1) As the teams trudge back to the dorms, Amanda is called back by Chef Ramsay and given a quick pep talk. She’s told to “bounce back,” and quickly. She promises to do so. Upstairs, the guys gloat. They’re enjoying watching the red team implode. Tennille yells in a confessional about how she doesn’t need to go up on the block ever again. She says that she’s been put up on the block due to past services. It’s not about past services, she claims. Then it’s about, um, future…services…?
2) Reward challenge: Chef Ramsay claims there are low-cal items on all of his menus, then pretends he’s a fan of this fact. The teams have to make three dishes: one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert: Oh, and they have to come in at 700 calories total. Robert is shocked; he claims to take 700 calorie bites. I’m SHOCKED that Robert is shocked. The teams will have to run their ideas by nutritionists to measure the caloric content of the dishes so they don’t go over. Then they can start cooking. Van and Slow Jim are on entrees—their pork chop and soba noodles dish is over a grand in calories by itself. Meanwhile, the Red team has produced acceptable ideas to their nutritionists and have started cooking. The Blue team is shown running out of time; Chef Ramsay yells at them to hurry up and start making something. Stoner Dave and Boston Andy are on desserts. Stoner Dave doesn’t like the look of the dessert. Boston Andy feels it’s fine. Both teams come in at the buzzer, and under 700 calories.
3) Appetizers: The Red team has seared scallop w/ a mango chutney. Chef Ramsay tastes it and gives his clipped, “It’s nice” which is akin to piles of praise and accolades anywhere else. It clocks in at 200 calories. The Blue team procures a grilled key west seafood salad. This also gets the top honor of “It’s nice” from Chef Ramsay. He awards 1 point each. Wow, tied already. Entrees: From the Red kitchen we get cottage cheese and mushroom stuffed pork chop, at only 308 calories. Chef Ramsay likes the portion size and ups his previous praise with the seldom seen clipped “It’s delicious.” The Blue team gives a pork cutlet w/ soba noodles and broccoli. Well, maybe “noodles” is a little much. I think there’s about two or three noodles on the plate. Chef Ramsay thinks the portion is too small, and thinks there should have been some kind of moisture like a pan sauce. Red takes the entree round. For dessert, the women have a fresh fruit bowl with lemon zest ricotta cream. The addition of lemon makes it for Chef Ramsay. The men produce a teeny thing that Chef Ramsay can’t help himself but laugh at. Stoner Dave attempts to sell it as an egg white crepe w/ fruit compote and black berry yogurt cream, but it’s a joke. The women take this one easily. All three dishes from the Red Team will be on the menu for tonight’s dinner service.
4) The men have to go shopping for ingredients and prep both kitchens as punishment. The women will be out at Venice Beach, learning volleyball with Annette Davis, Olympic volleyballer. In the kitchen, the men are getting pissed. Sous Chef Scott comes to get them and it’s outside to this utterly ridiculous bike that I’ve only ever seen during the nights of Critical Mass. It’s got four wheels, and six seats facing the center in a circle, with each seat having its own set of pedals. There’s one circular steering wheel at one of the seats. Apparently every person pedals, and that propels this contraption. Sous Chef Scott gets his own scooter and yells for the guys to follow him. At one point the men are holding up traffic as they go up a big hill. And Robert is looking pretty strained. They get potatoes and onions (Really? That’s IT?), and head back. The women come back to the dorm to find new blenders for each of them.
5) With the men back from their road trip, Van interviews that they all about died. Then corrects himself and gives us, “I mean, Robert’s probably dying.” Thanks Van! In the kitchen. Robert asks for a medic, complaining of shortness of breath, and some other symptoms that sound serious. Stoner Dave is worried. Well, as worried as someone that sounds perpetually stoned can sound. And with that, the show medic lets everyone know that a real ambulance is being called, and Robert is rushed to the ER. Again.
6) Dinner challenge: Chef Ramsay lets the team know Robert will not be back for service, so the teams are even, 5 to 5. The teams give each other pep talks. Van, without the slightest hint that he realizes what he’s saying, says the service tonight is not for the faint of heart. Thanks Captain Tact! Orders in! Chef Ramsay asks for a read-back of the first order, and Boston Andy gets the order wrong (2 scallops, not one!). Boston Andy blames it on Chef Ramsay talking fast and his accent. Yeah, you read that right. The chef from Boston is complaining about a funny accent. Ariel messes up the scallops for the first table, and Slow Jim over-peppers the risotto. Chef Ramsay wants some emotion from him, but Slow Jim just seems out of it. Chef Ramsay calls Slow Jim’s risotto “baby food.” Slow Jim confessionals that “Baby food is good.” Hmm. I’m not sure if this guy should be a chef. Well, not a chef making adult food, anyway.
7) Tennille is making too much spinach. Chef Ramsay calls her out b/c it needs to be made fresh for each order. He calls her a cow and she interviews that he needs to learn respect. This further reinforces my theory that one of the first questions reality show casting directors ask potential contestants is, “Do you own a television?” Have you never seen or heard Chef Gordon Ramsay do, well, anything? Tennille brings up too little potatoes for an order, and Chef Ramsay lays into her. He calls her crap, and she says “You’re crap.” Chef Ramsay throws her out of the kitchen and she takes off, dropping f-bombs Chef Ramsay’s direction all the way. The music crescendos, letting us know a fight is coming. Chef Ramsay goes after her. She tells Chef Ramsay about 12 times she’s busting her ass. Chef Ramsay is trying to talk (well, yell) to her. She finally shuts up long enough for him to tell her that if she can’t hack it, get out. If she can, then get back in there. She heads back to the kitchen and barks for Suzanne to get off her station, before adding a “Please.”
8) In the Blue kitchen, Slow Jim is still messing up the first table’s risotto. Slow Jim thinks it tastes fine, Chef Ramsay sends Sous Chef Scott over to the risotto station to do it for Slow Jim. The Blue appetizers now start going out. In the Red kitchen, Sabrina thinks she put a chicken at the pass, but now it’s gone. There’s a quick game of “where’s the chicken”, and Sabrina grabs another one so the order can go out. Stoner Dave mixes up some of the garnishes, and Chef Ramsay looks to Scheming Kevin to lead a bit, which he seems to do—giving Stoner Dave some direction as to what sides are going to be needed for the next few orders. Stoner Dave interviews that when Scheming Kevin says things, he just flat-out doesn’t listen and doesn’t care. Wow, that’s some awesome teamwork there guys.
9) Boston Andy messes up another order by bringing raw fish to the pass. Then, in an attempt to correct himself, brings up overcooked fish to the pass. I swear, the food I got on Sunday at his restaurant was really good. I even got catfish! Anyway, some Red team entrees are being returned for being raw in the middle (raw pork? for shame!). Chef Ramsay wants to know who did it, and Sabrina owns up to it. Back in the Blue kitchen, Boston Andy’s messed up the temp of the halibut again. Stoner Dave interviews that it’s bringing the whole service down (One guy? Really? Because so far nothing from the blue kitchen seems to be right). More Red team entrees are coming back; this time a medium-well order lamb was too rare. Sabrina tries to tell Chef Ramsay that the customer just thinks it’s too rare, and that’s just too much for Chef Ramsay to handle—between Sabrina trying to tell him the customer is wrong (Again, have you ever seen this guy before?) and Boston Andy screwing up the fish, he calls for the kitchens to be shut down. BOTH teams are the losers. Each team will have to come up with a consensus, one member of each team will be on the chopping block.
10) Upstairs, some on the Blue team say Boston Andy, Scheming Kevin says it should be Slow Jim. The Red team is trying to put Tennille up for walking off the line (Didn’t Chef Ramsay tell her to get out first? I guess we all forgot that). The other option they come up with is Sabrina. Boston Andy comes up with the cowardly plan to put ROBERT up, since he missed the service altogether. Stoner Dave shows some compassion and calls for a vote, hopefully to NOT vote for Robert. Downstairs, Ariel is asked the Red team’s nominee. She says Sabrina, for raw pork and other service failings. Van is asked the men’s option. Without missing a beat, he says, “Well where’s Robert at?” Tact! Chef Ramsay says it’d be unfair to judge him now. But, if he doesn’t come back tomorrow, he’s out. So Van names Boston Andy for getting flustered under pressure. Sabrina, why should you stay? I am a team player, I won’t walk off the line, I keep going. Sure. Great. Original. Boston Andy? I can learn the system. He says Chef Ramsay makes him nervous and he needs to get over that. Chef Ramsay thinks a bit and says one person hasn’t cared enough throughout the whole show so far, and that person needs to go. And that person is…Slow Jim?!? Chef Ramsay calls him out, asks for the jacket, and that’s that. Boston Andy knows he dodged a bullet.
Next time: Will Robert come back? There are more surprises! And mystery VIP guests! who will it be? The restaurant is rearranged! Someone that has been floundering will rise up! And a frontrunner will fail! And yelling! So much yelling.
