Hells Kitchen, Season 8

New series starting Monday, 10/01/11.

The usual opening episode stuff with GR regularly screaming 'you are the worst ever', 'worst service ever' and so on.

It was good fun but very predictable. Next series needs a different approach.

An interesting selection of participants. Quite a few clearly have anger management issues. Most are not as good or experienced as they claim, clearly selected for GR to scream at.

Good to have it back.

Darn I missed this! Probably a repeat on Wednesday at some very late/early hour.

KA, just a reminder for tomorrow evening.

Thanks Eddy.

OK, first question where is Jean-Phillipe?
A very motley crew indeed. Raj is a bit like Aaron from a few years back, there for supposed 'comic effect.' He looks hopeless. Having said that what Vinnie told the customers was unforgivable. The girls looked marginally better though the one who declared "I can't cook meat" could have been removed there and then. Are no decent chefs applying anymore?

We were told that Jean-Phillipe was not available.

I'm pleased that GR resisited the temptation to get rid of Raj. Perhaps Raj would do better if he wasn't so isolated and ridiculed.

Vinnie should have gone. His actions were outrageous. He deliberately tried to sabotage Raj and ruin the entire service. In any case who want such an idiot working in a restaurant?

Clearly Raj had to go.

Last week I thought that Raj would be ok if only her were not so isolated by the group. I was wrong. I think he's a very capable chef but a loose canon.

I wonder if he wanted to stay. I'm beginning to think that he was there just to raise his profile. Having done so, he gave up.

But whatever, I am pleased Raj went for his own sake. The abuse he got, from GR and the others, about his weight was awful. I nearly changed channels.

It was unpleasant to watch the men gang up on Raj but he was useless and had to go. I am no chef but just from watching HK I can tell you
1. Cook what is asked, do not add your own personal creations to the menu.
2. Cook to order, don't pre-cook a load of stuff ahead of time.

3. If GR tells you to leave the kitchen, just go.

4. If Scott tells you to leave the kitchen then better leave the country just to be safe.

Not a nice bunch of people by and large. Having got rid of 'fall guy' Raj the men immediately all turn against Trevor. With the women Sabrina was a pure bitch telling Gail not to cook the pasta then announcing to GR her pork was ready making Gail look the incompetent one. Melissa had to help Sabrina out with the pork then Sabrina nominates her saviour.
As it happened Louis went and rightly so. I just don't really like these people.

I would have preferred Sabrina to have gone. She is spiteful and nasty.

On first impressions this lot appear not to be a very plesant bunch. But I am sure there are a few decent types there. It's just that early on the series all the attention tends to be given to the difficult, troublesome and/or incompetent ones.

Firstly I want to say that Russell was bang out of order the way he spoke to those school kids.
The cooking was mixed at best. Boris with his crab cakes and Melissa pre-cooking every steak in the world...will they never learn?
Sabrina picked the right two (surprisingly.)

The one that left (Emily?) looked a decent cook but she struggled under the pressure of service. Unless Melissa picks up fast she will be gone very soon.

Looking at the preview of the next episode, it looks as if someone is in the firing line at the start of the show.

Is Russell fired? I suspect that he might be following the episode with the school children. What defence could he have given that the kids were so polite?

Melissa was unbelievable and was lucky to survive. Emily, on balance, was the right one to go. Lovely woman but was going nowhere.

I do wish Sabrina would just disappear.

It seems strange that with six cooks eliminated there are still so many poor ones left. Of the candidates picked for the chop I would say Nona was pretty safe, she has been solid until tonight. The two from the blue team were equally bad, Boris and Melissa again were a disaster.
Frankly either one could have gone.

I think that they are deliberately picking weaker and weaker chefs. It gives GR more opportunities to lose it. Either that or the better chefs are not applying.

Quite a few deserved to go last night.

Enjoying the series as always. Shame we lost the UK one with GR on ITV.

I was feeling a bit tired so maybe that is why I did not enjoy this episode so much. I am getting a little weary of the Vinny/Russell notion that they are great and everyone else is hopeless. I accept that Boris has been weak the past couple of weeks but give the guy a chance to fight back.
They had a decent service but maybe that was because many of the meals was basic food for kids. Still don't see any stars emerging.

KA, I broadly agree with your comments.

By this stage in a series I usually care what happens to 2 or 3 of them. Following how they cipe makes Hells Kitchen exciting. This time, I just do not really care about anyone yet.

This bunch are not the best at cooking and mostly not very nice.
Trevor has a real problem with something, he fell out with his fellows on the blue team, thought he was happy on red but tonight he falls out with them. He also completely loses whatever cooking skills he had.
Seeing previous winner Danny without his long hair was quite a shock.
Poor Boris, the writing has been on the wall for a while now. I don't see Rob lasting much longer but cannot imagine who will win.

Boris had to go. He's been weak all along. I can't help but think that he survived this long because GR thought he was a nice guy.

A useless bunch on the cooking side and not that nice on the personality side either. I still have no one to really back but that isn't such a bad thing as it makes me view proceedings with a different, more enjoyeable, eye.

Oh dear! Gordon was not in a good mood during service.
Russell sucking up to Trevor to save his own neck was funny and sad at the same time. There was only one person ever going to leave, it has been on the cards for weeks now.

Unfortunately a telephone call meant that I missed everything after the tasting test which I always enjoy.

Heard all of GR's shouting whilst on the phone. Then saw the last few minutes.

This lot are awful. No strong players in the kitchen. I do not know who is likely to win. In fact I wonder if there really is someone good enough. Also, I still don't have a favourite. They are a difficult group to like.

Just a few details for you Eddy. Service was mixed as usual but GR seemed particularly on edge. The girls team were not so bad but Nona was kicked out of the kitchen. Then the boys fell, one by one. I think it went Vinny, Russell then Rob all told to leave the kitchen making Trev the only survivor. I think Trev liked that.

Thanks KA.

Good on Trev!!!

IMO Gail and Vinnie should have gone. Both failed miserably.

Whilst enjoying this series, it is the first one where I still do not have a favourite and am indifferent as to who wins. It's quite interesting watching the series from this angle. It does feel different.

KA - do you have any idea why it is that Trevor is so hated? I can't fathom it out. Pleased that GR saved him.

About the outcome. I'm glad Vinnie went purely because Gail seems an OK person whilst Vinnie was a cocky little sod. I do agree they both had just terrible services. I dunno about Trev. He does seem a bit whiny but initially all the women hated Sabrina but when Trev moved over and to be fair helped them out (at first at least) they seemed to collectively switch their wrath on him. Maybe they just know he has more experience and knowledge of 'fine dining' than they do.