The eleventh episode of Season 19 of Hell's Kitchen aired in the UK on November 26, 2020 and in the US on March 18, 2021. In that episode, the chefs spelled for their ingredients, the weather affected one team's reward, a private dinner service took place, and one chef's luck ran out.
Intro[]
While going back to the dorms, Declan believed that with the cancer removed from the blue team, that being Marc, he felt the trio could work together. However, Kori warned Amber to watch her back on the blue team as the latter feared she was the new target now that Marc was eliminated. Amber believed that all her dishes were perfect but felt the blue team was ready to throw her off a boat with a brick tied to her legs as Kori told her not to trust either Declan or Cody. Later that evening, Cody and Mary Lou were playing cards with the latter beating him. The two acted friendly throughout as Cody called Mary Lou pretty, and the latter found him to be nice. As the two played their card game, Kori and Amber walked by, but while the former called it cute, she warned Mary Lou not to let her feelings get in the way. Afterwards, Mary Lou beat Cody and did a celebratory booty dance.
Team challenge[]
The next day, both teams came downstairs to find a big screen and two podiums in the dining room, with Ramsay welcoming them to the first-ever Spells Kitchen Challenge and Mary Lou stating that she loved game shows. Ramsay explained that the challenge was to test how well they could think on their feet as each chef from each team would go head to head and see a scrambled ingredient on the screen. They then must decipher the ingredient, and any chef who got it first had the choice of either keeping the ingredient for one of the three dishes, being ribeye, halibut, and veal chop or send it to the opposing team. That led Cody to realize that they could use the ingredient to sabotage the other team, calling it a fun twist.
Amber and Mary Lou were the first chefs to go up, and the former correctly got fennel and swiss chard, but the latter failed to decipher spinach as she thought it was parsnip. Amber decided to send the spinach to the red team’s halibut, believing that spinach was too lame of an ingredient. On Jordan and Cody’s turn, the latter got eggplant, while the former got parsnip. On Kori and Declan’s turn, the latter got cauliflower, but the former got carrot and broccolini. Next up was Nikki and Amber, with the former getting both polenta and asparagus. Then, Nikki got pineapple and decided to send it to the blue team’s halibut, smugly wishing them luck on that. When Cody and Mary Lou went up, the latter got watercress, basmati rice, and tomato. Mary Lou kept the basmati rice while sending the watercress and tomato to the blue team’s ribeye and halibut, respectively. After, Declan got fingerlings and pearl onions, while Jordan got celery root. With only one ingredient spot left for the red team, Kori and Amber went up to guess the ingredient, with the latter correctly guessing avocado. Because the blue team had an entire board, Ramsay told Amber that she could either give the red team the avocado or eliminate one of their own ingredients. Although Cody and Declan suggested that they get rid of the pineapple, Amber gave the red team the avocado, dismaying Declan as he felt she made a mistake. With all the ingredients gathered, Ramsay had both teams discuss who was cooking what, but since the red team had an extra person, two would cook two on the same protein. As the blue team discussed their strategy, Cody felt that the pineapple would overpower the rest of the halibut dish but knew he could make it work.
Both teams had 40 minutes to cook their ingredients, with Mary Lou and Nikki cooking their own halibut dishes. Nikki felt that the avocado would be the hard part of the dish as it was difficult to apply it to a halibut dish. While Jordan was worried that her veal chop could be undercooked due to its thickness, Kori suggested that she flash it in butter. Fifteen minutes left, Cody felt excited with his pickled pineapple vinaigrette and felt his halibut dish would be fire, but Amber warned him not to get too cocky. Eight minutes left, Amber tried to quick sear her ribeye by pressing it between two pans, but it became stuck to the bottom of the top pan. Cody tossed her a spatula to scrape it off, while in the red kitchen, Mary Lou began plating as she felt confident by her presentation. Ninety seconds left, Nikki was dismayed that her garnish was too salty, and there was no time to fix it. Eventually, both teams had their dishes cooked and plated on time, and Ramsay asked the red team what halibut dish they were presenting. Nikki told the red team to take her plate off due to the salty rice, leaving Mary Lou as the halibut representative.
Amber and Kori walked up their ribeye dishes on the first round as the latter was ready to smash the former like a bug. Amber presented her pan-seared ribeye with roasted cauliflower and watercress purée, but when Ramsay asked her why she pressed the meat, she said it did not have a good enough sear on one part. Despite looking thin, Ramsay found the cook to be perfect and loved the flavors from the three ingredients, much to Amber’s relief. For Kori, her pan-seared ribeye with mustard veal demi and celery root purée was praised for the asparagus salad and the cook on the steak. After a hard decision, Ramsay awarded both the point, making it a one-point tie. On the veal chop round, Jordan’s veal chop with roasted parsnips and broccolini served over white cheddar polenta was praised for a beautiful cook, but criticized for the inconsistently sized parsnips. Declan’s pan-roasted veal with roasted rustic potatoes was then criticized for leaving the skin on both the potatoes and the eggplant but praised for a delicious veal. Even though Ramsay felt that both dishes needed a touch more finesse, he awarded both the point as they succeeded on the veal, keeping it a two-point tie. Cody knew it came down to him on the final round as he presented his chilli-flaked halibut with a pickled pineapple vinaigrette and grilled pineapple. Ramsay knew the cook on the halibut was perfect because it cut through like butter, and while he found it too heavy on the flakes, he was amazed at how well Cody utilized the pineapple. Then, Mary Lou presented her pan-seared halibut with whipped guacamole and rice pilaf, and while Ramsay loved the cook of the halibut, he compared the smear of the guacamole to a smear on his grandad’s underpants. That comment greatly embarrassed Mary Lou but felt that her flavors still gave her a chance to win. After sending Cody and Mary Lou back in line, Ramsay gave the former the point, and the blue team won 3-2, which pumped Cody up.
Scoring[]
| Blue Team | Red Team | ||||
| Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber | 1 | 1 | Kori | 1 | 1 |
| Declan | 1 | 2 | Jordan | 1 | 2 |
| Cody | 1 | 3 | Mary Lou | 0 | 2 |
| Results | 3-2 | ||||
Reward[]
The blue team was rewarded with a pool day at the Link and an all-American barbecue lunch, making Declan declare he was doing a cannonball. Also, Ramsay revealed a special treat waiting for them at the dorms, and once back up, they saw brand new Vitamix blenders waiting for them, with Declan calling it Christmas.
During the reward, a thunderstorm erupted when the blue team arrived at the Link, meaning they could not use the pool. While that dismayed Cody, the blue team retreated to the rec room and played games indoors. During lunch, Declan said he loved barbecue and told Cody and Amber that he started cooking at seventeen, saying that he began to get serious later in his life. Cody understood that logic as putting more effort into their passion showed that he got more serious when he left home and needed to pay rent. Then, Cody said that cooking had changed his life as he cooked around the world and in front of many influential people.
Punishment[]
The red team was punished by baking 600 tuile cookies, and Mary Lou felt she was the reason why they lost the challenge, which took a big hit to her confidence. When the red team went back to the dorms, Mary Lou left to be alone as Nikki saw how upset she was over their loss as Kori and Jordan comforted Mary Lou. However, Mary Lou felt she lost her confidence after that challenge, especially after seeing how close they were to getting Vitamix blenders.
During the punishment, the red team struggled to roll the cookie batter as Nikki said it took 30 seconds to settle out of the oven, and Mary Lou added that they had to be rolled while they were piping hot. The process started terrible as the red team began to grow frustrated, but eventually, they got a system working with Jordan operating the oven, Mary Lou and Kori rolling the cookies, and Nikki dunking them in the powder. After that, the red team finished the punishment with little to no problem.
Before service[]
Later that day, both teams came downstairs and lined up as Ramsay announced that Hell’s Kitchen was closed to the public that night for a Charity Night service. Ramsay added that these nights are essential to him before revealing the charities they were serving. The red team would be serving the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, and Jordan knew how important music was to her because it helped her through school while her mother was in prison. For the blue team, they were serving the Chris Long Foundation. Each chef was responsible for their own course, and Ramsay said he wanted a perfect service from both teams that night. Afterwards, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
In addition to Sarah McLachlan and Chris Long, Beau Allen was in attendance that night. Both tables were to enjoy a five-course meal that was led by each of the chefs. Nikki and Declan led the pan-seared scallops’ course, Mary Lou and Cody led the spring pea risotto course, and Kori and Amber led the pan-seared halibut course. And since the blue team was down a member, Declan also led the pan-roasted filet alongside Jordan, with a sticky toffee pudding being a team effort. For the first course, Ramsay gave Declan and Nikki ten minutes to get their course out, and the latter told her team to fire three portions each. Nikki knew it was an opportunity to show Ramsay she could lead as the rest of the red team cooked the scallops, while in the blue kitchen, Declan cooked the scallops alone to make sure they went out okay while Amber plated the purée. However, Ramsay did not understand why Declan was cooking alone, and Amber said that if she led that course, she would have had two cooking scallops and one person plating. Declan walked up the scallops, but the blue team’s organization was messy. In the red kitchen, Sous Chef Christina pushed the red team to get their scallops up now while the blue team got their course out. In the red kitchen, the red team managed to get their course out, but it was discovered that Nikki had miscounted, and only ten dishes were sent out. That angered Ramsay as Mary Lou could not believe that happened, but the red team was able to get the last two plates out. However, Nikki knew that the course did not come out the way she wanted it.
Ramsay told Mary Lou and Cody to get their dishes ready in ten minutes for the risotto course, and the former wanted to bounce back after their shitty start. In the blue kitchen, Ramsay told Amber to give Cody some space so each portion had equal cooks, while Cody knew it was not the night to fuck up. Amber had Cody taste her attempt, and he told her to add more greens to balance out the salty taste. In the red kitchen, the red team began platting, but while Mary Lou tried to tell Nikki to plate the salad garnish, the latter got confused as Jordan and Kori were doing it as well, only for Sous Chef Christina sternly tell Nikki to listen to Mary Lou. In the blue kitchen, the blue team began plating their risottos, and both teams managed to get their courses out around the same time.
On the halibut course, Kori called that night the biggest they have done and was focused on executing her dish the way she wanted it. In the blue kitchen, Amber did not want to make the same mistake as she did before on fish, but Cody felt she wanted to work alone and not as a team. When Amber walked up the halibut, Ramsay accepted them as both teams sent out their course, with Kori feeling she sent out her dish with success.
On the filet course, Jordan said that course would be the most challenging of them all as they needed to make sure the steaks all had the correct temperatures. While Jordan went to the pass to begin plating, she told the women to bring up the filets when they were ready. In the blue kitchen, Declan asked Amber to double-check his filets, but she felt she was doing all the work for him and asked why he could not check his own meat. Then, Ramsay saw that the filets were over seared, forcing them to refire a couple of portions and causing Declan to start taking more control of the course. Fortunately, Declan’s efforts succeeded, and the blue team sent out their fourth course. In the red kitchen, Jordan was too focused on plating rather than checking on the filet’s temperatures, which displeased Ramsay. Then, Nikki said that one of the filets felt rare, and Ramsay sliced into one to confirm her fear. Ramsay reminded Jordan this was her course, but instead of checking her dishes, she focused more on plating. Jordan said that she cooked extras if that happened but was mad that her teammates could not cook a fucking steak for her after she busted her ass for her. Kori felt Jordan should be mad at them for screwing her, but Nikki felt the latter should stop blaming others for her lack of leadership. Eventually, the red team got the course out, but Jordan was fed up with getting yelled at over mistakes she never committed and felt they should have kept Lauren around for that. As Jordan stormed off to cool her head, Nikki reminded her that it was her responsibility to check over her work, and it was her fault for failing to do that.
Afterwards, both teams began working on the dessert course as Nikki gave the red team roles to accomplish, but in the blue kitchen, Amber was cold towards Cody when he asked for a time. Despite that, both teams sent out their desserts around the same time.
Post-mortem[]
When both teams were lined up, Ramsay said because there were mistakes in both kitchens he had to prevent, both teams were named joint losers and were tasked with nominating one each that did not possess the proper leadership skills he was looking for.
During deliberation, Mary Lou called that day a fail as Kori brought up Nikki’s missing scallop dishes. While Nikki admitted to that mistake, she felt there were problems with delegations that night, while Jordan felt that things would have been fine if they did not have a breakdown in communication. However, Kori reminded Jordan that they had to own their courses and reminded the latter how she failed to touch the steaks before they went out, but Jordan retorted that she asked them to send them to her, not plate them. Then, Jordan asked why she was getting most of the blame when Nikki could not count that night.
On the blue side, Declan nominated Amber for not checking the filets properly as he had asked, and Cody nominated her based on the fact she did not trust the blue team. However, Amber accused Cody of nominating her out of fear, but the latter argued that it was not personal. Amber left in response as she was not ready to go but feared she might as it could be her third nomination. As Amber walked past the red team during their deliberation, Jordan called it a big clusterfuck as Kori called it a tough decision to pick either Nikki or Jordan for elimination, but Mary Lou asked what was worse, being sent back or being sent out late.
Elimination[]
When both teams came down, Ramsay reminded them that the Charity Night was supposed to have helped show they could lead a course with conviction. Declan announced Amber as the blue team’s nominee, but she disagreed with that and said she would have nominated Cody instead as she felt he was too arrogant. Then, Mary Lou announced Jordan as the red team’s nominee based on the lack of delegation, but the latter argued that she told the red team to bring it to her. Despite that, Ramsay called Amber and Jordan forward, and during their pleas, the former claimed she has worked hard and could take criticism, but Ramsay asked Amber if she was a team player. Amber claimed she was a strong leader, but Ramsay pointed out that there were two strong blue chefs behind her and asked if she led them or if they led her, leading Amber to say that she ran that night. Then, Jordan said she was screwed by her team not listening to her and said she had the fight to continue. In the end, Ramsay eliminated Jordan as she failed to step up as a leader that night but praised her for progressing far since the beginning. During her plea, Jordan said that leaving sucked but was ready to make peace with it as she was a soldier like Ramsay said.
After Jordan left, Ramsay told the final six to step up and look for ways to separate themselves from the competition. While being dismissed, Amber knew she would be the easy target due to her strength and claimed she was in it to win, while Cody felt that Amber was not taking credit for her mistakes. Then, Mary Lou felt the blue team’s morale was low, while she was looking to getting a black jacket.
Ramsay's comment: "Jordan soldiered through many battles in Hell’s Kitchen. But tonight, she lost the war."
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title references to the poolside reward the blue team received, only for it to be rained out on them.