Hell's Kitchen: 6/3/08

Will Jen and Matt be as disastrous on their original teams as they were before? Let's find out!

Everyone seems to want to get rid of Matt and Jen like you want to get rid of the flu. They are awoken at 6 AM for their next challenge. They are blindfolded and brought to a sunny rooftop. It's the roof of the future new restaurant they are competing to work at. They uncover their covered plates and find black chef coats! No more teams. Which means, the poor things have to deal with BOTH Matt and Jen in the same kitchen.

Ramsey then unveils $250,000 in cash in briefcases. Matt wants to lick it. Or something.

Time for their individual challenge - put their own spin on a basic ingredient.

Matt gets Veal, Christina gets sea bass, Bobby gets duck, Jen gets beef, Petrozza gets chicken, and Corey gets lobster (and complains about it). They have 45 minutes to make something original and delicious with their ingredient. Jen blabbers on about being a culinary artist and I don't believe her.

Matt makes a veal loin roasted on a morelle demi (sauce). Ramsey said it was a great start.

Christina did a pan-seared sea bass with a tarragon chervil beur blanc. Ramsey calls it fascinating.

Petrozza did stuffed chicken with duck confit, prosciutto, and vegetables. That's a lot. Ramsey says "I've never seen one individual do so much with a breast," and I immediately want to find that sound bite and download it. Classic.

Corey made an asparagus, pea, and lobster soup. Chef Ramsey is disappointed that she didn't use the whole lobster.

Jen "cooked the ribeye and sliced it." Ramsey said that he didn't know why she sliced it so thin, but it worked and it was still moist.

Bobby made a duck noodle soup. The soup gets good marks, but the duck itself is tough. Ramsey says it is "on the verge of being perfect."

It is between Christina and Jen. Jen talks about how great she is, and I am saddened when Ramsey agrees. She breaks down in tears when he says that it is going on the menu, and she is going to Vegas and is going to meet Rock. One person gets to go with her, and she picks Corey, which ought to make for a fun night. Christina says "I was disappointed that Jen won, but I wouldn't want to go to Vegas with her, because she's a bitch." Couldn't have said it better myself. The non-winners get to put the deliveries to the kitchen away. This has been a punishment in past seasons. Christina takes charge as a leader, and Matt gets angry with her. Well, someone has to take charge, don't they? Otherwise it would be chaos.

When they were getting ready to go to Vegas, Corey said that by choosing her, Jen proved how fake she is, because she chose the person that she talks the most crap about. However, their room is incredible.

Back during the punishment, Matt pulls something in his shoulder carrying bags of ice. Christina tells him that his attitude sucks, and he loses it. Bobby went on a little tear about how crazy Matt is. Yipes.

Jen and Corey are having dinner with Rock, and Jen said "The only time that Chef yells at me is about personality, not about my food." I bet I could find a quote of him yelling at her about food. Like when she couldn't cook a chocolate souffle, but of course, that wasn't her fault.

The next day, in the kitchen, Matt is going on and on and on about he is on today, and he is not going to lose it, and Christina tells him to shut up because he's driving her crazy. Can't blame her for that one. I do notice that Matt is wearing a stylish black anti-sweat band around his brow.

Corey and Jen return, and Matt goes on a slightly insane rampage, pretending to cry and go crazy. Right. Pretending. He and Christina are acting like squabbling siblings.

Corey comes in and tries to calm the situation. Then the producers (I mean Ramsey) decide to put Matt and Christina together on the meat station. Yeah. That was totally Ramsey's idea. To get the food out right. Don't you think?

I really wish sarcasm came across well in written form.

In confessional, Christina said "If Matt starts to go down, I'm kicking him off the station. I can't have a useless piece of meat standing next to me." Matt is no nicer. "Christina is a nasty little bitch with a lot of cellulite on her ass." Because that has so much influence on her cooking ability. Gahh. It's going to be a long service.

The kitchen opens. Matt starts off by catching something on fire and blowing on it, which Ramsey warns him not to do, because he'll get oil on his face.

Jen is on hot appetizers, and Petrozza is on cold. Jen does well with the first risotto, but Petrozza (because his station is a mess), can't get a clean plate. Ramsey says "You cook like a pig, but you cook amazing food." Then Jen, right after stating that she knows she is the best chef in the kitchen, tries to send out salty risotto. See, there. He just criticized her cooking.

There is a comic bit (I think straight out of the Monty Python Spam bit) where Matt couldn't get the orders called back right. He can't keep three orders in his head at the same time. Neither he nor Christina are communicating with the rest of the kitchen right. And then Corey, who is usually so strong, has a hard time when people aren't talking to her, and almost starts crying. Yipes. They all pull it together, until Christina and Bobby start mixing their meat in their pans. That's a no no. Then one of the ribeyes get returned for being raw. Then Corey's pan caught on fire and she burned her hand. Then she swore at Ramsey about burning her hand, and refused to go to the medic when he told her to. You don't talk back to Ramsey, chickie. Not smart. She finally left to go see the medic, and Jen took over the garnish.

Matt was caught popping some food in his mouth, which was not ok. Corey returned to the kitchen, and now Christina is having Matt-like problems at not being able to remember orders. She manages not to cry. Then Matt is unable to repeat an order. Bobby says that he hears everything Ramsey says, then misplaces one of his orders. Some of the food gets out, then Matt overcooks and undercooks some Wellington, and claims to have a migraine. I bet Ramsey has one, too. A big, Matt induced migraine. Matt claims to be a team player without a team. Nice. Then he loses it completely, claims migraine even more. Ramsey says he's had a migraine ever since Matt walked in, and takes Matt by the hand and brings him out of the kitchen, telling him to go sleep it off. Matt says he wants to work through it. That might be a good idea if he was actually working instead of bumbling around the kitchen.

By this time, the rib eye has been renamed "F*ing Ribeye". Jen left rice on one of Christina's burners and it burned. Jen got kicked out of the kitchen, followed by Christina, and then Ramsey shut down the kitchen.

Matt has a private chat with Ramsey, and still claims he has a bad migraine but he doesn't want to leave. Ramsey says "I am not just pissed off at you, so fight." (Not a direct quote, but still). The rest of the chefs tell Matt that he is going up for elimination, and Matt goes off saying that he is going to win so f them all. Nice. Christina wants to put Jen up. Bobby wants to put Christina up. Corey wants to put herself up. Petrozza agonizes (over a break), and then it cuts to the elimination "ceremony."

Matt and Christina are nominated, and Corey says that she should also go up, and Ramsey agrees. Corey says that she let her emotions get to her, and Ramsey says "I don't care about your emotions. I'm not Dr. Phil." Matt says that he is being picked on and Ramsey obviously was sympathetic with him when he sent him to bed. Sure. That's why he was yelling and kicking things when he booted him from the kitchen. Christina gets called out for having so little professional experience, and she breaks down crying and says that she really wants to stay.

I am a happy happy happy woman when Matt is sent packing. It was way past his time. During the recap of his time in the kitchen, I am reminded of his disgusting white chocolate fish concoction in the beginning. He should have gone home right there.

"There once was a boy named Matt, who's kitchen performance fell flat. he was far from neat, and miserable on meat, so I kicked him out, and that's that." Nice limerick, courtesy Ramsey. I agree completely with his decision. I am still disappointed with each and every one of this Final 5. If this show is not picked up next season, this casting job is why.