Hell's Kitchen Mystery Chef?

[bookwormchef]

Did I miss something? I thought last week it showed the previews of having a mystery or guest chef this week. Was that last week, or am I off somehow?

[junesix]

It's funny as how Top Chef is becoming more legitimate with the inclusion of real, top-notch working chefs, Hell's Kitchen is going the opposite way by picking the most inexperienced and worst line cooks. The editors are obviously getting pretty desperate for stories by concocting drama where there isn't any. Ramsay needs to dump this franchise and go back to Kitchen Nightmares, or better yet, The F Word.

[Minger]

Amen to that. GR has more of a full personality in the UK. Here he's much more of a caricature, locked into the role of playing master to buffoons. How many seasons did Married with Children run on Fox??

[Withnail42]

I find that I am watching to simply to see which one of these knobs will win. And how are they going to make them seem like real a chef after this is all over.

[southernitalian]

That's my motivation as well although we'll never see how it plays out in the long run. Did Gordon gets some Botox? How about the mother last night?

[Claire]

This group is the worst bunch of losers yet. Matt is repugnant and the rest of the guys are just plain dumb. The women are no better. There isn't a single person I'm rooting for.

[Firegoat]

I admit to cheering for Bobby, because a friend works with him. And I just like Petrossa in general. Will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Also will be interesting to see if the teasers are 2 weeks ahead and we get a mystery chef from the past back in the game.

[melly]

Amen Claire,...what the hell is the point? Why don't they get REAL contenders? You know they had to have some apply. Each season they have one person who seems "slow". Matt is it this season.

[chef chicklet]

Thanks for saying what I was thinking Claire, you hit the nail on the head. I hope they do better with the selection i the future.
I mean was this it? They couldn't get a better group of talent together?
Mindless entertainment.

[Firegoat]

I think a lot of the perception of them as useless losers comes from the editing. Two different websites post post-elimination interviews the day following the elimination. I've been reading them and have been pleasantly surprised by almost all of the cheftestants that were eliminated and their past history. Pity they couldn't show more of that on the show.
Hell's Kitchen is definitely a guilty pleasure for me ... I think it could easily be a 2 hour show and they could show more of the actual cooking and recipes and prep skills and I wouldn't complain. Less hot tub bootie shots tho please.

[akq]

I agree - why can't they get better people on the show? Past seasons were better. And doesn't HK have a better prize than Top Chef? Yet the quality of chefs on TC are far supieror to HK. I don't get it.

[Blueicus]

I still think that the HK contestants are unfairly edited. If we got a Ramsay-style outburst for every failed dish the Top Chef contestants made (think overly salty shrimp or the tomato-peanut fiasco or mushy couscous) we'd think everybody on Top Chef would be boobs too...

Not to say there aren't idiots on both shows (dear lord some of those "signature dishes" looked revolting) but I give the top people of HK more credit than most people would give.

The thing about the nature of HK challenges is that the early challenges are more contingent on continual consistency, teamwork and basic line cooking skills. You don't think Ramsay would've gone off on Dale if he saw him acting that way when his team was floundering on the skills relay challenge? Imagine that mean on the line of Hell's Kitchen and imagine how much better they'd fare.

I also think the HK chef jackets are less flattering on camera than the top chef ones.

[dave_c]

Mystery Chef: Kerry Simon? He made a 30 second appearance. I was surprised to see him.

[HarryK]

Hell's Kitchen is getting weird. What I mean is, they are trying -- badly -- to get "hip", to add some "Top Chef-ness" (my new word) to their show. They had Kerry Simon, but as said, 10 to 30 seconds tops. They took the crew to a restaurant famous for a $100 burger then didn't name the eaterie and didn't name or show the chef. Then they have a band on the show and put them on for 20 seconds.

Again, they are seemingly to add things to make it more hip ... but then they do it so badly and quickly it makes one wonder why they try at all. Afterall I think 10 seconds of Kerry Simon was more of an insult than an accolade.

[maisonbistro]

No no no, he wasn't the mystery chef. In last week's teaser, the mystery chef was actually coming into Hell's kitchen.

The romance was the supposed no go flirtation between Corey and Louross.

[coney with everything]

I think HK is getting stupid--I said to my son that they would kick off one of the women and make Matt join the "girl's" team. And by golly, that's what happened. So very lame and predictable. Shayna was the least incompetent of the three candidates for dismissal--but she didn't have a pronounced personality either.

I don't think that it's entirely editing that makes Matt look like a petulant 8 year old. "Mom, they're picking on me. That Bobby is mean!"

[HollyDolly]

Coney with everything,i thought the same thing as you, and I hadn't even seen the first shows.I even forgot it was on Tuesday nights.Just happen to have the night off from TJMAXX, so I decided to watch it.
Matt should have stood up for himself,however I can see Bobby trying to take over cook the food and get it out there if Matt was too slow.
Ramsey had nothing against Shayna, but as even he said,she was just too slow in the kitchen.
One of the girls brought up her weight and being slow,which I think was unfair,as Chef Paul Produme is no light weight,but I bet he moves pretty
fast in the kitchen. I just think Shayna would work slow regardless ,even if she was Twiggy,the famous fashion model of the 1960s and 70s.
Yeah,I think that Matt is just that way,as you say,it's not all editing.

[maisonbistro]

Ummm, did no one catch the incredibly sexist comment made by Ramsay as Shayna finished her walk of shame down the hall?? That she should go back to what she does best..... changing diapers.... WTF??

I hope Gordon't wife caught that and gives him an earful!

[Firegoat]

I think Rosanne would have gone home but for Shayna's mention that she left a 3 month old home for the show. Ramsey has a pretty big reputation as a family man. Those first few months are so essential in bonding, that I can see that excuse being a turn off for him. I know it was for me and I don't even particularly like kids.

[maisonbistro]

Umm, she was chosen for the show either pregnant or after having given birth, so Chef Ramsay obviously knows the situation. I am a mother and would never have left my 3 month old son home to do this - but that being said, that should NOT be a criteria for letting her go. And the comment just added insult to injury.

Why did he pull Rosanne out of the lineup if he never intended to send her home? Drama? A poor attempt.

This year's version has deteriorated rapidly into something quite stupid, sexist and survivorlike (I've mentioned that in reviews of previous episodes).

[Firegoat]

Well likewise, as it shouldn't be a criteria for removal, it should not have been her excuse as why she should stay. She made the choice, live with it.

[maisonbistro]

So Rosanne wanting to provide a better life for her daughter also should have been edited out. I don't get your point.

[Firegoat]

Well, respectfully, I don't think you are trying to get my point. If I was trying to tell Chef Ramsey why I should stay and compete for his chef position, I'd think he'd rather hear about how I can make his restaurant a better restaurant and uphold his standards, not about what I left behind for a month by my own choice. Every one on that show left things behind for a month.

And no, I don't think it should be edited out. I just think it was a poor argument on both of their parts for staying.

[Leonardo]

Exactly. I don't want to hear their boo-hoo sob stories about some family hardship (save it for American Idol). Since she made the baby an issue, using it as fodder for being allowed to stay, it was fair game for GR to bring it up.

[maisonbistro]

I do not have an issue with him bringing it up. Seems like no one is getting MY point of him saying that she should go home and do what she is best at: changing diapers. That is a dated, sexist and insulting comment to make.

[HarryK]

Of course it was sexist, dated and insulting ... Ramsay tries purposely to play the bad guy to the hilt on HK and pull the emotional strings. Which obviously works. Welcome to Media Manipulaton 101.

In our next lesson, we'll explore the baby carriage going down the steps during the gun fight scene in the movie "The Untouchables." :)

[maisonbistro]

Ramsay has done a lot of things in these shows, but I don't think he's ever been those things other than in the heat of battle during service - and equally so with the men and the women. This was the "epilogue" at the end and it was totally uncalled for.

[HarryK]

Just so you know, I'm in total agreement it was uncalled for. That's how I'm sure it was purposeful and meant to be manipulative. There's no other reason for it.

[chef chicklet]

maistrob,I got it, and it also got a good snort from me.
It's more of an ignorant remark to me than sexist, (there are plent of stay at home Dads these days) pretty ugly to say that of anyone, male or female. He threw her weak reason for staying on right back at her. What it seemed like he was doing was, that he was actually searching for the most least missed contestant at this point in the program.

Realistically, in my view who should of been gone? Matt. He falls apart under preassure wayyyyy too quickly.

[RBCal]

HK has always been stupid. Its closer to Survivor than Top Chef.

[stephanieh]

HarryK... Are you saying you'd actually like *more* advertising inside a show? I'm losing respect for Top Chef because of all the product placement.

[HarryK]

Stephanieh .... Hmm. Are you sure I am the one who said something about product placement? I was saying if the show is going to have star chefs come on, then give them more than 10 seconds.

[LindaWhit]

No, I think their commercials are off....or they've chosen the blurbs for the ads so far in advance (i.e., the supposed "romance") and changed their mind - OR they're using the ads as a bait and switch.

I barely watched this episode; I've finally lost interest in any of them. Bobby? Useless. Matt? A waste of space. And what was with his statement at the end "I have no shame working with women" all about? He's been making misogynistic comments throughout the entire show, and then comes out with this? I think it was Corey who had the "WTH?" look after that was said.

All in all - they're a sorry bunch - and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts there's an escape clause of some kind in the contract that allows Chef Ramsay to *not* give the winner the Executive Chef position in his restaurant. There's no way any of them are fit to shine his shoes much less run one of his kitchens.

[Miss Needle]

I was laughing hysterically throughout the episode because they were so stupid. Loved that comment about Matt working with women. But we finally have the answer to the mystery "romance" with Lou Ross and I forget her name.

[maisonbistro]

Yeah, I think their teasers are a week off. Two weeks ago we were promised the romance, got it this week. Last week we were promised the mystery chef, we'll probably get that next week. But I'm with Linda and I reiterate what I said at the beginning of the season... would Ramsay really give this coveted position to any of these goombahs???
I mean, we can't cook a steak (even my cooking challenged husband can do that!), forget half the ingredients while preparing standard dishes, and well, just act like Bobby. Executive chef my ass.

[chef chicklet]

Is it just me, I don't get the impression any of the contestants are really experienced cooks let alone chefs?

[LindaWhit]

"But we finally have the answer to the mystery "romance" with Lou Ross and I forget her name."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Which was obviously part of the show I missed - what's the mystery "romance"?

[southernitalian]

I know I said I was out with this series from the first show but of course have been sneaking peeks. Matt is the worst of the lot of losers by far. What's with the plucked eyebrows and the CONSTANT whining? Does he ever enjoy himself? He's a big baby and I can't wait for the women to give him the boot (and maybe some tips on eyebrow grooming).