The first episode of Season 14 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox on March 3, 2015. In that episode, the eighteen new chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, one chef gave a bad impression with both their team and Ramsay, and another one proved to be very clueless during opening night.
Intro[]
The episode began with a recap of the previous thirteen seasons, even showcasing a few previous winners before showing a teaser of that season.
The twenty new chefs were on the bus, going to Hell’s Kitchen and getting to know each other. Alison revealed that she was from Jamaica, but Monique made an insensitive remark when she asked her if she had a native language or spoke Rasta, much to T’s annoyance, who only hoped that Monique could cook. Randy revealed that he was a retired military veteran, but not as a chef, and admitted that he was more nervous than boot camp. Eventually, the chefs arrived at Hell’s Kitchen, but when Cameron tried to open the doors, they were locked, much to their confusion. Then, Ramsay made his presence known on the roof with a megaphone, and Cameron compared him to an angel. Ramsay explained that he designed that season to be one of the most challenging ever, and before they could enter the restaurant, he wanted to make sure that they were all 100% committed. So, he revealed a big air mattress behind a fake wall and told them that each of them had to jump off the roof and land on the mattress. However, Meghan wanted to leave right away, Alison feared that she would die, and Chrissa believed that she would break her neck if she would attempt it. After coming downstairs, Ramsay asked for a volunteer, and two chefs, Enrique and Ruth, volunteered to go first. As T watched Enrique climb, she felt that he was shitting his pants in fear, and when he did jump, Mieka was about to have a panic attack. Then, Ruth jumped, and while Adam was shocked that this was happening, he was willing to do it, even if it meant jumping onto the pavement. Then, Ramsay asked for another volunteer, and while everybody raised their hand, Ramsay said that it was not needed as Enrique and Ruth were actually stunt people, much to Alison’s relief. Still, he was very impressed that they were all committed to being there. After he asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes, they went to the kitchens and were greeted by a live audience.
Signature Dish Challenge[]
The chefs had 45 minutes to cook their signature dishes, Milly compared the men’s momentum like racecar driving, and said that he was there to win. Meghan said that she cooked her signature dish about 1000 times and would kill herself if she messed it up. Eventually, the chefs managed to cook their dishes and plate them in time.
Before tasting the dishes, Ramsay announced that he would be judging the dishes on a scale of 1 to 5, and the team with the most points at the end would win. Josh and Sarah were the first from their respective teams to have their dishes judged. Josh presented his pan-seared scallops with apple fennel slaw and blurted out that seeing Ramsay in person was crazy, calling it the best day of his life. Ramsay praised the dish for having a perfect sear, being a smart dish, and Josh scored four points. Then, Sarah’s filet mignon with pepper cream sauce was praised for having a beautiful temperature, she scored four points as well, and the score was tied at 4. After, Christine and Brendan competed. While Christine’s scallops with polenta cake and poached egg scored four points for being delicious, Brendan also scored four points as his tempura soft shell crab with ginger garlic sauce was nicely done, keeping it a tie at 8. On the third round, Nick and Michelle competed, and Nick presented his pan-roasted duck breast with peppered cherry gastrique. Ramsay praised the duck for being cooked beautifully, and Nick scored three points. Before tasting Michelle’s dish, she revealed that she was 22 years old and had been cooking professionally for about four years. Her quail huevos rancheros were praised for having some nice elements; she scored four points, said that people should watch out for her despite her age, and the score was 12-11 for the women. Mieka and Randy competed on the next round, and Mieka presented her shrimp cake with asparagus and peach salsa. However, Ramsay deemed the dish all bad, and Mieka scored only one point, much to her embarrassment. Before tasting Randy’s dish, Ramsay asked him when was the last time he had a complete disaster at his banquet, and he jokingly answered now as he was not there. After, Randy presented his salmon with raspberry bourbon barbecue sauce, and while Ramsay said that the presentation looked plain, he praised the fish for being delicious, Randy scored three points, and the score was 14-13 for the men.
On the fifth round, Ramsay noticed Milly’s long beard and asked if it ever caught on fire, which Milly said that it did not. After, Milly presented his seafood macaroni and cheese, Ramsay praised it for tasting good, and he scored three points. Then, Meghan’s rainbow trout with butter sauce was heavily praised for being stunning, she scored the first perfect five, and the score was 18-17 for the women. On the next round, Chrissa and Michael competed, and Chrissa presented her ginger-crusted chicken breast, revealing that she got inspiration from the cookie aisle at the grocery store. Despite Ramsay being grateful that she did not get inspiration from the pet food aisle, he spat it out, deemed it hideous, and she scored only one point, much to her embarrassment as she was not used to seeing people spit out her food. Before his dish was tasted, Michael revealed that he worked in an upscale Jewish retirement home and denied having anybody pass away from his food. Then, he presented his herb-roasted chicken breast, Ramsay deemed it solid but not spectacular, and he scored three points, making the score 20-19 for the men. On the next round, Alison and Adam competed. While Alison’s red snapper scored three points for having a runny pepper sauce, Adam’s rack of lamb scored four points for having a perfectly cooked lamb, making the score 24-22 for the men. After, T’s coffee-crusted flank steak scored a perfect five for being terrific, while Cameron’s coriander rubbed rack of lamb with carrot puree scored four points for having a nicely cooked lamb, and the score was 28-27 for the men. On the final round, Bret and Monique competed, and Bret presented his bone-in veal chop saltimbocca over smashed fingerling potatoes. Ramsay deemed the dish rustic but having charm, and Bret scored three points. Then, Monique presented her Mo’s pasta (shrimp spaghetti with marinara), but when Ramsay asked her how she made the marinara sauce, she revealed that she used a jarred variant, causing Ramsay to spit his bite out. Then, Monique argued that Ramsay should have told her not to used pre-made sauce, but that annoyed everybody, and T asked why she would use jarred tomato sauce for a dish that Ramsay would taste. So, Monique scored only one point, and the men won the challenge 31-28.
Scoring[]
| Blue Team | Red Team | ||||
| Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh | 4/5 | 4 | Sarah | 4/5 | 4 |
| Brendan | 4/5 | 8 | Christine | 4/5 | 8 |
| Nick | 3/5 | 11 | Michelle | 4/5 | 12 |
| Randy | 3/5 | 14 | Mieka | 1/5 | 13 |
| Milly | 3/5 | 17 | Meghan | 5/5 | 18 |
| Michael | 3/5 | 20 | Chrissa | 1/5 | 19 |
| Adam | 4/5 | 24 | Alison | 3/5 | 22 |
| Cameron | 4/5 | 28 | T | 5/5 | 27 |
| Bret | 3/5 | 31 | Monique | 1/5 | 28 |
| Results | 31-28 | ||||
Reward[]
The men were rewarded with a trip in a Hummer limousine to Saint Rocke, in Hermosa Beach, to meet a Hollywood celebrity. However, Ramsay refused to reveal the identity immediately. Josh was excited as not only had he just met Ramsay, but he was about to see a Hollywood legend as well. When they arrived at Saint Rocke, Milly hoped that the celebrity would be Willie Nelson, and Randy admitted that he was nervous over meeting his first celebrity, despite meeting numerous generals in the past. Then, it was revealed that the celebrity was William Shatner, which excited both Michael and Brendan, as the latter said that it would give him some serious street nerd cred, and the former wanting to give a Captain Kirk impression to Shatner. Then, Shatner handed out the men their menu books that he signed himself, and they took a picture with him and music producer Billy Sherwood.
Punishment[]
The women were punished by resetting the dining room for the opening night and sealing confirmation letters in envelopes. Back in the dorms, T was upset that they lost, but when Monique voiced out that they would beat the men on a regular night, T reminded her that they have yet to beat the men immediately and how she served Ramsay jarred sauce while arguing about it. During the punishment, Alison took the lead when they were resetting the dining room, but Monique did not appreciate it, feeling that she was too entitled. After, Marino led the women to Ramsay’s office to gather the letters, and they were shocked over the number of letters they had to seal, with Sarah saying that the stack of papers could have been taller than any of them. When Monique said that it sucked, T reminded her that if she had made her own sauce, they would not be doing it all night.
Before service[]
The next day, the chefs went downstairs to prep for opening night, and Sous Chef Andi gave them their own Henkel knife kit to use for the competition. That excited Sarah as she said that they were better than diamonds. While most of the women went through prep with confidence, Chrissa was the only one unsure of what to do, and T felt that she needed to get focused right away before threatening to beat her up if she would let them down.
When both teams were lined up, Ramsay told both teams to bring their A-game and noticed Chrissa looking unfocused. She revealed that she needed to go to the bathroom, which a bewildered Ramsay allowed. After, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Dean McDermott, Michael Ohoven, Joyce Giraud, and Delanie Walker were in attendance. A special pan-seared prawn appetizer was served tableside by Josh, and T. Sarah did not want the men to win and said that the women had a lot to prove to Ramsay, as Michelle got her first order of scallops accepted. In the blue kitchen, the men received their first ticket, and Cameron knew that the appetizer station would set the tone for the rest of the night. However, his risotto was rejected for not having enough butter and salt. Milly told Cameron to get himself quickly, and Nick was ordered to help. While Nick’s attempt was accepted, Michael was slow on scallops as he did not drop them on time, much to Ramsay’s dismay. In the red kitchen, Chrissa was completely lost, and Sarah felt that she was babysitting her when she was not having the time for it. Sous Chef Andi noticed it, told Meghan to help Sarah, and Ramsay dedicated Chrissa to the tableside station, with T. Meghan said that Chrissa was way out of her element and believed that they could do better without her in the kitchen. Meghan’s prediction came true as the women continued to push appetizers to the diners. Their next table was McDermott’s table, as Monique and Christine began working on their meat.
Forty minutes into service, Michael finally sent his first order of scallops, but they were boiled on one side. Adam was not happy about it, and Ramsay reminded Michael that he was not cooking at the senior home before threatening him with elimination if it would happen again. Fortunately, Michael’s second attempt was accepted, much to Bret’s relief, and the men finally sent their first table of appetizers. In the red kitchen, the women began working on entrées, and Christine sent her pork. However, Ramsay noticed that Christine sliced it before the lamb was ready, it became dry, and they were forced to start over. In the blue kitchen, the men began working on entrées as well, and while Bret and Milly felt that their lamb was good to serve, Ramsay told them that it was raw.
One hour and a half into service, the women were still working on Dean McDermott’s entrée, but Christine found out that the lamb was still raw after slicing it. Then, Meghan found out that the oven Christine was using was not hot enough, told her to use the convection oven, and also discovered that Monique’s oven was off the entire time. When Christine and Monique sent their entrées, Ramsay told that not only was the lamb raw, but the pork was dry, before calling it ridiculous. While Christine sent the lamb refire, the pork did not come despite six chefs at the meat station, much to Ramsay’s dismay. Then, T found out that the pork was raw and got dismayed that they were sinking like the Titanic after a strong start. That was the final straw for Ramsay, who proceeded to kick the women out of the kitchen. Michelle was upset as they had one more ticket after McDermott’s table. Back in the dorms, the women had an argument over the oven being cold, as Christine said she had no idea how it got turned off. In the red kitchen, Ramsay managed to cook McDermott’s table by himself, and in the blue kitchen, Milly got his lamb refire accepted. The men managed to complete the rest of the service without any other problems, and Ramsay congratulated them for a job well done.
Post-mortem[]
After service, Sous Chef Andi went to the dorms and told the women to head downstairs to meet Ramsay. However, Ramsay stopped them at the stairs, named them the clear losers, and asked them to nominate two people for elimination.
During deliberation, T ranted about their poor performance before nominating Christine and Monique for their disastrous performance on meat, which Michelle agreed with. The deliberation stopped after Chrissa broke a mug while putting away dishes, much to the disbelief of the women as Christine felt the latter did not care about what was going on. Chrissa said that she was making coffee for the team, but T said that she wanted a cigarette and a W. Then, Chrissa asked why she should be nominated, and Sarah reminded her about how she looked unfocused for most of the service. Despite Chrissa arguing that she was focused, T knew that they had to send somebody home to make the women stronger.
Elimination[]
Alison announced Monique as the women’s first nominee and Chrissa as the second. While Ramsay agreed with that decision, he also called Christine down with the two nominees. Christine admitted that meat got out of control during their pleas, and Monique revealed that the oven was off the entire time before admitting that she put the meat in said oven. Then, Monique said that she was stronger than Christine as the latter fell apart, and Chrissa for having no confidence, while Christine herself said that she took the competition more seriously than Chrissa, who needed to go to the bathroom earlier, which the latter took offense to. Then, Chrissa said that she needed only one more service to prove Ramsay what she had and that she was not why the women were kicked out of the kitchen. After much deliberation, Ramsay sent Monique back in line and eliminated Chrissa for being way out of her league and being utterly clueless about her situation, not helping that she almost left without giving Ramsay her jacket. During her exit interview, Chrissa delusionally felt she was a beast in the competition and argued that her bathroom emergency was not a sign of weakness.
After Chrissa left, Ramsay told the remaining chefs to take the competition more seriously as he had some major stakes involved before dismissing them for the night. T believed that Ramsay made the right decision and planned to get Monique gone, while Monique believed that she would not go anywhere. Then, Milly said that the men had to step up as they won service by default and wanted to blow the women out of the water in every service from that moment on.
Ramsay's comment: "There's nothing more terrifying to Chrissa than jumping off a building. But there is nothing more terrifying to me than the thought of having her as my next head chef."
Trivia[]
- This marks the first time two chefs scored perfect fives in the Signature Dish Challenge since the Season 13 revision.
- This is also the first time since the introduction of the new scoring system Season 13 debuted where nobody scored a two.