The fifteenth episode of Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen aired on FOX on February 9, 2023, airing as a double feature alongside the sixteenth episode. In that episode, the final three made their menus, competed in their final challenge, and the final two was announced.
Intro[]
After returning to the dorms, the final three were treated to champagne as Alex struggled to process everything that had happened earlier. Still, Alex knew his family would be proud of him as he said it was all for them. Alejandro found the journey surreal, but he was proud of himself for getting that far. Then, Dafne said she beat fifteen people to get to the finale and said she only had two men in her way to win. As the final three toasted to their milestone, Alex wished his competitor's luck.
Menu creation[]
Later that evening, Ramsay called the dorms and asked Alex to bring the trio back downstairs. On returning to the dining room, Ramsay explained that their final challenge was to design their own menu. After the final three received menu books, Alex called it a dream. Ramsay explained that each would receive a Sous Chef to help conceptualize their menu, and because there were three finalists, he called in a favor from Season 11's Jon. Ramsay said that although Jon did not win that season, he became an Executive Chef of his corporate team. That led Alejandro to comment that even non-winners could make a career out of Hell's Kitchen. Once the final three opened their books, they found out where they would meet their Sous Chef. Dafne got Ramsay's Office, Alejandro got the patio, and Alex got the dorm kitchen.
The final three split off to their locations as Dafne hoped she got Sous Chef Christina, which she did. Alex met up with Sous Chef Jason in the dorms, and Alejandro met with Jon on the patio. Alejandro was ready to take risks and told Jon his Asian-themed menu ideas. Jon was impressed. In the office, Dafne decided to make an Italian-themed menu as she was comfortable with the cooking and told Sous Chef Christina her ideas. In the dorms, Alex reviewed his Southern-themed menu and discussed his crawfish hush puppies item with Sous Chef Jason. Meanwhile, Jon suggested that Alejandro use a sea bream, and the latter was intrigued despite never cooking it before. Elsewhere, Dafne decided to take Sous Chef Christina's suggestion of making a raviolo, and Alex discussed making a chicken two ways dish. Sous Chef Jason feared it would be boring, but Alex said he would make a Tennessee white sauce to go with the dish. The final three continued to work out their menu items, and after some time, the Sous Chefs left for the night. Alex was excited to cook the following day but planned on sleeping like a brick.
Day off[]
The following day, Sous Chef Jason called the dorms and asked Alex to come down to the patio for a message from Ramsay. Everyone was nervous as Dafne started to get anxious, and Alejandro wondered if it was challenge time. Ramsay told the final three that he wanted the final three to relax for a day of wellness. Ramsay arranged for the final three a stay at a VIP hotel room with a group sound bath, something Alejandro had no idea what it entailed. Lastly, the final three had a VIP dinner reservation at the Castaway, with Ramsay joining them.
The final three drove to their first event and had their group sound bath. Alex was uncomfortable with the idea, but Dafne was okay with it as it was Los Angeles. Alejandro felt something after two minutes, and Dafne compared their guru to a fairy. Alex felt the vibrations go through his body and noticed Alejandro dozed off during the meditation. Still, Alex wondered what kind of voodoo magic the guru did to make him relax.
Later, the final three arrived at Castaway for dinner as Ramsay awaited them. However, Dafne started to tense up seeing Ramsay there. Alex knew something was going on as he recalled several finales where the latter tricked the finalists into going to venues and dropping the Final Menu Challenge onto them by surprise. Ramsay took the final three through the gates, and there was an empty courtyard, confusing Alex. Then, Ramsay led the group to the Beduga Room, and Dafne anticipated the challenge there. However, it was empty as well. Afterwards, Ramsay took them to the Starlight room, but Alex wanted it to end so his anxiety would end as Hell's Kitchen was unpredictable. Again, the room was empty, and Alejandro asked if the bamboozling would end. Ramsay led the final three to where they were eating, and Alex decided to let his guard down and enjoy his meal.
As the final three ate, Ramsay asked Alex how it felt to put himself out without fear of being targeted. Alex said he wanted to show his strengths early on and succeeded through the Signature Dish Challenge, the Dome Challenge, and the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge. Then, Alex said there were a few unforgettable moments, like his argument with Abe and the men enjoying their Palm Springs reward. Then, Alejandro described his experience as amazing, recalling beating Brett in the jousting game, enjoying the silent disco reward, the photoshoot, and winning the Creative Chicken Wing and Black Jackets Challenges. Lastly, Ramsay asked Dafne why she had moments of self-doubt during the completion. Dafne said her parents disproved of her culinary career, but she felt validated after Danny Trejo praised her dish in the Creative Steak Challenge and winning the Entertainment Weekly deal after the Presentation Challenge. Alex questioned how Dafne had self-doubt as she won the second black jacket and the Presentation Challenge. After some time, Ramsay left the final three to enjoy their meal as Alex said he would have never believed that moment six months ago.
Later that evening, the final three returned to Hell's Kitchen as Alex was ready to relax. When they entered the dining room, they were welcomed by a large crowd and the returning chefs. After the final three went to the main stage, Ramsay said this was their final challenge and welcomed the returning chefs back to Hell's Kitchen. When asked about their insights into the competition, Alejandro said he had top ten moments in the competition alone, Dafne called it a roller coaster ride, and Alex said this was a second chance after closing his restaurant. Ramsay told the final three that the stakes were high as the top two chefs of the Final Menu Challenge would be in the final dinner service and gave them one hour to cook their dishes.
Final challenge[]
As the final three went back to the dorms to change, Dafne called it surprising as she did not expect to cook that day. Still, Dafne was confident that her menu was good and was ready to cook. Once the final three went back to their kitchens, they began the challenge. The final three cooked a cold appetizer, a hot appetizer, a chicken entrée, a seafood entrée, and a beef entrée. Dafne felt a lot of pressure as her hour would make or break her career, but she refused to let that stop her. Meanwhile, Alex decided to do a double dredge on his chicken as he called the number of dishes he had to cook daunting. Tara called the challenge intense and felt anyone in the final three could win. On the other side, Alejandro felt nervous cooking in front of a live audience and tried to keep his confidence. Also, Alejandro cooked the sea bream for the first time as it was go time. Twenty minutes left, Alex had his proteins resting on the board and hoped they were enough to win. Elsewhere, Sommer was happy to see Dafne in the final challenge as she had come a long way since the start and hoped the latter killed it. Fifteen minutes left, Dafne felt a lot of things, but she refused to let anything get in her way after bouncing back from many mistakes. Then, Dafne put together her egg yolk raviolo as she planned on winning. Six and a half minutes left, Alex scrapped his initial hush puppies dish as he did not like the batter and did another batch with more batter. After the refire, he was happy. Ninety seconds left, Alejandro knew there were only two spots in the final dinner service and was confident he would earn one of them. Then, Dafne expressed confidence in her dish, and Alex prayed his menu worked. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
To help with the judging, Ramsay said he called up five extraordinary chefs from around the world. Mei Lin came for the cold appetizer round, with Dafne saying she wanted to be a creative unicorn like the former. Dafne's Wagyu beef tartare with uni emulsion and taro root chip had a stunning presentation, and Lin called it a pro move to make a tartare dish. Then, Alex's red snapper crudo with pickled Fresno chilis, puffed quinoa, and tangerine vinaigrette was praised for the acid hit. Afterward, Alejandro presented his Vietnamese-style beef tartare with smoked oyster aioli and rice cracker. Lin did not get the Vietnamese flavor Alejandro went for, but she liked the dish's cracker-smashing portion. Afterwards, Lin gave Dafne 9 points, making the latter wish she had maracas to celebrate. Then, Alex scored a perfect ten, while Alejandro scored 8 points. Alex led 10-9-8, but Alejandro was bummed as he thought his dish was great.
David Myers returned for the hot appetizer round, and Alex knew the former would be a tough judge after recalling the Creative Sliders Challenge. Dafne's huevo raviolo stuffed with ricotta, cacio e pepe, brown butter sauce, and crispy prosciutto had a great presentation, and Myers was thrilled to see the egg yolk run through the plate after cutting into it. In contrast, Alex's prawn fritters with jalapenos, garlic, caviar, and chives were deemed a fancy hush puppy, but Myers did not find the prawn flavor. Alejandro's uni pasta with furikake was decadent, but Myers liked the brulée torching of the uni. Afterwards, Alejandro scored a 9, Dafne scored a perfect 10, and Alex scored an 8. Dafne led 19-18-17. For the chicken entrée round, Stephanie Izard came up, and Alejandro recalled that she was a hard judge to please as he failed to get a point from her in the Dome Challenge. Still, Alejandro felt he had the flavors that time. Alejandro's roasted chicken with seared baby squash and black truffle potato puree was praised for the home-styled attempt, but the former knew anything could happen with the judging. Izard found the dish moist, and the skin was crispy, with special praise for the potatoes. Then, Alex presented his chicken two ways dish with mayonnaise and a honey mustard dredged breast and a buttermilk brined and fried chicken with hot pepper jelly. While Izard found the dredged side to have great seasoning, she found the fried side lost and told Alex he could have gone with one or the other. Lastly, Dafne presented her Italian chicken puttanesca with San Marzano saffron and Calabrian chile sauce. Izard liked the rustic setting of the dish and gave Dafne 9 points. Then, Alejandro scored 9 points while Alex scored 8 points. After that round, Dafne led 28-26-26. With two courses left, Alex did not feel comfortable.
Nancy Silverton came to judge the seafood round, with Dafne calling the former a legend. Alex's Carolina Gold rice congee with miso-cured salmon and kimchi mayonnaise had a sexy presentation, and Silverton said it was delicious. Then, Dafne's potato-crusted halibut with champagne Beurre blanc and caviar had a nice cook, and Silverton thought everything on the plate worked. Lastly, Alejandro's sea bream with Thai green curry and king trumpet mushrooms in brown butter were deemed delicious. Afterwards, Silverton awarded all three of them perfect 10s, giving Dafne the lead at 38-36-36. Still, Alex knew he and Alejandro were still tied, and it would come down to the wire. Ramsay called up Curtis Stone as the final judge for the beef round. Alex knew that Stone was iconic and felt intimidated by the latter judging his dish. Dafne's Wagyu New York steak with salsify puree and Amarone wine jus sauce had a perfect cook, but Stone thought the puree was under-seasoned. Then, Alex's pan-seared New York striploin with farrotto, charred cabbage, and parmesan had an immaculate cook, and Stone liked the earthiness of the mushrooms. Lastly, Alejandro presented his dukkah-crusted American Wagyu steak with Calabrian chile yogurt, fried shallots, and herb salad. Stone found the steak cooked well and deemed it the hero. After the judging, Stone gave Dafne an 8, and Alejandro hoped he would get a 9. However, Stone gave Alejandro a 9, meaning Dafne was the first finalist with 46 points, much to her excitement as her dream was coming true. With Alex as the final person left to have steak judged, he doubted he would get a perfect ten. Still, Stone gave Alex a perfect 10 for his risk of cooking farrow perfectly, giving him 46 points over Alejandro's 45. That meant Alex was the second finalist, and he screamed in excitement as it was the ultimate form of validation. Even though Alejandro was eliminated, Ramsay told the former that he made his family proud for getting far as he could. Alejandro said he would not trade his experience for anything else, as he was proud of getting as far as he could.
Scoring[]
| Alex | Dafne | Alejandro | ||||||
| Round | Score | Total | Round | Score | Total | Round | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 10/10 | 10 | One | 9/10 | 9 | One | 8/10 | 8 |
| Two | 8/10 | 18 | Two | 10/10 | 19 | Two | 9/10 | 17 |
| Three | 8/10 | 26 | Three | 9/10 | 28 | Three | 9/10 | 26 |
| Four | 10/10 | 36 | Four | 10/10 | 38 | Four | 10/10 | 36 |
| Five | 10/10 | 46 | Five | 8/10 | 46 | Five | 9/10 | 45 |
| Results | 46-46-45 | |||||||
Team pick[]
After the challenge, Alejandro joined the returning chefs as Ramsay reintroduced Alex and Dafne to them. Although both tied at 46 points, Ramsay gave Alex the first pick because he scored three perfect tens. Alex picked Alejandro as his first, knowing the latter was a workhorse. Then, Dafne picked Sommer as her first because, despite their differences, she knew the latter would fight for her. Alex picked Brett as his second, while Dafne picked Sakari as her second. Then, Alex picked Cheyenne as his third, pleasing the latter as she was still sore about Dafne throwing her under the bus on her elimination night. Dafne picked Vlad as her third, leaving Tara and Abe as the final choices. Alex called it a tough decision as he knew they were both talented cooks, but he recalled the drama they brought from Tara's bitterness over him using the Punishment Pass on her and the argument he and Abe had. Ultimately, Alex picked Tara as his final chef. While Tara was shocked she was the final pick, she knew she was a hard worker and was happy Alex saw that. Abe joined Dafne's team as the final pick overall and declared he was on team Dafne. Ramsay reminded Alex and Dafne that their final service was the following night, and one of them would be his new Executive Chef at Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace, Atlantic City. The episode ended with Ramsay having the audience give the finalists a round of applause.
Ramsay did not comment on Alejandro's elimination, and he did not receive the portrait burning sequence.
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers to the finale of Season 21: Battle of the Ages. It is shared with the following episode.
- This marks the second time two finalists advanced to final service on identical high scored dishes since Episode 1915 - What Happens in Vegas..., in a tied score.
- This is the first time where the final challenge took place inside Hell's Kitchen.
- This marks the first time two guest judges appeared more than once in a single season.
- This marks the first time a judge gives a 10 to each tasted dish for a course in the three-finalists format.
- The flashbacks that refer to Ramsay tricking the finalists with fake locations were from Episode 1416 - Winner Chosen, Episode 1616 - Leaving It on the Line, and Episode 1815 - A Rollercoaster Ride.
- This marks the first time both finalists survived an Elimination Challenge at one point of their tenure on the show. Dafne survived the Creative Chicken Wing Challenge, and Alex survived the Cook For Your Life Challenge.