Hell's Kitchen Episode 9 aka '8 Chefs Compete' orig aired Sept 8th, 2009
Recap – Red Team win the challenge when Andy fails (and Amanda, who gets eliminated, was against him, didn't catch that). Andy's service has issues. Dave and Van are praised in Blue Kitchen. Red Kitchen = disaster. Tennille makes a comeback, while Suzanne, Sabrina, and Amanda are singled out as having had problems. Amanda is sent home.
The Teams return to their dorms. The Red Team talk together and Suzanne tries to explain that she's not out to get anyone, presumably apart from the fact that only one person can win the prize at the end. Ariel tells her directly that it's a matter of how she interacts with the rest of the team. We're left with the possibility that Suzanne may now understand better and will try to work on this.
Challenge Time! Chef Ramsey discusses his own history and his time spent in France. Today's challenge: each team will create four crepes: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. JP and Chef Ramsey demonstrate how it should be done. The Teams have 20 minutes to knock this out.
On the Red side, Suzanne tries to be helpful to the rest of her Team but in Interview we find out that they're not in tune yet. Both Teams have issues getting the crepes to cook properly. The technique they saw hasn't translated to their hands. As a result, both Teams are rushing to plate in the final seconds of the challenge.
JP helps judge. The Red Team wins the breakfast crepe, in part because Ariel's crepe was crisp and brown as opposed to Van's spongy one. Andy's crepe wins the lunch section for the Blue Team as his was nicely done and Tennille's offering was considered too spicy. Both Teams get a point for their dinner offerings. Both Teams are also seen in Interview commenting on the fact that Suzanne wouldn't shut up about her crepe, what she liked about it, how she cooked it, etc. As Sabrina and Dave bring up the dessert crepes, Kevin comments on how easy the dessert crepe should be. We don't see Dave's offering, only Chef Ramsey's reaction to it as we go to commercial.
Dave's crepe looks like a mess. Chef Ramsey says it looks like worse and won't touch it. The Red Team's offering is good and they win. Apart from Dave's messy crepe, no one really got jabbed over their creations, even if they didn't get a point, so it was more of a success than I expected from watching them fail during the challenge.
Reward: lunch at a French restaurant. They also get mime lessons. Punishment: prep both kitchens for the next service, Hell's Kitchen French night. They also get a lunch of head cheese and cow tongue.
Both Teams are trying to get a handle on all the new dishes they have for tonight. While slicing potatoes with his left hand, Andy suddenly cries out and pulls his hand away, calling for a medic. Commercial.
It's an hour before dinner service. Andy has sliced the tips of his three middle fingers. When they show them briefly they are not bleeding much but the cuts look deep. I cringed. The medic takes him to the clinic for stitches. Dave is the only one that had a moment to check on him and Dave's opinion is that Andy will not be back tonight. That leaves the Blue Team with three guys and only one, Van, is uninjured in any way. They realize this is going to be rough.
Chef Ramsey remains positive in the pre-service meeting, pointing out the previous injuries that have been overcome. Tonight's a night of French flair and he wants success.
Andy returns just as dinner service starts. Understandably he's a bit rattled and has issues remembering the changes to the menu. He's working appetizers and Dave jumps in to lend him a hand, getting the Blue Team off to a good start. Chef Ramsey is so pleased with Dave's risotto that, when Sabrina's don't measure up, he gets one of Dave's to show her how it should be done.
Andy's trying to do crepes but still hasn't got the hang of the process. Kevin says its easy and knocks a few out without issue. Andy's issues with the crepes means he needs to focus on them exclusively. He calls on Dave to assist, as Dave said he would. We see Dave knocking himself out to do appetizers and his own Meat station at the same time. He manages it, getting a compliment from Chef Ramsey in the process.
The Red Team starts entrees. They are communicating well, calling out times, and closing in on sending an order up... until Suzanne on the Meat Station changes her estimated timing about a half-dozen times. She does not sound confident at all. Chef Ramsey catches the tail end of this and yells at Suzanne when she doesn't give him a proper answer for the reason behind her timing, which is the oven. She later slices up the lamb order before it's time to go to the pass, and doesn't answer Chef Ramsey properly, getting another chewing out before we go to commercial.
Andy tries to do salads but puts too much dressing on them. He blames it on a lack of dexterity which Chef Ramsey doesn't accept as Dave's been cooking for one hand for most of the competition.
Suzanne finally has lamb to bring to the pass but it's not right for the order. She admits in Interview to being lost and disorganized. Sabrina brings an order of frog's legs to the pass which is also rejected for being bland as she was concerned with overwhelming the meat. Chef Ramsey reminds her that he's looking for things to be done his way.
Back on the Blue Side, Andy can do nothing right tonight. Kevin comes to assist him with another crepe but Chef Ramsey catches him, noting that Kevin's not helping, he's doing it for Andy. Andy is kicked out of the kitchen, back to the dorms. The next person to cross Chef Ramsey will receive the same fate. He walks over to the Red Kitchen to see overcooked lamb. Suzanne and Sabrina are also sent upstairs. As Ariel and Tennille try to figure out what's next, Chef Ramsey announces he's not done. Commercial.
Both sides have stagnated. Chef Ramsey assigns Tennille and Ariel stations and off they go. Sous Chief Heather also jumps in and assists. Both Teams thrive with these members out of the kitchen and complete service successfully. Wow. That I did not expect. Those who were sent upstairs must have been hoping they wouldn't be the last or that things fell apart without them but this does not bode well for any of them.
In the post-service meeting, Chef Ramsey expresses his disappointment about how things went and surprise on completing service down three chefs. Since the teams performed incompletely, there is no winner. Everyone will get together and nominate two people for elimination.
Upon going upstairs, Andy admits that his Team was carrying him all night but apparently he's left handed and blames his poor performance on his injury. He also doesn't want to head to the chopping block. Suzanne admits her mistake but tries to explain it away. Sabrina also admits to not seasoning enough. The Blue Team simplifies the discussion by asking who Chef Ramsey came down on the hardest. When Red answers 'Suzanne', Kevin offers 'Andy and Suzanne' as the nominees. It's voted on and accepted. Suzanne doesn't get why she's the 'bad guy' and argues her defense. When asked if she's a Team player, she answers 'yes' but her Team disagrees, which ends the conversation. She walks away and the other chefs discuss how they can arrange this to force Suzanne's departure. Kevin observes that if it's Andy and Suzanne, there's a better chance that Andy will be sent packing. They start discussing who they can put up instead of Andy and Sabrina balks, not wanting to take the chance, noting if asked she'll say she was put up to 'protect Andy'. As they head back downstairs, we don't hear their final decision. Wow, I don't think this has ever happened, at least not with this many chefs left.
Ariel is asked for the nominees and why. Suzanne for bringing down the pace of the kitchen and team down tonight. We get a commercial before she can announce the second nominee.
Second nominee is Andy due to inconsistencies with service. So no surprise then.
Chef Ramsey notes that Suzanne has been on a downward trend. She says she can cook but Chef Ramsey notes that it hasn't been happening. He asks Ariel and Tennille if they feel the Team is better off without her and they answer yes. Andy's defense is that he had been improving of late and that his injury through him off completely. I'm starting to wonder if someone will be switching Teams tonight. Chef Ramsey again dismisses the reduced dexterity excuse, pointing out Dave's performed in the last four services with the use of one hand and another with a sprained ankle. Andy notes he's not trying to compare himself with them, he doesn't know how it feels for them but, for him, his left hand is the hand he primarily uses.
Andy is eliminated. Chef Ramsey does give him a bit of a nod as he heads out and tells him to stop panicking. Andy politely and cheerfully says goodbye to everyone as he leaves. Very nice. That can't be easy. Outside, Andy is disappointed as he feels he was making a comeback.
Sabrina is now pulled forward! Chef Ramsey notes they've both headed downhill. He wants the old Suzanne and old Sabrina back but it may be too late for that. Suzanne is told to remove her jacket... and is sent to the Blue Team. Ha! Called it. Well, sort of. Sabrina is counciled and returned to line.
In Interview, Tennille is disappointed that Suzanne is still around but happy that she's gone from her kitchen. Kevin doesn't want her on his Team but notes that it doesn't matter cause he'll be the last man standing.
Trailer: Both Teams design their own menus. Surprise guests. Ariel and Tennille seem to get annoyed with each other. Kevin doesn't trust Suzanne. Dave injures himself further during service and may need to leave the competition. Pity if he does because I think he has a chance of winning this thing.
If I had to pick a top two at this point I'd think the finalists will be Ariel and Dave (assuming he makes it through next week). Top four will be Tennille and Kevin. Suzanne needs a quick comeback to survive. Sabrina may revive removed from Suzanne. I like Van and believe he has a chance but Dave and Kevin seem an extra notch stronger than him. If Dave gets knocked out by injury, Van could sneak through. Kevin just is very solid.
19 September 2009
18 September 2009
A Few Thoughts on Comics from The Past Few Weeks
There's a couple reasons why I haven't talked about comics for a few weeks. One reason was that I was busy with other projects, as I've already mentioned. One was that the couple weeks prior to this one were relatively light for me. Another was that I picked up my books on Thursday so it left me less time to talk about them before the rush of the weekend. One week none of the books demanded discussing, neither excellent or awful, just decent. I guess technically that's a few reasons. Whatever.
Muppet Robin Hood #4 came out last week and completes the miniseries. I've discussed the joy of this story before and therefore will focus on the Monty Python like twist in this issue to explain to you why you want to read this book. Early in the issue we find out that the Merry Men can hear the narration of the book. They track down the narrator and he's identifiable to us as the Muppet Newsreader. They get ahold of his script and find the ending to the story isn't a happy one. The Narrator gives them the address of the book's writer and, well, it gets weirder for awhile. This is laugh-out-loud funny stuff. Very recommended.
The Marvels Project #2 was also from last week. The mini-series seeks to fill in the gaps during the WWII era and tell the 'origin of the Marvel Universe'. What we're seeing is the early days of the modern superhero with masked men without powers fighting crime as well as the early days of the original android Human Torch and the build up to the creation of Captain America. At the same time, we are being told a story by a Dr. Thomas Halloway. He narrates the story in flashback, apparently having lived through this already as both Dr. Halloway and as the hero known as the Angel. It's written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Steve Epting, the team from the regular Captain America book. If you've been enjoying Cap, then this is for you as well.
Speaking of Cap, Captain America Reborn #3 came out this week. The story continues to bounce between the present day and the time periods that Steve Rogers is revisiting. This story is being told by Ed Brubaker and artist Bryan Hitch. Here we have a wild action adventure with great dollops of science-fiction that, for me at least, has been holding together surprisingly well. Each issue has advanced both storylines carefully, at a pace that neither feels too rushed nor too slow. There are still mysteries to resolve but the pieces to resolve them are building up so it doesn't feel like the series is just a big waiting game for the final issue. Good stuff, as it should be!
Invincible Iron Man #18 is the 11th part of the 'World's Most Wanted' storyline. Good grief! In non-story terms, this story's goal appears to be redeeming Tony Stark in the eyes of the fans, after his 'heel turn' during the Civil War a few years ago. The Civil War storyline could be seen as Captain America vs Iron Man and many fans sided with Cap because, well, as readers we trust in Cap. This 'World's Most Wanted' storyline has seen Tony Stark on the run from the new regime lead by Norman Osborn. In order to prevent the information in his head from falling into Norman's hands, Tony set up a virus in his head that's deleting his mind. Over the course of the story, Tony's been getting dumber and dumber, having to revert to older Iron Man armors as they are easier to operate. In this issue, he returns to the original 'tin can' armor. The storyline has been interesting, with a number of twists and turns that start to pay off in this issue. It's also been interesting to watch Tony's reactions to the situation he put himself in, having to relearn things and deal with the emotions of knowing that certain tasks that he can't accomplish would have child's play for him a week previous. While I'm reasonably sure that we'll have a super-intelligent Tony Stark back in the Marvel Universe soon enough, I'm keen for the next issue to see how this will end.
Transformers – All Hail Megatron #15 holds two flashback stories, setting up how Kup and Perceptor came to be the way they were for the main AHM storyline. Kup's recovery, and how incomplete it may be, is detailed as well as Perceptor's need to be more useful on the battlefield. The issue gets points for me as the first story shows how Prowl's abilities as a tactician work and how devious that can make him in a positive way. It added a lot to the Prowl character for me.
Muppet Robin Hood #4 came out last week and completes the miniseries. I've discussed the joy of this story before and therefore will focus on the Monty Python like twist in this issue to explain to you why you want to read this book. Early in the issue we find out that the Merry Men can hear the narration of the book. They track down the narrator and he's identifiable to us as the Muppet Newsreader. They get ahold of his script and find the ending to the story isn't a happy one. The Narrator gives them the address of the book's writer and, well, it gets weirder for awhile. This is laugh-out-loud funny stuff. Very recommended.
The Marvels Project #2 was also from last week. The mini-series seeks to fill in the gaps during the WWII era and tell the 'origin of the Marvel Universe'. What we're seeing is the early days of the modern superhero with masked men without powers fighting crime as well as the early days of the original android Human Torch and the build up to the creation of Captain America. At the same time, we are being told a story by a Dr. Thomas Halloway. He narrates the story in flashback, apparently having lived through this already as both Dr. Halloway and as the hero known as the Angel. It's written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Steve Epting, the team from the regular Captain America book. If you've been enjoying Cap, then this is for you as well.
Speaking of Cap, Captain America Reborn #3 came out this week. The story continues to bounce between the present day and the time periods that Steve Rogers is revisiting. This story is being told by Ed Brubaker and artist Bryan Hitch. Here we have a wild action adventure with great dollops of science-fiction that, for me at least, has been holding together surprisingly well. Each issue has advanced both storylines carefully, at a pace that neither feels too rushed nor too slow. There are still mysteries to resolve but the pieces to resolve them are building up so it doesn't feel like the series is just a big waiting game for the final issue. Good stuff, as it should be!
Invincible Iron Man #18 is the 11th part of the 'World's Most Wanted' storyline. Good grief! In non-story terms, this story's goal appears to be redeeming Tony Stark in the eyes of the fans, after his 'heel turn' during the Civil War a few years ago. The Civil War storyline could be seen as Captain America vs Iron Man and many fans sided with Cap because, well, as readers we trust in Cap. This 'World's Most Wanted' storyline has seen Tony Stark on the run from the new regime lead by Norman Osborn. In order to prevent the information in his head from falling into Norman's hands, Tony set up a virus in his head that's deleting his mind. Over the course of the story, Tony's been getting dumber and dumber, having to revert to older Iron Man armors as they are easier to operate. In this issue, he returns to the original 'tin can' armor. The storyline has been interesting, with a number of twists and turns that start to pay off in this issue. It's also been interesting to watch Tony's reactions to the situation he put himself in, having to relearn things and deal with the emotions of knowing that certain tasks that he can't accomplish would have child's play for him a week previous. While I'm reasonably sure that we'll have a super-intelligent Tony Stark back in the Marvel Universe soon enough, I'm keen for the next issue to see how this will end.
Transformers – All Hail Megatron #15 holds two flashback stories, setting up how Kup and Perceptor came to be the way they were for the main AHM storyline. Kup's recovery, and how incomplete it may be, is detailed as well as Perceptor's need to be more useful on the battlefield. The issue gets points for me as the first story shows how Prowl's abilities as a tactician work and how devious that can make him in a positive way. It added a lot to the Prowl character for me.
17 September 2009
Hell's Kitchen Episode 8 (I think)
Hell's Kitchen Episode 8 aka '9 Chefs Compete' orig aired 9/1/2009
Recap: High Roller challenge, the Blue Team's weird choices win out but Blue Kitchen shut down in service, Van and Robert singled out, Red Team win but Suzanne's meddling is pointed out, Robert is sent home.
Teams return to the dorms. Dave and Van seem surprised that Robert was sent home, Dave even pointing out that Robert was a strong chef. Even Andy agrees that he has no room for error at this point. Once Suzanne leaves the presence of the Red Team (apart from Ariel, not sure where she was), they vent their annoyance with her.
New Day, New Challenge: Blindfolded Taste Test. Tennille sits out in order to even the teams. Van versus Ariel to start. Ariel gets 2, Van 1. Dave versus Suzanne: Dave 1, Suzanne – 2. Kevin vs Sabrina – One each. Andy vs Amanda – Andy and Amanda both get one, making the score 6-4 Red with two items left. If Andy fails, the game is over. So it's commercial time.
Can Andy rally for his team? Get some points with his crew? No, he can't. Disappointing considering he felt this challenge was right up his street. He defends himself slightly by pointing out the rest of his Team didn't do all that well either. Had they gotten everything right and he had failed, he'd look like more of an idiot than he did.
Reward: lunch in the dark. Punishment: hand making sorbet and cleaning all the glasses for them, as well as unloading the fruit for the sorbet.
Sous Chef Scott makes the guys a fancy lunch but purees it so they have to drink it like a protein shake. The Red Team's lunch is all night vision green and hard to watch. The Team accuses Suzanne of kissing up to Chef Ramsey, fueling their annoyance with her. This continues into prep for service and the Red Team, aside from Suzanne, forming a circle to 'cuddle' up and keep Suzanne out. Suzanne is aware that something is going on and comments on how catty women can be. Commercial.
Pre-service meeting: both teams will be offering a palate cleansing sorbet between courses. Ariel is assigned this on the Red Team. As the Blue Team has one less member than Red, they are assigned as a group to make sure it gets done. Chef Ramsey also calls for consistency.
Tennille and Andy both assume charge in their respective kitchens. This is an odd moment as we rarely see the members of a team do this. It does happen, it's not that unfamiliar, but I'm more used to seeing someone look like they've taken command rather than someone going 'I'll run it tonight'.
On the Red Side, Tennille councils Suzanne on the scallops Suzanne is preparing, feeling that they are overdone. Suzanne rejects this comment, takes them to the pass, and they are sent out without comment from Chef Ramsey. While in Interview Tennille treats this as an attempt to help, Suzanne takes it as an attempt at head games. To be honest, while I'm not a fan of Suzanne, I believe that was the intent as well. Interesting.
The appetizers go well for both teams and the sorbets start. Ariel heads out and Kevin volunteers to do this round for the Blue Team. Van takes over the appetizer station for Kevin while he's away. Van's first risotto is 'bland' but is able to fix it for Chef Ramsey. Unfortunately, while Kevin is serving sorbet, he comes across a table that received one of Van's risottos and they note that they found it 'disappointing'. Kevin is concerned that the Team falls apart without him. Kevin speaks like this often and manages to not sound like he's bragging about his abilities, most of the time anyway. He's a strong chef but I don't feel that he'll be in the final two for some reason.
On the Red Side, Amanda catches flak from Chef Ramsey. She notes that it's because she was working the garnish station, it's highly visible to him, and therefore you become more of a target.
On the Blue Side, Andy's lost track of what's going on, a clear failure while leading. Kevin returns from sorbeting to find the kitchen is lost. Chef Ramsey catches them in this state and hollers. They manage to find their footing and recover.
Back in the Red, Sabrina is working Meat Station and Suzanne the Fish Station. Their timing is off. In Interview, Sabrina accuses Suzanne of being off, of starting her fish too soon and making her look slow. She gets pressured into sending a lamb order before she's comfortable with it. Chef Ramsey lets it through but the customer sends it back as it's raw. Chef Ramsey tells Sabrina to leave the kitchen, sending her into the restaurant to eat her mistake. We go to commercial with Sabrina feeling bad and Suzanne apparently a point up on the rest of her team.
Sabrina eats her mistake. Tennille is sent to the Meat Station while she's gone. She sets a time for completion and will not waver when pushed to change it by Suzanne. Her meat goes out successfully, even from a customer perspective. Sabrina returns to the team clearly humbled.
The Blue Team is clicking. Andy reports that his supply of mashed potatoes is running low and he's concerned they won't have enough to complete service. While he is the bearer of bad news and it's not taken well, the Team and Chef Ramsey are able to adjust because he said something. Chef Ramsey is clearly not pleased but he would have been angrier had Andy not said something until he ran out.
Sabrina returns to the Meat Station. She and Suzanne call out times, agree that they are both ready, and Sabrina takes her lamb to the pass. Only Suzanne now needs another minute, having changed her mind. This is like bamboo shoots under his fingernails and Chef Ramsey quickly gets annoyed. The entire table's order is ready apart from one order of sea bass that Suzanne is working on. She checks and apologizes as she's messed up. They had to cook the entire order again. Sabrina shoots Suzanne the dirtiest of looks. I think they just lost the night right there. I'm wondering if she did that deliberately? Part of me argues yes, as some sort of revenge, but this is the sort of thing that will lead you to the chopping block and elimination so, if it was intentional, it would be a stupid thing to do. I don't think she's stupid so I'm leaning towards unintentional.
Andy does run out of mashed potatoes. Dave helps him generate more but Andy is sent to the three remaining Blue tables, who are stuck waiting because of the lack of potatoes, to apologize.
Suzanne asks for assistance from nearby Amanda. The order Amanda works on ends up not being cooked when taken to the pass. Chef Ramsey squats in the corner, watching the Red Team fall apart as we go to commercial.
Chef Ramsey expresses disappointment with Suzanne and Amanda: Suzanne for not checking on Amanda who was busy with her own work, and Amanda for not cooking the fish enough.
Dave, who you might remember has a broken wrist and is wearing a big cast, cranks out the needed mashed potatoes. Sous Chef Scott and Chef Ramsey discuss Andy's slowness aloud, feeling he's given up, to Andy's displeasure. I think Andy tries not to panic and shows a deliberate pace because of it. On the flip side, this doesn't seem to help him and with his earlier inability to keep track of the orders seems to indicate that this pace is probably not for him. The Blue Kitchen heads to desserts first. Both Teams complete their service.
Chef Ramsey is pleased that service was successfully completed but is disappointed that it's not a smooth process. He notes that both Teams are equally weak. The Blue Team wins service. Dave is singled out for praise. With one less Team member than the Red Team, the Blue Team whipped the Red Team's butt. Tennille is identified as the Best of the Worst, with Chef Ramsey noting that he wanted her gone a couple services ago but is now happy that she's around.
In Interview, Tennille loudly declared that her first choice is simple: Suzanne as she doesn't know how to work as part of a team. Privately, Tennille makes her aware of this and why. Suzanne is confused by the declaration that she threw people 'under the bus' and, rather than get into it with her, Tennille takes her to the rest of the Team so that they can express themselves to her. Suzanne tries to defend herself but Tennille tries to hammer it into her brain that Suzanne's reactions in the kitchen are not team oriented, even down to her verbiage, like saying 'I'm ready' as opposed to 'the Team will be ready in two minutes'. Tennille declared that, if she didn't need to pick two people, Suzanne would be up there by herself. Her second choice is less clear, noting issues with both Sabrina and Amanda as we go to commercial. I like sequences like this. Suzanne really doesn't seem to understand the problem that the rest of the group has with her but Tennille is able to clearly state the problem without it being a personality conflict. It's just not a matter of not liking someone as a person; it's a conflict in the way they work.
Nominees for Elimination: Suzanne – lack of teamwork amongst other things and Sabrina – hasn't stepped into the role that the Team needs to move forward. Chef Ramsey also pulls Amanda forward. Suzanne believes that this is a personal decision, not a work related issue. When asked, Tennille defends her decision, noting that she explained her reasonings earlier and that they were largely related to the cooking failures of today. Sabrina defends herself as a good cook and team player. Chef Ramsey says she was inconsistent tonight which Sabrina defends as Suzanne's fault. As Suzanne tries to defend herself, the rest of her Team agrees with Sabrina. Amanda defends herself rather generically.
Suzanne is sent back in line. Amanda is eliminated. The Red Team is clearly confused by this decision. To be honest, I am a little as well. It's not that I don't think Suzanne is awful and Amanda awesome, it's just that Amanda didn't really fail that badly this evening and Suzanne did show some serious issues tonight.
Trailer: Andy cuts the tips of his fingers off 'and he may never cook again'. Service looks to go horrible on both sides and it looks like Chef Ramsey ends up kicking the chefs out of the kitchen one-by-one as the night goes on. Good grief.
Recap: High Roller challenge, the Blue Team's weird choices win out but Blue Kitchen shut down in service, Van and Robert singled out, Red Team win but Suzanne's meddling is pointed out, Robert is sent home.
Teams return to the dorms. Dave and Van seem surprised that Robert was sent home, Dave even pointing out that Robert was a strong chef. Even Andy agrees that he has no room for error at this point. Once Suzanne leaves the presence of the Red Team (apart from Ariel, not sure where she was), they vent their annoyance with her.
New Day, New Challenge: Blindfolded Taste Test. Tennille sits out in order to even the teams. Van versus Ariel to start. Ariel gets 2, Van 1. Dave versus Suzanne: Dave 1, Suzanne – 2. Kevin vs Sabrina – One each. Andy vs Amanda – Andy and Amanda both get one, making the score 6-4 Red with two items left. If Andy fails, the game is over. So it's commercial time.
Can Andy rally for his team? Get some points with his crew? No, he can't. Disappointing considering he felt this challenge was right up his street. He defends himself slightly by pointing out the rest of his Team didn't do all that well either. Had they gotten everything right and he had failed, he'd look like more of an idiot than he did.
Reward: lunch in the dark. Punishment: hand making sorbet and cleaning all the glasses for them, as well as unloading the fruit for the sorbet.
Sous Chef Scott makes the guys a fancy lunch but purees it so they have to drink it like a protein shake. The Red Team's lunch is all night vision green and hard to watch. The Team accuses Suzanne of kissing up to Chef Ramsey, fueling their annoyance with her. This continues into prep for service and the Red Team, aside from Suzanne, forming a circle to 'cuddle' up and keep Suzanne out. Suzanne is aware that something is going on and comments on how catty women can be. Commercial.
Pre-service meeting: both teams will be offering a palate cleansing sorbet between courses. Ariel is assigned this on the Red Team. As the Blue Team has one less member than Red, they are assigned as a group to make sure it gets done. Chef Ramsey also calls for consistency.
Tennille and Andy both assume charge in their respective kitchens. This is an odd moment as we rarely see the members of a team do this. It does happen, it's not that unfamiliar, but I'm more used to seeing someone look like they've taken command rather than someone going 'I'll run it tonight'.
On the Red Side, Tennille councils Suzanne on the scallops Suzanne is preparing, feeling that they are overdone. Suzanne rejects this comment, takes them to the pass, and they are sent out without comment from Chef Ramsey. While in Interview Tennille treats this as an attempt to help, Suzanne takes it as an attempt at head games. To be honest, while I'm not a fan of Suzanne, I believe that was the intent as well. Interesting.
The appetizers go well for both teams and the sorbets start. Ariel heads out and Kevin volunteers to do this round for the Blue Team. Van takes over the appetizer station for Kevin while he's away. Van's first risotto is 'bland' but is able to fix it for Chef Ramsey. Unfortunately, while Kevin is serving sorbet, he comes across a table that received one of Van's risottos and they note that they found it 'disappointing'. Kevin is concerned that the Team falls apart without him. Kevin speaks like this often and manages to not sound like he's bragging about his abilities, most of the time anyway. He's a strong chef but I don't feel that he'll be in the final two for some reason.
On the Red Side, Amanda catches flak from Chef Ramsey. She notes that it's because she was working the garnish station, it's highly visible to him, and therefore you become more of a target.
On the Blue Side, Andy's lost track of what's going on, a clear failure while leading. Kevin returns from sorbeting to find the kitchen is lost. Chef Ramsey catches them in this state and hollers. They manage to find their footing and recover.
Back in the Red, Sabrina is working Meat Station and Suzanne the Fish Station. Their timing is off. In Interview, Sabrina accuses Suzanne of being off, of starting her fish too soon and making her look slow. She gets pressured into sending a lamb order before she's comfortable with it. Chef Ramsey lets it through but the customer sends it back as it's raw. Chef Ramsey tells Sabrina to leave the kitchen, sending her into the restaurant to eat her mistake. We go to commercial with Sabrina feeling bad and Suzanne apparently a point up on the rest of her team.
Sabrina eats her mistake. Tennille is sent to the Meat Station while she's gone. She sets a time for completion and will not waver when pushed to change it by Suzanne. Her meat goes out successfully, even from a customer perspective. Sabrina returns to the team clearly humbled.
The Blue Team is clicking. Andy reports that his supply of mashed potatoes is running low and he's concerned they won't have enough to complete service. While he is the bearer of bad news and it's not taken well, the Team and Chef Ramsey are able to adjust because he said something. Chef Ramsey is clearly not pleased but he would have been angrier had Andy not said something until he ran out.
Sabrina returns to the Meat Station. She and Suzanne call out times, agree that they are both ready, and Sabrina takes her lamb to the pass. Only Suzanne now needs another minute, having changed her mind. This is like bamboo shoots under his fingernails and Chef Ramsey quickly gets annoyed. The entire table's order is ready apart from one order of sea bass that Suzanne is working on. She checks and apologizes as she's messed up. They had to cook the entire order again. Sabrina shoots Suzanne the dirtiest of looks. I think they just lost the night right there. I'm wondering if she did that deliberately? Part of me argues yes, as some sort of revenge, but this is the sort of thing that will lead you to the chopping block and elimination so, if it was intentional, it would be a stupid thing to do. I don't think she's stupid so I'm leaning towards unintentional.
Andy does run out of mashed potatoes. Dave helps him generate more but Andy is sent to the three remaining Blue tables, who are stuck waiting because of the lack of potatoes, to apologize.
Suzanne asks for assistance from nearby Amanda. The order Amanda works on ends up not being cooked when taken to the pass. Chef Ramsey squats in the corner, watching the Red Team fall apart as we go to commercial.
Chef Ramsey expresses disappointment with Suzanne and Amanda: Suzanne for not checking on Amanda who was busy with her own work, and Amanda for not cooking the fish enough.
Dave, who you might remember has a broken wrist and is wearing a big cast, cranks out the needed mashed potatoes. Sous Chef Scott and Chef Ramsey discuss Andy's slowness aloud, feeling he's given up, to Andy's displeasure. I think Andy tries not to panic and shows a deliberate pace because of it. On the flip side, this doesn't seem to help him and with his earlier inability to keep track of the orders seems to indicate that this pace is probably not for him. The Blue Kitchen heads to desserts first. Both Teams complete their service.
Chef Ramsey is pleased that service was successfully completed but is disappointed that it's not a smooth process. He notes that both Teams are equally weak. The Blue Team wins service. Dave is singled out for praise. With one less Team member than the Red Team, the Blue Team whipped the Red Team's butt. Tennille is identified as the Best of the Worst, with Chef Ramsey noting that he wanted her gone a couple services ago but is now happy that she's around.
In Interview, Tennille loudly declared that her first choice is simple: Suzanne as she doesn't know how to work as part of a team. Privately, Tennille makes her aware of this and why. Suzanne is confused by the declaration that she threw people 'under the bus' and, rather than get into it with her, Tennille takes her to the rest of the Team so that they can express themselves to her. Suzanne tries to defend herself but Tennille tries to hammer it into her brain that Suzanne's reactions in the kitchen are not team oriented, even down to her verbiage, like saying 'I'm ready' as opposed to 'the Team will be ready in two minutes'. Tennille declared that, if she didn't need to pick two people, Suzanne would be up there by herself. Her second choice is less clear, noting issues with both Sabrina and Amanda as we go to commercial. I like sequences like this. Suzanne really doesn't seem to understand the problem that the rest of the group has with her but Tennille is able to clearly state the problem without it being a personality conflict. It's just not a matter of not liking someone as a person; it's a conflict in the way they work.
Nominees for Elimination: Suzanne – lack of teamwork amongst other things and Sabrina – hasn't stepped into the role that the Team needs to move forward. Chef Ramsey also pulls Amanda forward. Suzanne believes that this is a personal decision, not a work related issue. When asked, Tennille defends her decision, noting that she explained her reasonings earlier and that they were largely related to the cooking failures of today. Sabrina defends herself as a good cook and team player. Chef Ramsey says she was inconsistent tonight which Sabrina defends as Suzanne's fault. As Suzanne tries to defend herself, the rest of her Team agrees with Sabrina. Amanda defends herself rather generically.
Suzanne is sent back in line. Amanda is eliminated. The Red Team is clearly confused by this decision. To be honest, I am a little as well. It's not that I don't think Suzanne is awful and Amanda awesome, it's just that Amanda didn't really fail that badly this evening and Suzanne did show some serious issues tonight.
Trailer: Andy cuts the tips of his fingers off 'and he may never cook again'. Service looks to go horrible on both sides and it looks like Chef Ramsey ends up kicking the chefs out of the kitchen one-by-one as the night goes on. Good grief.
16 September 2009
Note: If You are Near Me When I'm Driving, I Probably Hate You
There's nothing quite like driving crosstown at the wrong time of day to make you hate humanity. Irritations grow to anger, especially when you get stuck behind the one car that's putting along at 5-10 mph under the speed limit. Rough afternoon. Had to walk around the mall to relax once I got there. It all worked out in the end but it was rough.
15 September 2009
DVD/Home Theatre Update
There's been a few changes since the last time I mentioned this project. It's not quite done yet but here's where I'm at with it.
The OS of the Mac Mini has been upgraded to 10.4.whatever. This allowed me to install XBMC as suggested. The Mini is using my TV as its monitor. Today I got an audio cable adapter to export the audio through the TV rather than some relatively small speakers that I was using as a stopgap.
I've tuned the colors and brightness settings on the TV in order to get a nice image. The audio is a little quiet out of the Mini but I did just get it set up through the TV so there's probably something simple I missed. Then again, it's always been a little quiet so this may be normal. There's also a bit of a hum coming through the speakers but that might get resolved after I tidy up the cabling.
One thing I haven't gotten yet is an Apple Remote. I've been looking around and have found some inexpensive ones so that won't be a problem. That will add a lot to the experience. XBMC is a decent program but it's clearly set up for use on a XBOX. Despite it being converted for PC/Mac use, it doesn't have menu options like a 'normal' computer program would have. The controls are very remote based.
Right now, I'm liking the set-up but I'm not in love with it yet. I'm using the computer as a computer to do some other video work and I don't like splitting the processor to watch something and convert something at the same time. Also, price-wise, the project is not that far off from me having gotten a new multi-region, DIVX compatible, DVD player. The OS upgrade was $35ish, the video cable $20, and the audio cable another $5. The remote will be another $10 or so which totals out at $70, only $10 less than the player I was looking at getting. Once I get the remote and become more comfortable with what I can do with this new set-up, I'm sure that'll change.
Long story short, it's a work in progress. It's getting close to done. It's going well.
The OS of the Mac Mini has been upgraded to 10.4.whatever. This allowed me to install XBMC as suggested. The Mini is using my TV as its monitor. Today I got an audio cable adapter to export the audio through the TV rather than some relatively small speakers that I was using as a stopgap.
I've tuned the colors and brightness settings on the TV in order to get a nice image. The audio is a little quiet out of the Mini but I did just get it set up through the TV so there's probably something simple I missed. Then again, it's always been a little quiet so this may be normal. There's also a bit of a hum coming through the speakers but that might get resolved after I tidy up the cabling.
One thing I haven't gotten yet is an Apple Remote. I've been looking around and have found some inexpensive ones so that won't be a problem. That will add a lot to the experience. XBMC is a decent program but it's clearly set up for use on a XBOX. Despite it being converted for PC/Mac use, it doesn't have menu options like a 'normal' computer program would have. The controls are very remote based.
Right now, I'm liking the set-up but I'm not in love with it yet. I'm using the computer as a computer to do some other video work and I don't like splitting the processor to watch something and convert something at the same time. Also, price-wise, the project is not that far off from me having gotten a new multi-region, DIVX compatible, DVD player. The OS upgrade was $35ish, the video cable $20, and the audio cable another $5. The remote will be another $10 or so which totals out at $70, only $10 less than the player I was looking at getting. Once I get the remote and become more comfortable with what I can do with this new set-up, I'm sure that'll change.
Long story short, it's a work in progress. It's getting close to done. It's going well.
14 September 2009
Expressing an Opinion on Something I Could Care Less About
I didn't watch one second of the MTV VMAs on Sunday night. For those of you who may have followed my lead, young country singer Taylor Swift won an award for something or other. Before she could completely relish the moment, rapper type fella Kanye West hopped up on stage, took the mic from her, and informed everyone that, no offense to Ms. Swift, but Beyonce should have won. Later in the evening, when Beyonce was on stage, she invited Taylor back to the stage to have her moment and everyone was happy again.
Now, I'm pleased that everyone is still mannered enough to see that this was a very rude thing to do. Living in a country where people will interrupt the President made me wonder if we'd gotten rude as a group. By that, I'm not trying to imply any political interests; I'm just saying it's rude to interrupt the President during a speech. That's just a duh no matter who the President is and what you think of him.
Beyond the basic rudeness of the situation, what changed? What was shocking about this? Everyone performed according to their known character: Kanye is an idiot, Taylor is a sweet girl, and Beyonce is a lady. According to my pal Andy, reporting in after he'd met her, she's an angel. Not having met her myself, I'll go with lady and mean that in the politest way possible. There was nothing new here. The only 'shocking' part of it is that it actually happened as it sounds like the sort of thing guys would talk big about but never do. 'Hey man, if Beyonce don't win this award, I'm gonna go up on stage and tell everyone she should have won.' Then all your buddies giggle and egg you on. 'Do it man, do it!'
I read someone that postulated he was drunk. I could believe that. That would make a lot of sense. That would certainly add to my 'his buddies egged him on' theory.
Long term, this is not going to affect any one of these people's careers. Short term people will growl at Kanye but it's not going to affect his long term sales or anything. It's not like MTV can fine him or anything. Now, what would have ended his career and have been truly shocking would have been Taylor Swift going all Shaolin on his butt and reclaiming her microphone. Then his career would have been dead. You can't be a tough guy after a little blonde girl beats you up on live TV.
There is a big winner in all this: MTV. I wouldn't be shocked if Kanye's buddies egged him on and one of them was a MTV employee, helping get him drunk. Why? Everyone's talking about this event. It makes it more likely that people will watch their next awards show to see what crazy stuff will happen. The repeats of the programme will get a bigger rating as people go to check it out. The Internet will gravitate to the clip.
MTV wins.
This is stupid. It's an awards programme, which are dumb anyway, and it's on MTV, which is dumb, for music videos which I'm not sure MTV even plays anymore.
Rude? Yes. The worst thing ever? No. I was doing a fine job of ignoring Kanye before this and, now that I've gotten my two cents in, I think I'll go back to ignoring him.
Now, I'm pleased that everyone is still mannered enough to see that this was a very rude thing to do. Living in a country where people will interrupt the President made me wonder if we'd gotten rude as a group. By that, I'm not trying to imply any political interests; I'm just saying it's rude to interrupt the President during a speech. That's just a duh no matter who the President is and what you think of him.
Beyond the basic rudeness of the situation, what changed? What was shocking about this? Everyone performed according to their known character: Kanye is an idiot, Taylor is a sweet girl, and Beyonce is a lady. According to my pal Andy, reporting in after he'd met her, she's an angel. Not having met her myself, I'll go with lady and mean that in the politest way possible. There was nothing new here. The only 'shocking' part of it is that it actually happened as it sounds like the sort of thing guys would talk big about but never do. 'Hey man, if Beyonce don't win this award, I'm gonna go up on stage and tell everyone she should have won.' Then all your buddies giggle and egg you on. 'Do it man, do it!'
I read someone that postulated he was drunk. I could believe that. That would make a lot of sense. That would certainly add to my 'his buddies egged him on' theory.
Long term, this is not going to affect any one of these people's careers. Short term people will growl at Kanye but it's not going to affect his long term sales or anything. It's not like MTV can fine him or anything. Now, what would have ended his career and have been truly shocking would have been Taylor Swift going all Shaolin on his butt and reclaiming her microphone. Then his career would have been dead. You can't be a tough guy after a little blonde girl beats you up on live TV.
There is a big winner in all this: MTV. I wouldn't be shocked if Kanye's buddies egged him on and one of them was a MTV employee, helping get him drunk. Why? Everyone's talking about this event. It makes it more likely that people will watch their next awards show to see what crazy stuff will happen. The repeats of the programme will get a bigger rating as people go to check it out. The Internet will gravitate to the clip.
MTV wins.
This is stupid. It's an awards programme, which are dumb anyway, and it's on MTV, which is dumb, for music videos which I'm not sure MTV even plays anymore.
Rude? Yes. The worst thing ever? No. I was doing a fine job of ignoring Kanye before this and, now that I've gotten my two cents in, I think I'll go back to ignoring him.
13 September 2009
Hopefully getting back on track
I know reports here have been a bit spotty of late. Video project, busy days, family outings, sore back, and abnormal tensions all led to a lack of text. I'm not here promising that all is back on track or anything like that. I'm working on an investigation or two. I've got comics to talk about. There are episodes of Hell's Kitchen to watch. In short, I've got stuff to do here and I'm hoping that the three people that bother to read this will soon see a more regular feed of information again. I consider myself a content provider and it annoys me to not generate content.
One step at a time we'll see if we can get some momentum back here.
One step at a time we'll see if we can get some momentum back here.
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