Ugh

Hell's Kitchen
Channel: FOX
Day/Time: Wednesday at 9pm (Check your local listings)

Ugh. If you watched last night’s Hell’s Kitchen then you know why I said that. In case you didn’t see it I’ll let you know what happened. The season is coming to an end. Just one more episode left now. So you know this means that Gordon Ramsay narrowed the field down to his final two. My exclamation is due to who he chose for the coveted positions. But let me take you through the episode first to get you up to speed.

In the final four we were left with Trev, Jillian, Nona, and Russell. Now, none of these four were someone I originally wanted to win. But since that is all we are left with I’ve decided to pull for Nona. The whole season Trev has been picked on by the other contestants and he just keeps on whining about it. Man I can’t stand that guy. No one can. It is completely understandable. He keeps messing up the food, he can’t cook, and his attitude is grating. He lived up to all of his annoying habits tonight as well by failing at the challenge and then messing up over and over at the dinner service.

Jillian has fared better on this show. While her voice is a little annoying to me, I was never impressed with her. She just always went on in the middle of the pack. Tonight she did pretty well though. She won the challenge despite having no clue of how to fuse cuisine from Thailand and Spain. She impressed the judges quite a bit. At the dinner service she did wonderfully on the meat station but messed up a little while running the pass and got screwed by Trev who couldn’t cook a piece of Halibut to save his life.

Nona has always been good. She has personality and never really bothered me. She can also cook very well. While she has messed up from time to time she has deserved to make it this far. On tonight’s episode Nona didn’t impress during the challenge. At dinner service she was great on garnish, which is good since she has fallen apart on that station before. When running the pass she had just one slip up and everything else was great.

Finally we come to the obnoxious Russell. I can’t stand that guy. Before tonight I just disliked him because he was so cocky and had this attitude that he was better than Ramsay. Tonight my dislike for him turned to hate. Yes guys, I said hate. My hate stems from everything I already said and for the fact that in a flashback clip Russell was wearing an old school “white rapper” visor that was cocked to the side. Really Russell? Really? Well tonight he lived up to his (insert expletive here) behaviors. He failed on the challenge and did all right at dinner service.

Now we have come to the big decision. Easy enough Trev was sent home first. He definitely should have left a LONG time ago. Now my mother and I were both hoping to see both girls in the final. But of course we knew better. Russell was named as the first of the final two. Hence my “ugh.” So we then learned that Nona made it to the final two. Sorry Jillian, it just wasn’t meant to be. But be happy, Gordon let you keep your jacket, and he almost never does that. So next week is the final episode of this season. Clearly I am pulling for Nona to win. Russell cannot win this. Even if he does the best next week and really deserves it, I hope Ramsay gives it to Nona just because no one wants to hear that cocky jerk gloat about winning. Let’s get it right this season Gordon!

I give this episode a solid four frames. If you had chosen Jillian and Nona then you would have gotten five frames Gordon.


Head on over to the forum at www.j1studios.com and talk about how horrible it was that Russell made it to the final two. Or you could tell me I'm wrong for hating him. But that probably won't change my mind.

Who wants funeral potatoes? Masterchef does!

Masterchef
Channel: FOX
Date & Time: Tuesdays at 9pm
Rating: Had profanity. May want to keep the kids away from this one.


So this summer FOX has continued its love affair with foul mouthed, trash talking super chef Gordon Ramsay. Personally, I’m okay with their love for him. I share the same affections towards the man. This is now FOX’s third show featuring the man. First there was Hell’s Kitchen, where if you read this blog at all you know I am desperately in love with. Second there was Kitchen Nightmares, which I do love but not as much. Now they have Masterchef. I am still on the fence about this one since it is only two episodes in. All of these shows are American takes of the British versions over there on the BBC.

I think everyone knows about Hell’s Kitchen so I won’t go into what it’s all about here. Kitchen Nightmares is less known. It takes the same elements that Ramsay is known for (i.e. yelling obscenities, cooking, making profitable restaurants) so no one is thrown off. In this show it’s not about getting the best chef. It’s about taking a failing restaurant and making it a profitable, successful business. Of course along the way Gordon insults the owners, and the wait staff, and the chefs, and the décor, and the menu and just about anything he can think of. But he also tells them how to make it better. In the end he usually turns the business around and the people are a lot better off for asking him to come in and curse them out.

The new show is Masterchef. Not only is there Gordon Ramsay judging, but there are two other well accomplished chefs. The first is Graham Elliot who was the youngest four star chef in America. That is no easy feat. Many chefs don’t accomplish that in their lives. The other judge is Joe Bastianich. Joe has opened, I believe, 12 successful restaurants around the world and also owns a vineyard or two. These are some pretty impressive judges. If I was a contestant on this show I would be peeing my pants on a regular basis.

So what is the point of Masterchef you guys must be wondering. Well, to be honest, I’m still wondering that myself. I have watched the first two episodes and it has been basically a bunch of “home cooks” preparing a dish that speaks to who they are or some nonsense like that. The cooks that have potential are chosen to be on the show. The ones that they don’t like are insulted and pretty much told to not cook again. Which I think is fine by some of their families. Some of that food looked nasty. After this what happens? Well from what I gather they put the chosen ones through a series of challenges to see who the best is. They are turning a home cook into a professional. It’s not clear if they win any money. I know they don’t win a restaurant. I’m guessing notoriety is what they are looking for here. Justification for leaving whatever job they have now to be a cook. They haven’t been completely clear on what the prize is here. But since I enjoy watching people get screamed and cursed at I’m game to continue watching. It kind of makes me think of Hell’s Kitchen and Top Chef rolled into one. And since I love both shows this could potentially be enjoyable.

So far, and based just on the first two episodes, I'm giving this show 3 1/2 frames. It may deserve more frames later on. But like judges for figure skating, I'm not throwing out the 10s till I see all the skaters.


This is part of the first episode. I couldn't get a shorter clip. Watch the whole thing, it's good. But what I wanted to show you starts in around the 6 minute mark.


Well, until next time kids, this has been Hava!

"Hell's Kitchen" Premiere: If you can't take the heat...well you know the rest

“Hell’s Kitchen”
Channel: FOX (Check your local listings)
Time/Day: 8pm Tuesdays

If you have never seen FOX’s reality show “Hell’s Kitchen” then you have been missing out. The general premise is this foul-mouthed master chef, Gordon Ramsey, is looking for the best chef to run the kitchen in a big restaurant (this year it is the Araxi restaurant in Wistler, British Columbia, Canada. The site of the 2010 winter Olympics). The chefs have to prove themselves through a series of challenges and dinner services and the whole time Ramsey is yelling at them and calling them some pretty funny names.

This season in the two hour premiere we were introduced to 16 new chefs (find their profiles here http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen) who all think they have what it takes. The 16 are divided in two teams of 8, the men against the women. The chefs have to first make their signature dishes for Ramsey with the hopes of impressing him. Well let’s say that out of the 16 only 5 got favorable reviews. After that it is on the punishments and rewards. Whenever a team wins a challenge they get a reward that usually affords them time with Ramsey. That is valuable. This time the men won dinner and a little celebrating upstairs in the apartments. The women had to clean up the kitchen. Fast forward to dinner service. In a few brief words, it was horrible. One of the male contestants was thrown out and off the show. The women never even served any appetizers. So of course they lost. When you lose you have to put up people for elimination that you think messed up the most and Ramsey then decides who should go home. This time around it was Melinda for being a deer caught in headlights. What was so great about this first half though was that it was the return of Robert, a contestant from last season who had to leave for medical reasons. Ramsey thought he would do better on the women’s team.

In the second half of the show we get another challenge where the teams have to clean whole shrimp perfectly. Again the men win by just one prawn. They were rewarded with a lunch with Ramsey where we find that ex-marine Joseph has no desire to pal around with Gordon. He just wants to cook and win. The women had to clean all of the shrimp that would be used for the next dinner service. The personalities really start to come out amongst the women and you can see that some people aren’t as great as they think they are. At dinner service people are butting heads all over the place. The maitre ‘d, Jean-Philippe (JP), got into with Van, the country Texas boy. Tennille (No, the captain isn’t there) almost served raw shrimp to a pregnant woman. People were all over the place and couldn’t cook right. The kitchen was shut down prematurely again. This time both teams lost and had to pick two people each to be put up for elimination. The best part of this show was the very end. The women put up their people without a problem but when Joseph was asked to say who the first person up was and why he just couldn’t get it together. It evolved into him saying he “ain’t no bitch” and going to get up in Ramsey’s face. Then of course the screen goes black and we have to wait till next week to see what happens.

I must say that I am biased towards loving this show because I love cooking and cursing and I get all of that and then some with “Hell’s Kitchen” and Gordon Ramsey. This season however looks very promising. The personalities are getting stronger and you never know what’s going to happen. Hell, next week there may even be punches thrown. Although I have to say, Joseph, I think you have some anger issues you need to resolve. Can we say PTSD people? Cause I think his therapist can.

I give this episode, and probably the whole season, 5 frames out of 5. I just prefer my food with a side of bitchiness and excessive cursing.




Head on over to J1studios to discuss reality, cursing, and the genius that is Gordon Ramsey.

Until next time kids, this has been Hava.