The first episode of Season 15 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox on January 15, 2016. In that episode, the Signature Dish Challenge happened for the first time at the prized restaurant, one chef made a terrible impact as he almost got eliminated before even entering Hell's Kitchen, and one team froze on opening night.
Intro[]
The episode began with a recap of the previous fourteen seasons, even showcasing a few previous winners before showing a teaser of that season.
The eighteen new chefs arrived at Hell’s Kitchen at 5:15 AM, and Jackie believed that her competition would get overwhelmed as she would destroy them. Manda admitted that while her competitors would underestimate her for being little, she had big flavors. Once inside, the chefs met with Marino, who was next to a giant slots machine, and asked Ashley to pull the lever. Ashley prayed for something good as she never gambled before, and Hassan wondered if Ramsay would jump out of the machine. After Ashley pulled the lever, the slot machine revealed that the chefs were going to Las Vegas. They grabbed their tickets, and Alan was excited about going to Vegas.
At Las Vegas, the chefs were on the bus, and Jared commented that they were not in Atlantic City as it looked cleaner. Chad remarked that the last time he was at Las Vegas was when he was twelve and that all he needed was food, booze, and girls. As the bus was pulling up, the chefs noticed the signs welcoming them to Las Vegas, and Mark said that he believed that it was his destiny to win the competition. After departing off the bus onto a stage, Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman welcomed the chefs to Las Vegas. She explained that most of the previous winners became head chefs in Las Vegas than any other city in the country and introduced them to a parade in their honor. Some of the floats featured Christina from Season 10, and Scott from Season 12. Ariel called it crazy as they just got to Las Vegas, and they were already getting celebrity treatment. As the chefs got onto a double-decker bus for the parade, Joe admitted that while he has seen a lot of parades, he was never in one before, Sherkenna was shocked that they closed down the strip for them, and Alan said that people screaming for him was what he lived for.
Eventually, the chefs arrived at the Bally's Hotel. Jared said that as a former poker player, Las Vegas was his mecha, and the other chefs would fold under pressure. Once inside, Marino led them to Ramsay, the latter welcomed the chefs to the competition and asked how they liked their Vegas welcome. Ramsay announced that the winner of that season would become the Head Chef at BLT Steak in Las Vegas, with a salary of $250,000, before revealing the restaurant behind him under a wall of balloons, which Ariel called awesome. Then, Ramsay announced that for the first time, the Signature Dish Challenge would take place inside the prized restaurant, and introduced them to Aaron as the blue team’s newest Sous Chef, and Season 10 winner Christina as the red team’s newest Sous Chef. That excited Ashley as she got to work under the best chefs. After, Ramsay announced that it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.
Signature Dish Challenge[]
The chefs had 45 minutes to cook their signature dishes, Frank revealed that he was a United States Marine and saw himself as the one to win. Meese was freaking out as she was standing in what could be her future restaurant and called it pressure. Eventually, the chefs got their dishes cooked and plated on time.
Before tasting the dishes, Ramsay announced that he would be judging the dishes on a scale of 1-5, and the team with the most points at the end would win. Sherkenna and Eddie were the first chefs from their teams to compete. Before tasting her dish, Sherkenna revealed that she got her name from her mama and that the town she grew up in had 300 people with no restaurants. After, Sherkenna presented her crab-stuffed salmon with couscous, and while she was confident she would win Ramsay over, he criticized the presentation for being dreadful despite being tasty, and she scored 2 points. Then, Eddie presented his venison tenderloin and believed that he would win because, as a hunter, he did not miss his target. Before fully tasting it, Ramsay asked Eddie how old he was when he made his first kill, which he answered 16 and owned at least 20 guns. Then, Ramsay asked Eddie if he ever brought his date hunting with him, the latter admitted that it would be an awesome date if he had a girlfriend. After Ramsay praised the venison for being cooked beautifully, Eddie scored 3 points, and the score was 3-2 for the mean. Ashley and Frank were up next. Frank revealed that he was an active duty U.S. Marine and receiving a standing ovation from the audience as a result. After, Frank’s penne alla vodka with grilled chicken was deemed okay but not special, and he received 3 points. Before tasting Ashley’s dish, the latter revealed that she worked in some of her family’s restaurants before and had two dads. After Ashley’s ostrich filet with red wine blueberry balsamic was criticized for being on the verge of blandness, she scored 2 points, and the men led 6-4.
Before tasting Dannie’s dish, Ramsay asked her what she did to relax, she revealed that she was an amateur boxer and that she won her recent match in January. Then, Dannie’s pan-seared scallops with Thai curry sauce and vermicelli were deemed a knockout, and she scored 4 points. Then, Mark’s black mussels with chorizo and tomato broth were criticized for its cooking presentation, he scored only one point, and the women-led 8-7. On the fourth round, Joe’s fried veal with creamy polenta received 3 points for being delicious, while Meese’s pork loin with sweet potato and asparagus was criticized for being overcooked and received only one point, making the score 10-9 for the men. Vanessa and Jared were the fifth chefs to compete from their teams, and the former presented her eggplant involtini. However, Ramsay told Vanessa that while she might cook for first-class, he would not serve that dish to coach class, and she scored only one point. Before tasting Jared’s dish, Ramsay asked him what his previous career was, and the latter said that he was a locksmith and a professional poker player. After, Jared presented his halibut over an Alaskan crab cake, and when Ramsay asked him what score he was going to get, Jared guessed 4. Ramsay said that he was correct, and the men led 14-10. Jackie and Kevin were the next pair up. Jackie called herself the definition of New Jersey as she was tough and sexy and presented her grilled scallop with corn salad and spinach. However, Ramsay asked Jackie if she was on a diet because she only had one scallop on the plate, even remarking how New Jersey girls were generous with portions. After tasting, Ramsay said that he'd like to give Jackie 4 points, but he couldn't since she only used one scallop and gave her 3 points instead. After, Kevin presented his chicken Caesar piadina, but not only was Ramsay unimpressed with the concept as a salad should not be on top of a pizza, he criticized the presentation for looking uneven. Then, Ramsay asked Kevin how he made the dough, but the latter revealed that not only did he used pre-made dough, the Caesar dressing was pre-made as well, much to Hassan’s dismay. That caused Ramsay to ask Kevin if he wanted to go home, but the latter promised to do better. After, Ramsay gave Kevin’s dish only one point, even though Manda felt he should have gotten zero, and the score was 15-13 for the men.
On the seventh round, Alan and Kristin were up next. Alan presented his maple-glazed salmon and revealed that he was adopted into an Amish family, although he did reveal that he did drink. After tasting, Ramsay asked when did he have maple syrup leaking into the risotto. Alan replied not since the last time he made it, much to the audience's humor. Ramsay retorted that it was okay for the audience to laugh as they didn't have to eat the dish. He criticized Alan for have maple syrup leaking into the risotto and scored one point. Before tasting Kristin’s dish, Ramsay asked her where her food inspiration came, and she revealed she got into cooking due to being under house arrest, much to Ramsay’s shock. After, Kristin presented her grilled pork tenderloin with fried Brussel sprouts and garlic mustard aioli, and while Ramsay said the presentation looked a mess, he found the dish delicious. So, Kristin scored 3 points, and the score was tied at 16. On the eighth round, Chad’s partridge breast confit and glazed pears scored 4 points for his beautifully glazed partridge, and after, Ariel presented her shakshuka, revealing that she was half Jewish. Ramsay praised the dish for being a comfort dish that oozed quality, Ariel received 3 points, and the score was 20-19 for the men. Manda and Hassan were the final chefs to compete, she presented her cornflake-crusted fried scallops and revealed her three kids were her main motivation as she wanted to give them a better life. While Ramsay said that the dish was not bad, he felt it was a little bit weird. Manda responded she was weird, causing the audience to break out laughing, Ramsay himself trying his best not to laugh, and she received 3 points. After, Hassan’s pan-seared scallops with corn and asparagus puree were praised for tasting great but criticized for their clumsy execution, and Ramsay told the two to head back to their teams. After Ramsay gave Hassan’s dish 4 points, the men won the challenge 24-22, and Hassan told Kevin he was welcome.
Scoring[]
Red Team | Blue Team | ||||
Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sherkenna | 2/5 | 2 | Eddie | 3/5 | 3 |
Ashley | 2/5 | 4 | Frank | 3/5 | 6 |
Dannie | 4/5 | 8 | Mark | 1/5 | 7 |
Meese | 1/5 | 9 | Joe | 3/5 | 10 |
Vanessa | 1/5 | 10 | Jared | 4/5 | 14 |
Jackie | 3/5 | 13 | Kevin | 1/5 | 15 |
Kristin | 3/5 | 16 | Alan | 1/5 | 16 |
Ariel | 3/5 | 19 | Chad | 4/5 | 20 |
Manda | 3/5 | 22 | Hassan | 4/5 | 24 |
Results | 24-22 |
Reward[]
The men were rewarded with a ride on the High Roller and a VIP night at Drai’s Nightclub, which Joe compared to receiving GI Joes on Christmas. Alan believed that the men were strong due to having many motivated guys and believed it would carry over into the competition. During the reward, Hassan called the High Roller amazing and that he had never seen a view like that before, as the men toasted to him for scoring the winning point, and Frank said that Hell’s Kitchen was not that bad as he thought. Later, they arrived at Drai’s Nightclub, and Eddie compared the spread of food to something Julius Caesar would be jealous of.
Punishment[]
The women were punished by peeling 50 pounds of shrimp and making 1,000 pounds of truffle mashed potatoes at Sterling Buffet. Jackie was pissed that they lost and claimed that if she was an octopus, she would have used her eight legs to make everybody else’s dish and would have won it for them. During the punishment, Jackie knew why it was called Hell’s Kitchen as punishments were brutal. Ariel herself was pissed as her dish got great reviews, felt that the rest of her teammates were not pulling their own weight, and felt that Meese and Vanessa were doing a poor job of prepping.
Before service[]
The next day, the chefs returned to Hell’s Kitchen, looked at the dorms, and saw their chef jackets and knife set waiting for them on their beds. Eddie loved his knives as Henkel’s were something people dreamed about getting in the culinary industry. After changing into their jackets, the chefs began prepping for opening night, and Jared decided to oversee Kevin’s work on the fish station. However, Kevin felt that Jared was one of those people who liked to be vocal and take charge, told him to get out of the way and let him do his job. After giving both teams some advice for service, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Morgan Stewart and Audrina Partridge were in attendance that night. A special grilled shrimp bruschetta appetizer was served tableside by Meese and Ariel from the women and Jared and Eddie from the men. Ramsay called out the first order, but Joe asked him to repeat the entrée order, only for Ramsay to tell him to open his ears. Meanwhile, Alan knew that the opening service was to show what you had, got his scallops accepted, Ramsay urged him to keep the bar up, and Alan declared that he was going to own fish. In the red kitchen, Vanessa knew there was a lot of pressure being on appetizers as she felt it was where people died and expressed a lot of emotions. However, Ramsay saw that Vanessa’s pizza was burnt, but she still decided to slice the pizza. Then, Ramsay asked Vanessa if she was okay, she answered that she was not and was nervous, only for Ramsay to remarked that he was more nervous. Jackie called it embarrassing and told Vanessa to bounce back, while Sous Chef Christina tried to calm the latter down. In the blue kitchen, Alan began working on entrées, and while Chad remarked that he did not hear Ramsay say to start entrées, he decided to be supportive and brought his garnishes up along with Alan’s tuna. When Ramsay saw it, he called the men to the pass and asked Alan if he wanted to send out the entrées before appetizers. Frank called it embarrassing before calling Alan a moron. In the red kitchen, Vanessa got her refires accepted, and while Manda was confident on fish as she grew up near the Jersey Shore, she was more concerned about Vanessa’s performance. After, Vanessa brought up a broken roasted squash, Ramsay revealed that it was cold in the center. Kristin accused Vanessa of spacing out before stating that she should go home if she could not cook. Then, Vanessa asked for help on appetizers, and an irritated Ramsay ordered all the women to help her.
One hour into service, men brought up their second order. Not only was Alan’s scallops overcooked, with Ramsay considering the first attempt a fluke, but Mark’s pizza was burnt on the bottom. After, Ramsay berated the men for not taking charge of communicating with each other. Frank decided to cook the pizza as he felt nobody else could do other than a 100% Italian like himself, and the refire was accepted. In the red kitchen, the entire team was still on appetizers, leading Jackie to joke that it took everybody but Vanessa to make one order of appetizers. Despite that, appetizers were being sent out, and the women were beginning on entrées. In the blue kitchen, the men were getting backed up on appetizers, leading Jared and Eddie to be stuck for that moment. Jared and Eddie decided to see what was going on and went to help their team get back on track. However, the risotto Eddie took over from Mark was still raw and bland. Kevin accused Mark of having the deer in headlights look and told the latter to wake up, and Ramsay forced Mark and Eddie to eat the raw risotto at the chef's table. After Marino urged the two to eat fast, Eddie admitted that he was confused about what happened. However, the men's problems with appetizers have left the blue customers growing very impatient. In the red kitchen, Ashley and Sherkenna got their entrées accepted, with the latter celebrating. Thanks to Ashley and Sherkenna’s strong performances, the women were on a roll.
One hour and a half into service, Ramsay warned the men that tables were about to walk out, but Kevin sent up raw lobster tails, Joe accused him and Alan of being lost, and Ramsay demanded to know what was going on. After, a two-top blue table walked out after losing their patience, and when Marino informed Ramsay about it, he lost his patience and kicked the men out of the kitchen. As the men walked back to the dorms, Ramsay told them to nominate two people for elimination. In the red kitchen, the women were able to complete service, Kristin compared it to the heavens opening for them, and Ramsay congratulated them on a job well done.
Post-mortem[]
On the patio, Joe asked who would like to start, and Chad considered Mark for the burnt pizza, which Hassan agreed with as he felt the latter was not vocal enough. However, Mark argued that he was passionate about cooking and that he could bounce back. Then, Joe considered Alan and Kevin for their poor performances on fish, but after Kevin blamed Alan for pushing him aside, the latter argued that everybody else messed up that night. After, Kevin started choking up that he thought he would do well with his experience, and while Eddie comforted him, Frank told him to stop being a baby, and Joe reminded him that hitting foul balls was not an option. Then, Kevin remarked that if it was between himself and Alan, he urged the men to nominate Alan, though Joe and Chad found it hard to narrow it down to just two people.
Elimination[]
Jared announced Mark as the men’s first nominee and Kevin as the second. After calling the two nominees down, Ramsay was unsure if either of them would grow in the competition and wondered if he should eliminate both that night and cut the dead weight from the men. During their pleas, Mark disagreed with that idea, said that it was a big thing for him to be here. While Mark called it overwhelming, Ramsay reminded him that it was a big thing for everybody else. Then, Ramsay asked Kevin how he could be lost at the start of service, and he admitted that while he got overwhelmed at the beginning, he felt that he had the will and determination and would come back stronger after studying. In the end, Mark was eliminated for his poor performance on appetizers and failing to bounce back. During his exit interview, Mark thought he would be on top instead of being eliminated and said that every part of him wanted to be back for the next day.
After Mark left, Ramsay remarked that he had never seen a man freeze after one table of appetizers and urged them to get their heads in the game. While being dismissed, Eddie compared life to a bow and arrow, said that Mark was the men’s setback, and believed that they would explode the next day. Then, Joe said that if you did not have the eye of the tiger in the jungle, you would get eaten and that he had to stay hungry. While Jackie was happy the women did not have to send somebody home, she knew that their service was not perfect and compared it to walking to the base.
Ramsay's comment: "Mark was a disaster from the start. The best thing I saw from him was his back as he walked out the door."
Trivia[]
- This marks the first, and to date only, time the Signature Dish Challenge took place inside the grand prized restaurant. It is also the final time the Signature Dish Challenge took place outside of Hell's Kitchen.