by Gina Scarpa

Tonight, on Hell’s Kitchen, the blue team was less than thrilled to find out that Suzanne would be joining their team.  The red team is now only comprised of Ariel, Tennille, and Sabrina… which basically means that Ariel will need to step up big time.  The chefs head down to the kitchen, where they watch a video left for them by Gordon Ramsay.  He’s at Araxi Restaurant, located in British Columbia, where the 2010 Olympics will be held.  This is where the winner of Hell’s Kitchen will be cooking.  Araxi is known for its local, fresh ingredients so Chef Ramsay has left 15 items for the chefs to create 3 dishes for tonight’s challenge and the special guest judges will be Olympic athletes Johnny Mosely and Sasha Cohen.

The red team alienates Sabrina, while the blue team leaves out Suzanne.  Sabrina laughs when Tennille and Ariel keep calling venison “lamb” and doesn’t step in to help them.  Well, I probably wouldn’t either if I was being ignored!  Tennille gets her butt handed to her for not knowing that she was serving venison, while Van clams up when presenting his dish.  Sasha and Johnny end up favoring the blue dishes and the men (and Suzanne) win.  The blue team got to go out and enjoy a nice meal out, while the red team was forced to clean a pigpen at a farm.  I mean… that’s a bit much.  Kitchen prep is one thing for a punishment but cleaning up actual crap is another.  The stupid farmer outfits don’t help either. 

In tonight’s dinner service, the red and blue team must create their own menus – FINALLY.  They’re ready to put their own mark on the menu, instead of just doing whatever Ramsay tells them to do.  The blue team seems to pull their ideas together quickly and cohesively, while on the red team, Tennille is off in her own world and suggests things that Ariel and Sabrina are just not comfortable with.  Then again, Sabrina didn’t even come up with an idea!  She has no dish on the menu tonight.  I don’t even know how Ramsay will be able to forgive that.

Here are some highlights from the service: Van’s inability to figure out what two times three is, Ariel getting chewed out for screwing up raviolis over and over, Dave re-injuring his hand/arm… then continuing the service (‘cause he’s the man), and Sabrina’s slow as molasses pace in the kitchen.  In fact, the service goes so poorly that Ramsay shuts down Hell’s Kitchen.  There is no winner tonight and each team must nominated one person for elimination.  When it comes down to Sabrina and Van, Ramsay chooses Sabrina to take off her jacket and head home.  He says she has a big heart but he doesn’t see her as being the head chef at Araxi.  Well, at least he was nice about it.

Tonight’s episode rolls on…

The final 6 chefs are given black jackets, meaning that there is no more red or blue team.  It’s more of an individual game now.  In tonight’s challenge, the chefs will have to recreate a dish after quickly seeing and tasting it.  They’ll be working pairs: Van and Ariel, Tennille and Kevin, and Suzanne and Dave.  Say what you want about Suzanne, but she’s a good chef… and so is Dave... they may severely dislike each other but they worked well enough together to win that challenge.  They head out to eat with Chef Ramsay, while the remaining contestants stay behind to prep for a couples only dinner service that will take place later that night.

Highlights from tonight’s dinner service are: Van sweating into the food he was serving (which is absolutely disgusting), Tennille stepping up on the meat station, Ramsay screaming at Van to get a grip after raw fish is served and then storming out of Hell's Kitchen, saying he can't take any more.  Despite Ramsay's meltdown, the chefs were able to finish dinner service and Tennille, Kevin, and Dave are asked to name two people for elimination.  After debating a bit, Van and Suzanne are nominated and Van is sent home.  I mean, the guy sweat in his own food.  He had to go...

Hell’s Kitchen airs Tuesday nights at 8pm ET on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)