OK, I didn’t realize that not all the chefs were present last night.
I’m surprised people don’t like Rock. I worked in a restaurant for many years in College and Grad school. I never met a nicey nice chef. Ever!
Gordon is a complete shocker when he’s runnign the kitchen, eff this, eff that etc…etc…
I think Rock will make the best Chef, he’ll run the kitchen like it should…exactly as he sees fit. Wishy Washy chefs don’t last long in a business where the very preparation of a meal can determine so much for your career.
It’s fair to say I like Rock, he has his dumbass moments, but I’m sure Ramsey did as well when he was 30.
I just realized (a little late to the game, I know) that Rock is the Executive Chef at a restaurant right next to where I work. I had reservations there for this week but had to cancel them. Now I’m kicking myself! He has fried chicken and crabcake on the menu - I wanted to see if it was actually any good or not!
But the restaurant gets pretty decent reviews, so I have to think he knows what he’s doing. He had to change the menu up for the New York restaurant due to the trans fats ban.
Especially compared to some other TV chef competitions. Watching *Top Chef * next to this makes the Hell’s Kitchen cooks look like a bunch of fifth graders in summer camp cooking class. I’m guessing Hell’s Kitchen goes for these less talented chefs because they want the drama of screw-ups in the kitchen so Ramsey has something to scream about. The very nature of the show demands mediocre contestants.
Also the Green Valley Ranch has 9 restaurants, so I imagine they reserve the right to put the winner in any one of those, including the pancake house (for real) or the poolside grill. Somehow I doubt the winner will be placed in charge of the 5 star steakhouse.
To be fair, it wasn’t that she didn’t know what they were. It was the challenge of re-inventing them into something upscale, which would be almost impossible unless you had time to soak and simmer your own beans, which she didn’t.
OK, so I wasn’t the only one who was struck by that. It wasn’t that she turned up her nose at franks and beans, she’d never heard of franks and beans.
About last night … the signature dish competition was so obviously bogus, I’m surprised they had the nerve to show it.
I must’ve completely missed that part.
But then, I’d be hard pressed to reinvent that to upscale since I’ve never eaten them together myself. (Heard of them, yes… but never eaten them).
Never eaten Beanie-Weenies? That and Spaghettios were a big treat for the kiddos when I was a kiddo. And there was Spaghettios with weenies, too!
The closest I’ve come is eating pigs in a blanket with beans (in molasses, not tomato sauce) on the side.
I only had spaghetti-o’s once or twice as a kid and didn’t like them. Same with Chef Boyardee. (My brother on the other hand loved them). I don’t have any of that in my house now, so unless my son gets them at daycare for lunch he doesn’t get them either.
Be nice to my Julia…she was just overcome with having to come back and help either Rock or Bonnie win what she hoped would be hers. That’s gotta be emotional. And I hope that Bonnie gets what she deserves for picking Melissa over Julie. And then Rock not picking Julia and going with Vinnie! They both deserve to lose.
I don’t like either contestant and, at this point, I only hope Rock wins because I hate Bonnie more. And that’s just sad, because I have hated Rock from the very beginning.
At least I can still watch Top Chef and route for Tre or CJ. I like them. This season’s HK didn’t have anyone really likeable or all that talented. Maybe next year…
ETA: Y’all and your lack of franks and beans…mr.stretch wanted to have beanie weenies last night!
Never had beenie weenies here! Never had Hamburger Helper. Don’t think I ever had fish sticks or spaghettios. Had my first (and last) sno-cone at about age 38. Never had an Icee. Not that I’m a culinary snob, they’re things that my mother never served, and had no desire to eat as an adult.
And I don’t care if it’s just been a few days for Julia - it was even less for Jen, and she managed to behave properly. I think they were short-sighted to pick her last, though.
StG
The internet TV mob has decided that Bonnie is an undeserving ditz and ordained Julia as “The Only One Worthy”. Read the posts from last week - everyone was saying that Bonnie was a crybaby and weak. After last night’s meltdown of the annointed one, they couldn’t use that excuse anymore, so it’s “I don’t know what franks and beans are”, which of course isn’t true, either.
Nevertheless, Rock’s going to win it - last night’s show made that pretty clear by making him look indecisive and muddleheaded.
Given how awful most of the guys were I would have picked Julia earlier, also. But I also can see how seeing her not being able to control her emotions as being a real problem and something you might want to avoid. I can easily see her not really trying very hard at the service simply because shestill hasn’t come to terms with the fact she is out.
Rock will win. I am not particularly enamored with either one, so I don’t really care who wins. It is obvious, as others have mentioned, given the loser, clueless edit that Rock got he will end up with his own restaurant. Also, while I don’t think they will give him the best restaurant at GVR they also won’t give him the worst because this restaurant will still have some Ramsey cache attached to it and Ramsey himself probably would not want his name assoicated, even loosely, with some diner.
Haven’t they already shown the restaurant* that has been closed and is waiting to be re-opened with the winner of the show? I coulda sworn we already saw it, and it’s not the pancake house or poolside grill. The winner is supposedly given a real restaurant that they can make into their own. How this works in reality I don’t know, because the type of restaurant that last season’s winner, Heather, said she wanted and that she “designed” for the final show are not anything like the restaurant that she runs now.
Anyway, I think Julia will be able to hold her shit together during service–I think she was just overwhelmed with the emotion of the whole thing.
And beanie weenies are terrific. A can of Van de Camp’s Pork n Beans, and some beef Ball Park Franks, and you’re good to go.
*I hate this word…I can’t spell it and have to cut n paste so I don’t look too stupid!
I remember that happening and I don’t think that is the moment that they were pimping at the beginning of the season. I watched the Aaron episode very closely because I was very excited to see someone stab themselves or whatever the mystery moment is supposed to be and when Aaron went down he fell against that cooler, in the preview from the first episode the person fell down between the two counter tops on what looked like the girls side maybe and when Aaron had his issues GR never once said “Don’t you die on me” or whatever.
I could be wrong but I don’t think they have shown the incident yet.
Can anyone else chime in on this for me?
I was surprised by Robin Leach. Why would he pop up on Hell’s Kitchen? I know he did the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous but has he ever done anything food wise.
I think the phrase of Ramsey saying, “Don’t die on me.” was directed toward one of the chefs screwing up and then screwing up worse after Ramsey yelled at them the first time but I do not remember the specific scene.
A good way to make franks and beans is to use smoked sausage, bbq beans, bacon and garlic. Also never eat franks and beans the same day you make them. They taste 100% more delicious if you let them sit in the fridge overnight so all the flavors have time to have mingle and have cocktails.
At this point, I really don’t care who wins–each has had problems in Hell’s Kitchen and neither jumps out at me as a clear winner. Still, if I had to pick one of them, I’d go with Rock. Sure, he’s had a hissy fit or two, but he seems to me to be a guy who gets the job done, and done well, in spite of any setbacks. Bonnie…well, I’m not so sure.
I won’t add anything to the discussion of last night’s signature dish challenge, since pretty much everything’s been said. It was nice to see past winners Michael and Heather return though.
As for Julia, she’s probably just a little overwhelmed still. She got pretty far in the competition, and got a prize most of the other competitors would kill for, and if she’s having a few difficulties returning, then so be it. Hell, Aaron turned on the waterworks for no apparent reason–we shouldn’t give Julia a hard time because she’s a little disappointed in herself. I hope that somewhere out there, Julia is reading our weekly threads, and those on other forums, and seeing what a fan favourite she is. No need for tears, Julia; we’re looking forward to hearing of your progress at culinary school!
Just eaten it, as far as I am aware. I was not a big “Lifestyles” fan (though I did watch a few episodes to practice my Robin Leach impression), but in addition to showing off celebrity homes and doings on the show, he’d occasionally mention a few select restaurants and clubs in the cities he was showcasing. It would seem to me that a good mention from Leach, who presumably had enjoyed eating there, would be beneficial to the restaurant in the long run; but of course, if he didn’t like it, you’d never hear about the place. I don’t know if he knows his food quite as well as Chef Ramsay or a proper restaurant critic would, but in last night’s challenge, it seemed to me that he brought some knowledge and some name recognition to the “unknown to most of us” panel of chefs and past contestants.
It’s pretty evident that he’s eaten a lot. 
Interesting to see Michael Wray show up (1st season winner) as I understand he was fairly well cast off and ignored after the wrap party. For whatever reasons, he did not go to London to work with Ramsay, which was the prize he picked as an alternate to winning a restaurant. Hopefully, he’s doing better with his knife business, Skull and Cleavers, and Tatou, a restaurant in LA that he’s not running, but apparently is somehow involved with.
Heather West from Season 2’s not much better off. She wound up as a “Senior Chef” rather than an Executive Chef at Terra Rossa. (at the Red Rock casino) What’s a Senior Chef? From Red Rock’s website, it sounds about as bad as a sous chef: She will be working under the leadership of Executive Room Chef Renato DePirro. She’s working for the guy that runs room service? Oy…
Ah ha! We’re being given the impression that the lucky winner will have a restaurant to run, but it appears in actuality they are given a job at a restaurant but not necessarily be in charge. I guess if I cared enough, I would have looked at the official rules and discovered this. Hmmmm…okay, then I still want Bonnie to lose, but now I’m cool with Rock winning.