By Arthur Perkins
 
This episode opened with a summary of the prior episode, indicating how with no consensus LA, Carol and Andrea were sent up for the elimination decision and LA chosen. So Andrea opens this episode complaining about Carol as you might expect. They were a dynamic duo early in this competition but lately it has become tiring.
 
It's getting down to crunch time, as all the chefs still in this competition for the Borgata position are decent to really good. The Challenge starts with a discussion of proteins and how they should be creatively paired with other ingredients to make excellent food. It is focused on chicken as directed by Gordon Ramsay. So what is the protein the chefs will work with. If you guessed chicken like some of the cheftestants, you were lead down the wrong path. There are dozens of proteins and Ramsay wants them to work with King Crab to create a crab dish in 45 minutes. Each Team member is to create a dish, then their team will select one of the 3 Blue dishes or one of the 4 Red dishes for presentation to Ramsay. The teams have difficult decisions to make but they pick Ben's dish ( crab, srirache butter, fennel, asparagus) over Danny's (Madeira beurre blanc over crab and fennel and celery w/vanilla) and Andrea's (crab leg meat, shells on the plate, nuts, butter) over Paula's (basil crab with basil coconut broth, peppers and celery and chile). Ramsay tastes Ben's and Andrea's dishes and declares both of them not good enough. He then asks for Danny's and Paula's. He finds both of them delicious and after much drama selects the Blue team (Danny's dish) as the winner. Note that it is Paula and Danny whose dishes he wants to sample. I have felt for a while that they are the 2 best.
 
The victors get to go to Santa Monica Beach and ride Segways (except for Robert on a bike) and have lunch with Ramsay at which he tells them that all 3 can win the Borgata position. I think some of the men were really impressed that they went in a Hummer limo. All I can say is that they are easy to please. this was not the greatest reward ever as Ramsay wanted it to seem. It was totally pedestrian, with the only thing tying it to the episode eating some seafood (actually lobster). The Red team had to spring clean the dorm and then prep King crab for both kitchens for the evening's service. There was more infighting between Andrea and Carol.
 
The dinner service requires each team to choose menus of 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts with appropriate garnishes. Ben takes charge of the Blue team menu and they come up with halibut and steak plus beef carpaccio appetizer and Ben's pommes fondant. The Red team chooses halibut and filet mignon and lamb, with Carol's Gratin Dauphinois and a soup as an appetizer. Danny says he has never heard of pommes fondant.  Gratin Dauphinois is thinly sliced potatoes and garlic are layered with cream and Gruyere cheese, then baked to a creamy finish. Pommes fondant is mashed potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, parsley, milk, sweet cream, bread crumbs. Although those names are French, both sound like delicious dishes that could be found in a lot of American restaurants. Danny for all his culinary talent does not appear to have wide culinary ambitions. As the announcer says, "both menus feature halibut, steak and ambitious potato dishes." Let's see who can deliver.
 
Dinner service starts and Carol is quickly in trouble. Her beef carpaccio was sent back by a female diner twice for being underseasoned by Giovanni. Later there is a problem with Gratin Dauhpinois sent back and Carol tries to explain to Ramsay how she followed the cooking time for this dish and it should have been right. He does not ask her if she tasted it but it is clear that she did not.  Ben gets in trouble because his soup was oversalted and Ramsay and Robert both spit it out. Did he not taste his dish? Ben is criticized for his pommes fondant, but it is lacking butter and nicely colored. Ben says it is completely different than his version. Scott is requested to advise and he says that pommes fondant in the U.S. is the same as in Europe. The cameras record an incident, no doubt occurring as comic relief with an actress playing a role, with that female diner who gets the beef carpaccio a second time and finding it horrible. She confronts Ramsay at the tray loading area, telling him it's the second time, He tells her he is not her fucking dog and that she looks like more of a dog than he does. Wow! What a fine example he is setting for the chefs! That would never happen in a well-run restaurant; of course this is Hell's Kitchen so anything goes.
 
Dinner service continues. Carol tried to rescue her Gtain Dauphiois, but her efforts are not successful and anger Ramsay. The result is that Ramsay throws it out and the others on the Red team are challenged to come up with a substitute. Giovanni says fingerling potatoes. Ben is accused of trying to sabotage Robert with filet mignon prepping that was poor. Robert has both the Meat and Fish stations and is struggling because he is slower than the other chefs. Dinner service during dessert ends abruptly (if you noticed carefully, there were few diners in Hell's Kitchen last night).
 
The decision on which team wins is based on diner comment cards. Blue is 39% above average whatever that means. Red is 54% above average and clearly better, so the Red team wins. That leads to Danny as the Ramsay-acknowledged best Blue team member to decide whether Robert or Ben should be sent up. They now have a rivalry close to that of Carol and Andrea. Danny Selects Ben. However, Ramsay wants to beat up both of them. When it comes to a final decision, it is Carol who is eliminated. The reason is that she gave up after the Gratin Dauphinois failed and she was acting as if it were not really dedicated to working hard in Hell's Kitchen. This obviously was a huge surprise but if you think about it, there was an excellent rationale. It would have been 2 Blue against 4 Red team members and that would not have been fair without reorganizing the teams. Evening up the teams was a good idea.
 
The future squabbles will now focus on Robert vs. Ben as the Andrea vs. Carol battle is over. Andrea is overly pleased, but she should be aware that he is likely to be next to leave.
 
Next week's preview indicates that one chef wins a trip to San Francisco with Ramsay. It also hints that there may be a double elimination. Since Ben and Robert were shown, I doubt that it will be that pair although either one could be involved. If that happens then there will be an open episode. I predict that we will see the return of Chef Ji to rejoin the competition.

(Photo courtesy of FOX)

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