Nedra was annoying. Not as annoying as the woman with the little-girl voice, but it appears that she’ at least a decent cook.
Didn’t catch last week’s ep due to finding out that red won the reward challenge effin’ again. I just don’t have any interest in a game where the same wins all the damn time. (Which is why I don’t have much interest in either the PGA Tour or women’s tennis right now, but that’s another issue.) I gotta say, this is the worst men’s team I’ve ever seen. Just one washout after another after another. Jon’s the only one who ever had the slightest hope of winning this, and he’s shown some inconsistency lately. You have to wonder if the constant punishments have taken their toll.
Man, I almost have to feel sorry for Anthony. He shined so much early on, and it turns out it was only because he was surrounded by losers. That Ramsey picked him over Zach, who has absolutely cratered these past few weeks, speaks volumes. I do think that there could be a decent future for him in this industry, but it’s plainly obvious he’s not ready for the big leagues and probably never will be. Pretty sobering for any aspiring professional to learn that.
Handicapping the rest…hmm…I feel the urge to do this, but it’s not going to be easy. Nedra was the last really atrocious woman, and right now the remaining four look almost even. Realistically, anyone could still win it, and I think it says something that Ramsey has barely even mentioned black jackets.
Footnote: I love it how whenever they put VIPs in the kitchen, when Ramsey goes off on one of his tirades, the guests usually have a big laugh. That, to me, makes it clear that it’s an act, or, more accurately, his drill instructor mode. Being uncomfortable and having every mistake pointed out is part of the challenge, and how they deal with it determines whether or not they improve. And yeah, I can see how it’d be fun to watch up close.
All right, here goes…
-
Jon - Now the clear favorite, albeit not by much. Has all the tools it takes to win: skill, creativity, maturity, intelligence, levelheadedness, and the desire to be better. Still prone to blunders (nb. that weird grease fire), though, so he can’t relax just yet.
-
Ja’nel - Once a strong front runner, now slipping; not clear why. If she’s just having trouble adjusting to all the changes, she has a good chance. If she’s running out of gas, she’s in trouble.
-
Susan - If she can forget about the past, keep her temper in check, and stay focused on her own work, she has a shot. Pretty big ifs, to be sure.
-
Mary - Has never looked all that great and doesn’t have any real fighting spirit. At the same time, she doesn’t have an abrasive personality and seems committed to fixing her mistakes. A legitimate darkhorse.
-
Cyndi - The enigma. Unimpressive all throughout and has never seriously looked like a winner, but seems to have picked up a second wind with the loss of the more putrid contestants.
-
Zach - He’s been great, he’s been okay, and he’s been lousy, and he seems to have bounced to the latter mode at the worst possible time. At this point the only thing that can save him is if this week’s close call relights his fire and brings back the gutsy competitor that saved the blue kitchen in week 2. At least he realizes how precarious his situation is, which is more than can be said for most of the also-rans.
Ja’nel almost cuts off a finger and is back in the kitchen in 5 minutes. Chef doesn’t like it that Zach had filet medallions the size of a quarter and he cries in his room about it while the other guys prep the kitchen.
What do you think about the coming attractions? Is there genuinely a thought out plan for Ja’nel to sabotage the men’s team to protect the other women?
Ramsey had to step in himself to do Zach’s station for him, had to take food from the red team’s kitchen to cover for Zach’s fuckups, and yet he still didn’t send Zach packing? Guess he wants Zach around for the drama.
I wasn’t too surprised. I’ve seen a few instances where Ramsey booted the promising contestant in a tailspin rather than the one who totally stunk up the joint. He may be harsh to a screwup, but he’s absolutely merciless to a disappointment. Like I mentioned before, if you can’t cook OR make good TV, you’re done.
As for Ja’nel, I’m praying like hell that she doesn’t attempt any stupid sabotage. I’ll make this very simple…when it’s down to six, you are THROUGH playing games. In the early stages, you can snipe and scheme and spit and snark; at worst you’ll ding someone who would’ve gone a week or two later anyway. Once you’re in the homestretch, all that matters, the only thing in the world you should be thinking about, is your work, your cooking, and convincing Gordon James Ramsey* that you are THE best choice for taking over his restaurant for a cool quarter-mil a year.
Seriously. Never mind what the hell you’re wearing, act like you deserve a black jacket!
- I like that name. It fits. Real “rough-edged but an honorable man at heart” vibe to it.
Wow, what a waste of time that episode was! About 20 minutes of contestants hugging and crying over their relatives, about 20 minutes of them shoveling dirt and sorting garbage, and MAYBE fifteen minutes of actual cooking. 
Amazing: the only cook who had ever used a pressure cooker before won the pressure cooker challenge. :rolleyes:
And they didn’t even boot anyone.
Agree, my son and I were both yelling at the TV to get on with it already!
Oh, and I can’t believe they had that hard of a time with PCs. I mean, come on!
How much of genius do you need to be to know not to open your pressure cooker nearly a dozen times? Susan’s pretty much the only one of the final five that would genuinely surprise me if she wound up winning. He really should have dumped her and only given 4 black jackets.
My money’s on Janel, with Mary as maybe the dark horse, but Cindy and the guy (damn, one guy left and I can’t remember his name) seem solid too. Susan, she’s definitely a step or two behind the rest.
There’s something seriously off about the decision to stretch the round of five to three weeks. It might make a little sense if there was a lot of material to cover, but hardly anything of note happened this week. (Just once I’d like to see some kind of twist in the family visit week. "I’m fine, mom! Look, I’m trying to win a job here, lay off already! Gawd, you’re always like this! 
)
Susan looks like she’s near the end of the line, but really anything can happen now.
What the heck is up with Nona? She is completely different from how she was in her season. My bf and I think there have to be drugs involved. She’s all tatted up, totally uninhibited, lost a bunch of weight, and looks strung out. I’m surprised they brought her back, but I guess it does make for good drama.
She always had the tats. I hardly recognized her though.
Well Janell won… not shocked… i thought she was the most consistent performer all season long. Mary nipped Jon to make it into the finals because she excelled at the pass. The final was pretty predictable to me… though Dan throwing shit all over Mary and then apologizing at the end… she should have taken that butchers knife and cut him…
One caveat… Women are amazing… Mary’s husband is a big unattractive dude… scary ugly looking… Im not saying she’s some knockout. but her husband… that shit shocked me at the train station. Me and the pretty scientist debated this a little… Men are more predictable and shallow… that guy probably treats her like gold… but man… if i could pull up a pic of him…
called it
A quick look back at the also-rans.
Cyndi’s departure was one of the few times I was relieved someone didn’t make it to the final. She made out like a damn bandit. First coasting on the red team for weeks (against unquestionably the most utterly pathetic blue team ever), then getting taken on a relaxing lunch by Jon, and then winning a shopping spree…good lord, this was practically a luxury vacation for her! I think she was in a grand total of two punishments, and even then she hardly seemed to do anything. As for her cooking, I certainly don’t remember anything particularly impressive. Sheesh. I almost prefer Nedra over her, and believe you me, that is saying a LOT.
Jon…damn. I felt for him. He was by far the smartest, savviest contestant I’ve ever seen on HK. His level of genre savviness on his final day alone spoke volumes. On top of that, he was just a very good all-around contestant. If he wasn’t constantly ground down by punishment after punishment after punishment, he would’ve made the final easily. I truly hope Ramsey does find something for him, because this is exactly the kind of employee you want once the cameras stop rolling. He’s not head chef material, so I’m thinking lower-level chef or line cook, which should provide a long, stable career for him.
I was as surprised as anyone by how close Mary got, although admittedly after Zach and Anthony imploded, Jon ran out of gas, and Susan failed to show any improvement, there wasn’t much choice. I don’t think she’s ready to be a head chef. She just doesn’t have the confidence and presence to be a leader of men, and she could probably stand to lose a few pounds as well. (And yes, her voice is more than a bit grating). She should be happy to continue what she’s doing, knowing that the skills she’s picked up can open doors in the future.
And then there’s the winner, Ja’nel. I’m glad she won, though it has nothing to do with her. This was simple validation. GRR doesn’t give a rip about “improvement arcs”. They’re SUPPOSED to be improving. And while he appreciates ruckus-raising up to a point, once it gets to the black jackets, it’s make or break. Unlike on American Idol, he wants the winner to work for him for a good, long time. If one finallist has been a front-runner all season, and the other finallist has come a long way but still can’t measure up to the front-runner, well, Gordon ain’t your mom, Mary.
In other words, Bristol Palin wouldn’t last very long here, and for me, that alone makes it worth following.
Does Mary’s husband have downs?
When I watched with my brother we couldn’t decide if he had just gotten stung by a million bees, or was the kid from “Up” all grown up.
He needs to do something with that hair. Looks like he is balding but can’t admit it.
And what kind of name is Ja’Nel? What is the point of the ’ ???
Probably for pronunciation purposes, so people know to say “Ja-NELL” (or is is “zhuh-NELL”?).
Speaking of HK, Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas has a “Special Hell’s Kitchen Tasting Menu.” Yes, scallops, risotto, and beef Wellington are all on it. (In fact, risotto isn’t on the normal dinner menu.)
It’s $145 for the entire table (and it has to be ordered for the table) - the menu is:
Scotch Egg
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Scallop Risotto
Roasted Beef Wellington
Sticky Toffee Pudding