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The first episode of Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen aired on September 29, 2022. In this episode, the eighteen new chefs were split by age, one chef made a huge mistake that set their team back in the Signature Dish Challenge, and Ramsay forewarned a huge stake in the first Individual Challenge.

Intro[]

The season begins with the eighteen new chefs driven to Hell's Kitchen in a limousine convoy. They get to know each other and where they work during their ride. Vlad revealed that he worked in several Michelin-star restaurants and said he was here to win. Dafne and Tara believe the women would kill it that year, as girls were always on top of their game. Also, Dafne was happy that Hell's Kitchen was back in California as she grew up in the state and started her career there. Midway into the ride, Alyssa asked how old the contestants were in the smaller limousine. The six started saying how old they were until Zeus revealed he was forty-eight. Still, Zeus claimed he was the youngest of the group as he was a kid at heart.

Meanwhile, Marino got to the restaurant ahead of the chefs and wondered where they were. The first wave arrived shortly after, and Ileana was excited to be there as she had never left home before. The limousine came no later as Billy claimed he was born to compete at Hell's Kitchen. Once the chefs met up, they got champagne, and Alex compared Marino to a tiny figurine he wanted to squeeze. Shockingly, Vlad and Alyssa knew each other before competing, as both came from Chicago. Vlad was unsure if this was good but said he was not there to socialize; he was there to win. Marino introduced Sous Chef Christina as the red kitchen's Sous Chef, star strucking Cheyenne as she hoped it was a battle of the sexes because she wanted her as her Sous Chef. Then, Marino announced Sous Chef Jason as the blue kitchen's Sous Chef, exciting Alex as the latter's Buttermilk and Bourbon was a well-known restaurant in Boston. The Sous Chefs tell the eighteen that every chef could have a bad night, but how they bounced back would be important. After saying that they should not let anything stand in their way, a monster truck drove through the paper sign and smashed into Marino's car. Ramsay came out, exciting everyone as Ileana called it badass.

Ramsay used his monster truck drive as an example of Sous Chef Christina's never letting anything stand in their way. Then, Ramsay pointed to the limousines they rode in and noted that every one of them represented a different era but still got them to Hell's Kitchen. Ramsay said he needed a new head chef running his restaurant but wanted to know if it was a younger chef bursting with energy and new ideas or an older chef with the experience. With that said, Ramsay announced that for the first time, he was dividing the teams into Battle of the Ages, with the blue team comprised of chefs in their forties and the red team comprised of chefs in their twenties. Tara said she was a better chef in her forties than she was twenty years ago and believed the blue team would crush it. Ramsay announced that their first challenge was the annual Signature Dish Challenge and sent the teams to make their dishes in the kitchen. Afterwards, a teaser of that season's moments was shown.

Signature Dish Challenge[]

After the intro, the chefs were shown five minutes into their forty-five-minute time limit. Sakari told Sous Chef Christina his oyster and potato stew, claiming he started from fast food restaurants to fine dining. Although Sakari felt that some people would deem his dish pretentious, he did not care as he wanted to become Ramsay's next head chef. In the blue kitchen, O'Shay used orange soda on his collard greens, something Sous Chef Jason admitted never using in his cooking career. O'Shay said that because he grew up in the inner city, his mother had him cook to stay out of trouble. Thirty minutes left, Zeus began making his sausage for his bangers and mashed dish, something Sous Chef Jason liked to see. Then, Sous Chef Jason saw Mindy make pasta from scratch for her tortellini soup, which he deemed a bold move. Nicole felt sexy cooking in her heels, but Alex noticed that she was cooking with pre-made food and asked why she would do that for a Signature Dish. In the red kitchen, Dafne kneaded the dough for her ravioli and said she worked for Italians despite being Latina. Ileana prepped her butternut squash risotto, claiming it was in her blood and hoping it would impress Ramsay. However, Cheyenne said she would not make risotto for a signature dish as she knew Ramsay would not accept a subpar dish. Ten minutes left, Brett saw that Ileana's rice was raw, and she franticly moved over the place. Ileana freaked out as she should have started it earlier, but Vlad came to help her get something on the plate. In the blue kitchen, Charlene cooked her steak to where she wanted it to be, and in the red kitchen, Sommer made her stewed salmon based on her Jamaican background. However, Sommer decided to add coconut jasmine rice despite never making it before and added sugar to it. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.

Before tasting the dishes, Ramsay announced that the winner of the Battle of the Ages would become his new head chef at the Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesar's Palace, Atlantic City. Sommer felt she would be in her element as Atlantic City was close to New York. Also, Ramsay announced the $250,000 cash prize, and Dafne wanted that money as it would change her family's life. Ramsay explained that he would rank each dish on a scale of 1-5, and the team with the most points won the challenge. Brett and Zeus were up first, but Ramsay noticed a scar on the latter's head when he took off his hat. Zeus revealed that he got bitten by a great white shark years ago, but he managed to sneak out of the hospital and finish service. A stunned Billy asked how Zeus could still be standing while Brett deemed the latter one of the crazy contestants. Zeus revealed his bangers and mash dish, which Ramsay claimed was a staple back home and called it a bold move. Still, Ramsay said they were bang on and gave Zeus four points. Then, Ramsay noticed Brett's pink hair, who said he dyed it with his wife. Brett's roasted rack of lamb with chimichurri sauce was praised for having a spot-on cook and a vibrant sauce, and Ramsay gave him four points. With the score tied at four each, Brett deemed it the best moment of his culinary life and the second-best moment of his life after marrying his wife.

After Alex came up with his dish, he told Ramsay that he started cooking before it became huge in Nashville and opened his own restaurant in 2018. However, he was forced to close it during the Covid-19 Pandemic, which he deemed brutal. Still, Ramsay reminded Alex he was here now and tasted his spice-crusted salmon with Carolina gold rice. Ramsay found the fish cooked beautifully and loved the balance of the starch, therefore awarding Alex a perfect five. That made Alex proud, and he called it wild. For Ileana, she revealed her position as a Sous Chef and presented her butternut squash risotto. However, the plain presentation made Cheyenne fear that Ileana would not score well. The dish looked underwhelming, it had undercooked rice, and it tasted under-seasoned. Ramsay reminded Ileana that he put risotto on his menu because it was a tall order to cook it right, therefore giving her two points. The score was 9-6 for the blue team, and Cheyenne said her first impression of Ileana was not good. When Sakari walked up for the third round, he called Ramsay a legend and was excited to present his dish to the latter. He explained that he did pop-up events for black and brown communities and charged $125 per plate. Sakari's oyster stew with confit cod was heavily praised for being a complex dish, and Ramsay was sad he could only give the former a perfect five. After Sakari danced in the confessional area, Nicole revealed that she had started her culinary internship at the Playboy Mansion. Alejandro wondered what a chef would cook at the mansion but retracted his statement as he did not want to know. Nicole presented her fresh tagliatelle with a fresh burrata sauce. However, Ramsay questioned if the pasta was fresh like Nicole said, forcing her to admit that she used packaged pasta due to the time limit. O'Shay was stunned that Nicole used pre-made food for a dish Ramsay would taste, and the latter asked Nicole what she did for forty-five minutes if she used pre-made pasta. Nicole claimed that she made the sauce but was forced to admit that she used canned tomatoes for it when Ramsay confronted her on a prior observation during the cooking. Not only did the dish look terrible, but it tasted worse than it looked. Ramsay gave Nicole a one but admitted it was a stretch. That left the score 11-10 for the red team.

In the fourth round, Dafne's corn and truffle ravioli received four points, while Charlene's cowboy ribeye also received a four for having an on-point season and a perfect sear. That left the score 15-14 for the red team. On the fifth round, Vlad came with a truffle slicer for his dish. Alyssa called Vlad too cocky for his own liking. Vlad presented his bone in Australian wagyu and parsnip puree, finishing it with white truffle. Vlad said he charged the dish at $225, and Ramsay found the dish cooked perfectly. With everything else working for the dish, Ramsay said he would pay $230 for Vlad's dish and awarded him a perfect five. Vlad told the red team they were welcome that truffle boy scored a perfect five. Tara told Ramsay that she used to work as a fashion designer until a car accident caused her to turn to the kitchen. Also, Tara revealed that the accident caused her to forget most things, and the kitchen was her comfort zone. Tara's fennel-crusted pork tenderloin with potato puree was praised for a perfect cook and for being elevated. Ramsay deemed the dish Tararific and awarded Tara four points. The score was 20-18 for the red team, but Tara said the four points made her day.

In the sixth round, O'Shay revealed he was an Executive Chef at a catering company and presented his crispy skin salmon with parmesan cheese grits and orange soda collard greens. The last component made Ramsay raise an eyebrow, and Alex said he would not try that when he went back home. Although Ramsay liked the salmon and the elements on the plate, he gave O'Shay a three instead five due to the orange soda component. Then, Cheyenne's maple bourbon glazed pork chop with a sweet potato puree was praised for a beautiful flavor, but criticized for having an uneven sear and a bitter aftertaste. So, Cheyenne scored a three, and the red team led 23-21. Abe's blackened sea bass on top of mom's Spanish sea rice was praised for a beautifully cooked salmon but criticized for having bland rice. Abe scored three points and apologized to his mom. Then, Alejandro's brick chicken was cooked beautifully, and Ramsay gave him four points. After Alejandro left feeling good, the red team led 27-24. In the eighth round, Mindy's spinach tortellini soup was praised for having bold flavors despite having an uninteresting presentation, and she scored four points. Afterwards, Mindy felt that she peed a little due to seeing Ramsay in person. Following that, Alyssa's scallops with cauliflower puree were deemed unexceptional due to the puree, and she scored three points. The red team led 30-28, and Vlad told Alyssa to bring her A game.

The final round had Billy and Sommer come up with their dishes. Billy revealed that he quit his job to come on the show and said his nickname was "Be True". Billy's parmesan chicken had a nicely cooked risotto, but it was clumpy and had too much for Ramsay's liking. So, Billy scored a three. Sommer said her nickname was "VIP" due to a comment she made in her first job about a ticket order and presented her stewed salmon with coconut rice. Sommer revealed she added sugar to the rice, but Ramsay felt it tasted more like general admission than VIP. It was too sweet for Ramsay's liking, and he had no choice but to give Sommer's dish a one. With the score tied at thirty-one each, Ramsay called up Alex and Sakari's dishes as they were the best ones from their respective teams. As they went up, Alex felt the pressure as he did not want to lose. After having another look, Ramsay told Alex that his dish had phenomenal precision, while Sakari's dish had the right cook on the cod. However, Ramsay deemed Sakari's dish to have a slight edge and gave the red team the win. Sakari was happy he got the red team the win and said it was a great way to start their Hell's Kitchen journey.

Scoring[]

20-Somethings 40-Somethings
Chef Score Total Chef Score Total
Brett 4/5 4 Zeus 4/5 4
Ileana 2/5 6 Alex 5/5 9
Sakari 5/5 11 Nicole 1/5 10
Dafne 4/5 15 Charlene 4/5 14
Vlad 5/5 20 Tara 4/5 18
Cheyenne 3/5 23 O'Shay 3/5 21
Alejandro 4/5 27 Abe 3/5 24
Alyssa 3/5 30 Mindy 4/5 28
Sommer 1/5 31 Billy 3/5 31
Results 31*-31
* Best dish named by Ramsay broke the tie in the challenge and won it for their team.

Reward[]

The red team was rewarded with a trip aboard a 120-foot yacht with a sunset dinner, and Vlad declared truffle boy was going on a yacht that night. When the red team went by the blue team as they cleaned up, Alejandro reminded them about their bedtime. During their reward, the red team met Ramsay on board the yacht as Dafne was excited to be on board with him. As they toasted to their victory, Ramsay asked them what their first impressions were. Some thought it would be another battle of the sexes, though Brett was not too mad as the men had problems over the first few weeks. Alyssa argued that women had better communication skills. Still, Brett had a hard time just being with Ramsay for dinner. Then, Ramsay told the red team about his culinary journey in France, leaving Ileana stunned to be with him on a yacht. Then, Alyssa called it the best experience of her life as she wanted the red team to win every challenge.

Punishment[]

The blue team was punished by participating in delivery day and cleaning up both kitchens. While being dismissed, Ramsay told Nicole that had she not used pre-made pasta for her dish, the blue team could have won. Nicole felt she let her team down and refused to let that happen again, as she would use the negativity as ammunition. Still, Tara knew the forty-year-olds would do better than the twenty-year-olds as they knew how to run kitchens.

During the punishment, Alex was unhappy they lost the challenge, which affected them mentally. The first truck arrived, and the blue team began unloading the orders. O'Shay called it the worst punishment and felt his entire body ache, while Mindy struggled with the fact they lost the challenge. She adds that she struggled her entire life and put everything she had to get to Hell's Kitchen. Later that evening, another truck arrived, and Billy started feeling the pain in his body. As Billy began to complain, O'Shay thought the former was not taking the punishment seriously, and it began to annoy him. Once the order was received, Tara took over the invoice to see if they got everything. However, it became a struggle to figure out everything when too many voices were speaking.

Individual challenge[]

After the punishment, the blue team retired to the dorms for the evening to sleep. O'Shay blamed Nicole for costing them the challenge, though Billy hoped it was a live-and-learn situation. Throughout the night, Billy's snoring kept Alex awake, who was a self-described creature of comfort and structure.

The following day, both teams changed into jackets and went downstairs to see Ramsay. Once everyone was lined up, Ramsay asked if they had a good night's sleep. Some said yes, but Alex said that Billy's sleeping awoke him. Ramsay reminded the blue team that their punishment was brutal and asked if they did not want to endure another one. They said yes, and Ramsay began to explain how there were two ways to get out of punishments: winning the challenge and using a Punishment Pass. Ramsay said their next challenge would allow someone to earn a Pass, and Cheyenne knew how effective it was. Before Ramsay announced the challenge, a waiter came in and dropped a huge tray of chicken wings. After the waiter left, Billy asked for a wing as he wanted one. Ramsay announced that their next challenge was the Creative Chicken Wing Challenge, and they had forty minutes to make an elevated chicken wing. The best chef from each team would receive a Punishment Pass, and Ramsay urged them to take risks. Before beginning the challenge, Ramsay warned them that the chef with the worst dish would be eliminated. That shocked Tara and Sakari, and the episode ended on a cliffhanger just as Ramsay began the challenge.

Trivia[]

Hell's Kitchen Season 21 Episodes
Let the Battle BeginJust Wingin' ItClawing Your Way to the TopSlipping Down to HellBreakfast 911Til Chef Do Us PartWok This WayGame On!Putting the Carne in CarnivalEveryone's Taco'ing About It21st Annual Blind Taste TestWhat in Hell's Kitchen?The Fab Five Take FlightLights, Camera, Sabotage!A Finale for the Ages, Part 1A Finale for the Ages, Part 2
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