21x15 - A Finale for the Ages, Part 1

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Previously on Hell's Kitchen...

- VIP
- The final four strutted their stuff

on the red carpet
for Entertainment Weekly

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm

[narrator] In a challenge that tested
the chefs' presentation skills...

[Ramsay] One great photo can really
put your restaurant on the map

...each of them made headlines

- A little bit of heaven right there
- Appreciate that

- Your sauce on the bottom is incredible
- Thank you, Chef

- [Ramsay] Fish is cooked beautifully
- Thank you

- [narrator] But it was Dafne's dish...
- This is doing things

...that stole the spotlight

- Congratulations
- Thank you so much. Thank you

[narrator] In dinner service,
the chefs took turns running the pass

Sommer, on the hot plate, please

[narrator] They each faced
an assortment of sabotages...

This is not halibut. This is cod

- ...courtesy of Chef Ramsay
- Sabotage

- [narrator] With Sommer...
- Well caught

- ...Dafne...
- [Dafne] Is this Arctic char?

- ...Alex...
- [Alex] Fava beans instead of peas

- ...and Alejandro...
- Hey, this is orzo

- This is f*cked up, guys
- ...each excelling

- Well spotted. Let's go
- [narrator] At elimination...

You've made this so difficult

- ...Chef Ramsay chose...
- Sommer

...ending her dream
of becoming his next head chef

- I'm gonna pass out. This is...
- [Ramsay] Should we do this?

[narrator] Tonight on Hell's Kitchen...

Feel like I'm gonna get married right now

...see who survives the final gauntlet

[chanting] Ale!

Will it be Alejandro...

I'm gonna pull it, cut it, taste it
See where the flavor is on it

...the family man from small-town Ohio

and executive chef with the flair
for Middle Eastern cuisine?

- Go big or go home
- [narrator] Or Dafne,

the -year-old from the City of Angels,

an executive sous chef,
who is a master at Italian cuisine?

It's delicious. This is a rustic,
yet elegant puttanesca dish

Nothing's gonna stop me

[narrator]
Or Alex, the former restaurant owner

from Tennessee who takes Southern cuisine
to a whole new level?

Let's try this
Gonna add a little bit of butter milk

- [narrator] Watch as the final three...
- It's way lighter for sure

...put their heart and soul on every plate...

There's zero room for error

We have five incredible judges
Stephanie Izard

...to not only please these culinary icons...

- Visually stunning
- I mean, this takes guts

It is sexy

This steak's cooked immaculately

...but also prove they're ready to become...

My head chef at the brand-new
Hell's Kitchen, Caesars Atlantic City

- Step up to your door
- [narrator] Only one door will open

On the count of three

Whose life will change forever?

- One
- Tonight...

- Two
- ...watch the final three...

- Three
- ...on Hell's Kitchen

[crowd cheering]

All three of you, head into the dorms

- Well done
- Thank you, Chef

- [Alex laughing]
- [Dafne chuckling] Yes

[all cheering]

[Dafne] Hell yeah

Hey!

What? What is it? [sighs]

- Good champagne
- [Dafne sighs]

I can't unpack all the emotion so fast

There's so much to process

And I know that my family
is incredibly proud of me

It's all for them

My family's gonna be so proud

This is so surreal

It's been a long journey to this moment

That makes me tear up

and get emotional
because I'm super, super proud of myself

- Oh, my God
- [Alejandro laughing]

I've had to b*at people
to be where I'm at right now

And I am the last girl standing

Gracias, Dios mio,
for this opportunity. I love you

All I have to do is b*at two boys
I'm so close

I wouldn't ask for better men
to go against me

It's me, Dafne
and Alejandro fighting it out

May the best chef win

- Cheers
- [Dafne] Cheers

[phone rings]

- This is Alex
- [Ramsay] Alex, it's Chef

I need a quick chat
with all three of you, please

- Meet me in the dining room
- [Alex] Absolutely. On the way

It was Chef

[Dafne chuckles]

[Ramsay] Let's go

Line up, please. All three of you

- Thank you
- [Dafne] Yes, Chef

Right. Listen carefully

For your final challenge,

all three of you will need
to design a menu

Now, to help start planning those dishes,

I have menu books for all three of you

Creating my own menu for Hell's Kitchen,

this is a dream

Here we go

Each of you will be assigned a sous chef

There are three of you,
so I've called in an extraordinary chef,

one of my dear friends,

Chef Jonathan Scallion

He finished third in season

You're gonna walk out of here as my lone,
shining star from that Blue kitchen

- Do me a favor, stay in touch
- I will

'Cause there's always something
round the corner

He went on to become an executive chef
of my corporate team

[Alejandro] It just goes to show you that
whether you're the winner or third place,

I feel like you can
make a career out of this

Now, I want you to open your menu books

Inside that menu is an envelope

containing the location of your sous chef

Okay

- Dafne, you're off where?
- Your office, Chef

- Alejandro?
- Patio

- Alex?
- Dorm kitchen

- Get out of here
- [Alejandro] Thank you

- Thank you, Chef
- [Alex] Thanks, Chef

[Dafne] I feel like a VIP
going into Chef Gordon's office

I am praying to God it's Chef Christina

She's seen me cook
throughout this whole journey

- Yes! Chef! [laughing]
- Mmm. Congratulations

- Amazing. You did so good tonight
- Oh, my God. Thank you

Oh, my God. Thank you, seriously

[laughing]

Ah!

- Good job, man. Congrats
- Thank you

- What's up, bro? Hey, pleasure
- Nice to meet you, man

[Alejandro]
I'm so excited to see this come to life

I wanna do things that are going
to push me forward

Maybe take a risk outside of the box

Little bit of backstory about me

I'm, uh... I'm so connected
to Middle Eastern and, uh, Thai food

- Asian food
- All right

I'm already thinking first course
a tartare, very Vietnamese style

- Lime, ginger, garlic, shallot
- It makes me hungry. Not gonna lie to you

- All right, what's the deal?
- Okay

- So, I'm gonna go Italian heavy
- Okay

I feel so comfortable with that

Even though I'm a Latina,
I'm going to go very heavy Italian

It's what I love to do, so I'm pumped

For the first course,
it's a beef tartare with uni emulsion

- Very decadent
- [Dafne] Yeah

- It's Los Angeles. People are so bougie
- Mm-hmm

- I think it sounds very much like you
- Yeah

So prawn fritter,
like a hush puppy type of thing?

One of the best sellers
at Dallas & Jane was a crawfish hush puppy

with Old Bay Mayo, cotija cheese on top

I'm from the South, man
You know, fried things work

- People love 'em
- Yeah, same. In my restaurant,

- we sell tons of hush puppies
- Yeah

What about even using like sea bream?
It's a really mild, flaky fish

I've never cooked with sea bream
so I'm down to try something different

Okay, cool

I feel like if I can execute
that perfectly,

it would... would be pretty ballsy

So second course,
it has to be something light

- that's not gonna fill everyone up
- Agnolotti, a nice raviolo

Ah. I'm gonna write that
That's really smart

And either a cacio e pepe fondue

or moliterno al tartufo fondue

- Slow down
- I know. Sorry

- Chicken two ways
- Yeah, I thought about a Southern dish

- Show the versatility of chicken
- Yeah

Give them a really good thigh
with some badass, like, flavored beans

- Just a little boring. You know, um...
- Right

I made like a Tennessee white sauce
that was basically the combination

of Carolina gold and Alabama white

I mean, a Carolina gold
would be badass too

It's a play on Tennessee

Uh, an American Kobe style New York strip
would be pretty dope

That would almost tie all
of this together too

- Truffle butter basting on the Wagyu
- Yeah, like not... Yeah

This is really coming together nicely

So we slice the strip,
and then the mushroom vinaigrette

- Yeah, this excites me, actually
- [chuckles]

- Um, okay. I think we're good, right?
- Cool

It's late. All right, good night

Whatever happens from this point on,
it's been a hell of a ride,

and I can't wait to see
what happens tomorrow

when it comes to prep and plating

But first, I'm gonna sleep
like a f*cking brick tonight

[phone ringing]

This is Alex

Alex. Good morning

- [Alex] Morning
- [Jason] Big day

You, Alejandro and Dafne
need to go to the patio

Chef Ramsay has a message
for you out there

- Heard. Thank you, Chef
- Thank you

[Dafne] Good luck, guys

I already have anxiety as it is,

and right now I feel
like I'm gonna pass out

- Oh, my gosh
- [Dafne] So early

[Alex] We're not even usually
out of the dorms yet

[Alejandro] I'm nervous

I honestly don't know
what to expect right now

Is this another challenge? Here we go

- Right. Good morning, final three
- Oh, my God

I can't wait to see
what your final menus look like

So, for today's challenge,

I want you to...

[narrator] Coming up...

- I'm starving
- [Ramsay laughs]

- ...when culinary icons come to dine...
- I mean, this takes guts

- I think that one gets a ten
- It really is beautiful

- ...two chefs will triumph...
- Difficult decision

...and one will get left behind

[Ramsay]
It's all down to this. Please, Curtis

Um...

- Right. Good morning, final three
- Oh, my God

I can't wait to see
what your final menus look like,

and I'm sure you're all excited

Probably a little nervous
about your final menu

So, for today's challenge,

I want you to...

relax. That's right

- Relax
- Yeah, I love that

Because I prepared a day of wellness

- First, an exquisite hotel suite. VIP
- [sighs]

[Dafne, Alejandro chuckle]

There you're gonna engage in a group bath

Group bath? You want me to sit
in a bath with Alejandro and Alex?

Ew. I don't want that

A sound bath of course. Come on

[Alejandro] Sound bathing?

[laughing] I have no idea
what the hell that even means

And then you'll cast away your cares

with a VIP dinner reservation

at the amazing, opulent Castaway

In fact, this breathtaking restaurant
is so luxurious,

- I'm going to join you
- Yes

So all of you. You really wanna
get dressed to the nines

I feel like I'm gonna faint

[sighs] This is too much

- [Dafne] Yeah
- [Alejandro cheers]

- [Alex] Hi
- Hi

Welcome to your wellness suite. I'm Roxy

I'm gonna be your sound healer today

- If you'd like to take off your shoes
- Yeah

What the hell have I just signed up for?

Are you ready to chill out and go deep?

If I wake up and I'm floating, though,
I'm gonna freak out. [chuckles]

You might feel like you're floating

- [Alejandro sighs]
- [Dafne] Alex, looks so uncomfortable

This is Los Angeles
We do stuff like this

Let's take a deep inhale
in through the nose...

[all inhale]

- ...and exhale
- [all exhale]

At first, it doesn't feel like anything

Within two minutes,
you're taken over by this feeling

My arms are literally melting
and floating at the same time

[chiming softly]

She's just literally like a fairy,
just like... [mimics chimes]

And I can't see her,
but I feel like she's just moving with it

[tinkling, chiming]

[Alex]
I'm definitely feeling the vibrations

In my gut, in my butt, in my toes

She's over us doing this rain sound thing

And then every now and then,
it stops for a second,

and you just hear... [mimics snoring]

This guy fell asleep

[snoring]

Uh, was I snoring? [laughs]

And exhale with a loud sigh or laugh
Let it go

[all shout]

- [Alejandro laughs]
- [Roxy] Awesome

- Oh, it was great
- Literally felt like I was on the beach

Yeah, that was crazy

I don't know what kind
of voodoo magic she put on me

Thank you for joining me

But, whoo, that was nuts

That was awesome. Thank you so much

[narrator] The second stop
of Chef Ramsay's day of relaxation

is high up above Los Angeles

Welcome. Look at you three

Wow. Do you feel restored?

I was relaxed,
but now you're here so now I'm tense

- [chuckles] I'm nervous, Chef
- Don't be nervous. Come on

I know you're up to something
I... I cannot relax right now

I literally feel stiff as a rock

Inside here is an amazing courtyard

When you see it, you'll understand why

It's game on. Look,
I've watched this show for years

This is how it always plays out

These chefs are just bumbling
through this place. [chuckles]

Next thing you know, it's like...

Let me show you guys around a bit
We got an amazing view from here

Okay

[Meghan] Oh, my God

[all cheering]

[Ramsay] Let's go!

When's the last time
you were at a musical?

It's been years, Chef

[audience cheering, applauding]

[Ramsay]
Straight up the stairs, turn left

- What's up with all these lights?
- Why are there people out here?

- [cheering]
- Oh, my God

- Oh, my God
- [Ramsay] Okay

Shall we?

- Should we do this? Shall we?
- Yes

Feel like I'm gonna get married right now

Come on in

- Wow
- Wow

[Alex]
And nobody's home. Just a courtyard

- Oh, my God
- [Ramsay] Stunning, isn't it?

Where is my family? Where are the people?

Where is the cooking?

[Ramsay] Through here is the Verdugo Room,

named after the amazing mountains
behind us

Now, in here are legendary events

Events that
the Hollywood A-listers frequent

It's just incredible
The history in this room is breathtaking

Are you ready to see
the world-famous Verdugo Room?

Yes, Chef

Alex, hand on the door

[Dafne] This is it. This is the challenge

I am ready

- [Ramsay] In you go
- Wow

Holy...

Carpet and windows,

and some rando people
over there rolling silverware

This seats comfortably

I'm about to pass out at this point

If it's not from a heart att*ck,
then it's from an anxiety att*ck

- Through here...
- [Dafne] Wow

...can seat up to guests

- [Alex] Oh, my God
- Holy crap

It's called the Starlight Room

Reserved for the most exclusive events
You okay?

- Yes
- Why you look so nervous? Why... [chuckles]

The faster we can get this over with,
the faster my anxiety goes away

So let's just go

Right through here is the kind of place
you want to be

for one of the most important times
of your life

Imagine that
Your loved ones to cheer you on

[Alex]
Hell's Kitchen doesn't do things small

There's gonna be a swarm of people
There's a couple of ovens set up

Our sous chefs are there

Would you mind opening this door
on the count of three?

And right now, it's game on

- I'm gonna pass out. This is...
- [Ramsay] Okay

- Okay
- [Ramsay] Here we go

And I just want to say right now,
I couldn't be any prouder

- Okay?
- Thank you, Chef

[Ramsay] Step up

Welcome to the Starlight Room

- This is so big
- Dude, what the hell?

We've been bamboozled again

When the hell is the bamboozling
gonna stop?

Like, seriously

I have a beautiful dinner arranged
for all three of you

- Follow me. Let's go
- Yes, Chef

At this point, I've given up on the idea

that my family's here
or that there's a challenge

- that's going to take place
- Best of luck

Thank you, Chef

I'm just gonna have lunch
with Chef Ramsay

Which is not a bad thing

Um, Alex, how important was it
to announce yourself in the competition

- without putting a target on your back?
- Slowly but surely,

I wanted my... my work ethic,

my ability to create things,
perform in challenges...

I wanted those things
to speak for themselves

Slowly, but surely they did

I have a spice-crusted salmon
in a chorizo broth

Yeah, it's cooked beautifully

I think I'm gonna go
with one point for Alex

[Ramsay] That is utter perfection

- That is definitely in
- Thank you, Chef

There's gonna be so many moments
that I will never forget

- Y'all got your little alliance going on
- This is my opinion

I'm allowed to have it
This is why you're not a good leader

- [cheering]
- [Abe] Whoo, baby

- True Blue! True Blue!
- [Vlad shouts]

[Alex] sh*t!

[all laughing]

Come on, dig in
Dig in and enjoy yourselves

Relax. That's exactly
what I do, Alejandro

[Alejandro] Yes, Chef

[Ramsay]
Young man, describe the experience so far

Amazing. I've had top ten moments

of my life, of all time,

in a matter of weeks

just from this competition

[all cheering, clamoring]

[Alex, Dafne laughing]

[Alejandro] The wings are double fried,
tossed in a dry rub and then garnished

- with a little bit of pomegranate seeds
- [Ramsay] Mmm

- Congratulations. Well done
- [applause]

[Alejandro] Thank you, Chef

Only thing missing with this dish...

- is your jacket
- [sighs]

- That's exactly what I was looking for
- Thank you, Chef

Dafne, um, why so much self-doubt

in among strong competition? Why is that?

My dad and my mom
never wanted me to do this

So I almost feel like I always
have to prove to them that,

- "Hey, I can do this."
- What was the feeling like

when Danny Trejo said that
about your taco?

I'm glad that the Latina in me
really brought it out

- I did make my own masa tortilla
- [Ramsay] Wow

- Mom! You got my mom back there?
- [Dafne chuckling]

- You've definitely elevated it. Good job
- Thank you, Chef

It's in the Entertainment Weekly

I'm like... [clicks tongue] ...I'm set
I love it

Why do you have a lack
of confidence again?

- I don't know
- Just wondering

Second black jacket goes to...

Dafne

- Thank you, God!
- [shouting]

For me, the, uh... the best dish winner is...

I've gotta go with Dafne

- [Ramsay] Dafne
- [Gerrad] It's Dafne

- [Ramsay] Congratulations
- Thank you so much. Thank you

One more thing
Okay, you've got an exceptional dinner

- planned for tonight. Now relax
- [Dafne] It's beautiful

- We just had lunch with Gordon Ramsay
- Well, this is our second time

- Yeah
- Well, it's my first

Six months ago,
I never would've believed this was even...

- [Alejandro] No
- ...a reality of happening

- It's nice
- It's going to be a crazy night tomorrow

- So, top three!
- [Dafne] Top three

Here we go

Lunch is over. It's almost :

I'm about to just unwind

I'm Thanksgiving-full at this point

I'm about to unbutton my pants,
take a nap

[Dafne chuckling]

Get ready for tomorrow
It's gonna be a big day

- [Dafne] That was incredible
- [Alex] Well, I didn't need five courses

- after that charcuterie
- [Alejandro] No

[all cheering]

Whoo!

Come on

[narrator]
After a relaxing day where the final three

were expecting the final challenge reveal...

- Wow
- Wow

Welcome to the Starlight Room

- This is so big
- Dude, what the hell?

[Dafne] That was incredible

[narrator] ...the unexpected happened back
at Hell's Kitchen

[Dafne] Oh, my God

Come on

[Alex]
The season was called Battle of the Ages

But this moment feels
like three friends hanging out

that can't believe we're the top three
in Hell's Kitchen

- Unreal
- Ladies and gentlemen,

our final three amazing chefs

Alex from Tennessee,

Dafne from Los Angeles,
and from Ohio, Alejandro

This is your final challenge!

[all cheering]

[Ramsay] Thank you so much for being here

Former teammates, welcome back

Love you guys

Give our guests a little insight to
your experience across this competition

I keep saying
that I've had top ten moments

of my life just in this competition

To everybody that's been a part of this,
it's, uh... it's life-changing

- It's absolutely amazing
- Oh, God

I still can't believe... This is unreal
I love to cook

And it's been a roller-coaster ride

I'm so grateful that I have spent it
with really good chefs

For me, I owned a restaurant
miles south of Nashville

Uh, it closed due to COVID

And so for me,
this whole thing's been an opportunity

just to give my family
a better opportunity

Now, in just a moment,
you'll be cooking your final menu

Five stunning dishes each

The stakes are huge
because the top two finishers

in tonight's challenge will move forward

and lead their kitchens
in tomorrow night's grand finale

- [Brett] Yeah!
- [audience cheering]

- Here we go
- [Ramsay] So, this is it

You've all got minutes

Off you go

[Alejandro] This is crazy

[Dafne] Where we going, Chef?

[Vlad] Let's go!

[Dafne] I was not expecting to cook today

However, I'm a badass
I feel confident. This menu's great

All right, Chef. I got this. No problem

Let's go!

- [Christina] You ready?
- Yep

[narrator] It's the start
of the final menu challenge,

and the chefs have minutes...

- [Abe] True Blue, baby!
- True Blue, baby!

...to produce five dishes:

a cold and hot appetizer...

- [Jason] Let's get the proteins going
- Okay

...as well as one chicken,
one fish and one beef entrée

- Looks great. Maybe a little less spinach
- [Christina] Okay

It's a lot of pressure
that I have inside of me,

and whatever I do in this next hour
is gonna either make or break my career

[Abe] Let's go, Dafne! You got this!

- [audience] Dafne! Dafne!
- This is wild

And nothing's gonna stop me

Crazy

[audience chanting] Alex! Alex! Alex!

[Alex] I wanna do a double dredge
and get those lacy fingers on the thighs

- Okay
- That should be good

I'll get started on the strips

Cooking a five-course meal,

that's a whole different
kind of challenge

Like, we're talking
from Mars to Pluto here

The pressure is on

[audience cheering]

Wow, this is a freaking intense battle

In my mind, this is anybody's game

Ale!

That's your homies right there

[Alejandro]
It's weird. I'm nervous as hell,

especially cooking
in front of a live audience

[chanting] Ale! Ale!

[Alejandro] I have to gain my composure
If I go into this flustered,

I'm not gonna get to the finale

I got some sea bream over there working

I'm gonna pull it, cut it, taste it,
see where the flavor is on it

I get to work with sea bream for
the first time. I've never worked with it

- [Jonathan] What do you think?
- I love it. It's mild. It's flaky as sh*t

I feel like I need to go big or go home

I'm in a "no risk, no reward"
kind of situation

- Fish this way. Curry and then mushrooms
- [Jonathan] Okay. Got it. Cool

- [Ramsay] Alex, minutes to go
- [Alex] Yes, Chef

- All right
- What else?

Chicken, steak. Fried chicken's done

Trying to make these things sing
and trying to put myself on a plate

I'm just thinking,
"God, I hope this is good enough to win."

- He looks like a k*ller. A k*ller!
- I want to eat that

[chanting] Alex!

Yeah! Whoo!

[chanting] Dafne!

I'm super happy to see Dafne

We all came so far

You better k*ll it right now
This is your time to shine

- [Christina] Fifteen minutes
- [Dafne] Fifteen minutes, heard

I'm, like, shaking right now

The bubble gut, the anxiety
I'm feeling all of that right now

It's like a Crockpot just cooking up

Oh, God

But I'm not gonna let my nerves
and my anxiety get in my way

I'm gonna put the uni on top of the beef
tartare and the sherva on top of that

I had to learn from so many mistakes
to get here

However, I feel like I found my voice

I found my identity in this competition

Basically just created a border,
so my egg yolk does not fall through

Making raviolo with a whole
egg yolk in it, like, it's very precise

This is a rustic, yet elegant,
puttanesca dish

I feel like I can really win this,
but everything has to be perfect

- [Ramsay] Dafne, taste everything, yes?
- Yes, Chef

- [Ramsay] Six and a half, yes?
- All right, Chef

They still feel a little dense to me

- Running out of time
- [Alex] Yeah

[Jason] You just gotta get these cooked

- [Alex] I'm gonna add a bit of buttermilk
- Yeah

It's getting down to the wire
I fried all the hush puppies

I didn't like the batter

Let's try this

I'm adding more batter,
trying to find the right texture

There's zero room for error

It's way lighter for sure

- [Jason] Okay. Done
- Yeah, I'm cool with that

[Ramsay]
Ninety seconds to go, guys. Come on

[audience cheering]

[chanting] Alejandro!

[Jonathan] We're in the home stretch now
We're in that last bit

Two of us is going forward to the finale
and one of us is going home

I know it's not gonna be me

[Jonathan] Don't settle for second best,
man. This is your life right now

[Ramsay]
Don't over-press that tartare, okay?

- Yes, Chef
- [Ramsay] Thirty seconds, guys

- [Alejandro] Yes, Chef
- [Jonathan] Fast, fast, fast

[Christina] Everything with confidence
Think about how hard you worked

- to get here
- [Dafne] Yes, Chef

This is it
I put everything I can on these plates

- [Jason] Elegant with that negative space
- [Alex] Yep

Only two of us are gonna be in the finals

Ultimately, I'm proud of this menu
and I'm praying it works

[Ramsay] Let's go, guys

[Ramsay, audience]
Five, four, three, two, one

[Ramsay] Well done

Each of you have got five dishes
and we have five incredible judges

Some of the most amazing chefs
from all over the country

World renowned

- Chefs, are you ready?
- Yes, Chef

Judging round number one,

this is a chef whose restaurant Nightshade

was named one of the best
new restaurants by Food & Wine

The amazing Mei Lin

[all cheering]

[person] Love you!

[Dafne]
Her restaurant is just extraordinary

She is what I want to be
I wanna be a creative unicorn,

and that's what Mei Lin is

So good to see you. Welcome

- Congratulations on all the success
- Thank you

Let's start off with Dafne, please

This is a Wagyu beef tartare

with a little bit of uni emulsion
and taro root chip

Visually stunning

I love that you have a crispy element
as well as a creamy element

I wanted to put
my little Dafne kick on it

[Lin] I really love a hand-cut tartare

That's such, like, a pro move

- Um, fantastic job
- Thank you, Chef

[audience cheering]

Yeah!

Alex, please describe your dish to Chef

This is a snapper crudo

It's some pickled Fresno chilies,
puffed quinoa

and a chive oil around
the tangerine vinaigrette on the plate

I love that hit of acid

- right when it hits your mouth
- Thank you, Chef

- It's just really beautiful. Great job
- Appreciate it

- Amazing. Good job
- Thank you, Chef

- [Ramsay] Well done
- Thank you

Up next, Alejandro
Please describe to Chef Mei

This is a Vietnamese-style beef tartare,

uh, with smoke oyster aioli
with the rice cr*cker

Um, I recommend just smashing it all up
and, yeah, have fun

I like it. It comes with instructions

- All right
- [Cheyenne] Yeah. [laughs]

[Tara] Ah!

[Ramsay] Chef, how's that?

I guess when you describe "Vietnamese",

I'm not really getting that
from the flavors

Heard

But, yeah, I love the playfulness
of having us smash into the chip

- Thank you
- Thank you, Alejandro

Now for the difficult part
Three very strong cold apps

Uh, we'll start off with Dafne first,
please. A score out of ten

A nine

- [Ramsay] A nine, wow
- Thank you, Chef

Yeah!

[Dafne] I'm off to a great start

I wish I had maracas

And Alex's dish, Chef?

I'm gonna go with a ten

[audience cheering]

[Ramsay] And Alejandro's dish, Chef?

- I'm gonna go with an eight
- [Ramsay] An eight

This sucks. I thought it was a solid dish
I would order that anywhere

[Ramsay] Thank you so much, Chef

- Please give it up for Chef Mei Lin
- Thank you

Good to see you, darling
I'll see you soon

Amazing start

Next up, judging the hot appetizer,

the three Michelin-star phenomenon
from the restaurant Adrift,

please welcome David Myers

[audience cheering]

[Myers] So great to be back

- Welcome back
- Good to be back

Hello, guys

- How you doing, Chef?
- Hi

David Myers, he's the real deal, man
I remember him from an earlier challenge

He's gonna be a tough cookie

[Ramsay] Dafne, please

For your second course,
you have a uovo raviolo

stuffed with ricotta,
a little bit of cacio e pepe

and then the finishing sauce
is brown butter and crispy prosciutto

This is absolutely beautiful

I love the presentation
I mean, this takes guts

Chef, dig in, please

[Myers] Oh, that's what I wanted to see

I wanted to see that yolk
just break so beautifully like that

That is how it should be right there

It's the money sh*t. Hey, good job

This is wild right now

So good

[Ramsay] Great start

Alex, describe your dish for Chef David

This is a prawn fritter
with jalapeños and garlic

and some caviar and chives

I tried to make a really fancy hush puppy

Let me tell you something, Alex

This is without a doubt
the fanciest hush puppy

- I have ever seen
- Thank you

But I'm missing a little bit
of that strong prawn flavor

- that I'd really wanna have with this
- [audience groans]

[Myers] It's still excellent

- [audience cheering]
- [Alex] I knew it. He's tough

My nerves are on fire at this point

Alejandro,
please describe your dish to Chef

I've made an uni pasta

It's uni butter, uni cream
Glazed the uni, brûléed it

Then I made a furikake over top of it
for that crunch and texture

[Myers] Well, definitely decadent,
but for me, the crowning part of this

is just a little bit of that torch
on the uni

And then uni on uni on uni
It really works, Alejandro

- Thank you
- [Dafne, Alex] Good job

Uh, Chef, now for the tricky part
Alejandro, um, out of ten

I'm giving you a nine, man
That was just beautiful

- Yeah! Let's go, Alejandro!
- [Myers] Absolutely beautiful

Dafne

Dafne,
you just crushed me right off the bat

You have a ten

- [audience cheering]
- Yeah!

And Alex?

Alex, I'm giving you an eight

Thank you, Chef. Appreciate it

Damn it

- Tight
- So tight

[Ramsay] The amazing David Myers

- Good to see you. See you soon
- Thank you

- God bless. Take care
- Thank you, Chef. Congratulations, Chef

Now tonight, judging round number three,

she is the genius behind Girl & The Goat:

Stephanie Izard

Good to see you

Awesome to see her again
She's a hard judge to please

- Welcome back to Hell's Kitchen
- Thank you

- I remember some of those dishes
- I didn't even get a point for my dish

I'm gonna do a point for Mindy
and zero for Alejandro

But this time the flavors are on point
I know I'm gonna k*ll it

[Ramsay]
Alejandro, please describe the dish

[Alejandro]
This is pretty much homestyle cooking

The chicken's just been simply roasted
on the skin-side down

I did seared baby squash and then glazed,

served with black truffle potato puree

I admire that you sort of went down home
and kept it really simple,

but when you do that, it's very important

- every single thing is seasoned properly
- Yeah. Absolutely

I'm feeling very confident, but
at the same time, I'm a little nervous

Anything can happen
and any good chef could go home

Um...

[narrator] It's the third round
of a very tight final challenge

and Alejandro has presented
his chicken entrée

The chicken is cooked beautifully
It's super moist

The skin is crispy
It has great seasoning on it

- And I can eat a bowl of those potatoes
- Awesome. Thank you

- Nice job
- Thank you

Alex, describe for Chef. Thank you

So you have a breast on the left

It's got mayonnaise
Little like a honey mustard

And on the right, you have
a buttermilk-brined fried chicken

with a hot pepper jelly

The seasoning on this side is so great,

and then when you get to this side,
you lose it a little

If you had gone with just one,

I think you could've been
a little more successful

- Thank you, Chef
- [Ramsay] Well done

Okay, Dafne. Please describe
your dish to Chef. Thank you

This is my take on a classic
Italian chicken puttanesca

with a table-side pour of San Marzano,
saffron and Calabrian chili

I love that you took
such a simple dish that can be so casual

and you really brought it up
for a restaurant setting. Great dish

- Thank you, Chef
- Really beautiful

Chef, let's start the scoring
Out of ten for Dafne first, please

I'm gonna go with a nine

- [Ramsay] A nine, wow
- Thank you, Chef

And Alejandro

Your seasoning's spot-on
We're gonna go with a nine

- Nine, wow
- Thank you

Alex next, please, Chef

Because of the duo thing,
we're gonna go with an eight

Thank you, Chef

Two more dishes to go
Dafne's in the lead

- Great job, thank you
- Thanks

- Alejandro and I are tied
- [Ramsay] Amazing

They're tied

Not feeling too comfortable

Judging round number four,

she is a Michelin-star chef

Please welcome Nancy Silverton

[all cheering]

Thank you so much

Hi, Chef

Nancy Silverton is a legend

This is an honor

Always a joy to see you

- I'm starving
- [all laugh]

Alex, please describe to Chef

So I've made a Carolina gold rice congee

and then a miso-cured cured salmon
with kimchi mayonnaise on top

[Ramsay] Visually, what do you think?

- It is sexy. It's colorful
- [audience whoops, exclaims]

It seems like it all belongs there
And it's delicious

- Thank you. Appreciate it
- Well done. Thank you

[Abe] Way to go, Alex!

Dafne, please describe your dish to Chef
Thank you

This is a potato-crusted halibut
with a champagne beurre blanc

- Hell yeah
- [Dafne] And caviar to finish it off

Fish is cooked beautifully

I mean, I think everything is just done
with elegance

- Thank you, Chef
- Great stuff

[Brett] Good job, Dafne!

- [Ramsay] Please, Alejandro
- Oh

So we have a sea bream that's been cooked
on the skin-side down the entire time,

and then I have a Thai green curry
with king trumpet mushrooms

- cooked in lots of brown butter
- [audience exclaims]

It's a hard job,

- but somebody's got to do it, right?
- [all laughing]

Do any of you need jobs, by the way?

- Depends on how this goes
- Yeah. [chuckles]

- Really, really delicious
- [audience cheering, whistling]

So, Chef, now for the hard part

Um, Alejandro's dish first

I think that one gets a ten

[Ramsay] Ten. Wow

Thank you

Dafne's halibut, Chef

I think it's another ten

- I mean, it's a ten
- [Ramsay] Another ten, wow

[sighs] Thank you, Chef

And Alex, Chef?

- Can I give another? Is that all right?
- Absolutely

It's a ten

[audience cheering]

You get a ten. You get a ten
You get a ten. Everybody gets a ten

Thank you so much

There's still time. Me and you, Alejandro

Gonna come down to the wire on this one

Now judging the fifth and final round,

this chef is a powerhouse
and a Michelin-star chef

- Wow
- Please welcome Curtis Stone

[all cheering]

Curtis Stone is iconic

Iconic

Great to see you. Thank you for coming

He's about to judge my last dish?

Oh, my God

Let's start off with Dafne
Describe your dish

So this is a Wagyu New York steak...

- [audience exclaims]
- ...with a little bit of salsify puree

And then to finish it off,
I did an Amarone wine jus

I mean, your Wagyu's cooked perfectly

- It really is beautifully cooked
- [audience cheers]

The only thing that lets you down
is your puree

- It just needs a little more seasoning
- Yes, Chef

Alex, please describe your dish to Chef

Chef, we have a pan-seared
New York strip with a nice farro dough

Then I folded in some charred
cabbage and Parmesan cheese as well

- This steak's cooked immaculately
- [audience cheering]

I love the farro. The mushrooms
bring a real earthiness to it

- Thanks, Chef
- Really good. Good job

Final dish, young man. Sell it

So this is a dukkah-crusted
American Wagyu strip

On the bottom is a Calabrian chili yogurt,

fried shallots
and then just a simple herb salad

Chef, how was that?

- This a wonderfully cooked steak
- Thank you, Chef

It should be the hero of the dish
and you've made it that

- Well done
- Thank you, Chef

Chef, no pressure,

but you're now going to decide
who our two finalists are

[Stone] Hmm

We'll begin with Dafne

That puree let you down,
but apart from that, it was wonderful

I'll give you an eight

- [Ramsay] An eight. Wow
- Thank you, Chef

[Ramsay] Alejandro's dish, Chef

[Alejandro] It's so neck and neck
right now. Me and Alex are tied

I'm hoping to get that ten
and I'm hoping Alex gets a nine

Alejandro, I'll give you a nine

- [Ramsay] A nine. Wow
- Thank you

[sighs]

So, first up,

I'd like to congratulate Dafne
as our first finalist in Hell's Kitchen

[audience cheering]

Dafne!

[squeals]

[audience chanting] Dafne! Dafne!

This is my dream and it's coming true

So, Chef,

it's all down to this

Alex needs a ten to win

A nine to tie

If he gets an eight, Alejandro gets in

If Dafne didn't get a perfect score
and Alejandro didn't get a perfect score,

I don't know
if I'm gonna get a perfect score

Difficult decision. Please, Curtis

Um...

[narrator] With the first slot
in the Hell's Kitchen finale

- already clinched by Dafne...
- [audience cheering]

...Alex needs a perfect score
from Chef Curtis Stone

to surpass Alejandro's score of

Alex, you took a real risk
because you cooked farro,

you served it separate to the beef
There's a chance the beef could be dry

To be honest, to get that right,
you had to do it all perfectly

And you did. You get a ten

[audience cheering]

Whoo!

[shrieks]

[Alex] I'm in the top two

- Thank you, Chef
- Congrats, Alex

Oh, my God. Is this real life?

- Thank you, Chef
- Congrats

This is the ultimate form of validation

The amazing Curtis Stone, please

- Thank you
- [Ramsay] Good job

- Great job, thanks
- Thank you

Whoo!

Alejandro, young man, let me tell you
something really important

You've made your parents proud

And tonight, I couldn't feel any prouder
Congratulations

Thank you, Chef

I would not trade this experience
for anything

I'm extremely proud of myself

This has been such an amazing experience
My head is held up very high

And I'm excited what the future brings

Let me draw your attention to
our incredible, feisty, returning chefs

- Vlad
- Whoo!

[Ramsay] Abe

Brett

Tara

- Sakari
- Whoo!

[Ramsay] Cheyenne

Sommer

And of course, Alejandro,
ladies and gentlemen

[all cheering]

Yes! Woo-hoo

Tonight you tied. ,

And because tonight you scored three tens

and Dafne, you scored two tens,

Alex, you get first pick

[audience cheers]

He is a plethora of culinary information,

his flavors are incredible and unique,

and he was standing right up here
next to me the whole night

Alejandro

Come up, bud

[Alejandro] Let's get it. Let's get it

[Alex] Alejandro is literally a workhorse

There would've been
no other pick for first

You're back so soon

[all laughing]

Dafne, your first pick

This person, they really put their heart
and soul in any position that they're in

- That's why I'm choosing Sommer
- [Ramsay] Sommer. Wow

Sommer and I, we've had ups and downs,
but I know the kind of chef Sommer is

I know that she'll fight for me

Okay, Alex

Uh, I'm going to pick this next person
because of his drive for excellence

I know he will work incredibly hard
for me, so my next choice is Brett

- [audience cheering]
- Me?

[Brett] Come here, buddy. [sighs]

- [Ramsay] Dafne
- [Alex] This person,

I can tell that they love
what they do. Sakari

- Oh
- [Ramsay] Sakari

Alex, your pick

She has only been cooking
for four years and she's a k*ller,

so I'm picking Cheyenne

- [Ramsay] Cheyenne
- [audience cheering]

[Cheyenne] I'm really happy to be
on Alex's team compared to Dafne's

On my elimination night,
she kind of did me a little bit dirty

You couldn't even see her. She was gone

- I was literally communicating with her
- If I wasn't answering, I wasn't...

You just looked overwhelmed
and you were lost

[Cheyenne]
So not that cool with her right now

[Ramsay] Dafne, third choice

Vlad

- [Ramsay] Vlad
- Whoo!

[Vlad] Thank you

Okay, Alex,
what an amazing position to be in

- because you're picking for both teams
- [Alex] This is hard

They're both talented cooks,

but they both bring another level of
tension to an already tense moment

Are you okay?

[Tara] You go f*ck yourself

I'm not as f*cking educated
as you and sh*t like that

- Stop
- What are you talking about?

- [Abe stammers] I'm...
- Stop

[Ramsay] Please, give us a name

Uh, this person brings dedication,
hard work, work ethic

My next pick is Tara

[Ramsay] Tara, let's go

[Tara] Of course, I think
I should've been picked sooner

But I'm a hard worker and Alex knew that
And we're gonna k*ll it tomorrow

Sorry, but, "Go Blue."

[Abe] Let's get this

I used to be True Blue,
but now it's Team Dafne, baby

Now, the final dinner service
for the st season of Hell's Kitchen

takes place tomorrow night

And for one of you,
you'll become my new head chef

at Hell's Kitchen, Atlantic City, Caesars

[audience cheering]

And one final applause
for these two incredible finalists

Alex and Dafne

Good job

[Alex] Let's go