The fourteenth episode of Season 7 of Hell's Kitchen aired on FOX on August 3, 2010. On that episode, a heartwarming reward occurred, one chef almost gave up, the final four ran the hot plate one at a time, and two of them advanced to the finals.
Intro[]
While going back to the dorms, Holli said it was rough to see her son after all that time, but knew that she was in the competition for him and had to win at that point. On the patio, Jay asked Holli if she was okay, to which she answered no, and she told Benjamin that his daughter was beautiful. The latter started crying and declared that he was there for his wife and daughter and because he loved cooking and wanted to push himself. Jay thought that some people might have lost focus to win after seeing their families but claimed that on his side, it was firing him up more.
Individual challenge[]
The following day, the chefs woke up and prepared for the day when the phone rang. Holli picked it up, and Sous Chef Andi told her to tell everybody to dress nicely as Ramsay had a surprise for them. Everybody wanted to look nice, with Benjamin even wanting to wear a suit, but Jay decided it would be acceptable to wear jeans. In the dining room, Ramsay was impressed by everybody's outfits. Still, he told Jay that he looked like a sack of crap, especially standing beside Benjamin. Jay jokingly thought he was smarter than the latter. After, Ramsay reminded the prize of the season and told them that they could not go to the Savoy because of the renovations. Still, Ramsay revealed that he brought the Savoy to Hell's Kitchen. Jean-Philippe told everybody to sit at the table, where Ramsay made them taste some dishes from the menu at the Savoy, before telling a little part of the history of that hotel. Benjamin was determined to be the chef there as he would be considered a part of history. Suddenly, Ramsay introduced the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, where each chef had 45 minutes to recreate one of the dishes they just tasted.
When the countdown began, another sample from the dish was placed on the hot plate, and the chefs started to taste it. Jay acknowledged that he was not paying a lot of attention when tasting the dish with Ramsay, so he wanted to study it. On her side, Autumn was convinced the protein was venison without even questioning her mind. She went to the kitchen, stumbled when she grabbed her pots and knew her days would be numbered if she would not perform at 100% as she knew that everybody else did not think she had what it took to win. However, when Autumn unpacked her protein, it fell on the floor, and she apologized for that mistake. With 20 minutes left, everybody chose venison, except Jay, who was still struggling between three proteins. For the purée, Holli knew it was a sprout, so she decided to do an apple purée and make it taste as good as possible. Everybody made an apple purée, except Jay, who decided to make a pear purée. With 10 minutes left, everybody rallied to complete their dishes, chose pancetta as their purée base. However, Autumn went with bacon, and Holli was dismayed as the thickness between those two was evident. With two minutes left, Jay finally decided to choose flank steak as his protein, while knowing that he would look like a rock star if he was right but like an ass if he was wrong. Autumn believed that she could win the challenge. Eventually, everybody plated their dishes in time.
Holli's dish was tasted first, followed by Benjamin's, Autumn's, and Jay's. After tasting all of them, Ramsay congratulated the chefs for creating delicious dishes and revealed that Jay was the only one who got the purée correct, which was pear. Still, he lost his chances to win when it was revealed that the right protein was venison. Jay was highly disappointed as he missed only one ingredient, but that ingredient was the most important. Then, Autumn was stressed as she needed to win the challenge. Ramsay wanted to taste Holli and Benjamin's dishes as those two were the best, making Autumn cry as she did not want to be eliminated. After tasting the dishes, Ramsay had a hard time choosing a winner. Still, eventually, Holli won the challenge, making her very proud to prove Jay and Benjamin wrong as both of them thought they were superstar chefs. Ramsay told Benjamin that his sauce was slightly watery, but the latter felt he should have won because he felt he was the best chef.
Scoring[]
Taste It Now Make It | |
Chef | Score |
---|---|
Autumn | 1/3 |
Benjamin | 2/3 |
Holli | 2/3 |
Jay | 2/3 |
Results | Holli |
Reward[]
Holli was rewarded with a day relaxing and sunbathing on a luxury yacht. Outside of the restaurant, she was greeted by Jean-Philippe in the limousine, he congratulated her on her victory, and when she arrived at the yacht, she found it excellent. However, when she arrived at her yacht, she was greeted by the captain, and her son and friend revealed themselves on the boat, making her cry. She was very excited to see her son that she wanted to kiss him before entering the yacht, took him in her arms while telling how much she missed him, and the yacht took off. During the ride on the ocean, she had a lot of fun with her son and friend and called it the best day of her life.
Later, she told her friend how much Hell's Kitchen was messing with her mind, that it was the hardest thing she did in her life and revealed how much her friend was supporting her 100%. Finally, she was extremely motivated to take her son to London so he could have an amazing life, and she left the boat while her son told her that he loved her.
Punishment[]
Jay, Autumn, and Benjamin were punished by participating in Moving day, cleaning the dorms from sixteen beds to four. Jay was not mad about the punishment itself but more about not getting the reward as he would have loved to spend a day with Holli. Benjamin was still convinced he should have won back in the dorms as he thought Holli was not passionate and wanted more to have fun and drink than to cook. Jay added that it was better to lose to Holli than to lose to Autumn. Jay continued by saying that he could beat Holli, wanted to beat somebody good. Benjamin wanted to destroy Jay's fancy food before adding that he would still be further than Holli three years from now, even if she won the competition.
Later, the three chefs were given instructions by Sous Chef Andi. Jay said it sucked to pack the other people's stuff, dishes, and beds, and moments later, he joked about Holli probably making out with Jean-Philippe. While carrying the beds, Jay was extremely annoyed about Autumn's constant talking, at the point that he considered throwing himself down the stairs.
Before service[]
When Holli came back from her reward, she revealed to everybody that she got to spend time with her loved ones. That infuriated Benjamin even more as he still could not believe she won the challenge over him. He angrily grabbed a box while declaring that he did not care anymore. Jay acknowledged that Benjamin had a chip on his shoulders and an attitude. At the same time, Benjamin complained that he could have spent four hours with his wife and daughter.
The next morning, Benjamin was not feeling good as the punishment caused damage to his back and shoulders and decided to sit out of prep for the next service, to which the other chefs agreed. Holli, Jay, and Autumn started to prep, with the latter calling it ridiculous as she did not think he had a purpose of continuing any longer for that motive. When they entered the kitchen, Jay revealed that Benjamin would sit out because of his back, so Sous Chef Scott told everybody to be more involved because they were one person short. They began prepping while trash-talking over Benjamin's decision to sit out of prep, wondering why he would do that for prep, but not for dinner service, why it happened to him as Jay and Autumn did the same thing as him during the punishment. Jay said that it sucked because Benjamin was a bitch. In the dorms, Benjamin slept for a long time, and later, he went in the hot tub but revealed that it was not helping his condition as he became short of breath. So, Benjamin decided to see a medic, to who he told his problem, as well as revealing how upset he was that he could not cook. Because his condition was not getting better, he requested a chiropractor, who helped him stretch his body.
Meanwhile, the three other chefs took a break from prep. Still, they revealed how unapologetic they were towards Benjamin as Holli thought he was only looking for a way out and added that she would still try to cook with her feet if she would lose her arms. Benjamin was told not to give up by the chiropractor in the dorms, but he did as he was told he could not cook like that on the line. So, he went on the patio and congratulated everybody by shaking their hands goodbye. Everybody was relieved that he was gone, with Autumn respecting his decision while calling it ridiculous and crazy. Holli arrogantly said she would send a postcard to Benjamin from London. Jay concluded that he would not kick Benjamin down the stairs but did not care about him.
Autumn, Holli, and Jay went back in the kitchen to continue prepping, with Sous Chef Scott calling it a shame that Benjamin quit, but Jay said he was not that upset. In the dorms, Benjamin decided to go to Ramsay's office to announce his departure officially, and on his way, the three other chefs looked at him while wondering what he was doing. Inside Ramsay's office, Benjamin informed Ramsay about his condition and his departure, but the latter told him that he might regret that decision as they were at the final hurdle. In the kitchen, Holli said she would be mad if Benjamin would come back. When the latter stepped out of Ramsay's office to go back in the kitchen, he announced to the other chefs that he would participate in the next service. Everybody was furious, with Holli wanting to throw a pan at him, Jay wanting to make him go away, and Autumn was happy he was there only so she could beat him out even further.
When the chefs lined up, Ramsay reminded that he was looking for a great leader to run the Savoy and announced that each of them would have a turn to run the hot plate, one at a time. Also, he urged them to show their leadership qualities just like if it was their own restaurant. While getting ready, Benjamin was determined to push through his back pain as Ramsay was inspiring. After, Ramsay asked Jean-Philippe to open Hell's Kitchen.
Dinner service[]
After the first few appetizers were accepted, Jay became the first person to have his turn at the pass, while Sous Chef Scott covered his station. Jay was confident in his experience as he was an executive chef for thirteen years. When he called his first ticket, Autumn sent the scallops, and Sous Chef Scott sent his risotto, which was accepted. After, Jay called the following ticket, making Holli very happy as she always knew the following order and thought that he would set the tone for the evening. Benjamin's duck was accepted, and entrées were being served at an excellent pace. On the next ticket, Jay was mad to have worked eight hours for Benjamin as he did not work all day long but suddenly felt better for the service. Jay continued to show great leadership. When Sous Chef Scott sent his crab capellini, he succeeded in spotting that he put lobster instead of crab, much to Ramsay's praise. Then, Sous Chef Scott sent a lobster risotto with crab in it. Jay succeeded in spotting the intentional mistake once again, much to Ramsay's praise. He was happy to get some revenge on Sous Chef Scott as he was being yelled at by him every day. On his last ticket, Benjamin acknowledged that Jay was a natural leader but still thought that he was the only one who could beat him. Benjamin's Wellingtons were perfectly cooked, and Jay's last table was being served.
Forty-five minutes into service, entrées were served at a great pace because of Jay's strong leadership. After Jay went back to his station, Holli was dedicated to run the hot plate, and she was nervous about it as she had never done it before. Ramsay reminded her to be assertive, calm, and not to let her brigade run her, and when she received her first ticket, she froze, was not sure what to do, and was pushed by Ramsay to call it out. In the end, she called her first ticket loud and strong, but on the next ticket, she called a six-top with five orders, which dismayed Ramsay, who explained the problem. Benjamin thought Holli sucked despite being a good cook, and he was amused when she called Jean-Philippe to show him his mistake. While directing her brigade, Holli was standing with her back towards them. Ramsay reminded her that she had to stand in front of them, she acknowledged that she was flustered as she did not know how to do it. Ramsay reminded her that she had to run her brigade and not let them run her while adding that he was not looking for a line cook. Then, Holli asked for the risotto, but when Jay brought it up, he spilled some of it on Ramsay's apron, which angered the latter, and he apologized to him four times. Ramsay told Jay to wake up, clean himself, and Sous Chef Scott sent scallops that were cooked only on one side, but Holli succeeded in spotting the mistake, much to Ramsay's praise.
After Holli went back to her station, Benjamin was called down to run the hot plate. When he called his first ticket, Holli was furious because he felt better during service despite complaining of back pain all day long. However, Benjamin called his first tickets with great assertiveness. Still, when Sous Chef Scott delivered lamb and venison Wellingtons, he failed to spot the mistakes, and Ramsay pulled him to the blue kitchen to show him the mistake. When Benjamin came back in the red kitchen, he asked Sous Chef Scott for another Wellington. When the latter sent his filet to the pass, he noticed it was still rare but failed to spot a New York strip instead. Ramsay reminded him to keep his eyes open, and Autumn sent her garnishes to the pass. Still, after he tasted it, Benjamin ordered her to add more salt in it, much to Ramsay's praise. Benjamin said he did not even think of his back, thought his performance was good and continued to send unacceptable food back on his last tickets.
An hour and a half into service, entrées were being served smoothly because of Benjamin's leadership. Then, Autumn was given her turn to run the hot plate, and while she knew that Ramsay wanted to see strong leadership qualities, she misplaced it as a power trip. On her first ticket, nobody responded, and she ordered her brigade to call back. Autumn pushed Sous Chef Scott to get the garnish at the moment despite him giving 30 seconds. Benjamin said that even though Autumn loved to hear her voice, nobody else did. She continued to show very aggressive leadership, with Holli even thinking that she did not need to be a little Ramsay, but she succeeded in spotting a mistake from Jean-Philippe, much to Ramsay's praise. However, when Sous Chef Scott sent the wrong sauce, she failed to spot the mistake, and when Ramsay asked her to taste it, she acknowledged it was wrong but laughed about it. Ramsay told her it was not funny, and she admitted that it was a stupid move on her part to laugh at her misfortune. Ramsay was shocked and told Autumn she was looking stupid. Then, she continued her aggressive leadership by sending almost everything back. Jay thought Autumn just wanted to make them look bad. Still, despite that, entrées were continued to be served out at a good rhythm. Finally, on the last few tickets, Ramsay returned at the pass, he pushed everybody to continue the good flow. They rallied to serve the last tickets, with Benjamin cooking his meat beautifully, and the service was completed. Ramsay congratulated everybody, and Jay and Holli talked about Benjamin's no longer existing back problems.
Post-mortem[]
When the chefs lined up, Ramsay told them it would be difficult to eliminate one person before announcing that two of them would be eliminated. He asked for two nominees for elimination.
While going back to the dorms, Benjamin still thought that he was a better cook than Holli and Autumn. During deliberation, Jay considered Autumn, which Benjamin added that she did not deserve to be there. However, Autumn reminded that Benjamin missed prep, which Holli was furious about. Benjamin reminded them that he busted his ass from the beginning to that point. Still, Holli reminded that Benjamin quit, so because of that, he did not deserve to be in the finals. Benjamin said it was because he felt miserable that he bounced back and had a great service, which Jay agreed with. Still, the latter added that he was upset about that. Then, Benjamin asked how many people had great services and considered Holli before adding that he thought he was the only one who could beat Jay.
Elimination[]
Ramsay announced that he would not listen to the nominees and asked everybody why they deserved to be in the finals. Benjamin said that he was the best chef at that point, passionate, a hard worker and that he bounced back from his tough day. After, Jay felt that he has been consistent since the beginning as he never had a bad service. Autumn said that despite the numerous times she had been nominated, she never quit. Holli reminded that she has been consistent since the beginning, never been kicked out, nor been nominated. After deliberation, Autumn was the first person to be eliminated. Still, before she left, Ramsay praised her commitment, passion, dedication, and fight. She received a retrospective montage of her run during her exit interview.
After Autumn left, Jay was the first person who advanced to the finals, and moments later, Holli became the second. Therefore, Benjamin was eliminated, but before he left, Ramsay asked him to promise to push himself and not give up, which he did. He received a retrospective montage of his run during his exit interview as well.
After Benjamin left, Holli and Jay were congratulated by Ramsay. He announced that their final challenge would be coming, so he asked them to start designing their menus. After asking them who would win, which both of them answered themselves, they were dismissed. Jay acknowledged that beating Holli would not be easy but claimed he was there to win. Also, Holli knew that the chance to win was at her reach, so she announced that she would not be nice anymore as she was out for blood before reminding Jay that they were alone at that moment.
Ramsay did not comment on Autumn's elimination or Benjamin's, and neither received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.
Trivia[]
- This marks the first time in the show's history where Ramsay cut the field in half for the finale and sent two people home. This process would continue from now until after Season 14.