The first episode of Season 12 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox on March 13, 2014. In that episode, the twenty chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, a returning chef promised to stay longer after their very short stint last time, another was put in their place during the signature dish challenge, and the worst opening night in the show's history occurred.
Intro[]
The episode began with a recap of the previous eleven seasons, featuring some of the previous winners, with footage from the current season shown as a teaser.
The twenty new chefs rode on a bus en route to Hell's Kitchen, and during this time, they had the opportunity to get to know each other. Jessica asked if Ramsay was on the bus with them. Still, they all laughed at that thought as DeMarco called himself the culinary Jesus due to being perfect and awesome while having followers in the kitchen. Mike asked who would give up their left leg to meet Ramsay and called himself hardcore due to being from the military. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Jean-Philippe who walked the chefs into Hell’s Kitchen as Ralph was excited to start cooking and get screamed at. However, the chefs walked into a service already going on with the food, receiving positive comments. Ramsay expressed that the chefs in the kitchen were doing a splendid job. That confused the chefs as DeMarco asked why there were chefs in the blue kitchen, and once the service ended, Ramsay approached them and welcomed them as Gaurav started to feel weak in the knees. Ramsay explained that he did a soft opening to showcase to the chefs what his expectations were and asked if they could perform a service like the one they saw. Everybody promised they would, Anton claimed he and Ramsay were the same person before believing the latter would love him like a father. Then, Ramsay revealed that the winner would become a Head Chef at one of his restaurants, but first, they had to survive Hell’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, a place he deemed the capital of entertainment. Shortly after, patrons of the restaurant began performing, taking both Joy and Gabriel aback. Melanie danced to the music in the confessional. Afterwards, Ramsay announced it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.
Signature Dish Challenge[]
For the Signature Dish Challenge, the teams were divided into men vs women and had 45 minutes to cook their dishes. While Nicole and Sandra were ready to kick some blue team ass, Gaurav expressed concern about working with other teammates in the kitchen, even asking if they were qualified enough to be in a kitchen. Ten minutes left, Ramsay noticed that Simone has not fired her protein yet and told her to move her ass. At the same time, Simone compared him to a teddy bear and that she would use that mentality whenever he screamed. Two and a half minutes left, Richard said that although he was one of the eldest chefs, he was not intimated by the chefs younger than him. Eventually, all the chefs managed to finish the dishes in time.
Before tasting their dishes, Ramsay announced that a live audience would be watching him taste the chefs' dishes, having a curtain open behind him to show the chefs the audience. However, Gabriel got concerned as he did not cook too many portions for that amount of people. Ramsay told the audience that the winner of this season would have the opportunity to work at one of his restaurants with a salary of quarter-million dollars. While Bev knew she had to represent Los Angeles as she lived there, Sandra wanted the quarter-million dollars. Anton and Simone were the first members from their respective teams to have their signature dished judged, and the former presented his seared pork chop with a crabmeat crust and pumpkin mash. Ramsay jokingly asked Anton if his pig got crabs but said the dish was delicious. Then, Simone presented her more traditional peach and crab apple chutney pork chop, cornbread dressing with pecans and haricot verts with fig and cranberries in a white wine butter sauce, and while Ramsay praised the dish for being cooked very well, he felt it looked a bit clumsy. So, Anton scored that round, and the men led 1-0. On the second round, Nicole and Jason were up next, but Ramsay asked the latter if he has seen him before. Jason confirmed that he did compete before in Season 9 but left due to dehydration and claimed he was ready to go. After, Jason presented his seared and braised wild salmon with mushroom and vegetable medley, which Ramsay praised for being seasoned beautifully and tasting delicious. Before tasting Nicole‘s dish, Ramsay asked her what made her special. Nicole flatly explained that she was very passionate, leading Ramsay to ask if she was always that quiet. After Nicole’s Halibut filet with squash and tomatoes in an lemon-herb butter sauce was deemed boring like herself, Jason scored that round, giving the men a 2-0 lead. Still, Nicole swore off Ramsay as he did not know her. On the third round, Chris’ corn hen Poule rotie dish was praised for being cooked beautifully. Still, Joy’s chilled corn soup was criticized for looking like cold and runny scrambled eggs with somebody’s vomit at the bottom. The point was awarded to Chris, keeping the men's lead of 3-0.
On the fourth round, Kashia and Mike went up. Kaisha presented her New york strip and blue cheese crab butter with roasted asparagus. Ramsay praised her dish for being delicious, but when he asked Mike what filling he used for his Herb-fried tortellini with romesco, the latter revealed that it was cheese and added that it was cooked from the fresh package. When Ramsay asked about the tomato sauce, Mike revealed he used canned tomatoes. Ramsay angrily tossed the dish into the trash while calling it a joke as Gabriel asked why Mike would serve Ramsay a dish that came out of a box. Kashia easily won that round, making the score of 3-1 for the men. Before Melanie and Richard could start the fifth round, Mike was offended about Ramsay throwing his dish away because it was not like it was packaged dog food. After talking back about it, Ramsay called Mike up and asked him what he just said. With no response, Ramsay told Mike that if he had anything to say to him, say it to his face and not his back before telling him to get back in line.
Afterwards, Melanie’s Pan-seared scallops with mashed lentils, roasted pear and crispy raspberry gastrique received a positive review as they were cooked beautifully. Still, while Richard's pan-roasted sea bass with roma tomato and basil sauce over sauteed kale and pancetta was deemed delicious, the point was awarded to Melanie, making the score 3-2 for the men. On the sixth round, Bev presented her fish tacos, which were praised for being delicious. Still, Gabriel’s stuffed chicken breast with asparagus and diced rosemary yukon potatoes was criticized for being the type of thing Ramsay never saw in France. So, Bev scored that round, and it was a three-point tie, with Ramsay impressed on the women’s comeback. On the seventh round, Gaurav presented his dukkah-crusted afreen tuna met komyn parfume pulao with pepper rice. Still, while Gaurav hoped Ramsay would be in a zen mode after the first bite, the latter deemed the dish dreadful and a big disappointment. After, Sandra's pan-seared cod cod filet with macadamia nut fig butter and fire-roasted corn with applewood bacon was criticized as well, with Ramsay adding that if he ate more, he would be backed up like a Los Angeles freeway. For that, neither of them received a point, and it remained a three-point tie. Beth and DeMarco were up for the eighth round, with the former presenting her fried pecan-crusted catfish with wilted spinach and smoked gouda grits. It was praised for being cooked perfectly, while DeMarco's ricotta gnocchi with roasted tomato creme and sausage was doughy and undercooked for Ramsay. So, Beth scored that round, and the women led 4-3.
On the ninth round, Rochelle giggly attitude immediately caught Ramsay’s attention as he asked her what was funny. Still, Rochelle answered she did not know as she laughed whenever she was nervous. She presented her sautéed chicken based on her mother’s cooking, but Ramsay said it was sticking to him in all the wrong ways. Before tasting Ralph’s dish, the former claimed he had a spark in his ass, and Ramsay jokingly said he should have that looked by somebody. After, Ralph’s New England poached lobster was praised for a perfect cook, and he scored that round, making the score a four-point tie. On the final round, Jessica and Scott went up. Jessica revealed it was her birthday before presenting her rosemary-crusted venison loin with cranberry ancho chili gastrique over goat cheese polenta and roasted brussels sprouts. Even though Ramsay commented how difficult it was to cook venison, he felt Jessica nailed the protein. After, Scott presented his lightly fennel dusted and roasted rack of lamb with parsnip puree and sherry jus, and felt purely confident Ramsay would love his dish after taking a significant risk. Ramsay mentioned that Scott has the most stunning and expensive cut of lamb. However, he felt that Scott screwed the lamb completely, Jessica scored that round, and the women won 5-4. Ramsay said happy birthday to Jessica, and she was excited to win it for her team, even claiming it was better than an orgasm.
Scoring[]
| Blue Team | Red Team | ||||
| Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anton | 1/1 | 1 | Simone | 0/1 | 0 |
| Jason | 1/1 | 2 | Nicole | 0/1 | 0 |
| Chris | 1/1 | 3 | Joy | 0/1 | 0 |
| Mike | 0/1 | 3 | Kashia | 1/1 | 1 |
| Richard | 0/1 | 3 | Melanie | 1/1 | 2 |
| Gabriel | 0/1 | 3 | Bev | 1/1 | 3 |
| Gaurav | 0/1 | 3 | Sandra | 0/1 | 3 |
| DeMarco | 0/1 | 3 | Beth | 1/1 | 4 |
| Ralph | 1/1 | 4 | Rochelle | 0/1 | 4 |
| Scott | 0/1 | 4 | Jessica | 1/1 | 5 |
| Results | 5-4 | ||||
Reward[]
The women were rewarded with dinner with Ramsay at one of his Los Angeles restaurants. Melanie could not wait to eat dinner with Ramsay before proclaiming the girls ruled and boys drooled. During the reward, Rochelle praised the restaurant’s atmosphere as it was homestyle. As they ate dinner, the women were in awe of Ramsay, to his embarrassment. Bev called the night incredible as they met the real Ramsay and how hot he looked in street clothes but asked the crew not to tell him that.
Punishment[]
The men were punished by resetting the dining room ahead of the opening service. Ralph sarcastically said he could not wait to begin cleaning the tables before commenting the men were not on the best of starts. During the punishment, Chris joked that this counted as his workout, but Mike stood around doing nothing, which DeMarco annoyingly took notice of. As Mike vacuumed the floor instead of helping with the tables, Anton and Gabriel noticed that the latter wanted the tables to be done first. Gabriel called Mike lazy and asked why the latter was there if he was not acting as a team player. However, Mike decided he had enough and walked out of the punishment to the dorms to snack on oranges, which Chris knew would not fly in Hell’s Kitchen.
Before service[]
The next day, both teams went downstairs to begin prepping for the opening night, as the Sous Chefs provided them with their own J.K. Henkel knife kit. That made Jessica ecstatic as she wished to marry them, while in the blue kitchen, Jason was ready to rock out with his crockpot out. In the red kitchen, Nicole and Sandra debated what to do with their butter, though the latter admitted how the former scared her due to being quiet and showing some weakness, leading Nicole to warn Sandra how the quiet ones are the first to explode. Later that night, prep was finished, and Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
In addition to the classic menu, a tableside Caesar salad appetizer was served by Melanie and Chris. After the women received their first order, Nicole was confused over who was cooking the scallops, only for Joy to remind her they were working fish. Joy got nervous when the former could not remember what was on order. So, Joy decided to take charge of fish and not babysit Nicole, and in the blue kitchen, the men were working on their first order. Gaurav felt the heat as it was his time to show what he was capable of, but he felt risottos were not that tough due to cooking it a million times. Soon, Gaurav, DeMarco, and Gabriel sent their appetizers up to the pass. Still, while Gabriel felt they did good, Ramsay disagreed by showing the men Gaurav’s soupy risotto with barely any trace of rice and an overcooked lobster tail from DeMarco, which Anton deemed nasty. To make matters worse, Gabriel’s scallops were beautifully seared on one side, while the other side was not. In the red kitchen, Joy sent up overcooked scallops, frustrating Sandra as she had to refire her risotto. As the women worked to refire their first table, Joy asked Nicole for help. Gaurav’s second attempt had too much pepper in the blue kitchen, and Ramsay reminded him it was a risotto, not a vindaloo, even though the former claimed he loved black pepper in his risottos. In the red kitchen, Joy discovered that Nicole’s scallops were overcooked on one side. Still, while Joy sent up her portions to the pass, Nicole was slow on the refire to Ramsay’s dismay. After, Nicole got fed up and declared she was done cooking scallops, but while Rochelle tried to comfort her, Joy claimed she would never give up like Nicole was doing. Ramsay asked Nicole if she was okay but warned her that her attitude stunk and added that she could leave if she did not show any effort. While Nicole rudely called Ramsay an ass, Joy told her not to worry about it as they would come back.
Forty-five minutes into service, no food from either team has made it to the dining room, with customers starting to get restless. In the red kitchen, Sandra did not communicate with Joy on timings for the scallops as the former claimed she would tell her when she was ready as scallops do not take long to sear. The poor communication led to Joy deciding to sear the scallops without Sandra’s permission. With two minutes of cooking compared to the latter’s five minutes, Ramsay accused Joy of giving up. Joy claimed she had not but could not recite Ramsay’s order back to him, making her have a crying fit, but Sandra was not sympathetic as Rochelle tried to calm Joy down.
One hour into service, the only food that has reached the tables were tableside, and bread as neither kitchen has sent out food to Ramsay’s standards. Ramsay was desperate for something from the blue kitchen as nine men played with themselves, only for Gaurav to stick his finger in the risotto to taste. Having caught that, a disgusted Ramsay lectured to Gaurav that they do not stick their fingers in their food and lick it before asking for some standards. He threatened Gaurav with elimination if he did it again. While Jason called Gaurav an idiot for doing that, the latter was pissed that Ramsay would not take his risotto for only sticking his fingers in it. In the red kitchen, Sandra still refused to communicate with Joy as the latter wanted to walk her scallops, to the latter’s frustrations as Sandra indignantly asked if Joy was going to cry again. Joy told Sandra she only wanted to communicate, but that led to an argument as an embarrassed Jessica compared it to hens in a hen house squawking at each other. Seeing that, Ramsay told Sandra and Joy to put their differences aside and communicate with each other. In the blue kitchen, Gaurav sent up his fourth attempt. However, Ramsay was still waiting on the lobster tail as Gabriel told DeMarco to leave the lobster tail in the butter as he refused to send out raw food. Unfortunately, DeMarco sent up an overcooked lobster tail that Ramsay compared to an elastic band, to Anton’s dismay, only for the former to blame Gabriel for that mistake.
In the red kitchen, Sandra finally communicated with the fish. Still, when Sandra said ten seconds, Nicole was not happy as the lobster tail was not ready yet. Despite that, Sandra walked the risotto to the pass, and when Nicole told Joy to drop the lobster tail, a pissed Ramsay pulled the three women to the front and asked how long it would take to cook a tail. Joy claimed she could get it ready in 45 seconds, so Ramsay decided to test that challenge as Sandra smugly wished the former luck. As Joy raced against the clock, Jessica felt the pressure boiling, and Rochelle wished for the lobster tail to cook faster. When the time was up, Joy expectedly went up with a cold lobster tail. Still, when Joy and Nicole claimed it was a communication breakdown, Ramsay responded by kicking them and Sandra out of the kitchen. As the trio went back upstairs to the dorms, Sandra was pissed as Joy and Nicole ruined her perfect risotto and accused the two of throwing her under the bus. However, that led to an argument between Nicole and Sandra that Joy tried to break up. In the blue kitchen, Gabriel sent up his refired scallops, but they were overcooked and rubbery. Finally losing his patience, Ramsay kicked the men out of the kitchen despite Scott asking if he could stay and cook, and Jason called it frustrating. In the red kitchen, Kashia took over fish and sent her scallops up to the pass, but Ramsay saw they were overcooked to the point of bouncing. After deeming this the worst opening night in the show’s history, Ramsay kicked the remaining women out of the kitchen. He told Jean-Philippe to shut the restaurant down as he could no longer stand the embarrassment.
Post-mortem[]
When both teams were back in the kitchen and lined up, a furious Ramsay yelled they could not even get the basics done that night. He named both teams joint losers and asked them to nominate two each.
During deliberation, Joy knew that the weakest links that night were herself, Nicole, and Sandra, but refused to leave after flying from the other side of the country. Joy blamed Sandra for the communication breakdown as they had no idea when to fire scallops. Still, Sandra pointed out that there were two people on fish and neither of them communicated. While Joy felt Sandra was not taking responsibility for anything, the latter told her to take responsibility for her mistakes that night.
Anton nominated Gaurav for the finger incident alone on the blue side, which Richard called a disaster. Still, Gaurav claimed that everybody does that before asking who the second nominee was. Anton recalled the number of lobster tails being overcooked, but DeMarco blamed Gabriel for holding him back that night. Scott considered Gaurav and Gabriel as his nominees. Still, Gabriel retorted that DeMarco’s lobster tails had more problems and nominated him and Gaurav for elimination. While Scott knew both Gabriel and DeMarco had poor performances on fish, he struggled to figure out which of the two did the worst, leaving the men in a gridlock. Meanwhile, Joy felt that Nicole left her alone on fish that night, especially after her meltdown.
Elimination[]
Anton announced Gaurav as the men’s first nominee, with DeMarco as their second. In contrast, Kashia announced Sandra as the women’s first nominee, with Nicole as their second. During their pleas, Ramsay asked Nicole if she had a passion or desire inside herself, but while she claimed there was one, he asked if she was done. Nicole responded that she was not done after that night, but Ramsay was unsure if there would be another night for her. Then, Sandra felt she followed direction that night despite having to babysit the fish station since everyone kept asking her how long. Gaurav thought he had all the passion and talent and attitude, even though Ramsay snarkily remarked he forgot his fingers. Finally, DeMarco blamed Gabriel for not having a system together, but Ramsay reminded him they had a messed-up system that night. Gaurav was eliminated for his poor performance on appetizers, refusing to own up on the finger incident, and Ramsay having nowhere else to go for him despite just meeting him. During his exit interview, Gaurav did not believe he was the worst chef out of the twenty and still claimed everybody tasted their food with their fingers.
After Gaurav left, Ramsay warned the chefs to get serious as they were only in the first mile of a marathon. While being dismissed, Nicole flipped off everybody as she wanted to be the last one standing. DeMarco realized it was not a joke anymore and that he had to take the gloves out, and Sandra said she came to fight.
Ramsay's comment: "There's so many things about India that I love. It's a shame Gaurav isn't one of them."
Trivia[]
- This is the second time following Season 8 where the opening night dinner service ended in a joint loss for both teams.
- This marks the second time a chef came back from a previous season, but the first time they joined the new line up from the start.