The eleventh episode of Season 7 of Hell's Kitchen aired on FOX on July 20, 2010, airing as a double feature alongside the twelfth episode. In that episode, one chef received a huge makeover, a showmance began to emerge, and two chefs slowed down the service all by themselves before being kicked out.
Intro[]
While going back to the dorms, Jason was excited to be in the top six as only the best of the best chefs remained as Benjamin and Ed hugged. Ed acknowledged that his last performance was not the best, and he had to reach for the gold. The chefs found some champagne bottles and glasses on the table in the dorms, and Autumn acknowledged that the pressure was on after ten people were eliminated. While the chefs drank champagne, Jason said that one of them would become the head chef at the Savoy in London. Jay wondered if he should start speaking with a British accent as he was close to the most amazing job with the most amazing chef in the most amazing city. After, the chefs clinked their glasses.
Individual challenge[]
The following day, the chefs went to the dining room, and Ramsay introduced the Presentation Challenge. Each chef would have 30 minutes to create a dish that would look and taste great. Also, Ramsay added that a renowned food photographer would photograph the dishes. Jay was confident as presentation was one of his strongest points while adding that it was the epidemy of what he was doing.
When the countdown began, the chefs ran to the pantry room, grabbed a tray of ingredients, and started cooking. Benjamin wanted to show that he had good techniques, but Jay informed him that one of his pans was on fire, and he succeeded in taking it off. Then, Autumn revealed that her dish was an Ahi tuna with a sweet and sour prosciutto sauce as she liked to take something classic and put a spin on it. She did it while wanting to show that she was a force to be reckoned with. After, Ed revealed that he would make a striped bass, that he liked to create and get outside of the box, and hoped that his style would be good enough to get him to London. Then, Jay revealed he was making a modern-style beet and goat cheese salad while being extremely convinced that it was a very good-looking dish. Jay added that he could only lose that challenge by making himself lose. Eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time.
After the first part, the chefs went upstairs to have their dishes photographed by Alex Vasilescu. Holli was not happy with her dish as it did not look like a piece of art, while everybody else's looked gorgeous. Then, the chefs went in the entrance hallway to take a look at the pictures. All of them were impressed, with Jason saying that Ed's dish was making him hungry. Holli deemed Benjamin's as her favorite. Also, Jay considered his dish as his favorite, and stated that he was 99,2% confident he would win the challenge. After, Ramsay introduced the chefs to some culinary students who would judge the pictures by ranking them from the best-looking dish to the worst. When they entered, Jason thought that Ramsay would judge the pictures while adding that the students did not want to come back to Hell's Kitchen ever. While the students were making their ranking, the chefs had to make their dishes the same way one more time. During the evaluation, Holli's dish was deemed boring by a student. Another one wondered what meat was on Autumn's plate, which Ramsay answered was Ahi tuna, before urging him to polish his glasses. Also, one student did not know what Jay's dish was.
When the chefs lined up, Ramsay revealed that Holli's dish was deemed the worst, and Jay's ranked fifth, which he almost believed was a joke as he was very confident he would win. After, Jason's dish ranked in fourth place, and Autumn's ranked in third, making Benjamin and Ed the two finalists of the challenge. For the second part, Tanya Steele, from Epicurious magazine, was invited as a guest judge, and Benjamin and Ed were called down to have their dishes judged. Steele was very impressed by both presentations. Ed presented his pan-seared striped bass with celery purée, mango and avocado salsa, and cilantro oil. He was not nervous at all as Steele showed non-verbal signs of excitement over his dish. It was praised for being cooked beautifully. After, Benjamin presented his pan-seared halibut with bouillabaisse, fennel, confit tomatoes, olive oil and basil. It was praised for the combination of the ingredients and the spectacular colors. After much deliberation, Benjamin was declared the winner, which Jason considered the same shit on a different day. After, the culinary students were dismissed while being given a standing ovation by the chefs.
Reward[]
Benjamin was rewarded with a photoshoot for Epicurious. He and his dish would be featured, and he received a haircut, facial, manicure and pedicure. He was excited as he called Epicurious another notch off the ladder after being featured in Bon Appétit, New York Times, and Boston Globe. While getting ready, he knew that winning the challenge would show everybody that the competition was on and almost everything on his dish was close to perfect.
When Benjamin walked by the dining room to go on his reward, he jokingly told Jay that he would think about him the whole day after the latter wished him luck on his fang day. Arrived at the photoshoot, he was greeted by Tanya Steele, who introduced him to the stylists. He jokingly told them they had a lot of work to do and was excited about getting a haircut despite his wife liking his hair long. After having his haircut, he was excited and enjoyed his new look as he said it was time for him to have short sexy hair. Then, some hair from his eyebrows got removed, but he did not like it as it hurt and even admitted that he cried. When he revealed his new look, Steele said he looked like a rock star. They moved on to the photoshoot, with Benjamin saying that it would help him open more doors for Epicurious and acknowledging that some people would kill to be there.
Punishment[]
The remaining chefs were punished by cleaning the dining room under Jean-Philippe's supervision. Autumn was very jealous about Benjamin's haircut and facial, and Jason was dismayed because he knew Jean-Philippe wanted perfection and would not settle for less. While being dismissed, Jason whispered to Autumn that Jay was pissed. On the patio, Jay expressed a lot of disappointment about ranking in fifth place, and knew that he had to snap out of it. Also, Jason said that Benjamin's dish was one of the most incredible things he ever saw on a plate.
In the dining room, the chefs were greeted by Jean-Philippe, who gleefully told them that they would spend the whole day cleaning together. Holli knew he wanted perfection, so they would have to give him that whether they wanted to or not. Autumn admitted that Benjamin needed a haircut, and when the latter walked by to go on his reward, Jay wished him good luck on his fang day.
Later, Jean-Philippe dedicated the chefs to polish the wood, Jay suggested that Holli should do it, and she jokingly flipped him the bird. Then, she asked him if she should polish after he sprayed, and everybody understood the innuendo. After, Jay revealed his two goals: to win Hell's Kitchen and to sleep with Holli, and he also told Holli that she should polish on her knees. Finally, Holli revealed that they joked around sex all punishment long because it was very boring. Moments later, Jay was squirting some product on the floor to wash it. Still, Jason told him he was doing it wrong, so he showed him how to do it, and Jay added that he did not have any family, which Jason realized. So, the latter jokingly told him to find Holli, and Autumn acknowledged that there might be a love connection between Jay and Holli. Then, Ed asked Jean-Philippe if he should keep the utensils sideways or straight, which Jean-Philippe answered straight before understanding the innuendo.
Before service[]
When Benjamin came back from his reward, everybody was impressed by his new look. Jason said he needed it because the Shaggy hair from Scooby-doo was outdated. Also, Holli said that despite his new hair and new clothes, he was still the same dork, and when Benjamin said he would head upstairs while saying that he felt great in his skin, Jay said that he should get his money back.
The following day, the chefs went to the kitchen to begin prepping. Sous Chefs Scott and Andi revealed the new menu and that Benjamin's dish would be featured on the menu. During prep, Benjamin gave clear instructions on how to make his dish. Still, Holli was annoyed because there were too many little components. Benjamin knew that his dish was difficult but believed that everybody could do it. However, Autumn thought it was the most complicated dish with the most components. Jay was worried because Benjamin's dish was very aggressive while fearing it would become a major issue.
When the chefs lined up, Ramsay announced that they would be looked at more than ever because he wanted to see leaders emerging and that there would be a special VIP guest at the chef's table. After reminding that they should step up to the mark, Ed knew that the competition was very stiff and that Ramsay would be looking at every single detail, Benjamin felt that he knew what Ramsay was looking for without sounding arrogant or cocky. Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell's Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
When the first customers entered, Benjamin's halibut dish became a hot item. When the first ticket was called, the chefs did not answer, much to Ramsay's annoyance. Then, Holli allowed Ed to fire his John Dory, while Autumn reminded him that he also had to fire his scallops. Ed was psyched about working on the fish station while knowing that he had to keep his cool and calm. However, when he sent his scallops and John Dory to the pass, they were all raw, Ramsay ordered him to get them back in the pan, and Ed acknowledged that it added more pressure. Then, Ramsay urged him to stop panicking and show some composure, and Ed was determined not to mess up. After, Jason sent his capellini to the pass, but it was under seasoned. Jason acknowledged that Ramsay would be on everybody's ass with only six chefs remaining and that there was no way to get out from that. When Ramsay asked Jason for a time, the latter did not answer, much to Ramsay's annoyance, and after, he gave twenty seconds. Ramsay reminded the chefs that it was an excellent opportunity for them to emerge as leaders but was disappointed because nobody jumped on that opportunity. Then, Holli asked for a time on the scallops, Ed answered that he was ready to send them, Jason sent his capellini to the pass, which was accepted. Holli was unsure who would be eliminated next as with not too many people left, and she could not count on them to mess up. Her potatoes were accepted alongside Ed's scallops, and appetizers went out at a good pace, with customers being satisfied.
When the chefs moved on to entrées, Autumn was ready to help Ed with the halibut as she knew that she had to help people while being on desserts. However, when she tried to help Benjamin with meat, he did not communicate at all. Ramsay was furious because Autumn was doing nothing and berated Benjamin for being about to sink his night before urging him to open up and start talking. When Benjamin sent his beef to the pass, the gratin was missing. He was furious with himself as he knew he was getting flustered while being upset about disappointing his idol. Ramsay told Benjamin that having a haircut did not mean losing his brain, sent an incomplete order. After, Benjamin slipped on the floor while dropping his chicken, which Autumn found funny. Everybody asked Benjamin if he was fine, Ramsay urged him to slow down, and when Ed sent his John Dory to the pass, it was raw. So, Ramsay asked him what was wrong with him cooking John Dory, which Ed did not give any excuse. He acknowledged that it was hard to keep up with the appetizers and entrées being fired simultaneously. When Ed sent his halibut to the pass, it was raw, and Ramsay was dismayed that he had to tell him at that stage of the game, to which Ed agreed. After Autumn acknowledged that Ed had a few rough services already and wondered if she would have done a better job on fish, he got pushed by Ramsay, sent his halibut, and Autumn told him he got fourteen more on order. Ed's halibut was returned for being raw one more time, much to Ramsay's dismay. Ramsay berated Ed for serving raw fish, and Jason said that Ed should calm down, get some ice and water and cook. Because of Ed's mistake, Ramsay was forced once again to serve an incomplete order. Ed panicked because of the large number of halibut orders, which caused Jay to fall behind as well on garnish. When Ramsay asked him what was happening to him as Benjamin's Wellingtons were being served, Jay was lost, and he blamed Ed as one order of halibut meant seven garnish items he had to redo while calling it ridiculous.
Two hours into service, customers started to lose their patience. Ed struggled to keep up with the halibut as he wondered why they were not cooking, which Ramsay answered that it was because they were not in the pan. When Ed attempted to put a piece of halibut back in the pan, he busted it. Ramsay angrily told him that he was killing him, with Ed being disappointed in himself. Because Ed had thirty-eight orders of halibut still to go, he acknowledged that it was hard to keep up with as it was a thick fish. Ramsay asked for somebody to help him, which Benjamin agreed to do. He told Ed that he had to sear them and believed that he would have handled it better than Ed if he was cooking fish while wondering what was going through Ed's head. Then, Jean-Philippe revealed to Ramsay that the person waiting for the halibut was a pregnant woman with two men who already finished their ducks. Ramsay berated Ed for that while adding that the woman was about to give birth. But, when Ed sent his halibut to the pass, it was still raw, and Ramsay ordered everybody to pass it amongst them. Jay was convinced that Ed had an issue after making that many mistakes while adding that he was not curing cancer. Ed asked for five halibuts to fire. Holli wanted to help Ed as she acknowledged that they might all be kicked out if they would not serve the entrées. Ramsay was dismayed because Autumn was cooking halibut on appetizers. Autumn responded that she was doing it to make some space. Still, Benjamin was annoyed as he thought Autumn was trying to do as little work as possible and added that he did not trust her. Then, everybody started to talk at the same time about how much halibut they needed. Ramsay called what they were working on and asked Ed where was his fight back, which Ed answered that he was fighting back at the moment. Ed said that even though he tried to stay focused, he was behind, but added that when he was behind, he was trying to battle back. When he sent his halibut to the pass, it was finally accepted. Then, Benjamin sent his beef to the pass, but it was not hot enough, he was ordered to put them back in the oven, and he put the blame on Ed for making them rest, waiting for the halibut. Ramsay berated Benjamin for not taking the lead while supposed to; he acknowledged that he had to talk more. He also found it difficult to talk while focusing on his food and compared it to talk while painting. Then, Ramsay confirmed that Benjamin could not lead despite being able to cook, the latter acknowledged it and declared that he almost cried because he knew they were doomed. Ramsay urged Benjamin to lead, and the latter started to communicate to Jay and Ed.
Less than three hours into service, the customers were still waiting for their entrées. Benjamin brought the entrées for the following table, which dismayed Ramsay as nobody was focused. Then, Ramsay told Benjamin that he ruined the night, Autumn knew that it was crazy and off because everybody needed to take a step back and cook, and Ramsay (who angrily kicks the trash cans) berated Jay, Ed and Benjamin because nobody was caring about what was going on. Then, Benjamin started to communicate with Ed. Still, when the latter sent his scallops to the pass, they were overcooked, much to Jason's dismay. Ramsay was fed up with the numerous mistakes before Ed and Benjamin were kicked out of the kitchen. Jason was relocated to the fish station, Autumn to the meat station. Benjamin knew that he had a bad service back in the dorms as he said that even though Ed was flustered, he could have carried him through but did not. Ed called it pathetic, was disappointed in himself as he knew he could have done 100% better and was sure he would be nominated. Back in the kitchen, Ramsay asked for the scallops, Jason communicated with Holli. When he sent his scallops to the pass, they were beautifully cooked. Then, everybody had great communication, Jay said that it was less chaotic after Benjamin and Ed were kicked out, even comparing to a weight being lifted off his back, and the remaining chefs sent entrées out at a good pace. Moments later, Whoopi Goldberg arrived at the chef's table. When she entered the kitchen, Jason was floored, and Holli could not believe she was in Hell but was not nervous as she was very friendly. When Goldberg noticed that the chefs were quiet, Jean-Philippe responded that it was not earlier. The chef's table's order was taken and called. The remaining chefs succeeded in sending the order quickly. They rallied to complete their last ticket, customers were satisfied, and Jay said it was awesome to cook for Whoopi Goldberg as everybody knew who she was. Finally, Autumn was proud as they succeeded in finishing on a positive note despite a rough start, desserts were sent out, and service was completed.
Post-mortem[]
When the chefs lined up, Ramsay called it pathetic and reminded them they were put on the same team because he believed in them and let the customers and themselves down. After, he told Ed that he should know how to cook halibut, and Benjamin confirmed he could not lead. Then, Ramsay asked the chefs to nominate two people based on overall performance, and they were dismissed.
While going back to the dorms, Jay said that because Ramsay asked them to nominate based on overall performance, it changed everything even though Ed and Benjamin were kicked out. During deliberation, Holli had no idea who to nominate. Benjamin quickly considered Autumn because he felt she was not working during prep, was not passionate and did not want the head chef job. Autumn disagreed with him as she knew she was prepping a lot of stuff, but Jay also considered her, which dismayed her as she hated people. Jay added that it was because she was nominated the most, which Holli agreed with. Still, Autumn did not understand as she was busting her ass and helping everybody, and she called it unfair while adding that it sucked. Jay hesitated between Ed and Jason for his second vote because Ed got frazzled quickly despite being a strong cook. Still, Ed declared that he would fight back despite all of his bad services. Then, he told Jason that he was afraid of his temper, but the latter wondered what Ramsay was doing to him if he was scaring him and added that Jay should stop acting like a girl. Also, Jason said he never got kicked out of his station, and Jay concluded that picking between Ed and Jason was very hard.
Elimination[]
Autumn announced herself as the first nominee for elimination and Ed as the second. During their pleas, Ed thought that he was a better chef than Autumn because he could multitask better and had better communication and knowledge. However, Ramsay was unconvinced. Autumn believed she would be nominated no matter how good she would get and thought she was a stronger chef than Ed because she was more consistent than him. After deliberation, Ramsay told Autumn that she was getting better, and Ed was eliminated for his downward spiral. Ed received a retrospective montage during his exit interview.
After Ed left, Ramsay reminded the chefs that the stronger would get stronger at this stage of the game, and the weaker would get exposed. Then, he urged everybody to show that they were worthy of being in the final five. He dismissed the chefs while saying he was not impressed with anybody. While being dismissed, Autumn laughed over the fact that nobody could get rid of her despite how hard they were trying. Benjamin was not happy as he knew he did not do a good job, was determined to show Ramsay what he was made of, and declared that he would cook and stop overthinking. Finally, Jason noticed that there were four more asses for him to get rid of, declared that he was not there to play and that he was ready to move his family to London.
Ramsay's comment: "Ed was one of the favorites because of his strong start. Unfortunately, in cooking, it's not how you start; it's how you finish."