The twelfth episode of Season 22 of Hell's Kitchen aired on January 4, 2024. In that episode, the final seven competed for black jackets, and after a satisfying elimination occurred, Ramsay made a shocking announcement between two strong dishes.
Intro[]
While returning to the dorms, Johnathan was angry that Jason threw him under the bus at elimination and told the latter never to bring up his name again. However, Jason told Johnathan that it was a competition and that he should lead by example. That led to them bickering over the scallops again, as Johnathan said he lost respect for Jason still surviving despite being nominated five times. Johnathan went to the bedroom to cool off, but Jason did not understand why the former was angry. Jason claimed that Johnathan’s meltdown meant he was not worthy of being a head chef and tried to talk to him in the bedroom. However, Johnathan did not want to talk as Jason clearly did not get his frustration before storming away.
The following day, the chefs came downstairs, where Ramsay explained how the food delivery service has exploded in recent years. One delivery that was on the rise was drone delivery, as several drones came flying into the dining room. One drone handed Ramsay his package, revealing that the content inside was a black jacket. That excited everyone as that meant it was time for the black jacket phase. Ryan wanted one, while Leigh felt fired up that day as getting a black jacket was an honor a few chefs received.
Individual challenge 1[]
Ramsay explained that the Black Jackets Challenge consisted of three back-to-back challenges, where only five chefs would receive one. The first challenge began as the Sous Chef pulled out a giant craps table in the middle of the dining room, making Carmen remember Las Vegas. Ramsay explained that part one of the challenge would have the chefs roll a 20-sided dice and land on a letter. Afterwards, they must quickly name an ingredient they would all cook with that started with the letter. Ramsay rolled for the protein and landed on H. With that, Ramsay decided to give the chefs halibut.
Johnathan rolled first and landed on an S, choosing spinach. Ryan rolled an M and picked miso, claiming that he loved the flavors of the ingredient in the confessional. Jason rolled a C and picked cauliflower, while Dahmere rolled a B and picked broccoli. When Carmen rolled a T, she struggled to pick an ingredient and picked turnips. However, Sammi was unhappy with that choice as she never cooked with turnips. After Leigh picked prosciutto after landing on P, Sammi rolled a T and picked truffle. That pleased Jason as he had his dish planned in his head.
After Ramsay urged the chefs to show their creativity, he gave them 45 minutes to cook their dishes. Ryan was ready to up the ante and grated his cauliflower for a crust. As Ryan knew creativity was important, he said he wanted to be Ramsay’s next head chef more than anyone else in the kitchen. In the red kitchen, Sammi struggled to figure out what to do with the turnips, but she had other ideas with her dish as she refused to go without a fight. Meanwhile, Johnathan was locked in with the challenge after last night and was ready to prove himself. Johnathan explained his herb-crusted dish to Sous Chef Jason, along with pickling his turnips, and said he was winning a jacket for his family and friends. Three minutes left, Jason asked where his turnips were left, but no one said they moved them. Jason found them, but Johnathan said the former was his own worst enemy with the dumb mistakes he made. Eventually, everyone had their dishes cooked and plated on time.
Dahmere was up first and presented his turnip scaled halibut with a miso butter toasted sesame spinach salad. While Ramsay liked the cook on the fish and the technical factor going on with the scales, the former thought the halibut was under-seasoned. Afterwards, Sammi thought it did not look good for Dahmere. Carmen’s miso-glazed halibut with cauliflower puree, spinach truffle oil, and broccoli turnip truffle relish was smooth, but Ramsay did not get the relish component as he would have liked grated truffle. That made Carmen wonder if she screwed up, as Leigh went up with her miso-glazed halibut with cauliflower truffle Berblanc. The Berblanc was bland, but Ramsay liked the miso flavoring of the dish. Then, Jason’s miso seared halibut with a black truffle crust and lemon and miso Berblanc was deemed nice and plump, making the former feel confident in his chances. However, Ramsay told Jason that the colors were too dark for his liking.
Afterwards, Johnathan presented his spinach in two ways with a herbed truffle-crusted halibut and miso oil Berblanc. Johnathan felt proud of his dish, and Ramsay loved all the components of the dish as it was utter perfection. After Johnathan went back in line, Ramsay decided not to waste any more time and gave the former a black jacket as it was a standout dish. Johnathan knew his family would be proud as Ramsay sent him back to the dorms to spend the rest of the day upstairs, with a surprise waiting for the former. As Johnathan felt he had done something right, he returned to the dorms, where it was set up as a Black Jackets Lounge. Also, Johnathan found a set of Hexclad knives waiting for him.
Back downstairs, Sammi presented her miso beurre glazed halibut with broccoli puree and cauliflower gurbani. It was praised for nailing the fish, and Ramsay liked the cauliflower component. However, Sammi was uneasy about Ramsay’s short review. The final person up was Ryan, with his cauliflower and black truffle-crusted halibut, roasted broccoli, pickled cauliflower, miso Berblanc, and crispy prosciutto. While Ramsay liked the cooking of the fish and the turnips, he found the crust to be damp. Still, Ryan was sure he would get a black jacket. Ultimately, Sammi got the second black jacket, making her feel proud that she went with her gut. Sammi joined Johnathan at the patio, the former believing they deserved it.
Individual challenge 2[]
Back in the dining room, Ramsay pulled out a giant slot machine for the second challenge. Because the grand prize was Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas, Ramsay explained that the slot machine contained an ingredient they would use to cook their dishes. At different time intervals, Ramsay would pull the lever and reveal the next set of ingredients. Ramsay said he would do it five times, and the first pull would reveal the proteins, but Ramsay said the quickest would get the first choice. Dahmere understood the rules and swore to get the first pick of the choices.
After Ramsay pulled the lever the first time, the 45-minute time limit began, and the chefs raced to the slot machine. Dahmere forced his way past Leigh for the sea bass, and Carmen grabbed the scallops from the latter. The only protein left for Leigh was the ribeye, but she was comfortable cooking that protein. Dahmere wanted to continue the fish trend and hoped the following ingredients they got made sense for his sea bass. After some time, Ramsay activated the slot machine to reveal the following ingredients. Everyone raced towards the slot machine as Carmen called themselves a herd of wild animals going after prey. Carmen grabbed Peruvian purple potatoes and immediately had an idea for a purple potato puree, wanting to cook with her Peruvian heart. In the blue kitchen, Ryan was confident he could cook a perfect lobster, but he questioned what to do with the chickpeas. As Ryan pureed the chickpeas, the slot machine went off again for the third round. Ryan grabbed purple Brussels sprouts, and he believed he could get a black jacket.
As Sammi and Johnathan watched the challenge from the dorms, Leigh said she had a lot of adrenaline in her blood as everything was on the line. She decided to go for Mexican flavors as she met her husband in Mexico, and the fourth round of ingredients was revealed soon after. After Carmen came back with white anchovies, Jason brought over quail eggs and decided to make a steak and egg dish. The final round began, and Jason was the last person to get his ingredient, black garlic. Still, Jason said it was his favorite ingredient and felt the gods were on his side. Five minutes left, Sammi saw Leigh slicing her ribeye and accused the latter of hacking it. The five chefs finished cooking and plated their dishes, but Ryan was not happy with his dish and considered it the worst dish he made.
Ryan presented his poached lobster tail with lemongrass, grilled baby fennel, chickpea puree, and Madras salt. Ramsay found the chickpeas dull and said the dish needed acid to balance out the sweetness of the dish. That caused Ryan to scold himself for making a terrible dish, and he was mad that it was at the most important moment of his life. Carmen’s pan-seared scallops with purple potatoes two ways and gremolata with white anchovies were deemed beautiful and had nicely seared scallops, but Ramsay warned her about putting too much puree on the plate. Also, Ramsay thought the dish needed more heat to bring out the Peruvian background Carmen wanted. After her critique, Carmen knew Ramsay was nitpicking at all the minor details, but she was confident she would win a black jacket. Then, Dahmere presented his crispy skin sea bass with a citrus vinaigrette and knew it was the most important piece of fish he had cooked in his career. The dish looked beautiful, and Ramsay liked the sea bass glistening from the cook as Dahmere said he took the former’s suggestions to heart about seasoning the fish. Afterwards, Jason went up with his herb and butter basted New York Striploin with a sunny side up quail egg and black garlic Ju. Ramsay asked why Jason trimmed the quail egg to be small, and the latter said he wanted it to look nice. However, Ramsay said he was concerned about the taste as the steak was unevenly cooked despite the other components working well. Still, Jason thought he had a chance to win a black jacket as everything on his dish made sense. Leigh was the final person up and presented her Mexican spiced rib cap with aloutte creamed corn and a cilantro lime seasoned salad. Ramsay noted that Leigh took the cap off the rib and asked why. Leigh said she wanted to portion the dish out well, but Ramsay said the garnish was more than the meat. While the dish tasted good, Ramsay warned Leigh about not leaving too much meat off the plate. Afterwards, Leigh said she loved the dish but felt irritated that she had not left more meat on the plate.
After tasting the dishes, Ramsay gave Dahmere a black jacket, making the latter speechless as it made everything he went through worth it. Dahmere raced back to the dorms and was greeted by Johnathan and Sammi. Before Ramsay announced the fourth person to receive a black jacket, Leigh prayed she got one as she felt close to it. However, Ramsay gave it to Carmen as her dish was too good for him to critique. Carmen returned to the dorms and felt she had a fire inside herself after busting her butt working multiple jobs and going to school the previous year.
Individual challenge 3[]
Before beginning the final challenge, Ramsay warned the three remaining chefs that it was their last chance to win a black jacket. Jason thought Ramsay was putting him through all three challenges to prove himself, while the latter gave the three complete freedom to make a dish of their choice. Ryan knew it was his last time after messing up the previous times, but he refused to give up. Lastly, Leigh was determined to make it to the top five and refused to leave after everything she went through.
The three chefs had 45 minutes to cook their dishes, and the four black jacket chefs watched it livestream. Carmen noticed that Jason grabbed the lobster and wondered if he was trying to redeem himself from his signature dish. Jason decided to make a coconut Thai curry lobster dish and said his American Dream was to take lessons Ramsay taught him to heart and prove he was teachable. Also, Jason said he grew up on a farm in Minnesota and learned a lot about culture and cuisine after leaving at eighteen. Meanwhile, Ryan made fresh pasta for a tortellini and planned on using only sweet potato as the filling. Despite knowing the risks of making a stuffed pasta without a protein, Ryan was all in and refused to make the same mistakes he did on the previous dish. In the red kitchen, Leigh made mashed peas as her husband was raised in England, and she knew they worked well with lamb. Eight minutes left, Leigh took her lamb out of the oven and sliced into a rack, only to come out undercooked. Seeing that caused Johnathan to feel that Leigh was going home, but the latter put it back in the oven. As the chefs plated, time ran out, and the livestream cut out on the black jacket chefs. Johnathan hoped that Jason would not return to the dorms with a black jacket, but Sammi had a feeling the latter would not.
Leigh went up first and said her plate was the only thing standing between her and a black jacket. Leigh’s Tzar spiced lamb chop with mushy peas and a hot honey-dressed salad had a beautiful cook on the lamb, but Ramsay asked her why she made mushy peas. Leigh said that she and her husband loved peas, and they tasted special when elevated. After returning in line, Leigh felt she expressed herself on the plate multiple times that day. When Jason went up, he knew the first two dishes he made were not the best, but he also knew Ramsay wanted more out of him. Jason’s coconut curry Thai lobster looked better than his signature dish, and the lobster tasted well, but Ramsay felt the sauce needed more seasoning. The final person up was Ryan, who knew his life was on the line with his sweet potato tortellini and sage butter sauce. Ramsay was surprised that Ryan did not cook a protein, but he liked the presentation on how compact the pasta was, and he loved the fragrance of the dish. After his critique, Ryan hoped he did enough to win a black jacket.
Elimination[]
After judging the dishes, Ramsay knew how much getting a black jacket was important to the three chefs in front of him. However, Ramsay announced that the first person not to receive a black jacket was Jason, therefore eliminating the latter. Before leaving, Ramsay told Jason that his determination was admirable, and he pushed him hard every day because he knew he could take it. During his exit interview, Jason did not believe he deserved to go home, but he said he was living in Ramsay’s world.
After Jason left, Ramsay said picking between Leigh and Ryan’s dishes was hard as both were well done. Ultimately, Ramsay announced that Leigh won the final black jacket, making her feel that all the fight she had in Hell’s Kitchen was worth it. However, Leigh felt bad seeing Ryan crushed when he did well in the competition. Ramsay told Ryan that his dish was tremendous, but the bad news was that he would have to put up with him for a bit longer. Ramsay pulled out a sixth black jacket and gave it to Ryan, making the latter go onto his knees in shock. Still, Ryan was happy to get it as it was his destiny. Ramsay admitted he could not decide between two great dishes, and he decided to break his rule for once. Afterwards, Ramsay took the two back to the dorms to surprise the rest.
Back at the dorms, the black jacket waited for the fifth person to walk through as Carmen prayed that Leigh did. Sure enough, Leigh walked through the dorms, making Carmen excited as the former deserved it. However, Johnathan was shocked that Ryan did not make it, only for the latter to burst through the doors with his black jacket. That excited everyone, especially Johnathan, as he wanted to battle with Ryan and prove who was the best out of them. Later, Ramsay and the Sous Chefs came in with champagne, and Dahmere felt honored to be in the black jackets. Ramsay said they made history as the first group of six in ten years to wear a black jacket but warned them that it was time to rise as leaders. Dahmere knew he was fighting for his family’s security and knew it was the push he needed. In contrast, Carmen said she was there for a reason and wearing a black jacket was the push she needed. The episode ended with the black jackets, Ramsay, and the Sous Chefs joining in for a group photo.
Ramsay gave no comment about Jason's elimination. He did not receive the coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers to the drones delivering Ramsay a black jacket.
- This marks the first time since Season 14 that six chefs received black jackets.
- Dahmere becomes the first male chef to receive a black jacket after scoring a one out of five in the Signature Dish Challenge.
- Johnathan becomes the first chef to earn a black jacket while still retaining his Punishment Pass.