Cue the horror movie music, shield your eyes, and mute your televisions…Lacey is back. Yes, I realize that she was only in this week’s episode for a brief five minutes or so, but the sight of those clueless doe eyes and the sound of that voice (that apparently only comes out in a whine) were more than enough to make me want to stab my eyeballs out with my mechanical pencil. But, it is not the first time this show has prompted thoughts of self-preservational violence, and it’s not likely to be the last. So I soldier on. Aside from the dreaded return of the booted chef, this week’s show was a fine finale lead-in — nothing explosive, but plenty of decent moments — fishy and otherwise.
Things started off with Paula and Danny celebrating their final-twostatus with a little champagne, provided by the Ramsanator himself. Thetwo sipped their bubbly into the wee hours of the morning, when theyshould have been preparing their restaurant plans. Whoopsie. The nextmorning Danny, looking like a poorly fed Tarzan, stood shirtless andbefuddled in the middle of the room while his voice-over told us it was“absolutely the wrong day to have a bad day,” which roughly translatesto “Crap! I’m totally hungover.” The hangovers proved to provide littlein the way of drama, however, and so the whole thing was a bitpointless.
The first step in creating their own personal restaurants for thefinale dinner service required that the chefs meet with thearchitect/designer to develop the style of their dining room. Danny, asI giddily mentioned last week, told the designer that he wanted mountedfishies in his dining room. The designer told him that he probablydidn’t want his restaurant to resemble a bait shop. Mmmm. But what’smore appetizing than a place where you can buy live earthworms inTupperware? Then Danny suggested that he wanted to call his restaurant“Velvet Hammer” or “Susan Marie” (the latter was his mother’s name.Aww). I’m pulling for “Velvet Hammer,” or perhaps “Cuddly Wrench” or“Plush Electric Screwdriver.” I would dine in any of those fabulouslynamed establishments.
Once the planning was done, Ramsay announced that they would betaking another trip to Atlantic City. To tend to their budding fakerestaurants while they’re gone, however, Ramsay provided “specialadvisors” to hold down the fort. Paula’s were her mom and sister.Danny’s were his dad (who, oddly, looks like a high school mathteacher) and girlfriend, whom he referred to as “my chick.” Um, comeagain? Is this Grease, or Hell’s Kitchen? Did Iunwittingly stumble into a DeLorean? I can feel the feminist word vomitcrawling up my throat, so I will quickly move on lest I bore/annoy you.
With the fake restaurants left in capable-ish hands, the chefsheaded off with Ramsay to Atlantic City where they were introduced to aroom of over 500 employees of the Borgata resort and asked if theywanted to, you know, just say a few words to everyone. No pressure. Ihave to believe that Ramsay gave them an off-screen indication thatthey would be addressing a packed house, because both spoke comfortablyand well in front of the crowd. Or perhaps both are simply cool andcollected in that situation, and, if so, color me impressed — I wouldhave run off the stage crying my little bum off. Once theirmini-speeches were done, Ramsay introduced them to the president of theresort. He then asked the big man to pick three dishes off each of thechefs’ menus and, naturally, the challenge called for them to preparethem. Again, no pressure. The chefs prepared the meals, then rejoinedRamsay on stage with the dishes. Each set of dishes had a differenttaster, and as expected (why shake things up now?) the first two setsresulted in a tie. The fact that the taster (who was himself a chef andshould have a more impressive culinary vocabulary) said only thatDanny’s dish was “yummy,” when he had used an actual sentence tocompliment Paula’s dish, and then went on to declare Danny’s better,was supremely annoying. Couldn’t he at least have added “in my tummy”?After a nail-biting trip to commercial Danny was deemed the winner.
The chefs returned to their fake restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen tocheck out the progress of their dining room decors. Danny got hismounted fish, as requested, which made his dining room look like a foodcourt cafe at Sea World. Or the basement of my childhood home. Iwouldn’t line up to eat in either. Anyhoo, once the decor was discussedand approved, Ramsay presented Paula and Danny with six domes housing“key ingredients” for their final dinner service. Ta-da! Under thedomes were the heads of Ben, Carol, Andrea, L.A., Gio, and…Lacey. Iknow I mentioned it briefly a bit earlier, but LACEY?! I realize thatshe’s back because she’s one of the later contestants to have beeneliminated, but we all know she survived as long as she did solely tosqueeze every last viable drop of drama from that endless well ofwhinery. I mean, we have Ben back…isn’t one insufferable thorn in myside enough? Couldn’t you have thrown me a bone Fox? I’ll prepare mypencils now…It’s gonna be a loooooong finale.
So Popwatchers, how do you feel about the eliminated contestantsbeing back in the kitchen? Which team is stronger? Who will take homethe win? And did you like Danny’s dining room?
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I bet Danny started wishing he’d smiled in his obligatory HK photo shortly after it was unveiled across from Paula’s pretty smile in front of 500 employees.
I can’t wait to see who wins! I’m positive that it’s going to be Paula because she is placed on the right side of the door. ;D It’s good to see Lacey back for one more round. It’s gonna be a fun finale.
I met Paula last week at a South Florida food festival. She gave no hints either way (win or lose). She’s been better than most all season
If I remember my voted off order correctly, Lacey’s only back because Robert couldn’t be.
I thought Paula picking L.A. over Carol was a major mistake. Andrea is fine, but saddled with L.A. and the whiner? Blech! Danny has a big advantage with three chefs who at least can sort of cook and follow directions.
Dannys dining room was completely horrid. He has not a professional or creative bone in his body, and just doesnt seem to fit into the scheme of the show. However, Paula seems like she has no idea what she is actually trying to win. Theyre both clueless to the point where its ridiculous that either made it this far. I think the draw of ratings are more at play rather than finding the best qualified chef for a major establishment. Oh boy, we have seen so many shows take a bow to ratings, and it seems that HK is following suit. At least we still have COPS to keep it real. (lol)
If you go back and look at the previews for next week’s episode, they give away who wins in one of the shots.
Still want Danny to win!!
And so the long death march nears its end. At least these two I really have some respect for, compared to other finalists in other years. And looking at some of the failures again, I even had new respect for Andrea. and even Ben.
I think it is Danny’s to lose, especially with the team he’s chosen. By only swap there would be LA for Ben. But loyalty and friendship may make up the difference there. And besides, Lacey will be a boat anchor that will prove inescapable.
Since I live in Edgewater, FL, I am naturally rooting for Danny to win. However, I think Paula is very good, and most likely will win. She never seemed to take a false step and she never blustered about how great she was, just showed how good she was.
Pat, Paula has to keep Carol and Andrea separated. I don’t think she or Danny were crazy enough to put those two on the same team again.
The lovely looking Latino, or the gangster looking elf? Paula and Danny’s mug shots juxtaposed so perfectly, it almost seemed like the HK editors intentionally did that for a quick laugh.
As for Lacey, I admit that she had her likable moments (for me anyway), but not at this point. She’s pissed off too many people (in HK and viewers alike) and never reached a point where she could let her skills shine instead of her bickering mouth. In the likelihood that Lacey messes up horrendously, I bet Chef Ramsey will tell Paula to kick her out the way he made season 3 winner Rock kick out Josh. At least Paula did not choose Andrea, Lacey AND Carol. With one useless chef and two that hate each other in the same kitchen, that’ll be a sure sign of disaster.
Sorry, but I thought this episode was BORING. I knew it’d be boring going in since the first half of the two-part finales always leave us hanging by design, but it was still a waste of time. (Did we really need a 10-minute recap of the season?)
To me, the highlight was “Velvet Hammer”, which sounds to me less like a restaurant and more like a pimp.
T3hdow-
I’m a big fan of a lot of the stuff you write on the Popwatch boards, but I’m going to have to ask you to tell me, specifically, at which point in time was Lacey “likable.” I need a date and time.
Seriously, the best I can say about Lacey is that, a couple times, she wasn’t completely insufferable. I just don’t know if I can make the “likable” leap.
With Lacey’s return it’s going to be hard to watch. She is soooo annoying and doesn’t deserve to be on AGAIN!
To Ceballos:
It was around the time Lacey got bad mouthed by the red team (minus Paula), right around the time Ramsey made her switch sides. I can understand why they were upset, but their whining got irritating, fast (Lacey’s gone, so stop reminding us why you hated her every 2 minutes). It also didn’t help that the biggest whiners weren’t much better either; namely Andrea, who I always thought sucked (Giovanni and LA were eliminated too soon). So when Lacey improved (temporarily) after the switch, I almost applauded, knowing how stupid she made the women looked. Then she struck lightening again during the next dinner. Even Ramsey took notice. Alas, that’s when Lacey crashed and burned, and completely reverted to her old self. I don’t think Lacey’s absolutely hateable, but she rubs too many people the wrong way for her own good, and her skills are far too inconsistent for her to be a reliable chef. If Robert wasn’t taken out for medical reasons, there’s no doubt he’d be there instead.
Dullest. Episode. Ever. And what a surprise – another tie with a tie-breaking third choice. I love lobster and I love spicy but the minute I heard “Jerk Lobster” I knew that the lobster flavor would be gone completely. It would be like serving a lobster tail in a cup of Sriracha sauce. Best spicy lobster I’ve ever had was at a restaurant on the beach at Phi Phi Island in Thailand – giant lobster cooked on an open fire with the back cracked and stuffed with peppers, garlic and other spices. Very spicy but the lobster was still the star. Jerk spices vs. lobster….the spices are going to win every time.
Hard to pick a winner – strengths and weaknesses on both sides but Danny’s insistance of pairing seafood with fruit is ultimately offputting and his deaf ear to criticism of seafood/fruit is frustrating so I’m going to go with Paula. Hope the finale is more entertaining than this week’s boring show.
This season just didn’t grab me,seem too predictable and contrite.The last season I watched was the one with Heather winning-IMO by far the best. Everyone who came back to help annoyed me equally esp Lacey(should have listened to her mom and played nice),Carol and Andrea who ticked me off with her antics of hidding burnt food . Think I will just stick with Top Chef, however I do love watching Chef Ramsey scream “donkey”!
t3hdow-
Ok, I totally remember the time period you’re talking about (I write about this hot mess of a show every week) and I can definitely see your point.
However, just because the annoying red team’s constant whining was irritating (which it WAS) it didn’t necessarily make Lacey likable to me.
I too was impressed (and delightfully surprised) that Lacey helped the blue team take down the red team, but that was more because the red team was completely annoying (witness the tedious Andrea/Carol “feud”), and not because Lacey had become any more appealing.
It’s pretty easy to not be a terror when things are going well, but (if I recall) the instant things went south, Lacey was back to her beastly self. So, even when things were going well, Lacey wasn’t likable to me, she was just being a frontrunner. So, at her best, she’s a frontrunner and at her worst, she’s a lazy, whiny completely inconsistent chef.
To me, at least.
Not very eventful, but I do think the right 2 people are in the finals. I’ve liked this group of chefs better than any other season. Many of them had what it took but injury forced them out (Ji, Robert) or they just had one bad night (LA, Coi).
I really liked Ben, but with him out, I guess I’m rooting for Paula. Danny’s cool, but Paula’s been nearly perfect the whole competition. She seems more mature and better suited to being a head chef
Aaaahhh! Lacey, Ben, Carol, Andrea back again! Dang. I’ve only seen one season before (last season, with Christina as the winner), so I forgot six of the eliminated contestants come back… maybe I was just hoping it wouldn’t happen this time. I hope Lacey can pull it together for Paula, and that Andrea doesn’t crash and burn again. Hey, on the sunny side, at least Coleen or Seth aren’t back. I’m kinda rooting for Paula, but wouldn’t be disappointed to see Danny win, because they’ve both been pretty flawless so far.
It’s not just the “OMG A TIE!” bit –the whole process has gotten incredibly predictable. Right down to the “Oh I bet those are the returning chefs” anti-climactic bit. I kept hoping throughout the entire episode that they would change things up and NOT bring back the old cast … or maybe make them blind taste-testers for the finale … anything but the same tired old routine.
To Ceballos:
Eh, I can’t fault anyone for loathing Lacey. Even Ben, who was trying his hardest not to snap at Lacey, lost his patience around the time she was eliminated in the middle of dinner service. Everyone has a bad day, but there’s only so many times you can motivate someone to do their best.
For me, I think I empathized with Lacey when the red team bullied her like catty high school teens. After a while, it was almost witnessing some mentally challenged kid, getting wailed on constantly. It looked strangely pathetic; even more so when Andrea and Carol started attacking each other. That’s probably why I don’t completely hate her, even with her numerous faults. Even at that, I wasn’t exactly pleased to see her last night. Lacey went through enough suffering. Don’t bring her back into HK, even at this point of the competition.
I missed the show last night (doesn’t sound like I missed a lot). How are the teams set up? Who’s on what team?
And I agree with Frank that HK needs to mix things up more beyond choosing certified chefs. I like HK, but it’s gotten stale since the first couple seasons. I wish Ramsey wouldn’t pick the teams based on gender anymore (that started with season 2 and never changed since), and mix up the menus more beyond the rote risotto, scallops and beef wellington that’s a HK staple. Lastly, tone down the dramatic editing and staged events. The contestants bring enough emotional baggage to fill each season. No need to bring in artificial subplots like JP’s flamboyant rival or gimmicky challenges like training housewives to cook. The reason Survivor’s still able to please its fanbase is because the producers strive to make each season as unique as its cast. HK needs to do the same.
kiddo:
Danny’s has Ben, Carol, and Giovanni
Paula has Lacey, LA and Andrea
t3hdow and Frank are absolutely right.
If you’ve watched this show in the past (and especially if you’re a nerd and recap it like I do) you could’ve telegraphed yesterday’s episode to the T.
The contestants coming back, the challenge coming down to the wire (and even the fact that they’d travel to the restaurant and have pro chefs and an executive taste the meal during an “impromptu” challenge), the fact that the HK designer would roll his eyes at some of the chef’s ideas: EVERYTHING about this episode was totally predictable because it’s been the same thing the last couple of years.
This show needs to mix things up in the worst way. (cont.)
(cont.) As far as mixing things up, I’m just gonna throw this out there, see if it sticks: “Celebrity Hell’s Kitchen”!
Obviously, it’d be bottom-of-the-barrel, “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Outta here” level of celebs, but how much fun would it be to see Ramsay rant at true C-Listers. On top of that, they can’t be much worse cooks than some of the people who’ve made it on the show. (Best case scenario: some celebs can actually cook decently.)
Finally, I think most of us can agree the “head chef” position/reward in HK is mostly a fraud. The fact that last year’s winner Christina didn’t show up as a judge during the challenge was the one surprise in this episode (where is she). Maybe the winner of “Celebrity HK” can have their name attached to an existing restaurant as a reward for showing some culinary skill.
I know the last thing the world needs is another “Celebrity ____” but I think this could be fun. It definitely resucitated the “Apprentice” franchise.
i love this show, but i have to admit this season I stopped watching.
I got tired of hearing Ramsay incessantly screaming “this Wellington is RAW!!!!!!!!”, or the risotto is overcooked, or whatever else…
wonder if any of the returning “chefs wannabes” will sabotage two finalists? hmmmmm…..
I’ve been walking around all day saying, “IT’S BLAAAAAND!”