Vinnie eliminated from Hell’s Kitchen tonight
You know I’m not really sure about what show came first – Hell’s Kitchen or Top Chef. I don’t think it really matters, because Gordon Ramsay and the show is merely a faint copy of a great original. Take tonight’s challenge, for example. During the first season of Top Chef the contestants and their palettes were tested with a blindfolded taste test. Tonight I see the same thing on Hell’s Kitchen. Of course they might have done this on the UK version of the show or before Top Chef, but it still wasn’t as good as Top Chef. Now that I have my venting out of the way here’s how I saw the show this evening.
The contestants were paired up to compete head to head in a blindfold taste test to see how developed their palettes were. The women won the challenge, but I don’t think that only getting five answers right out of nine is all that stellar. But then again, I don’ t think the contestants on Top Chef did that well with this challenge either. There is so much to be said about sight playing a role in how you experience food. Maybe all chefs should try and eat food blindfolded on a regular basis to improve the palette. As their reward the ladies are taken to a restaurant where the dining experience is completely in the dark. The ladies have a good time with Ramsay, and it almost seemed as if some of them were bordering on flirting with him. I just don’t understand how you can be in the kitchen with someone who uses obscenities to describe you and your parentage one minute and then go out to eat and socialize with them the next. As a punishment the men are forced to prep for both teams and their dinner service that evening, while participating in an exercise to strengthen their palette – eating a plate of nasty foods like liver, tongue, and stomach. I was impressed that none of the men puked on the table. I couldn’t even watch that segment without getting queasy. It was kind of low for the guys to accuse Bonnie of cheating. It’s tough to know whether or not she was able to hear the chef, but unless you had the headphones on at that exact time how do you know for sure?
Just before the dinner service that evening Ramsay calls the teams together and informs them that the winning team would be determined by the customer comments. Let’s think about this for a minute – when, in this season to date, have the two teams been able to serve their appetizers and entrees in a timely manner? This dinner service was no different. The contestants had trouble preparing the food to the exacting standards of Chef Ramsay and he had a field day insulting the contestants. (Why would anyone want to work for this man??? I know he’s a great chef, but aren’t there other chefs in the world equally as talented and not as abusive to the people working for them? But I digress). He was all over Vinnie on the blue team, and made comments to Melissa and Bonnie that bordered on sexual harassment.
After a disastrous dinner service Ramsay says that based on customer comments there would be no winner tonight. He said that 65% of the customers said they would not return based on the slowness of the dinner service – a kiss of death for a restaurant. He asked Rock to nominate someone from his team since his performance that night was solid. He also asked Jen to nominate someone since here performance that night was not brilliant but not bad.
Rock nominates Josh, saying he has maxed out on his potential. Jen nominates Melissa based on her performance that night and that it showed her lack of leadership qualities. Ramsay overrules them saying that they did not nominate the worst performers on their teams. He says they should have nominated Bonnie and Vinnie.
Ramsay gives the two nominated chefs the opportunity to say why they should stay. Vinnie says he should because he is the best chef there. Ramsay is all over him and his lack of humility. Bonnie says that she knows she needs help but was sure Ramsay also made mistakes when he started out. Ultimately Ramsay sends home Vinnie, saying that he can’t go any further with him because he has peaked.
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June 26th, 2007 at 5:31 am
WHat a f***in jerk! Thunking that he was the best chef there. He’s a g**damn showboater, and Bonnie is no better. In fact, all but a few should just leave right now before they get burned.