Hell's Kitchen U.S. (2008)

[jsmeeker]

I realize I'm probably the only one to bitch about this, but GR is supposed to be doing some fancy food, and his annoying maitre 'd can't even serve properly or teach the wait staff to do the same - so let me tell you - serve from the left and remove from the right - not that hard, Jean-Phillipe.

2.  I'm waiting to see how low Fox can go - the Hawaiian tropic girls perhaps topless in the next episode?

3.  Is there a major tobacco sponsor for this show?  I mean, it's great to see all these chefs smoking, isn't it?  I always thought smoking screwed up one's taste buds - but in this case, I guess it doesn't matter much.  Nor does the message to any youngsters watching the show that it just looks so cool to smoke.

Hell's Kitchen makes Top Chef seem like Masterpiece Theatre.

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This isn't "Top Server" or "FOH Hell". Really, the actual serving of the food to the "customers" is totally ancillary to the show. Hells Kitchen GR doesn't care about the FOH unless it's goofing on Jean-Phillipe or yelling at a "customer" that comes up to the pass to confront him.

Topless swimusit models? I'm down with that.

[Tri2Cook]

2.  I'm waiting to see how low Fox can go - the Hawaiian tropic girls perhaps topless in the next episode?

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I'm not sure I agree on this one. While I will agree that Fox can go low enough to win even the toughest Limbo competition at times, celebrities showing up at big-name restaurants is nothing unusual. The Hawaiian Tropic girls are celebrities of a sort. I won't argue the subject of whether or not they should be, that's entirely subjective, but they are. I realize that it's a tv show and they didn't just "show up" but it's probably supposed to appear that way to the average viewer. I will admit that they could have just as easily scripted in a crew of male models but, ummm, I don't make the rules. I just enjoy them.

[TheSwede]

I belive that the last four contestants actually are pretty competent cooks. Probably not great chefs or anything, but good enough to hold their station during busy service.

I also think that it was the right decision to let Jen go home. I think she certainly can cook, but that she is a disaster in a busy kitchen when things are starting to go wrong. Maybe that is just caused by the extra pressure brought on by the HC competition?

[Claudia Greco]

I belive that the last four contestants actually are pretty competent cooks.  Probably not great chefs or anything, but good enough to hold their station during busy service.

I also think that it was the right decision to let Jen go home. I think she certainly can cook, but that she is a disaster in a busy kitchen when things are starting to go wrong. Maybe that is just caused by the extra pressure brought on by the HC competition?

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I can't believe she kept retreating into herself when she got too pressured, or that she KEPT screwing up once she started screwing up. I had high hopes for her, but Ramsay was right - she was just too inconsistent, dish to dish. From "stunning" risotto to crap, in one blink of an eye. And I NEVER thought Petrozza would make it into the final three. Corey is going to shaft whomever she can - I hope Christina's figured out that she's no exemption, especially that the two blonde Cs have finally succeeded in getting rid of Jen. Oooo, this should be nasty. Very nasty. I think the two women will gang up on Petrozza before Corey turns and claws Christina.

[kristin_71]

Well so much for Corey. I have a feeling, a feeling that has been there for awhile now that Christina will take it all. For someone who has not been out of school long she really does have it together more and she has proven she can at least in the setting of Hell's Kitchen, and for a short time, that she can run the pass.

[WiscoNole]

For what it's worth, I've very recently seen Christina in the halls of the CIA.

[Claudia Greco]

For what it's worth, I've very recently seen Christina in the halls of the CIA.

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Well, maybe she's finishing up her education while Ramsay finished building his restaurant - I think it's Gordon Ramsay Maze Hollywood or something like that?

You know, you'd think after three seasons the cheftestants would get the idea that the sous chefs would deliberately be sabotaging the final three as they take their turns at the passe. So, aside from the fact that Ramsay TOLD them to taste the food and check it, they still didn't. Missing peas in the risotto was an easy call. The wrong sauce on the Wellington was trickier, but still catchable. Only Christina thought she might be sabotaged, so she was both looking and tasting, and caught the basil in the mash. She was also the only cook to analyze her Gordo-prepared breakfast. So, despite her youth and greenness, this girl is really THINKING. I like her, and wish her the best. I was really sure the wilier, older and more experienced Corey would have taken her out - if not in this ep, then certainly in the final - but I guess when you get to the final three, there's nowhere to hide, and only yourself to sabotage. under at

[kristin_71]

The restaurant is The London.

[abooja]

FWIW, Corey and Christina are both 25, but Corey lives in Brooklyn. Brooklyn girls are just tough like that.

[lucylou95816]

I for one was happy to see Corey go, she was about as appealing to me as Lisa from Top Chef. As for Christina, she's a little green, but I do give her credit as some mentioned above, she was trying to dissect her dish that he made, figuring that she'll probably have to re-construct it. That is pretty smart thinking, considering a table over, Petrozza was gurgling on with his dad.

[kristin_71]

The London in West Hollywood is open. I had heard about it opening not that long, so if Christina did win maybe she is just finishing school or, maybe she didn't win at all.

[Claudia Greco]

The London in West Hollywood is open. I had heard about it opening not that long, so if Christina did win maybe she is just finishing school or, maybe she didn't win at all.

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The London - right. Thank you. I got a little fuzzy because the NYC Ramsay outpost was Gordon Ramsay at the London, then the Maze at the London, and now it's GR's Maze at the London, with, I think, a distinction being made between the main dining room (GR at the London), and the bar area (the Maze). But I could be wrong about that. Oy. Mazes. Londons. Enough already!

[Claudia Greco]

FWIW, Corey and Christina are both 25, but Corey lives in Brooklyn.  Brooklyn girls are just tough like that. 

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Ahh, but is Corey (or Christina) FROM Brooklyn? I think not! Strangely, it's Petrozza (from North Carolina) who sounds more Nooo Yawwhk than either girl, so go figg-yuh. Fuhgeddaboutit.

[kristin_71]

I was really hoping that Petrozza or Christina would have had the balls to tell Matt and Jen to get the fuck out of their kitchen. I mean could it have been any more obvious that the same sour attitudes that both had while contestants were still there? Both seemed to be living in some delusional fantasy that they were somehow better than either Christina or Petrozza.

I am glad Christina won. Ramsey was right, she does show the most promise, but Petrozza was not a slouch either.

[Ted Fairhead]

After the remarks that Jen made at the beginning, I thought they surely would have had her mouthing off about the final winner.

[Pierogi]

After the remarks that Jen made at the beginning, I thought they surely would have had her mouthing off about the final winner.

Oh, I'm pretty sure that mouth had plenty to say, they just didn't air it !

And that was sure some cajones, asking Ramsey for a letter of reference. Classless twit !

Glad Christina won, though either of the 2 finalists deserved it big time.

[Doodad]

After the remarks that Jen made at the beginning, I thought they surely would have had her mouthing off about the final winner.

Oh, I'm pretty sure that mouth had plenty to say, they just didn't air it !

And that was sure some cajones, asking Ramsey for a letter of reference. Classless twit !

Glad Christina won, though either of the 2 finalists deserved it big time.

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She probably received two letters from GR; F & U.

[Claudia Greco]

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[kristin_71]

*sigh* now all we are left with is Next Food Network Star. What a let down.

[TheSwede]

Well, nowhere at the homepage of "Gordon Ramsay at the London, West Hollywood" is there any mention of Christina.

Not that I'm surprised. You aren't going to install a culinary student in any sort of leading position when you have a critical restaurant opening.

http://www.gordonramsay.com/gratthelondonwh/

[Claudia Greco]

Well, nowhere at the homepage of "Gordon Ramsay at the London, West Hollywood" is there any mention of Christina.

Not that I'm surprised. You aren't going to install a culinary student in any sort of leading position when you have a critical restaurant opening.

http://www.gordonramsay.com/gratthelondonwh/

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Whatever became of Heather, season 1 winner? I bet Christina came back to NY and wrapped up her training at the CIA, and is probably stashed away somewhere, right now, training and working in a Ramsay restaurant. Believe me, GR Holdings has now invested heavily in her, so they'll give her as much hands-on as they can. If you notice from last week's episode, "Sarge", who was once a sous chef at GR's Hospital Road restuarant (I believe) when they shot Boiling Point (1995), is the exec chef at another of Gordo's restos. So Christina will resurface.

[CtznCane]

They had the right final 3 and it came down to an interesting final. Christina does have the youth and potential factor which was the swing point.

I must say I can't believe how stupid, yes stupid Matt and Jen were. Matt made a fool out of himelf both personally and professionally. Jen on the other hand just killed her career along with showing what a bitch she could be.

If you owned or managed a restaurant, would you ever hire Matt or Jen? I can't see anyone hiring Matt since he is a loose cannon as well as not too talented. I could never see hiring Jen as how can you trust someone who you know, based on past history will sabotage your staff and make people miserable.

Hell's Kitchen is on the air for one reason, like all other shows, to get ratings to sell adverisements. I think maybe, from week one on, if not before, that GR had his mind focused on 3 or 4 people while being open to perhaps 1 or 2 others. Aside from that, I think who went and when was largely based on entertainment value.

Bottom line, I enjoyed the show and wqtched it, though it brings up another point which I think I'll post in a new thread.

[CtznCane]

We all know that the bottom line for TV is advertising dollars. I watched every episode, usually as it was broadcast and think I had to watch maybe 1 or 2 after the fact having recorded them. As I was reading the other thread on Hell's Kitchen I thought about the advertising dollars. Then I asked myself "who advertised on Hell's Kitchen?" My question is this, who were the adverisers? Which ads, sponsors, products do you remember? I have to admit, I cannot remember 1 single solitary advertiser. How many do you remember?

[Kayakado]

If I was more saavy and had a better memory, I could name the brands but I do remember the following but not the brand names.

In the living quarters:

The beer they drank

The soft drinks they drank.

The cigarettes??? I was surprised they included all this smoking.

Their chef coats had some sort of logo on them.

Their shoes.

That big black SUV that carted them around that had the HK logo on its side.

The shuttle from the airport.

I am not much help, but this is all from someone who watched every episode and fell asleep at 9:45pm est and didn't wake up until 10:05pm.

[Dignan]

We all know that the bottom line for TV is advertising dollars.  I watched every episode, usually as it was broadcast and think I had to watch maybe 1 or 2 after the fact having recorded them.    As I was reading the other thread on Hell's Kitchen I thought about the advertising dollars.  Then I asked myself "who advertised on Hell's Kitchen?"  My question is this, who were the adverisers?  Which ads, sponsors, products do you remember?  I have to admit, I cannot remember 1 single solitary advertiser.  How many do you remember?

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I think you're asking about the commercials ... the only ones I remember are Fox's stupid "so you think you can dance" or whatever its called commercials.