‘Hell’s Kitchen 22’ episode 14 recap: Who was sabotaged and eliminated in ‘Don’t Be Fooled’? [LIVE BLOG]
Tonight on “Hell’s Kitchen,” it’s a race to the finale, as the chefs are faced with a Hell’s Kitchen Grand Prix challenge with a twist. During dinner service, the chefs are put to the test to see if they have the attention to detail it takes to run a kitchen with a few tricks thrown in by Gordon Ramsay. Tasked with impressing guest diners including NY Jets Solomon Thomas, “Superstore’s” Lauren Ash, “Hot One’s” Host Sean Evan and former Journey lead singer Jeff Scott Soto, find out which chefs will be taking a victory lap, and which ones will fall flat in the all-new “Don’t Be Fooled” episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” airing Thursday, January 18 (8:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Season 22 started with 18 contestants competing for the $250,000 grand prize and a head chef position at Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas. The chef-testants still standing are Carmen, Sammi, Johnathan and Ryan. View the complete gallery of this season’s contestants and their elimination order above.
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SEE ‘Hell’s Kitchen 22’ cast: Meet the 18 chefs competing in ‘The American Dream’ [PHOTOS]
8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’!” In episode 13, the chefs learned that influence can make or break their future when they prepared to impress Gordon’s 100 million social media followers in the presentation challenge. Following a rough dinner service, Gordon decided to eliminated Leigh and Dahmere, stating, “Leigh needs more experience and Dahmere needs more finesse, but they both will make great head chefs some day. It’s just not today.” Who will be eliminated next?
8:05 p.m. — After his worst performance of the season, Johnathan heads up to the dorms and pledges to gather his composure. The bromance with Ryan is real and these two are determined to be the last ones standing in the end. The next morning the chefs return to the kitchen, where Gordon introduces the first ever Hell’s Kitchen Grand Prix. For their next challenge, they’ll have two minutes to grab ingredients and make a killer dish. The winner will host a pop-up event at a luxury resort in Florida. Gordon encourages them to make a “coastal cuisine” that is resort-worthy. Let’s go!
8:10 p.m. — With the race for ingredients complete, the chefs have 45 minutes to create a stunning dish. But there’s a twist! Gordon tells Carmen to lift up a placard on the front of her cart and it says “Johnathan”! That’s right, they were not shopping for themselves, but for a competitor who now gets to use all the ingredients they chose. Ryan will take Sammi’s cart, Sammi gets Johnathan’s and Carmen gets Ryan’s. Gordon wants to see how the chefs adapt under pressure. Their 45 minutes starts now! Carmen is conflicted and hates the ingredients she received from Ryan. Will her dish struggle or will she be able to rebound? Sammi also looks frustrated with Johnathan’s ingredients, saying it looks “land-locked” and not tropical at all. The men appear completely fine with the ingredients they stole from the women.
8:20 p.m. — Sammi is up first with grilled Mahi Mahi and a chilled corn salad. Gordon says it’s “delicious” and she sits down in the leader’s seat. Up next is Ryan’s jasmine rice with grilled swordfish. Gordon says the dish is “desperately needing salt” and Ryan will not surpass Sammi. Next is Carmen’s pan-seared flounder with Bok choy. Gordon loves the dish and Carmen overtakes Sammi in poll position. Last up is Johnathan’s crab cake with sweet and spicy puree. The crab cake is delicious and Johnathan wins this contest. It’s a great redemption after Johnathan’s disastrous performance last week. Johnathan will not only now host a pop-up event at the Florida resort, but he’ll also win two round-trip plane tickets. For today, he’ll enjoy a jet ski adventure and decides to take Ryan along with him. Sammi and Carmen will stay in the kitchen separating fresh coconuts.
8:25 p.m. — While Ryan and Johnathan enjoy their jet ski adventure, Carmen and Sammi discuss how “arrogant and cocky” the men have become. They haven’t been “wowed” by their dinner service performances and pledge to take the boys down. Meanwhile, the guys have a bromantic picnic and talk about crushing tonight’s dinner service. Later they come back and gloat about how great the reward was. Carmen says, “You guys deserve it,” and then rolls her eyes as they walk away.
8:30 p.m. — It’s time for dinner service and Gordon will be up to some mischievous tricks, secretly sabotaging each chef as they take turns running the pass. Carmen is up first calling the orders. In the first sabotage, Chef Christina Wilson has switched out the butternut squash puree for carrot. Carmen spots it immediately. For her next test, Gordon switches Ryan’s carbonara with pappardelle noodles. Once again, Carmen spots it immediately. Appetizers are going out smoothly to some very happy diners. Unbeknownst to Carmen, she’s holding her final sabotage. The wrong number of entrees are written on her ticket. She misses that one, and Gordon points out Carmen only has three entrees for a four-top table. Overall, Gordon seems happy with Carmen’s performance.
8:35 p.m. — Ryan is up next at the pass. For his first sabotage, Gordon replaces the rice with orzo. He catches it quickly and Gordon gives him a “well done.” Next up, Marino gives Ryan the wrong number of entrees. Once again, Ryan spots it and calls Marino back. Later, Carmen overcooks some steak and Ryan isn’t happy. She re-fires her steaks and the next two are perfect. Ryan is a success on the pass and Johnathan is up next. For his first test, Johnathan is handed a carbonara with fava beans instead of peas. He spots it immediately without even tasting the dish. Next, Gordon switches Sammi’s salmon for arctic char. Johnathan misses the switch and nearly serves the wrong fish to diners. For his final test, Gordon switches a rack of lamb with a rack of venison. Johnathan doesn’t know what’s on the plate, but he knows it’s not lamb.
8:45 p.m. — Last on the pass is Sammi. She tells Ryan his lobster tails are overcooked and sends them back. He brings back another batch and this time she tells him “they’re under.” Sammi wants utter perfection and Ryan is not happy to be called out like this. His third attempt finally meets her approval. To test Sammi, Chef Christina serves arugula instead of spinach, which Sammi spots immediately. For her final test, Gordon replaces halibut for Chilean sea bas. She doesn’t quite catch it and feels a little disappointed in herself.
8:50 p.m. — Gordon tells all of them it was a job well done. Now they must go up to the dorm and have a “really deep discussion” to convince their fellow chefs why they deserve to move on in this competition. That’s exactly what they do. All of them define what the “American Dream” means to them.
9:00 p.m. — The final four chefs head back downstairs to face Gordon. He tells them only three will advance. Each chef explains why they should be among the final three. Gordon announces the final three in this order: Ryan, Johnathan and Sammi. He calls Carmen forward telling her, “You have bucket loads of creativity” and “the total package.” He lets Carmen keep her black jacket as she leaves. In closing, Gordon states, “It’s always difficult to let go of any chef that makes it into the final four, but Carmen’s lack of experience puts her one step behind the other three great chefs I have left.”
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