The twelfth episode of Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen aired on January 19, 2023. In that episode, the final seven competed in a series of challenges for a black jacket, and two chefs were eliminated.
Intro[]
At the dorms, Sommer asked Dafne if there were any hard feelings about nominating her. Dafne said she was not upset but secretly believed Sommer would throw anyone under the bus. That led Dafne to believe that she could only trust herself and would have to act like a bitch to move forward. Later that evening, everyone relaxed in the dorms as Dafne wished they had a video message from their families as a boost. Alejandro said he would not want that as he would cry seeing his family. Alex tried to reassure Dafne that she could do it, but the latter left to be alone as she wished to see her family to get through the harsh conditions of the competition.
The following day, the Sous Chefs had the chefs prepare a display for some guests Ramsay invited. Once everything was ready, everyone saw skydivers drop down from the sky and land on the purple carpet they laid out. Dafne called it cool, while Alex had no idea what was happening. Ramsay introduced the chefs to the HK Fliers and revealed that they brought an important message to them. They turned around to show letters that spelt black jackets, exciting everyone as it meant the Black Jackets Challenge had arrived. Cheyenne knew getting one was important and said it was crazy she came that far in the competition, hoping she brought something good to earn one.
Individual challenge 1[]
Before beginning the first challenge, Ramsay explained that only five of the seven chefs would receive a black jacket. Then, Ramsay said that everyone had important people who supported them and asked the chefs to create a dish to honor their loved ones.
The chefs had 45 minutes to create a dish inspired by their loved ones. Tara decided to make ricotta gnocchi with asparagus and brown butter sauce, claiming it was for her husband and her seven-year-old daughter. Tara wanted to show her heart on a plate, while Alex decided to make a butternut squash risotto with scallops. Despite never making the dish before, Alex knew it would be a dish his wife would love. Twenty-two minutes left, Dafne decided to cook for her mentor Mirko Paderno as he taught her how to make pasta. Dafne redid the pasta as she commented on how Paderno molded her into his second of command. In the blue kitchen, Sakari said his dish meant a lot to his mother, especially because he lost his father due to Covid complications and said family meant a lot to him. In the red kitchen, Sommer decided to cook her mother’s curried chicken and cut open the bone for the marrow so she could use it for her gravy. Nine minutes left, Cheyenne was confident that her fettucine dish would be great and said she would get a black jacket no matter what. However, Sous Chef Christina warned Cheyenne to fire it at the last minute as the pasta was thinly made. In the blue kitchen, Alejandro said he was making a mussels dish as it was a meal he ate on his first date with his wife. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
As Sommer went up, she recalled the one she got on her Signature Dish due to not feeling confident in the kitchen. Still, Sommer thought she knew what she was doing and presented her curried chicken drumsticks with bone marrow flavored gravy. Ramsay loved the rustic charm of the dish, and he was amazed that Sommer used the bone marrow on the gravy as it packed a punch. Alex was up next and said he was a duck due to feeling anxious on the inside despite his calm outside. Alex’s sea scallops with butternut squash risotto were praised for the spice component, but Ramsay warned the former not to put too much butter in the risotto as it made it too rich. Alex did not feel well after that as it meant he was at risk of losing a jacket. For the third dish, Cheyenne’s fettuccine pasta with pepper and three cheese cream sauce, which was inspired by her father, was overcooked due to the thin pasta. Then, Alejandro presented his chorizo fennel bacon mussel stew with shawarma marinated prawns. Ramsay loved the broth, and then, Tara presented her lobster and gnocchi with brown butter. Although Ramsay found the dish tasty, he felt Tara needed a sauce to tie it together. Still, Tara said she was doing it for her family and refused to leave without a black jacket. Afterwards, Dafne presented her stuffed chicken and mascarpone pappardelle with fungi and fried sage. Ramsay deemed the dish beautiful with the pasta and chicken combination. The final person up was Sakari, who presented his shellfish lobster broth with butternut squash puree. Ramsay found the puree exceptional, but he had a big concern with the cook of the lobster as it was thirty seconds off from perfection. That disheartened Sakari as it was close to being a great dish.
After tasting the dishes, Ramsay told the seven chefs that he was happy with what they presented him as it confirmed he had the right chefs in front of him. Although it was tough to pick the first chef for a black jacket, Ramsay gave it to Sommer as her dish was exceptional thanks to the bone marrow component. Sommer thanked her mother for helping her get to that point and said she could boast about being the first black jacket chef of the season. Then, Ramsay rewarded another chef with a black jacket, giving it to Dafne as her dish felt real and made sense. After receiving her jacket, Dafne felt she looked great in black and thought she saw all her loved ones before her. Sommer and Dafne were sent back to the dorms and arrived at the Black Jackets Lounge to relax for the day. Dafne felt it was worth the hell she went through, and Sommer was stunned that she had a black jacket on her body.
Individual challenge 2[]
Back downstairs, Ramsay explained to the five remaining chefs what the second challenge was. To test their creativity, Ramsay presented five menus from his flagship restaurants that contained three popular entrées. One chef would pick a menu and pick an entrée to reinterpret Ramsay’s signature dishes. Still, Tara was not thrilled as she called it more stressful than childbirth. Tara got the Savoy Grill menu and decided to cook steak Diane, while Cheyenne got Ramsay’s Kitchen and picked scallops and slab bacon. Alejandro got Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and picked the lobster ravioli, while Sakari got Lucky Cat and chose to cook the grilled miso salmon. Finally, Alex got Petrus and decided to cook the turbot with heirloom carrots, grapefruit fennel slaw, and vadouvan.
The five chefs had forty-five minutes to cook their dishes, and back upstairs, Dafne and Sommer got to see the challenge live. Although Alex had never cooked turbot before, Dafne hoped he would win as she felt he deserved to stay after everything he went through. Alejandro decided to make raviolo with an egg yolk, but he admitted that picking the dish was a ballsy move. In the red kitchen, Tara tried to elevate the steak Diane by making it a steak au poivre and using sauces she knew how to make. Twenty minutes left, Sous Chef Jason was skeptical about Sakari’s decision to confit his salmon, and the latter was nervous going up against four talented chefs. Despite never making the dish before, Sakari pressed forward to try and get out of his comfort zone. Thirteen minutes left, Cheyenne made a pomegranate gastric and felt confident as she made scallops and bacon jam back home. As Dafne and Sommer continued to watch the challenge, the former compared it to the Olympics of cooking and felt stressed. Also, Dafne did not know if Cheyenne or Tara would make it as she wanted the most composed chef to come upstairs. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time as the livestream cut out for Dafne and Sommer.
Tara went up first and presented her pepper-crusted pan-seared filet with glazed asparagus and root carrots with her steak Diane-Au Poivre mixed sauce. Ramsay deemed it a good effort as some areas needed to be refined, but he liked the elevation from New York strip to filet. That made Tara proud of her dish as she believed she was not leaving without a black jacket. Then, Alex presented his turbot with an heirloom carrot vadouvan puree, raw fennel grapefruit salad, and a grapefruit Berblanc. Ramsay found the fennel bland, but the fish was cooked perfectly, and the puree was exceptional. Afterwards, Alex was ready to get his blue jacket off his back. When Cheyenne went up, she presented her scallops with pomegranate gastric and apricot bacon jam. Ramsay found the reduction worked well, but he thought that the orange juice took it a step too far despite having perfectly cooked scallops. Then, Alejandro presented his lobster egg yolk raviolo with black truffles and crumbed salmon skin. Ramsay loved the finesse and the egg yolk refreshing, but his major praise came from the freshness of the truffles and the salmon. So, Ramsay immediately gave Alejandro his black jacket as that was what he was looking for. As Alejandro went upstairs, he recalled how he was inches away from going home the previous night. Now, Alejandro said that getting a black jacket was crazy and was welcomed by the women with open arms. After changing jackets, Alejandro knew his wife would be proud of him making it and told the women about his thoughts regarding the other’s dishes.
Back downstairs, Sakari presented his miso-cured salmon with coconut soy braised sauce and fish crumble. While Ramsay liked the taste of the salmon, he did not like how Sakari covered it in the sauce. That left Sakari regretting his decision to over plating his sauce. After tasting all the dishes, Ramsay decided to give out another black jacket. Alex was named the fourth recipient, as Ramsay found the turbot cooked to perfection. Alex felt he was validated getting a black jacket and that he belonged in Hell’s Kitchen. After making it to the dorms, Alex was thrilled to survive as the group awaited the final black jacket chef.
Individual challenge 3[]
Back downstairs, Ramsay explained that the three remaining chefs’ final challenge was cooking with the most difficult protein. Tara had no idea what they would cook, but she refused to give up now after everything she had gone through. The three chefs had forty-five minutes to cook their dishes, and it was revealed that their protein was pork. Seeing that relieved Cheyenne as she loved working with a pork chop. Sakari felt exhausted, but he was ready to cook for his life to get a black jacket. Back upstairs, both Alex and Dafne hoped that either Sakari or Cheyenne would win a black jacket. Back in the red kitchen, Tara felt her gut in her throat as everything was on the line, while Cheyenne was focused on what to do. Five minutes left, Tara knew she must beat Cheyenne and Sakari but called it stressful. In contrast, Sakari decided to let the food speak for itself. Lastly, Cheyenne did things she felt comfortable and felt safe for the first time in the competition. Eventually, the three had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
After the cooking, Ramsay reminded the trio that only one of them would receive a black jacket while two would be going home. After the three chefs walked up their dishes to Ramsay, the latter called it a difficult decision and asked them to head up to his office. Hearing that order confused Tara as they went upstairs. As the three chefs waited anxiously in the office, Tara refused to leave Hell’s Kitchen without walking out the winner door. Back at the dorms, the black jacket chefs waited for the results before the phone rang. Ramsay asked Sommer to come downstairs alone, making her wonder if she had another challenge to do. Once downstairs, Ramsay asked Sommer to taste the three pork dishes in front of her. However, Ramsay did not tell her who cooked what. The first dish Sommer tasted was Sakari’s single pork chop with brown butter and carrot puree. Sommer liked the sweetness of the sauce as it paired well with the pork. Then, Ramsay gave Sommer Cheyenne’s double pork chop with braised cabbage and sweet potato puree. Sommer found it dry, and afterwards, she tasted Tara’s double pork chop sitting on a bed of kale with bacon, onion ring, and a lemon sauce. Sommer found it visually the best of the three dishes and it had a better cook than Cheyenne’s dish. After tasting the dishes, Sommer voted for Sakari’s dish as the flavors had a better balance.
Back at the office, the three chefs anxiously awaited Ramsay’s return as Cheyenne wondered if the former was bringing everyone down to taste their dishes. In the dining room, Dafne found Sakari’s pork dish undercooked, which she deemed embarrassing. Dafne hoped that Sakari or Cheyenne did not make it. Then, Dafne found Cheyenne’s dish well-balanced and deemed Tara’s dish interesting, unaware of who made what. Dafne voted for Cheyenne’s dish. For Alejandro, he deemed Sakari’s dish undercooked but thought Tara made it. Then, Alejandro thought Cheyenne’s dish was juicy and had a better cook than the first dish, instantly realizing that he was eating the latter’s dish. Lastly, Alejandro found Tara’s dish solid, but he mistook it for Sakari’s. Alejandro voted for one of the dishes, but it was not shown who he voted for. The final chef to judge the dishes was Alex, who deemed Sakari’s sauce too sweet and the pork bland. Alex had no idea who made what as the dishes looked identical, but he liked Cheyenne’s pork chop as it had more seasoning than Sakari’s despite being overcooked. Lastly, Alex found Tara’s dish to have the most well-rounded flavors and voted on the latter.
Elimination[]
After the judging was done, Sous Chef Jason came to Ramsay’s office to bring the three chefs back to the dining room. As the trio walked downstairs, Tara was both excited and nervous about the results, as it was the biggest moment of her life. Ramsay told the trio that he had the black jacket chefs do a blind tasting of their dishes, and they voted for who deserved the final black jacket. Before that, Ramsay announced that two would be going home and said the first one leaving was Sakari. Ramsay explained to Sakari that the black jacket chefs agreed that his pork was undercooked despite loving the flavor. Still, Ramsay told Sakari that having him in the competition was a pleasure. As Sakari left, he received a retrospective montage during his exit interview.
After Sakari left, Tara wanted to beat Cheyenne after all the times the latter called her weak, as she was a badass chef. In contrast, Cheyenne felt she had it as she was unimpressed by Tara’s onion ring. Ramsay announced that the final recipient of the black jacket was Cheyenne, therefore eliminating Tara from the competition. As Cheyenne was excited to get a black jacket after a stressful day, Ramsay told Tara that she was warrior for bouncing back and said she had a bright future. As Tara left, she received a retrospective montage during his exit interview.
After Tara left, the final five got champagne as Alex called it an honor to get a black jacket and promised to push forward. Sommer was grateful to be in the fab five, but she gunned for the Super VIP of the competition by winning the competition. To reward the final five for making it to the black jackets, Ramsay gave each chef two plane tickets to go anywhere courtesy of Allegiant Airlines. Cheyenne said she made it past her short-term goal of being in the final eight and said her new plan was to win, and the final five toasted to their milestone with Ramsay.
Ramsay gave no comment about Sakari and Tara's eliminations. They did not receive the coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title is a direct quote Sommer made when she and the other chefs saw the HK Fliers come down.
- This is the first time since Episode 1613 - Black Jacket Lounge that Ramsay had the black jacket chefs judge the final round.
- This is the first time that none of the challenges in the Black Jacket Challenge contained an pre-existing challenge.
- This marks the third time two chefs were eliminated in the Black Jacket Challenge.
- This marks the first time Ramsay awarded a chef a black jacket before finishing the judging.