The eighth episode of Season 4 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox, on May 20, 2008. On that episode, one red chef became a blue chef, there is bullying on one team, but that team managed to bounce back at dinner service.
Intro[]
Back in the dorms, both teams were talking about who from the red team would join the blue team. On the blue side, Louross stated he did not have any problems with the women and would gleefully welcome another team member. But, he also reminded his teammates that despite that, they would have to stand their grounds. On the red side, Corey tried to convince Jen that it would be a good thing for her to be transferred, but in reality, she just wanted to get rid of her so she could have her voice back in the red kitchen. Rosann agreed with Corey, but Jen called Corey a manipulative ass bitch, thinking she considered her as stupid. However, Jen did not say no, only that she would sleep on that.
Team switch[]
The next morning, when the teams were lined up in the dining room, Ramsay asked the red team if any of them was volunteering to go to the blue team, but they were slow to answer. Finally, Jen expressed herself, saying the red team was safe and that she would like to stiff out her competition. The blue team felt comfortable with that announcement, with Louross saying he was curious to see how she was working in the kitchen. Ramsay agreed with her choice and gave her a blue jacket, before telling her to stand alongside them. Christina declared she was happy to see Jen go because her presence were blocking the red team the doorway.
Team challenge[]
After that, Ramsay announced the next challenge would test the chefs' creativity. He also revealed a tray of the same 20 ingredients in both kitchens, and introduced the 20 Ingredients Challenge. Each chef were given 45 minutes to create a dish of their own, but in no circumstances the ingredients must repeat themselves between the team members, and both teams had to use all the 20 ingredients. When the countdown started, in the red kitchen, Corey grabbed a piece of paper and a marker to list the ingredients as it could avoid confusion. Then, they started to cook their dishes and were having a great communication. However, in the blue kitchen, Jen was already getting on her teammates' nerves as she was picking everything for her dish without asking anybody. The blue team were still dividing their ingredients after 10 minutes. In the red kitchen, they were focused on their own things and had great communication, but Matt cut himself really bad, even stating he took the tip of his thumb off. When Ramsay learned that news, he told him to go see a medic, which he did. In the back store, a medic put a bandage on Matt's thumb, and in the red kitchen, Christina was worried that being down one person could jeopardize their chance to win the challenge. So, the three remaining women rallied to complete their own dishes before taking care of Matt's. When Ramsay came back, he asked where was the top of the finger, and the women started looking for it. Then, he jokingly told they were cooking with 21 ingredients, calling his dish a finger pancetta. Despite this, the red team continued rallying with great communication, but in the blue kitchen, all the chefs were silent. This led Sous Chef Scott to tell them they had to communicate to make sure everybody was having different ingredients. Bobby acknowledged his team was quiet and compared it to a pack of dogs. In the red kitchen, Matt made a heroic return, determined to pull it off for his team as he did not want to be the reason of the loss. Ramsay told him to calm down and focus, while reminding him he was still having nine fingers left. In the blue kitchen, Bobby said his veal was not turning out the way he wanted to, so Jen suggested he could do a Surf n Turf. Louross did not appreciate as he was not comfortable doing a Surf n Turf. With a few minutes left, both teams rallied to cook and plates their dishes, with Jen being annoyed by Louross because of his not properly plated veal, and when time was up, Louross acknowledged he forgot an ingredient, infuriating him, and Jen tried to convince him to lie and tell he used five ingredients instead of four. Louross categorically refused to, saying it would haunt him forever.
For the first round, Christina went up against Petrozza. Christina served a fried snapper with crab meat and a Hollandaise sauce, containing 5 ingredients. It was praised for the clever idea of using the Hollandaise for the eggs. Petrozza presented a warm crab salad with an onion soufflé, containing 5 ingredients as well. Ramsay congratulated him for being brave to make a soufflé and that it turned out perfect. Both of them scored for their respective teams. For the second round, Matt and Jen faced off, and Jen presented a pancetta wrapped and roasted quail, containing 4 ingredients. Ramsay said it was tasting nice. After that, Matt served a pan-roasted quail, containing 6 ingredients. Ramsay found it weird because the liver was tainting the flavor of the quail. Jen gave the lead to the blue team 2-1. For the third round, Corey made a Colombian sour lemon chicken with braised artichokes, containing 3 ingredients. Ramsay appreciated the taste, but because she only used 3 ingredients, he was expecting more of her. Bobby prepared a walnut crusted mozzarella chicken with a balsamic glaze, containing 6 ingredients. Ramsay disliked the glaze, which he said was too much, and gave a point to Corey, tying the score at 2 each. For the last round, Rosann went up against Louross, who was more concerned about the amount of ingredients he used. Rosann served a pan-seared veal with a cream sauce and onion, watercress, and roasted potatoes, containing 6 ingredients. Ramsay deemed it really clumsy and compared it to a dog's dinner because of the giant bone inside it. Louross made a red snapper with an oyster-mushroom sauce. Ramsay liked the dish for the taste of the quail and the overall presentation, but when Louross announced he only used 4 ingredients, Ramsay became furious as that made the total of the blue team at only 19 ingredients. When Ramsay asked Louross where was the veal, Jen answered that he had the idea of making a Surf n Turf but did not put it at the last minute. Ramsay berated the blue team, saying they failed miserably, and the red team automatically won the challenge. Petrozza declared he was blown away because the veal was two inches away from Louross.
Scoring[]
| Red Team | Blue Team | ||||
| Chef | Score | Total | Chef | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christina | 1 | 1 | Petrozza | 1 | 1 |
| Matt | 0 | 1 | Jen | 1 | 2 |
| Corey | 1 | 2 | Bobby | 0 | 2 |
| Rosann | 1 | 3 | Louross | 0 | 2 |
| Results | 3-2 | ||||
Reward[]
The red team was rewarded with a photo shoot and interview for InTouch Weekly Magazine, with Ramsay. When they were getting ready, Christina felt like a diva and wondered how Jen was feeling as she just transferred team and missed that incredible reward. Arrived at the photo shoot, Ramsay introduced the red team to the photographer, and they began the makeup session while drinking champagne. During the shooting, all the women were wearing red dresses while Matt was wearing a black suit and standing behind a car door. Ramsay joked that Matt should have his tummy behind the door, and Rosann said her daughter would be proud of her when she would see her in InTouch Magazine and that it was such a wonderful feeling.
Punishment[]
The blue team was punished by taking part of Laundry Day, washing all the tablecloths, dishcloths, aprons, jackets, and serviettes by hand. Louross felt extremely guilty for that loss and apologized to Petrozza. Then, he went in the hallway to think about the loss, being very emotional and saying he was such an idiot. Jen started to rub salt in the wound by saying the veal was all cooked right and ready to be plated, adding that Louross was stupid. After, Jean-Philippe gave them the laundry to do, while asking Jen to put a smile on her face. Later, Jean-Philippe tried to entertain Jen by bringing a crab to her and saying he was as grumpy as she was. But, Jen was still unresponsive, saying she was still mad at Louross for being the cause of the loss. Petrozza compared Jen's attitude to a volcano, saying it could erupt and negatively influence the rest of the team. Jean-Philippe asked Jen to put a smile on her face, but she said she would not, and when he asked her if she would be bitchy the whole day, she answered she would. She also added her dish was flawless and that she did not blame anybody but Louross, calling him a stupid-ass. But, Louross did not care what she was saying and that he was not scared.
Before service[]
When the red team came back from their reward and the blue team almost finished their punishment, Matt noted that Jen was not looking happy, which the team was happy about. Jen did not want to talk or look at anybody and was just thinking about herself. Bobby acknowledged Jen was out casting herself from everybody else and added it could be a dangerous game she was playing. After that, everybody went to bed.
The next morning, both teams began prep for that night's service. In the blue kitchen, Jen and Louross were constantly picking at each other, with Jen telling Louross what to do. Petrozza was annoyed by it, saying that dumbass bickering could not happen during service or they would be in trouble. When he asked them to stop, Jen sarcastically said there was love in the air, with Petrozza understanding the joke and continuing it by saying it was incredible how much love was there. In the red kitchen, morale was at its best, with all the chefs being confident, especially Matt who said he was really happy. Christina declared the red team was glad that Jen, the big bully, was gone as it was now their chance to get along and win by working together.
After, Ramsay made both teams lined up and asked them how they were feeling, with both teams answering they were feeling great, despite Jen and Louross not getting along. When Ramsay asked the red team how it was like not having Jen, Christina answered it was great, and then, Jen aggressively looked at Christina. When Ramsay asked the blue team if they were working together or against each other, Jen answered that they bonded as a team that day and that they were working together as a team, with all of her teammates knowing she was lying. After that, Ramsay announced that during that service, two of the United States' finest food critics would eat in the dining room, and that their comments would decide the winning team. He also added that he did not know at which table they would be eating, so the chefs had to consider that every table was a critic. After, each chef got on their respective station, with Jen still bitter about Christina saying the red team was happy to get rid of her, thinking she was victim of a backstab, but one thing positive was that it boosted her confidence and determination to win the service. Her teammates got in that mood as well, and in the red kitchen, they were as confident, saying they should rock the service out. Then, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell's Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Sophie Gayot, from Gayot Guides, and Merril Schindler, from Los Angeles Zagat, were the two food critics that attended this service. They entered the restaurant at the same time as the other customers. When the first ticket got called in the red kitchen, Corey was working on her first risotto and communicating with Christina, who said her first scallops were ready. Corey was determined to have a good service now that Jen was gone and that it was her time to shine and find her voice as a leader. The first appetizers that Corey and Christina sent to the pass were accepted and went to the critics' table. Both critics enjoyed their appetizers. In the blue kitchen, Jen and Louross worked on their first appetizers, with Louross acknowledging that, because he messed up the previous challenge, if he would perform badly, he would be the one sent home. Jen sent her first risotto, but Louross was thirty seconds behind. Despite that, he managed to send his first scallops just in time and Ramsay deemed them beautiful. Ramsay also urged Louross to keep all of his scallops that way, making Louross extremely proud of himself. The critics also enjoyed their appetizers from the blue kitchen.
45 minutes into service, more than half of the red customers received their appetizers. When the red team moved on to entrées, Matt was berated by Ramsay for having three tenderloin filets that were different sizes. During his outburst, Ramsay compared the three cuts to a family, with the daddy, the mommy and the baby. Matt acknowledged the tenderloin would shrink during cooking and that he was such an idiot because he knew better than that. Ramsay told Matt to wake up, and Matt told his team to wake up, especially himself. In the blue kitchen, they were eager to keep their good momentum, but Petrozza sliced a beef tenderloin three minutes ahead, despite Jen telling him not to do it. Ramsay schooled Petrozza for that mistake, and asked him if he would serve his cloth containing all the flavor from the meat, which Petrozza answered he would not. Petrozza responded that he could not contain himself from checking if the meat was cooked right, and acknowledged he should have never done it, but hoped it would not affect the team. Because of Petrozza's mistake, Louross had to go faster on his order of salmon, needing one more minute, while Ramsay reminded Petrozza he was deserving to lose.
10 minutes later, all the customers have finished their appetizers and were waiting for their entrées. In the blue kitchen, because of Petrozza's mistake, Louross went faster to cook his salmon, but Bobby told the team to stop panicking. Louross sent his salmon to the pass, along with Petrozza's already sliced steak, and Ramsay accepted and served it. When Petrozza asked Ramsay to call back the next ticket, Ramsay called him an idiot while saying it was the next table. Louross tried to motivate Petrozza, while Jen was praised by Ramsay for her communication on her risotto. In the red kitchen, Corey took vocal control of her team, but when Christina sent her salmon to the pass, it was beautifully cooked on one side and overcooked on the other. She refired her order of salmon, but needed seven minutes. Corey said it was not that long cooking a salmon, and when Ramsay asked Christina if she could do two things at once, she said she was on an order of salmon and another of scallops. That led Ramsay to state that if she was not able to multitask, she should not be there. Then, he told her to shut up and asked her for a time on her salmon. Christina acknowledged her timing was wrong, but managed to redeem herself by sending an acceptable second attempt, with Ramsay calling her a lazy cow and telling her that it was not her night. When Christina's salmon arrived at the critics table, it received mixed reviews. In the blue kitchen, Louross sent his order of salmon to be tasted by the critics, who enjoyed it more than Christina's.
More than two hours into service, the blue team served nearly all their entrées and impressed the critics. However, the red customers did not receive any of their entrées. Despite Corey's leadership, Rosann was behind on garnish, and a minor fire erupted in one of her pans, causing her food to burn. Corey declared Rosann was not organized and that she was screwing up the rest of the team. Ramsay told Rosann she was not trustworthy during service, and then, Rosann declared she was short of gnocchi, which discouraged Ramsay. She apologized to him, but he was unresponsive, asking for the carrot purée. Everybody asked for the carrot purée, but Rosann declared it was not ready yet. That caused to be the breaking point of Ramsay, who started smashing his head several times against the glass wall. Meanwhile, the blue team rallied to get their final entrées out, with Bobby vocally leading, and Petrozza and Louross communicating on the Wellingtons and salmon. Petrozza brought his Wellingtons to the pass, and Ramsay said they were beautifully cooked and urged the team to keep the momentum up. Petrozza said they were remarkable and could be called "Super Blue". In the red kitchen, Ramsay berated Matt for having raw beef that he could see from the hot plate. Matt became furious at himself, Christina asked him to bounce back, and Ramsay told him to get his beef back in the oven, which he did. When he sent it, Ramsay was discouraged as it was overcooked. Ramsay asked Matt to serve it, which Matt refused to, and then, he called the whole red team to ask them if they would serve it. After, Ramsay kicked the whole red team out of the kitchen, which embarrassed Matt who said it was the worst thing. Back in the dorms, Matt was crying, ashamed about his performance, and Corey was also crying because she was tired of looking like an idiot despite trying her best. Back in the kitchen, Ramsay sent the whole blue team over to the red kitchen so they would finish service for the red team. Jen was ecstatic about coming over to the red kitchen and save the day, calling the red team bitches in the process. The blue team successfully completed dinner service for the red team, sending the desserts out, and Ramsay told them to switch everything off.
Post-mortem[]
When the teams were lined up, Ramsay said the blue team was much more better than the red team, which he called embarrassing. While reading the critics comment cards, Ramsay said the blue team's food was well-arranged, and congratulated them for that. The red team's food was sloppy, lacking passion and flavor. Therefore, Ramsay named them losers, and Corey was named "Best of the Worst" for her good performance on the appetizers. Then, Ramsay asked her to nominate two of her teammates for elimination.
During deliberation, Corey was annoyed because all her teammates were throwing everybody else under the bus, with Rosann commenting on Matt's performance, Christina saying that Rosann messed up more than she did, and Matt saying he, at least, did not give up. Corey even stated that if she could, she would put all three of them up for elimination.
Elimination[]
Corey named Matt as her first nominee because of his poor performance on meat, and Rosann as her second because of her desire to never want to work with her ever again during service. In the end, Ramsay also nominated Christina for her poor performance as well. All three of them were called down, and after listening to all of their pleas, Ramsay sent Rosann back in line, but eliminated her anyway a few moments later. After Rosann left, Ramsay warned Christina that she had to bounce back, and told Matt he was on borrowed time. Christina acknowledged she had to make a great comeback if she would like to stay as she thought her days were numbered, and Matt said that despite all the insults that Ramsay was giving him, he would never give up. While dismissing the chefs, Ramsay congratulated the blue team.
Ramsay's comment: "If the size of one's mouth corresponded to the size of one's talent, then Rosann would have been a world-class master chef. Unfortunately, she just has a big mouth."
Trivia[]
- With this episode, Season 4 marks the first time there was more than one team switch. It also marks the first time two different variants of a team switch (leveling the numbers and reassignment) occurred in a season.
- This is the first time Ramsay eliminated a chef after sending them back in line.