Smallscreen Features
'Hell's Kitchen' Recap: Sparklicious soiree sets Matt up for the inevitable
By April MacIntyre May 7, 2008, 14:51 GMT
Gordon Ramsay - - London, England © Photorazzi
Alright Donkeys, the action heats up on Hell's Kitchen, where both teams seemed to be united in one thing and one thing only: The knowledge that Matt is indeed pathetic.
Last week we saw the women's team put Christina aka "The whole package" up for elimination because she's weak, and the men's team nominated Louross for having a bad service. Ramsay spares all the sacrificial lambs and has already let Vanessa go home, after her burn injury was revealed to be too much to continue the competition.
The 10 remaining chef hopefuls are presented a challenge for the night's service, a Sweet 16 party.
The mother and daughter are brought in to assess the challenge meals of the red and blue teams, and guess what? The almost 16 year-old has never had shrimp. To make matters worse, all the chefs seem to incorporate shrimp into appetizers and entrees.
The chefs previously prepared by converging on LA's Farmer's Market over by CBS Studios - a great place to visit if you come out here.
The women decide quickly but there is friction brewing between exhibitionist Corey and Shayna, who is not fast enough for her in the kitchen. Corey brings up Shayna's weight as a possible reason, but being overweight doesn't slow down Jen, and we get to see Corey once again peel down to her chonies as she clumsily lumbers into the spa with her cigarette and beer in hand.
Let's discuss Matt. He is perpetual victim who lays blame on everyone around him, as he never attempts to listen and absorb, just point fingers.
He "tries" to make suggestions, but everyone hates him at this stage of the game.
While we're slagging Matt, his eyes are set too close together for my comfort.
The reveal of the test appetizers and entrees come with Ramsay, in a very self-indulgent moment baby Matt speaks out that he had little input to no into the menu and solidifies his teammates hatred even more.
Ramsay brings in the mother and birthday girl, Melissa, to do the taste test. Oh what fun as the two women wind up favoring the men's dishes, to the chagrin of Corey and the gang.
A stuffed chicken wing appetizer is deemed delicious, and the women's mango salsa covered fish dish as the first entrée. The teams are now tied. The deal breaker comes when the filet mignon is chosen over the flatiron steak.
The men win a challenge! They get to go to Malibu go carts then the new LA restaurant that serves cotton candy and caramel corn all fancified; gives us a break.
Now the women get a taste of the lash. Enter the gayest gay man ever, Francisco the party planner. He introduces the words "sparklicious," and tortures the women with his over the top performance.
The night's service begins with Francisco the Party Planner announcing Melissa's entrance, and the teams immediately have trouble with their appetizers. Ben's chicken wings need some sauce and Christina's risotto is light on all the key flavor ingredients.
The the entrees hit a snag as the birthday girl and her mother both send their entrées back. Rosann botched the Sweet 16-er's steak order and Matt overcooks the fish order for mum.
Ramsay's veins are bulging at this point as he throws off Rosann from her meat station and takes over. Bobby pushes out Matt and the baby makes pouty faces and whines some more.
Shayna moves at a glacial pace and that works the nerves of all the women now.
After the surprise is a band that serenades the birthday girl, the chef informs all that there were no losers, and asks them to cull their herds.
The one person to nominate for elimination is a no-brainer - for the men it is Matt. The women choose to nominate Shayna for being too slow, but Ramsay pulls in Rosann for her awful service.
Ramsay reads the riot act to Matt, who he spares. Then he says goodbye to new mum Shayna. Rosann gets a break, and Matt gets to work with the women next week.
I think Jen will wind up killing him, if not Corey first.
See you donkeys next week.
