Giddy up, PopWatchers, the Hell’s Kitchen season finale is almost here! Can you taste it? Next week, during two back-to-back episodes, Ramsay will start with three cooks and ultimately crown one winner whose name will be etched in stone in the hall of reality-TV accomplishments. In other words, we’ll all likely forget who won 15 minutes after the fact, but I’m still pumped and ready for some closure. Since I want to discuss my final predictions, the recap portion of this post will be a bit leaner than usual. Let’s get cracking.
Before the other contestants woke up for the day, Dave was already in the bathroom giving himself a motivational speech: “Stay focused. Keep your eye on the prize. Win.” Yeah, the speech was about as inspirational as the dialogue from Rocky V, but if it worked for Stallone, why not Dave? The chefs headed downstairs, where they were greeted by an 8-year-old version of Chef Ramsay. It was fairly obvious that the kid’s lines and the chefs’ reactions were filmed on separate takes, but that’s okay; after all, the little guy was cute, and his resemblance to Ramsay was uncanny.
Individual challenge: Each chef had to design a vegetarian dish and cook 80 portions of it. The judges: 80 brats kids. When the children discovered that their meals weren’t ready yet, they started chanting “We want food!” Again, I doubt the munchkins did this all on their own; I surmise that the show’s producers encouraged their misbehavior. But I appreciated the response from Dave, who ran across the kitchen exclaiming, “I got food!” Dave then selected a nickname for himself by asking the kids, “Who wants a sandwich from the one-armed bandit?” After tasting all four dishes, the children filled out ballots and chose Tennille’s vegetable-stuff eggplant as their favorite.
Reward/punishment: Tennille was whisked away to Beverly Hills (that’s where I want to be — sorry, had to do it) for a beauty makeover. Would this have been the reward had Dave or Kevin won? Tennille then enjoyed lunch with Ramsay at the sushi joint Nobu, while the losers had to clean the colossal dining-room mess.
Dinner service: For the most part, it was a triumphant service, and Ramsay commended the chefs for working as a team. The night’s weak point was Tennille, who repeatedly struggled on the fish station — her scallops were rubbery, her sea bass was burnt, and her halibut was raw. At one point, Ramsay took her backstage and implored her to get it together. When Tennille returned to the kitchen, she did just that and rebounded nicely. The other development was the one-armed bandit’s escalating pain. Dave had to leave the kitchen after he lifted a pan with his fractured wrist, sending a lightning bolt of pain throughout his body. Ramsay had a medic look over Dave, but moments later, Dave was back in action, fighting his way through the discomfort.
Elimination: Ramsay expressed concern regarding Dave’s wrist, and Dave responded with a monologue even less convincing than his opening speech: “I feel fine. This hand (pointing to his uninjured hand) is fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. I feel good. I feel strong.” Ramsay was somehow impressed by this display of first-grade vocabulary, but really, Dave was never going to be eliminated anyway (as I’ll explain in a moment). Instead, while the four chefs were still lined up in the kitchen, Ramsay asked for Tennille’s jacket. Yup, it was Tennille’s time to go, but I’ll miss her — she had the most vibrant personality of all the Season 6 contestants, and a significant portion of my Hell’s Kitchen pleasure came from her predictably unpredictable remarks.
Final prediction: So we’re left with Ariel, Dave, and Kevin. Ariel’s been up for elimination twice while Dave and Kevin have avoided the chopping block all season long, so I’m thinking that this will end in a Dave vs. Kevin confrontation. Kevin has been at the top of my rankings every week, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he was this season’s most proficient chef. But lately I’ve been sensing an underdog momentum for Dave due to two factors: (1) He’s admirably persevered even though he’s been plagued by a serious injury, and (2) the show has given Kevin an alarming amount of time to boast about his “imminent” victory. For instance, toward the end of last night’s episode, Kevin declared, “It’s the final three — I knew I’d be here. Just two more people in my way.” And at the episode’s beginning, he explained that he knew everybody’s weakness, and that “unless somebody figures out my weakness, they’re screwed.”
Kevin’s weakness is simple: His victory seems too inevitable, and therefore, too boring. Sure, Kevin’s a better chef than Dave, but Dave’s narrative is more appealing. His narrative is more appropriate for reality TV. His narrative makes for a more satisfying conclusion. And he has displayed more than enough talent and passion to succeed as a head chef at Araxi Restaurant. Thus, I’m predicting that this season’s champion will be Dave.
PopWatchers, are we on the same page? Am I nuts to be changing my mind this late in the game? And does anyone think Ariel still has a shot at the title?
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i’ve been thinking the same thing–Dave will win–Ariel out next
Yep that arm thing is what reality tv is looking for..but if they let an one arm chef them – its their own fault.
You are spot on. I said it from the start that it would come down to Dave and Kevin. I have liked Dave more than Kevin ever since he has hurt his wrist but still manages to come out on top. For that reason alone, plus he is very talented, he is calm, and he is such a nice guy, I pick DAVE as the winner too.
Go Team Dave.
Listen I think its coming down to Dave and Kevin, and honestly I think Dave is going to win. Now 1st off him and Kevin are equals in cooking if you ask me. 2ndly Dave clearly wants it more. Kevin is either a hypocrite or a liar if you ask me. In the last episode he said if Dave is in that much pain he should go home. That’s because he wants him gone. Now if what he said is how he really feels that proves that he doesn’t want it as much as Dave and that is what it is going to come down to because they are phenomenal chefs. Also Kevin is an idiot because Dave’s arm isn’t his weakness, if anything that’s a strength because it shows what Dave is willing to do to win. His actual weakness is presentation because he has a hard time talking to crowds. Lastly Dave’s not always gonna have a broken arm it’s gonna heal and he will be an even better chef when it does. So for Dave go win because I know you can do it.
i hope final 2: dave and ariel. kevin is too arrogant-that will be his downfall, i hope! unfortunately my prediction for the winner: kevin (yikes!)
hope the twins beat the nyy!!! go TWINS!!!!
My remote wasn’t working so all I could watch were the Twins Vs. Tigers game. Torture! I like to toggle. Next year, I hope the Twins win the division by Sept. 15th! And I hope Lowell, er, Dave, pulls off the win.
Lowell — brilliant!
you couldn’t get off the couch to change the channel?
Ha, St. Louis Cards fan, I couldn’t get up off the sofa as I wasn’t on the sofa. I was on a treadmill and I didn’t want to stop. Also, I’d have to drag over the weight bench in order to just reach the converter box since it’s my exercise room at work and the TV is hanging from the ceiling. Plus, I’d have to then move from ch. 247 to ch. 9 so no, I couldn’t change the channel. Still feel smart alecky? And, if we get the World Series and face your team again, we’ll beat them again.
haha I said way back Dave reminded me of Lowell.
I loved Tenille. She was the comedic relief in the mix. Everyone else is so dull.
I’m going to miss Tenille – she made some VERY funny comments!
Even if she was always screaming into the camera..LOL!
Yeah. I hope this doesn’t come across the wrong way but every time Tenille talked, particularly in the confessional, I was wishing for some sort of personal injury to be inflicted on her. That woman’s voice was SO irritating at the best of times. She was always shouting, and add to that the way she was always running down others.
How cute did Dave look when he smiled last night? I love an inarticulate man.
Tennille is usually entertaining, but they showed her confessionals too much last night, making me dread her shouting. She shouts everything. Also, showing her that much was a tip off she was outta there.
I just can’t understand why no one can cook halibut….
I think fish is hard to cook — it’s very unforgiving if you over-cook or under-cook it. And, it’s got to be hard to coordinate the timing of cooking the fish and the meats.
Or risotto!
With Tenille gone (as entertaining as she was), I can now give my “mute” button a rest.
Girl did clean up nicely with some makeup on….
Love Ariel & Kevin. I just wish Kevin’s wife would have told him to stop calling women B**ch’s. I hate how disrepectful the chefs are to each other. i dont believe Dave is in that much pain. I think he fakes alot for sympathy
I’ve been saying that Dave deserves to win this thing for weeks now because with only one hand he is a much better cook than most, if not all, the rest of the contestants. That said “The Hot Plate” test is the next big challenge for the trio and it alone will tell the story of who will be in the final. It’s no longer about who can cook the best, it’s about who can lead the kitchen and catch mistakes before they make it into the dining room. While I’m all for Dave winning I’m concerned about his ability to lead the kitchen and/or catch the mistakes. Honestly I think any of the three remaining could end up in the final and like I said last week whomever is stuck with Suzanne on their team will lose.
Dave’s monotone voice drives me crazy but I’m putting my money on him. He has shown great strength and tenacity throughout this competition. The fact that he’s been performing for weeks with one hand, in pain and still able to avoid being on the chopping block shows me that he is talented. Kevin’s arrogance will do him in. I like Ariel but I don’t see her taking the prize.
At least someone else besides me noticed his voice. Between him and Tenille and her yelling, I never got to actually hear the entire episode. Kept hitting the mute button. Dave does deserve it though. Keeps going even though he’s hurt, that says alot about a person. Any he never uses it as an excuse. Even better.
Anyone who has watched the show season after season knows that in the end Ramsay is going to pick the winner he personally wants, regardless of anything else. In some restaurants the position of “Head Chef” means they are the person in charge, but in cases where there is an Executive Chef, the Head Chef’s responsibilities are more like a Sous Chef. Araxi Restaurant does have an Executive Chef so that being the case, any of the three remaining could win because creativity will probably not be a requirement of the job.
While Dave can be commended for working with only one hand for most of the season – he hasn’t been working the more demanding stations, so he is less likely to make big mistakes.
I think it should come down to Kevin and Ariel, but unfortunately, I think it will be Dave as winner.
That’s simply not true. He has worked apps, both hot and cold, on multiple occasions and apps tend to set the tempo for the kitchen and need to be completed quickly. He was working Meat last night, and has worked it previously. The only station I’m not sure if he has ever worked was fish. And don’t forget he was covering for Andy when Andy had his injury so Dave was essentially working two stations at once.
It looks like Dave is engaged to his sister. They looked way too similar.
I agree… that was really creepy!
Actually his sister was the better-looking one of the two women. How old was Ariel’s fiance? He looked a lot older than her.
i said the same thing to my wife…in fact if you couldn’t see the dress, you couldn’t tell which was which. that was ariel’s fiance??? i thought it was her mother’s driver.
I noticed that too. They look like twins. Dave’s sister is hot.
I don’t find Kevin to be arrogant at all, he is just confident in his abilities and I think he should be. He seems to be a very competent chef and as much as I like Dave, I don’t think he could successfully run a kitchen. Look at how flustered Dave got the one day just trying to explain his dish to the judges. He seems like a nice guy and a good cook, but you need more then that to run a kitchen at an upscale restaurant. I will miss Tenille and her funny remarks.
Come on–there’s definitely a difference between confidence and arrogance. Confident people don’t need to brag about themselves constantly. As for how flustered Dave got trying to explain his dish–I think that was edited to look way worse than it was. Besides, since when does a head chef have to be a good public speaker? Dave for the win–he’s every bit as good as Kevin and with only one hand.
In the words of “Bikram” from The Office:
“Confidence – It is the fool of the wise man but the liquor of the fool.”
I don’t remember seeing an episode where Chef has ripped into Dave. Last week Chef ripped into Kev, Ariel has been on the block twice and the most Chef can yell at Dave is for is because he is risking hurting himself more. Dave has been the most consistent, has come in second a few times with the challenges. Also they way these shows work, whenever somebody is boasting, it usually means they are done. I don’t see Ariel making it. Its Kev and Dave and Dave winning.
I agree with you. Kevin’s actually been yelled at twice – last week, and a prior episode when Ramsay did a “Come here you donkeys” and Kevin didn’t think he had to come up with everyone else.
Dave has never been yelled at. Ramsey sure wouldn’t hesitate to do it too. It would not matter that Dave has a hurt wrist, so that proves Dave Rocks. What I didn’t understand is why did Ramsey give Suzanne and Tennille so many chances? Tennille even yelled at him in one espisode, no way in HELL I would have kept her AFTER that.
Tennille yelling at him showed him that she has passion for what she’s doing and judging from his other shows he respects passion a lot. As long as you aren’t just talking back to him to talk back to him he will respect you for speaking your mind and your passion for cooking. Just my two cents.