Hell's Kitchen!!!!!! [Summer 2009]

[gotpasswords]

[QUOTE=FlightlessBird]
Also where did the ‘design your restaurant’ go? I guess it wasn’t good tv.
[/QUOTE]

I’m glad they ditched that part. To swipe a term from another show, this is Top Chef, not Top Interior Designer.

Oh no! The painters put the blue paint on the wrong wall! What to do!?
The upholstery fabric is out of stock! Woe! Calamity!

So what?

[Covered_In_Bees]

It’s because they weren’t getting their own restaurant. But then again, neither did the last winner and they had to do the Design-a-Kitchen BS right?

[Spoons]

@FlightlessBird

Also where did the ‘design your restaurant’ go? I guess it wasn’t good tv.

I’m glad they didn’t do it this time. Having seen it multiple times before, I was starting to feel like there wasn’t much they could do with the room that they had (which, if I understand things correctly, is really a soundstage): maybe a coat of paint, different pictures on the walls, new carpet and upholstery, and similar. But if a finalist had a really different vision of what he or she would like (for example, a lower ceiling or a different wall layout), there was little else that could be done. Best, perhaps, to scratch the redecorating and get on with the contest.

I’m another one who was happy to see Dave win, by the way.

[BrandonR]

I noticed the lack of the finalists designing their own kitchen as well. Perhaps Fox didn’t want to fork over the money to redesign the dining area for essentially one episode? Also, weren’t season finales in past seasons two hours long? I think I liked it better the way they did it this time though… Much less dragging it out.

[lexi]

@Smokinjbc

I liked that Dave took a risk with the venison for the first finale challenge and still won.

I liked it too that Dave chose venison, but more from the Canadian perspective. It seems every single high end restaurant here in Western Canada has venison on the menu, and it was an appropriate choice with the location of Araxia.

Dave does come across as a guy who has hit the bong one too many times though, but that too should help him fit into the culture in Whistler as well -

Loved it that they did away with the design side of the challenge too!

[kiz]

@Tequila_Mockingbird

So, I guess I was the only one a little disappointed that Dave won over Kevin?

I kept remembering all the times Dave would stumble over his words and forget ingredients during this entire season.

Dave has a lot of heart and gives his all. He just doesn’t seem quite there yet, like he needs another two years experience, preferrably while sober.

Kevin came across as more professional and accomplished. I think GR made a mistake this time, but it was a close competition.

:nodding: I thought the same thing too, excluding the sober. I chalk up Dave’s demeanor as either being “that’s just how he is” or being dragged out by the painkillers he must have been taking for his wrist. I honestly don’t know how he managed it, but hey, more power to him.

I also think Kevin got the “schemer” edit, but really, he didn’t come off as such to me. He had more of an “executive” presence at the pass than Dave. OTOH, Dave’s people truly worked for him rather than trying to sabotage him (yes, Robert, I’m looking at you).