All language subtitles for Hells.Kitchen.US.S21E08.480p.x264

Previously
on "Hell's Kitchen,"

the chefs raced
to compose a dish...

- Go, go, go, go, go, go.

Using only five ingredients.

What the
am I gonna do with nori?

And one wok.

- Oh, it's tender.

At judging...

- Please welcome
Chef Stephanie Izard.

Alex's shredded chicken...

- You had me
at mayo and vinegar.

And Vlad's
tempura shrimp...

- There's a lot
of flavor on it.

It's really well seasoned.

Scored for the Blue team.

- Thank you so much, Chef.

And while Sommer,
Cheyenne, and Tara's dishes...

- It's beautiful.

Hit the right notes...

- I love the sear.

It was
Mindy's poached snapper...

- Best bite so far today.

- Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.

That secured victory
for the Red team.

- Well done, Mindy.

But when
Alejandro used his...

- Punishment pass.
- Oh.

- Who are you
trading places with?

- I'm gonna pick Sommer.

Sommer's celebration
was cut short.

- I'm gonna do
the punishment.

I just don't want to
shake your hand right now.

Is that OK?
- Back the up.

- OK.

- At dinner service...
- Come on, Mindy.

In the Red kitchen...

- I need a little parmesan.

Then wait for it to emulsify.

Mindy needed coaching

on a simple carbonara.

- Or else it's gonna
be super wet.

At this point
in the competition,

you have to be able to
handle a station by yourself.

4 minutes for that next.

And I'm babysitting her.

Abe's mushrooms
were anything but magic.

We can't share hot, hot
with ice, ice.

And Ileana and Sakari

struggled on the meat station.

- Come on.
It's not good enough.

I can't believe I sent
the wrong one.

In spite of the problems,

it was both teams'
best service yet.

- That was a comeback service,
right?

But Chef Ramsay
still wanted to trim the fat.

And the Red team nominated...

- Mindy, Chef.
- And...

- Ileana, Chef.

While the Blue team chose...

- Abe.
- And...

- Sakari.
- In the end,

Chef Ramsay sent...
- Mindy.

Home, ending her dream

of becoming head chef
at Hell's Kitchen Caesars,

Atlantic City.

And now, the continuation
of "Hell's Kitchen."

- Good night.

Good night, Chef.

- Great service.

Thank you, Chef.

- This elimination
is a little sad for me

because Mindy
is not here anymore.

That was kind of my girl.

Like, we had
conversations and,

you know,
we had each other's backs,

so I do feel
a little bit alone.

- We get on to dessert.

- I knew my whole team
didn't support me.

This is why I don't like
to work with females

because they're catty bitches.

I've always felt like
it was the Red team against me.

The only ally I had was Mindy,
so it's me against the world.

It's always been that way.

- Ah.

Now, Tara is the last one
in the room.

- All alone in her room.

- Man, I want to get going.

- I'm anxious to see
what this is, man.

I just don't do that well
with challenges.

- Why is it so tough?

- I fried them and then
finished them in the oven,

but it didn't work in my favor.

- No, it definitely did
not work in your favor.

Thank you.

- I just--I haven't
had wings before.

I've just never worked at
a place that, like, did wings.

The restaurant
I'm currently sous chef at,

it's a fusion restaurant.

My mentor, my chef,

he is in there every day
with us.

One day, like, I cried
the whole way to work,

and like when I got in there,

"Hey, good morning.
How's it going?"

I'm just like, oh, it's good.

And like, I went over
to my station and he just like,

looked at my face
and he's like,

go to the walk in, like,
we're going to the walk in.

And like...
- He cares.

- He just like, held me
while I cried in there.

He cares.

And like, I've never had
a mentor like that,

and I'm super fortunate.

- Yeah, that's so cool.

- This is Abe.
- Good morning.

I need to see everybody
in the dining room.

Let's go.
- Yes, Chef.

Everybody to the dining room.
Everybody to the dining room.

Go, go, go, go.

- Let's go.

- Oh, man.

- Good morning.

Good morning, Chef.

- All of you,
welcome to the jungle.

It's the first ever edition

of the "Hell's Kitchen"
Wild Game Show.

- Oh, wow.
- Wow.

Yay.

- Oh, I'm pumped.

I grew up watching game shows
with my grandma.

I've trained my whole life
for this moment,

and I'm ready to go.

- So in today's team challenge,

you'll be competing
to win ingredients,

and here's how
it's gonna work.

In each round,
a chef from each team

will come up to the podiums.

Then those chefs will play
a "Hell's Kitchen" classic,

Spells Kitchen,

or a brand new game,

Kitchen Sightmares.

Oh, my God.

- Oh, no.
- Answer correctly,

you get then to choose whether
you keep the ingredients

or send it to the other team

on any of those
three proteins,

i.e., a potential sabotage.

Whoo!

Sabotage.

Bring it on.

- Now, in Spells Kitchen,
a scrambled ingredient

will appear
on the monitor like this.

Anybody?
- Broccoli, Chef.

- Thank you.

Broccoli. Bang.

Hit that buzzer,
call out broccoli.

In Kitchen Sightmares,

a close-up picture
of ingredients

will appear on a monitor
like this.

Radish, Chef.

- Radish, that's right.

Now, ready?

Yes, Chef.

- OK, Red team, Blue team,

we're going to start with
Spells Kitchen.

Let's go, Alex versus Dafne.

- I was born to spell.

I won the third-grade
spelling bee.

I know there's two T's in cat.

Let's go.

- Can you name
this ingredient?

Alex.
- Green beans.

- Oh, God.

That is correct.

- Are you keeping it,
or is it going?

- We'll keep it.
We'll put it with the venison.

- Good.

Great start.

Right, next pair.

- Go, Alex.
- Whoo!

- Sommer versus Brett.
Here we go.

- I'm hyping myself up,
but trying to remain calm.

I'm taking deep breaths
trying to look composed.

- Kitchen Sightmares.

Try to recognize
this ingredient.

Sommer.
- Pomegranate.

- Correct.
Well done.

- I want to keep it,
and put it on the duck, Chef.

- OK. Good.

- I didn't want the
pomegranate anyway, Sommer.

- Next pair,
Alejandro and Cheyenne.

- Come on, Cheyenne.

- Kitchen Sightmares.
Here we go.

Spot that ingredient.

- Let's go, Alejandro.

- Pineapple.

- Pineapple.
- Yeah.

- Chef, I'm gonna give it
to Red team's boar.

- Boar.
- Oh, my God.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Wild game
and tropical fruit?

I mean, it doesn't make sense.

- Well done.
Give him a round of applause.

- Uh, have fun.

- OK, next pair.
Let's go.

- Come on, Tara.

- Spells Kitchen.

- Spells Kitchen
is a easier game for me

because of my dyslexia,
so I'm made for this game,

so I'm ready to rock and roll.

- Name this ingredient.

- You got this.

Take your time. You got this.
- Gruyere.

- Correct.

- Let's add that to their boar.

Wow.

Pineapple and gruyere.

Red team,
you got your work cut out.

- Super sabotage.

- Ileana and Vlad.

- It's me versus Ileana.

I came here to cook.

My spelling is subpar,

but definitely gonna give it
my best shot.

- Name that ingredient.

- Yes.
- Figs, Chef.

- Figs. Well done.

- I'm gonna send that
to their venison.

- Good. Well done.
- You're good.

- Damn.
- OK, let's go.

- Oh, man.

Everybody on the Red team,
we're killing it.

I'm feeling good.

We got this.

- Let's go.
Alex versus Dafne.

- Bell pepper.

- Well done.

- Parsnip.
- Yes.

- Jalapeño.
Oh, no.

Polenta.

- Brett.
- Chef, is that a watermelon?

- Come on. Beet.

- Cantaloupe, Chef?

- That is incorrect.

Butternut squash.

- Black garlic.

- Black garlic, correct.

- I'ma put that
with our venison.

- Well done.
- Good job, Ileana.

- Final round.

- Let's go, Dafne.
- Name that ingredient.

Here we go.
Spells Kitchen.

- Come on, Dafne.
- Come on, Daf.

Daf, for real.
Come on. Let's go.

- Think about it.
- You got this, Dafne.

- Come on, you must be nuts
if you can't get this.

- Oh, oh, oh, OK.

Whew!
Hazelnuts.

Hazelnuts.

- OK.
- Right.

You've filled out the boards.

You can keep it and trade
something in and send it over.

- I'm gonna trade the
pineapple with the hazelnuts.

- Good.
That's better.

- But then the pineapple will
go to the Blue team, right?

- OK, I'm gonna do it
on the venison.

- Pineapple, figs,
and green beans with venison?

Oh, you never want two fruits.

- Give a round of applause.
Come on. Well done.

- Oh.

I'm excited now because
the Blue team has

really messed-up ingredients,

and the Red team
has solid ingredients.

I think I did a great job
by switching them.

- Right.

Red team, Blue team, we ready?

- Yes, Chef.
- Good.

You have 45 minutes.
Start...

Now. Let's go.

In today's
Wild Game challenge,

the chefs are tasked with
preparing exotic game meats...

Let's go, boys.

And incorporating all

of their chosen ingredients
into the dish.

- What are you gonna do?

- I'm gonna do
a mushroom and wild boar ragu

with gruyere fondue.

Tara and Dafne on the Red team

and Alex and Sakari
on the Blue team

are all cooking with boar.

- I got spiced boar.

Braised kale.

Some pickled Brussels sprouts
with like a gremolata, maybe.

- Sounds cool.

- Brett, let me know when you
start going on your venison.

- Probably--then I'ma try to
get it down in the next five.

Brett and Vlad
on the Blue team

and Cheyenne and Ileana
on the Red team

are each using venison.

- What are you thinking,
Cheyenne?

- I think I'm gonna leave these
kinda like all roasted.

- OK.
- Maybe do a beet sauce.

- Yeah.

And while
Sommer is the only chef

using duck on the Red team...

- What are you thinking
with these two?

- So I'm gonna make a parsnip
and rutabaga puree

and a pomegranate reduction
to go over the duck.

- Right.

On the Blue team,

Abe and Alejandro are
responsible for the duck.

- You're looking, baby, good?

- Making my garnish now.

- 15 minutes gone.
- Heard, Chef.

- Let's go, guys.
Just about 30 minutes left.

I got to get my boar
braising right now.

- Yeah.

- I have worked with boar
before, wild boar,

usually the shoulder,
but I'm just thinking

about braising it because
wild boar is so good braised.

Braising in 30 minutes
is insane.

I don't know what I'm doing
right now, actually.

I just hope to God
I have enough time.

Please cook.

God, that's so sweet.

I almost wish the pineapple
wasn't ripe.

- Here I am backed
into this corner,

and I have to make
a dish of venison,

green beans, figs,
and pineapples,

and I have to make it
not gross.

Venison and fruit salad.

But once I get my plan set,

I have the opportunity
to blow everybody away.

I just need to nail this.

Make it taste good.
Make it taste good.

- 11 minutes, guys.

- 11 minutes.
- Heard, 11.

- 11.
- 11 minutes.

- I'll do some beet batons.

I'm working with venison,
prosciutto,

beets, and sunchokes,
and carrots.

And that's fine.

Like, I've worked with
all these things before

except for the venison.

But my wheels are turning,
and it's gonna be great.

Excuse me, Chef.
Hot, hot, hot.

Sorry, Chef.

- You guys are
blowing up everything.

- Guys, how do you guys feel
over on duck?

I haven't heard from you guys
in a while.

- Just getting everything set.

I'm a little nervous
'cause I haven't

worked with too much game.

I've only cooked duck
a couple of times,

so I don't know
the consistency of rare,

the medium rare of a duck,

so you know,
it's got me nervous.

- I think it needs
a little longer, in my opinion.

- Two minutes, Blue team.
- Let's start plating.

- Make sure those proteins
are piping hot...

- Yes, Chef.

- Otherwise,
they're gonna bleed.

- No, Chef.

These ingredients usually
would never go together,

but I think I'm gonna
make it work right now.

- Do you need any help at all?

- It just needs to rest.

- I need to slice my meat.
Slice my meat.

- Come on, ladies.
Please.

90 seconds to go.

- Backs, backs, backs.

Those are under.

They're under.

Okay.

With time running out

in today's
Wild Game challenge...

- 90 seconds to go.

Tara's wild boar
is wildly undercooked.

They're under.

They're under.
I'm not happy.

- 45 seconds to go.

- If anybody needs anything,
holler.

- Coming down.

- Something smells burnt.

- It's my carrots.

- 20 seconds to go.

- Let's go, guys.

, guys.
Mine is under.

- Ten, nine, eight...

- Behind, behind, behind.
- Seven, six...

Five, four,

three, two, one.

And serve, ladies.

Oh, boy. Well done.

Right, chefs.
Listen carefully.

Each team has cooked
two dishes of each protein,

but I'm only going
to taste one.

Yes, Chef.

- Clearly, Sommer,
I'm tasting yours.

There's only one.
But have a quick meeting,

and decide which dishes
I'm tasting.

Yes, Chef.

- Off you go.
One minute. Let's go.

- Dafne, yours was really good,
just so you know.

- No, she's going up.

- Mine has
a pepper crust on it.

- OK.
- Mine's a touch under.

- So Cheyenne and Dafne.
- Yeah.

- I think that might be
a little bit under right here.

- I think this is
a little under.

And the skin is not
all the way rendered.

- Can we take mine
because it's breaking?

- Yeah, we'll go with yours.

- OK, Red team,
Blue team, please.

The boar.

Whose am I tasting,
and who's dropping?

- I am gonna
put mine out, Chef,

and we're dropping Tara's.

- And then the venison.
Whose venison are we tasting?

- Mine, Chef.
- Why?

- My sugar over caramelized,
Chef.

- Blue team,
whose boar are we tasting?

- Sakari's.
- We're tasting, yep.

- And dropping?
- Mine, Chef.

- Alex's.
- Yes, Chef.

- Wow, that's a shock.
Why?

- We just felt his was
a little bit under.

- OK.

Whose duck are we tasting?

- We're tasting my duck.

We're dropping Alejandro's

because of the finish
of the duck.

- And then finally,
the venison?

Whose are we tasting?

- Mine, Chef.

I think I nailed the cook
on the venison.

That's what we wanted
to focus on.

- OK.
And we're dropping Vlad's.

- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.

- We have some very special
guests joining us today.

They are James Beard
Award-winning chefs

with real animal instincts.

Please welcome
the incredible restaurateurs

behind Animal, Son of a Gun,
and of course Jon & Vinny's,

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.

- Good to see you.
- Good to see you both.

- Presenting my dish
to two experts on game--

it's definitely nerve-wracking
because it's their thing.

It's crazy.

- What's the magic
in cooking great game?

- I think the magic is
putting your heart and soul

into it, really, honestly.

It's the key factor
in the success

of all of our businesses.
- Excellent.

What a pleasure
having you back here.

Right, let's start off
with the wild boar.

Dafne and Sakari.

- I'm feeling confident.

All the ingredients
that I used are on point.

I'm ready for this.
- Right, Dafne.

Let's start up
with yours first.

- I did a wild boar
and portobello mushroom ragu,

braised it in red wine,
a little bit of polenta,

and then topped it off
with a hazelnut gremolata.

- My piece was
incredibly tough.

A 45-minute braise is never
gonna get you there.

- I actually really enjoyed
the flavors of the dish,

but I would agree with Jon.

I think the toughness
really kind of

threw me off a little bit.
- Yeah.

- That polenta's delicious.
Hazelnuts as well.

Right, Sakari,
describe your dish, please.

- We have a brown,
butter-roasted rack of boar,

creamy polenta,
with brussels sprouts,

lemon zest gremolata,

just to add a little bit
of freshness on top.

- Good.
Jon, how was that for you?

- I thought it was
a great dish.

Really strong.
- Mm.

- I just tasted the polenta.

You have to be very careful

because you kind of lose it
a little bit.

It just tastes like cream,
almost.

- I like the freshness
you brought to game.

That citrus gremolata
has really worked.

- Thank you, Chef.

- Gentlemen, is it the
Red team or the Blue team?

Attaboy.

Whoo, Sakari!
- There you go, Sakari.

- Really good dish.
Well done, Sakari.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Up next,

Sommer and Abe face off in...

- The Battle of the Duck.

Sommer,
with her seared duck

and pomegranate reduction...

- It's cooked beautifully.

- It's spot on.

Impresses Jon and Vinny.

- Thank you.

While Abe's grilled
duck with red peppers...

- I think that you
were onto something

with the black garlic.

- Unfortunately, I've got
a swimming pool of blood here

that matches the red pepper.

Disappoints.

- Wow.

- Thank you.
- Sommer, good job.

- This was my worst
challenge yet.

I was totally out
of my element.

I'ma get a whole duck farm
so I can learn how to cook

every single one of them
to perfection.

- 1-1.

Final dish.
Let's go.

The venison.
- Come on, Brett.

- Cheyenne and Brett.

- It's tied up.

This is the most
important dish of the day.

Anytime you have
a bunch of ingredients

that you haven't picked, it's
definitely a little tricky,

but I think Brett
can pull it off.

- So you have a pretty simple
seared and basted venison loin

with charred pineapple jus,

and then the side dish
is fig and rum green beans.

- The venison, to me,
tastes really good.

It's cooked very nicely,
but the side ruins it.

You know?

It's the figs
with the green beans,

it just--it's like a car crash.

- Yeah, I understand.

- You nailed the cook though.

- Yeah, venison is delicious.

It's melting in your mouth.
- Thank you very much.

- Right.

Cheyenne,
please describe your dish.

- I have a seared venison
with beet puree.

And then underneath,
is a sunchoke hash.

- To me, the meat's
a little dry,

but the sides definitely
make up for it.

- I love the sunchokes
and the venison together.

That's a classic combination.
- Thank you.

- Both step back in line first
and give us 30 seconds.

This is a tough one.

Two good efforts though, right?
- Absolutely.

- Very, very impressed.
Yes.

- Gentlemen, shall we?
- Let's go.

- All right, Cheyenne,
it's up to you.

You've gotta bring this home.

I cannot do
another punishment.

A fifth punishment,
it might break me.

- One, two, three.

- Congratulations.

Red team, well done.

- All of you,
join me in thanking

these two legends for giving up
their day to be here.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you guys.

- Thank you.
- I will see you soon.

Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- Take care.

- Even though, you know,
I didn't get any points,

I was able
to sabotage them,

giving them pineapple and figs,
so hell yeah, that was amazing.

- Red team, this reward,
you'll be throwing strikes

at Hollywood's chicest,
most exclusive bowling alley,

the original Lucky Strike.

- Nice.
- Nice. Sweet.

- You've got the whole place
to yourself.

- Nice.
- And Jon and Vinny,

they have together
a mind-boggling spread

of the finest dishes from
their flagship restaurants,

John & Vinny's, for you.

- Ooh.
- What the heck?

- Nice.

- Blue team,
your day is headed

straight for the gutter.

You'll be pitting olives,
lots of them,

because we need two gallons
of olive tapenade.

We also need two gallons
of pesto made by hand.

Now, Alex, you have
the punishment pass.

What are you thinking?

- I'ma throw some strikes.

Sorry, guys.

Who are you trading places with
and why?

- I'm gonna give
my punishment to Tara.

I feel like that's something

that she would be
really good at.

- Wow.
- She's a mom,

so she's like, used to doing
that kind of stuff.

- Oh, my God.

- We just got that bond.

Not no more.

- Love you.
Love you.

- What are you guys
waiting for?

Come on.
Go and have fun.

Let's go.

- Alex, seriously,
this is for you.

Go yourself.

That's how I feel.

I'm pissed.

This is my fifth punishment,
and I'm so over this.

I have nobody here to--

like, the only person I could
talk to was Mindy and you.

Like, obviously,
they're all gunning for me.

Like, they don't--nobody
even talks to me anymore.

Like, I'm done.

I have nothing to say
to anybody here.

I mean, Alex.

And I get it.

It's the 20 year olds against
the one 40 year old.

But to like,
have him be on their team,

like, to bond with them...

- I was kind of surprised,

and I thought he'd pick
one of them.

- Like, are you kidding me?

I knew the minute Mindy left,

it was gonna be
them against me.

I totally get it.

I'm fine with that.

It's just,
to have Alex come at me

and him use his
punishment pass on me?

Now, you're with
the 20 year olds.

- I'm sorry.
I know it sucks.

- I feel like you guys
are all against me.

- Tara gets in her own world,
in her own head, I feel like.

How can we be against you
if we haven't even

seen anything
to really complain about?

But I don't want her
to feel like her team

is against her because,

me personally,
I'm not against her.

- Is she OK?

- She feels like
we're against her.

- Tara?
- All of us?

- Yeah, our team.
- Why?

Y'all didn't vote for her.
I did.

- No, not because of that.
Just like, in general.

- Hold up.
I'ma go talk to her.

Oh, man. I feel bad.

I feel bad.

Are you OK?

- Is she OK?

- She feels like
we're against her.

- Tara?
- All of us?

Alex chose his former

40-something teammate, Tara,

to take his place
in today's punishment.

And Tara is feeling like
the odd woman out.

- Yeah, our team.
- Why?

Y'all didn't vote for her.
I did.

- No, no, not because of that.
Just like, in general.

- Hold up.
I'ma go talk to her.

Oh, man. I feel bad.

I feel bad.

Are you OK?

Go yourself.

I don't make girls cry
that often anymore.

I mean, I'm a married man.

Sorry, Tara.

Let's go.

- Yeah!

- All right, guys.

So Chef wants
two gallons of each.

Recipes are right here.
- Yes, Chef.

- We're getting
two gallons of the pesto

and two gallons of the tapenade
for service tonight.

Yeah, I don't know how
we're gonna get this done.

This is brutal.

- Tara, you mad at Alex?

- What?
- You mad at Alex?

Yeah.

- What was he supposed to do?
- Pick someone else.

- This sucks.

- Oh, my gosh.

My belly is hungry.

This sucks.
Do I want to be doing this?

No, would I love to be
eating a delicious meal?

Of course.

And throwing
some bowling balls?

Hell, yeah.

I hate girls
because they're catty,

especially young females.

- Well, me, I'm not here
to make friends.

I love Tara.
She's cool as.

I didn't know what to think
about her at first

until she worked the line
with me.

She earned my respect
from that day.

You know,
I had her back ever since,

so that's my dog right there.

Don't let anybody
get in your way.

- We get a jacket?
- All right, guys.

- Oh, dang.
- Oh, man, look at these.

- Nice jacket.
- These are dope.

- Yes. Oh, my God.
- These are really cool.

- Oh, what the hell?

- Oh, oh!
- Get it!

- Oh, oh!

- Come on.

- Aww.

A for effort.

There you go.
- Uh-oh.

Ah!

- Hey!
- Whoo!

- Let's go, bro.
- Uncle Alex.

- Uncle Alex.
Come on, bro.

- Bro.
- Oh, look at his form.

Oh!

- Oh, gutter ball!
- Aww.

- You hit one. You hit one.

- I got one pin.

OK, OK, OK.
- Oh, what?

- Cheyenne!
- Whoa!

- Good job.
- Good job.

- It's so great
to be out with Alex,

who is this
ultimate dad vibe,

and he makes sure
he, like, takes care of us.

I mean, this is one
of my favorite rewards yet.

- Oh. Oh, my gosh.
No way, no way.

Oh!

- What the hell?

- How we doing over there
on those pine nuts, Abe?

Man, ask me about
those pine nuts

one more time.

This punishment is brutal.

My hands are gonna be sore.

I feel that carpal tunnel
coming in.

- This is the worst thing
I've ever done in my life.

- What's up, guys?
It smells good in here.

- Look at how sick these are.
There's hella pockets in them.

- The smell of pesto is wafting
through the whole place.

- Wow.

- That looks
like a nightmare.

- But like,
see how they come in?

It's like no sense of, "Oh."

Like, they don't give
a.

- Do you have any siblings?

- Yeah, I have a older brother
and younger sister.

- Oh, nice.
- I miss my sister a lot.

We're super close.

My brother is in
the military

and he's stationed
out in Missouri,

so I don't really
get to see him as often.

So I'm kind of like
used to it, you know?

I've been the only female chef
in every kitchen

that I've been in.

I've also always been
the youngest

and the smallest chef in there.

And I had to climb
my way to the top.

I really have to prove
myself a little bit more

because of that.

You have a brother, right?

- Yeah.
We're nine years apart though.

- Oh, my gosh.
That's crazy.

- My parents were only 21
and 23 when they had me.

So like they were really young.
- Oh, my God, I can't imagine.

- And from Honduras too.

Like, they slept,
like on a sofa.

Like, my dad would sell
T-shirts in LA, wash cars.

It was really tough for them.

I come from immigrant parents
that literally

had to start at the bottom
and do whatever it takes

to have a family and also,
have your children here

so that they can have
a better life.

- And they must be
so proud of you out here.

I know all of our families are.

- It took them
a long time to really

be OK with me being a chef.
- Yeah.

- It took them years, actually.

For me to be here right now
is so important.

- It's such a blessing.
- It is, dude.

Yeah.

- This is Alex.

- I need to see everybody
in the dining room, please,

as quick as you can.

Thank you.
- Yes, Chef.

Got it.

Chef, in the dining room,
right now.

- Oh, God.
I'm gonna throw up.

Chef Ramsay orders us
back in the dining room.

Oh, my God.

What's going on?

Like, my brain is all
over the place now.

I don't even know
what to think.

- Line up.

ASAP.
Let's go.

This morning,
you had to make choices--

which dishes to present
to Chefs Jon and Vinny.

Five of you...

decided to drop your dishes

and essentially, take yourself
out of the challenge.

As I've said to you
many times,

never let anything
get in your way.

So five of you are now
going to cook for your life.

Because at least one of you
will be going home.

- Five of you decided
to drop your dishes--

Tara, Alex, Alejandro,

Ileana, and Vlad.

You five are now going
to cook for your life.

Right now.

- You know,
it's kind of like a duck.

I look calm and composed,
but inside,

there's thousands
of different things

that are going in my head,

and, you know,
one of them is that

if you don't cook for your life
right now,

you're gonna lose
your chance.

- As for the rest of you,
you're all safe.

Right.
Please head off into the dorms.

- You know you got this.

You know you got this too, bro.

- Good luck, bro.
Good luck.

Good luck.

- I definitely let something
get in my way today.

I let somebody else
put their dish up,

so here I am,
on the chopping block.

- All five of you will have

40 minutes to get creative

and deliver me
an amazing chicken dish.

Is that clear?
- Yes, Chef.

- Prove to me
that you're worthy

of staying
in this competition,

and prove to me
that you should be considered

for the position
as my head chef.

Yes, Chef.

- I'm gonna put out
my best dish.

I'm gonna cook for my life.

I deserve to be here,
and I'm gonna show them why.

- Your 40 minutes starts now.

In today's
Cook For Your Life challenge,

Tara, Ileana, Vlad,
Alex, and Alejandro

will have 40 minutes
to elevate

one of the most popular
proteins in the world--

chicken.

- Oh!
- Oh, my God.

- We're like, stress eating.

This is literally one
of the scariest movies

I've ever seen in my life,
but I'm like...

Thank God I don't have to cook.

- I'm ready to get out there,
get all the jitterbugs out,

and just cook an awesome meal.

I debone, essentially,
half the chicken.

The first thing I need to do

is get that chicken
in the pan.

- He looks like a badass
right now.

Look at Ileana's face.

- I'm trying to not
be all over the place,

but it's really hard
when you've got

40 minutes
to cook for your life.

I really like being able
to plan things out,

and you can't plan things
in "Hell's Kitchen."

Oh, she's zoned in.

- The first thing
that I saw is an eggplant.

It just kind of
reminded me of a crudo dish

that my chef and I ran.

- Oh, wow.

Eggplant.
- Come on, girl.

- That's gonna look like ass.

- I'm scared.

Challenges are not
my strong suit at all,

but I know that I just
have to go out here

and I have to cook
my ass off.

- At the end of the day,
you have to cook what you know.

You know, I saw okra.
I saw patty pan squash.

I saw carrots, and my mind
just starts thinking

of things that I can put
together that would

be a summertime vibe
in Tennessee

that I would have sold
at my restaurant.

- I'm shocked he went simple
with carrot puree.

- He's cooking what he knows,

which is good-ass
Southern food.

- This dish needs a starch.

It needs something else,
you know,

something to kind of give it
that fattiness, that richness.

I was like, you know what?
I can do polenta.

Polenta takes 40 minutes,
but I don't care.

Chef Ramsay told me not to let
anything get in my way,

so I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna get polenta on,
and I'm gonna finish this.

If I have to take it all the
way until five seconds, I will.

- Oh, he put some
pasta water in there.

- It takes a while
to cook polenta, dude.

My mind is going
a million miles an hour.

Like, I'm trying to compose
a dish right now.

There's so many
different things

I could be doing right now.

Where's my bowl?
Oh, my God.

I just need to get
my mind focused

and get into one dish,

not 15 dishes that are going
in my head right now.

There's no pot, pans
over on this side.

Oh, my God.
That sucks.

- She looks nervous as hell.

- No pan.

- Tara is mouth breathing.

What we're hearing from Tara
is like, where's the peeler?

Where's the wine?
Where are the bowls?

- That is not
the questions you need

to be asking with the
highest stakes on the line

that you've ever had.

- She's just trying
to figure out what to do.

- She's wasting her time.

I am about
to myself.

This is the most stressful,
most intense moment in my life.

You know, I'm definitely
focused and honing in

on everything that I'm doing,
keeping everything in check,

keeping a mental clock on all
the ingredients that I have.

- Are those pickle--
what is it?

- So predictable.

- Those are delicious.
They're good.

- Truffle slices.
- Truffle boy.

- He's probably gonna
add truffles to an...

- Pommes.
- Pommes, absolutely.

- I don't like truffles
that much

to be put
in everything though.

- Nobody is getting
in my way tonight.

- 10 minutes.

10 minutes goes by
so fast.

- I'm running around,
thinking I've got

plenty of time, but Chef Ramsay
comes in and says 10 minutes,

and I'm like, what?

And all of a sudden,
I go from calm, cool,

and collected
to panic mode.

I mean, my chicken
is still raw,

and I have 10 minutes
to get it fully cooked,

rested, and then on a plate.

At this point, I'm just
praying to the chicken gods

that that pan
does its magic

and that butter
does its magic.

- Oh, come on.

- Ah.

- 3 minutes.

Let's go.
Ladies, 3 minutes.

- Yes, Chef.
- Come on, guys.

- We have a time?

Focused on myself
and myself only.

Right now, this is about
the me challenge.

It's an individual
challenge to stay here,

and I'm the only one
that I'm focused on.

- Just under 90 seconds,
ladies.

- Ah!

- Alex is nervous.

- He needs to cook it more.

- All right.

- 60 seconds.

- You finishing with
a little vinaigrette, or...

- I dress them
with some vinaigrette.

I'm gonna put a little bit.
Yes, Chef.

- Ileana, please make it
on the plate.

- 30 seconds.

Let's go.

- Oh, man!

- Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four...

- Oh, my God.
- Three, two, one.

- Good job. Good job.
- And serve.

- This is it.

Because at least one of you
will be going home.

Let's start off with
Alejandro, please.

- So we have rosemary polenta,
a chorizo broth,

chicken that's been seared
on the skin side,

and spring veggies.

I feel good.

I felt like I gave it my all,

and I put myself in
my flavor profile on the plate.

- Chicken is
cooked beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef.

- I love the crisp
on the skin.

Polenta is delicious.

I'm amazed you got
that flavor in there

in that short period of time.

Good effort.

- Thank you.

I know it was a do or die
kind of situation,

but you know, if I go home,
I guess I go out with a bang.

- Good start.

Let's see how it sits
in comparison.

Next up, Ileana, please.

- My heart's pounding
through my chest right now,

but I looked down on my dish,
and I'm happy with it.

- Thank you.
- I tasted everything,

and I know that
it tastes awesome.

- And describe the dish.

- I've got
an aubergine puree,

crispy fried brussels sprouts,

with a lemon sherry
vinaigrette.

My chicken, I seared it skin
side down to get it crispy.

- Why the eggplant puree?

- Because it reminds me
of my chef at home.

That's something that
he taught me how to make.

- The eggplant puree
is way too thin.

- OK.

- So you've created this
sort of--this sort of slurry...

- Yes, Chef.
- At the bottom here.

It's very sweet.
Why is that so sweet?

What did you put in there?

- Honey.
- Honey.

- Yes, Chef.
- So use that sparingly.

It's very powerful.

But great sear on the chicken.
Love that.

- I'm trying
to keep my head up,

and I'm trying
to stay confident,

but my heart's in my throat,

and I'm trying to keep from
like falling out at this point.

- Thank you.
Take that back.

After tasting Ileana's dish,

I'm now prepared to send...

Alejandro back to the dorm.

Your dish was exceptional.
Good job.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, buddy.

- Good luck, guys.
Good luck, guys.

Baby, I am back,
and I'm not going anywhere.

- Ay!

- It was definitely
a wake-up call.

It's definitely lighting
a fire under my ass.

You gotta go in there
with no fear.

You looked confident
as.

- And I'm gonna be a force
to be reckoned with.

You better believe it.

- Next up, Tara.

- I know it looks
so beautiful,

but honestly, I'm not happy
with that carrot puree.

But I need to sell it.

I need to sell that whole dish.

Today, I made a
pan-seared airline chicken

that I stuffed with some
thyme and lemon zest,

with a little carrot puree,
a parsley,

and basil pesto
and bacon fat potatoes,

topped with some
crispy onion rings.

- Why the carrot puree?

- I love carrot puree
with chicken.

I think it goes
very, very well.

- Chicken
is cooked beautifully.

So chicken is delicious.

These mashed potatoes,
wonderful.

Pesto is vibrant.
Love the onion rings.

The only issue I've got with
this is the carrot puree.

It's dull,
but everything else--

it sort of brings
the dish down

as opposed to elevating it.

Thank you.
- Thank you.

Tara.

I thought the dish
was excellent.

- Thank you, Chef.

- Head to the dorm.

- Bye. Thank you.

Ah!

Oh, my God, I have to scream.

- Tara!

Oh!

- Tara!

- I'm the last
40 year old standing.

I'm holding my own
with these girls

that have gone
to culinary school,

that have worked
for Michelin star chefs.

I'm so proud of myself,
and I need to hold myself up

to that high standard because
I can compete with anybody now.

- So proud of you.

- Up next, Alex, please.

- On the confidence meter,
on a scale out of 1 to 10,

I'm about a 6.4.

As Bon Jovi would say,
I'm living on a prayer.

I wanted to do a taste of
back home Tennessee summer,

so I've done a spiced
carrot puree, grilled okra,

and pan-roasted chicken breast
with a crispy carrot chip.

- Chicken is crisp.
Beautiful.

Puree is exceptional.

- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Alex, say goodbye
to Vlad, Ileana.

Head back to the dorm.

- Good luck, bro.

- Really good.

- Thanks, Chef.

I mean, that was
one of the top--

top one most stressful moments
in my life.

Oh, my God.

With Alex
safely back in the dorm...

Oh!

- Yay.

I'm still trying
to calm my nerves.

That
was stressful.

- Welcome back, dude.

Today's
Cook for Your Life challenge

is now down to Ileana and...

- Vlad, step forward, please.

Describe the dish, please.

- You have
a airline chicken breast,

seared and then roasted
in the oven,

truffle pommes puree,
crispy maitakes,

crispy chicken skins,

and cipollini charred
and roasted, Chef.

- You've got all these crispy
mushrooms beautifully cooked.

Why sit them
in a puddle of fat?

It's a shame you've got that
nice, crispy bit on top,

and underneath,
they're gonna be soggy.

So chicken, nailed beautifully.

The actual truffle
mashed potatoes, lovely.

But personally, if
I'm frying mushrooms like that,

I sit them on top
of the crispy chicken breasts.

Crispy, 360. Not 180.

Back in line, please.
- Yes, Chef.

- This is really hard.

- My heart is beating
probably 200 beats a minute.

It's about representing.

I'm representing
all of the restaurants

that I've ever worked at.

I'm representing my husband,
my family, myself.

Someone has to go home tonight,
and I don't want it to be me.

- I've sacrificed too much
to lose now,

but is Ileana's dish
better than mine?

Am I going home over the way
that I plated the mushrooms?

Honestly, being up there,
being the last two,

it sucks.

- My decision is...

Vlad.

Young man,
head back to the dorm.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Congratulations.

- As I'm headed through
the kitchen, I dropped tears.

I mean, I'm just
shook with happiness.

I just went and fought for
my life, and I get another day.

- That was
a really good effort.

The chicken was
cooked beautifully.

It's just so sweet.

And with a combination
of that liquid puree

and that vinaigrette,
it just sort of--

it destroys what you've done
with the chicken.

You're just not ready
to become my head chef.

Keep going.
- Yes, Chef.

- Please.
- Yes, Chef. I will.

- May I have that jacket?
Thank you.

- Chef, thank you
for the opportunity.

It was an absolute honor
to be here.

- Head up.
- Incredibly blessed.

- Keep going.
- Yes, Chef.

- Don't you dare slow down.
- Yes, Chef.

I feel hurt to be leaving
"Hell's Kitchen" right now,

but I'm in no way
disappointed.

I definitely don't think
as quick on my feet

as I should have,
but you only know

what you've been exposed to,
and unfortunately,

I haven't been exposed
to enough.

And I feel very proud
to have experienced this.

I'm really looking
forward to the future,

and I'm really looking forward
to continuing to grow.

- When you're cooking
for your life,

every detail matters.

One overly-sweet puree
got Ileana sent away.

Next time,
on "Hell's Kitchen"...

- So it's time
to even things up.

- Uh-oh.
- Will a team swap...

- Joining the Red team
will be...

- God.

Cause some of the chefs

to step up in the challenge,

and others to flame out
in the kitchen?

- Careful.

- Ow!

Find out
who will make the cut...

- That's blue.

Get it in the oven!

- Damn it, dude.

And who will
end up underwater.

- I feel like Jack
on the Titanic,

and you guys just
let go of my hand.

And what has Chef
Ramsay laughing hysterically?

- Damn.
- On the next...

"Hell's Kitchen."