The ninth episode of Season 5 of Hell’s Kitchen aired on FOX on April 2, 2009. In that episode, crab was the main ingredient, the teams created their own menus, and when Ramsay accused one chef of sabotaging their team, it led to one of the most shocking eliminations in Hell’s Kitchen history.
Intro[]
Back at the dorms, Andrea confronted Carol for throwing her under the bus on the chopping block, but it led to another argument between the two of them. Carol accused Andrea of not listening to her, and the latter cutting her off proved it. An annoyed Giovanni told the two women that they had to work their problems out, but Andrea said it was impossible since they would never get along. Paula voiced her concern that their arguing was killing the red team’s teamwork and warned both Andrea and Carol that they might be back up for elimination if it continued.
Team challenge[]
The following morning, both teams came down to the dining room to meet Ramsay. Danny felt good about the blue team because he thought they had three strong chefs. Ramsay explained that one of his favorite things was taking a protein and elevating it to a stunning dish. Ramsay asked a couple of chefs to name him some well-known chicken dishes. Giovanni said chicken cacciatore, chicken marsala, and chicken cordon bleu. Andrea listed off chicken noodle soup and chicken ala king, and Robert said Kung pow chicken and chicken livers and hot sauce. Afterwards, Ben said he loved cooking chicken and claimed to have his dish made up in his head. While Ben thought they were cooking with chicken, Ramsay revealed that they would be cooking with red king crab for their next challenge. That surprised the chefs as Andrea said she had never seen a red king crab in person. In contrast, Robert wanted some butter and a metal bucket.
For the Red King Crab Challenge, each chef would create their own crab dish, and both teams would have to agree on what dish they would want to present. Ramsay added that this challenge was one they did not want to lose. With both teams having 45 minutes, they got to work on their dishes. Ben said that a true chef had a clear idea when they went into the kitchen and already had a plan for his dish. Ben dropped two crabs into the pots to cook and said he knew what he was doing for Ramsay. However, Ben struggled to back up his plan to Ramsay, leading Danny to call the former a dumbass. In the red kitchen, Paula could not find where the chinois was and asked Ramsay if he could look for one. However, Ramsay chewed Paula for asking him that and asked if she wanted a latte. Andrea knew that was a poor decision for Paula to make. With ten minutes left, both teams had most of their dishes finished and tasted all of them to decide whose dish would go up. Danny said he was getting confident with the dishes he made in the challenges, especially since he scored in previous challenges. However, Ben did not think that Danny's dish had any crunch. Carol was concerned about Andrea leaving the shells on her dish in the red kitchen, but the latter said it was part of the presentation. Still, Carol knew that if Andrea's dish was used, the shell would be the first thing Ramsay would notice. Then, Carol tasted Paula's dish, claiming it was the best-looking one on the red team. With time running out, Ben thought his dish was the best of the blue team and had Robert and Danny taste it. Robert liked it and was blown away by the vanilla, and Danny reluctantly agreed to it, even though he thought his dish was better. Back in the red kitchen, Andrea acknowledged that Paula's dish was good, but she pushed for her dish to be showcased. Eventually, time was up, and everyone had their representatives ready.
When Andrea brought up her dish, she called it an honor to represent the red team but called it nerve-wracking at the same time. Carol whispered to Paula that Ramsay would be mad about the shells on Andrea's plate as Ben brought his dish up. Andrea presented her king crab legs crusted with macadamia nuts, asparagus and pear-infused butter. Still, Ramsay criticized the presentation because of the shells on the plate. Ben compared the presentation to crabs on the run as Ramsay asked Andrea why leave the shells on the crab. Andrea said she wanted to give the customer the full experience of the crab, but Ramsay deshelled the legs and found bones in the meat. Ramsay gave Andrea a shell as earrings, and she called it embarrassing. When Ramsay tasted the dish, he felt it was bland and disgusting. Ben's dish was a crab in sriracha butter, but his very long explanation annoyed everybody. Danny even told Ben to shut up. Ramsay was not impressed by the minimalist presentation, and while the crab tasted better than Andrea's, it did not meet the wow factor he was hoping for.
Ramsay was disappointed by the dishes he received and ordered Danny and Paula to bring their dishes up. When Danny and Paula brought up their dishes, the former felt his heart pounding. Paula's crab with hazel coconut broth wowed Ramsay with its presentation, and it was deemed delicious. Also, Danny's poached crab in a Madeira Berblanc with sautéed celery and fennel was also deemed delicious. That made Danny feel good as he showcased to Ramsay what he had. Ramsay was happy that both of their dishes hit the mark he was looking for and even asked why they were not chosen first. Danny said the blue team made a joint decision. In the end, Ramsay gave Danny's dish the win for the blue team after a very tough decision. Danny felt good that he won it for the blue team.
Reward[]
The blue team won a day at the Santa Monica State Beach with Ramsay for lunch and a Segway ride. While Ben said Chicago never had white sand, Robert was happy to go to the beach. As the blue team left to change, Danny felt good to be at the top of the totem pole and won it for the blue team. Before leaving, Robert decided to leave his boxer shorts for the red team to clean up as part of their punishment.
The blue team went to the beach during the reward, and they met Ramsay riding a Segway. Robert had to ride a bicycle due to the weight limit on the Segways, disappointing him as it was another thing he had to miss out on. Ramsay wiped out a few times, and Danny called the former a good buddy to be with on the rewards. At lunch, Ramsay and the blue team received lobster, which Robert enjoyed. Ramsay told the blue team that they had a chance to become the winner of that season, and they toasted to their victory.
Punishment[]
The red team had to clean both the dorms and kitchens and prep all the king crab for the next night’s dinner service. Paula said it sucked to clean up someone else's mess, especially the messy people. Before the red team did their punishment, a disappointed Ramsay said he expected more and called Andrea's dish bad. Andrea knew she dropped the ball for the red team and was mad at herself.
The blue team walked by the red team cleaning the blue kitchen during the punishment, and Robert told them to clean his dirty underwear. However, that disgusted Andrea. When the red team cleaned the dorms, Andrea wondered how house cleaners could handle the smell, and she was glad she did not have to iron Robert's clothes. Later, the red team cleaned the crabs as Carol complained about getting water inside her gloves. However, Andrea compared Carol's complaint to a five-year-old before commenting on how many crabs there were to clean. In contrast, Carol got annoyed by Andrea's constant yacking. When the blue team came back, they made fun of the red team's punishment as Ben had no sympathy for them. As the blue team talked about their reward, Paula did not want to hear about it. After the blue team left, the red team vented their frustrations on the crab as Giovanni wanted to win the following service.
[]
Both teams were ready to prep for that night’s service the following day. However, Ramsay had other plans and revealed the news that he would let both teams create their own menus for that service. They were required to have three appetizers, three entrées, and three desserts on their menus that would also feature a crab special. Ramsay sent the chefs back upstairs to discuss their menus.
As both teams went back to the dorms, Andrea knew it was their chance to showcase their skills and creativity. Immediately, Robert pushed for Danny's crab dish as the special, with Giovanni doing the same for Paula's dish. Most of the team's ideas were similar as both Robert and Giovanni suggested carpaccio, and both Andrea and Ben suggested a salad. Also, the proteins Ben and Carol suggested were similar: halibut and steak. When Ben suggested a light shallow poach for the halibut, Robert imagined two older women ordering that on the menu. Ben thought his teammates were not used to refined cooking, he suggested pomme fondants. However, Danny did not think Ben knew what he was talking about and did not want to hear the word pomme fondant again. Despite Robert claiming he would not order pomme fondants, he reluctantly agreed to put it on the menu.
Before service[]
With both of the team's menus finished, they went downstairs to prepare for that night’s service. Carol was getting her gratin dauphinoises cooked before service and planned on cooking them again for orders. Although Andrea expressed concern that the gratin dauphinoises would not be ready for service, a confident Carol said she made them in the last French restaurant she worked at. In the blue kitchen, Robert and Ben argued over the former's speed while prepping. Ben thought Robert was moving slow, but the latter knew their egos were beginning to clash. Once everyone was ready, Ramsay told Jean-Philippe to open Hell’s Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
Each diner must order from either the blue menu or the red menu for that night. Both featured beef carpaccio, steak, and ambitious potato garnishes, including Ben's pomme fondants and Carol's gratin dauphinoises. Both teams' orders came in, and they all got to work immediately. Giovanni managed to get the red team off to a fast start with his beef carpaccio appetizers. Still, they were immediately sent back for being flavorless. Giovanni realized he did not season it, and Ramsay lectured the former to slice the beef on a seasoned plate for flavor. Ben's bisque was very salty in the blue kitchen, and Ramsay forced the three men to taste it. Robert said it was disgusting and Ramsay was appalled about how Ben screwed up on reheating a bisque. Ben admitted he over-reduced the bisque and added more salt to compensate for it, but Ramsay called him clumsy. While Ramsay accused Ben of looking for any excuse to make, the latter said he was trying his best. However, Ben's refire overboiled and hit the flat top. With Ben's mistakes slowing the blue kitchen down, some of their customers were forced to watch the red diners at the same table getting their appetizers. However, the same red diner who complained about her bland appetizer before said it was still under-seasoned again. She went to the hot plate to confront Ramsay about it, but Ramsay chewed her out for whistling at him, and he called the woman a dog. After the woman returned to her table, Ramsay told Giovanni to fire another carpaccio.
One hour into service, both teams sent up their appetizers to the dining room. Carol brought her gratin dauphinoises up to the pass, but Ramsay saw they were raw and hard and forced the red team to taste them. Ramsay asked who cooked the potatoes, and Carol said she did as she thought Andrea had to cook them in the oven first before the orders came. Still, Carol did not understand why the potatoes were cooking slowly as she had never seen that with thin potatoes. However, Ramsay told Carol that gratin dauphinoise needed to be cooked before service would begin. When Ramsay accused Carol of trying to sabotage Andrea, Carol argued that she was not, but that made Ramsay even angrier. Andrea was getting embarrassed for Carol as she knew the latter loved to point out other people's mistakes. Ramsay asked Carol how long would it take for the gratin dauphinoises to cook correctly, and the latter guessed ten minutes, as she still had no idea why they did not cook. That caused Ramsay to angrily tell the customers that they would get their dishes in about ten minutes and chewed out Carol for screwing over the customers. Then, Carol revealed that she cooked them in boiling cream for an hour during prep, and Ramsay called her useless. In the blue kitchen, Ben was getting his pomme fondants cooked, but Ramsay was confused by their appearance as pomme fondants were usually cooked in butter, not blanched. Ben thought that Ramsay had a different definition for pomme fondants, but Sous Chef Scott confirmed to Ramsay that the former's potatoes did not look like a traditional pomme fondant. Then, Ramsay told Ben that if what he was trying to serve was a pomme fondant, then he was the pope. Danny accused Ben of only knowing fancy terms and nothing else, and Ramsay compared it to a school dinner. After getting chewed out, Ben knew the blue team must redo the order. Ramsay caught Carol pouring hot cream on the gratin dauphinoises in a vain attempt to save them in the red kitchen. Ramsay tossed the entire pan into the trash bin, and Andrea knew the potatoes were too far gone for salvation. Ramsay said he would not even serve the potatoes to a pig and accused Carol of having no care for the menu she helped create. Carol felt awful as she ruined the dish, and Ramsay angrily told the red team to think of an alternative side. After a moment of hesitation, Giovanni suggested sauteed fingerling potatoes. Afterwards, Ramsay accused Carol of acting like a loopy cow.
An hour and a half into dinner service, none of the kitchens have served their entrées due to their respective potato problems. Robert miscalculated one of his halibut orders due to working at both the fish and meat stations, and he needed three more minutes. Even though Ben saw that Robert was working hard, he thought the latter was not up to his or Danny's level. Ramsay was angry that Robert had forgotten the order, which meant he was dragging the blue kitchen down. Robert argued that he was working both meat and fish that night, which meant he worked twice as hard as everyone else. Still, Ramsay told Robert not to give up. In the red kitchen, Carol walked up her steak in hopes of redemption from the potato incident. However, it was rare instead of medium, and Ramsay rubbed more salt in the wounds by mentioning how perfect Carol's lamb was. Ramsay looked at Robert's filets in the blue kitchen and noticed that they were not the same size. Robert said he did not cut them during prep, but Ben took the blame for poorly cutting them. Ramsay accused Ben of sabotaging Robert, but the latter said he was not as he gave everything that night. Ramsay was discouraged when he saw Ben's poorly cut portions in the fridge, and Robert thought the latter was trying to sabotage him. Afterwards, Ben wiped off some tears as he got in the weeds.
Two hours into dinner service, both teams got their entrées into the dining room. While getting their desserts ready, Robert and Ben got into an argument about Robert's slow momentum, which caused Ramsay to once again accuse Ben of trying to sabotage Robert. Ben said he was not, but if he was, then Ramsay could send him home. Soon after, Jean-Philippe brought back one of Carol's steaks as they were cooked mid-rare instead of medium. That was the final straw for Ramsay, who decided to shut down both kitchens.
Post-mortem[]
When both teams were lined up, Ramsay was angry because despite giving both teams the responsibility of creating their own menus, neither could execute their own food. Afterwards, Ramsay revealed he took a look at the customer comment cards. While the blue team’s entrées got a 39% above average rating, the red team’s entrées got a 54% above average rating. Because of that, the red team was declared the winners, but Ramsay told them it was not a victory worth celebrating over. Danny was named “Best of the Worst” for the blue team as he was the only one on the team not to make a mistake, and he was tasked to nominate one person for elimination.
Back at the dorms, Carol was surprised that the red team won despite her potato fiasco, but Giovanni said they were lucky. However, Andrea thought they did not deserve to win as she hoped they would get rid of Carol. In contrast, Carol considered herself a lucky person to be on the winning team, but she wondered if she deserved to stay. Meanwhile, Ben pleaded his case to Danny on why he should stay, claiming that he was faster than Robert. In contrast, Robert said he brought it in services and called himself a diamond in the rough. However, Ben did not consider Robert worthwhile as a teammate and as an individual. That put Danny in a tough spot on who to nominate, even thinking that both should be up for elimination. Afterwards, Ben asked Danny who he wanted in the kitchen alongside him.
Elimination[]
Danny announced that Ben was his nominee for elimination. However, Ramsay called down Robert as well. During their pleas, Ben believed he brought a foundation of leadership and believed he was the man to win the prize. However, Ramsay was doubtful that Ben could lead after the filet mignon fiasco. Then, Robert said he put a lot for the customers and thought he was better than any other chef in the room, claiming that the underdog should not be underestimated. After listening to their pleas, Ramsay revealed that the person that would be going home was the one who sabotaged their team and gave up afterwards. Turning to the red team, Ramsay eliminated Carol as she was responsible for the gratin dauphinoise being undercooked in the first place and making no attempt to fight back afterwards. During her exit interview, Carol said that while she wanted to win the competition, she felt humbled to stand outside as a loser.
After Carol's exit, Ramsay told the chefs to bounce back as one of them would become the Head Chef at the Borgota Hotel and Casino. While being dismissed, Ben relished another chance to stay as he thought Ramsay saw something inside him. Then, Andrea was relieved that Carol was gone, which meant the red team lost their dead weight. Lastly, Robert said he belonged in Hell's Kitchen as he was proud of what he had made.
Ramsay's comment: "Carol knew she was out of her depth in Hell's Kitchen. I just put her out of her misery."
Trivia[]
- This marked the first time in Hell’s Kitchen history that Ramsay eliminated someone from the winning team.
- This marked the last episode of this season where Ramsay made a comment about an eliminated contestant until the premiere of Season 6.