Hell's Kitchen Episode 13

Hell's Kitchen Episode 13 aka 4 Chefs Compete

Recap: First Individual Challenge is won by Ariel and Kevin, Dinner service is rocky but gets completed, no winner tonight, Ariel and Suzanne nominated for elimination, Suzanne goes home.

The four surviving chefs return to the dorms. They enjoy the fact that they are the Final Four but its a subdued, tired sort of joy. Ariel knows she hasn't done well of late and needs to pick up the pace. Kevin thinks he has this in the bag because he knows everyone else's weakness.

The next morning, the chefs see a shadow walking about in Chef Ramsey's office as well as his voice. When the door opens, it's not Chef Ramsey but a kid that looks like Chef Ramsey. The kid lights into them like Chef Ramsey, apart from the swearing, but they can't help but snicker. After a minute or two, the proper Chef Ramsey appears and send the kid away. Ha! Tension broken.

Individual Challenge: everyone has to make a vegetarian dish to serve in an hour to 80 vegetarians.

The chefs agreed that this one is tricky. Kevin prepares a Asian style crepe with a beet carpaccio. Tennille works on a vegetable stuffed eggplant with brown rice. Ariel makes a grilled eggplant lasagna with tofu. Dave gets together a polenta tower with roasted peppers.

Dave is still fighting through pain. In Interview, Ariel gives him points for being hardcore. As time elapses, none of the chefs have their 80 portions all ready to go but that doesn't stop the customers from entering. With a grin, Chef Ramsey welcomes in the children...who hate vegetables! The chefs react in shock as we go to commercial. Ha!

The kids are led in by the kid that was the Little Gordon Ramsey earlier in the episode. Each chef has a different color plate for their dish. The kids will get one of each and vote on which dish they liked the best. Since the chefs weren't done plating everything, the 'we want food!' chant starts quickly. The chefs have to run back and forth to get more portions. They also do whatever they can to sell the food to the kids, not focusing on the fact that it's a vegetarian dish but on the things they might be familiar with like using 'sandwich' and 'lasagna' to describe the meals.

We get to watch kids spit out food. The shocked expressions are hilarious as is one kid's 'what was that?!?' comment. They vote on their favorite and least favorite. The ballot focuses on the color of the plate, evidentially trying to remove the kids from the people they saw giving them the food. As a thank you, Chef Ramsey gives the kids a gift bag with candy and silly toys and poppers that shoot string and such. I sense a punishment here: having to clean up after the kids.

Results: 40% voted Kevin as their least favorite. He takes it in stride noting in Interview that he hated beets as a kid as well. The top two dishes belong to Dave and Tennille. 55% voted Tennille as the favorite. Dave takes it in stride as well, noting that he has a history of finishing second.

Reward: makeover and a fancy sushi lunch. She also gets a set of Japanese sushi knives. Punishment: cleaning up after the kids. Called it!

Dave asks what Tennille made. The description explains things to him as he notes it was 'elementary' food. The losers commiserate by guessing Tennille will be uncomfortable in Beverly Hills and not enjoy herself. The first thing we hear from Tennille upon cutting to her is 'I'm ecstatic right now.' They shine her up, dress her up all nice, and make her feel good. Back in the restaurant, they are using a rake on the carpet. A Rake. Dave collects candy that's still wrapped.

Tennille returns and gets back to the Kitchen ready to go with only a half-hour left before service. She's not refocused on work yet. As the pre-service meeting begins, we go to commercial.

They are running ads for people to try out for Hell's Kitchen. I guess there will be another series.

Chef Ramsey notes their general inconsistencies and asks them to show the passion for cooking that he knows they all have within them.

Kevin's running appetizers. As a result he's 'leading the charge'. He calls out times and gets complimented on his work. He's clicking. The Kitchen is clicking until Tennille messes up an order of scallops. Her second try is 'perfect'. A half-hour into service and all the appetizers have been served. Wow, finally a good start!

Entrees are next. Dave is working the Meat station. He goes to take an order of lamb to the pass and his arm gives out. Grunting in pain, he dashes to the back, clutching his arm. Commercial.

Chef Ramsey follows him back. Dave is all sweaty and pale. He notes that he almost passed out. He's taken to the medic. He insists he's fine and the medic lets him return. Despite his injury, he delivers two orders of lamb to the pass at once and they go through. He grunts in pain the either time. He's either dedicated or crazy or both.

Tennille brings up burnt sea bass. Chef Ramsey returns to the fish station with her and finds poorly cooked fish and burnt pans all about her. He grows disappointed and brings the other three over so he can moan at them all. She's brought the Kitchen to a halt. The next order of fish she takes up is all messed up as well. The group gets chewed out again. Everyone has to start over because of Tennille. They ask for times and she doesn't answer. When she finally gives them a time and they act on it, she changes it when Chef Ramsey asks. Frustrated, he takes her to the back for a conversation. Commercial.

It's a desperate plead for her to not give up. It's a pep talk of sorts, not the screaming I expected. She goes out to try again. After this conversation, she finally generates a properly cooked fish and food once again begins streaming from the Kitchen. They crank through the rest of the service successfully. Tennille knows she did poorly. Dave knows his injury could get him eliminated although he feels he can continue.

In the post-service meeting, Chef Ramsey is pleased with the teamwork he saw tonight. He expresses concern over Dave and his wrist. Dave begs to remain, saying that he feels fine now, that he wants to continue and can continue. If Chef Ramsey doesn't think he's good enough as a chef, that's one thing, but not to take him out due to the injury. After a moment, Chef Ramsey agrees but promises to continue keeping an eye on him. He also speaks to Tennille about her problems tonight. There will be no nominations tonight so as not to prolong the agony. He eliminates Tennille and then compliments her for her ability to bounce back. She thanks him and cries. The other three competitors walk to her and meet in this group hug. Wow. That is different and very nice. She waves, throws a few high-fives and seems to get some extra respect from Chef Ramsey and the other three chefs as she leaves. Despite losing, she appreciates the compliment Chef Ramsey gave her as she left.

The three return to the dorms. Dave knows he dodged a bullet. Ariel decides they all need to have a beer together. They celebrate being the final three. And then the phone rings. It's Chef Ramsey. They need to come back downstairs as he has some unfinished business to tend to. Freak out!

They hustle back. Chef Ramsey isn't sure that he did the right thing by letting Dave stay. He's been considering it and his decision is... commercial.

All three chefs look confused and shocked as Chef Ramsey starts saying this. Dave looks like he might pass out. Chef Ramsey's decision is that it was the right decision to let Dave stay. He congratulates them all. This is the moment when the friends and family enter to congratulate the chefs. Tension is broken again. The chefs cry. After some time recharging with them, Chef Ramsey calls it time. Dave and Ariel both have fiancees. Kevin is married with a kid. They are dismissed again back to the dorms all amped up.

Trailer: The three take turns running the pass. 'Who rises to the occasion, who falls apart, and who ignores the rules of the kitchen?' Dave kicks the trash can a lot. The chefs get to yell at each other.

- Ariel and Kevin made it through tonight pretty clean working appetizers and garnish. Both looked good. Dave's only hindrance remains the health of his wrist. It could be anybody's game at this point. I'd like Dave to win at this point if just for his hardcore spirit.

A Few Thoughts on Comics from This Week

Planetary #27 completes the series. Finally. I'd rather forgotten there was another issue yet to come. I can't even remember when #26 came out. Years ago, it was, literally. This was a wild issue, filled with theories about time travel and with a fine ending but, at the same time, was nothing particularly exciting. No big blow-out, no show-down, just science at work. Well, at least, science-fiction at work.

I wondered why I should continue with the Ultimate universe post-Ultimatum. I was concerned that the Ultimate version of Spider-Man would be too radically changed and I would no longer find it enjoyable. Boy was I wrong. We're 3 issues in to the revived series and we seem to just be stabilizing the new basis for the series. It doesn't feel slow, it doesn't feel unnatural. It feels like we've been shown enough of the character's lives to understand what we missed in the months between Ultimatum and the relaunch of the series. Drat it all but this is still really good reading.

Daredevil #501 shows just how much things have changed for Matt Murdock. The man either has a devious plan in hand for the Hand or he's gone completely insane. Could be both I suppose.

Captain America – Ghost of My Country is another in the line of one-shot stories featuring unusual stories or flashback tales or what have you, stranger type stories of Cap at war. This issue visits a number of different periods of time in American history, starting in 1776 and the reading aloud of the Declaration of Independence traveling all the way to a specific day in 2001. A ghostly figure of Captain America appears as we transition from one time-period to the next. The implication is that these are the events that shape a symbol like Captain America, the good and the bad, the upbeat and the sad. I found it rather haunting. I suppose that's what you'd want from a ghost.

Research into a Stegosaurus Conclusion

I wrote the gentleman first. I laid out what I'd read and what I thought I knew. I included pictures of the placard, the Stegosaurus, and one of the Struthiomimus cause the picture he had on his site was a bit grainy. I accused no one of being right or wrong. I expressed confusion and sought his opinion. Evidentially I phrased things correctly as he responded with enthusiasm and interest. We had a brief conversation via email from which I gained at least two important facts: he was currently living in Sheboygan, WI (what were the odds?!?) and all the documentation he'd seen pointed to the Struthiomimus at the Fair being destined for the Milwaukee Public Museum. He seemed confident. He also pointed out the company that generated the models for the World's Fair. The Jonas Studios still exist and I investigated their website. On it there is a picture of a Stegosaurus in Massachusetts. It looks exactly like my buddy Steggy. My theory became that the information regarding the Stegosaurus' origin wasn't documented necessarily but was one of those passed down stories that had gotten a bit twisted in the telling.

There was only one thing for it: I'd have to ask the Museum.

Luckily for me I had plans for a Museum visit anyway. As we checked in at Member Services, I asked if there was a contact email for questions about the 'Did you Know?' placards, expecting a general email box to be the answer. The lady I asked had a specific individual in mind and hooked me up with her email. Score! I had a great day at the Museum and began phrasing the new email in my head. Once again, I accused no one of being right or wrong. I pointed to the fact that the Museum trip had caused me to do extra research on a topic that caught my interest. I laid out my research, including links to the websites that had caused all my confusion. The information had come from another party in the Museum and she'd have to check with them.

A couple days later came the reply. Our theories were correct. The Stegosaurus was the same model as the one from the World's Fair but not the same exact model. The Struthiomimus was the exact same model that was displayed at the Fair. I was thrilled to be right. To be fair, who doesn't like being right?

I had thought my confusion was due to the phrasing of the placard but, in re-reading it a few more times for this telling, I think the card just has the wrong dinosaur listed on it. It's just a typo, in a way.

And I fixed it. That is awesome.

Website links:

http://www.nywf64.com/sinclair01.shtml - front page for the Sinclair 'Dinoland' section of a larger 64/65 World's Fair site run by Bill Young. Great pictures of the 'Dinoland' as it existed for the Fair.

http://www.jonasstudios.com/customfabrication/exhibitsdisplays/sampleseh/stego.html - The 'Steggy' in MA.

More Research into a Stegosaurus leads to a Struthiomimus

I dug around the Interwebs for more information on the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. One of the first things I learned was that it wasn't a proper World's Fair. There's a committee that would assign out the World Fairs and they decided that it wasn't the US' turn for a Fair, just because some guys in New York wanted to run one meant nothing. Since it wasn't the first time New York had said 'We're having a World's Fair whether or not you like it', they did so again. They were still trying to pay off the 1939 'World's Fair' they'd held. As a result, since it wasn't an official World's Fair, a number of the larger countries didn't attend. In the end, this Fair still didn't make money for the Fair grounds. Some of the buildings still sit there today.

The Sinclair Oil Company sponsored a 'Dinoland' exhibit. This was in accord with their logo which featured the creature formerly known as a Brontosaurus. They had a number of dinosaur models on display with some audio commentary to explain the creatures in more detail. Very nice information but it was just text. It didn't give me any clue if the Stegosaurus they mentioned looked anything like the one I'd been looking at for 25 years. I found a reproduction of the original booklet from the Fair. Still, what were the odds that the Sinclair page would have a picture of the Stegosaurus?

Again, really good.

I flipped through the PDF file to the Sinclair page, saw the black and white picture atop the page and said 'Well, that settles that.' The face of the Stegosaurus was the one I was familiar with, so, question answered. Steggy was from the Sinclair exhibit. Right?

Of course, it wasn't that easy. Everything had been too easy to lead me to this conclusion. There had to be more. There was.

Another site had a LOT more detail on the World's Fair. The gentleman that runs it has written two books on the Fair and its exhibits so he was bound to know something about it. He had color pictures of all the dinosaurs as they were on display at the Fair. Excellent, excellent pictures. This was clearly Steggy there. He also had a 'where are they now?' type page for the dinosaur models from 'Dinoland'. He had the Stegosaurus from the Fair as being on display in Utah.

Huh? The Museum was saying that their Stegosaurus was the one from the Fair and yet this guy was saying it was in Utah. He did say that the Struthiomimus model from the rear of the T-Rex/Triceratops diorama was from the 64-65 World's Fair.

Someone was confused but who? The Museum that I had a history of trusting? This gentleman I'd just 'met' but seemed to know his stuff?

Research into a Stegosaurus

The 'Third Planet' exhibit has been open at the Milwaukee Public Museum since 1983. I would have been nine at the time. I don't remember exactly when my first visit to the Museum was but it was somewhere around that time. I don't have any clear memories of that location in the building without the 'Third Planet' there. I remember the 'Rise of Civilization' that was directly next to it until it was removed for the current 'Rain Forest' exhibit but I do not recall the predecessor to this exhibit. Chances are very likely that I never saw it. As I force myself to think about it, I believe I remember seeing the entrance boarded up with a 'coming soon' sign on it. For the sake of argument, we'll say that I've seen the 'Third Planet' pretty much since I've been going to the Museum, that we've 'grown up' together.

One of my favorite parts of the exhibit has always been the dinosaur models. Kids in general seem to gravitate towards dinosaurs and I was no different in that regard. Of course, that went hand-in-hand with my Godzilla fascination, but I'm trying to stay a bit focused so we'll just move on. As time has gone on, I've explored more of the details of the exhibit, some of the smaller things that inhabit the space but, as a kid, we looked at the rocks, hustled through the cave, glanced at the 'underwater' diorama, and bolted to the dinosaurs. The first of these is 'Steggy'.

It's a model of a Stegosaurus. They ate plants so he was 'safe' in that regard (in other words, he wouldn't eat us). Our model has always had a friendly, dog-like style to it so it felt only right to give him a 'safe' nickname. The T-Rex is mean, the Triceratops is dead (not that any of them are alive, but in the 'story' of the exhibit the Triceratops is dead) so there was no point in naming them, the assorted smaller dinosaurs were no fun, so 'Steggy' was the mascot, the friendly guy.

This summer, the Milwaukee Public Museum celebrated their 125th anniversary. As part of the celebration a number of 'Did You Know?' placards were placed about the various exhibits. The card for Steggy was very interesting to me. For the sake of our discussion, I shall reproduce the Museum's text: 'Stegosaurus at the World's Fair. This Stegosaurus was reconstructed by the Milwaukee Public Museum after it came from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.'

'Steggy' had a life before the Museum? Cool! I knew very little about the 1964-65 World's Fair but I did know some things about it. I knew about the Disney connection due to my new fascination with the Disney Theme Parks. Walt decided that he needed to be part of this World's Fair for a number of reasons, the most important being that it would give him a chance to see if his Theme Park style would work on the East Coast. In the end, the Company provided four different exhibits for different vendors, pushing their technology to new levels of excellence. The highlight of these was perhaps the Mr. Lincoln exhibit for the state of Illinois. An audio-animatronic Lincoln rose from a chair and delivered a speech. It was the first of the human animatronics and it was based on a real person. It, like all the World's Fair exhibits, returned to Disneyland or the Parks in the future. Lincoln became part of the Hall of Presidents. The Carousel of Progress from the Fair is been updated over the years but is still essentially the same show as it plays at Walt Disney World. 'its a small world' is everywhere, including your brain now as the song is inescapable, like it or not. The fourth exhibit was the 'Magic Skyway' and looked back at Prehistoric times in a largely light hearted fashion. I believe some of it is still on display as part of the Disneyland Railroad.

Wait a minute, there were dinosaurs in the 'Magic Skyway'. Could our Steggy be a Disney product? There was an episode of the Disneyland television show that acted as a preview of the Disney exhibits for the Fair and the clips I had available to me only showed the tail end of a Stegosaurus but that tail end did look like it could be ours. I managed to find a copy of the episode and, no, the Stegosaurus were not alike. Disney's was animatronic. It moved. Translating that moving dinosaur into our immobile one wasn't impossible but it seemed unlikely. Still, what were the odds that there were two dinosaur related exhibits at that World's Fair?

As it turns out, really good.

Hell's Kitchen Episode 12

Hell's Kitchen Episode 12 aka 5 Chefs Compete

Recap: Black coats, team challenge, Dave and Suzanne win, Van sweat in food, Ariel burns lettuce, Suzanne gets called out, Chef Ramsey and Sous Chef Scott leave the kitchen, then return to kick Van, Ariel, and Suzanne out, Tennille complimented, changes her vote at the last second, Van is sent home.

Returning to the dorms, Dave is angry at Tennille, not so much because she voted for Van at the last second, but because they had agreed on something and by her changing her mind at the last second it made him look like an idiot. Tennille counters that was her honest opinion and that they hadn't all agreed but footage from last episode says otherwise; she clearly agreed to putting up Suzanne and Ariel. Kevin just watches all this happen, enjoying seeing the others self destruct.

Suzanne and Ariel talk. Suzanne is shaking from the adrenaline of having been on the chopping block for the 3rd time. She knows she's been lucky and she won't survive another trip up. Ariel's more concerned for herself as she's now part of the substandard group.

A new day brings the first individual challenge: each chef must prepare a dish with focus on presentation. Special judges are the editor and staff of Bon Appetit magazine. The staff will rank the dishes based on presentation. The top two dishes will be tasted by Chef Ramsey and the editor so that the final decision is based on presentation and taste. They have 45 minutes.

Suzanne has made a Grilled Calamari salad. Kevin a Caribbean styled Sea Bass. Tennille an Asian inspired Red Snapper (her fish broke upon removing it from the pan, with no time left, she piled everything up to make it look intentional and try to disguise the break). Ariel made a Prosciutto John Dory. Dave has a hard time describing his dish, noting a problem speaking in front of crowds. Even in Interview he has an issue. We'll go with Colorado Rack of Lamb and be done with it.

5th place – Tennille. 4th place – Suzanne. Chef Ramsey then reveals 1st place for dramatic purposes no doubt – Kevin. 2nd place – Ariel. 2nd and 3rd were 'very close'.

Now the taste test. Ariel is complemented by both. So is Kevin. The judges confer. Their decision is...commercial.

The winner is both of them. The judges couldn't pick a loser so they both win as both were fantastic. They win a photo shoot for the magazine with their recipe in the magazine and everything. Punishment: picking up rubbish in the street that Hell's Kitchen has adopted. They get orange suits and look like convicts. Once they get back to the Kitchen, they have to clean outside the restaurant.

Dave's wrist start to swell up while sweeping up. As he tries to rest it, Kevin chats with him. Does he really want to injure himself for life for this? It's mind games. Dave is too hardcore for that. Commercial.

Kevin decides its time for him to step up and show he's a leader. To him this means running around and keeping an eye on everyone, supervising them as he works on his own prep for service. It doesn't go over all that well.

Chef Ramsey leads the chefs in a positive pre-service meeting, noting that he wants a complete service and all the chefs to shine. He ends with 'Can we do it? Yes we can!' and high fives. Bob the Builder reference? Wild!

The challenge winning dishes have been added to the menu for tonight.

Suzanne, Tennille, and Dave have issues with communication straight out of the gate but it manages to not impede the progress of food out of the kitchen. Tennille works to improve communication on the next order but overcooks her risotto. Ariel sees this, samples it, and tells her its overdone but Tennille thinks its fine. Chef Ramsey does not agree and she has to start over. She's dragging the kitchen down already. Immediately after this, Suzanne has an order of scallops rejected at the pass. Dave is able to get salads out and Chef Ramsey sends incomplete orders out just to get something moving. Tennille's second risotto is no better, much to her confusion. Chef Ramsey investigates and finds that the prepared rice was overcooked... by Kevin. Tennille takes responsibility for not noticing this problem earlier. Chef Ramsey is disappointed and starts expressing this to Kevin because he expects better from him. The 3rd risotto, made with a different batch of rice, just makes Chef Ramsey more annoyed. Commercial.

Oh, he's not annoyed, he's just loud because this one looks correct. Finally. Kevin and Tennille get to look at it again so that they can learn what the dish should look like. Heh. With this breakthrough, appetizers start flying out of the kitchen, even Suzanne's scallops are finally good to go. They move to entrees but Ariel's first order of chicken up isn't consistantly cooked; some portions are cooked and other raw. She tries again and take two succeeds. Suzanne brings up an order of Ariel's john dory that's raw. Everytime one of the chefs fails, Chef Ramsey is bringing all five up to see it and express his displeasure. He wanted tonight to go 'perfectly' and it's very much not. As the night goes on, they continue to be out of sync, to the point where Chef Ramsey complains that the last five tables he's sent food to have been incomplete, a big no-no as everyone at the table can't start eating at the same time. JP even has to go and apologize to people waiting for food and recommending the others start before their delivered food gets cold. Ariel delivers a piece of lamb to the pass that looks like it's been chewed on. Chef Ramsey takes her just into the dining room and chews her out for it. Once they return to the kitchen, Chef Ramsey just starts muttering swears. He calls everyone to the front of the kitchen and tells them he's not busting his butt for this piece-meal service. He tells them all to [screw] off back home. Commercial.

After commercial we see his full statement: either get it together now or they can go. The chefs manage to finish service but it's a messy, clunky process. Chef Ramsey is very disappointed in post-service meeting. No one wins. As a group, they need to pick two nominees for elimination. As they start the discussion, Dave suggests each person just vote for two people. Suzanne picks Ariel and Tennille. It becomes a discussion between them. Suzanne seems to think she did much better than she did tonight. Ariel votes for Kevin and Tennille based on the risotto and that she wouldn't vote for herself. We go back downstairs at this point, and don't hear the rest of their conversation.

Nominees for elimination: Ariel for her inconsistencies and raw food tonight, and ... commercial.

2nd nominee is Suzanne for raw fish, overcooked scallops and she thought she had a good service tonight. Ha! In her defense, Suzanne notes all the good things she was focused on tonight but, as Chef Ramsey notes, she accomplished none of those things. She also believes she's a better chef than Ariel. After noting Ariel's been on a downturn, Chef Ramsey asks for her defense. She believes she's better than this and hopes for another chance.

Honestly, truthfully, Chef Ramsey believes they should both go but he eliminates Suzanne. He shakes her hand and notes all the chances he's given her. She hasn't been at her best and it will only get harder from here. As she leaves she notes that she learned a lot about herself during the competition and that her distance from her team probably hindered her. After her departure, she's sure they're all laughing and giggling like schoolgirls.

If they are, we don't get to see them do it today. They're all pretty somber as Chef Ramsey tells them that the 'playoffs' have begun.

Trailer: The pressure is on. Dave's wrist flares up again. Chef Ramsey has 'unfinished business'. We're warned of 'two shocking surprises' and it looks like kid's meal day.

- If Dave's wrist holds out, I'd say Kevin and Dave for the final two. If Dave's wrist gives out on him or impedes him too much, I'd have to guess Kevin and Tennille at this point. Ariel's picked a horrible time to hit a slump and she isn't showing signs of recovery at this point.

Gap Filled

Being a collector, gaps are a constant source of irritation. I understand how my sickness works and that's why I'll fight against starting certain collections. It's not a matter of 'only getting the ones I like' or 'just trying' something. It tends not to work like that. If I start something and like it, I'll want the rest. For instance, I got a couple of the 'Walt Disney Treasures' DVD sets a few months ago, focusing on the few sets that had theme park related footage. Now I have about a third of the sets because getting a few made me want more. Stupid collectoritis...

Anyway, due to attending Doctor Who conventions years ago, my collection of annual CD releases from one of the local morning DJ teams was incomplete. The CDs are always released in November, happened to be released while I was out of town, and, at the time, would sell out in a day. I had no one to grab me a copy at the time. I had tape copies of the two I was missing so I wasn't missing the footage. Still, the gap irritated me as gaps will do.

I visited one of the local second-hand stores the other day and someone had turned in a big chunk of the DJ team's output. They had both CDs I needed. My collection is finally current.

You have no clue how relaxed that makes me at the moment. Unfortunately, it will quickly fade as another different gap will irritate me, calling for completion. Stupid collectoritis...