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'Hell's Kitchen' Recap: The redemption of Matt
By April MacIntyre
May 14, 2008, 15:31 GMT

Alright Donkeys, I am eating my words from last week.  Matt isn't as pathetic as I painted him to be.  He is still annoying, but he can turn out a good risotto, and Jen and Corey didn't kill him after all.

I still stand by my opinion that this season is the weakest array of contestants for Hell's Kitchen, and the continued culinary cock-ups are aging chef Gordon Ramsay at the speed of light.

The show opens with the ending of last week, and Matt joining the women who are doubtful at best.  The men are gleeful in their ridding of him, especially Ben.

Clever editing has portrayed Matt as a tinderbox of neuroses and rage, and methinks he has been done a disservice. 

The open to the challenge is a taste test, "guess what's missing from this dish." The main ingredient, meat, has been swapped out by some really good soy or vegetarian substitutes that I would love to know exactly what they were, and if anyone does, please talk back and tell me.  

The closest anyone came to guessing the meat was the red herring was Petrozza.  

Then, the first "Top Chef" inspired challenge that follows this is a Quickfire copy: Palette buster.  Guess what's in your mouth.  Simple for a chef. 

The men and women are blindfolded, ears covered in headphones so they cannot hear chef tell the team mates what is being given. 

The women have the better palettes, especially Rosann.  But the final great rivalry trumped up was staged between Ben and Matt, as they had to list the ingredients in a mystery soup that was revealed to be a classic clam chowder.  Because of the comfortable lead the girls established prior to this, Matt kicked Ben's ass, even though they both identified correctly each turn.

The reward was a spa day at Hell's Kitchen , where Matt tapped in to his inner metrosexual and got a facial, wax and pedicure.  Everyone likes to be fussed over.

Ben had to serve ice tea, which I would have checked. I am sure he thought of spitting in them when no one was looking.

During the dinner service, Matt finally gets a long-awaited compliment from Ramsay over his risotto. Rosann screws up langostines; Jen has a bad moment with chef. Corey is the mongoose to Jen's cobra, she laid low the whole service and did her job, no drama.  Christine had a good service too.

Jen got really mouthy during dinner service and tried to bark orders to her red team, and Ramsay told her to knock it off, that she was confusing everything in the kitchen. This makes Jen retreat like a wounded animal. Her response is to give the silent treatment and the stink eye, which infuriates Chef who knows she is a good cook, but is trying to elevate her people management and communication skills.

Matt, meanwhile, is still kvelling over Ramsay's bon mots, and like an approval seeking child makes Christine sample his risotto. "I want to thank my wife, and my best friend, and Chef Ramsay, Chef Scott, Chef Gloria. Thanks a lot for helping me be what I am today."

The night's whipping boy is Ben. You knew this was coming, right?  Ben was so busy hurling atom bombs at Matt, Louross and the women that he neglected to eat his humble pie and work hard.  He is not an innate chef.

Ramsay has one blow up after another over the increasingly defiant Ben who challenges him at one point, which of course makes Ramsay close the kitchen down.

Ben told Ramsay during dinner that he wasn't used to the "brigade system" and that it would take him some time to figure it out. The running out of lamb Wellington and failing to alert the kitchen hours after meat was gone was the coup de grace

The old man on the crew, Petrozza, had a nice moment. He is a decent guy, fair and not at all Machiavellian like the other snakes around him. 

In the end, Ben is voted off by Chef, and it was a good move.

The big deal next week is which person on the red team will volunteer to go over to the lopsided men's team. I doubt it will be Matt.

See you donkeys next week.