The eighth episode of Season 22 of Hell's Kitchen aired on November 16, 2023. In that episode, both teams communication skills and multi tasking skills were tested, one chef nearly quit out of frustration, Ramsay held private interviews, and four chefs cooked for their lives to stay in the competition.
Intro[]
Back at the dorms, a frazzled Devon thought he was going home that night and knew he worked too hard to let his dream die. As Devon had a breakdown in the dorms, he revealed that he taught himself to cook and was homeless and jobless in his life. However, Devon said that as a queer Canadian Jew black man, he defied the odds and called himself the definition of the American Dream. As the women came upstairs, Leigh comforted Devon and told him he was a good chef.
Team challenge[]
The following morning, both teams came downstairs to see Ramsay explain their next challenge. With so many cultures in America, Ramsay asked the chefs what they thought the top five ethnic cuisines were. Donya answered Spanish-Latino, but Ramsay said it was not on the board, making Sandra ask if they were on a quiz show. Atoye answered Italian, which was number three, Ryan said Chinese, which was number 1, and Leigh said Thai, which was number four. Then, Dahmere said Greek, but it was not on the board. Devon answered Mexican, which was number two, and Carmen said Indian, which was number five.
Both teams had forty-five minutes from the five cultures on the board for their next challenge. The first dish was Chinese prawn fried rice, which Atoye claimed she made every Friday as her family loved it. The second dish was Mexican steak tacos, the third was Italian veal parmesan, the fourth was shrimp Pad Thai, and the fifth was Indian chicken curry. To help the chefs amplify their flavors, Ramsay provided both teams with Hexclad cookware and told them it was up to them how the dishes were cooked. Because the women had an extra person, Ramsay asked them to sit someone out before giving them a quick meeting. Donya told the women she was not strong on any of the dishes and was willing to sit out. The women announced Ramsay about Donya's decision, but Johnathan thought they would regret that decision. Ramsay told Donya that she would stay at the pass and verbally direct her teammates, but while he told everyone that they must stand out as individuals, they must also work as a team.
As the challenge began, everyone picked what they wanted to cook, and Carmen picked the Indian dish as she loved curry. As the women got organized, Johnathan kept the tomato sauce for the veal parmesan simple as he refused to let his Italian family down. At the thirty-five-minute mark, Ramsay called both teams to the front for a quick meeting, making Sandra wonder if someone died. There, Ramsay revealed the challenge's true nature: the Last Chef Standing Challenge. Ramsay asked both teams to have someone leave their respective kitchens and stand on the other side of the pass. Carmen refused to leave the kitchen without a fight, while Johnathan left the blue kitchen before giving Ryan directions on the veal. Atoye left the red kitchen for the women and tried to communicate with Carmen about her fried rice dish. However, Carmen ignored Atoye's suggestion not to over-salt her dish. At the half-hour mark, Ramsay asked the teams to kick someone out again, with Leigh and Dahmere exiting. Jason refused to leave as he wanted to show Ramsay he could multitask and claimed he could make better Pad Thai than most Thai restaurants he ate at. At the twenty-minute mark, both teams were forced to kick someone out again, and Carmen and Jason left. Sammi got confused over which rice was Carmen and Atoye's, while Jason barked orders to Ryan and Devon. Later, Ramsay asked both teams to kick out one more person, and Sammi and Devon left. That left Sandra and Ryan as the final chefs in their respective kitchens. As Sandra wanted to redeem her previous mistakes, Dahmere was impressed with how well Ryan handled all the dishes alone, including his chicken curry dish. Ryan said he wanted to do a butter chicken curry dish and loved doing what he did, while Sandra got different comments from the women and got overwhelmed. Sandra got confused by the conflicting comments she got, while Carmen ignored Atoye's instructions about what rice to use as the latter told the former to use the fried rice for the curry. At the five-minute mark, Ramsay allowed both teams to return to their kitchens and finish their dishes. However, Atoye was unhappy to see that Sandra mixed the wrong rice with her dish and could not salvage it. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
On the steak taco round, Devon's dish was praised for being delicious and having everything Ramsay wanted from a taco, with the latter liking the toasted shells. Then, Leigh's ancho chili espresso-rubbed steak tacos were praised for having perfectly cooked meat, and Ramsay decided to end that round in a tie. Both teams scored one each, and in the second round, Ramsay deemed Johnathan's veal parmesan delicious as he liked the seasoned breadcrumbs. Then, Sandra's veal parmesan had a good cook in the center, so Ramsay decided to give both her and Johnathan a point each. The score remained a tie at two each, and the prawn fried rice round was up next. Atoye's dish had overcooked rice and undercooked shrimp, and Ramsay said he could not taste any seasoning. Ramsay told Atoye that she should have stayed in the kitchen longer than she did, and she agreed with that notion as she blamed her teammates for mixing in the wrong rice for her dish. Although Sammi felt bad for Atoye for having the wrong rice in her dish, she thought the latter was not showing authority. Then, Dahmere's fried rice was praised for beautifully cooked shrimp, and he scored that round. The score became 3-2 for the men, and a disappointed Ramsay told Atoye that he expected better. Atoye felt angry and refused to be quiet again.
In the fourth round, Jason's Pad Thai was praised for having heart in the sauce and a good cook, while Sammi's dish had a better peanut sauce. However, Ramsay gave both a point, and the men led 4-3. On the final round, Carmen's chicken thigh curry had a good texture on the meat thanks to her keeping the meat on the bone, while Ryan's butter chicken curry was fragrant. In the end, Ryan beat Carmen, and the men won the challenge 5-3. Ramsay said that Ryan's dish tasted like it was cooked for two hours, and the latter said it was his wife's favorite dish, which he wanted to honor.
Scoring[]
| Red Team | Blue Team | ||||
| Dish | Score | Total | Dish | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steak Tacos | 1 | 1 | Steak Tacos | 1 | 1 |
| Veal Parmesan | 1 | 2 | Veal Parmesan | 1 | 2 |
| Prawn Fried Rice | 0 | 2 | Prawn Fried Rice | 1 | 3 |
| Shrimp Pad Thai | 1 | 3 | Shrimp Pad Thai | 1 | 4 |
| Chicken Curry | 0 | 3 | Chicken Curry | 1 | 5 |
| Results | 5-3 | ||||
Reward[]
The men were rewarded with a wellness retreat, making Dahmere excited as his body was aching. The retreat included massages and lunch from Crossroads Kitchen. Also, Ramsay said the men would receive Hexclad cookware to take home, much to their glee. As the men returned to the dorms, Ryan was ecstatic that his dish won it for them, and he got to get pampered and not sort trash. As the men saw their kits, Dahmere was blown away by the quality of the pans.
As the men walked to the SUVs, they saw the women sort through trash, and Devon claimed the smell hit them like a right hook from Mike Tyson. During the reward, the men met with Dr. Chad of Repair Sports Institute, who showed them the stations to help them relax. As the men did their self-care, Sous Chef Jason came to join them for lunch. As they ate, Sous Chef Jason reminded the men that they had a chance to become Ramsay's right-hand man in Las Vegas, and Ryan said that was all he wanted from his life. Sous Chef Jason told the men to remain focused, and Johnathan told the former that he appreciated spending time with him.
Punishment[]
The women were punished by participating in trash sorting day, which included building compost boxes. Hearing that made Donya regret not stepping in for her team. Back at the dorms, Atoye bitterly declared that she wanted to go home as the women's communication was not working. Then, Atoye started ranting loud enough for the others to hear her, as the former blamed Carmen for not letting her speak in the challenge. Atoye stormed off to the bedroom angrily and began packing up her bags so she could be with her kids and fiancée. Donya admitted that Atoye had every right to be mad as Carmen spoke over the latter, but Carmen argued that there was no other way to communicate in that challenge. Still, Donya knew they had no teamwork in that challenge and was worried that Atoye would leave. Dahmere went to Atoye and told her not to leave as she had people leaning on her to do well. Dahmere encouraged Atoye not to leave and said he was there for her. Atoye was thankful that Dahmere was around and said that his presence helped her not give up. Atoye returned to the women and said she was not leaving, with Donya encouraging the former that she could do well.
During the punishment, Sandra called it disgusting, while Leigh called it the worst punishment in the show's history. Leigh and Donya struggled to build the compost box, and the former felt embarrassed as she helped her husband with woodworking projects. Donya got frustrated but tried to pull it together despite having compost splash on her after dumping the contents.
Private interviews[]
After both teams completed their reward and punishment, they got ready for what they assumed to be their next service. However, the phone rang, and Ramsay asked Devon to send Atoye to his office. Everyone was startled about that request, and Leigh wondered if Ramsay had learned about Atoye's near quit earlier that day. As Atoye went to Ramsay's office, she wondered what would happen after all the emotions she went through that day. Once there, Ramsay asked Atoye how she was feeling, and the latter said she felt terrible. Ramsay saw Atoye was disappointed after the challenge and told her he loved her determination in the competition. Ramsay told Atoye to start showing some abrasiveness and call out those who wronged her because he wanted to see her in the top ten. Atoye knew she had much to prove to compete in Hell's Kitchen, and refused to give up. Then, Jason was called down, and Ramsay told the former that he stood too proud and showed no emotion in his cooking. Jason said he did not want to scare off his teammates with his attitude, but Ramsay told the former to stop holding back and show his confident voice. Jason realized he would have to be abrasive to win the competition and told the other chefs what was happening.
Following Jason's interview, Ramsay told Leigh that despite her lack of experience entering the competition, she proved to be a fast learner. Leigh said she gave up a stable career in finance to follow her dream, and Ramsay urged her not to stop. Then, Donya was told that she belonged in the competition but should not duck out of threats for long. Ryan was told not to dwell on his small mistakes, and he felt great to hear the words Ramsay told him as it validated everything he did. Then, Ramsay told Carmen to stop doubting her skills on the line and told Devon not to underestimate how worthy he was of being in Hell's Kitchen. Later, Sandra was told to keep her focus up like she had earlier that day. Dahmere was deemed reliable and solid, and Johnathan was asked what the American Dream meant for him. Johnathan said his dream was to make his family proud and was determined to give his daughter a better life. Johnathan showed Ramsay his daughter's toy that he had in his pocket all the time, and the latter urged him to step into the spotlight. Johnathan said it was more about his daughter's American Dream than his own and wanted to put her on his back toward the finish line. Meanwhile, Ramsay told Sammi he wanted her to discipline her team and lead them to victory. After each meeting, Ramsay asked the chefs to rank their teammates from strongest to weakest.
Cook For Your Life Challenge[]
With the meetings over, the chefs came downstairs, where Ramsay made an announcement. After tallying the rankings, Ramsay announced that four of the weakest chefs would participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, and one would go home. For the men, Ramsay announced Devon and Jason would be competing in the challenge, making the latter shocked that his team deemed him the weakest chef. For the women, Ramsay announced Sandra as the first competitor, and Donya was worried her teammates would name her the weakest after sitting out of the previous challenge. However, Ramsay named Atoye the second woman to compete in the challenge. Ramsay gave the four thirty minutes to create a filet mignon dish, and Jason thought the men were putting him in the challenge to watch him slip up and go home. As the safe chefs returned to the dorms, Ramsay urged the four chefs to show him why they deserved to stay. Atoye knew she was fighting for her life but was ready to cook.
As the challenge began, the safe chefs watched a live stream from the dorms and saw Jason sear his meat from the start. Jason had an idea for a pan-seared filet with roasted mashed potatoes, claiming he could cook a steak after eighteen years of work. In the red kitchen, Sandra prepped mushrooms for her filet mignon, but had no idea why she was at the bottom again. Sandra thought she needed a therapist after that day, while Atoye wanted to go simple with a little bit of elevation. As Atoye blended her starches in the blender, she knew Ramsay gave her an opportunity to bounce back. However, the safe chefs were dismayed to see Atoye blend parsnips without any liquid, and Donya hoped she strained her puree. Twelve minutes and thirty-three seconds left, Devon said his biggest issue was trusting himself, but he was ready to prove to everyone he had it. Johnathan saw Devon’s game face and knew it was the latter’s time to bounce back after failing on Steak Night. Five minutes left, the chefs saw Devon put his filet in the convection oven, much to Ryan’s dismay as that was a no-no. Then, Devon sliced the meat six times, which Ryan called a cardinal sin. Eventually, everyone had their dishes plated on time as the live stream ended.
Elimination[]
As Jason went up with his dish, he was confident about his chances as he considered himself a top contender. Jason served his herb and garlic roasted filet mignon with honey mustard braised carrots, and crushed marble potatoes. While Ramsay liked the cooking of the filet, he asked why Jason sliced it. Jason said he wanted it to work for his presentation, but Ramsay said that he risked bleeding out the meat, which ran into the meat. Atoye knew that cutting a filet was meant for the guests only, but Jason argued that he knew what he was doing despite acknowledging the tune ups he could have done. When Atoye went up, she wanted to show Ramsay the love she had in her dish and presented her parsnip and leek mashed, and a habanero and thyme basted filet mignon. The temperature was mid rare to what Atoye wanted, but the parsnip was grainy. Still, Ramsay said the filet was spot on, making Atoye hopeful about her chances. After tasting two dishes, Ramsay named Jason the first safe chef as his dish was the most complete of the two. Jason had no doubts that he would be safe, and said that winning the challenge confirmed he was a strong chef. Once Jason returned to the dorms, he warned the men that he was coming for them.
Sandra was the next to present her dish, but she felt nervous despite having confidence in her dish. Sandra’s filet with wild mushrooms and horseradish had a good cook, but Ramsay did not understand the garnish as it tasted like a ragu. Still, Ramsay said that Sandra’s dish had the edge over Atoye’s and sent the former to safety. While Sandra was relieved to survive, she knew the following day would be different. Devon was the final chef left to present his dish and the latter presented his butter and herb basted filet mignon with chive pomme puree. Ramsay saw the blood flowing from the steak due to Devon slicing it six times, but he did appreciate the red wine flavor of the dish. Afterwards, Devon believed his dish was better than Atoye’s and he deserved to stay. Before making his decision, Ramsay reminded Devon that while his puree was delicious, the filet was overcooked and bland. In the end, Ramsay eliminated Devon and spared Atoye. As Atoye went back to the dorms, she was proud to show she deserved to stay as she was not finished. Meanwhile, Ramsay told Devon that he respected his determination and told him to keep his dreams alive. During his exit interview, Devon felt disappointed and knew that second guessing himself was what doomed him in the end.
Ramsay's comment: "If you're going to work in my kitchen, you better know how to cook a filet. Two words Devon will never hear from me are 'well done.'"
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers to the Cook For Your Life Challenge.
- This marks the first time since Season 18 the Last Chef Standing Challenge was used. It is also the first time that the challenge did not serve as a prelude to the Cook For Your Life Challenge.
- This marks the first time since Season 17 where a male chef was eliminated in the Cook For Your Life Challenge.
- This marks the fourth time a team scored on all available rounds in a team challenge after Season 8's red team (on the Prom Planning Challenge), Season 9's blue team (on the 20 Year Reunion Planning Challenge), and Season 20's blue team (on the Spells Kitchen Challenge).