Hell’s Kitchen Season 2 Show 9

Okay, maybe I’m wrong. Sara cried when she left Hell’s Kitchen. Maybe she wasn’t hired as an actor. Then again, Virginia is bawling because she stayed. And Heather bawled a couple of shows ago. What’s with the weeping?! Gawd! How do you expect to run a restaurant like that? And why does every effing line cook except me smoke? How can you have a taste for good food, to be responsible for good food, and smoke? I have smoker friends, and I never give them a hard time about it, even when they knowingly blow smoke in my face. But doctors and line cooks just shouldn’t smoke. Care to comment?

Ahem. Back on track. Three bawling idiots left. (I haven’t seen Keith cry, but surely.) Anyway, the tough test is on. Chef Ramsay let them taste his signature dish, and without telling them what’s in it, they have to recreate the dish - especially the puree. Excellent test; I’ve often come up with Chinese and Vietnamese dishes simply by tasting them in a restaurant first. (I used to say that I only need to try a dish twice, and I’d eventually be able to recreate it.)

So who won the first test? My guess is Virginia, and that’s who Chef picked. There was something about his reaction to her version. Her prize is some intimate time with him, to learn some secrets about restaurant work, especially the hot line, which Virginia hasn’t had much of.

Ah, but another secret is revealed. Heather and Keith are so jealous, and Heather reveals that when Virginia won a challenge in the previous show, she bought Chef Ramsay’s book during her free shopping trip (total $900+). And the recipe was in the book.

Keith is the sorest loser - repeatedly. That’s good. I don’t like the guy, don’t think he deserves to win, and don’t think he will. The more sore he is, the more “bitter” his cooking is. Remember the beautiful movie Like Water For Chocolate, based on the book Como Agua Para Chocolate (English)?

I think, though, that because Ramsay’s so calculating, he’s not picking Virginia, but thinks she has some potential and is taking a bit of time to nurture her. I also think he’s testing the reaction of Heather and Keith. If they take it well, they have a better chance of winning. Too bad they’re so jealous.

Ah, isn’t that sweet. Virginia prays at the end of her bed before sleeping. But gawd does she bawl a lot - this time because Keith is tickling Heather in the other room. Yeah, you watch, H. K will stab you in the back any chance he gets.

Service is about to start, and Ramsay gives the goon squad a bit of a pep talk: show me your leadership skills. Well fine, but Virginia’s already burnt two salmon steaks on the flames. She’s nonchalant about it, and Ramsay reams her. Unfortunately for Heather, she’s burning stuff as well.

Keith’s lucky, or not, because he’s getting to spend a few minutes expediting and doing quality control. But Ramsay says he hasn’t seen any leadership skills. (Let’s see how the two girls do on their chance at expediting, later on.)

Service-wise, they’ve only managed 25 appetizers out of 125 diners. So Ramsay puts Heather on expediting, but she starts hyperventilating. She gets through it, but lets intentionally-lumpy (courtesy of Mary Ann) through. Virginia fares much better at expediting, and catches the intentional substitution of bass for salmon.

Keith is proving that he’s what I suspected from the start of Hell’s Kitchen, season 2: a non-team player that only thinks of himself. Ramsay doesn’t factor that in this time. He tells all three of them to pick which person should be leaving tonight. Are Keith and Heather going to gang up on Virginia again? I have a feeling that the girls are going to gang up on Keith, because of a bit of team spirit near the end of the service.

Well, what do you know? Heather agrees with V that K had a bad attitude. Oddly, after H turned K down to vote against V, K implied to V that he was voting for H.

But he lied and actually nominated V. V nominated K. H did in fact nominate V. I was very wrong. Games, games, games. But Keith is still for himself. And V lays the smackdown: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’m not an old dog.” Meaning, Keith can’t learn, but Virginia can.

V is good as a leader, not as a cook. Ramsay must have realized this, because he sent very bitter Keith home. Dude, you’re such a bad loser. You are a terrible leader, and accusing Ramsay of having something for V isn’t going to help you. I am so glad you lost, but surprised how much sway you had over Heather.

Of course, H and V are actually fairly evenly matched, but in different qualities. H handles herself better on the line, and V handles herself better as a leader and expediter. Who do you think will win from that point of view? I think it’ll be Virginia, because as exec chef, she doesn’t have to be on the line. She at least has good taste buds.

Thing is, even if V wins, H will get an offer from someone else. But if H wins, I’m not so sure that’ll happen for V.