The fourth episode of Season 15 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on Fox, on February 3, 2016. In that episode, duck was the main ingredient, a loudmouth was put in their place during prep, one team continued to dominate the other at dinner service, and the first team switch occurred.
Intro[]
While going back to the dorms, the women were angry that Ariel went against the team’s nominee choices by nominating Vanessa over Manda, and Dannie asked if they were on the same team. However, Ariel argued that Vanessa was the weaker chef and told Dannie she was put on the spot by Ramsay. As Dannie tried to get Ariel to quiet her voice, the latter left in frustration, with Alan commenting that the claws were out.
Team Challenge[]
The next day, the Sous Chefs woke everybody up at 5:35 am, though Alan complained that it was too early to be dealing with that. Sous Chef Aaron gave the chefs' camo clothing and life vests to put on and informed them that Ramsay was waiting outside for them. While Manda believed they were hunting, Eddie remarked that he has been hunting since he was eight years old and was excited that he might get to kill something. After a ride in the SUVs, the chef arrived at a local park pond with Ramsay waiting for them. While Meese was confused over what was happening, she believed that some people should not have guns, referring to Jackie. Then, Ramsay explained that he and Marino had been taking in the fresh air and asked if anybody hunted ducks before. When only Ashley, Chad, and Eddie revealed that they did, Ramsay commented that a lot of them more comfortable with rubber ducks, much to Eddie’s dismay. For the Duck Challenge, each chef would be in a canoe with a chef from the other team, grab five rubber ducks that had ingredients on them, and when they came back to Hell’s Kitchen, they would be competing head to head. After, Marino tossed a bucket full of rubber ducks into the water, but as Ramsay wanted more, he had a helicopter drop a lot more into the water, with Joe comparing it to Niagara Falls.
The pairs had 10 minutes to collect their rubber ducks, though Kevin from the men was forced to sit out to even up the teams to 7 each. As the chefs were collecting ducks, the pairs had problems agreeing on ingredients, with Chad concerned that his boat mate Ariel was trying to sabotage him, and tried to be firm with her. 4 minutes left, Kristin wanted to get purple sweet potatoes, and while Jared was uncertain as it was a curveball, he decided not to argue about it. 2 minutes left, Jackie said that while she felt Frank was a strong competitor, she felt she was strong as well, and believed that her dish would be better than his. Eventually, both teams collected their ingredients on time.
After returning to Hell’s Kitchen, the chefs had 40 minutes to cook their duck dishes. However, Manda was concerned about overcooking her breast as she never worked with a duck that big before and compared them to Ashley’s boob job. Eddie revealed that it had been a while since he last cooked a duck breast in the blue kitchen, but he compared it to driving a manual as, despite a couple of bumps, it would be smooth sailings. In the red kitchen, Jackie decided to purée her wax beans for an experiment, and while she was nervous, she had a plan in motion. Ninety seconds left, Frank struggled as he never worked with duck before and knew it could not be easily done. Eventually, the chefs cooked and plated their dishes on time.
Josiah Citrin came in as a guest judge, he and Ramsay would judge on a scale of 1-4, and the team with the most points was the winner. In the first round, Manda and Joe were up first, and he presented his duck with bok choy basmati rice tamale. However, while both Citrin and Ramsay felt that it looked more like a spring roll than a tamale, the dish tasted good, and Joe scored 6 points, with Ramsay stating that he would have given him more points had he not said tamale. Manda’s duck dish was criticized for being overcooked, with Ramsay comparing the taste to pork, much to her disappointment as she hated letting down Ramsay. So, Manda scored 2 points, and the men led 6-2. On the second round, Chad’s duck breast with pomegranate Jus scored 5 points for a clumsy presentation despite tasting good, while Ariel’s duck breast with pomegranate glaze scored 5 points for being underwhelming, and the score was 11-7 for the men. In the third round, Jackie’s duck with wax bean purée scored 5 points for having no finesse, while Frank’s duck with wax bean risotto scored 7 points for being impressive, and the men led 18-12. In the fourth round, Dannie’s duck and sautéed collier greens were praised for the collier green aspect but criticized for having an overcooked duck, and she scored 5 points. Then, Alan’s duck with deep-fried collier greens was criticized for being greasy and bland, he scored 2 points, and the men led 20-17. On the fifth round, while Meese’s duck leg was criticized as the judges felt that she should have used the duck breast cut instead, they thought it was not as tough as they thought and gave her 4 points. Hassan’s duck breast with cabbage ragu was heavily criticized for an appalling presentation, he scored 2 points, and the men led 22-21. On the sixth round, Eddie presented his pan-seared duck breast with garlic Cipollini onion had an access amount of raw white fat still left, with Ramsay noting that it could have shut down the restaurant if eaten, much to his dismay. Despite that, Eddie’s dish was praised for having great flavors, and he scored 4 points. After, Ashley’s duck breast with blueberry-pancetta-infused sauce was criticized for a clumsy presentation but praised for the seasoning. So, Ashley scored 6 points, and the score was 27-26 for the women. Hassan was praying that Jared would win it for the men on the final round as the latter presented his duck breast with celery root purée, poached mushrooms, and braised purple potatoes. While the presentation was criticized for being clumsy, the dish was praised for being cooked perfectly. Citrin called it the best-cooked duck of that day, and Jared scored 6 points. After, Kristin presented her pan-seared duck breast with leek and celery root purée and purple sweet potato chips. While the chips were praised for tasting great, the duck was criticized for being overcooked and having a greasy coating. So, Kristin scored three points, the men won the challenge 32-30, and a pissed Ariel deemed Kristin’s performance an ultimate embarrassment.
Scoring[]
Blue Team | Red Team | ||||
Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe | 6/8 | 6 | Manda | 2/8 | 2 |
Chad | 5/8 | 11 | Ariel | 5/8 | 7 |
Frank | 7/8 | 18 | Jackie | 5/8 | 12 |
Alan | 2/8 | 20 | Dannie | 5/8 | 17 |
Hassan | 2/8 | 22 | Meese | 4/8 | 21 |
Eddie | 4/8 | 26 | Ashley | 6/8 | 27 |
Jared | 6/8 | 32 | Kristin | 3/8 | 30 |
Results | 32-30 |
Reward[]
The men were rewarded with a day on a private yacht with champagne and eating dinner at the Penthouse Restaurant. During the reward, Frank was amazed at the size of the yacht and believed that size did matter. Eddie was eating a lot of oysters on the boat and admitted that he would not be surprised if he ended up with gout after. At dinner, Ramsay joined the men, which excited Joe, and as they discussed his cuts, Jared was stunned that they were talking to Ramsay as a person and believed that nothing would touch him for the rest of his life. Then, Joe asked Ramsay if he could use him as a reference on his resume after the competition, but everybody laughed about that, and Eddie believed it would never happen.
Punishment[]
The women were punished by prepping ducks for the following service. Jackie was pissed as she thought the women were getting better, but they were getting worse instead. During the punishment, Kristin compared the dead ducks to a voodoo shed, and Dannie called it a little disturbing. Later, Sous Chef Christina informed the women their dinner was on the patio, only to find out it was duck feet sandwiches, disgusting Ashley. While most of the women could not get through their dinner, Jackie ate hers with no problem. However, Jackie's obnoxious attitude irritated Meese, who called the former both a joke and a shame face for the women.
Before service[]
The next day, the chefs began prepping for service. While the men were still riding high from the victory, the women turned to Sous Chef Christina for directions on getting organized. After Sous Chef Christina told them to make a list of what they needed, Kristin noted that it was never titled as they knew what it was. However, Jackie decided to rename the list as “The Fucking List,” though an annoyed Dannie asked why she would do that, and Kristin knew disrespect like that would not fly anywhere. Then, Sous Chef Christina berated Jackie for doing that and lectured the women that anybody who did it again would be finishing the list. But, when Jackie tried to argue it was not disrespectful, a livid Sous Chef Christina sent her to the chef’s table, warned her that she would fire her if it happened in her own kitchen, and accused Jackie of not even caring, before deeming her the cancer of the women. That pissed off Ashley as it brought down the whole morale and wanted her gone.
While on break, Jackie claimed that she was a jokey person who did get serious at services but believed that these morons did not see it. However, Manda sternly told Jackie to never talk back to Sous Chef Christina. Still, while Jackie argued that she did not want to get disrespected herself, Kristin reminded her that Sous Chef Christina was their boss and suggested that she get back in her good graces before apologizing to any chef she rolled her eyes to. When they went back to work, Jackie took Sous Chef Christina to the pantry room and apologized for writing profanity on the prep list. Sous Chef Christina accepted Jackie’s apology, though sternly told her to prove she could be a reliable chef.
After, Ramsay had both teams lined up and announced that he was opening the chef’s tables for some VIP guests for that night's service. The women would be serving Kris Jenner, with Kristin calling her Oprah huge, and the men would be serving Dita Von Teese. After telling both teams to make sure their guests had a memorable dining experience, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner Service[]
A duck confit appetizer was served tableside by Dannie and Frank. After Ramsay called out the women’s first order, he discovered that Ashley’s water was not boiling and that her gas was off. That annoyed Ariel as it was Ashley’s second time on appetizers, and she wanted to kick the latter in her shins. In the blue kitchen, Von Teese’s party arrived at the chef’s table, and Eddie was taken aback by her look, only for Ramsay to pull him back to reality and asked him to wait on her. However, Eddie took a little longer, leading Ramsay to remind him that he was not getting her phone number. Despite that, the men were pushing out appetizers to their customers.
Twenty-five minutes into service, Ramsay reminded the women that they had yet to serve any food while the men were on their fourth table of appetizers, just as Jenner’s party came into the chef’s table. As Ramsay welcomed Jenner, Manda was taken aback by her smile. Now working on Jenner’s order, Manda felt that she had it, but her risotto was bland, and Ramsay accused her of not caring as she claimed to have tasted it before. While Manda called herself stupid for that, she managed to get her refire accepted. In the blue kitchen, the men began to work on entrées, but Kevin struggled to communicate with his teammates, much to Ramsay’s dismay. So, Hassan decided to help Kevin out, as he wanted the latter to keep his focus. It paid off as the men’s entrées were being sent out. In the red kitchen, the women were pushing out appetizers and were now beginning with entrées. While Jackie was confident about meat, Ariel was a little concerned as chicken and Wellingtons had to cook simultaneously, and the former did not drop the chicken with the Wellington. Despite Jackie claiming that meat was not that hard, her chicken was pink, and Ramsay was angrier that she did not see it after slicing it. While Jackie claimed she would have sent it out in her restaurant despite the pinkness, Meese believed that Jackie had no right to be in Ramsay’s kitchen because of that. In the blue kitchen, Ramsay told Eddie to serve Von Teese’s entrées to her and believed that he managed to please her while claiming that it counted as a date.
One hour and fifteen minutes into service, Jackie’s refire was accepted, and the women were working on Jenner’s table. However, Meese failed to communicate with Jackie over times, which annoyed the latter as it was difficult to cook without communication. While Jackie and Ariel brought up their dishes, Meese failed to bring up her garnishes, even though she claimed it was there. Then, Ramsay told Meese that he did not want his guests eating on an installment plan, much to Jenner’s humor, and then, she sent up mashed potatoes on a tray. A livid Ramsay brought the women to the pantry room, lectured them that the mashed potatoes were just dumped on the tray, and commented that even prison food was served better than what Meese did before smashing it to the ground. As the women went back to the kitchen, an angry Kristin yelled that they sucked, and Ramsay told Eddie and Alan to stay on desserts while the rest of the men went to help the women out. As the men began helping the women out, an annoyed Manda remarked that the men came in kamikaze style. Hassan’s vocal leadership annoyed Ashley, only for him to retort that it was how he talked. With the men’s help and Hassan’s leadership, the women served all of their entrées. After Sous Chef Christina suggested that the women thank the men for helping them out twice now, Jackie did but muttered angrily over her team’s poor performance.
Post-mortem[]
After clearing down, Ramsay had the women lined up, and after commenting that he did not expect to be in that position again, he called them an embarrassment. So, the women were named the clear losers, and Ramsay asked them to nominate two people for elimination.
During deliberation, Kristin wondered if she could take another night with Jackie, especially when Sous Chef Christina called the latter the cancer of the women. While Jackie considered Manda and Ashley for elimination due to their poor performance, Ashley argued that Meese was way behind on garnish and only got four tables out thanks to her. However, Meese argued that she thought garnishes would be easy. Then, Jackie voiced out how pathetic the women were, but Kristin argued that she screwed up a couple of tables, with Ariel asking Jackie why she never told them about the pink chicken earlier. When Jackie yelled that she would have served it regardless of the cook, Ariel remarked that they could not have someone on their team that was okay with serving raw chicken. Then, Kristin told Jackie that she has been embarrassing the team all day. Still, Jackie argued that she apologized to Sous Chef Christina and felt that her dumbass teammates were not letting it go before calling everything messed up on the women.
Elimination[]
Manda announced Jackie as the women’s first nominee and Meese as the second. During their pleas, Ramsay asked Meese why she always dwarfed in silence at services, and while she did not know why, she claimed to be passionate and wanted to learn more. Then, Jackie said that she had the passion and was a team player and believed that her jokey personality turned off the women. When Ramsay noticed Manda shaking her head by that comment, she said that she believed Jackie was a distraction and made the entire team look bad for disrespecting authority. In the end, Meese was eliminated for being nominated three times in a row and not being vocal enough at services. Meese was so upset with her elimination, she could not get through her exit interview without breaking down into tears.
Team switch[]
After Meese left, Ramsay told Jackie to stay at the front, called Hassan up to the front, and announced that he proved that night that he was the most vocal chef out there and led his team to victory. So, Ramsay wanted Hassan to do the same with the red team and therefore reassigned him to said team. After, Ramsay urged the women to find out from Hassan what the blue team’s secret was but urged them to do it quickly. While being dismissed, Kristin welcomed Hassan to hell as the red team was crazy, and while Alan still thought that the blue team was strong, he was worried that Hassan might be the reason for the red team to get rolling again. Then, Hassan knew that the women were not communicating at all and that it was his job to get them together before declaring it his biggest challenge.
Ramsay's comment: "After being nominated three times in a row due to the lack of communication, Meese may want to consider changing her name to Mouse."