're all here.
Because for the first time in "Hell's Kitchen" history,
this is "Hell's Kitchen: Head Chefs Only."
[cheers and applause]
- Wow, all right, this is gonna be very interesting.
Head chefs only?
Egos only.
I know there's gonna be a lot of talent.
And I know there's gonna be a lot of egos.
- This has to be the most accomplished group ever
in the history of this competition.
Now, even though you are the head chefs
in your own kitchens, in my kitchen,
you'll be guided by my extraordinary sous chefs.
Men, listen carefully.
This guy is a phenomenon.
He's an incredible restaurateur
and a fabulous mentor,
James Avery for the Blue Team.
[cheers and applause]
- Chef James Avery, this guy is an absolute [bleep] G,
and I've always wanted to learn from this guy.
He's got a few restaurants.
Dude, I am stoked.
- So good to have you back. - Thank you, Chef.
- Ladies, overseeing all of you in the Red kitchen,
she is a incredible chef,
season 17 winner.
Welcome, Chef Michelle Tribble, ladies.
[cheers and applause]
- Chef Michelle, she's amazing.
And she is small, but mighty, just like me.
I'm 5' 2",
and we get a bad rap for being a small female in the kitchen.
But, listen, we will show our teeth when we need to.
- Michelle, welcome back. - Thank you.
- Now, the winner of season 23, "Hell's Kitchen:
Head Chefs Only" will become my head chef
at the fabulous Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods Resort Casino,
one of the largest casino resorts in the United States
and home to this season's competition.
[cheers and applause]
- Being Gordon Ramsay's head chef
would be a life changing experience
for my wife and my daughters.
And I think they'd be real proud of me
if I was able to accomplish that.
- But there's more, because that job
includes a total prize worth
a quarter million dollars.
- We're ready. We're ready. - Good.
- $250,000, I think my fiancée would appreciate it
for the wedding cost.
You know, she's a bougie one, that one.
- As both kitchens are filled with talented head chefs,
my standards this year will be higher than ever before.
Are you ready for the challenge?
all: Yes, Chef! - Good.
All of you will have 40 minutes
to cook an amazing signature dish.
Focus-- put yourself on a plate
because it's the first introduction,
not just to the competition, but to me.
Understood? all: Yes, Chef.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Get out of here. Let's go.
[dramatic music]
- Communicate, guys!
We do this every day!
- Chef, I'm a force to be reckoned with.
I left everything to be here.
- Make a mistake, bounce back.
- No one saw that.
No one saw that.
narrator: This season, for the first time
in "Hell's Kitchen" history--
- Talented head chefs, right?
narrator: The competitors are all head chefs.
- The dish is accomplished. - Thank you.
I absolutely think I'm a stronger cook than her.
narrator: Will the egos collide?
- No, I really want my dish to go up, guys.
I am the best of the best here.
- I disagree. - Me, too.
- It's frustrating as [bleep]
having to deal with somebody like him.
- Stupid, wasting time making [bleep] dough, man.
- Whit--
I should have just been that [bleep] bitch.
- You guys want to [bleep] vote me out, vote me out.
- There are dogs in this competition.
- Anthony can cook. - He can.
narrator: Will friendships be forged?
- You killed it tonight.
- Hey, I got your back. - All right.
narrator: One thing's for sure...
- You're a [bleep] good cook. Compose yourself.
narrator: These chefs are hell bent--
[yelling]
narrator: To scrape--
- We got to cut where we see weakness.
- Hold on.
- Everybody, shut the [bleep] up.
- You want people to speak
or you want people to shut up?
Make up your [bleep] mind.
narrator: And claw--
- I've scratched my way to get here, Chef.
narrator: For the life-changing prize--
- Whoo!
narrator: Of becoming head chef
at Hell's Kitchen Foxwoods Resort Casino
in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
- Holy cannoli! Look!
Oh, it's so pretty.
- It's so fancy.
It's luxurious, it's beautiful.
And, yeah, this is a pretty cool place to be.
narrator: It may be the first time on the East Coast--
- Let's go, Red Team.
- Looks perfect and it tastes perfect.
narrator: But will things go south?
- What would you think of us if we sent that?
- Get your [bleep] together, bro.
- Holy crap.
- We've lost our [bleep] standards.
- Oh, he's mad. - Let's go!
narrator: Every mistake matters.
- Oh, I forgot the best thing. Damn it.
- You forg-- - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Does that look appetizing to you?
- It was absolute garbage.
- What is happening?
- That would so stress me out.
- Get on their ass, Coach.
- I want to, Gordon Ramsay-style,
throw this across the kitchen.
♪ ♪
- [bleep].
♪ ♪
I am done!
- I couldn't hold my tears back.
- It's a lot harder than it looks.
narrator: These talented head chefs...
- You're cooking some of the best dishes
we've ever witnessed in this competition.
narrator: Will be put to the test.
- Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
- Ladies are getting vicious.
narrator: In the nastiest
and classiest...
- This is what the sweet life feels like.
narrator: Season ever.
- Are you serious?
narrator: The bar has never been higher.
- Are you declaring yourself unfit to continue?
- Get it together, bitch.
narrator: Who will rise to the top?
- Yes, Chef.
- You will not be continuing in the competition.
- On this season of "Hell's Kitchen:
Head Chefs Only."
- This is everything for me.
I'm here to change my family's life.
- Get out!
- I'll work harder than literally anyone
who has ever worked for you, Chef.
- I can't watch!
Oh, my God.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
narrator: The chefs will all live
and compete at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
- Get your apron on.
Make sure it has your name on it.
- All right, guys, let's go. Let's show them.
- This is about to be a lot of experience
in a crazy kitchen.
- Squeezing through.
We are in the trenches.
This is war.
[upbeat music]
- What are you making for Chef today?
- A pink sauce, seafood pasta.
- Are you Italian then? - Nope.
[laughs] - OK. OK.
- It's the first dish I taught myself,
and it's the dish that gets all the guys to date me.
[laughs]
Just had a spill on the station.
Now I'm single,
but I am batting 1.000
for every time I make this dish.
- Guys, onions, mirepoix, citrus, all over here.
- Veggie peeler? Oh, sorry.
- My team is full of really strong females
and really strong personalities.
- Cook your little hearts out, ladies.
- I'm usually the loudest one in the room,
and I'm just like, "I don't even know where to start."
- I have garlic on my station here, too, if anyone needs it.
- I'll take it. Thank you, Chef.
- What are you making?
- Uh, risotto in 40 minutes.
My signature dish is seared scallops
over spring-pea risotto.
- Ladies, 12 minutes gone, yes.
- It's definitely a bold move doing a dish
that Chef Ramsay has at his own restaurants.
- Ann Marie. - Yes, Chef?
- Make sure that pan's absolutely roasting,
Get a really good sear on there, yeah?
- You got it.
But I want to be true to myself
and show him what I got.
You are not supposed to have color on you.
- Whoo, let's go, guys.
- What's this?
- A New York steak marinated in lemongrass and miso.
- In miso?
- I know normally, miso doesn't go on red meat,
but I love pushing boundaries.
People call me "The Sleeping Beast" for a reason.
Back home, I competed in over 10 culinary competitions
and never lost.
As long as I nail my marination and my grill,
I'm gonna come out of this on top.
- What is this sauce over here?
- That is a mushroom and warm water
with a little barbecue sauce and soy sauce.
My signature dish is a homemade pappardelle
with my mushroom sauce.
♪ ♪
Umami mushroom there?
- It's grainy.
- Nah, it's not.
- Bro, this [bleep] is not grainy.
- Yeah, you need more mushroom.
Uri's kind of dismissed me, and it's like, go for it.
My signature dish is gonna be better than that.
Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar.
- And Whit, what do you have going on?
- So I am doing pescado encocado.
So it is a coconut milk-braised swordfish.
I'm doing a plantain gnocchi with it.
My confidence comes from just grinding over the years.
You know, me coming up, I didn't have many people
that looked like me, you know, being Black, being queer.
So I want to prove hard work and dedication
really will get you where you want to be.
Kind of like "I told you so" to everybody that doubted me.
- We good? - Yes, Chef.
- Yeah? - Yes, Chef.
- One stunning portion, yes? - Yes, Chef.
- Duck today? What are you making?
- Duck, so I'm doing, like, a curry chocolate demi-glace.
- OK. - With a maple leaf duck breast.
I like taking complete polar opposites,
making them best friends, throwing them on a plate
because I'm all over the place.
I'm a fart in a skillet. I'm everywhere.
I'm about to make a bloody mess here.
- Right, so halfway, guys, yes?
20 minutes to go.
- Yes, Chef.
- Whose rack of lamb is that, the rack of lamb here?
- This is mine. - Is it--get it on.
Get it on. Come on. - Heard. Heard, heard, heard.
- Yeah, give yourself some time, right?
- Yes, Chef.
- And it can't rest when it's raw. Get it on.
- Yeah, right.
Think I had a heart attack.
- 10 minutes to go. - Heard, Chef.
- 10 minutes. - Make it count.
- I'm running out of time for the pasta.
[dramatic music]
[bleep].
- You good?
- I cut myself somehow.
Chef, I'm bleeding.
I need a medic, like now.
- OK. Uh, medic.
- You've got 10 more minutes left.
I have blood in my pasta.
And I'm really worried that [bleep]
I might be out the first challenge.
That sucks. [sighs]
Medic, bleeding.
♪ ♪
narrator: With the Head Chefs Only competition
now fully underway...
- Medic, bleeding, medic.
narrator: Brittany's bloody thumb
may ruin more than just her pasta.
- I don't have pasta now. - Yeah, OK.
- Thank you.
It's the last 10 minutes of the challenge,
and I have to remake my dough.
I'm back, you guys.
What a disappointing feeling.
[sighs] I can't believe that happened.
Hey, what should I do here?
- Can you do, like, a pappardelle?
- Just cut them in strips? - Yeah, just cut it in strips.
- Just get it as thin as I can? - Yeah.
- Last five. Come on. - Yes, Chef.
- Five minutes, heard. - Make it count, guys.
Last five. - What is this over here?
- This is hibiscus pickled pineapple.
- Got it. - It's just vinegar, water.
I am very confident in my signature dish.
The Thai coconut red curry
with the crispy skin red snapper.
I am going to make my food
big, bold, flavorful, and sexy,
just like me.
- Let it rest. Have some confidence.
Come on.
We're head chefs, yes?
- I want Chef Ramsay to love my dish.
I want to wow the other contestants.
Hello, "Hell's Kitchen."
I'm ready to make my debut.
Smells great.
- What? - Smells great.
- Ladies, two minutes to go.
Let's go.
- I'm rushing, rushing, rushing.
This is not the pasta I wanted to put on the plate,
but I'm hyper focused on presenting it to Chef Ramsay
and starting this [bleep] journey off on the right note.
- Gents, 90 seconds. Let's go. Come on.
- No, that's [bleep].
Time's ticking down.
I can tell they're not quite ready yet,
but if I can't get this lamb rack on the plate,
I might as well fly home now.
- 45 seconds to go.
- Let's go, y'all.
- Keep pushing. Keep pushing.
- Wipe those rims. Nice, clean plates.
- 20 seconds to go.
Come on, guys.
- I gotta plate it.
- Ten, nine, eight...
- Crushed red pepper. I just need crushed red pepper.
- Six, five,
four, three,
two, one,
and serve! - Go, go, go, go, go.
- Whoo! - Whoo!
- Yeah, Red Team.
[dramatic music]
- Now, here's how this is gonna work.
I will taste your dishes and then assign each dish
a score between 1 and 5.
The team with the most points wins.
It's as simple as that.
Let's begin with...
Ann Marie and Uri.
Step forward, please. Let's go.
- Whoo! - Let's go.
- Knowing that Chef Ramsay is gonna taste this,
I am kind of freaking out.
- The great thing about signature dish for me,
it's meeting chefs like you,
right, for the first time.
- I met you in Vegas about nine years ago,
when you were opening Gordon Ramsay's Fish and Chips.
- Nine years is a long time ago, Ann Marie.
[laughter] Right? What did I say?
Help me out here. - You said, "Hurry up.
We need more women chefs in the kitchen."
And I said, "Yes, Chef." - And here you are.
- Yeah.
- Love that. Tell me about the dish.
- I made you spring peas seared scallops over risotto.
- Well, fingers crossed, you're gonna be at home here
'cause, as you know, it's two of the biggest staples
on this appetizer, risotto and scallops.
- Yes, it is. Yes.
Scallops and risotto are, mm,
kind of really big deals to him,
but if I'm anything, I'm bold.
♪ ♪
- Scallops cooked beautifully.
- Thank you, Chef. - Beautiful sear.
However, when you serve the risotto,
you want it to breathe. - Mm-hmm.
- 'Cause underneath steams,
it starts to get a little bit mush.
But the season's on point.
I honestly don't remember meeting you the first time,
but I definitely will remember you the second time.
- Thank you. - It's a very strong four.
Well done. - Thank you.
- Really well done. - Whoo, Ann Marie.
- I am ecstatic.
So, you know, we're going for the five,
but I will take strong four.
- Young man, how did you end up in the industry?
- I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Wow. - When I was back there,
I didn't feel like I really belonged there.
So I go to America. - Right.
- I had $50 in my pocket. I came here.
I slept in the street, got my first job in the kitchen,
and I just fell in love with it.
- I'll let you into a little secret.
The American Dream was last season.
I think you're about a year late now.
[laughter]
This is the season of head chefs.
You are the head chef, right?
- Yes, of two restaurants right now.
- So describe the dish.
- Chef, I made you a handmade pappardelle
packed with umami cream, ricotta cheese,
shiitake mushrooms topped with lime zest and scallions.
- I love the fact that you made that pasta in 40 minutes
and rested and rolled it. - Absolutely.
- Pasta's cooked beautifully.
Again, let the food breathe
'cause it's just a little bit stuck together.
♪ ♪
But the flavor's there.
It's a very strong four. Congratulations, both you.
- Thank you, Chef. - Good start.
- Thank you. Good job. Thank you.
- Good job. - Keep this up, Uri.
You may just get that American dream.
- Yeah, my flight got delayed, but thank you, Chef.
Getting a four for my signature dish is--
[whooshes] My mind is blown.
- Right, next up, Magali and Anthony.
Let's go.
- You got this.
- Coming. I'm coming. - Thank you.
Right, young man, how are you feeling?
- I'm feeling great, Chef. - Good.
How did this whole journey start, Anthony?
- It started with my grandma.
My grandma saved me from group homes,
and instead of having me in sports,
she had me in the kitchen.
She was a chef at a hospital. - Wow.
- So literally every day after school,
I was in the restaurant, either prepping,
throwing away trash, dishwashing.
Had a scholarship opportunity,
but lost it due to Alzheimer's and dementia.
- But that was grandma, sadly, diagnosed.
- Yeah, to support Grandma.
I would feed her, change her, medications.
I would cook for her.
I decided to skip restaurants
and go straight into senior living,
and been there for ten years.
- How's grandma now?
- Uh, Grandma unfortunately passed on the 14th.
- I'm sorry. - Thank you, Chef.
So now everything is for her,
and an homage to my grandma.
- Right. - I have respect for Anthony
because my great grandma just passed away,
and she knew that this was my dream.
- She would be very proud, let's get that absolutely clear.
Tell me about the dish.
- So it's a miso, lemongrass, marinated steak
with a corn puree.
- Traditionally, you don't really
associate miso with steak.
However, miso actually tenderized it even more.
It's quite groundbreaking. - Thank you.
- Congratulations to our first five.
Well done.
Wow. - Thank you, Chef.
[cheers and applause]
Chef Ramsay gave me a five of my sig dish.
My grandma would have been so proud.
I know she's looking down on me very proud right now.
- Right, Magali,
give me an insight to the beginning of this journey.
- My parents are immigrants from Mexico.
I grew up fishing with my dad.
That was our quality time together,
and then we would go home and grill the catch of the day.
And that was our love language.
- But normally that strength is coming from mom's side
in the kitchen.
- Mom was not a good cook.
[laughter]
- Is she really that bad?
- She gave me fearlessness and courage.
My dad gave me compassion and love.
- Gotcha, love that.
Tell me about the dish.
- So I have made a poached shrimp cavatelli
with a radicchio, fennel, and asparagus salad
on top for acidity.
♪ ♪
- The cavatelli is a sort of rustic, cheap Italian flair,
but you've elevated it.
The seasoning is on point. - Thank you, Chef.
- And the shrimp just poached and butter
like that at the end, it's really delicious.
Congratulations, another five.
- Thank you, Chef. [applause]
- Nice job. - Good job.
- Chef Ramsay just gave me a five.
I literally feel like I'm melting right now.
- Kyle and Brittany, let's go.
♪ ♪
Kyle, take me back to the beginning.
Where did it start?
- It started when I was in school.
I didn't have a lot of friends.
The young gay kid, you know, they all bullied me.
So I started cooking and sharing my baked goods
with the classmates.
And then I suddenly grew to make friends
and turned it into a career. - Love that.
And you started baking-- how old?
- I started at six,
and then I started cooking at 16 years old.
- So in my eyes, that was just a few years ago
because you have one of the biggest baby faces
I've ever seen in this competition.
Don't change that. - I know. Thank you.
- How old are you? - 29, Chef.
- Stop it. - Yes.
- I need to see ID.
- [laughs] - Tell us about the dish.
- This is a Thai red curry with coconut broth,
pickled hibiscus pineapple, red snapper.
♪ ♪
- Yeah, the fish is cooked beautifully.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Just serve one slice of that fish.
Doesn't need two. - Heard, Chef.
- But the broth is exceptional.
Skin's super crispy.
It's a very strong four. - Thank you, Chef.
- Brittany? - Yes, Chef.
- You live where? - I live in Alaska.
- Alaska.
- The last four months, I've lived on a peninsula,
opening up what was supposed to be a fine dining restaurant.
But I ended up coming here instead.
- Let's taste.
OK, the dish, what is it?
- It's a pasta de la mare. - Right.
- I actually have been making this dish for 22 years.
It's the dish that I make for everyone on a first date.
[laughter]
If I really like you, I make you this dish,
and I've had five good relationships.
[laughter]
- Wow, so if you're making this for 22 years,
my expectations are raised.
- I'm afraid that I just shot myself in the foot
by saying that I've been making this dish for 22 years.
- As this must be very special, right?
- Well, um--
This is a lot of pressure right now.
- Tough one, this one.
[suspenseful music]
Uh, hm.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
narrator: It's the signature dish challenge
and the Blue Team is ahead for the moment.
- Tough one, this one.
narrator: But Chef Ramsay has yet to give a score
to executive chef Brittany's seafood pasta.
- We need to tighten up the presentation.
- Yes, Chef. - But, you know,
I can teach that. - Yes, Chef.
- What I can't teach is a DNA of flavor.
And the flavor is absolutely delicious.
It's a very strong four.
Congratulations, both of you. Well done.
- Good job. - What a relief.
Don't let my outfit fool you, boys and girls.
Brittany's here to stay.
She got a four out of five, yes.
- Next up, Amber and Corbin.
Let's go, please.
- Let's go, girl. - Come on, Amber.
- He is expecting fours and fives from everyone,
so I got to nail this.
I need this to taste good.
- You two, let's make this absolutely clear.
It's not the height of the chef,
it's the quality of the dish. Holy [bleep].
We got a bit of yin and yang going on here, right.
Amber, give me an insight to the beginning.
- The beginning, I was a musician,
but I didn't want the gig life.
So I went to culinary school.
This career has taken me to amazing places,
and I just want to share that through my food.
- Gotcha. Pass me the dish.
- Here I have a black peppercorn-crusted
elk tenderloin with brown butter sweet potato puree
and romanesco.
I lived in the mountains for about six years.
I cooked a lot of game meat.
And elk just reminds me of home.
I lived in the Eastern Sierra Mountains,
and I have experience cooking elk,
and venison, and other things from the mountains.
We can't eat the bears.
We can't feed the bears,
but we can wave to the bears.
- Elk is cooked beautifully.
- Thank you. - Really beautifully.
However, romanesco needs a lift,
a little bit more acidity, a gastrique.
Sad news because it brings everything down.
And presentation looks a little bit dated, OK?
Um, yeah, I'm gonna give it a three.
- Thank you, Chef.
Surely someone else will get a three.
I'm not gonna be the only three.
♪ ♪
- Corbin, take me back to the beginning.
- My inspiration definitely comes from my mother.
She came here at a very young age from Venezuela,
and, unfortunately, she was left to raise my brother
and myself entirely on her own. - Wow.
- We lived in a shelter for a short period
and lived off of food stamps.
But one of the things that she taught me from a very young age
was how to cook and, you know, taking simple ingredients
and just putting a lot of care and love into them.
- So she inspires you here today.
That's great. - Absolutely.
- Tell me what you made, please.
- I did a pan-seared New York strip
with a polenta, sautéed broccolini,
and garnished with a chimichurri.
- Steak is cooked beautifully. - Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
- The seasoning on this is incredible.
- Thank you, Chef. - It's robust.
It's big. It's you, right. - Yes.
- It's tasty.
Tighten up that chimichurri.
- Yes, Chef.
- It's a very strong four.
Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
narrator: With Corbin continuing the streak
of high scores for the Blue Team,
they now have a small lead. - Whew.
narrator: Next up for the Red Team is Meghan from Hawaii,
who is hoping her Oahu garlic prawns are tasty enough
to turn the tide for the Red Team.
- The flavors are exceptional.
The fact that you kept them intact as well
without getting fancified with them.
Aloha because you have arrived.
Congratulations. - Thank you, Chef.
- Hands down, it's a five.
Congratulations. Hands down. - Thank you.
Throughout my career, I've worked toe to toe
with people that just doubted
and didn't think I was good enough.
So to be up here representing Hawaii
with a five-star rating,
it just feels so great.
narrator: Trying to keep it close for the Blue Team,
Egypt from Chicago presents his Peking duck tostada.
- Love the duck.
Just shred it, cut it down. - Yes, Chef.
- Needs a bit more fat on there, as well.
It's a very strong four. Congratulations, both you.
Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
[applause]
- We're tied. - And we are tied, 21 all.
narrator: Next up for the Red Team is Amanda from Florida,
and from the Blue Team is Michael from Ohio.
- This journey with food, how did it start?
- Well, it started at six.
I was expected to help cook while my parents were at work.
They were working two jobs. - Six years of age?
- Six years old. - Home alone?
- I couldn't even hold a carrot.
I had to hold it against my stomach,
and I would have an orange spot on my belly when I was done.
[laughter] - Tell me what the dish is.
- I've got a pan-seared duck breast
over turmeric-lemon risotto with some sautéed Swiss chard
and a guava miso gastrique.
Seared it skin-side down in a cold pan
'cause I watched some of your videos.
- Duck's cooked beautifully, really beautifully.
I thought the guavas were going to be a little bit too sweet,
but it really does help cut the richness of the duck.
It's a very strong, exceptional five.
Well done. [applause]
- Thank you, Chef.
Yes. Please, yes. Let's keep that coming.
- Uh, Michael, how did you get here?
- I, uh, was, you know, not the best kid.
Didn't get good grades, got in fights, got suspended,
got kicked out of class all the time.
- Let's be honest, Amanda.
Does Michael look like a troublemaker?
- Yes. - No, he doesn't.
No, he does not. So--
- It's the smile, Chef.
You can tell behind the smile.
- I got a bit nervous earlier.
That lamb was not on.
It's 20 minutes to go. - Yes, Chef.
- Whose rack of lamb is that? The rack of lamb--
- The rack of lamb here, this is mine.
- Get it on. Come on. - Heard, heard, heard.
- Yeah, give yourself some time, right?
That rack of lamb needs to rest for as long as it cooked
to get that even temperature running through it.
What are you making and why?
- A roasted lamb rack here with a carrot muhammara,
and herbed raita,
and lemon-roasted sunchokes.
If my lamb is raw, I'm gonna be absolutely devastated.
- Lamb, I think one of the toughest to get right.
I'm gonna knock on wood.
- I'm really hoping when Chef cuts into it
that it comes out perfect.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
narrator: With both teams performing exceptionally well
in the signature dish challenge...
- Lamb, I think one of the toughest to get right,
I'm gonna knock on wood.
narrator: Ohio native Michael is hoping his lamb
does not disappoint.
[suspenseful music]
- Yeah, lamb's beautiful.
Really beautiful.
♪ ♪
Seasoning is spot on, puree delicious.
It's a very strong four.
Congratulations, both of you. Well done.
[applause]
- Getting a four out of Gordon, I would have loved a five.
But when push comes to shove, you got one minute left,
food's got to go on the plate.
narrator: With only two rounds remaining,
head chef Whit from North Carolina
is hoping to widen the Red Team lead against
father of two, Joe, from New Jersey.
- The competitive side of you, I can see it in the kitchen,
but on a scale of one to ten, what is it?
- 15. - 15.
[laughter] - Yeah.
- Love the confidence.
Where does that come from?
- It's definitely from my mom's side.
Her being a single mom,
having to, you know, raise two daughters
on her own, it showed me that I can do anything,
you know, if I put my mind to it.
- Great values.
Tell me what you've cooked and why.
- It's my take on pescado encocado.
It is a coconut milk poached fish with a plantain gnocchi,
and a aji verde hot sauce, and some charred corn.
I cook this dish because this is the number one seller
at my restaurant in Atlanta.
- There's a lot going on in here.
- Flavor bombs, that's what I call it.
- Yeah, it's strong.
Getting any kind of gnocchi is hard to do,
but to do a plantain gnocchi and to get it
as fluffy and light as that is incredible.
I'd love to give you six, but sadly, I can't.
It's a five. - Thank you, Chef.
- Congratulations.
Well done.
- This is only the beginning for me in this competition.
I'm here to blow Chef Ramsay's mind with my creativity.
Everybody be on the lookout 'cause I'm coming through.
- Joe, how did we get here?
- My father moved to the US from Sicily when he was 18.
He and my mother owned a bakery together.
You know, growing up and watching him,
you know, I wanted to be just like my father.
You know, I was mesmerized by him.
So I remember going to work with my father about 2:00 AM.
- Parents happy to see you go down that path
and follow in their footsteps?
- At first, my father didn't want me to be in this business.
- What? Hold on.
He got you up at [bleep] 2 o'clock in the morning.
- No, I wanted to go with him.
- Oh, OK, love that.
And how does he feel about what you're doing now?
- He's super proud and-- - Fantastic.
- Yeah, I mean, it was the best decision I ever made.
- Tell me the dish.
- So this is a chicken scarpariello.
- Mm-hmm. - This is a dish that I put
on the menu about six months ago,
and it just became a dish that I can't take off the menu.
- Mmm, chicken's cooked beautifully.
That garnish beautifully done.
I love that sort of earthiness the sage gives off.
It's a very strong four. Well done, both you.
- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you.
narrator: The Red Team has opened up their lead
a tiny bit, but recently,
engaged executive chef Brandon is hoping his...
- Roasted chicken breasts.
I made some cheesy dumplings,
kind of in the style of a Parisian gnocchi.
narrator: Will be enough to give the Blue Team the lead.
- This is the first dish I cooked my now fiancée.
- Gnocchi, beautiful.
Having the confidence just to slice that chicken
and be cooked perfectly like that is a joy.
The dish reads well, but it tastes even better.
It is a undeniably solid five.
Congratulations, well done. - Thank you, Chef.
- "An undeniable five."
This is a dream come true.
narrator: Next up is Lulu,
a former professional soccer player
from Mexico, hoping that her...
- Blue corn masa tortillas
with a charred salsa roja
made with hard fried eggs on there
with some crema and some pickled red onions.
narrator: Is enough to win over Chef Ramsay.
- The tortillas do need a touch more cooking
'cause they're just a little too soggy underneath,
but it's a very, very delicious four.
Well done. - Thank you, Chef.
- Good job.
It's all gonna come down to this final pairing.
- You got this. - What a night.
- You got it. You got it.
- Hannah, Shant, step forward. Let's go.
- Come on, Hannah.
narrator: With the Red Team up
by the smallest of all margins,
Executive chef Shant is hoping his...
- Lamb is crusted with za'atar.
Underneath is a Armenian yogurt sauce with potatoes.
narrator: Will score big for the Blue Team.
- It's a homage to my mother.
- And where were you born?
- I was born in Syria. - Syria.
- I'm from Armenian descent.
- Nice.
Lamb's cooked beautifully.
- Nice.
- This chop is not a flop.
You could tidy up the presentation,
but those flavors-- it's exceptional.
- It is a resounding four.
- Thank you, Chef. - Congratulations, well done.
[applause]
narrator: With the Blue Team up by three,
Hannah, a country club chef from Florida, presents her...
- Maple leaf duck breast,
has a curry chocolate demi-glace
and a little pea shoot.
- A curried chocolate...
- Curry chocolate. - Duck breast.
And this inspiration came from where?
- I'm a very artistic person.
So I try to put polar opposites together
and force them to become best friends.
- Uh, it's ambitious. I just hope it works.
- Chocolate on duck?
The Blue Team got this in the bag.
- I get the mole and the nod to Oaxaca with the richness.
It's a very bold move, adding chocolate.
- I'm confident in my dish.
It excites and confuses your palate at the same time.
- It's three to tie and four to win.
The chocolate...
gives this dish for me--
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- It's three to tie and four to win.
The chocolate...
gives this dish for me--
♪ ♪
A five.
Congratulations. [cheers and applause]
Yeah! - Let's go!
- I got a five,
and I'm super proud of it.
- Well done.
- Getting the first loss really does suck.
You can do great as an individual,
but at the end of the day, this is still a team effort.
And as a team, we just got whopped.
- Ladies, this reward will be very special.
You'll be dining at a very important restaurant,
the Prize restaurant--
[cheering] - Yes, Chef!
- Right here in Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
- Yes.
- In fact, I'm so excited,
I'm actually gonna join you.
[cheers and applause]
- I have never been happier in my life.
This is absolutely-- well, I just got engaged,
so I shouldn't say that. That sounds real rude.
But this is, like, one of the best feelings
I've ever had in my life.
- Right, ladies, I'll see you shortly.
Get dressed. Let's go.
[excited chatter] Head out.
Now, Blue Team, whilst the Red Team are experiencing
something to remember,
you will have an experience that you'll wish to forget
because tonight is delivery night
here in Hell's Kitchen. - Oh, hell.
- Opening the doors for the first time ever
on the East Coast, we have a lot of deliveries.
And when those trucks arrive, you need to unload,
stock the kitchens.
First of all, just turn behind,
just have a look at the mess of those kitchens.
It looks like a tornado has gone off in those.
So I'd like them to get back to the way you found them.
all: Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
- We won the first challenge! - Yeah!
- Red Team, we're doing the damn thing.
Definitely impressed with Brittany
and how she bounced back
from getting cut and putting that pasta out
in little to no time.
- You were not clean with that pasta station, girl.
- I was not. - Ooh, flour everywhere.
- I told you. - Have fun.
- Hey, that's what happens
when you make pasta in three minutes.
- Looking forward to the women kicking ass.
[light music]
- This is gonna be someone's restaurant.
- Amazing.
- Wow. - This is awesome.
- This is totally doable.
Watching service happen,
I'm imagining myself there
running that pass, running that line.
That could be mine.
Cheers. - [laughs]
Cheers.
I couldn't ask for a better reward
after a wonderful, challenging day winning with my Red Team.
Whoo! Go Red, baby!
[laughter]
- But guess what? If you hadn't done your pasta,
we wouldn't be here. all: Yes.
- We wouldn't have won. - Ah!
♪ ♪
[dishes clanking]
- Hanging out with hairy, sweaty dudes
or having dinner and drinks with Gordon Ramsay.
Yeah, yeah, this one.
- [laughs]
[upbeat music]
[cheering] - You haven't--
You--you haven't started without me, have you?
- Yeah, we have. - Oh, no.
- I'm having dinner with Chef Ramsay--
like, me.
Like who would have thought?
- I am all yours.
- Uh, champagne, please.
[laughs]
- What was your first break?
- My first break--
God. - Yeah, there you go.
- I thought I was gonna become a soccer player,
and then I had this horrific accident
where I smashed my cartilage
and tore my cruciate ligament on my left knee.
I was kicked out of the team,
went back to live with my big sister.
And then I went to college.
Couldn't afford to go there full time.
So I went part time, got a job in a local hotel.
A young chef called Marco Pierre White,
he just opened his restaurants, phoned him.
Told him, "You're the kind of person
I want to work for."
And that's how it happened.
- Hearing that from him right there,
just seeing the sparkle in his eye,
and me just taking everything in.
Oh, my gosh, this is a dream come true.
- How did you get that first break?
- I had the opportunity to present a tasting menu.
I was the chef on duty as a junior sous chef.
- Right. - And presented it
to my now boss, and he reached out to me,
and now I work for him at two different places.
- The, you know, CEOs and the GM came to me,
and they're just like, "Yeah, we're thinking about
getting an intern."
And I said, "No, you're not."
I said, "You're gonna pick me."
- Love that. First big break?
- I work for Johan Svensson.
I was the first female sous chef in BLT Steak Waikiki.
- Amazing. - Chef Gordon Ramsay,
he's a [bleep] legend.
I've never met a chef
that had Michelin stars.
So just to have him in your presence,
like, it's unparalleled.
- You know, I've been blessed to have a lot of opportunities
that led me here, but if I'm fully honest,
my first big break is here.
You know, like, the whole women helping women thing?
I feel like I never really experienced that before.
And, um,
today was the first time I really got to experience,
and that was really lovely.
And it's a really cool feeling to feel supported
and uplifted by other women.
- To girl power.
all: To girl power. - Yes.
[horn honking]
- All right, so that is the delivery horn.
All right, so let's move, guys.
So let's get the delivery board.
Somebody's got to be in charge of that
or however you want to figure it out.
- I got it. I grabbed the list
and I'm like, I'm taking inventory.
- We're looking for a leader amongst leaders.
- This is your moment to show leadership and stand out.
- All right, you gonna hop in the truck?
- Holy--
[sputters]
- Oh, my God.
There is so many boxes in this truck.
You have bags of flour, 50 pounds.
- This is crazy, bro.
- Bags of sugar, another 50 pounds.
- [grunts]
- Guys, it's a ton of wine.
Maybe you--like, everybody could grab one case.
- [exhales]
[panting]
♪ ♪
- Baking powder. Baking powder, how many?
- Uri doesn't want to carry stuff.
Taking the list, not doing the heavy lifting.
- OK, one 25-pound bag. Perfect.
- Jasmine, I have one 25 pound.
- Ugh. Oh, my God.
- What's that, bread crumbs? Yeah.
- Uri, he's not moving boxes
like everybody else.
- Nice workout.
Who needs a gym membership, huh?
- I'm kind of blown away that Uri's not unloading boxes,
like, come on, man.
- Oh, mayonnaise, yes, six jars.
- Everybody on the Blue Team is pulling their weight, but
my colleague.
I wonder if we should just [bleep] take everything inside
and then open it inside.
This is gonna be forever-- we're gonna be here forever.
- I took the leadership.
Let me do it.
Cabernet, you have 20.
And then you have 20 Chardonnay.
Right now is my moment, bro.
[dramatic music]
- Just gonna take [bleep] all of it.
- Whew.
♪ ♪
- Ooh, child, dear mother RuPaul.
Uri, you lazy [bleep] bitch.
All you wanted to do was to the inventory.
Somebody do a magic trick and make [bleep] disappear.
Whew.
- Here there was, like, two more cases,
and we're good to go.
- Uri [bleep] sucks.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- Hey, good job, everyone.
- Long day. - Let's not do this tomorrow.
narrator: Just as the Blue Team completes
their brutal delivery day punishment...
- Guys, we cannot lose.
narrator: The Red Team returns from their dinner date
with Chef Ramsay. - Blue Team!
narrator: And Chef Michelle and Chef James
have come to the dorms with tonight's homework.
- Recipe books just came.
- Thank you! - So that you can get prepared
for dinner service, OK.
- Thank you, Chefs. - Thank you, Chefs.
- All right, ladies, let's go.
- Wanna study together?
- Yeah. - Let's go outside.
narrator: While Anthony and Egypt
are cramming to learn the menu,
others are cramming in a meal.
- There is mayo by the door.
- Dude's got a mayonnaise tattoo on his arm.
- You?
[laughing] You do.
- I can't really give you [bleep].
I actually do love mayonnaise.
I'm not gonna lie.
- We should freeze some, make mayo martinis.
- Mmm. - Mayo-tinis?
- Yeah.
- You want mayo on your Cheetos?
- [fakes gagging] - You sure?
- Ew. That's disgusting.
- You never know.
Like chocolate and a duck breast.
[laughter]
- It's just too loud in there. - Same, same.
- Everyone right now is acting like
this is a [bleep] vacation.
It's pissing me off.
- Yeah.
- No, I don't want to lose that challenge,
and I want to finish dinner service.
- True, true. - I'm here for my mom
to be able to say one of her sons made it
and to be proud and just know
her life and everything she went through,
and being a single mom wasn't for naught.
- Yeah.
[light music]
♪ ♪
- I was a person that was working
six days every single week. - Mm-hmm.
- I was a person that was doing doubles every single day.
I want my picture on that wall.
- Yeah. - Win or not...
- Mm-hmm. - I'm gonna get to that level.
- Yo! - Chef.
- Uh, there's something going on outside.
Chef needs us out there.
So let's get moving.
- We ready.
- Let's go. Let's go.
- Why in the world are we going outside today?
- Got to go, run, run.
- You know, I thought this was "Hell's Kitchen."
I thought we're supposed to be cooking in the kitchen.
- All right, running, ladies.
- There's a million things racing through my head,
maybe cooking outside.
I have no idea what's going on right now.
[reporters clamoring]
[cameras clicking]
- Oh, here we go.
[upbeat music]
- Oh, [bleep]!
I feel like one of the Kardashians.
- Guys, look at the cameras.
Look at the cameras, let's go.
- Bring on the cameras.
Bring on the paparazzi.
Honestly, I'm like a natural catfish.
I look better on camera than I do in person.
- Uh, ladies and gentlemen of the press,
The "Hell's Kitchen" chefs, season 23.
- I'm just there posing, you know,
making sure my hair is fine.
I'm like, [bleep] I feel like a star.
- Now, Chefs, as this is a very special season
for head chefs only,
we are taking things up a huge notch.
- Whoo! - Whoo.
- Challenges, the dinner services,
bloody all of it,
I promise you now,
the intensity is on a whole new level.
Thank you, James. - Oh, shoot.
- Right.
- Holy [bleep].
This dude's got a flamethrower.
- I'm scared. - Are we ready?
- Oh, gosh. - Oh.
- Why did we give Chef Ramsay a flamethrower?
Who thought that was a good idea?
- Let's go. - What?
What are we doing?
- Oh, God.
[sizzling]
♪ ♪
narrator: Next time...
- Whoo!
- I love to light [bleep] on fire.
Let's go. - Fire!
narrator: When the heat is turned up in both kitchens...
- Fire, baby.
My inner pyro is feeling pretty good.
Ooh, nice, sexy.
narrator: Will one chef take their obsession
with fire too far?
- Be careful. - Don't burn us down. Let's go.
narrator: In the first East Coast dinner service
in "Hell's Kitchen" history.
- We're gonna catch something on fire,
but it's not gonna be you.
narrator: Will both kitchens completely flame out?
- It's burnt. It's burnt. - Oh.
- Can you see how overcooked that is?
- [bleep]. - Yes, Chef.
- Would you eat it? all: No, Chef!
- But you expect them to eat it.
- Oh, he's mad over there. - [bleep].
narrator: Next time on an explosive episode...
- Come on!
Welcome to the East Coast, my ass.
narrator: Of "Hell's Kitchen."