Original subtitles

narrator: Previously on "Hell's Kitchen 25."

in celebration of 25 seasons of Hell's Kitchen,

dinner service was a...

- Very, very special black tie gala.

narrator: The chefs were challenged

with creating unique dishes for the menu.

- Y'all both have scallops and y'all both have corn.

Are y'all making two different dishes?

- I'm doing scallops.

narrator: With Haley and Nadia both deciding to do scallops,

Nadia decided to pivot.

- What are you working on? - Crab cakes.

- I like the idea.

narrator: Despite the change on the fly,

Nadia's crab cakes with charred corn purée scored big.

- That's excellent.

- I think this one is delicious.

narrator: Earning her team...

- Nadia, well done.

narrator: Their first lead, while Miles...

- Cayenne-marinated ribeye. - Great flavor.

narrator: And Valentin's...

- Pan-seared Chilean sea bass.

- That's a beautiful, flavorful dish.

narrator: Impressed everyone.

- Valentin.

narrator: And sealed the win for the Blue Team.

During the black tie gala,

the Blue Team rose to the occasion.

- Wellies walking.

narrator: As they breezed their way

through another strong service.

- Now look at that. Wellington, Dylan. Beautiful.

- Thank you, Chef.

narrator: While Haley and Sandra's

complete meltdown on fish station...

- Can you give me a pass tray, please?

- A--a what?

narrator: Had the Red Team behind all night.

- Fish station is taking everybody down.

Get out. Back to the [bleep] dorms.

Georgiana. - Yes, Chef.

- On fish, please. Now. - Yes, Chef.

He picked me for a reason. He knows I can do [bleep].

narrator: But Georgiana managed to right the ship

and led the team to a respectable comeback.

- Great recovery. It's obvious who your nominees are.

all: Yes, Chef.

narrator: During elimination, despite a heartfelt plea...

- I've sacrificed a lot to be here.

narrator: Chef Ramsay sent...

- Haley.

narrator: Home, ending her dream of becoming head chef

at Hell's Kitchen Foxwoods Resort Casino

in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

♪ ♪

But Chef Ramsay wasn't finished.

- Mike. - Yes, Chef.

- You're joining the Red Team.

narrator: And now,

the continuation of "Hell's Kitchen."

- Now get out of here.

[tense music]

- I know.

I know I'm an amazing [bleep] cook.

But I [bleep] up yesterday doing cold apps on pizzas.

I [bleep] up today on fish.

And that's really what Chef Ramsay is seeing.

[sniffles]

[crying] - It's OK.

Listen.

The same [bleep] happened to me last night,

and we see what happened today.

I fought back. - I know, I know.

- I want you to do the same [bleep].

- I will.

- Sandra and I are very close.

Everyone notices it.

That her and I are, you know, two peas in a pod.

- Reset. Go to bed early tonight like I did last night.

Don't think about it too much, but think about what happened.

Think, reflect.

We have a lot of similarities.

Like, I have hard days

and I beat myself up and Sandra does as well.

And it was nice, you know,

having someone to kind of lean on in this situation.

- Thank you.

You're an amazing friend, Kylie.

- Huh?

- You're an amazing friend, Kylie.

Fix your posture. [laughter]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[energetic suspenseful music]

- Good morning. all: Good morning, Chef.

- Listen up.

Gen Z, do you know what this is?

- That's a calculator.

- Yeah. - It's a phone.

- It's a BlackBerry.

all: Yeah. [laughter]

- Man, a phone with buttons? That's insane.

- Listen up.

When "Hell's Kitchen" premiered in 2005,

smartphones were in their infancy

much like many of you.

- Oh, my God. - Who is that?

- That's Kylie. That's Kylie.

- So cute.

- I've been in the kitchen since I was a little girl,

if you can't tell, Chef.

[laughter] - Oh, my God.

- You look scared.

- Hey! - Who is that?

- Who is that? - Is that Miguel?

- Miguel?

[buzzer] - Georgiana.

- Oh, my God! [laughter]

- He thought it was me.

- Do I really look like [bleep] Miguel, bro?

- Gorgeous. Look at that hair.

[laughter]

all: Hey!

- Looking smart. Very dapper.

- Oh, my God.

- Miles. - Miles, that smile.

- He smiles exactly the same.

- Yeah. all: Hey!

[laughter] - Already in red, man.

Look at that.

- Evil Mike.

- Yes, sir. - Dylan.

- Picture that face with long hair.

[laughter]

Put a wig on that kid. That's Dylan.

- Little Val. - Valentin.

- Who is that, Mya?

- Yeah. [laughter]

- That does not look like you.

- OK, get it off.

- Sandra. - Wow.

- Miguel. - Me. Yeah.

[laughter]

- Boy, have you guys changed.

So has the way that we communicate.

Nowadays, your generation especially

likes to communicate with these.

Yes.

all: Oh. - Emojis.

- Yep. - Yup.

- For the start of your next challenge,

we're gonna have some fun.

Today, you're gonna be tested on your ability

to think quickly on your feet

whilst you compete to win ingredients.

Are you ready to play Cell's Kitchen?

all: Yes, Chef. - First up, Gabe and Nadia.

Let's go. - Let's go, Gabe.

narrator: For today's game of Cell's Kitchen,

an emoji puzzle will appear.

- Here we go.

narrator: The first chef to buzz in

and correctly identify the ingredient.

- Bell pepper. - Bell pepper.

It is correct.

narrator: Can assign that ingredient

to one of their three proteins

or strategically place it

on one of the other team's proteins.

- You want to keep it? - I will take chicken, Chef.

- Well done.

Next round. Here we go.

- Oh, [bleep].

- Nadia, please.

- Whiskey--wait. What's the top?

- I need an answer. Four...

- I don't know what that is. - Three, two, one.

- Yeah, I don't know what that is.

- Gabe, do you know what it is?

- A Bulleit whiskey, Chef. - Yeah.

- It's a delicious whiskey. That's right.

Great for caramelization, great for drinking.

- Put it on their bass. - No, no.

Keep it, keep it. It's good. - Keep it?

- Either on our strip or on their bass.

- We'll put it on their bass, Chef.

- OK.

- I think the Blue Team, they're gonna regret

giving the Bulleit to the Red Team.

It has a little sweet, smoky flavor.

- Next.

- Snap peas? - Yeah.

- Snap peas.

Correct. - I'm gonna keep it.

Black bass. - Black bass.

OK, back in line, you two.

Next up, Dylan and Sandra. Let's go.

- My grandma always sends these, like,

cryptic emoji combo texts

and I have to figure out what she's saying,

so I feel like this emoji puzzle game

is gonna be a breeze.

- Wow. Dylan. - Eggplant.

- Eggplant. Well done.

- I'm keeping it for the chicken.

- For the chicken. OK.

[dramatic music]

- Couscous?

- Well done. - That's really good.

- What the? - That's crazy.

- He plays this [bleep] for fun.

- Celery root?

- Well done. all: Yes!

- As much as I don't like smack talk,

I kind of just want to say to Dylan, like, what?

You didn't get that?

Keeping it, Chef.

Keeping it on the chicken. - OK. Smart.

narrator: Next up is Mya and Miles.

- Sweet potato, Chef.

- Well done, Miles.

- We're gonna put it on the strip, Chef.

- Here we go.

- Apple, Chef. - Damn it.

- Apple is correct. - Had it.

- We're gonna put it on the Red's New York strip, Chef.

- Oh, my goodness me.

- You're gonna love that apple.

- Next up.

- What?

- Dylan's got it again. Come on.

- Rice noodle? all: Yeah.

- Strip, strip, strip. Give it to their strip.

- I'll put it on their strip, Chef.

- Oh, man.

That's nasty. [laughter]

- Up next, Valentin and Kylie. Let's go.

- Rim or a plate?

- Ratatouille?

- Ratatouille. That's incorrect.

- I don't [bleep] know.

- The answer is...

radish. - Oh, my God.

- That's a dish. That's a plate, though.

I understand the rat part, but where's the "touille" from?

- We'll keep it on our black bass.

- Nice. Next up.

- Oh, oh. - Tomato.

- Tomatillo. - You got this, Val.

- You got it, Val. You know this.

- Come on, Val. - Kylie, you got this.

- Tomato?

[buzzer] - Aw.

- No. - So close.

Tomatillo.

Man.

- We're doing it on the Red Team's strip.

- Oh, my God.

- Apple and tomatillo for a New York strip?

- Here we go. Last round.

- Basmati rice?

- Well done.

- Valentin got them all.

I stood there like the grandma from 1980s.

Like, what's this word again?

narrator: Next in the match-up between Georgiana and Jonny G.

- Corn?

- Right, Georgiana.

narrator: The corn goes to

the Red Team's chicken breast and...

- Green bean. - Well done.

narrator: And the green beans complete

the Red Team's chicken dish.

- Here we go, final round.

- Oh. - Fingerling potatoes.

- Fingerling potatoes.

- Yes. [all exclaiming]

narrator: And the fingerling potatoes

complete the Red Team's black bass dish.

- The last pair, Mike and Miguel. Let's go.

- Boo, Mike. - Hey, beat Mike. Come on.

You gotta beat Mike, bro. You have to beat Mike.

- We're here to demolish Red Team like we've been doing.

- Here we go.

- Mike, you got this. - Oh, you got it.

- Cabbage.

- Well done! [all exclaiming]

- We're gonna put it on our bass, Chef.

- Nice. Right, next up. Here we go.

- Cucumber, Chef. - Well done.

- It's gonna go on

their New York strip, Chef.

- Oh, my goodness me. Sabotage.

Final round. Here we go.

- Polenta. - Well done.

- Nice, Mike. - We'll put it on their strip.

- [chuckling] Oh, my God.

- Uh-huh. - That's so bad.

[evil laughter]

- Well done.

Your 45 minutes start now.

Let's go, guys.

narrator: In today's challenge, each chef must

create an elevated dish with one of the proteins

and the three ingredients that were assigned to them.

- Whoa, we have the same idea? - Yeah.

- [bleep].

narrator: So each team will make two

dishes using the same protein.

- What's up, Red Team? What's up?

- What's up? What's up?

- This is a huge new chapter for the Red Team.

I mean, you got Mike in the new threads.

Like, what's good?

- Make sure you let your meats rest, ladies.

- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.

- And I can't just say ladies now.

- I'm feeling super confident about this dish.

I mean, it's in my blood. I'm Italian.

It's an Italian dish. I know how to bread chicken.

They teach you that in the womb back where I live.

How we feeling? - Good.

How you feeling? - Excited.

About to win a challenge, huh? - Yeah, man.

- Back in the win column over here.

[laughter] - Big man, talk to me.

- So Chef, I'm gonna with baba ghanoush,

a scallion garlic and miso rice,

and then I'm gonna make a miso butter sauce for the chicken.

Big Mike now is on the Red Team.

That's a big loss to the Blue Team.

I love Big Mike.

I love him, but I have to beat him.

- Feeling good, feeling good? - Feeling great, Chef.

- All right. I like the enthusiasm.

- Georgie, have you worked with tomatillos before?

- Yes, Chef. Very acidic. - Yes, yes.

- Our New York strip just ended up having

a fruit and two vegetables.

Like, no starch, no nothing.

This is not easy.

This is the tomatillo with apple and onion.

Is it good? - Yeah. [coughs] Oh.

You put some spice in that too? [coughs]

- Sorry, Chef. [laughs]

- What's up, Valentin?

- I'm gonna do, like, a nice Mediterranean couscous,

a slaw with the radish, and cabbage.

The bass is just gonna get seared.

- Love it.

- I've been cooking so strong,

so I am very confident in my dish.

I think this is gonna be a tough one for Red Team.

- Don't forget to score that thing, bro.

- Yeah? I think I'ma just leave it like that, bro.

I don't think I'm gonna score it.

- Red Team, halfway, yes? all: Yes, Chef!

- How's your purée?

- The purée, I'm gonna start right now.

- OK.

- [gasps]. [bleep], [bleep].

I need a medic. - You need a medic?

- I just took my whole thumb off with the peeler.

- What the [bleep] did she do?

- Medic.

- Did she say she cut her whole thumb off?

- Damn.

- Oh, my God. Oh, this hurts.

- Take a breath, Kylie. It's OK. Just take a breath.

- [groans]

- The purée, I'm gonna start right now.

- OK.

[dramatic music]

- [gasps] [bleep].

I need a medic. - You need a medic?

- I just took my whole thumb off with the peeler.

Medic.

- You OK, Kylie? - Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my God. Oh, this hurts. [sobs]

- Damn.

- It's OK. You all right? It's OK.

- Take a breath, Kylie. It's OK. Just take a breath.

- Take a breath.

It's probably bleeding a lot right now.

- It just hurts. - I know.

- It hurts a lot.

Looked like a crime scene.

Can we just wrap this so I can at least

try to get through this?

Wrap this bitch up. I gotta go.

I want to finish this challenge and prove that

regardless of what just happened,

I'm gonna fight back.

- You all right?

- I took off a [bleep] chunk of my finger.

I'm gonna have to get this relooked at.

- I'm super excited for the Bulleit whiskey sauce

because the advantage of cooking with alcohol

is that the sauces will have a lot more flavor.

The Blue Team put it on the board.

OK, well, if you're too scared to do it, I'll do it.

♪ ♪

- That has the whiskey in it? - Yeah.

- That's good. - OK. Thank you, Chef.

- Just under five minutes.

- Yes, Chef. - Do you like the chicken skin?

- It's a little burnt, Chef. - A little burnt, huh?

- Yeah.

Oh, my God. The skin is just black.

Un-servable for Chef Ramsay.

I'm gonna take the skin off.

I see the black skin.

First thing I do, I just slice it off.

And I put it in a pan and I start basting it

just to get some juice back.

So I'm just really hoping it comes out well.

Try my best.

- 30 seconds. Let's go. - I'm walking.

- Behind, behind. - Well done, Nadia. Let's go.

- Thank you, Chef. - Blue Team, we've gotta move.

Let's go.

Jonny, be decisive. Let's go. - Yes, Chef.

- Make sure everything's on the plate.

- Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four...

- It's good. - Three...

- Come on! Go, go, go, go, go! - Two, one.

- Run, run, run! - Go. Run it, run it.

- And serve, guys. - [sighs]

- Wow.

[dramatic music]

Each team cooked two proteins,

but I will only taste one.

So right now, I want both teams...

- [bleep]. - To huddle

and have a quick chat

and decide which dishes I'm tasting.

Off you go.

- We gotta go chicken. - I'd rather go Mike.

- I'm confident in mine a lot. - Yeah. I was rushing.

- All right, we're going mine.

- So two strips.

- I love mine, but I also love yours.

- If you love yours, take it.

- But I love yours. - I'm not gonna be offended.

- And I don't want to lose the point.

- You can do it. I love my dish.

I think it would be great, but also,

I love Georgiana's dish. I want her to shine.

I am a team player.

And my girl, Georgie, she's gonna pull through.

- I feel so confident in mine

'cause Chef James said my chicken was cooked perfectly.

- Yeah. My only issue, the flavors are insane.

- Did you burn the skin and overcook it?

- Yeah.

- All right. Yeah, we'll go with that.

I'm so disappointed

Chef Ramsay can't taste my dish.

Like yeah, the skin's not there,

but it doesn't really matter.

Like, it tastes good. The flavors are there.

Chicken's cooked perfectly.

- I think we both killed it.

I mean, I'm confident in the flavors.

- You think it just boils down to look?

- Yeah, probably.

- I feel like Val had a little bit of an edge than I did.

Just visually, his looked better, you know?

I stand by my dish 1,000%.

But you have to eat with your eyes first.

- Two strip.

I really like my plating on mine.

- I mean, I feel really strong about mine too.

That's a perfect cook.

- Obviously I want my dish. - Of course.

- But I'll rock, paper, scissors

if you really want yours.

- Let's go. - All right. Dylan.

- I trust that was a tough decision, right?

all: Yes, Chef. - The New York strip.

Let's go, Georgiana and Dylan.

- Come on, baby. - Come on, Georgie.

- Come on, Dylan.

narrator: So far in the competition,

the Blue Team has dominated the Red Team in challenges

with five wins and one loss.

- Georgiana, please describe the dish.

- I have a black pepper-crusted New York strip.

On top of it, we got a charred tomatillo salsa

and cucumber and apple pico de gallo.

- Where's the heat coming from? - Apple chutney at the bottom.

- I was concerned about the heat,

but the actual cooling element, the cucumbers done twice,

beautifully done, is delicious.

Dylan.

- Got a bit of a French-Asian fusion going on here

with sweet potato polenta

with brown sugar and Chinese five-spice.

The New York strip was basted with lemongrass

and then fried rice noodles with furikake and sesame seeds.

- Purée. Tough combining those two, but it works.

I love what you've done with the noodles 'cause

they're spicy and they're crispy and crunchy.

It's delicious. Good job. - Thank you, Chef.

- It's a tough one, this one.

The point goes to...

♪ ♪

Georgiana and Dylan. Well done. Great job.

- Nice. - Wow. Very hard to separate.

- Good job, Dylan.

- Next up, the black bass, please.

- Valentino. - Valentin and Nadia.

- [sighs] Hate going against this guy.

Nobody wants to go against Valentin.

He's super talented.

- Nadia, let's start with you, please.

- She got this. She's strong.

- Describe the dish. - Yes, Chef.

On the bottom, I have a Bulleit whiskey sauce

and then a fingerling potato hash

with roasted red pepper and guanciale.

And then the sea bass is just seared, Chef.

- Skin nice and crispy. It's glistening.

That's cooked beautifully. - Thank you, Chef.

- I think what makes it for me is that Bulleit whiskey

in a way that it's almost like a little beurre blanc.

Bulleit bourbon whiskey at its best.

Great job. - Thank you, Chef.

- Valentin, please describe the dish.

- Chef, we have a Mediterranean couscous

and we have the pan-seared sea bass.

And on top is our radish and cabbage slaw.

- I love the visual impact on this.

Beautifully done. And how'd you cook the bass?

- Oh, pan-seared chef. Just a little bit of salt.

- Mm-hmm.

Was the idea not to get this crispy purposely, or?

- Don't forget to score that thing, bro.

- Yeah? I think I'ma just leave it like that, bro.

I don't think I'm gonna score it.

- Because it was just like rubber.

It's a shame because inside, it's cooked beautifully,

but the point goes to Nadia.

Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

- Yeah.

- Finally, the chicken breast.

- Let's go. - Mike and Jonny G. Let's go.

- Jonny, Jonny. - He has to get that, bro.

- OK. Jonny G, let's start with yours first.

- Chef, for you, I have a miso-buttered chicken breast,

and then I made a baba ghanoush on the side with the eggplant.

- Love that. Chicken's cooked beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef. - Baba ghanoush is exceptional.

It's sweet. It's sour. It's bitter.

A bit concerned about the bitterness with the eggplant,

but the miso literally

just brings that whole thing together.

- Yes, Chef. - Great job.

- Thank you, Chef. - Really good indeed.

- Good job, Jonny. - Mike.

- So I decided to go with a take on a mille.

Basically, a fried chicken mille breast.

I did a cold green bean Dijon herb salad

and then a roasted sweet corn with celery root purée.

- I didn't need the sauce.

Green beans can be boring, right?

- [exhales deeply] Come on.

- But the whole dish was exceptional.

It's seasoned beautifully.

It's what you've done there with that little salad

has absolutely put that into the next level.

Delicious.

Two really well-executed chicken dishes.

Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

- Stand back in line, please.

- Wow. It's a tough one, this one.

Very tough.

The point goes to...

♪ ♪

- Stand there, both of you. - Yes, Chef.

- Listen up. I've never had to deal with this before.

And in 20 seasons, I've never, ever felt this angry.

Whose is this?

Who smokes this [bleep]?

- I have no idea, Chef. - Who is it?

Did you know this was in here? - Absolutely not, Chef.

- I'm not talking about one joint.

- I know nothing about this. I'm shocked.

- This is grounds for disqualification.

This is not acceptable. Open them both up.

[dramatic music]

It's your head chef's jackets. [laughs]

Oh, Megan.

- I'm, like, about to cry, Chef.

I was like, don't shut us down.

[tense music]

narrator: With the Red Team up by one,

Jonny G must earn a point

and hope that Mike misses in order to force a tie.

- The point goes to...

[dramatic music]

Jonny G.

- Nice. - Yes!

- That's good. - And you.

- And Mike. [all exclaiming]

Congratulations. Well done.

[all cheering] - Let's go.

- We [bleep] win! Imagine that.

We had to wait for Mike to come from heaven

to break this streak.

- Red Team, listen up.

I've arranged for you all

to enjoy an exclusive private tour of the incredible

Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.

- Oh, my gosh. - Wow.

- It's the largest Native American Museum

in the entire world.

- That's crazy. - Awesome.

- There's also a very fun surprise activity.

all: Ooh. - Archery.

- And there's more. - What?

- What? - [bleep].

- In the dorms, there's a little present for you all.

[cheering]

- Thank you so much, Chef.

- Blue Team.

Cases and cases of freshly picked mushrooms

need to be cleaned by hand.

And then after that,

hand-pick the parsley the thyme,

picking all those little buds,

chopping the parsley for the duxelle.

You know how important that duxelle is.

all: Yes, Chef.

- We lucked out.

- OK. Off you go.

♪ ♪

- OXO. Let's go, baby.

- Oh, [bleep]. - Oh, my gosh.

- Holy-- - Nice.

- I need this, bad. - Oh, my God.

- Like, this is going on my counter.

- Oh, my God. I am so damn pumped.

I need this so bad.

- I am so glad we pulled through on this.

- A $500 shopping spree. You kidding me, bro?

♪ ♪

- It slowed down a little bit, OK?

- No, yeah, it was slow.

It's just the way that the peeler came down,

it came down right on my finger.

- OK.

- So we'll clean it out, rewrap you.

- And this will be good if I go shoot a bow and arrow?

- Yeah.

- All right. - All right.

- Thank you. - All right. You're welcome.

♪ ♪

- Sandra's hyped. Sandra's hyped.

- I've been hype.

History just makes me happy.

I remember when I went into food,

my mom was really surprised that I didn't go into history.

This is my happy place, is museums.

♪

- Today, I'm gonna be showing you a little bit

about our Pequot culture.

So 11,000 years ago,

the Ice Age was coming to an end.

Behind me here is a caribou hunt.

The entire tribe is coordinated.

There's a woman here ushering the caribou into the area.

- So the women were badass.

- Oh, absolutely. They had to be.

- Looks like a badass right here.

- Oh.

- Oh, my God. - Wow.

- This is so cool.

- Moving forward in time, we started farming.

Corn is planted first. It makes a stalk.

The beans are then planted,

which wrap around the corn stalk.

- Mm. - Cool.

And then squash is planted in between,

which keep the mounds moist.

- Yeah, yeah.

- It was really exciting,

especially to learn about Indigenous food.

- It's been 10,000 years

and in that time, we've developed bows.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- If I had to hunt for my food, watch out.

I don't go hungry.

[laughter]

[dramatic music]

[all exclaim]

- Oh.

all: Hey!

- I am going to channel my inner Katniss Everdeen

and I am gonna hit that bullseye.

[cheering] Hey!

Do it for all the Primroses out there.

- I tried.

- We're gonna pick all of these herbs.

No stems, though. Pick, pick, pick.

Repetition is the mother of skill,

so you're gonna get very skillful at it, OK?

- Get these herbs going.

- This is an awful punishment,

but it's something that in Michelin star restaurants,

you have to do daily.

There's no way. - A quart of picked thyme?

What are we feeding, a continent?

Come on. Dude.

♪

- Home, sweet home.

- Did they put the picture up?

- Oh, yeah. It's right here. - Aw.

narrator: With the Red Team joyfully returning

after a rare reward...

- I love it.

narrator: Both teams are getting ready

to prep for another dinner service.

- We're running fish tonight, Gabriel.

- I hope. - Nah, buddy.

You're going to be on meat tonight.

- By myself? - Yeah.

- 100%. [phone ringing]

- Wait, what? - No way.

[phone ringing]

- Hello, this is Sandra.

- Hi, Sandra, it's Chef.

I need to see everybody in the dining room urgently, please.

Just as they are. Let's go.

- Heard, Chef. On our way. - [bleep].

- Everyone into the dining room right now.

- Heard. - With the clothes on?

- As you are. As you are, he said.

- Holy [bleep]. What? - As you are.

- I don't know what we could be doing

in our regular clothes in the dining room,

so what the [bleep]?

- Urgent news.

Tonight,

some of you are about to face a critical test

and your next dish better be worthy

because it's time...

to cook for your life.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music]

- It's time to cook for your life.

In this morning's challenge,

some of you did stand out with your dishes.

However, others of you

decided to sit out.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

The six of you that made that decision this morning,

Mya, Kylie, Sandra,

Miguel, Miles, and Gabe,

will now cook for your life.

- I've seen a lot of "Hell's Kitchen,"

so I knew it was coming really soon.

- I can't believe that I'm cooking for my life

due to a rock, paper, scissors.

- Obviously I want my dish. - Of course.

- But I'll rock, paper, scissors

if you really want yours.

- Let's go. - All right, Dylan.

- I do think I should cook for my life.

Because of the fact that my thumb is the way it is,

I didn't put a dish up today.

- One of you will be leaving tonight.

Back to the dorms, yes?

all: Yes, Chef. - Heard.

- I did not see this coming at all.

- Let's [bleep] go. Let's go, bro.

- You get to cook for your life.

- Hey, no one's going home in blue, bro.

But I'm gonna be the strongest chef coming out of this.

- Everything you've cooked here has been money.

You're locked in, bro. - Bro.

I know you can do this. - Yeah.

- I hate that you're in this position, though.

- It's all right, bro.

I'm obviously a bit nervous

just because of the circumstances.

What are we cooking?

- Do you ever know what you're cooking when you go in?

- No. - Exactly.

- But I worked too hard for this,

so I'm ready to go in there and cook my ass off.

It's time. See you soon, all right?

- See you soon, brother. - Yeah.

- All right?

- Miguel's leaving. - Miguel or Kylie?

- I'm so glad I put my dish up today.

[chuckles]

[dramatic music]

- OK, listen up.

Thanks to competitions like this,

increased travel,

and the rise of social media,

Americans are experimenting with cuisines

that they could have only ever dreamt of,

so I want you to create

an incredible

fusion dish.

Be smart, be bold, but be creative.

Your 45 minutes start now.

Let's go.

- Here we go.

- I can't believe I'm sitting down

and I'm not cooking right now. - Yeah.

- Like, this does not feel real.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Only pick one of these proteins

for what you're cooking, OK?

First come, first serve here.

- I love cooking fusion, but I'm scared [bleep].

All the other chefs are [bleep] amazing,

so I need something that's going to be risky

to show Chef my skills and my worth

and why I deserve to keep my spot here in Hell's Kitchen.

- Oh, are you making pasta? - Yes, Chef.

- OK. - Oh, pasta.

- Yeah. Fresh pasta. That's what I do.

- Pasta, really?

- What kind of pasta are you making?

- I am making a curry pasta, Chef.

- You put curry powder in your pasta dough?

- In pasta dough, yep. - Oh, yum.

- Middle Eastern, Indian, and Italian.

Doing an Italian and Indian fusion, it's scary.

It's very ambitious and no one ever does it.

So I know if I do that,

it will level me up in the competition

and I will make it another day.

I'm gonna do a tomato and pepper sauce

and I'm gonna do garlic spice lamb chop.

- Make sure you get that down, OK, so it rests?

- Yes, Chef.

[dramatic music]

- Ow. Ow. Ow.

I'm really not wanting to go home tonight at all.

So I'm just gonna cook for my life

and show that I'm a fighter and I deserve to be here

regardless of, you know,

pretty beat-up, sliced-up finger.

- What do you got going on in here?

- I'm gonna do an avocado crème fraîche.

For my fusion dish, I'm going to do Mexican and Moroccan.

♪ ♪

- This is the Mexican part and that's the Moroccan?

- Yeah. I'm gonna season this in some salt, garam masala.

I have a little bit of ras on here as well

just to help bring out that Moroccan flavor.

- Pork tenderloin is crazy for this amount of time.

- [sighs]

- It's not even in yet.

- Have you cooked pork tenderloin before?

- Couple times.

- You want to make sure you let that one rest

for a good amount of time.

- I need to keep my head in the game

'cause I'm still meant to be here.

♪ ♪

- Ten minutes gone.

- Oh, daikon.

Daikon.

- What did he grab?

Yeah, he's going Asian for sure.

- What are you doing, bud? - I'm doing Hispanic and Asian.

I'm gonna do an orange juice-braised daikon,

and that's gonna be served as a side with a skirt steak.

This is gonna be grilled.

Kind of, a, you know,

like a carne asada having it on the top.

I currently work at a Japanese restaurant

and I get a lot of influence from that restaurant

in the way I cook now.

And I've grown up around Mexican cuisine,

so I figured, why not smack the two right together?

- Daikon. That's daikon. - What the [bleep]?

- But with soy sauce.

- Have you ever braised daikon before?

- Never in my life, Chef.

Figured I'd start in Hell's Kitchen, huh?

- OK.

- My life's already on the line.

Why not play with it a little bit?

[dramatic music]

- Oh, my God. - What is that?

- [groans]

- 25 minutes, guys.

- 2-5? - 2-5.

narrator: Six chefs are in the midst

of cooking for their lives.

- Boiling over, Miles. - Heard.

narrator: And Miguel is hoping a big risk

will ensure he stays in Hell's Kitchen.

- Have you ever braised daikon before?

- Never in my life, Chef.

Figured I'd start in Hell's Kitchen, huh?

- OK.

- I'm not just here to stay comfortable.

I'm here to get out of that.

- Dude.

- Oh, my God. - What is that?

- Oh.

- I want to show that I can think outside the box.

And I'm not going home tonight.

[dramatic music]

- I don't know. - I would have pickled it.

♪ ♪

- You got this, ladies. - Yes, Chef.

- Y'all got to send one of the boys home today.

- Yes, Chef.

I'm gonna go mainly Mexican with some Italian.

It's a marinated skirt steak. - Nice.

- Thank you, Chef.

With ratatouille on the top.

And then I'm gonna make Mexican rice from scratch.

- Is that your rice? - Yes, Chef.

- Miles, give me the combinations of the fusion.

What is it?

- It's gonna be Mexican and French, Chef.

- Mexican and French. - Yes, Chef.

- Love that. Protein. What you using, Miles?

- Flank steak. I'm gonna try to do a carne asada.

- Carne asada. Great. Protein. What is it, Miguel?

- It's skirt steak.

- Good.

- Are you also doing carne asada?

- I guess, kinda.

- It's kind of what I'm doing fully.

- I don't know how we ended up doing the same thing.

- Yeah.

Why are we doing the same thing?

Oh, my God, it's so frustrating.

I know I'm a better chef than Miguel,

so I'm not worried.

I'm making a carne asada taco

with a tortilla from scratch.

I was raised in New Mexico,

so I'm really familiar with the taste of Mexican cuisine.

- Dude, I got skirt. You got flank.

- Yeah.

I feel really confident I'm not going home.

- It's gonna be a battle of who does it better, huh?

- Uh, we'll see, man.

We will see.

[dramatic music]

- 15 minutes, boys. - Yes, Chef.

- Do you know what cuisines you're fusing?

- Asian and Caribbean. - Caribbean and Asian, OK.

- Yeah. Kinda want to take it back to my signature dish.

He gave me a 3, so I'm gonna show him, you know,

I know what I'm doing, fix my mistakes.

I put a lot of time into that signature dish

before I got here.

I know that was weeks ago,

but I just wanted to show him that I'm not a 3, fam.

- Rice. - And beans.

- And beans.

- He's going back to the sig dish.

- Sick dish. He's going sick dish.

- The coconut rice and beans with the snapper.

- That's a smart move. Not gonna lie.

- That's the sauce?

- Yeah, that's the saikyo miso I wanted to go for.

Playing to my strengths.

I spent a ton of time in Asian cuisine.

That's the majority of my career.

So redemption, that's all I'm thinking.

That's all I'm feeling.

- Eight minutes. - Heard. Eight.

♪ ♪

- Are the daikon radishes almost done?

- Little bit longer, need a little more liquid.

♪ ♪

- 60 seconds, guys. Here we go.

- This is gonna be close. - Come on, Kylie.

Start getting some of it on the plate, OK?

You know how to cut that?

- Uh, against the grain. - Mm-hmm.

- Make it count.

- What the-- - What the [bleep] was that?

You got to cut that a little different.

- Finishing touches.

all: Yes.

- Yes, baby!

- Quick, let's go.

- Yes, Chef.

- Five, four, three,

two, one, serve.

Well done. - That plate looks crazy.

all: No!

- No! - What the hell?

- No.

I really want to know what Chef thinks.

- Let's begin with Gabe.

[tense music]

Describe the dish and give me an insight

to the fusion, please.

- I've prepared for you a saikyo miso red snapper

with coconut rice and peas and almost like a pickled mushroom,

but it's gochujang and yuzu juice

for some heat and some acidity.

- Why these two?

- As you know, I'm Caribbean,

and I spent a lot of time working in Asian cuisine.

It has a ton of history and a ton of good flavors.

- Delicious.

The fish is cooked beautifully, seasoned beautifully.

The Asian influence is a nice combination with the Caribbean.

It works. - Thank you, Chef.

- Up next, Miguel. Let's go.

- This is one of the most confident dishes I've done.

It shows everything that I'm about.

My fusion is Mexican and Japanese.

It's a skirt steak that's been grilled

and marinated with soy sauce and hoisin.

For your side,

you're gonna have a orange-juice braised daikon.

- Daikon--I'm always worried about braising it

'cause it's sort of-- it's bland.

♪

It's delicious.

- Thank you, Chef.

- And the cook on the steak, beautifully done.

- Thank you.

I am the strongest chef left in this competition.

I will be reuniting with my team back in the dorms.

- So I've just tasted two really good dishes.

Gabe,

you have a slight edge over Miguel.

Head back to the dorm. - Thank you, Chef.

- Congratulations. all: Good job, Gabe.

- Gimme that.

Let's [bleep] go, Gabe.

Gimme that.

♪ ♪

[all exclaiming]

- Welcome back.

- Whoo!

- Up next, Mya. Let's go, please.

- Come on, Mya. - Let's go, Mya.

[suspenseful music]

- My dish is Mexican and Italian, Chef.

I made a Mexican rice from scratch

and then I did a marinated skirt steak

and did a ratatouille on there as well.

- This is your version of carne asada?

- Yes, Chef.

- Yeah, visually, it's beautiful.

Bold combinations, but they work.

I love the profile of this dish.

It's just so moreish. You can't stop digging in.

- Thank you, Chef.

I took a lot of risks here,

but I feel like I totally pulled this off

and I have a spot in Hell's Kitchen still.

- The question is, Mya and Miguel,

who had the edge?

Miguel...

stay where you are.

Mya, congratulations. Head back to the dorm.

- Thank you, thank you. - Good job, Mya.

- Thank you, guys. - Good job, Mya.

- [chuckling] Oh, my God. Thank you.

I am feeling like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

[all exclaiming]

- I told you, bro.

I [bleep] told you, bro.

- I'm so proud of myself.

And I think it's really game on now.

- Wait, who'd you go against?

- Me and Miguel.

I was stressed.

- Right. Up next, Sandra. Let's go.

- With this challenge, I pushed myself to the limit

that I've been wanting to push myself this whole competition.

And I'm scared because if he doesn't like this,

I'm out of here.

My fusion is Italian and Indian, Chef.

- That's bold. Courageous. - It is very bold.

- Tell me about the dish. - I have a homemade spaghetti.

It is a curry spaghetti sauce.

My lamb chops are seasoned with curry powder,

little bit of cumin, and garam masala.

- Lamb is cooked beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef.

- And the fact that you cook one of the most

difficult proteins and made fresh pasta,

that pasta is delicious. - Thank you, Chef.

- Really good job. Well done. - Thank you, Chef.

- Wow.

- Chef Ramsay loved my fusions.

I was thinking that I was gonna be the first one sent.

But who doesn't like a little suspense?

Who doesn't like a little drama?

♪ ♪

- Sandra.

[dramatic music]

- That lamb was cooked beautifully.

- Thank you, Chef.

- Wow.

♪ ♪

[clicks tongue] Sandra. - Yes, Chef?

- Head back to the dorm. Congratulations.

- Thank you, Chef. - Great job.

- Good job, Sandra. - Thank you, Chef.

- Maybe the best dish you ever made here.

- [laughs] Thank you, Chef!

Holy [bleep].

My risk paid off.

I showed myself to Chef Ramsay today.

[all exclaiming]

- Yeah!

- I'm just so [bleep] happy to stay another day.

- So who did you have the edge over?

- Miguel still.

- Miles, Miguel, Kylie.

- I feel like Miguel's going home.

- Really? - Yeah.

[suspenseful music]

- Up next, Miles. Young man, let's go.

- My dish looks amazing.

I feel confident that

I'm putting up a perfect dish for him.

- Fusion first. Countries, what are they?

- It's gonna be French and Mexican, Chef.

- Mm-hmm.

- I made a homemade masa tortilla on the bottom.

- Wow. - Parsnip purée, flank steak.

It's a carne asada.

- Visually, it's rustic. It's charming.

I am gonna take you to task on the cut.

Why?

Now when you cut on the bias, it's the right way

because the fat stays intact and it stops it from going dry,

but when you cut on the grain, it puts a weird texture.

- Yes, Chef. - Never taught that growing up?

- Uh, no, Chef. - No?

- Always against the grain. - Heard, Chef.

- But it's about the flavor, right?

- Yes, Chef.

- How'd you cook the flank steak?

- I pan-seared it.

- And what was the marinade in the flank?

- Cayenne, New Mexico chili, and brown sugar.

- It's messy. It's delicious.

I love the fact that you made a fresh tortilla.

Says a lot about you, which is great.

The steak isn't that tough at all.

- Thank you, Chef. Thank you. - Good job. Well done.

- I know I'm a better chef than Miguel,

and I'm confident I'm gonna be safe from elimination.

- Tough decisions.

Is it Miles or is it Miguel?

- Dude, I got skirt. You got flank.

- Yeah.

- It's gonna be a battle of who does it better, huh?

- Uh, we'll see, man.

[suspenseful music]

- Miles. - Yes, Chef.

- You have to wait a little bit longer.

Miguel, congratulations. Head back to the dorm.

- Good job, Miguel. - Thank y'all.

- Good job, Miguel. - Thank you.

I feel like I've unlocked a new gear after surviving,

and I'm just gonna come back harder

than I've ever been before.

[upbeat music]

- Come through that door, Miles.

Come on, baby. Come through that door, Miles.

- What? - Damn it.

- Give me some, baby. Come on, let's go.

- OK. Kylie, let's go, please.

- My dish is sexy.

Regardless of the pain,

I was able to put out probably one of my best dishes,

but I'm dead last to go

and this is gonna be a lot of [bleep] pressure on me.

For you, I made a Moroccan-style tagine sauce

with a Mexican spice blend to it

and then I rubbed the pork in some ras el hanout.

- Visually, it looks beautiful.

- Thank you, Chef.

- And the pork is cooked absolutely spot-on.

- Thank you, Chef.

- What's this on top?

- I made homemade crème fraîche

and put a little smashed avocado

with some lime juice in there, Chef.

- Mm-hmm.

It's the only bit that sort of takes the dish down,

because everything else works beautifully.

[suspenseful music]

Wow.

Great effort.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you.

- I'm nervous as [bleep].

- Good job, Chef. - Thank you.

Miles had a strong dish and I really don't want to go home.

- Great dishes by both of you.

Rich with flavor,

great fusion.

This is really tough.

[dramatic music]

The person leaving Hell's Kitchen...

and it pains me to say this.

♪ ♪

That person is...

♪ ♪

Miles.

♪

Young man, you can clearly cook.

Let's get that absolutely correct.

I think the big mistake for me

is the way you sliced that flank.

That's the only criticism there.

Continue this incredible journey.

- Yes, Chef.

- And I wish you the very best of luck.

- All right. - Please.

- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, bud.

♪ ♪

- Thank you, Chef. - Well done, bud.

- Pleasure. - Likewise.

- Seriously, thank you, Chef. - Well done.

Take care. - Thank you, Chef.

- Look after yourself, will you, please?

- Yes, Chef.

Hell's Kitchen is one of the hardest things

you can ever do in your life.

You're reaching into the unknown every single day

not knowing what's coming next.

It'll test everything that you know as a chef

and it will help you grow.

And I've grown more than I've grown in the past three years.

But this is not the end for me.

This is just the beginning.

To greatness. [chuckles]

- [sniffling]

- Young lady,

if there's one thing I've always come to admire

about you is that you're a fighter, girl.

Head back to the dorm. - Thank you, Chef.

- Great job.

- [gasps] Oh, my God.

[dramatic music]

- When Miles couldn't cut his steak properly,

I knew that he was miles away from being my next head chef.

♪ ♪

narrator: Next time on "Hell's Kitchen 25."

- Go.

narrator: Will an ingredient grab gone wrong...

- Oh, my God! Why? [laughter]

- There's some clashes of flavor here.

- I'm pissed.

Man, all right, buddy.

narrator: Lead to a heated rivalry

between two former teammates?

- You can't take the heat, I guess. It's OK.

- I'm a threat to you, aren't I?

- You can't take the heat. - I'm a threat to you.

- Do whatever you want. I don't care.

narrator: And will the Blue Team pick a side...

- He is so hot and cold. - Exactly.

- Watch out for Jonny G.

narrator: And watch Jonny G turn into Jonny Get Even?

- Feels like we're in a boxing match.

We gotta punch back.

- Is that grill on? It doesn't look hot enough.

- Did you turn it down on this side?

- No, it's off.

Hey, Blue Team. What's wrong with that?

- Way too much sauce. Wet. - Way too much sauce.

Mac and cheese that has no mac.

Huh. How would that happen?

narrator: Find out on a wildly vengeful

episode of "Hell's Kitchen."

- Clown.

He over there dancing, doing this [bleep].