The second episode of Season 20 of Hell's Kitchen aired on June 7, 2021. In that episode, alcohol was the main ingredient, Ramsay cut the fat early by sending somebody home in the challenge, contraband was used during the milestone 300th dinner service, and Ramsay decided he could no longer put up with a certain chef.
Individual challenge[]
Continuing from the previous episode, Ramsay had both teams go back into their respective kitchens and gather around a dome their Sous Chefs had their hands on. Once everyone was there, Ramsay began the Alcohol Challenge and gave everyone 45 minutes. The domes contained one protein for each chef to choose and to cook with their alcohol. As the challenge began, Sam knew how technical the balance of alcohol must be for the dishes and shared his pineapple with Antonio. Brynn was not confident in the red kitchen as she only drank alcohol instead of cooking with it, but decided to use the sea bass with tequila after deciding on a Mexican theme. With twenty-nine minutes left, Sam poured his alcohol into his pineapple pan for a flambé but after failing to get one, Payton showed Sam the proper way of flambéing it. Jay was making a blackened salmon with a citrus tequila succotash and said he had a lot of experience cooking with alcohol. However, Jay admitted that he could not remember his twenty-third birthday due to being black-out drunk. In the red kitchen, Emily tried not to be brought down by the other chefs due to her vegetarianism. In the blue kitchen, Matthew was making a bourbon-rubbed chicken with a cream sauce. Matthew knew he had to bounce back after the Signature Dish Challenge but felt he bounced back and shined. With twenty minutes left, Ava asked Megan and Morgana for some space on her station as she wanted to impress Ramsay after getting a two on her signature dish. Ava said that Alaskans were well known for their salmon but would be shamed if she screwed up. However, Ava's bourbon pineapple reduction burned when she poured the alcohol in, and it smoked up her pan. Turning her element down, Ava hoped her salmon would cook all the way through. Eight minutes left, Steve was making a jerked spiced pork chop as it was a well-received special he made a year and a half ago and felt confident that he could win. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
Before judging the dishes, Ramsay gave both teams five minutes to taste all their dishes and come up with a Top 3 that he would judge. As both teams tasted their dishes, Steve sold his pork chop dish to the men, and Kevin favored using the former's dish as it was cooked perfectly. The rest of the men agreed with Kevin's claim. Meanwhile, the women were not in favor of using Ava's dish as it was undercooked, and Brynn felt the former's dish was the worst of the group. Matthew's dish was well-received by Jay as he thought it was executed well, while the women had their Top 3 finalized. Near the end of the countdown, Antonio wanted to use his ceviche, but even though Steve felt it was nearly inedible, the former forcibly wanted it on the Top 3. Despite Sam's uncertainty about using Antonio's dish, it made it into the men's Top 3 as time ran out.
Ramsay asked Sam who the first person from the Top 3 was with both teams having made their decisions. Sam said Antonio, and the latter presented his shrimp ceviche in a caramelized tequila and brown sugar pineapple. While Ramsay liked the presentation, he took multiple chunks of shrimp off the plate and was not impressed the men put it in the Top 3. Trenton died inside as he felt his dish should have been chosen. The only component Ramsay could praise was the avocado as he could not taste the tequila, and the ceviche looked like it was chewed up and spat out. The second person from the Top 3 was Steve, who presented his jerked spiced pork chop with a callaloo base and a rum pineapple chutney. Ramsay deemed the presentation beautiful and saw that the pork was cooked beautifully as well. Ramsay found it delicious. Lastly, Matthew was called up as the final person in the Top 3, but Ramsay hoped he would bounce back after serving a shrimp with the poop sack. Matthew presented his bourbon-glazed airline chicken breast, but while it was praised for having a rustic presentation, Ramsay saw something after cutting through. The rest of the men were called up, and it turned out that Matthew's chicken was raw, angering Ramsay as that made it into the Top 3. Jay was dismayed as the men missed that and feared that it would make them look bad. Payton tripped as the men returned to their station, causing Ramsay to ask if he was drinking. Without any question, Ramsay deemed Steve's pork chop dish the best of the men as the other two were a disgrace. That put Steve in the running for the Punishment Pass.
For the women, Victoria went up first and presented her pineapple rum shrimp. Ramsay found the shrimp to be spotless, indirectly making an apparent jab against Matthew and liked the dish's cook. Then, Megan's whisky-glazed filet was praised for mixing the whisky into the carrots. Lastly, Brynn's tequila pan-seared sea bass was praised for having the alcohol coming through the dish, and Ramsay deemed her decision not to butter baste the sea bass when she had in the pan an intelligent move when she already had olive oil. Ramsay felt that the women had the better Top 3 representatives compared to the men. Before Ramsay made his decision, Megan hoped she was the best as she refused to do any of the disgusting punishments, but Brynn edged out.
With the decision between Steve and Brynn, Ramsay decided to award the former the Punishment Pass. That made Steve happy as he knew it would come in handy. However, Ramsay decided to give Brynn a second Punishment Pass as her dish was great as well.
Elimination[]
Afterwards, Ramsay gave Brynn and Steve the power to name the worst three dishes from their respective teams. That news made Brynn's heart sink as she bonded with her teammates and found it a difficult decision. Despite that, Brynn named Ava as the first chef with the worst dish on the women. Ava's bourbon-marinated grilled pineapple with soy Worcestershire salmon was criticized for a knackered-looking pineapple and having raw salmon. Ramsay reminded Ava of the irony of her raw salmon as he knew Alaska was well known for salmon. Ava was disappointed because she served raw salmon. Keanu was named the second woman with the worst dish, and Ramsay was surprised because she came in strong with her signature dish. Keanu presented her grilled pork chop with crispy sweet potatoes and bourbon sauce, but it was dry due to the lack of fat. After her review, Keanu got upset because she did not want to go home and refused to stop fighting. The final woman with the worst dish was Emily, who was upset with Brynn's decision after their heart-to-heart talk the previous night. Emily's Asian-styled fried chicken with vodka sauce looked dark, and the slaw tasted bland. For the men, Steve knew it would not be fun because Ramsay already tore apart Antonio and Matthew's dishes, and he did not think some of his teammate's dishes were up to par. Steve picked Matthew's raw chicken as his first, Antonio's chewed-up ceviche as his second, and Alex's dish as his final. Alex was the only one from the men that had to go and presented his pan-seared New York striploin with honey-glazed carrots and scotched eggplant. Even though Ramsay felt it was far from great, it was not terrible either.
After the Bottom Three from each team were named, Ramsay reminded them one would be eliminated. Then, Ramsay called down Ava and Matthew as nominees as they had the worst dishes of the challenge. Jay knew raw chicken was hard to bounce back from and wondered if Ramsay would spare Matthew. During their pleas, Ramsay accused Matthew of being a spent horse, but the latter felt he was trying to keep up with the fast pace of the kitchen and felt rushed. However, Ramsay reminded Matthew he had 45 minutes to cook his dish. Despite that, Matthew wanted another chance to convince Ramsay he could do better. Then, Ava felt she had excellent time management and leadership skills that could be brought to managing a restaurant. Still, Ava thought she focused too much on the flavors and not on the meat. After a tough decision, Ramsay sent Matthew back in line and ordered him to wake up. Then, Ramsay eliminated Ava for serving raw salmon. Ava knew she had high expectations during her exit interview but knew she failed on the first two challenges. However, Ava thought Matthew should have been eliminated instead for serving raw chicken.
Ramsay gave no comment on Ava's elimination, and she did not receive the coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.
Before service[]
After Ava left, Ramsay congratulated Brynn and Steve for their win and sent the chefs back to the dorms. Matthew knew he had to keep trying and push forward. Antonio apologized to the men for serving Ramsay his ceviche, but Sam felt the former oversold it. Trenton got annoyed by Antonio's constant apologizes. Still, Antonio said the men had to bounce back, which Sam mocked in the confessionals.
Later that day, both teams came back into the kitchen where Sous Chef Jason gave them Henkel Knives as a gift from Ramsay, even saying that he still uses his kit from Season 7. Emily was excited as Henkel Knives were more expensive than her rent and compared it to Cinderella getting her glass slipper. As both teams began preparing for opening night, Matthew and Payton discussed the plan for meat as the former refused to give up. After Antonio told the men to bounce back, Ramsay checked on both teams. Then, Ramsay asked Marino to open Hell's Kitchen for the three hundredth time.
Dinner service[]
For the 300th dinner service, a shrimp flambé appetizer was served tableside by Alex and Brynn. Also, the chef's tables were booked as Kurt Busch, and his friends ate in the red kitchen, and Mike Tyson and his family ate in the blue kitchen. Seeing Tyson enter the blue kitchen amazed Kevin as he announced the former like a boxing referee. After Ramsay called out the first order of appetizers, Jay told Sam to fire the salmon, claiming it was his favorite fish. Then, Jay said that the men should have used his salmon dish in the Alcohol Challenge and wanted to prove his teammates. As Antonio and Kevin prepared their appetizers, Jay walked up the salmon. However, Ramsay and Sous Chef Jason were astonished as they were nowhere close to entrées. To add insult to injury, the salmon was raw. Ramsay asked Sam and Jay for an explanation, but Trenton knew the latter should not fire entrées until it was time. Ramsay offered to fire the table himself and get the team together, but Antonio and Kevin got their appetizers accepted. In the red kitchen, Victoria and Morgana worked on their appetizers alongside Kiya and Josie. However, Kiya was unsure of Josie as the latter was vegan and wondered how she could serve scallops if she could not taste them. As Josie got her scallops started, Ramsay came in and gave her and Kiya a short demo on how scallops should be cooked. Josie got infatuated by Ramsay's presence and claimed she could smell his cologne, but Kiya got her focused again. Despite that, Josie got her scallops accepted.
Thirty minutes into service, both teams were pushing out appetizers at a solid pace. Ramsay began entrées in both kitchens, and Matthew knew it was his last chance to see if he could fit in Ramsay's kitchen. Matthew walked up the lamb, but Ramsay took it to the end of the line and had everyone feel it. Matthew said it was rare but immediately corrected himself by saying it was raw. However, Ramsay was unamused because Matthew was smiling about it, especially as it was in front of Mike Tyson and ordered the men to get it together. Feeling that Matthew was dragging the men down, Payton took command of the meat. In the red kitchen, Ramsay looked to Megan and Emily for their first entrée. However, Emily's constant questions about meat made Megan nervous, while Kiya hoped that the former and Josie's lifestyle did not affect the women down the line. After some hesitation, Emily sent up the proteins, and Ramsay accepted them. As the red diners enjoy their entrées, the blue diners were waiting on the men for their entrées.
Steve asked Payton for a time on the refire, but the latter gave no response. That frustrated Steve as he wanted the men to communicate with him. Despite that, the refire was accepted. The VIP order was up on their next order, and Ramsay warned the men not to mess up. The men began to communicate as Payton needed seven minutes for his chicken, while Sam needed four minutes on his salmon. Antonio wanted the men to bounce back as he kept talking with Payton on timings, but the latter incorrectly thought they were cooking one chicken instead of two for the VIP. When Ramsay saw the raw chicken in Payton's hand, the latter was forced to admit his forgetfulness, much to the former's dismay. Ramsay could not believe that Matthew and Payton could forget the order and had them apologize to Tyson, much to Payton's embarrassment. In the red kitchen, the women served a flurry of entrées with no mistakes, and Keanu called it amazing.
An hour and a half into dinner service, the blue diners were growing impatient as some had their appetizers an hour ago. In a desperate attempt to see that the chicken was correct, Matthew used a digital thermometer to check the cook, much to Trenton's disbelief. When Ramsay asked the men for a time on the order, chaos emerged as Payton and Antonio gave out two different timings. Frustrated by that, Ramsay brought the men down to the front of the pass for an explanation. Matthew claimed that they were going too fast, but Ramsay ordered the men to call out the order multiple times. Then, Ramsay forced them into the pantry for a meeting, and Steve knew the former was giving them a chance to bounce back. Antonio told Matthew not to use pacing as an excuse and told the men to communicate and focus. Even though Payton acknowledged Antonio's leadership, he did not want to give the latter respect after getting chewed out. Matthew reminded his team that there was meat in the oven and they returned to the kitchen. Payton told Ramsay that it would take six minutes for the six-top table. But, when Ramsay asked about the VIP table, nobody had an idea of timings or what was going on. A fed-up Ramsay brought the men back into the pantry. Ramsay told the men Tyson became a world heavyweight champion at the age of twenty. After telling Megan to go away when she briefly entered the pantry, Ramsay accused the men of stopping and going all night. So, Ramsay kicked the men out of service and ordered them to name two people for elimination. The women completed their perfect service in the red kitchen, and Emily was proud and relieved that they did it.
Post-mortem[]
Back at the dorms, Antonio wanted everyone on the same page and claimed that he was trying to help. Sam admitted the fish was a mess from the start but felt he got it down afterwards. Jay agreed with Sam as the fish station had a system down, so Antonio considered nominating the meat station, Payton and Matthew. Payton knew he lost it when things went south, but Matthew said things were a mess before then. However, Payton accused Matthew of not communicating with him all night and thought he was mentally checked out. Still, Matthew did not think he should carry the blame by himself. In the end, the men agreed with Payton and Matthew as their nominees as both were ready to plead their cases.
Elimination[]
When the men came downstairs, Ramsay accused them of disappearing with no fight, momentum, or fight back. Then, Ramsay showed the men Matthew's meat thermometer he left behind in the kitchen and was shocked they still could not produce cooked proteins even with that. Antonio named Matthew as the men's first nominee and Payton as the second. However, Ramsay felt that two were not enough and called Jay down with the two nominees. During their pleas, Ramsay did not feel Payton's hunger, but the latter argued he had more drive and passion for bouncing back in the following service. Then, Ramsay reminded Jay about the early raw salmon, but he felt he could bounce back, especially after the salmon incident. Lastly, Ramsay reminded Matthew about his uncleaned shrimp in the Signature Dish Challenge, his raw chicken in the Alcohol Challenge, and raw lamb at dinner service. Feeling that Matthew's attitude sucked, Ramsay did not bother hearing his plea and eliminated him for being the worst performer out of all the Young Guns so far. Before leaving, Ramsay told Matthew to get it together if he wanted to stay in the culinary industry and gave back his thermometer, telling him to use it correctly the next time he cooked a protein. During his exit interview, Matthew thought he would have stayed longer and claimed that he could cook food before feeling he never got the chance to show Ramsay who he truly was.
After Matthew left, Ramsay reminded the men that they hosted Mike Tyson and that all champions had determination and bounce back. While being dismissed, Payton knew he had to step it up and pull it together for a 150%, while Jay was relieved to be safe as he was not ready to go back home and wanted to prove to Ramsay he was his next protégé. Then, Josie thought the women were all badasses and was not worried about the men any longer.
Ramsay's comment: "Matthew may be considered a chef on the internet, but unfortunately, I had to taste his food. And that's why I had to block him from the competition."
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers Matthew using a meat thermometer during dinner service to check the temperatures of his meat.
- The 300th dinner service occurred in this episode.
- This marks the first time Ramsay gave out two Punishment Passes.