Episode Report Card Keckler: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Day 4
By Keckler | Season 3 | Episode 4 | Aired on 06.24.2007
Jen struggles over her decision, but Rock doesn't have that problem. He tells Jen, "I knew what I was going to do before service if I had the opportunity." Back in front of Ramsay, Rock announces Josh as his choice. We did see a lot of Josh screwing up, but thinking back to Episode 2, I can't help but wonder if Rock is playing the game here and attempting to get rid of his biggest threat. Jen sacrifices Melissa. Ramsay disagrees with both of their decisions and overrules them completely. He pulls out Bonnie and Vinnie as the worst performers that night. Ramsay asks Vinnie why Rock nominated Josh and for once, Vinnie is humble. "Chef, I had my head so far up my ass during service, I don't know if Josh did good or bad during service," he admits. Ramsay agrees completely: "Good answer." Bonnie admits to being surprised that Jen didn't nominate her because she knows she performed poorly. Ramsay asks Vinnie why he should be kept on at Hell's Kitchen and Vinnie completely negates his previous karma by saying, "Well, Chef, when you decide to put your name behind somebody's name for this hotel in Las Vegas, I'm the most qualified chef here." Ramsay slams him for his lack of humility and inability to accept how much he screwed up. I don't know if that's completely fair given what Vinnie said about his ass just seconds earlier.
When Ramsay turns to Bonnie, she tells him she's learning from her mistakes and believes she'll improve. She even ventures, "I'm sure when you started out you made a lot mistakes, too." Ramsay snaps a quick shrug. Just ask Marco Pierre White -- he'll be breathless to tell you how he made Ramsay cry years before Ramsay was doing it to anyone else. Ramsay sends Vinnie home, saying, "I can't go any further with you -- you've peaked." Vinnie hands over his jacket and leaves.
A few of the remaining contestants reflect on their futures in Hell's Kitchen. Bonnie doesn't know if she's cut out for this kind of career, Josh knows that Rock wants him gone but doesn't care because Ramsay is his only judge, and Rock is again talking about himself in the third person: "None of them are a threat to Rock, the only threat to Rock is Rock." In his voice-over, Ramsay condemns Vinnie to further damnation: "The bottom line with Vinnie is, he's a crap cook."