The second episode of Season 13 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on Fox, on September 10, 2014, airing as a double feature alongside the first episode. On that episode, geoduck was the main ingredient, one chef’s antics pissed off their teammate, and dinner service was a complete disaster.
Intro[]
While going back to the dorms, Aaron swore that he would not leave and would not be nominated ever again. Later, the men decided to review the menu, but Sterling’s antics annoyed Steve, who asked if he was dropped on his head a couple of times. Meanwhile, the red team agreed not to get cocky about their strong performance, and to know what mistakes were made. La Tasha knew that everybody showed potential, and said that if they could keep it up, they might continue winning services.
Team challenge[]
The next day, a group of lifeguards came into the dorms and woke everybody up, before telling them to go outside, as an annoyed Denine complained that she has not pissed yet or brushed her teeth, after calling it hell. Outside, Fernando noticed the sand sculptures in front of them. Then, Ramsay welcomed everybody to the Hell’s Kitchen beach, and told them to look on how much attention to detail went into every sand sculpture, while admitting that there were some details overlooked on opening night. So, Ramsay demolished a sculpture next to him, and pulled something out of it that nobody could name. Ramsay said that what he had in his hands was a geoduck clam that could sell for $150 a portion and revealed that he had some buried in the sand sculptures. For the Geoduck Challenge, Ramsay gave the chefs three minutes to gather as many geoducks as they could and put them in their team's nets held by the lifeguards.
Each team had to send two chefs at a time to collect a geoduck. Santos managed to find one quickly for the blue team, while Janai asked what they packed the sand with, as she said it felt like cement. La Tasha got the red team’s first geoduck, while Sterling struggled to find one as Santos compared him to a 10-pound dog digging, and Ramsay told Sterling not to make a sand castle. As more chefs collect geoducks, Sterling continued to struggle as JR told him to hurry the fuck up, but he managed to find one, and placed it in the blue team's net. Eventually, time ran out, and in the end, the blue team collected 12 geoducks, while the red team collected 10. Despite the men cheering as they thought they had won, Ramsay revealed that it was not actually the challenge, but told them that their multiple geoducks could help them for the second part. After, Ramsay asked both teams to get their nets from the lifeguards and get changed.
After changing, the chefs went downstairs as Steve wanted to keep the blue team's momentum going after winning the first part of the challenge. Then, Ramsay explained the second part of the challenge, which was recreating his geoduck sashimi dish, and gave them a demonstration on how to properly clean a geoduck. After, Janai said that only Ramsay could take something that looked like a dildo and turn it into a $150 plate. Ramsay explained that a properly completed dish had to weigh 200 grams, but to show some flexibility, he would allow either 199 or 201 grams. He also announced that the first team that would deliver 15 properly made geoduck dishes would win the challenge but warned the red team that because they only collected 10 geoducks, they had little room for error.
The teams broke into pairs and began making their dishes. The pair of Santos and Sterling brought their first attempt, but they were six grams short, and the pair of Fernando and JR were five grams short. Sterling said that the blue team was pushing as they wanted to win, and his and Santos’ second attempt was at 201 grams, and the blue team scored their first point. In the red kitchen, La Tasha said that the women were taking their time as they were focused on quality over quantity. Meanwhile, Bryant and Frank got their first attempt accepted, giving a 2-0 lead for the blue team. Then, Kalen and Roe got their first attempt approved, making the score 2-1 for the blue team. However, the pairs of Fernando and JR, and Steve and Aaron got their attempts approved, and the blue team led 4-1. Katie and Jennifer’s first attempt was accepted, while Sterling and Santos were two grams short, and eventually, the score was 6-3 for the blue team. The red team’s slow and steady approach was starting to pay off as they were catching up, while the blue team’s fast pace of work was starting to slow them down, and the score was 7-5 for the blue team. Eventually, the women caught up as the score was a 12-point tie. JR was hoping that the blue team could win their first challenge, and he and Fernando scored another point, making it 13-12 for the blue team. However, Jennifer refused to let the red team’s winning streak end, as Denine and Janai scored another point, and it was a 13-point tie. Then, Sterling and Santos’ fourth attempt was accepted, and the blue team led at 14-13. However, when Aaron and Steve brought their next attempt, it was two grams short, and then, La Tasha and Sade got their attempt accepted, tying the score at 14. In the end, Roe and Kalen got their second attempt accepted, the red team won the challenge 15-14, and while Janai was happy to keep their winning streak, Steve was pissed that the blue team lost by one point.
Scoring[]
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Team | 15 | Blue Team | 14 |
| Results | 15-14 | ||
Reward[]
The women were rewarded with a day on an 80-foot luxury yacht with Ramsay, much to Denine’s excitement. On the yacht, they were in awe of how gorgeous Ramsay was, much to his embarrassment, and Jennifer was in awe of his accent. Ramsay said that he hoped their winning streak would continue and told them that communication was the key to success before leaving. Ashley said that tapping glasses with Ramsay was probably the best experience of her life and would not mind having him as her best friend. Later, the women were on a beach, and played with an obstacle course on the water.
Punishment[]
The men were punished by cleaning all the sand outside the restaurant and prepping the remaining geoduck for the next service. JR said that he was tired of losing as it was the blue team’s third loss in a row and added that he was frustrated that not everybody on the blue team was doing their job. During the punishment, Santos and Sterling complained about the heat, while Bryant said that it was motivation to make sure they would not lose again. Later, Sous Chef James presented the men with a boiled salt cod for lunch. Santos threw up after a few bites and JR said that it was not even worth serving to a dog, before comparing the smell to a tuna fish can opened for a week. However, Sterling ate his meal without complaining and revealed that he was determined not to let anything stop him from his dreams, while staying positive. Then, Sterling decided to do a little dance to amuse his teammates, but JR asked if he was on medication. While the blue team were impressed by Sterling cleaning his plate up quickly, Bryant was not, and asked if he had something to prove. That led to an argument between the two of them, with Sterling asking Bryant if he wanted a hug, but Bryant rudely rejected it and called him a damn fool. Their argument continued when the men were getting the geoduck cleaned as Sterling asked for a zester, only for Bryant to rudely tell him to look in his knife kit. That annoyed JR who asked how they were going to win dinner services if they were going to argue, and Santos said that the blue team nicknamed Bryant "volcano" due to his short temper.
Before service[]
When the women came back from their reward, JR bitterly said that he wanted to slice their asses. The next day, both teams began their prep, and Sterling apologized to Bryant for their argument, which the latter accepted, and both hugged. In the red kitchen, the women were hoping for a repeat of their strong performance from opening night. After, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
As service began, the men loudly pumped themselves, but Ramsay told them to quiet down, and reminded them that it was a restaurant and not a cage fight. Teri Polo was in attendance, and a tableside appetizer of geoduck chowder was served by Aaron and Kalen. Before Ramsay called the red team’s first ticket, he asked them to prove that the opening night was not a fluke. While Janai was focused on making sure her risotto was perfect, she did not communicate with Denine or Katie when they asked for a time, much to their annoyance. When Janai sent her risotto, it was mushy, and Ramsay forced the women to taste it, before revealing that she overcooked it by 10 minutes. Jennifer was not happy that Janai created baby food and compared it to shit coming out from a blender. In the blue kitchen, Steve and Bryant communicated on their appetizers, and Ramsay praised Bryant’s risotto for being perfect, before telling him not to piss his pants, and keep the bar up. Because of that, the men were able to push their appetizers to the dining room. In the red kitchen, the women were still on their first ticket, and Janai and Denine sent their appetizers. However, Ramsay noticed that Janai’s risotto was too soupy and Denine’s lobster tail was raw and asked the two what was wrong with them. Because of that, the red diners were forced to wait for their food as Kalen tried to distract them. In the blue kitchen, Steve and Frank worked on their scallops to keep the momentum going, but when Ramsay went over to their station, he noticed that the scallops were overcooked, and lectured Steve to ask for help if he needed it, and Frank to get more involved.
Thirty-five minutes into service, while the blue team were stalled on appetizers, the red team did not send a single order yet. On their third attempt, Denine tried to communicate with Janai but did not receive a proper time on her risotto, and Sade asked why she was not giving accurate times. Jennifer refused to babysit Denine and Janai but was hoping for a miracle. While Janai and Denine eventually sent their appetizers, Ramsay stopped the women, asked Marino to come in the kitchen, and taste Janai’s risotto, which he said was mushy. After, Ramsay revealed that there was overcooked scallops and lobster tails as well, and Denine said that her hands were shaking. Then, Ramsay brought the women to the pantry room, and ordered them to have a meeting to get it together, before warning them that if anybody would not have their shit together afterwards, it would be game over. Roe told Janai to get her risotto happening, and the women went back to the kitchen. Janai communicated properly with Denine, and because of that, they were finally able to send their first table of appetizers. In the blue kitchen, Steve got his scallop refire accepted, and the men were able to push out appetizers again. With both teams finding their rhythm, almost every appetizer was served, and the teams began working on entrées. Jennifer and La Tasha brought their Wellingtons and lamb to the pass, they were accepted, and the women were off to a strong start.
In the blue kitchen, Sterling and Fernando began working on their entrées, and Sterling was hoping to finally prove why he was deserving to be there. However, Sterling said that he needed three more minutes on his meat, despite Steve saying that his halibut was ready. That led to an argument between the two of them, until Frank calmed the situation down and reminded Steve to pay attention to Sterling’s timings. Despite Steve bringing his halibut, Sterling and Fernando did not send their lamb as it was raw after Sterling sliced it. Then, an angry Ramsay ordered Fernando for the lamb, and showed the men how rare it was, before smashing Steve’s raw halibut. After, Ramsay angrily ordered the men to slow down. In the red kitchen, Denine brought her salmon, but it was raw, and a frustrated Ramsay kicked the women out of the kitchen. Back in the dorms, Denine took the blame for the salmon, but while Jennifer was frustrated that they fell apart, Janai felt that she was playing the blame game. In the blue kitchen, the men were pushing out entrées, and on their next ticket, Ramsay was waiting for Sterling’s pork and Fernando’s lamb. However, when Sterling sliced the pork, it was raw, and the lamb was too small for him to slice. After Steve announced that it might take four more minutes on the pork, an impatient Ramsay has had enough, called the eight men fucking idiots, and kicked them out of the kitchen. Back in the dorms, Bryant was pissed that they could not even complete their last table and compared his anger to someone stealing his bike.
Post-mortem[]
When both teams were lined up, a pissed off Ramsay said that he cooked with eight-year-olds that had more coordination than them put together and called their performance pathetic. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each for elimination.
During deliberation, La Tasha knew that it was a crash and burn performance but hoped that everybody would own up to their mistakes. Janai took responsibility for the women’s poor start and nominated herself, which Kalen agreed with. Roe revealed that her nominees were Denine and Janai, which Katie and Jennifer agreed. However, Denine argued that her poor performance was a fluke, and while she promised to come back from her breaking point, La Tasha felt that she was falling apart, and that she could be going home. In the end, the red team agreed on Denine and Janai. Meanwhile, Sterling took the blame for the meat station's problems and nominated himself. However, Bryant pulled Sterling aside, and told him not to take the full blame as Fernando was on the station as well, but secretly said that he was trying to put up somebody who had a good chance of surviving. So, Sterling nominated himself and Fernando for elimination, but Fernando called it bullshit and said that he was doing his best. Then, JR considered Steve due to the raw halibut incident, and while Steve admitted his mistake, he added that he set the team for success.
Elimination[]
Before asking for the nominees, Ramsay called both teams' performances a fucking joke, and told the women that their poor performance that night confirmed that their strong opening night was a fluke. Sade announced Janai as the red team’s first nominee, and Denine as the second, while Frank announced Sterling as the blue team’s first nominee, and Fernando as the second. The four nominees were called down, and during their pleas, Denine said that she owned up to her mistakes, and called her poor performance a fluke, but Ramsay immediately said that his eleven-year-old daughter could cook salmon with her eyes closed. Then, Janai only acknowledged that she overcooked the first risotto despite screwing up multiple times after, Fernando was accused of having the executive chef title gone to his head and was ordered to work smarter and harder, and Sterling said that he belonged here and knew that he could do better. In the end, Ramsay eliminated Janai for her poor performance on the appetizer station.
Ramsay's comment: "Cooking risotto is elementary. But tonight, I found out Janai is still in kindergarten."