The fifth episode of Season 4 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox, on April 29, 2008. On that episode happened the very first pizza delivery, an emotional withdrawal and an unusual strategy to get the food out.
Intro[]
Back in the dorms, Ben was still in shock about his nomination, everybody wondering what he messed up during the previous service, and him saying that he did not mess up anything, and despite that, Ramsay nominated him. He added Ramsay never gave an explanation on his nomination. After that, Bobby asked Vanessa if she was all right and what was going on, which she answered she had to see a plastic surgeon, worried that it might take her chances of winning the competition away.
After that, Ben and Bobby went to bed, and Ben told Bobby that the competition was harder than boot camp. Then, Petrozza came in the bedroom and offered some cookies.
The next morning, all the chefs were getting ready for the next challenge, but Vanessa, because of her injury, could not do anything on her own, frustrating her. So, Shayna helped her combing her hair, understanding her frustration as she did not want to let the team down. Vanessa said she was feeling like an idiot.
Team challenge[]
When both teams were lined up in the dining room, Ramsay asked Vanessa how she was feeling about her burn, which she answered she was fine. Then, he asked Louross what was on his mind that morning, which he answered it was game time. After that, he told the contestants that a great chef could turn something simple to something extraordinary, and introduced his white truffle pizza to them, stating it was costing $200 in his restaurant Maze, in London. Shayna was flabbergasted by that news, saying she did not even have a $200 pair of shoes. Following this, he introduced the Fine Dining Pizza Challenge, where each contestant had 45 minutes to create a stunning fine-dining pizza.
Jen was excited about that challenge as it was the perfect opportunity to be creative. Everybody was talking a look at all the available ingredients, which Bobby described as a "sea of... merchins", saying it with a lot of difficulty. On the red team, communication was not an issue as everybody were answering everybody's questions. Vanessa declared that as long as she was in the kitchen, she would try to do something, while Corey was writing down what she wanted to do, and Christina was really excited to create something of her own. On the blue team, Matt was asking questions to his team, but nobody answered as they were focused on their own things, which infuriated him declaring that was the reason why the team was not winning. Petrozza has had enough and told Matt to shut up and focus on his thing. After that, each chef focused on their own pizzas and cooked it in time. When they were finished, they had 15 minutes to decide which pizza from each team would be judged by Ramsay. So, everybody tasted everybody's pizza, and on the red team, the women quickly agreed with Jen's pizza, disappointing Vanessa who became emotional. With their decision made, they worked fast to perfect Jen's pizza. On the blue team, Matt's pizza was tasted by Ben and Bobby, and Ben described it as different, but not more, worried he would upset Matt. But, Matt was upset anyway, became furious, stating that his pizza was phenomenal. Then, the men tasted Bobby's pizza, Louross', and Ben's, with finally making their choice on the latter. When they made their decision, Petrozza was upset as he was still putting his pizza together and nobody got the chance to taste it. With 10 seconds left, both teams rallied to place their chosen pizza under the domes.
For the judging, Jen and Bobby brought their respective domes to Ramsay. Jen described her pizza as a little bit of Italy and a little bit of France, with a herb crust, some sliced prosciutto, sundry tomatoes and basil. Ben described his pizza which was made with duck confit, chanterelle mushrooms, caramelized onion, and cream sauce to go on the bottom. During the judging, Christina said she was very nervous and that her hands were sweating. After the contestants waited very nervously for Ramsay's decision, Ramsay asked to the blue team who washed the mushrooms, which Ben answered he did. Ramsay told him they were not washed properly as he still had some grit down the throat. That infuriated Matt who questioned Ben's cooking abilities, and after that, Ramsay declared the red team winners, saying that despite Ben's pizza had a great taste, it was spoiled by the dirt on the mushrooms. When Ben apologized for letting Ramsay down, Ramsay reminded him that he let his team down instead.
Reward[]
The red team was rewarded with a lunch at the restaurant Square One, home to the $90 burger, in Santa Barbara, with Ramsay, and were transported there by a helicopter. Rosann was very excited as it was one of her dreams to ride in a helicopter. Also, Jen's pizza would be on the menu for that night's service, making her very proud. Shayna was excited about the helicopter ride and could not wait to see the Pacific coast, while Vanessa said the view was amazing. Arrived at the restaurant, Ramsay and the red team made a toast to Jen's pizza, and ate the restaurant's signature slider, which Jen really enjoyed. Christina declared the best part of the reward was getting out and having lunch with Ramsay. When they came back from their reward during the night, Rosann almost slipped in the stairs, being a little inebriated, and hold on to Shayna when she was about to.
Punishment[]
The blue team was forced to prep all the pizzas for the next dinner service. When they learned their punishment, Petrozza put his hand on Louross' shoulder, but Louross aggressively pushed him back, telling he was pissed. In the kitchen, Ramsay gave a little pep talk to the team, saying even if they do not appreciate each other, they have to bond as a team, and that the difference would be surprising. While he was speaking, Louross put a white towel on his head and walked around, being very emotional. Ramsay asked him what was the matter, but he answered he was fine. Ben said they did not need a whiny ass little punk bitch walking around, referring to Louross. After Ramsay left, Matt declared he wanted to win the next service and wanted to taste the red team's blood. After that, he tried to communicate with his team, wanting to succeed, but they were very little responsive, which infuriated him saying they would lose again and that they had to enjoy it. Petrozza stated that even though Matt was a nice guy and meant well, he was driving him nuts. During the punishment, Louross and Ben got into an argument, where Ben called Louross a bitch, and both of them told the other one they were breaking down. For lunch, they were served a simple plain burger, without condiments.
Vanessa's exit[]
The next morning, both teams were finishing prep in their respective kitchens, but Vanessa was struggling because of her injury. So, because she was feeling useless, she decided to go to Ramsay's office and talk about the situation with him. She told him her injury was painful, and that the fact she was not able to work in the kitchen the way she was used to was killing her. Ramsay reminded her that she still had every chance to win the competition as they allowed burns in the pass. This led him to give her the choice of whether to stay in the competition or leave, and after some deliberation, where she said she was not a quitter or weak, she decided to withdraw from the competition, saying she did not want to be there if she was not able to be at 100%. Ramsay said it was a shame, but respected her decision, before asking her to pack her stuff and leave Hell's Kitchen, and finishing by wishing her good luck. Back in the kitchen, Vanessa announced her departure to her teammates and hugged them, before getting to the dorms, packing her stuff, and leaving by the front door with her bags. During that process, Shayna questioned her decision, thinking she was a little tougher than that.
Ramsay's comment: "It's unfortunate that Vanessa's burn took her out of the competition. We'll never, ever know if she really had what it takes to win Hell's Kitchen."
Before service[]
After Vanessa's departure, the Sous Chefs brought all the contestants outside, where Ramsay announced that for the first time ever, Hell's Kitchen would be offering pizza delivery. Then, a plane came across the sky announcing a banner saying "Pizza delivery tonight!". Jen was honored as it was her pizza that would be delivered, saying it was huge. Ramsay also announced that because the blue team lost the challenge, they would be in charge of the deliveries, inside the Hell's Kitchen three-wheeled delivery cart, which was driven by Jean-Philippe. He bumped into a step, almost losing balance in the process, which made everybody laugh in disbelief. Then, he parked the cart, got out, and thanked Ramsay when the latter said it was fantastic. After that, Ramsay ordered the chefs to get back in the kitchen as they were having a busy night ahead.
In the red kitchen, the loss of Vanessa made the team more bonded, at the point where Corey was glad she was gone as the team was getting stronger. But, in the blue kitchen, the men were still divided, making Louross ask God for a miracle. After that, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell's Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Before the first ticket got called out in the red kitchen, Corey motivated her team saying they had to say "Yes Chef" when he would be calling it out. When Ramsay called the first ticket, the red team did exactly what Corey told to do. Jen was determined to get a good service being on the hot appetizers, and her first attempt at the risotto was successful, sending it out in a record time. After that, the first calls for pizza deliveries were taken in by the Sous Chefs, and Ramsay dedicated Ben to do them. Meanwhile, Matt was ready with his first entrée of scallops and quail eggs, but they were rubbery, and Ramsay compared them to Pamela Anderson's breast implants. Ramsay made Matt eat his eggs, which he enjoyed as he liked quail eggs, and asked him to start over. On his second attempt at the eggs, Matt broke the yolk, and Bobby, annoyed by this mistake, decided to take over the cooking of the eggs, acknowledging it was his time to become a leader. When he asked for the eggs, Louross said they should give him the eggs, and Petrozza gave him the tray. With Bobby taking control of the quail eggs, the blue team sent two tables of appetizers, and the red team sent four, in 20 minutes.
When the red team moved on to entrées, Shayna sent her first beefs and Wellingtons to the pass, but they came out raw. Ramsay schooled her on that mistake, she slapped herself in the face, and was asked to communicate with Corey, on the fish station. After Ramsay asked the red team to start the table again, Corey asked a question to him, but he told her she should ask it to Shayna and that she should work with her. In the blue kitchen, Ben put a new hat and apron on, beginning his pizza deliveries. He went to the three-wheeled delivery cart, started driving it, but could not find his way as he never went to Los Angeles before in his life. When he arrived, he had trouble parking the cart, but successfully found the correct addresses finally. Back in Hell's Kitchen, Shayna succeeded on her second attempt at the Wellingtons, but Rosann sent runny mashed potatoes, which infuriated Ramsay. He told her to wake up, and started mimicking her actions by taping on the pan with the spoon, and when she got confused, he pushed her away by doing her job himself, but her other attempt at the mashed potatoes was not salty enough. So, Ramsay sent the entrées without the garnish, and when Rosann was ready to bring her other attempt at the potatoes and carrots, he told her to go away as the entrées were already gone. Ramsay became disappointed, got in the back of the red kitchen in disbelief, and told Rosann it was not good enough.
An hour and a half into service, nearly all the customers received their appetizers, but Rosann's problems on garnish was stalling the red kitchen. This led Ramsay to ask Jen if she could take Rosann's station over, which she did. Because of Jen, the red kitchen was finally sending out entrées. In the blue kitchen, Louross' steaks were undercooked, and Ramsay asked him to get them back in the pan. When Ramsay asked Louross if he could cook a steak, and Louross answering he could, Ramsay asked him why he was not doing it then. When he brought his second attempt, Sous Chef Scott told him they were overcooked, and schooled Louross, telling him he messed it up and tried to get it passed him. So, Louross was looking for some beautifully cooked steaks, along with Petrozza. When he could not find any, Petrozza got an idea and brought back the steaks that were deemed overcooked, and secretly sliced off the burnt sides of the steaks, not convincing Louross it would work. But, when Petrozza sent the steaks to the pass, Sous Chef Scott accepted them, saying it was much better, and impressing Louross, who said it was the "ghettoest" thing it could ever happen in a kitchen. After that, Louross was feeling relieved.
Two hours into service, more than three quarters of the diners have received their entrées. When the red kitchen got ready to move on to desserts, Christina was struggling on that station as she burnt four soufflés, and told she was 20 minutes behind. When she acknowledged Jen was supposed to be with her on desserts and was asking for help, Jen told she was having a meltdown on desserts, but that she was nobody's mother and that she should show some initiative. When he saw Christina struggling on desserts, Ramsay asked Corey to help her, which she reluctantly did, saying she should spoil herself and that she did not want to help her. With Corey's help, desserts finally came out, and in the blue kitchen, Bobby led the dessert station, where he was helped by Ben and Petrozza, and desserts came out of the blue kitchen as well. After that, both teams were sending their last ticket out, and when they did, Ramsay made both teams lining up in the red kitchen, and congratulated them on finally completing a service.
Post-mortem[]
After customers left the restaurant and both teams were lined up, Ramsay told the service was not brilliant, but they managed to complete it. Then, he said that one chef was a big surprise, and revealed it was Louross, and added he was surprising because his performance was crap, deplorable, uninteresting, and shocking. He concluded by saying to Louross it was a disappointment because before that service, he was good. After that, Ramsay said to Rosann that on the last few tables, he had to send the entrées separately from the vegetables as he did not want the tables to wait any longer. Before dismissing the contestants, Ramsay announced both teams winners, and asked them to nominate one person each for elimination.
While going upstairs, Matt knew he was safe that night. Back in the dorms, Bobby said he already had his idea, which was Matt because of his personality, but while discussing with Ben and Petrozza, Ben also considered Louross for being the worst performer. On the red side, they quickly agreed on Rosann based on that service, but Rosann said she did not want to go home. When Matt joined a conversation between his teammates, he declared he would nominate Louross, which was not there, and Ben told if it was not Louross, it would be Matt, who immediately disagreed. Then, Louross came over and admitted he messed up and disappointed everybody, including himself. On the red side, Jen and Rosann plotted to get Christina out because of her annoyance, and they quickly convinced Corey and Shayna with that decision. When she learned that news, Christina became angry as she was victim of a backstab, and acknowledged that herself was the only person she could trust anymore.
Elimination[]
Ben announced Louross as the blue team's nominee because of his lack of culinary skills, and Christina announced that herself was the red team's nominee. When he learned that, Ramsay could not believe it, and asked Jen for an explanation. Jen explained that Christina was talking the talk, but that she could not run a brigade properly. Ramsay responded he was not believing that explaination, and asked Jen if she was threatened by Christina's intelligence. Jen answered she was not, and added that she was deciding her fate in Hell's Kitchen, which Ramsay immediately responded that it was his job. After that, Ramsay asked Rosann if she felt she was a better cook than Christina, which she answered that she did, but Ramsay reminded her that she completely screwed her team during that service.
Then, Christina and Louross stepped forward, and when Ramsay asked Louross who was the weakest chef on the blue team, he answered Matt, who became confused. When Ramsay asked the same question to Christina, she answered that Rosann was. After listening their pleas, Ramsay announced that the only person who would leave Hell's Kitchen that night was Vanessa, who already left. Ramsay announced that as a gift to both teams for completing dinner service. He also added that they should not take that for granted as he was expecting a complete service every single night. While dismissing the chefs, Ramsay reminded that the competition would get tougher. Louross said that because he was a small Filipino man, he would get criticized and underestimated not matter what, while Christina acknowledged that not everybody was out for the team, and that those people would be taken out soon. Finally, Vanessa received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.
Trivia[]
- This is the first time since Episode 103 - Day 3 to feature a chef quitting the competition and the first time they withdrew outside of service. It is also the first time a female chef withdrew and the first time someone did so out of health reasons.
- This marks the first time both teams were named joint winners.
- This is the first time Ramsay decided not to eliminate someone on the grounds that a withdrawal filled in the quota.