21x01 - Let the Battle Begin

[bunniefuu]

- [narrator] For the st time...
- [contestants cheering]

...chefs from all over America
will be competing to be

the one chosen by Gordon Ramsay
as the next great chef

Yo, I'm excited

- Where's everybody from?
- I'm, uh, Vlad. I'm from Chicago

So I've worked at a lot of fine dining
establishments that have Michelin stars

James Beard Awards

- Exciting. This is exciting
- Yeah, for sure

I'm ready for it

You know, cocky, confidence,
tomato, tomahto,

whatever you want to call it

You know, I've paid my dues,
and I'm here to win

I know the girls
are going to k*ll it anyways

Hell yeah

The fact that Hell's Kitchen
is in Los Angeles, this is my hood

It's where I grew up
It's where my career took off

So I'm pumped that I get to
still have that little comfort

- Uh, ages if you guys don't mind asking
- [chuckles]

- I'm
- Forty-one

- Forty-two
- Forty-two

- Twenty-three
- Twenty-three

- Twenty-three?
- Twenty-three

- Twenty-four
- Got some youngins

- I'm
- [chuckles]

I know I don't look it, but yeah

I'm years old. People may look at me
as an old head, you know

Like, don't fall,
you're gonna break your hip

But I'm probably
one of the youngest one's here

I'm still a kid at heart

Where are they?

[contestants cheering]

[contestant] There he is!

[Ileana] Oh, my goodness, this is insane!

I'm so excited
to finally be here on Hell's Kitchen

I've never really been away
from home before

I'm from little Gloucester, Virginia,
out in the middle of nowhere

But I need to push that away
and remember that this is a competition,

and I'm here to kick some ass

[cheering continues]

Whoo!

Holy cow. Here it is

Let's do this

I was born for Hell's Kitchen

This is what I'm made for

B-True brings the mad flavor

Hi. Welcome

Hi. Grab a glass of champagne

This is wild

You have Marino standing there. I feel
like I'm looking at, like, a figurine

Just kinda wanna
just squish him a little bit

Cheers. I'm Billy

- Nice to meet you. Alyssa
- My pleasure

- Vlad here
- [Zeus] What's the name?

- Vlad
- Oh, my God. No way

- What?
- [Alyssa] Do you even recognize me?

[Vlad] I know who you are

I didn't expect Alyssa to be here

She's from Chicago. I'm from Chicago

I don't know if that's good or not,
because I'm not here to socialize

I'm here to win this,
and dominate this competition

Chefs, can I have your attention?

First of all, welcome to Hell's Kitchen

So I wanted to introduce you
to your sous chefs

[all cheering]

For the Red kitchen,
please welcome Chef Christina

So fresh and bright-eyed. Thank you, sir

Oh, my God
Chef Christina had won her season,

and now, you know,
she's in charge of Chef Ramsay's empire

I am just, like, hoping to God that
this is still a men versus women season,

and I get to have Christina
as my sous chef

And returning for the Blue kitchen,
Chef Jason

[contestants cheering]

Chef Jason's got some serious chops

Buttermilk and Bourbon
is a great restaurant in Boston

And he's got that electric blue hair,

which is just lightning insane. I love it

- Extra blue baby
- [Zeus] That's how you do it!

One of the biggest things
in Hell's Kitchen

is you need to listen and absorb

Every chef can have a bad night,
let's get that straight

It's how you bounce back,
that's what's important

[Christina]
You're gonna have obstacles thrown at you

But the biggest thing is you can
never, ever, ever,

let anybody or anything stand in your way

- [engine revs]
- What the f*ck?

[Billy] Oh, sh*t. Uh-oh

[contestants cheering]

[cheering continues]

[Ileana] Oh, my God

[engine revving]

- Oh, my God
- [Cheyenne] I love it

- Nice
- That was amazing

That's why we park in the back

- Did that really just happen?
- [Billy] Yeah!

[all cheering]

[Ileana] What a badass

Like, only Chef Ramsay

would drive a monster truck
through a wall, smash a car,

and then approach a whole bunch of chefs
like it's nothing

As Christina said,
do not let anything get in your way

What a ride that was

And come on, you guys had
quite a ride yourselves, right?

[all] Yes, Chef

Each of your limos
are from different eras

But they all got you
to where you want to go

When I'm opening a new restaurant,
I need a chef

that's going to get me
to where I want to go

Am I better off hiring a younger chef?

Bursting with energy, fresh ideas,
great creativity

Or hiring an older chef,
who's been battle tested,

solid as a rock, and very consistent

This season,
for the first time ever on Hell's Kitchen,

get ready for
Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the Ages

Chefs in their twentysomething,
come and stand together. That's it

And the rest of you in your forties,
stand together

Hell yeah. I'm definitely a different chef
now that I'm

compared to when I was
in my late s, early s

Let's go
We have so much experience on our side

I know we're going to crush it

It's time for our first big challenge,
your signature dish

You got minutes,
and your time starts now

Off you go. Let's go

[narrator] This season on Hell's Kitchen,

Biggest service of our career

- [Cheyenne] Guys, we got this
- Behind

[narrator] For the st time,
Chef Ramsay is opening the doors

[all] Cheers!

Push it!

My excitement is probably
covered up by crippling anxiety

What did I get myself into?

[narrator] But this time he's trying
something a bit different

Clearly one of the youngest
but beautifully done

It's an epic battle of the ages...

- [Tara] They're all young, and
- Her parents are our age

...and an answer to the age old question...

Know what I'm saying?
Know what I'm saying?

You know what I'm saying?

sh*t. What was I saying?

[narrator]
Can the well-seasoned fortysomethings

conquer the youth movement?

I love the strength of the heat,
but the caramelization...

This old guy's here to play

[narrator] Or will the fresh,
up-and-coming twentysomethings...

- Let's show 'em what we got
- Get it!

...show maturity beyond their years

We're here to win, not to learn

Perfect. Lobster extracted

These old geezers better work

We're all used to being exec chefs
and running things

They're used to being on the line,
sweating it out

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

I need to see everybody,
as quick as you can

[narrator] These chefs will face
a gauntlet of new challenges

I will do what it takes. Oh, my goodness

[Ramsay] Let's go. Quick

[contestant ] Sorry, buddy. That's hot

- [contestant ] No, please!
- We gotta get some points on the board

[narrator] expl*sive dinner services

Nobody's running that station

You're supposed to be the twentysomething,
not the slowest

- Yes, Chef
- I feel stressed out already

- Oh, my God
- You're the most mature,

- but you're actually cooking like babies
- The Blue Team is sweating

Get the f*ck out of here

'Cause it looks like
I can't cook fish now

- This place does tear you down
- I'm a scrappy little bitch

- Hot pan
- [Ramsay] Much better

[narrator] It's the most impressive
culinary season yet

Bold move, but the dish is delicious

- Dude
- [person ] It bursts in your mouth

[Ramsay] Please welcome,
Michael Cimarusti

This is a style of food
that I love so much

This is like the k burger right here

Sexy. It's colorful

Cooked immaculately. Perfect

This is a really good dish
It's what you want

- when you eat duck
- Yep

- [narrator] Come along for the ride...
- Sup, y'all?

- ...for a season of magnificence...
- [contestant ] Oh, my God

[contestant ]
Swan dive in the doughnut. [laughs]

...and mayhem...

- [siren wailing]
- [alarm blares]

[snoring]

[mimics snoring]

...as Hell's Kitchen is the place to be

[Ileana] Yo, is that Tony Hawk?

Mr. Simmons, yeah!

Fish is delicious

- Are we well?
- [Cheryl Hines] Yeah

- He's real cute
- I feel like we just... whoa, Rachel

[narrator]
Because it's going to be the wildest...

- [contestant] Dibs on gorilla meat, okay?
- [shouts]

...scariest...

- Oh, my God
- Is there a dead body?

[laughs]

...most fiery season you've ever seen

Ow!

You're a grown ass man
and I'm a grown woman, right?

- Don't be turning up on me
- That's your fault

Shh

It's all my fault?
All the f*cking communication?

Y'all got your little lies goin' on
Get us out of here, I don't give a f*ck

You talked him out of it, you ding-dong!

I am going to cut somebody

[shouts] This is a joke
How can we be this bad?

- Are you okay?
- Go f*ck yourself

[narrator] There are minutes remaining
in the chef's first big test:

the signature dish challenge

- [Christina] What do you got working?
- We got an oyster and potato stew working

[Christina] Lovely

[Sakari] I've worked in some of
the best restaurants in the world,

starting from humble beginnings,
working in fast-food

And, uh, my dish
might seem a little pretentious,

but I don't really care what other people
think about this dish

I'm here to prove to Chef Ramsay
that I'm ready to be his head chef

Super ambitious, I love it

- What do you have orange soda for?
- Collard greens

- You cook your greens in orange soda?
- Yes, sir

Been cooking almost years man,
that's a first for me

I grew up within the inner city,
really bad neighborhood,

so, my mother,
she would teach me how to cook,

just to be outta trouble,
to stay in the house

And now, I'm actually an executive chef

I'm ready to show what I got,
and I'm ready to win

[Jason] What are you grinding?

[Zeus]
I'm gonna do some bangers and mash, Chef

- Making your own sausages?
- Yes, I am

- I like it. I like it a lot
- Thank you, Chef

- What are you making, pasta?
- I am

- That's ambitious
- It is ambitious

- I'm gonna make tortellini soup
- Can't win if you don't take chances

[Mindy] That's right

- Hey Nicole, you doing okay?
- [Nicole] Yes, thank you. It's the heels

[laughs]

I'm wearing heels
I'm gonna cook in heels

I think that that's sexy
and I feel confident in myself

This is fun

[Alex] Nicole is using boxed pasta,
canned tomatoes

I don't know why
you would even think to make

your signature dish with boxed pasta
So, there's that

Guys, I'm salting the water

Like the sea

Like the sea

[Christina]
Dafne, what are you working on?

[Christina] Woman after my own heart
That Cacio e Pepe will get me

[Dafne] I'm Latina

However, working for almost ten years with
crazy Italian chefs screaming at my ear,

Italian food just flows through my body

I'm excited to show everyone
the kind of chef I am

And I'm hella nervous right now

Breathe, guys. [chuckles]

- Ileana
- Yes, Chef

What have you got going on?

I'm making a maple
butternut squash risotto

I've cooked a lot of risotto
It's something that I've got in my blood

So I hope that I can really knock it out
of the park this morning,

and, uh, impress Chef Ramsay

- Do you have your risotto started yet?
- Not yet, Chef

We're getting close to minutes

[chuckles] I would not be cooking risotto
for Chef Ramsay on a day like today

He will not accept any risotto
unless it's perfect

You need to know
what you're doing right now

Just under ten minutes to go, guys

- Right next to you
- [contestant ] Hot

I'm looking over at Ileana's dish
and her rice is undercooked

She doesn't have her components finished

Hey Brett
Can you check my risotto please?

- Give it a stir
- [Brett] It hasn't opened up yet at all

Oh, my God. It's not f*cking ready

f*ck me, man

[sighs] Oh, my God

- [narrator] Coming up...
- Started at the Playboy Mansion

No one goes to the Playboy Mansion
for food, right?

Things go from strange,
to downright bizarre

A great white shark bit your head?

And later...

- [grunts]
- Oh, my goodness. Bro, you all right?

I may have peed a little

- Can I get a chicken wing?
- [laughs]

[narrator] There's under eight minutes
left in the signature dish challenge

Oh, my God. It's not f*cking ready

And the twentysomething's Ileana

is struggling
with her butternut squash risotto

- [sighs] Oh, my God
- [Vlad] What? Is it under a little bit?

Yeah, it's very under. I'm going in here

- Start sautéing
- I'm really worried about my squash

It's just not cooking fast enough

And my risotto, I know it's not done
It's not perfect yet

I should have started it earlier

I'm freaking out right now, honestly

- [Vlad] Want me to drop it in here?
- [Ileana] Yeah. Thank you so much

Ileana's struggling
It is a team competition,

I gotta kind of take
that leader initiative and just

help her get something on the plate

God damn it, man

- Let's get all of it done
- Thank you

- I appreciate you, dude
- Got it

- We're one team
- One team

[Vlad] Let's go!

Watch this rib eye over here, please

Coming back for it in just a second
It's fine

Wyoming is beef country

And it's something
that is pretty meaningful to me

It's something I've made for my kids

- Was it undercooked?
- I'm gonna give it second,

get everything on the plate,
then come back for it

I personally prefer my steak to be, like,

two chest compressions away from
smacking a bell back on it

- and putting it back out in the field
- [cow moos]

- [Charlene] Hot pan
- Heard

[Ramsay] Just under four minutes to go

What do you got?

I'm making a stewed salmon
with a coconut-infused jasmine rice

- All right
- Yeah. Jamaican style

I've made stewed salmon a lot at home,
I've made it for my friends

It stems from my background
My mother is from Jamaica

But the coconut rice is something
I've never done before

It needs something sweet

I'm gonna take some sugar
and I'm just gonna hope it works

Forgot to add this sh*t

Fingers crossed

Under a minute, guys. This is it
Final minute. Get it on a plate

- Let's go, guys
- [Ramsay] Come on, Blue Team. Let's go!

- Go
- Can I get you anything?

- She's got it. Behind
- [Ramsay] Come on, Red Team

- No, sir. I think I'm okay
- [Ramsay] Ten seconds. Let's go

- Nine. Eight. Seven. Six
- [all chattering]

- Five. Four. Three
- [Ileana] Come on, Sommer

Two. One. And stop

[all cheering]

O-O-O-OG's

Listen carefully, all of you

There's something very important
that you need to know

The winner of Hell's Kitchen:
Battle of the Ages,

will become my head chef

at the brand-new Hell's Kitchen,
Caesars Atlantic City. That's right

[contestants cheering]

Atlantic City. That's so close
to New York, where I'm from

I'm in my element. I'm about to be
Like, that's exactly where I want to be

It comes with a prize,
worth a quarter of a million dollars

Wow

$,

That is a monumental amount of money
that will change my family's life

I want that money

That sounds great

Like, I'm hype

I don't know what to do
with a quarter of a million dollars

But I know I would spend it though

I'll assign each dish a score
between one and five

With five being stunning and delicious,

and one being wretched
and certainly not my standards

The team with the most points wins

Let's start off
with Brett from the Red kitchen

Up against Zeus from the Blue kitchen
Let's go

- [Ileana] Let's get it, Brett
- Strong start, come on

Excellent
Uh, let's start off with you, Zeus

- Is that a little scar?
- It's a scar

I worked at a restaurant
many, many years ago

We would go out into the ocean,
we would bring in fresh seafood

One day I went out and found myself
in the mouth of a great white shark

Holy cow
How the f*ck are you still alive?

- A great white shark bit your head?
- Yeah

Thousands of stitches later,
I snuck out of the hospital,

got on a bus, when back to service,
and finished the day out

Stop it. Seriously?

Every season on Hell's Kitchen,
a few crazies slip in,

uh, and I think that Zeus
is one of those guys

[Ramsay] Man

The dish. Describe this. What is it?

[Zeus] The dish I have presented
for you today is bangers and mash

This is a staple back home in my country

- I mean, I grew up with this...
- Yes

That's a bold move
to make bangers and mash

on your first introduction

It... It is, Chef. Natural casings

Made the onion gravy from scratch

Bloody hell

Uh, I'd like to say tonight
your bangers and mash are bang on

That's a very strong four. Good job

- Thanks so much, Chef
- Yeah

Go, baby. Way to start off, Zeus

- Good. Really good
- Thank you so much, Chef

Uh, Brett
Uh, hair color today, what is that?

- It's a combination of a sort of pinkish...
- It's a little strawberry...

A strawberry shortcake situation
I don't know

A little bonding experience
with my wife and I

It's not as good as your shark story,
but it's a strong one, right?

I'm can't compete with that

Uh, right. What is this?

So what you have is a roasted rack of lamb
with a chimichurri sauce

on a little arugula salad

And then at the top, there is
a brown butter roasted cauliflower

- Wow. Visually, it's beautiful
- Thank you, Chef

It's a strong dish. That lamb on point,
cauliflower steak, good

Chimichurri, beautifully vibrant

It's almost like you're cooking
beyond your years, so, it's a strong four

- Well done
- Thank you, Chef

- [Ramsay] Loved this
- Yeah, Brett!

- Good job, both of you
- Thank you

This is easily the best
culinary moment of my life

Second best moment of my life,
only behind marrying my wife

Next up, Alex and Ileana, let's go

Alex. A love of food. Background
Where did it start?

I started in the industry before food
was really a cool thing in Nashville

So I was very much self taught
I didn't go to culinary school

- Then I opened my own restaurant in
- And what happened?

- COVID
- Right

Brutal

I mean, it's...

- Words can't...
- [Ramsay] Yeah

- Well, you're here now
- I am

Enlighten me. What's under here?

I have a spice-crusted salmon,
Carolina Gold rice,

maple glaze with Aleppo carrots,
and a chorizo broth

Yeah, it's cooked beautifully

Its pink is vibrant
It's got the right balance of acidity

I love the balance of the starch
That's a very strong five. Good job

- Thank you, Chef
- [Ramsay] Amazing

[Alex] I mean, the fact that one
of the world's best chefs gave me a five,

it's wild. It's freakin' wild

Ileana. Give us an insight
What's your current job?

I'm a sous chef now
I specialize in coastal cuisine

- [Ramsay] Describe the dish
- I've made a butternut squash risotto

[Ramsay] My goodness me

[Ramsay] Let's be honest
Visually, it looks underwhelming, right?

- Yes, Chef
- Looks sloppy

You can see the kernels of rice,
which tells you they're not cooked

And sadly, under seasoned

There's a reason why
I put risotto on the menu

There's a tall order of getting it right
So, it's a two out of five

[Ramsay] Dear. Oh, dear

[Cheyenne]
First impressions of Ileana. Not good

I don't know about her

All right. Let's have
Sakari and Nicole, please. Step up

Chef Ramsay's a legend for real
But I've cooked for a lot of chefs before

So I'm just excited
I'm not really intimidated

All right
So, Sakari, current job now is what?

Introducing fine dining experiences
to Black and brown communities

- Wow. So like, pop-ups
- Yeah. Pop-ups

Give us an insight
How much do you charge?

About $ per plate

- Seven courses
- Amazing

Describe the dish. What is it?

So this dish right here,
we have an oyster stew with a confit cod

[Ramsay] So the base of the sauce
is the oysters, or...

So the base of the sauce,
I created an oyster fat

Um, and then we have,
like, a potato leek...

Man, there's a lot going on there

And how did you cook the cod?

Uh, confited it
with a little bit of lemon zest

It's a very complex dish

And, uh, I'm just... I'm just sad...

that I could only give you five
Congratulations

- Thank you, Chef
- [Brett] Incredible

- [Ramsay] Really good
- [Sommer] Yeah. Great

Got a five. Got a five. Best dish ever

Okay. Nicole, give us an insight

Places you've worked. Where have you been?

I started at the Playboy Mansion
for my internship

- The Playboy Mansion for your internship?
- Yes

No way

What the hell?
A chef at the Playboy Mansion?

Like, what are you cooking there?

Uh... [inhales sharply]
You know what? I don't wanna know

- Right. What's under here?
- So, I kept it really simple

It's a tagliatelle pasta
with fresh burrata...

Stop there, 'cause you get me going
when you mention the word fresh

Okay, um, minutes
You made the pasta, right?

Um...

Oh, sh*t

[stammers] Um...

[narrator] It's the first ever Battle
of the Ages signature dish challenge

- Right. What's under here?
- So, I kept it really simple

It's a tagliatelle pasta

[narrator]
And Nicole, a former Playboy Mansion chef

is hoping her boxed pasta
doesn't leave her exposed

You made the pasta, right?

Um...

Oh, sh*t

No. For the sake of... Not...
Because of the time

[whispers] No

Who... Who does that?

You know what he's going to say
You know he want everything fresh

Why would you come to Hell's Kitchen
and make boxed pasta?

But you just said you kept it simple

What did you do in minutes
if you didn't make pasta?

Oh, um, I made the sauce

But let's be honest with each other
because you didn't really make the sauce

I saw a tin of canned tomatoes in there

Okay, yes

So visually it looks bad, and sadly,
it actually tastes worse than it looks

If he does that to me, I'll cry

I will cry real tears

Give it a one

Yeah. That's a one. And a stretch at that

- Thank you. Sakari, good job
- Thank you, Chef

[narrator]
Next up for the twentysomethings

is Dafne from Los Angeles,

who is hoping that
her handmade corn and truffle ravioli

is strong enough to keep
the Red Team in the lead

[Ramsay] Wow, that's very good

Um, that is a very strong four. Good job

- Thank you
- [Ramsay] Really good job

[narrator] Trying to keep it close
for the fortysomethings,

Charlene from Wyoming
presents her cowboy rib eye

The seasoning's on point
and the steak is cooked beautifully

- Good job
- [Charlene] Thank you

- That's a very strong four. Well done
- Yeah!

Thank you

[narrator] Next up for the fortysomethings
is Tara, a private chef from New York

And for the twentysomethings is Vlad,
a sous chef from Chicago

[Ileana] Come on, Vlad

That's a truffle slicer in there
You trying to wow me with more truffle?

He's a bougie little bitch, not gonna lie

Vlad is just a little too cocky

Back home,
Vlad calls himself, "Truffle Boy"

And that's all over his social media

Vlad, what's under here?

- Under here is a bone-in Australian Wagyu...
- [Ramsay] Wow

...lobster mushrooms,
and then a beautiful parsnip puree

You will need to finish it as well

- with some extra white truffle
- Yep

An expensive dish

[Cheyenne chuckles]

This bougie son of a g*n

How much would you charge for this dish?

, easy

Well, listen, young man
That steak is cooked beautifully

The sear is incredible

The seasoning is on point
And the puree's delicious

[sighs]

Honestly,

I would pay bucks for that

- Thank you, Chef
- Five

Thank you, Chef

- [Ramsay] Wow
- The Red Team, you're welcome

Because of chef Vlad, Truffle Boy

- I brought it today and we're winning
- Let's go

Uh, Tara,
this journey with food began where?

- I was a fashion designer
- [Ramsay] Oh, wow

So I didn't really get into cooking
till after a car accident

- After a car accident?
- Yeah

- I'm sorry. What happened?
- I was wrapped around a tree. It's okay

- Turning point?
- [Tara] It was a wake-up moment

It was a turning point
I left the fashion industry

and the kitchen
was the only place I was calm

Wow

I lost a lot of memory
and I had to go to brain rehab

I literally could not remember
how to do a lot of things

I couldn't remember how to run

I didn't know what to do with my life

I went back in that kitchen and it felt
like that's where I was meant to be

So I was like,
"This is what I'm supposed to do."

Amazing. And what's under here?

[Tara] It's a fennel crusted
pork tenderloin with a sweet potato puree,

asparagus, some sautéed apples
and pancetta with a little bourbon jus

[Ramsay]
The cook on the pork is beautiful

It's something you don't see
elevated enough, pork tenderloin

Tara-rific

- That is a four out of five. Good job
- Thank you so much

For me to get a four out of five
on that dish. It made my day

What can I say?

[narrator]
Next up is sous chef Cheyenne from Ohio

against executive chef O'Shay
from Delaware

[Ramsay] Right, O'Shay

- Job currently is what?
- Executive chef in a catering company

What's under here?

Crispy skin salmon and Parmesan corn grits
with, uh, orange soda collard greens

- Say that again...
- Orange soda collard greens

- You put orange soda in collard greens?
- Yes, Chef

I've never even thought of putting
orange soda in a stewed green before

But I can guarantee you,
when I get home, I'm not gonna try it

Well, I'm cooking with it first,
and then I pour a little bit on

It infuses flavor

Why are you laughing? I gotta taste it

- Uh, I've never had anything like that
- [Ramsay] No

What's the jus around the outside?
It looks very watery

A little orange soda

- More orange soda?
- A little bit

Who loves orange soda?

Now for the, uh... the moment of truth

Tell me it works

[Ramsay] Bloody hell

- The salmon's cooked beautifully
- Thank you, Chef

There's some really good
elements in this dish

Can you see how pink
that salmon is from there?

- Looks good, looks great
- Beautiful

This dish should scream a five

But I'm gonna take points off
for the orange soda

[sighs]

[narrator] With the twentysomethings

slightly ahead
in the signature dish challenge,

-year-old O'Shay

is hoping his salmon
with orange soda, isn't completely flat

This dish should scream a five but I'm
gonna take points off for the orange soda

[sighs]

It's a strong three

Thank you, Chef

[grunts] Oh, Chef

[narrator]
The over s are in the lead for now

But -year-old Cheyenne is expecting her...

Maple bourbon glazed pork chop
with sweet potato puree

...will put the twentysomethings
back on top

[Ramsay] Visually, it looks beautiful
Great color on that

I love the seasoning. The sweetness

But it's the color on that chop

The actual top cut there, beautiful
Turn it upside down

That thing needs equal time

And it's got this sort of
after-bitter taste

It's a shame. It's a three

- Thank you
- Thank you

[applause]

[narrator] Next up is Houston chef
and father of nine Abe

[Mindy] Come on, Abe

Hoping that his...

Blackened sea bass on Mom's Spanish rice

...is enough to win over Chef Ramsay

[Ramsay] Fish is cooked beautifully

It's got that really nice citrus, 'cause
you caramelized that and laid it on top

- Mum's Spanish rice. Slightly bland
- [Abe] Mom's gonna k*ll me for that one

It's a very strong three

That damn rice. Sorry, Mama

[narrator] With the Blue Team only up
by one, brewery executive chef Alejandro,

is hoping his brick chicken
will score big for the Red Team

[Ramsay] Chicken's cooked beautifully
You work at a brewery, yes?

All I can say tonight is, "cheers."

That's delicious. That's a strong
four out of five. Good job

I got a four. I feel good

[narrator] With only two rounds remaining,
Mindy, a private chef and mother of three...

- What have you made?
- ...hopes her...

[Mindy] Spinach tortellini soup

...impresses Chef Ramsay

[Ramsay] Visually,
it doesn't look the most appetizing

But it's got a lot of bold flavor

The soup is delicious

That for me, is a very strong four

- Thank you, Chef
- [Ramsay] Good job

Good job, Mindy

[Mindy] Chef Ramsay is hotter in person

So, I may have peed a little
That's my age maybe. I don't know

[narrator] With the Blue Team in the lead,

Alyssa presents her scallops
with cauliflower puree

I've tasted some exceptional purees
tonight and this is...

this is not exceptional

It's a shame. You got a great sear

I'm gonna give it a three
because of the puree

- Good job. Thank you
- Thank you, Chef

[Ramsay] Thank you

You know, Alyssa,
you gotta bring your A-game

So, five and four are acceptable
but anything below that

you need to step up your sh*t

Right, final round. Uh, Billy, let's go

[Zeus] Let's go, Billy

[Ramsay] Sommer, let's go

Billy, current job is what?

Unemployed, Chef
I'm all-in on Hell's Kitchen

Any nicknames on the way up?

My good friends, and my enemies,
they like to call me, "B-True."

As in, "be true to yourself
every night in that kitchen"?

- I'm bringing it, Chef
- [Ramsay] Right

- What's under here?
- This is my take on a Chicken Francese

It's Parmesan basil
egg-battered chicken breast

Here's the thing, risotto's cooked nicely,
but it's all clumpy

And there's enough here for two
Doesn't need all this on a plate

Let me be true to you...

It's a three

to the Blue Team,

Sommer, Billy's nickname was, "B-True"
What's your nickname?

In the industry, my nickname is "VIP"

It started from the first time
I worked in a kitchen

The chef told me, like,
"This is a VIP ticket."

I was like, "Chef, everything is VIP."
And he was like, "Oh, I like that."

So everywhere I go,
I just take that with me

Everything is VIP, everything is VIP
Everything?

You question it,
and I'm like, "Everything."

- Everything
- Billy...

- Everything?
- Everything

- Everything?
- Everything

Damn

- Right, what's under here?
- I have a stewed salmon

It's inspired by my Jamaican, um, roots

- And a coconut rice underneath
- [Ramsay] What else is in the rice?

It wasn't sweet enough for me, so I added
a little sugar and coconut milk

[Ramsay] Mm-hmm

It's not VIP
It feels like general admission

It's not supposed to be that sweet

Man, this is tough

You need one to tie and two to win

I don't know if we're gonna win
I don't wanna be punished

I got a five. I don't wanna be punished

I'm gonna give this dish...

a one

[Billy] All right!

Right, we have a tie for the first time

I'm gonna go for the best two dishes

The best dish in the Blue Team is Alex

And Sakari for the Red Team

Please drop your dishes over here

[Alex] This is a lot of pressure
A lot of stress

We cannot lose this challenge

- [Alejandro] Go, Alex!
- [Brett] Bring it home, buddy

Gentlemen, these dishes are excellent
Let's get that absolutely clear

Alex, that was stunning
Precision beyond belief

Uh, Sakari, it's got the solidity,
the right amount of acid

But more importantly,
the cook on the cod is delicious

There is one dish that has a slight edge

And therefore, the winning team is...

There is one dish that has a slight edge
And therefore, the winning team is...

the Red Team. Congratulations

[Ileana] g*dd*mn. That's amazing

- [Alyssa] Good job
- Bringing it home

[Sommer] Good save

[Ramsay] Uh, Sakari, good job

I'm happy I could get the W for today
I think I'm the best chef here

There's gonna be
a lot more W's in the future

So this is an incredible way
to start our Hell's Kitchen journey

Red Team, twentysomethings

All of you are about to embark on
an extravagant journey

onboard a -foot luxury yacht

[Red Team cheering]

You'll be treated to
an amazing sunset dinner cruise

Hell yes

This'll be an experience you'll remember
for the rest of your lives

Truffle Boy is about
to party on a yacht, baby!

Blue Team, today is delivery day

[chuckles]

- That hurts
- Yeah

I need the deliveries all unloaded

And then, on the back of the mess
that has been made,

I'd like to see both kitchens spotless

Head into your dorms. Red Team, well done

[Red Team] Thank you, Chef

- Nicole, if only you made fresh pasta...
- I know, I'm sorry

- ...you'd be setting sail...
- I'll be...

- ...on that beautiful ocean
- I'll be better

Dear. Oh, dear

I feel like I let my team down

- I'm sorry, guys
- [O'Shay] It's all right

I don't want to do that again

All right guys, I'm gonna be better
I promise

I'm not gonna let it crush me

I'm gonna use it as amm*nit*on
to, like, step it up

We've run kitchens
They think they can run kitchens

We need to show the young bucks
that we know how to cook too

The service tomorrow
has got to be on point

I cannot lose again. I'm not happy

I don't know where to start. [sighs]

[Alyssa] Yacht time!

Yeah, baby!

Yacht!

- Enjoy your messes! Enjoy your messes!
- Have fun cleaning

- [Alex] Rub it in
- There's some walkers in the back, okay?

Your guy's bed time is at :, okay?
Don't forget that

- Don't be afraid to fall off the boat
- [Nicole] Oh, yeah

[Alex] I just really didn't wanna
lose the first challenge

Mentally, it sets a tone

[Red Team cheering]

Red Team! Red Team!

It just does a little something
to your soul

- [horn honks]
- [Mindy] And here's the delivery

[Jason] You guys need to run out front,
bring everything in

[Alex] Ah, sh*t. All right

[Nicole] Oh, my God

[Billy grunts]

It is the worst punishment

I'm sweating b*ll*ts
My back is hurting. My feet is hurting

I can't believe we're doing so much work
We're doing everything

[Billy groans]

I'm struggling with the fact that
we didn't get a chance to go on the yacht

Yep, load me. Give me three

I didn't come here to lose
My entire life has been a struggle

Don't hurt yourself

There's been times I've had no money

And there's been times I didn't eat
I fed my daughter. I didn't feed myself

[panting]

I put everything into
possibly making my way

and clawing my way to Hell's Kitchen

We're not gonna lose again

[birds chirping]

We got a cruise to have. We good?

[cheering]

Jump onboard. Let's go

Whoo! I'm so excited to be here right now
This is literally a dream

Welcome. Welcome

[Dafne] The fact that I get to go on
a yacht with Chef Ramsay

This is the best day of my life

Right, first of all, congratulations
Cheers, well done

- [all] Cheers
- [Ramsay] Congratulations

First big challenge win. What was it like
meeting each other for the first time?

Were you studying each other thinking,
"How's this gonna work?"

Did you think we were just gonna
go back to boys versus girls?

- Yes
- When it's men and women,

- the men just fail for weeks and weeks
- [Alyssa] Because women have a better...

[Brett]
It's like, we have to strategize now

I feel like women just instantly
have an easier way

of communicating with each other rather
than, "Let me b*at the other one first."

I can't believe that we're not only
getting to eat this private dinner

on the yacht, but we're getting
to do it with Chef Ramsay

I'm having a hard time accepting
the fact that this is reality

[Ramsay] I remember being years of age,
being on my ass,

and I went to go and live in Paris
Couldn't speak a word of French

Refusing to take time off
because I had no money to spend

And then I became so fluent in French

that when I would call
my first French girlfriend,

she wanted to know what area
of France I'd come from

And so, you learn so much quicker

Having dinner with Chef Ramsay,
I am absolutely blown away

I can't believe that I'm here right now

I've never even been on a yacht

This feels like an absolute dream
to me right now. It doesn't feel real

And then you get your first promotion
then all of a sudden,

you got a bit of money to go and eat out

But it's no different
to what you guys are in

You know?
This is an experience of a lifetime

Give it your all

This so far has been one of
the absolute best experiences of my life,

being on a yacht with Chef Ramsay

And not only that, spending it with
the Red Team. 'Cause guess what?

Twenties baby
We getting this W all the time

- Twentysomething
- [all] Twenties!

- Twenties!
- [all] Whoo!

[horn honks]

[Abe groans] Here we go!

Once you think the delivery's done,
here comes that horn

Time to get up
Saddle up and get some more

- You got that?
- [Mindy] I got it

I'm exhausted. I've been going at it

[grunts] f*ck

It's back breaking
Sweat, tears. I mean, man

All I know is if we go to sleep before
the kids come home,

they'd better not f*cking wake us up

Billy is over there
not taking it seriously

Yo, I can't believe the delivery came
and interrupted our lunch

I mean, I really wanted to
finish my tuna sandwich

[O'Shay] But it's just so annoying

When I see people acting up,
when I see people joking around...

...I'm not excited about it

- Maybe you should start working out
- [Billy] Yeah, I need to, Chef

My mind is focused and I'm ready to win

So, this is the list

- Who wants to mark while we call?
- [Tara] I'll do it. I'll mark

So, five pounds of currant

I own my own business. I mean,
this is what I do every single day

It's just me

- All right, five pounds dry cranberry
- [Billy] Of what?

Too many head cooks in one kitchen

I'm gonna take charge

That's who I am
I don't care if you like it or not

Is this just the list right here?

[Alex]
They need to get their heads on right

You say "heard" when you got it

Are you hearing this, Missy?

I hate the word "heard."
I'm not gonna say, "Heard."

Bro, we got to make
some big boy moves tomorrow

I know, bro
If Nicole had not used boxed pasta...

[Billy] Hey, you live and you learn, man

Make that mistake twice
and you're a jackass

All right, I'm going to bed

Good night, big boys

[breathing through machine]

[breathing continues]

[Alex] I just can't sleep

Listen, I come from a very routine land

My house is set on degrees at night

My pillows are fluffy
It's a king size bed

I come into Hell's Kitchen,

this Darth Vader-looking fella is hooked
up to some sort of ventilation machine

[mimics heavy breathing]

[snoring]

And then somebody
over there starts snoring

[snoring continues]

This is not gonna be a good night

[snoring continues]

[narrator]
A new day dawns at Hell's Kitchen...

[laughs]

- Me too, high five
- Zero sleep

...as the battle of the ages continues

between the twentysomethings
and the fortysomethings

[Dafne] Finally have our jackets
This is wild, dude

Okay. Once you do the snap

- Go
- Let's go!

How was that first night
in the dorms? Comfy?

- Comfy, Chef. Thank you
- [Sommer] Yes, very comfy

Alex, anybody in the over s snore?

Um, everyone in my room, yes

Billy snores?

Uh, in between dying
when his CPAP would shut off

I'm trying to live, Chef

Blue Team, let's be honest
That first team punishment was brutal

- Yes, Chef
- Yes, Chef

You do not want to suffer anymore do you?

- No, Chef
- [Ramsay] No

Listen carefully because

there are two ways to get out
of punishment here in Hell's Kitchen

One, don't lose the challenge
Obviously, right?

- [all] Yes, Chef
- And two,

by earning a Punishment Pass

Ooh

And you can earn it in our next challenge

Let's go. [chuckles]

I've been watching Hell's Kitchen
since I was , , years old

And I know that this Punishment Pass
is definitely a game changer

Right, listen carefully

Chicken wings

- [grunts]
- Oh, my goodness. Bro, you all right?

I'm okay. I just... I'm sorry. I tripped

Slow down

- Go and get cleaned up
- Yes, sir

Yo, can I get a chicken wing?

[laughing]

[Billy] What a waste of wings, man

I wasn't worried about the guy,
I was worried about the chicken wings

Like, look at all those wings
on the floor. I wanna eat those

- Geez
- [Ramsay] Now, for your next challenge,

you've all got minutes to create
a delicious, elevated chicken wing

And as I said, the winning chef
on each team receives a Punishment Pass

Take risks
Do not be afraid to make mistakes

- Understood?
- [all] Yes, Chef

Your minutes start...

Oh, one more thing

The chef with the worst chicken wings
will be going home

- [sighs]
- Oh

What? This is our second challenge
and someone's already going home?

[Sakari] Oh, man

This is how real this competition is
Somebody's gonna be going home

Your minutes start now

[narrator] Next time on Hell's Kitchen...

Let's rock and roll, baby

...will the battle for the Punishment Pass...

- [Ramsay] Glorious, right?
- It's like holding the power of God

...turns so cutthroat...

Damn it. Shut the f*ck up

- Idiot!
- ...that it splinters both teams

You gotta scoot over
You have this whole thing

- 'Cause I just set it down...
- All right

It's all my fault?
All the f*cking communication?

[narrator] And at dinner service...

[Ramsay] Chef's table. Gene Simmons

...will one chef be so starstruck...

Earth to Charlene!

...she freezes with stage fright?

What is happening? You think I'm gonna
serve that to the lead singer of Kiss?

[narrator] Prepare to get rocked...

You can kiss my f*cking ass

...on the next Hell's Kitchen

Damn, that hurts