‘Hell’s Kitchen 23’ episode 1 recap: 18 all-new chef-testants compete in ‘Hell Heads East’ [LIVE BLOG]
The theme of “Hell’s Kitchen 23″ is “Head Chefs Only” and these 18 talented head chefs come from all ages, backgrounds, culinary specialties and restaurant types. They’re used to calling the shots. With such proven leaders in the kitchen, Chef Gordon Ramsay is setting the bar higher than ever before.
The 18 contestants will set out to impress Chef Ramsay in the Signature Dish Challenge before embarking on their first dinner service. For the first time in “Hell’s Kitchen” history, the show will take place on the East Coast at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in the “Hell Heads East” season-premiere episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” airing Thursday, September 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
SEE ‘Hell’s Kitchen 23’ cast: Meet the 18 chef-testants competing in ‘Head Chefs Only’ [PHOTOS]
8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’!” In last season’s finale, it all came down to Ryan O’Sullivan vs. Johnathan Benvenuti. In the end, Chef Ramsay chose to award Ryan with the head chef position at Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas. “I still don’t believe it’s real,” the 28-year-old Irish immigrant told Gold Derby. “The emotions came pouring out.” But enough about last season. Let’s see who’s competing for the big prize this year!
8:05 p.m. — For the first time in its 23-season history, “Hell’s Kitchen” has moved to the East Coast. For this historic occasion, the 18 talented chefs are getting a special escort from the United States Coast Guard. While they enjoy their arrival, the chefs are ready to do battle come hell or high water. As they pull up to the dock in their small boats, they’re excited to see what’s in store. Gordon explains that for the first time in “Hell’s Kitchen” history, all of the competitors are head chefs. He calls it “the most accomplished group in the history of the competition.” Although they’re all head chefs at home, here they’ll be guided by Gordon’s extraordinary sous chefs, James Avery (restaurant owner/executive chef) for the men’s Blue Team and Michelle Tribble (“HK All-Stars” winner) for the women’s Red Team. Next, Gordon reveals the winner this season will become his head chef at Hell’s Kitchen Foxwoods Resort Casino, one of the largest casino resorts in the United States and home to this season’s competition. They’ll also take home $250,000 cash.
8:15 p.m. — The competition gets started right away with the Signature Dish Challenge. Each chef has 40 minutes to whip up their best dish. This will be an important first introduction to Gordon. With that, they head to the kitchen and get this season started! With just 10 minutes left in their cook time, Brittany suffers the first major setback, cutting herself and bleeding all over her pasta. She gets bandaged up and will have to remake her pasta, but doesn’t have time to make it as restaurant-quality as the last batch. With just a couple minutes remaining, the chefs carefully plate each dish. Then, it’s time for judgement. Which team will come out on top with the most points? For the record, the past two “Hell’s Kitchen” champs scored perfect 5’s on their signature dish. In fact, all three of last year’s finalists did — so anyone with a perfect score tonight could be one to keep an eye on!
8:45 p.m. — The Red Team and Blue Team will be judged head to head, but the highest total team score will win this challenge. In the case of a tie, Gordon’s favorite dish of the night will break the tie. Here’s how the scores shook down:
Ann Marie‘s seared scallops over risotto ties Uri‘s handmade papardelle pasta dish 4-4
Magali‘s poached shrimp cavatelli ties Anthony‘s miso lemongrass steak with corn puree 5-5
Brittany‘s shrimp and handmade pasta ties Kyle‘s Thai red curry red snapper 4-4
Corbin‘s pan-seared New York strip and polenta defeats Amber‘s elk tenderloin with sweet potato puree 4-3
Meghan‘s garlic prawns defeats Egypt‘s duck tostada 5-4
Amanda‘s pan-seared duck breast with lemon risotto defeats Michael‘s roasted lamb rack 5-4
Whit‘s coconut milk poached fish and gnocchi defeats Joe‘s chicken scarpariello 5-4
Brandon‘s roasted chicken breast and dumplings defeats Lulu‘s masa tortillas with charred salsa roja 5-4
Hannah‘s maple duck breast with chocolate demi-glace defeats Shant‘s crusted lamb with potatoes 5-4
Just for reference, seven chef’s scored a perfect five tonight, as opposed to just three in last season’s first episode. This could be the most competitive season yet! The Red Team wins this challenge 40-38, giving the women their first victory of the season. For their prize, they’ll have a special dinner at Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon. The Blue Team will unload delivery trucks, stock the kitchens and clean up the mess.
8:55 p.m. — As the Blue Team finishes their exhausting punishment, the Red Team returns from their dinner date with Gordon. Chefs Michelle and James deliver homework for the contestants — Hell’s Kitchen recipe books so they can prepare for their first dinner service. As everyone jokes around inside, Anthony and Egypt spend time together on the patio. Anthony says everyone is acting like this is a vacation and “it’s pissing me off.” These two aren’t happy the Blue Team lost and will be highly annoyed if the rest of their team doesn’t study this recipe book.
9:00 p.m. — The chefs are surprised when Chef James says Gordon would like to see them all outside. When they walk out the doors they’re bombarded with paparazzi. Next, they watch as Gordon takes a flamethrower and lights a blazing fire! And just like that, this season opener is “To be continued…” No elimination tonight! Next week, the kitchen heats up as the chefs man the line at their first dinner service.