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Hell's Kitchen Season 7
TexasLady:
Two locals in 'Hell's Kitchen' final four
By Matt Byrne, Your Town Correspondent
Two local chefs have been catapulted into the limelight as contestants on the seventh season of "Hell’s Kitchen," a competitive cooking show on Fox that offers the winner an executive chef position worth $250,000 in London.
Melrose native Jason Santos, 34, a chef at Gargoyle’s on the Square in Somerville, and New York native Benjamin Knack, 35, of Malden, a chef at Sel de La Terre in Boston, are two of four contestants left on the prime-time competition, set to air Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FOX.
The show is a popular entry in a growing sub-genre of reality television that focuses on fine dining, high-pressure cooking, and the dramatic entanglements found in a professional kitchen. On "Hell’s Kitchen," Santos said, drama is king.
Four hours of sleep every night, “impossible” challenges, and expectations raised as high as the volume of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s voice became the daily routine for the contestants during the two-month taping that began in February 2009.
“I didn’t even have to cook to get on the show,” Santos said. “Day one, I knew it was a television show, not about cooking. I totally get how grown men cry on the show, I get it that it’s possible to mess up something so simple. Put James Beard [considered the father of American-style gourmet cooking] himself in that kitchen and he wouldn’t be able to pull it off.”
Santos, who graduated from Melrose High School and attended culinary school at Newbury College in Brookline, said he has never experienced pressure like televised competitive cooking.
“It couldn’t be more unrealistic,” he said. “It is what it is. … It’s nothing like a real kitchen.”
The pair, who have survived 12 episodes and the subsequent eliminations, said they were honored to participate in the show, even if it has meant adjusting to reality television and the glimpses of fame it has brought since the season began airing.
Santos and Knack both lamented notoriety’s double edge, saying that although their appearance on the show has opened many career doors, it doesn’t help when they’re out trying to do grocery shopping or work out at the gym.
“There are all these people who want to come meet me, which I don’t understand,” Santos said. “I don’t even want to meet me.”
Ramsay, whose brash and profane style is a hallmark of the show, was a frequent topic of conversation for both contestants, who said that one of the questions asked most often by fans who approach them on the street is whether Ramsay is as mean in person as he is on the show.
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KitKat:
If you havent watched last night's show do not continue to read this post!
I am so happy that Holli and Jay are the F2. After Ben pulled that my back is hurt deal and let Autumn Jay and Holli do all the prep work, I think it was fitting that he be sent home. I am pulling for Holli to win but I really like Jay and no doubt he can cook. With that said my prediction is that Jay will win Hell's Kitchen!
TexasLady:
I can't wait! :jumpy: I'm happy as well Kat, that Jay and Holli made it to the final 2! They both have their strengths. It griped me no end that Ben was so wimpy, my back, I can't pick anything up. I'm quitting, I'm done! Then got a chiro adjustment, laid around until he had his talk with Ramsay and completely left his teammates to do all the work. He should have had to give up his coat before Autumn. :knuckles:
Who will win? Jay or Holli! :hellkitchen
apskip:
HK7, ep. 14 and 15 Finale parts 1 and 2
Ramsay presented a dish and had the chefs taste it. In a "taste it, make it" individual challenge, they then had to recreate that dish in 45 minutes without knowing the ingredients. The correct ingredients were pear puree, pancetta and venison. Jay missed the venison and was knocked it. It was Holli versus Benjamin with Holli winning this challenge because Ben’s sauce was watery and it should have been a glaze, not a sauce. Holli’s reward was to spend a few hours with her family on a yacht. Autumn, Benjamin and Jay had the punishment of cleaning the dorms, including removing the old pots and pans. This resulted in Benjamin suffering lower back and shoulder pains. While the remaining three prepped the kitchens, Benjamin talked to Ramsay about his pain and had to choose between leaving and staying in the competition. He decided to stay in it.
Ramsay gave each chef an opportunity to run the pass, including transmittal of the orders coming in form the wait staff. The first person up on the pass was Jay, who had both a strong start and finish. During the chefs' time on the pass, they had to complete quality control checks, including sous-chef Scott sabotaging the food and Jean-Philippe leaving out an entree from an order. Scott substituted lobster for crab in a capellini, which Jay caught, and then crab in lobster risotto, which Jay also caught. The second chef to the pass was Holli, who had a nervous start and failed the first quality control checks (5 orders on a ticket from a table for 6 and), but caught the second one (scallops only on one side). She then settled into the responsibility properly. The next chef was Benjamin, who failed his first quality check by not noticing he had been given venison wellingtons rather than lamb wellingtons. However, he proved to be a strong leader and caught Scott bringing up the wrong cut of meat for a dish. Then he sent back Autumn’s mashed potatoes for being too salty, which Ramsay taste-tested and admitted Ben was right about the salt level in those potatoes. Autumn was the final chef to take charge of the pass. She caught a missing order on a ticket, but failed to notice Scott had parsnip for salsify and then angered Ramsay by not taking her mistake seriously. She became excessively nitpicky and started sending back dishes which the other chefs and even Scott thought were cooked correctly. Ramsay took over again for the end of the service, which the chefs completed successfully.
Instead of asking the chefs who should be nominated for elimination, Ramsay told the chefs to each say why they should stay and compete in the finals. He got the usual self-serving rubbish, so why did he bother? Autumn was the first chef to be eliminated although he profusely praised her performance throughout HK7. Benjamin followed her out the door with the admonition from Ramsay to never quit. Holli and Jay advanced to the finals.
We have our answer to who the winner of HK7 is, but not why. I will provide my usual recap so that you may be able to figure it out. If you do, then please share it here.
The review episodes of the 13 prior ones and elimination of all but 2 of the 16 initial competitors of HK7 will have to be added later, as my mouth was quicker than the pen. The beginning of this compressed (by past HK season standards) season finale is when Ramsay invited 5 top chefs from his dining establishments around to taste, rate and vote for Jay's special or Holli's. I only for sure I recognized was British master chef Stuart Gillies. So in typical HK fashion they took it to the wire in a cliffhanger 3 to 2 in favor of Jay. The reward will be significant as it is first, 3rd, 5th, and 7th pick for his team (vs. 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th). The next effect is usually to give the worst player to the loser. So Holli is stuck with Siobhan, Nilke and Autumn. Jay has Benjamin, Jason and Fran. Both teams organize a Fish Station, Meat Station and fish and Garnish (vegetable) Station. Both Jay and Holli have won the usual "come visit my in London and see how it's done."
The review of the entirety of HK7's epsiodes was not as comprehensive as usual. The ep. 1 dinner service tok 4.5 hours as Ramsay had guaranteed thast is would be completed (for the first time ever). the next 3 dinner services were difficult but all were completed. Is this a new Hell's Kitchen? However, there were some serious conflicts in using that approach:
Siobhan vs. Nilke
Siobhan vs, Benjamin
Jason vs. Jay
Benjamin vs. the Red Team (all female) and an ongoing battle.
The interpersonal conflict summarized was Maria, Scott, Nilke (who then refused to stay fired and came back in and be escorted out of second time.
The truly skilled leaders emerged out of the group were:
Benjamin - the low interpersonal skills executive chef
Jay - the experienced executive chef, or
Holli - the banquet manager single mom
Siobhan opened appetizers with screwups, so Autumn jumped in to help her. Ramsay commented that the brioches coming from the Red team were first-class. Jay plated lamb too early so it was raw. Jay's leadership has resulted almost half of their entrees had been served. There is major dissension is the Red kitchen. Autumn's nose was out of joint as well as Fran's. It was a difficult situation but Holli was instrumental in defusing it.
Dinner service finished. Ramsay went to learn from the comment cards and make a decision on the winner. He made it and set Holli and Jay before the door whose lock turns and the one whose not. I don't hear any real rationalization of why Holli won.
ugot2bekidinmeny:
WAY TO GO HOLLI!! :jumpy:
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