The fifteenth episode of Season 4 of Hell's Kitchen aired on Fox, on July 8, 2008. On that episode, Christina and Petrozza competed during the final service, and one of them is declared the winner of Hell's Kitchen.
Team select[]
The episode began at the same place where the previous one left off. When Petrozza had to pick either Matt or Jen, he stated that Matt was a lunatic and that Jen could be a bitch. Matt wished to not be picked last, but Petrozza eventually picked Jen. She believed that the reason she was not picked last was because Petrozza knew she was a strong leader and that he would not want to be outshine by her, but stated that he would be anyway. Therefore, Christina picked Matt as her last choice, while thanking God that Petrozza chose Jen because she was not trusting her and did not want her on her team.
Before service[]
After the selection was complete, both teams went in the dorms, so Christina and Petrozza could brief them on their respective menus. On the patio, Petrozza was feeling extremely great about his team, with Bobby promising that they would cook their heart out for him as he was having the strongest team. Bobby also added that Petrozza was the nicest man ever, people would love working for him, and he was confident that he would win. Ben stated that Bobby, Petrozza and himself were tight, but he was less sure about Jen as he never worked with her in the kitchen. All of them were confident and ready to have an enjoyable service, except Jen, who was not happy about being there as a returning contestant, believing she was deserving a place in the final two as she was still thinking she was the best chef, even better than the two finalists.
On Christina's side, it was the same story, with Matt. He declared that Christina was annoying him, getting under his skin, and that he did not have any respect for her, stating that people have to earn their respect instead of waiting for it. However, Christina applied a strategy to motivate him by saying that her risotto idea was inspired by him. That strategy worked as Matt immediately declared that she earned his respect just for that. Christina declared that what she said to him was not true, but that the most important was that he bought it. Then, she dedicated Corey on the hot plate with herself, and Louross on appetizers because of his energy. She also motivated her team by saying that nobody ever had a perfect service, but they would try to get one for that one.
On the other side of the patio, Petrozza declared that his prep list was not done yet and that he was overwhelmed. Jen was furious about that news, saying she did not want to be a prep chef for Petrozza because she was feeling like the people who were playing the violin when the Titanic was going down. She added that he was very disorganized, while telling Petrozza that he should make his list to put on the fridge door.
With 6 hours left, both teams began their prep, and in the dining room, the construction was still behind schedule. John Janavs, the architect of Hell's Kitchen, pulled Christina aside to take some important decisions about her dining room. He suggested her to make all of the columns chocolate brown, a decision she agreed, while declaring she never worked with a designer before and that the most important was that her work had to be done by the opening. On his side, Petrozza learned that his booths were not there yet, so he jokingly suggested Bobby could land a hand. He declared he was trusting Janavs but did not want to be scrambling at the last minute either. Meanwhile, in the blue kitchen, Jen asked Ramsay if he could write her a letter of recommendation for her future by putting what he thought of her except her big mouth. He was shocked by that request, Christina heard it from the red kitchen and laughed about it with her brigade. Louross asked if she was serious, Christina stated that move from Jen was really classless, and Corey declared that she was officially hating her, while Jen was giggling alone.
In the red kitchen, Matt started to drive his teammates nuts with his bizarre behavior by talking to himself, with Corey saying he was unstable and a little bit psycho. Matt started mimicking Christina when she gave him an order, and started to talk back, before Corey suggested to her that she must make him more serious. Then, Christina declared that if Matt would bring down the whole kitchen with his attitude, he could fuck off whenever he would want. Corey told Matt to get his shit together, but he responded that his shit was together, before Christina took him in his hands and shook him while telling him to calm down. In the blue kitchen, it was the same story for Petrozza, with Jen. He asked her if she was all right, she did not answer, and when Ben asked her how long her risotto would be ready, he called her "sweetheart" in the process, which she did not appreciate by telling her name is Jen, and that her risotto would be ready in a minute and a half. Ben declared that Jen had been in a pissy mood all day long because she wanted to be in the finals, but reminded that she did not and that she had to get over it. When Petrozza asked her if she needed help, she declared he must not trust her to work on the line, leading Petrozza to say that she was being a bitch and doing the thing they were all knowing her for. Petrozza told Jen to stay with him and focus, while adding that he would kick out her if she would give attitude during service. Jen told herself to put her head down and do what she had to do to get the fuck out of there as soon at the service would be over.
One hour before service, Ramsay tasted the sample dishes from Christina and Petrozza's menus. Both of them prepared 3 appetizers, 3 entrées, and 3 desserts. Christina's menu included a beef sliders trio appetizer, her signature New York strip with sweet corn succotash and roasted potatoes entrée, and a tropical sundae with roasted pineapple and macadamia nuts. For the slider, Ramsay suggested to have three different proteins for each burger, he also suggested that her New York strip should be sliced in two or three sections, and he enjoyed the sundae dessert. She was happy as she did not like overcomplicated things and would love to have food her kitchen could execute. Petrozza's menu included a lobster strudel appetizer, his signature filet mignon with onion risotto entrée, and a vanilla soufflé with a whiskey crème anglaise dessert. Ramsay noticed his strudel was overcooked, the risotto of his filet mignon was too stiff, but he praised the soufflé, saying he was very brave to do that. Petrozza took Ramsay's advices and ran with it, saying he was a phenomenal chef. He added that there was some corrections to make, but that they would fix them. Ramsay commented both menus, saying that Petrozza's was highly imaginative, which could be dangerous, but added that he would pull it off, it would be very successful. He continued by saying that Christina's was playing safe for being simple, but added that if she could turn it up a notch, it would be successful as well.
30 minutes before service, Petrozza's booths finally arrived, and Christina was ready to present her dining room to Ramsay. He found it contemporary, and remarked that the chairs were comfortable, while adding it was vibrant and elegant, which was representative of Los Angeles. On Petrozza's side, Ramsay said it was rustic and nice, while telling he was comfortable sitting at a table. Petrozza declared his favorite part was the flowers. Ramsay also loved the fireplace, and Petrozza declared that because of Ramsay's high standards, getting compliments on his restaurant by him was meaning everything.
Minutes before opening, Ramsay declared to Christina and Petrozza that for one of them, their next service would be in his restaurant in Los Angeles. He finished by saying he would watch both of them all night long and wishing them good luck. In his kitchen, Petrozza asked his brigade if they were ready, which Ben answered that night was about him, and in her kitchen, Christina motivated her team one last time. Petrozza declared that service was the most important of his life by 250,000, referring to his new salary if he would win. Christina was fucking ready, saying she would just have to work one more night in order to win. After both finalists gave a final pep talk to their brigade, with Christina revealing 13 tables would be attending in her dining room and that her team would concentrate, focus and cook for one last effort. Louross was ready to go, but when Christina asked Matt how he was feeling because he was quiet, he answered by saying he was focused on the task ahead. She declared she was feeling good about her team, despite Matt being unpredictable. Petrozza said to his team that they all have to perform the service of their lives, with Bobby adding they would man up. Jen responded to Bobby by asking if they would woman up as well, which annoyed Bobby, who said she had a shit poor attitude that he could see on her face and hoped she would not disturb the team too much. Petrozza shook Jen's hand, wishing her good luck, and Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell's Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Christina and Petrozza's restaurants went head-to-head that service, and Ramsay would base his decision on the customer comment cards and his own observations. Christina called her first ticket out, and Louross responded back very loudly, being excited to work for her. Christina was excited but nervous because she knew a good start was required, so she gave Louross four minutes for his first appetizer to be ready, and the rest of the team understood. In the blue kitchen, Jen saw that Petrozza's dining room was filling up, and Petrozza called his first ticket out with his team calling back immediately. Petrozza understood it was do or die for him as the following three hours would decide the fate of his life. Bobby gave three minutes for his strudel to be ready. Seeing that, Ramsay was confident as both kitchens were having a vibrant start and hoped they would keep that momentum all service long. Christina ordered the appetizers immediately, and Louross declared he was walking with the salads at the moment. Corey acknowledged it was her last service in Hell's Kitchen and was determined to make Christina win that night. Louross brought his salads at the same time Corey brought her sliders to the pass. Ramsay said to Christina that her sliders were looking lovely, and they were served to the dining room. Christina motivated her team saying she loved that start. In the blue kitchen, Petrozza asked Bobby for the appetizers, and Bobby said that despite the menu not being easy, he would cook his ass off. Bobby sent his appetizers, but they were still cold and Petrozza told they would not be able to keep up if they would go down like that. So, he asked Bobby and Jen to put them back in the pan. Petrozza acknowledged it would be his fault if he would let mistakes go by him, so he insisted his team to check everything they were doing. Ramsay commented that he was happy to see Petrozza's quality control and seeing he was not accepting Bobby's strudels. He also added that Petrozza had to run his brigade, or it would run him. On his second attempt, Bobby delivered better appetizers, along with Jen, and Petrozza thanked him for that and served them. Bobby proclaimed himself once again as a "Four-Star General", and said that Petrozza was needing him. Petrozza's quality control paid off as his customers were satisfied with their appetizers.
In the red kitchen, Christina was feeling the pressure as she was asking for appetizers, but Louross was a little behind, still being on the first order. Ramsay schooled Louross by telling him to speed up, and Louross needed help. Christina was frustrated because her team wanted her to help, but she could not as things would go down if she would. So, she dedicated Matt to help Louross with the salads, which he did. He was trying to help as best as he could by asking a lot of questions to Louross, which annoyed the latter who said he was asking stupid questions. Christina revealed that working with Matt was frustrating as salad was easy. Ramsay told Matt to speed up by reminding him it was not the opening service, and when Christina asked for the salads, Matt sent them to her, but he dropped a salad bowl on his way. Louross was annoyed by his careless behavior, and Christina wondered how she would go through service with Matt, being discouraged and saying he was trying to wonder what he was doing. In the blue kitchen, Petrozza served appetizers to more than half of his customers. When he called the following ticket, Jen revealed they were out of cheese for the salad, discouraging Petrozza, who said it was a nightmare. Jen revealed she got enough for only four orders, but five were needed. She took all responsibility off her, saying it was not her fault and that her station was not prepped properly. Moments later, Bobby revealed he was also running out of strudels, discouraging Ramsay and Petrozza, who said that situation was tearing him apart. Ramsay ordered Petrozza to make a decision quickly, so he asked Bobby what could he bring, which he answered he could bring a risotto. Petrozza accepted that solution, acknowledging they had to bounce back. With that decision, food was getting out of the kitchen once again, and were well received by the customers.
In the red kitchen, Christina began to serve entrées and motivated her team by telling to keep up the good pace. But, Jean-Philippe sent back two dishes for not being hot enough, and when Petrozza saw that, he thought it was good for him and wished her food would keep coming back. Ramsay was disbelieved and asked Christina to correct her problem fast. She asked Corey to refire an order of New York strip on-the-spot, and Corey asked Matt to cook the garnish right away. Corey revealed she started to get frazzled because food was coming back and acknowledged she could have been more organized. Ramsay noticed all the food that was sitting on the hot plate, and Corey vocally led the red team. After, a fire erupted in one of Matt's pans, and Ramsay told Christina to turn her game up a notch. So, she started to speak louder and asking for entrées quickly, while Corey and Matt brought their food to the plate at the same time, which were accepted by Christina. Ramsay commented on how the red team were fighting back and Christina was becoming more assertive. Because of that, she got her good momentum back, and the customers were once again satisfied with the food. In Petrozza's dining room, the customers were waiting because he was taking too much time plating his dishes. Ramsay told him to hurry up and ask for help from his brigade, but he said he was reluctant to do it as he did not want to take them off their stations. But moments later, he understood Ramsay was right and asked for help from Ben and Jen, who helped him plate his food. Ben was determined to help Petrozza win, saying he was deserving it. With his brigade's help, Petrozza was finally getting his food out again, and the customers were extremely satisfied to receive their entrées. In the red kitchen, Matt sent raw fish to the hot plate, and Christina asked him to fix it. Ramsay praised Christina for her quality control, and she motivated Matt at the same time that she had to watch every of his move from that moment on. When Ramsay asked Matt how could he do that to her, he told Ramsay to shut up and that his fish was tasting good, which was the most important. Ramsay was furious about Matt's behavior, and Corey was also annoyed by his attitude saying he was mumbling underneath his breath when Ramsay was yelling at him. Ramsay said to Christina that she must not let that go, and then, Louross was also telling Matt to focus on his things instead of being disrespectful. Then, Ramsay called Matt a fuckface and pulled him to the side, telling him to wake up. In the blue kitchen, Petrozza asked for one last onion ring to send the table, but Jen started to give him attitude by saying she knew already, annoying him who said he could not make the table wait only for one onion ring from Jen. When she brought her onion ring to the pass, it was still undercooked, even disbelieving Ramsay himself, and Petrozza asked her for a crispy onion ring. He was so blown away by that mistake, saying she was only frying onion rings and that it should not have been that complicated. Jen continued to give attitude to Petrozza, and Ramsay told him to not let one of those bitches take his dream away from him. Then, Ramsay told Jen she must not be disrespectful, and she answered she was not, but Petrozza stated he could have done a better job than her with only one arm. Ramsay pulled Petrozza aside to say he need to control Jen as she was sabotaging her service, so Petrozza regrouped her and told to just cook the food, which Ramsay thanked him for and called Jen "Miss sabotage". After that, she angrily sent her second attempt at the onion rings.
Two hours into dinner service, Petrozza served 10 of his 13 tables and Christina served 8 of her 13. Therefore, she was rushing to catch up and asked Matt for the monkfish, which he answered it was coming immediately. However, it was still raw, and Ramsay berated Matt for doing that on a night that important, and Matt started arguing, which Ramsay told him not to do. Christina declared she was screwed by working with him, and told Matt that he had to shape up or leave her kitchen. Ramsay reminded Christina to not be ruined by him or he would run the pass for her, by adding that every of her dishes were counting. Then, Christina went over to the meat station and told Matt how to properly cook the monkfish, but Matt started giving attitude by telling to shut her mouth and let him cook. After that, Matt said the fish was not raw, only little parts of it. Christina ordered the monkfish straight away, but Matt started to lose his temper and angrily taking out another pan and telling it would take 6 minutes to refire it. Christina said she would not let him ruin her night, and his second attempt at the monkfish was perfect. Matt had a little celebration, and the team rallied to complete the final service, with Christina motivating Matt by telling he was two risottos away from completing his last Hell's Kitchen service. Ramsay commented that it was near the end of service, and both kitchens were neck-and-neck. In the blue kitchen, Petrozza started to call out desserts, and Christina followed very shortly after. The customers really enjoyed their desserts, and when they were done, everybody was congratulating each other, even Christina and Petrozza.
Post-mortem[]
When the teams were lined up, Ramsay congratulated both finalists for having great services, with more highs than lows. Then, both teams gave a round of applause, and Ramsay reminded there could only be one winner, before reminding the prize job. After that, he asked both finalists to say goodbye to their brigades and went up to the dorms and wait.
Back in the dorms, Christina was not appreciating the wait and asked for the decision to happen, while Petrozza wanted to win very badly. In his office, Ramsay was basing his decision on the customer comment cards and his own observations.
Winner announced[]
When Ramsay got ready with his decision, both finalists went to his office. On their way, Petrozza declared he did not want to lose to Christina as she was only a kid, despite acknowledging she was a talented kid, and Christina knew the best cook would win, while hoping it would be her. Arrived in Ramsay's office, they stood in front of him, and Ramsay declared that making his decision was pure agony as they were both worthy of winning. After declaring he got two strong finalists, he asked Christina and Petrozza to stand in front of a door each. Both of them did, knowing it would only open if they would be the winner. The finalists wished each other good luck, put their hands on the handles, and waited nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end. Ramsay began his countdown, and when he ended it, both finalists turned their handles, but only Christina's door opened.
Christina became the winner of Hell's Kitchen, being awarded an Executive Chef position at the London West Hollywood in Los Angeles, with a salary of $250,000. Petrozza became the runner-up, but took his defeat graciously by congratulating Christina and acknowledging it was a great experience where he met a lot of great people. Christina thanked her brigade, saying she would not be there if it was not from them. During the celebration, everybody was hugging each other, and Ramsay and the Sous Chefs were spraying champagne on everybody.
Ramsay's comment: "Christina had the least amount of experience coming to Hell's Kitchen. But I saw something in her that is quite special, she had the best potential across any other chef in Hell's Kitchen, and in my business, I think long term. I've definitely, definitely made the right choice. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster for the last three months. Of all the Hell's Kitchens, this has been the one with the most ups and downs. But, we ended on a high, and right now, it's time for me to get the fuck out of Hell's Kitchen!"