(Archived) (Lifedollars) Episode 2101 - 18 Chefs Compete

The first episode of the old version of Season XXI of Hell's Kitchen was published on October 15th, 2020. On that episode, the signature dish challenge occurred.

## Intro

After a flashback of the past 20 seasons is shown, followed by the show's intro. Then, the eighteen contestants and seen aboard the bus, about to arrive at Hell's Kitchen. Deep said that this moment is by far one of the best of his life, almost better than when his wife gave birth to his son. Victoria said that he had never been to Las Vegas before, and said that it's a beautiful city, wishing she had lived there. Layton said that she was essentially an engineer in the kitchen and that she was definitely going to do well. Matt said that he's doing this for his wife and his three children back at home and that he had to win this.

After chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, all of them checked out the Hell's Kitchen museum and Chase was amazed and enraptured by the achievements other chefs have achieved, and followed it with him saying that he wanted to be in the museum himself. Then, Ramsay announced that he was looking for an amazing new head chef for his newest restaurant, as well as a salary of $250,000. Lexi was amazed by that amount of money, saying she could really use the money.

## Signature Dish Challenge

### Cooking

Gal said that his dish was hopefully going to impress Ramsay, and then introduced his background and how he grew up poor but eventually got a kitchen job at the age of 15. In the red kitchen, Sabrina was amazed by how cool and large the kitchen was and stated that she wished she had a kitchen like the one in Hell's Kitchen at home. Chase said that his dish was hopefully going to stand out as an incredible dish and that Ramsay was going to like it. In the red kitchen, however, Dasara said that she was a perfectionist and that Ramsay would definitely be able to see that through her dish.

After 45 minutes, all chefs had their signature dishes finished on time. Now, it is time for the judging.

### Judging

Once again, the challenge was done in front of a live audience, but the audience was smaller than usual. One chef from each team would take turns going up against another chef from the opposite team. Ramsay would then score the dishes each on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being a disaster and 5 being a truly prefect dish.

First up was Lexi, and Ramsay asked where she was from. She answered Cape May, New Jersey. When asked how she got into cooking, she said that she was very low on cash at the age of 15 and needed to get a job, and after finding a job in the kitchen, she instantly knew that the job was for her, and she was eventually promoted to a sous chef position. When asked by Ramsay what she originally wanted to be when she grew up, she proceeded to say that she had no fucking clue, much to the amusement of Ramsay and the audience. Lexi presented her halibut, and while Ramsay praised the halibut for being cooked perfectly, it was criticized for bitter garnish, earning only 3 points, with Ramsay saying it would have been four had the garnish been better. Lexi said she was definitely going to beat herself up for that. Then, Gal explained his backstory and how he wanted to elevate Miami and prove that Florida was more than just a state that people are turned off to. He presented his signature dish. Ramsay praised the halibut for being perfectly cooked and for it being an unconventional take on halibut that actually works, giving him a score of 4 points. In the next round, Deep presented his dish, but it was criticized for being too spicy. Ramsay made his opponent, Kelly, taste it as well, and she thought it was also incredibly spicy. As a result, Ramsay gave him a 2 out of 5, much to the dismay of Deep. He said he was hoping that he could prove that his age wouldn't be a liability in the future. Kelly's dish was next, and Ramsay said that she was youngest chef of the season, and ironically, she was going against Deep, the oldest of the competition. Kelly said that she has a lot to prove and that she wanted to make it known that young peoplle can cook also. Her dish was praised for being tasty despite it not looking super appetizing, giving her a respectable 3. This, the teams are tied 6-6. Then, it was time for Roy to present his signature salmon, and Ramsay said it was abosolutely delicious, scoring a 4 out of 5. Roy did a small victory dance in response, albeit in a confessional. Nonny then presented her dish, but unfortunately, it was criticized for being dry, scoring a mere 2 points, giving the blue team a 2-point lead. Next up, it was time for Jonah to present his signature dish. When asked what he did for a living, Jonah said that he was only the best chef in Los Angeles, to the laughter of the audience. He then presented his dish, but Ramsay said that he had one big issue with it. The camera cuts to the audience in shock, and a commercial break occurs.

Back to the show, Ramsay revealed that the fish was raw in the middle, and Jonah let out a gentle "god dammit." And Dasara let out a mild "yikes". Ramsay said that because the fish is raw, and everything else is bland, with Ramsay saying that he was starting to question whether or not he was real or fake since he called himself the best chef in LA, and then finally said that he was struggling to give the dish a 1 out of 5. Dasara was up next, and when interviewed by Ramsay, she said that she hopefully knows what dish that Ramsay is looking for. Ramsay praised the dish for being stunning and definitely worthy of a perfect 5 out of 5. Dasara later celebrates in a confessional. Next up were Sabrina and Ben. Sabrina stated that her big inspiration were her parents and that they were with her every single step of the way through her life and that they were essentially her rock. Then, she presented her dish, but Ramsay criticized the pork for being dry and overcooked, asking her if her parents taught her to make it like that, to which she responded no. Ramsay gave the dish a 2 out of 5. Next was Ben, who would try to impress Ramsay with his signature dish. Ramsay praised it for the solid effort but criticized it for looking like a disaster. He ended up scoring a 3, tying the round at 15-15. Amanda then presented her dish, and Ramsay said that the puree was too watery, muddling the dish slightly, but praised it for tasting good otherwise. She scored a 3 out of 5. Next was Chase, and after introducing his backstory, he said that he was trying to help kids around Tennessee try to be able to cook and hopefully get them a job in the future, for the children who love to cook and want to do that for the rest of their life, much like himself. He presented his signature New York strip, but when Ramsay cut into it, it was revealed to be well done, which, according to Chase himself, was not what he was aiming for. Ramsay said that the steak was burnt, just visually without cutting it and eating it, and he also said that he knows how unpleasant it is when it gets into your teeth. He also tasted the side garnish, which he spat out. He then said that he was struggling to give the dish a 1 out of 5. A disappointed Chase said that he would beat himself up about it later. The score is now 18-16. After two less than perfect dishes, Liz presented her dish, which was praised for its boldness and deliciousness, scoring a total of 4 points. Declan then presented his dish, but while Ramsay praised the pork for being spot-on, he criticized it for essentially swimming in a pool of thin grits which spoiled the dish slightly, thus only scoring a 3 out of 5, with Ramsay saying he'd give it a 4 had it not been in a swimming pool.