Episode Report Card Monty Ashley: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It's Back!
By Monty Ashley | Season 5 | Episode 1 | Aired on 01.29.2009
Ji (33, private caterer) has a Miso-sake marinated Chilean Sea Bass and wants to cook to impress her father. Gordon says it's cooked perfectly, and I must say we're off to a better start than last year. He hasn't vomited once! Unfortunately, the voiceover guy shares my sentiments, which means we're in for something weird. And it starts with another "Holy [bleep]". Robert (29, sous chef) has provided something that Gordon calls a "camel hoop", I think. Robert, incidentally, is a large fellow. Just so you know. The dish is a potato and white truffle wrapped Chilean sea bass, which Gordon says was cooked well. But there's a disgusting sauce of which Gordon does not approve. Next: chicken and blackberries by Lacey. Not good enough. [How can a contestant's specialty be "not good enough"? How did she get on the damn show, then? Oh, wait -- it was her looks. Never mind. - Zach]
Danny says he's a redneck who hunts duck and gators. He's got something called "Mahi Gone Bananas", which I approve of. I think more of these dishes should have names instead of the chef just listing every ingredient they put in there. Gordon says it's hideous. Danny interviews, with refreshing directness, "Ramsay's just looking for a rise out of me, which he's eventually going to get." Sounds fair. Giovanni gets beat on for the quality of his rice, and Charlie (24, prep cook) is told his dish is a joke. LA (whose name is pronounced L.A.) has some fish and chips that are deemed "terrible".
J. (32, food court chef -- really? Food court chef? Really?) doesn't do well with whatever that stuff is. Colleen spars a bit with Ramsay about the pronunciation of her name and the propriety of her being a culinary instructor with no formal training of her own. He spits out her chicken enchilada and it doesn't look good for Colleen. Then she tightly informs him that she teaches manners, too, and he tells her to [bleep] off back in line. See, that's obscenity he just uses automatically. I don't think he means anything by it. This time. Although I don't think he cares for Colleen, either. Andrea (30, line cook) and Coi (22, cafe cook) have dishes that are "spot on" and "delicious" respectively. Paula (28, executive sous chef) also does well.
Seth (27, private party chef) has cooked lamb chops and supposedly idolizes Gordon Ramsay. Gordon spits out the ratatouille for having honey in it. He also claims that it's the worst dish he's ever tasted and gets mad when Seth laughs. But c'mon. The worst? Anyway, Ben, who says that he is a machine in the kitchen, has a good Peking Duck. Now he believes he's a force to be reckoned with. You hear that world? He is Ben; reckon with him!