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The fifteenth episode of Season 22 of Hell's Kitchen aired on FOX on January 25, 2024 as a double feature alongside the sixteenth episode. In that episode, the final three competed in their final challenge, and two of them made it to the final dinner service.

Intro[]

While returning to the dorms, Johnathan was overwhelmed with emotions while Ryan was stunned he was in the final three. In contrast, Sammi admitted how nervous she was over not being in the final three, but she was happy and proud of herself for making it. As Johnathan said they all deserved to be in the final three, he was determined to get his hands on the door with his daughter on his back.

Menu creation[]

Sometime later, Ramsay called the dorms and told Johnathan to bring everyone downstairs. Sammi had no idea what could happen, but Ramsay told the three that they must create a menu for their final challenge. To help conceptualize their menus, Ramsay was giving them the Sous Chefs to help them. But with a final three over two Sous Chefs, Ramsay said he called in Season 11’s Jon Scallion as the third chef. Ramsay asked one chef to press a button to reveal where they were meeting their Sous Chefs, and Ryan pressed first. Ryan got the patio, Sammi got Ramsay’s office, and Johnathan immediately got the dorms.

Ryan met with Jon, happy he got to work with the former, as he considered it a blank canvas to work with someone he just met. Sammi got to the office and met with Sous Chef Christina, both of whom were happy they had partnered up. Meanwhile, Johnathan met with Sous Chef Jason and was thrilled to work with someone he considered a menu. Johnathan said he wanted a poke bowl on the menu as it reminded him of his mother, and he said he was thinking of his family for the dishes. On the patio, Ryan explained that one dish he wanted to put on the menu was a chicken Vol-au-vent, as it was the first dish his father taught him how to cook. As Ryan visualized his menu, Jon noticed the heart he had on it. In the office, Sammi said she wanted to make a Californian French-Asian-inspired menu and felt doing fusion dishes were impactful for her. Back at the patio, Ryan continued to collaborate with Jon, who noticed that he just wrote royal on the top of the sheet. Ryan appreciated that as, in Ireland, his name means “little king”.

Back at Ramsay’s office, Sammi told Sous Chef Christina about her father’s health after his stroke and said she wanted to do it for him. Sammi knew her father would be proud to see her in the final three, but she knew it would be better for him to see her win. Back at the dorms, Johnathan said he wanted to make glazed carrots and knew Sous Chef Jason would not let him play it safe as he wanted to win.

Day off[]

The following day, Ramsay sent the final three to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for inspiration. When the three entered the Coliseum, Ramsay spoke with them through the jumbotron. Ramsay told them how the Coliseum hosted several Olympics throughout the years and how countless athletes made their American Dreams come true on the fields before them. Carl Lewis came out to meet the final three, making Johnathan speechless over seeing a legend like the former. Lewis explained how he dreamed about joining the Olympics, and he went through a lot to get there. That made Sammi more determined to get to her further in her career, and Lewis surprised them with a helicopter tour over Los Angeles.

As the final three went on the helicopter, Johnathan called the view breathtaking, while Sammi felt how crazy the journey had been for her. On top of the US Bank building, Ryan was excited about what would happen next. Their first stop was new clothes at the US Boutique, and Johnathan felt like a million bucks over his new clothes. Their second stop was at the 71 Above with Ramsay, exciting Sammi as she finally got another meal with the former. Johnathan revealed that he never had someone other than his daughter to be with, but Ramsay suggested that he should never give up on finding someone special to be with. Then, Sammi explained that she was never academically brilliant and rebellious as a teenager, which ironically led her to her first restaurant job. When Ramsay asked Sammi about her experience in the competition, she admitted she had never been pushed that much, which she called amazing. Ryan said his progress was validating due to his lack of confidence, and he never cooked for his father due to that. Ramsay told Ryan to cook a meal for his father when the competition was over, and the latter promised to hold his head high. The final three and Ramsay toasted to their milestone.

When the group got back to Hell’s Kitchen, they saw the front hallway under construction as Ramsay wanted to get things ready for the final service. Ramsay took the final three to another pathway, leading them to a room of the props used in the season. That caused Johnathan to recall all the little things they went through, from the trio of celebrities that told the chefs their accomplished American Dreams on day one to how Ramsay recalled how they each scored a perfect five on the Signature Dish Challenge. The next exhibit was a photo of the Brunch Service Challenge, and Ryan promised to be an American citizen after staying for five years. Then, Ramsay saw the ball pit from the Creative Pasta Challenge and recalled how Sammi fell off the balance beam. Then, they got to the NASA stage for the Blind Taste Test and saw a photo of Marino throwing food at someone. The final stop was the black jacket case, with Johnathan recalling how he got the first one before the judging on part one was over. Ramsay said he was proud of all three of them as they deserved to be in the final three despite their ups and downs before revealing that he had another present for them. Taking them to his office, Ramsay gave the final three two tickets from Allegiant Airlines, which excited Sammi as she got a chance to see the world.

Afterwards, Ramsay took down the paper covering the construction of the dining room, only to reveal a group of guests awaiting them, including seven of the previously eliminated chefs. Johnathan admitted he should have seen that coming as Ramsay announced the Final Menu Challenge. After announcing the final three, Ramsay told them that they had one hour to cook a five-course meal from their menu, with the top two chefs earning their spots in the final dinner service. Ramsay urged the trio to make their meals the most important ones of their career, and he began the challenge.

Final challenge[]

After Johnathan said he was always ready to cook, the final three got changed into their chef jackets and began cooking. Atoye rooted for Johnathan to win, while Sammi was ready to win the challenge. For Ryan, he knew how high the stakes were and said it was the most important challenge of his life. Johnathan went in with great confidence and felt invincible with Sous Chef Jason by his side. In the red kitchen, Sammi was grateful for the support in the dining room, but she tried to focus on her dishes as she was concerned about her chicken dish. Meanwhile, Ryan felt good about his dishes and was confident he would be in the final two. Three minutes left, Johnathan said he wanted to win for his daughter, and eventually, the final three had their dishes cooked and plated on time.

After the final three returned to the stage, Ramsay introduced the first guest judge for the cold appetizer round, Giada De Laurentiis. Sammi said she looked up to Laurentiis and said it was the latter that made her want to be a chef. Johnathan presented his Hawaiian-styled tuna poke with avocado mousse and crispy wonton chips. Laurentiis liked the number of flavors of the dish, while Sammi presented her Hamachi crudo with a watermelon blood orange jalapeno relish and micro cilantro. Laurentiis said the choice of fruit opened her palate, making Donya hopeful that Sammi won. Lastly, Ryan presented his beet plate, which contained grilled yellow baby beets, candied walnuts, and a cooled beet sauce. Laurentiis liked the presentation and the multiple colors on the plate, which made her feel like she was at a French restaurant. After tasting the dishes, Laurentiis gave Johnathan’s dish a perfect ten, pleasing the latter as it was a good start for him. Then, Sammi and Ryan both received nine points, giving Johnathan the lead at 10-9-9.

For the hot appetizer round, Brian Malarkey came up to taste the dishes. Sammi’s pork cabbage dumplings with a scallion olive chili oil were well seasoned, and the crunch on the bottom, with Malarkey saying it was a good start to the round. Ryan’s wild mushroom Voul-la-vant had a lot of flavors, but Malarkey liked how light the dish was. Lastly, Johnathan’s ravioli stuffed with glazed carrots had a lot of flavors, and Malarkey wished he could eat more of it. Because all three dishes impressed Malarkey, he decided to give the final three a perfect ten each. The score was 20-19-19 for Johnathan, and Ryan felt he was having a heart attack for that. For the fish entrée round, Ramsay called up his Next Level Chef co-judge Nyesha Arrington, whom Sammi recognized for being a badass chef. Ryan’s lobster raviolo had a stunning presentation, and Arrington saw the chunks of lobster on the plate. Then, Arrington loved the flavor of the sauce, making Ryan feel he was over the moon. Then, Johnathan presented his grilled branzino in an orange Escabèche, shaved fennel, caper salad, and crispy chickpeas. Arrington liked how Johnathan scored the fish as it did not look buckled from the grilling and found the flavors bright and acidic in a good way. Lastly, Sammi presented her orange miso sweet potato puree with a crispy Chilean sea bass. The fish had great flavor, but the long pause Arrington gave after tasting the dish worried Sammi. Arrington suggested adding fresh herbs to the dish, but otherwise, she told Sammi that it was a good dish. For the scoring, Ryan scored a nine, while Johnathan scored an eight. That disappointed Jonathan as he lost his perfect run, while Sammi scored an eight as well. With that, Ryan and Johnathan were tied 28-28 over Sammi’s 27.

For the chicken entrée round, Michael Cimarusti came up to taste the dishes. Johnathan’s crispy skin pan-seared chicken breast with dumplings, carrots, and pearl onions was deemed an elevated dish, while Sammi’s pan-seared chicken thigh with purple sweet potatoes and Pad Thai salad had some nice Asian flavors. However, Cimarusti suggested adding more acidity to the sauce. Lastly, Ryan presented his crispy chicken breast with crispy prosciutto, asparagus, and blood orange Berblanc sauce. Cimarusti deemed the dish beautiful and loved the consistency of the sauce. Afterwards, Johnathan and Sammi scored a nine each, while Ryan scored a perfect ten. Ryan led 38-37-36. With one more round, Ramsay summoned Curtis Stone to judge the beef entrées. Sammi served her seared New York striploin with a wasabi pomme puree, pickled mushrooms, and lime aioli. Stone loved the presentation and told Sammi that she had cooked the steak correctly. Also, Stone praised the flavors of the mushrooms and the umami, calling it a well-balanced dish. Then, Ryan’s wagyu filet with king scallops and black truffles looked beautiful, and Stone praised him for accentuating the flavors of the scallops to the beef. Lastly, Johnathan presented his New York striploin with a blue cheese butter crust, potato pancake, and a port wine sauce. While the sauce was strong, Stone said that the pancake helped make it work and told Johnathan that he made it work. After tasting the dishes, Stone gave Ryan a perfect ten. With 48 points, Ryan made it to the final two, much to his excitement. Then, Stone gave Sammi nine points, who knew it was either her or Johnathan’s game to win. Lastly, Stone told Johnathan that his dish was the tastiest of the night and gave the latter a nine. With 46 points over Sammi’s 45, Johnathan made it as the second person in the final two. Still, Johnathan knew he had one more challenge ahead of him and said the job was not done. After Stone left, Ramsay told the eliminated Sammi that she had been a strong chef since the start, and he knew she would get there eventually. As Sammi went off the stage, she called that day the best and was at peace for growing so much in the competition.

Scoring[]

Ryan Johnathan Sammi
Round Score Total Round Score Total Round Score Total
One 9/10 9 One 10/10 10 One 9/10 9
Two 10/10 19 Two 10/10 20 Two 10/10 19
Three 9/10 28 Three 8/10 28 Three 8/10 27
Four 10/10 38 Four 9/10 37 Four 9/10 36
Five 10/10 48 Five 9/10 46 Five 9/10 45
Results 48-46-45


Team select[]

With the challenge over, Ramsay reintroduced Ryan and Johnathan to the returning chefs who would help them in the final dinner service. Because Ryan had the highest score in the challenge, he got the first pick of the drafts. Ryan picked Sammi, making the latter comment that Ramsay could not get rid of her that easily. Then, Johnathan selected Dahmere as his first pick, with the latter promising to do everything to win it for the former. For his second pick, Ryan picked Jason, making Johnathan happy that he would not be stuck with the latter. Johnathan picked Donya, while Ryan picked Carmen, and Johnathan picked Leigh. That left Sandra and Atoye as the last two, but Ryan picked the former as his final pick and left Johnathan with the latter. Still, Johnathan was happy with his choices and wished Ryan luck with the team he picked.

With the teams set, Ramsay reminded the final two that their final service would happen the following evening and said it would be an amazing one based on what he saw in the challenge.

Ramsay did not comment on Sammi's elimination, she did not receive the portrait burning sequence, and she did not receive a retrospective montage.

Trivia[]

  • Title Reference: The title refers to the final three becoming the final two after the Final Menu Challenge. It is also taken from a poem in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which reads: "Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two."
  • With Sammi's elimination, this marks the first time since Season 12 to have an all-male finale. It also marks the first time since Season 16 where the final two did not have any nominations to their name.
  • This is the first time Ramsay mentioned Next Level Chef, his other cooking competition on FOX besides MasterChef. Other than Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais (who has also been a recurring judge in previous seasons) is part of the judging panel alongside Ramsay.
Hell's Kitchen Season 22 Episodes
The Dream BeginsTad OverwhelmingCitizens of Hell's KitchenGimme an H!Just Bring the DARN Fish!Fusion ConfusionAll Up in Your GrillsCooking For Your LifeMore Bang For Your BuckThe Pastabilities Are EndlessA Hellish Food FightA Hell's Kitchen Special Delivery#HellishHangoverDon't Be FooledAnd Then There Were TwoOne Hell of An American Dream
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