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The sixteenth episode of Season 22 of Hell's Kitchen aired on FOX on January 25, 2024 as a double feature alongside the fifteenth episode. In that episode, Ryan and Johnathan led their brigades in one final dinner service, and one of them was crowned the winner of Hell's Kitchen.

Intro[]

The episode began with a recap of the season, mentioning who was eliminated and when.

Returning to the dorms, Ryan was thrilled to be in the finale, while Johnathan was overwhelmed with emotions, claiming that he did it for his daughter. Ryan said he worked his butt to get to where he was and knew the best had yet to come. While Ryan felt good about his team, he still had reservations about Jason and drew a penis on the paper, claiming it was the latter. Meanwhile, Johnathan told his team he would not scream at them like Ramsay did, as he wanted them to have fun and cook food with smiles. As Johnathan went through the menu, he assigned Dahmere to meat. While Dahmere was concerned about Johnathan’s voice, he knew the latter could depend on himself and Donya to pick up the pace. In contrast, Donya felt good to be on Johnathan’s team, though her concern was the simplistic menu. Lastly, Johnathan assigned Leigh on appetizers, making her a little surprised that he did not have an ego.

Elsewhere, Ryan went over the menu, only to get a moment of realization that it was really happening. Still, Ryan was confident that he could lead, though Carmen got confused about the Voul-la-vant dish. Jason explained the dish to Carmen and said he was not surprised he was on Ryan’s team as he thought he was a strong chef. However, Ryan kept an eye on Jason’s mouth and went through the rest of the menu. Although Carmen respected Ryan’s leadership, she got nervous due to having no experience with French cuisine. And while Sandra thought the menu sounded good, she was unsure of how they could execute it. After going through the menu, Ryan told his team to keep the menu sexy and edgy, having them say it back three times.

Before service[]

The following day, Ryan and Johnathan brought their brigades down for prep. Johnathan thought his team was rock solid and knew they could rise to the occasion. In the red kitchen, Ryan felt he was in his element as he gave directions to his brigade, hoping he could lead them to success. Jason said he would make sure he handled the meat station well, but while Ryan acknowledged the former’s strengths as a chef, he was worried about his attitude based on previous experience. Still, Ryan was willing to go through one more night with Jason if it meant winning the competition.

Hours later, Sous Chef Jason asked Johnathan to see Ramsay in his office. Once there, Ramsay commented that Johnathan was one night away from winning, and the latter said he was ready to change his and his daughter’s life. Suddenly, Johnathan’s daughter and parents came into Ramsay’s office, leading to an emotional reunion. Ramsay allowed Johnathan time to spend time with his family, with his daughter showing him a drawing of them baking blueberry muffins. That made Johnathan feel motivated to cook for his family, and he told his family about his menu.

Later, Sous Chef Jason summoned Ryan to Ramsay’s office, where the latter asked the former about how he was doing. To remind Ryan what he was fighting for, Ramsay brought in Ryan’s wife, making the latter emotional as he had not seen her in weeks. Then, Ryan’s father came in, making him more emotional as it was the latter’s dream he was fighting for. Once alone, Ryan and his father recalled what they were fighting for and that he finally got a chance to cook for him. After some time, Ryan said he had more motivation to win it for his family.

Before service began, Ramsay summoned Ryan and Johnathan to his office, reminding them that it was their night to prove they could run a kitchen. To get them in the right mindset, Ramsay handed Ryan and Johnathan their head chef jackets. After putting it on, Johnathan called it a surreal moment, while Ryan said he would hang his on the wall regardless of the condition it was in. Ramsay reminded Ryan that he had the chance to cook for his father that night, something he never got a chance to do as his passed away from a heart attack, and the latter never got to see him grow. As Ryan dedicated his service to his father, Ramsay told the two to show that dreams in America could be made and wished them luck.

When they exited the office, the dining room was full of people as Ryan called it a pinch-me moment. Ramsay welcomed the guests to the final dinner service and had the finalists explain their menu and their American Dream. Ryan explained that he came into America with pennies in his pocket and big dreams and said his menu was from his heart. In contrast, Johnathan said he was fighting for his family, and his menu expressed the heart of his family. Ramsay reminded the two about the grand prize and wished them the best of luck. After entering their kitchens, Ryan told his brigade to put their hearts onto their dishes for his father. Meanwhile, Johnathan was ready to crush that night for his family.

Final service[]

Once service began, Johnathan received his first order and called it out. Ryan also received his first order and hoped Ramsay could see he could lead a kitchen. As Ryan pushed Sammi for the beet salad, the latter knew the former was channeling his inner Ramsay. Also, Sammi liked Ryan’s leadership and hoped he would win, getting her beet salads accepted.

Twenty minutes into service, Johnathan felt his team was rock solid and knew that night was also a testament to how much they had grown in the competition. As Dahmere worked on the lamb, he promised to rock it out. However, Ramsay found the lamb to be raw, and Johnathan said it was not the night for stupid mistakes. Johnathan told Dahmere to refire the lamb, making Atoye comment how amazing the former was as they were working for him and his family. As Atoye sent up her poke dish, Johnathan accepted Dahmere’s refire. In the red kitchen, Ryan received his family’s ticket and told them to make it count. Sandra was amazed that Ryan’s father had come all the way from Ireland to see his son cook and knew she must do her best for them. However, Sandra served unevenly seared scallops, and Ryan swore he would not be nice the next time it happened. Fortunately, Sandra’s refire was accepted, and Ryan’s family received their appetizers. With appetizers rolling out of both kitchens, Johnathan looked to begin firing entrées. Dahmere knew a lot was on the line for Johnathan and swore he would redeem his earlier mistake. However, Leigh got nervous as she noticed Dahmere getting overwhelmed. Dahmere sent up ice-cold sauce for the steak, making Johnathan frustrated with the former as the meat station was sinking. Worse, the steak was rare, and Ramsay warned Johnathan that they were in trouble. With no other options, Johnathan reassigned Donya to meat and Dahmere to garnish. Donya immediately got to work, and Johnathan knew it was the most important night of his life. Fortunately, Donya got her steaks accepted and compared herself to Stephen Curry.

Ninety minutes into service, Ryan fired his family’s order and told his team to taste everything. Ryan told Sandra to season the water as he expected everything to be perfect, no matter what it was. When Sandra walked up her ravioli, Ryan told her that her lobster was perfect. With both kitchens pushing out entrées in a timely manner, they eventually reached their final ticket each. After Ryan called out his order, Sous Chef Christina warned him that his team could fumble on the final order and urged him to push them. Ramsay suggested that Ryan listen to Sous Chef Christina as she was in his shoes ten years ago. In the blue kitchen, Johnathan felt the switch was working as he knew they could bounce back from the bumps they made that night. In the red kitchen, Jason said he was not ready on the chicken breast, dismaying Ryan as it was not the time for that. When Jason served the chicken, it was undercooked, irritating Ryan as it was his reputation on the line. Ryan told Jason to refire it, and the latter claimed he wanted the former to win. While Jason served two when one was needed, the refire was accepted as Johnathan served his final order in the blue kitchen. As the diners enjoyed their meals, they filled out the comment cards.

As the chefs cleared up, Jason admitted that although he and Ryan did not see eye to eye, he knew the latter was a great cook and had a feeling he would win. Ryan was proud of his team, which was the same thing Johnathan said to his team as they cleared down. Dahmere was ready to see Johnathan live out his American Dream as he felt the latter deserved to win the competition.

Post-mortem[]

After lining up, Ramsay thanked the returning chefs for their extraordinary performance for the finalists and said the competition was close. Ramsay said he would study every comment card to help decide a winner, but based on what he saw that night, they made his job difficult. Ramsay sent the group back to the dorms, telling them to enjoy a drink even though Johnathan swore he would not have one after what happened at black jackets.

Back at the dorms, Ryan rushed for the Guinness as he was proud of his team for doing well that night. While he felt he would win the competition, Ryan knew that anything could happen in Hell’s Kitchen. As the returning chefs left, Johnathan was proud of what he had done that night and felt he had risen to the occasion. Ryan and Johnathan reflected on that night and how much they went through to get there, with the former commenting that no matter what, they were both winners. Johnathan knew that their lives would change after that night and never expected to get there in his twenties. Meanwhile, Ramsay read through the comment cards and reflected on everything Ryan and Johnathan did throughout the competition.

Winner announced[]

Later that evening, Ramsay called the dorms and asked Ryan and Johnathan to enter his office. There, Ramsay said he had a difficult decision that night, thinking back to the first day when he brought out the winning doors to give them a taste of what it was like to win. Ramsay said that Ryan’s fight and determination were amazing, commenting that he was rich in talent. Then, Ramsay told Johnathan that he had a big heart to go along with his skills and was proud of how he was fighting for his daughter. Afterwards, Ramsay had the two stand in front of the doors, both knowing that only one of them would open for someone. After Ramsay counted to three, both turned their handles, but only Ryan’s door opened.

Ryan was crowned the winner of Hell’s Kitchen and won the head chef position at Hell’s Kitchen in Caesars Palace, with a salary of $250,000. That meant Johnathan was the runner-up. Despite being disappointed that he lost, Johnathan said he was proud to compete against Ryan and knew it would be fuel to drive him forward. Meanwhile, Ryan said he was proud that all he sacrificed was worth it and said that he was going to Las Vegas. As Ryan made his victory speech, he thanked Johnathan for being a friend he would have for his entire life. Ryan hung his portrait on the wall of fame and said he could not wait for what came next. As the chefs celebrated, Marino handed Ramsay his champagne, only for the latter to toss it onto him. In response, Marino chased Ramsay down the hallway with a spraying champagne bottle.

Ramsay's comment: "Ryan is everything I could want in a head chef. I don’t think I've ever met a more passionate chef. He's also very creative and a tremendous leader. His amazing journey from Cork, Ireland is proof that the American dream is alive and well. Ryan will be a wonderful asset to Hell's Kitchen Las Vegas."

Trivia[]

  • Title Reference: The title refers to the final episode of Season 22: The American Dream.
  • This marks the first time since Season 6 where a male chef won without being nominated once, and the first time since Season 18 where a winner reached that milestone.
  • This marked the fifth all-male final and the first time since Season 19 when a finalist ran a kitchen opposite to their starting team without being a member of that team.
  • With Ryan's victory, he becomes the first immigrant to win Hell's Kitchen. He also becomes the first chef to do so after receiving the season's final black jacket.
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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