The first episode of Season 20 of Hell's Kitchen aired on May 31, 2021. In that episode, the eighteen Young Guns got a history lesson about the show's nineteen-season history, learned about the grand prize, cooked their Signature Dishes for Ramsay, and one chef had an anxiety attack after day one.
Intro[]
The season began with a recap of the past nineteen seasons, showcasing moments such as highs, lows, infamous fights, and the past nineteen winners. Then, it shows a teaser of this season's moments as Ramsay invites eighteen young cooks to compete this season to find a protégé out of one of them.
The eighteen Young Guns arrive at Las Vegas on a bus heading to Hell's Kitchen. Josie took a selfie with everyone on their way, and they drove past the real Hell's Kitchen restaurant. Antonio knew somebody on the bus would win, while Payton said it was the first time he visited Las Vegas. Emily was excited to see Ramsay as Josie revealed to have a crush on him since she was ten. Brynn hoped Ramsay liked her personality as she deemed herself funny and cute but also a leader, while Kiya said she was eight when she saw Ariel compete in Season 6. Once it became clear that everyone was young, Steve felt relieved as he feared sleeping next to an older person with a sleep aid. Megan believed young chefs brought more to the table than older chefs, to which Jay agreed. Victoria added a new generation was coming in, and they were taking charge, which was why she came. The bus arrived at Hell's Kitchen, where Marino greeted the chefs. Josie wanted to say Ramsay's opening line for every service. Marino explained that Ramsay created a museum to celebrate the past nineteen seasons in honor of the twentieth season. Giving the tour were Shakala and Sean, who led the chefs into the museum.
As the chefs toured the museum, they saw photos of past contestants, hung jackets, the Hell's Kitchen Wall of Fame, and lines said from the past seasons. Then, they see video clips of moments from the show. The first video contained some of the intros from past seasons, including the boot camp intro from Season 16, Ramsay giving the Season 6 contestants video lessons as they entered, stopping Sous Chef Scott from shaving Danielle's head from Season 10, and disguising himself amongst the Season 4 cast. The second video contained infamous fights such as Joseph's meltdown in Season 6, the fierce argument Kimmie and Robyn had in Season 10, and Jackie dumping the ashtray over Kristin in Season 15. Seeing that concerned Brynn as she has anxiety but was willing to brave through it. The third video contained clips of the times Ramsay eliminated chefs in the middle of service, including Season 7's Nilka, Season 17's Josh, Season 12's Gabriel, and Season 3's Josh. Seeing that video made Jay scared. The last stop was an exhibit of the doors used to reveal the winner of each season. Antonio said he went through a lot to win Hell's Kitchen, such as going through culinary school, working three jobs, and sleeping for 45 minutes. The final video shown was all the winners being revealed in the past, which Megan said it was crazy to see as she grew up watching Hell's Kitchen and knew someday a girl like herself would watch her journey. Sean said the final part of the tour was a documentary film about the show's history, which Brynn wanted to see as it would give them an idea of what was in store. However, the curtain pulled back to reveal an audience waiting for them and Ramsay on a stage behind them. Payton called it unexpected but smiled. As the chefs walked to Ramsay, Ava said she loved photoshoots as she recently competed in a bikini show, even revealing her muscles in the confessionals.
Once on stage, Ramsay explained that the museum was meant to showcase the past, while the eighteen of them were the future. Ramsay added that the desire to become a chef was a dream for many young people, and food has evolved over the years since the show began. So, Ramsay announced that the winner of that season would become his protégé, shocking Matthew as that was a great prize. Also, Ramsay announced that the winner would also become the new Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Alex nearly said he had to get a work visa when he heard Paris but took it back after Ramsay said it was in Las Vegas. The men's Sous Chef was Season 7 runner-up Jason, who had open four restaurants since competing. The women's Sous Chef was Season 10 winner Christina, and Brynn called her a badass as women were becoming more present in the kitchen. Afterwards, Ramsay announced the Signature Dish Challenge and gave the chefs 45 minutes to cook their dishes.
Signature Dish Challenge[]
As the challenge began, Ava said it was happening and was ready. Payton revved up his teammates, while Antonio was confident as he was there to win. Ava revealed that she ran a meal prep business in the red kitchen but planned to use her Ava's Flava Chicken to wow Ramsay. Thirty minutes left, Trenton explained to Sous Chef Jason that he was making a pan-seared trout with lemon with a green tomato jam. Then, Trenton said he surpassed every one of his employers ever since he started as a meat cutter and said he worked to the bone as an Executive Chef. Despite that, Trenton said working as Ramsay's protégé was a dream. Fifteen minutes left, Josie decided to make a vegan dish and felt it could heal Ramsay. Jay made an etouffee in the blue kitchen and called himself a GOAT as everyone else did back home. While Jay thought that every one of his teammates looked shaky, he was confident. In the red kitchen, Morgana revealed that she ran a kitchen despite her age and knew that nobody respected her due to that and for being a woman. Regardless, Morgana felt that her food should matter. Matthew was making cioppino two minutes left, explaining this was the dish he had when he came out to his parents. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
Before the judging, Ramsay said that he invited some Vegas foodies to watch the next generation showcase their dishes. He added that in the past nineteen seasons, he tasted over 300 Signature Dishes. Some, like Mia's grilled pork medallions from Season 18, were great. Others, like Colleen's chicken enchiladas from Season 5, were disgusting. Lastly, there were dishes that could not be explained, like Krupa's stuffed naan bread from Season 9. Each dish was scored on a 1-5 scale, and the team with the most points at the end won.
Steve and Emily were the first chefs to present their dishes to Ramsay. Steve told Ramsay that he was twenty-one years old and worked as a Chef de Partie at a country club. Ramsay said that role was under a Sous Chef and asked Steve where his love of food came from. Steve said that he used to be a picky kid and ate nothing but hot dogs and ramen noodles, but he experienced a lot more thanks to his grandmother. Afterwards, Steve presented his saffron-poached red shrimp with four cheese polenta and stewed tomato broth. Even though Ramsay felt the presentation could have been refined, he liked the sweetness of the broth and called it delicious, which took Steve aback. Steve scored 4 points, and Ramsay asked Emily where her passion came from. Emily explained that she was a dancer for most of her life and struggled with body image and an eating disorder. While feeling bad for Emily, Ramsay pointed out how ironic that Emily was now working with food. Emily said that food saved her after she became a vegetarian and found a new passion in it. Ramsay asked Emily when was the last time she had a cheeseburger, and she admitted to eating chicken nuggets after drinking. Ramsay then jokingly accused her of being a part-time vegetarian, but Emily argued she was still full-time, even if she tasted the protein for reference. Emily presented her gluten-free cauliflower tacos, but Ramsay placed the lime garnish in the middle of the plate to make a smiley face due to the green salsa on the plate. That made everyone laugh, and Emily felt that represented her on a plate. Ramsay gave Steve a taco to taste, and the latter said he was a vegetarian on Thursdays. After tasting it, Ramsay felt the tortilla was too small for his liking, but he deemed it delicious regardless. So, Emily scored a 3, and the men led 4-3.
Matthew and Keanu were up, but the former felt stressed as everyone was sizing him up, and he knew cioppino was a tricky dish to cook in 45 minutes. Matthew told Ramsay that he made food videos and was the one who had his hands hold the ingredients, but Ramsay asked if that meant he was a hand model. However, Matthew said he did show his face a few times and presented his cioppino. While Ramsay found the presentation to be classic, he discovered that Matthew forgot to remove the shrimp's shit sack, much to his dismay. Ramsay asked Matthew why he did not clean it properly, and the latter said he failed to notice it. An insulted Ramsay offered Matthew a bite of the sack, but the latter refused as Keanu reminded him to get the poop out. Payton found it hilarious Matthew served Ramsay literal poop. Ramsay accused Matthew of being drunk while making the dish and gave him two points. Keanu explained she had a tough upbringing in Baltimore, but she fought hard before presenting her Cajun alfredo pasta with scallops, grilled blackened shrimp, and crab. Keanu told Ramsay the inspiration for the dish came because she loved alfredo and spice. While Ramsay liked the seasoning and the cook on the shrimp, he told Keanu to cut down on the serving. Despite that, Keanu scored four points, and the women led 7-6. Emily was happy to have Keanu on the team and believed she would be a great addition.
On the third round, Kiya said that she worked as a bartender and chef for a gun club, owning 67 guns altogether. Ramsay was stunned when Kiya said that, and Brynn did not want to anger the latter after that. Kiya added that she introduced her boyfriend to her gun collection and got him to start shooting. Kiya's applewood smoked salmon on a bed of lettuce and apple slaw looked beautiful, and Ramsay said she was on target with four points. However, Sam's Chilean sea bass with a blood orange Berblanc and risotto with dried porcini mushrooms scored a perfect five for having all the flavors meld well together. With that, the score was tied at 11 each, and Sam called it amazing. Megan hesitantly pulled of her dome on the fourth round to reveal her pomme purée and pan-seared filet. While Ramsay deemed it solid, he found it lacked seasoning and gave Megan three points. When Ramsay asked Kevin about his food dream, he said he did all the cooking for the family as his parents came from El Salvador and his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a construction worker. However, Ramsay reminded Kevin he was making his own footsteps. Kevin presented his ribeye with red wine sauce and potato fondants, but Ramsay was shocked he was served the strips and not a whole ribeye. Kevin said he did not want to give Ramsay an entire ribeye, but the latter reminded him he did not ask before claiming it came from Skid Row. After accusing Kevin of trying to put him on a diet, Ramsay gave him two points as it was disappointing. The score was 14-13 for the women.
On the next round, Josie and Antonio went up with their dishes. Josie told Ramsay that she used to be a chubby kid and went vegan two years ago for her mental health after suffering a terrible week. Regardless, Josie bounced back and presented her herbal tonic noodle soup with shitake mushrooms, lemongrass, and garlic. However, Antonio thought it looked like baby food with noodles on top and said it would not be a dish he would serve to Ramsay. After tasting it, Ramsay asked Josie if the dish was supposed to be hot and gave her a spoon to taste. While Josie claimed to like it, Ramsay found the sauce hot and underwhelming and gave her two points. Then, Antonio's blue cheese smothered pork chop was praised for having a beautiful caramelization, and he scored four points. The score was 17-16 for the men, and Antonio gave a wink to his parents. In the sixth round, Brynn's chimichurri marinated flank steak scored three points instead of four due to improper seasoning, much to her disappointment. Trenton told Ramsay that he was from Arkansas, and this was the first time he was outside his hometown before presenting his pan-seared trout with brown butter hollandaise and green tomato jam. Ramsay deemed it delicious and gave Trenton four points, making it 21-19 for the men. Payton's pork chop with parsnip mashed was criticized for having a lumpy mashed on the seventh round despite having a rustic presentation. Payton felt like a dog getting hit by the owner's newspaper after pooping on the floor, and he scored a two. In contrast, Victoria's pan-seared chicken thigh and vegetable risotto was deemed delicious, and she scored four points, making it a 23 point tie.
Ava told Ramsay she came from Alaska on the eighth round, making her the first Alaskan-born contestant in the show's history. However, Ava's Flava Chicken had undercooked rice and bland broccoli, which Ramsay noted as she called it Flava Chicken. Ava scored two points as a result. For Alex, his pan-seared duck with a soy whiskey reduction and sautéed bok choy was overcooked due to him slicing the duck too thin despite having great flavors. Alex scores three points, and it was 26-25 for the men. Alex felt he overthought on his dish and felt he let the men down. The final round had Morgana and Jay walk up their dishes, and the latter felt his heart was beating as he was the last chance the men had to win. Jay presented his crawfish etouffee, but Ramsay was shocked somebody made a dish like that in 45 minutes. Antonio did not understand that either, but Jay was hopeful about his chances. While the dish was praised for a nice color, Ramsay found the spice and flour raw and gave Jay two points. Matthew deemed it a rookie mistake as a dark roux took forever to make. When Ramsay asked Morgana what her age was, she said twenty-one, taking him aback because of her babyface. Morgana said she accidentally started her cooking career at sixteen when she became a line cook at a restaurant, but she rose to the challenge and did a lot in her career. Morgana presented her pan-seared duck with Brussel sprouts and prosciutto, which Ramsay said had a beautiful presentation. After tasting it, Ramsay returned Morgana her dish without saying a word, and Megan was anxious over his decision. In the end, Ramsay gave Morgana a perfect five, and the women won 30-28. While Antonio was upset the men lost by a two-point margin, Morgana called Ramsay her idol as he deemed her dish the best of the night.
Scoring[]
Red Team | Blue Team | ||||
Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emily | 3/5 | 3 | Steve | 4/5 | 4 |
Keanu | 4/5 | 7 | Matthew | 2/5 | 6 |
Kiya | 4/5 | 11 | Sam | 5/5 | 11 |
Megan | 3/5 | 14 | Kevin | 2/5 | 13 |
Josie | 2/5 | 16 | Antonio | 4/5 | 17 |
Brynn | 3/5 | 19 | Trenton | 4/5 | 21 |
Victoria | 4/5 | 23 | Payton | 2/5 | 23 |
Ava | 2/5 | 25 | Alex | 3/5 | 26 |
Morgana | 5/5 | 30 | Jay | 2/5 | 28 |
Results | 30-28 |
Reward[]
The women were rewarded with dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak 2.0 and had three previous winners joining them: Season 17's Michelle, Season 18's Ariel, and Sous Chef Christina. After hearing that reward, Victoria was happy strong women were out there in the culinary world. As both teams went to the dorms, they took in the décor of the rooms. During the reward, Emily took in the restaurant's décor as the women met with Michelle and Ariel, excited that they got to talk with the three women. Josie asked Ariel if it was worth taking risks in challenges, and the latter said she stayed very safe in Season 6 but lost as a result. Michelle told them to take the chance when the time came, and Sous Chef Christina asked them if they sized up the men. However, Josie was not worried about the men, making Victoria laugh.
As the women ate dinner, Ramsay came in to join them and asked the previous winners how weird it felt to be on the other side. Ariel was stunned at how young the women were and was impressed that they figured out they wanted to be chefs at their age. Ramsay told the women to push on through and own any mistakes they make before congratulating them for their girl power.
Punishment[]
The men were punished by taking in deliveries for ingredients to make stock. After some time in the dorms, Sous Chef Jason pulled the men downstairs for their punishment. Trenton said that it sucked that they could not meet with the winners. As the women walked by for their reward, Alex disregarded their attitude as they had no idea what the men were capable of.
As the men prepped the stock, Antonio was not happy as he scored four points along with most of his teammates. Still, Steve felt they were getting the hang of everything in the kitchen while building a team dynamic. At the same time Steve hoped this was their last punishment.
Late Night Training[]
Later that evening, both teams changed into their jackets and headed downstairs for training under the Sous Chefs. With the menus at hand, the Sous Chefs went over each item one at a time, but their instructions made Brynn nervous. After the lesson was over, the women regrouped at the patio to review their notes. However, Brynn did not feel confident after having all the information shoved at her and left the group due to an anxiety attack. Kiya told Brynn to take deep breaths and drink cold water, but she was worried that the latter might leave. Brynn tried to calm herself down as she knew she did well on the Signature Dish Challenge, but her self-doubt started to creep up on her. Emily came to check on Brynn as the latter said she always placed a lot of pressure on herself to do well. Emily reassured Brynn that everybody has those moments, and it was good for her to get it all out now so she could kill it tomorrow. Brynn showed Emily a picture of her as a baby, explaining that she was adopted from Cambodia and was grateful for her foster parents giving her a better life. Brynn calmed down, and she knew the women cared about her and decided to keep on going like her father wanted her to.
Individual challenge[]
The following day, both teams came downstairs to see a mixologist table next to Ramsay. He was glad that all of them were at least twenty-one years old because Las Vegas treated mixology as an art form. Ava said that she respected mixologists and alcohol but also did not want to intake the calories. Ramsay said that the bartenders next to him could blend in different ways like chefs, but while he tried to praise them, two of them broke glasses. Ramsay was not impressed by that because he was trying to praise them, but the mixologists revealed that they were the Water on Mars jugulars. As the trio did their routine in shorts, Josie called it the best day of her life, while Kevin called it intense as he could barely juggle. Once their routine was over, Ramsay explained that in honor of Water on Mars' juggling act, the chefs were to create dishes using alcohol as the main ingredient, introducing the Alcohol Challenge. The winner of that challenge won the Punishment Pass. Ramsay explained it allowed the wielder to join the winning team on the reward while also forcing somebody from the winning team to do the punishment in their place rather than themselves. However, Ramsay reminded them it was a competition, and he was examining what they did before announcing the person with the worst dish would be eliminated. The news took Brynn aback as she hoped Ramsay was lying, and the episode ended on a cliffhanger.
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers to the Young chefs of this season coming into Hell's Kitchen.
- This marks the first time since Season 16 where everyone was allowed to cook the Signature Dishes they planned on making. It is also the second time since Season 18 where nobody scored lower than a two.
- This marks the first time since Season 16 where a live audience watched the Signature Dish Challenge.