Hell's Kitchen

EW.com
E! Online
Buddy TV
Plus, Rock's local interview and Bonnie's LA finale party

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Q: You get crap for being a “nanny,” but explain what you really do in your job and your culinary background.

Bonnie: I have that job to thank for being in the culinary industry. I applied to be a nanny with no prior cooking experience. I figured it was a nice job for a year. On my first day, they had me go buy fish and grill it up. I burned everything. They kept at it with me and I got really good at cooking. The day before I was going to turn in my application for a master’s degree, I changed my mind and applied to culinary school. I graduated from the Kitchen Academy in Hollywood, and I heard about Hell’s Kitchen through the school. I am rarely with the kids at work. I mostly just cook. I sometimes babysit them, although I get such crap for not knowing how to do laundry or anything like that. I don’t know any nannies that do laundry. The children are 9 and 11, so they don’t need much from me.

Q: Do you think you’re at the point in your career where you should be running your own restaurant?

Bonnie: I feel a little guilty with having that as the prize. I look at Rock who has worked in the business for ten years. I’ve seen people say on the message boards that I woke up one day and decided to be a chef. I feel some guilt for being in the top two with him, but this competition is talent-based and I feel like they discovered I had talent. I didn’t have to work ten years to find that out. I think I have every right to be in the finals as Rock does. To me, all those years of experience doesn’t always make you a better chef.

Q: In today’s USA today, Gordon Ramsay says you have a “phenomenal palate” and “a natural ability to connect with food.” What do you think of that?

Bonnie: Wow, I think that’s great. I am glad he saw that in me. I know that I am good with distinguishing tastes and I didn’t realize that was a rarity in the industry. I only found that out through this competition. To have Gordon Ramsay say something nice about me is wonderful. Towards the end of the competition, we started to see the nice side of him. He was very encouraging to me and Rock. It’s sad that a lot of people who were eliminated didn’t get to see that side of him. He’s nice and he’s charming and extremely compassionate. You don’t realize that until you get him away from the kitchen.

Q: What do you think are Rock’s strengths and weaknesses?

Bonnie: Rock’s main strength is his experience level. He’s an executive chef already, so this is second nature to him. He’s incredibly good at what he does. He’s so creative. I’m glad to have competed against him and he has taught me so much. As for his weaknesses, he has the worst temper. As fast as he blows up, it’s gone just as quickly. Once he freaks out, he doesn’t communicate and leaves everybody in the lurch. This surprises me because he’s an executive chef. Bad communication is not a good sign for anyone running a restaurant.

Q: We saw at the end of the episode that you may have had some hesitation about picking Julia for your team.

Bonnie: I wasn’t so much hesitant about picking Julia as I was about picking Josh. Julia and I have very different styles in the kitchen. She’s really calm, but she never has that fire under her to make her move quickly. I am a type-A personality. I want things to get done. She was constantly annoying me in that sense because I move very fast. But it always seems to work for her. She can be a difficult person and I thought I’d have a hard time managing her. On the other hand, I only heard negative things about Josh’s time at Hell’s Kitchen. At least I know Julia’s style. Josh was the wild card and I wasn’t prepared to take that risk with him on my staff.

Q: You always say that you have learned so much in this competition. What exactly have you learned?

Bonnie: I really learned speed and precision. I don’t work in a restaurant, and things aren’t time sensitive in the home where I work. Dinner can be fifteen minutes late and it’s not a big deal. I was never good with multi-tasking and organization. Now when I go back to work, I can cook two things at the same time. I cook about four dinners a night because no one in the family eats the same thing. Now I can better serve the people I work for. I also have a tendency to get sloppy. Chef Ramsay slapped that out of me quickly! Rock and I both returned to our previous jobs. The show made me realize that I wouldn’t mind being an executive chef but I would not want to be a line cook. I did this show because it gave me a huge step up. Had I worked up the ladder in culinary industry, it would have taken me a lot longer. This gave me a jump start in my career. It really helped.

Q: Give us a teaser about the final episode. Do you have any problems with your team of female chefs?

Bonnie: There’s a few problems to look forward to. A few wrenches thrown in. I don’t think Rock or I had any idea that we were going to enter such a battle!

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Q: Do you think you deserve to win?

Rock: I think everybody deserves to win. I think I was the only one who believes that I could win. I think everybody doubted themselves. When the going got tough, I had a shot just like everybody else. I always saying it was my competition to lose. People crapped on me for saying that, but I believed it.

Q: You were the one person who really dealt with this like a game. You tried to take people out who were competitors.

Rock: I think Bonnie was best at playing the game. She might do well on other reality shows that require strategy. I complimented her on that. I just think that people knocked themselves out with self-belief. Especially with Brad -- I don’t think he believed in himself and didn’t play the game well. When he went up against Josh, I was happy to see him go because he was my biggest competition. They all fell into their own traps.

Q: In today’s USA Today, Gordon is quoted as saying, “Rock is determined and can cook really well. However, he is bad-tempered, so can he run a brigade? Can he inspire?” What do you think of that?

Rock: (laughter) Gordon Ramsay calls Rock bad-tempered? That is the funniest thing I have heard all year! I do have a temper. I learned over the years to control it. The kitchen gets hot and you’ve got to get hot back. I can lead a brigade and I’ve shown that throughout my career and in Hell’s Kitchen. However, Chef Ramsay has to be objective. He was my boss and you take everything from the boss. I learned a lot from him. Everything he did was appropriate. It’s not sporadic anger. I don’t think my argument with Jen was appropriate, but it helped me strategically with her and with Bonnie. In the lobster thing, everyone was scared of me. People were like “Wow, he’s firecracker,” and they were intimidated. And it worked to my advantage. In the photo shoot, the girls felt so horrible for me. That also worked perfectly because it made them have sympathy for me.

Q: Do you think it’s fair that Bonnie made it to the final two?

Rock: I think it’s a great choice for Bonnie to be in the final two. People kept saying that it would be Brad or Jen or Melissa or Julia. But the thing is, if Chef Ramsay was looking for a great cook or a great sous chef, then maybe Brad or Jen would be in the finals. The best candidate overall, besides myself, would be Bonnie. She knows how to manage people. You may call it manipulation, but to manage, you have to manipulate. You just can’t be a hell of a cook in this industry. I know that some of the best chefs can’t cook sh** but they know how to manage a kitchen as well as manage money and resources. If you have six great cooks, then do you really have to cook in your kitchen? Bonnie was the best candidate besides me to run a kitchen.

Q: What do you think are Bonnie’s strengths and weaknesses?

Rock: She’s good at managing people and assessing situations. If I hear the word “palate” one more time, I’m going to scream. She’s creative, and she’s not scared to make any mistakes and take chances with food. She doesn’t have the experience like I do and that hurts her. You can want to be great, but if you don’t know how to do it then you won’t be great. It comes with experience.

Q: If you were to run your own kitchen, would you ever hire any of your competitors to work for you?

Rock: Yeah, definitely. I would hire Brad, Jen or Bonnie. I could work with those people. And even Julia. Yeah, all of those people would be easy. It would be a piece of cake. A walk in the park! Melissa would be hard. She has too many conspiracy theories, and that would play into the kitchen as well. She thinks that Fox made her look crazy on the show. She would probably be like that in real life too. The pressure would overwhelm her. And Josh wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure either. I would work with Vinnie, though. He didn’t give me attitude. I can manage anybody, I think.

Q: Give us a teaser about the final episode. Do you have any problems with your team?

Rock: The hardest thing for me was trying to work with this designer, who’s great. You don’t know how much time you had to build the restaurant. You wanted everything to go perfectly. There were a couple of roadblocks that were disheartening. Trying to convey my vision of the food to Scott was hard, in terms of what to order. Things don’t really go a certain way than they are supposed to. Get ready! It’s explosive and ridiculous too! There are definitely some challenges.

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Q: Congratulations! You did really well in this competition.
Jen: I am so proud. Watching it, I can’t even believe I’m on there. I watched the show last year so it’s strange to see myself in Hell’s Kitchen.

Q: What do you think was the reason for your elimination?
Jen: I honestly think my downfall was that I wasn’t powerful in expediting the line like he wanted me to be. I missed a few things. But I gave it 110%. He was looking for more of a leader in that position, and I wasn’t up to par.

Q: What was Chef Ramsay like at the lunch with his mother?
Jen: It was funny to see him in action. He doesn’t use curse words in front of her. He warned me, “Jenny, do not swear in front of your mother.” He would say “shoot” instead of the other word. It was so weird! His mom is the sweetest lady and is so nice. She rolls her eyes at him! She doesn’t like that he swears like that, so he is respectful of that and is humble around her.

Q: What did you think of the last elimination when he offered to send Julia to culinary school last episode?
Jen: That was so beautiful! Everyone thinks Gordon is a hard ass, but he really has a soft spot for people who are good at what they do and want to strive. Julia wanted to be there in the finals like the rest of us, but I think going to culinary school will catapult her career.

Q: What did you learn from Chef Ramsay that will help you in your career?
Jen: Most importantly, he taught me about discipline. If you’re going to send something out of your kitchen, it should never be mediocre. You can’t say “That will do.” He always instilled in me that it has to be perfect. It sounds sick, but I like when people are hard on me. I love when people are brutally honest. I try not to take it personally. I needed him to kick me in the ass for a lot of things. I am a much better chef now. He taught me how to be true to myself and to my career.

Q: Our website features outtakes of you buying expensive knives for your fellow competitors in your shopping spree. Why did you do that?
Jen: They work hard too and they worked closely with me. Yeah, people get moody and you get in arguments. But when it comes down to it, we were all in it together. I’m the type that would rather spend money on other people than on myself.

Q: What did you end up buying for yourself?
Jen: Every cake pan. I was just in awe. I bought lots of chocolate. Things I couldn’t find in my small town. Silicone mats and things I can use for pastries, which is my true love. I had a ball in that store. I didn’t know what to do with myself!

Q: Was your mother still at Hell’s Kitchen after your elimination?
Jen: Yeah, my mom and my sister were there. I was so glad to see familiar faces. I’m really close with them. They knew how badly I wanted it. I was really upset and sad when I was eliminated so it was good to have them there. They’re my support system.

Q: What do you think are the strengths of the final two competitors?
Jen: Bonnie has an impeccable palate. She can identify flavors. She doesn’t have a lot of kitchen experience, though. Rock is very charismatic. He has great leadership qualities and people listen to him.

Q: Are you working now?
Jen: I am still pastry chef at an inn. But I am actually working on my own business doing cake design and catering weddings. I am working on building that up, but my bread and butter is being a pastry chef. Everybody at work has been really supportive of my experience on the show. They are excited every week when I make it through. Even in the last episode, people were happy that I was in the top three. They don’t probe me for questions because they know I can’t say anything.

Q: Will you watch the last two episodes?
Jen: My goal was ultimately to be in the top three, and I worked hard to get there. I will definitely watch the show and will not stop watching. My whole family watches. We have a gathering at work to watch it too.

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Q: Even though you didn’t win the competition, it’s almost as if you didn’t walk away empty handed when Chef offered to send you to culinary school.

Julia: I do feel like I got a great prize out of it. I really wanted to win, that’s the thing that was so devastating to me. I am not used to losing. I have to work on that, I think! I got out of it what was meant for me to get out of it.

Q: Do you think culinary school would help you go farther in your career rather than if you had won the Hell’s Kitchen grand prize?

Julia: That will absolutely further my career. Had I gone to culinary school before, I most definitely would have had the best chance of winning. I am blessed with my cooking skills. What hurt me was that I didn’t go to culinary school, so I didn’t know about menu creation or any of those kinds of things. Had I been to culinary school, I don’t think anybody would have had a chance against me! My brother even said before I went to the show that maybe I should have studied. But I figured I knew how to cook. So I underestimated that whole part of it. When I got to Hell’s Kitchen, I realized maybe my brother was right.

Q: That was so nice when Chef Ramsay hugged you at the elimination. He really felt you had talent.

Julia: My whole family was crying while we watched the end of the show last night. It made me cry. It was like I was reliving it all over again.

Q: Was it hard to keep it a secret from them about what’s now going to happen in your career?

Julia: No it wasn’t hard to keep the secret. They kept asking me, “How’d you do?” or “How long did you last?” But I wouldn’t tell them. Last night, everybody was really shocked. Everyone I know has been calling me today. My daddy was so proud of me. Regardless of me getting eliminated, I think everything will work out in the end for me.

Q: Do you know which culinary school you are going to or when you will start?

Julia: I’m not really sure which school I am going to. I have no idea!

Q: Are you ultimately happy with the outcome?

Julia: I think I’m happy I made it as far as I did. Any cook in any restaurant would have problems in Hell’s Kitchen. One of the big things I learned is that you don’t have to limit yourself. It was shocking to me that people made such a big deal about me being a Waffle House cook. I think it’s great I made it as far as I did. Hopefully, this will encourage others. You don’t have to stay limited or be stuck in that place. Look at me, look how far I went. Maybe by people watching my situation on the show, they can see that anyone can do it. You can reach your dream. It can happen!

Q: You’re definitely one of the fan favorites on the message boards. Were you aware of that?

Julia: I’ve been reading the boards. My brother tells me to be careful about reading it. Everyone has been saying such nice things about me. Yet if they talk badly, what am I going to do? I really appreciate it, though. It’s kinda weird, coming off the show and going back home. So many people know me, and I didn’t think they would. I should have, I guess. I mean, it is a TV show! I get a lot of “Hey, aren’t you Julia?” I’m still trying to get used to that whole part of it. I’m loving it, though.

Q: Are you back at the Waffle House?

Julia: I am working right now. I rented out a kitchen at a sports café. It’s a place I used to work at. The manager in the kitchen didn’t work out. It’s just one of those things where I was at the right place at the right time. I’m finally doing my own menu and getting to experience what running a restaurant is all about. Yet I am working long hours. It is a sports café called Oceans 66. It’s kind of like a sports bar with a full service menu. I pay the guy who runs the bar part to rent out the kitchen. I hired one guy and we work from 11am to 4am. The people in the club come back to the kitchen to greet me because they recognize me from the show. I haven’t been at work since I got eliminated. I go in today at 5:00, so I’m sure it will be crazy!

Q: Chef Ramsay invited you to come back and participate in the Hell’s Kitchen competition again. Is that something you would be interested in?

Julia: That’s most definitely something I would want to do, especially if I can go to culinary school first. I would love to go back on the show, maybe if it’s a thing with chefs who lost in previous seasons. I don’t think it would be fair to go back with people who haven’t been on already because I have a good idea of how the competition works. Maybe the show could completely change things around. Either way, if I was invited back, I would love to go.

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Q: Were you the real leader during that dinner service?

Brad: I thought during the service that we were all working together very well. We were all trying to do everything. On that particular day, nothing was getting done and we were arguing. I needed someone to get in and get things going, so I decided to take charge.

Q: What did you think when Rock made that comment to you during the elimination?

Brad: When Rock called me out, the first thing I thought was that we are a team. Yet I was left in the dark about why he singled me out. I was trying to win. No one on our team wanted to lose.

Q: Did that affect your friendship with Rock?

Brad: Not at all. Personally, I think everybody was great. We all got along really well. In a high stress environment like that, you’re bound to say things offhand. But you have to keep in mind that it’s stressful. You just gotta keep your cool and keep trying to do what you can to stay afloat.

Q: Did your team decide unanimously to pick you to go up on the chopping block?

Brad: The guys decided that I should be there because it was my menu. I was taking charge. I had faith in what we were doing. Of course, I’m going to be the scapegoat. The other guys figured I wound not get eliminated if I was the one from our team. Yet I knew Chef Ramsay wouldn’t cut Bonnie. When we went back to the dorm, I pounded a few beers because I knew I was going home even though the guys didn’t believe it.

Q: Why did you think they wouldn’t get rid of Bonnie?

Brad: I just had a feeling Chef Ramsay was not going to get rid of her. A really strong feeling. I don’t know why, I just knew it. I even told Bonnie that. As soon as I knew I was up against her, I assumed I’d be the one to go.

Q: Why did the girls seem to dominate every dinner service and challenge?

Brad: I don’t know why they kept winning, and that’s not to take anything away from them. In the lobster challenge in particular, we got to taste their dishes and I still preferred our dishes. They were just better. My bisque was one of the best dishes you can make in 30 minutes. It blew the girls’ food out of the water. I don’t know why Chef Ramsay chose their dishes over ours. From a chef standpoint, our dishes rocked.

Q: What happened to Melissa when she joined the Blue Team?

Brad: The first thing I thought when she joined our team was “you can always use another hand.” There were a couple of little things that the audience didn’t see that were the reasons she was chosen. Before service, a lot of things just went wrong and we had no idea. She was the new one on the team and she got the raw end of the deal. I like Melissa. I think she’s a little too aggressive and assertive. She’s a bit rough around the edges to be a leader, but that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.

Q: Who impressed you the most?

Brad: I was definitely impressed by Sous Chef Scott. He knew what he was doing. I could relate to his idea of fine dining and service. I really enjoyed his cooking style, too. It’s similar to Gordon Ramsay but a little different.

Q: We don’t get to see Chef Ramsay’s cooking style on the show. What is it?

Brad: I think of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking as simple yet elegant. He has simple flavors but lots of color and lots of eye appeal. Nothing is too complex or overpowering. He uses simple ingredients to make great food. I respect that a lot. I’ve done both ends of the spectrum -- casual and high end. Gordon Ramsay has figured out how to go right down the middle.

Q: Do you think you could have made it to the end?

Brad: I definitely think I should have gone all the way. The last thing I wanted to do was get humiliated on national television. I really thought I would make it all the way with my experience and knowledge. Sometimes there are circumstances you can’t control.

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Q: What happened to that dinner service on your elimination night?
Melissa: I think everybody has a bad night in service. It’s bound to happen. That was definitely one of the worst nights in all of my thirteen years of experience. It was very difficult for me. For example, on the Red Team, I poached my monkfish for 2½ minutes first before grilling and it was perfect. But on the Blue Team, I poached it for the same 2½ minutes and it came out over cooked. I realized after the fact that they were rolled tightly in the Blue kitchen. Yet with so little time to prepare and the kitchen itself being different, I didn’t know that.

Q: Do you think you were eliminated based on that one service alone or on the entire performance over the weeks?
Melissa: Now being able to see all the different shows that aired, I think it happened for various reasons. It is Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, and he does get to decide who runs it. My service could have been better and it was not up to par. I think that Chef Ramsay knows who he wants and he has every right to eliminate whoever he wants, when he wants. I always said let the best man or woman win.

Q: Could you have run that restaurant for him?
Melissa: I definitely think I am capable of running a restaurant like the Green Valley Ranch. I have been doing this for thirteen years and have worked a long time under Michelin star chefs like Gordon Ramsay. It’s very hard to run a restaurant. It’s not about just knowing how to cook. You have to know food costs, how to purchase food, how to create a menu. You have to know spices and tastes in order to make up a menu of that Michelin star quality. Also, you need to know how to run a restaurant. There’s so many aspects to running it. I have run my own place for some time, so I do have that experience.

Q: Do you think you were lionized on the Red Team?
Melissa: I don’t think I was singled out. When you put a number of people with different personalities together, it’s hard on everybody. Everyone is there for a competition, and we all want to win. There’s a lot that wasn’t shown where I helped people. It’s not a question of me getting along with the girls. It’s more a question of the surroundings -- you’re not sleeping, there’s a short amount of time to prepare, etc. If you put all of us in a room, none of us would have any problems with each other. I talk to everybody. We’re all friends.

Q: So what didn’t we see on the show?
Melissa: Everybody watching must realize that it is a show. It’s edited. I am demanding, but also a sympathetic person. When the girls cried, I was there to help them. When Bonnie wanted to go home, I was urging her to stay. Everybody has their own character, and it’s either played up or played down by this show. I am not cruel one day and nice the next day. It’s not that I am able to cook a signature dish perfectly and then just be a horrible chef three weeks later.

Q: Why did it go so badly when you moved to the Blue team?
Melissa: Every time you get switched, you have to adjust to a whole new set of circumstances. When I was on the Red Team, I had no idea what was going in the Blue kitchen. We both cooked risotto, but there’s a million different ways to cook risotto. When you’re with one group, you have a rhythm. We all knew who was doing what. At that point in time, I wasn’t meshing in the girls’ kitchen. I thought it’d be a relief in the blue kitchen, but it was a while new set of systems to learn. Knife cuts were different on the foods. They made things differently than the girls. When we were coming together for service, I knew every girl’s personality -- who was quick, who was slow. Being in the industry, I just pick up on that kind of thing. But in the Blue kitchen, I didn’t know their personalities. The egg was in a diff station. It was kind of a whirlwind in that kitchen.

Q: Now that you’ve watched the episodes, do you harbor any bad feelings towards your teammates?
Melissa: I feel absolutely no ill will towards anybody. We’re all friends. I talk to Bonnie, Rock, Brad. We’re all on myspace and talk all the time. From the beginning, it’s Gordon Ramsay’s choice to pick the best person. I’m confident that any ill will that was said about me or that I had said about somebody else was due to circumstances beyond our control. The stress of the situation.

Q: Is Gordon Ramsay like all the other Michelin star chefs you’ve worked with?
Melissa: Once you become a Michelin star chef, you can’t get better than that. It’s just an accomplishment that everybody in the industry wants. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to work with Gordon Ramsay and even just to meet with him. We didn’t get to work much with him, but the excursions for winning the challenges where we got to pick his brain is just priceless. When you go to these restaurants, the Michelin star chefs aren’t there. You can’t meet with Chef Ramsay at his restaurants. He is just like all the others when it comes to yelling! They’re all trained in Europe, and they are trained with screamers. American chefs aren’t like that.

Q: What kind of things did you glean from him on these excursions?
Melissa: I wanted to know specifics. Like after the egg extravaganza, I needed to know how he wanted that egg cooked. Because in kitchen, when an executive chef doesn’t like what you’re doing, they actually come behind the line and show you how they want it done. They take the pot and physically show you. We didn’t get that privilege at all on Hell’s Kitchen at any time, from either the sous chefs of from Gordon Ramsay. So I wanted to know how he wanted it done. It was interesting to get to ask him all those little questions.

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This week was the ultimate return of Hell's Bitches and the fight against Melissa. From the first two minutes of the episode, Melissa is not doing well with her team. For the challenge the teams have to cook a sample menu for a wedding reception which will be the next service. The girls chose duck which, I agree with Jen, was a big mistake. Melissa thinks that the team has been turning to her as the leader. Wrong, Melissa. And Chef has not been turning to you. The girls are just fighting, fighting, fighting!!!! Melissa puts the duck back in the oven and over cooks it, then blames it on Julia. Melissa put your hair back and work WITH the girls as a team. Melissa keeps on opening her mouth and saying "No Chef, we shouldn't serve this." Yes, I agree. But SHUT UP!!! You should have thought about that before, not now!! It's too late. The girls have already lost.

The boys get pampered while the girls have to set up for the wedding. Even though the boys deserved this challenge win, I do think it would be pretty damn funny to see the boys with the wedding planner set up the restaurant. The girls continue the fight against Melissa while they create their "garden of gorgeousness."

"Are you all okay?" "Are you all okay?" "Are you all okay?" Julia, I love you. You're hilarious. Melissa continues to "try" to lead the girls even though all day it has not been working out that well. I don't know what happened with her, but out of nowhere she has become so different. Sorry Melissa, but I'm with the girls on this one. You didn't need to be that way.

Service starts and Melissa is even getting on the boys' nerves. Melissa messes up the potatoes and blames it on Rock's recipe. Take responsibility for your actions. She keeps messing them up and Chef is NOT happy. Service is not going well for the Red team and Jen starts to stand up. The Blue team was not doing that well on apps and was holding the Red team up. The apps start to come out of the Red team and my girl Julia is SHINING!! Melissa, why did you taste straight from the ladle? Use a spoon!! She starts to really get screwed up during service. She says she needs 4 minutes, then she says "Do you still need 4 minutes?" What!?! Get your story straight.

Jen takes the reigns and pulls it together. In the end, the girls lost. Jen is best of the worst. She chooses Bonnie and Melissa. I agree, because she was smart. She knew Bonnie could take it and Melissa would be chosen. BUT WAIT!!! NO ONE!! MELISSA GOES NOWHERE!! Rock, your face was priceless. Melissa is sent over to the Blue team, and boy oh boy, is this going to be good. I think the Red team is going to be just fine from now on and I can't wait to see how the boys deal with Melissa on their team.

Till next time,
Heather

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Q: Do you still maintain that Bonnie cheated in the taste tests?

Vinnie: Yes, I am certain. They asked her three times if she could hear, and she said yes. I definitely thought she could hear through those headphones. She answered right back, word for word. We all thought she heard it. Even the girls. She kept saying “I can still hear you.” She said it three times. At the end, she said “I can’t hear you anymore.” I ain’t mad at her. It didn’t affect me one way or the other. Maybe her ears were smaller than the earphones.

Q: What went wrong with the Beef Wellingtons? First they were overcooked, then you had to flash grill one to make it medium. Can you not make a Beef Wellington after all those weeks in Hell’s Kitchen?

Vinnie: The Wellington was a tough station. When you’re cooking without a thermometer and dealing with a puff pastry, it’s hard. It’s a two-part cook -- two minutes in the dry oven and fifteen in the convection oven. You need the forced air in the convection oven for the pastry to dry it out. The convection oven is to cook the meat to temperature. You need them running at the same time. Plus, there’s the timing issue and the fact that we didn’t have a thermometer.

Q: So it was an issue for both teams?

Vinnie: With 20 orders, everybody had a problem. For the guys and the girls. All of us were making it for the first time in that station. The puff pastry was always raw on the inside. I’m sure we all would have picked it up with more time. We all knew we were trapped in that station. If I had been given two days, I could have figured it out. Now I know how to use the two ovens. The experience of making them in advance would have helped. Not knowing all of that puts you in a position to make errors.

Q: They didn’t show you how to make Beef Wellington ahead of time?

Vinnie: I only knew what the guy before me knew. We would talk to each other. Yet it still doesn’t make a difference. You have to get the feel of the oven yourself. Yet when you pop the door open, then all that air and heat comes out which causes it to take longer to cook. When you’ve got ten orders running, you’d pull some Wellingtons out and that caused the others not to cook. If it was burning and you were forced to remove one, then the others would need more time. So you had to cook it perfectly the first time. You can’t check it and put it back in. On top of all that nonsense, you’re cooking with venison, which is a fatless meat so it dries out real quick.

Q: Do you believe you were the most qualified to run Gordon’s restaurant in Las Vegas?

Vinnie: I was definitely the most qualified person there. I have 10-15 years in the business with five as an executive chef. I’ve gotten three and a half stars at Peter Steakhouse, two stars at Alfredo’s. I had a star at Café Madeline. I earned those stars. They weren’t passed down. Does anyone else have stars that they earned? I have the years and the professional education and the qualifications.

Q: Fans on the message boards thought you were tough enough to give it back to Chef Ramsay. Would you have told him off?

Vinnie: I do tell him off but you all don’t see that on TV. They edited me out pretty well. The reason why he’s so angry at me is because I tell him how it is every day. They show him yelling at me and me just standing there. They never showed me during the breakfast service because I must have been doing it all right. I told Chef why I did certain things and why he is full of sh**. You don’t see me call him “a f***ing a**hole” but you can see my lips move. Watching how they edited it is funny. My cooking has received stars but you don’t hear that on the show. You just see me saying I wouldn’t change my dish. He flipped out on me. I said to him, “I’m in New York City, where are you?”

Q: How did Chef react?

Vinnie: He freaked out and screamed and yelled and cursed up and down at me. Then he wanted to know why I was laughing. I would try not to laugh and to keep a straight face so that I wouldn’t push him. But when he’s nitpicking or his recipe isn’t being followed and he’d yell, it was hard not to laugh. Like when I put water in the risotto after we ran out of vegetable stock. I showed him that his own recipe had chicken stock. I used water and he freaked out. It’s not a vegetarian dish according to his recipe. I’m standing there laughing, because it’s funny. He’s yelling at me and I don’t understand why. If they would have shown me yelling back at him, wouldn’t it have been better television? Although I’m glad they didn’t show it all because it was embarrassing to see me screaming at him all the time.

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Recap of the third episode from TVGuide.com.

Brad gets some local love in Arizona.

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Joanna: No, I didn’t know the crab was bad. We had some materials that were there from the day before. During prep, you don’t know what you’re going to have. I didn’t know what was there. There was fresh crab on top of the pile, but the crab at the bottom was bad.

Q: Did you feel like you had to defend yourself as well as Julia among the other girls who wanted you out?

Joanna: Yeah, you want people to see the reality of life. In cooking, people may not really know or have the same background as you. But some people have the drive and it also depends on the ingredients. So you should take that into consideration over experience. I think everybody deserves a chance.

Q: Were you shocked that Jen stepped forward at the last minute and gave herself up?

Joanna: No, I wasn’t shocked. She had no choice but to stand up.

Q: Would Chef have found out about the spaghetti incident anyway?

Joanna: No, Chef wouldn’t have found out at all and nobody would have told him. That’s not the way to have a reputation in the kitchen. So Jen knew she had to come forward.

Q: Did you speak to Jen about her decision afterwards?

Joanna: I did talk to her. She knew she made a mistake because of the pressure we’re under in that kitchen. If you make a conscious mistake, then it’s your problem. That’s something that will affect you in the long run and in your career. But it’s a sign of her character that she did come forward.

Q: Do you agree with Chef Ramsay’s statement that you sold out your teammates and that you would not be able to run a kitchen because you couldn’t control your own station?

Joanna: I guess I understand why he would say that. I definitely don’t agree with him though because everything is a learning experience. I think that I will get more experience, which I am doing in my career already. There will be place for me to run my own restaurant once I gain the confidence in the kitchen.

Q: Is there anyone you didn’t get along with?

I got along well with everybody. It may have seemed like me and Melissa had tension between us, but that was because she acted like the mother of the kitchen in order to show people how things are done. Sometimes you have to let people find their own way. Others maybe didn’t like me because of my personality. Having someone like me that is mouthy. They may think I was being bitchy, but it’s just the way I am. My confidence and experience in the kitchen will win out.

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Q: Did you feel like you were the right person to be chosen over Josh?
Eddie: I don’t think I should have been up there at all. It totally caught me off guard.

Q: Why do you think you were chosen?
Eddie: Honestly, I think it’s because I was a threat. Most of my food went out before Chef decided to kick me off. We all had a bad night, but I was one of the only guys to get most of my food out. I think I was sabotaged. I’m not too sure, but at one time there was a whole bunch of people around me.

Q: What about the spaghetti incident? Was it your fault?
Eddie: I’ve been doing this long enough to know not to put that much spaghetti in there. And the next thing I know, Chef Ramsay is angry. You don’t have time to make excuses. And then the risotto. It was too peppery…

Q: Were you the one who put too much pepper in the risotto?
Eddie: No, of course not. That would be insane if I did. I would never send food out like that. I tasted my dishes. I have no idea what happened after it left my hand, but it seemed like sabotage.

Q: Do you have to be tall to make it in Hell’s Kitchen?
Eddie: I think it’s a bunch of hoopla. Height doesn’t matter. If you got the skills, you’ll do fine. In our society, people think big is better. It’s just a myth.

Q: Who did you not get along with among the contestants?
Eddie: I like to think I got along with everybody. I had no clashes that I’m aware of. We all got along pretty good. I think some people were scared of the skills I had.

Q: Did you like the show?
Eddie: I loved it and had a great time. I should have been there longer, but “oh well!” I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

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Recaps of the second episode:

     EW.com
     TVGuide.com
     Zap2It.com

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Q: Your team won the challenge and got to go fishing with Chef. Did he pass on any words of advice?
Bonnie: Fishing with Chef Ramsay… Oh I’m sorry, we were finally allowed to refer to him as “Gordon” outside the kitchen (I had a hard time with this). Yes, so Gordon took us Fishing in Long Beach and I remember all of the girls acting extremely timid around him at first; we were all still terrified of him. He’s a completely different person outside the kitchen, extremely funny and personable. He really urged us all to get on the same page and bond as a team, which is what he felt had been our biggest downfall. I don’t think it hit any of us that we could actually use this time to shoptalk and in hindsight I wish one of us had just gone for it. We all realized that the reward for winning a challenge was two-fold: first, an excursion out of the confines of Hell’s Kitchen, and second (and most important), a chance to pick Chef Ramsay’s brain, so to speak.

Q: What happened with Aaron during dinner service?
Bonnie: Poor Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron. I felt so sorry for him during that dinner service. Aaron wasn’t taking care of himself at all: wasn’t eating properly, etc. He was really spaced out and disoriented and I just don’t think he could concentrate enough to serve the Dover sole tableside. I’m not sure if I would have done a better job, but I definitely think he began to crumble under the pressure. However, it seemed like Chef Ramsay was really trying to give him a break that night, I remember him even saying something like, “this will boost your self confidence.” I think he was given every opportunity, but he still couldn’t get it together.

Q: How did the girl’s team feel about the win?
Bonnie: There was so much commotion in the kitchen that night I barely heard Chef throw the boys out of the blue kitchen. Then all of a sudden we’re finishing the boys’ dinner service! It was funny because even then I wasn’t sure if we had won; I was almost waiting for some other disaster to occur on our side and then we would be the losers once again. When Chef announced we had won, the girls were thrilled. I think we all came into that dinner service ready to play; the fishing trip definitely helped us bond as a team and we definitely behaved as a team during service. The win only served to strengthen that bond, and also gave us more confidence in our own individual abilities.

Q: Do you think Eddie should have gone home?
Bonnie: It’s always hard when someone has to leave. Eddie was such a nice guy. I never got a chance to work with him, so I’m not sure. From watching episode 2, he did look like he was having a hard time asserting himself, which is absolutely critical when running the appetizer station. It’s hard in the beginning of the competition because everyone is still settling in and getting used to everything, so I’m not sure if he really got a chance to prove himself. But that’s the nature of Hell’s Kitchen: someone always has to go.

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Insight from the Hell’s Kitchen producer.

Chef Ramsay champions the plight of bluefin tuna.

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At least in this article he does.

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Q: Do you think Melissa sold you out?
Tiffany: I would have made the same decision. What do you do? She wanted to take out Joanna because she’s competition. As far as me -- whatever. I couldn’t fry an egg. I would have made the same choice.

Q: What happened with Julia?
Tiffany: That was the thing -- you’ve got so much on your plate. She’s not prepared. Now you have to give somebody guidance? It’s incredibly frustrating.

Q: Last season’s winner Heather commented in her blog post that she thought you would have done well on the show had you made it through another service. What do you think?
Tiffany: It’s so hard to say. You don’t know what your station will be for the night. You don’t know what has been prepped, what has not been prepped. You just don’t know.

Q: Which contestants did you like?
Tiffany: Rock. He’s super down-to-earth, a really good guy. He’s also a good cook. He can take orders. And he’s a quality human. I also really liked Jen. She deserved the opportunity. She’s also a quality human, and she’s quiet.

Q: How does Gordon compare to the other chefs you’ve worked with?
Tiffany: Gordon is nuts. But in this industry, you see so many kooks. I totally admire and respect him. I’ve read all of his biographies. Given the deck of cards he’s been handed in his life, hats off to the guy. I just respect and like him very much.

Q: You finally saw the show for the first time. Do you think you came off well?
Tiffany: The show was great. I think it was accurate. I think I was portrayed pretty accurately. I got out safe before I was made out to be anything different. At least I have self-dignity left. I think.

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To Whom It May Concern:
I have been where you are right now. In front of the devil. Staring him in the eyes. Clueless onto what I’m doing, about to do or what is in store for me the next day. I have been in your shoes. Every single step you have taken, I have taken. However, I also waited a least a week before I shed a tear, sorry Aaron.

With all that said, all I can really say is WOW!!! Looks like Kleenex tissues is sponsoring this season. I know there is a lot of pressure on you, but WHAT IS WITH ALL THE CRYING. (Again, sorry Aaron)

I will first start with the signature dishes and my first reactions of this year’s chefs.
Now I know what pressure you were under and how much time you did or did not have, so I will be easy on there. First is the Pink Snapper by Vinnie. Where was the fish? But besides that, why did you question Ramsay? I have said it once and I will say it again, DON’T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!!!! Next is Joanna, I liked the idea of her dish but didn’t understand the bellini on the side. I also bet that she is one hell of a cook and doesn’t need to flirt to get ahead. I think she should let her cooking and work ethic speak for itself. Rock is up next. OH MY GOD!! LOOK AT THAT DISH!! It looks perfect, it sounds perfect and… wait what? You used what?! FROZEN GNOCCHI!! Are you serious? Rock, Rock, Rock. Almost had me.

Up next is Josh. What can I say about Josh. Um, let me see. Well, According to Josh food is sex and everyone likes sex. And he wants everyone to feel like they just had great sex. Josh! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?!? Bonnie was next and unfortunately her dish wasn’t described well, so I didn’t know what it really was, but it looked interesting. And her comment about Chef making her scared was very cute. Speaking of cute, here’s EDDIE!! Eddie, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are so cute I just want to pick you up and put you in my pocket. I trust that you have a pit bull inside you and I can’t wait to see you bring it out!! I also liked your honesty on Brad’s dish. Brad, I wasn’t there to taste your dish, but it looked very nice.

Where is Jen going? Jen are you feeling okay? Jen? Jen? PHEW!!! That was a close one! I thought we lost someone for a second. I like booze in my fruit so I’m not going to give you a hard time. Just one thing to remember Jen, don’t forget to breathe. The music speeds up and here comes Melissa. The dish looks great and I like her attitude. And IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A GOOD ONE!!! YEAH HE LIKES IT!! HE REALLY LIKES IT!!!

Julia and Tiffany go at the same time. I like Julia’s attitude, but she needs to remember it doesn’t matter that you’re a short order cook and you haven’t gone to culinary school. You were picked out of thousands. You all were. You’re there for a reason. Her dish looked good and I liked her honesty as well on Tiffany’s dish. As far as Tiffany’s dish goes, I would have to say I liked it the most. I agree with Julia: I would order that as well.

There is a first for everything. And Aaron is the first Asian cowboy I have every seen, but whatever does it for ya’ buddy.

All the dishes are done and I can see the relief on everyone’s face. Ramsay begins to tell everyone about the prize. A quarter of a million dollar salary and a restaurant in VEGAS!! WITH ME!!!! WOO-HOO!!!! I’m going to be neighbors with one of these chefs and I’m excited!!! The teams are split into boys against the girls and surprise!! Surprise!! Everyone reacts the same way that we did last year. Talking smack in the dorms, which by the way are very nice to say the least!!! Here we go again!!!

It’s the next day and prep is started. I liked the way that Brad took charge in the Blue kitchen. I didn’t like that it appeared that no one paid attention to Julia. But she should have been more forceful then getting upset about it before service. And then there is Aaron. Did you really cry? Please tell me that you went to acting school and you can cry on demand or someone stepped on your foot. PLEASE AARON!! PLEASE!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?

I can’t believe they went through with service. No one is connecting and no one seems ready. Service starts and the girls are already fighting. Tiffany is not doing so well on the app station. Joanna seems like she wants to take control of everything and Bonnie seems like she just wants to get it done and she starts to cry. That’s two so far, just in case anyone is counting how many people that have cried in the first 48 hours. Then there is Julia, who no one is listening to AGAIN. If I were Julia, I would have hopped and made the egg myself before crying to chef. (There’s number three.)

Service is not going well, on both sides. Aaron needs to take a break. You’re killing me Aaron, you’re killing me!! And Vinnie!! You laughed at chef!! WHOA!! You got a set boy!! Then there is no stock, no anything!! Fighting against chef!!! PEOPLE!!! THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD!!!

HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAY!!! MY BOY BRAD!!!! And food starts to go out!! YEAHHH!!! AND JULIA!!! YOU GO GIRL!!! AND THEN MELISSA!!! THAT’S MY GIRL!!! HERE WE GO!!! THINGS ARE GETTING DONE!!

Then on the blue side, Josh is pulling through. But unfortunately there is no food left. And on the red side, the girls are fighting AGAIN!! I feel MaryAnn’s pain. Then in the confessional Jen says that no one deserves the prize at this point. And then she cries. (Number four.) And Vinnie fights with chef, again.

The women lose the first night’s service but Melissa is the best of the worst. Melissa, I was in your EXACT shoes. And you deserve the title. I think it sucks that some of the girls were judging Julia just because she worked at the waffle house. That’s not right. I agreed with her choices. The apps did take a long time. And Joanna did not get along with her. Chef chooses Tiffany and she leaves Hell’s Kitchen --which is too bad, because I think she probably really could have pulled through, given another service.

This season sure does look intense!!! The next episode looks GOOOOOOOOOOODDD!!! I am psyched for this season. I know this group will pull it through and I can’t wait to see it!! But OH MAN!!! I do feel for you all. You can do this!! I believe in you!!!

See one of you in Vegas soon.

Sincerely,
Heather

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