Hell’s Kitchen: Rookies VS Veterans Episode 12 Recap

The final six chefs battle it out for a chance to get a coveted black jacket on n all new episode of “Hell’s Kitchen: Rookies VS Veterans.”

Time to show off those punches. 

This episode started with Ramsay asking the Blue Team who would go to the Red Team in order to help them out. Ariel originally helped out, but the Red chose Mia instead. This pick would prove to be utterly pointless since Ramsay said that it was time for these chefs to battle for black jackets. Great going, Ramsay, you’ve wasted everyone’s time. 

As with previous black jacket challenges, there were three rounds. The first two rounds had the best two chefs get a black jacket and the third had one. For the first round, each chef had to punch a punch hole to reveal a protein, a vegetable, a starch and wild card. Bret had pork chops, sunchokes, leeks, polenta andwhiskey. Kanae had lamb, asparagus, green beans, red potatoes and black truffle. Motto had salmon, mushrooms, broccoli, rice and mascarpone. Ariel had scallops, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, celery root and bacon. Mia had fillet, chard, onions, couscous and duck fat. Heather had duck, peas, carrots, purple sweet potatoes and dried porcini. Heather complained that she never cooked with duck before. While that can be a disadvantage, a great chef can figure out how to make a great dish, Heather, however, couldn’t (it didn’t rest long enough and her puree was gummy.)

To nobody’s surprise, Ariel and Mia hot the first black jackets. For the second round, the chefs had to take turns rolling a roulette wheel to determine the ingredients everyone was going to cook with. They were: quail, eggplant, baby leeks and cauliflower. Those ingredients really don’t well with each other. Even Ramsay was stumped as to how to cook with them. Apparently, these chefs found some great ways to make a dish with. Again, to nobody’s surprise, Bret and Motto got the black jackets. For the final round, Heather and Kanae had to make their version of a surf and turf. Heather went the safe route and made a traditional surf and turf while Kanae used pork chop and shrimp. That isn’t what the typical diner would expect a surf and turf would be. In fact, it seems like a rip-off to get pork chop and shrimp instead of the more expensive fillet and lobster.

It seemed like Kanae was bound to win (Heather’s bad luck this episode included burning her hand,) but Heather won, eliminating Kanae.    

It’s surprising that Kanae was eliminated. She seemed to be a shoo-in for at least top three. It just goes to show that anything can happen in “Hell’s Kitchen.” Heather really doesn’t come across as someone who’ll make it to the final. She just got lucky. Motto and Ariel will be in the final. Bet on it.