(Dimmock2) Episode 2001 - Game On!

The first episode of the twentieth season aired on September 5, 2023. On that episode 18 chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen and are instructed to cook their signature dishes, and then a twist occurs that shocks everyone to their core.

## Intro

In Las Vegas, Nevada, 18 new hopefuls arrived at Hell's Kitchen. Jeremiah revealed his grandparents got him into cooking when the former was younger, he then ended by saying that he'll win for his grandparents. Cierra described working under Chef Ramsay to be absolutely awesome, and the latter couldn't wait to show him what she was capable of. Wayne said in his confessional that he was the best chef in the world, and then bragged about how Hell's Kitchen was gonna be a piece of cake. Marino got to the restaurant and introduced Sous Chef Christina, which stunned Valentina as she was a beast in her season. Shortly after Marino introduced revealed Sous Chef Jason to be the blue team's sous chef, amazing Ian as he was his biggest inspiration coming into the competition.

Suddenly a motorcyclist came riding in doing crazy stunts, and it amazed all of the chefs. The motorcyclist took his helmet off and it was revealed to be Gordon Ramsay, which made Niomi call him a badass in her confessional. Ramsay reminded them that the stunts were to teach the chefs, to never let anything get in their path and to be prepared for anything that's thrown at them. Ramsay announced that the winner of the season, will be the next head chef at his restaurant and also receive $500,000 as a cash prize. Brad explained how he grew up extremely poor, and the money could be very useful. Ramsay then declared the first challenge to be the Signature Dish challenge, where the chefs had to cook a dish that represents them on a plate. He then sent them into the kitchens to start cooking their dishes and shortly after, a teaser of the season was shown.

## Signature Dish Challenge

The chefs were given 45 minutes to cook their dishes, and then the time started. In the blue kitchen, Ian said in his confessional that he was confident in his cooking abilities and that he was ready to make a good first impression. Meanwhile with the red kitchen, Jocelyn explained that she had a rough background, due to her parents constantly being in the war but she'll not let that affect her. Back with the blue kitchen, Ellis hoped his dish would stand out as a masterpiece, and Ramsay was going to like it very much. Back with the red kitchen, Reilly revealed she'd only cooked for one year and hadn't gone to culinary school, but the latter felt like she could do just fine. Daniel said that while he may be the oldest of his team, he was an amazing cook so he should have no problems. Khloe told Sous Chef Christina about her Pineapple Grilled Chicken, and the latter didn't care about what others thought, as her main goal was to win. With ten minutes left, Melanie was starting to get extremely nervous and was then shown rushing her dish, which led Daivani into calming the latter down. Meanwhile, Jeremiah claimed he was a complete perfectionist, and that he knows what it takes to carry his team to victory. Ramsay then announced that there were only two minutes left, and Ian had noticed that Wayne's cod was raw so he told the former, but Wayne aggressively asked Ian to fuck off and mind his own business. Wayne then said that Ian needed to shut up, as he was really starting to get on his bad side. Niomi revealed she had seven children back home and that if she could handle kids, Hell's Kitchen would be a walk in the park. Eventually, the chefs finished and plated on time.

First up were Jeremiah and Valentina. When asking what got Jeremiah into cooking, he replied his grandparents who had just recently passed. Ramsay said he was very sorry to hear that, but Jeremiah assured him that his grandparents were looking down at him feeling proud. He then presented his Pan-seared duck with roasted carrots, and a parsnip puree. Ramsay found the duck to be cooked perfectly, and the presentation was spot-on. He scored a 4 out of 5, and Jeremiah did a small dance in the confessional. Next was Valentina. When asked where she was from, she said that she lived in Kansas City, Missouri. She then presented her New York Strip with sauteed mushrooms and kale. Ramsay said that the dish was delicious, but the presentation was sloppy. She scored a 3, and Valentina was bummed about her presentation, but was happy that Ramsay gave her the criticism to improve for next time. Brad and Cierra were up next, and when being asked about his passion. Brad revealed that he grew up poor, and had to work at the age of 16 to earn money. Ramsay then said that Brad should be very proud of what he had to overcome, and the former agreed. Brad then kicked it off with his ribeye with wilted bok choy, and Ramsay found the ribeye to be undercooked and the presentation was not much better, so he scored the dish a 1. Brad was disappointed in himself, and hoped his team wouldn't see him as a weak link. Next up was Cierra, and she presented her pork tenderloin with butternut squash, which was cooked perfectly and it was overall a good dish so she scored a 4 out of 5. Up next was Ellis and Daivani and Ramsay asked Ellis when was the last time he trimmed his beard, to which Ellis said that he trimmed it a week ago and Ramsay warned him to watch out in case it goes into flames. He then presented his Spice Crusted Salmon with brown rice and creme fraiche, and Ramsay deemed it exceptional. He then scored a 4. Ellis stated that he couldn't believe his dish payed off, and then patted himself on the back. Next was Daivani, who was confident that Ramsay would like her techniques. However, Ramsay was very disgusted to see that the filet was raw and Ramsay immediately gave her a 1 out of 5, which led Reilly into telling Daivani that she sucked in her confessional.

Up next was Daniel and Niomi, and Ramsay reminded them that they were the oldest two of the season. Daniel stated that he wanted to prove that old people can cook too, and was ready to make Ramsay do some cartwheels with his dish. However, his cajun shrimp and grits with andouille sausage was deemed boring, and it was also slightly burnt scoring him a 2 out of 5. Niomi then presented her Pink snapper with braised peas and broad beans, and Ramsay said the dish was delicious and for also being perfectly executed scoring her a 4. Niomi was happy for her good dish, as well as receiving a 4 instead of anything below that. The fifth round was between Otto and Jocelyn, and Otto revealed that he was supposed to be on the previous season but caught COVID and had to decline the offer. He then presented his rack of lamb with sweet potato mash and couscous, which Ramsay deemed it fantastic giving him the first five of the night. Otto said that he was ecstatic about getting a perfect score, from one of the most renowned chefs in the culinary industry. Meanwhile, Jocelyn presented her smoked sea bass with lemon caper sauce, and Ramsay liked the presentation along with the delicious flavours. She also scored a 5 out of 5, saying in her confessional that her family and friends would be proud of her right now. The score was 17-16 for the red team, and Ian's wagyu beef with eggplant and carrot puree was well received for the excellent presentation, and the dish was overall spectacular scoring him a 4 out of 5. Next up was Melanie, and she then presented her pan-fried Halibut with asparagus and cauliflower. Melanie stated that she was not confident in her dish, but Ramsay said that she should not be doubting as it was cooked to perfection. She scored also scored a 4, giving the women a slight lead of 21-20. Next up were Noel and Khloe, and Noel was laughing to which Ramsay questioned. But Noel didn't know, as he laughed whenever he was overwhelmed. He then presented his Crab Cakes with braised red cabbage, which was said to be delicious and scored a 4. Next was Khloe who presented her Pineapple Grilled Chicken with orzo and paprika aioli. Ramsay was immediately confused by the presentation, but after one bite he deemed it not bad. She scored a 3 out of 5.

In the seventh round, David presented his seared ahi tuna with roasted vegetable medley, and Ramsay found it very overcooked giving him 2 points. David felt he rushed his dish, and felt he let the men down big time. Next was Esther, and she presented her stuffed veal chop with cheese penne and tomato vinaigrette. Ramsay said the veal chop was cooked perfectly, but the presentation was shocking. She scored a 3 out of 5, leading the latter into talking back. Ramsay heard and called Esther up to ask what she said. With no response, Ramsay told her to stop fucking around and get back in line. The score was 27-26 for the women, and the final round was between Wayne and Reilly. Wayne said that he was the greatest chef in Los Angeles, and Ellis ranted in his confessional that Wayne's arrogance is starting to get on his nerves. He then presented his pan-seared cod with tomato basil sauce, and Ramsay was flabbergasted to see that the cod was completely raw. He scored a 1 out of 5, leading Ian to shake his head. Last up was Reilly who explained that her biggest teacher was her mentor who hired her, and from there she kept advancing from simple pantry chef to line cook. She then presented her pan-seared scallops with creamy polenta and green beans. Ramsay liked the presentation, and the dish was outstanding scoring her 4 points. The red team won 31-27 and Reilly celebrated with her team, saying that the blue team should be worried as she's got some amazing talent.

## Reward

The women were rewarded with surfboarding and an amazing dinner at a luxurious restaurant. Niomi felt excited as she had never been surfboarding in her life. As the women were leaving for their reward, they walked past the men as Jeremiah told them to not fall over. During the reward, the red team arrived at the centre and began surfing. Khloe managed to hold on for a few seconds, before wiping out amusing the others. Valentina wiped out hard, but luckily she recovered quickly. Reilly claimed that this was an incredible reward, and was glad to pull off a victory for her team.

Later, the ladies arrived at the luxurious restaurant. Jocelyn was amazed at how beautiful it was, as she had never seen any restaurant that beautiful before. During lunch, the red team toasted their victory and Melanie was glad that the red team were bonding. Cierra looked down from the balcony, saying how stunning the view was since her graduation party.

## Punishment

The men were punished by cleaning both kitchens and setting up the dorms. Daniel felt unhappy losing the challenge, but Ian told him to suck it up as he'd been one of the main reasons for the blue team's loss. During the punishment, Ellis was pissed that his team dropped the ball, and Wayne blamed David for screwing their chances of winning, but Jeremiah reminded the former that he was the one who thought that his dish was good. Wayne then flipped his team off and decided to go upstairs to relax, to which Ian sarcastically said he had an excellent attitude. Noel was concerned that Wayne would ruin the team dynamic, and Brad agreed as he felt that Wayne was delusional. After they finished the red team arrived back and started boasting about their reward, which annoyed Ian.

## Individual Challenge

Sous Chef Jason came in with the chef's recipe books, telling them to study hard for service tomorrow. Most of the red team were studying with the exception of Esther, believing she doesn't need help from a stupid book. Meanwhile, the men were very inconsistent due to Brad falling asleep, Wayne drinking alcohol and Daniel playing board games, but the rest of the men were studying, with David wanting to bounce back from his poor start. Eventually, both teams went to sleep, but Otto woke up due to Brad's snoring which the latter called annoying.

The next day, both teams changed into their jackets and headed downstairs to see Chef Ramsay. Once everyone was lined up, Ramsay asked if they had a good night's sleep. Everyone said yes except Otto who explained that Brad snored during the night. Ramsay said that the only way to get out of a punishment is by winning the challenge or using a Punishment Pass. Ramsay declared the next challenge would be to create the best soup in forty minutes, and the winner would receive the Punishment Pass. Noel knew how awesome that sounded, and really wants to win it. Before the challenge started, Ramsay reminded them that the loser of the challenge would be going home, shocking everyone. Then the episode ended on a cliffhanger just as the challenge began.